According to Stephenie Meyer, the 'human' Alice didn't have 'visions or premonitions', instead, what she had was like a FEELING or a GUT if something was about to happen.

So, in short, when she was still human, she was not seeing things like she does when she's already a vampire. Instead, she predicts through her feeling… like a sixth sense or something like that. ;)

~ the Twilight Saga: Official Illustrated Guide.

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Chapter One: WAITING STILL

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- Alice's POV

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Whoosh. The wind blew and the sound was like a ghost whispering on my ear.

It was so cold.

I clamped my hands, locking them together, while my teeth quivered violently.

My hands were turning a gruesome color of violet. But still, the wind shook my whole frame mercilessly.

This was the night I'd been dreading for months—winter night. But, of course, it was inevitable.

I had been hoping that someone would believe me, me and my uncanny premonitions, even just a little bit.

But nobody did, except my mother.

People everywhere thought of me as a crazy person—a mad lady. People here in Biloxi thought I was a witch. They would often say, "That uncanny child of the Brandon's..."

Was it my fault if I was feeling uncanny senses of the future?

Whoosh! The wind blew again. This time it was stronger, colder.

I rubbed my feet together, curled into a ball, and prayed silently that I wouldn't become an ice, statue-like, dwarf later in the morning.

I closed my eyes, seeing the faces of my mother and my little sister, Cynthia.

She was just nine, and she had to deal with these things on my account.

I had loved my father, of course. But, I also learned to hate him—he and his new wife, my stepmother—for thinking I was crazy, and for sending me here in this asylum.

The wind blew again. I couldn't face the cold anymore. I had nothing but a hard pillow and a thin blanket for winter night. How gracious this asylum was!

I took a deep breath, braced myself for whatever was coming for me after this, and screamed. "Get me out of here! I am not crazy! I want to see Cynthia, please I beg you. The cold is killing me!"

My high-pitched voice bellowed inside the dark room. I couldn't see anything; just the faint glow of my white, freezing skin.

"Please! Take me out of here." I started to cry. It was a beseeching cry.

After a few, feeble, unsuccessful attempts, I stopped. I had nothing to scream now, nothing to beg, for they wouldn't listen.

The rusty steel door of the room, or the cell rather, screeched. I froze; my cry coming to a halt.

"Who's there?" I demanded. My voice shaking, and this time the cold had nothing to do with it.

As the door opened, a faint light got into the room.

That was when I saw him.

He was a perfect replica of a Greek god, standing about 6 feet and four inches tall. My mouth dropped open. I had to remember closing it before I look stupid.

But it saddened me that he was not smiling; his face was not unfriendly either.

Instead, his face was forlorn. Despite the look on his face, it didn't change the fact that he was impossibly gorgeous.

"Alice," he said. His voice was the sweetest melody I'd ever heard. I gasped audibly—stupidly.

"Jasper?" Comprehension was so clear on my face that he had to chuckle.

Of course, it was Jasper. How silly I was to think that it was someone else. Only Jasper had that kind of beauty.

It bothered me though—a little. His chuckle was not as carefree as it had been before, when I was not yet here in this horrible cell.

Jasper and I used to be together, as best friends, before this terrible thing happened.

I managed a frown and my eyes were sad—that I could feel so clearly.

He took in my expression and smiled at me. "What's with your face?"

"Nah. I just hate to see you upset." I defended.

"Alice," he said. I could sense that he would change the subject. "You know how I hate this. Seeing you here in this place."

I couldn't quite see his expression now, for the door had closed and the room was dark again.

"You kn-"

"We could run away together, you know." He said, interrupting me. "We could go somewhere else. I could change you..."

I gulped. It was no secret to me that Jasper was a vampire—a harmless one. But still, I had to clear the lump in my throat when he said those words.

"Jasper, you know I can't. I would love to, but I am also thinking of Cynthia. I just can't leave her here." I pleaded, hoping he would understand.

His face tightened. "They killed your mother, Alice! How could you stay here? They will kill you next. They believe that you are the root of all the bad things that are happening here. Oh, not just here in Biloxi, but the whole state of Mississippi, Alice!"

