THE FOOL

"Every man must journey forward and choose between good and evil. If he has no philosophy, he is the Fool."

— Eden Gray, The Complete Guide to the Tarot

"Divinatory Meaning: The subject of the reading is a dreamer, a mystic. He has the desire to accomplish a great goal. He must be careful to make the right choice. If he thinks that 'when ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise,' then he is indeed the Fool.

Reversed: Folly, indiscretion, thoughtless action. The choice is likely to be faulty."

—Joan Bunning, Learning the Tarot

—

AUGUST 2ND 2039

2:02 AM MST

NEDERLAND, COLORADO

The sound of laughter was a gift.

It wasn't a rarity. There were plenty of things to laugh at: stories and accidents and jokes and that one specific face Edward pulled whenever Bella sided with Rosalie over him. Not that that happened often…

Alice was sitting between her sisters and laughing so hard that she could barely bring in enough air to do it. She leaned against Bella's arm and stretched her legs out, shifting her feet further across Rosalie's lap. As she laughed, Bella lifted her arm to wrap Alice in half of a hug and Rosalie rested a hand on Alice's ankle, stilling her.

It was in moments like these that Alice was content to exist in the now. The future could wait a few, stubborn minutes. Alice was, and always had been, a creature of comforts. Now, she was certainly indulging as she lounged between her sisters atop the brand new couch she'd talked Esme into buying, while Emmett pleased her by wearing an ensemble she'd picked out for him before their trip.

She allowed her eyes to close for a short moment, and with her cheek against Bella's shirt she sighed happily in between bursts of laughter.

Alice could feel the weightless warmth of love and joy, just ever-so-slightly amplified, and knew it was of Jasper's making. Edward snorted at nothing and they all knew he was laughing at someone's thoughts. Renesmee demanded to know who was thinking something funny and despite the reprimand on her tongue, Esme laughed, too.

This, Alice knew, was worth absolutely everything to her.

"I didn't even mean it that way," Emmett insisted, turning to face the laughing women. "The guy knew I didn't mean it that way—"

"No, he didn't," Rosalie laughed.

"—but the translation made it sound like I was asking him to help me get a heart out of the bathtub!"

"You are a vampire," Ness pointed out, her arms slung over the back of his shoulders as she clung to him. Emmett didn't have to support her weight with his hand—she was certainly strong enough to hold herself up—but he still had one hand (the one that wasn't gesturing madly) gripping the back of her left knee.

Emmett was beside himself, "He obviously didn't know that! He thought I was some scary serial killer or something. Hacking up bodies in the tub." He had claimed immediate betrayal once Rosalie, while giggling, told Esme to ask him about the 'cat accident' during the recollections of their cross-Asia trip. They'd been gone since early May, and their presence had been sorely missed.

"It wasn't until the police showed up that I knew anything was going on," Rosalie laughed. "Thankfully I got to the lobby before they came over to the room to figure out what the hell was happening. I was able to tell them that my big scary American husband wasn't as fluent as he thinks he is."

Emmett pointed a stern finger at Rosalie. "I said it exactly the way Duolingo told me to."

"Weren't you supposed to have learned Filipino before you left?" Bella asked the question on everyone's mind.

"We had a long flight," he whined, and Esme chuckled from where she stood in the kitchen. "I may have skipped a lesson or three."

Ness pulled on Emmett's ear to demand his full attention, something she'd done since she was a child. With the other hand she pressed her palm to his temple. No doubt she was bombarding him with her ability just as loudly as she was with her words."What about the cat?!"

"The cat was fine! Nothing happened to the cat!" Emmett promised, exasperated. Edward walked across the room, plucked her hand off of Emmett's face as he passed, and shot her a stern look that Ness pointedly ignored. Alice laughed harder.

"It was the owner's cat," Rosalie collected herself a bit and sighed dramatically as she leaned over the back of the couch to look toward the kitchen. "Remember that time you got attacked by that dog?" She barely managed to get the words out before laughter took over again.

Jasper barely looked up from the sink where he was helping Esme rinse dishes and Alice laughed harder at the way his grin shrank on his face and a tired expression took over. He rolled his eyes and continued spraying utensils with the faucet hose.

The only thing that had spared Ness from her father's frustration and a lecture from Carlisle had been her willingness to eat whatever it was that Esme cooked for her.

"Worth it for a hunt," Ness had shrugged.

