AN: For any of you wondering, yes, Alice and Jasper's powers are stronger, and there's a reason for it, but later, ok?
Sorry for any typos.
Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, and this atrocity was not made for any monetary gain whatsoever.
"Talking"
'Active Thinking / Telepathically Talking'
Written
Highlighted Information
Chapter Three - Decisions.
Alice's POV.
I waited with Jazz outside of Edward's building, ready to spring into action if he attacked. He could already feel me outside, I knew that, so I tried my best to support him.
"You're doing great, Edward, do you want me to bail you out with an excuse? I could tell your teacher we have a family emergency, he'll understand." I whispered and had a vision of Edward walking out of the class to talk directly to me:
"No, I can endure it as long as I don't breathe, but stay close if you can, just in case I-" And then, he changed his mind about doing that and the vision dissolved, but I already got his message. We were good with those kinds of tricks.
I tried the girl, Isabella, and forced my power beyond my limit, trying to see what was going to happen with her.
It hit me like a truck. No, the truck wasn't violent enough, it hit me like Edward's running at full speed. The vision came, and I saw my brother, dancing with this girl, leaning in to kiss her tenderly, her eyes full of love and understanding. And the vision changed, almost as if it was a dual one, separated by one single action. The next vision was of my family, and I could see Esme's face full of despair as she was set ablaze, her body becoming a pile of burning ashes, followed by Carlisle, Rose, Em, Jazz, and me. When I looked up to the figure in front of me, Isabella's brown eyes were full of pity, and the last thing I heard before I burst into flames, was her whispering I'm sorry, Alice, and Edward's screams of agony from somewhere.
I inhaled sharply and looked around. Jazz was staring directly at me, sending waves to calm me down, but they did close to nothing. I scanned Edward, but he was so concentrated on not killing everyone around him that he missed the vision, and I thanked god for that.
This girl would find out about what we were, and she was going to kill us one day.
How?! How did she do that?
I also wondered about the first vision. She could become Edward's lover- No, she was going to become his lover, but the second destiny was side by side with the first. With one twist, with one decision, she was going to either be our family, or our reaper, she was either going to be with my brother, or she would destroy us.
And I felt a wave of fear, followed by another set of visions and a wave of love. I loved her so much that it hurt. I missed her, having another vision of us, talking and laughing, of her sarcasm, and her smile as she tried to force-feed me human food, and of her growl as I tried to turn her into a human doll for my pleasure. I saw myself lying down on her lap, as she brushed my hair with her fingers- When these kinds of visions happened, they became memories to me, memories that didn't happen yet, so instead of missing them as something from the past, I was waiting for them as something from my future. I missed her as if I'd just lost a friend, but at the same time, I feared her brown eyes, full of secrets that I could not see.
"Alice?" Jazz whispered, and I took his right arm, signaling for him to move, as I desperately walked away from Edward's hearing range. He should not hear this right now. With everything that was happening to him, if he were to know that Isabella could be responsible for killing all of us, who knows what would happen- Well, I knew, as another vision hit me. Edward heard me, turning to stare at the girl at the same time she looked at him and a second of silent communication happened, instantly making Edward breathe through his nose and not bother with anything else.
"I knew I felt something from her." Jazz said after I told him everything.
"What exactly did you feel?" I asked, still tuned to Edward and Isabella, watching their every decision.
"She felt fear when she saw us. She knows- I'm sure of that now."
She already knew? Well, that was a shock, but it surely explained her feelings towards us, but not why she would want to destroy us.
"She felt hatred towards us at the end, not irritation, not anger, hatred. The feeling someone has when they want to rip and tear, when they're in a trance, lost in the haze. She wanted to do that to us." Jazz described his read of her emotions and I sighed.
"Why does she hate us so much? What the hell happened? Are we connected to her in some way?" He asked himself as we were near the forest now, and then it occurred to me that I had to warn the others and bring them up to speed right now.
"Em, Rose, I need you guys in here right now, it's urgent!" I spoke no louder than a normal human voice, enough for them to hear from their building, but not enough for Edward to hear from his building in the far west.
Not five minutes passed, and they were in front of us.
"The hell is going on?" Em was astonished, and Rose was looking around, probably looking for Edward.
"We have a big problem." I started.
"How big?" Rosalie asked.
"Bigger than anything I ever saw." Then I told them everything apart from the two visions.
