Alice POV - Age 18

"How much longer, Alice?" Mom called from downstairs. "You don't need to take everything you own with you, you know!"

"Just two more, Mom!" I said back. "I swear, I'm almost done."

I zipped up the final suitcase, then stood up to assess my surroundings. The room I'd grown up and many so many memories in was nearly empty. An empty bed frame, a bare vanity, an empty dresser, and a couple of boxes filled with childhood clothes and toys were the only occupants.

Bella swung into my room. "Alice, come on. The plane isn't going to wait for you. Rose is already here, the boys are waiting in the car, and Mom had to do the airport check in online so that we don't waste any more time when we get there."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I said, picking up my suitcase and carry-on bag. "There. I'm ready."

Bella smirked. "Alright. I'll go let Mom know."

She disappeared from the doorway. I made no move to follow her.

Seeing my childhood room so empty made me want to cry. I looked at myself in the mirror that hung in the hallway. It was so strange. I could still remember being so small I couldn't reach the doorknob; remember fitting inside toy boxes and playing with Pixie. I kept her collar all those years; it hung from the handle of my suitcase.

I remembered the first day I stepped into the room after my dad repainted it. It had been such a magical experience; no more sharing a room with Bella! My room was the first thing I'd ever had that was all my own. The painted walls always reminded me of Dad, and all the hard work he put into it. I touched my necklace.

Oh, Dad, I said silently, how I wish you could be here now.

Even though my windows were closed, the familiar breeze ran through my hair.

"Love you, too," I whispered.

"Dammit, Alice!" It was Rosalie's voice that whined from downstairs. "We have to go! Vamonos!"

I picked my last two bags up off the floor and dragged them out of my room. Standing at the top of the stairs, I grinned at Rose.

"Who are you, Dora the Explorer?" I teased. She tapped her watch.

"Tick-tock," she said loudly. "We're gonna leave without you."

I hauled my bags down the stairs and out the door handing them to Jasper so he could put them in the trunk of my car. My car. Mom bought it as an eighteenth birthday present. Finally, no more driving around in Bella's crap-mobile. I had a wonderful, beautiful, shiny Yellow Porsche. And it was all mi -

My thought process was interrupted by a pair of warm lips pressing against mine. Jasper pressed my back against the car, his hand finding my hair. My arms instinctively lifted to wrap around his neck. We fit together flawlessly, even despite the major difference in height. His other hand pressed against the window my car…

I pulled away. "What did I say about putting hands on the car?"

"Oh my God, Alice," he chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes, really," I said, crossing my arms. "Hand. Off. Car."

He took two steps back, holding both his hands above his head like he was being arrested. "Alright, alright," he said. "This better?"

"Much," I said, stretching up onto the tips of my toes to peck his cheek. "Are you sure you have to go to school in New Jersey? Can't you just settle for New York like us girls?" Well, most of us girls. Charlotte chose to go to Ole Miss to be close to Peter; they were engaged just out of high school, but were waiting until college was over and Peter was the successful whatever-he-wanted-to-be to get married. I chuckled inwardly at the heart attack that news almost gave my mother.

He ran his fingers through my hair. "Alice, Princeton is an hour and a half away from where you, Bella, and my sister are going to live," he reminded me. "Besides, at least the three of you were able to get off-campus housing. Edward's going to school in New Hampshire, and Emmett's gonna be all the way in California. I'm going to have to share a dorm with someone I don't even know."

"That's what you get for going for an Ivy League," I teased, sticking my tongue out.

"You're so judgmental," he joked.

"Oh, no, I'm just messing with you, Jazz," I with wide eyes. "I'm so proud of you, you know that."

He pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know."

"Alice, we need to get going soon," Bella said, jogging clumsily up to me. "Let's go say bye to Mom."

I smiled fleetingly at Jasper before following Bella up the stairs leading to our front door. When would be the next time I'd go up these steps? I couldn't be sure.

"Alright, Mom," Bella said. "It's about time for us to leave. Our cars will arrive within the next few weeks, right?"

"Oh, yes," Mom answered. "You all are so lucky Jessica's father owns a car shipping business and was willing to send all both yours and the boys' cars - not to mention Jasper's motorcycle -so far for a fraction of the price."

Bella and I smiled. It was silent for a few moments.

"My girls," Mom said finally, already crying, pulling us both into a hug. "My wonderful, beautiful girls."

