Circling Stars

🌟Chapter 25🌟

    At first I wasn't going to hide the ring. After about five minutes common sense kicked in and I put it back in its box before going home. How could I explain that without Jasper by my side? As weeks turned into months and he hadn't returned, I knew I'd made the right decision.

    He'd left in January and it was now mid May. The sick card wouldn't work this time. Instead his siblings and I claimed that a relative left him an inheritance in Russia, and he needed to travel there to claim it. But other members of his birth family were fighting him for it. Not the best explanation but we couldn't just say nothing either. Jasper most definitely would not be graduating this year. I knew that wouldn't mean much to someone who'd been through high school as many times as he. But I could see that being a problem for my parents once the ring took its rightful place on my finger.

    Jasper had been able to call only three times. Our conversations never lasted long but they meant the world to me.

    "I can't wait for you to be home," I told him during our last call.

    "Neither can I. I knew this would be difficult but I did not believe it would take this long." Jasper and Sarah had fought with Maria's forces several times, but the woman just made more newborns to make up for her casualties. They hadn't even seen a glimpse of the woman herself and none of her captured rogues seemed to know where she was. It was almost like this was sport for Maria but they didn't know why.

    Jasper had even turned to Alice for her future seeing skills, but because Jasper was so closely connected with me Alice could see nothing. Sarah wouldn't let her number one strategist leave her side. Even if this would let Alice see the future Sarah felt it wasn't worth the risk. That wasn't Jasper's opinion but Sarah would hear none of it.

    "I've been thinking about our wedding," I said.

    "Do you have a dress?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

    "Alice is making it for me."

    "Of course," he laughed.

    "I was thinking about dates. We can't get married until I'm eighteen and that won't be until July 31st. I have this fantasy that we'd get married right at dawn. We'd kiss just as the sun is coming up turning the sky and clouds gold and pink."

    "Then we will." His voice was so full of love and promise that it brought tears to my eyes.

    "We couldn't though. Your skin."

    "Do not worry about it. Alice has once again begun work on makeup that hopefully will obscure the effect."

    "What about you? Is there anything you want in particular? This is your day just as much as mine."

    "Hmmm. I will tell you when I get home," he said mysteriously.

    "Oh come on. I told you mine."

    "It is more fun to keep you guessing," he said lowering his voice to a deep sing song tenor that never failed to make me smile. I knew he wore the crooked grin I so loved and often fantasized about.

    "Give me a hint."

    "Water."

    "That's it?"

    "If you think about it enough you will figure it out."

    Jasper wasn't the only Swan who seemingly dropped off the face of the earth to the students and faculty of Wendigo High School. Nessie also needed to leave school but for a very different reason. At the beginning of February she discovered she was pregnant. As far as Carlisle could tell, her pregnancy was progressing much like a normal human one.