A/N: I am so sorry! I know I said that I would update in like, two weeks and then disappeared for a month, but I swear, it's not all my fault! My computer - my baby - broke. The motherboard failed or something, but I'm still without my hard drive, so this chapter is all from scratch.
Just a few things before I let you get to the massive chapter I have for you (seriously, its twenty four pages on Microsoft word). I added quotes before chapters one and three, because I like to make things so much harder for myself. But I was pretty happy when I got to quite The Maine! So, Daisy by The Maine is before Jasper's first chapter, and Drive My Soul by Lights is in front of Alice's first chapter. And they fit! So perfectly. It's like they were made for this story.
Just a couple more thing, promise! The sequel is on, and I'm very excited to start! It will have the same format as this one, with two Jasper chapters and two Alice chapters.
Big thank you's to my reviewer's last chapter: reader13lovesbooks, Shadow . Raven . X, hawaiian princess, TearOfMist, Haru Itonami, Jacquie Whitlock, ultimatecozzie, Moonglitter2, JK5959, karencita c28, chocoluvr, MotocrossHottie089, HeswamtoFrance, Tianna M . V . A, Cold Desert, TacoKato, elianna, yan, Teliko . x3, Ananya, alice . couronne . 185, musiclikelove, *reader*, Pyromaniac-Girl, omgahitsbritt08, Brynna, SmileEdwardLuvsYhoo, Little Miss Insanity, arabelladevore, Delilah Lovett, Good Vibes
Thank you all so much for your support, and I really hope you enjoy this chapter! I worked so hard on it, and I know it's long, but it ties up all of the loose ends! You get to see what happens with Zelner, how Hailey fares with Brett. How will Alice's meeting with the Whitlock's go? Will Alice get her happily ever after? All will be revealed!
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, or anything of Stephenie Meyer's. I just take her characters out for walks occasional.
Book Two
Alice
Chapter Two: Happily Ever After?
There was a dark room, constricting me with its oppressive brick walls. I couldn't feel my arms or legs, and I most certainly couldn't see them, making me doubt whether I had control of them or not.
Oh God, maybe I was back in the cell. But what had happened? Jasper and I had left his house and were on his way to his parent's. I fell asleep...and then I was here. Then where was Jasper?
I called out, hoping he was somehow close enough to hear my voice and save me. I needed to be rescued, but as I far as I could tell, my saviour wasn't near. I was alone. In the dark. Trapped.
"Alice?"
My eyes snapped open and the first thing I focused on was the landscape that was moving at an alarming pace. I rotated my head and with an easing glance I spotted my Jasper, behind the wheel of the car, dividing his attention between the road and me.
"Hi," I said quietly, resting my hand in his to reassure me of his presence. It had been just a dream, I thought with relief. Or was it more than a dream? What if it was a vision...
"Are you alright?" He asked with concern.
"Just a bad dream," I assured him, watching as the 'Welcome to Texas' sign flew by. I shuddered with anticipation; I would be meeting Jasper's parents. I prayed to whatever God was up there that I would make a good impression.
,
I must have dozed off again, because when Jasper shook my shoulder gently and told me to wake; I was greeted by a large, intimidating brown house with a large porch and a tree with a tire swing in the front yard. I swallowed hard and a stone landed in my stomach. This is where Jasper grew up. This was where I would meet his parents.
"Time to go, love." Jasper said softly, and I ran my fingers through my hair, which was still too short by social standards. I would be known as an inmate the moment they saw me.
"You know what, I'll wait here. You go tell them about Zelner." I said, shrinking against the hard seat. The house seemed to glare at me with its covered windows, daring me to step onto its lawn, ready to devour me. It was so much bigger then Jasper's quaint little house, or my families small, suburban, white-picket house. No wonder Jasper could pay for mine and Hailey's new clothes – his parents had money.
Jasper took my hand in his and squeezed lightly, applying just enough pressure to assure me that everything would be alright, but the nerves in my stomach about my hair were running rampant. I couldn't pretend to be the normal girl that Jasper deserved.
"They'll love you." Jasper assured me, as though he were reading my thoughts.
I shook my head, "They'll know what I am."
"My father won't mind."
I turned to look into his warm brown eyes, "And your mother?"
"She'll mind, but I don't care. I love you, no matter what anybody says, I always will."
And before I knew what was happening, he was opening my door and helping me out of the safety of his car.
Damn, but that man knew how to dazzle me senseless.
I walked lightly over the grass, trying not to disturb it with my steps. I looked up, and the house blocked out the hot Texas sun, casting me into shade – into darkness. The tire swing in the tree creaked menacingly and the screen door cracked like a whip – or a well aimed blow from a skilled doctor – as it crashed against the doorframe, blown by the wind.
My nerves – which were already on end – were ready to explode by the time Jasper helped me up the porch steps, opened the screen door and knocked on the solid wood door. I was ready to faint when an older man greeted us with a smile.
"Jasper, my boy, you're home!" He exclaimed happily, and shook Jasper's free hand – his other was wrapped around my waist to ensure that I didn't slink back to the comfort of his car.
Mr. Whitlock looked like Jasper, with honey blonde hair and the same warm, brown eyes. He took in my cropped hair – which was close to my shoulders now -, my pretty, pale yellow dress and Jasper's arm around me and smiled again.
"Welcome, Miss," he greeted me, taking my hand lightly in his.
"This is Alice, Dad. Alice, this is my father, Robert." Jasper said, smoothing out the moment with a proper introduction, acting like I deserved on.
The Whitlock men ushered me into the house kindly. It was spacious, which was very obvious from the sheer size from the outside view of it. The walls were painted in light colours, with the windows and doors positioned perfectly to let the cool breeze circulate through the house. It was shady, without any lights on to keep the temperature down inside the house.
Mr. Whitlock gave me a small tour of the downstairs area, with Jasper never leaving my side, not even when his mother came bursting into the room with a cry of joy.
"You're home! You never told me ahead of time so I could prepare your room!" She scolded with a smile as she enveloped her son in a lopsided hug, since Jasper wasn't letting go of me.
Mrs. Whitlock pulled away, and her eyes immediately settled on me, her eyes raking over my petite, slightly neglected frame, my short hair, my new dress and my protective stance, put it all together and gasped.
"Jasper, what have you done?" She asked, her eyes not leaving my face, almost like one would stare down a snake or a spider to make sure it didn't attack you by surprise.
