Little Red Riding Hood

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.

The rest is mine.

I apologize in advance for any mistakes you may find...

Chapter Two

It took four men to lift and remove the long, thick plank of lumber that sat securely across the two large wooden doors of the village gates. Bella idly wondered how long it must have taken them to build the walls that surrounded their village. Better yet, what had made them build the walls in the first place?

"What's going on?" Bella asked Alice when the lump in her throat finally melted enough to allow her to speak normally again. Her head was still spinning and she was trying to keep up a conversation to keep herself from fainting.

"Some of the men went into the forest yesterday to hunt. People are eager to see if everyone made it back alive," Alice explained, staring at the gates anxiously.

Alive. So there was a possibility they wouldn't all come back. Bella wondered how many men had lost their lives in that forest everyone seemed so afraid of.

"Oh," Bella mumbled as she tried not to turn white as a sheet, watching as the four men opened the huge wooden gates. She still found this all hard to believe. Frankly, she was impressed with herself that she hadn't passed out. Surely this was a dream, all of it… the drowning, the medieval world she was in right now. She'd wake up soon enough.

"Make room! Make room!" someone shouted and the crowd quickly cleared a wide path as a man on a horse, followed by several others, entered the small village.

Alice strained to see over all of the people. Bella noticed she had the same problem and did the same. Jasper stood behind them and looked over the crowd easily with his tall stature.

"What do you see, Jasper?" Alice demanded, still struggling to see anything over all the people. "Do you see Edward?"

"Of course," Jasper nodded.

"Come on, Bella," Alice said as she took Bella's hand in her own and began weaving through the crowd.

Bella noticed Jasper did not follow them which made her feel more relaxed. She wasn't all that sure Jasper was happy about her being here. He was suspicious of her and it made her feel uneasy.

Bella was glad Alice was still clutching her hand because if she hadn't been they would have lost each other in the crowd. Alice was small and fast and she had no problem making her way swiftly and stealthily through the crowd as if she'd done it dozens of times before. Bella barely managed to keep up with her.

Alice had gotten them a third row seat and they could see much better now.

The man on the horse in front who led the others caught Bella's eye immediately. He was strikingly handsome, unexpectedly so, and it nearly took the breath right out of Bella's lungs. She stared at him shamelessly, unable to tear her eyes away.

He had a certain authoritative air about him she could already see. It was impossible to ignore, and all of the men he led seemed to follow whatever he did, but they weren't the only ones that seemed to know he was in charge. Many people bowed respectively at him as he passed and he nodded politely in return.

She took a good look at his face and discovered the best word to cover it was beautiful. The man was simply beautiful…if a man could be considered such a thing without it sounding feminine which he was without a doubt not. He was far from anything feminine even with his high cheekbones and long lashes. His broad shoulders, well-muscled limbs, and sharp, defined jaw covered in stubble were nothing to laugh at. He was rugged and masculine.

Her eyes flickered up to his wild, unruly hair that appeared untamable. The sun reflected off the red tones weaving through it, revealing and enhancing its bronze color. Bella had never seen anyone with bronze-colored hair, but she found herself getting the strong urge to run her fingers through his. She'd never had the urge to run her hands through any guy's hair and she felt herself blush for thinking about it.

Even as he sat on a horse Bella could see he was quite tall. He would surely tower over her by at least a foot. His clothes clung to him flatteringly, showing off his muscles. She noticed a sword strapped to the side of his hip along with what looked like a large knife.

Bella let her eyes travel up slowly, taking in all of him again. He was a magnificent sight, she realized. Bella wished she was closer to get a better look at him, but then thought better of it. If he looked this good from afar, she'd probably faint if she got the chance to stand directly in front of him.

Bella was quite sure she'd never thought a man was so attractive in all of her life until now. She had always been the odd girl out, you could say. While all her friends were drooling and falling all over the guys at her school, Bella was more interested in her books and school work.

Alice suddenly squealed beside her. Alarmed, Bella jumped slightly and glanced at Alice to discover it was a happy noise. Alice was practically hopping in the air like a tiny energizer bunny, clapping her hands together lightly.

"What is it?" Bella demanded.

"I just knew you would like Edward!" she squealed with delight. She was like a little hyper pixie, Bella noticed.

"Who?" Bella asked, confused.

"That is Edward," Alice told her, pointing to the man Bella had basically been drooling over seconds ago.

Embarrassed, Bella could feel the heat instantly rush to her face and she knew she had to be brighter than a tomato right now. She looked over to see Alice smiling brightly yet knowingly at her, but instead of admitting it, Bella looked at her innocently and asked, "What?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "I saw you staring at him. It is okay, Bella. I will not say a word," she winked, pretending to zip her mouth shut. "But we have much to discuss later."

