Parallax

Chapter 3

From the moment that Alice started telling her story, she felt like she was listening to someone else's life. The same people were involved but it was so different. She wanted to scream "No, that was not how it happened!", but she couldn't bring herself to interrupt.

What's more, Alice's story revolved around Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Her stomach twisted into tiny knots at the uneasiness she felt. Along the way, she kept anticipating that her sister would change the direction of the story, like there was a sudden twist in the plot that she was expecting to happen. That after Edward realized that she was his singer, he'd come to realize that they treated each other as friends and Bella would realize that she was destined for another Cullen but no, Alice went on, on how Edward confessed his love to her and how Bella was equally in love and they went on to become an official couple.

Now all of the Cullen's were paired up which only meant that the Cullen that Bella was supposed to be with was paired up with another and it was none other than Alice.

Bella wanted to cry out. It was Jasper, not Edward that was unpaired in the family. It was the empath and not the mind reader who saved her from being hit by a van and it was Jasper who confessed his love to her and whom she loved in return.

Bella didn't get the opportunity to dwell on it because as Alice went on with her story, the next events where something she couldn't believe ever happened. Alice continued to share how during a baseball game, three nomads interrupted them and one went on to hunt Bella that caused her to run away with the Cullens for her safety.

Bella remembered her first baseball game all right, and she remembered the nomads but they never made it out of that baseball field.

Alice was able to see a vision of a hunt that was going to put Bella in danger, Edward had relayed it to Jasper and Jasper made the decision to fight. The Cullens were never the ones for initiating fights with their kind but when it came to a mate, they do what they can to protect. That was the first time Bella had seen vampires fight and the first time that she'd seen vampires being destroyed. That was also the moment that she realized how powerful a mating bond could be, that they were willing to destroy to protect their mate. That memory was something she kept in her next life.

When Alice told her that she came out of that situation with broken bones and almost turned into a vampire, her eyes travelled towards her wrist. How did she not notice the bite there? She could see the scar was much paler than the rest of her arms and when she touched it, it was colder than her normal temperature. Bella couldn't understand why Edward didn't let the change complete when in the long run, that was what was going to happen anyway?

Bella got her answer when her sister explained how Edward was guilty about causing harm to Bella and how he never wanted her to be hurt. He had berated himself for allowing the relationship to grow when all he was doing was slowly dooming Bella into his kind of existence. He was even in denial every time Alice would show him visions of Bella as part of the family. Bella found that mindset, absurd. How did Edward become such a pessimist anyway? and since when did he hate his existence so much?

As the story continued, Alice's voice started to become subdued. She talked about a birthday celebration, a paper cut, Jasper attacking and the events that led Edward to finally decide to leave her for her safety and bring the family along with him.

Jasper. Her Jasper had attacked her? No, this was not her Jasper. But even if it was, she knew it would never be intentional. She knew the risks of being with him. He'd warned her all the time but he always allowed her to make the decision herself, to walk away and she never did. Bella was surprised, however, that Edward did.

Alice was finally silent after she ended the story with her running straight to Forks after her vision of Bella jumping of the cliff. She looked at her, waiting for a reaction but Bella just stared at the vampire in front of her. Worry etched into Alice's beautiful face as she waited for Bella to respond.