The side-eye Kiera was giving the small vampire could go down in history.
Curled up on the couch, heads bent together as they spoke, Alice and Bella looked like the best friends Bella said they were. Little shared smiles, casual touches between two friends. It all itched at Kiera's skin. Every once in a while, when the conversation dulled, Alice's ochre eyes would slide over to Kiera and she'd grin at her.
As if they were friends.
As if she knew her.
Kiera wasn't above admitting that the green-eyed monster of jealousy was paying her a visit, but this was on another level. Alice scared her. Kiera knew what the vampire could do, knew she was a seer. So what had Alice seen of her?
Has she seen her?
Kiera tried to occupy herself with looking around the room she'd come to know so well. From Charlie's worn leather armchair that she slouched in, to the fading bright blue paint that covered the walls. Her favorite spot was always the fireplace as of late, and even now she snuggled further into her oversized cardigan to both escape the chill and Alice's all-knowing gaze.
The room didn't look to be Charlie's style at all, it must have been Renee's doing before she left. It's touches of Renee and Bella swallowed any of Charlies. Kiera could only wish she meant half as much to someone someday, even if it made her sad for poor Charlie. It also scared her that people could be so attached to one another, that they would move on even when caused pain.
Bella was a prime example of the Swan's tenacious grip on those they loved. Kiera couldn't find if she loved her for it, or feared for her as she sat next to the Cullen girl.
"Edward only checks in every few weeks. We don't really hear from him. Rosalie and Emmett are away at college in Cambridge, so it's been kind of hard without them-"
"Are they really away, or is that what you tell everyone?" Bella asked quietly. Before Alice could come up with a lie, Kiera interrupted.
"You do not need to lie in front of me." Kiera blurted. "I already know. It'd be hard to miss a vampire, even if your eyes are a...strange...color. "
The silence that followed was cringe-worthy. Alice was wide-eyed and had her mouth agape, turning to look at a blushing Bella.
"She's family, Alice." Bella said. She lifted her chin and stared at Alice with steel in her voice that sent a look of surprise across Alice's face. "She's been here for me since all of you left. She deserved to know."
"If it makes you feel better, I'll keep your secret. Just like I'd want you to keep mine if you stick around long enough to know it." Kiera didn't really care about Alice's feelings on the matter. But looking at Bella's face, wavering in front of her 'best friend', Kiera could suck it up.
Alice's face lit up like a Christmas tree. In a nanosecond, she was in front of Kiera, clutching her hands in her icy grip.
"You mean you aren't human?! That makes things so much easier!" Alice was nearly nose to nose with Kiera now. "Oh, I'm so glad we've finally met!"
"You might want to give her some space, Alice." Bella warned, a smile to her lips."She's been known to bite."
Kiera couldn't help the grin she made, but it fell apart as she remembered Alice's words. "Finally met?"
Alice mimed zipping her lips with a wink.
"Oh, wow, I'm really not going to like your power am I?" Kiera mumbled. Goosebumps ran across her skin at the thought that she'd been right. Alice had seen her.
Alice's trill of laughter flirted the line between musical and manic. Kiera shared a grimace with Bella, the look on her face making Bella choke on the tea she'd been nursing. Alice suddenly sat up straight, her face twisting with disgust.
"Girls, what is that God awful smell?" Alice asked.
"You don't smell any better yourself, you walking corpse." Jacob rumbled, stepping into the living room.
Jacob seemed a thousand feet tall as he towered in the doorway. Alice was across the room in an instant, crouched on top of the fireplace mantle, a wicked hiss escaping from her lips. Kiera leaned back in her seat, knuckles going white as she clutched the armrests. The two locked gazes, their age-old rivalry showing in every inch of their tensed bodies.
"Quit moving so fast, you'll give them whiplash." Jacob said, rolling his eyes.
He plopped onto the couch, spreading his arms across the back. Like Jacob were the sun, Bella gravitated to him, leaning into his side and soaking up all his warmth. Jacob shot Kiera a grin and patted the seat next to him, smiling wider when Kiera shrugged and got up. Sitting next to Jacob was like sitting next to the fireplace, and immediately Kiera was hooked.
"You're crazy warm, Jake." Kiera mumbled sleepily, burrowing into his side. It was the warmest she's been in days. "It's nice."
"It's a wolf thing." Jacob said with a smirk. "We are always burning like a furnace. Makes for the best cuddles."
