"And, this one too!" Alice exclaimed, uncaring of the paper that whipped around her as she sped across the room. Edward did notice, however, that she was smart enough in her excitement not to crush the microfiche in her hands. She was already switching out the roll Edward was perusing before he could object. "Look! Look!"
The old library was all but abandoned with how late the hour was, but he still made sure to pinch her side as punishment for not being mindful of her abilities out in public. He also knew, however, that although there had been only a few minor breakthroughs in their research as of late, any progress was better than the standstill they had been stuck in. It was hard, after all, trying to piece together Alice's life when she had no human memories left, and no confidence in her vampire timeline. He tempered his reaction, using his energy instead to quickly scan through the pages in front of him to see what had her practically bouncing on her heels (though, with Alice, that tended to be her usual state).
An old newspaper, dated 1921 in smudged printer ink, was packed full, nearly end to end, with blocks of tiny text, each story claiming to be the most important news of the week. Alice's eager finger guided him to a small section of a news report out of Biloxi, the abandonment of an old asylum due to budget cuts, and the unfortunate news that most of the staff had died due to a typhoid outbreak. The asylum had already been alienated from the community due to its high number of disappearances and questionable techniques.
"Electric Shock Therapy?" He said, baffled. "But I thought they didn't start using it until the late 1930s?"
"That was why this building had to be condemned. It was too expensive for them to get power to it, and the doctor running the place wasn't putting out good enough results. Now, look at this one." This time, she shoved a book under his nose.
Depicted on the pages was a photograph of a young man and woman, hair chopped into jagged chunks, inscription on the bottom explaining the common trend to slow the spread of typhus. Edward whipped his head up as soon as recognized the haircut. Although Alice's hair was much more tamed than either photo, and slightly more grown out, the uneven chunks were still easy to see with his vampire vision. Alice ran a hand through it subconsciously.
"Doesn't it make sense? Typhus outbreaks had people chopping their hair off even though it wasn't in fashion, asylum patient makes me think amnesia isn't an unfair leap in logic, and this," she gestured to the microfiche, "is from a Hattiesburg newspaper. That's less than a hundred miles from Greensburg. I could have-"
"But, an asylum, Alice? You don't think…-"
"It would explain a lot, wouldn't it? And, there's too many Alice's in the world to know for sure. But this date, the location, it's close, closer than we've ever been. I think…I think if we go there, we'll find something."
"You had a vision?" She shook her head.
"No, but…the fact that I haven't, makes me think that I'm really close." He could see how skeptical she was of her own logic, but it made sense to him, as contradictory as it was. No vision meant that there was something missing, a choice that would affect the future that hadn't happened yet. "Maybe if we go there, we could-"
"Woah, woah! Go there? Alice, that's across the country." He tried to keep his voice down, mindful of the squealing wheels of the janitor's trash can, and the frantic typing of the librarian as she wrapped up for the night. "There's too many dangers for us to go now. What if you get caught on the way?"
"Come with me. If you go, we could-"
"Jasper would never let us go, not with James still out there looking for you. The fact that he hasn't found you yet is probably thanks to Jasper's patrolling, and he doesn't even know the full extent of James' obsession." Edward sighed, glancing at the microfiche again. "If we all went as a family maybe we could-"
"No!" They both jumped at her abrupt shout, neither expecting it to be so loud. Alice lowered her voice. "If this is nothing, I don't want to drag everyone there. And if I'm right…"
Even without Jasper's ability, Edward could instantly Alice was self conscious. If she had been in the asylum, then it would certainly change how she viewed her human life, especially since it might not be possible to learn the full story. There was probably very little left of the old building, and the possibility of any records surviving from something that the town, it seemed, was trying to forget. But, if this was where Alice had been as a human, and possibly where she was turned into a vampire, she would finally have answers to what happened all those years ago. Edward sighed, pulling Alice into a hug. She slumped easily against him.
"Jasper would rather die than let anything bad happen to you," he mumbled into her hair.
"Then let's bring him with us. You, me, Jasper, and Lettie. I'll even tell him everything, I promise."
"Thank you."
Jasper was, of course, not on board at first. There was still much discussion about what to do about their summer break, a time usually spent apart, but with no recent threats from James' coven, and no word nor help from the shapeshifters, the whole family was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It wasn't unusual for vampire fights to go on for many years, decades even, with the immortal advantage of time, but both Edward and Jasper were sure that James was not one to wait for so long.
