A Vision of Shattered Crystal
There are things in this world which are out of our control. Sometimes we like to blame ourselves for them so we can try to make sense out of them. As for myself, I couldn't stop blaming myself for not seeing Irina's impromptu visit earlier in the week.
If only I had seen her coming, I could have warned Bella. They could have hunted in another area of the woods, I could have convinced Jacob not to join her today….
There were so many "if only's" and "could have's" in my thoughts that it was hard to think of anything else. Now I was on the run, leaving my family, all of the people I loved behind, hoping that they would understand and knowing that they wouldn't.
My life was no longer about enjoying the comfort of my family and our future together; it was about defending that family. Instead of the eons I thought we had, we had less than a month… a month that Jasper and I wouldn't even be able to share with them.
My heart was breaking as thoroughly as the vase I had held in my hands only minutes before. I could still see the fragments of crystal skittering across the kitchen floor, symbolizing the future of the Cullen family: shattered beyond repair.
The Volturi were coming to kill us.
That much I had seen in my fragmented vision. They wouldn't be coming for a month or so, but when they did it wouldn't be just for a visit. I saw the whole Volturi guard, readied for battle. I saw the Volturi themselves, their strange powers seeming to twist the world around them.
I saw their wives; protected, sheltered, imprisoned in towers of unspeakable luxury. They were as mysterious as the Volturi were feared. They never left the tower. For a span of years greater than I could really understand, they had remained hidden from the world. But for us, because of us, to kill us, they left the towers and walked the world once more.
If I hadn't been so terrified for my family's lives, I would have been flattered.
"Jasper, I need you to wait here for me," I said hurriedly. We had stopped in the middle of the forest, and he was giving me a look of concern.
"I don't understand what's going on," he confessed. I desperately wanted to reach out to him and comfort him, to tell him that we would see our family again, but we didn't have time for that.
"I'll explain later," I promised, hastening away into the dark forest before he could speak again.
I was desperate to leave Bella a note, to give her a small shred of hope. I had to leave the note for Bella and her alone. She was the only one of us who could keep a secret from Edward and that is what I was counting on now. I didn't know what was going to happen; there were so many holes in my visions that I couldn't see around. I just hoped that the holes meant what I thought they did.
When I reached the cottage I tore through the rooms, trying to find something that would link to Bella, but that Edward would never think to look twice at. When I reached their room I noticed a collection of Bella's books on a small shelf in the corner. Without thinking I picked up one with Bella's scent imprinted into the pages and snatched a pen from the desk in the other room.
Quickly I scribbled the address of Jasper's contact in Seattle and below it I wrote "Destroy this." If things went wrong, and they very well could, Bella would want to protect Renesmee, we all would. This man could possibly insure Renesmee's survival. I had seen the outcome of this battle and knew there would be broken hearts and broken families.
I ripped the title page out of the book and hastily wrote out a note that I knew wouldn't be received well.
Don't look for us. There isn't time to waste. Remember: Tanya, Siobhan, Amun, Alistair, all the nomads you can find. We'll seek out Peter and Charlotte on our way. We are so sorry that we have to leave you this way, with no goodbyes or explanations. It's the only way for us. We love you.
I sobbed dryly as I finished the note, the only thing I could allow myself to leave my family. They were going to think we had abandoned them when nothing could be farther from the truth. We were leaving for them, to find the only thing that could save our family and my beloved niece. I had to believe that the truth lie in the blank spots of my visions, because if I believed otherwise I would lose all hope. There had to be another like Renesmee… it was our only chance!
I placed the book carefully back on Bella's bookshelf and left the cottage, hurrying back to Jasper's side. I had been gone only a minute, but the time away from him had seemed to drag on forever. I clasped his hand tightly in mine, afraid to let him go again.
"Alice…" Jasper began, but I put my finger to his lip to silence him.
"We have to hurry, I'll explain as we run," I whispered. He could see the desperation in my eyes, the fierceness. He didn't argue with me, and I felt my heart swell with love for him. He trusted me, even when my actions made no sense at all. It was humbling to know that he put his life in my hands.
