Authors' Notes
Hi! We're back!
Just a little reminder of their names in their first life:
Esmerelda → Bella
Catherine → Rosalie
Evangeline → Alice
Also, we've changed their heights from canon too. I can't remember if we mentioned earlier, but since the sisters are triplets, they're all similar heights (rather than the differences in canon).
Joy: yep. Also, strap in, your in for a ride in the coming chapters and we are not responsible for any loss of limbs or heart attacks a reader may have if they do not keep themselves seated firmly lol. We are also not responsible should any of you spontaneously combust due to any cliffhangers!
Courtney: yeah, we got pretty evil with the coming chapters ?
Joy: shhhh, we're not supposed to admit to being evil remember? No matter how much we want to tortur— I mean, entertain, our readers. Any distress was not intentionally given. And that's the story we're sticking to haha. Tata for now. I need to air out this room. For some reason it smells like desperation.
Second Note
We're back to our usual schedule again. From now on, we will be posting every second Thursday. So we'll see you again on the 29th of September! Thank you to everyone who's stuck around so far!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to comment and let us know what you liked most/what you're looking forward to next.
Alice's POV
Chapter 16
We Can't Do This Alone
Devonshire, England – Samhain 1668 AD
I screamed and thrashed against the arms clutching me as I was dragged from my bed onto the floor. Crying out in pain as my shoulder collided with the hardwood, I could see my sisters screaming and kicking at the men who held them in unyielding grips.
"There will be no funny business from you lot! We know all about your devil's work!" one of the men holding me hissed.
"Let us go! You'll pay for this! You'll regret ever having been born when I'm done with you!" Esmerelda got her arm free and smacked the closest brute before they pinned her down.
"Eldy! Eldy!" Catherine screamed as the two brutes struggled with her, attempting to tie her down.
I was petrified. We knew the church was coming but we had no idea they were coming today! They were scheduled to go on a vampire hunt tonight—why were they here?
"Hurry up boys!" One of the soldiers holding Esmerelda nodded to the door. "You know what the pastor's son said; these three have followers in this town—we don't need no mob stoppin' us!" That was his first mistake; he should have known not to take his eyes off my elder sister.
Esmerelda looked at me, her violet eyes filling with tears—the one trait we all shared (our eyes had always made us stand out).
"Run." she mouthed.
My eyes widened in horror. But before I could say anything, before I could refuse, insisting that we all were in this together, she swung her eyes over to Catherine. Sweet, young Catherine, who was barely of marriageable age, fighting for her life on the ground, her pink night shift getting dirty and torn on the floor.
Instantly I knew I had to listen. I locked eyes with Eldy again and nodded as tears poured down my face. At that moment I swore, I swore we wouldn't leave Eldy, come hell or high water we would save our sister before she burned. There was just no time to tell Catherine that.
Esmerelda took my nod as a signal and quicker than the men holding her could have anticipated she blasted them with magic. The men shouted as Eldy backed up, her magic going wild as she threw everything imaginable at them. The men holding Catherine and I tossed us aside, forgetting in their haste to secure our ropes. I shed mine quickly and ran towards Catherine grabbing her hand and pulling her up by her arm.
"We must run! Now!"
"No!" Catherine shouted as she thrashed against me attempting to pull her hand free. "No, we have to save her!" she screeched as she stretched her hand towards our sister who was still throwing things at the brutes.
They were too distracted by the furious witch to notice us, but I knew we couldn't stay. I had to get Catherine out of here. I saw Eldy was losing energy—fast; that initial blast had taken a lot out of her.
Wrapping my arms around Catherine I hauled her backwards, out the back door and towards the forest.
"No! We can't leave her! We can't leave! Eldy! Mama!" Catherine screamed, her gut wrenching sobs tearing at my heart.
Esmerelda looked up at that. "Catherine, Evangeline; run. Go!" she yelled, just as the men got close enough to grab her.
I was so busy trying to haul Catherine into the safety of the forest I never noticed the presence behind me until hands tore us apart.
"No!" I reached desperately for my sister, fear beating its own pulse in my chest.
"You shoulda listen'd to yer sister, devil's spawn!" one of the thugs holding Catherine leered, taking perverse delight in her tears. "Maybe yer shoulda asked the devil for faster legs."
"That pastor's son sure got a mind on him. How'd he know the eldest woulda told these lassies to make a run for it?" another asked.
"It's 'cause he deals with all 'em devil spawn, innit? Knows how they think, is all!"
Had I not been so terrified, I'd have remarked that they sounded as dimwitted as they looked. They laughed as we struggled trying to get free.
No, this can't be it! I despaired before shaking my resolve. No, we would have the last laugh. Esmerelda had a plan for this. We'll always be together. In this life and the next.
Cullen House, Forks – February, 23rd , 2003 AD
I lurched awake in a cold sweat. Twin arms of cold steel wrapped around my waist, pulling me down, and I fought against them.
No! No! I won't let you take us! Never again!
I reached deep into my magic, ready to make the soldiers burn for all they'd done to us, when I was doused in an unnatural calm.
What is this? I railed against it, even as the foreign emotion soaked beneath my skin. Two warmer hands pressed to my cheeks and I lurched back. Voices murmured around me and my heart stuttered.
I'm surrounded. But where are my sisters? Esmerelda? Catherine? Where are you?
Suddenly, a voice of anxious urgency broke through my fear. "Alice! Darlin'! It's me! It's Jasper! It's okay. You're safe. You're safe."
Who? Jasper? But– I'm– Oh.
I blinked and everything came into focus. The arms holding me were Jasper's, and the hands on my cheeks were Bella's.
My eyes misted over as I let out a ragged breath, the nightmare still fresh in my mind. As I calmedI became aware of a feeling of dread pooling inside me. I shuddered slightly and ignored it. It will go away. It's just a nightmare. We're all here, we're all safe.
"Shhhh, it's okay, my nymph. I'm here, you're safe. What was it this time?" Bella asked soothingly.