We were all waiting, and we saw Edward walking out of his class in a hurry. We shielded him and walked directly to the parking lot, telling him to forget about his initial plan of changing his schedule.
"She's going to be in there as well." I explained quickly and looked over my shoulder while walking across the parking lot, seeing her staring at us from afar.
"Is she following me?!" He asked, his eyes wide with shock.
"No, just coincidence." I assured him before we entered his car. Jazz took the wheel, and I sat in front, with Rose and Em on the back and Edward between them. I knew he'd hate this, but we needed to discuss this right now.
"Now, can any of you explain what the hell is going on in detail?" Em demanded.
"She's- I don't know how to explain- Her scent- It made me go crazy. I never smelled someone like that before." Edward said in a whisper, embarrassed, and I understood at the same time as Em did.
"Is she your chosen?" Emmett asked.
"Chosen?" Jazz frowned, not really paying attention to the road.
"I told you guys, sometimes they just smell too good- Well, better than normal, way better. I can't fully describe how much better but-"
"Not helping, Em." Edward growled.
"Sorry, bro." Em tapped his shoulder and continued.
"But I'm surprised you didn't kill her- I mean, I remember when it happened to me." He raised his eyebrows, and I saw Edward's face twist.
"STOP IT!" He hissed and Em pressed his lips together.
"Sorry- I didn't last for a moment- I don't know how you did it, but this is some Carlisle level of control- I'm impressed, I mean, you were sitting right beside her- Damn, you're a beast."
"Alice, what did you get?" Edward asked, trying to change the subject, and I sighed, trying not to remember, not right now at least.
"Let's get home first, so Carlisle and Esme can join us, we all need to be a part of this." I said as we arrived and Carlisle was already there. I kissed Jazz briefly for calling him while I was in a vision.
We all walked in and went directly to the kitchen, our meeting grounds.
"Well, Jasper seemed troubled in his phone call, what happened?" Carlisle asked, opening the conversation and I felt that Edward couldn't or wouldn't speak, so I started.
"The new girl, Isabella Swan, daughter of the police chief- She just entered school today, and she knows."
Carlisle's eyes widened, the same as Edward's.
"She knows?!" Edward was horrified.
"Yea, and not only that, but she hates us." I added, and everyone frowned.
"Why?" Carlisle asked.
"We have no idea, but I felt it when she saw us for the first time in the cafeteria earlier today." Jazz started explaining:
"She felt fear, true fear, and then she hid her emotions, and when we were leaving, she felt hatred directed at us, and it was hatred, not anger."
"I don't get it, what would push a human to hate us so much?" Esme asked.
"What else?" Rose said, and that clicked for many of us.
"She met our kind before." Carlisle sighed.
Silence followed for some time, as I tried to force new visions with the same effort I was putting into hiding the ones I already had.
"What did you get from her mind, Edward?" Carlisle asked, but Edward simply shook his head, an expression full of shame.
"I couldn't read her mind, it was like she had a barrier. I couldn't feel her mind anywhere. She is human, but it's like her mind isn't normal."
Everyone looked at each other confused, it was the first time Edward couldn't read someone.
"So, should we kill her?" Em asked like it was nothing and everyone looked at him.
"Emmett!" Esme complained, but we could all see this as an option. I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it any longer because I wouldn't allow them to kill her, not even when she was going to be the danger.
"Normally, I'd vote for us to move. It's not like she can do any harm. She doesn't have any evidence on us, and even if she knows what we are, there must be a reason for her to stay quiet until now." Carlisle said looking down.
"Who can say she hasn't talked? She could very well have, we just don't know." Rose said and added.
"And I don't want to move- We just got here and there's so little sun- We get to be almost normal."
"I don't either, but we have to ponder all options, and If she had told anything about our kind, she would be either in a straightjacket or dead, because the Volturi always look for leakages, and they don't let rumors spread." Carlisle reminded her, and Rose became quiet.
We all stood quiet, eyeing the table, and I knew it was my cue, so I sighed.
"I have something to say."
"Alice?" Edward looked at me strangely, as if he already knew I was hiding something from him.
"I had visions about her." I started, and I saw Edward gasp, as I let him in.
They all looked at us, from him to me, and I whispered:
"There are two futures that I see. Either Isabella will be part of our family as Edward's lover one day, or she will eventually kill all of us."
I heard gasps and then laughs from Emmett.
"Kill us? A human?! Killing us?! I'd like to see that." He roared with laughter and I simply stared at him.
