Lost & Found - Chapter Two - Awaiting My Future.
Disclaimer: Everything you see (except for any OC's) all belong to Ms Stephenie Meyer. I'm just borrowing them.
Summery: While watching Jasper hunt Alice looks back over their life together, and their journey to find the Cullens.
Authors Note: Thank you to those who read and/or reviewed the last chapter :) As with the last chapter, everything is Alice's P.O.V, the non flashback moments are set somewhere between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, but contains no spoilers as of yet (if this changes i'll let you know.) Everything else takes place pre-Twilight. All canon, and if they were a vampire in the books, they're a vampire in here too. Please review, they really mean a lot to me.
A low, menacing growl coming from the other end of the clearing pulled me out of my memories. I'd managed to stop myself from killing the human who's scent I'd caught that first day, though it had been almost impossible. The image of the family I so badly wanted to belong to had stopped me. I'd turned around and gone after the first animal I could smell, which had turned out to be a squirrel. It had tasted disgusting of course, and barely touched my thirst. But, it had at least shown me that it was possible to override my instincts. I'd had a few close calls since that day, as all of us had, but they'd become less frequent as the years passed until I can say with definite certainty that I would never kill a single human to satisfy my thirst.
I watched Jasper's deer turn, startled by his sudden growl. I almost felt sorry for the animal, knowing it was about to meet it's death at the hands of the most skilled predator I had ever laid eyes on. My mind began to drift again, though not so far back this time. I saw it all as clearly as I had that very day.
A storm was brewing, heavy dark clouds were beginning to creep slowly across the sky. I was glad of the storm, it meant I would be able to go out today. I cross the tiny apartment I had been renting for the last few weeks, and stared out of the window at the approaching storm clouds. I was careful to stay in the shadows, even though the sunlight streaming in my window was weak it would still be enough to set my marble skin sparkling like ice cold diamonds. I'm not sure how long I stood there before my mind was taken over by a vision of my immediate future. I sighed, seeing that my landlord would soon be pounding on my door. Hate wasn't an emotion I felt very often, but I honestly hated that man. I hated the way he would leer at me, his eyes lingering on my body far longer than was acceptable in polite society. I looked away from the window but didn't move from where I stood. My apartment wasn't much; it was small and it was cheap. But, most importantly it was in the only part of town where a young woman could live alone and not become the subject of gossip. That thought brought a small giggle bubbling to my lips. If only they had the slightest idea of how old I really was – not that I was even completely sure myself – I would have bet that I was probably older even than my landlord.
Right on cue came the sound of four heavy handed thuds against my door. I darted – silently of course – to the opposite end of the room where a small table stood. I slid open a drawer where I kept a small amount of cash for just such an occasion. I pulled out more than twice the actual amount of my rent – in the hope that it would make him go away sooner – and crossed the room again in a heartbeat. I pulled the door open a few inches, unfortunately still enough to see his leering face and watch as his eyes traveled appreciatively over me. "Ah, Miss Cullen.." - I'd taken to using Cullen as my surname after I'd had that first vision, after all I knew I would be a Cullen eventually and not having a surname would draw more attention to myself than I needed - "It's rent day. I hope you have what you owe me? If there's a problem, I'd be more than happy to discuss some alternative..arrangement." I watched his eyes sweep over my body again. It took me all of the precious self control I'd worked to build up over the years since I'd woken up to this life, not to rip his disgusting throat out. "That wont be necessary, thank you." I said through gritted teeth, my voice as cold and hard as steel. I quickly thrust the money into his greedy hands and slammed the door closed in his face before he could say or do anything else that would endanger is undeserving life.
It took me a moment before I could move again, before I was sure that I trusted myself enough not to open the door again and go after him. Once I was sure that I was under control, I crossed back over to the window. I didn't need to be quite as careful now, the large black storm clouds had closed in, completely obscuring the sun.
A smile played on my inhumanly beautiful face. The look of the clouds, the feeling of electricity in the atmosphere due to the storm all pointed to one thing. Today would be the day. I closed my bright golden eyes and saw it again, the same vision I'd seen over and over for years. An almost empty diner. Myself sitting alone at the counter while the storm raged on outside. I wasn't alone for long, soon he was there. Jasper. I knew his face as well as I knew my own, or maybe even better than that. His face had been set in my future from the moment I'd began this life, and possibly even before that. For the first time in too many years I felt nervous, almost unsure of myself. What if I was wrong? What if I sat in that diner today and he didn't show up? What if I did the same tomorrow? What if I spent the hundred years waiting for him? The only thing I was certain of was that I would wait as long as I had to for him. I had to stop doubting myself like this. He would be there, I knew it.
