Thunderstorm

"Oh, okay. Well, darkness... it's highly advantegeous for us... we blend in better, and our excellent night vision is ideal for hunting diurnal targets at night." James said.

"But if you don't like darkness, that's understandable." James said. "Many books depict it as being miserable."

"It's not because of what I've read in books, James," Alice explained quietly. "Ever since I was created, I've had to deal with the darkness of not knowing my past life. It was haunting me...but then you told me who I was," she smiled at James. "You were different at the time, but you helped me learn who I am...was."

"Well... I have no past now. I lost all my emotional memory. But I'm happy! You should relax! It'll all be good in the end!" James reassured Alice, stroking her hair as she drove.

"Have you got a destination?" he asked her with a smile, smelling the warm but humid air that was present inside the car.

"I like this car, it's quite nice," he noted.

Alice laughed, "You sound an awful lot like Jasper, he's always telling me to calm down, but I can't," she frowned puzzledly. "I'm don't know why, but I'm always on constant alert, probably because of my visions. I don't know where we're going, yet, but I'll think of someplace..."

"Well... I don't need alert. I can detect everything in a nearby radius, and further from that, I still have mapping, on less detail, but still, the whole world is mapped out for me. In the nearby zones, there's nothing dangerous, so stop worrying. If you have me, you know you'll be safe, until I give you a signal." James said, laughing.

"But, unless you think the church we are about to past is dangerous, then it is all clear." James reassured her.

"Haha, well put," Alice chuckled as they passed the Forks Church. "I'll try calming down, but I'm not making any promises," she warned him as she drove. "Any place you want to go to? We could try the mall again, if you're ready...."

"Well... okay. I'm not making any promises that I won't do something I shouldn't be doing. Honestly... I think it's a large waste of time, unless there's a shop I like, although I haven't seen one yet. We should go if you want to go, nothing better to do." James said, smiling as he said: "Gas station in a few hundred yards if you're low."

Alice's eyes darted to the dashboard at James' suggestion, noting that her tank was nearly full. "No, I don't think it's needed, thanks," she said as she neared the mall. "I'm sure we'll find you a store you like, there's something at a mall for everybody."

'But what kind of store interests a possibly murderous vampire who's lost his memory?' she puzzled as she pulled into a parking spot.

"I don't know... I'll see what's there. I have no money though, I'll just watch what you do," James noted. "There are loads of shops in the mall," James realised. "Some of these stores are really random!" he said with reference to his GPS. "But would you buy me a drink? I'm thirsty. There's a juice bar near the entrance, or you can just go to the food court?" James asked her.

Alice looked concernedly at James. "Dear, if you're thirsty, you need to hunt! We're in human territory now!"

'Please, please, don't let Bella near the mall, James would kill her!' she prayed mentally. "Are you sure you can make it here? Not going to kill anyone?" she asked him aloud.

"I said I was thirsty... but not for blood. I just want something to cool my mouth. This taste in my mouth is awful." James complained. "I meant something like a coke... geez!" he shouted, breathing out and then recoiling from the pungnant smell.

"I can go without blood for a while." James said. "I don't need to hunt," he finished.

"Alright, it's just....unusual for a vampire to be thirsty, but not for blood," Alice said. "Calm down, sweetheart, you're making a scene."

'Great, now they all think I'm a loony, too,' Alice thought as she looked around at all the people watching James worriedly. 'Why didn't I just stay home today?'

"It's not that I'm REALLY thirsty, I just have a bad taste in my mouth, and it is annoying." James said. "STOP STARING!" he shouted at the watching people as he ran slowly down the mall.

"Mmmmn," Alice moaned as she sank onto a nearby bench, resting her face in her hands. 'Why do I get the loonies? Was it because I was a loony when I was human?'

She didn't rush after James, she kept tabs on his decisions in her other sight, making sure he didn't kill anyone.

"Hmm... where did Alice go?" James wondered when he realised she wasn't following him.

"I'll just track backwards." James thought, as he moved exactly the way he came, checking his people radar range for Alice. He managed to backtrack to a bench that she was sitting on.

"Sorry... I went a bit fast. But I have no money... so there's no point in me rushing off." James said.

"It's alright," Alice opened her eyes, "Just don't run off again? This is a small town, I don't want rumors about Alice Cullen and some nutjob; Jasper would get jealous," she teased.

"Shall we go to Hot Topic?" she nodded towards a dark, somewhat scary looking store. "It's amazing."

"Of course we can go! I'll learn what you do there. Just take me anywhere ok?" James said. "Anywhere will be fine..." he stated, because truly he didn't feel a need for a specific location. If he wanted one, he would get it, his GPS being as flexible as he wanted, detail depending on range. He could extend these ranges at will, but mental overload meant he could be harmed if not careful from too much information.

"Just watch, alright?" Alice said as she entered the Hot Topic with James. She immediately went over to the music section of the store, and began to browse, humming happily to herself. "What kind of music do you like, James?"

"Music? What do you mean music? I haven't developed a liking to any. No emotional memory remember?" James said. "I'll just have to try loads out... but of course, I'll listen to your music first, to get a feel for your music." James said.

"Here, listen," Alice got out her iPod, put an earbud in James' ear, then put one in her own, She then put on "Stayin' Alive" by the BeeGees, followed by "As Long As You Love Me" by the Backstreet Boys.

"I have other music, but what do you think about disco and boybands?"

"The first one was cool, the second one felt to me like it was... I don't exactly know, I just think I disliked it for a personal reason." James said. "So far... I think this is okay." James smiled at Alice as the second song had finally finished.

The store around him seemed to be filled with CDs, and James wondered how long it would take to listen to all of them.

"You can never listen to everything, so how do you decide? Do you have some list you go through, or do you find a certain type? Is there a systematic way of listening to music?" James questioned Alice.

"I just listen to everything," Alice shrugged. "But mostly I find a genre I like, and I find more music of that genre, like disco, or opera, or boybands, or rock."

"After a century or two, you find music you like," she smiled. "You seem like you used to like rock or metal," she then played Bullets for my Valentine. "What do you think?"

"Hmm... it's alright. It's a little loud, but it's cool!" James said, really enjoying it.

"Although I really wonder, why do people make music? For us to enjoy?" James asked.

"What sense does that make for them? What do they have to gain from it?" James asked Alice again.

"Musicians make music to vent their feelings, and if they're really good at making music, then they get paid by the public to make a CD, which is portable music. Do you understand?" Alice explained in lame man's terms, making sure that James understood.

(OOC:Lol... love the pun there: Lame man... a play on "lay-man")

"Okay... yeah, I get it. Venting feelings... maybe I should give music a go... when I learn how to play an insturment first, or get a good voice!" James laughed.