Alice's Vision

By Sophie Nightfire

I felt a vision approaching.

I turned my head away from the scene of my family and towards the great glass window that made up the southern side of our home here in Forks. Emmett and my husband had engrossed themselves in some new arcade game as a source of distraction. Amazing just how well it worked. Rosalie had been flipping vehemently through a fashion magazine before she stalked out of the vast, white room to sulk. She wouldn't admit it, but Edward's absence had affected her too. All of us were affected.

Rosalie was angered that Edward had left because of some 'insignificant' human girl. Emmett had become reserved; he wasn't constantly cracking jokes at one of us; he wasn't even cursing out Jasper for winning more rounds of that silly game. Jasper. He had been extremely pensive for the past four days. The toll of coping with the constant sense despair that clung to each of us was wreaking a harmful affect on him. Carlisle was coping as best he could. He had been through this all this before with Edward, but he too was more secluded and the piercing ring of his silent sighs flooded the house. If not for Esme, he probably wouldn't even come out of his office, save for his work.

Edward's withdrawal had affected our mother the most. She was so sensitive to emotion. She loved us all so much and couldn't bear to be separated from us. Even now she unconsciously refused to leave our presence. She had felt our absence when we were at school ten times stronger than before. As soon as we left, she would start vigorously cleaning the house top to bottom. I don't think I had ever seen the house sparkle like it did after that first day. By yesterday, she had drawn up plans for remodeling all of the houses we owned. If my heart wasn't aching desperately for Edward's return, I would be plotting multiple and ingenious ways to castrate him with him for doing this to her.

Right now she was leaning against Carlisle for comfort. He was trying to sooth her worries about Edward. It wasn't exactly working.

The tension in the room was distracting me from my vision. I rested my head against the gargantuan glass window that made up the south side of the house. I imagined that the cold glass would ease my conflicted mind, enabling me to focus. No such luck though. My body was already eternally frozen. In temperature and time, I thought with sadistic humor.

I breathed deeply, allowing the oxygen to course violently through my venom-filled veins. The excess air benefitted my concentration on my encroaching vision.

I needed this vision. It was about Edward. He wouldn't be happy about it, but I had been keeping tabs on him ever since he left. I've been waiting for him to make another decision, whether it be to leave us permanently or to return. But Edward was blocking me, and blocking me well. He deliberately was not making any conclusive decisions. I had seen some flashes of other places he was considering hiding out at. All of them being on other continents. I despised him when he did this. He knew how… unaware I felt with out my visions.

I had known a new girl would be coming to Forks and to the high school, but I hadn't thought much of her and saw no reason to inform my siblings. I knew the children at school would talk about her, which, of course they did.

By second period I had learned that she was Isabella Swan, only child of the police chief, Officer Charles Swan. Her mother had supposedly skipped town with her when she was hardly a year old, quite the scandal at the time. She had grown up in Phoenix, but apparently looked like she hadn't ever set foot in the sun. Ironic, hearing this from the natives of Forks where there were less days of sun than there were in a month. This fact, however, was looked over by much of the male population of the school; I could practically smell the testosterone wafting off of one boy as he talked about her. Ugh!

Psychologists could say all they wanted about the negative effects of gossiping, or even eavesdropping, but I for one had and always would find it a spectacular and invaluable source of information.

The new girl was first brought to our attention on that Tuesday during the lunch hour. The entire cafeteria was buzzing about her; either about the humiliation of her mother or debating how soon she would be asked out. And some begrudgingly muttered menacingly about how everyone was talking about her even though she wasn't all that impressive. It was nearly as shocking as when we came to school, although then the lunch room had been in near silence.

Emmett, unsurprisingly, was the first person to mention her.

"So," he began, trying to sound nonchalant, "what does the new girl think of us?" I knew better though. I had seen flashes of possible pranks he was planning to pull to get her off out backs, if need be. Unfortunately, while they were humorous, one would not be wise to pull such things on the only daughter of a police chief.

My husband shifted his glance towards Emmett, "Bet she's already got eyes for one of us," he betted. "I put a hundred on Edward and loser pays gas bills for the week."

Edward cringed and Emmett let out a low and dark chuckle.

"You are so on, my brother," Emmett looked at Jasper with a gleam in his eye, "I'll call your bet, and I raise you one pair of shoes to the winner's wife." Emmett grinned wickedly and playfully nudged Rosalie with his elbow as he told Jasper the new terms.

