Ember's Point of View:
Watching the water rise to meet us is no less exhilarating with vampire senses. If anything, the adrenaline from the jump feels amplified.
My hand breaks from Jasper's as we both make contact with the water, and I pay careful attention in remembering which direction is up. Despite the fact that I have swum the stretch of the Pacific from Newfoundland down to Maine (multiple times), and have no real need to breathe, losing sense of direction underwater is still rather annoying. Even with vampiric vision, the water still messes with my perception of depth and direction.
I stop swimming for a moment, just letting the tide push and pull me along. It's peaceful, the weight of the ocean blocking out any other sounds but waves crashing into the cliffs.
A glint of something shiny catches my attention below me, and I look down to see my necklace, my one link to that part of my past, being pulled down and away by the current. My hand immediately reaches up to my chest, grasping for a chain that is no longer there. My throat constricts, a coil of fear growing quickly inside of me as I freeze.
Jasper is suddenly next to me, his honeyed hair a beacon amid the darkness of the water. I'm unable to see his expression until he's right next to me, silently asking what's wrong. I quickly point from my neck, the only place my necklace is visible when I wear it, to down below me where I had seen it fall, and then take off towards the bottom of the water.
Without even looking, I know Jasper is following right behind me. The strange thing about water is it eliminates conventional hearing, but opens up almost a completely new sense, perhaps a bit like echolocation. It's disconcerting though, because I'm not at all used to it, and if I focus too much on it, the sound is deafening.
The vampiric hearing gives me the ability to "feel" the waves crashing along the cliffs up and down the coast, not just here. I'm sure most vampires don't have this problem, but my hearing is so sensitive that blocking it out takes a substantial amount of effort, making it near impossible for me to continue on with my task when added to the franticness of my thoughts.
I am sorely regretting jumping into the water now.
Suddenly Jasper swims up right in front of me, holding out one hand with something grasped tightly in his fist; my dog tags. A huge pressure seems to have lifted off me, and I smile widely at him, trying to convey my joy without the ability to use words.
I point upwards and he nods, both of us kicking back up to the surface.
Out of habit, as soon as my head breaks through the surface I take a large, unneccessary breath of air, then paddling myself around so that I face Jasper before pushing my short hair out of my eyes.
"Thank you." I say, and before I can change my mind about it, shoot in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, my hands resting lightly on his shoulders.
I feel a bit of shock at my own actions; had I really just done that? We both sort of stare at each other for a moment, before I look down in embarrassment. If I could still blush, my cheeks would be bright red right now.
I'm mildly suprised though when Jasper pulls me closer into a hug, one arm wrapped tightly around me, the other still securely fastened around my necklace.
"You froze up, so I dove down and grabbed it for you. Are you alright?" he asks, gently moving my hair out of the way so he can loop the chain around my neck.
"I just couldn't hear, it was too loud." I pause for a second, thinking about what I just said. "That made absolutely no sense, but I have no idea how to explain it."
"I'm not quite sure what you meant, no." Jasper laughs. "Can I ask though, is one of those yours?"
My smile fades slightly, one hand subconsciously reaching for the chain once again fastened around my neck. "Yes." My voice comes out a murmur, stolen by the wind, but I know Jasper heard.
"You don't have to tell me." Jasper replies gently, taking my hand and slowly pulling me back towards shore.
"Someday." I whisper, just as soft, and he gives my hand a squeeze.
"Come on, let's get out of the water."
This is part one of two; I split the chapter so I could update faster for you. The second part will be up soon! Please leave comments of what you thought below, and vote if you think this chapter deserved it!
xxEl
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Solstice (A Jasper Hale/ Twilight novel)
FanfictionEmber was born in the 1920's, and lived a relatively ordinary life. At least, more ordinary than she does now. To escape her broken home, Ember ran away and joined the army at age of only sixteen, disguised as a boy and claiming to be eighteen. T...
