Four hours later the lockdown lifted. Alice didn't even need to check her visions to know that it meant Edward had finally arrived at the Center. If it weren't for his arrival they would've had to wait for a couple of Lieutenants from Fargo to head north and disengage the systems themselves. The instant the blue flashing lights stopped Alice sighed out of relief.
Skye stood up quickly when the buzzing sound of the doors unlocking reached their ears.
"Edward will be here soon," Alice muttered, lifting her head up from the desk. She'd been flickering from vision to vision over the past hour, letting her mind open up entirely to the world around her, taking in as much information as she could.
Esme had been the first to hear about the lockdown from their offices in the Pentagon. She and Carlisle were supposed to have been reunited soon, but word of the incident would likely force them to extend their time apart even further, and Alice hated herself for that.
Rosalie had been the next to hear about it, who had immediately called Edward, who eased her fears with the information that he would be on a plane in minutes and in Winnipeg in hours.
Jasper, immediately after their phone call ended, had called Emmett and forced him to abandon his day out with Josie to return home immediately. The call hadn't lasted long. Just long enough for Alice to assure Jasper that she and Skye were alright, and long enough for Jasper to promise that he would be there as soon as he could.
Then, Alice had watched in her mind as Jasper booked himself and Emmett a flight to Winnipeg. Last Alice had checked they were waiting for takeoff. They'd be there within the next five hours, just before sunrise.
Bella, having travelled back to Washington a few days prior to see Ness, was the only one of her co-Protectors who she couldn't see. She could, thankfully, see that Rosalie had called her up after she'd checked in with Carlisle and Esme, and had filled her in on what they knew so far.
And unfortunately, none of her friends knew much. Which was good for damage control purposes (the less information that leaked to the media, the better) but terrible for Alice.
The only information available—and the only information any high-ranking official had—was this:
Minutes after a lockdown was initiated, an unidentified man broke into the Newborn Center in Winnipeg's Containment Center thirteen miles southwest of the city. After a handful of quick fights took place, four were left dead and both the intruder as well as a resident—a former captive under Maria's forces, Victoria—were also missing.
Not much else was known to them. Alice could see that as far as most of the Protectors were concerned, someone was going after the war's leftover radicals. Alice could see that only Edward knew what was closer to the truth: that Victoria had something to do with it.
Even Jasper and Emmett, whispering to each other throughout their flight, were under the impression that James could be someone from either side of the equation—either a Maria-sympathizer or someone unwilling to let Maria's old charges live to see the light of day.
There was going to be a shit-storm when the truth came to light.
If it came to light, Alice mentally added.
"Skye," Alice spoke again after another long silence filled the room. They were going to be in there for a couple more minutes; Alice could see that Edward was heading straight for them currently. "I know this is asking a lot from you, but if you could repeat everything you told me earlier and let us put it on official record, it would help put those two away."
Unfortunately, Skye was already shaking her head before Alice was done speaking. "Victoria will know. I know she'll know."
"Victoria is gone, Skye."
The girl blinked over toward her. "Gone as in… dead? Or gone as in not here anymore?" Then, a glare took the place of her confused expression. "How are you going to go nearly comatose for four fucking hours and then come back and start requesting crazy shit from me?"
"James got her out. I was wrong. I thought he was coming to kill you. He tricked me in order to bust Victoria out. They're both free now."
Skye stared back at Alice in barely-concealed horror. "How do you know this?"
Alice stared back at her quietly, not about to be the one to say it. But if the girl figured it out, good on her.
"How did you know any of the things you knew last year?" She spoke again, her voice quiet as she stared at Alice in awe. "You knew where to find us. You knew how to call Maria up. You knew how to press her fucking buttons, all without ever meeting her. Alice, how?"
Alice voice was a whisper. "We have a lot more in common than you think." A beat of silence. "You aren't the only gifted vampire James found in a psych ward."
Seconds later, the latch to their door clicked. Edward and a handful of containers rushing into the room swiftly.
"Hey," Edward was at Alice's side instantly, a hand at her back as he steered her toward the door, "are you alright?"
But before he could escort her out of the room, she planted her feet, turning back toward Skye. Then, Alice lifted an arm, beckoning her forward.
Skye blinked back at her, confused. And the containers that filed into the room took her elbows, preparing to guide her back toward the residential wing.
"Stop," Alice commanded loudly, forcing the two men at Skye's sides to pause and glance up in confusion. "She's coming with me."
A third container, still standing by the door, blanched at that. "With all due respect, Ms. Brandon, we need to keep her safe—"
"She's safest with me for the time-being," Alice spoke overtop of his weak excuse. "She will not be leaving the campus, I can assure you. But I refuse to send her back to the residential wing when there are fresh scorch marks on the floor and the smell of burning corpses clinging to the paint." In the back of her mind, she knew she was being a bit harsh with her words, but there was no way anyone was going to deny her anything right now. And she would see to it that any request, no matter how out of line or against protocol they were, would be followed.
Edward stiffened at her side, uncomfortable with her alluding to the fact that she knew what had happened while she was locked in this room. It was surely a fact that hadn't gone unnoticed by the other occupants of the room, but Alice didn't care. Let them wonder and speculate. Let them fear her, even. But they had to at least take her seriously if things were going to go the way they needed to.
"Miss Ortiz will remain by my side until I leave this place," arm still raised toward Skye, Alice nodded at her again, praying that she would listen and not cause a scene. At least, not yet. "As long as that man is out there, she is not safe. Even in our heaviest guarded corridors."
It was true, and Alice could tell that Skye did not appreciate the fact being spoken out loud. But still, Skye walked evenly toward her, as if attempting to fake confidence and a nonchalance that she didn't truly possess.
Alice's eyes didn't even flicker up to Edward's as she thought pointedly, All three of us need to have a very private talk as soon as possible. But Alice knew that Edward was already on the same page as she was, even as he led the two small women out of the room and they fell in step behind a Captain and a Lieutenant, leading them back to the main offices.
Alice could sense their hesitance in speaking with Skye in such close proximity, but when Alice demanded to know what had happened, the Captain cleared her throat and began speaking in a low, hurried voice.
"We were hoping you'd be able to shed some more light on that, ma'am. Our cameras are showing us he was a guest of yours earlier today and yesterday."
"James," Alice spoke, nodding as she kept her expression even. What worked in her favor here was the fact that their meetings had been unofficial and under-the-table. Alice could morph whatever story she deemed necessary now, and it had to be an airtight one, or else there would be hell to pay. "Turns out Victoria did have a mate that she never disclosed to us. I met with him in an attempt to get more information and through our meetings I've been lead to believe he also had a hand in Maria's operation."
"How?" The Lieutenant, one of the only vampires with fully-grey hair that Alice had ever met, demanded immediately. "I helped oversee some of the investigation myself," with that comment, he shot Skye a fierce glare, "that information never made it's way to us. His existence was never mentioned."
Alice stepped between Skye and the old man just as a defensive growl began to rumble through Skye's chest. "It appears that in keeping Skye and Victoria in the same center we've done Skye a disservice; she's been in danger every day she's been here."