"Guess that leaves Edward out," Jasper muttered. Some scholar he was, speaking without thinking.

Emmett found this immensely comical and began to shake with laughter. Even Rosalie cracked as small smirk. A low and menacing growl from Edward wiped the leering grins off their faces momentarily.

I saw a brief glimpse of Edward attacking Emmett and then them trying (and failing) to repair a large, gaping whole in Esme's beautiful house-again.

"Knock it off you two!" I hissed at them. I looked at Edward and gave him a meaningful glare. I knew he had seen my vision.

'Control your retched temper when you are home! Esme will loose a nerve if she has to mend another wound to her beloved home," I added with my thoughts. He wasn't looking at me, or any of us for that matter, but he nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Emmett began grumbling something about not having to fight in the house. I flicked my irritated gaze at him.

"Please, excuse me." I had a sudden urge to clear my head.

I rose from the table with my untouched apple and unopened soda bottle. I felt eyes upon me as I dumped the props to my lunch hour charade into the large and hideous trash bins that took up much more space than should be allowed. 'Uh, horrid, foul smelling contraptions.'

I meandered through the hallway lined with lockers. I heard teachers' droning voices as they preached their disastrously dull lessons to their ever-more bored pupils. I walked to the end of the bleak hallway and soundlessly exited through a side door.

I paused just there by the door to check the weather; cold, but not unbearable to a human, and only a slight drizzle of rain, nothing too odd to be out in. I walked out to one of the picnic tables beneath a towering oak in the center courtyard between the numerous buildings. I couldn't comprehend why this school was spread out in separate buildings. If it's going to precipitate in some form or other nearly everyday, then be kind to the youths and don't force them to walk outside to switch class rooms. It's just cruel.

The table under the oak was damp. I forced a vision and saw that my jeans would not be ruined from the moisture, so I sat down. I rested my elbow upon the table and my head on my hand. I closed my eyes and left my mind to my thoughts. To any curious observing student, I would appear as any other person hiding out from the cafeteria. It may have seemed a bit odd for a someone to sit in a light drizzle, but I was after all one of 'the Mysterious Cullens' so if any one did see me, they would more or less just pass it off as another one of our puzzling quirks.

'Hmm,' I thought amused. We had many quirks didn't we? Inhuman beauty, constant outdoor outings, and now lonely seclusions in the rain. 'Ha! So much for remaining inconspicuous.´

Then two things happened. First, the bell announcing the end of the period rang loudly throughout the campus. Then the sight of Edward hijacked my vision.

He was sitting alone at a table, like the ones in the biology classes here, long and dark. He was glaring maliciously at something outside my field of vision. He tensed. His striking blue veins stood in sharp contrast to the ivory skin of his tightly clenched fist. His onyx eyes were pools of black fire. They blazed in hatred, bottomless chasms of utter loathing. Yet, he was terrified. I had seen the emotion on humans many times before, before I had learned to control my thirst with the blood of animals. But I had never seen Edward in fear. Never. Seeing his eyes blazing, his complexion blanch, his lips pull tight over his life-ending teeth… frightened me.

He suddenly looked horrified. His face hardened and he looked truly like the monster he believed he was. A girl timidly walked up to his table and stumbled to sit down. She turned and I saw her clearly: her dainty and forgettable features that furrowed on her pale skin, the limp set of her lush mouth, the bewildered look in her dark brown eyes as she tried desperately not to look at my brother. He was too curious for her not to gaze at though. We all were. She couldn't help but to steal a glance at him.

The girl let out a mute gasp at Edward's malicious glare. She quickly shifted her gaze away from him and let her brunette hair fall down like a veil across her face, shielding her from his gaze.

He recoiled in torment from her hair as it fell. He fought desperately to keep himself in control. His eyes burned. They danced in desire, a deep craving that I had never seen before, burning deep from within him, desperately attempting to escape; it was almost as if he wanted to give in.

My vision disappeared and I was once again looking at the damp wood of the picnic table with the bell ringing loudly in my more-than-adequate ears. Then I was up, trying to show Edward the vision I just had of him while walking as fast as I could with out appearing inhuman. I didn't have much time; whatever I had seen was happening soon.