"Mother, this is Alice; Alice, my mother, Carol." He said, acting as though she hadn't figured out that I didn't belong to a mental institution.
"How do you do?" I asked politely, trying to play along with Jasper. Carol pursed her lips, and opened her mouth to speak several times before she got something out.
"You promised me, Jasper." She accused, "You promised that you wouldn't do anything with the girl that could see the future."
My eyes whipped to Jasper's face, unsettled that he had ever promised that to his mother, and that I hadn't seen it coming, but he shook his head.
"I only told you that so you would let it go, mother. Alice is perfectly sane, I promise you."
She took a few deep breathes with her eyes closed. "I had such high hopes for you, Jasper, I really did. Whatever happened to you and that nice girl from down the street, Maria? You had always shown a fancy to her, and now you come here with a mental patient on your arm." She shook her head sadly.
Maria? The name stabbed at my heart painfully, and even though I had no right to feel jealous, I did. He had shown an interest to other women, I should have realized that, but hearing the name get tossed around so casually hurt.
"Mother," Jasper sighed, "Maria and I were nothing more than friends. " He turned to me, "We used to pretend that we were fighting the civil war. That women were allowed to fight and that we could defend Texas. That was all." He assured me, but something felt hollow about his confession, like there was something missing.
"Well, you will have to stay for dinner, Jasper; you can at least do that for me before you run off with her." Mrs. Whitlock said, and my stomach sank a little. I knew I shouldn't have hoped for her approval, but it wounded me that she rejected me so completely.
"Fine, mother, but there is something we must tell you," Jasper started, but his mother hushed him.
"All of that can be discussed after dinner." She said, heading back to the kitchen, "Because right now, I have a dinner party to plan."
Mr. Whitlock excused himself from the room, and Jasper and I were left alone.
"Dinner party?" I asked, swallowing hard. Jasper rubbed my shoulders and pulled me into an embrace.
"Don't worry, Alice. Everything will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"
What's the worst that could happen? Weren't those always infamous last words?
,
If I hadn't been one hundred percent sure that Jasper's mother hated me before the dinner, then it was assured that she did during the dinner. Carol Whitlock had invited exactly two people to the dinner party: The notorious Maria and her mother, Caroline.
Jasper's mother had also arranged the seating so that I sat across from Jasper, and Maria sat beside him, with his mother on his other side. Maria's mother sat next to me and across from Carol, with Jasper's father on my other side and across from Maria. A hideous, nightmarish arrangement, but I could weather it, for Jasper. Anything for him.
So I bit the inside of my cheek when Maria would lean towards him, showing off as much of her cleavage as she could before he diverted his attention somewhere else. It seemed to become a game for her, and it was one she revelled in.
Caroline, the hellish woman's mother, kept me distracted with extremely tactless questions about my upbringing, my parents, my stint at the institution and my escape from the law. Mrs. Whitlock listened intently to my answers, and was just as bad as Caroline for all intents and purposes. Every time Jasper tried to save me, Maria would pull his attention back to her, and every time I tried to upbraid Maria for flirting with Jasper, the mothers would drill me with more inappropriate questions. And the only other person who could save me, Jasper's father, was completely drunk by the time the second course was served. Fantastic.
"So, Alice, you're parents just left you at the Institution?" Caroline asked airily.
"Yes," I replied through my teeth. I dared to let my gaze wander to Jasper, who was looking up at the ceiling in despair as Maria chattered brightly about something while she fidgeted with her dress, pulling the collar down lower as she did so.
"So you have no one that loves you then, if your parents would do that to you?" Caroline inquired.
"No, I'm sure my sister loves me. She tried to help me when they took me away." I replied, keeping my gaze on Jasper.
"But that was what, three, four years ago? She must have forgotten all about you."
"She remembers me," I said stubbornly.
"And how do you know that? Honestly, I'm sure it's lovely to be an only child. And wouldn't your parents value her more, since she's normal?" The vile woman pressed on. Mrs. Whitlock smiled smugly, and my throat tightened uncomfortably.
"My sister loves me."
"I'm sure you believe that, dear, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up if I were you. Just think, in a couple more years you could just be a distant memory. Someone to think about when they visit that empty grave from time to time. They probably even took down all of your pictures, and re-did your room to serve another purpose. They have forgotten about you. No one loves you." She said, her hand patting mine to comfort, but her voice steely to inflict pain, and it had worked. Tears began to well up without permission, and my throat tightened, making it hard to breath. I kept my head down, hoping no one would notice that I was crying.
"Are you alright dear?" Jasper's mother asked with mock concern. "Why don't you go lie down? I'm sure Maria will keep Jasper occupied while you're away."
"I'm sure she would," Caroline echoed.
I stood and ghosted away, furious at them for causing such a violent show of my emotions, and at myself for letting them get under my skin.
I didn't make it very far from the dining room before sobs began to erupt from by chest and paralyzed me from moving farther. I slumped against the piano that sat in the far corner of the room I was in and wept for what I had lost and for what I most surely could lose in the future.
I hadn't been there long when the heavy feeling of an oncoming vision blanketed over my body, making me feel sluggish. I rested my head against the white and black piano keys and let the future wash over me and provide a welcome escape from the dreadful dinner party.
-
I watched as the back of my yellow dress disappeared through the door. I saw Caroline and Mrs. Whitlock's smug faces, and Jasper's head swung to watch my retreating figure.
"Where is Alice going?" He asked, his brow furrowing in concern.
"She wanted to take a walk, dear, and didn't want to bother you." Mrs. Whitlock said politely. "I think I have changed my mind about her, Jasper, she is a fine girl." Jasper's smile was incandescent and lighted up the whole room.
"I'm so glad you think so, mother." He said, reaching over to grab her hand gently. I clenched my jaw at the sight. She had lied to him.
"Dear, can you take your father upstairs? It seems that he has had too much to drink." Mrs. Whitlock said, casting the attention to her intoxicated husband who wobbled in his seat.
Jasper stood and took his father's arm, leading his towards the staircase. As soon as he left the room, the three women began to gossip.
"Jasper loves her?" Maria asked scornfully and Mrs. Whitlock shook her head sadly. "Poor backwards Jasper."
"But don't worry, dear," Caroline said, "if what we just put her through doesn't discourage her, then we will try something else. And I think I know exactly what we can do."
"Yes," Mrs. Whitlock agreed, "we will find a way to curb Jasper's foolish infatuation with the mental patient."
