-Prologue-

I met a vampire when I was ten, but I didn't know it at the time.

I was home alone—not for long; my parents had only gone down the road to my aunt's, to pick up some mail that had ended up at her house. My brother was at a friend's house for the day. My parents weren't gone but five minutes. I can't blame them for thinking nothing would happen in such a small amount of time.

As soon as my parents left the driveway, there was a knock at the door. It was late November, and already dark even though it was only six in the evening.

To my ten-year-old brain, there was nothing wrong with opening the door. I knew everyone in town, anyway. None of my fellow citizens of Tatum, New Mexico, would cause me harm, I was sure.

But when I opened the door, there was a stranger standing on our porch. A petite woman with tan skin and long, dark hair. Despite the cold, she was wearing a tank top with no jacket, and sandals on her feet.

When she smiled at me, her cheeks lifted, but there was no light in her flat, black eyes. She would have been lovely, save for this one detail.

The woman opened her mouth to speak. Growing up in New Mexico, I was able to understand a fair bit of Spanish, though I wasn't good at speaking it. This woman spoke Spanish, but I understood her question.

My car's overheating. Do you have any water?

Her voice was raspy, but sweet. Almost musical. It was an innocent question, but her voice coupled with her black eyes sent a shiver down my spine. Numbly, I nodded at her and asked her to wait—uno momento—before shutting and locking the door. I took a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to her. I kept the door mostly closed, like a shield over my body, only my head poking out.

Preciosa, she called me. Precious. Won't you come with me?

I shook my head at her. No, I would not. This made her laugh. When the woman spoke again, she had switched to English.

You really are too young, anyway. I would only get in trouble.

She was faster than any person I had ever known. Before I could back away, her hand reached out, fingernail cutting into my cheek. The cut burned in a way I had never felt before.

Again, too fast for me to react, the woman leaned in and kissed my cheek softly. She smiled at me one more time, my own blood staining her lips.

I'll see you again one day, preciosa.

She licked my blood from her lips and the change in her eyes was instantaneous. No longer were they black, but as red as the blood she cleaned from her mouth.

One moment, she was on my porch. The next, she was gone. My only proof of this happening was the burning cut on my cheek.

I didn't see the woman again for eight years.

A/N: This little story I've been writing has been a catharsis for me as of late. I've been going through a hard time, and I don't know why my mind turned to Twilight characters... but here we are. I've always had a soft spot for Jasper. It's been fun as well as calming to explore him through this. Read if you like, review if you like.