Bella wanted to heave a sigh of relief but decided it would give her away if she did. She eventually pried her eyes away from Edward and took a look at the other men who followed him. They all looked equally rugged and were dressed similarly to Edward, but none of them were as handsome, that was for sure. None of them, including Edward, looked happy. They wore grim expressions. Bella had no idea why though. Alice had said they'd gone to hunt, and it looked like they'd gotten many kills, so what was bothering them?

The last of the men filtered in, and the same four men that had opened the gates closed them hastily.

"Henry? Where is my Henry?" a woman in the crowd shouted, her voice laced with worry and slight panic.

"Oh no," Alice frowned, scanning the men quickly in search of something, but judging by the look on her face Bella guessed that she hadn't found it.

"Who's Henry?" Bella asked curiously as she watched the woman push her way through the crowd over to the men on horses.

"Henry Clearwater. It was her husband," was all Alice offered, still distracted as she watched the scene before them.

Was. This was the reason they all looked so grim. Alice had said people were eager to see if they'd all survived. Clearly, not all of them had made it back.

The woman who had shouted for Henry made her way to Edward who was clearly the leader and spokesman for the group of men.

"Where is he?" the woman demanded, her eyes desperate as she looked up at him. It was obvious she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

Edward dismounted his horse and stood directly in front of the distraught woman. It didn't escape Bella's attention that the men behind him started to mimic his actions.

"Sue," Edward began, taking a cautious step towards her. "Henry got separated from the group and was attacked."

The woman Sue's eyebrows knitted together as if in confusion or refusal to believe what had just been said. "Separated? Attacked?" she repeated as if trying to make sense of what Edward was trying to tell her.

Edward nodded grimly. "I believe it was the same wolf that attacked the village last winter," he replied, speaking to the whole crowd now.

The crowd erupted into frantic, worried chatter at the news. Bella looked around, seeing women grab their children a little tighter and men do the same to their wives, trying to comfort and protect them.

"How can you be sure of that?" someone in the crowd shouted loud enough so Edward could hear him.

Everyone quieted down again, eagerly waiting for an answer.

"It was," Edward asserted. "It had a scar across its left eye."

Some gasped while others looked horrified. Sue's face was a blank mask. She was unreadable as she stared off into the distance, her eyes glazed over.

"It killed Henry," Edward said to the crowd and an eerie silence fell over the entire village it seemed. Some people looked sad at the news, some looked simply horrified, and others, like Sue, seemed to be in shock. A few older women huddled around the widow, leading her away to some place private, Bella guessed.

"You people should not be going into that damn forest. Henry's blood is on all of your hands," an angry voice spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear and fall silent again.

Edward's head snapped in the direction of the voice and his eyes immediately narrowed. Bella looked at Alice to find her doing the same thing.

"William Black," Alice whispered with disgust.

"Who is he?" Bella asked quietly, straining to get a better look at him.

"Village idiot," Alice replied.

The old man was russet-skinned with long, graying hair. Deep lines creased his face around his eyes and mouth. The man glared at Edward with such annoyance and anger that it surprised Bella. There was some sort of feud between them.

"So we should just all go hungry then, is that it?" Edward asked him sarcastically.

"We grow plenty of crops," the old man, William, retorted.

Edward scoffed. "Not enough to feed the whole village," he glared at William. There were a few murmurs of agreement on Edward's behalf as most people seemed to have the same opinion.

William glared around at the people surrounding him. "You are all fools to listen to Masen. He will be the death of us all," he growled before storming off.

After the angry man was gone, the conversations of the crowd commenced. Families of the men who had returned alive flocked to them. Wives kissed their husbands. Parents kissed their sons. And fathers held their babies for the first time in a couple days.

No one seemed to take William Black all that seriously. Bella figured it must not have been new behavior for the man.

Edward handed the reins of his horse to a young boy who led the animal away. Once again, men mimicked Edward.

Bella watched him curiously while Alice watched the both of them. Edward scanned the crowd casually and for one lucky moment his eyes landed on Bella's. She noticed for the first time that Edward's eyes were like polished emeralds. Never before in her life had she found the color green so beautiful.

His eyes widened momentarily when he saw her. Edward drank her in and Bella nearly gasped when his eyes became filled with unabashed desire when they met hers again. For the millionth time since she had woken up in this strange place Bella thought she was dreaming.

"Come, Bella. You must not meet Edward yet. We must get your story straight first," Alice told her, pulling her along by the hand again.

Bella could feel Edward's eyes following her and it made her stomach flutter in anticipation.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked curiously, but Alice ignored her as she continued pulling Bella along.