I wanted to stay around for more, but a pulling feeling had me ghosting up the stairs after Jasper and his father, where I found them in the master bedroom. Jasper had eased his father into bed.
"Good night, father." Jasper said, turning to leave, but Mr. Whitlock grabbed onto Jasper's arm deftly.
"Jasper...you need to watch out for her." He slurred unimpressively, but I watched with rapt attention as he tried to tell Jasper something.
"Watch out for who, father? Alice?" Jasper asked, kneeling beside his father's bedside.
"Don't let them chase her off, she's good for you." The older of the two said, and to punctuate his statement, his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out, ready to sleep off the alcohol. Jasper stayed for a few more seconds before rising and running a hand through his hair. He walked past me to return to the party, and another vision swept me up.
"Thank you, Mr. Whitlock." I said, and then the world went dark again.
-
"What do you mean, she's gone?"
"I mean, Mr. Brandon, that my foolish employees allowed one of the workers to free your daughter and another patient in my absence." Doctor Zelner said, trying to assure my father that I was, in fact, free.
"But I thought you were supposed to make her better."
"Mrs. Brandon, we're exhausting our resources searching for her, trust me. Most of the staff, plus the police force, is out looking for her."
"Why aren't you out looking for her? It's your fault she's free. You have to bring her back before she can hurt herself and others." My father insisted.
"Someone needs to look after the patients. I-"
"Well you haven't been doing a very good job so far!" My father spat, cutting Zelner off. My parents sat in the two chairs opposite Zelner in his office, with Cynthia sitting in my mother's lap.
"Where is Mary?" Cynthia asked, "I miss her."
I miss you too.
"She's hiding, Cynthia," my mother said softly, "This man is going to find her and bring her back."
"Like hide-and-go-seek!" Cynthia cried in delight, and my mother nodded.
"Yes, Cynthia, exactly like that."
"And don't worry, Miss. Brandon," Doctor Zelner said, "I will find her."
-
"Brett?" Hailey called to the retreating figure that looked like him.
He turned around and with large eyes, he recognized her. "Hailey, is that you?"
Hailey smiled and fidgeted with her new dress. She had skipped the corsets in the hopes that without it, she wouldn't seem so thin. Brett walked towards her, his eyes appraising. I remembered the times Hailey had talked about missing his beautiful, hazel eyes.
"It's me. I'm better now." She announced softly, and Brett laughed in a carefree way.
"I'm so happy to see you!" He cried, picking her up in a hug and twirling her around in a dizzying circle.
He set her down carefully and smiled radiantly. "I've been so worried. Becky told me you were so ill. She said the hospital wing wouldn't let us visit you."
Hailey shook her head, "Becky lied to you, Brett. I wasn't wick. She lied to you so that she could have you. The hospital believed her lies and wouldn't let me go."
Brett looked sceptical; Hailey looked heartbroken.
"Believe me," she whispered, and Brett's expression softened.
"There you are, sweetheart!" Another woman exclaimed, marching into the tender scene without care for what she disrupted. Her blonde hair was piled atop her head, unlike Hailey, whose brown hair was short like mine.
The woman who could only be Becky wrapped her arm through Brett's with her left arm, displaying the shiny ring on her fourth finger.
"Hailey, is that you?" Becky asked, peering at Hailey intently. "Why yes, it is you! I never heard news of your recovery. How are you coping?"
Hailey was fuming. "You know I was never sick, Becky. You lied so you could get me out of the picture!" She snapped, pulling herself up to her full height, which was a couple of inches shorter then Becky.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Hailey. Maybe the institution was wrong, you don't seem healthy." She commented.
Brett frowned, but didn't say anything. He never moved to remove Becky's hand, but he never took his eyes off Hailey.
Becky caught Hailey's gaze lingering on the diamond ring and laughed, twitching her hand so the weak sunlight reflected off the ring, shimmering.
"The date has been set. Would you like to come to the wedding?" Becky asked politely, and from Hailey's face it was clear that that was the last place she wanted to be.
"Brett?" Hailey asked softly, maybe looking for an explanation, or just to be able to address him directly. But the sound of his name leaving her lips caused his eyes – the eyes she was so in love with – dropped down to look at his shoes.
Her eyes welled, but she refused to cry in front of the happy couple, that much I knew. She turned stiffly and left, keeping her back towards the duo, that from afar seemed a perfect match. Becky's expression was triumphant, but Brett, her fiancée, looked inconsolable.
-
I choked as I awoke, which was extremely unpleasant to say the least. I was frightened by the fact that Zelner was being persuaded by my parents to search harder for me, I was upset that Hailey had reached an unhappy ending, and I was furious that Maria and the mothers were so determined to ruin my relationship with Jasper.
I sat with my forehead resting on the keys as I let my three dominant emotions struggle, and only moved when one emerged as the victor, and I must say I was pleased when anger took control of my limbs and forced me to walked jerkily to the dining room, where Maria's nauseating laughter trilled loudly and the clatter of forks meeting plates rang true.
I tried to pause for a moment, to collect my thoughts and check my temper a little, but Maria opened her mouth, and I snapped.
"Oh, Jasper, you must simply take me out for a walk now." Like the bitch she was, I thought smugly.
"I think I'm going to wait for Alice." Jasper said stubbornly, and at that moment, I made my entrance, to find Maria and Mrs. Whitlock sitting closely to Jasper, who looked extremely uncomfortable by the amount of attention he was receiving. I was going to kick some ass, which was what my hormones were telling me to do. To reclaim Jasper as mine, to do what I wanted to Hailey to do to Becky. Maria was my Becky, and I most certainly not going to end up in the same situation as Hailey was in.
"Alice, you're back." Mrs. Whitlock sounded far less then enthused about my return, but Jasper's face lit up like a light bulb, and he stood to take my arm and lead me back to the table, but as he approached me, he saw the redness around my eyes, and the fresh dried tears on my cheeks. He looked concerned, but my anger was bubbling over.
"You," I pointed to his mother, not thinking of possible consequences that could arise from the confrontation, "are a despicable person. Honestly! How dare you bring up my family in such a way? I only told you about myself so you might understand me better, but instead you turned it into a brutal attack!" I turned my angry eyes on Maria, and was joyous when she actually flinched. "And you! You have some nerve to be flirting with him in such a way! You whor-"
But I didn't get to finish, because Jasper had scooped me up and carried me out of the room, his eyes a little angry too, but that was because he didn't understand. I would make him understand. He would know what a terrible night I had had at his mother's hands.
