Chapter One with the Cullens. Let me know your thoughts.
Edited : December 22, 2018
"I have to leave."
Everything went quiet. The house had been buzzing with life only moments before, but Alice's declaration brought everything to a screeching halt. Edward had ceased composing with Renesmee. Jasper and Emmett paused their game. Carlisle and Esme froze in the doorway to his office, and outside in the garage, Rosalie and Jacob had stopped working on Nessie's new car. Everyone, even Jasper, was thoroughly confused.
"What do you mean?" Bella, standing from the seat beside her daughter, was the only one to speak.
Alice set down the three packed bags she had carried down the stairs and locked eyes with her youngest sister. "I've made a mistake, a terrible mistake, and it could be deadly. A girl is about to lose her life because of me. I didn't realize what I'd done until now, but there may still be time to save her. I have to fix this before it's too late."
Bella couldn't read Alice's mind or feel her emotions or see her future, but she didn't need to. Her pain was shining in her eyes, and Bella knew, if Alice could, she'd be crying. Bella hadn't been part of the Cullen family long, but she couldn't remember a time she'd ever seen Alice so distressed. Even running from James, Alice seemed calm and collected. When the pair stopped Edward, Alice had been focused and determined. She barely even batted an eye at the approaching newborn army, and when the Volturi came for Renesmee, she'd been the one to save them all. Through every trial, Alice's foresight allowed her to remain composed, but that wasn't the Alice standing before the Cullens today. Whatever had happened, her foresight had failed her, and she was heartbroken over the consequences.
"What do you mean, Alice?" Rosalie came through the door, looking incredibly concerned.
Alice paused and looked down at her feet, unable to meet her sister's eyes. She was ashamed of herself, of what had happened. She should have seen, should have known. Her mind kept running over her vision again and again. It had been so obvious, happened so fast, there was barely a decision for her to watch. Anyone who'd known the facts would have seen this coming. It didn't take a special gift to anticipate the outcome. "I've made a terrible mistake."
"Alice," Edward heard her thoughts, saw her vision, saw what she had done, saw what they had done, "I'm so sorry. This isn't your fault." Alice didn't acknowledge his words, because she knew they weren't true. She could see the future. If she'd been paying attention, she would have seen this.
"As you all know, I remember nothing of my human life. I've never been upset by that, but it always felt... odd. I feel like I should remember something at least, like there's something, someone, important just on the other side of the door, and I can hear them knocking, but the door won't open."
Jasper filled the room with a calm. He could sense Alice's distress. He didn't know what she had seen yet, but he could tell it wasn't good. Only once before had she ever come to a decision about her visions before consulting him. Back then, it had been the Volturi, in their quest for Renesmee, and he had a feeling it was the Volturi now. Jasper couldn't imagine anything else rattling Alice to this degree. "When we left Forks, after Bella's birthday, Jasper and I went back to the place I was turned. I wanted to find out who I was, and everything I learned about myself comes from a single file: an asylum record. It led me to a woman, Mary, my niece." Mary was the only child of Alice's younger sister, Cynthia, and thereby Alice's closest living relative.
Finding Mary had been a revelation in Alice's life. A revelation cut short by her quest to save Edward, but still a revelation. Alice loved her coven, but she had always felt like something was missing. She longed for the closure of her old life that the rest of the Cullens had. Their human lives may not have been pleasant, but at least they knew why they were here. They had a connection to humanity that she lacked, that she longed for, a connection that made them want to preserve humanity and survive eternity in a new way. Mary was the start of Alice's connection, a start she never got to build on.
"I was watching Mary for months. I hoped I would get to meet her one day, but that day never came. She was growing old, and she passed away from a heart attack a month after Victoria attacked, but I didn't go see her grave till several weeks after the funeral" Carlisle stepped up beside Alice and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Alice unconsciously leaned into her adopted father; she desperately needed his support. Her family had known most of this already, but recounting it made her feel like she was losing her human life all over again.
"Alice, you told us what happened. You couldn't go to the funeral. All those people, there it was too much of a risk you'd be noticed. You can't blame yourself for missing the funeral of a woman you never met." Emmett promised quietly.
