Nuova Luna
New Moon, Alice's Story
Author: Arwens-light
Chapter 9: Insanity of the Search
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Stephenie Meyer owns all. NO copyright infringement intended
A/N: I apologize once again for my delay in posting! I have been so crazy busy with so many changes happening in my life that it's been a bit difficult for me to catch up with everything, but I think this chapter is long enough and interesting enough to be okay for a little while… I promise quicker updates in the future!
I set up Jasper's laptop while he poured over Mississippi state and county maps that we had picked up at the Mississippi Welcome Center. I wasn't quite sure what we were looking for. I had no last name to go off of, no town to look for answers in. Jasper and I were searching for answers with minimal information. That made my vision virtually useless – how can see you the future of something you have no knowledge of?
Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, did have an extensive public library next to the University of Mississippi. Jasper suggested that we start there in the morning as the library would probably house a large section on state history.
The next morning was damp and dark. The winter weather gave us enough cover to reach the library without any worry.
The library had already gone into limited holiday hours, so when we circled in front of the old stone building, all the windows were dark, the doors locked. We sat in a parking space for a few minutes while the car idled quietly. Finally, I couldn't stand waiting anymore and hurriedly exited the Mercedes. Jasper followed quickly after me.
A narrow alley allowed access to the back of the library. I shot down the small passageway, skipping over shallow puddles and avoiding the trash that littered the alley. Jasper followed, mimicking my movements.
At the end of the alley, I paused for half a second to take in the small employee parking lot. A back entrance to the library led down to the vacant lot. I jumped up the steps and gently tugged on the doorknob, knowing it was locked. Beside the staircase, windows to the basement of the library were visible. I slid under the railing and prodded the window delicately with my foot. I could have easily broken into the library with a flick of my hand, but I was wary of causing damage that would bring unwanted attention to the building.
Jasper softly called to me. I glanced over my shoulder. "I'm going to check the roof access, Alice."
I nodded and Jasper vanished down the alley. I could hear him climbing the fire escape.
I moved to the next window and nudged it. The glass gave way under my foot. I froze, panicked that I had put too much pressure on the pane. Warm air began to encircle my foot and I realized the window had opened. I knelt down and peered into the dark space. The ground was rough and wet on my bare legs. Observing that there was no one in the basement, I pushed the window fully open. I scrambled inside in a very unlady-like manner and quickly readjusted my skirt as soon as my feet were settled on the ground.
The basement smelled dusty, like old books and mold. All the florescent lights were off, but the dim morning light cast a gray ambiance on the rows of wooden bookcases that was almost warm. I began to walk up and down the aisles, searching the books for cohesive organization.
At first, all the books appeared to be a random mixture of literature – religion, biology, fiction and biographies. Soon, I began to recognize a pattern in the titles: "Baptist Influence in the Southern United States", "Water Insects of the Mississippi River", and "To Kill A Mockingbird". All the volumes focused on Mississippi. At the end of the aisle, I stopped short. Hundreds of newspapers from the [Jackson Newspaper] were cataloged against the wall.
Next to the massive collection of newspapers was an old library computer. I sat down at the small desk and stared at the 1980s over-size computer monitor. The computer clicked and whirled when I pressed the power button, groaning as it slowly came to life. The screen prompted a guest log-in and then I was in the system. I quickly began to search through the available programs and files. This computer had a genealogy program and a database of all the Jackson newspapers dating back to 1886.
I sat, staring at the screen, drumming my fingers against the dusty grain of the small wooden desk. How was I going to search for information? A legal last name would have been exponentially helpful at a point like this. I continued drumming my fingers on the desk, gazing around the semi-dark basement.
I let my mind go blank and focused only on what I had been in the video. What had James said?
Asylum. That would provide some answers, at least a starting plan to begin the search. I had woken up in 1920. That was another key point.
I pulled up a newspaper and began to skim through it.
The sound of gravel crunching under tires made me freeze. I listened intently as the vehicle parked in the back lot and someone exited the car. Even with a thick concrete wall between us, I could still smell the blood pumping sluggishly through their veins. I could smell the human too – the scent of blood was the strongest, but it was almost overwhelmed by a potent smelling perfume and mothballs. A key turned in the backdoor, the lock sticking the slightest bit. Footsteps creaked above my head on the wooden floorboards of the library. I heard the librarian shuffling around upstairs, flipping on lights and sorting through books.
Where was Jasper? I closed my eyes and focused on his future.
Jasper knocked on the large glass doors. The old librarian, in her surprise, dropped the stack of books she was transferring to a pushcart. She shuffled over to the door and unlocked it.