"What was that about?" He asked, half concerned, half angry.
"Your mother is a hideous, vile, despicable, evil, appalling, wicked-"
"Alice!"
"You don't understand, Jasper! You don't know what I had to endure in there, and then what I had to see in there!" I said, waving my hand towards the piano room.
"Just tell me, please. Without insulting my mother, if you can." He said, his arms crossed as he waited. I took a deep breath, and as calmly as I could I told him of the personal attacks I had weathered while I watched Maria practically flash him by dragging her collar down – something he claimed not to have notice, but please, a blind man would have noticed. I told him about my brief escape into the piano room and my visions of Maria and the mothers plotting to take me away from him, and his scene with his father upstairs, of Zelner's plan to find us, and of Hailey's defeat at the hands of Becky. He listened patiently, and when I finished he just stood there.
"Well?" I demanded, planting my fists onto my hips and waiting. The he swooped down and kissed me hard on the mouth, which was the best stress reliever I could have possibly imagined. The anger melted away, and instead was replaced with fear. Fear of being caught.
I clung to his shirt when we broke apart, and he stroked my short hair, soothing my nerves. I couldn't go back into the room with Maria and the mothers. I couldn't deal with them anymore. I just wanted to disappear, but with Zelner upping the search for us, there was a greater chance that they might come to Jasper's parents to find him with me.
There was a sound in the background, some kind of annoying buzzing, like a mosquito but more repulsive. I didn't give it a second thought, but Jasper stiffened and ran back into the dining room, dragging me behind him.
Maria and Mrs. Whitlock sat where they had always been, but Caroline, who I now realized hadn't been there when I had snapped, stood by the back door, panting with a sinister smile. But I could have been imagining the last part. She always looked sinister to me.
"You didn't go out for a walk, did you?" Jasper asked slowly, and Caroline shook her head, her smile widening.
"I went and told the police about the escapee," she panted, nodding her head at me. My stomach dropped down to my feet and I began to feel faint. Oh God, this was what they had been talking about. This was their other plan to take me away and leave Jasper for Maria.
"You fool; I'll be taken away with her, which would wreck your plan, yes?" Jasper hissed, his eyes darting around to escapes, and the annoying buzz became a whining squeal...like a police car's siren.
Caroline blanched, and Maria shot her mother a glare that could kill someone in their spot. Good, I was glad their plan was ruined, but there was still the issue of running away that was a large concern.
"We need to get to the car," Jasper said, and he took my hand and pulled me to the front door.
"What about telling your parents about Zelner?" I asked, which was the whole point of us going there in the first place.
"Oh, right." He said, and turned back to face the three woman that stood in the doorway. "My former employer might show up here to ask you of our whereabouts. Feel free to tell them whatever you like. Or don't say anything, it doesn't really matter." He paused, "I can't believe that my own mother would be so hell bent on wrecking my life."
"I wasn't trying to wreck your life, so let's stop being so over-dramatic, alright, Jasper?" His mother said exasperatedly. "I just didn't want you to get mixed up with the wrong type of people."
"I love Alice, mother, and no matter what you do, I always will." He said defiantly. And with that, we marched out of the door and I hoped that I would never have to go back.
.
After our dramatic exit from Jasper's parent's house, I hadn't been sure where we would go next, but Jasper, ever the clever one, knew exactly where we should go. We hopped into his car and took the back exit out of his parent's property – narrowly missing the authorities, and started driving north, towards Chicago, where Jasper said he had a cousin that could assist us in our journey west.
It had been a little over twenty four hours, and Jasper pulled the car into a narrow driveway in front of his cousin Thomas' house. Apparently Thomas was his father's brother's son, and had moved out of Texas when he fell in love with a girl name Adeline. After three years in Chicago, Adeline had died of heart failure, and Thomas couldn't bring himself to sell the house his beloved had lived in, so he had stayed in the family sized home alone, since they hadn't had a child yet. Jasper said that he and his cousin had been on good terms before the move, during which Thomas severed all family ties, so hopefully he would be receptive of us.
It had begun to rain the moment we entered the city of Chicago, and Jasper felt the need to assist me as we climbed the front steps to the door. There was no awning, so we stood in the pouring rain, becoming drenched as we waited someone to respond to our knocking, although it would be a small miracle if anyone could hear us over the piano that was being played rather roughly.
But finally, after Jasper began to curse at Thomas for letting us get soaked, the piano stopped and footsteps were audible through the door. The offending wood swung open and a lanky youth my age stood blocking our entrance. He was sullen, and I could tell that he was the one who had been playing, because that violent and emotional music could only be played by someone as surly and emotional as him.
"Yes?" He asked, sounding short. I looked up at him, with his pretty green eyes and brown hair with subtle red undertones, and decided that I rather liked Jasper's cousin, although they looked nothing alike.
"Is Thomas Whitlock in?" Jasper asked, sounding confused. The boy frowned and looked behind him, where a friendly looking woman appeared.
"You're looking for Thomas Whitlock?" She asked, and when Jasper nodded, she ushered us inside and directed her son to fetch some tea. My yellow dress, which I hadn't been able to change out of, felt grimy from all of the travel and I unsure of how to sit on the pretty maroon couch and not dirty it. Jasper had no worries though, for he flopped down like it was his own couch, never mind the dirt that clung to his pants as surely as it clung to my dress.
"So, where is my cousin?" Jasper asked, looking around as though expecting Thomas to come jumping around the corner and yell 'boo'. But the expression the hostess was wearing made me think there was a sad story behind Thomas' missing presence.
"How do you know Thomas, may I ask?" The hostess asked politely, her hands folded in her lap like a proper lady.
"I'm his cousin, Jasper Whitlock, and this is Alice, my travel companion." I sighed internally at my title. I was his travel companion.
"My name is Elizabeth Masen, and that's my son, Edward." Mrs. Masen said, nodding towards the piano playing youth that emerged from the kitchen with a tea pot and four cups. There was something off about Edward, something familiar but different. It was the same feeling I had when I really scrutinized my face, or when I searched Jasper's for his secrets. It was like he was somehow like us, yet a little bit different, a little unique. How interesting.
"About your cousin, Mr. Whitlock," Mrs. Masen began, "Thomas Whitlock died of the influenza last year, around the same time my husband died. We bought this house just a few months ago. We downsized because we don't have Mr. Masen's income to support us anymore..."