Esme, who never did anything by halves, had spent the next three hours cooking an elaborate meal that the entire household knew Ness would barely put a dent in. Even when Alice reminded her that Jacob wasn't due back in town until Thursday, Esme just shooed her off. Alice never had taken a shine to 'meal preparation'.

She also, of course, had dodged all accountability, insisting that if she hadn't been the responsible chaperone then Ness would've just run off on her own. Edward could see it wasn't a lie, but she had certainly stretched the truth a bit.

Edward's good mood was what spared Alice from dish duty.

Even if she hadn't been spared, she knew that Jasper would've volunteered anyway. The human food was revolting, yes, but they'd both agreed early on that it was far better to be the one throwing scraps away and cleaning up after the grimy slop than having to be around to smell it while it was cooking. Human food in its raw form was far more revolting most of the time. They usually retreated upstairs or went for a run or hunt when Esme cooked.

The wolf-stench, Alice had adjusted to. Whatever rancid things Esme heated in the oven, she resolutely hadn't.

Ness started laughing all over again, now looking toward the kitchen. "When was this?"

"Ninety-two," Edward finally chimed in from where he'd walked across the room. He was currently flipping through a few days worth of mail, as if looking for something in particular. "We'd just gotten to Somerville the week before."

"Oh, I forgot all about this," Emmett grinned, excited to have the attention off of himself and his mistranslation mishap. "Yeah, Jazz, tell her all about the big mean dog that tried taking a chunk out of you."

"But dogs are scared shitless of you guys."

"Renesmee."

"Sorry. Crap-less." Esme clicked her tongue at the continued language. "Sorry." Ness's smile showed no such remorse.

"Fight or flight," Jasper muttered, turning off the faucet and drying his hands with the towel Esme handed him. "Most animals choose flight. Or they freeze."

"But this little twenty-pound demon chose fight," Rosalie remembered. "Tell her how many of its teeth it broke off on your ankles."

Alice watched as Jasper shrugged and rolled his sleeves back down. For a split second she saw him contemplate joining them or trying to make an excuse to leave for his study. Thankfully, he met her gaze when he sensed her tick of irritation and his willingness to have attention on him won out.

"Four or five, I believe."

Renesmee was incredulous. "It broke its teeth off biting you?"

"Chipped. And only a few." There was a small pause. "Alice paid the vet bill." He spoke, as if that made it any better.

Alice nodded, remembering how Jasper hadn't known what to do in the aftermath. They hadn't been worried about suspicion. The poor woman had been so apologetic and mortified that, Edward later confirmed, she hadn't thought twice about how odd it was that her two year old cockapoo had broken a handful of its teeth while trying to rip Jasper's ankles to shreds.

It was a small enough town, and the woman who had been walking her dog was one of their closer human neighbors. It was the first time they'd met and it had been an absolute disaster. They'd only stayed in Somerville for two years. The proximity of their home to the surrounding humans hadn't been ideal. In the end, they'd been too close for comfort.

Alice's eyes flickered to Jasper's for a moment, and she thanked the stars above that he wasn't paying her any mind. He'd followed Esme into the den and settled himself on the arm of the loveseat beside her. As Emmett and Ness bickered back and forth, Jasper watched, smiling to himself.

The only reason Alice hadn't foreseen Jasper's accident in '94 was because she'd been too focused on trying to see when Edward's current tantrum would end (there were many moments in the nineties when they came close to losing Edward, and Alice had watched him like a hawk for a few years, steering the family's collective futures here and there to do whatever she could to keep her brother around) and hadn't given a second thought to Jasper accompanying Rosalie and Esme on a stroll around the neighborhood.

Alice hadn't known what was happening until a vision flashed across her awareness. Of Esme crying while Rosalie and Jasper dug a hole beside her. Jasper's empty gaze a bright crimson. Rosalie's hardened expression void of all emotion.

"Wait a second," Ness tugged Emmett's earlobe again, and he groaned, knowing the attention was now fixed squarely back on him. Across the room Alice met Edward's eyes quickly before she looked away. She knew he'd overheard her memory, and the frown sitting at the corner of his mouth annoyed her. "You're trying to distract me. What the hell happened to the cat then?"

"Nothing happened to the cat!"

"The owner came and got it," Rosalie assured her. When she released Alice's ankle, Alice pulled her legs back. She knew that Rosalie was going to make an exit within the next few minutes so she and Emmett could bring their luggage upstairs and finally begin the process of unpacking. They'd barely been home for an hour and Renesmee had been on Emmett's back ever since she'd finished hugging Rosalie.

