Chapter 17: I know what you are.
That night when Alice arrived at home, she was greeted by an unhappy sight. Her entire family was sitting in the living room all with concerned looks on their faces. Edwards was a more pissed look than concerned. His voice was the first one she heard entering the room. "You told her?!" Edward growled. "You promised me, swore to me that you wouldn't!" Tanya put her arm on her husband's shoulder to try and calm him but he just shrugged it off and started pacing the room. Alice rolled her eyes at her brother's overreaction. "Oh Edward would you please relax. I haven't told her anything. Bella wants to figure it out on her own. She had the book of Quileute legends in her hands when I picked her up." Edward turned to her again. "And that brings me to the other issue at hand. You physically harmed a human being. You threw that man against a wall and nearly broke his neck." Alice hissed and blurred in front of her brother. She was in his face at this point. "That scum of a human being was about to rape my mate. You didn't see what they would have done to her if I hadn't been there to help her Edward." She looked over at Rosalie remembering both her vision and the story that her sister told her of when she was turned. Rosalie saw the look on the pixies face and hid her own in Emmett's shoulder. Edward read Alice's mind and immediately regretted his words. "I'm sorry Alice. I didn't know."
Esme got up from the couch next to Carlisle and went to hug her youngest daughter. "You did the right thing Alice. I'm proud of you." She whispered in her ear. Alice scoffed and said, "For what, almost killing a man?" The pixie had tears in her eyes at this point, but she knew they would never fall. "No." Esme said. "For having the self-control not to." Emmett nodded and wrapped his arms tighter around his distressed wife. "I would've done the same thing Ali. Only I would've killed him." Alice wormed herself out of her mother's hold and began going up the stairs to her room, whispering as she climbed. "There's so much blood on my hands already Emmett. I do not wish for anymore spilled because of me." Alice got to her room and shut the door behind her. She went over to her bed and dry sobbed into her soft pillow wishing it was Bella's soft skin. "I couldn't let him take you Bella, it would've killed the last of the humanity I had left in me." She was thankful when she didn't feel the wave of calm coming over her because she felt that she needed to feel this pain in her chest. Alice felt that she needed to feel this because it made her feel alive. It made her feel human. Even though most of humanity would see her as a monster.
After a few moments of sulking in her bed, Alice decided to take out her sketch pad and draw something. Anything to take her mind off of the vision she had earlier that night. The pixie took a moment to go through her memories and found the perfect image to draw. She went to her desk and took a piece of charcoal out of a bag and began drawing the outline of a face. This drawing had to be perfect. The eyes were next, then the lips, hair, and other necessary background items came last. With her enhanced speed, Alice was done with the drawing in a matter of seconds. She leaned back to see the drawing as a whole and what she saw there brought tears to her eyes. Not because of the drawing itself but because of the subject. Years had gone by without a single glimpse of the girl in the drawing. Now that it was here right in front of her the only thing she could do was cry out. After projecting the sob throughout the entire house, Alice's head dropped onto her arms and she continued to cry. She heard two pairs of footsteps come crashing up to her room and when she heard the door open, she saw her sisters in her doorway. "What's wrong Alice? Oh my god are you ok?" Rosalie asked from the doorway while Tanya went to her side and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Alice just continued to cry. Not saying a word to any of them. She just looked at the two blondes and then back at the drawing in front of her. Tanya looked into her sister's eyes and was shocked at what she saw. She reached up to touch her face and came back with wetness on her fingertips. "Ali, you're crying." Rosalie came up beside the two and repeated the same action that Tanya did moments ago.