"A flight would put him off our tracks," Carlisle provided, using information from the many years and friends he's made as a vampire.
The other two trackers he'd met, Dimitri of the Volturri and a young vampire by the name of Avalon, had dramatically different uses of their similar abilities. While Dimitri could track anyone anywhere, though the secret as to how had never been revealed, Avalon had more of a mind of science, using clues to find where people had once been, ability making it easier to piece those clues together. James, as far as Edward could tell, was a tracker, but by the way James was flaring his nostrils, and the fact that it wasn't Alice's face but her scent that triggered his memory, he was almost animal-like with his tracking.
"Where would we go? We wouldn't want to accidentally take him to one of our safe houses," Esme added, patting her husband's hand gently. She turned to look at Jasper beside her. "Have you been able to pick up on anything recently that might point to where they've been hiding?"
"If I've gotten close, the scent of the shifters is too overpowering to confirm," he said with a shake of his head. "Leaving would be inviting them to scent out our home."
"If I have to stay cooped up here all summer, I'm going to lose my mind." Jasper threw a glare at Rosalie from across the table. Though they tended to agree on most things, the prospect of not getting her alone time with Emmett was enough to break their usual unspoken agreement.
"If we leave, would there be a chance they'll leave as well?" Carlisle asked, eyes focused on Jasper. He thought for a moment, mind swirling with different battle strategies, before nodding reluctantly.
"Possibly." The If we're convincing enough went unspoken. "And Samuel?" This question was directed to Lettie. If she was surprised at the fact her opinion mattered to him, she hid it well.
"Samuel has many concerning qualities, however their attraction to vampires is far too unfocused to be a concern. Your coven is only one of many, but the only to occupy this part of the State?" Jasper nodded. "While they are weak, they will not attack. However, your isolation and their ability is most probably why the coven will continue to work in tandem with Samuel."
"Only people with a few screws loose would mess with the shifters as much as they do," Emmett contributed, crossing his arms.
"Did we ever figure out why they're still hanging around?" Rosalie asked, incredulous, but it was only met with a frustrated shake of Jasper's head.
Edward sent a quick glance to Alice. Soon, she promised.
"We could go to Isle Esme." Esme's voice pulled everyone's attention, equal in their surprise. Going out of state was a heavy consideration, but out of the country? "There are several covens in Brazil, if Samuel was able to track us, and we could swim to the island."
"That's an excellent idea," Carlisle praised, reaching over to squeeze her hand appreciatively. "Jasper?"
"We would need to be careful not to reveal where we were going before we take flight, in case they catch us at the airport." There were many eager head nods, disbelieving that Jasper was actually willing to let them leave. "A connecting flight, somewhere populous, and we swim from Rio. And no separating."
"Actually…" Edward winced at Alice's tentative tone.
"Alice?"
"Edward and I have been doing some research, and we think we might know why James' coven hasn't left the area." Before Jasper could open his mouth and question her, she barrelled on, "Nothing for sure, and this lead could be a complete deadend. But, if Edward and I could go first before going to Isle Esme, it might answer some questions we've been having-"
"Absolutely not," Jasper immediately argued. "Alice, we have no clue why they're staying around, the last thing we need is to give them an opportunity to pick us off one by one-"
"But if we go we might get some answers!"
"Might, and we're missing too much information to chance it-"
"Come with us then! And Lettie, then it's four against four, right? Each of us would have a spirit as well."
"And what about everyone else? They would be without Lettie, and Samuel would only need to take down one of them before they're overpowered."
"Please, Jasper." The table fell silent at the desperate plea that fell from Alice's lips, nearly breaking with her passion. "Please. This could…this could change everything."
Edward tried to keep his face neutral as minds raced around him, but it was impossible to ignore the instantaneous connection the family seemed to have made. As nonchalant as Alice tried to be about her past, her happy-go-lucky attitude dedicated to looking ahead, there was always a sadness that radiated from her once human talk came up. She, unlike the rest of the Cullens, had no memory of being human, even a fleeting thought. It was why playing human was so difficult for her, and why she was more often than not the family member to raise suspicion.
