Ophelia

Ophelia smiled gently at her reflection in the mirror. Her dark hair was sleek and formed loose waves around her angelic face, her lips plump andblood deep red, her golden eyes slightly less dazzling than the liquid topaz they normally were. For the most part she looked just like any other teenager, just about a million times as gorgeous. She grabbed her books and bag and started out of her small shack and headed for another day at Bridgewater High School. Only one more year before she could graduate and then move onto another town, another place, and another life.

****

Jasper pulled on his clothes and dreaded another day of high school. As if he hadn’t already had enough. He paused by the mirror and inspected his eyes. They were slightly duller than he preferred, but nothing to worry about just yet. He would go hunting tonight; maybe Ophelia might even go with him. A smile, something he had forbid to cross his face for so long now, came into the reflection and he did nothing to suppress it. Having Ophelia in his life was interesting and yet he was still intoxicated by the mystery of her. He just had to know what was so different about her.

****

As Ophelia drowned out her English teacher with a book of her own, she could feel someone’s eyes on her back. She made sure the teacher wasn’t paying much attention when she turned in her seat and saw Jasper staring back at her. He smiled and cocked his head to the side. Ophelia was confused as to why he was smiling at her. Just the other day he had accused her of being a vampire! Yet, she couldn’t help but feel like she had gotten to know him. She just couldn’t remember when, where, or why. Ophelia decided not to smile back, but turned back to the front and shrugged him off.

“Well…she did it again,” Jasper sighed as he dropped hisprop tray in front of his seat at the Cullens’ usual lunch table. The rest of his family turned to look at him, with bewildered looks on their faces.

“Did what again?” Bella asked as she looked around for Ophelia. She saw her grabbed some food out of the lunch line and sit down at a table, by herself.

“Completely ignored me; as though she didn’t even know me,” he sighed and played around with his apple. Pausing briefly, he stared at the apple in his hand and admired its’ deep red, shiny skin. He yearned to know what it would taste like and if he had even liked apples while he was human. He sighed and put it back down.

“What?! Why would she do that?” Edward narrowed his eyes and peered across at Ophelia. He could see how much his brother had become intrigued by her and how much he had come to like her, and he wasn’t about to him get hurt again. As far as he and the rest of his family concerned, Alice was dead to them, and she had never existed.

Edward was pulled out of his thoughts by Rosalie, “look! What on earth is she doing?”

They all glanced back over at her and saw her reach for her apple and gently take a bite. She was absorbed in her book and continued to eat her apple, oblivious to the world around her.

“Why would she do that? Dirt doesn’t exactly sound good to me,” Bella snorted and peeled her eyes away from the girl.

“I’m about to find out,” Jasper couldn’t take it anymore, so he left his table, his safe haven and walked over to Ophelia. He gracefully whipped out a chair and sat down next to her, “why are you acting like this?”

“Acting like what?” she sneered at him.

“So cold.”

“Maybe because a few days ago you pretended to be interested in being my friend and then you accuse me of being a vampire. That doesn’t really go over too well with me,” she gave him a fake smiled and tried to turn back to her book.

“What about yesterday afternoon!? At my house? With my family, where you told us everything?” he almost shouted out of frustration with her. He just wanted her to fess up and be…. normal.

“What are you on? I was never at your house? I’ve never spoken to your family before!”

“When were you born?”

“Why does that matter?”

“Just say it. Out loud.”

“March 14, 1992,” she sighed and started to walk away, “just stay away from. Please.”

Jasper watched her slink away and wondered what on earth was wrong with her. He had to find out. He had to help her.

Tomorrow, Edward, Jasper thought, we’ll find out what’s up with her tomorrow. I must know.

He looked across the cafeteria and he saw Edward’s lips pulled into a thin line, but his brother nodded.

Tomorrow then.