Chapter One: Seeing Destiny
Title: Burn The City Down: Chapter One: Seeing Destiny
Author: Kate (deanscookie)
Rating: PG-13 overall
Word Count: 2,825
Spoilers: None, AU.
Summary: She would meet him today.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all... for now.
CHAPTER ONE
"SEEING DESTINY"
And in spite of what is right
Far beyond what she'd except
When the moon begs the question
Will you have the answer yet?
An expanse of impossibly smooth skin was stretched out before her. White as snow and hard as marble. She felt her breath catch as cold hands trailed over her own skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake. She forced her eyes upward, desperately looking for the face of her seducer. A pair of crimson eyes stared back at her hungrily.
Alice awoke with a start, shooting straight up in bed. The dream was just one in a series she'd been having over the course of the last month. But something was different this time. Alice pressed trembling fingers to her mouth as she gazed out her window at the sun that was just starting to peak over the Houston skyline.
She would meet him today.
Throwing back the bed covers, Alice rolled out of bed and walked quickly into her bathroom. Leaning over the sink, she splashed cold water over face. Her hands were still trembling. The dreams had started just after she moved to Houston. They had become more frequent and more vivid as time went on.
Alice looked in the mirror at her petite features, still dripping with water. She ran a hand through her short, black hair. She was cute, pretty even--something she could acknowledge without ego. But this morning she felt completely ordinary and today was special. She was finally going to meet the alabaster creature from her dreams. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered his crimson eyes that had burned right through her.
Alice was struck by a sudden burst of nervous energy. She turned to the shower, drew the curtain back, and twisted the knobs until warm water cascaded down. As steam clouded the bathroom, she took a deep breath and hoped the shower would help calm her nerves.
Two hours later, she glowered at her glass of untouched orange juice. The shower hadn't done much to assuage her anxiety, and time was dragging by at a snail's pace; she was slowly going out of her mind with impatience. How long would it take for the fates to set things in motion?
She paced around her small apartment for a few minutes. Twice she glanced at her bookshelves, overflowing with various novels and poetry, but found herself too restless to even attempt reading one of them. She eventually ended up right where she began, standing beside her orange juice in the kitchen.
She eyed the pile of mail sitting on the other counter, and then eagerly walked over to it, desperate for a distraction.
"Bill, bill, junk, bill," she murmured to herself as her fingers sifted through the letters. "Junk, junk, bill-"
Alice suddenly felt her fingers go numb. All the mail fluttered to the ground as she stared, wide-eyed, at the flyer in her hand. It was small and rectangular, a screaming shade of neon green, and was slightly ripped at the bottom. She read the bold black letters across the top: BLOOD DRIVE TODAY!
It was at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, and they were looking for donors and volunteers. Most importantly, though, the instant Alice had touched it, she knew she had to be there.
Her entire body was quivering, and her frazzled nerves from the morning now shot bolts of excitement all through her body.
She grinned in delight. Finally, she thought, dropping the flyer.
The front door slammed shut behind her before the piece of paper even touched the ground.
***
Alice felt like electricity was crackling beneath her skin as soon as she arrived at the Center. This was it; this was the place to be. She could feel it.
The nurse in charge of the drive had looked up at her with surprise when Alice came running up to her booth. She was panting for breath, and an eager grin stretched across her face. Several others had turned to look at her, as well, when Alice had explained in a bubbly voice that she wanted to spend the day volunteering. The nurse tried to explain to her that there were plenty of volunteers already, but Alice would not be denied. Despite the protests, she insisted on staying, with her enthusiasm never wavering, until she was finally placed at a table handing out brochures and parental release forms.
The rest of the day passed quickly. The sun was shining brightly, and the heat and humidity were intense, but nothing bothered Alice. She stayed busy and tried to keep her thoughts from straying to the morning's dream. Her morning was uneventful, but when she returned from lunch Alice felt a familiar tingle run up her spine.