"Momma," I crooned, rubbing her back. I could feel Bella squeeze her tighter.

"My girls," she said again. I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt. "Your father would have been so proud."

Mom looked up just a bit, moving us so that she could pull Rosalie in as well.

"I love you three so much," Mom said. "So, so much."

"We love you, too, Auntie Marissa," Rosalie said, running her fingers through my mom's hair.

"Yeah, Mom," Bella added. "We love you. Don't feel bad."

At first, Mom was the only one who would be able to go with us to the airport. Carlisle couldn't; he had a surgery to perform. Esme couldn't; she had a meeting with a potential customer. Auntie Claudia and Uncle Richard couldn't; their flight home was delayed indefinitely because of bad weather. And, now, Mom was being rushed off to some city I couldn't remember the name of for a crucial gathering that would determine whether or not she would keep her job. We couldn't take her away from that.

"I wish I could be there to see you girls off," she said. "To just have more time with you, if only an hour…"

"You act like we'll never see you again," I joked lightly. "We're coming home for Christmas; promise."

"Only a few short months away," Rosalie said.

"You girls have to get going," Mom said, finally letting us go. I only realized just how tightly she'd been holding us when I had to take a few large gasps to get my breathing back to normal.

Someone, most likely Edward, honked from outside.

"We'll miss you, Mom," I said. "We'll call you when the plane lands."

The three of us took turns leaving a kiss on her cheek. She followed us out to the front of the house, standing in front of the door as we loaded into my Porsche. The guys were already in Rosalie's BMW, where the bags that wouldn't fit in my car were; I was still surprised she let them touch it.

I got into the driver's seat, Bella in passenger, and Rose in the back. My mom's tears glistened in the sunlight. She waved, and the three of us waved back. I pressed down on the gas, averting my eyes so that no one could tell just how badly I wanted to cry.

Bella, however, was shamelessly sobbing beside me. Rose, who always refused to wear her seatbelt, scooted forward enough to be able to pat Bella's back.

"Come on, Bells," she said. "It's not really goodbye, is it? You'll see your mom again, and this town. It's just kind of a new beginning, right? A new place, new people, new atmospheric qualities."

I laughed. "Do you have any idea what you're even saying, Rose?"

"Of course I do," she said haughtily, sitting back and crossing her legs. "When don't I?"

I nodded as though she had a point and raised my bottle of water. "Well, then, a toast to new atmospheric qualities."

Rose laughed, and even Bella managed a small chuckle through her tears; both of them held up their own water, bumping it against mine and taking a swig.

I opened the window, letting the rare still Forks air turn to breeze, and the feel of my dad rustle through the car and taking away every fear we had of this new beginning.

"We're gonna miss our plane," Rose grumbled as we hurried through the airport. We'd gotten lucky; Emmett had a friend here who was able to get us to the front of the line to check in our bags. However, none of us knew the airport's new layout well at all, so finding our gate was proving to be the biggest challenge.

"Gate nine, gate nine," Rosalie was muttering under her breath. "Where the hell - "

"Gate nine!" Bella said suddenly, stopping in her tracks and pointing at a large sign. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to check the time. "Alright. We really need to get going. The plane leaves in just under twenty minutes."

Rose was the first to react. Completely disregarding that there were very young children around, she wound her fingers into Emmett's hair, pulling his lips onto hers as though they were alone. I averted my eyes.

"You'll come see me, right?" I said immediately to Jasper, a hopeful edge painting my voice. We hadn't really talked about what we'd do apart, even if we weren't so far away from each other. He pulled me against him, rubbing my back comfortingly.

"You know I will," he muttered against my hair.

"When do you have to leave?"

"Not for another week," he answered. I looked at him, my eyes as wide as I could make them, trying to memorize everything about him that wasn't already burned into my mind. "Call me when your plane lands, so I can make sure you got there alright."

"I'll be fine," I assured him seriously. Neither of us had been on a plane since my dad… The event had us traumatized. I wasn't looking forward to the flight, especially since our seats were in the back row, furthest away from an emergency exit.

"Be careful, Alice," he said, his lips sweeping across my forehead.

"I will," I promised. "I love you."

He pressed his lips ever so slightly to mine. "I love you, too. I'll see you soon, Alice."

I smiled halfheartedly. "Miss you already."

He grinned. "Miss you more."

Bella tugged at my arm. "We have to go," she said.

