Unexpected – Chapter 1 – August 2002

APOV

I was running and trying to grab my next meal, but the mountain lion I had been chasing was suddenly and unexpectedly…gone. I felt my nose scrunch up as I realized, I, out of all people, had somehow managed to lose my meal. Considering I had the gift of foresight, this was nothing short of impossible. I quickly resolved to throw this tiny bit of information to the far wayside of my brain so I would never think on it again. If Edward were to ever find out, I would likely never hear the end of it.

I turned my attention instead to what else I could find to eat. I took a deep breath, sorting through all of the smells surrounding me. Jasper had been here recently, his scent permeating my senses instantaneously. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I encountered his sharp scent, something between vanilla, desert sand, and sunshine. He was my whole world. With a reluctant sigh, I focused past that and encountered what I was looking for…something musky and edible. There were two caribou left of where I stood. While they weren't mountain lion, they would have to do. I looked to my own future now and could see exactly where they were. They were mine.

I took off gracefully and before I knew it, I had drunk my fill. I immediately felt satisfied. The thirst was still somewhat there, as it always was, but I couldn't fathom drinking anything more after all that. I turned my attention then to Jasper, who was likely waiting for me to finish up. He had been so thirsty before we had decided to go hunting. Normally, he was very methodical and quick in his hunting habits anyway, but adding his thirst to the mix, he was bound to have been done with his meals in very little time. Sure enough, I could see him then, leaning against the trees along the path we had started from. He gave a half-smile into the distance every once in a while, considering he knew that I occasionally looked for him with my gift. He knew I could be watching him at any moment, and he smiled that way only for me.

My dead heart skipped a few beats as I took off back to where he stood. It was just the two of us for once, seeing as it had been our seventy-fifth anniversary just last week. Jasper had attempted to surprise me with this two week vacation alone and had even managed to have everyone in our family trying to keep me busy with mundane decisions just so my mind would never stray to his plans. Even so, I had still managed to figure everything out the day prior to our scheduled departure. I had felt immensely guilty about it, but Jasper had just laughed and stated that he had gotten away with a week and a half of keeping me in the dark which had been more than enough. Today was our last day away from the family, but since we had been…ahem…locked up in our room for the last two weeks, we had both been feeling the desperate need to feed.

I was concentrating so intensely on getting back to Jasper that I yelped out loud when I randomly ran into someone…a someone who was distinctly a vampire. I leapt to my feet, instantly wary and searching the future, but I saw…nothing. The guy I had run into got up to his feet lithely and laughed to himself a bit, as he must have also been wondering how in the world we had both managed to do this. "Wow, I was certainly not expecting to run into a beautiful lady today."

I stood defensively, but I couldn't help relaxing slightly at hearing the mystery guy's mild English accent. It reminded me of Carlisle. The guy began eyeing me curiously when I didn't speak right away, but I was still freaking out over my lack of visions. What was going on? I looked him over, briefly appraising him, so I knew just what I was up against if this turned into a brawl. He was definitely not a newborn, his build was lanky and muscular, and he had messy blonde-brown hair. However, what struck me were his eyes. They were bright gold with only the slightest hint of red. That gave me some hope that this could be an amiable encounter. Granted, Jasper would likely freak out about it later. He was very protective of me sometimes, even though I could usually take care of myself. If this guy was causing my visions to blank, however, I could be in trouble if this turned ugly. All the same though, Carlisle would want to know more about any vampire who had elected to even try our diet. Those vampires were few and far between. I spoke carefully, making sure to include the fact that I belonged to a larger coven so as to put him on warning, "Who are you? I'm afraid I've never come across a vampire who shares this diet besides that of my family and one other coven. I daresay my father would care to meet with you."

He shrugged and gave me a comfortable grin, clearly not worried about anything in the least. "The name's Teddy, miss, but I'm afraid I can't say that I follow your diet all that closely. I merely do it out of love for my sister. She is the one who follows the animal diet strictly. My brother and I aren't very good at it, and we both often make mistakes, but let's just say she's a persuasive little thing and is very hard to argue with." He then quirked an eyebrow and held out his hand formally, "And you are, my dear?"

I felt oddly at ease with this vampire so I shook his proffered hand tentatively. There was a part of me that was still wary, now that I knew there were a total of three of them. I was essentially blind without my second sight, something I used without really thinking about it. I felt extremely vulnerable without it, and I began to long for Jasper's presence. One of them must have the gift to block me, but what if the other two had gifts as well? "Alice. Umm, I suppose I should meet up with my mate. He is not far from here and is waiting for me. You are welcome to come with me…I mean…well, we would both like to hear more about you and your family."

I heard a snort from behind me, and I whirled around to see an identical man. I started immediately, but this only caused both men to laugh. The first guy quickly tried to placate me, "Please don't be frightened, Alice. We mean you no harm. This is my twin brother, Tobias." He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly before adding, "I supposeI ought to have mentioned the whole twin part…"

The second man now scowled at his brother in obvious distaste over his introduction. "Ok, Theodore." He then turned to me with a more relaxed smile. "Please call me, Toby, miss. Tobias is from the 18th century." He puffed out his chest in an effort to appear more manly. "I am a man of the 21st century now."

