A/N: Hey guys! Welcome back! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. I can't tell you how freaking excited I am for you all to read this chapter. I've been waiting so long to write this, I almost thought I was never going to get here. But look at me now, right?! Honestly, patience is key. I really feel like my writing has improved significantly and I'm just so proud of myself. Please continue to review and provide critiques. It helps tremendously! Thank you all for giving this fic your love. It means the world to me. Here's to chapter 27!

"What do you mean, she's missing?"

Jasper already seems to have lost concentration. He's suddenly no longer in the doorway to the bedroom and I follow the sound of zippers to find him carelessly tossing items back into his suitcase. He pauses every few seconds to run a hand through his thick hair before returning to his task.

"Jasper?"

I notice his lips are moving slightly, but I don't hear the sound coming out of them. He must be muttering quietly to himself. I almost think he's not going to respond, when he looks up at me as if just realizing I'd been standing there. "Go get your stuff."

"What's happening?" I move to the other side of the sofa where he's got his black suitcase sitting open on top of the cushions.

Jasper easily moves past me to the second bedroom, shoving whatever he's grabbed into his back pocket. "We're going back."

"To Forks?"

"Where else?!" Jasper stills himself, gripping the back of the sofa so fiercely, I hear it creaking under the force. "Forgive me, Bella. I didn't mean to snap at you."

I can only nod, wondering if he is just as easily manipulated by emotions as I am. "What happened with Alice? I thought Emmett was with her?" I try to control the panic I feel creeping up into my chest. For Jasper's sake, if nothing else.

He takes a slow and deep breath and as his chest rises and then falls, I swear I see his eyes darken even more. "He was. He says she was there one second and the next…"

"Just gone?" When he nods silently, I feel my strength waning and the fear takes over. "Oh, my God. It's Victoria, isn't it?!"

"Most likely," he says, moving again into my room in a flash and appearing back in the living room with my unopened suitcase. "But we need to go. We need to find her."

"What about the others?" He seems to be ignoring me again as he sits on the edge of the sofa with the laptop he has yet to put away sitting on his knees. "Edward and Rosalie? And Carlisle and Esme?"

"Carlisle and Esme are still watching over your father," he says quickly.

"What about Edward?" My stomach tightens and I almost feel lightheaded. I force myself to sit next to him before I fall. "Is he alright?"

"When I spoke to Emmett, he was on his way back to meet Edward and Rose." Jasper still has his eyes glued to the screen, typing furiously as he books another flight back home. "She said that James had caught her scent. He knows it's a ruse."

"And you want to go back?!" Standing swiftly from my spot, I start pacing, counting the steps mentally. One, two, three, turn. One, two, three, turn. "For all we know this is a trap and we're about to walk right into it! I mean, look at you!"

Jasper sends me a glare sharp enough to pierce my racing heart, but it's not enough to keep me from calling him out on his malnutrition. While I trust him as much as I do Edward, I still don't think it's a good idea to continue to put it off any longer.

"You haven't eaten in...God only knows how long." I try to ignore the hurt that briefly contorts his face. "What exactly do you even plan on doing when we get there? How do you expect to get around her gifts?"

Again, my anger and frustration it seems is too much for Jasper's frail state, causing him to boil over. "What do you expect me to do?!" The booming sound of his voice nearly makes me jump. "I don't see you coming up with any ideas!"

My heart pounds so heavily in my chest it nearly hurts. As I stand there, watching Jasper desperately trying to get ahold of himself, I feel a searing hot lump form in my throat as tears sting the back of my eyes.

"Bella, I'm sorry," he says again. The exhaustion from my emotional rollercoaster is evident in his stance. Shoulders slumped, brows furrowed, a deep frown weighing down his mouth.

"Don't." It comes out harsher than I mean it to, though I'm certain Jasper can pick up I'm not angry with him. Scared, desperate and guilty, maybe. But not angry.

I didn't want him to apologize, anyway. Just because he'd lost his temper didn't make the words any less true. This family, even Rosalie, though I don't like to admit that, had done more than I could ever ask of them.

