Hey everyone!
Here's chapter nineteen kind of early for an apology to my last late update.
I'd like to give another warm thank you to my wonderful beta Suki-Alanna! Thank you so very much! (:
School's starting up again for me in a matter of days so I may not have a chance to update again for a while but I'm hoping!
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own The Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer does.
Enjoy!
Chapter Nineteen: Trouble with Tara.
Alice's POV
Jamie was visiting friends for the day with Raphael, Esme and Carlisle. Renesmee was on a date with Jacob, they went to the beach in La Push. Bella and Edward were teasing each other while Edward played on the piano in the front room. Jasper and Emmett were playing video games on the flat screen in the living room, while Rosalie convinced me to go shopping with her.
I don't remember ever shopping with my mom or sister but apparently I was quite the shopaholic once upon a time. I could believe that, I felt strangely excited to go to Port Angles to shop with Rose. Maybe she could help me uncover more memories.
We took Rosalie's car and had fun listening to the radio with Rose singing along and myself laughing at her imitations of certain artists.
The humans smelt delicious but it seemed I had the same control from my "first vampire life". The life that I don't think is 100% true. I knew my angel was still alive, I just know it.
The whole day we walked around the cloudy tourist city, looking around stores and trying on clothes, shoes and accessories. It was super fun, and I loved just spending time with my new sister.
As we were shopping, I kept finding myself wondering if Jasper would like a certain dress or top on me. The thoughts confused me; I loved my angel not the blonde Major that claimed to be my husband.
I really need to stop thinking of him, I don't care if he says we had a love life before, I don't remember it so I don't have to act upon it. I need to stop thinking of his soft golden hair and strangely attractive battle scars and his long lean legs that looked amazingly good in faded denim… Ugh! Stop that!
I concentrated on what I thought I looked good in for the rest of the trip. It worked for the most part; I still sometimes caught my mind wandering.
We were strolling down the sidewalk after raiding a designer store, probably carrying enough bags to sink a small boat. Rosalie was glaring at a staring human who wouldn't quit giving her lusty looks. I was sliding a bag into a more comfortable position on my shoulder when it hit me.
My mind was sucked into an image, a moving film-like thing. It was of Jamie and another girl, human I observed, talking in a small room. By the sound of their conversation, the human knew about vampires. This is not good.
When the vision let me go I quickly explained what I saw to Rosalie. She took out her phone and tried Carlisle's cell number but it went to voicemail.
"Dammit, we'll just have to go to Seattle then. I don't want to move again after we just got here! I won't let that little twit to ruin my life anymore," Rose angrily complained.
"Let's go then," I agreed and we headed off to Rosalie's car.
The drive to Seattle was quiet and stressful. I didn't know when this vision was going to come true.
Rosalie seemed to know exactly where the orphanage was. She turned down street after street, her eyes staring straight out the windshield. Soon she pulled into a parking spot and we got out, heading quickly towards a brick building.
As we entered, Rose went up to the front desk and asked where Carlisle was. The lady behind the desk looked baffled and slightly jealous. But she calmly explained that Carlisle was down the hall to the left, in the administration office. With that information, Rosalie grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway.
The door was easy to locate and Rose knocked quickly, opening the grey metal door.
"Carlisle," Rose greeted.
Carlisle was turned around in his seat next to Esme. Both of them turned towards a desk with an older woman with graying hair behind it.
"Rosalie, Alice, what on earth are you doing here?" Carlisle asked, alarmed.
"Can we speak to you and Esme outside?"
He nodded and murmured an 'excuse me' to the lady. Once outside the room, he turned his concerned expression to us.
"Alice had a vision. Jamie was talking to a girl, a friend of hers I think. The girl knows about" – Rosalie's voice dropped in volume – "Vampires."
"Oh my," Esme whispered, glancing at Carlisle.
"This isn't good…" Carlisle murmured. "Where were they? Do you know Alice?"
I bit my lip. "I saw them in a room, like a closet, filled with sheets and plastic boxes."
Carlisle nodded. "Alright, let's go find them."
With Carlisle leading the way, the four of us headed down the hall, in search for Jamie and Raphael.