"Victoria isn't innocent," Skye snapped toward the Lieutenant, her eyes full of fire, "but you motherfuckers didn't give a damn about what I had to say about her last fall, you even—"
"Skye," Alice turned toward her, her voice firm as she shot her a cautioning look, "just wait." Please don't say anything more, she wanted to beg. Alice had to set the scene first, but if Skye revealed too much, or anything that wouldn't fit into the narrative that Alice was trying to craft, it could spell disaster for all of them.
"So, Victoria isn't in danger?" The Captain, a slender brown-haired woman with waist-length hair, chimed in as they reached the passageway linking the Newborn Center and the rest of the campus' buildings.
"No," Alice confirmed with a grimace, "if anything, she's as much of a danger than James is."
"We were wrong about her then," Edward finally chimed in, sounding frustrated with both what he could see in Alice's mind, and what he was hearing from the group. "She was allied with Maria."
"In a way," Alice shot Skye another look, wordlessly begging the girl not to chime in any further. "James somehow knew I was here to speak with Skye, and he must have jumped to the wrong conclusion. Perhaps he thought I was going to figure out the truth."
"Which is?" The irritable Lieutenant fixed Alice with a firm look, not looking ahead as they briskly walked down the long hallway.
"There's more to it than I know, but what I do know is this: Victoria had a hand in Maria's operations, yes, but she also has a mate who was just as involved, if not more so than she was. Skye is the only other person from Maria's personal brigade that has survived both the war and the trials. The only other person with the truth. And if the truth gets out, which it has, it puts Skye's life in danger." Alice inhaled slowly before meeting the Lieutenant's stony gaze. "James was here to kill Skye, but he must have abandoned his mission when he realized I was with her, and instead went for plan B."
"Which was to grab Victoria and run," Edward frowned, "The security footage is astounding; it's as if he knew where to go."
"He's a hunter," Skye chimed in again, despite Alice's warning look, "or a tracker, or whatever you want to call it. And he's good at it."
"That still doesn't explain how you knew he was coming for her." The man insisted stubbornly as they reached the main offices, his eyes still trained on Alice's even expression.
"Forgive me for not making my investigative and deductive skills more apparent to you, Lieutenant," she remarked calmly, turning her nose up slightly, "I've been studying him for two days now, trying to get to the source of his motives. It wasn't hard to figure out after this morning's conversation."
"Convenient that there are no transcripts," he mumbled partially to himself.
Alice simply knocked her knuckles against her head. "There's a reliable one right here." She lied smoothly, smiling up at the man. She could tell that her nonchalant dismissal of their standards of procedures was frustrating him, but she outranked him, and he knew it.
They parted ways with the center leadership not long after that. They informed Alice of the names of the four deceased. One of which was Ryu, one of the containers that had worked closely alongside Corey and with Jasper. Her heart ached and her guilt compounded as three little words echoed through her head.
All your fault.
By the time Edward, Alice, and Skye were alone together, Alice was afraid she was going to burst.
She watched as Edward stared at the door to the conference room, perhaps waiting for the remnants of the container's minds to wander farther and farther away, before turning toward the two smaller vampires. He spoke to Skye first. "Are you alright?"
For some reason, Skye was incensed at the inquiry. "How about you tell me?" Then, she glared at him, and Alice felt silly for almost forgetting how Skye had let Alice in on the fact that she knew Edward was a mind reader. She could only image the nasty things Skye was thinking to Edward in that moment.
Especially judging by the way Edward's expression morphed into an unamused scowl. When he turned his attention to Alice, she held up a hand as he gathered the breath to speak.
"Save it. Please. I don't want to hear any lectures. I'm serious when I said James is a threat, and that Victoria is, too."
His eyebrow twitched in irritation. "If anyone is going to lecture you, it's hardly going to be me."
Alice winced at that. She knew how beside himself with worry Jasper was at the moment. "He'll be here in a few hours," she commented quietly, "I'll explain things to him when he gets here."
"Despite our best attempts at trying to keep this quiet, it's already common knowledge that the Center was placed on lockdown earlier. Rosalie is already drafting a press release, but if we aren't careful this will blow up in our faces."
Alice knew there was no way things would stay quiet for long, no matter what the press release said and no matter how much truth was amongst the words Rose was writing. The vampires killed today had friends, family. They would want to know the truth of what happened to their loved ones, and the truth would cause nation-wide panic.
The last thing the people needed to hear was that a pair of Maria's old allies were on the loose and dangerous.
"We can't lie," Alice realized painfully, "because if the truth gets out that harms our reputation. But we also can't expose what we know."
"You don't need to be specific. Just tell the people there was an accident," Skye offered, apparently no longer mentally cussing Edward out. "That some people died and your sympathies go out to their families or whatever."
"It's a decent place to start," Edward sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Hm, so maybe she was still saying things to him in her mind.
"Oh, don't act so fucking shocked that I have a good idea—"
"And we can say that we're investigating what happened. Even if Victoria's disappearance gets out, we can play dumb. It's common knowledge that vampires turn to ash after they're burned. Maybe we assumed one of the bodies was hers, but it wasn't." It's a silly idea, but with what needed to be kept under wraps, they needed a cover story and quickly.
"It would be seen as a foolish oversight," Edward shook his head but then sighed, nodding, "but it's best to be viewed as incompetent then caught lying."
"Then let's take the lesser of two evils," Alice nodded, watching as Edward pulled his phone out of his pocket, preparing to call Rosalie. By the time he started walking away toward the opposite end of the long room, Alice could already hear the phone ringing on the other end.
"So you're just going to lie then?" Skye's tone wasn't accusatory, simply curious. "What happens if they figure out the truth?"
Alice shrugged. "We improvise."
Skye was staring at Edward's form. "Something tells me you're good at that."
"Pretty good." Then, she waited a moment. "You don't need to do that, you know."
"Do what?" The girl kept her gaze fixated on the back of Edward's head.
"I'm sure you saying all sort of fun things to him right now. I can only imagine what…"
Skye turned her glare toward Alice before folding her arms over her chest. "I don't like being eavesdropped on."
"Me neither," she half-shrugged, "He can't help it though."
Skye's glare held steady but Alice watched as her shoulders relaxed ever-so-slightly. "Fine." Then, her gaze softened too. "What's Jasper going to do when he gets here?"
"Besides freak out?" Alice grumbled to herself, immediately regretting her words with the way Skye tensed back up. "I—What I mean is that he worries a lot." Skye's version of a 'Jasper freak-out' wasn't anything she knew the girl wanted to relive. "Far too much, if you ask me."
"I don't think you understand how much you mean to him."
Alice stared back at Skye then, taken aback by her no-nonsense expression. "What?"
"Remember what I said? About how he was in my head as much as I was in his? Alice, most people fear lots of things. Harm to themselves and loved ones. Heights, loneliness, death, bugs—even vampires are afraid of that shit. People have lots of fears." She paused, as if making sure Alice was paying proper attention before continuing. "Not Jasper. The only thing he was afraid of was losing you."