I didn't release my hold on his hand as I sprinted through the forest, heading toward the Quileute border. It was imperative that we give the note to Sam; he would insure its arrival in the right hands. It said all of the things that needed to be said without revealing too much.
Edward couldn't be allowed to know what I was planning. If he knew, then it was a surety that Aro would know too, and that would make my whole plan useless. No, as much as it hurt to leave my family without a real goodbye, this was all I could afford. It would be worth it in the end; I had to focus on that.
I had a sudden vision of Bella on our return, she would be angry and hurt, and she would demand an explanation. I saw myself hugging her tightly, afraid that she would never forgive me, but unable to stop myself from giving her smart remark. "When you look at it in perspective, you'll realize I was acting in your best interest." She would laugh and hug me back, relieved that I was finally home.
A sob caught painfully in my chest as I imagined this homecoming. Yes, I had to hold onto the future that I was seeing now. I had to believe that I would be coming home to my family, that they would be whole, unlike my vision of the shattered crystal family.
"Alice, please! Tell me what's going on," Jasper begged after a few seconds of silence.
"I saw two possible futures, one where the Volturi come and destroy us and one where there are holes…" I trailed off, hoping he would understand what I was not saying.
"Holes…" he paused for a moment and then I heard his sharp intake of breath, "You mean like with Renesmee and the wolves?"
"I also saw us going to South America. Jasper, I think there is someone like Renesmee. It's a long shot, but if there is we can find out what will happen to her. We can bring them back and show the Volturi that she isn't a threat!" I was letting the desperate hope I felt seep into my voice. I wanted it to be true, I wanted to save our family from the destruction that was coming our way.
Jasper squeezed my hand tightly. "How do we find someone that you can't see?" he asked, once again placing his trust in me when I wasn't sure I deserved it.
"I'm not sure, but we have to find Zafrina and the others, their faces keep showing up in my visions. Maybe they can help us, lead us to what we need to find," I replied.
After that we both went silent, lost in our thoughts.
I could tell when we crossed the boundary line between our land and the Quileute's. It had a different feel to it, ages of magical protection that had seeped into the land itself. It was guarded by more than just the wolves, and that was almost comforting now. I just hoped it would protect them when the real predators came.
We had only been on Quileute land for a few moments when I saw the first wolf flash past us in the woods. It was black and larger than any real wolf I had ever seen… Sam. I knew all of their colors now, knew their individual scents. Before I could open my mouth to ask to speak with him, he had changed form and was loping towards us, concern etched into his face.
"Alice, Jasper, what brings you here this time of night?" Sam asked curiously.
I handed him the note I had written for my family, not wasting any time with greetings. "Sam, would you allow us to pass through your land tonight? It's of the utmost importance," I begged him.
He must have seen the pure desperation on my face because he just nodded. "Would you like an escort?"
I breathed a sigh of relief. "That would be very helpful. I need to ask for a few favors as we head to the ocean," I explained.
"I will give whatever is in my power to give," Sam agreed. He gestured to the ocean, "Shall we?"
As we started for the shore I gave Sam an appraising look, "Can you promise me something?" I asked him curiously.
"That depends on what it is," he said lightly. I could tell that even though the truce between our families was stronger than ever he still didn't trust us completely.
"I want you to promise that you won't tell Jacob that you saw us until our family comes for the note I'm leaving you," I said without the slightest trace of worry in my voice. I had to keep myself level. I couldn't let my emotion take over or I would never be able to leave.
"How important is this to you?" Sam asked softly.
"Life or death," I responded emotionlessly. Sam paused for a moment to assess my face. What he saw there must have convinced him that I was telling the truth because he nodded and didn't say another word until we had reached the coast.
"I will give your family the note you left for them, is there anything else I should tell them?" I could see the worry in his eyes as we walked into the water, but unfortunately there was nothing I could say to take it away.
"No, it's all there," I whispered, and without another backward glance, Jasper and I swam off into the Pacific Ocean, heading for the key that would help us save our family.