I could smell the adrenalin rolling off him when I reached the biology room door. I looked through the door and saw the strange girl from my vision talking to the teacher as he indicated to something in the back of the room.

I saw Jasper appear next to me. I turned to see him walking purposefully down the hall to me.

"What is happening?" he asked me, "I could feel his fear from two buildings over."

"I'm not sure," I told him, "Something to do with that girl."

"This isn't good. Can you see anything?"

I sighed exasperatedly. "No. He's not making any conclusive decisions. There's nothing."

"He's terrified and confused. How can a human evoke such reactions from him?"

"I don't-" I was cut off by another vision. The second bell was about to ring. "We have to move. Now!"

I snatched four passes and a black ink pen from my bag and scratched Carlisle's chicken scratch signature on them.

"He hasn't decided yet, and I don't think he will. Not anytime soon at least." I murmured to my husband while handing him three of the passes. "Just in case." I nodded to the pieces of bright yellow paper.

He reached out to touch me with two soft fingers to brush my face, and I was filled with a strong sense of reassurance. I smiled lightly and leaned into his touch.

Then, all too soon, he was gone, walking briskly down the hallway so not to be late.

I sighed slightly. My dearest love had never been comfortable expressing much affection surrounded by others. He was bombarded with emotions that were not his own and when he opened up to me, he didn't want to be influenced by random people near us.

I turned and quickly made my way to my 6th period class. I saw a flash of the bell ringing ten seconds after I entered the classroom. I walked faster to building C and then to my class. I made my way to the back of the room and was in my assigned seat just as the bell rang.

'Safe,' I thought humorously.

I spent the entire period checking in on Edward every few minutes or so. Nothing. He wasn't making any decisions. He had messed with my sight before when he wanted to keep something from me. He had mastered that skillfully by making only small and unaffecting decisions and masking to important ones. That was planned; this was chaos. He had no sure future.

I saw every possible decision going through his mind. I saw his mouth at her throat, draining her of life while the humans stood aghast, watching with horror. I saw him plan uncountable ways to lure the girl away from the school to feast on her. All of which he disregarded rapidly

Five minutes till the bell rang. I shoved my notes into my bag and grabbed my forged pass. I walked up to the teacher and showed the pass to him. He glanced at it and waved his hand to excuse me. Moments later when I actually presented my pass to him, he responded exactly like I knew he would. As soon as I was out that door, I made my way to Edward's Volvo. He knew I would be waiting there for him.

Bring!

There was the bell, and sure enough, there was Edward running toward me.

'Six…four…two…'

"Get out of my way, Alice," he growled at me. His voice was horse and constricted. He kept his head ducked down so I couldn't see his face. He was planning on running.

"You cannot do this," I stated flatly.

His head snapped up; his ebony eyes shot daggers into me.

He growled. I hissed back.

'You can't behave like this. Don't you realize that this is just a little abnormal? I don't know what happened in there, but whatever happened, you need to handle the aftermath rationally. This is not rational!' I thought to him.

My brother stared at me and took a long, drawn-out breath. He fell back against the door of the Volvo next to me and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He looked so pitiful and forlorn. I reached out and rested my hand on his upper arm in an attempt to give him some comfort. He gazed down at it, fighting something within himself, before resting his own hand over mine. We stood like that until I saw the bell ring again. Then he stood and began to make his way off to the woods behind the gym. He hadn't any intent on returning.

"Promise me," I pleaded, "that you will be back."

He paused in his gait at the sound of my voice.

"I will." He took off into the woods.

I sighed briefly and quickly ran to my next class. This too passed by in a blur. There was a test tomorrow and my classmates were listening intently, but I was focused solely on Edward-again.

So far he had planned to end back up at school just as classes got out. Then he was going to head to the class offices to try to change his schedule.

It was a fairly solid plan. There weren't any open spots for biology 5-6 H in a different hour, but Ms. Cope would give into his charms in less than four minutes. No human could resist us.

I saw a slight complication. The girl from my previous vision walked into the office. She had something to do with Edward's rash behavior, but I didn't know what. Edward hadn't reacted to her entrance; maybe she wasn't the reason…. I quickly dashed that thought when another girl entered the office to turn in an envelope.

