Chapter 18: Confrontation

Unnaturally still and white, with large black eyes intent on my face, my visitor waited perfectly motionless in the center of the halt, beautiful beyond imagining.

"Alice?"

"Oh Bella"

She slammed into me. I'd forgotten how hard she was; it was like running headlong into a wall of cement. I noticed there was a strange mingling of relief and confusion in her voice. I was standing there unmoving.

Alice sighed. "I'd forgotten how great you smell"

I looked up at her raising an eyebrow. Alice's neck was tight, straining away from me, her lips pressed together firmly. Her eyes were black as pitch.

"Oh sorry."

I said in an intentionally bored tone I'd picked up from Damon, as I realized the problem. She was thirsty. And I smelled appetizing.

"It's my own fault. It's been too long since I hunted. I shouldn't let myself get so thirsty. But I was in a hurry today."

The look she directed at me then was a glare.

"Speaking of which, would you like to explain to me how you're alive?"

"Shouldn't I be?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"I saw you jump."

"And?"

"I told him this would happen, but he didn't believe me.

'Bella promised,'

Her voice imitated his so perfectly that I froze in shock while the pain and anger ripped through my torso.

"'Don't be looking for her future, either,'" she continued to quote him. '"We've done enough damage."

"But just because I'm not looking, doesn't mean I don't see" she went on. "I wasn't keeping tabs on you, I swear, Bella. It's just that I'm already attuned to you… when I saw you jumping, I didn't think, I just got on a plane. I knew I would be too late, but I couldn't do nothing. And then I get here, thinking maybe I could help Charlie somehow, and you drive up."

She shook her head, this time in confusion. Her voice was strained.

"I saw you go into the water and I waited and waited for you to come up, but you didn't. What happened? And how could you do that to Charlie? Did you stop to think what this would do to him? And my brother? Do you have any idea what Edward–"

"Stop!"

Her eyes opened wide and she stared at me, that's right she is not used to me taking charge, well that's gonna change.

"Alice you don't look confused I'm not in Forks. You also knew exactly where I live now. Do you keep tabs on all the people you meet? You knew you'd be too late but you couldn't do nothing? So you thought you might help Charlie? Do you even listen to yourself? That Alice doesn't make any sense and if you don't take your hands off me I'm gonna rip them apart. What did you really see and came here?"

"What are you talking about Bella? I told you what I saw"

She said in that voice that would have made me crumble and bend to her will. Too bad it doesn't work on me anymore.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Alice"

I looked at her pointently and waited for her response, thinking how I would get away if for any reason she attacked me. Dad had his gun in the drawer behind me but bullets couldn't do anything for Alice. His flare gun from his previous fishing trips? That could be useful. I tried to conceal my plans thinking that Alice could see my future the minute I decided on something and tried to focus on deciding on lasagna or shepherd's pie for dinner.

"Are you saying you didn't jump off a cliff?"

I played along

"Alice, I wasn't committing suicide, I saw a kid getting drowned and I jumped in to help."

"Really?"

"Really"

"Our leaving didn't do you any good at all, did it?" Alice murmured.

I laughed once – it was a slightly hysterical sound.

"That was never the point, though, was it? It's not like you left for my benefit."

Alice scowled at the floor for a moment.

"Well… I guess I acted impulsively today. I probably shouldn't have intruded."

After a few moments of silence I had enough.

"What are you doing here Alice? If you wanted to make sure I was dead you did. The door is wide open, you can leave"

"Are you kicking me out?"

"As long as you play me like a fool yes. Come clean or get out"

I watched as her face set into a poker mask. No feelings at all. I kept my mind (strangely easily) on the decision between dinner choices as I kept thinking on how to confront her and protect myself.

"What really happened on my party?"

"I saw the paper cut incident and I made sure there was plenty of glass around to increase the odds of you blood spilling in the aftermath. I also made sure that Jasper was plenty thirsty prior to the party. One of the potential outcomes was that he would have actually gotten to you and killed you but somehow there was that over protectiveness on the part of my family that somehow kept you safe."

"What happened with James? And keep in mind I already know that James is alive, we talked and he's on my speed dial."

I bluffed. Her eyes widened and she remained silent for a second.

"I knew James from way back. I invited him for a 'vacation in forks' to have a snack. He came and during the staged meeting in the baseball field he met you and had your scent. Edward and I knew we had to get you away from Forks so that no1 would suspect us and got you to Phoenix. The deal was for James to hit you around a bit and Eddie and I would take you"

"Take?"

"Eat. You spoke with James; you already know Eddie and I both cheat on the diet sometimes. I didn't account he'd back out or that he's bite you himself. Specially with so little time before we got there. So Eddie and I had to punish him. I knew how to use Jasper to fight with James and let me deal with him alone in the end. Eddie and I buried him in the cement below the dance studio in big pieces."

