Chapter 8: An Old Tune
November 11th, 2005 - Forks High School
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of happiness and new experiences for me.
Alice and I continued our charade, having our school personas getting closer and following the Storyboard she originally laid out. We were now more than halfway through, and things had calmed down a lot.
We were meeting and hanging out during school more than ever, but our interactions were far less dramatic and much more normal for high schoolers. We teased each other, flirted relentlessly, and, overall, enjoyed being around one another as we would have at home.
For me, the changes didn't stop with Alice.
"Ay, Samuel, did you catch the game? That was a crazy play, right?"
"Samuel, can I borrow your math notes? I promise I will remember to study tonight!"
"Can you help me move this table for our lecture, Mr. Raith?"
"You look a bit scary, but you're actually a pretty cool and kind guy, you know that?"
Friends.
What world do I now live in now?
I had friends.
Sure, they were passing acquaintances at best, but when you spend 40+ years isolating yourself to the best of your ability...the difference is still stark.
The real shock was with the Cullens.
"Sam, come on, Naruto is gonna start soon!"
"We're recording them, Edwin..."
"Yeah, but it ain't the same! We gotta watch it live, right, Samuel?"
"It's our Ninja Way, Janet," I answer with a serious nod.
"You said they are doing a martial arts tournament, right? That sounds pretty sick." Emily comments as Ross rolls his eyes. Still, he stayed out in the living room and watched with us.
Alice on my lap, playing her hands through my hair.
Edwin striking poses while Janet covers her head in shame.
Elenore laughing and goading Edwin into crazier moves.
Emily joining Edwin to do some dramatic sparring, then tagging in with Ross, who got surprisingly into it.
Carslie and Esme smiling and laughing as they watched from the back porch.
Family.
Friends.
Connections.
I look at Alice, finding her grinning at me with pure satisfaction and happiness in her eyes.
She knows exactly what she is doing.
Alice is the smartest and most cunning woman I have ever met.
Crazy? Sure, but crazy like a fox.
She can get you to do something without you ever realizing she was even involved.
I love her, and do my best to tell her that daily.
Because of her, my life is filled with moments like this, and I get to experience these new things as if they were normal.
She is my happiness.
And I am getting tired of pretending that is not the case at school.
"We are almost there. One more month, Sammy." She assures me, and I sigh but nod nonetheless.
Even if I knew how she completed me, we needed the school to come to that realization as well. That way our future relationship won't raise any red flags.
We have been patient and have manipulated the situation in such a way that by next month it will be a forgone conclusion that we are dating. No one will ask how or why, because they witnessed the whole thing happening.
Now, as stated previously, none of this is actually necessary. I can Whammy people into completely ignoring us if I really wanted, but Alice and the girls were having a blast, and I had already heard Emily considering doing something similar for her and Ross at our next High School in 4-6 years.
We had created something new that each couple can enjoy, and newness is always something to celebrate for immortals.
With that in mind, we continued with the encounters.
Encounter 5 was after school in the rain. Alice lost her umbrella and I share mine with her and walk her to her car. We share brief hug and act all flustered as I say goodbye.
Encounter 6 had Alice defending my honor a bit too loudly against her sister, who was saying some not-so-nice things about me as a joke. It was one of those "Me thinks doth protest too much" situations. The girls in the lunch room really ate that up.
Encounter 7 had Alice shouting in support of me during a P.E. soccer game, shocking many of the students.
Encounter 8 was me carrying Alice in my arms to the nurse's office when she hurt her ankle in class.
Encounter 9 was a real treat. An accidental kiss when we both turned a bit too quickly. That one got nearly as much of a reaction as our 2nd lunch room encounter.
And finally, Encounter 10. This one was all on Alice and would be the next turning point in our relationship.
Like many others, it started in the lunchroom.
"-And if you substitute X there..." I say leadingly to Henry, a classmate of mine who asked about a recent math test.
"Ah! X=4, I got it! Thanks, Samuel. You make it so much easier to understand." He beams a smile at me as he picks his stuff up to go back to his table. I wave him off and wish him well before settling back in to read and finish up my tots.
Even though my reputation is higher now than it has ever been before, I still eat alone in the lunchroom most days.
I don't blame people for it, I can be a bit standoffish at the best of times, but it makes situations like today that much more obvious.
After a moment of silence, I ask, "So...how long do you plan to stand behind and glare at me, princess?"
