Alice dared to sneak one last peek in her rearview mirror before speeding around the corner. Jasper was standing on the front porch with the front door wide open. As always, his blank facial expression gave away no hints as to what was going on in that beautiful brain of his. Alice wished more than anything that she could have a redo of the past five minutes. Instead of saying what was really on her mind, she babbled on about the mall and other pointless things. She should have apologized and told Jasper how much she loved and missed him. She'd have to live the rest of her life knowing she'd lost the love of her life.
Alice flipped on her turn signal and turned left towards the mall. Seeing her bare left wrist nearly put her over the edge. That charm bracelet met everything to her. It was one of the few remaining ties she had to Bella. Wearing it reminded her of all the great times they'd shared. How could she have lost it? She'd searched her school and house top to bottom, but came up empty. Like Bella, the bracelet had vanished without a trace. Why couldn't people and things just stay where they were meant to be?
Alice made it to the mall in record time. She wasted no time rushing towards Pandora. Even a sale at Nordstrom, her favorite store, held no appeal. She was a woman on a mission. Bella could come home at any minute. She'd be traumatized from her experience. If she saw Alice wearing that charm bracelet she'd know that her best friend still cared about her. They'd find a way to overcome her trauma together.
Alice entered Pandora and started looking around. She felt none of the normal joy that came from being in one of her favorite stores.
"Alice!" Marissa, one of the cashers, exclaimed, "It's been weeks! We were starting to think you'd been kidnapped!"
"No way," Alice said with a wave of her hand. "No one would dare kidnap Alice Cullen. The local stores would go out of business in a month without me."
"Are you here to buy a Christmas present for Bella?
Alice fought back tears. "Not today."
Marissa didn't know what had happened. As far as she knew, Bella was still alive and well. Alice certainly hadn't stopped buying her presents. There were dozens of gifts wrapped and ready for Bella's welcome home party. Even Edward, who spend endless hours composing songs for his lost love, though it was a bit excessive.
"Do you remember the bracelet I gave Bella for her birthday last year?" Alice asked.
"Which one? Marissa asked. "You cleared out most of our inventory."
"The one with the sisters charm. I lost mine and I'd like to buy a replacement."
Marissa gave Alice a sympathetic look."I'd love to help you, but that bracelet has been discontinued. We don't have any more left in stock."
Alice pointed to a bracelet with an ugly wolf charm. "They discontinued a perfectly good piece of jewelry instead of that monstrosity? How does that make sense?"
Marissa shrugged. "You'd be surprised by how many of those we sell. I guess a lot of people prefer wild animals over their families."
Alice ran her fingers through her short hair. "This is a disaster. Bella is going to freak when she finds out I lost my bracelet."
Marissa patted Alice's hand. "I'm sure Bella will understand." Marissa unlocked the display case and handed Alice a pair of silver bracelets with matching heart charms. "How about these? I'll even engrave them for free."
Alice looked at the bracelets. They were beautiful, but not what she was looking for. Some things couldn't be replaced.
"Is there something wrong?" Marissa asked. "You can pick something else if you don't like these bracelets."
"No, they're beautiful. It's just that my charm bracelet had a lot of sentimental value. It's been a hard year and I was really hoping things would go my way for once."
"You could try the outlet mall in La Push," Marissa suggested. "It's a bit of a hike, but they may still have a few left."
Alice had a difficult time finding her way to La Push. She'd never been to that part of Washington before. Cell phone service was spotty and many of the roads looked like they were in the process of being assimilated into the forest. The houses were small and looked about one strong breeze away from collapsing. She locked her doors when she passed a small blue house with a pair of rusted motorcycles in the garage. La Push wasn't a place she wanted to stay any longer than she had to.
After a few more wrong turns, Alice made it to the mall. She double-checked that her car doors were locked and headed inside. She couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. Her Mercedes and designer purse stood out from the rusted pickups and faded jeans favored by the locals. She clutched her purse close to her chest and continued towards her destination. It would all be worth it if she found what she was looking for.
"What do you mean you can't find it!" Alice shouted. "I didn't come all this way to be disappointed!"
"I'm sorry," the cashier said with tears in her eyes. "Someone else must have sold it. Maybe you could try the mall in Forks. They might have a few left in stock."
"I just came from Forks! They sent me here!"
A crowd was gathering, but Alice didn't care. She needed that bracelet. The only thing standing in her way was an incompetent cashier.
"Did you check the back room?" Alice asked.
"Yes, it wasn't back there." The cashier sniffled. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Alice snapped. "Keep looking until you find it!"
The cashier took a shaky breath and pointed to a wolf bracelet. "Maybe you'd like one of those. I bought one for my best friend's birthday."
Alice sneered at the bracelets. " That piece of garbage isn't what I came for. You'd better get your manager. I'd like to file a complaint."
"Is this woman bothering you, Renesmee?" said a deep voice.
Alice turned around and came face to face with a mountain of a man. He had fire in his eyes and hands the size of baseball gloves. One punch would probably send Alice flying across the room.
"No," said Alice. "I was just leaving."
"Good," said the man. "Is there anything else you'd like to say to my girlfriend?"
"No," Alice whispered. The man was a foot taller and a hundred pounds heavier than her. Saying anything else would be suicidal.
"How about an apology? The mad said with his burly arms crossed.
"Jacob, that's not necessary," said Renesmee. "I'm sure she's just having a bad day."
"That doesn't give her the right to throw a tantrum and treat others like garbage."
"I'm sorry," Alice whispered.
"What was that?" Jacob said. "I didn't quite catch that."
"I'm sorry Renesme," Alice said loud enough for the whole crowd to hear. "I'm sorry that I lost my temper and yelled at you."
Jacob nodded his head. "Good. Now be on your way."
Alice hightailed it out of the store before Jacob changed his mind and decided to snap her in half like a twig. Her heart skipped a beat. Bella was standing among the crowd. She was wearing blue jeans and a flannel shirt. It was a near-perfect copy of the outfit she'd worn they day they met.
"Bella!" Alice cried.
Alice pushed the crowd with tears streaming down her face. The bracelet no longer mattered. Bella was finally home. Everything would finally go back to normal.
Alice blinked and Bella was gone. A teenage boy with long black hair was standing in her place.
"Bella!" Alice shouted. "Bella, it's me, Alice! Where are you?"
She scanned the crowd and saw nothing but dozens of judgemental strangers clutching overstuffed shopping bags. Some were even recording her breakdown on their cellphones. Once again, Alice's mind had tricked her. Bella's kidnappers wouldn't have let her out for a shopping trip. It was a mirage, a manifestation of what she wanted most. Not caring who was watching, Alice sank to her knees and sobbed.