Alice's eyes narrowed and a childish pout pulled at her lips. "Werewolves are awful friends to keep, especially for you Bella."
She was so graceful as she walked, like a prima ballerina, barely touching the floor as she climbed down from the mantle and occupied Kiera's spot. Something about the way she held herself screamed 'new money', and Kiera could bet the entire twelve dollars in her pocket that it had to do with being a vampire. From the punkish yet obviously runway-ready clothing she wore to the pricey statement jewelry she sported, Alice was not above showing off her wealth.
Ramona's job as a private lawyer did them pretty well, but Bella had been right about the Cullens living a life of opulence. Lucky them, Kiera guessed.
"Neither are vampires, it seems." Kiera said. She immediately tucked her face into Jacob's side, biting the inside of her cheeks. "Sorry."
Jacob didn't bother hiding his laugh, and Alice didn't bother hiding the hurt that bloomed across her face.
"You aren't wrong. I really am sorry for leaving, Bella. I didn't think it'd end up like this." Alice looked down at her tiny hands, playing with the many rings that adorned them. "I'd take it all back if I could."
"I know, Alice. I know." Bella didn't sound sad anymore. She only sounded defeated.
The room lapsed into silence and Kiera immediately felt bad for making things awkward. Jacob glanced at the girl who had appeared so suddenly in his life and seemed to take pity on her. She was so pale, her normally tawny skin that reminded him so much of the forest soil washed out and bleak.
"So, Cullen." Jacob started, hand finding Bella's and gripping it close. "Are you here alone, or should we expect your family to show their faces sometime soon? If it was your guilt that brought you here, Bella doesn't want it."
Kiera was relieved she wasn't the only asshole in the room, at least.
Alice sniffed delicately. "I was worried about her! I wasn't even looking for her, but my powers are so intuned with my family that visions just come to me. I saw her fall off that cliff, and then everything went black."
Once again, she played with her rings. Kiera had seen that look on her face before. The fear of losing someone you love is crippling, and the anguish in every line of Alice's face was proof enough of how terrible she felt about the situation. Remorse was a powerful feeling, but fear has a heavier punch.
"My visions don't work as they do in the movies," Alice whispered. "I can only see what people decide, and I saw Bella decide to climb up to the cliffs with somebody and then I saw her fall. When the vision went black, I thought the worst."
"That might also be a wolf thing?" Bella glanced around. "If there's no difference in my environment but Jacob, then it must be related to him."
"That's kind of a relief." Jacob said. "I don't need you snooping around pack business."
"How did you fall anyways?" Alice asked, tilting her head to the side.
"It's kind of my fault she fell." Jacob reluctantly admitted. "I scared her when I heard Kiera talking about how she wasn't human. I didn't think, it was just instinct to make sure she wasn't a threat. But seeing her save Bella proved she wouldn't hurt anyone. Even if she did take a chunk out of my cheek with her needle teeth."
Kiera wanted the earth to swallow her whole. Would he ever stop bringing that up, or would the entire world know?
"Your kind has fangs?" Alice asked excitedly.
"No, we usually don't. But I seem to be an anomaly. I still have to talk to Ramona about this, there's something off about all of this."
"It was pretty impressive, even if it was scary as hell at the time. Paul really seemed to dig you." Jacob snickered, only stopping when Bella elbowed his stomach and Alice's gaze become curious.
"Paul?" She asked, narrowing her eyes on Jacob.
"That redhead has been around lately." Kiera interrupted, not wanting to talk about Paul or his stupidly beautiful bone structure. "Laurent is gone, but Victoria has been creeping around. Even made a special guest appearance in my house."
"Freak." Jacob muttered. "Who watches someone else shower?"
"Victoria is here?! And she watched you shower?!" Alice sat up ramrod straight, her hand going for her phone. "I should tell the family about this."
"Don't worry about it, the pack has got it covered. If she comes back, she's a goner." Jacob promised, giving Bella a small smile.
"I'm not sure I should so that." Alice muttered. "I know of a least three people who would have my head if something happened here."
"That's all fine and dandy, but look at these two. Bella is exhausted, and Kiera looks busted. We should call it a night and talk about it again in the morning. Maybe you should go."
Bella squawked at Jacob's words. "Jacob, this is my house! She's staying the night, right Alice?"
