Summary: In the first chapter.
poorasdirt: Wow, heh, okay. I know I haven't updated in a while and honestly it was mostly because I lost what little interest I had with this story. Don't worry I didn't abandoned it I just had to take a break from banging my head over all things Twilight. Yea, I really don't like the books and can barely stomach the movies, something about it just makes me overly frustrated. Anyway, I'm back sort of and ready to continue this story. I want to thank all of you who have favorited, alerted, and/or reviewed this story. Note: I tend to update more when I know people are interested in this story, if you don't review it or anything I honestly don't know if you like it or not. I wrote this for my sister and she has lost interest in it so now it's all up to you guys to make sure I continue it.
Disclaimer: I own only the stuff I've came up with. The rest belong to people who are not as poor as dirt like I am.
ENJOY!
The first thing she noticed was the sound of running water. With her eyes still closed she let out an exasperated sigh. She highly doubted she was going to wake up in the real world, especially since she doubted the van she and her friends were in had an indoor waterfall. So inhaling some of the crisp air around her, she let out a deep breath as she opened her eyes. She found herself sitting up on one of the large boulders surrounding the waterfall and pool of water.
"Alright, who and what am I going to run into this time? I hope I see Carlisle, I really need some sound advice." She muttered to herself as she jumped off the boulder and looked around. Shrugging to herself she started to follow the bubbling stream that flowed away from the pool of water at the base of the waterfall. She figured she could climb the rocks next to the falling stream of water but she really didn't want to exert that much effort in exploring the place she was in.
She was unsurprised that aside from the addition of the stream the woods surrounding her hadn't changed at all. She had looked into some books about dream interpretation and symbolism but she couldn't for the life of her find out the meaning behind a forest of golden woods. She knew the forest wasn't in a perpetual fall since it lacked the smell fall had, but she never seen large trees with natural gold leaves before. She knew plants usually had green leaves thanks to the whole photosynthesis process but she didn't know if it could naturally occur with gold colored leaves.
"They just add to the whimsical feel of this place I guess. Why couldn't my subconscious come up with something else less dramatic though? I keep feeling like if I turn around I'll see a unicorn stalking me or something." She placed her hands on her hips and stopped to look over the forest one more time. She supposed she could try to wake up especially since they were in the van heading towards Rome, a trip that would take about two and a half hours to three hours depending on traffic.
Shaking her head she continued on. She had to get this over with so she could worry about other things, like what she was going to do about her lack of information. She didn't want to relive the trauma of one of her friends getting hurt like Dolph had been in the last fight.
"I really wish I could see the future or had an inroad into the Volturi. Too bad most of the underground spy rinks are illegal and highly expensive. Not to mention are very secretive."
She knew she was dreaming and she was talking to herself but for some reason she couldn't shake the feeling she was going a little insane. Really, she was thinking about spy rinks and illegal activity all the while dreaming she was in some whimsical forest that let her see the dead. She really needed a vacation.
Her musings were cut short by something small and fast ramming into her stomach and latching onto her waist with a squeal. She was so stunned she couldn't stop herself from falling from the momentum of the person latched onto her. As her back slammed into the earthy ground she knew only one person who was short and fast enough to catch her off guard, one dead person at that.
"Hello Alice." She greeted looking up at the golden canopy.
"Oh my god Bella, I'm so happy to see you!" Alice said into her stomach still trying to hug the life out of her. Despite herself Bella felt the corner of her lips kick up slightly in a small smile.
"I'm glad to see you as well." Bella said before Alice stood up and offered her a hand. "How have you been?"
"Death is rather relaxing when you think about it. I even got a better hold on my powers of sight!" Alice said as Bella brushed herself off.
"That's great, you figure out how to win the lottery?" Bella said as she pulled a stray leaf from her hair with a frown. Alice just giggled and grabbed her hand.
"I don't really need money now, but I could go for a shopping spree at the mall for old time's sake." Alice said looping her arm around Bella's as they walked.
"Sounds like something you and Rosalie would do. I heard from Ricci that they're going to have a fashion week or something along the lines in Rome while I'm there." Bella said rolling her eyes and letting her lips kick up once more in a small smile.
"Oh my god, you so have to go! Take your blonde liquid metal friend with you, Madison? I think that's her name, she would so totally get you to have a good time." Alice said with a grin making Bella laugh slightly.
"I don't doubt she would, but she's more into punk rock than she is into Gucci. I can take her to Wal-Mart and end up with a cheap designer grunge wardrobe in under an hour." Bella said thinking back on when she first met Madison when she worked for Hot Topic.
"True, she's a little more edgy but still she's been good for you." Alice said with a smile. "I honestly hadn't seen her coming until you guys showed up and left my family in a funeral pyre."
"I'm surprise you hadn't seen us coming sooner."
"I'm not. I could see things pertaining to humans and vampires mostly. I could catch a glimpse or two after your powers came out but nothing concrete. I think it was because my powers hadn't come out in full until after I turned into a vampire. If I had been able to see how things would turn out I would have done something to prevent them. At the very least not have let Edward hurt you the way he did, I never wanted that for you." Alice said looking down with a slight sigh, only for Bella to bump her slightly. Looking up the shorter girl found herself looking into calm wise amber eyes.
"I'm not sorry for anything that has happened. I am grateful in a way, since I have never felt as free as I have since that day. When he let me go, he opened the opportunity for me to truly spread my wings and take off in ways being a vampire would have never let me. What has happened has happened. There is no going back and no reason to." Bella said seriously getting a slight smile from Alice.
