Chapter 33: The Seer and the Shield
Bella spun low, aiming to sweep Jasper's legs out from under him. But anticipating her move, Jasper effortlessly leaped over her, grabbing her shoulders mid-air. Using Bella's momentum against her, he hurled her over his head. She twisted, trying to regain control as she flew through the air, but Jasper was relentless, already advancing on her before she even landed. She couldn't believe how fast he was; his speed was far beyond anything she had seen from Peter or Char.
Jasper's attacks were swift and unyielding. Bella blocked and parried, her movements quick but defensive. Spotting an opportunity, she grabbed Jasper's left hand and yanked it down while simultaneously lifting her right leg, aiming for his midsection. However, Jasper, who had taught this very move to Peter, countered effortlessly. He twisted, avoiding her kick, and skillfully used her momentum to spin Bella away.
Bella regained her footing and launched a series of rapid punches, connecting repeatedly with Jasper's upper torso and head, forcing him back. She hoped her offensive would continue, but noticed that Jasper remained largely unfazed. His experience was evident in every fluid motion, each movement seemingly designed to take just enough sting out of her punches.
Knowing she had to take risks since Jasper was clearly the better fighter, Bella leaped into the air, aiming a high kick. Jasper ducked while simultaneously delivering a high kick of his own, catching her off guard. She landed awkwardly but quickly rolled to her feet, ready to meet Jasper's relentless advance once more. They exchanged blows in rapid succession, with Bella finding occasional openings to strike, but Jasper always seemed to stay one step ahead.
The fight escalated, both vampires moving with incredible speed and precision. Bella aimed a punch right at Jasper's head while his face was turned, but in a surprise move, he caught her fist, twisting her arm around so fast she could do nothing to stop him. In an instant, so fast she would have to replay the maneuver in her head many times to analyze it, Jasper wrenched her head to the side, his teeth poised to rip into her neck. The suddenness of his move left Bella startled and unbalanced, the realization of his victory sinking in.
Despite the loss, Bella smiled, feeling a sense of pride as this match had lasted a good 20 minutes. Her earlier matches against Jasper had ended much sooner, making this a significant improvement. Jasper released his hold on her, freeing her body and the leg jammed into the small of her back. She knew that learning from his moves had opened up many new ways to attack for her, and she couldn't wait to start practicing and refining her skills even further. With practice and dedication, she was confident that she would reach Jasper's level one day.
Alice clapped excitedly, perched on one of the few remaining fence posts. "Great job, you two! You're a quick learner, Bella. Jasper's been trying to teach me those moves for close to 70 years."
Bella smiled as she approached Alice. "Are you a good fighter too?"
Alice beamed with pride. "I've never been defeated once. I let my visions guide me, and when I know what my opponent is going to do before they do, it's really a piece of cake."
Bella frowned, contemplating Alice's words. "But what if you run into someone who blocks your visions? I don't know, maybe someone like me. Shouldn't you learn to fight using your own skills? Then you'll be even better when you incorporate them into your visions."
"That's what I've been telling her since the 1940s," Jasper said as he walked over. Turning to Bella, he added, "Alice is right, though. You're an exceptional fighter, Bella. Peter, Char, and I have been honing our skills for over a century, and yet, without even a year of training, you're already remarkably skilled. Most vampires new to fighting wouldn't even last a minute against me. Keep up the good work," Jasper stated, nodding approvingly.
"Oh, I definitely plan to," Bella responded with a determined glint in her eye and a sly smirk on her lips. "I've always felt this incessant drive to keep improving. Initially, it was all about honing my abilities, but now that I know about vampire combat, I don't think I'll ever stop working at it. I'm pretty sure my passion for anything athletic stems from my human life. Back then, I was the biggest klutz," she added, a fond smile playing on her lips as she reminisced about her past self. "Human me could barely walk in a straight line without stumbling. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle at times—entertaining for everyone else, but definitely frustrating for me."
"I wish I could have seen that," Alice said, grinning, but she quickly shifted her attention to Peter and Charlotte emerging from the house and approaching them.
"How'd the little lady do, Major? We could hear the battle all the way from our bedroom. It sounded like she was giving you one hell of a fight," Peter said, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
Jasper chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Peter, who stood behind Char, his arms casually draped around her waist. "Yeah, Pete, you know we could hear your and Char's 'battles' too," he replied, his tone laced with innuendo, making Bella and Alice giggle. Jasper continued, his expression turning sincere. "But seriously, Bella did fantastic. You both have done an excellent job training her."
As they all chatted, Bella noticed the first rays of the sun beginning to break over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the landscape. "Hey, Char, do you want to come into town with Alice and me? She's going to show me some of the clothes she's designed. She claims there's a blouse that I absolutely have to have."