"I know," Alice agreed. "But that isn't everything." Alice's hand reached up to her shoulder and took hold of Carlisle's, "While I was at Mary's grave, a woman showed up. She asked who I was to Mary, and I told her I was Mary's former student. She introduced herself as Mary's granddaughter, Rebecca."
"You never told us you still had a family," Esme came forward to hug her daughter. She knew the closure Alice longer for. Having her human family just out of reach hurt Alice. This Rebecca could be the solution.
Alice shook her head. "Rebecca and I talked for a long time that day. She's the only one left. Mary was Cynthia's only daughter and only had one daughter herself. Rebecca's mother passed away in childbirth. Mary raised her, and now she's all alone."
"And you need to leave to help her?" Rosalie assumed. Alice had proved her devotion to her family time and time again; she knew Rebecca would be no exception.
Alice nodded. "I'm the one who put her in harm's way."
"What did you do?" Emmett asked.
"When the Volturi came," It had only been a month, but, to everyone, it felt like so long ago, "I let Aro see my thoughts. He found out about Rebecca. I didn't even think about it at the time. I hadn't thought about at all until now, and neither did they. The Volturi have been rather occupied since they came to see us. It took time for Aro to come back around to reviewing my thoughts, but now his resources are free. He wants to meet her."
"Why does he want to meet her?" "Where is she now?" "When are they coming?" "What can we do?" The questions came at Alice from all sides of the room.
Instead, Carlisle was the one to answer. He immediately knew where this was going. He'd lived with the Volturi long enough to know how Aro's mind worked. "He wants his own Alice, and he knows Alice would never willingly join him. He must think Rebecca is his best chance." Carlisle let the words sink in for everyone, himself included. "It's not an unreasonable assumption."
"How? Alice said she was put in the mental hospital as a human for talking about having visions." Emmett reminded Carlisle. "As far as we know, this Rebecca is just a random, normal girl."
Carlisle shook his head. "She's far from a random girl, Emmett. Rebecca is Alice's closest relation, and therefore the Volturi's best hope at recreating her abilities. There's evidence that special abilities may be common to families. Jane and Alec are the best example, but before she died Aro's sister had an ability of her own."
"Those were both sets of siblings." Jasper pointed out. "Alice is generations removed from Rebecca and not even her direct ancestor. He can't think the traits have carried on."
"Yes," Carlisle nodded, "but there is an argument to be made that Aro could be right. We know siblings exhibit similar abilities, and Renesmee, while a very unique case, has proven that abilities can be passed down to children. While we know nothing about Alice's sister to say if she had anything to pass down through generations to Rebecca, Alice's ability is incredibly unique in the vampire world, and Rebecca is at least at higher odds to resemble her." Carlisle slumped heavily onto the couch next to Jasper. "You're right, Jasper. It's a substantial overreach, and not one I would make. However, Aro is desperate, and there are no consequences for going after Rebecca. She is a single human, who isn't personally connected or protected by any vampire in our world. There's nothing to lose and everything to gain."
"When are they coming for her?" Jacob drew the Cullens' attention to the door. He looked like a wolf ready for war.
"It's too late to fight." Edward heard the question in Jacob's mind and answered from Alice's. "Alice saw Aro send Demetri. She won't know what's coming; he'll be back to Volterra by the time we could get to her."
"Then what's the plan?" Jacob countered. He had his eyes on the bags at Alice's feet.
"I don't know." Alice answered honestly. "I can't see anything. I don't think they'll make any decisions until they meet her, and I'm going to be there when they do."
"Then, we're coming with you." Emmett got to his feet.
Alice shook her head. "No, we can't all go. The Volturi are on edge as it is."
"Alice is right," Edward agreed. "If we come with her we'll look like an invading army."
"Jasper and I will go. Since they've taken her, she knows about us. By law, they have to change or kill her. My only hope is to reason with them. Maybe they will let us change her or take her if they decide they don't want her."
Carlisle got to his feet. "I'm coming with you."
Alice picked up the three bags at her feet and tossed one to Carlisle. "I know."