"True, everything has turned out for the better at least. Well not for the better per say, you are still in a war with the Volturi." Alice said the smile not leaving her features.
Bella groaned and ran a hand over her face. "Don't remind me. I nearly lost Dolph in our last raid. I don't know if I would survive any of my friends dying for this stupid war. I get we all have a connection to this conflict but I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth dying over."
"It is." Alice said making Bella look at her sharply. "I told you, I have gained more control over my gift. You and your friends need to do this or more than just you guys will be in danger. I can't promise there will be no casualties but I have seen more often than naught, you and your friends standing victorious in front of a burning Volterra. You need allies though; you will find them when you reach Rome. I also suggest that you be careful, while Rome will give you allies it will put you in very precarious situations. There are still going to be a few trials before you can stand over the burning corpses of the Volturi, be ready for them."
"I'll try, by the gods I will try, Alice." Bella swore with a sigh. "But the trials I've faced thus far have not spared me scars."
"Scars heal and fade with time."
"Don't give me that shitty Carlisle wise man advice. If I have to hear it from anyone let it be the damn man himself or Mad." Bella huffed getting a giggle from Alice.
"You don't have to worry. In time you'll see Carlisle as well. I'm not really sure what this place is or how it works, but I do know when you're ready you'll see the others." Alice said motioning to the forest around them as they walked, still latched onto Bella's arm.
"I figured as much, but it'd be nice to know how this is happening. I mean I'm seeing dead people." Bella said as she scanned the area around her before turning to Alice for answers.
"I can't tell you much, just that for some reason we're being called to you. Maybe it's Fate itself giving you guidance or just the result of a prayer from a friend, but its happening. Just roll with it, it'll leave you with less of a headache. You can ask Carlisle if he knows anything when you see him." Alice said with a grin.
"Will I see you guys again or will you move on to where ever it is dead people go?" Bella asked after a moment of silence. She refused to acknowledge her teeth worrying her bottom lip, it wasn't worth the effort.
Alice pulled her to a stop and they turned to face each other. Bella noted in their little walk they had wandered away from the babbling brook to what looked like a small clearing. The wind had picked up slightly but not enough to be a hindrance. For a moment they just stood there with the leaves dancing around them, eyes locked as Alice seemed to search for something Bella couldn't see.
"I don't know. I can't see that far." Alice then said a small sad smile dancing on her lips. "If this is the last time we do see each other, friends?"
Bella looked down at the offered hand of the once vampire. Looking up at the dark brown eyes of the petite girl with brown pixie hair, she tried to find the enemy she once saw. In the end all she saw was the spirit of the vampire she had once felt nothing but resentment and anger, dressed in pure white robes. There was no way the mutant could hate or even consider this girl an enemy, or anything close to it.
"Friends." Bella said grasping Alice's hand firmly with an assured air. The last thing Bella saw as her world turned white was the large sincere grin on Alice's face, brown eyes dancing in true happiness.
"YOU WHORE!"
Groaning Bella blinked her eyes opened to the suddenly noisy van she was sitting in. The angry yell belonged to Madison who was seated in the very back of the van. A glance in the review mirror easily allowed Bella to see the blonde trying to slink over the two middle seats. Dante had a good enough hold on Madison's waist though, keeping the blonde somewhat in her seat.
"What's with the racket?" Bella said after a yawn.
"Bells, whack the flea beaten bitch driving will you? She's a whore to the tenth degree!" Madison's reply made Bella glance over to the female alpha sitting in the driver's seat. Apparently Niccola had done something to piss of the normally happy Madison. The small smug smile on the werewolf's lipstick panted lips also compounded the deduction that Niccola had purposely pressed Madison's buttons.
"Ms. Mad please calm down. You will wake the children with your uncouth shouting." Dolph said from the seat closest to the front.
"Shut it kitten! I'm going to strangle the bitch."
"Mad-chan calm down, you don't really want to wake up Grant-kun or Chris-chan do you?"
"Fuck them! They've been around us enough to know over two fucking hundred ways to tell someone to go fuck it!"
"Mad, hun, please don't wake up Chris. She can be a right terror while on road trips. We're almost there and you can rip Niccola a new one when we are settled."
"Go blow chunks Ray, I'm pissed off right now and don't give a flying shit about twelve year old wenches."
"Would all of you shut your traps? You're all going loco."
"I have to agree with you on that one."
"Richard! Don't take this bastard's side, he's practically molesting me."
"Only because you won't sit in your seat, senorita."
Bella sighed and turned to Niccola. "How much longer until we get there?"
"We're just coming up to the city now." Niccola said indicating the growing number of buildings ahead of them.
Bella looked up at the growing city sprawling out before her. She was once again glad she was in the front seat and not dealing with the chaos going on behind her. As the noise started to escalate she was also glad Grant and Chris really were sleeping through it. She didn't know what she would have done if Grant started to add in his two cents. With one more sigh she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Hello Rome, I hope you don't mind chaos." She finally muttered. She decided to ignore the soft laugh from Niccola.
YAY! Yea I know it's short but this is also one of those dang transition chapters that nothing really happens in. I'll try to make the next one longer. In the mean time hope you liked it. I don't know if I pulled off the sequence with Alice but I did do my best. Until next time.
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