"He explained that the cat usually lounges in and around the rooms and gets in through the balconies. There were quite a few cats around really, but this one nearly shredded the shower curtain when Emmett tried to get it outside."

"After they got the poor critter out, the owner claimed it was the friendly one." Emmett's skepticism was clear.

"You either ate up eight of its lives or took several years off of whatever life it was on. I didn't even know cats could make sounds like that." Rosalie shuddered as she pushed up off the couch.

Emmett also winced at the memory. "Yeah. I think it definitely ranks in the top ten worst sounds ever."

As the conversation continued—and she saw it would for approximately four more minutes—Alice let her mind wander slightly. Not too far. Just enough to flicker through her family's futures.

「 Carlisle's hands are pressed firmly against the abdomen of a human man, and when the man winces Alice can't tell whether it's from the pressure being applied or because Carlisle's hands are cold. 」

「 Esme's voice is soft as she speaks to Ness. They're up in the loft and Esme is in the middle of explaining the finer intricacies of her work as they finish up a set of curtains. Esme's hands move much faster than her words do, and the embroidered hems are elegant as the needle and thread pierce the fabric over and over again. Ness isn't participating at this point, and her head sits comfortably in her hands as she listens to Esme's soothing cadence. 」

「 Emmett grins down at Rosalie where she's lying half-naked between his knees on the bed. His shirt is off before she can reach up and— 」

Alice pushed the vision away and had to hold back an annoyed grunt. She'd seen far too much of her beloved siblings's sexual endeavors over the last century.

「 Bella sits with her laptop in front of her, her expression bored as she clicks between different websites; which ones, Alice can't quite tell. Edward sits at her side, his arm over Bella's shoulders as he focuses on the book in his opposite hand. 」

「 Jasper frowns at his monitors. The white and blue lights reflect from each screen to shroud him in an eerie glow; the only light on is in the corner and Alice knows he isn't going to bother turning it on. 」

Alice tried hard to school her expression when her focus fell back toward the present. It was ultimately a pointless endeavor even though she was successful in keeping the steady smile on her face and her expression light. She pointedly ignored the curious expression Jasper was now giving her from across the room. She watched him, in her mind, contemplate moving to sit in the seat beside her that Rosalie had vacated.

Alice stretched her legs back across the cushion, occupying the space so that he wouldn't.

She was happy and she was watching. Alice allowed her annoyance to play out, knowing that it was pointless to try and suppress it. She'd never been any good at hiding her emotions from Jasper. With any amount of luck he'd figure out why she was upset on his own.

To his credit, he'd gotten fairly good at that over the last several years.

They only ever argued about a couple of things. Nowadays, really, only one thing.

"It's like that time you tried to hide a hamster in your room because you were convinced it wouldn't know to be afraid of us." Alice zoned back into the conversation to huff out a laugh at Bella's contribution. Renesmee's repeated attempts at pet ownership in her teenage years had been concerning at the time. Nowadays it was just funny. "It was dead from a little heart attack before we even found it."

"They sold me a faulty hamster," Ness defended quickly.

"You brought a prey animal into a house full of vampires."

"So did Dad when he met you."

Bella's laugh made Alice's cheek bounce from where it was pressed against her ribs. Alice grinned wider, leaned into the movement, and closed her eyes. Alice was happy and she was still watching and god damnit it irritated her that Jasper couldn't see that and just let it go.

No, that was cruel. She didn't want him to 'let it go'. She knew he would never be able to. She knew that he loved her and he loved their family and that he would do whatever he could to protect them. To keep them safe. It wasn't fair to expect him to ever stop looking out for her and for their family.

It also wasn't fair for him to withdraw the way he had in the past several years, opting to spend more and more time alone in his study than with them. It hurt her feelings even on a good day.

When Alice felt herself begin to calm she finally looked at Jasper. His eyebrow was already raised toward her but she ignored him and turned her attention back toward where Ness was finally climbing down off of Emmett's back. She already knew what everyone was going to say as they began to head their separate ways. Instead of paying attention, she let a few more visions flicker.

Another routine she'd added to her schedule. Another way in which she was proving how thoroughly she was watching out for their family.

