Chapter 38: Alicia, the helpful witch


~Gonna follow my intuition,

Tell myself to listen.

Everything's gonna be okay, it's gonna be a good day. - Selena Gomez, Intuition~


I sprang down, my movement as light and fast as a cat, and snatched the pendant from the wooden floor. At the tip of the owl's flat beak, the golden colored liquid shimmered a little, its presence both tantalizing and terrifying.

I couldn't believe what I was holding in my hand. I was holding the solution for the Undead's problem. I held in my hand their second chance at life.

"Do you think this the Elixir of life?" Edward looked stunned, his green eyes wide with cautious interest.

"I-I...yes." I swallowed, staring down at the light object. It had so much power that I was paralyzed merely by its presence.

"You had it with you all along?" He blinked out of the shock and stalked towards me.

"Here," I pressed the pendant in his hand and hastily took a step back.

His long pale fingers examined the pendant gingerly, as if more liquid might ooze out onto the floor. Outside, thunder crackled ominously. I hoped it wasn't a reaction of the Undead. Did they know I had it with me?

Suddenly, I recalled a dream that I'd had last night. The witch, who looked like Alice, had informed me about the Elixir of life and warned me not to let this knowledge out to anyone else, in the dream.

So, did it mean that the dream wasn't my imagination but something that really happened? Was the witch...still alive?

"I have to get this to Emmett." Edward said, running to the door.

"Are you sure it's the Elithe right potion?" I asked desperately, as I stared at him. "Please don't give false hope to Rosalie, Edward."

His intense gaze fastened on my face. "What do you expect me to say, Bella? That I'm sure? No, I'm not. I don't know anything, but this thing...It's safe to say that I'm following my intuition. Are you with me?"

"Gut power." I muttered to myself and nodded at him.

He took my hand and led me downstairs, while I thought about the misery we were going to put Rosalie through if the portion didn't work. For all I knew, the potion can be dirty water and its shimmer can be due to the trick of light.

But if I told Edward my theory, I knew I wouldn't be getting a smile. More likely the opposite of a smile.

"Well, that was fast." Mom cut us on the way, confused by the change of my attire.

I opened my mouth but Edward replied swiftly.

"I'm not sure if Bella told you this, but actually, we came here to get her something else to wear since she spilled Coke on her previous dress. Would it alright if I took her to the party...again, Mrs Swan?" Edward asked smoothly, his voice silky voice.

Mom pursed her lips, barely containing a smile. "Okay. But no more spills, you two."

I let out a disbelieving snort as I walked beside him out on the pavement.

"What?" Edward glanced at me and then back at the empty road.

"You're such a good liar." I said, shaking my head.

"I fail to understand how that amuses you at this grave hour." He sighed, clearly disappointed in me.

"Hey, that's my cope-up mechanism! I thought you knew that by know. Either I go into shock or I do silly things." I hurried to catch up with him.

His house came into view and I was about to climb the step when a car screeched round the bend and came to a halt behind me.

"Bella, wait!" Sasha threw her car door open and flew towards me.

"Are you alright?" Edward demanded, alarmed at her rumpled appearance.

"No," she cried, her face red. "I have to say something."

I glanced at Edward and at the pendant hanging from his hand. What he was about to do was way more important and there was no time.

"It's urgent." Sasha added, when she noticed our brief exchange.

I turned to Edward, unsure. "You go ahead. I'll catch up with you."

"Okay." He bent forward and kissed me on the forehead. Then he climbed the steps and disappeared inside the house. I really hoped Edward would be able to help Emmett.

"So, what is it?" I eyed her, wanting to run back to Edward. "Be quick, Sasha."

"I...I don't know where to begin. I mean, this is your business!" Sasha exclaimed nervously. "I was talking to a guy at Jane's party. He said he was new in town and I was telling him how Forks was now full of strangers and he...h-he just suddenly fell down. He just...fell down!"

"Fainted?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. "Sasha, why are you talking to me now? Talk to the Paramedics or...or get him to the hospital."

"Bella," she whisper-shouted with huge eyes. "He didn't faint. He died. HE FREAKING DIED!"

"Wait, he...dropped dead?" At her nod, I added. "Just dropped dead?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "That's not the only thing. I went inside to get help and when I came out, he was gone. I mean, I know he died. He wasn't breathing, I checked his pulse too. I come back and he's gone. Disappeared into thin air. Poof!"

"Oh," I said, as it sunk in. "Oh! You think he's one of the Undead?"

It was still weird to talk about the Undead with Sasha since she wasn't really comfortable with that particular topic. We usually tried to talk about normal things, like who dated who, and not how the Undead would die.

"So, what's...what's happening?" she asked, freaked out.

I sighed and started telling her about the Undead's deadline, Emmett, Jacob and James and about the Elixir of life. Throughout the explanation, she kept on turning different shades of green and white.

"And I'm just standing here, rudely keeping you from helping Emmett." Sasha cried. "I'm so sorry. You go inside now!"

I squeezed her hand, hoping it would comfort her and took her inside the house with me. Rosalie sat on the same place where I had left her before and Esme was with her. Rosalie lifted her head when she saw me.