They spotted Jasper who began walking towards them, or rather Alice.

"Bella and I are going home for a little while. We will meet you and Edward at the celebratory feast," Alice told him.

Jasper opened his mouth to protest, not looking pleased. Alice gave him a stern look though and he must have thought better of it. Finally, he nodded and went off to find Edward, Bella assumed.

"Why doesn't Jasper trust me?" Bella asked Alice once Jasper was out of earshot.

"He is always like that with people he has just met. He will warm up to you, Bella," Alice promised, pulling her along into the house Bella had woken up in. "Have a seat by the fire," Alice ordered as she shut and locked the door behind them.

Bella sat down at the long wooden table in front of the fireplace and was immediately enveloped in warmth. Alice took a seat next to her and sighed.

"I do not know where to begin," Alice said honestly.

Bella looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I told you I have visions," Alice began.

Bella nodded. "Of the future, right?"

"Yes," Alice replied. "I saw you coming. I knew you would come and I know you will change things."

"Change things?" Bella echoed, becoming more confused than ever.

Alice nodded. "Bella, look, I do not know how to say this without scaring you, but I am afraid you are in danger."

"Danger? What kind of danger?" Bella demanded, paying way more attention now.

"I am not certain," Alice admitted, her brows furrowing. "I have had many visions of you. Some of them are of you in the dark forest. You look terrified, but I do not know of what."

This disturbed Bella more than anything. Terrified of what? Then again, how could Bella know Alice was telling the truth? After all, she barely knew this girl. What if she was making it all up? What if this was all a nightmare?

"You do not believe me," Alice shrugged. "It is okay. No one does at first."

"I'm sorry, but where I come from there aren't any such things as, um…witches," Bella said. "We have fortune tellers, but they're usually a rip off."

Alice looked offended "I am no witch."

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply anything by it or offend you in any way," Bella apologized immediately, instantly feeling guilty.

Alice simply laughed it off. "It is okay, but we have to work on the way you talk or people will know something is wrong."

"The way I talk?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded. "I do not know where you come from, but I am certain it is far, far away, correct?"

Bella sighed. "Alice, I don't know how to say this, but I don't think I'm from this time," she tried to explain.

Surprisingly, Alice nodded in agreement. "It makes sense. I have visions of the future and the clothes you were wearing…I have never seen anything like them. I saw you in a house once. It was filled with unusual furniture and decoration I have never seen before."

"I don't know how I got here," Bella sighed. How do I get back?

Alice rubbed Bella's arm in an attempt to soothe her. "It is okay. Everything is going to be just fine."

"How can you know that, Alice? I'm probably in a coma…or dead. I think I drowned," Bella said grimly.

"Oh no, Bella. This is very, very real," Alice insisted. "We are real. I can promise you that you are very much awake."

Bella sighed. "I'm scared, Alice."

"I know, but I am here to help you. Jasper and Edward will help you, too," Alice told her.

"Edward?" Bella said softly as she watched the flames dance in the fireplace.

Alice smiled brightly at her. "You and Edward are meant to be together. I have seen it."

"What exactly have you seen?" Bella asked, glancing up at her.

Alice shook her head. "We will talk about this later. We do not have that much time. We need to get your story straight now."

"My story?"

"Yes, you must learn to speak like me. You must be from a different time…far in the future," Alice noted.

"What do you mean?" Bella asked. "I don't speak strangely."

"You mean you do not speak strangely," Alice corrected.

"Huh?"

Alice sighed. "Bella, you cannot use words like don't," Alice said, trying the word out. "I noticed you use strange words like it often…like you are combining two words. You must learn not to shorten it."

Bella realized her mistake. Duh, she thought. She'd read enough books and studied enough history in school to know they didn't use contractions back then. Well, back now.

"You're—I mean, you are right. I will try to remember," Bella promised.

Alice nodded in approval. "Good."

"Now, you cannot be from Forks. No one has heard of it," Alice said, thinking for a moment. "We will say you are from Salem."

"Salem?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded. "Most people from our village have never been there, and if they say they have we can just say you lived there only a short time. It is a village far west of ours."

"Okay," Bella breathed, trying to take all of this in, but she was thinking more of what Alice had said about her and Edward. They would be together?

Yes, this really was a dream world Bella was living in.

"We have to go now. Jasper will start to worry," Alice said suddenly.

"To the feast?" Bella asked as they stood.

Alice nodded. "We have one each time the men come back from a hunting trip," she explained. "You can meet Edward there."

Bella knew one thing for sure...she had never been more nervous to meet someone before.

I'm going to try to update this story every Sunday.

Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you are enjoying the story.

-Angie