Bella's Point of View
We little group spent the remainder of the party out here on the porch, eventually the boys split off from us and were huddled together, speaking privately. This left Ana, Rebecca and me for some quality time, one-on-one. Rebecca was a truly sweet and humble girl, she shared her story, which had been a short one. She didn't have any memories of her human life. She just remembered waking up alone in the woods. Naked and partially buried in a shallow grave.
"I wandered for a while, trying to get sense of what was happening to me. I met Pete, who immediately did anything he could to help me. He brought me into the apartment to live with him for a while. Things were getting a little better. But every day, it just felt like I was starving to death. It was agony." Rebecca said with a sad glint in her eyes.
"Pete sounds like an awesome guy. We are heading to visit him after this, aren't we?" Ana asked, looking at me curiously.
"Yeah, Edward mentioned that Pete doesn't have much time left. I want to be there for him, in these final moments. It's the least I can do. I wish I would have known his health was so poor."
Rebecca swallowed visibly, casting her eyes away from us. She didn't reply, but the look on her face said it all. There was guilt and sorrow deeply rooted in her face. She ran a single hand through her blonde locks.
"He doesn't have any other family?" Ana questioned with a slight frown. "That must be so lonely. I hope you don't mind if I come as well. I never met him, but I'd really like to thank him. For looking out for you, while you were here alone."
I nodded. "That would be fine. I'm sure he would love to meet you. I've told him about you often. He would ask about you every now and then."
The sky had turned dark now, stars sprinkled above us, a rare sight in Boswell. This area didn't have much of a big city atmosphere. There were no skyscrapers, or endless traffic, it was quiet here. A peaceful little beach town. I could get used to living in a place like this. Maybe I would ask Edward about that possibility.
"I feel very fortunate that I found Emmett when I did… I was teetering on the edge of doing something very wrong. They expected me to do awful things… they were ready to banish me from their group. And I was desperate." Rebecca admitted after a prolonged silence.
"I heard rogues take souls of the living by force. Before they appear on any reaping lists. Essentially they are murderers." Ana said with a raised brow. "They were trying to get you to kill people too, is that right?"
Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, they said I wouldn't be hungry anymore if I did it… And I was close to doing it. I'm glad I didn't give in. I didn't want to become a monster."
"I don't understand how that group didn't become devourers. I mean, that's what happens when reapers consume human souls. That's what they become. So why are they any different?" Ana muttered with a frown.
"Edward said, if a reaper awakens and the first soul, they consume is human, their bodies instantly adapt. The problem that causes a devourer is two different types of souls being consumed. Such as a reaper only partaking in soul stones, then suddenly consuming a human soul. That mix, causes the issues." I explained carefully. "It would be the same if a reaper that only ate human souls would try eating a soul stone. They would turn."
"Wow, I didn't know all that. There is still a lot that I'm unaware of." Ana sighed, folding her arms across her chest with a thoughtful look.
"It's the same for me, I'm clueless to all of this. I'm hoping that the academy will clear it all up for me. When do we start our classes anyway?" Rebecca wondered.
"In about two weeks." Ana answered. "Jacob is going to be taking me on a tour of the campus in a few days, would you like to come along as well?" She looked at Rebecca with a hopeful smile.
"That would be great, I'd love to go with you."
I wouldn't be able to go with Ana, so this worked out perfectly. I would be going to look at a few houses with Edward for the next few days. I felt much better knowing that it wouldn't just be her and Jacob.
A sudden sound from behind us caused me to flinch. In another instant, all the boys returned to us, all of them on high alert. They stood with hostility clear on their expressions as they faced the intruder.
I turned, watching in surprise Alice stomp out, her heels clicking with her stride. She shot a fiery glare at the boys. "Stand down, I'm not here for trouble." Her tone was sharp. More so than usual.
"What happened?" Edward asked as he straightened himself. He adjusted his clothing as he changed his tense posture.
Emmett and Jacob calmed as well, taking a few steps back. But they didn't take their eyes off Alice. They sensed her fury and wanted to remain on guard. When she was upset to this degree, she might be unpredictable.
Alice scowled, folding her arms across her chest. "I accidentally put a marking of covetousness. on Jasper. Aunt Laurel is removing it right now."
"You know that happens every time the two of you come into contact. Why did you get so close?" Edward said with a reproachful look.
Alice hissed in frustration. "I didn't even know he was there; I bumped into him. Like I would try to do something like that on purpose. Don't be a fucking idiot."
Emmett snorted, now cackling with a smirk on his face. "I'd love to see the look on Vex's face. She would probably rip you to shreds."
"Please, I could kill that little wretch with the snap of my fingers." Alice fumed, moving past all of us. She moved to stand at the edge of the porch. She turned her head up to look towards the stars. "I don't know why things have to be so difficult."
"It won't always be like that." Edward said quietly, returning to my side to sit down with me. His arm went around my shoulder. I leaned into him, taking a slow breath as I took in his earthy scent.