Alice, pouting at being caught, sits down at the table across from me. Her movements are a bit stiff, and she is obviously flustered as she answers back, "I have no idea what you are talking about. I just...um...wanted to chat."
I look up from my book and smirk at her. "Chat, huh? What about?"
"Well, since you asked...I was thinking about...some things...and-"
"Spit it out, Cullen." I roll my eyes.
"I'm trying! Stop rushing me!" Alice huffs before leveling me with a glare and dramatically pointing at my chest.
"You're going to the Dance, right? The Sadie Hawkins dance?"
The cafeteria becomes completely quiet in an instant. Everyone who was pretending not to listen in felt their eyes bulge in anticipation. Breathes were held so as not to miss a moment.
"I wasn't planning on it." I crush the hopes of everyone savagely.
Alice deflates immediately, and I see tears start to form in the corner of her eyes. "Oh. Yea, uh, no worries. Me either. It's...dumb. haha...I'll just go-"
I can literally feel the hate oozing off the women around me, directing me to make this right before it is ruined.
I grab Alice's hand and force her to stay in place.
"I wasn't planning on going because no one has asked me to go yet." I clarify to her, letting a teasing smirk take form on my face and not letting go of her hand.
Alice stares at our joined hands, blushes, looks down at the table, and then takes a deep breath.
"...with me?" She asks in barely a whisper.
"Sorry, what was that, princess? Couldn't hear ya." I goad.
Looking back up at me with a glare and misty eyes, Alice demands, "Will you go to the dance with me!?!"
"Yes," I answer immediately.
Alice opens her mouth to argue further, but pauses as she realizes what I said. Then her face gets really, really happy, before blushing once more and burying her head in her hands on the table in front of me.
'How the hell does she do that without blood in her cheeks?' I wonder as I outwardly laugh at her and muss her hair a bit. She slaps my hand away, but her glare of indignation is only half baked at best. We laugh with each other and start talking much more normally as we plan out the logistics for the dance.
By the time we are done, the mood around us is so sweet that I am a bit surprised I didn't get a cavity. People are practically staring at us with googly eyes. As we left, I offered to walk with her to her next class, surprising some people even further.
Not even an hour later, the rumor mill had already made a decision.
Alice Cullen and Samuel Raith were now dating. It was official.
...Even if it wasn't really, that is all that people talked about for the next few days.
It was fun, and Alice and I got more than a few good laughs out of it, but...it wasn't all good, unfortunately, and this time it had very little to do with either Alice or me.
* | * | *
"She's left again?" Alice asks Esme, her concern evident in her tone, as we get home later that day.
Esme smiles sadly and nods, "Yes...Elenore said she needed some time away. We convinced the school she was going abroad for a month to study in Germany."
Sighing heavily, Alice grumbles, "She just needs to be patient. Just because I can't see him, doesn't mean he isn't coming. If someone like Samuel was waiting for me, then there has to be someone right around the corner for Eleanore. I just know it!"
"She'll come around. I can't imagine how painful it must be for her to watch all of us...She just needs some time." I reassure my mate as best I can.
Alice hugs me tightly, smiling, though it is a bit strained. "What she needs is trust. He is coming. She will meet him soon."
"Easier said than done," Janet answers, joining us in the living room as she came back with Edwin in tow. Edwin, for his part, looks miserable.
"We can tone it down a bit if we need-" I try to offer, but Alice tightens her hold on me and interrupts.
"No, we fucking can't," with such certainty that I can't help but chuckle.
"We can hold back a bit, Alice." I stay firm, giving her a bit of a reproachful glare. "If it bothers her, we can go back to my place in the city and crash there for a few nights. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, and it looks like she is going through a lot."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. We can talk about it again when she gets back." Edwin says dejectedly. He really hated being apart from his twin for long periods of time, but he also understood where she was coming from. He had only met Janet 50 years ago, and that still left over 40 years of loneliness.
Elenore was dealing with nearly 100.
We break off individually, and Alice does her best to show me exactly why we cannot calm down one bit, but even that is a bit lackluster when we know our friend is hurting so much.
Alice and I lay up and talk late into the night, brainstorming ways to cheer the mind reader up. Ultimately, I don't think she will be able to cheer up unless she wants to, but I can also understand falling into self-destructive spirals.
Everybody wants the same thing: her happy and safe.
I fall into a restless sleep that night, dreaming about a hurting friend that we all want to come back home soon.
