Made of Magic | j. hale

13; Mythical Creatures

"Some date, right?" Ana joked, climbing into the passenger seat of the black Volvo.

Jasper grinned deviously. "You think I didn't keep my word? Analise, you wound me." He got into the driver's side and started up the car.

Ana cackled at his response. "Well, where are we going then?"

He shook his head. "It's a surprise."

Ana threw her head back and groaned dramatically. "I hate surprises!" When Jasper just shrugged in response, she knew she wouldn't get him to budge. She stared at his profile, his absolutely perfect profile. His blonde curls fell softly around his face, framing his sharp jawline that made Ana swoon. And when his pink lips turned up into a smile, Ana's heart all but stopped.

"Relax, please." Jasper's velvet words interrupted her thoughts.

"What?" Ana felt her cheeks warm and was suddenly thankful that it was so dark out already.

"Did you forget I can feel your emotions?" He asked, a playful tone in his voice. "Analise, lust is not an exception."

"Oh my god, Jasper!" She pulled her knees against her chest and buried her face in her palms. "You can't do that," she said, her voice muffled against her skin.

He chuckled lowly. "It's alright, you don't need to be embarrassed." His attempt at comfort had failed, Ana still had her face buried in her hands. Even with all the noises around them, the only one Jasper could hear was the rapid beating of her heart. It made his mouth water, but he tried desperately to focus on something, anything, else.

"No," she said, "I think I'll just stay like this forever. You're never going to see my face again." Ana didn't move, even when the car slowed to a stop.

"Not even to see your surprise?" Jasper questioned. Ana shook her head. "Fine, I'll give you five minutes, but don't open your eyes until then. Fair?"

After a short silence, Ana decided that his compromise was pretty fair. "Okay." She could hear the driver's side door open and then close shortly after. She could hear some of Jasper's movements outside of the car, and then her door opening. "Hey! That wasn't five minutes, more like five seconds!"

Jasper laughed. "Okay, eyes closed." He grabbed her hands, the warmth of her skin was familiar against his.

Ana grabbed onto his hands tightly as he helped her out of the car. "Can I open them yet?"

"Just a little further," he answered, guiding her through the darkness.

Ana could hear sounds all around her - some sort of water running, leaves rustling in the wind - but she couldn't pinpoint where they were exactly. Suddenly, Jasper's cold touch disappeared, and Ana could feel a rush of panic rise in her chest.

"Okay, you can open them now," Jasper said.

Ana did as told, and was surprised at the scene laid out in front of her. There was a flannel blanket laid on the ground a few feet away from a riverbank. There were lit candles framing the edge of the blanket, illuminating the scene. It looked magical.

"What is this?" She questioned, a grin on her face. The sound of the rushing water coming from the river was soothing.

"Stargazing," Jasper answered. "There's some other things I have to tell you. Not about vampires."

Intrigued, Ana made her way over to the blanket Jasper had laid on top of the dirt below them, and sat down with her legs crossed. Jasper followed suit, sitting directly across from her. "What is it?" She questioned.

"We're at the treaty line," he explained. "Do you remember how you found out about vampires? Before you...," he paused.

"Walked in on you?" Ana giggled. "Yeah, I do. The Quileute legends, they mention vampires. That's how I put two and two together."

Jasper nodded. "The legends, exactly. Do you remember anything else about them?"

"Well, I remember it saying the Quileutes had magic in their blood, that they're descended from wolves," she answered. She waited as Jasper stared at her knowingly, like he was waiting for her to continue.

It clicked in her mind then. If vampires existed, and the 'cold ones' were real, then wouldn't the wolves be, too? "Wait," she shook her head in an attempt to clear her jumbled thoughts, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Jasper nodded. "Yes. They're all true."

"And...treaty line?"

"We don't hunt humans, we stay off their lands, and we get to stay in Forks." He watched her closely as she processed the new information. He wanted to be completely honest with her. Jasper planned on staying with Analise for as long as he could, and with Victoria back, he had a feeling that the wolves would be involved in their lives again soon.

Ana nodded and inhaled slowly. "Okay," she exhaled, and stared at Jasper admiringly. "Thank you for telling me." She laid back, the earth beneath her shoulders was shockingly cold. She folded her hands delicately over her stomach, and looked at the white stars littering the dark sky. "Lately, I've been wondering how I went this long without knowing all of this stuff."

Jasper sat next to her, unmoving. "It's not exactly public knowledge," he teased.

She just smiled at his joke. "Are there any other mythical creatures I should know about? Gremlins? Mermaids?"

Jasper chuckled and shook his head at her. "No, not that I know of." As Ana looked up at the stars, he wondered if she realized that in his mind, Ana was the most magical of all. Not vampires, not wolves, it was Ana that Jasper was most fascinated with.

The two laid there for a while in silence. Ana would close her left eye from time to time to try and find any recognizable constellations. This day had been a complete rollercoaster, but she was glad to have someone like Jasper by her side. Someone who was patient and kind, someone who wanted to embrace Ana in her entirety. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head and she sat upright quickly. "Wait," she had a worried expression on her face, "What about leprechauns? Jasper, if leprechauns exist I swear to god I'm going to shit my pants."

Jasper shook his head, a laugh upon his lips. "No, Analise. No leprechauns."

She let out a sigh of relief and laid back down. "Thank god. I don't think I could handle that one." 

[a.n.]

Hi! Thank you for 14k! Trying to get back on track with this story, but I am currently editing my new baby. I just published the first part! It's a Paul Lahote fic if anyone's interested! I would very much appreciate it if you went to check it out! Thank you!