Jamie's POV
My whole body froze with my eyes wide and unbelieving. How could a girl I've known for 4 years know what I am? My mind ran over every possible reason to this dot on accusation.
How could she know?
Was I that obvious? No, I couldn't be. No one else ran screaming.
Just play it cool, Jamie, I told myself. As normally as possible, I laughed.
But Tara's cold stance and expression didn't change. Dammit, she definitely knew.
I narrowed my eyes and tried another approach. I darted forwards and pinned her shoulders to the wall. "What do you know?" I hissed in her face.
"I know a lot about your kind," she replied back, not at all jostled by me slamming her against a wall.
I growled and gripped her shoulder, dragging her into the small storage closet that held bed sheets and cleaning supplies.
"Now," I started, blocking the door. "Tell me what you know."
Tara just stared down at me with those dark brown eyes.
I hissed in warning. I may have good control but I'm still a newborn, and that small space filled with human smell was making it extremely difficult to think straight.
"Why don't you share your real story with me first and then I'll tell you mine. Start with who changed you and why." I had to give her credit; she didn't show an ounce of fear.
"Fine, take a seat," I muttered and sat down on a plastic storage box, she did the same.
We sat across from each other, just staring, until I decided to break the tension and awkward silence. "I was changed by Doctor Carlisle Cullen after his adoptive son found me bleeding in an alleyway. Jasper brought me home and asked Carlisle to turn me, something about me looking like Jasper's dead little sister. I've been living with them in Forks ever since."
Tara's face changed from its blank expression into confusion and wonder.
"How did Jasper have the restraint if you were bleeding?" Her eyebrows drew together in thought.
"He never was the best at controlling the thirst but somehow he made it. Carlisle's family is 'vegetarians' or animal drinkers. I took the same diet, that's why I have gold eyes. Raphael's eyes are more orange because he just joined our diet."
"So you don't eat humans?" I shook my head no. "You've been a vampire for 5 months?
"Pretty much and let me tell you, this life did not start out well. That was until I met Raphael 2 weeks ago."
Tara tilted her head to the side in question. "It seems that you are still the Jamie I knew and loved."
"I really am, Tara." I smiled softly.
"Can I ask you a question then?" I nodded for her to continue. "Can I hear the real story of your life for the past 5 months?"
I sighed and nodded. "You can have the summarized version. My life has consisted of false love, betrayal, regret, sadness, death, anger, confusion, and then true love." I took an unnecessary breath and continued speaking, "When I first woke up after my three day transformation, I felt drawn to the vampire who brought me to Carlisle, Jasper. Something about him made feelings inside of me awaken. Now that I think about it, I believe that I was only drawn to him because he looks like my true mate, Raphael.
"Anyways, because of my so called 'love' to Jasper, his wife Alice saw vision, premonitions – which is her special vampire ability – of myself and Jasper, or possibly his look-a-like brother that no one knew was alive. Alice ended up leaving and joining a coven of vampires called the Volturi. The Volturi are a very powerful clan of vampires that sort of rule the vampire world, they enforce the rules. The Cullen's have a bad past with them and Aro, the leader of the Volturi really wants Alice's gift of the future. So she was with them for four months, sending secret letters to the family.
"We're not sure how or why but a vampire by the name of Maria visited Alice. Maria is Jasper's creator and Jasper's old 'lover' so Maria hated Alice. In the south, there are armies of vampires that battle for territory; Jasper and Raphael were both apart of Maria's army, just at different times. I think Maria had a vampire in her army that could reverse the change. Alice was found by Jasper and mind-reader, Edward. She was human again.
"So then Maria ended up having a power too. She could persuade someone to do what she wants. She used me to kidnap Alice while she was human and use her as a negotiation tool in order to get Jasper to join her army again. So while negotiating, Jasper was reunited with his brother, Raphael and I finally found my mate. But while I gained something, Jasper lost something. Maria bit Alice, draining her, or so we thought. Jasper finally killed his creator and we had a funeral for Alice.