Is it truly about Alice's human memories? Carlisle's voice rang in his head. As discreetly as possible, he nodded his head. Carlisle's instant sympathy, and the misinterpretation that Alice would lie rather than admit she was close to learning about her past, played right into their hand.
"We will be fine, Jasper," Carlisle said aloud, giving Alice a small smile. Then, as if a flip switched, his voice lowered, taking charge once again. "Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and I will go to Isle Esme, catching a late flight to Texas. We'll change from Houston to Austin, and fly just outside of Rio. From there, we'll swim to the island. Jasper, you, Alice, Edward, and Lettie will come with us to the airport, and we'll part ways in Texas. Will your trip take long?"
Alice shook her head, though she looked far too unsure. Carlisle hummed.
"We'll talk every two days. I'll swim back to Rio and call from there. Make sure you pick up." Alice nodded, this time much more enthusiastically. "I need to make some calls. If I tell them I need to go to a conference, will that avoid suspicion?"
Alice's eyes glazed over as she searched for the desired outcome. As the picture became more clear, it showed Carlisle's boss, the Director of the hospital, hanging up with a confused look, instantly going onto his laptop to check for conference confirmation.
"Try a family sickness," Edward suggested.
This time, as Carlisle hung up, the Director looked more annoyed than confused.
"And call in a doctor from Seattle to cover for you."
The Director's face melted from annoyed to worried, paging his assistant to get Carlisle's paperwork squared away, as well as a Get Well Soon card.
"He won't question it, and will approve eight weeks before he gets suspicious," Alice finally said, pulling out of her vision.
"You begin school again in seven, so that will be more than enough time." He rose with assurance, effectively ending the meeting. "Everyone, if you please, start packing. And pack light. We'll leave as soon as I make some phone calls."
"I'll pack for you, dear," Esme offered. Carlisle accepted with a sweet kiss.
Though Rosalie was grumbling under her breath about the lack of clothes she was allowed to bring, getting to the airport was without incident. Jasper made sure they stopped every once in a while along the highway to Seattle in order to lead the vampires away, forcing loud performative arguments between siblings just in case James or anyone in his coven were listening. They rushed to the front counter at the airport, paid for the next flights out, and made it to the gate just as it began boarding.
Lettie's first flight was as adorable as he knew it would be, allowing her to take the window seat so she could look outside as much as possible. When she wasn't gazing in awe at the ground below them, she was wandering up and down the aisle, sneaking into the cockpit while Edward pretended to use the bathroom, and going through the mixed emotions of trying airline food.
The family parted ways in Houston just as planned, half of the family using the darkness of night to speed over to Austin. Jasper bought their tickets to Mississippi, cash, and hurried them through security once again. Alice could barely keep her knee from bouncing as their next flight took off. Lettie helped keep her calm, asking Alice to help her flip through a magazine, and asking more questions about the different designs on the page than he knew she wanted or needed to know. It worked, for the most part, as her fidgeting stopped until the wheels hit the tarmac, and suddenly all of her anxieties returned. Despite the flare in anxiety, Jasper was able to keep it together until they exited the airport. A hunt was definitely needed.
"Close your eyes," Edward whispered quickly as they ran, trees growing denser as they pushed away from civilization.
"Close my eyes?" Lettie questioned, arms tightening around his shoulders. He gave her leg a squeeze just before he jumped over a large rock, trying to use his momentum to land without jostling her too much.
"I don't want…I don't want you to see us hunt and have it change how you think of us. Of me."
"Oh, Teddy." One of her hands moved to splay across his sternum, a gentle glide back and forth to soothe him. His anxiety only rose, despite his best efforts, the image of Lettie's horrified look as she watched him rip apart an animal. She sighed, knocking her head softly against his. "Alright. I shall promise my eyes will be closed until you allow."
It was too risky to leave Lettie somewhere unattended, and they were all in desperate need of a hunt after being trapped in confined spaces with humans for so long. Jasper, he knew, was barely holding it together as it was. Though he had been working diligently with Alice to work on his tolerance, there was only so much he could handle before it became too much. And, with both himself and Alice feeling the effects of hunger, Jasper was only that much closer to the edge. A meal, a large one, and several days away from humans, and he would be good as new.
Edward didn't know if he should find it funny or not that he was thankful they were about to spend who knows how long poking around an abandoned asylum.