Cerulean Star

Chapter 17: Especially Edward

"Alice? Why are you here? I thought you were in Connecticut?" Despite the number of kids that kept walking between us, I knew she'd hear my whisper. I only wished she wouldn't be able to hear my heart beating faster.

"Nevermind that. I-, you. We need to talk, privately." Alice rarely ever stumbled over her words, so I was immediately alarmed at what was going on. My first thought was James was here. And she returned to protect me. But why would she think I was dead? Alice made her way over to me, barely recognizable as human. I looked at Angela and Ben apologetically as Alice pulled me away. She continued pulling me away until we were in the woods that covered part of the student parking lot. It wasn't until then that she opened her mouth again.

"You have some explaining to do. I saw you die!" Alice's face was unmistakable. I could see the grief that racked her features, her eyes looked as if there were tears that she needed to shed, but they would never be visible. I felt guilty for her sorrow.

"Alice, take a breath. What exactly did you see?"

"You were being escorted by the Volturi to Italy and as soon as you entered a big room, your entire future disappeared. There wasn't even a fade to black. And you were gone. I haven't been able to see anything of you since." Alice blurted everything out and I was worried that if she had been human she might have collapsed from all of the emotions that she was feeling.

Then she suddenly narrowed her eyes at me. "How come I still don't see you?" Alice asked cautiously. She brought her nose closer to me and then stepped back satisfied. "You're still human."

"I'll get back to that. Alice, didn't Edward tell you?" I asked of her but as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I made the connection. Everything was making sense. Edward let everyone move back to Forks because he must have told them I was dead. At least in so many words he pretty much said I was dead to him. Combined with Alice's vision being blocked all this time because of the werewolves... "Oh."

"Oh what? Bella, Edward saw you? In Italy? He's such a liar! I'm gonna rip him apart!" Alice was shrieking now and I barely had time to grab a hold of her. Luckily she recognized my touch and didn't yank her arm away from me.

"No Alice, don't. I deserve it I guess." Alice looked at me curiously, so I had to continue. "I lied to you and your family first. Before Edward did. The real reason why I know so much about vampires is because I've lived with the Volturi since before I could remember. Edward saw me in Volterra because Charlie was worried about my state of mind after you guys left and sent me back for a couple of weeks."

"The reason why you couldn't see me is because, James tracked my scent to Italy, I'm guessing that when I went through the city limits of Volterra, he stopped chasing me and ran ahead to the castle. Uncle Aro used his gift and saw something about the Children of the Moon in Norway. At some point, he made a decision for members of the guard to bring back some to be our pets." Tried as I might, there was no hiding the shame that oozed out with every word that I spoke.

"Okay, that explains why Edward disappeared but I still can't see you." Then realization hit. "You have werewolves protecting you now, don't you?" I nodded my head.

"It was the only way my uncles would let me come home ahead of schedule."

"And Edward saw you. He knows you're alive?" I nodded again.

"I saved him from Jane, she was hurting him. I don't know the order of events, whether he heard about me in someone's thoughts, or if he honestly didn't know I was alive until he heard my voice. But he saw me. Someone mentioned James hunting me, and he said that James could have me. And then Edward walked away." I could feel my own tears now, welling up. I wiped my eyes to clear them away. No more tears for him I reminded myself.