「 Caius' ranting is impassioned and angry, and it takes Alice a few seconds to realize that he isn't venting about criminal activity or current political affairs. He's complaining to Aro about something mundane: some menial job somewhere in their massive residence hasn't been completed on time. His complaints are vague and Alice recognizes the polite boredom on Aro's face. It's an expression she knows well and sees often when Caius acts the way he does.

Marcus is notably absent from the conversation, but is found with just a shift of focus. He's within earshot of Caius' rants and his attention is likely turned in the same direction. The book in his hands is ignored as his bored eyes look out across the library. 」

「 Jane is grinning. The sheen of red is still slick between her teeth as she washes blood from her hands and forearms and fingernails. Alice knows that she's glad to have missed whatever has transpired directly before. 」

「 Alec is covered head to toe, only not with blood. He has his hood up and travels silently alongside the vampires that all tower over him. The mission Alec is on is not unfamiliar; in the past several days Alice has received glimpses of this journey. A small group of the guard are heading to Central America. She isn't positive the reason for it and the crew at his side consists of only two familiar faces. The first is a newer addition: the man is slight and his cloak is lighter than Alec's but not by much. Of course, the Volturi don't add anyone to their ranks as short and skinny as he is without a good reason.

Gift amplification is as good of a reason as any. 」

「 The woods are wet despite the fire that burns closer and closer. Unfamiliar faces run around in a flurry, growling and shouting and tearing into one another. A man flees from the main action and rushes toward an approaching group. Before he can strike or flee he crumbles to the ground; the group tears off his head as they pass. Ash falls all around them, indistinguishable from the piles that mark the resting place of fallen vampires. Demetri watches the wall of fire with amusement as the Volturi's ensemble moves forward.」

「 Demetri's expression is self-satisfied from where he lingers at the back of their group as they walk down what appears to be a desolate airstrip. His voice is loud and clear and intended for whoever cares to pay attention. Their group consists of the four guard members and what appears to be four of Volterra's visitors.

"—accommodations on board will exceed any expectation you—" 」

Alice pulled back into the present seamlessly, her mind rolling around possible reasons for the Volturi to be sending a mission to their side of the world. If the first, but more distant vision of Demetri was any tell, it looked like they were going to interrupt newborn army activity. If that were the case, then their choice of guard members made sense. Alec and Felix for obvious reasons. The gift amplifier, Rohit, had been an enigma to her for a couple of years before she'd figured out his ability.

Witnessing the way Jane crippled an entire room full of people had been a sobering experience.

Then, there was Demetri. His presence in her visions was as often as it was annoying. Because of his gift, keeping a close watch on him was as important as keeping one on Aro. Alice wasn't sure who the other people were but if they were anything like the random vampires that tagged along for 'trips' and 'missions' then they were acquaintances of Aro or Caius, and they were probably eager to see what the talented Volturi guard could do when it came to rule enforcement.

Demetri's droning on wasn't anything Alice hadn't seen or heard before. She let her visions flicker around a bit more until she learned that they would be landing in Costa Rica's capital within the next fifteen hours or so.

That information was particularly interesting. It meant they'd be in the air within the hour.

By the time she refocused on the room around her only a handful of seconds had passed. Alice continued to ignore Jasper's inquisitive look all while accepting the emotions he was dispersing forth. She knew it wasn't for anyone's benefit except her own. Everyone else was in decent spirits and likely wouldn't even notice Jasper's interference with the climate of the room—with the obvious exception of Edward.

She halfheartedly hoped Edward was tuning her thoughts out. Alice knew how annoying it was to listen as she got herself worked up over the same argument with Jasper time and time again. Finally, she looked toward Jasper and rolled her eyes swiftly. They'd talk later about this. She wished he'd cut it out already. Moderate annoyance wouldn't kill her.

Jasper pulled his ability back and Alice let her smile twitch upward a bit higher despite the reemergence of her annoyance. Damn if he didn't understand her so thoroughly.

In the time it took her to check over a dozen futures and communicate silently to her husband to 'cut it out', Renesmee finally released her hold on Emmett's shoulders and had both of her feet firmly planted on the ground once more.

This was why Alice wanted Jasper to leave her to it. It only took her seconds to check in on the Volturi and see what they were up to. Jasper could be holed up in his study for days if left to his own devices.

Perhaps a visit from Peter and Charlotte would help. With Emmett and Rosalie back Alice knew she'd have plenty of help keeping Jasper away from his awful, unnecessary habits. Jacob would fly back in from Seattle this week, and everyone would be together again for the first time since the spring.

