Chapter 5: Unanswered questions

Bella PoV

Dream sequence

I was surrounded by white, as if I was trapped in an endless white void, and it was as cold as it was stark. Tentatively I tried running in a random direction, as I had no sense of north or south. I ran and ran for what felt like an eternity, but I seemed to make no progress, the white shroud still surrounded me with no end in sight. I was tired, and impossibly cold, nothing could be worse than this, I thought. How long had I been here? I couldn't seem to remember. I felt as though I was in stasis, unable to move forward or fall back. It felt as if this endless white void would go on forever and I would eventually be no more than a speck in it's perfect scape.

Warmth, it had been so long since I felt anything but cold. The white was growing dimmer, I thought I could hear voices, but how was that possible? I was alone in this place, at least I had thought that I was. The white void began to change color, no longer was I trapped in a shapeless place, unable to tell up from down. To my right I began to see orange and red swirling around, that must be where the warmth was coming from. I tried to reach out to it, to get closer, but I stayed put, only able to feel the edges of the warmth when all I wished was to throw myself into its embrace.

Just as soon as the color appeared it changed. No longer was I forced to feel the red and orange swirl from a distance, now I was awash in its glorious warmth, and swaddled in a comforting brown. The colors were alive all around me, and I felt at peace.

I couldn't remember anything beyond the colors which now surrounded me. It was a startling revelation, who was I? How did I end up here? Was there any way I could escape and return to my home?

Home.

I must have one, surely, I did. But I couldn't remember it. I felt myself beginning to panic, but before I could settle into that fear the voices returned, softer than before, and I found myself leaning into their embrace, though I couldn't understand what they were saying.

*(Time Jump)*

Alice PoV

It had been a while since I had asked Edward if someone could possibly be out in such a retched storm. He had been quick to assure me that it was an impossibility. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I had planned to speak on it once more with Edward, as sleep was evading me. I carefully slid out of bed, trying not to disturb Lucy as I did.

Just as I rounded the corner from the stairs into the keeping room, I felt a stiff breeze sweep through the lower floor of the house. Someone must have opened a door!

I quickly and quietly made my way to the door not wanting to wake anyone. But once I saw Edward trudging through the snow in no more than his boots and a night coat, I ran to fetch a coat and my boots. As soon as I was able, I ran out after my foolish brother.

"Edward!" I called out to him, he was still steadily trudging through the snow, I had only made it a few feet from the front door, but he was still a good ten feet ahead of me, and in this weather that was a long way.

"Alice!" he called back.

"What are you doing?!"

"Something or someone is out here! I must find them!"

"You crazy loon! It's far too cold for this! You must come back!" It was obvious after a moment that he could no longer hear me. I couldn't convince him to come back inside if he couldn't hear me so I returned to the house and after shedding my coat and boots I went to the hearth to keep the fire roaring so that my crazy brother could be thawed out when he finally returned to the house.

Once I made sure that the fire was holding strong and wouldn't need fed for a moment I jumped up and began pacing the length of the room. Several times altering my route so that I could glance out the door to see if Edward was coming back. By the second time I had checked out the door the snow had begun to fall even heavier, and I realized that I would only be straining my eyes to try and keep an eye on my brother, so I returned to the fireside to make sure he would be able to warm up and hopefully avoid getting sick from the prolonged exposure to the cold.

I must have zoned out for a moment because the next thing I knew I heard Edward's boots crossing the threshold of our family home. I jumped up to berate him for being so daft as to run out into such horrid weather, but I was shocked out of my mind when I saw him.

He had someone in his arms… a girl! I was shocked, but that didn't stop the torrent of questions I had for my dear brother as he made his way to the fire side.

"How did you know she was out there? Is she alive? Wow she is really pretty. Does she have a name?"

"I don't know how I knew Alice. I can't explain it, not really. It was like, I felt her; a chill ran through me, and I jumped up. I headed outside, knowing someone would be there."

He didn't acknowledge my other questions, and instead moved to lay the girl down on the floor in front of the hearth. She was so pale; it was a miracle to me that she could be alive at all.

"Bring me a spare quilt and pillow would you Alice? We should try and make this floor a bit more comfortable incase she wakes." He asked without ever breaking his gaze away from the girl's face.

I did as he asked, rushing to my room to seek a spare quilt and pillow. In my search I also looked for my spare night dress, a pillow and blanket would do no good if the girl's clothes started to thaw.

"I have gotten what you asked, but I would like to sit with her on my own for a while, there are some things to be done which you shouldn't be around for." I said, Edward looked a me confused until he noticed the night dress still in my hands. He looked reluctant to leave the girl's side, so I ignored him and worked to begin to figure out the best way to undress the unconscious and frozen girl.

Edward seemed to realize it was time for him to leave, I heard him stand and mutter that he best inform Carlisle. Though he didn't seem to be aware that he had spoken aloud.

