A/N:
You guys have been so amazingly patient while waiting for this story, and I don't think you'll ever fully comprehend how much that means to me.
With that said, after this chapter, I'm gonna have to ask you to continue being patient. At first, I didn't plan on posting this right now, but I got a guest review yesterday asking when I'd continue the story.
Please, know that I am working on it. This Origin series demands a lot more than my other series because I really want to keep it as canon as it possibly can be, so it requires more research and energy out of me.
Initially, I took a break because I had school, and once that ended for summer, I did focus on The Duke and the Swan without Wings because that story really blew up, so I wanted to finish that. Now, I'm 3 weeks into a new job, so I'm still adjusting, but as I have written in my bio, I ALWAYS finish my stories. I am still here, and I am working on this.
Okay?
Great, thank you!
Stay Awesome, and let's get into this brand spanking new chapter for you!
Title: Origins: Living in my Future
Author: MarieCarro
Beta: Alice's White Rabbit
Pre-reader: BitterHarpy
Genre: Supernatural/Mystery
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Mary Alice Brandon had always been different. She seemed to know things that had yet to happen, and the people in town avoided her at all costs. But the cries of "Witch" or whispers of "Changeling" wasn't her biggest concern. Someone much closer to her than the townsfolk couldn't accept her differences, and it put her in life-threatening danger.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
CHAPTER 9
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12th 1920
The bright light from the sun shining into my eyes was the closest to being blind as I would have assumed, and yet I was still able to see the light mist hanging in the air—which actually looked like tiny water droplets hovering—without having to adjust. The knotted grass surrounding me was damp but didn't feel cold as my mind connected wet grass should, and the same went for the shadows created by the large oak trees situated around the edge of the copse I appeared to be lying in.
Why was I lying there? Where was I, and how did I get there?
My thoughts raced through my mind, but at every turn, there was a blockade—darkness. All-encompassing and numbing darkness.
Nothing.
Not even myself. How could I possibly attempt to answer the questions of how, where, and when before I knew who?
Who was I? What was my name? How old were I?
More thoughts met more blockades.
I lifted my hands to see if I could decipher the mystery of myself by looking at something that should have been familiar to me, but I was once again mistaken because my pale, shimmering skin only confused me further.
Was skin supposed to do that? Why was I so unnaturally pale? Certainly, no living person could be that pale, could they?
Another aspect of my body was opened up to my awareness. Everything within was still and quiet. I couldn't feel a buzzing of life in my limbs nor a faint beating rhythm of a heart. I could just as well have been a pair of floating eyes, and it wouldn't have made a difference.
Except … I could feel the weight of my body and the strong muscles that were just waiting to jump into action, and I knew they were under my control. There was nothing unpredictable or unexpected that my body could do.
But I wasn't alive.
What was I?
Suddenly, my mind was seized by something. The closest descriptor of it was a very vivid thought or fantasy, but I instinctively knew that wasn't right. I could still see everything before me. I wasn't blinded, and I could hear everything as well as smell something tangy and rancid very close by, but at the same time, I could see a man as clearly as if he were standing before me.
His face was fierce, but his energy appeared broken; he was marred with scars but also the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. His eyes were an unsettling deep red, but he didn't look evil. All of these features were haloed by a glorious head of honey blond hair.
I watched him and something felt right. I knew, without a doubt or moment's hesitation, that I belonged to him. I was his in every way.
But who was he?
His mouth opened and his lips shaped into a word. No, not a word. A name.
"Alice," he said in the smoothest, most intoxicating voice that could ever exist, and my limbs buzzed with energy in reaction to it. I immediately wanted to find him for I knew he was out there, and a feeling within told me I would reach him if I wanted to.
However, as soon as I decided upon rising from my position to begin my search, a far more troubling image replaced the first one. The man no longer looked at me with affection and curious wonderment, but distrust and violent anger. The red eyes glowed furiously in his now snarling face, and a second later, he struck much like a snake going in for the kill.
Everything went black as if there were nothing more to see. It frightened me, yet I clung to the first image when the man was cautious but kind. I reconsidered my decision going after him, all the while still on my back in the grass, and the frightening vision melted away to once again being supplanted with him saying my name.
This time, there was a slight difference to his appearance. His eyes were black, and his hair looked wet, as if he'd been wandering in a storm.
"My apologies, ma'am," he said and bent his head respectfully. For the first time, I could hear a distinctly Texan drawl to his accent. "Major Jasper Whitlock, at your service."
"I know," I heard myself say.
Jasper Whitlock. Just thinking the name felt right, and so I tried forming my lips around it. "Jasper." The high-pitched yet very pleasant tone of my own voice was unfamiliar and strange, but his name wrapped around my tongue like velvet.
It was perfect in every way.
I decided to take the chance of sitting up but nothing beyond that, and when nothing changed, I stood up on my feet. Then I waited.
Nothing happened. Everything remained peaceful and quiet.
Looking down, I noticed my feet were bare and very dirty, but apart from sensing the texture of the grass and the wet earth beneath it, I could as well have immersed them in an unnaturally warm puddle.