I sniffed and took a deep breath. "The cottage…you—you told us to run…" I trailed off, not saying anything more, nor did I have to.
I could see the realisation light Bella's eyes as she lightly extracted me from Jasper's arms and pulled me into hers. "Jasper, get the supplies to redress her wounds."
I gave a small smile. That was Bella's 'mom voice', and apparently it was just as effective on centuries old vampires because Jasper immediately got up and went to get the supplies after kissing me softly on the forehead.
Emmett was still cuddled up with Rose who was still asleep. That was no surprise; she was the heaviest sleeper out of the three of us.
Edward was sitting up on the mattress, politely pretending to be engrossed in a boo— I did a double take. On the bed? When the hell did that happen? I looked at Bella with accusing eyes and she simply shrugged, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
I could still feel the dread building inside me, but I couldn't deal with that right now. I concentrated on the situation before me. Otherwise I would freak out my sisters more than they already were. I promised myself I would scry after this, but right now I needed to breathe. That resolve thankfully calmed the mounting feeling of dread and unease as it always did.
I dropped my head against Bella's shoulder, letting out a deep breath as she pulled me closer. Bella's hugs had a way of making it easier to breathe. Like coming home after an exhausting day.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Bella murmured after a moment, running her fingers through my hair.
I shook my head. "I just want a full night's sleep for once."
Bella hummed. "Perhaps after your cowboy comes back, the two of you can go for a walk. Get some fresh air and forget about everything for a while." She snorted. "Just use protection, yeah? I don't want to be an aunt just yet."
"Bella!"
She snickered, and when I heard an echo from Edworm, I glared at him, but he was back to studiously staring at his book. The pair of them were saved from being hit by a pillow when Jazz walked back in. I stayed in Bella's lap as he sat cross-legged in front of me and began tending to my wounds.
After a short moment, he was done and was pulling me back into his arms. I remembered Bella's suggestion and nodded to the door. "Get me out of here?"
He nodded, the corner of his lips tipping upwards as he stood, placing me gently on the ground. I gave Bella's hand a squeeze before dropping it and watching as narrowed her eyes at Edward, before rolling her eyes and crawling back to bed. Edward was watching her over the top of his book as she lay down beside him. There was a coy smile on her lips as she ran her hand up his torso and up his neck, tangling in his hair. His eyes were half-lidded, entirely focused on her; the book tumbling from his hands as he gave his full attention to her.
Suddenly he let out a surprised squawk as Bella yanked him down until he was sprawled out on top of her like a weighted blanket. The second noise he made was anything delicate as she wrapped her limbs around him like an octopus and snuggled into him.
I buried my face into Jazz's neck to stop myself from laughing and I could feel his silent chuckles rumbling through his chest. When Bella was this tired there wasn't much of a filter between her brain and her actions, hence the impromptu cuddle session with her supposed nemesis.
Over Edworm's shoulder, she flipped us off—Emmett too from where he was grinning at her beside the still sleeping Rose. With that, we left. Neither of us let go of each other as we headed down the stairs and to the front door. I knew there were any number of exits Jazz could jump us out of, but right now I desperately needed normal.
Or my version of normal at least.
However, as we passed the kitchen, I couldn't breathe.
There he was. Carlisle Cullen. Our murderer.
I don't want to die. I can't do it again. I can't lose my sisters. I can't lose Jazz. I don't want to die. I can't let him hurt us again. I will never forgive him for what he did.
Carlisle stood there, looking exactly the same as he had that day. I could see him now, sitting on the high platform next to his father. One leg crossed over the other. Arms resting on the sides of his throne-like chair as he looked down at us, accusing and unfeeling as we were put to death. As if he were watching an uninteresting performance.
The look on his face was the same one as when they'd dragged us past him to the pyres. There was a slight purse to his lips like he had a problem he couldn't quite fix. My throat felt tight, as if someone was strangling me.
I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't—
"Alice!" Jasper stood in front of me, hands cupping my cheeks, eyes darting over my face. "Darlin'. Focus on me. Just me. You're safe."
We were alone in the kitchen.
"Where'd he—?" I twisted around, desperate to keep him in my sights. If I could keep an eye on him, he wouldn't be able to hurt us. My sisters! My head snapped to the ceiling like I could see them through the concrete. He can't—
"He's heading to the hospital, darlin'." Jasper pulled my attention back to him until he was all I could see. "He just left. Out the garage. You can hear the engine driving away."
He was right. I could hear it. Faintly. It was getting further and further away. When I couldn't hear it anymore, I slumped against Jasper.
"I can't keep doing this." I clutched at his sleeves. "I'm terrified all the time. I can't sleep because every time I try I hear my sisters' screams. I can't even light candles without having a panic attack. I thought it was going to get easier once the curse was complete. I thought we'd be happier here in Forks, but we almost died yesterday, and I can't even look at my boyfriend's coven leader without feeling like I can't breathe."
Jasper squeezed my face a little, grounding me.
"You are happier here. You and your sisters are healing, and that's not easy. It's going to get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. And you didn't die yesterday because we worked together, and we'll keep working together until the three of you never have to look over your shoulders again. I'll rip Victoria's head off myself if that will help you heal.
"And don't worry about Carlisle." He brushed his thumb over my cheek and I was half-surprised at the wetness there. "He will never hurt you again. Hell, you and I can walk away right now if that's what you want. You don't ever have to be in the same room as him ever again, let alone look at him, if you don't want to."
I wanted to believe him; I desperately did. But something told me if we were going to survive this, we would need his help. And for my sisters, I would do anything.
There was just something I needed to do first.
"I need to scry. Can you go to my room and collect some things for me?" Even as I asked, I leaned further into his hold. I never wanted to leave his arms again if I could help it. "I'd come with you, but I don't want to leave my sisters."
He hesitated, searching my eyes for something. "I don't want to leave you," he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine.
I don't want you to go either. "I'll be better after I scry. Until then I'm just going to spend the day slowly freaking out more and more."