Alice wanted to doubt that Jasper was as single-minded as that. But with the way Skye was staring at her, there was no way she could be doubted. At least with what Skye had seen in Jasper's mind last fall, Alice apparently meant more to him than she could feasibly understand.
"You say it went both ways? Your ability?" Skye nodded in confirmation. "So that means Jasper probably knows you better than I do." The girl didn't confirm Alice's comment, but the lack of denial meant that she was right. "You know, Jasper knows what it's like to have everything taken away from you, and to be manipulated into doing awful things." Alice chanced a step closer to the girl, and was relieved when she didn't move away. "I think that's why he wants to make sure you survive this thing, and that you get out of this dark place. Mentally, I mean. Because if what you said is true, he's also seen your fears."
"So what? He told you them?" Skye looked close to tears, her accusatory words angry.
"No, actually," and Alice's heart ached at the suspicion in Skye's expression. "He has never said a thing to me about anything he saw while under your influence. But I know that what he saw probably gave him a lot of insight to who you are. And that's someone he wants to protect. I don't want you gone as much as anyone else in this Center does. But Jasper is willing to fight for you; that must mean something. After all," Alice stepped even closer, "you said the only thing he was afraid of was losing me. If he's gone through all the trouble he has to try and keep you alive, and he's seen your own fears, I think I'm going to follow his lead."
"Why would you trust his opinion on me? I could still be manipulating him. You don't know that."
"Are you?" Alice asked blankly. Sure, she didn't know this girl very well, despite the conversations they'd shared over the last week. But despite the walls she had put up, Skye was much like Alice in the way she wore her heart on her sleeve; her emotions leading her.
Skye made a frustrated noise. "No, but I could reignite the connection if I wanted to."
That was news to Alice. "Really? The link doesn't fade?"
Skye shook her head. "Not exactly. It's like," she paused, looking for the words, "everyone I've ever used it on is cataloged in my brain. Even the people that are dead. I can sort through and—if I focus hard enough—I could incapacitate them with just a thought. Well, that makes it sound easier than it is, but it's not difficult, is what I'm trying to say." Alice hoped her expression was even as Skye talked, but this news was definitely disconcerting. "I can't sense the dead anymore; it's like tugging on a rope that's not attached to anything. But I can sense Jasper, and a few of your containers, and you."
Alice startled at that information. "Me?"
"Yeah," Skye stared back at Alice, as if confused by her confusion. "Do you… did you not know I've used it on you?"
"When?" She blurted the words out, but before Skye could tell her, she already knew.
"I—" Skye swallowed, shuffling away from Alice only slightly. "When Jasper was about to kill you, I could sense it, the beginning of the end for him. If he killed you I knew it would be over for him and I guess I'd… sort of formed a weird bond with him and didn't want to see him break fully. But I couldn't just deactivate the bond—it's not that easy. It's not like a switch you can flip to turn it off. But I did yank it away from him for a few seconds. It had to go somewhere though, and I wasn't ready for the whiplash that affects me after I've used it, so I kind of just…" with her hands, she made a shifting motion toward Alice.
And just as vivid as they were when Alice first witnessed them, the terrors that encapsulated her mind after her decapitation flowed through her. She hadn't spoken about what she'd seen with anyone, not even Jasper. Mainly because she didn't know what to make of them. Whether they were the result of a horrid death or a strange symptom of her own visions. Alice wasn't religious but there had been a small period of time after they'd returned to Ricketts where she'd wondered if they were damned eternally, and if she'd caught a glimpse straight into her own hell.
The images of her friends and family being slaughtered in hundreds of ways tormented her; their painful screams and cries haunting her even now.
Alice fought back a shiver as she forced those thoughts from her mind. It made perfect sense for the tether between Skye and Jasper (and Skye and her) to still exist even without her ability being actively used. Bella's ability to shield Jasper from it only further proved that even Jasper's withdrawal symptoms were simply remnants of the still-there bond.
But despite the new information, Alice found herself more stunned than afraid. Of course, she didn't know for sure that Skye wouldn't use this link against them, but she had faith in the young woman, and was relieved to find she didn't find herself scared of such a possibility.
Still, it was a dangerous gift, if it fell into the wrong hands.
Edward, who had hung up on his call with Rosalie only seconds before had a deep-set frown on his face as he walked back toward the other two occupants of the room.
"We're officially playing dumb," he commented with a slight nod, pocketing the phone. "I'll let everyone else know in a second; Rosalie will releasing the statement within the hour. As far as any of us know, Victoria was amongst those killed after someone broke in to dole out the punishment that we didn't provide for them."
"And what about that 'someone'?" Skye took a step back, putting Alice in between Edward and herself as she looked toward him with caution.
"That 'someone' is a person who we're investigating fully due to their vigilantism." Edward shoved his hands in his pockets as he glanced toward Alice. "That's not something the general public will fear; in fact, they may even support or empathize with him."
"Great. That's fucking fantastic. Maybe they'll hope for my death next." Skye's anger was always quick to ignite. Alice reached a hand out, gently grabbing the girl's forearm.
"Nothing is going to happen to you," she repeated her words from earlier.
"And how are you going to make sure that happens?" Skye snapped, but she didn't yank her arm out of Alice's grip, which had to stand for something. "You guys can't stay here and guard me forever. I'm sure you have to go and find those two now; it's not like you can both protect me and make sure James and Victoria are found and killed."
"We're not killing anyone," Edward grimaced.
"Then that's your first problem there: if you don't kill them, this will happen again. Don't you idiots see? That's your only shot at keeping me 'safe'. At keeping Alice safe," Skye gestured to Alice, moving her hand so that she was gripping Alice's tightly. "James and Victoria know her, Mr. Mind-Reader. They killed her creator. James is a hunter; he won't stop until she's dead."
The reminder of the very real dangers that lay ahead brought a sense of dread into Alice's chest, weighing her down heavily as she gripped back Skye's hand.
The speed at which Edward's jaw dropped would have been comical in any other situation as he did a double take between them, as if comparing notes instead of thoughts. "And you didn't say anything before because—"
"I don't have a death wish you asshole," Skye yelled, and when her voice broke, Alice almost started crying. "Victoria has been taunting me since we got locked up in here. She knows if I say anything it's game over for her. She's been fucking tormenting me, threatening me, for months now. All under your nose!" Lifting the arm that wasn't gripping Alice's hand, she buried her face in the crook of her elbow, letting out a shivering breath as she tried to reign in her emotion. The sound of her choked-back sobs was enough to force Alice to make her decision.
She moved slow enough that if Skye wanted to, she'd be able to pull back, but when Alice wrapped her arms around her, she crumbled. Loud, tearless cries echoed throughout the room and Alice forced her eyes shut as she held Skye, allowing her to bury her face against her shoulder as she sobbed.
Eventually, Alice forced her eyes back open, her gaze finding Edward's as he stared between the two girls with a miserable expression.
