Chapter 6: Decoding the Unseen

Alice

That girl. I just really have no clue what to think. I very distinctly saw her jump from that cliff in the middle of a storm. What the hell was I supposed to think? But no, according to Charlie when I called this morning Bella was fine and dandy. He even had the nerve to tell me not to call again, because his daughter was no longer my business. I'll bet if Bella hadn't been sitting there he would have said precisely what he meant instead of stupid veiled threats.

I debated going to see Bella for myself all day, but in the end I decided against it. If Charlie was right she was fine and she didn't need me interfering in her life. Just for kicks I tried to focus on her and see if I could catch her in a vision.

It's a little harder when I try to concentrate, since more or less my visions are geared towards the unlooked-for, but I can do it. I can't always catch what I want, but 9 times out of 10 I get lucky.

I was not lucky this time. In fact, I couldn't see her at all. Needless to say it worried me a little, not being able to find her. I've never not been able to find her before. It was that lack of vision that I decided Charlie or no Charlie I had to see her in person to make sure she was okay.

While I went to go tell Jasper what I had planned I caught an unexpected glance at Charlie, but in the short course of the vision he flickered and disappeared. But not before I saw the sign.

Charlie was headed into the Indian Reservation, La Push. And I began to think…

~O~

"You shouldn't."

"But Jasper, you don't understand." I pouted.

"No, I don't but you know I will go along with almost anything."

"That's because you love me." I smiled winningly.

"You do know Edward is going to be rather upset over this?"

"So I simply won't tell him until after I have already done it." I clapped my hands together at my brilliance. Jasper simply raised an eyebrow at me.

"Then you had best leave before he comes back, and don't tell anyone else or he'll hear it from them."

"Duh." I gave my Jasper that look. Hello, I do know the obvious. "But I don't see him in Bella's close future, so we should be okay."

"You just told me you can't see Bella at all, so of course you wouldn't see him in it." Jasper had me there and I shot him a glare. "And what's this 'we' business?"

"Well, you're going with me of course." I said in all seriousness. I so definitely couldn't do something like this without him.

"I am?"

I had to give him the duh look again. "Of course you are. That's part of what I saw."

Jasper stared at me, his deep topaz eyes concerned. He looks really good when he's fed, you know. The golden eyes really suit him. But I digress.

"I suggest you tell me exactly what you saw." He said, leading me over to the bed. Of course, we were both perfectly comfortable standing, but some things just work better when you sit. Like talking.

"Well, I was looking for Bella, and I couldn't see her at all, which kind of worried me even though Charlie said she was okay. So I figured I would go take a peek. After I made the decision to go I got another vision of Charlie, and he was on his cell phone. I guess he had made a decision because he suddenly flickered out of my sight, but not before I saw where he was headed. And then almost immediately I got another vision, this one of me and you going back to Forks."

"And that was it? A clear cut in and out operation?"

"Yes. Bella never even knew we were there." I confirmed. Jasper seemed a little iffy for a minute, but of course having seen it I knew he would go with me. He is too easy to read.

"Then let's go, before I change my mind." He sighed and gave me a smile.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't change your mind." I replied.

~O~

Even as we travelled back to Washington I couldn't see Bella, and since I consider her to be a really great friend (and I saw it when Edward, the brat, first decided to date her) I was worried. I wanted to know why her future had disappeared.

Also on my mind was the fact that Charlie had disappeared as he went over the line into the reservation. What was that about? I had never particularly had cause to look for anyone at the reservation, even though I knew the story about why the Cullens before Jasper and I had come along never went there, and this strange disappearing act made me very curious. I personally couldn't go on reservation land because of that history, but that would not stop me from finding out one way or another. I can be very charming when I want to be.

We arrived in Forks on the usual grey, rainy day and I immediately headed over to her house. I knew she was in school, so it wasn't a big deal. I could be in and out before she ever knew I was in Forks.

We didn't find anything unusual, except for the hideous wet-dog smell and I wondered if she and Charlie had gotten a pet, but we didn't find any sign of one. Did they pet sit? This was really making me curious, and Jasper warned me once about curiosity and cats and all that old nonsense.

