Ok, here it is - Chapter One. Thank you for all of the favorites and reviews! Speaking of which, I received a review yesterday that said that Edward mentioned that Alice didn't remember her transformation in Twilight. I appreciate the feedback, and it made me realize that I forgot to include this disclaimer earlier, but you will see why Edward thinks Alice doesn't remember her transformation eventually. Also, another inconsistency that needs to be cleared up is when Jasper and Alice meet. In the original timeline, Alice is turned in 1920, but doesn't meet Jasper until 1938. I've decided that my timeline will be adjusted for this story, so Alice will meet Jasper only a couple of months after her transformation. Also, this story's chapters will be much shorter than my chapters in Solstice, but I will try to upload more often instead. I took a day off from writing on Thanksgiving, but I'm going to try and get another update out by tomorrow.
My mind reeled through millions of scenes, all unfolding in the same moment. Each image whizzing by connected with another, and another, and another. It was incredibly overwhelming, yet mesmerizing. The scenarios all tangled together in an endless weave of possibilities, and even though I knew that I was easily seeing thousands of images at once, I was focusing on each one simultaneously. It was as if my mind was split into hundreds and hundreds of pieces, experiencing each moment at once.
A specific series of images flashed before my eyes, in focus. A lifeless human body. A blurred figure rushing through the forest. A red eye, then a golden one. Another lifeless body, belonging to an animal this time. A ray of light, shining down on pale skin that beautifully sparkled. From these visions, and the knowledge that came with them, I was certain of several things. I was a vampire, meaning that I could run at inhuman speeds, couldn't be killed by most things, and survived off of either human or animal blood. Human blood was far more appealing to me. I was incredibly strong, and I had a gift: subjectively accurate premonitions.
Despite the wonderful sights developing before my eyes, I could still see a prominent scene of a dense line of trees, blocking out light rays of morning sunshine. The present. What was even more shocking than the fact that I could see hundreds of scenarios at once was that these possibilities were accompanied by the knowledge and understanding of them. The experience was beautiful. So as soon as I saw the trees, I knew that it was the present.
I sat up and observed my surroundings cautiously, though none of the scenes that were currently occupying my mind represented any danger coming from this forest. When I put specific focus on the present, the other future scenarios became less prominent - faded, almost. The forest in front of me towered high, blocking out the sun, but I knew that it was early morning from the dew covered grass and cool breeze. Though I recognized the cool sensation of wind blowing against my skin, I didn't feel any temperature change. I was perfectly comfortable, despite the small piles of snow collected on the branches of trees around me. Winter.
One of my visions showed me: a pale, perfectly symmetrical face with angular features and a spiky haircut. Most of the images I saw were connected, but I only sensed it - I had no knowledge of what connected them. There were numerous other people that seemed connected to me, but most of them were very dull and faded, like the possibility of the connection was very slim.
A horrid aching in my throat halted my train of thought. Invisible hands squeezed my throat shut, making me gasp in agony. I knew instantly that this was the thirst that came with my new identity, but this realization didn't make it any less painful.
I concentrated on the smells wafting around me, from the fresh pine needles to the crisp winter air. After only moments, I caught a whiff of an extraordinary scent. It was lavender, jasmine, fresh linen, citrus, ocean air, and thousands of other wonderful smells all combined into one enchanting scent that made my throat close tighter. Two people, one woman and one man, hiking seven miles South.
I didn't remember making the conscious decision to hunt these people down, but I was sprinting in their direction before I knew it. The smell grew more and more intense with every step I took, and my throat longed for a sip of the tempting substance. As I ran, I became aware of how fast I was going - the trees around me became blurred. Though I was aware from my visions that this supernatural speed was a normal part of being a vampire, my speed still surprised me. And despite my supposed exertion, my breath remained calm and even.
It took me less than a minute to reach the hikers, and it was the first time that I was genuinely grateful for my inhuman abilities when I realized that I didn't have to wait any longer to satisfy my aching throat. I felt my body shift into a tense crouch, ready to pounce on my prey.
"How much longer? My legs are about to fall off, Lexi!"
"Stop complaining. We haven't been out for that long."
The woman stood at the top of a hill, admiring the view of snow covered trees, as her hiking partner fought his way up the hill a hundred yards away. I silently sank my teeth into his warm flesh and snapped his neck at the same time, killing him before he had the chance to scream. His warm blood soothed my thirst and eased the grip of the invisible hands.
Before I could stop myself, I ran to Lexi and killed her as well.
Another set of visions caught my attention as I quickly finished drinking Lexi's blood, but these images were slightly clearer than the others that I saw. More probable.
A young man, around seventeen or eighteen, with pale skin and crimson eyes, stared into my eyes through the premonition. His flawless beauty told me that he was a vampire as well. Dirty blonde hair hung loosely to his ears, and he wore a crooked smile. Scars covered his arms and legs, shaped like crescent moons, and even though his eyes were the same deep red that mine were I could tell that they were filled with pain. He was happy, in the vision, but his scars and pained eyes meant that he'd been through too much suffering for one person, vampire or not. His name was Jasper Cullen. And I was going to fall hopelessly in love with him.
This chapter was very challenging to write because I really needed to dive into Alice's character to guess how she saw her premonitions and how she reacted to her transformation. Please leave feedback on this chapter, because it really was hit or miss. Part of the reason why I waited longer than usual to put this out was because I must've written five or six different versions of this before finally finishing this one. I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow, but please understand that I can't make any promises.
