Chapter One
Alice's POV.
Thirsty! I was thirsty, incredibly and unbelievably so. I should never have gone this long without hunting! Now, on the plane back to America I was surrounded by defenceless, unassuming meals...or rather people. I could easily have the stewardess walking past, or the fat guy who kept leering at me, or even Bella, half asleep next to me. No, I mustn't. I chewed my lip impatiently, just a few more hours and then I'd be home, back in Forks and I'd be able to hunt to my cold, lifeless hearts content. The plane lurched slightly, not enough for any human to notice but enough for me. This slight movement only provoked me further. I could feel the burn in the back of my throat, I could hear every single pulse on the plane, and I could sense Edwards worried glances in my direction. But I wouldn't feed. I had already seen it, as clear as day, I would just sit in my seat uncomfortably, occasionally going to the toilet and staring at my cold, hard face, urging myself to get a grip. Closing my eyes I sat perfectly still, focusing all my energy on my unnecessary breathing, feeling the cool air travel down my throat, dragging the scent of the humans along with it. This was a bad idea; I quickly stopped breathing and focused on the small blobs of light that flew behind my eyelids every time I squeezed my eyes tightly shut.
The flight passed agonizingly slowly but finally it ended without incident. What followed was a haze of greetings and questions. Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, a car, driving, our house, my room, a quick kiss and then I was out of the window and into the woods. The wind blowing my short hair in every direction it could manage. I caught the scent almost instantly, a deer, near water. Following my phenomenally powerful senses I came upon the poor creature, gorging itself peacefully on the icy water of a stream. It didn't stand a chance. Roughly thirty seconds later it was already dead at my feet, not a single drop wasted. It wasn't enough though, I was still thirsty. About three hours and 4 more deer's later, I decided it was time I returned home.
The house was quiet, only the muffled sounds of music and a deep conversation welcomed me when I returned. Carlisle and Esme were talking in their bedroom, Emmet was comforting Rosalie and Jasper was...where was Jasper? I walked determinedly upstairs when I heard the shower. He must be in the shower. That man really loved having hot water rain over him. When we first met I used to joke about him being part-fish until I found out the real reason. Guilt. Every shower was an attempt to wash away his sins. What was he feeling guilty about tonight I wondered? I tried looking ahead but all I could gleam was Jaspers sad expression. Sliding down the wall I sat as still as a corpse, waiting for him to enter the room. I didn't bother turning the light on, it's not like we needed it. A few moments passed and he meandered into our bedroom. His blonde curls lying even tighter on his head, his golden eyes filled with dead tears and his towel covered finger jammed inside his left ear. Gross, that was my towel!
"Alice! You startled me." His voice was quiet, no hint of surprise in it but his eyes were a different story. He moved over to where I was sat, kneeling down beside me, small drops of water spattering my legs, I paid them no notice, the heat from them was almost pleasant.
"Jasper, are you ok? You look...iffy!" I got right to the point, I hated when he had these moods and I wished more than anything that I had Edwards gift instead of my own.
"I'm ok Alice, just tired."
"We don't get tired..."
"You know what I mean, emotionally tired, I've been worried about you for the past three days."
"I'm sorry for leaving the way I did." Guilt ripped through me, I knew I had hurt him and I hated causing him pain, I truly did.
"It's not just that. You could have been killed Alice! You could have been killed and I would have never found out! Why didn't you take me too?" His voice was slowly getting louder, his brows were knit together transforming his usual innocent face into a determined scowl.
"I couldn't lose you! I know what you would have done, what you and Emmett would have done if I had gotten there and it was too late for Edward. I can't lose you Jasper." If I could cry I would have, my voice was almost breaking and there was a slight pain beneath my eyes, unused tears going to waste and burning me.
"And do you think I could lose you?!" The argument escalated from there. He claiming I should have taken him with me, not only for my sake but for Bella's, I insisted that I couldn't risk his safety and it might have hindered our chances with Edward. This only infuriated him more. I decided to leave him for a few hours. I knew this routine, he'd storm on for a few hours more, go silent and then I'd be able to reason with him. It was best if I left him in peace.
That's how I ended up outside Bella's window. Edward had left a while before and I could hear Bella's rhythmic breathing, she wasn't asleep yet but she soon would be.
I jumped swiftly into her room, not making a single sound as I walked slowly over to her bed.
"Bella? Bella are you awake?" I gently nudged her shoulder, trying my hardest not to hurt her.
"Five more minutes Mom! I'll be ready!" Her voice was thick with sleep and the slight bead of drool at the corner of her mouth made me giggle.
"I'm not your mother. Now wake up so we can chat! Come on Bella, help a friend out here!"
I pushed her out of her bed and giggled again as she squealed when she hit the floor. I probably shouldn't have done that. Given Bella's history falling out of bed was a perfect chance for her to break an arm or a rib!
"Alice! What the hell?! I was sleeping! I was having a nice dream about...niceness!"
"Niceness? Is that Edwards new name?" I grinned evilly at her; it was so easy to get her worked up, almost too easy!
"Bella can I stay here tonight, Jaspers in a foul mood and I'm not in the mood for a night in the woods." Her face changed almost instantaneously from one filled with anger and annoyance to one filled with sympathy and curiosity.
"Of course you can! Do you want to talk or sleep...well not sleep but just sit somewhere? We could eat ice cream and complain at mans inability to commit!"
"Bella I'm married, my man can commit" I grinned cheekily at her again but told her I was fine with sleeping, she was tired and needed the rest anyway. She scurried around and found me a pillow and blanket, forgetting my body's resemblance to stone.
I lay on the floor for the rest of the night, not moving one single millimetre. I swear if I could have slept, I would have had one of the worst nights sleep in history that night.