* | * | *
Friday Night, November 11th, 2005 - Winter Social/Sadie Hawkins Dance
Section Theme Song - Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
The dance was lame, but I suppose that was part of the charm. The gymnasium had been cleared, and pale blue and white lights scattered the otherwise darkened room's floor. Tables and chairs were lined on the walls with a concession stand and photo booth back by the door.
Kids aged 14-18 all meandered about in vaguely 50s and 60s-style costumes. Some couples were chatting excitedly, while others were obviously not having a good time.
Drama, hormones, and awkward tension filled the venue like gas, needing only a spark to explode.
It was odd dressing as a greaser again, but I always loved my leather jackets and pants, wearing them way longer than was fashionable at the time. Hell, I never really grew out of this look.
Growing up and going to high school in the late '60s and early '70s seemed like such a far-off world to today.
If you came from a period of actual Socks Hops, however, the school dances of the 2000s left much to be desired.
Where was the clear separation of social classes? Where was the vaguely veiled threat of violence as the bad boys eyed the Jock's girls? Where were the hidden flasks and bathroom breaks to "Powder your nose?" Where were the parking lot brawls to prove masculinity and some inflated sense of self-worth? Where was the pack of mean girls tearing apart everyone who wasn't in their immediate circle? Where was the bad decision-making leading couples to sneak off to quiet corners of the school and declare their eternal love?
Yeah. If you think your parents or grandparents didn't get up to some crazy shit, you are delusional.
Worse still, where was the dancing!?!
Everyone just stood around awkwardly, bobbing their heads to songs they had never heard before, acting like they wanted to be anywhere else but here.
It was...sad.
You may find this hard to believe, but I loved dancing. Few things are as overtly sexual as dancing with someone, especially someone you care about. It is a love language all of its own and something I very much missed doing with a partner.
It was also a guilty pleasure of mine.
I often scoured the net, watching YouTube videos and learning dance moves to new songs just to pass the time.
I was alone a lot, and having something to occupy my mind was critical to me not blowing my fucking brains out.
Dancing has always been one of my favorite pastimes.
But the kids today....they had no passion! They had no drive! The guys stand around looking aloof, while the girls practically scream their disappointment. They think learning to dance makes you a loser.
No. NOT knowing how to dance makes you a loser.
How could an act of pressing a partner close, sweating and moving your body together, and building up a physical and emotional connection not be cool?
It was foreplay, plain and simple, and it was effective foreplay. If you want to get your girl's motor running, take her dancing. That used to be so obvious! Now, guys think looking good and restricting their personalities and passions somehow do the same thing.
Insecurities. That is all it was. But the ones paying the price are the ladies while the guys just get more and more frustrated at their own ineptitude. A vicious spiral of negativity - Something I want to do my part to stop.
I wanted to grab a group and beat some sense into them, but...this was just how things were now.
Everyone loved the idea of dances, of the romance-tinged air filled with excitement and adolescent hormones, but no one knew what it meant anymore. No one took advantage of the opportunity, and they all sat in their little bubbles, terrified to stand out or be noticed.
'Looks like it is up to me to show them then, isn't it?'
For the first time in over 20 years, I was going to be dancing with a partner tonight, someone I deeply cared for, and I was going to teach these snot-nosed brats what it meant. I was going to awaken that burning need you feel when your gal presses up close and stares at you with breathless excitement.
I was about to own this dance.
Alice, dressed in her Pink Lady Poodle Skirt and dolled-up innocent appearance, really did something to me...and I was looking forward to surprising her.
I told her I used to like to dance, but I had severely underplayed it. This is more so because I don't talk about myself much in general, but that is beside the point.
She had no idea what was coming, and I couldn't wait to see her expression.
Turning to the Pixie beside me, I ask, "Well, princess. Shall we see if you are all talk? What was it you said, 'Dance my socks off?'"
Alice giggles and accepts my hand. " You have quite a bit of confidence there. I wonder if you can even keep up!"
Alice wasn't bothering to act anymore. She grabbed my hand with a giant grin and pulled us to the dance floor.
"I think I'll manage." I allow, a smirk finding its way onto my lips.
"Everyone is staring at us," Alice comments as we take to the center. There were a few couples out, holding each other awkwardly, and many groups of girls were out here dancing together, but no one was really getting into it.
Let's change that up.
I look over at the DJ, whom I had tipped $20 to play three songs in a row. He gives me a thumbs-up, and then I turn my attention back onto the love of my life. I reach out and hold Alice's hands lightly in front of my own while maintaining a good 2 feet of distance.
