Okay, finally! We're back to Jasper and Bella...well almost.

(Bella's P.O.V)

Chapter twelve: Questions and Fortunes

The next few days at school weren't exactly boring. I began to sit with the Cullens at lunch and got help from Jasper in pre-calc. With as serene as he normally looked, he was the complete opposite around me. I could sense the tension and saw the pain in his movements. I was at lunch with the Cullens and Jasper was the only one missing from the tranquil group. It had been a week since I visited the Cullens', and I didn't want to smother Jasper and make him feel uncomfortable. The only problem was that…there were still many things I wanted to know about him.

"Like what?" Edward asked from across the circular table.

"Ed, don't do that to her. Leave her and her thoughts alone," Rosalie demanded.

"What? I just thought, seeing as he isn't here today, I could get the answers for her," he smiled.

In that moment, Alice's face went rigid, while her eyes focused in on something very distant. Edward rushed to her side, quicker than a blink of an eye. "What is it? What did you see, love?"

"I— I can't explain it," Alice mumbled. She must've said more because her lips were moving at lightning speed, and Edward was nodding. All I could make out were muddled hisses as they continued to communicate. Emmett and Rosalie seemed to understand what they were saying. Every so often, one of them would glance up at me. 'I wonder what they could be talking about,' I thought, sarcastically, to myself.

When they finished, I sat awkwardly picking at my food for a moment until I spoke, "I'd like to ask my questions, now."

"Would you?" Edward grinned.

"Yep," I smiled back.

"Alright, shoot," Emmett permitted.

"Wait," Rosalie interrupted, "on one condition."

"Okay and what's that?" I asked her.

"Any questions that should be asked in private… will be asked in private."

"Of course, duh!" I replied.

"I reckon we should continue this conversation elsewhere," Edward said softly.

The five of us silently put up our trays, and moved into the completely vacant side hallway.

"Alright, what is it ya still want to know?" Emmett asked, stepping closer towards Rosalie. For some reason, she didn't seem as comfortable with Emmett as usual. I brushed that aside and prepared to ask my first question.

"If all of you are here…then w—"

"He's out feeding," Edward answered, having already sifted through my questions before hand.

I was getting annoyed with having someone inside my head. "Could you let me ask my questions without cutting my damn sentences off?" I barked. Emmett let out a small chuckle, and an expression that read, 'I know exactly how you feel.'

"Why aren't you all out hunting then?"

"He's newer to the concept of veggies, remember?" Emmett reminded me with a chuckle.

"So that means he hunts more often?"

"That's right. It's so he can stay fed and have a lower risk of harming others," Edward explained.

After Edward's answer, I noticed Rosalie's distant expression. She was thinking of something else…no… someone else. I would recognize that glassy-eyed look on anyone, even a vampire. Mom often looked that way when she talked about Phil. Who could it be that Rosalie likes? She already had the ideal companion.

"Fair enough," I say cocking my head to one side, "One more question. What was it that Alice saw in her vision?"

"It's nothing, really," Edward said nonchalantly. "She has many daily, and most of them are things like weather and the location of game for our next hunt."

"It didn't really look like 'nothing' to me. You seemed pretty concerned. You all kept looking at me."

"Dude, we were lookin' at your face. It was kinda funny to see your reaction to our conversation. Man you should've seen your face. You probably couldn't understand a word we were saying." Emmett laughed.

These guys were good. These guys were really good. That vision was important and I was going to figure out exactly what Alice saw. Edward wouldn't just rush over to her like that for just any reason. Something considerably big was going to happen and I could bet my life on it, that I was involved.

"Cut the crap, guys. I know that vision was essential to what's going on here," I blurted out.

"What is goin' on here," Emmett cachinnated.

"Hmm, let's see. For starters, I'm standing with a group of vampires!"

"Whoa! Not so loud, 'Bella McBellows'. There are people in the next room over," Emmett whispers.

I roll my eyes, "Look, I just wanna know what Alice saw," I whispered.

Alice's delicate voice rang like a quiet, dainty wind chime, "I'll tell you, Bella. I think you have a right to know. Keep in mind that what I see isn't always set in stone."

They were very talented at masking the obvious. They could rob a bank, pass the interrogation, and get away easily. But I sensed there was something wrong.

"Alice, don't," Edward begged.

"No!" Alice said harshly. It was odd to hear her raise her voice. She seemed so fragile. "She needs to hear this. Bella, please don't take what I'm about to say too hard. Just don't...overreact. This was only a vision." She paused for a moment, not taking a single breath. "Bella, I saw you get shot. Jasper was there. Your father was there. In truth, you father was the one who fired the shot. It was in a meadow or a field. Now, I'm sure this won't happen, but it was a very bizarre vision. I just wanted you to hear it. Maybe it meant something to you."

Letting her words digest, I stood completely motionless. I fed on every word that came from her mouth knowing, that just weeks before, I had dreamt the same scene. It did mean something to me. It meant that I, Bella Swan, now knew how I was going to leave this earth.