Disclaimer: Twilight and all its characters do not belong to me; they belong to the talented Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: I apologize to everyone for the delay in update. My computer decided it wanted to crash on me after I wrote two chapters, but before I had a chance to post them! I got my computer fixed, but, of course, I lost all of my documents, so I had to re-write the chapters. I've only got this one done so far, but will get them out as quickly as possible. Thank you all for the patience!
Previously:
After a huff of unnecessary breath, "Fine, Carlisle. I'll be there by tomorrow."
"Thank you Edward. Esme will be so happy to have at least one of her children home."
"At least one? Where's Em and Rose?"
"Oh, they took off yesterday for some alone time, said they couldn't deal with Alice anymore."
"Okay, I'll see you soon."
We hung up. I just hoped he had some idea of what was going on in her head. I had to make sure she was better before we forced her out on her own.
EdPOV
"I need to go for a run, Carlisle. Hearing her thoughts are starting to make me think I'm crazy." Before waiting a reply, I took off into the woods.
We were finally at a dead end when it came to Alice. It's been three months, and still, no change. Can vampires go crazy? I didn't use to think so, but now, every time I see Alice, I know she is. I'm starting to think that our only answer would be to go to Volterra and visit with the brothers. I don't know how much Carlisle and Esme would like that idea though.
I still remember the first day I came to Alaska to find Alice so broken. Even with being so upset at her for ruining our lives, I felt bad for her.
~Flashback~
I walked in the front door to be greeted by Esme. "Hello dear, how have you been?" She asked while pulling me in for a hug.
"I've been better, Es. Then again, I've also been worse." I stated while hugging her back. "So, where is the Pixie of Doom?" While Esme's thoughts told me not to call her that, I did see the trace of a smirk at the name.
"She's upstairs in her room, hon. Carlisle is in his study." With that, she took off to tend her rose garden.
Carlisle met me at her door. It's not too pretty, He thought. I acknowledged his thought with a nod, and opened the door. Not too pretty came nowhere close to describing how Alice looked. Her usual, perky, self looked like a hollow shell. She sat still as stone on the bed, looking straight ahead at nothing. Her clothes and hair were ruffled and unkempt; nothing compared to how she was usually styled and primed to her best, even in front of us family members.
"She's been like that for six solid hours now. What can you get from her thoughts?"
I looked at Carlisle in shock. "Nothing. I can't hear a single thing from her. "I moved closer to Alice and the bed as I whispered, "She's as quiet as Bella is to me." I sat next to her on the bed when several things happened at once. Her thoughts came back a jumbled mess all at once, making me grab my head and fall over from pain from the loudness of them. I actually fell over; me, a vampire, fell off the bed! Alice screeched and jumped over to the bay window looking over the back yard, and she eyed me and Carlisle like we were about to attack her.
Her thoughts came back as clear as day then. The only thing was that her 'voice', or 'voices' really, did not sound right. It was off, like they weren't her own. There were two of them.
They're going to kill you. RUN!
It's Edward, he's your mate. He won't kill you.
He doesn't want you, he wants to kill you. Maybe you can just kill yourself and save them the trouble.
She eyed a lighter on her bedside drawer, but didn't move. I threw a glance at Carlisle, then the lighter, and back to Carlisle. He caught on, because the next second, he had the lighter in his hand, pocketing it, even though it seemed like he didn't move.
The blonde wants to kill you. He's blonde, just like the empath, that makes him guilty.
Maybe Maria will take him instead. All we gotta do is give him a perm, and bite him all over to give him some scars.
What are you thinking? Maria won't buy that shit. Besides, Jasper and Bella are dead. There's nothing you can do.
We can try.
I say we just go get a snack and think it over, elk sounds good right about now.
Emmett and Rosalie are dead too. I can't see them anymore.
We can't see anyone anymore.
That's a lie. You can still see Edward, can't you? Alice got lost in a vision of me off hunting, and then she snapped back, a smile on her face.