Jasper blinked, looking dazed. Edward was grimacing, glaring down at his tea as though it was offending him in some way. I couldn't believe that Thomas was gone. He had seemed like such a good link for us to have. Maybe he could have hidden us away and helped us collect supplies for our journey west. Maybe he would have become something of a brother to me, and we could have been a small family, without worries.
I rubbed Jasper's back soothingly and he leaned into me for support, which I was glad to give to him. I looked over at Mrs. Masen, whose head was down in grief. I couldn't imagine losing your other half. A life without Jasper was something I couldn't comprehend.
What I could understand was the pain of losing a father, which was what Edward was trying to cope with and failing. I had lost my father in a sense. I would never see the dad that pushed me on the swing set, or told me that no man would ever be good enough for me. That man was dead to me. I only had the father that wanted me locked up because I was a little different than everyone else.
I ended my observations and bowed my head like the others were doing. It was a time to reflect on what had been lost, and I had plenty to mourn over.
.
It was day four with the Masen's. They were such lovely people that I didn't want to leave, but I knew Jasper was getting stir-crazy. He didn't want to stay in the place his cousin had died in for too long, and I understood that. We would be leaving soon, and since Jasper and Mrs. Masen had both headed upstairs for bed, leaving me alone with Edward, I decided to cheer him up a bit. I had a feeling that Edward would have a lovely smile if he used those muscles in his face, so I made it my mission that night to make him smile, and maybe lighten the grief he felt over his father. It was a mighty task, but if I handled it properly, I thought I could achieve it all in one night – tonight.
I found him sitting outside, admiring the stars you could see. I plopped down beside him ever so gracefully on the bench and sighed, preparing him for the conversation. He turned his pretty eyes on me with an amused look. Over the past four days Edward and I had formed a sort of bond. A sibling bond that made me feel safe when Jasper disappeared from my side. I had a brother now.
"I just thought we should chat." I started, and Edward snorted.
"What's it about now, Alice?" Lately I had been insisting we have a lot of chats, with our topics ranging from piano, to the war, to gardening.
"I want to talk about your father, if you don't mind." His face had closed over, creating a stony mask so unlike what I wanted to see from him.
"I do mind, thanks." He said icily, but I brushed it off and prepared to move forward. I had faced worse at the Whitlock's house.
"I know what it's like to lose a father, Edward. Heck, I know what it feels like to lose your whole family." His mask broke with surprise.
"Your whole family died?" I debated on whether I should tell him the truth or not. I knew he wouldn't turn Jasper and I in, but I just didn't feel ready yet.
"In a sense, yes." His mouth opened, and I knew he knew that I wasn't telling him the whole story. "I will tell you everything in time, Edward, I promise, but I don't want to get into details right now. Okay?" He grimaced, and I knew it was because he hated not knowing the whole picture, but he nodded, acquiescing to my request.
"Can you at least tell me a little about what happened? Just give me something really vague." He pleaded, with his green eyes taking on a puppy dog quality and I felt myself caving.
"They gave me up – exiled me from their house never to see them again. They thought I was a little too different from what they wanted me to be, so they removed me from the picture."
"I'm a little bit different too," Edward said quietly, patting my hand absently.
"But I know how much it hurts to lose the people you love so suddenly like that. But I would think it would be better to know that your father loved you before he died, don't you?" He nodded reluctantly, accepting the idea I had implanted. Maybe he would compare his incident to mine and see that things could be worse. And that even though things can get really bad, things can always get better.
"Do you miss them?" Edward asked softly, looking up at the cast sky above us. This made me think. I did miss them. I had been ready to leave Jasper to find them, but then they wanted me gone. They didn't love me like they should love their child. And if they couldn't reciprocate my love, then I shouldn't miss them.
"A little; but mostly my sister. I have Jasper now, though, and he really helps. It helps to know that there's a person out there that loves you." I said. Edward's face had softened up. The mask was gone, and a pensive expression weighed him down. "Do you have anyone like that?"
"I have my mother." I rolled my eyes at his response. He was a typical mother's boy, just like Jasper.
"I meant besides your mother. Do you have anyone like I have Jasper?"
And just like that, a smile broke loose and planted itself on his face. I had been right, I thought smugly. He had a lovely smile.
"There's this one girl that I see at the market," he said vaguely, but his smile grew in size, much to my pleasure.
"Does this girl have a name?" I probed.
"Isabella Swan. But she doesn't like her full name, silly girl. She prefers Bella." The way he spoke of her was similar to how I spoke of Jasper. He loved her, and I couldn't be happier for him.
"Does she know how you feel?"
"Probably not, we don't talk much."
"You will talk to her Edward, or so help me, I will smack you." I threatened.
"Thank you, Alice." I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for, but I hugged him and told him it was no problem. It was what big sisters did, after all.
"I'm going to miss you," I sighed, knowing Jasper and I couldn't stay for much longer.
"Where are you going to go?" He asked.
"I'm not sure yet, but when we get there, I'll write you. And I will be expecting a visit from you and this Bella when we get settled."
"I'll be there."
"You better be."
.
"You're being awfully quiet over there, Alice." Jasper teased from the driver's seat of his car. I was quiet because I was sad. I was sad because we had left the Masen's house two days ago and I missed them. I had gotten to meet Bella before we left, though, which I was glad for. Edward and I had gone to the market, and there she was, with long, rich brown hair, and her bright chocolate eyes. I could see why Edward loved her so.
"I miss them." I sighed, watching the landscape fall away as we travelled. Jasper became quiet and I looked over to find him with a rather upset expression on his face.
"I'm sorry we had to leave." Oh, he thought I was upset that he made us leave!
"I'm not upset at you, Jasper. I know why we had to leave, and that's not an issue. I'm just wondering how long it will be before we see them again."
"Maybe you'll have a vision of them." Jasper suggested, which sounded lovely. I would love to see how Edward would overcome his shyness around Bella. Of how he would cope with his father's death and let someone else in. That would be a something worth seeing.
"I love you, Jasper." I said, resting my head on my seat and looking at him, soaking up his brilliance.
"I love you too, so much." He replied, taking my hand in his and pressing his lips against my fingers.
We would be alright as long as we stayed together, and I didn't need a vision to know that.
.
I shifted in my seat, which had rapidly become more and more uncomfortable as the hours wore on. It was day five of our journey, and I was absolutely sick of this god-forsaken car.
