Hey everybody, I hope you're enjoying your summer. Thank you to all of you who's been reading my story and added it as a favorite or requested a story alert.
So I was looking at the development of my story, and I realized that I wrote more than 30,000 words! I never thought I would actually write that much! This is so exciting!
And for this 10th chapter, I was wondering if we could add reviews to my story! Why not 10 reviews to celebrate my 10th chapter!
Thanks again to all of you who's been following this story along with me :)
CHAPTER 10:
Knowledge &Truth
Jasper and I were walking back home from a short hunting trip. Jasper still needed to feed more often than the rest of us to alleviate his burning thirst. Now, the sun was slowly rising, and a few rays sneaked in between the clouds to brighten the damp forest.
Jasper had been very thoughtful our whole ride and I felt concerned about what was bothering him. Since Carlisle and Edward drove off on their mission, Jasper kept quiet. I wondered if he was disagreeing once again on how Edward was handling the situation. I didn't want to argue with him once more. It was frustrating how the whole Edward and Bella story was affecting my relationship with Jasper. We never disagreed on important issues before, and now, it was as if we had opposite opinions on everything.
Jasper enveloped my hand in his and stopped walking. I peeked up to see two beautiful eyes intently staring at me with concern.
" Why are you feeling so worried?" he breathed out.
I shrugged my shoulders. " I'm just being silly. It's nothing." Jasper frowned, his eyes still questioning me. I took a big breath. " I think that you're disapproving of Edward's actions, and that since I support him, and even encouraged him numerous times to continue his quest, you are not happy with my own behavior. And, I don't want to fight with you. I hate when you're mad at me." Jasper didn't let me finish my rant. He pulled me close against him and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.
"Alice, I could never, ever, be mad at you. And I don't want to fight with you, ever!"
I smiled up at him. The bright light in his eyes pierced through me.
" Good. Let's never fight then."
He reciprocated my smile. " Deal." He said before kissing my forehead.
We made it home, both feeling relieved and content. Carlisle, Esme and Edward were watching CNN. The coverage on the story of Bella's offenders was only a few seconds long. Edward was listening intently to the newscasters as they described the arrest made possible by an anonymous source.
" The coverage here in town will be light. It's too far away to be considered of local interest," I informed Edward. " It was a good call to have Carlisle take him out of state."
Edward nodded, and then got up, deciding inwardly to go back to Bella as soon as possible.
"Alice, do you mind-" he started to ask me.
" Rosalie will drive. She'll act pissed, but you know she'll enjoy the excuse to show off her car."
He grinned back at me. "See you at school."
I could see him with Bella, and once again, I longed to meet her. Edward's grin turned to a grimace as he realized my wish. He was still hesitant about introducing Bella to me. Maybe he was right, one vampire at a time around her was safer.
I know, I know. Not yet. I'll wait until you're ready for Bella to know me. But you should know, though, this isn't just me being selfish. Bella's going to like me, too.
Once again, Edward ignored me and ran off. Fortunately, I didn't feel as anxious and frustrated about meeting Bella as before. Now, I knew it was going to happen very soon and all I felt was excitement. I already felt like I could tell her anything. And I truly believed that Bella needed somebody with whom she could talk openly to about her feelings toward Edward and her questions and worries regarding her whole new discovery of the supernatural world. This girl definitely needed a true friend right now.
Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and I drove to school in Rose's red convertible.
" Thank god Edward is acting like a lunatic! I've missed driving in an authentic car! Don't you agree, baby?" Emmett exclaimed from the passenger seat.
Rosalie, who was driving at high speed, didn't answer. Nevertheless, she glanced at her soul mate with sparkles in her eyes.
We got to school early and there weren't many people in the parking lot. The few students already there stared at us, or should I say at the car, with wide eyes and open mouth. Rosalie was trying to hide her enjoyment but I still noticed a small smirk on her face.
A vision of Bella in the near future gawking at Rose's car in a similar way than these students made me smile. But what was she wearing! She was wrapped up in an appalling green baggy sweatshirt that made her delicate skin look sickly yellowish. Oh yes, she definitely needed me.
The four of us entered the building and went to class. The morning was as uneventful as usual. In the boring hours that ensued, I focused on my visions of my upcoming friendship with Bella, now thinking mostly of clothes I could buy her. I played around in my head with new hair makeovers, envisioning which would best fit her heart-shaped head. She had enticing deep brown eyes and her figure, however still not completely developed, could be very sexy if adorned with the perfect attire. I could help bring out her natural beauty and make her smoking hot. Edward would love that, even if he would deny it.
