The Immortal Children

Goodbye, Cullens

Regret was something i should have been used to. After all, there were a lot of things I regretted. Immortality seemed to bring on an eternity of grief. But as I slowly followed Alice through the forest, I decided that there was absolutely nothing i regretted more than bringing Seth up to her.

Why did she care anyway? It wasn't like there was anything important between Seth and I. Why did she even want to know what my favorite thing about Seth was? Or what inside jokes we had? She didn't even know that he had taken me to a beautiful waterfall... or how his eyes lit up when he smiled...or how his dark hair took on an almost auburn color as it glimmered in the sun.

Yeah. Not important. Definitely not important. 

Eventually, we came to an open field. I breathed out a sigh of relief as Alice momentarily stopped chattering. She had so much energy, it left me feeling exhausted, despite being immortal. In a move so graceful I almost missed it, Alice folded her legs beneath her and seemed to float to the ground. Staring at me as she sat on the grass, I wondered if I was supposed to sit as well. Her intent gaze made me uncomfortable, as if she were able to see beyond just my future and completely dissect what I was feeling and thinking in the present. 

Finally unable to take the silence, I asked, "aren't you worried?" Alice furrowed her brow at me and titled her head to the side. It reminded me a little bit of a dog, and I wished that Ashlynn were there to hear that though. She would have found the image to be hilarious.

"Yeah," I repeated, "worried. You know about being out here alone. After Seth and i were attacked by that invisible...thing?' Though i felt certain that my question was a valid look, the look of humor on Alice's face had me suddenly feeling ignorant. Did she think I was a little kid, too inexperienced to have an opinion? Well, maybe I was a kid. But  I had experienced enough horrors to know; never underestimate your enemy. It wasn't a mistake you could make, because there wouldn't be a second time. Your first slip-up would be your downfall. 

After all, other vampires underestimating me and my abilities was the only reason I was still alive.

Shaking her head, Alice leaned back and settled further into the grass, as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Nope. Don't worry about it, sweetie. Nobody can sneak up on me".  As she tapped her temple, I suddenly understood. A relaxed as Alice may look on the outside, her mind was always working. Her ability was ceaselessly sorting through the millions of possible futures, always on the lookout for dangers or threats that might present themselves.

If someone wanted to sneak up on Alice and I, she would have seen it weeks ago.

Finally, I gave in, coming to sit beside her in the grass. I kept a little bit of distance between us, being careful not to actually touch her, or even ruffle the grass near her. After considering for a moment, I realized that we were definitely safe. The only reason she hadn't seen the previous attack coming was because I was with Seth, and she couldn't see the wolves in her visions. But here, in the forest with just the two of us, nothing would escape Alice's notice. 

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Turning to look at Alice as she spoke, I nodded in response. Her eyes were closed though, so I realized too late that she hadn't been able to see my reply. She continued on, though, as if she knew for certain that I was in agreement. "Jasper and i come out here a lot. I try to hide it, since the wolves are like family, but constantly being around them gives me awful headaches. The scent mixed with their presence blocking out my visions and making them hazy... well, it's just nice to get away sometimes. And Jasper needs it too, since he gets overwhelmed, having to process so many other peoples' emotions."

Once again, all I could do was nod. Somehow, Alice venting to me was even more stressful than when she was trying to get me to spill all of my secrets to her. What was I supposed to say? I knew how dark and lonely her life had been before. But she didn't know that I knew. It must be hard, trying to grow and learn to coexist with a family as a vampire, when it was an experience you never had as a human.