We failed her, Edward, Alice thought pointedly as she ran a hand up and down Skye's back, she was the victim here, and Victoria played us.
Her mind was focused fully on Skye. Their similar pasts. Locked up in mental institutions only to vanish without a trace. Presumed dead only to be found, years later, amongst the undead. The only difference was that Skye hadn't been left to her own devices. She'd been taken into custody of people who only wanted to use her.
It wasn't hard to imagine their places swapped. She didn't want to even entertain the idea of James and Victoria getting a hold of her, freshly-turned, not a memory in her mind, nothing more than a power she couldn't explain and a vision that tormented her.
Be glad, Skye had spoken to her, after Alice revealed her own strange origins not long ago, be thankful you don't remember.
Skye, who had been undergoing some sort of treatment away from her family at age fifteen. Skye, who hadn't had a single visitor since she'd been locked up in Winnipeg. Skye, whose religious family had abandoned her after learning about her fate. Skye, who was on the receiving end of so much vitriol from the media just for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Skye sank further into Alice's embrace, and Alice focused, attempting to channel as much comfort as she could into her actions. In her own mind she pictured her own maternal figures, Esme and Josie, and tried to follow their example as she held the distraught, lonely girl.
As her cries quieted, Alice found herself wondering when the last time Skye had been hugged was.
"You don't want to die," Edward spoke after a long, painful silence. "You just want to get out of here."
"I want to get away from her," Skye muttered into Alice's shoulder, the words muffled. "I—I—" and when she shuddered again, she stop attempting to speak, only wrapping her arms tighter around Alice's slight form.
Edward, what do we do? Alice thought miserably.
"We do what we did when you were stuck here waiting for Jasper."
And the vision that fell over her was a relief. Edward was going to call Rosalie and the woman would be on the next flight out.
It hadn't been easy to uproot Rosalie from Manhattan back in October, but when Alice had refused to leave Jasper's side it had become necessary.
Now, Alice could see it. Rose would work out of Winnipeg's Center and keep a firm watch over Skye while the rest of them tracked down James and Victoria.
"We're really going to owe her more than a vacation this year," Alice muttered, shooting Edward a dull look as she thought back to all the hard work Rosalie had done recently; dropping everything and flying across the country always at a moment's notice.
"Yeah, yeah," Edward dismissed while grimacing, probably disliking the idea of owing Rosalie anything. "And you're going to owe Jasper one hell of an explanation as to how things got so bad so fast over here."
"He'll understand," Alice spoke, her attention falling back to Skye as the girl sniffled, lifting her head up from her shoulder finally to rub at her face.
"I hate not being able to cry," she hiccuped. "For real I mean."
"I wouldn't know what that's like," Alice forced the joke, half-smiling when the girl's face flickered with confusion and then understanding.
"That means you have no idea what it's like to have a favorite food then, huh?" Alice simply shrugged, happy at the bombardment of visions she got then. Skye certainly had a thousand questions for Alice. She hoped she'd be able to entertain at least some of them before Jasper and Emmett arrived.
And when Edward excused himself—he needed to fill in Winnipeg's leadership on what was happening and on what was going to happen with their hastily-concocted cover story—Alice found herself sitting on the floor of the conference room, opposite to Skye, chatting about everything and nothing with the younger girl.
A few hours had come and gone before they knew it. Edward had walked back into the room a couple of times since, but didn't remark on the fact that Alice was simply sitting by, letting him handle the logistics of everything. For that, Alice was thankful. Despite the ongoing conversation she was keeping up with Skye, visions were hitting her left and right.
She knew that their statement would be taken better than they anticipated, but she also knew that it was only a matter of time before Victoria and James caught wind of the story they'd crafted, and Alice knew (didn't see, not yet, but knew) that when the pair realized the Protectors were covering their asses, they'd act in a way that would expose the truth, no matter what cost.
Minutes after the two girls had been left alone again—Edward was going to be meeting Jasper and Emmett in the lobby soon—Skye was silent, and Alice could see her trying to figure out a way to ask her a risky question.
"Will you get in trouble if you tell me about your gift?" She asked softly after a long moment of deliberation.
Alice paused for a moment, sighing. Honestly was always the best policy with Skye, so she wasn't going to lie now. Not about this. "I'm not sure. Potentially."
"I don't want you to get in trouble," the girl mumbled, her arms wrapped around her midsection as she sat cross-legged on the ground in front of her. "It just makes me wonder… they must not have known you were gifted. If they did, they would have kept you."
Alice had come to the same conclusion hours earlier, and only nodded.
"I'm glad they didn't figure it out." The girl averted her attention to the space on the ground between them, and Alice could tell that it was hard for Skye, being as vulnerable as she'd been with her over the past few days. Hell, over the past few hours. "I'm glad you were able to figure things out and that you're a Protector now."
Alice smiled. "Can I ask you a silly question?" Skye simply nodded, curious. "As someone who remembers what it's like being human, do you mind telling me what your thoughts on the Protectors were back then?"
"'Back then'," Skye snorted and Alice smile widened. "It was only what? Four and a half years ago? Almost five now, I guess." She hummed as she leaned back on her hands, her dark hair falling over her shoulders and her eyes appearing to study the ceiling above them as she thought to herself. "I wasn't obsessed with you guys, not like a lot of kids my age are. But I was entertained by the whole," she lifted an arm and waved it in the air, "weird fame thing you guys got going on. I had friends at school that were in love with all of your buddies."
Her smile quickly faded as a frown snuck it's way onto her expression. She reminisced, "My family really wasn't thatreligious. I mean, we'd go to Church on Sunday but that was it. I didn't think," she paused, "I knew they didn't like—or approve of, they'd always say—vampires. But I thought that after I became one… maybe one day I'd be able to go back to the real world, and I'd be able to see them all again. I wrote to them, asking if I could at least call and talk to my brothers and sister." She stopped talking then. "I'm starting to forget the way their voices sound."
Alice nodded sympathetically. She heard all-too-often how human memories could fade over time if you weren't adamant about actively trying to preserve them. But this girl hadn't had time to daydream about her family's voices when she was struggling to survive under Maria's surveillance.
"Do you think your gift comes from being," Skye lifted a hand and pointed a finger toward her head, circling it a few times, "y'know?" She placed her hands back behind her, leaning back against them. "I didn't think of myself as crazy. Lots of people are schizoaffective. Maybe not in kids, but fifteen isn't that young." She paused. "Although I'll be twenty next winter, technically."
"I don't know," Alice responded with a sigh. "Some of the people who know about my gift seem to believe that perhaps I had some variation of it when I was human, but since I don't remember it's impossible to know. But it's likely that my symptoms as a human were simply misinterpreted as mental illness." Alice shrugged. It felt strange to talk about it so candidly, especially with someone else who was in the same boat as her.
"Or maybe we really are a couple of crazy bitches," Skye offered with a responding shrug of her own, "and crazy equals gifted when you throw vampire venom in the mix."
Alice allowed herself a tiny smirk at that as she shook her head. "It's hard to know."