Granted, there hadn't been anything I could've done to help at the time. Not directly against three blood-thirsty vampires. But the fact remains that the Cullens had been split up because of me. Now, Alice has been taken. But why? What could they possibly want from her?

"Do you have something of hers?" The words come quickly as an idea playfully dances in the back of my mind. I wipe the tears that had fallen down my cheeks and clear my throat to regain my composure. "Of Alice's, I mean."

Jasper blinks at me, like I wasn't making any sense at all. Maybe, I wasn't. But, he pulls out his wallet against his better judgment and inside one of the folds, he pulls out a ring.

"An engagement ring?" He drops it into my palm when I hold it out for him. I'm momentarily entranced by the gold band and the cluster of shining diamonds on top. It's very clearly vintage, but it's hard to find traces of it ever being worn.

"I proposed the first time in nineteen fifty-three," he whispers quietly. "Of course, she saw it comin'."

"The first time?" I repeat incredulously. Had the moment not been tarnished by the danger all around us, I may have asked him to tell me all about the other times as well.

But it's Jasper who keeps me on track. "What are you planning to do, Bella?"

I look up at him, taking in his eyes black with hunger and brows knitted together with worry. He clearly wants nothing but to find Alice. If it were Edward, I can't say I'd be handling it with as much grace as Jasper is. But even with every fiber of his being telling him to go, he stands patiently, waiting for me to answer. I see the hope in his eyes, practically begging me to do something. But he'd never ask. In the end, it's that very reason that brings me to my decision.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get Alice back." I close my palm around the ring, nodding to myself. "Will you help me?"

Though his eyes are as black as a shark's, I see a light glinting in them. He closes the laptop calmly. "Are you sure, Bella? I'd never ask if it weren't…"

"Alice," I finish for him, hating the way my voice cracks with emotion. "I know. I'll do it."

Jasper rises from his seat and the scars on his neck glisten as the sun catches them through the small slits in the blinds. "Let's get started."

Only a few minutes later, I find myself lying on the couch where his suitcase used to be. For a fancy hotel, the furniture is quite shit. The cushions are too soft, completely engulfing my tiny frame. I have to wiggle my torso away from the wooden beams underneath to keep them from stabbing my shoulder blades.

"Will this take long?" Jasper asks. He tries to keep his face neutral, but there's too much happening at once and I see his indestructible, unsusceptible, perfect vampire front beginning to fade. Underneath is a boy, completely unsure of himself and his limitations.

"You're starving." It's not a question. He knows, it's not, but he answers like it is, anyway.

"No, I'm fine," he insists.

"Jasper." He avoids my eyes for a moment, but I wait until he's got nowhere else to look but me. "You need to eat."

"No." He shakes his head adamantly. "I'm not leaving you alone."

"I'll be fine for a few hours," I tell him softly. "I'll only be sleeping. Besides, if you're going to help me get Alice, I'll need you well-fed."

Jasper clenches his teeth, almost in the same way Edward does, and I suddenly feel a pang in my chest. We haven't even been separated for twenty-four hours yet and I'm already missing him. I can only imagine how Jasper must feel right now.

"Fine." His agreement takes me out of my thoughts, and I'm relieved to know he's not going to torture himself any longer. "It'll have to be after sundown."

"Of course."

Jasper raises his hand, hovering it just above my forehead. "How deep do you want to go?"

"Pretty deep, I think." I shift my body on top of the cushions, unsure of why I feel so uncertain. Is that coming from Jasper? "But start slow, okay?"

He nods. "Ready?"

I breathe in deep through my nose and exhale slowly out of my mouth. "I'm ready."

Jasper lays his cold hand on my forehead and I wait for the feeling of weightlessness to come. I'm expecting to see the ceiling get closer as my body floats up toward it.

Except, the very opposite happens.