"Do you think it works?" Was the first question she asked me. Her tone was hopeless and dead.

"I hope so." I said bluntly and raced up the stairs. Sasha kept staggering as she followed me.

I went inside the study room where Carlisle, Edward and Randall were surrounding...a still lifeless Emmett. My stomach lurched and Sasha gasped next to me.

Edward put his arm around me, looking mournful. "I poured two drops in his mouth. It's not working."

There was silence for a few minutes.

Carlisle sighed. "I, uh, should probably call the Funeral house before he"

A sudden violent cough filled the room and our eyes flew to Emmett, who was struggling to sit up on the couch.

"Oh my God," I whispered, awe struck. Now Emmett was someone who had been to hell and back.

"Mate, you're alive!" Randall threw his arms around a distraught Emmett.

Carlisle and Edward immediately moved forward and all the three men started talking in shocked voices. Emmett sat in the middle of their exchanges, looking very confused.

"Guys," I warned but they continued talking.

"HEY!" Sasha snapped loudly. "GIVE THE POOR GUY A BREAK."

"Thanks, Sasha." Emmett said, flustered as soon as everyone went silent.

"I'm truly sorry, Emmett," Edward looked sheepish. "But we are extremely glad you're back."

Emmett listened as Carlisle told him everything and Rosalie ran upstairs when she heard his voice. I averted my eyes away from their intense embrace and found myself staring at a jovial Edward.

"Ah, I think I might produce a few tears." He commented casually as his hand snaked around my waist.

"I might too, if I see you cry." I laughed as he hugged me to his chest, possessively.

Carlisle cleared his throat and we broke away, smiling widely.

"Bella, where did you get that potion?" Esme asked curiously, from under Carlisle's arm.

I knew why that question was so important to her. It was because she and Carlisle too had drunk the potion back then and that was how they were alive still now. The witch had warned me in my dream that they had only 25 years more left.

"I honestly don't know," I replied, distressed. "It was after the day I went to the Eternal Cemetery for the first time. I found the spell book under my pillow and the pendant on my dressing table."

"Hmmmm." Carlisle smiled a little. "It seems that the witch is quite...fond of you, Bella."

"Fond of me?" I snorted and Edward chuckled at the expression on my face.

"Yes. Tell me, how did you come to know about the Elixir of life?" he asked.

I shifted uncomfortably. "I...I had a dream about it."

"And I'm sure that the witch was present in it, delivering the information to you by herself." He looked bemused when I nodded.

"But why? Why did she help me all along? Why did she give her diary to me? Why?" I asked, both flustered and flattered.

"I think a simple séance would answer all those questions." Esme replied, knowingly.

"Oh, yes. You can ask Alice and Heidi to help you." Sasha nodded, beside herself with excitement.

"What do you say? Ready to find out the truth?" Edward asked, staring at me intensely.

Suddenly, fresh images flashed before my eyes. It was the dream I'd had a few months ago, around the time Edward and I had our first fight because of some girlZaprina? No, Zabrina...Zafrina?

In that dream, I had seen that Alice look-alike who was actually the witch, and two more girls with her. One of them looked exactly like Heidi and the other looked exactly like me.

I had gotten most of the information I needed to know through my dreams. My dreams of all the things. How in the world was that possible? Was my mind that messed up?

Or was it possible that, somewhere down the line, I was related to that witch?

Few minutes later, I found myself sitting between Edward's legs as he leaned against the wall for support. Sasha and Randall were on the other side of the room. Alice and Heidi sat on either side of us. Together, we all formed a circle around the star diagram that Alice had drawn on the floor.

I tried to avoid talking or directly looking at Alice. I still didn't trust her. A single crystal bowl with water sat on the center of the star.

"Okay, I'm going to say a few Latin words. After I finish, you start asking the questions, alright?" Alice looked at me hopefully.

She really was trying hard to win back my trust. She had come to the Cullens' house as soon as Sasha had called her.

"Okay," I nodded and took a deep breath.

"It's going be okay. I'm right here." Edward pushed my hair back and kissed my neck comfortingly.

Alice began to chant eerily in Latin and I resisted a shiver. Thunder boomed outside and a cold wind blew inside the room, even though all the doors and windows were shut.

"Ask," Alice commanded softly with eyes closed.

I swallowed. "Why was your diary in my room, even after I kept it back? Why...Why did you help me all along?"

Alice frowned and kept silent for a few minutes. When she opened her eyes, they were wide and shocked.

"The witch, she says her name is Alicia. She wishes that you to know everything about her but she says that it is possible only through one way." Alice translated the silence, awe struck.

"What?" I asked nervously. Edward stilled behind me.

"She wants you to see everything in her life happen right in front of you. She wants to take you back in time."


Hey guys,

It's been a little long since my last update. But since we're nearing the end, I've planned to post a chapter each month, so that the last chapter would be on October 30th, the day this story started :) I hope you liked this chapter, 'cause next chap is going to be really, really interesting. Even for me :D

The final remaining questions will be answered in the next chapter. If you guys have still any doubts left, feel free to ask. I'll try to cover those in the upcoming chapter.

-BEJL