Teddy rolled his eyes, waving his brother off. "Sure, sure. Where's the squirt?"

Toby shrugged, leaning up against one of the trees. "She can take care of herself. You baby her too much."

Teddy growled at him. "No, I don't. She needs to be looked after, remember?"

Toby ignored Teddy's insinuations and just gave him a look, obviously unconcerned. "You're just jealous because she likes me better than you."

Teddy moved towards his brother menacingly so I held out my hand in order to stop their fighting by attempting to intervene, "Uhh, guys?" They both stopped before turning back to me with identical apologetic looks. It would've been hard to tell them apart if they hadn't been wearing different colored shirts. Once I had their attention though, I continued my speech, "Maybe we could take this back to where my mate is? I'm sure your sister will find us. He's not far from here."

However, my words proved to be unnecessary as I heard a familiar warning growl come from behind me. The twins took a step away from me straight away as Jasper approached my side in a way that screamed intimidation. It only took him a second. I was sure, from their suddenly more aggressive stances, that the mere sight of Jasper and his blatant scars made them both take guard; it was clear evidence that Jasper definitely knew how to take care of himself. I quickly placed a hand on Jasper's chest when I felt the air begin to permeate with aggression. "Shh, Jazz. They are friendly. We were all just going to come find you. This is Toby and Teddy. They also have a sister around here somewhere."

Jasper searched my eyes and likely my feelings before the emotions in the air receded to something more calm. Teddy placed up his hands in an effort to make peace. "We mean you both no harm. It's good to meet others like our sister. She is the only one we have met that is sickened by the taste of human blood."

Jasper's eyes widened at this revelation as his head whipped around to look back at Teddy. "What? But we aren't sickened by human blood… We just choosenot to drink it…to be more humane. She really doesn't like it? What about when she was a newborn?"

Toby groaned, but his eyes shimmered with mischief. "Especially when she was a newborn! How do you think we got roped into switching to her diet in the first place? Poor thing had no idea what to do and adopted herself into the family at our first inclination to help. She's a force to be reckoned with when she's riled."

Teddy sighed in mock annoyance, but even he couldn't resist a slight smile. It was obvious that both of them were incredibly fond of the girl, despite all of their complaining. "And now she has us both wrapped around her little finger…"

I furrowed my brow, still slightly confused. "So she is a recent addition to your family then?"

Teddy laughed. "No, Toby was just reminiscing about her early behavior. She's been a part of the family since 1923. We found her in New York City. She'll probably tell you more when she gets here. She never strays too far, but we can never be too careful with her…" He shook his head, abruptly changing the subject, "So where are you all from? She's not here to tell us you're both alright and truthful so I'm afraid we're likely to remain a little wary of you both for the moment."

Jasper and I shared a look at his words, somewhat interested in his honesty, but mostly in this sister of theirs. How would this girl be able to tell the twins we were both good people? I could tell Jasper was intrigued about hearing about this new family, but his expression told me he was still a little unsure— likely due to his desperate need to keep me safe. I'm sure he could tell I felt the similar hesitation, but I knew that Carlisle would want us to be polite because they could be potential allies later. They were both being polite and accommodating, and so far, they had done nothing to suggest other motives. However, before I could speak and answer some questions about our own history, I heard a melodic feminine giggle from above me and immediately looked up in surprise. I was sure I had been surprised more in this afternoon than I had been during my entire vampiric existence, and that was saying something.

A rather pretty brunette jumped down from the tree top, landing gracefully between all of them. Her honey gold eyes narrowed at the two boys dangerously, effectively making the both of them cower and step back. She pointed a finger at them both menacingly. "You guys make me sound like the devil incarnate! Be nice! They will be our friends!" Her face lost all of its scariness and she giggled a second time after she effectively unnerved the boys. She was smiling brightly when she turned back to Jasper and I. "Hello, Mary Alice Brandon. It is lovely to meet someone with a talent like yours, as well as your mate, Jasper William Whitlock. He has a talent similar to Toby's actually, but the emotions your mate commands make him much more powerful than he is. I'm afraid your gift is the only one that won't work with me around, but do not worry as you have no reason to fear us. But seeing the future! How fascinating that must usually be! Oh, and I'm Bella by the way."

I was staring at her with wide eyes as I looked between her proffered gloved hand and her calm, charming demeanor. Toby just chuckled wickedly at his sister. "You scared them both into a stupor, Hell's Bells." He then turned to me, looking curious. "Is it alright if I put you more at ease, my dear? Or should I leave that to your mate?"

I shook my head at his question as I felt Jasper's calm wash over me as he reached out to hold my hand, instantly making me feel normal once again. Jasper was looking at Bella in fascination. I wondered what she was currently feeling to have him so interested. Bella, after shooting Toby a playful glare, resumed her bubbly questions to me. She was clearly excited from the potential female company. "May I ask why you prefer Alice over Mary? Or is that too forward of me? And how does your gift work exactly, as it must be stemmed from something mental for me to be able to block it?" There was a brief pause as her nose screwed up in concentration before she quickly answered herself, "Decisions, is it? Oh, I see now. I still can't get over it though! I have never heard of such a gift before!"

