Mind the Sharp Edges

This story is definitely different from my usual, raunchier. It's much more of a crowd-pleaser. It's in my usual abbreviated style. All in Jasper's POV.

Mind the Sharp Edges

Jasper's POV

Cigarette smoke fell from my lips. It disappeared in my wake as I walked at a slow pace down the darkening street. I avoided eye contact with the humans while keeping my senses open, searching for dinner.

I heard a woman whisper to her son about how disgusting cigarettes were. I went out of my way to blow smoke at them. She covered her son's ears and cursed at me, so I gave her the one finger salute. Luckily for her and the boy I didn't kill suburbanites.

A man texting on his phone nearly walked into me. He glanced up and our eyes met briefly. He dropped his phone, fear bolting through him as he moved out of my path. I decided to be kind and not step on his phone.

I was used to that sort of reaction. It was the only reaction I ever got.

I took a long drag from my cigarette and concentrated on the scents around me. A delicious smelling woman was to the north, another across the street working as a barista, and a man loitering in a doorway. If I didn't smell any other scents that made my mouth water, I'd probably take down the man. But it was still daylight hours, even though it was late. I only hunted at night, when I could truly stalk my prey.

I dropped my cigarette on the moist pavement and snuffed it out with my boot. I'd have to grab some cash off my next meal to buy another carton of cigarettes.

I walked for another hour. The sun would be setting soon, and I still hadn't caught another scent worth my time.

The chattering of humans buzzed, annoying me.

"That's gross. He's probably only fourteen. You should be thinking about college applications, not the new kids."

"Whatever, Bella. You're the one who has her priorities switched around. College is only for four years. Love is forever." Fucking humans and their chatter. I could hear them getting closer to me too, neither of the young woman were paying attention to where they were walking- completely oblivious to how easily I could end them.

They walked by me, but not before one of them accidently bumped against me. She stumbled slightly. I turned to glare at her, but she was already looking at me. I waited for the fear to enter her brown eyes and emotions as we stared at each other, but… it never came. "Sorry." She said in a kind voice while smiling sincerely and going back to her conversation.

I stood on the sidewalk completely stunned while watching the woman walk away.

I couldn't remember the last time anyone looked at me like that, without fear or anger.

She wasn't even the least bit scared of me. She didn't even feel a glimmer of wariness when she saw my eye color.

"What the fuck?" I whispered while glancing at myself in a store window. Each gruesome scar was in its usual place, my eyes were their typical bright red, and I had the same scowl I always wore in place.

So why the hell had she not been scared? And even worse, why had she been so friendly? This was not a face that supposed to invoke anything less than fear and anxiety.

I wasn't sure if I should be insulted or impressed by the human. To not fear me was an open invitation to death.

I looked down the street in the direction the two women had been heading. I had been staring at my reflection for a good two minutes, which gave them a bit of distance from me, a head start.

I slowly followed the two women's scents. It led me to one of the shopping districts. They were in a small boutique, still yammering on.

The little bell rang as I walked in. I didn't have a real plan, but I knew that I could easily get any situation under control. The shop owner went to greet me. I sent him a high dose of sleepiness and disinterest. The elderly man laid his head down on the counter and nodded off. Too easy.

One woman was changing in the little dressing room while the other sat on a little chair staring at her phone, her thumbs moving at a lightning speed across the small keyboard.

"Lauren is sending me a picture of his fine ass now." The brunette on her phone said, still not looking up. I stayed in the shadow of the store watching from a distance.

"He's fourteen." The other woman said, the one who had smiled at me, was still in the dressing room.

"He doesn't look fourteen."

"If a man said that about a fourteen year old girl he'd go to jail in no time."

The phone pinged and the curly haired woman was filled with lust.

"Oh, Bella you just have to see this picture! His hair is so hot!" The woman with the cell phone pulled back the curtain to the dressing room, giving me a glance of the woman who had smiled at me. She was in the middle of pulling off a black skirt, her bright red bra caught my eye.

"Jesus, Jess! Can't you knock?" She covered up her creamy cleavage and the other woman shoved the phone in her face.

"Look!"

"Yes, he's cute. He practically gave me a death glare in the cafeteria last week though. I'm glad he skipped this week."

"But now I have no one to ogle in my algebra class!"

"How the hell are you still in algebra?" The woman, Bella, said while closing the curtain.

"Not everyone can be a straight A student like you!" I could sense that Jess was genuinely insulted. "Fucking stuck up bitch." She whispered under her breath. "I'm thirsty. Let's go get some Starbucks."

"Can you wait fifteen more minutes? I still can't find a decent dress for Charlie's retirement party."

"Uck! You're so slow! I'm going to be dead by the time you find a dress. I'll be back in fifteen." She left without waiting for a response. "Stupid old man." She whispered while walking by the sleeping store owner.

"Seriously Jess?" Bella asked while peeking out the changing room. She huffed and went back inside.

I waited for the other woman to be long gone before making my move.

What do you think of my first chapter? Excited? Any early predictions?