8. Alice
.
Before I could say or do anything, a tiny female vampire ran gracefully into the clearing. "Edward!" she cried, her voice full of delight. "Finally! I've been waiting forever for you to get here!" She dashed up and hugged me. I sagged under the lethargy Jasper threw at me, and he and Bella hissed in unison.
Wait. Bella hissed?
The female vampire let out a musical laugh. "Silly Bella." She danced over to Jasper and threw her arms around him. "Don't worry, Jazz. This is Edward! He'd never hurt me."
I stared at them:
Emmett pacing and muttering under his breath about why, why, why could he and Jasper not have a good manly hunt without one of their wives horning in?
Jasper holding the female, apparently the Alice he'd been thinking of, up off the ground against him, watching me warily over her shoulder while he murmured that she had to be more careful, that no matter what she thought, she didn't really know me.
Alice stroking Jasper's head soothingly, telling him that everything was going to be fine, that she'd seen it.
These were the strangest vampires I'd ever encountered. Perhaps they weren't really vampires? They did have those odd yellow eyes. They smelled like vampires, though, and moved like them.
I gave myself a mental kick. What they were was irrelevant right now, because regardless of the answer Bella wasn't safe with them. I reached behind me and took her hand, starting to inch us behind the tree, keeping tabs on everyone's minds.
Damn it, Alice saw us.
No, wait, I thought, frowning. She saw us farther into the woods, not here next to the tree. I watched myself toss Bella onto my back and start running, and with a great deal of surprise realized what was happening. Alice wasn't seeing us now, she was seeing us in the future.
The image went away as I stopped moving, and my eyes flew to meet hers.
She was back on the ground now, standing next to Jasper and smiling at me. "You see? I told you we've been waiting for you."
I blinked. "That was… wow."
"What is it, Edward?" Bella whispered.
"Alice can see the future. And Jasper's an empath—he can feel and project emotions."
"What about me?" Emmett demanded.
"Emmett's the largest, and probably the strongest, vampire I've ever seen."
He grinned widely, satisfied with my assessment, and I was stunned to realize that I liked him. He was so honest that his mind was practically a pleasure to read. Except for the one mental comment about Rose, whoever she was, he said exactly what he thought.
I turned my attention back to Alice. "How long have you seen me coming?" I focused more heavily on her mind, while still keeping tabs on the others, to ensure she was telling the truth. The more information I could gather about their intentions and what they knew of me, the better.
"You were supposed to meet us in 1956, 1973, 1980, and then again in 1992. For a while I saw you with Carlisle and Esme before Jasper and I found them in 1950—before I found Jasper even! That was back in the late thirties."
I stiffened as I heard the dates, my mind barely registering the rest of what she said. I verified slowly, "1956, 1980, and 1992? You're sure?"
Alice nodded. Jasper stepped protectively in front of her, not liking that my emotions had shifted, and I reflexively pushed Bella further behind me. Alice side-stepped so she could see me, a frown of confusion on her face. "And '38 and '73. Why?"
"Just checking," I said with forced blandness.
Bella gasped nearly silently behind me as she realized the significance of the dates, and asked quietly, "Edward… 1992, was that when—"
"Yes," I responded, my voice tight. She sighed and ran her free hand soothingly up and down my arm, and I tried not to revel in the comfort it gave me. I needed to keep my wits about me. With great interest, Jasper registered the calming effect Bella had on my emotions. He and Alice were a formidable pair; I wondered which of them was the coven leader.
Part of my mind seemed stuck on the fact that I had missed meeting them so many times, and I wasn't certain why. Just because I hadn't encountered them during years that I had made terrible decisions didn't necessarily mean that meeting them would have made my life any better. After all, I hadn't done anything exceptionally reprehensible on the other years she cited, yet I hadn't met them those years either. There was no rational reason for the shock and regret I felt.
Alice broke the silence, saying merrily, "You should come to the house and meet everyone! Carlisle and Esme will be so happy you're finally here."
It finally occurred to me just how many different names had been bandied about. "Wait, how many of you are there?"
"There are six of us; you still need to meet Carlisle and Esme—Carlisle's the head of our family—and Rosalie, Emmett's mate." Alice had begun bouncing on her toes a little, her mind happy.
Six? I had never encountered such a large coven. I had thought only the Volturi lived in such a large group. And I was shaken to hear that neither she nor Jasper were the leader- what talent could this Carlisle possibly have that outstripped theirs?
I smiled politely at her, trying to hide my panic—though of course it was a fruitless effort around Jasper. "Thank you, but no. I need to get Bella home."
What I needed to do was get Bella somewhere safe. I ground my teeth as fuzzy visions of me spiriting Bella out of town flashed through Alice's head. Would I never be able to keep a secret around her?
Her brow furrowed and her bouncing slowed. "You can bring her with you if you want. We won't hurt her."
"Alice, I mean no offense, but I can't take her into the home of six vampires." Even if I knew that I could handle whatever talents the others might have, there was no possible way I would expose Bella to that much danger.
"So take her home and then come over," Emmett suggested. "If Alice thinks you're coming you may as well cooperate." He added enthusiastically, "Besides, we need another man to tip the balance of power!"
Jasper laughed, Alice scoffed, and I, inexplicably, felt a tiny smile tilt my lips. I'd never encountered vampires like these. I had seen humans interact this way, but never vampires. They were just so strange.
"I'm sorry, but I can't leave her alone in a town with six vampires, either. Six! Going to high school even! This is the most bizarre town. What's next, werewolves?" The three of them exchanged glances, and I groaned. "You have got to be joking. Please tell me you're joking."
"Well, there were some back in the thirties, shape shifters actually, not true werewolves, but we don't think they're around anymore," Emmett explained.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and watched the visions of me fleeing town with Bella grow clearer. "No. I've got to keep her safe. I'm not leaving her alone."
"You can't leave town with her, Edward," Alice exclaimed, her bouncing ceased. "Not now that you're finally here! You have to stay."
"I have to keep her safe, Alice!"
She glowered at me, her eyebrows drawn together in her small face, and snapped, "The only creature she's been in danger from here is you, last night!"
A/N: So what does Alice know, and why didn't she do anything about it? In case you forgot the significance of the dates, in 1956 Edward started experimenting with adrenaline, in 1980 he switched to betrayal via criminal, and in 1992 to betrayal via false relationship. He hadn't told Bella about the last date yet, which is why it took her a moment to realize the significance of it. The next update with be either Friday night or Saturday- Friday is shaping up to be a much busier day than I anticipated.