Alice nodded, a wide smile on her face. "I'm staying in Forks until further notice. It'd be nice to have a sleepover."
"Then I guess we are all having a big slumber party." Jacob answered, shrugging his massive shoulders. Bella only rolled her eyes and sighed, finally taking her hand from his.
"Can you even sleep?" Kiera asked, her own eyes closing against her will.
"No, but Jacob is right. You two should get some sleep, we can all talk more in the morning."
"Alice?" Bella got up. "Can you help me get blankets?"
"Sure thing!" Alice zipped off the couch, leaving Kiera and Jacob alone in the room.
"This is going to be one awkward night." Kiera sighed, easily accepting Jacob's offer for the couch. He laughed and laid on the floor next to her, his hands behind his head and gaze up at the ceiling.
"When is it not, with a vampire hanging around?" A pillow hit him square in the face, doing nothing to smother his small shriek.
"Enough with the stupid cliche rivalry!" Bella said sternly. "Let's just go to bed, alright?"
"Fine by me." Jacob grumbled, taking the pillow and turning his back to where Bella stood.
"Alright." Kiera said.
When they woke up the next morning, Jacob was elbow deep in every box of cereal the Swans had. Kiera stared mournfully at the box of Honeycomb, wondering when the last time he washed his hand was. Horror stories courtesy of Ramona of men not washing their hands often enough dogged every step she took towards Jacob.
Without warning, Kiera ripped the box of Honeycomb from his hands, his outraged face making her whine. "Did you wash your hands before sticking them in Bella's cereal?"
Jacob was about to retort when Bella and Alice entered the room. He deflated, looking off the side and said something under his breath.
"What was that?" Alice asked sweetly, a wide grin on her face.
"I said no." Jacob muttered. "Sorry Bells. I just got so hungry, it's been nonstop since I started phasing."
Bella sighed. "I don't even care about the cereal right now. Keep eating, I'll make Kiera and I some eggs and toast or something."
Jacob stuck out his tongue at Alice and Kiera, holding out his hand smugly. "You heard the lady."
"You have five boxes of cereal opened in front of you," Kiera said dryly. "You sure you need this one too?"
"I'm a big growing boy, and I just so happen to love Honeycombs the most." Despite how hard she tried, Kiera couldn't help sharing his cheeky smile. With a playful roll of her eyes, she handed him back the box which he took eagerly, plunging his hand into the bag like a man starved.
Kiera pulled out the chair next to him, gently lowering her aching body into it. Everything was sore- she could swear even her hair hurt. And the kitchen was casting everything in a surreal light, making the room seem fake. The burnt orange walls did nothing to boost Kiera's low energy, making it easy for her to put rest her head on her arms.
"Something wrong?" Alice asked, perching on the edge of the island table.
It was a perfectly innocent question. A kind one, even. But Kiera was so exhausted that she didn't even bother lifting her head as she spoke.
"Nothing out of the ordinary." Kiera sighed. "I never expected it to feel this heavy."
"What is 'it'?" Alice gestured, her nose wrinkling adorably.
Kiera giggled groggily to herself, barely lifting her head to mime zipping her lip. Alice got the reference immediately and tipped her head back in laughter.
"I'm not going to like what's going on, am I?" Alice shook her head with a wry smile. "Fine. You may keep your secrets for now."
Jacob's brick of a phone dinged. The thick plastic smelt funny against his warm hands, the odd shape looking more like a remote than a phone. Jacob's face turned somber at what he saw.
"Sam asked me to talk to you, Bells," Jacob said. "Alone, please."
Alice and Kiera shared an unimpressed look. With all the fluidity of a hummingbird, Alice flitted from the kitchen and out into the backyard, the door swinging gently with the wind behind her. Kiera happily took the toast Bella handed her before pulling herself to her feet and following Alice out. Alice was already walking along the length of a tree branch when Kiera shut the door behind her.
Alice's slim limbs were delicately hoisted above her head, her eyes straight ahead and far away as if she could do this in her sleep. Watching Alice do it, she made it seem so easy. Tight rope walkers would be jealous of just how truly graceful the vampire is.
After a Metamorphosis, a Diwata would still behalf as strong or fast as a vampire. Kiera never really had compared the two, there'd never really been a need. But watching Alice look like she was walking on air made Kiera wonder if she'd ever walk that easy too. Nothing about Alice screamed 'predatory', and yet, everything about her did.