"Can we stop soon? I need to stretch my legs." Jasper smiled, but continued to urge the car on at a fast pace.
"We can't stop yet, Alice. I'm sorry, but I just can't risk your safety." I rolled my eyes at his insistent tone. I knew he was just looking out for my safety, but come on!
Apparently the universe thought I deserved a break too, because not a minute later, the engine was beginning to spew smoke. Jasper groaned and began to talk to the car, urging it on, begging it not to give out on him, very typical things in my mind. On the other hand, I did it too, urging it to halt, begging it not to get better.
"There might be someone who can fix it in town." I suggested, taking on a helpful position as I silently prayed that the car wouldn't magically get better. But automotives and magic don't mix, and the car stopped, wheezing for the last time before it died.
"What happened?" Jasper groaned, but I had no answer for him. The failure was spontaneous, and therefore, something I couldn't have predicted. Poor Jasper, he had loved the car like it was his pet.
"Jasper, we need to get out of the car. Maybe we can find someone to fix it." I said, but he ignored me, refusing to leave the car.
"Maybe I can fix her." Her, what a ridiculous concept, giving a thing a female pronoun.
I sighed and hopped out of the car, walking around to the trunk and pulling our bags out, and then opening Jasper's door.
"Come on, time to leave her." He pouted, but got out, and helped me with the baggage. But before he headed off, he insisted that he say goodbye, in case they never saw each other again. I agreed, but refused to listen to the adieu, choosing instead to get a head start. I could see the hotel on the horizon, and I certainly wasn't going to wait for Jasper's foolishness.
He caught up with me after a minute, and we walked in silence. I was dead set on getting to that hotel, and no broken down car, tearful goodbye, or splitting headache was going to stop me.
,
"Welcome to the Wild Rose Hotel, how may I help you this evening?" The smiley manager, Mr. Lewis, asked.
"We need a room, and a good mechanic." I requested, dropping the luggage I had carried onto the floor, where a bellboy picked them up. Fantastic service.
Mr. Lewis stole a quick glance at my left hand, spotted the emptiness of my fourth finger, and said, "Two beds then?" Society would probably frown if we had only one bed in the room, which was upsetting. I so wanted Jasper's body to be as close to mine as it usually was when we sat in the car. What a shame.
"No, one bed is fine." Jasper said, making my heart pick up its tempo, "I'll sleep on the couch." Damn.
"Alright, sir. Here is your room key; your suite number is 245 on the second floor. Enjoy your stay, and we'll send a mechanic to pick up your car." He said, handing Jasper a big brass key and pocketing the tip and the directions to the stranded car I wrote up. Following the bellboy, we headed up to our suite. Where there would only be one bed. Maybe I could get Jasper to share it with me.
,
"We probably should have gotten a smaller room." Jasper commented as soon as the bellboy left. The room was huge, but what I noticed first was the comfy looking, queen sized bed that dominated the bedroom part of the suite. Beside the bedside table was a small loveseat, which I supposed would be Jasper's chosen sleeping area. But not if I could help it.
I looked out the window to see a newly darkened sky, as though the sun had extinguished its lights so it could sleep along with the rest of us.
"I suppose we should sleep now, since we'll have a long day of travelling ahead of us." I said, letting myself flop down onto the bed. Jasper looked at me in such a way that made my stomach flip, but then he shook his head and looked away.
"I suppose so."
There was a bit of an awkward pause, in which neither of us could find anything to say, but I remedied that by standing up and going to him. I was going to do what I had been craving to do all day.
Bringing myself up to my full height, and planting my hands on his shoulders to drag him down a bit, I found my lips touching his in a delightful way. It was long and soft and I just couldn't get enough of the man in front of me. So when our natural impulses began to take over, I didn't complain. Especially when the back of my knees hit the bed and I went down, Jasper following me the whole way.
I let my fingers weave through his blonde hair, and gasped when I felt his cold fingers begin to loosen my dress. I decided that if I was losing my dress, he would lose his shirt, which was exactly what happened. I laid in my shift and corset, and Jasper hovered above me, shirtless. How absolutely heavenly.
"We should stop," Jasper mumbled between kisses, each one getting stronger and more passionate. I nodded slightly, letting my fingers slide up and down his back, feeling the ridge of his spine several times over.
"We probably should," I agreed as he began to loosen my corset, which was severely restricting my heavy breathing.
He was just finishing with the ties when a knock came at the door, causing Jasper to groan and place on final kiss on my neck before he stood, donning his shirt and answered the door, which was out of my sight.
"There's a man downstairs for a Miss. Mary Brandon." The man said, and my stomach lurched in a panic. I stood and hurriedly fixed my corset and pulled my dress back on, running to the door to find Mr. Lewis standing at the door, with an angry Jasper blocking his entry.
"Miss. Mary Brandon?" I asked with a quiver in my voice. We had only been in the hotel for a couple hours, how could anyone have found us?
"Yes, and I assured him that there were no guests here by that name, but he said that the guest Mr. Jasper Whitlock was travelling with Miss. Brandon, and insisted that I tell you that he's waiting in the lobby." Mr. Lewis said, almost apologetically.
"And does this man have a name?" Jasper asked, his height causing him to loom over Mr. Lewis.
"Yes, he said his name was Doctor Mortimer Zelner."
,
"What are we going to do?" I cried, pacing the room once Mr. Lewis left, leaving us to mull over the horrible information.
"We need to leave." Jasper said, gathering our freshly unpacked things and shoving them into bags hastily.
"But the lobby is the only exit!" I exclaimed, throwing myself down onto the bed. We wouldn't be able to escape this one. We would be carted back to Biloxi. I would be thrown back into my dark room, and Jasper would be sent to jail. We wouldn't get a happily ever after.
"There's always an exit through the kitchen." Jasper said, pulling me up and carting me towards the door. He gathered our hastily re-packed bags and gently gave me two out of the five.
"All we have to do is get to the kitchen?" I asked weakly, following Jasper out of the hotel room and into the elevator.
"Yes, and then we'll be fine, Alice, don't worry."
Oh, but I did worry. How could I not?
We stepped off the elevator, and I felt extremely vulnerable with my arms full. Jasper somehow knew which way to go, because instead of ending up in the lobby with Zelner, we were in the kitchen, while bustled with late night activity.
"This way," we weaved through the moving people, and the warm air and the warmer people began to make me fell claustrophobic.