She stares at me in confusion and suspicion. This was not how others held each other on the dance floor, nor was it a classical dancing stance. It was rather...childish compared to how some of the guys basically draped themselves over their dates.
My smirk grows into a full-blown, shit-eating grin.
"Mind your feet, dear."
"Huh?"
"I'm gonna tell Aunt Mary
'Bout Uncle John
He said he had to visit
But he got a lot of fun
Oh, Baby!"
Alice's eyes lit up in shock as my first powerful move pulled her up close to me, lifting her from the ground by the tips of our fingers. I then spun her around her right shoulder twice in a flash of speed, switched my hand to grab her waist in a reverse grip, and flip her entirely over herself and my right shoulder.
Alice, though shocked, quickly gets into it, allowing her legs to snap out and fan her pink skirt as it rolls over my head.
Now standing behind me, I reach my hands down through my legs, find Alice's hands already there waiting, predicting my actions, and pull her through my legs feet first.
As she slides forward, I grab her hips, lift her into the air once more, and spin her mid-air so that she faces me, before allowing her to finally land lightly, with my assistance, looking up at me with the widest, most excited smile I have ever seen on her face.
No words were spoken, but that was fine. We didn't need words.
On and on, we dance. I take her through every jump, spin, dive, and roll, guiding her on her journey and making her shine like the diamond she was.
Alice was glowing, and every single person there could see it.
As the songs go on, switching from upbeat to slower tunes, we dance, never once stopping. Never once breaking the intense eye contact we have held from the very start.
I displayed my talent, showing off the dance moves that made these songs famous. It was an homage to a time when knowing how to do X song's dance was more important than knowing the lyrics. When being a master dancer would make you the most popular guy in the room.
We danced the samba, we danced the electric slide, we danced the meringue, we danced the Foxtrot. We rocked The Shake, The Bird, The Locomotion, The Mashed Potato, The Dove...on and on we went, our smiles only for each other.
We danced over and over, the world fading into nothing but Alice and me. Our fevered intensity scalded us both with the passion of the night.
It stopped being about me showing the kids what was what. It stopped being about our pretend relationship and the expectations of our situation.
Hell, I forgot I was a vampire for a bit there.
For one beautiful moment, there was only Alice and I, and the world was something else - something secondary to the dance we shared.
After nearly 10 songs in a row, Alice and I stop in the middle of the dance floor, holding onto each other closely as our breathing comes out ragged.
Something must have snapped in her, because she wraps her arms around my necks and kisses me deeply and passionately right there in front of everyone.
And wouldn't you know it, that is when the cheering started.
Taking in our surroundings for the first time in over an hour, Alice and I smile sheepishly out at the crowd of equal parts students and teachers who just saw what had to look to them like several choreographed dance numbers.
I smirk at Alice, and pull her off the floor, ready for a break and to step out of the limelight.
Tonight was no longer about them. It was all about us.
When we arrive at the table the rest of the Cullens were hanging out at earlier, we find it empty.
A quick scan of the dance floor finds the lovers wrapped up in the dance spirit just as much as the other kids - Maybe even more, based on the smiles I saw.
And that is exactly what I wanted.
My goal had been acheived.
The awkward couples were all out there, smiling, holding one another, and jerking around wildly, no longer caring of looking cool. They were just having fun and letting the music take them.
Several new couples were dancing and trading partners, and when the Cha Cha Slide started, damn near everyone in the hall was up dancing their asses off.
It felt right.
This is what tonight should have been remembered for.
"Sammy..." Alice whines in my ear, taking my attention back to the moment, and realizing I was in a bit of a pickle.
The way Alice's eyes sparkled and the way she bit her lip...
Yeah, we were going to be heading out early.
But first...
"So? Did I meet your expectations?" I ask with a chuckle, brushing a sweaty lock of hair from her forehead.
My sweat, I realize, as Alice doesn't sweat. She was covered in my exertions and...okay, it was hot.
"Yessss," Alice hisses breathlessly, "Sammy, I had such a great time I...I can't even put it into words. I feel so happy right now. So alive; so loved...I could...Well, I think we both know what I am going to do to show you how happy you made me tonight." She finishes with a sultry laugh.
"I suppose we should get outta here, then shouldn't we? Wouldn't want you to cause a scene." I tease.
"I am actually tempted to take you in front of everyone here. I'm not even kidding. I'm so hot right now that I could melt the icecaps," Alice purrs with a completely straight face.