She eagerly looked around, expecting to see the man she was waiting for; instead, her eyes landed on a young girl who had just finished donating blood. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. Alice rocked back on her heels for a moment, trying to figure out why this girl was important.
The answer came to her in a flash, and she darted forward, placing a supportive arm around the girl's shoulder.
"It's all right," she said soothingly. The girl looked at her with confusion for a moment, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.
A flutter of activity surrounded both of them, then. Worried voices and helping hands reached out as Alice slowly lowered the girl to the ground. "She'll be okay," she said knowingly. "She's going to be just fine."
Alice rose from her position next to the unconscious girl and looked around. Another volunteer-a young man-was watching her carefully.
"How did you know?" he asked, his tone suspicious.
"What do you mean?" Alice replied innocently.
His eyes widened. "I saw you. You were way over there." He pointed over to where Alice had been standing, just moments before. "And then you ran up and grabbed her before she even fainted!" He frowned. "How could you have possibly known what was going to happen?"
Alice knew she had to choose her next words carefully. "I saw her stumble," she explained, as if it were obvious. "I've volunteered at these things before, and I've learned to recognize the signs."
The man seemed to consider her explanation, his brow furrowed. "Yeah..."
Alice smirked. "Actually, I'm psychic," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I foresaw her collapsing!" She wiggled her fingers in front of her in a mock imitation of magic and added a giggle for good measure.
The guy smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense, I guess."
He turned away, but Alice knew he didn't quite believe her.
She sighed and slumped her shoulders. Her ability to know things before they happened had always made people uneasy. It was why she didn't have any close friends. If anyone spent a few consecutive days with her, it became apparent that she wasn't exactly normal.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Alice turned around and scanned the area once more.
No sign of him.
Alice felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. And then the tingling feeling was climbing up her spine again, and she knew.
Nighttime.
That's when he would appear.
Alice smiled and nodded slowly to herself. That made sense she supposed. After all, men with snowy white skin and blood red eyes would probably stand out in a crowd. She glanced at her watch. The drive would last until sunset, and it was still a few more hours until nightfall.
Alice squared her shoulders, determined to fully throw herself into her volunteer work for the rest of the day-anything to make these last few hours pass quickly, and anything to bring on the darkness.
***
Four hours later, Alice winced slightly as a needle pricked her arm. The nurse wielding it smiled apologetically, though Alice didn't care in the slightest. Her gaze was fixed on the sun, which was just slipping into the horizon. Finally! She had thought this moment would never come.
And now that it was here, she felt a little apprehensive.
Soon, the nurse returned and removed the needle from her arm, thanking her for her donation. She put a band-aid with a flower on it over the small red dot on Alice's arm, and told her she could go.
Alice wandered idly for a while, absently tracing the bandage on her arm with a forefinger and waiting for the mysterious man from her dreams to appear.
Alice smiled to herself. How many girls could truthfully claim what she would be able to after tonight? That they had met the man of their dreams? Very few, she was sure.
"Excuse me, dear," Alice turned to see one of the volunteers, an older woman with a kind face, like Alice would imagine grandmother's face to be.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?"
Alice shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm-I'm meeting someone." She felt her pulse quicken.
Alice watched the woman leave. After she disappeared, Alice continued to wander. She wasn't sure how long she walked, but when she finally stopped to look around, all traces of sunlight had vanished, and everyone from the blood drive was gone.
Alice sighed and sat beneath a tree on the lawn of one of the many universities nearby. She waited there for over an hour. The night was warm, and Alice knew there was no way she could give up and go home. Not after waiting for so long.
I don't understand, she thought to herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Where is he?
The feeling that she got from her dream had been very distinct. It was supposed to happen tonight. She was sure of it.
Alice closed her eyes and concentrated. She tried to force herself to know what was going to happen-what she needed to do.
Nothing happened.
Alice scowled and pulled at the grass beneath her. She had expected as much. She'd never been able to control her impossible gift before. The feelings, the dreams-they came and went as they pleased. But this time, it was too much. If she missed him...
