Prologue
In all the years since she could honestly say that she never imagined this. She had grieved and mourned and felt the common desperation that occurs to all who have lost those they love too soon: to find that familiar face in a crowd but never expecting to, not really. Now, when confronted with that impossible possibility, she can only gape. If she were to have dreamt about such a moment, she muses that it would be somehow different than this. She imagines there would be tears and smiles and hands pressed to chests to feel the steady drum of hearts.
'It's not supposed to be like this', she thinks.
Across the street she sees a girl not a day older than 19. She is small, slender, her dark hair is cut in a pixie style that sharply contrasts the pale pallor of her skin. She wears a fitted cotton pale cream colored dress that ghosts her knees. She's clutching too many shopping bags for her frame. From a distance the bags resemble two enormous multicolored balloons strapped to her sides; the girl should be weighed down by them, her shoulders should be slumped and strained, but she hefts and swings their weight as if they were filled only with packing paper. She can make out the letters and tags: expensive boutiques and four digit numbers and, yes, she can see the girl's features clearly now. There is no doubt: in front of her a ghost is standing.
It takes her a minute to realize that her body has moved closer to the girl of its own accord. A man is speaking to the girl, bending his head down to her and smiling. She sees his lips move and the flash of his blond hair, but only vaguely. Her eyes have become transfixed on the pixie girl. Her feet are carrying her closer to the girl and she numbly pushes past affronted people in the crowd. All she can see is her, only and always her. Her hand reaches out in one smooth motion that feels as if she has done nothing but practice and dream and imagine this moment for years. She curves her hand upward and smoothly grasps the girl's left forearm and swings her body in front of the girl.
The girl looks alarmed and a question is clearly written on her face but it is the wrong question. The question is not 'How are you here?' or 'Is it really you?' or even 'Are you okay?'. Her arm still clutches the girl's arm and she becomes dimly aware of the fact that the man with the girl now looks wary and cautious and is directing an aggressive glare at her. But, still, she can only hold her eyes to the girl's face. Her heart is now painfully battering against the walls of her chest and she feels panic spreading through her limbs. The girl opens her mouth and finally asks her the question that is so clearly apparent on her face.
"Who are you?"
The words feel like a debilitating punch to her pulsing heart, stunning it still. She realizes with a silent sob that the voice is the final confirmation: this is her. But the relief and giddy joy that rushes through her body is cruelly balanced by the mantra that bangs inside her brain: 'Don't you know?'. The confusion and unease across the girl's face gives her a painfully bitter answer: no.
The human woman in front of her was obviously in a panic but Alice was blind as to the cause of it. Jasper whispers in a lowered volume just for her, "Allie something's wrong with her". Alice nods at his words but takes no heed of them. She leaned away from Jasper's body and gingerly steps towards the girl. Jasper's arm quickly grips her shoulder and she pauses. "It'll be fine Jazz". And he took comfort in her assurance. He always did. Being precognizant made her family accept her words without question, especially Jasper because she had always told him exactly what the future entailed for them both. But, now, in this moment, Alice truly did not know what would happen. The woman had appeared out of nowhere and Alice was startled, actually surprised for the first time in her life by a person that was not a werewolf. She furtively sniffed the air but there was no pungent or harsh smell in the air.
Without looking back Alice feels Jasper relax behind her. He probably felt her curiosity and bewilderment, but he was confident in her verdict. Alice took a breath and lowered her bags to the ground; they were gifts and clothes for Renesme, a generous sized addition to the haul that Alice had bought for her niece only a week earlier. She glances at her arm and as if pulled by a string the woman follows her gaze. Alice is not worried by the weak grip the human has on her arm, but she is curious. Gently she pulls the woman's hand free and holds it for a second. The woman stares at their joined hands and the sudden depth of confusion and fear and helplessness that flashes across the woman's eyes stirs an empathetic emotion in Alice. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?".