"Shh! Keep quiet! They might hear you, and send you away." I cautioned, whispering anxiously.

Whoosh. I shuddered violently, and he was gone. He was back though, after a second.

He had in his hand a thick quilt, and a parka. "Here, you look like you will freeze at any moment."

"Thanks. I've been want-" I broke off mid-sentence, realization swept through me. "Wait, if you decided to come here. Why didn't I feel you coming ahead?" I glared at him, suspicious.

Huh. I was sure that my imperfect sixth sense would've gone that way. That, whenever a person attuned to me, made a decision; I would often feel—like a gut feeling or something—the outcome of it. But it seemed like it didn't work for Jasper's decision.

He laughed, amused. "Of course I didn't think of coming here. I hadn't planned this, until it just snapped out of my head."

"Where were you? Before you came here, I mean." Now, I was truly curious.

"I was hunting…"

"Ah, where?" I continued, curios again, but trying to sound nonchalant.

"South Dakota." He replied, unsure of what to say.

He was probably remembering that night when he first told me about who he was. I had been hysterical back then, when he told me. He even considered buying me a medicine for hysterics. I cackled a short giggle.

He raised one eyebrow at me. "What?"

"Nothing. What did you bag me for?" I asked, sounding indifferent.

"Just a few grizzlies. Not at all my favorite, but I had no choice. Grizzlies tend to come out during even ranged ten feet tall and very large of course." He mused, probably trying to scare me.

I looked at him with false disgust on my face. He stared back at me, shocked. I widened my eyes at him, and we both cackled a booming laugh.

"That's funny." He said, still laughing.

"Yeah. It is."

These were the things I had missed seeing in Jasper; his carefree laughter, the spark in his eyes whenever I told him of the things that had happened in my life, the smile that always reached his eyes whenever he saw me, and knew that I was safe and okay.

"You should sleep now, Alice." He crooned, his voice thick with concern.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah. I wish I could." I tried to sound nonchalant, but of course Jasper would know.

He and his sharp senses always irritated me. Not to the point of anger, but annoyance. Because whenever I tried to hide something from him, I couldn't.

And the both of us would end up being hurt. Of course I wouldn't want him to be hurt.

"Will you stay?" I asked, after the silence had become uncomfortable.

"Yes, if I want to be locked up here with you." I knew that he meant that as a joke. But somehow his words pained me.

I looked down, my eyes on the floor, afraid that he would see my pained expression. But, of course, Jasper would still know.

I nearly forgot about his ability. He also had a special skill, but, unlike mine, it wasn't uncanny.

His was an insight of what a person is feeling. Whenever a person was near him, he could feel his/her emotions too.

And, not just that, he could also control a person's feeling.

He could make somebody near to him feel happy when he or she was mad, or he could make someone feel anxious when that particular person was completely happy.

He could calm a pack of giant, anxious wolves, for example.

"Oh, Alice! I'm so sorry. I was just kidding." He said, guilty.

"No, that's okay. I just overreacted." I yawned, feeling my eyelids droop heavily.

"Ugh! I don't want to sleep, yet! So, please stop that!" I smacked his back, and regretted it immediately. I was sure to have a bruise later on. His back was harder than stone.

"Hey. Stop that smacking thing already. You know it only hurts you." He smiled mischievously.

Before I could even answer, a thick wave of lethargy swept through me, and I knew by then that I had no choice, but to fall in a deep sleep.

"Be here tomorrow, okay?" I mumbled incoherently, knowing he would understand.

I was half-asleep when I felt his ice-cold lips on my forehead… or maybe I only imagined it. I couldn't be sure.

But, for one thing, I was absolutely positive; with Jasper, I was always safe.

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A/N: So... Yeah. That's the first chapter of WAITING STILL. For those who sent me a message; sorry if I have not uploaded this soon. My reason? Hectic schedule and nothing else. :)

Okay... I know that some of you already knew that 'I have already uploaded this story before' (without a Beta Reader), but I decided to delete it in the meantime to let a Beta Reader criticize my work. So, I ask one. And speaking of Betas and stuffs, a HUGE thank you to my awesome and wonderful Beta: Bookish Me (you know who you are). :D

I really appreciate REVIEWS. XD