CHAPTER FIVE
ᴀ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜʏ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ
The boundary that separated the Cullen's territory and the Pack's land spread far out in front of us. We could sense it a mile before we even came to step upon that line, toes edging dangerously. The trees above swayed rhythmically, quickly, like the ghost of a heartbeat, like that of the one we should have each been hearing.
The air seemed to shift, after a slight moment and yet the trees seemed to still, as if comfortable in the presence that came to greet us. Perhaps it had been our own company that gave such a sensation prior to his arrival- the trees shivering in their towering figures, against the cold unnaturalness that this side of the line was unused to.
Sam stood a few feet away, head bowed, revealing his distrust with the covered stare of his dark eyes. His wolf form was somehow familiar- a darker brown than Jacob's coat, bordering on a black. He was larger too, bulkier in the front and extending into strong powerful legs and a thinner tail.
It was in Alice's calmness, her unmoving figure, that her intentions were revealed. She'd provoked Sam on purpose. She wanted to speak to him. The wolf seemed to sense this, and disappeared for a moment, before returning to stand before us, toned chest gleaming with sweat, but the hardened stare on his face was unchanging.
"What business do you have crossing the boundary?"
"We wish to cross to the sea," Alice said, her voice floating across the air as easy as birdsong.
Sam crossed his arms over his chest, chin tilting upwards.
"You can go around."
Alice smiled up at him. "We want our trail to be lost," she said, and as his head twitched to the side, revealing interest, she added, "We would also ask you to deliver a message for us after we've left."
He watched her for a moment, muscles appearing as if they were ready to be torn out of shape to fit the mould of the animal he hid, readying to pounce after her whenever she fled.
"What are you hiding?"
"I'm afraid that is something that won't be told until the time is right."
There was something unassuming about Alice. She was small and slight, and even those that knew she was a vampire with powerful gifts were prone to underestimating her. The wolves had the added confidence of knowing she could not see past their presence, but even without that comfort of promised safety, they thought little of her, when in fact she could fight as well as any of the other Cullens.
After a moment of searching her face, sparing one glance to me at her side, Sam accepted with a nod and shifted back, letting Alice and I take the lead so he could trail at our backs. The wolves were trusting enough to only send Sam, the leader of the remainder of that pack, but not comfortable enough to dissolve the invisible barriers altogether.
We ran like that all the way to the sea, trailing loops around the trodden tracks, trying to confuse the trail even more. If Sam was curious, he didn't show it nor stop us to demand what our aim was. It might have worried me if I knew the whole plan as to where we were heading. But Alice's certainty was comforting too. Perhaps he'd recognised that mode of confidence and found something else within us. Perhaps he liked the idea of delivering a message to the rest of the Cullens, of which contents would surely describe our departure and without clarity of return.
The pack's territory, from what little I'd seen, always seemed to be the most beautiful area in all of Forks and the surrounding area. The trees extended for miles on end, dropping abruptly into a jagged brink of a cliff, the air of a gentle mix of pine and sea salt. It was at that towering verge, that Sam met us again in wolf form, his dark coat blending in with the scenery until he prowled out into the opening, beautiful against the clear skies.
Alice glanced down momentarily at the waves below, lost in thought. It was only as I reached her side, that I became sure of what she was seeing. It was no vision- not with Sam in such close, relentless vicinity- but a memory, a turbulent one of Bella crashing down to those same rough waves, me quickly disappearing after her. My hand stopped above the necklace around my neck- her necklace.
As Sam let out a gruff noise for attention, Alice turned and, upon seeing that he would not shift back, took something from her pocket and laid it down against the dry grass.
"Deliver this at sundown, please," Alice said.
He nodded his head toward the paper and took it gently between his teeth, turning to leave us.
"Thank you, Sam," she said, and I echoed her thanks.
It was another long, questioning moment before she turned to me again, reaching for my hand timidly, as if afraid I wasn't really there. It was only as my fingers spread between hers, gripping tightly, that her piercing eyes flickered upwards, landing against mine.
"I realise how selfish I am, asking you to come with me," she said, pausing again, never blinking. "I want you to know that you can turn and leave. I won't hold it against you."
The thought of letting her go without me seemed foolish but the look on Alice's face said that she did not feel such absurdity in the idea. There was nothing for me in Forks, anymore. Not when she was leaving. I didn't know where we were going. It could be to the other end of the earth and I would follow. Nor did I truly know why we were leaving the rest of her family. It was for their safety, somehow, and ours.
"I go where my heart is, Alice. And my heart is with you."
She smiled. A sweet, warm sort of smile that held a certain sense of sadness behind it. Her hand reached the side of my face, pulling my head down to reach hers. It was only as I grew closer, that I realised her eyes were closed. There was a look of relief on her face, one that I felt I was not supposed to see.
"So where do we go?" I asked, feeling the flutter of eyelashes on my cheek as Alice pulled away. That melancholic smile persisted.
"To London. I saw something there that..." She drifted off somewhere, looking into the roles of blue that plundered into the horizon past my shoulder. "...that we should look into. And maybe you can show me the little town you always hoped to return to, on the way."
I nodded but, lost for words, didn't say anything. In some twisted way, our dreams of travel were becoming true. As for England, it was years since I'd last stepped foot in the country.
"I just hope that when Aro realises I'm not with them, that he'll set his sights elsewhere," she said, eyes still set far off.
"You think he wants you?"
She nodded grimly. "It's what he does. He's clever enough to hide the fact, but he kills entire covens, just to recruit those with a power he wants. A power like mine."
I took her chin with my finger, lifting her head, which had dropped. "We have three weeks- if we're lucky. Maybe we can find something that would change his mind."
"I think I know where to look."
She was smiling again, as I looked down upon her. Never had such a bright person existed, it was no wonder I gravitated toward her. Like a planet around a blazing sun.
"Lead on."
With hands entwined, we stepped toward the very brink of the cliff. My spare hand held the necklace, clasping it protectively between fingers with a locked grip. Metal could not withstand the force of the waves that we could swim against. Alice nodded lightly as if reassuring us, and then we jumped in sync, crashing down into the dark waves, destroying all trace of us for the next weeks to come.
☾
Didn't plan on this chapter being so short but decided to split this into a different part to begin the next section of what is technically 'book 4'. Hope you're still enjoying this book! I'm looking forward to write the next bit about Alice's scenes that we don't get to see in the source material <3