Alice let buzzing excitement fill her chest at that thought. It wouldn't be long before they'd pick their new home (Alice knew it was going to be West Virginia) and the amount of activities that she and Esme were going to plan before Jacob left again for the holidays would surely keep everyone occupied for weeks.

Sure, she missed her absolute favorite hobby: playing human. But a year or two without school was sometimes invigorating for her. Now, she had plenty of time to prepare for when they moved and started anew.

Emmett and Rosalie were the first to exit, with Ness on their heels, dragging Rosalie's suitcase behind her. She'd be shooed away in a few minutes and that's when Esme would redirect her to the upper level for their quality time poring over off-white curtains and tiny needles.

Esme patted Jasper's knee before she stood and departed, off to take a shower to rid herself of the 'food smell' from cooking before she continued on with her day.

"Are you two going to cuddle for the rest of the night?"

Alice didn't even look up at Edward. Instead she reached over and wrapped her arm around Bella's midsection, pressing her face further into her side. "And what if we do?"

Bella snorted but let her hand rest on Alice's back. She lowered her voice. "Do you want to save me the trouble of clicking through all the links Ness sent me?"

Alice shook her head against Bella's side. "No way. You're about to find so many things you're going to be tempted to buy on those sites. Who am I to stop such a beautiful thing?"

Bella clicked her tongue. "Most of them are just Amazon links and—"

"Oh! That reminds me, don't buy the camera. Jazz is going to." Alice ignored the close by "I am?" and turned her face upward to see Bella's bored expression. "I already have a boat-load of film on the way. Go wild with everything else though."

Edward groaned. "We already bought her birthday present."

"You already spoiled the child." Alice countered. "After all, it's a milestone birthday."

"Thirty-three is not a milestone."

"It is a palindrome." Jasper chimed in, finally standing up from his seat to approach.

"Oh, because we definitely celebrate those."

Alice lit up. "We could start."

Jasper chuckled as he reached forward and presented his hand to Alice. Alice stuck her tongue out toward Edward as she accepted the outstretched hand and let Jasper pull her to her feet. "I can cuddle your wife all I want."

"Yeah, yeah," Edward shooed her away with a flap of his hand before he stole the spot that Alice vacated on the couch. He handed Bella her laptop and pulled a book out from its spot under the coffee table, then neatly opened it to whatever page he'd left off on.

Alice lifted her nose as she allowed Jasper to lead her out of the room. Then, she looked back at her two best friends, continuing on with her dramatics. "We both know she'd rather cuddle me. No need to be jealous."

"That is very untrue," Bella spoke up, like a traitor. At the look of Alice's exaggerated expression, she laughed. "You're literally a bag of bones, Alice. No offense."

"Offense has been taken and now my heart is broken," she whined, pressing into Jasper's side with a pout. "So cruel, you two!"

"Come on," Jasper laughed softly, steering her back toward the adjoining room that led to the side stairs, "let's get you away from their cruelty," his voice was amused, if not a little dry. He pressed his fingers lightly to her back and steered her up the stairs.

"I don't know where you think we're going," Alice spoke after they made it to the hallway where their room was located.

Jasper only looked down at her, waiting for her to continue, so used to her quirks.

Alice fought back her smile. She was still annoyed at him, and she knew the only reason he wasn't in his study was because of her irritation just now in the living room, but the way he showed his love for her (with tiny gestures and obscene amounts of patience) made her feel giddy sometimes.

She loved him with every piece of her soul, moderate annoyances and all.

Alice grabbed his hand tightly and pulled him past their room. When they got to the end of the hall, Jasper already knew where they were going. He lifted the window and offered Alice his hand to help her through even though they both knew it was unnecessary. The act itself made Alice's chest tighten as it overflowed with affection.

She waited patiently in the yard as he closed the window behind them and jumped down to meet her. He still said nothing, just waited for her to grab his hand and lead him away from the house.

They ran for several minutes. The area surrounding their current home was just as familiar to them as their last home and the one before that. Alice enjoyed being in Nederland. She loved the proximity to Boulder and Denver and the endless local markets and shops she could explore. She loved the rare cloudy and snowy days when she could take full advantage of the communities they lived just on the outskirts of.

It was a sunnier town than they were used to, but it was an in-between space for them during this transitory period and it was beautiful. Even though Carlisle still worked, they didn't attend school, and really only Esme, Jacob, and Rosalie made regular appearances in town; mainly to run errands for Ness and grab groceries for her and Jacob. Jasper and Emmett still hadn't 'mingled' in any of the surrounding towns, and at this point Alice wasn't sure Jasper would before they moved.