"Sure, sounds fun," Char replied with a bright smile. She lifted her head and planted a playful peck on Peter's chin. "That should give the boys plenty of time to catch up. Plus, I'm sure there are a lot of manly tasks they can tackle around here. Like, I don't know, maybe rebuilding that fence." She flashed a grin at the Major. "Peter's been on a bit of a fence-destroying spree lately."
Peter feigned an innocent expression. "Hold on a second, I seem to remember the little lady destroying just as much of that fence as I did. But I get it. Fine, fine, play favorites. The Major and I will stay here sweating all day in the heat, doing manual labor, while you girls go gallivanting around Houston doing your 'women's work,' i.e., shopping."
Bella laughed. "Well, it sounds like Peter finally understands. I'm going to take a quick shower, and then I'll be ready."
A few hours later, Bella and Char found themselves in the third upscale boutique that Alice had led them to. This store, like the previous two, was new territory for Bella and Char, who had never set foot into such high-end establishments before. Each boutique catered to the upper-income brackets, showcasing luxurious fashion well beyond their usual shopping haunts. However, this was where Alice's clothing line was sold. Bella found herself admiring the pieces Alice showed them; it was just that she typically avoided expensive attire due to her knack for ruining clothes so easily.
"Here you go, Bella. Try this one on; it's the blouse I was telling you about," Alice said, handing Bella a light red blouse. Bella looked at it and had to admit it did look stylish.
"Okay." Bella stepped into the changing room with Alice close behind. In addition to the blouse, she had two pairs of skinny jeans she wanted to try on. It would be nice to have some stylish clothes for a change, she mused, as long as she remembered never to fight in them. Meanwhile, Charlotte had headed downstairs to check out the shoe department.
While Bella was trying on the clothes, she took advantage of the empty changing room to chat with Alice through the dressing room door. "So, how often do you get visions? Do they interfere with your day-to-day life?"
Alice hopped up onto a table and started swinging her legs as she spoke excitedly. The past day had been unreal, and she still found it hard to believe where she was sitting. She certainly had never seen anything like this happening in any of her visions. Now, how to explain her visions to Bella... "I guess I would say there are different levels of visions. You know how our brains work differently than a human's; they can handle so many things at once. So, I'd say there's always a constant stream of visions running through my head in the background, showing me the near future and what's going to happen. I can choose to watch them or let them pass by. Then there are more substantial visions that completely pull me away, or at least my mind, where I truly space out. Luckily, those are rare and don't happen as often."
Bella found Alice's descriptions of her visions fascinating. "So, right now, that constant stream of visions you're describing aren't working? How does it feel to be in the dark, so to speak? It must be similar to suddenly losing one of your main senses, like your sight or hearing."
"You're right, it is very disconcerting. You keep catching me off guard since I don't know what you're going to say or what's coming around the corner," Alice replied with a happy smile. "But I wouldn't change a thing."
"Really? Why's that?" Bella asked as she finished putting her own clothes back on after trying on all the pieces and deciding which ones to purchase.
"I never imagined I'd get to meet you in person. I…" Alice froze, her eyes widening and her legs stopping mid-swing as she realized the words that had just come out of her mouth.
Bella pushed the door, which slowly creaked open to reveal Alice, still frozen in place. "Alice... what are you talking about? Have you had a vision of me? I thought you said your visions didn't work when it came to me because I block them?"
"Ahh... I'm sorry, Bella. I don't like telling people about their future unless there's a major problem that needs to be addressed." Alice looked down, thinking quickly about what she could say. Finally, she uttered, "Please just accept that I did have some visions in the past that included you. But don't worry, they weren't bad visions. And you're right—I stopped getting them in the late '80s. Now I know why." Alice gave a little lopsided smile to Bella, hoping she would drop the subject altogether.
Bella pondered Alice's words. It was surreal knowing that Alice had seen her before she had even been born. It also made her wonder why Alice would even have had visions of her in the first place. "Do you often have visions of people you don't know?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Alice thought about how to answer that. She didn't want to say anything at all. Finally, she looked up at Bella imploringly. "Please, Bella, please don't ask me about your future. Let it unfold as it was meant to."
As Bella thought it over, she realized Alice was right and nodded in understanding. She watched with amusement as Alice's face visibly relaxed.
"Thank you, Bella," Alice said, smiling warmly. "Don't worry, your future is bright. Always remember, you can achieve anything you set your mind to."
Bella smiled. "I hear you, Alice, and you're right… this blouse will look great on me. Come on, let's go find Char. After this, how about a stroll through the park? It's a beautiful sunny day outside."
Alice grinned, hopping off the table. "That sounds perfect."
Bella, Char, and Alice spent a fun-filled day exploring downtown Houston. For Alice, much like Char, it was an eye-opening experience to navigate the streets under the public eye and the harsh glare of the sun. When they returned to the house later that day, they found the fence standing proudly, freshly painted and ready to be destroyed once again.