I don't know if it's Jasper that's making everything so different, or maybe because I'm forcing it to happen instead of letting it happen naturally. Either way, nothing prepares me for the sudden free fall out of my body, below the couch, below the floor, below the hotel entirely.

It's similar to being on a drop tower at a carnival. Except, there are no brakes and this is no ride.

I'm falling fast. The couch and my body are above me and below me is nothing but dark clouds and a black, sunless sky. The wind is cold as it whips through my hair and smacks my cheeks. I try to look down, estimating how far I've got until I slam my body into hard concrete. But, this motion sends me into a flat spin.

As my body spins uncontrollably, the dark storm clouds twist and turn in my vision, turning everything into some sort of gothic kaleidoscope. My head pounds and my muscles ache. I can't help but think of how much this reminds me of my seizures. I almost want to call out for my father when I remember this is a dream. And I am the one in control.

Not Charlie. Not Jasper. Me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to force myself to stop, but it's about as useless as trying to slow down a Ferrari with no brakes. When that inevitably fails, I try to push back the panic that rises in my throat.

If I weren't falling to my death, and it weren't Alice's safety on the line or Jasper's wellbeing, what would I do? Think, Bella, think!

That's just it, though. All I have to do is think! This is a dream after all, isn't it? I just need to think it into existence.

"Parachute!" My voice is soundless against the wind, but I close my eyes again and picture a black pack strapped to my back. I imagine how it would feel wrapped around my shoulders, and the red drawstring in between my fingers, ready to release.

But once again, I come up with nothing. For half a moment, I worry that I'll be stuck here forever, falling deeper and deeper into the depths of my own mind when I see something glistening in the very dim light ahead of me.

It's small, round and gold. Is that Alice's ring? I thought I'd been holding it in my hand?

I reach for it, but I'm still spinning while the ring seems to fall in a straight line. As my body comes full circle, I push my arm out farther, this time scraping the band with the tip of my finger. Almost there!

One more time and I'll be sure to have it. Once the ring appears again in my peripheral vision, I reach one last time. Pushing my arm out as far as my shoulder will let me, my fingers finally clasp around Alice's ring.

The second my palms close around it, the clouds disappear, the air suddenly becomes a little less cold and I fall abruptly onto blissfully solid ground.

While I'm grateful that I'm no longer flying violently through the air, the fall had been so painful, it almost felt real. As I stand, I feel the need to rub my knees and my elbows, as they ache with the force.

With a slight limp, I take a look around my new surroundings. In this long, rectangular room, I follow the wooden planks stretched lengthwise across the floor. Mirrors line the entire north and south wall with two golden bands following the walls, waist high.

What about this ring brought me to a ballet studio?

"Alice?" My voice echoes loudly through the empty building. "Are you here? Can you hear me?"

There's no response, other than the reverberation of my voice. In this empty room, I can barely make out my reflection in the mirror. The flickering yellow bulb that shines in the hallway is the only source of light it seems.

I make my way toward it, eager to leave this dark room behind me. It's not until I step through the doorway, that I notice the dark red carpet that leads to the building's lobby. There's a familiar black pattern woven into its fibers. I pause and find my foot lightly tracing the spiraling design. Something about it brings on a sudden wave of nostalgia.

I'd definitely seen this pattern somewhere before, but I can't quite place where or why it's so pleasing to look at. Regardless, I'm thankful for the comfort of its familiarity. As I continue my search, I feel more at ease than I had all day.

"Alice?" I call again as I round the corner to find another dance room on the west side. "Hello?"

Passing the open viewing window, my left hand reaches out instinctively to trace the carved swirls on the wooden frame. It's not until I've dropped my arm that I realize that such a small motion, though I hadn't given much thought to it, I had done a thousand times before.

I take two steps back, retracing my stride and turn my head to look more carefully at the window I've just passed. As I stare at the decorative covering on the windowsill, I remember. I remember why this carpet, and this window and this whole building seem so familiar.

I've been here before. Years ago, back when I was in my preteens. My mother had taught a small group of kids here to dance.