"Of course I can still see him." She said out loud.
Thirsty. Snack. Elk, Now!
"Edward," Alice purred while walking forward. "Want to go for a hunt with me?" She ran a finger down my chest, looking up at me through her eyelashes. I assume she was trying to be seductive, but it was the total opposite.
"Um, sure, Alice. Let me just have a quick word with Carlisle, and I'll meet you downstairs."
"Great!" She squealed, almost acting like her normal self. "That will give me time to get cleaned up!" She took off for the bathroom, and we heard the shower turn on.
I just looked to Carlisle, giving him a WTF look, and followed him to his study.
~End Flashback~
That hunt made me realize Alice really had gone off of the deep end. When I rejected her advance, she threw a temper tantrum, clearing a good fifty foot radius of trees, and demanding what was wrong with her. Why wouldn't I want her? We were supposed to be together, according to her. When I said I didn't want her in that way, that she would always only be my sister, nothing more, she returned to being catatonic, forcing me to carry her back to the house.
The months following that little episode have been unpredictable. One minute, she's the Alice that we all knew and loved. The next, she's catatonic. The next, she's full of delusions and depression. I couldn't keep up with her at times. I remember a few times she actually had arguments with the voices in her head. It's a good thing Emmett and Rosalie haven't showed back up yet. Emmett would have had a field day with the way Alice was acting.
~Flashback~
"But I wanna go shopping!" She proclaimed while standing in front of the mirror.
Not a good idea! Maria could be lurking, waiting for you.
"Like she would leave her army just to find out where I am."
We need to be seducing Edward.
"That's why I wanna go shopping!" She stated again, pouting.
I'm with the boss, we need to buy some lingerie to catch Edwards eye.
If you wanna go, then go, but I'm staying here, where it is safe.
"How you gonna do that? You're in my head."
Fine, I'll go, but I don't have to like it.
How about online shopping? They have overnight delivery, duh!
"Ooh! I love that idea!" She was clapping and jumping up and down at this point. As she made her way to the computer, the voices started to go on and on again.
Finally, you see sense. No need to go out in public and attract attention.
Ooh! Go back! The pink one! Edward will love it!
No he won't, you putz. It will remind him of Bella's blush.
"Okay. I'll get it in purple instead."
~End Flashback~
After a couple of months, Carlisle suggested that her symptoms were the same as a human who had Schizoaffective Disorder. It all made sense then. She was obviously delusional thinking that we were mated to be together, the voices in her head was the same thing as having hallucinations. There were times when she had unclear and confused thoughts, with me not even being able to understand them. Not to mention that she had bouts of depression and irritability, was at times catatonic, and had times where she had no desire for keeping up with hygiene or appearance. An Alice with no make-up or hair product and wearing sweats was well out of character.
What I didn't understand is how this is just now coming to surface. Carlisle and I did have a few hypotheses about how this could have carried over from her human life, but why now? Why hadn't this come to light sooner? How could she have fooled us for so many years before? What triggered it to become active now? We still had so many unanswered questions, and no clue of how to answer them.
I took down a few deer, and made my way back to the house, not wanting to leave Carlisle and Esme alone for too long with Alice. When I walked into the door, I heard Carlisle saying goodbye to someone on the phone.
"Who was that?" I asked on my way to the shower.
"Aro." With that one name, I stopped in my tracks, and turned to Carlisle. I had no choice, son. In his thoughts, I heard how he told Aro all of the details of Alice, and asked for help in learning what is wrong with her, and possibilities of making her better. You don't have to come if you don't wish to, but Esme and I will be escorting her on a trip to Italy, under the guise of a shopping expedition.
"I do not wish to go, but I will monitor her thoughts until you leave to make sure she does not see the truth." He nodded with a thin-lined smile, and I took off to the shower. While getting dressed, I heard Emmett's jeep rumbling down the drive.