Usually, unless he was being forced to, he opted out of being around humans to any degree.

Once, after they arrived, he'd waved away her suggestion when she expressed a desire to go to a farmer's market, and wanted him to go, too.

"It'll be better if we don't go too long without being around them." Alice had reminded him, even knowing her chances at success were slim.

"Ness and Jake are enough." He'd claimed.

"They aren't even human." Alice felt ridiculous for having to point that fact out.

Half of a shrug was all she'd gotten in reply. Then, a few minutes later. "They're human enough. Heartbeats and all. More mortal than we are."

Now, Alice was heading toward the peak of Buckeye Mountain when Jasper came up behind her. She saw what he was going to do at the last second but instead of dodging, she let him pounce. Even expecting it, Alice still let out a peal of laughter when he scooped her off of her feet and continued running, not once breaking stride as he vaulted over fallen trees and winding streams.

It wasn't until he'd launched them up into one of the taller trees, still holding her closely to his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around the back of his neck as he ran, that he finally lowered her back onto her feet, not releasing his grip until her shoes had found purchase on the branch they stood on.

"The trees are a bit sticky," he explained as he eyed her outfit and gestured to her shoes.

Another swell of affection came over her as she reached her arms up toward him. He reacted as he always did and leaned down toward her, far enough for her to wrap her hands around the back of his neck and press a kiss to his lips.

But Alice could feel the smile against her kiss and the suspicion was quick to hit her. Then, a quick vision of his next words: "I didn't want you to get all… sappy."

Alice groaned against his lips despite the laughter that still escaped. "Don't you dare say that awful joke to me." One more firm press of her lips against his was all she gave him before she released him and pulled back. "Does being in proximity to Emmett unlock some part of your brain that does and says stupid things?"

"What did I do now?" He asked, smiling. Then, "Or, what was I planning on doing that annoyed you?"

"I thought you knew, since you very quickly changed your original plans to include eating me out in the shower."

The twitch at the corner of his mouth as he shook his head, his hair falling into his face, still made Alice's knees shake after all this time. Damn his good looks. "If you start talking about what I was planning on doing as if I don't still plan on it, you might have to rephrase your words." He leaned down as he spoke and this time Alice was helpless as he pressed a soft kiss against her cheek. "Unless we're out here for some other reason."

"We were," Alice spoke, a little breathless as Jasper began to kiss his way down her jaw, pressing his lips against her neck. The visions she got of what Jasper planned to do to her made her toes curl and her stomach twist deliciously. "But we could always talk," she paused her words to refrain from gasping when she felt him suck at at a spot that always made her squeal, "later, I suppose."

"If it's important enough," and even though his lips still moved against her neck, Alice watched as he pulled away in a vision, "we could talk about it first."

But before he could pull back—damn his good looks, damn his charm, damn his ability to make her head spin without even having to touch her—Alice wrapped one hand tightly around the back of his neck, "If you know what's good for you," and pressed her other hand firmly against him through his pants, "you will not stop kissing me."

He pulled back far enough to press his forehead to hers, his smile bright in the moonlight. "Anything for you." He kissed her again and Alice moaned into his mouth, knowing what awaited her now.

She had all night to complain to him about his bad habits.

For now, she'd let him apologize.

A/N:

◆ Thank you to everyone who has already reviewed/favorited, etc. Double thank you to everyone from Tumblr who has been so kind about my unhinged excitement for this fic.

◆ For my new readers: welcome! I'm Shannon; I'm mainly a Jalice fic writer, who specializes in angst and hurt/comfort, but wanted to give a Big Post-Canon Epic a try (I'm also dipping my toes into the horror genre) and so here we are. I hope you enjoy the characterization I have to offer and that you stick around for the ride. It's going to be a wild one.

◆ As of today you've met two of our four main narrators. Jasper and Alice, my beloveds. These two are about to have such a bad time; and there's gonna be stiff competition in that race.

◆ I'm going to try and keep my author's notes to a minimum for the next several chapters to give you all the headspace to focus on the story and not the bullshit I have to say, so if you have anything to say to me, drop it in the reviews or in a PM, and if you want to hear what I have to say about any of this, you can dive into my ask box on Tumblr.

◆ Act one is short. I'll see you guys in Act two.