Alice walked through the woods, unsure of how much time had passed. She was angry at Jasper, but also hurt. And full of guilt. Jasper was right. No amount of time as a human was worth losing her eternity with Jasper.

She sat against a tree, the rough bark uncomfortable against her bruised back. She let her head rest against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes.

—————————-

Alice jolted awake, unsure of how long she'd been asleep, but noticed the sun was starting to set.

"Shit," she mumbled to herself, "I'm sure Jasper's freaking out."

She stood up slowly, careful not to pull her stitches. Alice looked around, trying to remember which way she came from. She began walking in the direction she guessed the house was.

Before her first step even hit the ground, Alice doubled over in pain, gripping her head.

"Ah!" She screamed, hitting her knees in pain.

Maria lifted her up by the throat, throwing her against the tree she'd just slept against.

"No!"

Alice held her head, tears streaming down her cheeks from the pain. This was the first vision she'd had since being turned human and it was just a flash, but the pain in her head was excruciating.

"Jazz! Edward! Somebody!" She sobbed, trying to stand.

She didn't know if she was close enough for Edward to hear her thoughts, but she needed to move.

In the next instant, a cold hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing enough that Alice couldn't breathe.

"I see you met my second in command. It's a shame he wasn't able to finish his assignment."

Alice weakly clawed at Maria's arm as her vision started blacking out.

"I suppose I'll have to finish the job for him. Once you're out of my way, Jasper will have no reason to stay."

Alice tried to shake her head, but Maria's grip was too tight. She mouthed the word 'please' as tears continued flowing from her eyes.

"Pathetic," Maria scoffed, before throwing Alice against the tree.

The sudden rush of air into her lungs made Alice cough. She tried to sit up, feeling blood flowing freely from her side. She looked at Maria, now standing above her, eyes wild with thirst.

"Nobody will save you. You're a worthless human, easy to dispose of. I'm doing you a favor."

Alice let out one last scream as Maria sank her teeth into her throat and began to drink.