The cold air blew in form the doorway, flowing through the pale brunette's hair and onward to Edward. His body froze, the sinews in his arms and neck strained, exposed from the tension. He fought the resistance in his muscles and stole a glance back at the girl. His eyes widened with hatred and the girl shrank back against the door as if she wished to be anywhere but where she was. His head snapped back around.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cope. I see that it is impossible."

He turned and strode out of the office, not breathing, and not even looking at the poor, confused girl.

I reached the office door just as he was exiting nearly a minute later.

'Breath Edward,' I chided him.

"No!" was his growled reply.

We were the last to reach the Volvo; our siblings were standing impatiently around it. Edward jabbed at a button on his key to unlock the doors.

I stopped beside the back door; my sight went black.

I saw Edward leaving us at the driveway to the house. He was talking to Carlisle at the hospital. He was in Denali with the coven there. My brother Edward was leaving.

Despair flooded my body. I looked horrified at Edward with accusation. He knew I had seen his decision; he wouldn't look at me.

Jasper was at my side, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I was so focused on starring down Edward, I didn't even notice when he removed himself and gave up his seat up front for me. He obviously wasn't about to come between Edward and I's dispute.

I stood there next to the open car door looking down at Edward's dark profile refusing to enter. His face was set into a hard expression. His hands violently gripped the steering wheel. He revved the engine and growled.

"Get in the car, Alice."

'You're leaving,' I accused.

He pinched the bridge of his nose again. He was trying to keep himself under control. If I had been thinking clearly, I wouldn't have pushed him like this. His temper could only handle so much.

He leaned over the passenger seat and glared at me, his black eyes smoldering.

"Get. In. The. Car."

I relented.

I crossed my arms and clenched my fists.

'You're leaving,' I thought again.

I saw a flash of the word yes written in bright red paint on the side of the garage.

'Why?'

A low rumble came from his chest and I saw all the cloths in my closet torn to shreds.

I let out a low hiss.

'Fine, don't answer. It's not like I'm trying to understand you or anything'

A wave of calm and acceptance came over me, courtesy of my husband who was about to loose an arm. I snapped around and growled at him. Emmett and Rosalie looked at me with raised eye brows. Jasper huffed and settled back into the corner. The calm left me and once again I was filled with anger and pain of betrayal.

'Don't you realize what this will do to Esme?'

He softened at the sound of our loving and sensitive mother. We were everything to Esme. We weren't her real children, but she loved us as if we were.

'You know what your absence will do to her. Just because I wasn't there the last time doesn't mean I don't know what happened.'

He flinched at the sting of my words.

Words appeared across my vision again, this time in blue lettering on the front of the house. It read: 'You don't understand.'

'Try me,' I countered.

He sighed. I saw a letter open on my bed. It wasn't written in his usual immaculate calligraphy, but in a rushed scrawl resembling chicken scratch.

'I don't even understand these occurrences, so I couldn't possibly presume that you would. I've never experienced anything like this and I can't handle it right now. I've got to clear my head and think about this before I can do anything.'

I knew I should just accept it, but I couldn't bear the thought of Edward leaving.

He meant so much to me. He truly understood me. Oh, yes, Jasper and my siblings understood to a point, but only Edward could really sympathize with me. Through out powers, we had a common bond. Always, we knew what was going on, never a moment's peace just to be ourselves without any interference from anybody.

He was the only on e like me. Except for… the Italians.

No, I pushed the thought from my mind.

'I'm going to miss you. More than you know.'

His face softened into a resolved expression. He stole a quick glance at me, probably thinking I hadn't seen it.

"I know," he breathed, just softly enough for only me to hear.

He slammed on the breaks at the entrance to the drive that led up to our home. Rosalie hissed at the sudden and unexpected stop.

"Edward?" Emmett questioned.

I got out of the car. "Let's go. We're on foot for the rest of the way." I told them. My siblings and husband were a bit begrudged, but thankfully didn't say anything. They knew Edward's nerves were nearly shot, and as such, they were wise to keep quiet.

Seconds later, after everyone had exited the car, Edward looked over at me and nodded his head in a means of thanks.

'Of course. Just promise you'll return soon.' I pleaded.

The passenger door slammed shut. He revved the engine once and took off full speed down the road.

I looked once at my family and then ran through the woods to the house.

And so had passed the past four days. The days had all been drear grey for me, for all of us. It was as if a hole had been made in the fabric of our family. We were so lost without him; we were ourselves without him.