"She's serious, Em." Rose said preoccupied and slightly mad, her gaze directed at Edward.
We all looked at him, but he was in shock.
'I know it's a lot to take in, but I know what I saw. She'll love you, and you'll love her someday.'
"Love her?" He whispered back, in despair.
"Well, this complicates things." Carlisle said, and we all became quiet, waiting for Edward to calm down.
"I need to-"
"If you say you need to leave, I swear to god that I'll beat you to death." I threatened him, already predicting his way of solving things. I loved my brother, but sometimes he was so dramatic.
"Do you think I'm being dramatic?! I almost killed her and the whole class, and now I'm told she is going to either be with me or she'll murder all of us!"
"So what?" I asked.
"Do you hear yourself?!" He asked enraged.
'I love her too, you know, so I don't want for her to kill us, I want for her to be with you.'
"Love her too?"
'Are you blind? Can't you see yourself? You'll love her as well.'
"As well?" He retorted bitterly.
"Aw, c'mon, not this again." Emmett complained and Rose touched his arm.
"Shhh. Alice is seeing Edward falling in love with the human that is going to kill us, can't you see?" She smiled almost superior and Emmett burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA! HOLY SHIT! Tough luck, brother, of everyone to fall for you chose the one that hates your guts this much!" He placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"No, this isn't happening." Edward started panicking, entering a spiral, and Carlisle, already noticing the pattern, stepped in.
"Calm down, son, let's think about this objectively. Alice's vision is solid, right?" After I nodded, he continued.
"So we can be sure that she'll be with you someday, the same way we can be sure that she'll try to kill us someday." I nodded again.
"We just need to be prepared. I don't see a human being capable of harming us, but since Alice saw it, I believe in her, I just don't see how."
"All I saw were flames." I said and added.
"And pity in her eyes as she did it."
"Pity?" Rose asked.
"She looked torn, but she didn't falter, she didn't hesitate at all before killing us one by one. She sat us ablaze, but we couldn't move for some reason."
"Bad bitch." Em nodded with approval and Rose slapped his arm.
"So for now, we need to think of an action plan." Carlisle was calm and objective, as always.
"I think we should kill her." Rose said simply and Edward looked up, staring at her, but he wasn't angry, he was pondering her words.
"Rosalie- I looked the other way in Rochester because those monsters had harmed you horribly, but the Swan girl is still innocent."
"Innocent? She's going to try to kill us if we let her be."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't change the fact that she is innocent at the moment, she hasn't tried anything, so we shouldn't jump to harsh decisions like that- I wish for us- I wish for us to be better than this-"
Rose sighed, and Emmett hugged her shoulder, kissing her cheek.
"I'm just trying to protect us." She whispered and Carlisle nodded, but I knew better.
"I understand, Rose, but I'd like very much for our family to be- Worth protecting. The occasional... accident or lapse of control is a part of who we are, but to murder an innocent child in cold blood is another thing entirely. I believe the risk of her talking about us is nothing compared to the greater risk."
He paused and looked at all of us before finishing.
"If we make exceptions to protect ourselves, we risk losing something much more important, we risk losing the essence of who we are."
We all stood quiet, and Rose mumbled.
"It's just being responsible."
"It's being callous- Every life is precious."
"And I'd be really angry at you for that, Rose, she's our friend too."
"Our friend?" She asked, disgusted.
"Yes. You'll love her one day too, so I'd be really angry if you don't allow her to live."
"She's going to try killing us, Alice, are you serious? You're the one who saw it!"
"Well, it depends on Edward."
"What the hell does that mean?" Edward asked, and I explained the obvious.
"You are either going to make her fall in love with you in time to save us, or you won't, and she'll kill us."
The laughter that came from Emmett was so loud that it startled me, making me jump a little.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So our lives depend on my brother's romantic expertise? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, let's go to her house and let her kill us already to save some time."
"Shut up, Em." I complained and continued.
"You are either going to change her mind about us, or she'll kill us someday. It depends on how strong your love is."
"Stop talking about love- I don't even know her!" Edward said exasperated, and I nodded.
"But you will, don't worry."
"So I guess for now the best course of action is to observe and wait. Let's all hunt tonight to prepare." Carlisle said, and we were all grateful for the small ecosystem we created for emergencies around Forks. It allowed us to hunt quickly when we needed it.
