Chapter Three

What They're Made For

Alice ran home, and despite her speed she felt it wasn't adequate. She had to warn someone then - and Edward specifically. As soon as she was in range of his ability, he would get the message. It would be in no time at all.

The image of Bella, bloodied and screaming... It tore at her. Examining the scene she found that she couldn't see anything behind her but trees. In respect, it was Forks, Washington. It was made of trees. Bella could have been anywhere in that vision.

Then there was the question of whose blood it was. It frightened her that she saw Bella's complexion a sickly gray, giving the notion that it was her blood. Although the clumsy girl was prone to bleeding, her face was never covered in it. The vision was blurred and if there was a wound, a gash, she didn't see it.

She could hear Edward's new composition playing out on the piano, but it ended instantly when he received the vision that she was adamantly thinking of. In less than a second he was standing in front of her, at the edge of their property, in the woods.

Edward's eyes, bordering on a hungry black, bored into hers. He was drowning in worry. He looked wild.

"Edward. I'm sorry..." Alice tugged at the end of her raven hair, sucking in a deep and unneeded breath.

"We'll have to figure something out."

If anyone deserved to know what happened, it was Bella, but Edward was Alice's brother, and he had to come first. In case Bella didn't take it well...

Edward saw everything in her mind, the captioned images of the accident she was in, of Jacob and her, and their kiss (for clarification). When the scene faded, Edward's face was glaring down at her.

"The dog imprinted on you." He was waiting for confirmation.

"Yes."

"I guess murdering him would be out of the question."

Alice gave a short laugh. "It would be appreciated if it stayed out of question, brother." She would like to keep her reason for existing, alive.

He flinched at those thoughts, not comfortable with the idea of his little sister being the soul mate of someone who used to be an enemy. It was wrong, in more ways than one.

"I know of the dangers, Edward. It's not a choice."

"Unfortunately." He looked to the door. "If I may, I must see Bella."

"Watch her closely."

"I always try."

When the door closed, Alice walked to the far wall, a window looking out on their backyard, the stream and trees. She didn't see any of it, not really, she thought of the that vision that haunted the corners of her mind. Bella, traumatized, or dying. Maybe both. And she couldn't see anything else to help prevent it. She was helpless to that clip, and she never felt so weak in her whole "life." She felt useless.

Instead of sulking, she ran out of the house, back through the woods to rejoin her new mate. What she saw in the road startled her still.

Against the hood of the car was Jacob and her brother, Emmett. They were laughing, Emmett playfully jabbing Jacob's shoulder.

"What's going on here," Alice asked lightly.

Emmett let out a booming laugh, jabbing his thumb in Jacob's direction. "I like this mutt."

She skipped to Jacob's side, and he bent down to kiss the top of her head. It was synchronized perfectly, as if they had done it a million times.

"This bloodsucker tried to run me over in that monster he calls a jeep. Think he's compensating for something?"

"Hey, this is a preview to the goods."

Alice smiled, but soon it set into a frown. "There's a problem," she felt Jacob tense next to her, but she went on. "The last vision I had was of Bella, she was..." She narrowed her eyes, and though the tears would never come, she felt its sting. "She was bloody and screaming."

"You couldn't see where she was at," Jacob asked, the sinews of his arms tightening in worry for his best friend.

"No, there was just blackness behind her."

Emmett strolled to his jeep, extracting a clipped newspaper article from the front seat. He handed it to her.

DEATH TOLL ON THE RISE,

POLICE FEAR GANG ACTIVITY

"It's getting worse," she muttered to herself. She had seen the papers many times, and in a back of her mind, past the haziness of her depression, she recalled her family speaking of it. She saw cut images of an army of vampires. She didn't need to speak of it, because Edward saw it all. He became the psychic in the house, taking on her role with compassion.

Jacob shook worse than ever, and she touched her arm against his in attempt to calm. "What do we do?"

"We talk to Carlisle," she said. "We'll have to call Jasper, too." Her cell was to her ear, ringing to Jasper's phone.

Jacob reached over and snatched it from her, closing the lid with a sharp snap. "Out of the question. I know who he is."

"He's adept at handling wars. It's his background."

"He's your ex."

"This isn't about past indiscretions, Jacob."

"Forget it," Emmett spoke up. "We can do this without them. How big is the pack now, J?"

"Sixteen."

He grinned widely. "Perfect. No problem, we'll take them out like that," he snapped his fingers indicating the speed.

Alice felt that dreaded emotion again. Uncertainty. She didn't know how many vampires there were, when they would attack, or what it was that they wanted. What if they were outnumbered or taken by surprise? Why couldn't she see that?

"How many could there be," Jacob asked, echoing her thoughts.

Emmett glimpsed at her. "We don't know, but they sound like a small army."

"Right. Nothing we can't handle. Sounds like fun."

That was it, then. That was why she couldn't see the war. Wherever Alice would be, Jacob wouldn't be far. As soon as Emmett mentioned there was a vampire army near them, Jacob made his decision to go.

"I'll have to talk with the pack first, get them in on it, and we'll take out this army." He kissed Alice, pressing hard on her lips. "You deal with your coven, I'll deal with my pack, and we'll all meet up later. You're not leaving us out of this, Alice. It's what we're made for."

She wrinkled her nose, but not against any smell. She wrinkled her nose out of frustration. Like human food on her tongue, it was a bad taste in her mind. She felt that they were all in more danger than they realized. She refused to think it was only her worry caused by lack of visions. If she couldn't see it, she couldn't trust it.

She couldn't trust anything anymore. Nothing but Jacob and her family.