FOREVER

Cool

Cool

"What were you...like, who were you before you were a vampire?" Alice was quiet for a minute and I wondered if I'd crossed some sort of line. Then Alice resumed petting my hair and sighed.

"I apologize, I had a vision," she said softly, though there was something off with her voice. "Most vampires do have memories of their past lives. Every member of my family does, except for me." I raised my head up, propping it up on my arm so that I could look her in the eyes. She nodded at my questioning expression and flitted her hand as if it was nothing. "I've done some research. It's not all that happy really."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, I do." She smiled and caressed my cheek before continuing. "Apparently, I'm from Mississippi around the beginning of the 1900's. And I'm just theorizing here but I'm assuming I had premonitions as human as well, because I was committed to an asylum, which I can imagine wasn't all that pleasant. Somehow I was turned into a vampire and when I woke up that's who I was. Almost instantly, I had a vision of Carlisle and what he was doing and I wanted to follow in those footsteps too, so I found him."

"What about your parents?"

Alice shrugged, moving her lips around like she was nervous. "I don't know. The commitment date to the asylum is the same date as my death on my tombstone." She looked down, toying with her hands and shrugging again. "I guess it wasn't really all that grand to have a crazy daughter."

"You're not crazy, Alice," I said quickly, sitting up and resting next to her. She smiled at me and it seemed like she believed me. It made me feel better.

"Anyway, I also found out I have a sister. Had...a sister. She has a daughter, my niece who still lives in Mississippi." Alice smiled sadly and I returned it. It would definitely take a toll on you to not be able to see the last living member of your family. Alice looked down again and I could tell that this conversation had saddened her greatly. Sad Alice meant Sad Bella and I wasn't really down for being sad right now.

"Will you say, 'Mississippi' again?"

"Mississippi,"

"You totally have an accent."

"I do not!" Alice's retort came out with a massive southern twang and I couldn't help but laugh as she threw her hands to her mouth. "I can't believe you bring out the hick in me," she laughed as I tried to regain my composure.

"It's not hick, Alice, it's cute! Say something else."

"No," she answered with a smile, running her hand through her short hair. I rolled my eyes at her and she tossed a pillow at me. Despite my lack of coordination I managed to catch it and she growled as I placed it smugly behind my head. "Anyway, that's the story."

"What about the others? Can I ask about them?"

Alice then proceeded to tell me the long and descriptive stories of her family. She told them wonderful and at times I imagined I looked like a little girl, sitting with my knees pulled to my chest, listening with wide eyed wonder as she carried on. It was as if she was living vicariously through everyone else's pasts and if that worked for her then who was I to judge? She told me about Edward in Chicago and the Spanish influenza. She positively gushed about Carlisle, at how he had never bitten a human for a meal. Then she swooned over how he and Esme met and continued to swoon about Emmett and how he was found by Rosalie. Suicides and being mauled by a bear didn't really strike me as romantic but I let it slide. She was so adorable when she swooned. When she finished she sighed and collapsed next to me. "I will now open the floor to questions," she grinned. I raised my hand and she pretended to search for a bit before finally pointing at me. "Yes, the lovely brunette in front."