No, it was unfathomable. She couldn't allow herself to even think it. She had to see him, to finally hear his voice, touch his perfect skin, see his crimson eyes for herself.
At a loss for what to do next, Alice decided she might as well curse the heavens. It's what all protagonists in epic stories do when they don't know what to do. They cry out and, miraculously, an answer appears before them.
"So, what do I do now, huh?" she cried, glaring at the stars accusingly. "Why was I brought here if I never even see him?"
And, in the first of a series of miracles about to occur in Alice's life, an answer appeared before her. Or, to be more accurate, reached her ears.
A thunderous crash came from the distance. Alice jumped to her feet and looked around wildly, but saw nothing but the surrounding buildings and shrubbery. Adrenalin pumped through Alice's system and she shifted anxiously from one foot to the other. The electricity was crackling beneath her skin again. Another crash split the night, and Alice jumped in surprise. Then she was running before she had time to think.
She didn't know where she was going, but a tingle up her spine gave her two words: Hermann Park. Alice ran as fast as she could. Soon, she could see the faint outline of the Sam Houston Statue only a few yards ahead of her. Alice's face split into a grin, even though her chest felt like it was on fire from the effort of running all the way here. Another deafening crash echoed around her, but this time it was followed by another sound-something terrifying.
Alice stopped running so suddenly she fell to her knees. She strained to hear the sounds coming from up ahead over the sound of her gasping breath. Something was growling ferociously. It sounded like a large wildcat, or a mountain lion, perhaps. But then, answering snarls made her realize that there was more than one something up there.
Alice was shaking. She didn't know if it was from her recent exertion or fear. Most likely, it was a combination of the two.
After drawing in a few deep, steadying breaths, Alice rose to her feet. She walked forward slowly now, ruled more by her fear than her excitement. What if she didn't find what she'd expected up here? What if she found something else?
Alice froze, considering. In her dreams, she felt no fear toward the beautiful man. She frowned thoughtfully. This wasn't exactly turning out to be the romantic, moonlit meeting she'd thought it would be. Still, she couldn't turn back now. She couldn't risk it. What if he was here?
More growls reached Alice's ears.
A startling thought struck her: What if he was in danger?
Alice lurched forward, running the last few steps to the statue. As she looked out over the reflecting pool, she couldn't help but gasp loudly. She stood beneath the arch and gaped at the unbelievable sight before her.
The ripping snarls were coming from people-People who were currently fighting in the middle of the pool. They moved at impossible speeds, running and leaping around each other with unimaginable grace and agility. Their moves were so beautifully precise they almost seemed choreographed. Water splashed up around them, drenching them as they danced around one another. Alice counted three figures, though they were moving so fast, she couldn't be sure.
Alice gasped again as one of them struck another, the sound echoing like a gunshot, and all three figures froze. Three pairs of black eyes focused on her. As she looked around at them, she marveled at how beautiful they all were. Three men, all with faces like angels. That is, if angels had black eyes and looked at you like you were dinner.
Alice started to slide her foot backward, preparing to run away, when she suddenly locked eyes with one of the men in the pool.
It was him.
There was no doubt in her mind-she would know him anywhere. Every feature on his face was perfect, his nose was straight and his lips full and sensuous. His hair was thick and golden, curling gently around his ears. And even from this distance Alice could see his skin was snowy white and flawless. But something wasn't right. His eyes, which she knew should be bright red, were pitch black. And the way he was staring at her was completely different from the way he looked at her in her dreams. At those times, he gazed down at her with love and something like amazement. Now he was glaring at her darkly, the look on his face so terrifying that Alice held her breath.
What happened next was so quick-so alarming-that Alice barely had time to process it. A soft breeze came up from behind her, ruffling her short hair around her ears. The man's face suddenly changed from a look of fury to one of shock. Before Alice could blink, the other two men were flying through the air, away from her.