Yes, yes, it's coming back to me now as I trace the windowsill again. I used to walk here from school to meet Renee. The middle school was only down the street. And when I'd walk in, I'd always take this hallway down and trace the designs of the wall as I made my way toward the back office.

Walking further down the hall, I walk with a little less skepticism and a little more poise, knowing exactly where this path leads.

In my right hand, I mindlessly turn Alice's ring onto one side and then back to the other in time with my steps.

"One, two, one two," I count quietly to myself until I reach the door to the faculty office and push the door open.

There, on the other side, stands Alice. She stands stiffly in the middle of the room, clutching a crumpled paper tightly in her hands.

"Alice!" I race over to her side, but I already know by the time I get to her that she doesn't see me. I wave my hands frantically in front of her distant gaze, hoping that if I yell loud enough or jump high enough, she'll sense my presence.

But she just stands there, staring at this paper.

I come around the other side of her, peering over her small shoulder. The page is stained with age and faded ink, but as I look closer, I can see it is some sort of official document.

"Mississippi Board of Health," I read aloud, glancing over to Alice, wondering if she'd heard me. When there's no response, I turn back to the page. "Official use only for Mississippi State Asylum?"

As I skim the page curiously, I stumble upon a familiar name.

Patient: Mary Alice Brandon, it reads.

This is her. This is a piece of her human life. The life she can't remember. Is James baiting her with this?

I read further.

General Remarks: Distorts reality from fantasy. Believes she has premonitions of the future. Suffers bewitchment.

"Jesus," I mutter to myself. "They thought she was a witch?"

The more I read, the more uncomfortable I feel. This is Alice's personal information. This is her medical record! I shouldn't be snooping like this, but what else can I do?

I learn that they had shaved her head sometime during her stay at the asylum due to a typhoid outbreak. It explains her short hair now. She must have been growing it back when she turned.

She had also endured electroshock therapy, which according to this document, left her with total amnesia. Could that be why she can't remember her human life?

"Carlisle…?"

Alice's small, and timid voice is enough to distract me from the document she holds. I watch her, eyes shining with emotion. Unlike Edward, she is very easy to read. Fear and anguish rage behind those dark eyes of hers.

Glancing back at the page, I don't see anything about her father here, only making me more confused. What is it that's keeping her here if it's not James or Victoria? Sure, this is a small piece of her human life, but that can't be enough to keep her from her family.

There's a piece missing.

I reach out to her impulsively. I know she cannot hear or see me, but I hope that she can feel my touch. It's the only thing I may be able to offer to comfort her.

I place my hand lightly on her shoulder, except the second my hand makes contact with her, some unknown force shoots me back.

I'm thrown violently away from Alice, back out of the building, into the dark sunless sky, falling up. The cold wind stings my eyes as I fly upward. The intensity of my speed keeps them peeled open. As I go higher and higher, less and less air is left to breathe.

Black dots begin to dance in my vision. Or are they more storm clouds? I've breathed my last breath. There's nothing left here in the air. I continue to fly upward, my hands and feet going numb from the cold.

This is it, I think to myself. This is how I die.

The black dots grow bigger, slowly covering everything. My lungs burn from lack of oxygen. I cannot move. I cannot speak. I cannot feel.

Everything goes black.

I wake with a start.

Coughing and sputtering, I peel away my shirt that sticks to my collarbone in sweat. After that dream, I feel extremely claustrophobic and rise to my feet, eager to to be out of any kind of constricting or tight space.

My legs wobble underneath of me and I have to steady myself on the coffee table to gather my bearings. My eyes droop a little from exhaustion and I shake my head vehemently in a desperate attempt to shake the sleep out of me.

Jasper must have put me in really deep, because it takes my eyes a solid thirty seconds to focus on anything.

When I don't feel as dizzy or foggy, I take a look around the dark room. Behind the blinds, the sun that sat high in the sky earlier had lowered almost completely underneath the horizon.

It must be close to six o'clock. Jasper put me down at around two or three.

