Bella's POV
The days in Forks had settled into a routine that was as monotonous as it was comforting. Yet, despite the sense of normalcy that living with the Cullens provided, Bella felt a profound disconnection from the life she once knew. The routine of daily existence with her vampire family—Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett—was marred by a lingering, gnawing sadness. Each day seemed like a mirror image of the last, with the past constantly intruding upon her present.
The Cullens had created a semblance of normal life for themselves. Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett navigated high school with practiced ease, blending seamlessly with the human students around them. Carlisle continued his work at Forks Hospital, his presence a steady anchor in their lives. Bella, however, often found herself lost in thought, drifting between the present and her memories of Edward.
Her recollections of Edward were like sudden storms—intense, unexpected, and overwhelming. One moment, she could be absorbed in a book in the Cullens' grand living room, and the next, she was transported back to their meadow, where Edward's eyes had shone with a love so deep it seemed to pierce the veil of time. The smell of rain would bring back memories of cheering him on during his baseball games, where he effortlessly hit home run after home run, his focus momentarily breaking as he looked her way with a smile that made her heart ache with longing.
The dinners they shared were simple but filled with warmth. Bella remembered the times when Charlie would join them, pretending not to notice the way Edward's hand would linger in hers beneath the table. Their fishing trips, though often fruitless, were occasions where Edward patiently indulged Charlie's stories, trying his best to be the ideal boyfriend in every situation.
But now, all those moments felt like distant echoes of a life she could never return to. Edward had left Forks, and while Bella understood his reasons—her decision to protect him by staying away—it did little to alleviate the pain she felt.
As the months turned into a year, Bella's restlessness grew. The night became her sanctuary, a time when she could wander through the shadows of Forks, revisiting the places that held so many memories. One evening, she found herself standing in front of Edward's old mansion. The house, still grand and imposing, seemed to acknowledge her presence with a somber stillness. She let herself in, the door creaking as if it were protesting her intrusion.
The house was a relic of the past, quiet and reverent. Bella moved through the rooms, her footsteps echoing in the silence, until she reached Edward's bedroom. The room was just as she remembered, though it was covered in a layer of dust. His scent lingered faintly, like a ghost that refused to leave. She sat on the bed, inhaling deeply, feeling both comforted and heartbroken. The room seemed to hold onto the echoes of their shared past, the scent of his cologne mingling with the dust of abandonment.
As she lay on the bed, surrounded by the familiar objects of their shared life, Bella thought about Edward. The pain of their separation was sharp and unrelenting. She wondered if he had moved on, if he had found someone else in the years since they had parted. The thought terrified her more than she cared to admit. The possibility that he could have moved on, while she was left alone, was a fate worse than anything she could imagine.
In her quest for answers, Bella turned to Alice. Despite her hesitations and fears about what Alice's visions might reveal, she knew she needed to know the truth. One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the Cullens gathered in the living room, Bella approached Alice. The room was filled with the usual hum of conversation and laughter, but Bella felt isolated, wrapped in her own bubble of longing and uncertainty.
"Alice," Bella began, her voice trembling. "I need to ask you something."
Alice looked up, her eyes filled with understanding. "What's on your mind, Bella?"
Bella hesitated, her heart pounding. "Can you see Edward? In your visions, I mean. Can you tell me if he's moved on or if he's still… waiting?"
Alice's expression grew serious. She took Bella's hands in hers. "I can try. But Bella, visions aren't always clear, and they don't always show the full picture."
Bella nodded, her hope hanging on Alice's words. Alice closed her eyes, her focus shifting as she delved into her gift. Bella watched her, the seconds stretching into what felt like an eternity.
When Alice opened her eyes, her gaze was filled with empathy. "I saw him. He's still in New York, managing his business and trying to move on. But there's a part of him that's still waiting. He hasn't completely let go. It's clear he still thinks about you."
Bella's heart ached at Alice's words. The hope that Edward still cared was both comforting and painful. She had feared he might have completely forgotten her, but knowing he hadn't made her own pain feel even more intense.
"But Alice," Bella continued, her voice cracking, "what if he's moved on? What if he's found someone else?"
Alice's eyes softened. "I couldn't see anyone else in his life. He's focused on his work, but he hasn't filled the space you left. It's like he's waiting for something, or someone, to change."
Bella felt a tear slip down her cheek, her emotions overwhelming her. "What should I do, Alice? Should I go to him? What if he's moved on and doesn't want me back?"
Alice squeezed Bella's hands. "You need to follow your heart. If you feel that you need to tell him the truth, to face whatever comes next, then you should. But remember, it's a risk. It's up to you whether you're ready to take it."
Bella spent days, then weeks, wrestling with the idea. She considered talking to Carlisle, seeking his wise counsel. But she was afraid of what he might say. Could she be selfish, just this once? Could she risk everything for a chance at happiness, even if it meant reopening old wounds?
Amidst the uncertainty, Alice proposed a diversion—a shopping trip to Seattle. "A change of scenery might do you some good," Alice suggested. "And it'll give us a chance to find some things that might make you feel more like yourself."
Bella agreed, though she was apprehensive. The thought of shopping for new clothes felt foreign and trivial compared to the weight of her emotions. Yet, Alice's enthusiasm was infectious. On a crisp Saturday morning, they drove to Seattle, the city's bustling energy a stark contrast to the quiet of Forks.