She never got the chance to see what happened to them because he was suddenly there, filling her vision as he crashed into her. They hit the ground together, Alice trapped beneath his heavy body. She looked up at him, her eyes widening as far as they could so she could take in as much of him as possible. His face, inches away from hers, was livid. His eyes were still inky black, but in their depths, Alice saw something else: Desire.
Alice knew she should be scared. She knew that she should scream for help and try to fight him off. But she wasn't scared. She didn't scream, and she didn't fight. Instead, she found her hands moving of their own accord. They ran up his arms, skimming across his wet shirt until her fingers made contact with his neck. His skin was like ice, and Alice felt her heart skip a beat as she drew in a ragged breath.
A soft, agonized groan came from above her, and Alice looked up, meeting the dark eyes of her attacker. One of his cold hands pushed her chin upward, exposing her neck. He leaned in slowly, and Alice felt his cool breath hit her face. She inhaled deeply, consumed by his scent; it was the most delicious thing she'd ever smelled, and she curled her hands into fists around the front of his damp shirt and pulled him in closer to her.
Alice felt a snarl vibrate through his chest. He leaned in and buried his face in her neck, and as she felt his cold lips touch her throat Alice knew, without a doubt, that he was going to kill her.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm, and how did you guys like that cliffhanger? I'm pretty pleased with myself, I gotta admit. The quote at the beginning is from the song Can't You Just Adore Her? by Mandy Moore, which is basically my ultimate Alice!song. ;P Anyway, I shall be carefully considering how badly you guys appear to want chapter two (via comments here, of course), and if I think you want it bad enough there is a possibility that I may hold a kind of contest in which you all may battle one another for the chance read chapter two first. Because we're on a weekly schedule now, btw, new chapter every Friday. :D So, yeah. Oh! And I've decided that whenever my betas give me particularly good advice I will share it with all of you. Cuz I'm fabulous that way, lol.
THIS WEEK'S WORDS OF WISDOM:
potthead: Even Alice Cullen cannot climb to her feet.
Author: Kate (deanscookie)
Rating: PG-13 overall
Word Count: 2,825
Spoilers: None, AU.
Summary: She would meet him today.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all... for now.
CHAPTER ONE
"SEEING DESTINY"
And in spite of what is right
Far beyond what she'd except
When the moon begs the question
Will you have the answer yet?
An expanse of impossibly smooth skin was stretched out before her. White as snow and hard as marble. She felt her breath catch as cold hands trailed over her own skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake. She forced her eyes upward, desperately looking for the face of her seducer. A pair of crimson eyes stared back at her hungrily.
Alice awoke with a start, shooting straight up in bed. The dream was just one in a series she'd been having over the course of the last month. But something was different this time. Alice pressed trembling fingers to her mouth as she gazed out her window at the sun that was just starting to peak over the Houston skyline.
She would meet him today.
Throwing back the bed covers, Alice rolled out of bed and walked quickly into her bathroom. Leaning over the sink, she splashed cold water over face. Her hands were still trembling. The dreams had started just after she moved to Houston. They had become more frequent and more vivid as time went on.
Alice looked in the mirror at her petite features, still dripping with water. She ran a hand through her short, black hair. She was cute, pretty even--something she could acknowledge without ego. But this morning she felt completely ordinary and today was special. She was finally going to meet the alabaster creature from her dreams. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered his crimson eyes that had burned right through her.
Alice was struck by a sudden burst of nervous energy. She turned to the shower, drew the curtain back, and twisted the knobs until warm water cascaded down. As steam clouded the bathroom, she took a deep breath and hoped the shower would help calm her nerves.
Two hours later, she glowered at her glass of untouched orange juice. The shower hadn't done much to assuage her anxiety, and time was dragging by at a snail's pace; she was slowly going out of her mind with impatience. How long would it take for the fates to set things in motion?