"Jasper?" My voice cracks loudly and I have to clear it a few times to get around the thickened phlegm of sleep. "Are you here?"

He must still be out hunting.

"Damnit!" I pace the floor, counting my steps as I do. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Jasper had needed to eat, that much was for certain. But how long does it usually take for vampires to hunt? He should be back by now!

"The sun," I say aloud to remind myself. The sun had only begun a few minutes ago, it looks like. Which means he just left. I can't wait that long until he comes back!

"Alice can't wait that long."

I don't give myself time to worry about when or why I started talking to myself as I focus on a blank page of the hotel stationary. Leaving only a note behind is a shitty way of handling things, but I didn't have Jasper's number or any other way to contact him.

Even if I did, it wouldn't matter. As I scribble hurriedly on the notepad, I distinctly remember Jasper holding a disposable phone when he'd barged into my room to tell me about Alice.

Her name reminds me that I still hold her ring tightly in the palm of my hand. I play with it restlessly as I concentrate on remembering landmarks I hadn't had to remember in five years.

"If we're on Forty-fourth street," I say aloud, "that puts the school on the northside of town. From there, I turn left and follow the road to…"

Fifty-eight and Cactus, I jot down quickly before I forget. I know where Alice is. This can't wait. I'm sorry. Please don't be angry. —Bella

Dropping Alice's ring carefully on the corner of the page, I stand up straight before I lose the nerve. Three steps to the door, I let myself out. The door closes heavily behind me, queuing a gust of air to leave my chest. My key card still sits in my back pocket and I play with the idea of turning around, unlocking the door and trashing the note.

But this is Alice we're talking about! She could be in trouble. I can't sit here and wait when I know exactly where to find her.

"I have to go," I justify to myself. And with that, my legs take me down the hall and into the elevator, which lowers me back to the main floor.

As I exit the elevator, I notice the lobby is filled with twice the amount of people it had earlier this afternoon. Bellmen shuffled swiftly around the growing group of men, women and children, carrying luggages with them.

It's a wall of noise in their general direction. Most of them, families eager to get to the holiday dinner on time. Others, tourists.

I brace myself slightly as I map out the least crowded path through them and out the front door. I manage not to touch anyone thankfully and breathe a small sigh of relief when I step out into the chilly night air.

I suddenly wish I'd grabbed a warmer jacket. However, running away from bloodthirsty vampires didn't exactly allow for time to pack the appropriate clothes.

I'd always thought Forks was the coldest and wettest region. Turns out, it has nothing on a desert after nightfall. The sweat that still sticks to my back turns frigid, making me shiver as I wave frantically for a cab to stop.

It doesn't take long for someone to take pity on me. A middle aged man, by the looks of his graying hair, slows to a stop with a loud squeaking noise as the brakes scrape against the rim of the tires.

Eager to be out of the cold, I jump in the backseat, moaning as the heat washes over my skin.

The man hears my teeth chattering and raises the heat a bit more. He catches my grateful look in the rear view mirror and smiles back with his eyes. I don't remember much about Phoenix, but I do remember that most cab drivers were terse and unpleasant. Seeing a nonthreatening face is much appreciated.

Poor kid must be freezin', he thinks. "Where to, honey?"

"Fifty-eighth and Cactus," I tell him, through the glass. "Quickly, please."

"Sure." Gotta get home to the kids anyway. I can't miss Thanksgiving this year! Emma's been working so hard at home and I want to…

It's easy listening to the driver, who I eventually learn is named Brian, go on about his wife and children. His internal monologue about spending their first holiday together as a family is enough to distract me from Alice, at least for a few minutes.

I definitely didn't want to think about what I'd find when I get there. Would it be like I saw in my dream? Will she be alone? Or will James and Victoria be there?

No, I can't worry about those things now. So, instead I tune into Brian and let his thoughts flow through my head.

We'll put the tree up tonight, he continues. The girls will love it and we'll take tons of photos…

For the next fifteen minutes, I keep my mind empty, save for Brian's endless ranting until the squealing of his brakes notifies me of my arrival.