Worn and discolored fabric, which used to be white at one point, hung to my knees, and I found the source of the stench from before. I was the source, or rather what I was wearing. It smelled sour and old, and the yellow stains under my arms told me I'd been wearing it for quite some time.
Where had I been that had justified me wearing something so disgusting and unflattering?
My questions were never-ending, and the more my head spun with them, a new … vision … emerged and became clearer. It was of another man, but his energy was the complete opposite of Jasper's. Being tall and blond were their only similarities, for this man's eyes were golden, much like molten amber, and he held himself like a man of experience and vast intellect.
The vision was of another new variant compared to the others because I quickly realized I wasn't present when another man, also with golden eyes—albeit his weren't as light—and light brown hair bordering on red, walked up to the first blond and started a private conversation.
"Is this how you've been living for the last two hundred and sixty years?" the darker-haired man asked. "Moving around, traveling, never settling down?"
"Settling down isn't a luxury I could partake in with my lifestyle, Edward. I know it's difficult for you to imagine living peacefully among humans without killing right now, but you'll get there. I can guarantee it."
The one called Edward hung his head in what looked like shame. "I don't know, Carlisle. I haven't killed since Paris, but it's on my mind … constantly."
Edward and Carlisle. Their conversation was terrifying as they casually threw out words of killing and eternal life, but the names passing through my mind unlocked something within, and I was immediately enveloped in another vision once again, and this one, I felt almost physically.
I was being embraced by Carlisle in the warmest, most fatherly hug, and I was fairly certain I'd never experienced anything of the like before. The look he then gave me was so filled with pride and love it made me want to cry out of pure happiness. Edward was standing next to us, and he was smiling widely. As I met his eyes and he looked into mine, I knew I was showing him something because … because he could read minds.
My vision self turned to a mirror, and I fully saw myself for the first time.
I was very petite, but I'd already figured out that much. I had short black hair styled in a sleek hairdo, and my white skin was flawless. I looked like a porcelain doll, and even more so as I was wearing a knee-length, white, satin dress with a flared skirt. But the one feature that stood out to me were the golden eyes in my reflection.
They were the exact same as Carlisle's.
What did that mean?
The last question only held my attention for a short while because of the overwhelming sense of joy that washed over me when I realized that these three men I'd seen meant something to me; something very important, but all of them in different capacities.
One thing that had become very clear was that the visions I was seeing weren't memories, so I wasn't seeing the past, and since I was alone wherever I was, I wasn't seeing the present either. That only left me with one option, and as scary as it was to accept that I was somehow seeing the future, I couldn't deny the truth of it once I thought it.
The visions also appeared to be affected by my decisions, as everything remained calm as long as the only decisions I made were about my mindless immediate future and not something life changing like when I wanted to find Jasper.
A loud snap rang out to my right, startling me, and I moved faster than I thought was possible to hunker down in readied position in case whatever it was decided to attack. I stared into the trees and locked eyes with a frozen bobcat. The large cat's fur bristled when it realized I'd seen it, and it snarled at me.
I didn't understand the cat's reaction, but I decided to let it go for now as there were other more pressing matters I needed to take care of. I could smell water nearby, and even though it didn't smell as refreshing as I thought, my throat was dry to the point of burning, so I had to accept the state of it for this one time, just so I could quench the feeling.
As soon as I'd turned in the general direction of where I thought the water was, I was already running, or rather flying, through the underbrush. It took me by such surprise, my muscles froze, and the world was once again still.
Was it normal to run at such a high speed? Was it normal to be able to hear every little sound around you? To see far into great distances and to smell things from far away?
I doubted it was, or I wouldn't have been so surprised by myself.
However, I was quickly reminded of where I'd been headed when I swallowed and the burn in my throat flared up. I needed to get to that water and have a drink. I hoped it wouldn't be too dirty, but with how I was feeling, I probably would drink it anyway. So I ran again until I reached a small lake.
There was no sign of human life for as far as I could see or hear. It scared me to be so very alone and not knowing who or where I was, but I had to accept that I was on my own and figure out what I was supposed to do now.
First, I had to drink. I lowered myself to my knees and made a cup out of my hand, scooping up some water. It looked clear and clean enough, so I sucked it up, but immediately grimaced at the taste.
It was wet, but the taste was something I'd never encountered before. It was as if everything that lived in the lake, as well as the flora around the edge and on the bottom of it, had flavored it, and I could taste it all at once.
It was disgusting, and what was worse, it did nothing for my dry throat. Worst of all though was that I could feel the small quantity of water I'd ingested was on its way back up again.
Once the water had been expelled, I sat down by the shore. That water was clearly out of the question to drink, but it had to suffice as bathing water because I could no longer stand the stench of myself.
I waded out into the murky, but surprisingly lukewarm, water and prepared to dip my entire body, but I was distracted by my reflection.
I looked nothing like I had in the vision with the white dress. My hair was short and unevenly trimmed, standing in every direction, my skin was dirty, covered in soot as if I'd been standing near a fire, and of course, the horrible one-piece I was wearing. But once again, it was my eyes that stood out to me.