We all could see Edward shaking his head, but I knew better, I knew he'd eventually thank me for this.
"Or I'll tell you it's all your fault when she kills us." He said bitterly, and I smiled.
"I'll take my chances, and I thought you'd know better by now." I said with a smile. Yea, they all knew it was a waste of time to bet against me.
Isabella POV.
As I saw him darting away from the class, I felt relief. He moved too fast, almost as if he was running from me, and I could only look around for a few moments, wondering if someone noticed that speed, but people paid him no mind. At least he wasn't going to kill me right now, so I grabbed my things and walked towards the office as fast as I could, and then I saw. All of them around the one that was in class with me, as they walked towards the parking lot. One of the two girls, the brunette, turned for a moment and stared right into my eyes, and I felt my body shivering before she turned and entered the cool Volvo with the others, driving away.
'Jesus Christ, they were all close? They knew something was up? What the hell happened? How-' My speculations were stopped as I entered the office and handled the papers to the secretary, who asked how was my first day, and I took the opportunity to dig a little.
"Interesting, I sat next to a really weird guy in Biology- I mean, he didn't talk to me at all and now I'm wondering if I did something wrong." I said with a naïve expression, and she pondered for a moment.
"Biology? Umm, you must be talking about Edward."
"He has bronze hair." I used my hands to try and describe his weird hairstyle.
"Ah, yes, that's Edward. The Cullens are pretty reserved, honey, they don't like to socialize, so don't worry, it's not your fault."
"Cullens? I grew up here, but don't remember the name." I said as if it didn't matter, trying not to hint that I was desperately digging for information.
"They moved in a few years ago coming from Alaska, they're a family of seven."
"That's nice. All of them study here?"
"Oh, no- Here you go, that's the last sheet- Well, Doctor Carlisle has five children, and they all study here, but his wife stays at home."
"They seem nice. Well, thank you for your help, and for the talk." I smiled and waved the papers.
"You're welcome honey, and welcome back home." She said with a smile and I hid a growl.
As I got home, I went straight to my room and shut the door. Charlie wasn't home yet, and I thank god for that because if he could see my face right now, he'd know something was wrong.
I was scared- No, I was terrified.
I didn't know what was going to happen, but I knew they were vampires. They were monsters, all of them, and now one of them had something towards me. I knew it was related to me because he was perfectly fine in the room until I walked in. It was when I walked in- When my smell was blown towards him- That he snapped. For some weird reason, the one called Edward put his sights on me, and now I was marked. I needed to do something about it, but there was nothing. At any time, he could simply walk into my home and slaughter me and my father.
'No, I can't let that happen- Not again.'
'Think, Isabella, think goddamnit!'
'Contingency plan, I already know the deal.'
'Right! What probably is the thing they fear the most? Exposure, right? That's why nobody knows about them, they hide well. So if I threaten them with exposure I should at least have something to work with.' I started thinking, but my pessimist sister wasn't having any of it.
'Right, because someone who is immortal, probably has unlimited power and money, will think twice just because you threatened to tell on them. You fucking nuts?'
'I need to do something or they will do something first.'
'There's no way out- You'll get yourself and Charlie killed.'
I sighed. I knew that, feeling a wave of shame, but I quickly shrugged it off.
I kept thinking and thinking until it was time for dinner, so I gave up and decided to let it go for now. They didn't know anything about me, they just knew their brother wanted to kill me, that's all. They didn't know that I know what they were, and they didn't know what I wanted to do, so it was all good.
I gave a little thought and decided to make Kung Pao Chicken, minus the peanuts, because I couldn't remember if Charlie was allergic or not. When he came home, I put the table down and he looked inside the pan with a troubled expression and I frowned.
"Don't like chicken?"
"What is that?" He asked, pointing.
"Kung Pao Chicken."
"And what exactly is that?" He turned to me and repeated the question, frowning.
"You never had Chinese?" What kind of hellhole is this?
"No."
"Well, try it and tell me what you think. There's fried rice with eggs too." I said and took a bowl to eat. I went to the kitchen to rethink today's events and my plans, watching Charlie carefully as he tasted it, nodded a few times, placed another fork in his mouth, moaning. Good, Chinese was up on the menu.
I made enough for four people, but by the end, he had eaten everything. I smiled at that because, after today's events, it was kind of funny to come home and just cook something for my father. I stopped and frowned to myself. What the hell was that? When did I get so sensitive about Charlie? I guess the shock I had today messed with my head.