"Three days later, she crawled out of the ground as a newborn vampire with no memories but of her human life. See, the first time Alice was changed, she couldn't remember anything from her human life, now it was opposite. Alice still doesn't remember anything and is keeping her distance from her husband, much to Jasper's disappointment and worry. So that brings us to the present, I missed you guys and Carlisle thought it would be okay if he were to make the adoption final and for me to say goodbye."
Tara didn't speak for a couple minutes, probably letting the information sink in.
We sat in comfortable silence, not meeting each other's eyes.
"I guess I have to share my own story then…" Tara whispered.
I nodded slowly. "That would be appreciated."
She sat up straighter and took a deep breath. "There's a reason I've told no one of how I made it here. I was the second child of my two parents, Hasan and Alba. My name isn't really Tara; I was actually born with the name of Taraji which means hope and faith. I was my parents hope after they lost their first child, my sister, Sala. We moved from Africa when I was really young. Seattle became our new home, we were happy.
"That is until one night. I was eleven at the time, my parents and I went out for dinner. While we were walking down the sidewalk, hand in hand, my mother's warm hand was ripped from my small one. There was a scream that randomly cut off. My father called for her but there wasn't an answer. It was dark and I couldn't see much since there were no street lights on the side we were on. I remember seeing my father at one moment and then he was gone the next. I heard it though, the sickening sound of something dripping onto the pavement and the stomach churning sound of someone or something messily eating something.
"Being the curious eleven year old that I was, I stepped off of the sidewalk and towards the shadowed alley. I will never be able to erase what I saw. It was so gruesome that I fled. I ran and ran, trying to get rid of the bloody sight of my dead mother and dying father. I will never be able to forget the face of the man feeding from my father's neck. His red eyes and blood covered mouth haunted me for the rest of my nights.
"Eventually I was found on the street by one of the orphanage's staff members and I've been here ever since." By the time Tara finished speaking, her eyes were distant and glassy, stuck in the horrid memory.
I didn't think about it, I just leaned forward and pulled my friend into a hug. She slowly wrapped her arms around me too, taking my offer of support.
I don't know how long we sat there, but I knew that Tara needed someone and I was happy that she accepted my help even though I was like the creature that claimed her parent's lives so long ago.
Rosalie's POV
I swear if that blonde twelve year old exposes us I will kill her! I don't care if she's mated to Jasper's brother; she's broken my family more than enough times.
I could smell her clearly, which means that it hasn't been too long since she passed through this hallway. Her scent mingled with a couple humans as we turned into another hallway.
Just as Carlisle was going to turn back, Raphael exited a room.
"Rosalie, Alice, what are you doin' here?" he asked, frowning slightly.
"Where's Jamie?" Carlisle asked.
"She just left with her friend, Tara. They went to go talk about something."
"Great! We're gonna' have to move again!" I grumbled and crossed my arms over my chest.
"Let's just find them and figure out what to do after," Carlisle suggested.
We continued down the hall and soon caught a whiff of Jamie's scent. The trail led down many other hallways, then stopped at a door. Carlisle glanced at each of us and then opened the door.
There sat the unwanted blonde, Jamie and the friend of hers that apparently knew about us. Jamie's gold eyes shot me and Alice a confused glance but then she focused on Carlisle.
"Carlisle, are we going home now?"
Carlisle nodded, casting the tall African-American girl a glance. "We have some things to talk about."
Jamie nodded slowly and glanced at Alice again, understanding crossing her face. I guess she isn't as stupid as she seems, that isn't much though.
"Is it possible for us to stay in touch Jamie?" the human girl asked.
Jamie glanced at Carlisle, pleading.
He sighed, glanced at Esme and then nodded. "She already knows about us, Alice saw that and I believe that if she's known for this long then she won't tell anyone. I think that keeping in touch would be possible. But no visits, they would be harder to keep from the others knowledge."
Jamie grinned widely and hugged Carlisle. "Thank you!"
"Yes, thank you," the girl said, smiling at Carlisle.
"I'll e-mail you and write letters and all that!" Jamie happily continued chatting with her little friend.
I huffed and rolled my eyes. "I'm going home, Alice are you coming?"
It's a random ending but here it is! Please review, I really appreciate it!(:
"Yeah, I am." And with that, Alice and I headed outside to the parking lot and drove home.