Fifth period came and I joined Edward for gym class. He looked upset and I slightly frowned.
What happened to you? Are you okay?
He didn't answer nor showed any sign that he had heard me. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
We both apathetically pretended to play badminton as a team against weak, slow-moving humans. While Lauren retrieved the birdie that she missed, I twirled my racket around, peeking into the near future to answer my own question to why Edward was irritated. I saw him and Bella walking toward the cafeteria together. They were silent and both appeared a little wary but still very thrilled to be together.
Coach Clapp let us out of class early. I wanted to question Edward one more time about what was worrying him but he was already on his way to Bella's class.
Enjoy yourself, I told him. Just a few days more to be patient. I suppose you won't say hi to Bella for me, will you?
He shook his head, annoyed.
FYI, it's going to be sunny on both sides of the sound this weekend. You might want to rearrange your plans.
He continued walking away from me, sighing uselessly to mark his annoyance. I giggled while heading to the gym locker room.
I swiftly changed clothes. When I got out, my husband was waiting for me. I took the arm he offered me and walked blissfully with him to the cafeteria. We joined Rose and Emmett on line to buy some intriguing human food that we wouldn't eat. I always wondered what pizzas and apples would taste like as a human. I used to be angry at all these human sensations that I would never experience. I interrogated my family for decades about their human memories. I would ask them countless times to describe to me detail by detail what it was like to eat, to be cold, or to fall asleep. For decades, I studied humans, sitting in parks or restaurants, looking at people sneeze, yawn, or cry, and listening to their heartbeat. It was a strange feeling to have no memory of my own humanity. All I've ever been was a vampire. But I did grow to be an eighteen years old girl before being transformed. I still wondered why I couldn't remember anything of my prior life.
The four of us sat down at our usual table in silence.
" I presume Edward won't sit with us again today," Jasper guessed, eyeing my relaxed features.
" He and Bella will be eating together from now on," I informed them.
" How long is this stupid charade will go on for?" snapped Rosalie.
" How long will it take you to accept that this is for real, Rose!" I retorted bitterly.
Jasper rubbed his palm against my lower back and I calmed down. My sister was still fuming on the other side of the table.
"Rose, I'm sorry. I understand your views that this is wrong."
" Not only wrong, but dangerous too! For all of us."
Jasper nodded.
" Alice, we all want Edward to be happy and to finally find love," Jasper started.
" And we all want him to finally get laid," Emmett busted out.
We all rolled our eyes and ignored him.
"But you have to see the danger that being so close to a human will cause us," Jasper continued.
"There are no danger for us," I stated. The only person facing danger was Bella.
Edward and Bella entered the cafeteria at that instant, and we stopped talking. We never had those arguments when he was around. They reached the front of the line to purchase food.
" What are you doing? You're not getting all of that for me?" Bella uttered to
Edward.
Suddenly a vision came to my mind: Rosalie growling vehemently. Jasper losing control on his gift and aimlessly spreading fury. Students screaming everywhere. I came back to the present quickly, panic rising inside of me. Jasper immediately wrapped his arm around my waist, sensing the worry in me.
I started plotting how I could change the near future from becoming total chaos. I needed to find what triggered Rosalie and Jasper's anger. I was certain it had to do with Edward and Bella. I glanced toward them. They were sitting at their new spot.
" I'm curious. What would you do if someone dared you to eat food?" Bella teased.
A new vision popped: Rosalie stared straight into my eyes with resentment. "She knows!"
Damn it. Edward never informed them that Bella had discovered the truth.
I quickly envisioned the outcome of several plans I chose to implement. If I decided to head over to their table to warn Edward, the result would be worst as Rosalie would leap toward Edward at inhuman speed to attack him. I shook my head and swiftly chose a new strategy. I tell Rosalie that something bad would happen to her car if she didn't hurry out to the parking lot right away. The result to this decision was favorable as Rosalie's discovery of Bella's knowledge would be pushed back until home, where she would physically hurt a passive Edward. My third idea was the best one. As soon as I thought of it, I saw that the only damaged good would be Edward's car. And so I carried out my last plan.
I leaned toward Jasper, who still held me tightly, and whispered in his ear. "Could you please stay calm and make sure that we're all calm for what will ensue." Jasper nodded without hesitation and I felt a wave of serenity envelop me. Rosalie's frown disappeared as Jasper's gift influenced her mood. But my sister was very well aware of the unnatural change and glanced at my husband before glaring down at me. I held her stare and waited.
"What's going on Alice?"
Emmett who was planning a romantic outing with his wife, looked up to us, confused. The three of them waited for my reply.
