Blood Moon

ALICE

It's been two days since Edward left. Two days since my world changed completely. My visions that day were all over the place. Things were changing too quickly. I almost couldn't keep up. The new girl in school. Bella Swan. She seemed to be the constant in my visions. In some of them I saw her with Edward. In others with a boy with long dark hair. And then at some point she was with me. That gave me pause. We don't socialize with the students in Forks High. That's too risky and most of them like to keep their distance from us anyway. Why is this girl in my future?

I left the Cafeteria with the others when the bell rang. Edward seemed to be going through something is his own head, so I decided to recite a poem in my mind so he wouldn't see the mess of visions. We could talk about them after I sorted them out.

I was in class and my visions were still going crazy. I didn't know what to expect. Something was about to happen and it would change everyhing. That's when I saw Edward and the new girl.

NO! I screamed in my head when I saw him lunge at her neck. It took every bit o control I had to not get up in the middle of class and run towards them.

But, the vision changed again. Edward must have changed his mind. I focused on them. Edward never had this kind of reaction towards humans. Usually, I had to keep looking out for Jasper. He was new to our diet, sometimes it was very hard for him.

I saw Edward talking to Bella after class, all smiles and charm. The smile of a predator. He was still thinking about her blood. She must be his singer, I felt dread. He is not going to be able to control himself.

The vision changed again.

C'mon, Edward, you can do this. You're strong. I knew he wasn't paying attention to my mind. But, I tried anyway.

In the next vision he tries to change his schedule. To stay as far away as possible from her. Then she's there again with him and for a second the vision is red.

I felt my stomach drop, if that was even possible. If I still had a heartbeat, it would be going crazy right now. For a moment, I wasn't sure what scared me the most. My brother losing himself and exposing us. Or her, being hurt. Dead. 

Before I could make my mind up, Edward changes his mind and he was running towards Alaska. Leaving a very confused, but alive, Bella Swan behind.

I felt myself let out a breath, I didn't know I was holding. How human of me.

My visions shifted. They were focusing on my own future now. And she was there. With her chocolate brown eyes, looking at me. Smiling at me. With her warm hand in mine.

That's not possible. Even if I became her friend, I could never touch her. We can't hide our temperature. She would know right away that I'm inhuman.

Then I saw myself holding her on my back. She had her arms around my neck, holding on tight and I was running. Running at my actual speed. She knows, she has too. How? Did I tell her? We can't do that. Why would I do that? Only to have her friendship? I would never jeopardize the life we built for us for the friendship of a human.

But, I saw another vision. And I knew I wouldn't tell her our secret for the sake of a friendship. I would tell her for the sake of my love. Our love.

She was there. In my future, in my arms. With her lips on mine. Her head resting against my chest while she sleeps, peacefully.

I didn't know what to feel. It doesn't matter how I look at it. Whatever thread I follow she is always there by my side. And I am happy, I look so happy with her. The happiest I've ever been, dare I say.

I know that future is set. Isabella Swan is a part of my life now. This is going to complicate things, but I can't find it in me to want to change it.

Jasper.

I try to see him with us, all three of us holding each other. But, there isn't one. So, I look for his future, his threads.

In most of them he's still with us. In some he's angry at me, hurt. I don't want that. I've never wanted to hurt him.

In others he seems happy, still a part of our family. We were playing baseball, he's joking around with me. But, it's different from other times, he's just friendly.  

In some scenarios, he leaves. But, I'm glad to see those are few. And the ones where I end up hurting him are rare.

Everthing is not lost. 

I thought Jasper was the love of my life. And he was for a long time. But, now when I think about him, it's different. He is not my only focus anymore. There's someone else at the centre of my universe.

I need to meet her. I need to know how it'll feel to be close to her.

I know we'll meet tomorrow. In gym class. She will hit me with a ball by mistake. What a meet cute. 

I supress the urge to change everything and find her today. But, I need to talk to Jasper first. I owe him that.

And I have to tell the others what happened today. 

"Edward met his singer." I start when we're all sitting down. "He changed his mind many times, before deciding to leave."

I really didn't want to have to be the one to tell Esme one of her children left. The heartbreak on her face pains me.

"He will come back, right?" She asks with hope.

"He hasn't decided yet." 

"There's nothing to worry about." Carlisle says while putting his hand on Esme's shoulder for confort. " When he's ready, he'll come back to us. I am sure."

"It's a good thing he didn't murder her inside a classroom. I really don't want to have to move again." Rosalie says. Looking like she's bored.

"Hey..." Emmett says softly while touching her hand. He nods towards Esme. She looks like she would be crying if she could.

A flash of guilty passes Rosalie's face. "You know Edward. He will brood for a while, then he will get over it." She says looking at our mother. Rosalie can be superficial and maybe cruel sometimes. But, I know better. She's not as shallow as people think.

"Yeah. He will be back in no time. And the we'll have to hear about how he wandered aimlessly, trying to win over the monsters inside. Or something dramatic like that." Emmett joked. He was probably right.

"Yes, I agree. We should be glad he had the will to leave, before he made a terrible mistake." Carlisle says and Esme put her hand on his.

The meeting about our brother was finished after that. Esme went with Carlisle to his study. Rosalie went to work on of her cars and before Emmett could drag Jasper into some sort of game I took his arm and led in outside.

