Author's Note: A quick drabble about Alice's last few hours as a human with a little back story. Please review; constructive criticism is always appreciated.
As you may have guessed, I am not Stephenie Meyer and her world does not belong to me. No copyright infringement was intended.
And now, on with the show:
…"We have to get out of here. I'm going to take you somewhere safe. You need to trust me." I was staring at him like he was the one that was crazy, not me. I'm not allowed out. Ever…
…I'm in the woods, I'm running. No, I'm not running, he is. He's carrying me, murmuring that everything is going to be ok and I'll be safe. I have no idea what we are running from. I was just talking to him…
…I'm on the ground in the woods, covered in blood. My blood. It feels like my entire body is on fire but I don't scream. Screaming is bad, it'll attract attention…
I awake, at least I think. It's so dark here you never know if you are awake or asleep. I don't know what's a dream and what is what they call a hallucination. Sometimes it's both. Sometimes it's neither; sometimes I see my family which is my past. That's what this next time was; my family.
I saw Cynthia and me on the day my dad told us he was going to war. I remember it so well because that was the beginning of the end. That was the day I told him not to go and that was the day they didn't believe me.
"Mary Alice, don't be ridiculous. Your father is going to be just fine," my mother told me. The war had been going on for three years. Everyone read the horror in the newspapers when we could get them. It was only a matter of time before the United States got into it and when it did, my father was one of the first to sign up to go. He was always telling us to fight for our country and that we are lucky to live here.
"No, you don't understand…Father is going to die. I saw it happen," I protested. I saw this yesterday afternoon. I saw Father in a uniform in a field with a mound in front of him. There was blood and it was raining. Next I saw him in a tent with a doctor there and Uncle William by his side. He looked at his pocket watch, the one Grandpapa gave him; he told Uncle William to give it to Mother and to tell her that Mary Alice was right and that he loved my mother and Cynthia very much.
"You saw it happen? Are you sure you were not dreaming again?" Father asked.
" That's it, you are not allowed to read the papers anymore!" I could tell Mother was getting frustrated.
"But Mama! I really saw it…just like my other dreams that come true. Father is going to die!"
"Mary Alice! I will NOT have any more of this! It's high time you stop acting like a child. It was a nightmare. End of discussion!"
I've tried a few times before to tell them about my dreams. Mother usually thought I was playing and Father usually laughed it off as daydreams. Never before had they outright denied my ability. Mother
was tired of me getting into trouble with these 'stories' I tell. She said that our neighbors were starting to talk. I wasn't quite sure what she meant by that.
Later that night, I heard my parents talking in the kitchen when they thought my sister and I were asleep.
My mother sounded exasperated, "Frank, she's still telling everyone about those silly dreams of hers. I thought you talked to her about it."
"I did, Ida. She insists that they are real. I don't know what else to do. Maybe it's time we send her to that place in Gulfport."
"Frank, there's no turning back from there."
"I know, Ida. I know."
"Mary Alice…?" There was a knock at my door…well, more like they undid the lock. "Mary Alice? You have a visitor," said a worker whom I have never seen before. I briefly wondered where Nicholas, my normal orderly, was. He was always so nice to me. Sometimes I think he believed me when I said I had dreams that can predict the future; I saw it in his eyes. His eyes were remarkable; they were the color of dark amber.
The sound of the door opening brought me back to present time. The orderly let herself in followed by a man slightly taller than her. I first noticed his eyes. They looked like they were on fire, even in this dim light. As he got closer, I realized they were crimson. I wondered how he got past the main desk but it must just be the light in the room. There's no possible way his eyes can be red. Can there?
"Mary Alice, this is James. He said he's a friend of your father's from the war. Do you remember him?"
"…No, I'm sorry. I don't."
His voice was smooth as silk, "That's ok, we'll just have to get to know each other." He turned to the woman orderly, " Do you mind? Can we have a minute?"
"S-Sure," she stammered, even though I'm sure it wasn't allowed. If it was, why haven't I seen my parents?
"Good evening, Mary Alice. How are you tonight?"
Still a bit wary, I hesitated. "I'm fine. How do you know my father?"
He closed the space between us in two quick strides. "I didn't. I just needed a way to get you alone." He was getting dangerously close to my face at this time. I was fixated. His breath was cold and smelled sweet, like reminiscent of my favorite childhood candy.
"What the hell?!" The door flew open and Nicholas came running in faster than I could have imagined. I'm not sure what happened next…I saw the look of panic on James' face, almost like a two year old caught with his hand in the cookie jar. And then he was gone, so sudden I had to wonder if he'd ever
been here at all. The only reason I knew I wasn't hallucinating was Nicholas. He started to assess me for any injuries. He insisted on looking over my neck, and kept asking me if I had any burning pain.
"We have to get out of here. I'm going to take you somewhere safe. You need to trust me."
"I know," I stated. "I've seen this. I'm ready."