Alice

Monday, January 5th

5:15 AM

I sat up, heart in my throat. The light of early morning spread across my tangled sheets. The familiar sight of my dorm room, and my snoring roommate calmed me, but didn't ease the restlessness my nightmares created.

At least, I thought they were nightmares. I really couldn't remember anything but darkness and fear when I woke up.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and tugged my running shoes on. I snagged my headphones and headed out the door. I had taken to sleeping in my running gear because I woke up like this so often and a hard run was the only thing that seemed to clear my mind.

I settled into a sustainable pace and blocked out all thoughts, focusing instead on matching the rhythmic beating of the music to the pounding of my feet.

Some time later I was jerked from my reverie when something slammed into my shoulder, sending me sprawling to the ground.

"Watch where you're –Oh," I gasped, staring up into the eyes of the most beautiful man I had ever seen. "I- I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," he knelt next to me, golden eyes intent on my face. A shiver raced down my spine, I could swear I had seen him before, but I couldn't imagine ever forgetting him. "Are you alright?" his voice was concerned and sounded like fresh water over rocks, soothing and comforting and way sexy.

It was dark, always dark, unending dark and cold. Walls damp and close around me. Round, like a well. The air was dank and still. I focused on keeping my breaths slow and my heart rate steady. Panic attacks never helped. A sound above made me strain my eyes upward, was that a sliver of light?

"Hey," The boys voice brought me back. I shuddered and blinked. What the hell was that? "You ok?"

Have to get out of here. "Yeah, fine," I muttered, avoiding his disconcerting gaze. "I- Uh, I gotta go." I ran my hand through my sweaty pony tail and stood up before sprinting away as fast as I could. My breaths coming in gasps that had nothing to do with my pace.

What the hell was that? I wondered as I hurried up the steps toward my room. I checked my watch, 7:30. Crap. My room mates might be awake and I was a mess, in no way ready to discuss my weird hallucination with them. They worried about me enough, thank you very much.

I eyed the door warily as I tried to slide it open soundlessly. "ALICE!" Renesme shrieked as I peered around my door. " Rosalie stole my shirt the bitch." She said loudly as I inwardly winced.

"ITS MINE!" Rose howled from our room. "YOU TOOK IT FROM MY CLOSET LAST WEEK!"

Renesme shrugged. "oh, yeah. I totally did that, didn't I?" I nodded warily and inched toward the shower.

"Alice," Bella suddenly said from the doorway. She was quieter than her twin sister and far more observant than any of our friends, except for maybe Esme.

I eyed the bathroom regretfully, I had been five feet from freedom, five feet. I turned around and forced a smile. "What's up, Bella?" I said cheerily.

Bella eyed me as Rose and Renesme continued to argue from across the suite. "Funny," she said carefully, I was going to ask you the same thing."

"I just ran into someone," I said, half the truth. "I didn't know him."

Suddenly Renesme and Rose were paying attention. "You met a boy." Renesme said.

"You didn't know him," Rose mused, poking her head around the door. "You know everybody, Alice, its kinda your thing."

I shrugged. "Not him."

Renesme began to grin slowly. "you like him, this boy."

"I don't know the first thing about him, how could I possibly like him?" I demanded, desperately ignoring the little voice in my head that told that yes I did know him, very well.

"You thought he was sexy," Renesme didn't miss a beat.

I gave her an exasperated sigh. "Can I shower now? Please? I smell vile,"

"Make it a cold one, we are having breakfast with my brother this morning, he's visiting from Texas this week, remember?"

I rolled my eyes and hurried to the bathroom.

As my friends and I laughed and got dressed I found myself unable to shake the image of the boy from my brain.

His eyes seemed seared into my mind, how he looked at me, how he seemed to stare right through me. I shivered and grabbed a towel, stepping out of the shower. Next time, I promised myself as I got dressed, next time I wont let him see so much of me.

It didn't occur to me until the six of us had exited the dorm that I had simply assumed that there would be a next time.

I shook my head to dispel those thoughts as we all bundled into Bella's old pick up truck and chugged into town. We spent the drive laughing and bickering over the radio and singing at the top of lungs with the windows down and the freezing air burning our eyes and throats and by the time we pulled into the little bakery café where Rose's brother was meeting us my friends had worked their magic and I was actually feeling a lot better, my disturbing reaction to the boy shoved to the back of my mind and all but forgotten.

We shoved into the warm interior of the café and a tired looking waitress lead us to the table where Rose's brother already waited. We turned a corner and I froze, Esme bumping into me from behind.

I didn't feel it, I was too busy staring at the table, and more precisely, the person occupying it.

Rose shrieked in delight and almost tackled him in a hug as his eyes met mine, he kissed her head absently as I stared.

Because it was him.