"May I help you, young man?"
Jasper huddled into his jacket. "I'm supposed to meet some friends here for an early morning study session." Jasper had pulled out his southern accent – and even though it was just a vision, I could almost feel my knees going weak. "Has anyone else gotten here yet?" he asked, peering past her into the dark library.
"It's Christmas Break, there is no school in session," she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"There are courses available at the University of Mississippi over the break – please let me inside, ma'am, I'm freezing."
The little librarian held her ground. "It's too early for this kind of thing –"
I quickly sat up. I put the computer on sleep and flew out the small basement window. I stood for a moment in the parking lot, taking in deep breaths of the cold morning air. I smelled what I was looking for and sprinted down the alley.
Three blocks away was a small coffee shop, already serving a few select patrons that were daring the cold in the early morning hours. I walked briskly over to the counter.
"Two regular coffees, one vanilla latte and an earl gray tea, please," I said, pulling a small wad of cash from my bag.
The barista quickly got my order together and I exited the coffee shop as quickly as I dated. I used the sidewalk instead of the alley to get to the library. I had just rounded a corner to where I could finally see the front of the library when I saw Jasper knocked on the library door. I could faintly hear their conversation as I slowed to a more human speed.
I awkwardly shuffled my feet and tried to adjust my bag on my shoulder while not quite keeping the coffee balanced. Hot liquid that should have burned my skin slid down my fingers. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, the librarian was giving Jasper her last retort.
"It's too early for that kind of thing –" she paused midsentence and gazed past Jasper at me.
I shuffled my feet at the first step, carefully feeling the stone under my foot. Jasper glanced back at me, a small smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Am I late?" I said, making my teeth slightly chatter.
Jasper turned back to the librarian. "Please don't make us wait out here in the cold for the rest of our study group."
She glanced at me, then grunted and pulled the door open. "Come along, then."
"Thank you," Jasper said, passing inside.
I smiled kindly at her. "Thank you. Would you like a coffee? It would serve our friends right for being late."
The librarian, whose name tag read "Maribel", glanced at the drinks in my hand.
"Regular, vanilla latte, or tea," I offered, extending the drinks toward her.
She stretched out a wrinkled hand, hesitating over the coffee and tea.
"Please, take them both," I said, carefully removing them from the flimsy cardboard carrier. I handed her the coffee and set the tea on the check-out counter. "Thank you for opening a little early for us. Very important research we're doing on native species of Mississippi." I flashed a small, reassuring smile at her. "Grad students at UM," I explained.
She nodded and nervously shifted her hot coffee from one hand to the other. After another awkward pause, I headed off in search of my study buddy.
Jasper was in the basement, the computer awake again. He was reviewing the pages I had pulled up.
"So, you're really starting off with the asylum lead?" Jasper asked quietly, tapping the computer screen.
I nodded. "I might as well start off as with the little that I know and work my way backward." I pulled his laptop from my bag and handed it to him.
He set up the lap to next to the library computer and wired them together. He quickly hacked into the Jackson Court hours and library databases and began to cross-reference confidential files.
Half way through the day, Jasper paused and glanced at me nervously. I could tell from the wave of nerves that knotted at my stomach suddenly. I glanced back at him from my perch on a filing cabinet. I folded the newspaper I had been studying and looked at him curiously.
"You haven't had a vision?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… usually by now, you've had a vision about a person or place related to a given decision… why do you think you haven't had one?"
I frowned at him and looked away. "I don't know," I said. I tried to conceal my own frustration. "I've tried… but everything I see is constantly shifting or fading from me the moment I see it. It's like my past is trying to hide from me, even in my vision."
Jasper leaned back in his chair. "Have you really made the decision that you want to know what happened to you?"
"Of course," I snapped. I bit my lip as soon as I heard the harshness in my tone. I sighed and pulled at my cropped hair. "I'm sorry, Jazz," I said softly. "I'm just getting uneasy because I can't see… and I don't know why."
Jasper tried to give me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Alice, we'll find the answers."
I still didn't feel hopeful and I returned my attention to the Obituaries.
We finally left the library around five under the cover of a cloudy sky. We checked out of our shabby hotel and began to drive to the first asylum on our list. There were only a couple original institutions that were still standing in Mississippi – most had either been torn down or converted into hospitals. Jasper and I had decided to start with the remaining original buildings and work our way up from there. When you have nothing to go off of, the only place to start is the bottom.