Alice was shocked at what her two sisters were saying. She reached up to her face and jumped when she touched her wet cheek. The pixie looked down at the drawing with wonder in her eyes. "Who's that Ali?" Tanya asked as she picked up the picture of the young girl. Alice walked over to Tanya and took the sketch from her hands and held it gently in her own. "This is my sister Katie. When she was younger." Rosalie and Tanya starred at her with a look of realization. "Oh. You told us about her before. You still keeping tabs on her family?" Tanya asked. Alice nodded her head. "Yeah. My great great grandniece is having a baby soon. A boy she thinks. She's going to name him after my father Michael." Alice touched the picture of her sister with such grace and care and the tears finally stopped flowing down her face. She wiped the wet tracks off of her face. A smile formed on Tanya's face and she hugged the girl around her shoulders. "That's great Ali. Michaels a great name." Alice managed a weak smile and replied. "Yeah hopefully his parents will raise him right. I have confidence in her though." She ran the tips of her fingers down the face of the portrait and whispered. "I miss you Katie." She kissed it and put it over in her portfolio. Alice and her sisters began to feel warmth on their frigid skin and when Alice looked over at the window, she whispered. "Sunrise." Their skin sparkled as the sun touched it. "Bella's going to wake up soon." The pixie smiled at her sisters. In a way she was frightened about today but in another, she couldn't wait to see Bella. She couldn't wait to see her mate and be free of the burden of her secret. Rosalie went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck today Ali. She's a smart girl. I'm sure she's already figured it all out." Alice nodded. "I just hope she's not afraid of me when I go to collect her today Rose." Rosalie laughed and said. "I highly doubt she'll be afraid of you pixie. You're really not that intimidating." Alice playfully punched her sister in the shoulder. "Hey! Sure I am. I'm sure I can still beat Emmett, Edward and Jasper in a fight all at once." Rosalie and Tanya smiled and said in unison. "Now that is something we'd like to see."
As soon as the sun hit her face, Bella awoke. Her face turned bright red when she saw where she chose to sleep. She was face down on her desk with the book right under her cheek. At first she was confused as to why the book was there in the first place but after a moment she remembered. Alice Cullen was a vampire. A cold one as the book had said. Then she remembered something else. Alice was coming to get her to explain what the book said that morning. Bella went to her bedroom window and saw Alice standing there next to her yellow Porsche. The pixie smiled up at her and she couldn't help but smile back. Bella pointed one finger to tell Alice that she needed on minute to get ready, for she was still in the same clothes she wore yesterday. So she dressed as fast as she could in a black Invader Zim shirt and jeans and her brown hoodie. She brushed her teeth and put deodorant on before going down the stairs and yelling to her father. "I'm going out with Alice dad. I'll be back soon." Charlie was watching the television so he didn't question where she was going. He only said, "Ok Bells. Be safe." Bella went out the door and was greeted by Alice. As she went to the passenger side of the car, Alice opened the door for her and she got in. Alice didn't say a word as she went to the driver side and started up the car. As the two pulled out of the driveway, Alice spoke. "Did you sleep alright last night Bella?" The pixie said with genuine concern in her voice. Bella smiled and said. "Yeah. I kinda fell asleep at my desk last night reading that book." Alice looked at the young girl. "I hope you know that a lot has changed from when that book was written Bella." Bella nodded and was silent for the remainder of the car ride.
When they arrived at their destination, Alice pulled into a parking spot in front of a path in the forest. Bella was a little nervous at this point. Not because she was being led into the forest by who she believed to be a vampire but because of the fact she didn't want said vampire to see how clumsy she was. Bella walked slowly and with her head down looking for any upturned roots on the path. The last thing she wanted to do was trip following Alice into the woods. She was silent as she followed the pixie. Bella watched as Alice walked with such grace that it surprised her. It made Bella realize that she loved the girl. Not only for her beautiful looks, but also for her personality and natural grace. It was another reason also why she knew that Alice wasn't quite normal. Your average human being had accidents every now and again but every time she saw Alice, she was always so perfect. Bella heard a crunch of twigs to the side of her and turned her head so fast that she was surprised it didn't fall right off of her head. When she turned her sights back toward Alice, she saw that the pixie had left her sight. "Alice?" Bella called to her. She walked a little farther into to woods and ducked under a fallen tree to get to a small clearing in the thick brush. "Alice?" She called out again with no answer.