"It was delicious Bells- Ah- Thanks." He looked embarrassed by his slip, and I smirked.
"Dishes are on you."
He smiled and went to the kitchen when it suddenly hit me.
"Charlie, do you know anything about the Cullens?"
He stopped cleaning the plate and eyed me with a frown.
"What? Why do you ask? Something happened?"
I hated people who answered questions with other questions, but he was a cop, so it was in his nature to be inquisitive.
"Nothing much, I just saw that they are kind of outcasts in school. Nobody seems to like them."
"Hmph, the Cullens are a gift, we are lucky for having Dr. Cullen in our town. He's a brilliant doctor that could be working anywhere in the world being paid ten times what he gets here by what I heard, but he settled in Forks with his wife because she likes nature. Their kids are well-behaved and polite, never getting into trouble, even the big ones. I had my doubts at first, with all those foster kids, but they are all great kids, something I can't say about some kids that lived here their whole life."
'So the black car was from one of them- Of course, they have money. And they're not good kids, they're just trying to not bring attention to themselves. Also, they're not here because they like nature, they're here because there's no sun.' I answered Charlie in my head, smiling at how good it was to be ignorant to certain things.
"Wait, you said Dr. Cullen?"
"Yea, Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon."
That's it. They kill people in the hospital, that's the answer.
"Changing the subject, I want to ask you something about Forks."
"Shoot."
"Have you heard about any- Missing people or something like that around here? Or deaths, I don't know, people dying in the hospital, or simply vanishing?"
"Missing people? Why?" Ugh, I wanted to throw the vase that was on top of the table at him.
"I'm just wondering about how dangerous the city is."
"Umm, in the precinct we have none. Nothing about missing people, but again, it's not like we have many, right? And no one dies under Dr. Cullen's watch. We had a crash last year, he performed 5 surgeries in one day- Saved all of them." He mumbled something like stupid lucky kids, and I frowned.
'No deaths in the hospital and no disappearances? What is happening? How do they eat if they don't kill? Blood bags?'
"Is there a blood bank? I was thinking about donating."
"Huh? Ah- You're a donor? That's nice, but if you want one, you have to go to Port Angeles, it's the closest we have."
I wanted to keep digging, but I knew that if I kept asking about these things and about the Cullens, Charlie would add two plus two, he was not dumb, so it would be better to not drag him into this nightmare with me.
I went to bed, but I kept looking at the window, the feeling that any of them could just burst through that at any time. I opened a drawer where a saw a few sewing kits and took a thread, tying it to the ends of my window frame, making an X pattern. Even if they had super sight, which they probably had, they wouldn't be able to see this from the outside, so at least I'd know if one of them broke in.
I went to sleep thinking what the morning had prepared for me, and if tomorrow would be any less dangerous than today. I chuckled at myself for that and let the drowsiness take over.
Jasper POV.
I knew Alice would eventually forgive me for what I was about to do, and Edward didn't seem to care. I stopped outside the Swan house, eyeing around, hidden in the shadows. I came here to put an end to the girl's life. No, it didn't matter if she was friends with Alice, she was a risk, and after putting that into perspective, I would never allow this girl to live. She, as a human, would find a way to kill seven immortal creatures. Someone like that was as dangerous as I am or even worse. I didn't care about her secrets and her silent mind that seemed to be driving Edward crazy, all I cared was about protecting Alice, and this had to be done. Carlisle's words were genuine, and I was ashamed to go against him, but it was my duty to protect Alice, even it meant he'd send us away.
I jumped to the outside of the second-floor window, where I smelled her scent concentrated, and looked inside. Her scent was weirdly stronger than the other humans, and I wondered why, but I was fed, so I could control myself and not let my instincts kick in. She was sleeping, and after trying to move the window, I noticed it was rusty and stuck, but not locked. Very slowly I pushed it open, slowly enough so I wouldn't wake her up. Although what Alice described as our deaths was a heartless execution, I didn't know her motives, so I wouldn't let her wake up, I'd kill her in her sleep before she could even feel fear, a broken neck and that would be it. I didn't hate her, so this was the least I could offer to this weird human child.
As I was about to get inside, I heard steps approaching and after a few moments, a voice spoke as if it was right by my side.
"Would you mind telling me what you're doing?"
I sighed and closed the window, jumping down and running silently until I was side by side with Rosalie.