I laugh with her, wrap my arm around her shoulder, and start making my way to the exit with her in tow. On the way to the exit, we get more than a few catcalls, and congratulations on our amazing dance moves.
It was at the door to the gymnasium that everything went wrong.
"And now, a request from Mrs. Henderson. Teachers, it's your and your partner's time to shine!" The DJ says from the other end of the hall.
Mellow guitar notes sound, and I freeze.
Oh My Love - My Darling - Roy Orbison
The room spins.
The ground loses cohesion.
Dirty blonde hair. Green eyes. A smile that made me weak in the knees.
"Sammy?"
An awkward crush.
Laughter shared.
A first date.
Love. Feeling fulfilled.
"Sammy, what's wrong?"
A first kiss, awkward as it was precious.
Promises of a better life.
Promises of a future. Marriage. Children.
It all crumbles to dust.
She was taken from me.
Taken by a monster.
"Janet, he just went limp...I don't know either- Sammy! Where are you going!?!"
A monster I never knew I was.
Me.
The smiles turned to screams.
The love devolved to desperate begging.
Trust shattered into mindless fear.
The monster didn't stop.
"Sammy! Stop, talk to me!"
The monster took what it wanted.
It watched the life drain from her green eyes.
It smiled in delight at the power that flooded its veins.
It left her cold and lifeless, without dignity.
A husk was all that was left...
The only thing that remained of her...
The monster discarded it without a second thought.
"Samuel! Your magic is- Gah! Stop him, we will keep the others away!"
Disposed of by the monster's family.
There was no peace for her parents, only another missing person that would never be found.
The monster comes back to himself...
Anguish.
Confusion.
Loathing.
He tries to end it all, but is stopped.
His family tries to offer comfort, but all the monster feels is betrayal.
They are all monsters.
And he is the worst of them.
The image of the future is shattered into so many broken pieces.
'Maybe Aria and the Volturi were right. Maybe we shouldn't exist.'
"Sammy!"
* | * | *
"Sammy...Sammy, please, please come back to me..."
I wake, lying on my back in the middle of the forest. Jagged pillars of ice skewer the ground, and the broken remains of trees lie splintered and scattered all around.
"Alice?" I ask, my voice sounding distant and confused.
The little Pixie straddles my chest, bearing her teeth and holding my hands locked above my head.
"Oh, thank God. Are you back with me now?" She asks in a breathless tone, clearly more than a little tired.
"I...Where are we?" I ask, blinking the fog away and furrowing my brow in confusion as I realize I didn't recognize anything in our surroundings.
I also felt like shit. My head was ringing so hard I was seeing 3 versions of Alice overlapping each other.
All three Alices glare down at me, taking an unsteady breath with tears brimming in their eyes. "We are in Vancouver. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. I have been looking for you for three days, you jerkface."
"Three days? Weren't we just at the dance?" I ask. That was probably a dumb question in hindsight, but my mind can't seem to connect my current situation and the amazing night of dancing we shared.
Alice starts crying violently.
She wrapped her arms around me and ran her hands through my hair and across my face as if to make sure I was still there.
I am smart enough to hug her to me and say nothing. Something wasn't right, and it didn't sound like I had any right to be pushy now.
"I was so sacred, Sammy." She says after a few long moments of sobbing.
"What...what happened?" I ask finally, gently.
Alice looks up at me with a helpless expression. "That's what we want to know! We were leaving the dance, everything was perfect, and then you suddenly dropped to your knees. You started shaking and mumbling something, then got up and sprinted off. We tried to follow you, but you...You summoned a blizzard, Samuel. The worst one Forks has ever seen. One moment you were right in front of us, and the next there was a wall of snow and sleet in all directions. We even lost each other in the blizzard for a while..."
Blood drains from my face as I stare at her in shock.
"It was...bad. No one died, but there was a lot of property damage. Half of the school's roof was blown off. Our house is fine, but they had to turn the Town Hall into a makeshift refugee camp. The National Guard was called in to secure Forks and relief efforts have been coming in droves...as has quite a bit of attention from scientists all over the US. The blizzard forming made no logical sense..."
It was as if a pit had opened beneath me. I felt my stomach fall lower than my feet.
"I...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Alice. I never meant...I don't know how...I can leave-"
"None of that. We don't blame you...well, Ross does, but he's always been a bit of a prick. We want you to come home, Sammy. We need to work through this, but it isn't anything we can't try to solve together. That's why I am out here with Elenore, searching for you...You're damn hard to find even with a Telepath and Precog..."