Since we found nothing at the house except the proof that she still slept there and was alive and kicking, I was put out. Yeah, I know I had told Jasper I just wanted to make sure she was okay and she was, as far as we could tell, but I wanted to know about everything.

Checking out the perimeter of the property was more of that horrible smell, and even Jasper was expressing worry about that. Inwardly I was gleefully rubbing my hands together, because this meant that he would gladly stay and do more research with me.

So we went back to the old house to talk about what we knew and Jasper asked me again about the stories concerning the Cullens and the Quiluete. As I was explaining the pact made with the tribe elders it hit me: werewolves. That was why everything at Bella's smelled so sickening. Go figure she'd immediately find an immortal replacement for us. The girl is hardwired for the abnormal, I swear.

And as I realised the werewolf angle I also realised something else: I could not see the wolves. As in, at all. Human or wolf form, I was blind. And if Bella was at the reservation, with the wolves, then that explained why I could not see her, not if her thoughts and decisions all revolved around them.

And this was bad. Edward was not going to be happy.

"Edward won't be pleased." Jasper sighed.

Duh.

How was I going to keep this hidden from him next time he came home? He was bound to eventually, when he got tired of hunting Victoria, and then where would we be? Neither Jasper nor I could hide this from him forever, and even though he had promised Bella he wouldn't bother her, he'd just let her be and live her life, there was no way he'd allow her to play Russian roulette with werewolves. Werewolves are dangerous, especially young ones.

"I think I need to go to Bella's tonight. I need to talk to her, Jasper. I need to see her, make sure those animals haven't hurt her."

Jasper knows me well, and he knows there is no changing my mind. I was going to see Bella one way or another, and he wasn't stopping me.

~O~

"Alice? Oh my God, ALICE!" Bella gasped, then screeched as she saw me at the door. She threw herself at me and I could smell her blood, though it's not as strong for me as it is for Edward. Good thing Jasper made me feed before he would let me come. "What are you doing here?" She peeked around me as if looking for someone.

"I…had a feeling. I had to come see if you were okay." I replied. She frowned at me.

"You were watching me?"

"Not purposely, but I saw that little stunt you pulled. Jumping, Bella?" I shook my head.

"Cliff diving. It's a recreational sport." Bella lifted her chin defiantly.

"In a storm?"

"Okay, so I should have waited until Jake could be there. I already got that lecture from him." She sighed. Then she looked around again. "You should come in before they see you."

"They?" I asked as I did as she bade.

"The, uh, boys from La Push." She looked like she was hiding something from me.

"And why would the boys from La Push be here?"

"Um, because, uh, me and Jake, uh, we…"

"You're dating a Quiluete?" I asked, maybe a little more sharp than I intended.

"Yes." That defiant chin tilt again. "At least…at least Jake really loves me."

I studied her. She seemed nervous, and there was something about her. She was thinner than last year and definitely changed, but I couldn't exactly place it.

"So, did anyone else come back?" I cold hear both longing and dread in her voice.

"Just Jasper, and we're not staying. I told you, I just had to check on you. How are you doing, Bella?"

"Better now. I wasn't…I wasn't doing so good for a little while." She finally answered.

That's when it hit me: Edward's leaving had totally destroyed her.

My revelation didn't get any further before a very angry and very big Jacob Black came bursting in, and I frowned.

"Bella!" He pulled her into his arms and glared at me. "When Quil told me he had scented one of them near the house I was so worried."

"But it's just Alice." She frowned.

"But nothing. I thought it might be–"

"It's okay, I'm leaving." Ugh, he smelled like a dog. A really wet dog. That had been trolling the swamp.

"Good. And don't come back. She's mine now."

Oh, yeah. This was a good trip. And Edward was definitely not going to be happy. I think I made it totally worse, and I had not seen this coming.

"Jake." Bella looked mad. "She's my friend. Remember?"

The dog glared at me, then placed a kiss atop her head. "I'm sorry, Bells. Yeah, I'll behave. I'll go tell the guys it's just Alice."