I was still flabbergasted over everything. The girl's curious eyes were incredibly friendly, but I had no idea where she was getting all of her information. I remembered next to nothing from my human life. I had been lucky that I remembered I liked to be called Alice, and yet, she claimed my name was Mary Alice Brandon. Had she known me as a human? Or was it something else entirely? "How…how do you know my name? Can you read…thoughts?"

As soon as I had questioned her, I didn't think that was true, considering I had never even consciously remembered my full name, if that was even my real full name in the first place. Also, no two vampires had ever seemed to manifest the same talent, and Edward was the one who could read thoughts at a distance. She frowned, looking sad suddenly. "Not really… I'm very sorry to have offended you. I didn't realize you remembered nothing from your human life. I just know things…like I know that Mary Alice Brandon is your full name. I can tell you are from the South and the name your mind brings forth, even unconsciously, is Biloxi, Mississippi. I can sense that Jasper came from the South too—oooh, I'm sorry to hear about your part in the Southern wars, as the three of us have had some encounters ourselves—but you were from Texas originally, correct? So you were there while you were both human and vampire, am I right?" At seeing both of us widen our eyes in astonishment, she continued apologetically, "Oh, I probably sound like one of those crackpot psychics from the psychic network! My apologies for that… Anyway, I can get bits of information like this from just being in one's presence, and I can usually sense whether or not someone is being truthful or not as well. However, if I were to touch you with my skin, I would learn your whole history including that of your human life, even if you cannot consciously remember it. I get not only your memories, but your thoughts and emotions as well, and these memories are then restored within a person too because as I see the memories, so does the person. I can also block talents of the mind, likely because my talent is so all-encompassing mentally. I kind of haveto block everything else out, especially because of the skin-to-skin contact. It's a bit of a burden actually, hence my need to wear gloves at all times. Toby and Teddy have told me, after some digging around about when I had been human, that I had been incredibly perceptive about others and human life in general. They claim that that must be the reason for my gift as a vampire. The only human life I scarcely remember is my own."

Jasper was enthralled by her admission and eagerly responded, "That must be why your emotions tend to erupt from you in waves. I'm not sure you are aware of it, but your emotions are more pronounced than any other person I've ever come across. I'm sure you could try and control it, but I fear I might be the only one it would effect that strongly anyway."

Toby snickered. "I thought that was just me who thought that! My gift isn't as powerful as yours seems to be, more of a subtle change in mood or demeanor than a complete change in emotions. Teddy thinks it was because I made a person's mood adjust to mine whenever I was around when I had been human. However, I have always been able to tell Bella's emotions were powerful. She is the only one I have trouble controlling because of it. You might actually be able to get her to calm down with your gift though."

Jasper shook his head with a contemplative expression. "No, not so much. I'm sure she can feel me trying to calm her down, but she can almost push it away. I've never had that happen before." He then turned to Bella curiously. "I wonder if your mental block might work similarly. You should definitely play around with it. The possibilities of you pushing away mental talents from affecting others and being able to do so for others in addition to yourself…" He shook his head in disbelief. "That would most likely be extremely helpful if you were to encounter some of the Volturi, if you haven't already with a talent like that."

The three of them all shared a brief look at his comments about the Volturi before Toby forced a chuckle and sighed dramatically. "Just what she needs—more time practicing with her powers… Like she doesn't get enough practice already! Her light switch is already turned on 24/7. And let's forget the Volturi, shall we? They're nothing but a bunch of stuck up snobs."

Bella rolled her eyes at Toby, her eyes dancing with amusement at her brother's teasing as she completely disregarded the Volturi. "Oh, shove it, Toby! You know I can't help the touch issue! Or the fact that you can't hide anything from me!" She then turned back to both Jasper and I, looking hopeful. "Why don't we all go somewhere and share our stories? We'll try not to take up a lot of your time, as I get the distinct impression you both have somewhere to be very soon. It is the end of a trip for you both, I think? We just don't come across vampires so nice or who prefer my diet, and I would hate to have you both just run off…"

Jasper and I gave each other a glance before I shrugged and smiled back at her. I could see myself liking this girl very much. "So long as I can call my family to let them know? They were expecting us back later tonight so we'll just tell them we'll be there tomorrow night. I'm sure it would be good to find some new friends."

Bella squealed. "Yea! I just knowyou and I are going to get along so well, Alice."

I couldn't help smiling more widely in response. Rose and I had a good relationship, but I could imagine myself having an even better relationship with the girl now standing before me, if I was being honest. I looped my arm through hers as I started to lead us both back toward civilization. "So tell me, Bella, what are your thoughts on shopping?"

As her golden eyes suddenly turned wary and hesitant, I couldn't resist my giggles as I began planning this girl's best shopping trip ever. She looked beyond adorable already in her long-sleeved dark green shirt, hip hugger jeans, and black boots and gloves, but I would make her look fabulous! After all, I was Alice Cullen. I was the best.