"Wonder if that means Edward is the craziest of us all," she hummed, eyes still tracing shapes on the ceiling. "Maybe Jasper's crazy, too. We all know James and Victoria are fucking batshit." She hummed again, smirking to herself. "I don't know. I think my theory holds up pretty well."
Alice laughed at that. "I'll pass your findings along to Carlisle."
"What's he like? He sounds like the craziest out of all of you. A human doctor?" She scoffed. "Literally sounds fake."
Alice laughed again, "I thought so, too. But no, he's the real deal. I don't understand how he does it."
"If he can stitch up bleeding humans without giving in, I'll have no excuse to not pass through fucking self-control training with flying colors." Skye snorted, sitting back up straight. "I'll be damned if I let a white guy in his twenties who wears sweater-vests one-up me."
Alice couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her at that, but quickly, Skye's words hit her. "So you'll do it?" She asked carefully. Any inkling that Skye wanted to stick around and not follow through with the petition to end her second-life was something that Alice absolutely could not overlook.
Silenced reigned for a long moment as Skye debated what to reply with. "I don't know. Maybe. I want to see how this thing plays out," she gestured widely, referring to the inevitable hunt for James and Victoria. "I… I think I might at least want to give it a try. I mean," she the gestured to herself, "sure I'm 'damned'," she used finger quotes as she spoke the word, "but I'm immortal and hot now. Might as well try and see what I can do. Or try to. I don't know."
Alice reached forward and grabbed Skye's hand, gripping it tightly as she smiled bright. "You'll have my help, I promise."
Skye went to open her mouth but quickly closed it, her eyes flickering to the door just seconds before it flew open, Jasper barreling through.
It caught Skye off guard enough that in an instant the girl was on her feet, crouched low as a growl rippled through her chest. But Skye was quick to reign in her reaction, "Sorry," she muttered, embarrassed, as she took several steps back, shaking her head.
Jasper winced at the reaction, one hand lifted toward her; Alice could see the guilt in his expression. "Sorry. I didn't mean to barge in like that."
It was suddenly very easy to remember how Skye's initial impression of Jasper hadn't been a good one. But Alice felt a bit silly for also overlooking the fact that the two hadn't seen each other in person since the end of the war. They'd been kept in separate wings in those first few weeks after; for both of their safety.
Alice still didn't know how many people Skye had witnessed Jasper kill while under her influence. And a part of her didn't quite want to know. The number of those dead at his hands hardly mattered beyond the fact that it had happenedand they were still dealing with the aftermath.
Alice took her time standing up, brushing her pants back into place before glancing toward Jasper. She smiled then, and not knowing what else to say, settled on a simple, "Hi."
But Jasper looked unamused, his eyes flickering to her quickly, as if checking that yes, she was physically unharmed, before focusing back onto Skye. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine it's fine." Skye shook her hands in front of her, but made no move to get any closer to either of the Protectors. Alice couldn't help but notice how she was avoiding eye contact now, and made a mental note to talk to her about it later. "Just another day in paradise."
"Where are Edward and Emmett?"
"Right here," a voice chimed in from the hallway, and when Emmett stepped into the room, Skye took another step back, looking up at his hulking form with trepidation. When Emmett caught sight of Alice he grinned and walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "We can't leave you alone for one week, huh?" Stepping back out of the embrace he looked down at her, amused. "Troublemaker."
"Trouble finds me." Alice defended, also taking note of how uncomfortable Skye looked with the men in the room towering over her. "So," she looked up from Emmett to Jasper, her eyes settling on Edward once all three men were in the room, "what's the plan?"
"You are going home," Jasper spoke, his words even.
Alice blinked over at him, unamused suddenly. "You're joking." She deadpanned.
Edward responded, "It might be in your best interests—"
"Are we forgetting one little important detail? I can see the choices he makes—" Emmett slapped a hand over her mouth, pointedly looking from her to Skye, who was staring at the Protectors with wide, cautious eyes. Alice rolled her eyes, lifting her hands and tugging his massive hand away, "Relax. It's no big deal."
But as she spoke, Edward approached Skye, beckoning her to follow him. "Come on," he muttered quietly, "I'm told you're overdue for a feeding."
Skye looked ready to argue, but at the mention of a meal, Alice could see, even across the room, as her pupils dilated and she began to approach Edward before stopping. "We'll come right back, right?"
Edward nodded, "I promise."
"You guys are overreacting," Alice deadpanned as Edward started leading Skye out of the room. Edward shot a glare over his shoulder and Alice could see that he was contemplating putting his hands over Skye's ears until she was out of earshot. "I'll see you soon," she called toward Skye, who merely lifted a hand and waved toward Alice before Edward ushered her out of the room. Then, she turned toward Emmett, glaring. "She doesn't know."
"She'll figure it out at this rate." Oh, Jasper was definitely unhappy with her. "And the more people who know, the more danger you're in."
"Not from Skye," Alice was offended by the insinuation. And the idea that she couldn't take care of herself left her suddenly incensed. "Not even Victoria and James know about my visions; I'm still in danger from them, though."
"Edward says they know you," Emmett sounded furious at the idea, "how?"
"See, and if Skye were still in here, she could explain to you how she knows! But you guys just have to act like you're my damn keepers, controlling who gets to know about my ability and—!"
"No one should know about it," Jasper insisted, "not outside of those we can trust."
"And we can't trust Skye? But we can trust, say, Gerardo? And the Council, right? It's not like we have an issue with moles or anything right now…"
"Candidly mentioning your ability to any degree out in public like this is dangerous Alice."
"This job is dangerous!" She stomped her foot. "And we're not in public—"
"Oh my god, okay!" Emmett shouted overtop of them. "Can you two save the bickering for when I'm not here? Or save it for someone who enjoys it? Rose will be here soon. Shit, save it for her!"
Alice continued to glare at Jasper, ignoring Emmett's pleas. "Sending me back home is a bad idea. You guys need to use my gift now more than ever."
"And we can," Jasper spoke up, his words nearly trampling on top of hers. "You can keep in touch with us remotely while we track them."
Alice gaped at him, "And what? You guys get to go and chase them down?" When Emmett and Jasper exchanged a quick look, Alice gritted her teeth. "No. I'm putting my foot down on this. No."
"Alice, we had to deactivate everyones access cards nationwide because that man got a hold of your keys." She despised the patronizing tone he'd taken up. All she could do was glare back at Jasper as he spoke, his expression still like stone. "It's a national security hazard. Yes. You can still help, but we need you hands-off for this one."
More than anything, she hated how he made a point; one simple act of carelessness on her behalf (one oversight amongst all the dangerous risks she'd been taking) had spiraled into the disaster that was unfolding in front of them now. The reminder that what they were dealing with was her fault stung terribly.
"They're difficult to track," she eventually spoke after a few seconds. "I don't know if it's because Victoria's evasion ability, or if it's an additional aspect of James' gift; a defensive detail to his tracking. But I can only see them in flickers and flashes."
"Where are they now?" Emmett asked, sighing. Alice could see how uncomfortable he looked to be standing, quite literally, in between her and Jasper as they fought.