From her large golden eyes to the unnatural beauty, any human could have explained it away as contacts and a killer skincare routine. But there was no explanation for the brilliant way her skin shone under the rays of the sun. It wasn't dramatic, it wasn't a blinding light. Alice's skin looked bounced the sunlight around her in a soft blur like she was walking encased in a gentle halo of light.
It immediately sent Kiera's guard up.
It took her a few moments to reason that was probably meant to happen. Like a frog with vibrant colors to warn off hungry onlookers, vampires must shine to warn their prey.
"Are you nervous?" Alice turned abruptly in place, the branch barely shifting beneath her feet. "You look rather nervous."
"Your skin, it looks….glowy," Kiera admitted sheepishly with a smile. "It's a bit odd is all. I've never seen anything like it, not this close."
"Humans are always attracted to the sparkly look, it's like a moth to a flame, they can't really look away."
"That actually makes more sense than what I was thinking of. It seems more like a warning sign."
"You really aren't human." Alice mused. "But I'm glad for it."
Kiera could see how much Alice meant that. She'd never stopped to think about making friends of the supernatural variety- she'd never really thought of making friends before meeting Bella. But the understanding that supernatural creatures could give each other, the harbor of safety that was brought by hanging around people like you...Kiera thought it was unmatchable.
"I really do wish we could have met under better circumstances." Alice interrupted Kiera's pondering, her smile apologetic. "Leaving was never apart of the plan, but Edward insisted."
Kiera tucked that bite-sized piece of information away to unpack later. "So Edward is your coven leader?"
"No, not at all. Carlise is our father and Esme is our mother. Edward is just the second oldest in vampire years and Carlise's first creation. He's a bit of a spoiled prince if you ask me."
"You seem pretty spoiled yourself, with your nice clothes and cars." Kiera laughed.
"But having to move because he said so? That's a different kind of spoiled." Alice shook her head. "But since Bella was only involved due to Edward, we thought it'd make her life easier."
"But Alice, you can see just as clearly as I can that that isn't true. You're absence almost destroyed her."
"I know." Alice said softly, jumping down from her branch. Her feet didn't make a sound as they hit the grass, the ground swallowing her footsteps up.
An image of racing Alice through the trees, their laughter mingling in the forest air and their skin being caressed by the leaves suddenly hit her. Kiera swallowed thickly. Behind Alice, the trees whispered her name, calling her to fold into their embrace. But Kiera stayed rooted where she stood, and honed in on Alice's face.
Alice was still talking, unaware of Kiera's internal plight. "I refuse to listen to him about this ever again. I should have known that if Bella needed us gone, she'd have sent us away her self."
"It's hard to remember that humans have agency when you yourself aren't human." Kiera relented. "I can also imagine that it's not easy to go against your family's wishes."
"Coven's aren't a democracy. The leaders decide, and the rest follow. I don't know of any other way."
Kiera's brows raised. "Surely you remember what it was like as a human?" She asked.
"Nope." Alice popped the 'p', her lips twisting with a bitter smile. It didn't belong on a face so youthful and perfect, but Kiera could only guess what a life without memories is like.
In a way, they'd both lost good chunks of time. Their lives had been taken into the hands of another and warped beyond repair. Would Kiera feel this same ache for the rest of the Cullens when she met them? She couldn't tell, not with the anger for Bella still burning brightly. But Alice, at least, could be released from it for the time being.
Kiera took tentative steps forward and clasped Alice's hand in her own. She didn't know what she could say, what comfort she could offer. So together they just stood, cold hand in cold hand, basking in the morning light.
Something clattered from inside the house, and the moment was broken. Kiera and Alice shared a questioning look, both of them deciding to take a peek through the kitchen window. Kiera's mouth dropped open, breath coming from her tired lungs in a gasp.
Jacob and Bella were lip locked.
Alice made a strangled noise and made a move towards the door, but Kiera grasped her shoulder. The two stared on as Bella broke the kiss and tilted her face away from Jacob's lips, her pale skin turning scarlet. Bella's doe brown eyes glanced to the window, catching sight of her friend's shocked faces. She stumbled away from Jacob, burying her face in her hands.
"Oh my God." Kiera said.
"I know!" Alice said, tugging gently against Kiera's hold.