" I have something to tell you and want to be sure that we all keep our calm. We don't need any rash reaction, especially in a room full of human eyes." I explained.
My family was all ears. So I continued.
" Yesterday, while Edward was driving Bella home from Forks, after that horrific incident, Bella revealed something to Edward," I started. " Of course he planned on telling the family about it but he got side-tracked. You know how it is," I giggled, trying to make the subject as light as possible, "new love make you forget everything else."
" Just tell us what it is, Alice!"
" Well, Bella is very insightful, and very resourceful as well. And so she's discovered on her own what we are."
For a whole second, which was a long time for vampires, they stared at me wide-eyed and shocked.
" What do you mean she knows?" Emmett asked
" She knows? And she hasn't told her dad or someone else? She hasn't run away?" Jasper muttered in confusion.
" I've warned all of you that this would happen!" Rosalie added, pounding the table.
I quickly squeezed Jasper's hand so that he would refocus and make sure Rosalie stayed calm.
"Hey, my visions already showed us that she would know what we are and accept it. We just didn't think it would be this fast. We should be happy. It makes things easier for Edward. Now, he can really be himself with her," I added.
" Now he can really be himself with her! I thought you cared for this pathetic girl!"
" It will make everything harder for him, not easier. He will lose his control and focus faster because he won't have to hide all aspects of his nature. But he'll still have to hide his worst trait, his thirst." Jasper said.
I noticed Edward's head snap in our direction. He glanced at Rosalie with an air of guilt and worry then turned back to Bella.
Sorry, Edward. She could tell Bella knew too much from your conversation…and, well, it would have been worse if I hadn't told her the truth right away. Trust me on that. I showed him his damaged body fly through his bedroom window. Edward winced.
Rosalie grabbed her plate and crushed it until white powder was all that was left of it.
" This is nothing compared to what I'll do to his Aston Martin!"
" Babe, now is not the time for retribution." Emmett whispered.
" Oh but as soon as we're home, he's dead!"
" Esme will not be happy," I informed them.
" Oh yeah, and do you think she will happy when she finds out that her son has been telling our secret to a teenage human he barely knows. You think she'll be happy that he's putting all of us in danger!
" For the thousandth time, there is no danger."
" What about the Volturi? This is breaking the law, and there are no exceptions in their rule. We will be punished for this." Jasper pointed out.
We all paused for an instant. As vampires, there were very few things we feared. But the Volturi could end us in mere seconds and there were no escapes once they decided our fate. I scanned the future and looked at Italy where the Volturi resided, but there were no indications that they would find out about Bella's knowledge of our existence. There were no sign that they would come for us.
" I don't see any danger coming from them. They won't find out about us."
" But anyway, didn't you see her becoming one of us. Then, there would be nothing to worry about," Emmett said.
" Yes, she will eventually be changed, unless Edward kills her beforehand," I explained once more. At that exact instant, I had a vision, identical to one I had a few days back. Edward and Bella were sitting in a meadow. The sun was shining and Edward's sparkles reflected brilliantly in Bella's eyes. I froze at this image.
Edward, I called inwardly. He looked toward me and scanned my vision. He seemed pleased with the vision. Didn't he remember what happened next. I showed him the other vision I had had of them in that meadow, of his teeth piercing her skin, of the blood dripping down her throat. Hadn't he made the connection yet?
It's the same place, I emphasized. Edward's face became hard as horror struck him.
Edward, I love her! I pleaded with him. How could he kill her? It would kill him, too! I felt my little undead body shake with fear and sadness.
Edward turned away from me and ignored my visions.
"Alice! What did you see?"
Jasper was stroking my hair, sending me a sense of safety around me. I closed my eyes tightly.
" I saw him… kill her." I shuddered
I heard a deep sigh of relief from Rosalie and my eyes flew open.
" I guess you can rejoice now. She'll be dead soon and all your selfish worries will be gone!"
"Hey, Alice, don't talk to my wife that way," Emmett intervened.
I could sense Jasper glare at Emmett to defend me.
"Do you really think I'm the one who's selfish here? I told you over and over that this will end badly, and you, you didn't want to listen because you want a human friend! Really, Alice, who's the selfish one?"
I was speechless. Rosalie was right. I was selfish. I ignored the truth. I erased the facts that there was a fifty percent chance that Edward would kill her. I encouraged Edward to talk to Bella. I was a killer.
And all that because I wanted her as a friend.
"Alice, let's go to class. We'll discuss further at home, with Carlisle and Esme." Jasper said, pulling me up.
I walked to class in a daze. The only thing keeping me grounded was Jasper's touch. I held on to him tightly and found hope that the vision wasn't final.