We sped out of Jackson into the swampy surrounding countryside. The sun was a large orange ball swiftly sinking into the pine and oak tree line. The slender pines towered over the road as they caught the breeze and swayed to and fro. Just as dusk began to make the world sink into shades of gray and purple, we arrived at the first location.
The building loomed before us as Jasper stopped the Mercedes at a locked gate. We both go out of the vehicle and stood together in silence, examining the building. It was decrepit and old; the brick exterior was stained and most of the windows were filled with broken glass.
"It looks empty, Alice," Jasper said. "I don't think we'll find any records here. They probably moved them to the courthouse a long time ago."
I continued to stare intently at the building, searching every broken line, praying something would trigger a faded, forgotten human memory. Finally I sighed and nodded. "Ok, let's go."
The files in the courthouse did not reveal much of anything. Most of the records had been lost in a fire that had swept through most of the institution down in 1952.
In the early hours of the morning, Jasper and I drove south to the next asylum. The full moon shone brightly as it slowly shifted from the heavens back toward the horizon. The asylum had a grounds keeping office, although it appeared to be not more than a shabby shed, but the entry to the asylum was closed. Jasper managed to break into the asylum without causing too much damage.
I stood in the middle of the entrance, staring at the water damaged and rotting staircase.
Jasper appeared from a hallway, covering in dirt and grime. "There's a passageway down into a basement, but it's almost completely blocked off.
I gazed at him with lifeless eyes. This was fruitless and stupid. I was chasing a fantasy that was not there, looking into a past that was not mine to be a part of.
Jasper's brow knit together as he took in my mood. "Alice," he scolded, almost sternly, "stop it. Don't give up hope – we've only just begun our search."
"It's useless," I said, turning away. My eyes stung. I rubbed at the uncomfortable feeling. "He could have lied, Jazz. Just saying something to scare Bella."
"Alice, why would someone like James admit to having his prey escape him? Trackers don't normally have resistant; they go after their prey until they have captured it or it is taken away by death or another vampire. I don't think James would have made this up." Jasper gently brushed the hair from my eyes. "Trust me, Alice."
I looked up into his dark eyes and nodded. "Always," I whispered. I stood on my toes and kissed his perfect lips. "Come on, let's take a break and hunt."
Once Jasper's eyes were burning orbs of gold, we continued our search for answers into my past. We couldn't locate any records from the asylum or the county courthouse, so we continue further south to the next one.
The next asylum was much smaller than the others and appeared very run down. The grounds were completely fenced off and the entrance was barely accessible. I managed to pick the padlock without damaging it and Jasper and I spilled inside. We have to leave the Mercedes just inside the gate as the roach was too washed out to get through.
We traveled on foot up the gravel road avoiding as much of the muck and debris as we could. A sign on the outside of the building warned trespassers of prosecution. Jasper wedged the door open and I slipped inside. The entry of the building was just as run down as the outside, even part of the ceiling was caved in.
The asylum held no records. I didn't linger in the building, but went back outside. An old magnolia tree stood several yards from the entrance. I wondered over to the tree and settled into its roots. As I sat beneath the old magnolia, I surveyed my options. So far this trip had mostly been in vain – a fruitless chase of an unreliable source. And since my sources' ashes had been scattered to the four winds, there wasn't any chance of verifying any facts.
I picked up a bruised magnolia petal, delicately turning it over in my fingers as my mind kept rolling through possibilities. I heard Jasper exit the building and walk across the damp, moon-lit lawn to where I was.
"Where could the records be?" I asked, mostly to myself.
"They were probably moved like the others, to a hospital or courthouse," Jasper replied, brushing dirt off his shirt.
I sighed. "Then we might as well go to every courthouse and hospital in the state. And we still don't really know what we're looking for."
Jasper positioned himself next to me on the ground. He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Alice, I know this may seem improbable, even impossible that we would find any answers, but we will," he promised, smiling down at me. I gazed up into his eyes and my heart melted. "Trust me," he whispered, burying his face in my hair.
I couldn't help but smile. "East Mississippi State Hospital is closest to this asylum," I said, recalling the map.
It was almost dawn when we arrive at EMSH. Jasper stole an access badge in the parking garage, moving so fast when a female RN dropped her keys that she didn't even notice is had disappeared from her lapel.
We used the basement for access and quickly found the records storage. The door read "Lauderdale County Medical Records". A computer offered a quick search and find but no actual asylum records were stored at East Mississippi State Hospital. However, the sun had already risen and it was too sunny of a day for Jasper and I to risk stepping into the daylight.