"I'm going to finish this before it even starts- I won't allow anyone to put Alice in danger, so please, don't get in the way, Rose."
"There's no need for that. I had a hunch you were- Well, I came to help because I get it too- I know Carlisle won't like it, but he doesn't understand. A human found a way to kill us... A fragile human found a way to burn all of us and they want to wait because she might or might not fall in love with Edward- Give me a break."
I winced a little to the poison in her words. I knew Rosalie didn't hate Edward, but she didn't like him either, but it was like she said. We weren't killing someone important to Edward, he said himself, he didn't know her at all.
"You sure you'll be able to keep under control? If you can't-" She asked me.
"Don't worry, it won't have any blood." I showed her a rope and a letter I had already written mimicking her calligraphy that I got from school before arriving here. I was sure to be thorough with this, especially because her father was a cop, so I wouldn't miss anything that could raise suspicion.
"Dark, but believable, who wouldn't want to kill themselves instead of living here."
I moved to go inside again when we both heard running, followed by another arrival, and I sighed.
"Good evening, I wish you'd told me about your night stroll, I'd have come with you." Alice said angelically, and I closed my expression.
"Alice, I know what you said about the girl, but I can't take any chances- I have to protect you."
"Thanks, Jazz. It really fills my cold heart with joy seeing how much you love me, now, put that rope and letter away, and let's go home."
"I can't do that, you know I can't."
I felt sadness coming from her, and I felt bad, but I knew what I had to do.
And then, I felt eagerness and anger.
"Let's do it them."
"Do what?"
"You two will have to go through me if you want to kill her." She said with a smile and I gaped, shocked.
"Don't be absurd, Alice, you won't fight us for a human you don't even know." Rose said, but Alice's posture changed as she walked to stay between us and the house and I could feel in her resolve that if this were to become a fight, she wasn't going to back down.
"I guess I didn't make it clear the first time, so let me reformulate. Isabella is not my friend, she's my sister, our sister, just like you are, Rose, and I'll defend her life just like I would defend yours."
I felt a wave of unconditional love and felt my plans crumbling like a sandcastle. I couldn't hurt the girl if that was the amount of love Alice had for her. It would hurt Alice beyond imagination to kill this human girl and I became speechless. Rose looked at me and back at Alice who smiled.
"He's not going to do anything anymore. It's just you and me, sis. Are you sure you want to do this? Let me just remind you that your makeup is perfect, so it would be a shame to spoil it." Alice said with a sad expression, and Rosalie raised an eyebrow.
"You're really serious. You're going to fight me to protect her?!" Rosalie was slightly hurt now, but I didn't try to meddle into that, I knew that even if they fought, which I highly doubt, Alice would never lose.
"I don't want to fight you, Rose, you're my sister, but I don't want you to kill our sister as well."
"She is NOT my sister!' Rosalie hissed, and Alice sighed.
"Just because you can't see it, it doesn't mean she won't be."
"Move, Alice." Rosalie was serious now, and Alice used her puppy eyes, her last weapon.
"Please, Rose, don't make me damage that blouse, it's perfect with your jeans."
And then Rosalie moved in to attack. I instantly sent waves around us, trying to detect emotions to see if anyone was watching, but there was nothing. I saw that the two had moved a few yards from the side to the back of the house, next to the treeline that led to a forest. I followed and watched closely. Rosalie was trying to pin Alice down, but Alice was too fast, dancing around the area, shoving Rosalie to the ground a few times, her face became muddied, the same as her clothes, and Alice looked like she would be crying if she could. I heard footsteps again and sighed, so much for my secret mission. After a few moments, Emmett and Edward arrived, looking at the two fighting with incredulity in their eyes.
"What in the actual fuck is going on here?! Am I seeing things?!" Em barked, his emotions going from shock to excitement in a heartbeat.
I felt nothing but shame coming from Edward as he eyed Alice and the house. And then, Emmett turned to me:
"A hundred grand on Rose." His eyes sparkling and despite the seriousness of the situation, I quickly shook his hand.
Edward POV.
I've heard Jasper's plans, and they didn't bother me at all. I didn't tell the others that he was going to ignore our plan and kill the Swan girl tonight, accepting that was for the best, but a few minutes after he left, I heard Rosalie leaving, and Alice soon after, so I knew something was bound to happen, as their thoughts were wild. A part of me wanted to stop him, but that part was only interested in her blood, so I tried my best to ignore it. This was the best way to end this, no point in allowing a human like her to live.
