The Twilight Twenty-Five

thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: Ancient

Main Character: Bella

Rating: T

Word Count: 1100


1. Ancient


I've been almost a thousand years without my Edward.

I understand now why he'd gone to Italy when he thought I was dead. I would go as well, except there are no Volturi left to kill me.

There's no one left who can kill me.

As far as I know, of everyone we knew, Alice and I are the only ones left.

We were living in Scotland when war broke out. Unlike hundreds of years earlier, in the 21st century, in this war there was no concept of avoiding civilian populations; if anything, civilian targets seemed to be preferred over military ones. There were new and "improved" versions of old weapons. Incendiary bombs. Nuclear devices.

The world burned, and vampires burned with it.

We decided to head for an isolated area of the Highlands, hoping we would be safe there. The roads were impassible and the skies were unsafe, so we needed to go on foot. We split into groups, then were separated even further by the chaos.

Renesmee, Jacob, and I were separated from Edward near Perth. I worried, but was sure he would find us again, or if worse came to worst, meet us at the rendezvous point.

Jacob and Renesmee died two days later when a tiny village was inexplicably bombed with such ferocity that there was nothing left of it but a depression in the ground. We took refuge from the flames and explosions in a nearby loch.

I could stay underwater indefinitely.

They couldn't.

I buried them, wanting to crawl into the grave with my daughter, my Renesmee, my little Nessie. I tried to take comfort in the fact that at least they were together, but one of the hardest things I've ever done was to leave them there in the dirt. I finally left and made my way to the rendezvous point, both dreading having to tell Edward and longing for his comfort.

When I arrived there was no one there.

At first I was afraid I was in the wrong place. My GPS locator said it was correct, and I didn't think anyone had taken to bombing our satellites. (Yet. Before it was all over, they would.) Even if it was wrong I didn't have any idea where I should actually be. So I waited. Four days later Alice showed up.

She was bent with grief. There had been a small nuclear explosion. Esme and Carlisle had been walking some distance ahead and were dead. Jasper had thrown Alice away from the blast, and after the dust settled she couldn't find him. She spent days searching for him, moving huge pieces of rubble in the dark of night, yet finding nothing.

And in her visions, she couldn't see him. She couldn't see anyone. Except for me.

We waited there anyway, desperately hoping that Edward, or Jasper, or Emmett and Rosalie, that someone would come. Alice said that she didn't see me on her journey to the rendezvous, that she didn't see me until she was actually with me again. I suspected it was because she was focused on Jasper to the exclusion of anyone else, but we chose to hope. We didn't even leave to hunt, feeding off animals that wandered within sight of our location.

Eventually the war ended, as wars always do. Civilization was decimated on a global scale. There was no modern technology, no infrastructure, and worse, a huge loss of knowledge. Libraries and universities were obliterated, and of course there was no more internet. The earth was blasted back into the Bronze Age. Even now, hundreds of years later, the humans around us live in primitive, tribal societies.

Decades passed, but no one came. Alice interacted with me less and less, turning her focus inward, as though if she concentrated just a little bit harder she would be able to see them. I suppose I wasn't much better, leaving my shield down as much as I could, mentally calling for Edward.

I began noticing local humans watching us from the trees. Watching me as I repaired our shelter. Watching us as we fed. Listening to Alice speak about her visions.

Years passed, and they grew bolder. They crept closer. I spoke with Alice about moving on, but she refused.

Strangely, I understood. If we left, we would be admitting that they were never going to come.

One day, a brave soul approached Alice to ask about the harvest.

Then another approached to ask about his future.

Then another to ask if she'd chosen her betrothed wisely.

Eventually the day came when one of the tribes tried to take her.

I couldn't allow it, of course. It felt oddly good to be so vigorous, so violent.

They stayed away for a few years after that, then gradually crept back closer, resuming their respectful approaches, finally building a temple around us. Over the centuries they've renovated and expanded it. I suppose it is beautiful. But there is no warmth, no laughter, no love. It's not a home.

Alice lives entirely in her mind now, speaking her visions as she sees them. There have been innumerable battles fought over her, and occasionally some foolish man thinks that he can take her away.

He is wrong. No one will ever take Alice away from me.

We have become the immortal goddess Aileas and her shieldmaiden Beileag. We have priests and servants. "Old one," they say to me, heads bowed respectfully, "it is time for the goddess to speak to the people." "Old one, please fetch the goddess; it is time to drink." They have developed rituals for worship, for feeding, for resting, for Alice to speak to the public. They have designed clothing for us, certain outfits for certain activities. There are songs and sagas about us, an entire mythology. It is preposterous.

When I think of my old life it seems like a wonderful dream.

The temple they built us is surrounded by crosses. They think the crosses will contain us, though they don't know why.

The crosses do nothing, of course. If we wanted to leave, if we wanted to destroy them, they couldn't stop us. Bereaved and broken as we are, we are still a thousand times more powerful than they.

But where are we to go? There is nowhere that we could have a happy life. Alice is lost in her head searching for Jasper. And constantly I unshield my mind, screaming for Edward.

There is nowhere we can go that will make any difference. Wherever we go, we cannot die. Wherever we go, we will still be alone.


A/N: In case you (like my husband) are wondering where on earth I got the names Aileas and Beileag, according to behindthename dot com they are the Scottish equivalent of Alice and Bella. :)