The Silent One: Whispers of War (Book 2) *Undergoing Editing*

She's Home

(Alice's POV)

When I woke again, it was no longer dark out. I could tell by the beautiful warm colors of the sunrise. After remembering where I was, I realized I was only holding one baby. The old lady was holding the baby boy, and I still had the girl in my arms. She was awake and staring up at me. It was strange and felt as if she is what woke me from the depths of my slumber.

"How long was asleep?" I asked.

"I'd say about 8 hours," She said.

"Why are you holding my baby? Why did you only pick up the boy?" I asked curiously.

"He... was crying and you wouldn't wake up. It's common in young mothers," She said hesitantly, before handing me the boy back.

"Oh. You should've woken me, I would've soothed him. Where are we now?" I asked as I peered out the window of the moving bus.

"They might need to eat. We are getting close to our destination," She said again.

In the distance, I could see the bridge to the little old town I grew up in. A town that I haven't seen in over 5 years. I smiled, not only because I was close to home, but because over that bridge is my best friend and the love of my life.

"About five to ten more minutes ladies. You are my last stop," The bus driver said.

I looked through the bag for the bottles that I had already prepared before the bus picked us up. One containing blood, the other formula.

"Do you want to help me feed them, before we get off the bus?" I asked.

She nodded, before holding out her hands. I handed her the boy, along with the formula filled bottle. It had crossed my mind, that she wouldn't be so thrilled to feed blood to a baby. Both babies had finished their bottles, and had been burped by the time the bus came to a stop.

After we got off the bus, I started towards the libraries front door, when I seen a little girl sitting on the curb in front of the library. It seemed as if she were waiting for something. Something about her felt familiar.

"Is she dead too?" I asked the old lady quietly.

"No, she is very much alive," She said as she handed me the baby boy.

"Hi, sweetie, what is your name?" I asked as I approached her.

She didn't say anything. It had me wondering who she was. Could this be Tate's daughter? Had he moved on?
Just then, I heard a noise in the library.

"Ali!" I heard a familiar voice call out.

Just then, she came outside. As soon as she seen me, she dropped to her knees.

"Alice?" She asked while looking up at me.

"Yes, Anna. It's me," I said with a smile.

"You-you... you're here. You're alive. You have babies? Where's Alex, Tate, and Damon?" She asked in a flustered voice as she stood up.

"Yes, yes, and they're not my babies. I'm their god mother. Their mother died while giving birth. She was a human, but I was forced to turn her. Her half human body couldn't handle the pregnancy. I'm all they have. What do you mean? How would I know where the guys are?" I explained before asking about the guys.

"They went to rescue you three nights ago," She said as she crossed her arms and began to bite at her fingernails.

"I escaped on my own. Well... I had some help from a werewolf named Luna," I said

"I have to tell them you're back," She said before reaching for her cell phone in her pocket.

"We don't have much time. Kane knows I'm gone. He will come looking for me," I said.

"We will worry about that later. I've missed you so much," Anna said as she hugged me.

I hugged her back. I could smell her scent. This was my Anna.

"This is my daughter, Ali. I named her after you," She said as she pulled away.

"Hi, Ali. My name is Alice," I said as I looked down at her.

Ali then wrapped her arms around my legs, catching me off guard. I handed the babies to Anna, before hugging Ali back. That's when I could feel it. A connection to her. Just like Claire.

"Alice there's something I need to tell you," Anna said.

"What is it?" I asked as my eyes met hers.

"It's about Ali. She's... she was born with your curse. When I turned you, your blood entered mine. Instead of breaking the curse, it passed onto Ali. For some reason it skipped me," Anna said with a tear in her eye.

"So that means she's half vampire and half..." I said as I looked down at Ali.

She was looking up at me smiling.

"I'm so sorry Anna," I said while shaking my head.

"She can be cured," Anna said.

"She is the next Pure One?" I asked.

"Yes, I want to give her a close to normal life. I know how being a banshee affected you, and I can't bear to see her go through it. Especially, since she's a hybrid," She said as she handed me one of the babies back.

"I wish I could help," I said.

"Let's get you upstairs," She said as she checked our surroundings.

Ali skipped ahead of us. Following behind Anna, I looked back for the old lady, but she was gone. Where did she go? Was she dead too? I followed Anna upstairs. When Ali opened the door to Ceciellia's living room, my nostrils filled with a familiar scent. Sage and candles burning, food cooking in the kitchen, along with the perfume Ceciella always wore.

"Anna, that was Alex and Tate they will be here soon. They don't have Alice, but Kane is looking for her. So, were going to have to leave..." Ceciellia stopped when she seen me.

"Hello, Ceciellia," I said with a slight smile.

"She's home," Anna said as she grabbed my free hand and squeezed it tightly.

(Pic is of Ali waiting for Alice to arrive)