Finally, some real company! I ran downstairs to meet them, but was momentarily confused. While they greeted Carlisle and Esme, they were both practically screaming their thoughts at me, obviously blocking something. Rosalie was thinking about her and Emmett in compromising positions all over the house. When I saw a picture of Emmett bending her over my piano, I shivered, telling her, "You better not!" Emmett was just screaming 'This is the song that never ends, Yes, it goes on and on, my friends. Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because... This is the song that never ends.' I raised an eyebrow at them, but figured I'd let it slide for now. Emmett will slip up eventually, he always does.
Rose broke the silent tension. "Alright, we're off for a quick hunt. Want to join us Esme? Carlisle? We'd ask Edward, but it seems like he just got back."
"Alright, Dear," Esme spoke up. "I'd love to spend some time with you before Carlisle, Alice, and I took off. We have a flight in four hours to head to Italy."
What the Fuck? Thankfully, before Rose could voice her thought, Alice was by our sides. "Italy, really? Oh, the shopping we can do while we're there!"
I motioned for Rosalie to keep quiet while Esme replied, "Yes, dear, that's why we're going actually. Carlisle and I think it would do you some good to clear your head and get back to yourself."
"YAY!" She turned to me looking up through her lashes, trying to sound sexy, and failing. "Are you coming too Edward?"
I lied. "I was, but I think I'll stay and catch up with Rosalie and Emmett. I've missed them." Emmett started singing again. 'Cause this is the song that never ends…' "Besides, just like Esme said, you need time to focus on just yourself. It will help you get back to being yourself."
She gave me what was supposed to be a puppy dog look, but ended up looking like a cat whose tail just got stepped on. "Okay. I'll go pack while you guys hunt."
I drifted off to the piano while Alice packed and the others hunted. Once Alice, Esme, and Carlisle departed, I rounded onto Rosalie and Emmett. "Okay, what are you guys hiding from me?" Rosalie looked indifferent and cold as usual, but Emmett looked like the cat that got caught eating the canary, while increasing the volume of his singing. 'John, Jacob, Jingle, Heimer, Schmidt. His name is my name too!...' "Fine, don't tell me. You'll slip up eventually." With that, I walked up to my room.
Rosalie and Emmett proceeded to go to their room too. Uggh. Now I had to listen to them get it on. I couldn't try to block their thoughts though. This may be the only time I'd figure out what they were hiding. I was right too. After they got done doing their business, Emmett had a fleeting thought. 'I wonder what Bella Bear is up to?' I growled, and he started singing again, but it was too late. I threw open their bedroom door, ignoring their state of undress.
"What do you mean you wonder what Bella is up to? She's dead!" Rosalie smacked Emmett in the back of his head, and before he could help it, he thought 'I'm telling Bella, you're being mean!' He looked at me with wide eyes, and a mirage of images floated past my eyes. Bella, alive and well. Bella, kissing Jasper. Bella, graduating. Bella, wrapped in Jasper's arms. I roared so loud, it broke their bedroom window.
Bella, MY Bella, was alive. What was she doing with Jasper though? He must be manipulating her. She doesn't know of his past. She wouldn't be with him knowing of his past, all of the horrible things he's done, what a monster he is. I need to save her, protect her.
I bolted for the my car, not giving Rosalie and Emmett's protests a second thought. I jumped into the car, and took off for the airport, calling in a flight on my way. My Bella needed my help. She had no clue of the danger she was in being around Jasper. And Jasper! I'll kill him! How could he manipulate her, take advantage of her, knowing she is MY mate? Some 'brother' he is! I boarded the plane thirty minutes later with one thought in mind. Kill Jasper, Save Bella.
A/N: Doom, doomy, doom, doom! (LOL XxMzMaryJaneWhitlockxX) Hope it was worth the wait! Click the button below, and let me know what you think! If you want a small spoiler for the next chapter, let me know in your review! Thank you all!