She paced around her small apartment for a few minutes. Twice she glanced at her bookshelves, overflowing with various novels and poetry, but found herself too restless to even attempt reading one of them. She eventually ended up right where she began, standing beside her orange juice in the kitchen.
She eyed the pile of mail sitting on the other counter, and then eagerly walked over to it, desperate for a distraction.
"Bill, bill, junk, bill," she murmured to herself as her fingers sifted through the letters. "Junk, junk, bill-"
Alice suddenly felt her fingers go numb. All the mail fluttered to the ground as she stared, wide-eyed, at the flyer in her hand. It was small and rectangular, a screaming shade of neon green, and was slightly ripped at the bottom. She read the bold black letters across the top: BLOOD DRIVE TODAY!
It was at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, and they were looking for donors and volunteers. Most importantly, though, the instant Alice had touched it, she knew she had to be there.
Her entire body was quivering, and her frazzled nerves from the morning now shot bolts of excitement all through her body.
She grinned in delight. Finally, she thought, dropping the flyer.
The front door slammed shut behind her before the piece of paper even touched the ground.
***
Alice felt like electricity was crackling beneath her skin as soon as she arrived at the Center. This was it; this was the place to be. She could feel it.
The nurse in charge of the drive had looked up at her with surprise when Alice came running up to her booth. She was panting for breath, and an eager grin stretched across her face. Several others had turned to look at her, as well, when Alice had explained in a bubbly voice that she wanted to spend the day volunteering. The nurse tried to explain to her that there were plenty of volunteers already, but Alice would not be denied. Despite the protests, she insisted on staying, with her enthusiasm never wavering, until she was finally placed at a table handing out brochures and parental release forms.
The rest of the day passed quickly. The sun was shining brightly, and the heat and humidity were intense, but nothing bothered Alice. She stayed busy and tried to keep her thoughts from straying to the morning's dream. Her morning was uneventful, but when she returned from lunch Alice felt a familiar tingle run up her spine.
She eagerly looked around, expecting to see the man she was waiting for; instead, her eyes landed on a young girl who had just finished donating blood. She couldn't be more than twenty years old. Alice rocked back on her heels for a moment, trying to figure out why this girl was important.
The answer came to her in a flash, and she darted forward, placing a supportive arm around the girl's shoulder.
"It's all right," she said soothingly. The girl looked at her with confusion for a moment, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.
A flutter of activity surrounded both of them, then. Worried voices and helping hands reached out as Alice slowly lowered the girl to the ground. "She'll be okay," she said knowingly. "She's going to be just fine."
Alice rose from her position next to the unconscious girl and looked around. Another volunteer-a young man-was watching her carefully.
"How did you know?" he asked, his tone suspicious.
"What do you mean?" Alice replied innocently.
His eyes widened. "I saw you. You were way over there." He pointed over to where Alice had been standing, just moments before. "And then you ran up and grabbed her before she even fainted!" He frowned. "How could you have possibly known what was going to happen?"
Alice knew she had to choose her next words carefully. "I saw her stumble," she explained, as if it were obvious. "I've volunteered at these things before, and I've learned to recognize the signs."
The man seemed to consider her explanation, his brow furrowed. "Yeah..."
Alice smirked. "Actually, I'm psychic," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I foresaw her collapsing!" She wiggled her fingers in front of her in a mock imitation of magic and added a giggle for good measure.
The guy smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense, I guess."
He turned away, but Alice knew he didn't quite believe her.
She sighed and slumped her shoulders. Her ability to know things before they happened had always made people uneasy. It was why she didn't have any close friends. If anyone spent a few consecutive days with her, it became apparent that she wasn't exactly normal.
Rubbing the back of her neck, Alice turned around and scanned the area once more.
No sign of him.
Alice felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. And then the tingling feeling was climbing up her spine again, and she knew.
Nighttime.
That's when he would appear.
Alice smiled and nodded slowly to herself. That made sense she supposed. After all, men with snowy white skin and blood red eyes would probably stand out in a crowd. She glanced at her watch. The drive would last until sunset, and it was still a few more hours until nightfall.
