I was asleep in the living room when Auntie Lilly gently shook me awake. "Alice, darling, wakey wakey."

"Huh?" I mumble into my pillow, tiredness seeping into my voice.

"It's three in the afternoon!" I don't budge from this announcement. "I have news."

"Good news?" Auntie Lilly hesitates, sighing.

"Yes,"

"Okay," I sit up, yawning. Auntie Lilly laughs, and smooths my messy hair. I blink in the light, and stretch my good arm. "What is it?"

"I phoned the school today, while you were asleep," she says brightly, smiling, a little sadly. I smile broadly.

"Really?" I ask, leaning closer to her. She nods.

"I thought it was time you got back to school. I think two weeks of missed school is enough, even though your leg isn't fixed. Or arm. Or collarbone." She frowns. "Anyhow, they said it was fine. I then phoned Dr Cullen, to ask his professional opinion. He said it should be fine, provided you don't do PE and you don't get pushed about. So he said he'd write a note saying you have to leave lessons ten minutes early. He also said that he wanted another child to be with you at all times." I groan, and Aunt Lilly sighs. "I know. But he said one of his children would be happy to help. It can't be one of the boys, of course. It wouldn't be decent in the bathroom."

Oh god. Please, please, please let it be Bella.

"And Rosalie kindly offered."

Oh god.

"No," I said. "Absolutely not!"

"Yes, Alice. You have to get to school, young lady." She kisses the top of my head and I lean against her.

"When?"

"Monday," she says. "So you have a couple of days."

"Okay," I sigh. "I guess that'll be okay."

"There's my little Alice."

"I love you, Auntie Lilly."

"I love you, too, darling. Very much. I've loved having you here." I wondered then if that's why Auntie Lilly sounded sad. Because she missed us, at school? I very much doubted it.


"Ali! Ali! Ali!" I hear my name too many times to count, and switch the sound off of the TV, turning to face my little sister.

"Yeah?"

"Guess who picked up Nessie and me?"

"Who?"

"Mrs Cullen!" I frown, my forehead wrinkling.

"Why?"

"She said she was picking up Renesmee anyway, so she'd take me home."

"That's nice,"

"Yes," says Cynthia. "She said she hopes you get well soon." I smile.

"Tell her I said thank you."

"I will!" I gently grab her by the hood and pull her back.

"Talk to me, Cindy. I haven't seen you in ages, darling."

"I know, Ali. You can't do much, can you!" I raise an eyebrow.

"Go and get a book." Her face lights up.

"Are you gonna read to me, Alice?!" I nod at her.

"Go get a book!" I laugh, shooing her. "Go on!" She runs off and I lean back, clearing a spot for her on the couch beside me. When she returns, she hands me the book. "Mm. Proust. Good choice." She leaned on me, and I opened to a page. "The smell of the Madeleine, unleashing the flood of memory. "For a long time, I used to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say to myself, 'I'm falling asleep'..."


"Alice?" Cynthia calls, sounding excited. "Alice, come to the phone!" I sigh and hobble to the hallway, where the phone is.

"Who is it?" I ask, then I pause. "Cynthia, you're not supposed to be answering the phone." She looks at me sheepishly through her eyelashes. "It doesn't matter. Who is it?"

"Rosalie Cullen." I take the phone and cover the bit where you speak.

"What? Why?" I cry, irritated. If this girl was gonna be my guide dog, I wanted a few days of peace, at least. I sigh, and take the phone in my good arm. "Yes, hello? It's Alice."

"Yes," says Rosalie. "I wanted your timetable. I can compare it to mine."

"Okie dokie," I reply. "I'll email it to you."

"My email is BlondieHaleThing1," She says, and I can't help giggling.

"Thanks," I laugh, trying to conceal it. "Mine's MissAliceBrandon124," I read off, nodding. "Okay, I'll see you in school on Monday."

"Wait, Alice-"

"Yes?" I hear an irritated tone in her voice.

"I know your secret."

"What?" I say, breathing heavily. She couldn't know, could she? I mean, know one knows...no-one knows I was in there, in that horrible institution. She simply laughs and hangs up the phone, leaving me to my own thoughts.

She would tell everyone! I wouldn't put it past her. I wouldn't put anything past her. I cover my hand with my mouth and feel a headache coming on. I push it out of my head. I can't deal with another...whatever comes to me. A vision, I guess. There's nothing I can do if another little girl is running out into a road.

That's horrible of me. I know I shouldn't say it, I know. But it pushes into my brain before I can stop it.

Rosalie, laughing at Jasper. Jasper looking terribly flustered, clearly embarrassed about something. Something that I can't see. Rosalie finds it hilarious. Emmett and Edward are laughing, too. Bella is sighing at her family, frowning at Edward.

"You guys! Stop!"

"C'mon, Bells, it's funny." Emmett laughs.

"No, it's not," Jasper says. He turns to face...me?! He takes my arm, and the gentlest touch sends a shock of electricity through me, "Come on, darlin. Let's go."

I shake my head. What was that! Darlin? I lean back against the sofa, groaning. Where was a truck when you needed it?

A/N:

Hey guys, how did you like it? :) This isn't my favourite chapter, but I guess it's better than nothing! ;)

I was gonna upload this yesterday...but I got banned for a day! Like, what?! Apparently one of my song fics wasn't allowed...someone reported it, and tracks all the stories against the rules..thanks for that!

Also, I'm writing a little story of my own. Does this sound interesting? It's only the first part, but would you read something like this?

In the small town of Ravenstoke, in the suburbs of England, nothing worth reading about on the news ever happened. The closest it came to having its name in the papers was three years ago, when there was suddenly a barrage of ransakings in the local shops. This, however, was quickly resolved and blamed on the very determined raccoons that had a penchant for breaking and entering. No, nothing ever happened, until November 13th, the day that Serenity Grayson was murdered.

And I found myself being the main suspect in a murder investigation.