"Let's go for a run." I told him. I'd rather have this talk away from our family. At least for now.

When Jasper nods in agreement, I take of running at full speed. I stop when we reach the end of our territory. The river runs between us and the Quileutes. The forest smells clean. Proof that the wolves don't exist anymore, ony their human descendants. But, the elders are very much aware of what we are. So, we still honor the treaty.

"Is something bothering you?" Jasper asks concerned.

"I wouldn't say bothering. But, something did happen." I say. 

"Is it about Edward?"

"Yes and no. It's about the girl that made him flee." I trail. How do you tell someone that has been your significant other for years, that forever isn't in your future anymore?

"Alice. What is it?" He takes a step close to embrace me. I put my hand on his arms to stop him.

"The future changed, Jas." I say softly. "Our future."

"What does that mean?" 

"I looked at it in every way. There's someone else in my life." I can't keep beating around the bush.

He takes a step back, like he's been burned. The visions of Jasper leaving us flash in my mind.

"I can't imagine my life without you." He whispers but I hear him.

"You will never be without me. We're still a family." I put my hands on his face to make him look into my eyes.

"Jasper. You made me so happy for so long. I was sure we were soulmates and maybe we still are. Only platonic. I didn't stop loving you, I could never. But, it feels different now.

"Not for me. I still love you like I always have." He holds my hands and lower them from his face. 

"I know, but that will change." He turns his back on me. 

"Tell me what you saw. I want to know all of it." When I hesitante he adds, "Please."

I think about everything I saw today.

"Very few of my visions show you leaving me, leaving us. Others show you angry at me, hurt, we barely speak anymore." Just saying it ou loud scares me. I don't think I could handle that. His head snaps up.

"Alice, I don't think that could ever happen. It doesn't matter how this pains me and it does. It would be way worse if there was anger between us." The pain I can hear in his voice is enough to make me question if I'm doing the right thing. I run through my visions again.

She is still there. Bella Swan is with me in all of them. That hasn't changed, but when I look at Jasper's future, something shifts. He doesn't leave anymore, that's a relief. And the scenarios where we don't speak anymore are even less than before. Perhaps, I am doing the right thing.

But, then the wind blows through me. I feel a faint smell of dogs, before I can't even think about that, Jaspers future disappears. 

I forget about the smell and start to panic. I start pulling on different threads and a lot of them are a black screen now. Nothing.

No, I can allow that. He can't be gone, there's something I'm not seeing.

I search for my future, my siblings' and my parents'. He is there with them, with us. And sometimes he's not, but there's no sadness in our future. I must be looking at it wrong or I don't know what I'm seeing, yet. But, Jasper's death is not in any of the possibilities.

"Alice, what did you see?" He touches my arm, after all this time he knows exactly how to read me. I can feel the panic I felt melt away and give way to a wave of calmness.

I whisper my gratitude. I need a clear head to speak.

"There's a new possibility now. In your future.The scenarios where you're still with us are prevailing." He seems to relax at that.

"I'm glad. It doens't matter what happens, I don't want to leave." 

"There's something else." He waits for me to find the words.

"Part of your future is disappearing. It keeps flashing. One minute is there and then, nothing." He freezes.

"I'll die." He says quietly. If I were human I'd not have been able to hear it. My response is loud for anyone. 

"No!"

"How can you be sure?" He is the one panicking now. We never think about our deaths, they are unimaginable.

"I pulled every thread. I don't see us grieving you, any of us." I take his hand in mine. "If something like that happened to you, it would impact our lives so much, I'd have seen it. I am sure."

We are quiet for a while, only the sound of the forest are audible. We are not even breathing.

"So, we wait and see what the future holds for me." Jasper is trying to sound hopeful and excited, but I can hear the fear in his voice.

"It's going to be alright. I promise." 

"And you?" He asks.

"What about me?"

"You said this was about Edward's singer." I don't know how to explain that part, he understands.

"She's the one in your visions. The one in your future." He is not asking, he knows but, I nod anyway.

"That certainly complicates things." Of course, it does. Not only is Bella human, but her blood calls to Edward, my brother who ran away from home to avoid killing said human. The universe sure loves to play with us.

"Tell me about it." I say feeling the weight of today and of what's to come. "I'm going to cause so much trouble for all of us."

"Hey," He takes my chin in his hand to make me look in his eyes. "This is a lot to take in. And I'm still trying to process the fact that we're not going to be the same as we were. But, I will be by your side, no matter what. I want you to be happy, Alice. I always have and that's never going to change."

Jasper barely finished speaking and I was throwing my arms around him.

So much changed. In a matter of seconds my whole world was upside down.

Bella Swan is tugging at my heartstrings, even though we haven't met yet.

My love for Jasper may have changed, but it will never disappear. I hold him close and try to gather strengh for everything I'm goint to have to face.

A new love with a human. 

Jasper's uncertain future.

That smell I felt a while ago. Something tells me the shifters are not as extinct as we tought.

And my dear brother wallowing in guilt far away from us.

It's a mess, but I know that everything will be alright. We'll get through this.

The forest is quiet, but the smell of blood is in the air. The predator found a prey.

The smell of the cold one travels and arrives on Quileute land.

There's a ripping noise and a howl.

They are not extinct.