Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Alice hummed a tune out loud as she walked from the family's house to what was now Bella's cottage. And it was Bella's cottage, whether or not the girl in question liked to refer to it that way. She grinned, remembering the day her and Esme's plot came to fruition, and they handed Bella the keys to the decrepit little house that had been languishing on their property for decades.
"Three vampires coaxing an innocent human girl far into the woods," Bella joked. "What are you three planning and should I be scared?"
It was the day after prom. Bella slept soundly till noon, worn out the way none of them felt after a long night of dancing. Rosalie had taken the opportunity, and both she and Emmett had gone to hunt, returning right before Bella awoke. Alice and Esme snatched the blonde as soon as she arrived and told her their intentions.
Rosalie was thrilled, to put it mildly.
Alice chuckled to herself at the territorial dispute going on behind Bella's back during the long walk. Esme had planted herself beside Bella, striking up an animated conversation about bathroom fixtures. Rosalie's ire was no doubt because the human was too distracted to hold her hand or pay her any attention while they walked.
"Oh, shut up," Rosalie mumbled as she fell back to match Alice's stride, a few paces behind Bella and Esme.
Alice stuck out her tongue. "Now, now," she whispered. Her tone was light but her words well-chosen. "You know better than to begrudge them of this."
Rosalie rolled her eyes, but had the wits to hold her tongue. She knew Alice was right.
During her recovery, Esme's maternal feelings had only multiplied. Of the family, she alone did not have obligations like school or colleagues who would miss her if she disappeared for a month, and so it was she who helped Bella with the majority of her day-to-day needs while immobile from her casts. It didn't take a genius to see how much Esme loved mothering over her, and though Bella spoke little of it, how much that growing relationship meant to the young girl.
"Will she accept?" Rosalie's question brought her out of her musings.
"Not a clue," grumbled Alice. "Not one vision..."
Much to her chagrin, whatever kept Bella out of her visions was now back in full force. The girl had a vexing habit of keeping the knots of her plans untied so Alice couldn't catch wind of them, a habit that refused to die from the days in which she kept her knowledge of their true beings a secret. But it was more than that. There were many times when Alice knew Bella was making a decision; they would be sitting in the living room together playing chess, and she knew Bella was determining options for her pieces...and still Alice got nothing. It was as if the same iron wall that existed between Bella's mind and Edward now formed between her and Alice's visions. The murky clouds of the past would be a godsend at this point. They, at least, were traversable with some effort.
She tried not to attach too much significance to this problem; Alice did not have an unalienable right to watch over anyone's future after all, and if Bella had a gift for extra privacy from the likes of Edward and herself, so be it. But...why? Why now? A year ago, it got easier to see her the more control Bella gained over her fiery gift. What did it mean now that it was virtually impossible?
"We're here," Esme said, interrupted her thoughts.
Alice held back to hide her excitement. Please don't be a proud idiot and accept, damn it, she thought.
"What's 'here'?" Bella asked, looking at the structure before them, confused.
The cottage had stood on the edge of the Cullens' property since they purchased the land. They weren't precisely clear on when it was built but judging by the masonry, it was likely older than all the younger vampires. Until a few months ago it was the very picture of abandonment: decrepit, broken windows, crumbling stones, and weeds that could ensnare a small child.
The building as it stood now was, on the surface, still a sad looking place. But much work had gone into it even though most of it was not obvious. The foundations which before were sagging and dangerous, were now safe and sound. The old masonry was replaced with newer, stronger stones. Instead of an outhouse, the cottage housed its first bathroom complete with all the plumbing needed. Where there was once only a hearth for cooking, there was now space for a small but full kitchen. The house boasted new glass for all its windows, as well as fresh insulation in all its walls.
To untrained eyes though, it still looked like crap. But that, Esme and Alice were betting, would be its biggest selling point.
"What is this?" Bella asked again.
"We're hoping...that you'll consider making this your new home," Esme said tentatively.
Immediately, Bella stopped in her tracks and backed away. "No, no, no."