They weren't golden like Carlisle's. They were a bright, shiny red like Jasper's.
What did that mean? The question repeated in my head even though I was still unable to answer it.
I was going to find answers eventually, but for now, I placed them all in the back of my mind before taking a deep breath and submerged all the way under the surface. Once there, I immediately noticed it was effortless for me to hold my breath. I felt no need to hurry up my washing so I could go back up and breathe, and my lungs didn't panic as I stayed under for longer and longer.
At least fifteen minutes must have passed when I decided that was enough, and I walked back up on the shore. The fabric of the shapeless dress I was wearing clung to my body, and the water had made it transparent, so I covered myself with my arms even though no one else was present.
I wished I could have thrown the garment away and changed into something else, but I didn't know where I could get a hold of any clothes. The dress was the only thing I had. I didn't have any money to buy anything new, and I had no memory of a family or a home where I could find any belongings.
The water dripped down from my hair in small rivulets, and the remaining dirt left trails on my skin.
Clueless. I was completely clueless about my next course of action, so I made a quick list in my head of what I knew since I'd woken up.
I had total amnesia, but prior to waking up, I must have been held somewhere dirty and confined based on my state of dress and hygiene. I couldn't believe I'd been there willingly, so I must have escaped somehow.
My skin was pale to the point of being without any color, and it shimmered in the light. My five basic senses were enhanced because my instinct told me normal humans didn't function like that. I could hold my breath for a very long time, maybe even an infinite amount, but I was yet to test that theory.
I couldn't feel cold. My heart wasn't beating, so I couldn't be alive.
I had visions of the future, and in my future was a man named Jasper Whitlock, who I had to find, but not now. It had to happen later. There was also a duo of men who I would have familial ties with: Carlisle and Edward.
My eyes were as red as Jasper's but would one day be gold as Carlisle's.
I couldn't drink water, or at the very least lake water, without getting sick.
Bobcats didn't like me.
My name is Alice. And I'm all alone.
{=LMF=}
Instead of sitting by the lake and waiting for answers that wouldn't come, I went into action and walked slowly—quite certain it was still a very fast pace—through the woods, hoping I would run into someone who could tell me where the closest city was so I could find help.
I'd already determined my visions were connected to decisions I made, so I started experimenting with it, but it was tedious work because not all my decisions led to visions, and it only served to confuse me further.
Not until I saw a house in the distance did I see anything really tangible, and yet when I did, I immediately wished I hadn't.
As soon as I made the decision to go to the house, I was seized by a horrific, bloody scene, and I was in the center of it. I had my teeth buried in a young girl's neck as I drank large gulps of blood, and behind us were the two corpses of her parents, their throats torn open.
I threw myself against a nearby tree to escape the vision, but I would never forget that sight. I was disturbed when I took notice of the burn in my throat intensifying as the image of the blood taunted me.
So that was what I needed to quench my thirst. I was craving blood. Human blood. But why?
There was only one human-like creature I'd ever heard of that drank blood, and it was a creature that wasn't supposed to exist. Vampires were only figments of stories and mythology.
How I knew the story of Dracula escaped me because I couldn't remember reading it, but I didn't check a single requirement for vampires in that work of fiction apart from the desire for blood. It was true I hadn't attempted to defy gravity, or turn to mist, but I had clearly seen my reflection in a mirror in my vision, and the water of the lake. My ears weren't pointed and my teeth weren't long and sharp.
Experimentally, I pushed my index finger against a tooth. I was shocked when I could feel it slice the skin open and how painful it was, but when I looked at the cut on my fingertip, there was no blood coming out of the wound.
Before my very eyes, the skin knitted itself back together, but a lighter line in the shape of my tooth remained, like a scar.
It was confirmed I had very sharp teeth, but did that mean I was a vampire?
Not wanting to risk the scene I'd seen in my head, I turned in a direction away from the house and imagined myself asking Carlisle all of my questions.
I was delighted when a vision came from it, and it was a peaceful one.
"Much like you, I had to figure everything out on my own, but I had the luxury of knowing that it was a vampire who bit me when it happened. I can't imagine how terrifying it must have been for you to wake up into this life without any memories."
He said vampire, and I couldn't deny what was staring me in the face any longer. I wasn't a human, but I must have been before. I just couldn't remember it.
Maybe it was better that way. If I couldn't remember who I was or used to be, I couldn't dwell on what I used to have and no longer did.
However, while I could accept being a vampire simply from the evidence presented to me, I didn't want to accept that it meant I had to kill humans. Carlisle had told Edward he could guarantee there would come a time when he could live in peace with humans without wanting to kill, so that meant it was possible.
I had to believe it was.
A/N:
This really is a new chapter in her life, isn't it?
Okay, so tell me one thing before I leave you,
What do you most look forward to reading in Alice's story going forward?
Most of you might say her meeting with Jasper, and I totally get that, but do remember that's 48 years into the future, okay? Until then, there will be a whole hell of a lot of visions of him, though!
Thank you for being patient and for your continued patience!
Until next time,
Stay Awesome!