"Okay." He kissed my forehead. "Okay. What do you need?"
"There's a felt bag in the bottom drawer of my bedside table. Check that there's pink salt, fresh spring water, my pendulum and scrying bowl in there. It's all labelled, just make sure they're all there."
He nodded. "I'll be back soon." He pulled me in for a sweet long kiss that left me a little breathless. "Esme should be in the back room if you want some company while I'm out. I won't be long."
I squeezed his hand, and in a blink he was gone. I sighed, eyeing the corridor to the back part of the house. As much as I wanted to avoid people right now, I did not want to risk being alone if he came back early. Besides, Esme was nice.
"How did you sleep, Alice dear?" Esme smiled at me as I walked into what was clearly an art studio.
"Oh, the usual: nightmares that leave me screaming and wishing I could never sleep again." I glanced around at the art lining the walls. "I didn't realise you painted."
She hummed, turning back to her easel. "Ever since I was a little girl. I always loved the feeling of the brush between my fingers and watching my imagination come to life. Do you paint?"
"Not as often as I'd like." I trailed my fingers across the palettes of paint she had everywhere. "Though Rose would say I have no idea what 'often' means," I added with a snort. "If I had the choice, I would paint every second of every day, so anything less than that isn't ideal."
Esme laughed. "I was like that too. My parents always complained about how often my hands were covered in paint. They wished I would take up something less messy, but I found there were never enough hours in the day to paint everything in my head. Now—" she shrugged, "—well now I have forever."
I sighed. "Not having to eat or sleep would definitely give you more hours. Must be nice."
There was a smile on her face like she knew something I didn't. "Would you like to paint? While you wait for Jasper?"
I was sitting in front of a blank easel before she'd finished. "I thought you'd never ask."
Esme's laugh was refreshing after everything. "How about we make a deal?"
I closed my eyes at the feel of the brush between my fingers again. Sweet Circe, it's been too long. I hummed. "What kind of deal?"
"You keep that smile on my son's face, and you can come here to paint any time you like."
I grinned. "I think I can do that." Then teasingly added, "Usually we witches don't make deals unless they're enforced by magic. But this time, I think we can make an exception."
That was how Jazz found us twenty minutes later, our hands covered in paint and grinnin. When I saw the bag in his hands, my mood dimmed as I remembered what I had to do.
"Thank you, Esme." I stood and quickly washed my hands in the nearby bowl of water, scrubbing them clean of paint. As much as I loved the sight of paint spots on my fingers and under my nails, I needed my hands clean to scry.
With that, Jazz and I headed outside. All the peace and joy I'd felt from my moment with Esme was dripping away with every step into the forest until it was entirely replaced with dread.
"Darlin'..."
I shook my head. "Not yet."
The further we walked into the woods the more my dread grew. I clutched my scrying bowl close to me, as if its mere presence could prevent anything bad from happening to me.
"I feel like something terrible is about to happen jas." My voice was barely louder than a breath. I knew Jazz would hear me regardless, but I didn't want to worry anyone at the house.
Too late I realised that we weren't out of Edward's range. He might not be able to hear my words, but he could still hear Jasper's thoughts. I picked up my pace and counted on the fact that Edward was thoroughly distracted and only ever saw me as a spoiled brat. With any luck he would assume I was exaggerating and that would prevent him from telling Bella.
Most of the Cullens assumed I didn't know how he thought about Rose and I, but I did. It wasn't hard to catch with all his glaring and snide remarks when he thought Bella wasn't looking. It probably never occurred to him that Bella didn't care about his comments since we found them more amusing than hurtful.
They were about as hurtful as a tantruming toddler not getting his way.
Jasper slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. "Everythings going to be okay, darlin'; trust me."
My gut told me otherwise, but I didn't correct him.
Once we were far enough away from the Cullen house I cast a privacy dome and pulled away from Jasper. I knelt down and removed everything from the bowl. I wasted no time in filling it to the brim with water. Swiftly casting a circle of salt around the scrying bowl and myself I sat down and took a deep breath before beginning to swing my pendulum over the water.
After a moment the water began to turn a pearly white. When the entire bowl was covered in a white glossy sheen, I dipped my fingers lightly into the solution and gasped as I was immediately pulled into a vision.
We were in a clearing, a battle raging around us. Dozens of bodies were scattered around us. Victoria stood at the edge of the clearing, hatred spilling from her every pore. Beside her was an unfamiliar blond man, and together they were ordering a group of near rabid red-eyed vampires to kill us.
By the bodies surrounding my sisters and I, I could tell we had already taken out a large number of her vampires. We systematically dismembered them while the Cullens darted between their own fights and throwing the various body parts into the pyre behind us. There was a rhythm to our movements. One the obviously inexperienced vampires couldn't see through their blood lust.
But they weren't stopping. Victoria's seemingly never ending army was still coming at us. Something was bound to go wrong. Even with my limited battle experience, I could see this was a flawed plan. The eight of us against the seemingly endless number of them; we were bound to be overwhelmed.
To my horror, I was proven right.
I watched with growing despair as Emmett bounded forward to grab a severed head, lobbing it into the fire, not paying attention to the young vampire behind him. The dark-haired boy—he couldn't have been more than fourteen—threw himself at Emmett and tore into the older vampire's arm.
Emmett roared in pain. He grabbed the boy by his tattooed neck and threw him into the nearest fire, but not before another two vampires were on him. They dug into him, the cracks forming along his throat and torso ringing through the clearing as he struggled against them.
Rose spun around, his name in her throat. She darted towards him, pulling away from our rhythmic process to save him. It pulled her away from us, and it was just the distraction Victoria needed.
Her lips pulled back in a vicious snarl and she launched a dark beam of magic at Rose. As the battle raged around us, I was the only one watching the beam tracking towards my sister.
In that moment, several things seemed to happen at once. First I called out to Rose. She turned her head, eyes wide, and we both knew there was no way she could dive out of the way in time. Second was Bella. She turned sharply and, seeing what was unfolding, did something I didn't know was possible.