"The woods. Which isn't helpful." All she could grasp in her mind were glimmers of trees, sunshine flickering down on the pair as they ran and ran and ran.
"Keep at it," Emmett said, an attempt at being encouraging if Alice had ever heard one. "You're like our secret weapon. I'm sure you'll be the thing that helps us take them down."
"I can help you guys take them down with you." But even as she spoke, Alice knew this was an argument she wouldn't win. Frustrated, she couldn't hold her punches just yet. "Remember last time you tried to keep me away from the action?"
"You mean when you put yourself in a situation that nearly got you killed?"
Alice was silent at Jasper's angry words then.
How could she reply? Especially since he'd been the one to nearly kill her.
The silence that filled the room was painful. Jasper's words stung, yes, but Alice could almost feel his own self-loathing begin to cloud the room. The silence was broken with Emmett's sigh, muttering a quiet stream of cusses under his breath.
"Alright, I'm out. I'll be back when you two get a hold of yourselves." Emmett mimed wiping his hands clean as he walked toward the door. "I'm not intervening in this shit anymore. No sir, no ma'am. I'll talk to you guys later."
And before either of them could speak a single word, Emmett was gone and they were alone.
Alice stared at the door for a long moment, trying to contain her feelings of frustration and her ever-growing sense of worthlessness. It hurt to have those closest to you doubt your ability, but to have the man who you loved more than anyone on Earth say such belittling things left Alice feeling almost broken.
It reminded her of the feeling she'd despised so thoroughly when she'd been first exposed to it back in Ricketts. Only then, Jasper and Emmett had been a couple thousand miles away in the Navajo Nation the last time he'd spoken to her like this.
And like he said, even that time hadn't ended well. Alice thought back to the visions she'd gotten of Maria back then and couldn't control the fearful shiver that coursed through her body.
By the time she glanced back to Jasper, his expression had softened. It was probably only because he could feel her tumultuous emotions in real time, and not because he was prepared to change his mind or sway from their plan. But his dismissal of her had hurt her, and Alice knew that he felt it.
"I know you're worried," Alice started speaking when Jasper began to approach her, "I do. But you can't protect me from everything."
"I know that," he spoke quietly, and when he stood in front of her he reached down for her arm, tugging it up until her hand was in his grasp. Then, he lifted her hand and kissed her palm directly overtop the silver scar he'd given her. The action made Alice's heart ache. "I know."
"You didn't mean it," Alice whispered, pressing her hand to his cheek as he closed his eyes and sighed.
"I can't protect you from everything," he spoke, ignoring her, "but I need to protect you from the things I'm able to. This, I can protect you from. Please, Alice. Give me this one thing."
Alice heart ached. Jasper never asked anything from her, despite the fact that she would willingly do anything for him. But what was more frustrating was that he was right. She didn't need to put herself out in the field for this mission. The only reason she felt so strongly about being a part of things was due to the responsibility she felt over the entire situation.
She was slowly learning that guilt wasn't a good enough reason to act.
"If I'm staying, you need to, too." Jasper was already shaking his head at her words, "Jazz…"
"I need to do this though," he insisted, shaking his head as her hand fell back down to her side. "Now that I'm off probation I have to do everything I can to make sure people put their trust back in me. I had to do it back in the sixties and seventies, and I have to do it again now. I can do it," he assured her as her frown deepened, "I've done it before, so I know what I have to do. But you have to let me do it."
"What about what Esme said?" Alice spoke, the wise woman's words now at the forefont of her mind. "That we need to stick together after I leave Winnipeg?"
Jasper paused at that. It seemed that he hadn't thought twice about what Esme had told them. "I'm sure she didn't take this situation into account seeing as it hadn't happened yet."
"But we all know how Esme is. Maybe this is why she wanted us to stay together? Maybe she sensed something like this on the horizon, but didn't quite know what it was? You can't tell me that's not possible."
"If it makes you feel any better, we can call her."
"And if she insists we stay together?"
Jasper was silent for a moment. He stepped closer to Alice, lifting his hands to cradle her face, his fingers sliding across the hair over her ears. Leaning forward he pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed. "It's dangerous for us to be together."
Alice scowled at that. "I think it's dangerous for us to be apart," she retorted, lifting her hands and gripping his wrists. "I think we should know that by now."
He chuckled softly, but somehow he made the noise sound self-deprecating. "That's not what I mean."
Alice stared at him, confused, before his words repeated themselves in her mind.
Oh.
"I don't like that," Alice spoke plainly, feeling her heart begin to break as the gravity of what he'd said washed over her. "I don't like the sound of that one bit."
He bent down fully, and when he kissed her Alice threw her arms around his neck, responding to the kiss eagerly. She'd missed him. She'd missed this. Being able to share her love for him in little physical touches, and being confident in the fact that he felt her love in a way she could barely understand.
Alice loved Jasper, and no amount of danger or 'occupational hazards' were ever going to change that.
"Relax," he whispered as he pulled back slightly, only to press more kisses across her face. He kissed her frowning eyebrows and Alice fought to remove the pout from her lips when he smiled crookedly down at her. "I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her again. "I'm yours Alice. You know that."
She lightly smacked his chest then, hating how she felt like crying. "Then don't say stupid stuff like that!"
"We'll talk to Esme," Jasper reminded her as he straightened back up to his full height, and when Alice leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist, he held her close against him. "If she wants us to stay together, then alright. Emmett and Edward can handle it just fine."
"Do you mean that though?" Alice pulled away slightly, enough so that she could look up at him. "Because if you leave me in the dust to play 'hero' again I'll kill you myself."
He rolled his eyes and he pulled her back against him, lifting his hand to rest against the back of her head. "I'm not going anywhere I wouldn't be alright with you following."
"Good answer," she mumbled into his chest, finally allowing herself to close her eyes and relax. "I'm happy you're here."
His laughter was quiet, but she could feel the rumble in his chest. "I haven't even been off probation for two days. Of course something like this would be waiting for me."
"I messed up," Alice spoke quietly. "I thought I could handle it. I underestimated him."
"You can't see it all," he muttered softly, "and you can't prevent things from going wrong all the time." Alice sighed as she inhaled deeply, allowing herself to enjoy being held by Jasper again, even if only for a short period of time. "How do they know you?"
"As far as I know, James killed my creator. Skye told me that James was a tracker, and that hunting is an obsession of his. She," Alice swallowed the lump in her throat, "she also told me that at one point, when you were… not entirely conscious, Victoria tried to taunt you, and basically confessed to knowing all about me. I'm not sure exactly what she said—Skye can fill in the blanks—but Skye said that it was all pretty believable."
"That's another reason you want to track them down yourself, isn't it? To find out the truth."
Alice didn't have to say yes, or even speak at all for her reply to be known. Of course she wanted to know the truth. She wanted to know it all.
Who had her creator been? What had they done to force James to kill them? Why leave Alice alone afterwards? Why not kill her? Why not take her along to be a part of their schemes?