Alice squared her shoulders, determined to fully throw herself into her volunteer work for the rest of the day-anything to make these last few hours pass quickly, and anything to bring on the darkness.
***
Four hours later, Alice winced slightly as a needle pricked her arm. The nurse wielding it smiled apologetically, though Alice didn't care in the slightest. Her gaze was fixed on the sun, which was just slipping into the horizon. Finally! She had thought this moment would never come.
And now that it was here, she felt a little apprehensive.
Soon, the nurse returned and removed the needle from her arm, thanking her for her donation. She put a band-aid with a flower on it over the small red dot on Alice's arm, and told her she could go.
Alice wandered idly for a while, absently tracing the bandage on her arm with a forefinger and waiting for the mysterious man from her dreams to appear.
Alice smiled to herself. How many girls could truthfully claim what she would be able to after tonight? That they had met the man of their dreams? Very few, she was sure.
"Excuse me, dear," Alice turned to see one of the volunteers, an older woman with a kind face, like Alice would imagine grandmother's face to be.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?"
Alice shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm-I'm meeting someone." She felt her pulse quicken.
Alice watched the woman leave. After she disappeared, Alice continued to wander. She wasn't sure how long she walked, but when she finally stopped to look around, all traces of sunlight had vanished, and everyone from the blood drive was gone.
Alice sighed and sat beneath a tree on the lawn of one of the many universities nearby. She waited there for over an hour. The night was warm, and Alice knew there was no way she could give up and go home. Not after waiting for so long.
I don't understand, she thought to herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Where is he?
The feeling that she got from her dream had been very distinct. It was supposed to happen tonight. She was sure of it.
Alice closed her eyes and concentrated. She tried to force herself to know what was going to happen-what she needed to do.
Nothing happened.
Alice scowled and pulled at the grass beneath her. She had expected as much. She'd never been able to control her impossible gift before. The feelings, the dreams-they came and went as they pleased. But this time, it was too much. If she missed him...
No, it was unfathomable. She couldn't allow herself to even think it. She had to see him, to finally hear his voice, touch his perfect skin, see his crimson eyes for herself.
At a loss for what to do next, Alice decided she might as well curse the heavens. It's what all protagonists in epic stories do when they don't know what to do. They cry out and, miraculously, an answer appears before them.
"So, what do I do now, huh?" she cried, glaring at the stars accusingly. "Why was I brought here if I never even see him?"
And, in the first of a series of miracles about to occur in Alice's life, an answer appeared before her. Or, to be more accurate, reached her ears.
A thunderous crash came from the distance. Alice jumped to her feet and looked around wildly, but saw nothing but the surrounding buildings and shrubbery. Adrenalin pumped through Alice's system and she shifted anxiously from one foot to the other. The electricity was crackling beneath her skin again. Another crash split the night, and Alice jumped in surprise. Then she was running before she had time to think.
She didn't know where she was going, but a tingle up her spine gave her two words: Hermann Park. Alice ran as fast as she could. Soon, she could see the faint outline of the Sam Houston Statue only a few yards ahead of her. Alice's face split into a grin, even though her chest felt like it was on fire from the effort of running all the way here. Another deafening crash echoed around her, but this time it was followed by another sound-something terrifying.
Alice stopped running so suddenly she fell to her knees. She strained to hear the sounds coming from up ahead over the sound of her gasping breath. Something was growling ferociously. It sounded like a large wildcat, or a mountain lion, perhaps. But then, answering snarls made her realize that there was more than one something up there.
Alice was shaking. She didn't know if it was from her recent exertion or fear. Most likely, it was a combination of the two.
After drawing in a few deep, steadying breaths, Alice rose to her feet. She walked forward slowly now, ruled more by her fear than her excitement. What if she didn't find what she'd expected up here? What if she found something else?