A darker and aged version of the studio I remember sits just outside of the window and I feel cold chills running up my spine, making the hairs stand up on my neck. The place looks a lot creepier than what I saw in my dream. Maybe that's due to the lack of sunlight. Or the group of hungry vampires that I know are here.

What even is this place? Brian asks himself. "You sure this is the spot, kid?"

I swallow harshly around my dry throat. "I'm sure."

"Do you need me to call someone for you…?"

I turn to look at him. He should be asking me for cash. The forty dollar total that blinks on the meter tells me so. Instead, he gazes at me worriedly. Fatherly, almost.

Just above the meter, is a small picture of a younger version of himself, a little less gray around the temples and two young girls smiling goofily into the camera lens.

Shoving my hand deep into one of the front pockets of my jeans, I find an old crumpled five dollar bill. It seems like a slap in the face, that this is all I can offer him, but as he reaches out and I take the opportunity to grasp his hand tightly.

His anticipation and slight concern for me immediately washes over me. I let his emotions cloud my own until they almost disappear.

Then, I say, "Take the rest of the night off."

My words echo slightly in his head. "Yeah. Okay."

Letting go of his hand, the connection breaks and I exhale deeply as I climb out of the car.

Still slightly dazed, Brian says nothing as he pulls away, but I hear his mind already directing him back home. The truth is, he didn't need my persuasion to get home, but it did keep him from asking questions. The less he knows, the safer he is. And those two young girls in that picture, they deserve to grow up with a father.

Standing alone on the sidewalk, shivering in the freezing night air, I'm ultimately left with one decision. Die of hypothermia or step inside and fight with everything I've got.

"Pick one," I mutter to myself. Rolling my eyes at myself and huffing exasperatedly, I step forward and push the door open. Was that really a question?

The red carpet looks mostly the same as it did in my dream. Save for a few stains of dirt, dust and spots of decay, but mostly the same. I follow the path upward through the lobby and toward the back office, knowing there is no need to announce my presence. My scent alone should be enough.

I'm about to pass the viewing window on the left side when something hard and cold pulls me through the doorway without warning.

I bring my hand up, ready to smash my fist in an upward thrust just under the nose, the way Charlie had taught me, when I find my attacker's face.

"Alice?"

She glares at me, eyes almost as black as the room behind her. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Me?!" I lower my voice after Alice makes a point of shushing me. "What about you? I thought Victoria had gotten to you."

"And what did you plan on doing?" she snaps. "Save me?"

Throwing my hands in the air, I scoff. "Well, yeah!"

"Of course you did." She takes a step back, shaking her head. "Had I not seen you coming, you'd be dead by now. You're lucky I convinced James and Victoria to go hunting."

I suddenly feel as cold as I did outside. My stomach drops and my chest swells with suspicion. "You...convinced them?"

Alice stares back at me, studying my face. "Why are you looking at me like that, Bella?"

"Because I don't know what's going on!"

"Sshh!" She makes a point of looking behind her, though I don't know why. We both know she'd hear anyone coming from a mile away. "Neither do you, okay? So, don't go thinking that I'm the bad guy!"

"Well, then explain it, Alice." I cross my arms, more to keep myself warm, but hoping she sees the irritation behind it as well. "Because all I know is you ran off with some vampire that wants to kill us all! Do you know how worried I was? Or Jasper?"

"Don't." Her tone is sharp, but I go on.

"Don't what?" I challenge. I'm getting loud again, but she doesn't bother trying to keep me quiet this time. "Say what you already know is true? Jasper and Edward and Carlisle—you're whole damn family! They care so much about you. How could you just up and leave like that?"

"It wasn't my choice!" She pauses and the fear that I'd seen in her in my dream dances behind her eyes. "Not at first, anyway. But now that I know the truth, I can't trust them."

Blinking up at her, I ask, "Can't trust who? Your family?"

Sighing heavily, she says, "You don't understand, Bella."

