Chapter 1: Coma

Alice POV

I stared out of the window at the barren Alaskan landscape. My heightened vampire senses allowed me to see every leaf and twig in the trees, every snowflake swirling through the air. I could hear the wind howling against the house, even through thick walls and closed windows. I could feel every thread in my clothes as I wrapped my arms around myself.

Seven months.

That was how long it had been since we were in Forks, since I last saw my best friend; since any of us had seen Edward. Since we were all happy and together, and everything was right with the world. Now, I felt like my world had crumbled and cracked. It hadn't toppled yet; that could never happen while I still had Jasper. But our whole family had been affected by Edward's decision. Even Rosalie, cold and unfeeling as she was towards Bella, admitted that life just wasn't the same without her. Smiles were few and far between around here.

Perhaps it was because I was thinking of her, or maybe it was just coincidence, but at that exact moment a vision hit me with so much force, I stumbled backwards and collapsed on the bed behind me.

Bella stood on top of an unfamiliar cliff top. Waves churned below her, and wind whipped her hair around wildly, blowing rain in her face. She closed her eyes, smiled, then stood still for a few moments, as if waiting for something. Then, her arms rose above her head, as if she were about to dive.

Though I knew it would do no good, I shook my head violently and whispered, "No!"

But the vision continued. Instead of diving, Bella seemed to step into the air, plummeting downwards. A shrill scream burst from her, before she disappeared below the waves. I clung to the pictures, not allowing them to slip away as they wanted to. I waited... and waited... but nothing happened. She didn't surface. She didn't wash up on the beach nearby. Nothing.

The vision faded, and I realised I was shaking and sobbing, a dry pricking in my eyes. Despair unlike any I had ever felt gripped me, tightening around my heart.

Of course, that got Jasper's attention. He appeared as if by magic at the door of the room we were sharing in Tanya's house.

"Alice?" he asked, frantic. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

I couldn't speak yet; I just shook my head.

He sat down beside me and took my hands in his. "What did you see?"

I could feel him trying to calm me, and his touch helped, but the anxiety was too strong to be crushed completely. I could only choke out a weak cry of "Bella," before I crumbled against his chest and began to sob again.

Why would she do something like this? Was she really so unhappy? Despite Edward's request that I not look for Bella's future, I couldn't control the random flashes I saw every now and then; I was so attuned to her after our time together, they just happened. What I saw always crippled me. I saw her crying and screaming in her sleep; sat alone at lunch, not speaking, ostracised by her other friends; in class, the seat beside her that Edward had occupied still empty; going about her daily routine like a zombie; Charlie getting more and more worried every day.

How could she? Didn't she even think about Charlie, what this would do to him? I had a sudden urge to help the poor man, to go back to Forks and do what I could for him. I pushed out of Jasper's arms and ran to the closet. Pulling down a big hold-all off the shelf, I began putting my clothes inside, one by one, moving much faster than a human would have been able to see. Even in my rush, I felt when Jasper followed me. His own worry permeated the air, rolling off him in waves. I could tell it was unintentional; he didn't know what on earth I was doing, and that put him on edge. But this only added to my frenzy.

"What about Bella? Alice, are you going back to Forks?"

How well he knew me; how quickly he guessed what I was up to. I placed the last of my clothes in my bag. "Yes, I'm going back. I have to."

I darted past him, out of the bedroom, and he followed me again. Down the stairs, to the living room, where Rosalie was sat on the sofa reading a magazine. She looked up as we entered, frowning. She had obviously heard our conversation.

"Alice, you can't. Edward said-"

I cut her off, abruptly furious. "I don't care what Edward said! Bella's in trouble!"

Jasper stepped back, alarmed by my anger. "Ali, darlin', just think about this for a minute. We can't just-" He trailed off as my expression turned murderous.

"You're asking me to wait?" I shrieked, hurting my own ears and making both of them flinch. "I just saw my best friend throw herself off a cliff and you're asking me to WAIT?"