The day was a whirlwind of activity. Alice's shopping spree was as much about indulgence as it was about distraction. They visited high-end boutiques, trendy stores, and charming little shops tucked away in the city's corners. Bella found herself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices, but Alice's guidance was unwavering.
"Try this one," Alice would say, holding up a dress that seemed too bold for Bella's usual taste. "It'll bring out your eyes."
Bella tried on the clothes, her reflection showing a version of herself she had almost forgotten. Each new outfit was a step away from the person she had become, a return to a version of herself that had existed before Edward's departure. She marveled at how different she looked, and how those differences were both exhilarating and unsettling.
Alice's enthusiasm was relentless. She encouraged Bella to step out of her comfort zone, to embrace new styles and colors. "You need to feel good about yourself," Alice said. "Sometimes, a change on the outside can help with what's going on inside."
As they wandered through the city, taking in the urban landscape, Bella found solace in the simple pleasures of the day. The distraction provided by the shopping trip was a welcome reprieve from the relentless ache of her heart. Yet, as evening fell and the city lights twinkled like stars in the sky, Bella's thoughts returned to Edward. The prospect of facing him, of finding out whether he still waited for her, loomed large in her mind.
As Bella and Alice continued their drive back to Forks, the silence between them grew heavier. Bella's thoughts were still tangled in the complexities of what she needed to do, her heart aching with the decision she knew she had to make. She stared out the window, the dense trees of the Pacific Northwest rushing by in a blur of green, lost in her own world of longing and uncertainty.
Alice, sensing Bella's turmoil, suddenly grew quiet as well. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening as she seemed to slip into one of her visions. Bella noticed the change immediately and turned to face her, worry gnawing at her insides.
"Alice?" Bella's voice was hesitant, a mix of fear and curiosity. "What are you seeing?"
Alice didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were distant, glazed over as though she was watching something far away. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she blinked and returned to the present, her face filled with a profound sadness that Bella had rarely seen in her.
"It's Edward's mother," Alice whispered, her voice barely audible. "I just saw her, Elizabeth Masen, in the last days of her life."
Bella's breath caught in her throat. Elizabeth, Edward's sweet and gentle mother. Hearing Alice mention Elizabeth brought a fresh wave of sorrow crashing over her, as if she could feel Edward's loss through Alice's words.
"She was in a hospital bed," Alice continued, her voice tinged with the grief she had seen in the vision. "Her body was so frail, ravaged by cancer, and she knew her time was running out. But even in her last moments, all she could think about was Edward."
Bella's eyes welled with tears. She could picture the scene in her mind—Elizabeth, weak and pale, lying in a sterile hospital room with the faint beeping of medical equipment in the background. And Edward, still human and innocent, sitting by her side, watching helplessly as the only family he had ever known slipped away.
"She was so worried about him," Alice continued, her voice lowered slightly.
If Bella could cry, a tear would slide down her cheek by now, the weight of Edward's loss settling heavily in her chest. "He's lost so much," she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. "First me, then his father, his mother... and now, he's alone."
Alice reached over, squeezing Bella's hand tightly. "That's why you're so important to him, Bella. You're the one thing that connects him to the life he lost. You're not just someone he loves—you're his only family now, the one thing that makes him feel like he still has a place in this world." She encouraged.
Bella's heart twisted with a mixture of love and pain. She had always known that her death brought Edward great sorrow, but hearing about Elizabeth's final days, and how Edward had been left with nothing, brought a new depth to her understanding of the man she loved.
As they drove on in silence, the weight of what Alice had shared hung in the air. Bella wiped away her tears, her resolve hardening. She couldn't let Edward suffer alone any longer. He had lost so much already, and she was determined not to let him lose her too.
The realization hit her with the force of a storm: she had to see Edward again, not just for her own sake, but for his. She had to tell him the truth, to show him that he wasn't alone, that he still had something to hold on to in this world. No matter how difficult the journey might be, no matter how much it might hurt, she knew she couldn't turn away from him now.
Bella turned to Alice, her voice steady despite the tears still glistening in her eyes. "I need to see him, Alice. I need to tell him everything."
Alice smiled gently, her eyes full of understanding. "I know, Bella. And I'll be with you every step of the way."
With that, the two of them drove on into the night, the road ahead uncertain but filled with hope, the promise of a future that was yet to be written.
Alice's ability to see visions of the future is not limited to people she has met or places she has been. Her power is based on the decisions people make, and these decisions create possible future outcomes that she can perceive. Alice's visions are tied to the subjective choices of individuals, rather than their physical presence or her familiarity with them.
In the context of seeing Edward in her visions, it's because Edward, as a human, has made decisions that impact the future in ways that Alice can see. Even if she hasn't met him personally, she can still catch glimpses of his future actions because those choices are intertwined with events that could affect Bella, whom Alice is close to. Additionally, because Edward and Bella have such a strong connection, Alice's visions might be drawn to him as he continues to influence Bella's life and decisions.
Therefore, Alice can see Edward in her visions because her power allows her to track the outcomes of decisions that affect the people she is focusing on, even if she hasn't met every person involved directly.
Bella's heard about Edward's Sr. death through the grapevine in forks. Please leave a review.