Jasper used the hospital computer to hack into the state court's secure website to pass some time while we waited out the sun. He found records of criminal activity, Civil War involvement, which he uploaded to a thumb drive for later reading and charity fund records. Only minimal information about any of the state asylums was available on the website.
Jasper then moved onto the Jackson County website. The information uncovered via this portal was also minimal, but cited sources held on location. "That could be a promising place to start," Jasper said, leaning back in the metal chair.
I nodded. "Try the Lauderdale County website while we're here. We could always stop there on our way back to Jackson."
Jasper's fingers flew over the keyboard. He hacked into the Lauderdale County website with ease and began searching internal records. His fluid typing stopped suddenly.
I glanced over his shoulder.
"You can gain access to county records if you're a registered Research Assistant or Faculty is you're associated with the Graduate program at Mississippi State University," he said. "Give me a minute and we can get in."
Jasper pulled up the Mississippi State University Registrar's website and quickly hacked into it. He set up an artificial school email address and history in ten minutes.
"Jasper," I asked quietly as I watched his fingers fly across the plastic keyboard, "why aren't you just breaking into the county website?"
Without slowing his pace, Jasper turned and looked to me. "It will be nice to have a legitimate website to go to for war information when I do consulting work. The clients tend to like it when you can verify where information was obtained from legally." He smirked up at me and turned back to the computer.
After a few more minutes of vigorous typing, Jasper had an account established through the Lauderdale County Historical Research Association. With the account information, Jasper was able to submit for an account which he also approved and set up through the Lauderdale County website.
I smiled as he pulled up the account homepage. "You just broke so many federal laws," I giggled as I leaned on his shoulder. "So much for accountable work practices."
"Oh yeah?" he chuckled, still typing as he began his historic county-wide search as user "Tony Patton".
"Yes," I said. "It includes privacy violations, identity theft –"
"Of a fake person?" he interjected.
"Yes," I stated, continuing to list his crimes. "Fraud, falsifying personal documents, falsifying official records, impersonating a State Representative –"
"Alice."
I stopped and looked at the screen.
"There is a search engine for asylum "patients" – by date, age, condition…"
My throat suddenly seemed dry. I cleared it uncomfortably. "I woke up in 1920. Search that year."
339 records became available.
"Narrow it down by gender."
175 records for the year were female.
I paused, trying to figure out how to narrow it down further. "Under the age of 30?" I guessed.
Jasper glanced back at me. "You were not 30 when you were changed."
I rolled my eyes. "Just to be safe, Jazz… I don't have a lot to go off of here."
46 records meet all three requirements.
Jasper glanced back at me. "Can we take it down to 25?"
I nodded, attempting to clear the odd lump that had risen in my throat. I tried to calm myself – I'm sure I was driving Jasper crazy. There are other places that hold records – Jackson County, for example – that are much more likely to shed light on the situation than this, I told myself.
Jasper opened up the file and slowly began to click through each report while I furiously scribbled down the information.
Record no. 85012. Admission Date: January 11, 1920. Patient Name: Lewis, Elizabeth Ellen. Age: 20. Sex: Female. Race: White. Residence: Meridian, MS. Marital Status: Married. Condition: Witch. Cause: Adultery.
All the records followed this similar pattern of information.
Record no. 85084, patient White, Mary Kate, was accused of witchcraft and sorcery. She was only listed as 15 years old.
Record no. 85154, patient Huey, Pamela Lee, stated insanity has her condition.
Record no. 85196, patient Dean, Amanda, was listed as feebleminded.
Record no. 85206, patient Smith, Mary, was institutionalized based on insanity due to acute melancholia.
Record no. 85247, patient Alderson, Elizabeth Anne, was accused of insanity with a root cause listed as alcohol.
Record no. 85412, patient Williams, Janet Eloise, was cited as being mentally unstable.
Record no. 85577, patient Brandon, Mary Alice, was listed as insanity from childhood.
We both stopped short, my pen suspended above the paper. Jasper glanced up at me. "The court house will have more information on Record 85577…" Jasper said slowly. I knew he was trying to get a read n my current emotional state, but all I felt at the moment was mind-numbing shock that we may have actually found… me.
"We'll have to wait a little longer," I said, quickly turning away from the screen. "Around four, we'll have enough cloud cover to go outside." Thank goodness at least the weather was a sure thing.
Jasper nodded, still studying me. I ignored him and began to wander aimlessly around the records room. I was turning over the information my head – Mary Alice Brandon, 19 years old, from Biloxi, MS, and apparently, insane from childhood. Well, premonitions in the 1920s would have been seen as insane…
