We Three Witches (Twilight)

Misplaced Trust

Alice's POV

March 19th, 2003

Timestamp – 5:30am

I sat on my windowsill, watching the sun rise and contemplating the last week. I'd had three visions of our impending fight with Victoria where I'd watched my sister die over and over. In the heat of that moment I'd decided to hide the visions from Bella, and not even tell anyone but Jasper the full extent of my reasons. It was easier to have them all think of me as a ___ than for them to know what Bella had done. It would have destroyed Rose and Edward if I'd told them, and it would have destroyed any hope of making a proper plan to come out of this alive. And if I'd told Bella, she would have taken it as a reason to sacrifice herself all over again. In Bella's mind if it came down to either me or her she would always save me. .

And I couldn't go through that again.

But in not telling Bella, I'd made her hate me and now she'd never trust me again. And not only that, but all the stress I'd put on her by excluding her from this, it had made her have a heart attack!

I dropped my head back against the window, closing my eyes. What was the point of being able to scry if what I saw pushed me into making terrible decisions?

Not to mention my scrying was changing. To get a premonition not once, but twice in a day was an impossibility—or so I'd have believed even a week ago. And yet when Bella was in hospital, I'd gotten two in the space of a few minutes. It should have been impossible! Especially without the aid of my scrying bowl. Circe, to get two such premonitions in a year would have been abnormal.

Why was it happening now? Was I getting stronger? I knew some seers had more frequent visions than I did, but they were all hundreds of years old. I wasn't even seventeen yet! Even when I had turned seventeen in my past life I hadn't experienced anything like I had a few days ago.

And the oddest part was that it wouldn't stop, I had barely slept these past few days—even more so than usual. Every time I drifted off my mind was invaded by flashes of partial visions; all filled with Victoria and her lapdog James—or who I assumed to be him anyway. I could never make out a face, but I could clearly see his blonde hair— It was as if my magic were waving danger flags in front of my face at all hours.

But what use were danger flags if I couldn't get a damn lick of sleep?

And scrying was of no use. The last time I'd tried, an image had barely begun to form before the entire bowl had shattered.

I sighed, pulling my knees into my chest and resting my forehead against them. I couldn't think; it was all too confusing. Trying to parse out my thoughts was like wading through concrete, and I knew if I could just sleep, even for a moment, I'd be able to figure it out.

So I tried. Surely this time it wouldn't be so bad. I closed my eyes, slowed my breathing and stopped fighting. And just like that, I fell asleep.

~~~

I stumbled; the gravel sliced at my knees, cut into my palms. It felt like I was being pulled into the depths of the earth, even as I just tried to stand. I reached for my magic, for anything to fight back, but it was out of reach.

She laughed; a menacing and delighted sound. "Come on, little seer. Surely you can do better than that."

My arms gave out and my face met the gravel road too. As every drop of energy left my body, I used the last of it to snarl at the bitch, but Victoria just laughed. Her hair was like flames floating by her head, and I wanted desperately to rip it out.