The vampire in question was walking on the fallen tree behind her human. Alice knew that the girl would be hers. It was only a matter of time. She would give anything to just blurt out and tell her every secret she had in her heart but Alice believed that in her non beating heart that Bella couldn't handle all the blood that had been spilled because of her. Only time would tell if the human could understand and accept the monster within her.
Bella felt a presence behind her and instantly knew what and who it was, so she decided to speak. "You know, at first I didn't believe anything the book had said. I thought I was going crazy. I knew there was something strange about you but nothing to this extent." Bella took a few steps forward. Not too far away from the girl in the tree but it gave her enough room to put her thoughts into words. "You're incredibly fast, and strong." Bella said this as she thought back to the day Alice saved her from the van. "Your skin is pale white and ice cold. You're eyes change color." She put a hand through her hair and whispered her last statement knowing that Alice could hear her. "I know what you are Alice." Bella heard the pixie drop from the tree and take a few quick steps toward her. She felt her breath on her ear as she whispered. "Say it." When Bella was silent for a few moments, Alice took her hand and turned her around to look her in the eyes as she spoke again. "Say it Bella. Please." It wasn't a question. The pixie could feel her human shiver as she brought her hand up to her mouth and kiss the heel of it, much like she did last night. "Vampire."
It was all Alice could do not to take the human into her arms and hold her. Her entire body wanted to. Her fingers and hands begged to touch her, lips twitched to kiss her. Everything in Alice's body became alive again if only to
take this human as her own. But she had one question for Bella and one question only before things went any further. "Are you afraid?" Bella looked into the golden eyes of her friend, the girl that haunted her dreams and her waking thoughts and took a moment to think on the question. "I suppose I should be afraid of you. I mean you have the strength and the skill to kill me very quickly and not leave any trace of me or my body, but for some reason Alice, I truly believe that you would never hurt me. I believe that deep in my heart." Alice nodded her head and agreed with the girl. "You're right Bella. Neither me or my family would ever harm you. Do you know why our eyes are the color they are?" Bella shook her head. "It's because we Cullen's only drink animal blood. We would have blood red eyes if we fed off of humans." That brought Bella back to the pair of eyes from her dream. "I understand." Alice took the girls hand and linked their fingers together. Both girls gasped at how well they fit together. Like pieces to a puzzle. "Alice? I have a question." the pixie looked at the girl and smiled. "What is it Bella?" Bella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and whispered, "Would it be alright if I kissed you?"
Alice's eyes went wide for a brief moment but then she smiled and answered. "I thought you'd never ask." Noticing the slight height difference between the two of them, Bella ducked her head ever so slightly and touched her lips to Alice's. Alice gasped at how warm Bella's lips were compared to her own. They were so soft and supple and she wanted to kiss them forever. She wanted to deepen the kiss but she was afraid of what would happen if she lost control. She could very well hurt Bella. She could very well kill her mate. That thought alone scared the shit out of her. Alice was the one who broke the kiss albeit reluctantly. There was so much she wanted to tell the girl. So much she wanted to introduce her to. One thing was her family. She wanted the rest of her family to know the gift that was present inside Bella. She wanted them to know the gift that had been given to her. "Do you wanna come to my house and meet my family Bella?" Bella, who was still reeling from the kiss, however short it was, nodded her head. "Ok. I need to show you something first." Alice turned around, exposing her back to the human. Bella looked at her in confusion. "What are you doing?" She asked. "It's a surprise. Do you trust me?" Bella nodded once more and got onto Alice's back, her hands clutching the girl around her shoulders. "Just don't drop me Alice." The pixie giggled and said, "Don't worry Bella. I'll never let you fall." With that the pixie sped off into the distance with her mate on her back.
