As it got more and more wet, and the rain slowly turned the dirt road to mud, Alice accelerated. Her prancing turned into a graceful stroll. I was mesmerized by the pace she kept while both dragging me and barely touching the ground. She was younger than me…about fifty years or so. But did that mean anything? I knew newborns were faster and stronger, but thirty years…this girl was hardly one of them. And yet…she ran through the pouring storm and the strong winds, careless of the mud that was staining her bare feet and her dress, and leading a strongly built twenty year old. I was too lost in thought before I realized we'd stopped. Alice spun towards me.

"Here we are!" she claimed, smiling. In the dark light of the moon, her face was glistening, wet with rain, and her smile was as wide as I'd seen. She was pointing at something. I turned by head towards it. Before me stood a massive house, worn and desolated. The windows were barred with wood, and the white paint was cracking away, slowly. There was no door, and the roof was barely existent. What was such a beautiful girl doing living in this…hole? My mouth fell open and my stare fell on the smiling woman below me. I suppose my eyes reflected my utter disbelief, because Alice gave me a smug look.

"The inside's nicer; there's a basement." She said, tugging me forward. "It's dry." She added when I stayed still. "And, I decorated it." She continued, yanking me towards the house.

The steps creaked dangerously when we stepped inside. It was miserable. All the furniture was covered in dust, spider webs covering the windows, walls, corners, and the curtains were torn. The stairs were missing wood, and I didn't even want to think what the upstairs looked like. My eyes went wide in alarm. She lived here alone? I looked at her. She was so tiny, there was no way she'd outstand a newborn vampire. Or any type of inhuman monster. She led me forward behind the broken staircase, where I discovered another flight of steps. Those were clean, and the same lovely fruit smell was emerging from below. She gracefully ran down them as I followed her rather uneasily. We took a right turn at the bottom, and my mouth fell open.

The entire room was filled with clothes. They hung on the wall, rested on the large couch in the corner, were scattered here and there. They were from different decades of this century, I realized. I spotted a very vintage buttoned skirt, some pants, lots of shirts and sweaters, and as many dresses as I'd ever seen. I lost track of where Alice has gone. I turned left and right, trying to find her. I was about to call her name when a voice cried:

"I'm changing! Behind the curtain." Sure enough, I could see her shadow behind a large white drape. She took off her dress, and I saw just how skinny she was. My head cocked to the side, trying to determine what she was putting on.

"Hey!" I heard her laugh. "Don't spy on me!"

I shook my head, regaining track of time. I looked away quickly, embarrassed. This place was drier, and it was pretty nice, very different than upstairs. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, which was painted dusty pink. Alice got out from behind the drape. She was wearing a large blue sweater and pants that clung to her legs. Considering her size, I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd once been to a small boy. She'd put a ribbon in her short hair. I stared down at her feet- they were clean now, and she'd put on shoes.

I realized then I must have looked pretty repelling compared to her. My hair was wet and there was blood on my already dirty shirt. I looked around for men's clothes.

"Oh, here!" she said, handing me a clean pair of pants and a white shirt. How the hell had she known I needed clothes? I took them from her, smiling gently. I headed towards the drape.

"I promise I won't look!" she joked. I got out, feeling better in my clean clothes.

There was an awkward pause when neither of us really knew what to say. She was rocking her arms back and forth, clapping her hands softly, while I looked around.

"So…this where you live?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just recently acquired it!" she said proudly. "You like?"

I nodded. She was still looking at me funny. I felt a little uncomfortable around her.

"How come you got some much clothes?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation up.

"I've been around." She said as she grabbed a cream colored dress. "This is my favorite." She smiled as she showed it to me. What the heck? Was I the only one so uneasy? She seemed so…calm. And so secure. She'd seen me, she had said.

"How did you know…I mean, for me, how come you…Why did…" It was difficult to put into words. Alice grinned.

"I have a talent." She said mysteriously. Her eyes narrowed in a playful glare, and my heart melted.

Oh good God, Jasper, control yourself.

"A…a talent?" I tried to say normally.

She nodded.

"I can see the future. Well, not the exact future, but once people make up their mind; I can see what their decisions will lead to. It changes a lot. But that did lead me to you. Three weeks ago I had a…vision of some sort. I saw you, clearly, and heard your name. But I also saw other faces…I'm not too sure. Maybe it would be clearer if we headed somewhere else than here…" she wondered. Suddenly, she snapped her head up back to me. "Anyways, I know you and I are going to be great friends." Her emphasis on the great made my un-beating heart skip a beat. She smiled again and set out to organize her home. I was struck still.

I barely knew her, but already…

A bell had gone off in my head.

A lovely little music that had brightened up my damned existence.