They sat there staring at me stunned by my outburst. I took a deep breath, calming myself before I continued.

"The vision came out of nowhere; she probably made a snap decision to do it. It's too late to save her, but I can still do something for Charlie; I can't just sit here."

I turned for the door, and Jasper grabbed my hand. I looked up into his anguished eyes.

"Call me when you get there?" he pleaded.

I smiled. "Of course."

"You're just letting her go?" Rose spluttered.

Jasper turned to her. "When has she ever listened to me? Besides, she's right. You know how much Charlie relied on Bella. He's going to need someone there to help him out."

He bent his face to mine and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. "I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too." I replied with a smile, before turning and hurrying to the garage. Hopefully Carlisle wouldn't miss his Mercedes for a day or two.

The lights were on and the cruiser sat in the driveway when I pulled up to the Swans' house around seven the next evening. To my surprise, Bella's rusty old truck was there too, forcing me to park across the street and dash through the pouring rain to the door.

As I knocked and waited for Charlie to let me in, I thought over what I planned to say. I had to be very careful to act surprised when he told me, but more importantly, I had to act like I wasn't dying inside from the loss of my best friend.

The door opened revealing a haggard looking Charlie. He really did look terrible; his hair was a mess, he had bags under his eyes that reached all the way to his cheek bones, and he looked – and smelled - like he hadn't changed his clothes, let alone showered, in days. His eyes had a dead look in them, as if he couldn't take the prospect of a visitor on top of everything else. They widened when he saw me, and his jaw dropped.

"Alice?"

"Hi Charlie," I smiled, trying to sound like my usual chirpy self. "How are you?"

He gawked at me for half a second before he composed himself. "What... what are you doing here?"

"Well, since it's spring break, I thought I'd come by and see you guys. I'm really sorry we haven't been in touch. There was a ton of craziness getting everything set up in L.A., and we've only just started to get it fixed." I forced another smile. "Do you mind if I come in? It's a little cold out here."

Charlie blinked twice, then took a step back, opening the door a little wider to allow me inside.

"Sure Alice. You know you're always welcome here."

I breezed as lightly as I could manage into the living room, putting my purse onto the coffee table. Then, I braced myself to ask the question that would set everything off.

"So, where's Bella?"

I felt horrible as soon as I said it. Charlie's face fell even further and he collapsed into the armchair across from me. He put his head in his hands, and his shoulders began to shake.

I didn't speak; I couldn't. I waited.

"Alice," he finally choked out, "Bella... had an accident. She was swimming with some friends down at La Push and..." He stopped, swallowing thickly.

I moved across the room, kneeling by his elbow and gently rubbing his back. "It will be easier if you say it fast."

He looked up at me with tear filled eyes. "She's in the hospital. Jacob Black took her up there. He said the currents got the best of her suddenly, and he thinks she hit her head."

I was genuinely shocked. This wasn't the news I was expecting. Charlie was still speaking.

"That was two days ago, and she still hasn't woken up. She's stable, but the doctor says it doesn't look good. He doesn't know how long she'll last."

He broke down then, sobbing uncontrollably into his hands. I was frozen, relief and horror fighting to be the most prominent feeling in me. Bella wasn't dead. My vision was wrong. But she was still in grave danger, and there was the chance that she wouldn't make it.

My mind spun in a dizzy whirl. I don't know what's going to happen. I can't see. Why can't I see? What do I tell the others? Why was I wrong? Is anything what I think it is any more? I had always relied absolutely on my visions; we all had. I trusted them to be right, to always reach their conclusion. Never, in all the decades since I first awoke to this life, had a vision been wrong. Sure, things had changed. I had wrongly interpreted what I saw on several occasions, but never this drastically.

Alice Cullen doesn't make mistakes.

My head was a mess of contradiction, confusion and uncertainty. However, there were two things I did know with absolute certainty. I had to see Bella... and I had to contact Edward, before someone else did.

One lingering doubt nagged at me through all this.

What if I was always wrong?