"Start from the beginning"

"Fine. James was working near the asylum I was never in and knew of my visions. He was going to change me for the Volturi but I didn't want to be someone else's pawn. So I fled. In a vision I had seen Jasper and his power and it was magnificent. So I went to wait for him in a diner not very far from here in Texas. I got him to think he's my mate and he believed me. I had seen Edward as well and knew how power hungry he would be. A passing vampire had changed me and Jasper and I passed the time until Edward would be changed. I went to meet him and we both liked what we saw. Of course I could never lie to him because he can read my mind but it's ok. All we had to do was be careful around Jasper who unfortunately is stronger than he thinks so we had to keep monitoring him. A while later Edward staged the scene for Rosalie to be changed but unfortunately her good looks and her bitchiness is her only power. We had hoped she would have nothing but we were wrong. I had not anticipated she'd find Emmett or that he'd be so strong, thankfully he might be strong but he's a complete idiot so Eddie and I run the family. We wanted more powerful vampires though and I saw you coming to Forks. You are a human and that would bring us problems with the dogs, we knew the line had died out but we soon found out it wasn't the case. When you returned bitten we knew we had to leave. Anyway I'm getting ahead of myself."

I noticed she had one hand in her pocket and if the almost silent beeps I heard were anything to go by she was texting someone. I tried to keep my cool while hoping with all my heart that dad would be late.

"We met you at that first day at school. Edward and I knew you through my visions although for some reason they were always unstable when it came to you making decisions for yourself, why did you think I made all the decisions in your place? In the cafeteria Edward noticed he couldn't read your mind. Next in line was I becoming your friend but you smell so good that he almost bit you that first day in class. The truth is it was never about your blood, Bella, no matter what he told you or anyone else. He would have been able to resist your blood just fine if he only had entry into your dull little teenage mind. But he couldn't have your thoughts and it drove him mad, so he came up with the whole blood farce because he couldn't admit to anyone, even himself, the frustration he felt at his power being cancelled by a human girl. Drinking you though ahead of time would be ultimately wrong and it also forced us to change our plans. Not to mention you almost got yourself killed that day with the van that we had to save you. After that you went and figured it all out and we had to come clean. Edward got you thinking you two were mates" she scoffed at the word "and we staged the whole James incident.

The most interesting thing about Phoenix was how far Edward was willing to go to stop you from turning into a vampire. He was absolutely terrified that once you turned, he would be able to read your mind, and then he would be stuck with you for an eternity without your most appealing quality. I know he gave you that line about your soul but trust me, Edward's MO has always been wanting something he can never have. Once whatever the object of his desire is within reach, he becomes bored with it. So his need to keep you human and unreadable was very strong. To be honest, I didn't know he had that type of self control, and all the way to the end the outcome was unpredictable.

When you returned bitten but still human we found out the dog line didn't die out after all. They were still there keeping us under the microscope. We spent the summer like that. But on your birthday we had enough. I staged your paper cut as I told you and everything went according to plan. You left bleeding and unharmed but Jasper had tried to bite you. Edward and I were supposed to come that night and finish you out or let you change. The family would take you in and I'd find a way to stage your death. I couldn't see what would happen after you changed though. IF you'd remain silent or not. So we had to make a choice. Either turn you and deal with the consequences or simply drink you dry. Eddie thought that we should leave and he'd break up with you. The same night the two of us would return and drink you up, after all we couldn't let you loose telling he's a vampire, could we?"

"Why didn't you?"

"Those dogs"

she spat

"They were all around your house for days. We couldn't come close so we left. Until a few days ago where I saw you moving away. No dogs here."

"So you came for dessert then" I said in an icy voice.

"yes"

"Then I guess I don't have the corner on the idiocy market."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I took a deep breath and spoke while showing her the flare gun I had retrieved from the fishing bag on the floor.

"James and Victoria are only a few minutes away. They can and will kill Eddie while I kill you. You showed me too much about vampires."

I pointed the flare gun straight at her chest.

"I don't care if I burn the whole house down, you're not killing me. In fact if you want to remain alive-ish you're going to text Eddie and tell him you made a mistake and I'm dead after all. Then you'll leave and never come back."

We were locked in a stare down until she realized I meant it. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and she composed a text message. Thanks to my new and improved vision I could make out the movement of her thumb and figured what she wrote. As she put the phone back the front door opened and dad came in

"Bells?"

A/N I admit it I'm evil, lol just kidding. As you probably noticed I took a few parts of New Moon chapter Visitor and some lines from "Golden Moon", one of my favorite fanfics out here. If you haven't read it you should.