Bella blinked out of view….sight….existence…something… and reappeared directly in front of Rose. She pulled her into a protective embrace so that Bella's back was to Victoria and the dark beam of magic. She cast a shield around them both seconds before it struck.
'No!"
Bella stiffened for a moment as the beam ate away at her shield, before her eyes went wide and she collapsed.
Behind her, Victoria cackled. "Now that was even better than the first time."
Her horrific grin didn't disappear even as she burst into flames. The man at her side was burnt as well due to his proximity, but Victoria's cackle echoed louder than the flames.
But none of that mattered as I stared at my sister.
Bella's shield had shattered. The remnants of it lay in a glittering circle around her, melting into the grass.
I knew there was only one way that would happen. Bella was dead.
Rose's cry of anguish ripped through the air, the battle still raging around us. She sank to her knees by our sister, clutching at her body, begging her to come back.
I felt like I was being choked. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. It was like my heart had stopped, like it had been ripped from my chest.
"She's gone."
I hadn't realised I'd spoken until Rose spun around, Bella still in her arms. "No! She's not! She can't be! We have to get her back!"
Around us the battle froze. Without their leaders, Victoria's remaining soldiers stood there, helpless, as the Cullens ripped them apart.
But I couldn't see them. I couldn't see any of them. All I could see was Bella's lifeless body. My sister—the only mother Rose and I had ever known—was dead.
Gone.
A sudden fog clouded my vision, but I still felt like I couldn't breathe.
It was just a vision. I swallowed thickly. It won't come to pass. It can't. I won't let it.
I took a deep breath and attempted to centre myself. Yet, as much as I tried, I couldn't focus. All I could see was my sister, dead. The world felt hollow in her absence.
After a moment I realised that the fog was still there, swirling and pulsing with a dark energy that felt ominous. Flashes of colour passed through the fog, swirling around me and I knew I was being pulled into another vision.
I was dreading what I might see. I hadn't had a fractured vision in years. Not since our first life when I had gotten them of raiders ransacking our village.
Fractured visions foretold an uncertain outcome; a grey future and an ending dependent on decisions. Which meant what I had just foreseen, wasn't set in stone. I let out a shuddering breath of relief.
I can change it. I still have time.
But that meant I was about to live through another possibility. Unless I did something. I couldn't, wouldn't, live through this as a participant again. No, this time I would observe from a distance. I focused my consciousness to steady just enough that I didn't find myself standing in my vision self's shoes.
I took another deep breath and felt myself detaching from the first vision, the fog clearing as I was thrust into the next one.
This vision wasn't dissimilar from the first. Just more chaotic.
The battle raged through the clearing with a ferocity I hadn't seen in the first vision. Victoria stood amongst her army this time, fighting against Bella and two of the wolves. They seemed to be working in tandem: the wolves darting in to bite at her while Bella kept her distracted by throwing spells at her. But all they seemed to be doing was pissing her off.
A few feet away, another wolf was ripping the same blond man from the first vision to pieces. He reached out to Victoria with a terrified cry, but she never even spared a glance. Surprising, Victoria's other lap dogs—James and Laurent—were nowhere in sight.
However I couldn't spare them a thought—nor one for why the wolves were helping us—as the rest of the battle raging across the clearing was in complete chaos. .
I watched my vision self grapple with a thin female vampire before tearing her head off. Two wolves circled them, catching any chunk vision-me hurled their way. I could see the trick to it as vision-me focused on the next vampire while the wolves dismembered and threw the rest of her into the fire.
I was so focused on their movements that I almost missed the vampire creeping up behind vision-me.
"Look out!" I whispered, knowing no one could hear me, even as I watched with my heart in my throat as he leapt for vision-me.
I needn't have worried though, as he slipped off with a pained howl like I was coated in hot oil. I glanced around for the source of the magic—I knew it wasn't mine or my sisters—and that's when I saw them. Three witches standing at the edge of the clearing behind a shimmering shield, holding hands and chanting a familiar spell.
I glanced back at everyone in the battle, and now I could see similar shields across our allies. I watched as Victoria's soldiers slid off the wolves, off the Cullens, off my sisters and vision-me.
"Now that's a good idea," I murmured, feeling my first flicker of hope today. "Evening the playing field."
And it was. Where in the first vision Victoria's vampires were able to pull us apart as easily as we did them, now they could barely even manage a solid grip.
I watched as Jasper joined my vision self's side in dismembering more vampires. Vision-me summoned all manner of plants to strangle and rip apart the vampires while Jasper tossed the pieces to the wolves. To their left, Rose stood in a protective circle of runes while watching vampires around her shatter while Edward and Emmett brought more victims to her.
In the centre of the clearing a large fire raged, already burning several severed limbs. Around it, three wolves stalked. Acting like a strike team, they would take down a vampire, tear them to pieces and throw them into the inferno. They also gathered all the other limbs lying about from other fights, throwing them in.
Downwind from them Carlisle, Esme, another wolf and two more witches ploughed through a group of vampires, tearing them apart with a terrifying efficiency. There was a look of murder on Esme's face I had never seen before as she glared at Victoria and the vampires between them.
That was when I noticed the numbers.
"We're winning!"
I was astounded. After the tragedy of the last vision, I had not expected this. But we were. With the witches and wolves on our side, Victoria's numbers were dwindling. Not quickly but they were going down nonetheless. If we kept up this pace, Victoria would be all that was left.
But that was when everything went to shit.
One of the witches was suddenly caught by a vampire, his grey eyes going wide before he was beheaded. Like Victoria had in the previous vision, the vampire who had killed the witch glowed for a second before bursting into eternal flames that turned his body to ash within seconds.
The smallest wolf of the pack let out a furious howl of pain and grief, while one of the witches by the edge of the clearing shrieked, her pain echoing the wolves. Almost as one, they darted towards the group the vampire had been a part of and tore them to shreds.