But why was this happening right now? Why was Alice fighting Rosalie to protect the girl? And most importantly, why did I decide to come here? Was I trying to find an excuse to be present just so I could- No, I was just here to check on them, or at least, that was the lie I was telling myself.
I kept staring in shock as Alice was literally fighting for the girl's life, and a sense of shame washed over me when I saw inside her mind, that she wasn't fighting for Isabella, she was fighting for me. She was fighting for the opportunity for me to find happiness and love, even if it could cost us our lives.
Suddenly, I realized I was the one that was supposed to be protecting the girl, but there was nothing in me that could push me to do that. I hated her with all my might, hated her scent and what it almost made me do, her silent mind and the agony that was trying to read her just to fail again, and the stupid future Alice saw, I hated everything about her.
Rosalie stopped, unable to even touch Alice once, her blouse torn and her face and jeans muddied. Alice had a heartbroken expression, as if she was just forced to murder an infant.
"Look at what you made me do, Rose. How could you?!" We noticed her gaze was solely on Rosalie's clothes.
"This isn't funny, Alice." Rosalie hissed deadly and Alice let go of her stance, walking towards Rosalie, who kept her guard up but relaxed as well, confused.
Alice walked right until they were too close and whispered, looking deep into Rosalie's eyes.
"Do you trust me, Rose?"
"Most of the time." She retorted quickly and angrily, but in her mind, her first thought was of course I do.
"All I'm asking is for a blank check on this. I'm not going to let it happen, so please, trust me just this once. I don't want to fight you, but I want you to understand that she's one of us." Rosalie opened her mouth to protest, but Alice's gaze intensified, as if she was telling Rosalie something crucial. Inside her head, she was thinking about the girl, inside Rose's garage, giving Rose her tools as she worked under her car.
What? Not even us, who have been around Rose for almost a century, were allowed in there.
"She is your sister, and you'll love her as much as I do, I saw it."
Rosalie just shook her head, and her thoughts were on her jealousy of me. Of the fact that I would choose this stupid human girl when I rejected her beauty. Not once was she thinking about the danger of Isabella killing us. It was always about vanity with Rose.
If I wasn't so shocked, I would've laughed.
Alice pouted, and suddenly hugged Rosalie, who looked confused at first, but sighed and wrapped her arms around Alice.
"Sorry for getting you dirty." I heard Alice whisper against her neck before brushing the dirt from her cheek, kissing her, and Rosalie pouted as well before whispering back:
"Sorry for attacking you."
"So who won?" Emmett asked completely absent of the seriousness of the situation and Jasper sighed.
"Let's get out of here before someone wakes up." I said at the moment one mind woke up nearby, the thoughts on water.
We got home a few minutes later and Esme was standing on the porch, her arms crossed.
"Where were you?" She asked with her eyes on Jasper and Rosalie. She glared at Rosalie's torn clothes and at Jasper's assassination tools, narrowing her eyes.
Nothing but silence from both of them.
"You didn't go to town to kill the Swan child, did you?" She asked in a hiss and after more silence, she exploded.
"BOTH OF YOU, INSIDE NOW!"
It was almost daybreak when Esme stopped her rant, shouting about trust and family, and I could see Jasper and Rose were sorry for what they tried to do, even if it was totally justified.
I kept shifting from vision to vision, seeing again, me and Isabella, dancing while looking deeply into each other's eyes, and then I leaned in to kiss her and she kissed me back, a smile on her lips, and one in mine, but that image was replaced by Esme in despair, as Carlisle begged for her life, and then, flames consumed my mother and my father.
How? How could a human have found a way to trap us? We were trapped in the vision, it was the only explanation as to why we couldn't move, and how would I be able to be so close to her while she was still human? Only the thought made my throat burn.
I saw in Alice's mind that she was trying hard to discover that as well, forcing visions about Isabella but getting nothing in return, growling frustrated.
We got ready for the school day and I was totally stressed. I completely forgot about her scent, and last night, when we were just outside her house, I got another sniff and felt the same urge I felt in the classroom, but since I already had felt that, it was easier to ignore. I didn't invade her room and kill her, and for that, I was proud, but here we are, and today was a new day.