And with a few more fleeting goodbyes to our three favorite boys, we were off.

The final check went by in a blur. I could barely even remember taking off my shoes or putting them back on. I took my carryon bag from the conveyer belt as it came out of the x-ray check and slung it over my shoulder. We barely had time to stop and purchase magazines and snacks for the long flight before we heard the final boarding call over the intercom.

Once on the plane, there was a huge debate over who would take the window seat. I didn't want it; the window was a pain in the ass to sleep against. Bella argued that she wouldn't be able to stay calm if she was so close to "fragile glass, outside of which is an endless sky of doom!" Uh. Sure. Whatever.

Rosalie's excuse was that she felt safer in the middle. In the end, it was decided Bella's reasoning was the least valid, and, therefore, she took the window seat. Rose was in the middle, I was on the end.

I pulled my phone out to send a quick message to my mom before the plane took off and electronics had to be shut down.

On the plane now. Should be taking off in a few minutes. Love you, call you when we get there.

I hit send. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella presumably doing the same thing. Next to me, Rose had just snapped her phone shut angrily, her cheeks red. She beat her head against the back of the seat.

"Do I want to know?" I asked her as Bella put her headphones into place. We wouldn't be hearing from her for the rest of the trip.

With her eyes closed, Rose groaned. "Two words," she said. "Royce King." She held up one finger for his first and last name.

I grimaced. Royce King. His father owned a bank in Forks, and he was exactly the kind of guy Rose's parents wanted her to be with. They knew his parents from somewhere, and it would have been their dream come true to see their perfect daughter with the Kings' perfect son.

Of course, Rose's parents loved Emmett. I mean, who didn't, right? And they loved the Cullens. But they didn't think Emmett was mature or serious about his future enough to be with their daughter. I'd never forget just how angry Rose was when her mother had told her that. Since Rose and Emmett had started dating, her parents had tried pathetically hard to get her to leave him for Royce.

But that would never happen. Royce was a pig; every girl in Forks knew it. Even his good looks weren't enough to make up for that. I heard he'd try to get a thirteen year old into bed. Normally, I didn't believe rumors, but the sick way he smiled when he was confronted about it made me think it was anything but a lie.

And, of course, it just so happened that no one wanted Rosalie and Royce together more than Royce himself. Rose, however, was completely disgusted by him and totally in love with Emmett. Thank goodness. I would never forgive her if she got with him.

"Don't tell me…"

"He's attending the School of Music," she groaned. "And his off campus housing is in Manhattan."

"How close to us?"

She held up her hand. "Six blocks."

"You don't think your parents…?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. The flight attendant informed us that the plane would be taking off shortly, and told us to make sure any electronics were shut off. I powered down my cell phone. "They don't try this hard. And it's not his parents, because I heard them telling Mom they wanted him close to home. Nope; this was all his doing."

"He's such a psychopath," I murmured. "He can't be mentally stable. Does he even want to study music?"

Rose nodded stiffly. "Unfortunately," she said. "Mom said he's been playing violin and clarinet since he was five or something. She says it's one of the many things we have in common. Please."

I pursed my lips. She loved music, and, apparently, so did he, but that wasn't something to build a relationship off of; not when a certain someone just happens to be an inconsiderate jackass.

"Don't let it get to you," I advised. "If he's gonna be a creep, let him be a creep, but don't let it get in your way. You're better than that."

"Of course I am," she said. "I know that. And he definitely won't be getting in my way, I'll make sure. It just bugs me that he's willing to take it to this level. It's sick."

I shrugged, but couldn't think of anything else to say, so I contented myself by pulling a magazine from my carryon bag as the plane lurched forward, commencing its ascent.

I went through one magazine, then another, then another, and another. Soon, I'd read the entire stack, and we still had another three hours to go. I pulled a pen from my bag and contented myself by drawing mustaches and facial hair on celebrities I didn't like.

I wasn't sure when it was that I fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes, people around me were standing up and crowding together, trying to maneuver their arms out of the tight space to reach up and grab carryon bags from the overhead compartments. I rubbed my eyes.

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I looked over to see Rose and Bella still asleep. I pulled out Bella's earplugs and shook Rosalie with as much force as I could manage. The two awoke, scared and disoriented. I chuckled and pulled my bag out from under the seat in front of me.

"Ready?" I asked them. Rose was still yawning and rubbing away the sleepiness from her eyes.