Alice froze, considering. In her dreams, she felt no fear toward the beautiful man. She frowned thoughtfully. This wasn't exactly turning out to be the romantic, moonlit meeting she'd thought it would be. Still, she couldn't turn back now. She couldn't risk it. What if he was here?
More growls reached Alice's ears.
A startling thought struck her: What if he was in danger?
Alice lurched forward, running the last few steps to the statue. As she looked out over the reflecting pool, she couldn't help but gasp loudly. She stood beneath the arch and gaped at the unbelievable sight before her.
The ripping snarls were coming from people-People who were currently fighting in the middle of the pool. They moved at impossible speeds, running and leaping around each other with unimaginable grace and agility. Their moves were so beautifully precise they almost seemed choreographed. Water splashed up around them, drenching them as they danced around one another. Alice counted three figures, though they were moving so fast, she couldn't be sure.
Alice gasped again as one of them struck another, the sound echoing like a gunshot, and all three figures froze. Three pairs of black eyes focused on her. As she looked around at them, she marveled at how beautiful they all were. Three men, all with faces like angels. That is, if angels had black eyes and looked at you like you were dinner.
Alice started to slide her foot backward, preparing to run away, when she suddenly locked eyes with one of the men in the pool.
It was him.
There was no doubt in her mind-she would know him anywhere. Every feature on his face was perfect, his nose was straight and his lips full and sensuous. His hair was thick and golden, curling gently around his ears. And even from this distance Alice could see his skin was snowy white and flawless. But something wasn't right. His eyes, which she knew should be bright red, were pitch black. And the way he was staring at her was completely different from the way he looked at her in her dreams. At those times, he gazed down at her with love and something like amazement. Now he was glaring at her darkly, the look on his face so terrifying that Alice held her breath.
What happened next was so quick-so alarming-that Alice barely had time to process it. A soft breeze came up from behind her, ruffling her short hair around her ears. The man's face suddenly changed from a look of fury to one of shock. Before Alice could blink, the other two men were flying through the air, away from her.
She never got the chance to see what happened to them because he was suddenly there, filling her vision as he crashed into her. They hit the ground together, Alice trapped beneath his heavy body. She looked up at him, her eyes widening as far as they could so she could take in as much of him as possible. His face, inches away from hers, was livid. His eyes were still inky black, but in their depths, Alice saw something else: Desire.
Alice knew she should be scared. She knew that she should scream for help and try to fight him off. But she wasn't scared. She didn't scream, and she didn't fight. Instead, she found her hands moving of their own accord. They ran up his arms, skimming across his wet shirt until her fingers made contact with his neck. His skin was like ice, and Alice felt her heart skip a beat as she drew in a ragged breath.
A soft, agonized groan came from above her, and Alice looked up, meeting the dark eyes of her attacker. One of his cold hands pushed her chin upward, exposing her neck. He leaned in slowly, and Alice felt his cool breath hit her face. She inhaled deeply, consumed by his scent; it was the most delicious thing she'd ever smelled, and she curled her hands into fists around the front of his damp shirt and pulled him in closer to her.
Alice felt a snarl vibrate through his chest. He leaned in and buried his face in her neck, and as she felt his cold lips touch her throat Alice knew, without a doubt, that he was going to kill her.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm, and how did you guys like that cliffhanger? I'm pretty pleased with myself, I gotta admit. The quote at the beginning is from the song Can't You Just Adore Her? by Mandy Moore, which is basically my ultimate Alice!song. ;P Anyway, I shall be carefully considering how badly you guys appear to want chapter two (via comments here, of course), and if I think you want it bad enough there is a possibility that I may hold a kind of contest in which you all may battle one another for the chance read chapter two first. Because we're on a weekly schedule now, btw, new chapter every Friday. :D So, yeah. Oh! And I've decided that whenever my betas give me particularly good advice I will share it with all of you. Cuz I'm fabulous that way, lol.
THIS WEEK'S WORDS OF WISDOM:
potthead: Even Alice Cullen cannot climb to her feet.