The woman pulls back so quickly that Alice actually holds her breath in surprise. Alice sweeps her eyes across the woman's features and for the first time studies her carefully. The woman is a few inches taller than Alice. Alice puts her age at 21 or 22, but she supposes that she could be younger maybe even in her teens. Her features and skin have the glow of youth but there is an air of maturity that hangs over the woman's body. She is blond and her hair is pulled into a messy bun. A few locks frame her face on either side. She is slim and her figure is athletic, trim. There is no trace of fat on her frame or legs, which Alice sees are long and slim. The black woolen jacket that the blond wears does not hide her slim waist or toned arms. Alice can see the flex of muscle right under her sleeves. Her face is beautiful Alice notes. She suddenly imagines that Rose as a human would be envious of this woman. Refined cheekbones give way to a square chin. A roman nose, slender and long. Large almond shaped eyes framed by thick lashes reveal crystal blue orbs that are striking in color. Thin eyebrows are stretched over them. The woman's face is pulled into an expression of confusion and bewilderment. Those eyes are painfully transparent now and they reveal a blindingly fast emotional track that flits from one emotion to another: pain, shock, fear, wonder, panic, sadness Alice can't keep track of them. As she tries to focus more of her attention on the girl Alice is filled with a sense of alarm and worry that visibly causes Jasper to react.
The human's body was in a state of panic Alice realized. She heard the woman's heart and she knew that it was unnatural. It was beating in a jerky arrhythmic pattern and Alice noted the pale color of the woman's skin. Before Alice could ask her if she was alright the woman murmured quietly, spacing out her words as if speaking to a child, "No...no you don't. I-I'm sorry", and took a step back. The woman stilled and her features relaxed as if that knowledge had calmed her whirlpool of previous emotions somewhat. Before Alice could respond a buzzing sound interrupted the silence left by those words and the woman glanced down and pulled her phone out. Alice could hear the woman's heart slowly become normal and steady. She stared at it but didn't move to answer it. She paused and seemed to be gathering courage from it for her next action. When the buzzing stopped she looked back up at Alice. She quickly breathed out, "I'm sorry I grabbed you", and turning she walked away in the other direction in a quick gait. Alice watched as the blond moved through the crowd and turning a corner disappears. Turning her eyes back toward Jasper Alice asked "What was that?", and expecting no real answer she was nevertheless alarmed by the dark look on his face as he looked in the direction of the stranger.
"Jazz? What's wrong?", Alice forgot the blond stranger instantly. Her attention shifted immediately and solely to her lover. Gripping Jasper's arm she turned and gazed up at him. "What is it? Are you-Do we need to leave?", Alice spoke hurriedly and glanced around the crowded street. She couldn't smell any blood but the fear that a singer could somehow be in the crowd forced Alice to scan for any danger. Finding none, she glanced worriedly at Jasper's face. Gently she reached out tugged his face down and looked into his eyes for any hint of his unease. She sighed in relief when she saw the tension bleed from his face like water dripping down a surface. Unbidden, a small smile stole across the pixie's face and widened when she saw Jasper return it. She felt a chaste peck pressed to her lips and sighed gently. Pulling back, Jasper bit his lip and glanced warily back in the direction the blond had left. He spoke with his eyes still fixed in that direction. "Allie something was wrong with that girl-", "I know, I saw that myself Jazz". His features turned into a frown. "No I felt something wrong with her. Well it was more what I couldn't feel ya know?". "Jazz?". He met Alice's question with his eyes. "Alice I couldn't feel her. I saw there was something wrong-and I tried to calm her down but I couldn't. It was like there was nothing there. I couldn't feel any emotion at all from her. That's never-even with Bella I could sense her emotions but that woman- I couldn't feel a thing." Alice now felt more confused than ever. She paused and carefully phrased her next sentence, "Jazz I didn't see her. When she came up I didn't know she was coming and I tried to see what she would do next, but I couldn't. Her future, I couldn't see it". Alice stood silently and glanced down at her forgotten shopping bags; the rush and happiness she felt minutes earlier were now distant and forgotten. Aice couldn't help but wonder if or when another surprise like that mysterious blond would appear before her again.