"I'm trying." I move to reach out to her, but she moves away before I can. "Talk to me. Is this about your human life?"

Her head snaps up, like she wasn't expecting me to mention it. "How did you know?"

"Victoria found your medical records, didn't she?" When she doesn't respond, I realize she must not have seen as much as she thinks she has. "I saw you holding it, Alice."

A dark expression pulls at her brows. "Then you know."

"Know what?" I run an agitated hand through my hair. "I'm so confused, Alice. Please just tell me what's going on!"

"I had so many questions when I first turned!" she spits angrily and I can see all of her bottled up emotions are about to spill over. "I was alone and afraid. I had no one. I was starving and I didn't even know what for until a human passed me and I killed him. I killed him, Bella. Do you understand that?"

"I get it." Except, it's the very wrong thing to say.

"No! You don't!" She's right of course, but I'd only agreed in hopes that she wouldn't give me the details. "I tore him to pieces. Sucked him dry and left the carcass to rot in the street."

I say nothing, even as the horrid images flow through my head. I'm terrified of seeing a red-eyed Alice. A newly turned Alice with no self control. Quite frankly, it's extremely uncomfortable even talking about it, but I know she needs to get it off her chest.

"It wasn't until I had a vision of Jasper and me living with Carlisle and his coven that I found that there were others like me, and even then I wasn't completely sure."

"I don't understand, Alice." I sigh, my breath becoming visible from the cold, even in the dark room. "What does this have to do with why you're avoiding us?"

A dark expression pulls at her brows, knitting them together. "Carlisle swore to me, that very first day that I met him. He swore that he knew nothing about my human life or who turned me."

Shrugging, I urge her to go on.

She pulls out a piece of paper, the same page she'd been staring at in my dream. "Read it."

"I already read it," I tell her, but take it anyway. "What are you trying to show me?"

"Look at the bottom," she instructs. "It's a release form. Whose signature is that, Bella?"

Squinting my eyes, I wait for them to adjust to this dark room so I can see the details of the faded ink.

"That's Carlisle's name," she says before I can finish deciphering it. "They released me to Carlisle."

"What?!" I pull the page closer to my face to study the handwriting. Now, it's true what they say about doctors' handwriting. It's horrible. The messiest I've ever seen. But with as many trips to the hospital as I've had, I'd grown quite good at decoding it. And as I stared at this signature, I know something is very wrong. "Alice, who showed you this?"

"Who else?" She moves to take the page back, but I hold onto it, not quite ready to let it go. "Victoria."

Again, my stomach sinks and churns violently. Alice mistakes my reaction as one against Carlisle. But, when I turn the page toward her, I say to remind her, "Victoria is gifted, Alice."

She stares up at me, dark eyes full of confusion.

"This isn't Carlisle's signature." I turn the page back toward me, more to convince myself I hadn't conjured the name up in my head. "This states you were released to James Padstow."

"Where do you see that?" She snatches the page from me, but I know she won't see it. Not after Victoria's already gotten into her head.

"She's messing with you, Alice! James is the one who turned you. You've been baited!"

She stills as if her muscles had suddenly turned to stone. The only thing that changes is the emotions in her eyes. Anger, confusion, disbelief and then settling into fear. "Not me. You."

"What?" I shake my head. "You're not making sense!"

"They knew you'd come," she says quietly. "They knew you'd see through her tricks."

"I don't understand."

Alice clenches her teeth tightly. "It's not me they want. It's you. You were baited."

Her words chill me to the bone. It suddenly feels very warm inside, compared to the way my muscles freeze over. I feel like vomiting as she grabs my hand and marches us toward the doorway she'd dragged me through.

But before we can make our way through it, an all too familiar figure emerges from around the corner.

Dirty blond hair, pulled back in a lazy ponytail and blood red eyes fixate on me. "Isabella Swan."

Alice steps in front of me, but it doesn't help me feel protected from this man at all. Victoria can't be too far behind him.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Something between a moan and a growl escapes his pale lips. "I've been waiting."