Once they had annihilated them the woman dropped by the lifeless witch, her matching grey eyes filling with murderous tears as she glared at the rest of the army. "You will pay for my brother's death. None of you will survive this." she hissed. The small wolf snarled in agreement.
However, her break from the circle at the clearing edge shattered the slippery wards on our allies as Victoria was able to grab the russet brown wolf biting her and snapping its neck. In retaliation a large black wolf tackled her from behind with a snarl, catching her unawares and taking one of her hands with it.
Edward winced, pressing a hand to his head as all the wolves shuddered and howled. Snarling in fury and cradling her arm, Victoria threw the wolf off. It landed amongst two other wolves like pins in a bowling alley as Victoria turned and her eyes landed on the easiest target. Edward.
The pressure of everyone's thoughts were clearly getting to him as he hadn't even noticed Victoria's attention. A sickly yellow burst of magic streamed towards him and I couldn't help but look at my sister.
"No." Bella's voice was filled with heartbroken anguish—the likes of which I hadn't heard in a long time—as she stared helplessly at Edward.
In the space of a heartbeat, Bella blinked out of existence—something that I still could not fathom—and reappeared in front of him. Right in the path of the spell. She gripped his face in her hands and pulled him into a deep kiss before breaking it to stare into his eyes as a tear slipped down her cheek as she whispered, "I'm sorry. I love you."
She crumpled to the ground, her eyes fluttering shut and my heart stopped.
No. No! She couldn't be— Not again!
It's a lie. She's fine. She has to be, I told myself. She'll get up in a minute.
But my delusion was broken as Rose and my vision self screamed in horror while Edward dropped to his knees. He reached out with a trembling hand to brush the hair of Bella's cheeks.
"Baby?" He sounded like someone had torn his heart from his chest and set it on fire. "Bella, baby?"
The smallest wolf suddenly threw his head back letting out a furious and mournful howl startling the few vampires left of Victoria's army. The other wolves snarled at the sound and made quick work of the remaining vampires before joining their pack member. Their howls echoing around the clearing in a mournful symphony which made my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.
Somehow, in my heartbreak, I wondered at their reaction. We didn't get along with them—so why did they care? What was Bella to them? But I couldn't focus on them. I was too busy watching my world crumble before my eyes.
The fog filled my vision again, and this time I let it take me. I didn't have the energy to fight it. All I could do was wonder how I'd watch my sister die this time.
It was the same. The clearing, Victoria and her army, the wolves, the witches, the Cullens, and the dead bodies littered everywhere. It was the same as my last vision.
Only this time there were another group of vampires on our side—golden-eyed just like the Cullens. Three were dark-haired—two men and one woman—while the other three women were blonde. Perhaps sisters from their appearance. One of the men caught my eye, however. There was a vague familiarity about him, as if I had met him somewhere before. It was a ridiculous thought—I'd clearly never laid eyes on him before.
I watched as the three blonde women tore a path through the vampires like a warm knife through butter. One of them seemed to have some sort of electric ability in her hands as every vampire she touched shuddered like thousands of volts were going through their body. As they carved through the army, she could incapacitate any vampire in her path while her sisters swiftly tore them apart before throwing them to the wolves to be burned. They worked like a well-oiled machine that spoke of centuries working together as one.
Similar to the second vision, this one had us decimating Victoria's toy soldiers. But after the second one, I was bracing for the torture I knew was coming. I had lost hope that I would see anything but my sister's death.
Why did I scry? I thought helplessly. If I wanted to see my sister die, I should have just stayed in that nightmare!
I shook myself. No. Don't focus on that. Fractured visions aren't set. I can still change this. But only if I pay attention.
In the first two visions I had been too distracted to gauge how many were in her army. I couldn't make a good estimate now, considering it looked like most of her troops were now on fire, but there were at least two dozen still alive. Perhaps a safe estimate would put her original number at double that. If not more.
My attention turned to one corner of the battle where my sisters and my vision self had just cornered Victoria and four of her soldiers on one side of the clearing. It looked like she was trying to escape, but couldn't.
She slammed her closed fist against a tree, snarling in fury. It shook but didn't snap. That's when I saw it. A giant ward surrounded the clearing. It was a symphony of colours that lit up every time someone on Victoria's side touched the barrier. I knew it had to be the work of runes and multiple witches—even if I couldn't see many—as no witch could maintain a ward of that size by themselves.
A flash of blonde caught my eye and I watched as the vampire sisters attacked Victoria's new lapdog. The one with the taser hands wrapped her hands around his neck, and as he shrieked, her sisters tore him apart, snarling in satisfaction.
Victoria let out an inhuman scream, but since I'd seen her reaction in the previous vision, I knew she wasn't furious at his death, but rather the fact that she knew she was losing. She returned to her battle with my sisters and my vision self with far more vigour than before. Jasper took the attention of her four lackeys, dispatching two of them with ease before the other two trapped him.
Vision-me dodged behind a tree to avoid one of Victoria's blasts and reappeared a moment later, diving to join my sisters and voiding another blast as she did.
Then two things seemed to happen at once.
One of the vampires holding Jasper gripped his hair and pulled his head back while the second kept him kneeling on the ground. Cracks began appearing along the column of his neck and I didn't know who screamed louder—me, or vision-me.
Using my distraction, Victoria caught vision-me by the throat, hoisting her into the air, choking her with relish. My vision self clawed at her hands as she cackled maliciously, merely tightening her grip.
A few feet away Bella struggled against the grip of three vampires, desperate to get to me. But she was too far away.
"This is where I die."
And everything went white.
I sucked in a heaving breath, like my lungs were collapsing, and keeled forward into the arms holding me. The owner of the arms said something, but all I could feel were Victoria's claws around my throat. All I could see was my sister desperately trying to sacrifice herself again.
"No! No, no no!" I clutched blindly at the arms holding me. "She can't! Not again! I won't let her!"