All of which were questions only James and Victoria had answers to.
"Alice, I need you to be prepared to not find any of this out." Before Alice could protest at the idea, Jasper was speaking again. "Best case scenario, we're able to take them into custody easily and grill them for information. Worst case scenario—and far more likely—is that they put up a hard fight and it's kill or be killed."
"It doesn't feel like the war is over," Alice muttered miserably.
"You're right. And we're going to be dealing with situations similar to this one for a long time now. Even after time passes and wounds heal and the ache that all of these people feel starts to dull, we will still be dealing with the aftermath of what's happened. And I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with all of this."
"I signed up for this," Alice said stubbornly. "Just like you did."
"No, you took this job to help people. I did it to avoid death."
"And I didn't?" She countered. "The main reason I went with Carlisle was because Josie and I thought it might be the only way I could be spared from my vision; from the fate that I knew awaited me even minutes old."
He didn't refute her claim, but he did chuckle to himself quietly.
"What?!" She insisted, frowning.
"Emmett's right. We really can't do anything but argue."
"Hm, we're hopeless then I guess."
"Entirely," he laughed softly. Alice closed her eyes again when she felt Jasper press another kiss to the crown of her head. "I'm sorry things can't be easy for you. Every time we turn around it seems like someone from your past is making an appearance and upsetting you."
"Last year was your turn for that, now it's mine."
Jasper's laugh was louder this time. "Hopefully by next year we'll be in the clear."
Alice frowned, not ready to joke yet. It didn't help that the mess they found themselves in currently made their future very uncertain to her in her mind. "I wish I could see it."
"I'm sorry," he spoke softly after a minute of silence, "I don't mean to be so…"
"Mean?" Alice pulled back from his embrace to look up at him as she spoke. It wasn't enough for him to feel how she felt, oh no, she wanted him to see how unamused she was.
He winced at that. "I'm sorry."
"You have to know how awful it makes me feel when you get like that," she didn't let up, instead not once letting her eyes drift from his. When he looked away from her, she lifted her hand, moving his chin so that he was once more looking directly at her. "You can worry about me all you want, but you don't have to be an asshole about it."
"I panic when your safety is compromised," before Alice could inhale to speak, he shook his head swiftly, "I know it's not an excuse but," Alice watched as he closed his mouth and inhaled deeply, glancing around the room as he swallowed. His eyes fell back onto hers, his voice low, "You're everything to me, Alice. You've changed the way I see the world. You're it for me; where everything begins and everything ends. I cannot fathom what I would do if anything happened to you, I…" Jasper shook his head again, tearing his eyes away from hers.
When Alice reached back toward his face, he grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in place. "I mean it, Alice." And as she studied the view of Jasper's profile, she watched his jaw twitch. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd probably be less stressed." She still wasn't in the mood to joke, but she had to lighten up the atmosphere at least somewhat.
He snorted, and Alice watched, satisfied, as he fought back a grin. "Unlikely."
"I love you," Alice spoke, still staring up at him as he stared somewhere off into the room, "and I don't like this 'compromising' thing. It doesn't leave either of us happy."
"I'm happy with whatever keeps you safe."
She rolled her eyes then. "How about we try a different approach. I don't want to keep you out of the action any more than you want to sit out of it. So how's this: you let me tag a long for a little bit. I don't have to actually 'give chase' with everyone but you can at least let me stay in the field, so to speak. I'm sure there are places we can go to be productive while we wait on any leads or the first search party is sent out." Finally, she pulled her wrist free from his grasp and turned his chin toward her again, urging him to look her in the eyes. "If things get dangerous, I fly home."
"And I'm supposed to go with you?"
Alice bit her lip, "No. I'd let you go."
"I'm serious about needing to do this. The amount of work I had to put in for the general public to truly believe I was on their side was more than you'd…"
Slowly, Jasper's voice started to fade into the background as a vision seized her. It was the most vivid one she'd received all day.
Rosalie was standing in a room, closely watching a television with three other vampires. For a moment Alice couldn't quite remember which Center Rose was at. The only thing she could focus on was the severe expression on Rosalie's face as she stared at the news program on the screen.
BREAKING NEWS, the ticker running at the bottom of the screen read, it's words lit red with the severity of it's information, FORMER RADICAL AND KEY SUSPECT IN MARIA'S WAR MISSING.
A man on the screen sitting properly behind a desk frowned as he spoke—Alice recognized him as the newscaster Josie had watched nightly back in Biloxi, but just like Rosalie's location, the man's name escaped her. All she could focus on were his words.
"Only minutes after receiving an official press release from the Office of the Protectors, tonight's main story is already developing further, as we have just received news that one of those believed dead in the incident earlier today at the Containment Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is not only alive, but has escaped custody."
Victoria's mugshot flashed across the screen, causing a few of the vampires in the room with Rosalie to swear loudly. Rosalie's face was stern, unmoving as the man spoke.
"The vampire, known only as Victoria, a woman whose turn predates integration and who was acquitted of all charges during last fall's hearings, was one of the five presumed dead after an unknown incident occurred at the Center earlier today. The incident caused a campus-wide lockdown, the Center signaling four other nearby Centers with a distress signal, forcing a change of pace for the hundreds of men and women that work across Manitoba's Containment Centers.
"It was believed that a previously unidentified man, who is still at large now, was responsible for the deaths during what appeared to be an attempt to rid Winnipeg's Center of any acquitted radicals. Chloe is with us live from Weyburn, where a woman is claiming that Victoria is still alive.
"Thanks Marshal," a woman with shoulder-length brown hair was on the screen suddenly, reporting from what looked like the side of a road. "The woman we spoke with wishes to remain anonymous, as she recognizes the danger she faces coming forward with this information. Barely an hour ago she contacted us with information and a warning: Victoria has escaped custody, and she's with a man only known as 'James'. She told us exclusively, 'I don't know where she's going or what they're planning, but her and James are dangerous, and need to be stopped before more people die.'
"When asked how she knew the pair, the woman shook her head, refusing to comment. She did, however, voice concerns for her own safety multiple times, very much fearing for her own life. As of tonight she'll be staying with authorities until further notice, in order to provide her with the safety measures she is so desperately requesting. As for Victoria and her companion, local authorities have no leads. Last we heard from any nearby centers is that a full investigation is underway, and a search party may be put together sooner than later."
When Alice blinked herself back into the present she found herself staring directly into Jasper's golden gaze.
"There you go," he breathed in relief. It wasn't until he brushed his thumbs over her cheeks that Alice realized he was holding her face in between his hands. "I'm here. You're here."
Lifting her hands she gripped his own tightly, anxiety skyrocketing as she replayed the vision over and over in her head. "Talk to me," Jasper spoke again, unnerved at her continued silence paired with her emotional state. "What did you see?"
"The press is going to be onto us faster than we can anticipate," Alice breathed. She checked the future again, swearing under her breath when she realized that it was only a matter of minutes before their own press release would be out in the open. "It's too late to stop our story now, but we have to be vigilant with our updates. They're going to find out soon that Victoria is alive. They have a source that knows both her and James—they even use his name—and their source is terrified of the two apparently."
