Cold As Ice

Chapter 14

"He'll be back the day after tomorrow." Alice's voice startled Allie out of her reverie, almost making her drop her cereal spoon. As usual, Allie was caught off guard by one of the Cullens. Despite living in the Cullens' lavish home for the better part of two weeks, Allie still nearly crawled out of her skin whenever one of Carlisle's kids - who were all at least three times her age, despite their outward appearances - spoke to her unexpectedly.

"Sorry," Alice mumbled, noticing how violently she'd jolted Allie.

"It's ok," Allie replied, her mind already racing. "Day after tomorrow?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at Alice for confirmation. Alice nodded.

"Around lunchtime," she informed Allie.

At first, Allie had expected that Alice would have known Carlisle's exact return date and time from the very beginning. Alice had patiently explained to her that, although convenient, her abilities didn't work like that. Her predictions depended on Carlisle's decisions, and if she couldn't see his return date, it was because he hadn't decided when he'd be coming back yet.

Once Allie had understood the intricacies of Alice's forecasting skills, she'd begun to feel herself getting impatient and resentful towards Carlisle. As hours stretched into days without any news of his impending return, she began to wonder if she'd been a fool all along to believe that he'd return, or that he shared her sense of urgency. Why hadn't he decided to come back home yet?

That was why, although elated at Alice's news, Allie also felt irritable and a bit hurt. Her "vacation" had ended three days ago, and although work had proven a nice distraction, she found that the hospital felt appallingly lifeless without the familiar thrill of anticipation that Carlisle's presence brought. She spent most of her shifts restless and missing Carlisle, and then at night she found herself alone in his house, trying to talk herself out of being petty and paranoid about his continued absence.

**

"He wouldn't have left unless it was important, you know," Edward said to her one night. He'd been kind enough to keep her company on the couch. Allie was usually by herself in the large living room, amusing herself with the Cullens' impressive book collection. The others were secretive - none more so than Rosalie, the stunning vampire that Allie had seen in the hospital a few weeks prior. Allie had barely seen a glimpse of her since she'd all but moved into Carlisle's room. From snippets of overheard conversations, Allie gleaned that Rosalie had very strong opinions about Carlisle's decision to bring her in on her family's secret. Apparently it was already a sore spot, given that Allie wasn't the only human to know about the Cullens' alternative lifestyle, as Alice sometimes referred to it. Bella Swan was a familiar face around the Cullen compound, usually glued to Edward's side and shooting Allie shy waves. Bella had beaten Allie to the punch, and Rosalie had expressed her vicious opposition to Edward's choice of mate at the time. Apparently, Carlisle's decision to tell Allie had almost caused an irreparable rupture in the family. Allie felt distinctly guilty and unwanted knowing this, and she'd resolved to speak to Carlisle about it as soon as he returned.

If he ever returned.

"I still don't understand what he meant," Allie had said to Edward that night in the living room. "He told me he needed answers, but didn't tell me to what."

She shot Edward a loaded glance, and he studiously avoided her gaze. It hadn't taken Allie long to figure out that, second to Carlisle, Edward knew the most about her situation by virtue of his gifts. He'd been able to shed some light for her on James since he'd read his thoughts in the moments leading up to his death.

"Carlisle wouldn't want me to tell you. It's a conversation for the two of you, when he gets back," Edward replied neutrally. Allie could tell she was making him uncomfortable, and although she felt badly for putting him in this position, her impatience was growing by the minute.