That night, Bella faced a new type of practice session using her abilities, testing a power she seemingly had all along but hadn't known about until Alice and Jasper arrived. Jasper, with his ability to manipulate emotions, provided the perfect tool for her to test this newfound ability. He projected emotions toward Peter, Char, and Alice, while Bella spent the night learning how to extend her bubble, or shield, to block Jasper's power.
Thankfully, Bella quickly realized that projecting this new shield was very similar to creating her no-sparkle bubble, though it was even easier to project. She effortlessly blocked Jasper as he focused his power randomly, testing how quickly she could respond. They also conducted a test where she placed her bubble directly on Jasper, discovering that his power couldn't penetrate her shield. While under the effect of Bella's bubble, Jasper was unable to feel anyone's emotions or influence them.
By the end of the night, everyone understood the gravity of this newfound knowledge and the peril it posed if it ever reached the Volturi. None of them could afford any contact with the self-appointed rulers of the vampire world. This revelation didn't change much for the Whitlocks, who had always avoided any dealings with the Volturi. However, Bella knew that in her upcoming travels, she would have to be extremely cautious about what she revealed to any vampires she might encounter.
Three days later, Jasper and Alice were ready to depart, heading back to their home in Canada. The morning sun cast long shadows across the yard as they loaded up their car. Alice had made several more trips back to Houston, returning each time with more and more purchases.
After saying his goodbyes to Pete and Char, Jasper turned to Bella, extending his hand. "It was very nice meeting you, Bella."
"You too, Major," Bella replied with a playful smile.
Jasper's face broke into a wry smirk, and a huff of laughter escaped him. "I think for you, Jasper is just fine."
Bella grinned but was startled when she felt a sudden hug envelop her lower body. She looked down to find Alice beaming up at her. "Remember, if you ever want to visit, our door is always open. And you have our numbers," Alice said happily.
"Will do. Don't worry, Alice. Eternity is a pretty long time. We'll meet again," Bella replied, warmth in her voice. She was glad to have met Jasper and Alice, adding two more vampire friends to her now growing list.
Standing next to Peter and Char, Bella watched as Jasper and Alice climbed into their car. The heavily tinted windows blocked even vampire eyesight from seeing inside as the car pulled away, driving down the long dirt driveway.
"I'm glad you got a chance to meet the Major and Alice," Peter said, rubbing Char's back as the car turned onto the main road and disappeared from view.
"So am I," Bella replied, nodding thoughtfully. "Hey, let's head back inside. There's something I want to tell you guys." She smiled at Peter and Char, and they all turned to walk back into the house.
Once inside and settled on the sofas, Bella began to voice what had been on her mind for the past few weeks. "I think it's about time I head off too. I can't thank you both enough for everything you've done for me. You've opened my eyes to an entirely new world. But there are a few things I need to take care of, and then I want to see more of the world. I've never been out of the country before, and I want to change that."
Charlotte smiled warmly. "We'll miss you, Bella. Remember, you're always welcome to return. And as you just said to Alice, eternity is a long time; we'll see each other again."
"Char's right," Peter chimed in. "Go out and see the world. Maybe find a guy for yourself," he added with a smirk. "Just make sure he's not some asshole. Kick his ass a few times, and if he doesn't bitch and moan, maybe you've found yourself a keeper."
Bella laughed, her smile bright. "I'll do just that. Thanks, guys."
Soon, Bella returned to the living room with a much fuller backpack. Grinning, she handed Char a carefully wrapped present. "I want you guys to have this. It's something to help you remember the fun times we've had until we see each other again."
Charlotte unwrapped the gift to reveal a large framed picture of the three of them. The photo had been taken in downtown Houston during a parade, capturing a moment of them all smiling as they were surrounded by hundreds of humans on a bright sunny day. "Thank you, Bella. It's perfect." Char walked over to the fireplace mantle and placed the photo on display, alongside the other photos that showcased her and Peter's long lives.
With their goodbyes said, Bella departed from what she now thought of as a second home. She planned to visit her mom briefly and then make her way up to Forks to say goodbye to Charlie. After that, she intended to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—hopefully the first of many.
I hope you enjoyed reading about Bella's time with Alice and Jasper. Don't worry, we'll see more of Alice and Jasper and especially Peter and Charlotte later on in the story.
Bella is about to begin a new arc in her story. While she's intending this to be just a quick visit to Forks for one last in-person goodbye to Charlie, when has Bella's life ever gone as she thought it would? More excitement awaits.
But next chapter, we'll have another flashback. It's the '80s, so prepare to see Edward in a lot of neon and spandex... wait, that's not this story... I'll keep it a mystery who else we're going to be peeking in on.
Comments are appreciated. I really enjoy reading your feedback. Until next time.