The human girl wanted to scream in fright and excitement at the speed they were traveling. Bella closed her eyes and felt the wind blow her hair behind her. It caused butterflies to go crazy in her stomach but in all reality she was having too much fun to be scared. The next thing Bella knew, Alice stopped abruptly and she opened one eye to see where they were. "Here we are Bella. Isn't it the greatest?" Alice giggled as Bella slid down off of the pixies back. The human walked around in a daze while Alice just twirled around until she fell back onto the soft grass beneath her. She just felt the grass and it was the softest she'd ever felt in her life. The only thing softer than the grass were Bella's lips. Her lips and her kiss. Alice wanted the human to kiss her again. She looked up at the girl who was still up and about walking around the clearing. "It's really beautiful here Alice. How did you find this?" Bella asked as she laid down into the grass next to her. Alice debated on telling her human how she did indeed find this place. She found that she didn't want to hide anything from her anymore so she told her the truth. "I went on a run one day to clear my head and I found this place. It calms me down here. I wanted to show you this place because I really don't want there to be any more secrets between you and me." Bella nodded in agreement. The two girls kind of stared at each other for a moment and they both seemed very content. Bright green eyes starred into gold and neither of them realized that the clouds began to fade away leaving the sun exposed to the entire field. It wasn't until the sun hit their skin that the girls finally realized it.
Bella watched in amazement as the pixies skin began to shine like thousands of diamonds under the suns touch. It was so beautiful. Most humans would find it weird and frightening, but to Bella it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She turned on her side to get a better look at the girl next to her. She reached out with a gentle hand to touch the pixies cheek. This time Alice didn't grab it in midair but she actually let the human touch her face. Bella almost flinched at the temperature of the Alice's skin, but in all reality it wasn't from the cold at all but from the heat that she felt throughout her entire body as she touched her skin and looked into her eyes. She ventured to scoot closer to the shining vampire, the whole time she looked from her eyes to her lips. Bella watched as her eyes started to change color. They changed from the beautiful amber color to an intense black color that she could just fall into. She found herself wanting to kiss the vampire again. Wanting to feel the softness of her lips against hers again. Bella stroked Alice's cheek with her thumb and moved closer to her until she was a hair away from the pixies face. Even though she knew Alice didn't need to breathe, she felt her hot breath against her face as her eyes became pitch black. Bella felt her eyes begin to close in anticipation of kissing the vampire once more.
Both girls gasped as they felt each other's lips again. This kiss lasted longer than their previous one. Alice wrapped her arms around Bella's waist as they kissed. She mentally kept her demon in check and surprisingly it listened to her. She thanked it and her demon spoke for the first time in a while. "I don't want to hurt her either little Alice. She's ours and if anyone touches a hair on her head I know both of us would tear that person limb from limb." Alice silently agreed and just kept kissing the girl next to her. The pixies hands began to wander and found a patch of skin that was uncovered by Bella's shirt. When she touched it, Bella moaned into the kiss. It was the human that deepened the kiss. Their tongues touched and danced a dance of passion. Bella was so caught up in the kiss that she didn't notice herself rolling on top of the pixie. Alice, who was surprised by this action moaned and tore her lips away from the girl. Both moaned painfully as the kiss ended but that's when Bella found where she was. "I'm sorry Alice." The girl said between bated breaths. "It's ok Bella. It's not like I threw you off or anything. I was just surprised." Alice giggled as she touched her humans face. Bella looked up at the girl from under her eyelashes as she spoke. "I really like you Alice." Alice smiled. "Would you be my girlfriend?" The smile on the other girls face widened as she shot forward and wrapped her arms around the girl's neck. Alice planted little kisses on the girl's cheeks and said. "I thought you would never ask Bella." Bella smiled and lightly kissed the pixie again. She had never been so happy in her life. It was weird but for the first time in both of their lives, the girls felt complete. Alice got up from the grass and held out her hand to her girlfriend. "Let's go meet the parents shall we?" Bella smiled and grabbed Alice's hand and the pixie proceeded to swing the girl onto her back and blurred back to her yellow Porsche.