The first classes passed in a blur as I kept an eye on her through other people's eyes, and I realized that Isabella was an outcast by choice. She shut down every single attempt of friendship from the human kids and when they insisted, she became hostile. I could see inside their minds, especially the males, that they all had an interest in her, but her actions and words created a shield around her, not letting anyone in. Looking at her through the eyes of the hormonal teens, I was forced to emulate part of their fascination for her, and I caught myself thinking they were right, she was pretty, beautiful even. I also saw she was smart, really smart, as one teacher got angry at her because she was sleeping in class and started asking a bunch of questions, and she kept answering one after the other. After he stopped and complained about her disrespect, she put her head in her arms and went to sleep again. She was not an easy person by what I could infer.
I kept jumping from mind to mind to see her and hear her interactions, at least the few she had. Mike Newton had memories of her, they met twice, and he was going to try and approach her again. I paid attention to her reactions as closely as I could.
Hey, Isabella, who knew we would end up in the same school, huh?
She turned and frowned at him while narrowing her eyes and tilting her head as if she was thinking he had something wrong in his head.
Dude, this is the only school the city has.
I know, I know, I just mean- It's a surprise.
Yea, sure.
So, you like it here so far?
She sighed and approached him, real close, and inside his head, he thought she was going to kiss him, but what I heard next made me gasp.
Mike, no offense man, but I'm not looking for friends, and I don't like boys, all right? Back off.
He raised his eyebrows, and she raised her eyebrows too, nodding suggestively as if saying yea, that's exactly what I meant. After Mike's expression froze, she turned and left.
Was she a lesbian?
I frowned at that and a part of my mind was telling me my job just got a whole lot complicated, not that I decided on trying anything.
But was she a lesbian?
I saw her walking decided to her next class when I switched to Angela Webber, a weird kind girl, and while she snuck glances at Isabella who was walking by, she lost hold of her books and they dropped. She knelt to pick them up when a senior called Robb passed by, not bothering to recoil his leg, kicking the books.
The moment the book was kicked, Isabella pushed the guy from behind, and if he hadn't used the lockers for balance, he would've fallen. He turned and looked towards Isabella who was down getting the book back, and through him, I heard her sharp voice:
You almost stepped on this- You better watch your step.
Was I imagining things, or did she just threaten him?
You- Are you crazy, bitch?
She smirked, and he frowned, thinking what the hell was wrong with this chick.
What you think?
Her smirk grew, and he burped psycho before walking away. I returned to Angela who was watching this perplexed and Isabella turned and handed her the book, but before Angela could thank her, she just waved her hand.
Don't mention it.
And she walked away.
She was weird. All right, weird wasn't a word complex enough to describe her behavior. She was not a rebel, but at the same time, she had something around her, an aura of not giving a damn about anything, as if everything and everyone bored her, as if the interactions and small talk were her worst enemy. Something about her was off, I knew that- we all knew that, but I could not stop myself from thinking she was interesting. Her silence made all her actions more interesting to watch, as I didn't know her motives, nor her objectives.
I spent all morning monitoring her, and while we walked to the cafeteria, Jasper surprised me when he picked up a hint of excitement from me. I was feeling excited about this? I shook my head, trying to calm down, she was going to be here in a moment.
As she was about to enter the cafeteria, Alice warned the others.
"Isabella is coming, she'll be here in 25 seconds."
I stiffened instinctively, even though I was seeing her walking through someone's eyes.
"Aw, why are you like this, Edward? You kill a human, so what? It's not the end of the world. Eternity is too long to be dwelling on guilt." Emmett was frustrated by my behavior, but I ignored that.
The girl walked in, and her face didn't search for us, going for the food instead. Was she faking? Did she care that we were here? Was she still afraid? I looked at Jasper, but in his mind, she was indifferent, not feeling anything at the moment. Didn't she remember my deadly gaze from yesterday? There's no way she didn't find that weird, she was smart, so there would be no way that she didn't notice that my behavior was connected to her.
Alice gasped at the vision she just got, and before I could ask, I saw the vision taking place in real-time, just like the rest of us.
The girl walked to her table from yesterday, but instead of sitting, she took the chair and dragged it loudly across the floor, making a few heads turn to follow her walk. She kept walking until she stopped in front of all of us, her expression showing nothing, her heartbeat steady.
"Hey, I'd like to talk with you guys, you mind if I sit here today?" She asked in a low voice, and I heard Emmett whispering under his breath, too low for her to hear.
"Would you look at that? Bad bitch coming through."
AN: Leave a review if you can.