blink
blink
Darkness still.
There was nothing but darkness in the eyes of Alice Cullen.
She couldn't see.
She couldn't see anything.
It was maddening, irritating, impenetrable blackness. She couldn't see around it, she couldn't see through it. Her unnecessary breath caught in her throat and she stopped breathing. She stopped everything, her whole body froze in to cold and beautiful statue.
If she had a heart, she was sure it would be racing faster then a cheetah by now.
Never before had she been this blind, never before unless it was the black abyss of her human memories in the Asylum... The Asylum... And her mind fled, whether back in to madness or not, all she knew was...
nothing
Maybe it was months, maybe it was years, or centuries, or even decades... Alice's mind slowly fled back to consciousness. Like water flowing in a parched land, her self drank up the relief consciousness of mind. She could think again. She could See!
It was quite a discerning thing, for a vampire, to have no consciousness, no ability or will to think or just be. And as far as she knew, it was not possible! Yet here she stood...
Stood? No... not standing, Alice, eyes still closed, body still in her position, cast her mind out for the answer she needed, where the hell was she?! The last thing she remembered was reading a thick book to her young niece, Nessie, watching her slowly fall asleep in her sure arms, wondering what it was like to fall in to that blissful dreamland.
Within a split second, Alice realized she lay on a fairly stiff bed under the eves of a thin glass window on the second story of what she could only describe as a hostel that must have a bar downstairs as well. Remembering to breath she took a deep breath and took in the smells all around her; pine and other woods, varnish, mud and rain, horses outside, ale, bread/cheeses and other simple foods, surprisingly unwashed humans (mostly male with a hit of crushed flowers which could only mean a woman or two nearby), and another scent that she didn't recognize... almost human (for there was a heartbeat) but almost earthier if that was possible.
She sucked in another breath, and suddenly stiffened into a stone. Coming toward her was the distinct smell of a human woman. The distinct smell of her blood. It was only then when Alice's thirst surfaced to a raw, white hot burning in her throat. How long had it been since she hunted? Her head swam in the thought of fresh blood. Ahhhh... Sweet thirst.
The door squealed open and the human blood smell almost over powered her, that is until an image of Jasper and the rest of her family flowed into her mind, the thought of how disappointed they would be if she broke habit. As soon as that thought passed something else danced into her mind, not her thoughts, but in her Sight. The Sight of her, with her inky halo of black hair in a soft green dress propped up on a stool talking to a hooded man who introduced himself as Strider.
Something pulled at her memory... the book she was reading Nessie... Lord of the Rings. The first book that Nessie didn't seem to mind if you read it over again, as it was her third time wanted it read it to her. Perhaps it was the immense detail and care that went into the story, or that there was more then 7 books delving into the mystical world of Middle Earth to read from, or perhaps a reasons that only her mind reading father, Edward knew...
But the point was that this man she would be chatting with, who introduced himself to her as Strider was exactly as the man Aragorn was described in the beginning of the first book; The Fellowship of the Ring... who also went by the code name Strider. Her inner self sparked with a cheerful smile before any seeds of following doubt or fear fell into her mind. Something different, something new and challengingly to fingure out the wonders of the world. If it was one thing that her 'sister' Rosalie always scorned her for was that she, Alice, was much like a cat, always jumping in, even after a quick thought, because of her curious nature.
But what if somehow is really was Middle Earth? Her mind whirled with images of the future as she tried seeing different possible outcomes of many choices. Her mind whirled so fast and drew so much of her attention and excitement that she almost, that is only almost, missed the human making her way over to were she lay tucked in her own mind.
That was a definite almost.
But she didn't. As soon as the woman touched Alice's cold, stone-like skin, her eye's snapped open and her body stiffened in to stone once again. Even as subtable as Alice might have thought those movements were, it still was so fast that, with a gasping scream, the woman tripped backward startled and fell hard on floor looking a bit shocked and dazed from the fall.
Alice deliberately and very slowly (to her) sat up, tucking her knees to her chest and blinked wide and innocently toward the lady. Her sparkling obsidian still held an image of practiced concern and fright.
At the sound of the scream and thump, a man poked his head around the door into the room looking stern, but suddenly softened at the frightened and innocent look from Alice and the now chucking woman on the floor.
"Oh dear" The woman laughed, "My balance isn't what is used to be, not with these old bones o'mine." With the help of man, the woman was pulled to her feet.
"You need looking after, not looking after others m'dear!" The man said mockingly, with a wink toward Alice. Alice peeped a shy smile, careful not to, one: breath, and two: show any teeth.
The woman scowled and swatted at man with a old towel from her purse belt. "Out of here, but if you must come back, come back with some food and water for the young miss!" She aimed another swat at the retreating man, "Out!"
Alice heard the earthy, old laughing drift downstairs after the man. A soft, happy sigh pulled Alice's main attention to the 'older' woman standing with her hands on her hips in front of her.
"Don't mind him, dear, that lowly old man is my husband as it were." She huffed, "He's always fretting about, never letting me get a second of decent work in." She gave a soft snort with a shake of her head and gave her full attention to the young looking girl on the bed in front of her. "Now then, how are you feeling?"
Alice took a second to compose her thoughts and her control before answering the kindly looking woman.
"Of course ma'am," Alice answered in her musical soprano voice. She noted the surprise on the other woman's face at the sound of her voice. "But I must ask, where am I?"
The woman smiled, kind concern echoed in her eyes, "Ah, of course, well..." She paused to tuck in the blankets that covered Alice, "You're in the town of Bree. My husband himself found you laying half dead on the surrounding forest floor just this evening. We thought you were dead, I'm so sorry to say..." She gave a pinched worried look toward the elfin girl in front of her. "But it seem not so, thank the stars!"
She shook her head as if to cast out worrisome thoughts and looked bad as her husband walked though with a plate of bread and soft cheese and a tankard of water.
Alice stiffened a bit with a flicked glance at the food. That's not what she wanted...
"Now, come on, dear, eat!" She took the food and set it on her lap, and broke the bread. When Alice didn't respond, she frowned, "Or must I feed you myself?"
Alice glanced over to the man looking down at the to women and locked her will not to leap at either feeble human... and took a bite...
AN: I would like to finally post a note on what I WILL be updating now that things in life has settled down (and I got a new baby... aka a computer!)...
The 2nd Chapter of Harry Potter and Fates Debt (Harry Potter x NCIS)will be posted within the week, I need to add a page more I think and finish revising it.
Revisit in Reverse (Harry Potter Time Travel)is in the process of being rewritten with Harry as the main character with guest appearances (and major players in the story) from Teddy, Lily Luna, James Sirius, Albus Sev. (in order of appearance).
I Gave Hope (now: Lord of the Rings x Twilight) is on Hiatus until I decide to add more, and until that time, is being rewritten in the form of this story, Alice Cullen taking the place of Aragorn's daughter and son.
Episode: Shalom Season 4 and Harry Potter and the Unknown Daughters are on permanent Hiatus and are as good as dead.