"I've been running for a very long time...I guess it is second nature to hide myself..." I admit, and then I feel the cold pale of dread wash over me.
"Alice...What kind of attention has this drawn...?"
She winces.
"Nothing from the Vultori, you don't need to worry about that. They don't know of any vampires that control ice out here, so there is no reason they would suspect anything...But there have been other groups poking their noses around." She admits slowly.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I can't help but take a breath of relief. I was still not on the Vultori's radar, it would seem. "What groups?"
Alice gives me a helpless shrug, "Wizards and Paranormal Investigators."
Huh...I guess that makes sense.
"And...are they looking for me?" I clarify.
Alice shakes her head in a So-So gesture. "Not you specifically, but they are on the look out for an unregistered Ice Wizard. No one has connected you with the blizzard, and we have convinced everyone that you got caught up in it and are home sick. School is closed while they repair the roof, so it has been pretty simple in the chaos. But...you being gone right after this happened...We need to get you back and play everything off as normal as soon as possible to avoid suspicion."
"Alright...Alice, I am so sorry...I'm not really sure what happened myself, but I'll tell you all I remember when we get back home." I say, hugging her softly again and sitting up from the ground.
"You better...you...Sammy, please don't do that to me again. I know that isn't fair for me to say since you clearly are just as lost as I am, but I thought you abandoned me." Alice says in barely a whisper, and I immediately hug her tightly to reassure her that is not the case.
"I would never abandon you, Alice. I would do anything for you...I am not sure what happened, but I promise I will do whatever you want to work through it." I promise.
"Good. Because you nearly killed me a couple of minutes ago, and I am all kinds of in my head right now."
"I did what!?!" I shout, then take in my surroundings again.
"A-Alice...I...I attacked you?" I stammer uncomprehendingly.
She nods slightly before taking a deep breath and smiling at me, "But it's fine. You weren't yourself. We can work through this."
Suddenly, I didn't know if that was true.
Was I too dangerous to be around?
"Out of your head, Samuel. We will work on this together." Alice says with a steely glare and a glint of anger in her eyes.
I nod, but my heart isn't in it.
I had snapped.
I had put the entire coven at risk and endangered the whole city.
I had summoned attention from the supernatural communities.
I had done every single thing I promised I wouldn't do. And worse, I had no idea what triggered it. I had no idea what caused it. All of that memory is just...blank.
How would they trust me after this?
Alice grabs my hand and starts pulling me along. "Together, Samuel. You are not alone in this anymore. We will figure this out."
"Yea...Sorry..." I mumble but shake my head and focus. Now was not the time for this.
"When you say I summoned a blizzard...?" I hedge, feeling a bit held up on that part of the story.
"Yeah, it was fucking crazy. 100 MPH winds and -40 degree weather outta nowhere. It hit so fast we couldn't even communicate through it. By the time we regrouped, it had passed through town and wrecked everything before continuing further North, following you, we assumed."
Wow. That sure didn't sound like something I could do. Never done anything that powerful before..."B-But no one died?"
Alice looks back at me and offers an odd smile. "Yeah...that is actually one of the reasons the Paranormal Investigators are out here. Not only did it not kill anyone, but the ice reacted oddly to those stuck in the blizzard. One car was picked up and gently put aside on the road. A guy who was out walking his dog found himself in an instant igloo. A family whose house was caving in instead found the walls frozen solid and the debris swept neatly outside. One person even claims that a lady who had a heart attack when the blizzard hit somehow ended up at the hospital, and her life was actually saved."
I blink at her in surprise. That made...no fucking sense? What the hell?
"To me, that proves the kind of man you are, Sammy. Even in the worst situations, you put others before yourself...Though, I will admit this time you also caused the situation to begin with..." Shrugging, Alice continues, "Either way. Wizards of the White Council are here looking for someone to blame. The Paranormal Groups are convinced there is a kind elemental or ancestor spirit protecting the people of Forks...something more than a few townsfolk have chosen to believe." Now she was smirking.
"I...don't understand any of this," I say with a sigh.
"Let's figure it out," Alice says while interlocking our fingers.
""Together."" We say as one and make our way back to Elenore.
I clearly have more issues than I thought, but, in the end, she came for me. That has never happened before.
I was lost, and Alice found me, picked me back up, and then set me on a path to fixing this. Almost exactly like what she did when she found me several months ago.
'Great. I'm a stray.'
Once again, I found a new way to love her and hardened my resolve to be worthy of her.
But...did I really summon a fucking blizzard?