"There it is." Jasper announced and I spotted the door out, with a sign above it that marked it an exit. It was propped open, and I imagined that I could feel a cool breeze on my face.
Jasper slipped out the door, and I was about to follow when a rough hand grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back, causing me to drop the luggage I was carrying.
"The Doctor wouldn't want you to leave without saying goodbye." The deep voice of one of the strong-arms said, pulling me backwards into the crowd. I would not cry out to Jasper. I would not let him come back and save me. I would let him retain his freedom, while I lost mine.
I was led past the elevator and into the lobby, where Doctor Zelner waited patiently for me.
"There you are, Mary." He said, smiling pleasantly. "You had us all so worried. Is Hailey or Jasper with you?"
"No, I'm alone." I said, keeping my chin up and my voice haughty. I wouldn't tell him anything. He would never find Hailey or Jasper if I could help it.
"I know you checked in with my former employee, Miss Brandon, so please, try again."
"I don't know where Jasper or Hailey is." I repeated, and Zelner sighed.
"Fine; don't tell me now. I'm sure you'll talk once you're back in isolation like your parents had ordered." Zelner stood and walked out the front door, and the man holding me forced us to follow. I wouldn't struggle, especially since the longer we stayed at the hotel, the more likely it was that Jasper would show up and try to help me.
Just let me go, Jasper.
Outside, Doctor Zelner disappeared into a back of a black automobile, and quickly I was forced to follow. Once inside, Zelner pulled out a large needle filled with the clear liquid I had once been dependant on. No, I had worked so hard to be okay without it.
I struggled and protested, but he stuck me eventually, and the paralyzing effects gripped me at once, leaving me limp and defenceless.
Goodbye freedom.
The car began to move, away from the town, away from Jasper. A tear slid down my face and Zelner pretended not to notice, or maybe he didn't see. He stared intently out the window, a triumphant smile on his face. He had won, and we both knew that. He wasn't a failure anymore. He could go back to my father and flaunt me like a hunting trophy. He would keep his job.
Lucky him. Everything seemed to work out for the villain in this novel. Whatever happened to happy endings? It seemed I had had mine prematurely. The prince had rescued me on a white horse, only to ride off without seeing me getting trapped by the wicked warlock.
I was pretending that I was a beautiful princess in a gorgeous dress hiding away in a tall tower, with Jasper dressed in shining armour and on a white horse standing under my window, declaring his love for me when the screaming started.
I blinked, confused but uninterested. It wasn't like I could leap out of the car once it stopped. I closed my eyes as Zelner got out, shouting at someone to move. Maybe if I thought hard enough, I could make Jasper materialize in front of me. Magic and automobiles don't mix, but maybe magic and people did?
"Alice." Ah, I knew it would work! I had the voice, but I struggled to pull up a picture of his face. Long, silky blonde hair that would obscure his warm brown eyes far too often for my liking. His nose was straight, making a perfect line down to his plush mouth that fit mine perfectly. His forehead, which was usually wrinkled from stress, was smoothed. His whole demeanour was calm.
"Alice, come on, we don't have that much time."
Hmm, why would I make him say that?
"Alice, come on!" I let my eyes drift open and there was Jasper, standing in the open door, smiling widely.
"Jasper?" He nodded and held out his hand for me to take. I itched to take it and never let go again, but thanks to Doctor Zelner, I couldn't. "I can't."
"I've come to spring you. But we have to hurry. Take my hand, Alice!"
"But I can't, Jasper."
"Don't worry, I can protect you from him, but we need to leave now." My breath was laboured, and the drugs made it hard to talk since it was so soon after injection, but he wasn't listening.
"I can't, Jasper. I was injected." It was like a light bulb turned on above his head, and he came further into the car and picked me up, lifting me out of Zelner's car and into the night. The waking sun was beginning to stain the sky with reds, pinks and oranges, giving a forewarning of its approach.
I tried to crane my neck to see what had drawn Zelner to get out of the car, but I couldn't, which was an odd sensation to get used to again. I had gotten too accustomed to being able to move all of my muscles. It was unnerving to lose control like that again.
"Don't worry, Alice. I know where we can go." And we were off, to somewhere I didn't know, without control of my body, and in the arms of the man I loved. He may not be dressed in shining armour, and the car he put me in might not have been a white horse, and my dress most certainly wasn't princess worthy, but I felt like I had finally lived my happily ever after.
.
Two days later, and we had crossed the border into Canada, which had, apparently, been Jasper's master plan all along, although a small town in the middle of Alberta certainly wasn't what I had wanted. I had wanted somewhere on the west coast, like Vancouver. But no, we were stuck in a small house in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter, which got cold.
But I couldn't complain about much else besides the weather, and the lack of shopping and the complete isolation of the house location. How could I when that meant that Jasper and I were living together, with little distractions, stuck in the house while the weather got colder as winter pressed on. No, I had no reason to complain really.
We were sitting on a couch that came with the house, meaning it was cheap and the fabric was a tad itchy, but the close proximity of Jasper made it all better. He was reading a leather bound book while I drew. A fire crackled in the well worn and dirty fireplace. Some of the surfaces were still dusty, but they were places I couldn't reach and kept forgetting to ask Jasper to get.
I was lazily doodling a side profile of Jasper when a vision weighed down on me. I sighed, putting down the sketch pad and laid back, resting my head on the arm of the couch. Jasper held my hand, and I was the most comfortable that I had ever been while slipping into the future.
-
"What's this I hear of you letting two patients escape?" A man asked Zelner, back in his office in Biloxi. The way the Doctor held himself around the man made me think that the older man was Zelner's boss, and by his expression, he wasn't happy.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Thomas, but there was really nothing I could do. I was away on business when they escape happened, and I tried to recover them, but I couldn't." The man named Mr. Thomas slammed his fist down on Zelner's desk, making the Doctor jump.
"I don't want excuses, Mortimer. I entrusted you with this hospital wing, and you let me down. I should never have promoted you." He said with a disappointed frown. Zelner blanched and began to fidget with a ring on his fourth finger on his left hand, something I had never noticed before. There was a Mrs. Doctor Mortimer Zelner. What an odd thought. Maybe he really wasn't as bad as I thought he was. Maybe he was just a normal person, with a family, who was just doing what he was told.
"You can't fire me, sir. Please." Zelner looked so...pathetic. It was so surreal to watch.
"I won't fire you, Mortimer. But I will demote you. Better luck next time."