"Where?"
"The woman was reporting from somewhere called Weyburn. I'm assuming it can't be far from there. She claimed their source was staying with the nearest Containment Center."
"If it's Saskatchewan then it's probably the Center in Regina." Pulling out his phone, Jasper sent a quick text. Alice could see that it was to summon both Edward and Emmett back into the room. "We'll have to call and confirm. Send someone out that way."
"You'll have to wait until the story breaks." At Jasper's blank look, Alice shook her head. "We don't need them questioning how we know."
He inhaled slowly, and Alice could see the frustration of the situation beginning to simmer beneath his carefully controlled expression.
Before he could straighten back up to his full height, Alice leaned forward, catching his lips with her own. "I love you," she whispered, pulling back and opening her eyes. "But if what Skye says is true, and if he won't stop until I'm hunted down, the worst possible thing you could do is send me home."
Jasper's eyes were still closed from the kiss, but when he frowned Alice leaned forward again, pressing soft kisses to where his brow creased. "You're right. I can't send you there." He grumbled the words with resignation, and in an instant Alice knew she'd won. "Not by yourself."
Then, the vision changed, and Alice raised an eyebrow. "We're going home?" She whispered the question quietly despite their future destination being a solid thing in her mind. And as the visions morphed, she realized not only would they be home for several hours that night—preparing to regroup and fly elsewhere—but Alice would finally get to see Esme again after all of this time.
"Yeah," Jasper breathed, finally straightening back up to his full height. "Just for a little." He eyed the door as they heard someone walking toward the room. "It's not exactly widely known that I'm… out-of-state yet."
Ah. Jasper's probation. Alice kept overlooking the fact that he'd only been off probation for a matter of hours. When Carlisle had unofficially reinstated him the week prior and returned most of Jasper's allowances, Alice had mentally counted that as the end of his probation. Once the general public caught word that Jasper was moving across state lines, and there were two dangerous radicals on the lose, people were going to go nuts.
"Got it. Home for a little." Alice nodded, her head also turning as Emmett opened the door and peeked his head through.
"Have you two made out—I mean, made up yet?"
"Emmett…"
"Call Rose," Alice cut them off. "I have to talk to her before we leave."
"I—" Emmett opened and closed his mouth as he looked between the two of them. "Leave? But—so what? You two formed your own little plan without the rest of us?" Then, to Jasper, "you're just going to let her tag along?"
"I wish," Alice grumbled, approaching Emmett as he stood in the doorway, still staring between them with a distrustful gaze. Grabbing him by the arm she pulled him fully into the room, closing the door behind him. "Hurry up," she gestured to the phone he was slowly pulling out of his pocket. "We don't have a lot of time and I need Rosalie here as soon as possible."
"Are you going to explain—"
"Yes. I promise. After. And no I'm not coming with you. Also yes. And please shut up."
"You can be so annoying," Emmett muttered as he lifted the phone to his ear as it rang on the other end. Jasper just snorted from where he stood behind them.
"We need to find Edward and Skye and fill them in," Alice turned to Jasper as she spoke, and as Emmett greeted Rosalie on the phone, he took several steps away from the pair. "Edward isn't going to be happy and Skye is…"
Jasper walked up to her, concern radiating off of him, "What's wrong?"
"I—I didn't tell her exactly, but she knows I can see things. Maybe not the future, exactly, but some variation of it. She is going to suspect that I've seen something." Alice paused, biting her lip. "We have to lie to her." And as the words left her mouth, Alice felt guilt weighing heavy on her.
Jasper seemed undisturbed by the idea. He even half-shrugged. "What about, exactly?"
"We have to promise her that nothing is going to happen to either of us."
They shared a look then, and in those few seconds, everything they needed to communicate was said.
The year prior had been a harsh teacher. Forcing them to endure painful lessons in order to get by. In order to survive. Alice had hoped that with the ending of the war the pain would stop and all of her lessons had been learned by then.
But it was moments like this—this entire mess she'd landed them all in due to her carelessness—that reminded her that she knew next to nothing, even still.
She had learned a few things though. And that was how to lie.
As she stared into his eyes, Alice knew that Jasper understood. The year prior had also taught Alice that nothing was certain; that there future wasn't promised, and neither were their lives.
As long as they occupied this job, as long as they existed in this very public space, there would be threats against them. They would never be entirely safe. And now, more than ever, Alice knew that Jasper was also aware how much danger their lives we're still in.
Without hope, a person didn't have much.
So lying to Skye, Alice saw they'd both be able to do effectively. Anything to give Skye a sliver of hope that two people who cared about her and her wellbeing would be alright. In her mind, Alice watched the future unfold as their decision cemented itself.
They wouldn't be able to hide the news that James and Victoria's escape was well-known. After all, even with Skye under the close watch and supervision of Rosalie and a few select staff members, Alice could see visions of Skye being allowed time watching television, and she would certainly overhear some things from the meetings Rosalie would be holding with her nearby.
Alice was relieved that she wouldn't be sent back to the newborn wing, where the news would likely be playing in the common area and gossip would run rampant.
While Alice and Jasper were off working to find and put a stop to James and Victoria, Skye would need to be left with the impression that they weren't. That they were hiding elsewhere, trying to stay under the radar and away from James' tracking ability.
Alice would hug her goodbye, and promise to see her soon. And Skye would shock them both by hugging Jasper goodbye, too. They would take turns filling the girl's head with ideas and dreams and hope to cling to, all while knowing it was all based on a lie, and then they'd leave.
They'd leave this sad, lonely, hurt girl behind, telling her that everything would be fine. And buried beneath this lie was a betrayal that Alice knew very well might never be forgiven.
But now, keeping Skye safe—not just from herself now, but from the threat that had been hiding out with her all long—was what Alice vowed to do.
Even if that meant losing the relationship she'd been carefully constructing over the past several days. Even if that meant Skye would hate her.
Visions shifted and morphed for a few seconds longer, before finally the path lay set before Alice. The path that she knew she had to take (word for word, scene by scene) in order to keep this girl she cared about alive.
And as she eyed Jasper, praying that she wouldn't also need to fill his head with lies on this journey they were about to embark on, she knew that she would do whatever it took to ensure her loved ones stayed alive.
No matter what.
A/N: Unfortunately this is going to be the last month I can promise you guys a second chapter. You'll still get your regularly scheduled Leo season bombshell (that chapter is a DOOZY that I am NOT looking forward to editing) in a couple of weeks, but beside that, we're going back to our once a month updates until I can both fully finish and edit this story. I've started working more as I'll be getting a promotion and switching locations for work soon, and I'll also be traveling more and going to shows and events again now that California is open again. I'm pretty much too busy to update fic at the rate I've promised, so back to zodiac season updates we go! Sorry if I got your hopes up with the influx of chapters, but I'm hoping to have Walk in the Dark finished by Christmastime!
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter has the most drama of ALL... brace yourselves hehe