"Bella!" Alice tisked while deep down she thought 'that obstinate girl.' "Look at the place before you refuse. We're not giving you a luxury chalet. It's practically a dump."
Oh it had taken considerable willpower not to disobey Esme's rules and really fix this place up. With vampire speed and between the two of them, they could've made this a dream house in no time. But that would've made convincing Bella to take it impossible, Alice now knew. Even as it is, Bella's response could go any which way. Ugh! Damn it, she wanted to see!
"Please think about it," Rosalie implored. She reached for Bella's hand. "You cannot go back to Charlie's. You absolutely can't."
Bella was very much planning on that. "The shed is far enough from the house," said Bella. "I'm pretty sure he'll do whatever I ask, and I'm planning to ask him-to demand that he leave me alone."
"And if you didn't have a family that loves you, that would be fine," said Esme. "But honey, we're here. You're part of our family. Aren't we part of yours?"
Very nice, Esme, thought Alice. Play the family/guilt card.
"Of course you are!" Bella cried out. "But this-it's too much. I can't accept this gift. I'm sorry."
Esme sighed. Alice and Rosalie, who knew the next hand in Esme's play, waited with bated breaths.
"Who said anything about this being a gift? There's a payment I'd like to discuss with you," She said.
Bella's face predictably turned to her, quizzical. Alice could see her struggling but curiosity finally got the best of her and she asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Esme said slowly, "this place is in shambles. It needs a ton of work. The kitchen is nonexistent. It needs to be designed from scratch. The floors are a mess. Everything has to be painted and cleaned. Not to mention the yard is a nightmare. I've always wanted to fix this place up and turn it into a showcase for my business, but have never found the time. If you agree to take on this job and fix this place up, your payment will be room and board right here."
Alice and Rosalie looked from Esme to Bella and waited. She was looking at her, perplexed both at Esme's business offer and the transparency of what she was doing. Of course, Esme could have fixed this cottage up by herself in a few days. With her vampire speed and strength, she could have created a feature for Architectural Digest if she was so inclined.
"And once I've finished? Hypothetically speaking of course," Bella added.
"Then...our agreement comes to an end. You give me back the keys," said Esme.
Bella narrowed her eyes. "Come on, Esme. You don't think I see what you're doing?"
Esme's eyes widened and she plastered a look of innocence on her face. Alice almost laughed-she looked more like a devious teenager planning her escape from parental punishment in that moment that a supposed mother of six, now seven.
"All I'm doing is what's best for my business. I need this cottage fixed up. You are more than capable for the job."
She topped off her performance with a cross of the arms and a pivot on her feet so she wasn't staring directly at the girl. The decision was Bella's now.
Bella turned her suspicious face from Esme to the cottage. Despite the obvious plot afoot, Alice could see the gears turning in her head. It was a good offer, the very best Esme could make. Bella was too proud to outright accept a free stay, even in a hideous place like this. The girl obviously loved the work she'd been doing with Esme up until now. She'd taken to it like a duckling in water. Designing from scratch, making something with her hands...Bella would get to do all that and more with this little place.
And it would put her just a couple of miles from the main house. And far, far away from her father's reach.
Rosalie reached for Bella's hand. "Please?" She whispered.
They looked into each others' eyes, and Alice knew the decision was made. Oooh! Alice barely hid her squeal of excitement-she couldn't wait to start filling up that closet! She'd made sure they gouged out a hole in the bedroom wall big enough for one.
"Honey, I'm home!" Alice shouted when she reached the door.
A minute later, a blue haired Bella opened the door and ushered her in.
"Er, nice hair-do," Alice commented.
"Thanks! Don't tell Rose but I might keep it," Bella laughed referring to her blue paint stained hair.
"Oh boy," Alice shook her head. She had certainly taken the 'business deal' seriously. It had only been a week and the place was looking more livable than it ever had in half a century. The cement floors were free of debris and relatively clean looking, and the walls shone brightly with fresh point. The blue in Bella's hair matched the blue of one of the living room walls, which the girl was clearly in the middle of painting.