I missed him dearly. He was my brother in all possible concepts of the word. He was my fist friend since ever I could remember. Jasper is my only love, m counterpart, but Edward was someone that Jasper could never be for me. His absence was as potent to me aw would have been Jasper's, and the wound cut just as deep.

I stood next to the great glass window that made up the southern side of the house. A slight breeze blew through the lush greenery outside. I breathed in deeply and removed my head from its resting place against its panes.

The black nothingness began to overtake my mind as my vision steadily approached. My conscious slipped away and I was suspended in the empty darkness that had been my constant companion all these years. I let go and felt myself fall into it.

My vision appeared then in bright contrast to the dark.

I saw Edward, his golden eyes glowing bright, driving with determination down the Alaskan highway. He had been thinking intently about the human girl who had cased him to flee o violently from the home and family he so dearly cared for.

He skillfully dodged black ice. Snow formed a bubble around the Mercedes Carlisle insisted he take. The snow never touched it though. The black car moved too fast for a single flake to land near it.

He stepped harder on the accelerator, causing the engine to whine in protest. A light piano tune carried through the stereo. A morose and gloomy violin played nearly inaudibly in harmony. Edward drummed his long, pale fingers upon the steering wheel in beat to the tempo.

He was distracting himself form what he would eventually have to face, and the retribution that would follow. Esme and Carlisle, of course, would welcome him back with open arms, as would myself. Jasper and Emmett, I knew would find someway to tease him about it, but Edward had systematically learned to tune them out and ignore them. Rosalie, however, was a different story.

But none of that would matter in the end. All that was important was that Edward was finally coming home to us.

Relief spread throughout my being as I found myself looking once again out of the large glass window.

I didn't get the chance to revel in this new happiness for another vision took over me, stronger this time.

I saw her, the human girl from my previous vision; the one who's very presence drove Edward away from us. But something was different about her.

She was turned away from me and hunched over something, so I couldn't see her clearly, but I could see the differences from the last time I had seen her. He brown hair was much more vibrant and bright. Her skin was so similar to mine: hard, smooth, and cold. She was so pale! She turned her head toward my visual spectrum. If I needed to use my lungs, I would have been breathless.

I don't know what shocked me more: the crimson blood of the limp rabbit she held in her hands dripping down her chin, or the piercing gold gaze of her eyes.

Then, just as suddenly, my vision changed. I saw her again, but this time I was there as well. We were somewhere outside with the sunlight sparkling off out glittery skin. We were smiling at each other excitedly, and then we embraced. We were friends.

"Bella," I heard Edward call. Why was he here? and who was Bella?

The vampire girl released me from her embrace and turned toward Edward's voice. I didn't need Jasper's power to sense the love and joy that radiated form her at the sound of Edward's approach.

Once he reached her, he wrapped her up in his arms. They were so perfect together, almost as if they were made for each other.

Edward looked so free and peaceful with himself. He was glowing with love and adoration. He wasn't even being weighted down with the burned of being one of the undead. His only concern was for the beautiful girl in his arms.

His lips descended on hers in a passionate kiss.

I felt a surge of joy for him. I had no idea who this girl was, but I knew I would love her. I knew we would be friends. I knew that she would be the one person to breathe life into Edward's empty shell of a life.

I knew this would happen. Just as I knew I would meet Jasper all those years ago, and just as I knew we would meet up with the Cullens and be accepted by them years later. I wasn't very big on fate or destiny, considering that decisions could change or be made that would change the future, but I just knew this was real. I knew this was meant to be.

Edward and the girl pulled apart and stood grinning stupidly at each other. They were so focused at each other that nothing could have interrupted their gaze.

Then my vision went black. It was gone.

I felt my mind return to my body and the present time. I felt a presence near me. My senses returned; I smelled the glorious scent of my husband by my side. I blinked my wide, unseeing eyes, and my vision returned. I found myself once again in the large, white room staring out the window-wall.

Jasper placed his hands upon my shoulders. I knew he was confused about all the joy and happiness that I was sure must have been radiating off me. I reached up with my own hand and placed it on top of his, then leaned my head back against his marbled chest and smiled up at him.

I was ecstatically happy. Edward was coming home, and better yet, he was bringing me a new friend.

My vision went black once more.

"Oh, there is no way Emmett is getting away with that!"