"Easy for you to say. You already found your life partner. What would you know of my suffering? You might have been bound to Tanya for a short time, but that broke as soon as you found Bella. Your previous feelings for Tanya disappeared." Alice spoke in a hollow voice. "It isn't the same for me."
"So, you still have feelings for Jazz?" Emmett muttered with a raised brow.
Alice sighed in frustration. "Of course I do. He was the first man I've ever loved. And the father of my children. It's not something I can just let go of and move on. Even if he is a cheating bastard. I love him. I wanted to make things work. But now it's a mess again. Now Vex is standing in the way. This time, there is nothing I can do about it. It's over."
"Like I said, things will be different one day." Edward said pointedly. "When you find the person, you are meant to spend your life with. It will happen. I mean, if it could happen for Emmett, it can happen for anyone."
Emmett narrowed his eyes at Edward for a moment but chose to not respond to that jab. But this did bring Alice's attention to Rebecca for the first time, since she came out here. She looked her over, from head to toe, before rolling her eyes and looking away from her.
"She will need to meet with the grim to receive her blessing. Before she enters the academy. All students must have at least one ability. It's the main point of the school existing in the first place." Alice said, lacking all emotion.
"We are taking care of that tomorrow, no worries." Emmett muttered.
"Look, I won't be able to take the twins in for their first day. They will be going with Esme. But do me a favor," Alice paused, now looking at Ana. "Keep an eye on them for me."
This was the first time I heard Alice acting motherly. There was a brief second of concern highlighting her eyes. Before she placed a perfectly crafted aloof look on her face. She always wanted to appear strong and uncaring. I don't know why that was. If Alyssa and Olivia heard this, I knew it would make them so happy. They wanted to know the depths of Alice's feelings for them.
"I will, I promise to watch over them." Ana said with a cheerful smile.
Jacob snorted, leaning back in his seat, wrapping an arm around Ana's shoulder. "Why even bother? She has done nothing for you. You don't owe her anything. Besides, since when does she even care about those kids?"
Ana frowned at him, giving him an elbow to the side. "I'm not doing it for her. I'm doing it for the twins. I love those little girls. I planned on keeping a close watch over them anyway."
Alice sneered at Jacob, clicking her tongue. "You're such an asshole, no wonder your own brother thinks you are an embarrassment, worthless, conceded moron."
"Why are you even out here? Just to pick a fight with us? You can't help but make everyone around you miserable huh?" Emmett spoke up with an annoyed huff.
"That's enough," Edward said with a warning look at everyone. "There is no reason for all this hostility. We are all family, like it or not. This world holds enough enemies for us to face. Let's not start turning on each other."
Alice's shoulders slumped, but her hands balled together tightly into fists at her sides. "Family means nothing. Blood makes us related. But we haven't been an actual family in a long time. Let's stop pretending."
"That's the whole point of this gathering, isn't it? To reconcile and give this another shot? Try to go back to how things used to be." Edward said with a tight look.
"This will never go back to normal. Why even bother?" Alice snipped.
"Maybe not completely, but that's why everyone is here, because we are willing to give it a try. We may not have always been on the same page, we fight, we have some wicked tempers, but at the end of the day, all we have is each other." Edward said collectively.
"Pretty words Edward, but that's all it is." Alice muttered bitterly, looking down at her feet. "But I'm tired of being alone…"
"You don't have to be alone, the choice has always been yours."
"I'm going to try. Alright. I'm miserable. Just be patient with me. I'm not good at… this family bonding stuff." Her voice dipped low, almost to a whisper.
This was a bit of a surprise to me. I didn't think Alice would ever desire family ties. She has shown absolutely no interest in it. Although, it made sense. She has been so focused on gaining a highly regarded position within the company. She has now climbed to the top. There was nowhere else to go. She has everything she wanted. But she is alone. And has no one to share it with.
"Sounds good, doesn't it guys?" Edward said turning towards Jacob and Emmett, he gave them a hard look.
Emmett didn't comment, he just shrugged his shoulders, looking away from the rest of us. Jacob rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest with a guarded expression. "Fine," Was all he responded with.
It wasn't a very optimistic reaction, to say the least. There must be a lot of history between them. I didn't want to pry for details. It wasn't my business. But that didn't stop Ana from speaking up.
"What's the problem Jake? Why are you being so rude?" She asked with narrowed eyes on him. "She is trying. Why not be a little more compassionate?"
"It's warranted," Alice spoke up, when Jacob didn't answer. "We have a bit of a bad past."
"What does that mean?" Ana urged.
Jacob sighed heavily. "We had a one-time fling. Years ago. It was nothing serious. She got knocked up. And aborted. End of story." The emotion on his expression caused a lump in my throat to form.
My eyes watered a little as I tackled with my own hypersensitive emotional state.
"About that…" Alice said, averting her eyes from the rest of us. She curled a piece of her blonde curls around her finger. A nervousness pulled her brows together. "I didn't… actually abort the child."
This news brought on a tense silence. Everyone exchanged looks of shock.
"W-what did you say?" Jacob said, now taking a few steps towards her. His stance emanated hostility.