Jacob gave them an annoyed little wave, frustration clear in the set of his features. Luckily for him, the phone rang before Alice could storm in and ask fifty thousand questions. Alice froze in place when Jacob picked up on the third ring.
Kiera couldn't hear what he said before he hung up, but by Bella's enraged reaction, Kiera knew it must have been something stupid. Alice ripped herself from Kiera's hand and flew inside, leaving Kiera standing alone like an idiot.
By the time she got to the doorway, Alice was trying to calm a hysteric Bella and Jacob looked on guiltily.
"What is it?" Kiera asked, frantically looking between the three of them for an answer. Jacob only looked away, shame on his face as Bella began to cry.
"He's going to the Volturi! Kiera, he's going to die!" Bella's voice cracked beneath the weight of her agony, her nails embedding themselves into the flesh of her palms.
"Who? Who is going to die?" Kiera immediately thought of Charlie, for some reason. A fierce need to protect the human man flared up, and Kiera was trembling with the need to help him.
"My brother, Edward. He was told about me coming here, about Bella jumping off the cliff- he thinks she's dead. Now he wants to go to the Volturi and die too." Alice's voice was a song of torment, each word hitting Bella like a punch.
Kiera didn't waste time gathering her friend up in her arms. She shot Jacob a scolding look over Bella's shoulder, in disbelief that he picked up the phone as if he lived there. No amount of love for Bella justified sending her into this kind of spiral, and she was mystified how a simple miscommunication could bring this to fruition.
"Alice, can you try and see what would happen if we left right now?" Kiera didn't need to specify to where Alice was well aware of what she meant.
"I'm already on it." Alice confirmed, her eyes once again glazing over as she peeked past the veil of time. She came out of it with a gasp, her hand coming to rest on her forehead.
"It'll work, but just barely. We need to move now!" Alice immediately flitted up the stairs and into Bella's room, most likely to pack a bag for Bella. Kiera didn't have time to think about herself, she was already pulling Bella out the door and to Carlisle's car.
Jacob followed their every step, his words falling on deaf ears. "Bella, Bella please stay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have picked up the phone, but please stay."
Bella spun from Kiera's grasp to stand face to face with her childhood friend. "You could have cost him his life, Jake! I have to go, if I don't he'll die."
Alice blurred past them both, honking the car in impatience. "Come on you guys, we need to get going now!"
Bella didn't spare Jacob another look before flinging herself into the car. Kiera stumbled into the backseat, lurching forward with the car before she could find her seat belt. Jacob's hand sprang forward to grip the wheel, forcing the girls to yelp at the forced stop.
"Bella. Please." Jacob's voice broke. "I love you."
"Jacob...I'm sorry. I have to go." Bella looked at him with pitying eyes that filled with more tears. "I won't let him die because of me."
At an agonizing pace, Jacob slowly let go of the steering wheel and pulled himself away from the car. Without hesitation, Alice peeled down the street and they were off to save a man who didn't want it.
They were in the air and five hours into their trip before Bella spoke.
"Can you believe he asked me to stay?" Bella asked, her entire body vibrating with the need to move even as she sat strapped in her seat. "Edward's life is in danger, and he just asked me to stay."
Kiera sighed, not opening her eyes. She was slumped against her chair, the neck pillow Alice had bought her cushioning her heavy head. Time felt like molasses, slow and unyielding despite the desperation pounding in their hearts.
"I've heard that love can make people do crazy things." Kiera mumbled, tucking the blanket around her in tighter.
"Look at Edward, he's literally pulling a Romeo on us." Alice sniffled, her cold hand finding Kiera's beneath the blanket.
It hadn't been Kiera's ideal situation, to be sandwiched between the window and an upset Alice. But time was of the essence and she lacked the energy needed to demand a seat closer to Bella.
"Look at us, we're chasing a man to Italy." Kiera smiled. "If that doesn't scream love, I don't know what does."
"We love Edward enough for this, that I understand, but what about you? You didn't have to come." Bella sniffled. "You could be fast asleep in your warm bed right now."
"And miss the dramatics of your boyfriend? It's a best friend's job to bear witness to their friend's crazy love life you know." Kiera was already falling asleep, her words were coming out slurred. "I expect you to do the same for me one day."
Whatever Bella replied with, Kiera didn't hear it. Beneath the warm blanket and settled into the cushy seat of a first-class chair, Kiera couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. The world of sleep claimed her at last.