I prayed to god that there wouldn't be a next time.
-
Hailey stood in her hotel room, tears falling down her cheeks. She had lost, and from the look on her face, I could tell that she hated herself for it. I knew Hailey wouldn't ask Brett to leave his fiancée for her, because Hailey was too kind, too good, to stoop to that level. Becky had won.
There was a knock at the door, and Hailey wiped the tears away and went to open the door. A young man stood at the door, probably our age, with sandy brown hair and crisp gray eyes.
"Miss. Hailey?" The man asked, looking nervous. He was dressed to the nines in a tuxedo, and I finally noticed Hailey's gorgeous green dress, and how her hair was done up in an elegant twist.
"Yes, and you are?"
"I'm Rebecca's brother, Brandon. I'm here to pick you up for the wedding." He posed it as a question, and Hailey grimaced, nodding. I couldn't believe that Hailey was actually attending the union of the love of her life and her enemy.
They left the room and I followed, watching as Hailey stared at the ground and Brandon stared at her.
"You must be very happy for your sister." Hailey said quietly in the elevator, breaking the silence that seemed to stretch for hours and miles.
Brandon frowned, "Not really, actually. We haven't talked in years and then she calls, telling me I can come to her wedding as long as I picked up some special guest on my way to the church. How do you know the bride and groom?"
Hailey sighed, and postponed her answer by exiting the elevator and heading outside. Brandon hailed a taxi and they climbed in, with me following.
"Brett and I were an item for a while before Becky and him got together." She said, looking down at her shoes instead of the gorgeous boy that stared at her with an intensity that Brett didn't seem able to hold.
"You don't seem very happy about that." He commented, and Hailey's mouth twisted into a wry grin.
"Do I not? I'm not very happy about having to go."
"Why do you have to go?"
Hailey sighed, "I don't know. I must be masochistic or something."
"Well...we could skip it, maybe go out for dinner or something." Hailey's eyes snapped up, meeting his gray ones and a genuine smile crept onto her face.
"That would be preferable." She laughed, "Are you sure you're okay about missing the wedding?"
"I couldn't care less." He assured her, and they changed the directions they had given to the driven and fell into a comfortable silence, which seemed to speak volumes.
Hailey may have missed her chance with Brett, but she seemed to have gotten something better, and I was so proud of her. She would be okay – I was sure of it. Hailey was tougher then I gave her credit for.
-
I let my eyes slowly open, a wide smiling splitting my face. I felt Jasper's hand slide up my arm and across my back, pulling me to him and into a hug.
"What did you see?" He breathed into my ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
"Zelner got demoted and I think Hailey is going to be okay." I replied, letting my fingers slid through Jasper's hair, enjoying the feeling of being able to do the simple motion. This time I wasn't going through withdrawal after the drugs.
Jasper kissed my lips softly, "That's perfect, then," he said softly, kissing me again, harder this time. My heart picked up its tempo and I shifted, pressing myself more into him. We had already decided that we wouldn't go all the way before a proper marriage. It had been a mutual agreement. But it was extremely hard for me to remember why we had decided that.
I felt Jasper's fingers fluttered towards the ties on the back of my dress and my breath hitched.
"Alice, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." He said between kisses.
"Yes?" I sighed as his lips created a light path down my neck. Suddenly he pulled away, and I felt a shock when he disappeared from my side. He knelt down on the ground in front of my and lightly took my left hand.
"Alice, I love you so much it hurts. I can't imagine my life without you. I would spend my whole life protecting you if it meant I could spend every moment by your side. Alice, will you marry me?"
"Of course!" I was ecstatic. I would be Mrs. Jasper Whitlock. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently to his, and I felt him slide the ring onto my fourth finger – it wouldn't be naked anymore. I looked down to admire the piece of jewellery.
"Soon we can get married, and we can be husband and wife properly." Jasper said quietly into my ear, and I was suddenly filled with a jumble of emotions that overwhelmed me.
"We need to find a priest. Now."
.
One week. It took one week to find the priest and become a wedded couple, but it was well worth the wait. We had exchanged vows, just the two of us and the minister. There were no friends to watch the event, and neither of our families could know of our whereabouts. The town's mayor was the witness to our union.
I was disappointed that I didn't get to be Mrs. Whitlock. Jasper had said that it would be better if we married under his mother's maiden name, so if anyone came looking for a Mary Brandon and a Jasper Whitlock, they would only find Alice and Jasper Hale.
Jasper took up a job in a doctor's office, and I got to be the traditional housewife, buying groceries and looking forward to gardening when the ground thawed. We were settling down and I was so excited to be a normal, Canadian family.
But to be that normal family, I had to learn to control my visions, which I had begun to try with a fierce determination. I had only succumbed to a vision once in public, but I was beginning to learn how to hold them until I could get to the privacy of our own home.
Everything was just how I imagined it would be. The princess got her prince and lived happily ever after in their palace.
But there was a small, pessimistic voice that reminded me that I had felt like this before, way back when Jasper and I stayed at the Wild Rose Hotel and Zelner had found us. But we had won. The good triumphant over the evil, and no matter what was thrown our way, I would always see to it that we were the victors in our battles.
I would be in the dark no more.
A/N: -tears up- I can't believe it's over! But it's not really, because I have a whole sequel to explore! Now, about the sequel: I have no idea when I'll be able to post the first chapter and I don't know what I'm naming it (suggestions are welcomed!). I was hoping that I would be finished its chapter before I posted this, but that won't be able to happen. Just put me on author alert or something if you want to read it. I might post something on this story, but I will most likely forget.
I would love it so much if you reviewed! Did you like the chapter? Were there mistakes? I would really appreciate any suggestions you have towards this chapter. And I would love to hear your ideas for the sequel, if you have any! It really helps me out, especially since my writing style changes with my moods, so in one section there would be happy-go-lucky Alice and then in the other she's being kidnapped, so suggestions might even out the chapters more!
One more thing, and then I'll let you leave, to review, hopefully! Jacquie Whitlock and I have a new blog thing on live journal, called Batman & Pigeon. I'll try to put a link to it on my profile. We're planning on talking about a different book or book series once a week, and to start it off, we each talked about Twilight. Yay! Anyways, if you want to check that out, you can.
Please review! And remember to vote for your favourite stories in the multiple award-voting things that are on! There are some fabulous stories nominated, lots of my favourites are on the ballot, I'm so excited.
Much love,
-Maggie