"Let me just wash my hands, ok?" Bella said and Alice waved her off. She looked for a place to sit in the meantime and chose the wooden park bench that Emmett had brought a few days ago. Somehow that seemed better than one of the beach chairs that littered the room. There was no other furniture, Alice knew, save for the bed in the small bedroom (Rosalie had insisted on that) and a large table out here in the living room, and there probably wouldn't be until Bella figured the feng shui or whatever it is people like Bella and Esme did when furnishing a room (Alice obviously did not share their interest).
Anyway.
She waited as patiently as she could while Bella cleaned up. She tried, but no visions of Bella came. Frustrated, she tried again with herself this time. This time, she did see something. She saw herself...distressed over something. Had there been more time, she would have fretted some more about it but it was too late. Her friend was coming back.
Bella gathered what she needed from her room and hurried back to Alice, who was fidgeting impatiently in her seat. She couldn't blame her-Bella was pretty cryptic about why she wanted to see her and Alice strongly disliked being in the dark.
Well, Bella was about to shed light on unquestionably the darkest corner of Alice's life.
"Alice," she started softly. "I have something to tell you."
She thumbed over the manila envelope in her hands, an action that caught Alice's attention.
"I didn't tell you the whole truth before. About James," she continued.
"Something...else happened that night?" Alice asked, rapt with attention.
Oh yes, there were many somethings that happened that night and that Bella had not disclosed. That was the truth. But today, she would weave yet another lie.
"James said some things before he died. About you," said Bella. "About...your past."
Alice's eyes widened and she sat up even straighter.
Bella took a deep breath. "James is the reason you became a vampire, Alice. He hunted you...90 years ago. And you escaped."
Alice blinked.
"You saw him coming, even when you were human," Bella continued as she slid the envelope towards her. "You were held...in a mental asylum. James said your visions scared your family and that's why they put you in there. Nobody believed you when you said he was coming of course, but there was a vampire who worked for the institution who understood that you were gifted, and that you were telling the truth. He...turned you to protect you. It worked. When James found you in the middle of your transformation, he lost interest and killed your friend instead."
Alice sat frozen in her spot, listening to every word she said. She would no doubt replay these minutes many times in the days and weeks to come as she grappled with this information.
She spoke up, her voice small and fleeting. "Why did you wait so long to tell me?" She asked in a not quite but still obviously accusatory tone.
Bella nudged the envelope closer to her. She waited for Alice to open it. "I had to make sure before I told you something like this. I had to make sure he was telling truth. And I did. He was."
In the envelope were, thanks to the research databases at the Seattle Public Library, copies of a Mississippi birth and death certificate, a few short obituaries, and a grainy cell phone picture of a group of grave markers.
"My name is Mary Alice Brandon," Alice whispered as her eyes ran over the few words on the pages. The desperation in her eyes tore at Bella, who could only watch wordlessly as Alice devoured the proof in front of her. She was glad she took the extra step of procuring hard evidence. Not only did it make her feel better about delivering such life changing news, it also kept Alice's focus off of her and on the documents in her hands. Hopefully Alice would be too distracted to suspect she did not in fact learn any of this information from James himself, but from Edward.
"But...why can't I remember?" Alice cried out.
Oh, Alice, Bella thought sadly.
"I didn't find much on that asylum," Bella answered her softly. "But places like that did some nasty things back then. Shock therapy without anesthesia..." Bella swallowed. "Memory loss is one of the side effects."
Alice clutched the papers in her arms, and Bella looked at her helplessly. Edward should have done this. That bastard owed it to his sister...but so long as his actions remained secret from the family he never would have said anything. And Alice had to know. Bella's only other choice was telling the family everything, and Bella didn't want to do that. Not yet.
A pleading look passed over Alice's face. "Will you come with me?" She asked. "To help me tell them?"
"Of course," Bella got up and led Alice, who could hardly take one step on her own, out of the cottage.
The past, it seems, will always catch up with you and knock you down.
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