"Mhm," she managed softly. She looked to Bella. "Got your bag?"

"Yep," she said. "Let's go."

The plane was nearly empty as we filed out. I was grateful for the coolness of the airport. My shirt was sticking to my back with sweat from the stuffy plane.

Rose, Bella, and I stood and waited for our baggage. As Bella ran to get her red duffle bag as it quickly passed by her, my eyes wandered to the top of the exit doors. A large sign grinned down on us reading JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

It took a long time to get all of our bags. Rose was sure she'd missed one of hers at least twice before she actually got it. I urged them to move faster and stay more alert so that their luggage wouldn't keep passing them. I wanted so badly to get going already.

Once I'd gotten the last of my bags and Bella and Rose were still waiting for theirs, I decided to take the time to sit down and call my mom to let her know we'd landed.

I dialed her number, but the call went straight to voicemail. I sighed and left her a message telling her we were all safe and sound in the airport and that we'd be catching a cab to the apartment within the next half hour. I blew her a kiss over the phone and, after telling her to call me back whenever she could, I hung up. Rose was chasing after her Barbie suitcase as it passed on the conveyer belt. I shook my head in amusement.

"Alright, we're ready to go," Bella said to me. I set my smaller bag atop my suitcase and started toward the exit.

It was hell waiting for a taxi. Everyone needed a cab, and everyone seemed to beat us to the empty ones. My phone vibrated in my hand.

"Mom?" I said immediately, holding the phone to my ear. A familiar chuckle greeted me.

"Not quite."

"Oops! Sorry, Jazz," I said as Rose finally managed to get a taxi driver to pull up to us. He helped us put our bags in the trunk.

"I take it your plane has landed, then?"

"Mhm," I muttered, fumbling to get my last bag into the cab. "We're just barely leaving the airport. I meant to call you soon, it's just - "

"It's fine," he assured me as I slid into the backseat after Bella. I pulled the slip of paper with our new address on it out of my pocket.

"1440 York Avenue," I said to the driver. He gave me a thumbs up and put the car into drive. Beside me, both Bella and Rose were pulling out their phones.

"How's the city?" he asked me. I peered out the window.

"Crowded," I answered. "Really crowded. Smoggy, too. The buildings are so tall, it looks like there isn't even a sky here." I laughed. "I think it's beautiful."

"I bet it is," he said sincerely. I curled into the seat, closing my eyes and imagining he was there to experience the overwhelming sensation of moving into the Big Apple with me. "It's hard to think about having to be away from you for so long, Alice. It's always been so easy growing up. You were always there; I could always keep you safe."

"Things have to change sometime." I smiled. "Besides, this will only make things more exciting when we do see each other again. When will that be, again?" I tacked on innocently. He chuckled.

"I'll head over within a week after I get to New Jersey," he said. "Promise."

"Alright," I said, puckering my lips. Two weeks without him. How did I ever survive when he was in Texas? "I'll see you then. Hopefully I'll have some crazy story to tell you in two weeks."

"But not too crazy," he teased. "No sneaking into clubs or anything. You're still only eighteen. Got it?"

I giggled. "Got it." I drew out my words. "No clubs, no bars, no jumping into people's vans. I can handle that."

"I'm not so sure you can." I could almost see the smirk on his face. I yawned. That nap on the plane hadn't been enough to make up for the fifteen minutes of sleep I'd gotten the night before.

"You're tired," he acknowledged. "Take a nap. With the traffic over there, I'm sure you'll have some time to sleep before you guys get there."

I rubbed at my eyes. "Good thinking, mister," I mumbled. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh, and, Jasper?"

"Mm?"

"I love you."

I could tell when he was smiling, even if it was over the phone, and I always knew exactly which kind of smile it was. "I love you, too." This one was simple; very slight, just enough to make the corner of his mouth turn upward and his eyes to shine. It was my favorite.

"Bye, Jazz."

"Bye, Alice."

I tried my hardest to keep my eyes open. Even in stopped traffic, I couldn't run out of things to stare at. I wanted every detail to be burned into my memory. I memorized every building, every grey cloud of smog, every outfit on every billboard…

My eyes drifted closed and my head lolled to the side, coming to rest on Rose's shoulder. I heard her snigger, then move slightly to make me more comfortable.

"Wake you up when we get there," she whispered.

I was fast asleep before the last word escaped her lips.