"Alice!" Jasper grabbed my face in his hands so he was all I could see. "Breathe. I need you to breathe, darlin'. You're not there, you're here; with me, in the present. Not there. None of that has happened. Whatever you saw hasn't happened. You're safe. You're with me. I won't let anything happen to you."
Yet, my mind supplied viciously. "But it will!" He had to see. Why couldn't he see? "We'll be fighting against a ton of vampires, and Victoria targets us, and we distract Mum so she has to sacrifice herself for us again! Just like she did in our first life!" I sobbed into his arms. "I can't do that again. I can't watch her leave us again."
My fingers dug into his collar. "Swear to me you won't let her," I demanded. "Not even if it saves me."
I couldn't. I wouldn't allow my sister to sacrifice herself for us again. Never again.
"It will be okay, darlin'. We'll find another way. There has to be a way that everyone on our side makes it out alive."
He was using a soothing voice, but it did nothing to calm my worries. What didn't he understand about the situation? I saw it!
"No! There isn't! I didn't see any alternatives! Even in the last one where she kills me, I know her. Mum will murder Victoria for killing me, and then she'll die from the treaty and Rose will be left all alone! We can't leave Rose alone!" I could feel my hysteria rising, but I didn't care. He needed to understand.
Jasper froze, something shuttering in his eyes. "You died?"
"Only in the last one." I waved my hand. "In the other ones I lived, but Mum—Bella died."
I took a deep breath, calming down just enough to realise my mistake. Bella didn't like whenever we accidentally called her 'Mum'. She always said she loved us very much, but could never replace our actual mother. Not that I really remembered her.
I took another breath, focusing on what was important. I needed to calm down. Otherwise how else was Jazz supposed to help me keep Bella alive?
"I am not going to let that happen." His hands were gentle but the fierceness in his eyes was not.
I nodded, relieved. There was no way Jaz would let Bella die. He just said so himself.
The fight and adrenaline drained from me as quickly as it had appeared. I dropped into his chest and whispered, "Why did you pull me out? I could have seen more to stop it."
His fingers combed through my hair, soothing me with every stroke. My eyes slipped closed at his touch and eventually my heart slowed. "You were terrified," he murmured eventually. His fingers paused to tip my head away so I could see the forest around us. "And your magic went haywire.
Before, the forest had been mostly sparse. Just enough vegetation to be called a forest. Now it looked like it hadn't felt a human footprint in a millennia. Vines strangled the trees, rapidly taking over everything. Where before the trees had been a few stories above us, they now stood so high and so lush I couldn't see the sky.
My magic pulsed through me and into the earth, continually beating with its own pulse, even as I calmed. With a deep breath, I pulled it back into me.
"You were in there for a long time," Jazz murmured, one hand on the back of my neck and the other tangled in my hair. "What did you see?"
"Three visions. I—" I swallowed convulsively. How could I possibly tell him?
"What happened in them?" He squeezed the back of my neck just enough to ground me.
I took a shuddering breath. He had to know. "The first was a battle with Victoria and an army of vampires. They were all consistent in that matter, but beyond that they were different. In the first vision it was our families, and we were barely holding up against them. Then, Emmett—" I swallowed against the dry lump in my throat. "—he got bit. It distracted Rose." My voice broke on my sister's name.
"Victoria saw that and threw a deadly spell at Rose, but Bella was there and she did something I've never seen any witch do. She just popped out of view, existence, I don't know; and she reappeared in front of Rose. Sh–she died. She sacrificed herself for Rose." My eyes misted with tears as I recalled how she fell.
I took another break to calm down. "In the second one, the wolves and some witches were helping us. I–I don't know why the wolves were there. It was weird; they hate us. But we were doing better. We were winning. But then one of the vampires in the army killed a witch, and his sister and a wolf were furious. Everyone's thoughts distracted Edward and Victoria shot a spell at him. And just like the first vision…she—" I swallowed.
"She did it again. Bella sacrificed herself again. I–I don't— Why would she–" Sobs racked my frame as I buried my face in my hands.
"Shhh, it's alright, darlin'. Take a deep breath and continue when you're ready." Jasper pulled me tighter into his arms. .
I took several deep breaths before I was calm enough to continue. " In the third one there were wolves and witches just like the second. But this time we had more vampires on our side. Another coven possibly—maybe one with an old grudge against Victoria. And in this one Bella didn't die. I did—or at least I think I did. I was pulled out while Victoria choked me to death."
Jasper closed his eyes and pressed his face into my hair like he was grounding himself in my touch as much as I was in his. After a moment, he pulled back, his game face on. "First things first we need to avoid the things that lead to these visions. Everything that happens in them, we won't do."
I nodded, having a plan filling me with a sense of determination. "Yes, we can't let Bella die. I think—I think we all need to work together. I mean, really work together to beat Victoria. I can't explain it—I can just feel it in my gut that that's the way to go. We have to come up with a plan to get everyone on side. Maybe try and convince them separately."
"Darlin', there's no way I'm lettin' you out of my sight until Victoria's on fire. I don't care if I have to remove limbs to force my family into helping you." His lips quirked to the side and my heart fluttered in relief..
I smiled. "I knew I could count on you Jaz, but we still need to find a way to convince them all to work together." I hummed, deep in thought.
"Why not just tell them of your visions? Then we'll have more people on the lookout for things to avoid."
Something odd twisted in my gut. I furrowed my brow. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like a warning. Telling them all—that was what set it off. So that was something to avoid.
Bella will freak if she hears about that.
"We can't tell them!" I straightened in his lap. "And we definitely can't tell Bella. She would freak out and only be more determined to sacrifice herself for us! Nothing matters more to her than our safety. If we told her, she might do something insane! Like hunt down Victoria herself and kill her, treaty be damned. And we can't tell the others because the more people who know, the more likely it'll get back to Bella."
"So what do we tell Bella? How do we convince her to plan with us if we can't tell her what prompted this?"
"Bella would never willingly work with you guys. She despises Carlisle! I'm quite sure her most pleasant dream is of him being slowly roasted over a fire with an apple in his mouth," I said seriously.
