4. V I S I O N
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Having Alice plan my wedding was not nearly as bad as I had imagined it to be.
It was worse.
"Bella, hold still. I'll never get this right if you keep squirming like that." Alice shook her head at me, sighing lightly. "You'd think I was asking you to dress up like a clown, the way you're acting.
I grimaced. "Might as well have," I muttered, straightening my back as Alice studied the fabric that crinkled at my waist. "And anyway, Alice, not all of us have the ability to remain as motionless as a statue."
She laughed lightly, sticking a pin through the thick ivory silk. "You'll look fabulous, you know. You'll see. It'll all be worth it in the end." She hummed a note of satisfaction. "I think that should do it. Arms up, Bella – you're free."
I sighed gratefully as she slid the dress up and over my head, and the change in weight as the heavy fabric was lifted from my body was indeed similar to the feeling of being liberated from her shackles.
"Now that we've taken care of that, let's discuss the guest list." She grinned evilly, knowing that she had picked a topic that was bound to be the source of confrontation. "I've taken the liberty of compiling a rather extensive list for you to look over."
"Alice, can't we keep it small? I don't even know that many people." I eyed the list that she had retrieved; there appeared to be at least a hundred names scrawled across the paper in her perfect script.
"Bella, don't forget, this is Edward's wedding just as much as it is yours. Some of the guests are friends of the Cullen family, you know."
I felt a sudden weight in the pit of my stomach. "Oh no," I whispered in horror.
Alice looked at me with bewilderment. "What's the matter? You aren't afraid that we'd invite someone dangers, are you?"
I shook my head. "I'm more worried that you'd invite someone that might cause me . . . personal discomfort."
Alice furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, and then she laughed. "Ooh. In that case, you're right. Carlisle considers Tanya and her clan to be an extended part of our family. Naturally, we are inviting them – especially considering that they don't pose a threat to the unsuspecting humans." She flashed me a wide grin.
I sighed. "Do they really have to come though?" I recalled Rosalie's words suddenly, as clear as if they were being whispered in my ear. Even when we first met Tanya's clan in Denali – all those females! I tried to quell the images that floated precariously in my mind; the beautiful Denali females, all beautiful and ungodly, surrounding Edward . . .
I swallowed.
"Bella, don't be ridiculous. They really are lovely people. And besides," She wagged her finger at me, laughing lightly. "You know that he only has eyes for you."
I shrugged. Sure, I knew that now. But what if things appeared differently, once the strawberry blonde enchantress appeared at the Cullen's doorstep? After all, she had shown an interest in Edward . . .
"Now, who are you interested in inviting? Charlie and your mom are a given, of course. And yes, her husband . . . hm." She narrowed her eyes at her list. "Our friends from school are a given, too, of course. Angela and Ben . . . I suppose Jessica and Mike, although that might upset Edward a bit." She snickered at some private joke, but I knew it wasn't worth asking.
"Can we leave it at that, then?" I crossed my fingers – I wanted nothing more than to keep this small.
"Of course not. There's still several more . . ." She muttered something to herself, and then scribbled something onto the paper. "She might not . . ." And then she crossed a name out, frowning slightly.
"You seem to have a good handle on things, Alice." I mustered up a cheerful smile. "Do you think there's a chance that I can be on my way?" My thoughts drifted lazily to Edward, who had been banished from the house; Alice was hell-bent on keeping my dress a secret from him.
"Of course not!" She twisted her face into an expression of mock horror. "We haven't even begun to consider the food!"
"The food . . ." I groaned again. Of course Alice would pretend that she needed my help with that one, pulling the I'm-a-vampire ploy. In reality, even without my help, she would probably compile dishes better than what was available in any five star restaurant.
"Yes, the food. Have to keep the humans happy, you know." She flashed me another wide smile. I scowled at her, crossing my arms.
And then suddenly, her expression went blank, her eyes dazed and unfocused. The guest list fell from her hands, floating gently to the carpet. I knew this expression well, and my heart began to hammer in my chest.
"Alice?" I reached out and touched one of her delicate hands, still poised in mid-air. She was as rigid as a statue, and just as silent.
And then horror bloomed in her honey-colored eyes, her hand suddenly gripping mine in a way that made the bones in my hand feel as if they were on the verge of snapping.
"Bella," Her voice was a muted whisper. Her eyes regained focus, and were magnetically drawn to my own. I was fiercely reminded of the vision that she had had long ago . . . the one of me in the ballet studio . . .
"Alice, what is it?" I struggled to keep the fear out of my voice, but it was useless to try. Panic swirled within me, my heartbeat deadly fast, a dizzy feeling swimming through my head. The ground began to move beneath my feet.
"Need to call him . . . need to tell him . . ." Almost frantically, Alice ripped away from me and yanked the small silver cell phone from her pocket, dialing a number at lightening speed and pressing the phone to her ear. I felt my knees weaken, and the ground lurched again . . .
"Edward, you need to come now. I've just seen . . ." But she stopped herself, almost seeming to notice me for the first time. I must not have looked well. She shook her head. "Just . . . now."
She was silent for a moment, and then she nodded in satisfaction, snapping the phone shut. "Bella, let's sit you down . . . you look like you're about to pass out." Her voice had taken a business-like tone again, not unlike the one she used when commanding the details about the wedding.
She led me to the living room couch, her arm wrapped around my shoulders. I was afraid to speak, to open my mouth; my stomach was suddenly filled with violent pains as I imagined the worst. What had she seen?
"I don't understand . . . Why now?" She closed her eyes, and shook her head. Too dizzy to sit up, I let myself fall sideways, bringing my knees to my chest. I had never seen Alice so rattled before . . .
No. I had. Again, I was fiercely reminded of Alice in the hotel room in Phoenix; the untamed terror in her eyes as her gift showed her my death.
I must have faded in and out of consciousness – in the next moment, Edward was at my side, his face inches from my own.
"Bella . . ." His expression was infused with the same terror as Alice's . . . even more apparently so, with the intense similarity of their eyes. He suddenly crushed me close to his chest, tucking my head under his chin. He had obviously seen whatever it was that had plagued Alice's mind, and it was obviously as bad as my imagination had allowed it to be.
"When?" His voice was dead, lifeless. I shivered, and he pulled me closer.
"I don't know. I can't tell." The shock having worn off, Alice's voice was now one of helplessness. Did I want to know what she had seen? Obviously, no matter what it had been, the end result was clear: something bad was going to happen, and it was going to happen to me.
"Bella," he murmured, his lips gently pressing on my forehead. "Don't worry, we'll . . ."
But he could not bring himself to say the words, for he knew they'd be a lie. Which meant that whatever was happening, it was final.
I decided that I did want to know what was going to happen; I had a right to know, at least.
"Edward . . . tell me, please." My voice carried no strength, no courage. My fear was raw and unadulterated.
He was silent; obviously, there was an internal debate to be had. Was it better to protect me from such undesirable knowledge, or was it better to simply tell me?
"Alice . . . she sees you dead. She doesn't know why, or how . . ." He stopped, but I knew that there was more. He was holding back. I stared into his eyes, his terror making my heart pound to the point in which pain began to radiate through my chest.
"You were attacked." He closed his eyes, his expression twisting into one of agony. "You were attacked . . . and you're . . ."
I was suddenly pressed tight against him once more, as if it caused him physical pain to have even the slightest amount of space between us. I did not understand; surely there was a way to stop this? Alice's visions weren't set in stone . . .
"Who?" I managed to whisper. Alice had to know that, at least. Her visions weren't so vague . . .
After another moment of silence, Edward breathed a word in my ear that filled me with dread.
"Volturi."