"Jake, calm down." Emmett warned him, moving to get between him and Alice. He placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from getting any closer.
"What do you mean, you didn't abort? You told me you did. I even walked you to the damn clinic myself. You're lying." Jacob snapped with an angry shout.
"I couldn't go through with it. I'm not some kind of unfeeling monster. I told you what you wanted to hear. So, you would leave me the hell alone." Alice hissed back with malice.
"So, where is the child?" Ana asked calmly, moving to take hold of Jacob's arm. Her brief touch seemed to settle him down. Emmett was able to let him go, allowing Ana to take over.
"I placed him in the academy the moment he was born. He is being raised there. I check in on him once in a while. Why do you even care. It's not like you wanted him." Alice kept her eyes on Jacob.
Jacob was fuming. I've never seen him this upset before. To be honest, it was frightening. I shifted slightly more into Edward. Rattled by the entire exchange. Edward sensed my distress and wrapped his arms a little tighter around me.
"If I would have known you kept the baby, I would have wanted to be involved. I deserve to have a say in what happens to him. He isn't just yours. You. Have. No. Fucking. Right."
"Guys, let's take a breath here. This kind of stress isn't good for Bella. And you are starting to scare our newest addition here." Ana spoke up in a soothing voice. She glanced between me and Rebecca.
Rebecca had her head buried in Emmett's chest, clearly uncomfortable. Her tiny frame trebled slightly in his arms. I immediately felt bad for her. This was probably a lot to take in.
"This is bullshit." Jacob snapped, stomping away from us. "I'm out of here."
"And where are you going to go?" Edward asked, watching him closely.
"I'm going to go and see my kid." He replied heatedly. "Tell me how to find him." He twisted around to glare openly at Alice.
"Just stop at the front desk, let them know you are a guardian, wanting to see your child. I put your name on the list of people who has access for visits." Alice grumbled, now chewing at her nails. "His name is Jackson."
Jacob didn't reply, he just turned around on his heels and kept walking away. Ana watched him go, a sad look on her face. But she made no move to follow after him. Instead, she moved to my side. Hovering near me. A few tears slid down her face.
"You aren't going with him?" I asked quietly.
"This is something he should do on his own. He is going to meet his son. I have no right to be there. This is his moment. Besides, if he wanted me to go, he would have asked for me to tag along."
"I doubt he is even in the right state of mind to even realize what he is doing."
But just like that, Jacob was gone. Leaving Ana behind. This didn't sit right with me. But it wasn't my place to say anything. It was their relationship. I wouldn't meddle in it. Although it was difficult seeing how hurt and lost Ana was without him here.
"Honestly, it's best to keep your distance from him when he gets like this anyway. Until he is able to calm himself down, he won't be himself. Better just give him the space and time to recollect himself. The last thing he would ever want to do is hurt you. I know that for sure." Edward attempted to cheer Ana up.
"It's fine, I just hope he will be alright," Ana responded, lacking a lot of her usual spirit. The dead look in her eyes was a bit disheartening. She now clung to my side, wiping at her tears.
I held her close, like I did when we were kids. She always came to me when she was upset. I've always been the one to comfort her. It was nice to finally feel like I was her big sister again. Someone she could depend on. At the same time, I was furious with Jacob.
"Who else knows about this child?" Edward asked after a while.
"I've only ever told Victoria. I didn't want anyone to know." Alice said, her shoulders slumping. "But if I want this to work. I need to start opening up a little… If I want to have a family… this is necessary."
"I'm glad you decided to tell us. Does this mean you plan on integrating Jackson into the family in a closer sense?"
Alice nodded. "He'll continue going to the academy during the morning for usual classes, but he will come home with me in the evening. I haven't talked with the twins about any of this yet. So, I don't know how they will react."
"How old is the boy?" I asked curiously.
"He is just about to turn five years old. Extremely gifted and quite… adorable." She replied with the softest smile.
It was nice to see this side of Alice. It gave me a little hope that maybe she would be able to improve her relationship with the rest of her family. Just with that look on her face, that of a prideful mother. There was hope.
"I look forward in meeting him. When you're ready." Edward said, smiling as well.
Emmett shared the same look, bobbing his head. "With your genetics and Jacob's… I'm sure he is going to be one hell of a kid."
Not sure if that was a compliment. But it didn't seem to bother Alice.
"Yes well, I'll be making the arrangements some time next week. So, I was hoping that everyone would come over to meet him. Officially. I mean, if you aren't busy…"
Edward looked at me curiously, raising a single brow. An unspoken question. I nodded with a smile. "That would be completely fine."
"Yeah, we should be able to go as well." Emmett said with a grin. He shared a cheeky look at Rebecca.
The remainder of the time, we all talked amongst each other. Things were going well. And eventually went our separate ways. The party had come to a close and the small group of us made our journey towards the Boswell hospital to see Pete.
My heart ached more and more the closer we got. I was dreading seeing him, yet I knew I had to do this. For his sake. I would be there for the moment he passed away.
Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you are enjoying the story so far.