I made quick work of the girl's clothes and noted that she seemed to be well fed and well dressed, it simply made me all the more curious as to why she was out in such as storm to allow herself to be buried in the snow. Where was her family, or even just a chaperone? It was uncommon to see a girl, who appeared to be around my age, all alone, especially in the midst of a blizzard.

Once all the wet layers of cloth were stripped away and I had wrestled the girl into my spare night dress, careful not to jostle her too much, I noticed a dainty silver locket around her neck. My curiosity and hope to find out just who this strange girl had led me to try and open it. Making certain that the girl was still too far gone to awake I made quick work of the locket, turning it over and over in my hands. The little thing seemed to have to way to open it, and just as I was about to give up, something caught my eye. I looked closer and realized much to my excitement that it was a name! Marie! The name of course must be hers! Pleased with myself at having found out any small detail of the girl, I turned to stoke the fire in the hearth once more.

It was then that I heard footsteps approaching and knew that Edward must have been successful in retrieving Carlisle.

"Oh my, Edward; you weren't pulling my leg with this."

Carlisle knelt on the side of the girl opposite me. He checked her pulse and breath. Then felt her forehead for signs of a fever before turning to look at me.

"Alice, I know it is a lot to ask, but since your mother is in the guest room I was wondering if you would mind sharing quarters with Rosalie so we can get this poor child off of the floor."

Before I could even attempt an answer to my stepfather Edward was already speaking.

"Carlisle, we can just give her my bed. I tend to fall asleep right here, in front of the fire, on most nights regardless. That way Alice keeps her room and doesn't have to worry about waking Rosalie this late."

"Edward…" Carlisle began but was cut off.

"It is alright, I do not mind; besides I found her let me do this. When should we move her?"

"Now would be as good a time as any. Even better than daybreak, I would rather not explain her presence so early in the morning; especially with the chance of Jasper or Rosalie waking first."

"Alright," Edward said, then turned to pick her up. "Carlisle will you go and pull the covering down on my bed?"

Carlisle stood and moved away, he turned down the hall so that he could have the coverings pulled down when Edward arrived there with the girl.

"Hold on a moment, shouldn't we have a bed warmer for her? I know Edward doesn't use one, but she is still cold as death." I said, still seeming to be the only one of the two of us thinking clearly about the state of the girl.

"Of course, Alice but do we have a spare bed warmer anywhere?"

"I have one in my cupboard… or was it my trunk? I better go look."

With that I turned and hurried quietly into my room. With my room sharing a wall with Rosalie's I moved about as quiet and as quickly as possible, searching for the bed warmer. Having not seen it in my cupboard when looking for the spare bedding, which was now hung to dry in front of the fire along with the girl's clothes, I turned to my trunk. And to my luck it was resting just below the hat I had kept of father's when he passed.

"Edward, where is Alice?" Carlisle asked as I entered my room and slowly crossed the short distance from the door to my bed.

"She is looking for a spare bed warmer."

"Oh…" Before Carlisle could continue, I skipped in with the empty bed warmer in hand, having heard them whispering from the hall.

"Carlisle, could you fill this up for me? I wouldn't want to accidentally burn myself."

Carlisle left the room to fill the bed warmer with warm coals from the fire.

Edward turned my attention back to the girl, making sure she was safely away from both edges of the bed. Before Carlisle returned, he asked me to help him properly elevate the girl's head by fluffing and repositioning the pillows. We had barely finished putting the pillows back under her head when Carlisle returned with a bed warmer full of warm coals.

Once the bed warmer was positioned and the coverings pulled back up Carlisle blew out the candle by the bed and I grabbed my candle and led Carlisle and Edward to the hall.

We were saying our goodnights and Carlisle turned to retire when I said, "Her name."

"What Alice?" Carlisle asked, not quite hearing me in his half-sleep daze, clearly tired from the small excitement for which Edward had roused him in the middle of the night.

"I think I know her name."

"Well," Edward said. "What is it, what is her name?"

"Marie, she has a locket around her neck, and it had a name engraved on the back. I couldn't actually open the locket, but the name on the back was Marie." I said nonchalantly.

Carlisle then sent us off to bed. I walked into my room without even saying goodnight, finally feeling the effects of such a busy evening.

Edward must have just laid down to sleep when I left my room and approached him. I had realized he would also be cold from his time in the snow so I made sure to bring him extra quilts and pillows, though I couldn't be bothered to make my way all the way to him, so I simply threw them at his head. He whispered a quiet thank you as he sat up to place the extra pillow and blankets where they belonged, and I made the retreat to my room to finally sleep the night away.

A/N: Long time no see!
firstly I would like to apologize for having been gone so long. I had been forced into taking a break from writing here when I hit my senior year of high school and by the time, I started college I had forgotten all about this story. The last six or so years have been hectic between college and then the pandemic, but I have finally returned to write the rest of this story and then hopefully more in the future.

I hope you enjoyed Alice's point of view in finding this mystery girl. And what about Bella's strange dream? It isn't her first and I doubt it will be her last. ? Now that I am back the story that once will take on a new life and I hope that you all will enjoy taking this journey with me. ?

~Rylandra