(Mostly because she had woken up one morning with the biggest grin and sketched that very scene. It was hidden in her closet with her other sketches on how to torture Carlisle).
"She wouldn't work with him, even if it meant saving you?" he asked slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly, like he couldn't quite believe it.
I shook my head determinedly. "She might pretend to work with him, but we would need a genuine willingness. No, we can't tell Bella. It'll lead to the very thing we want to avoid.
"And how do you plan to foster that? I have no doubt Bella will notice if I force it on her. And I have no interest in joining Carlisle on that fire."
I bit my lip, thinking hard. "I got it! We'll have to keep the whole of it from her! That's the only way to do it. We'll get your family on board, plan in secret and then come up with a plan Bella doesn't hate! And that way she doesn't have to completely work with your family. She just has to follow the plan!" I said triumphantly.
He didn't say anything, but his scepticism radiated from him in waves.
"Trust me, Jazz, this will work. It has to work! I can't just let my sister sacrifice herself for me! I'll just… I'll just do what Bella does and take care of her for a change. How hard can it be?" I said with more confidence than I felt.
He stared at me for a long moment until I started to worry he'd disagree before he nodded. "Okay. Then how do we convince everyone else to go along with the plan? Edward is automatically going to be against anything that could hurt Bella in any way."
I thought for a moment. "Well…he doesn't want Bella to be stressed right? Then we'll tell them all that we're doing this to take a load off her shoulders. He can't seriously want her to carry the burden of everything. And even if he doesn't agree, majority rules," I added firmly.
"I think you're underestimating how stubborn Edward can be, darlin'," he said, faintly amused.
I smirked. "I think you're underestimating how shit Bella looks after draining her magic so much. He'll take one look at her and have to agree that she needs a break!" I was determined to get everyone's cooperation, no matter how reluctant. I would save my sister. Nothing else mattered.
He looked off into the distance. "If we lean into doing this to protect Bella, maybe even mention that telling her would make her want to sacrifice herself, that could help convince him. And Em, Carlisle and Esme will go along with that as well, but what about Rosalie? Will she be alright with lying to your sister?"
I bit my lip. Rose would be against anything that had to do with lying to Bella. Rose was always the closest to her. "That will require some delicacy. Rose has always been Bella's little girl. And mine to some extent. But if I show her how exhausted Bella is, maybe even hint that it's the only way, then she'll toe the line just fine." I was sure of my plan now.
"Okay, darlin'." Jasper pulled me into his chest. "Okay." I knew he could feel the worry I felt stirring at the base of my heart as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "We won't have to lie to Bella for long. Just long enough for the rest of us to come up with a plan."
I nodded. "Exactly." My plan would work. It had to. The alternatives were unacceptable.
"You okay?" Rose yawned, nudging me with her shoulder.
After a few moments of holding each other, Jasper and I had headed inside again. By that point Rosie and Bella were awake and begrudgingly (on Bella's part) accepting breakfast from Esme. The three of us sat at the kitchen table while Emmett lounged on the couch, Jazz stared out the windows and Edward sat at the piano.
"I'm okay." I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Just tired."
"When we get home, I'll give you some willow bark tea to help with that. After yesterday we all need to get some decent rest." Bella shoved the forkful of omelette into her mouth, closing her eyes in bliss for a moment. Then she remembered where she was and side-eyed the vampires in the room. "Away from these mosquitos."
"Considering how tightly you were cuddling a certain mosquito this morning, I think you got a pretty good rest last night." Emmett sent her a wicked grin that had her threatening him with her fork.
She sniffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Utter nonsense," Bella said with dignity belied by the red tinting her cheeks.
While Emmett and Bella continued bickering, I noticed the small smile on Edward's face as he started playing softly. I shared a glance with Rose who swallowed her smile.
What'd I miss? I mouthed at her.
Plenty, she mouthed back with a wink that promised details later.
However, our joking mood dropped as Carlisle entered the room. My heart lurched and I glanced at Jasper in panic. You said he was at the hospital!
My thoughts must have been clear on my face as he shrugged slightly, narrowing his eyes at his coven leader. I turned back to the man who'd murdered us and tried desperately to press down the need to flee. I wouldn't leave my sisters here with him. I'd tear him apart before I ever did that.
Yesterday we may have played on his team in the baseball game, and willingly fought beside him in the battle, but right now I was struggling to breathe. All I could see was the memory of my sisters and I being torn from our beds and executed by the man across the room from us.
All I could hear was one of the soldiers leering, "That pastor's son sure got a mind on him, how'd he know the eldest woulda told these lassies to make a run for it?"
All I could feel were those brutes tearing my sisters and I apart, their lecherous hands wandering.
All because of him.
I want him dead. I want to set him on fire and see how he likes it. I want to skin him alive and watch him scream. I want to rip his head off and feed it to the lizards in the backyard.
Jasper sent a wave of reassurance through me. He didn't touch my emotions, just let me know he was with me whatever I decided.
"We're leaving." Bella stood up abruptly, her eyes on me, as Rose's hand came up to squeeze mine. "Thanks for the breakfast, Esme."
"Please stay." Esme stepped closer. "You girls are always welcome here, and we all want to make sure your injuries don't want to get worse."
Bella pressed her lips together, her eyes narrowing. "We really should be going. I'm sure we'll be fine."
I thought I saw her wince. But when I focused on her Bella's face was smooth and didn't show any signs of pain. That was good. She must be feeling much better after some food and rest.
But then I looked at Rose and caught sight of the bruises along her face for the first time and my chest squeezed. The tension in her was the same as in Bella's shoulders, and it had nothing to do with our company. Only Rose's eyes gave away her pain. Bella was in pain, and she was hiding it from us.
How often does she do that? I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I recalled instances where she had gotten injured and I had my answer. All the time.
Carlisle shifted on his feet and my eyes snapped to his. There was guilt in there and remorse that made me want to snarl. How dare he look at me like that! He was the one who had ruined everything for us!