With the nervousness still fluttering away in my stomach like birds wings, I grabbed my coat and slipped it on. I didn't really need it, of course, my skin was already colder than the storm outside would be, but the humans would notice someone out in that weather without a coat. I snatched up my keys and slipped out of my little apartment, locking the door behind me. I ghosted silently downstairs and out of the apartment building. I hated having to limit myself to moving at a human pace but it was unavoidable if I didn't want to draw attention from the humans. I walked through the streets of Philadelphia, the little diner I was looking for wasn't too far away. Rain began to fall, making little dark spots on the sidewalk. There were still a few humans on the streets, most of them probably hoping to make it home before the worst of the storm hit. I walked by a small family, smiling to myself as he two little girls – twins from the look of them – ran ahead of their parents before their mother called them back to her. I envied humans sometimes; their lives seemed so much simpler than my own. I wondered if I had been like those little girls once, my mother and father calling me back to them while I was eager to explore my little world. I didn't often let myself think of the unknown time that was my human life; but whenever I did I couldn't quite help the wave of sadness that would overcome me, as it had at this moment. How I wished for just one memory I could hold on to. In over twenty years of searching my mind countless times I had never found one, and was sure I never would.
Sadness would never linger in my emotions for very long, not when my exceptional foresight would always bring me something else to look forward to. My thoughts turned back to Jasper, my silent footsteps suddenly moving faster in my haste to find the little diner. When I reached I slipped inside quickly. Though the cold didn't bother me, I was somewhat glad to be out of the rain. I walked directly over to the counter and hopped up onto one of the stools that stood in front of it. I watched as a familiar mix of shock, bewilderment and jealousy played out on the waitresses face as she took in the sight of me. Although I was more than used to this reaction by now, it would have been sure to make me blush had I been human. The waitress soon recovered herself enough to smile at me. The expression didn't look quite as polite as I was sure she meant it to. "What can I get you?" She asked me, her notepad and pencil in her hand, ready to take my order. "Just a coffee, thank you." I answered her with a blinding smile. The waitress – who's name tag I now noticed read 'June' – sighed, shoving her notepad back in the pocket of the apron she wore, and sticking her pencil behind her ear. Clearly, my order was not exciting enough to warrant being written down. She turned away to the coffee machine, not bothering to look at me again until she had to place my cup of coffee in front of me. "Thank you." I said with a cheerful smile, which she didn't return.
Of course I wouldn't be drinking the coffee, it was merely a prop, it would have looked odd to the handful of humans in the diner if I'd just sat there without ordering something. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder at the door. If today really was the day that he would find me then I would know that soon enough. Instead, I distracted myself by listening in to the human conversations that were continuing around me. They weren't particularly interesting, all about everyday human things. But they were enough to keep my eyes away from the door at least. Several times I lifted my coffee cup to my lips, seeming to take a sip. The humans eyes were all too weak to see that I wasn't drinking it. It smelled horribly bland to my sensitive nose, just as all human foods did. A young woman leaned over the counter to talk to the waitress, much too close to me. Her words were nothing more than background noise to me. My throat blazed with thirst as her scent filled my mind and her heartbeat pounded in my ears. I cut my breathing off immediately, thankful that I'd hunted only the day before. Though my throat still felt scorched I knew that I could and would control my thirst. After seconds that seemed to stretch on for years the girl returned to her table at the other end of the diner. My mind soon began to clear. I took a small, experimental breath and found that her scent was more manageable now, it would fade completely soon enough. I sighed quietly to myself, hoping that one day fighting my instincts to kill wouldn't be so difficult.
Suddenly my mind was overcome once again, this time with the same vision I had seen so many times in my life. I was right, he was going to walk through the door in four minutes and thirty seven seconds. I turned around in my seat to watch the door, though it was unnecessary. I would hear the little bell above the door when he walked through it.
Could four minutes really take so long? I bounced somewhat impatiently on my seat, ignoring the whispers and stares I was receiving from the watching humans. I could still see him in my mind, the nervous look he'll have on his face when I approach him, the rain drops sparkling in his honey blond curls.
The smile that crept onto my face was dazzling as my future stepped through the doorway.
A/N: I know that i said there would finally be some Jasper in this chapter but my favorite little empath seems to have developed stage fright :) I absolutely promise that he will be in the next chapter, even if i have to bribe him with a human to get him there :D