I knew he could see my contempt written clearly on my face, but he didn't back down. He turned to Bella. "I know you have no reason to trust me, so please don't leave on my account. Stay here and heal."
I swallowed my scowl. He wasn't just talking to Bella; he was trying to convince me. He knew none of them could get through Bella's stubborn streak. Only Rose and I could do that.
"What if you get an infection, or pass out in front of Charlie from pushing yourselves too hard?" Edward stopped playing piano to look Bella in the eye. "Let us help you."
"I'll be fine. I want Alice and Rose to be comfortable while they heal." She pursed her lips, clearly rethinking her earlier actions with him.
I wanted to leave, to get as far away from him as possible, but there was also a part of me that wanted to stop running. I was exhausted, and I could feel that same ache in my sisters. It felt like we'd been running and fighting for a lifetime, and I was ready to stop.
I closed my eyes and made my decision. Maybe it was a little manipulative but I knew exactly how to get Bella to stay. A bit of guilt churned in my gut as I opened my mouth, but I ploughed forward regardless. "You could just leave us here for a bit."
My conscience screamed at me for the look of sheer panic that crossed Bella's face before she wiped it away. "Absolutely not. Out of the question."
At that I gave Edward and Esme pointed looks. They could help convince her. They just had to appeal to her protective side. I subtly gestured to my wrapped injuries as if to say, hello? Focus on our injuries—not hers.
"Your sisters are hurt." It was Emmett that caught my drift the fastest as he leaned back on the couch. "Are you really going to force them home when they could stay here and get pampered?"
He was the perfect image of lazy care as he watched Bella with narrowed eyes, daring her to fight his logic. He was the last one I'd expected to convince Bella but I shouldn't have doubted their shared chaotic energy as I felt the give in my sister's stance. She glanced at us, a question in her eyes.
I nodded slightly while Rose smiled and Bella sighed. "Fine, but you'd better be ready to pamper us for the entire fucking day."
Emmett grinned. "I'm a gold medalist pamperer."
"More like a silver medalist bullshitter."
"Hey, I resent that!"
"Less talking—more feeding Rose grapes while you fan her."
I was mixed. I didn't know whether to feel relief that my sisters were going to get the rest they needed, or the other mess of emotions I felt at having to stay in the same house with the man who'd murdered us.
Jazz came over to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. His touch did more for my mess of emotions than his ability could and I sunk into his arms.
"Edward, my medical bag is in my study." Carlisle watched us all carefully. "I refilled it this morning with more things that might work for the sisters. Will you take care of their wounds today?"
"Where are you going?" Bella narrowed her eyes at him, her mood souring.
"To the hospital. We're short staffed and I'm on call. Edward knows enough to help you today, and if you need anything I am a call away." With that, he disappeared out the garage.
That's a lie. I glanced at Bella. For an old bastard, he was a terrible liar. She pursed her lips seeing it too. He's leaving to make us more comfortable in staying.
Rose caught our eyes and shrugged slightly like she was saying, At least he's trying.
He could have tried not to kill us. I didn't need to look at Bella to know her thoughts mirrored my own.
Bella then turned a gimlet eye to Jasper, her good mood seeming to return. "You'd better fucking wait on Alice hand and foot today. Also, the fact that Emmett offered first makes him my favourite Cullen brother at the moment."
"I'm better than Emmett at everything but being an idiot." Jazz smirked.
Bella grinned slowly. "Care to make a wager?" she said with a certain glint in her eye.
Perfect. Distract her with gambling.
Their grins were wild and feral. I knew they were putting on more of a show than necessary to ease the tension in the room, but I was glad they were distracting Bella.
"Bring it, little sister."
"Okay, here's the bet. You say you want us to stay here and be pampered, well the three of you are going to compete over who pampers us the most. Emmett takes Rose, Jasper takes Alice, and I suppose I'm stuck with Edward but we all know he won't be any competition—"
"Hey!"
"Oh, hush. Esme will be the judge at the end of the day. And the winner…" she hummed before grinning wickedly. "The winner gets a picture of their chosen sister in lingerie," Bella decided.
I had to bite my lip from bursting out laughing. The boys didn't know it, but every time we bought lingerie we posed for photos and decided our favourites. We all kept our own hidden in our room under wards.
To distract myself from my lingering unease, I thought of Jasper's reaction to me wearing that two-piece green lace set. He stiffened beside me, no doubt feeling my delight. I tipped my head back to see the strangled look on his face and my delight only grew.
Bella got another glint in her eye. "Emmett, I expect you to try your hardest. Rose has this lovely leather set…" she trailed off as he sat up as straight as his dick probably was.
Deciding to join in and stifle my worries until Jasper and I could talk to his family I narrowed my eyes. "Yes, though I'm sure Jasper will win. I have that nice green set that leaves little to the imagination, you know."
Not to be left out, Rose smirked. "Oh, but I expect Edward to put up a decent fight. After all, Bella's the real wild one. She has that harness set that covers barely anything at all…"
Edward's eyes glazed over and Bella rolled her eyes and poked him like he was broken. To be fair, he probably was.
Jazz coughed. "We'd best get started then."
"May the best man win." Emmett looked like he wanted to skip straight to dessert as Rose blew him a kiss.
Our vampires whisked us away to be pampered and while I laughed at the action, I couldn't help but feel that kernel of dread grow. I wanted to believe we would survive this, but I was terrified this was going to end like all of my visions showed.
"Breathe, darlin'," Jazz murmured into my ear, his proximity making my insides dance. "Focus on having fun today—we can worry about everything later.
I forced myself to listen to Japer and pushed my doubts away. We had a plan and it would work. It had to. There wasn't another option.
I could already hear Bella demanding lasagna. Then Rosalie's demands for garlic bread.
I turned to my vampire with a smirk that was only half forced. "I hope you know I expect cupcakes today. If my sisters are getting carbs, I need sugar."
"Anything for you and that green set," he purred and I pulled him in for a kiss that left us both wanting dessert.
