FORKS, WASHINGTON

FORK’S HIGH SCHOOL

Alice once again found herself gazing out the window, admiring the matching buildings and maroon-coloured bricks that made up the school. If she was asked to, Alice could pick out the ten bricks she placed there herself.

It felt like a lifetime ago, and for most humans, it was… alas, she – and none of her family – were humans. Time didn’t pass through them but around them, and Alice couldn’t help but be displeased with time.

After all, Rosalie had reached full maturation before she was bitten, but Alice still had some left to grow, being stuck below five feet tall was not exactly the future she imagined for herself.

That was ironic considering she could see the future, and change it.

Recently, Alice had been having trouble with that as well – the visions that came as abruptly as they went and told her nothing of what she wished to see. Edward was concerned, keeping track of all the visions and what they could mean for the family.

But somehow, Alice knew this did not concern the family – the visions felt as personal as they came. It was as if her visions were preparing her to face some great tribulations she was not ready to know about.

And it came again – this time in the form of a song.

It would do that sometimes – a range of songs so Ancient that only Carlisle could barely guess their origins.

And other times, the music was much more modern, but always precise to the emotion, as if telling a story of heartbreak, longing, anger, pain, and inevitability.

Alice froze and Edward keyed into her frequency while Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett fidgeted, even more, hoping no one would notice the unnatural, death-like, stillness that had overcome Alice.

Awaken Ishtar 🎵 🎶
rise from the depths 🎵 🎶
you've travelled so far 🎵 🎶
and enough blood has been shed 🎵 🎶
awaken Ishtar 🎵 🎶
steward of heaven 🎵 🎶
stand strong as the queen you are 🎵 🎶
guide our ascension 🎵 🎶

From the underworld, you've journeyed 🎵 🎶
through the 7 gates of the ancient womb 🎵 🎶
to meet the shadow 🎵 🎶
Goddess 🎵 🎶
Mother of the sacred tomb 🎵 🎶

awaken mother Ishtar 🎵 🎶
sister rivers rise 🎵 🎶
to loves all-knowing star 🎵 🎶

It lasted about a minute this time.

“That was the most complete one you have had to date,” Edward sunk into deep thought. “I couldn’t understand it though. I think Carlisle would love to decipher the language of this one. It is such a beautiful song.”

“What is it?” Rosalie questioned rather eagerly since the matter of Alice’s mystery vision had piqued her interest recently. “Is it something else I can help with?”

Actually, it was Rosalie who deciphered one of the more modern songs since she was usually the only person in the family who kept up with the world and its trends. Carlisle minded as much as the science was there, and Esme cared more about blending in but never went out of her way to learn more than was necessary.

That left Rosalie as the expert in everything modern – technology, music, trends, and the like.

“Maybe, you can che-” Alice froze mid-sentence as she realized Edward had said something perplexing. “Edward, did you say you were unable to understand the song just now?”

Edward frowned and tapped into Alice’s mind as she hummed the song and got the same result – it was in a language he couldn’t understand beyond knowing it was very Ancient, the kind even Carlisle would have trouble with.

One of his many Ph.Ds. happened to be in proprietary linguistics, and it should still be viable given he got it a mere ten years ago.

“It’s in a language I cannot recognize. Why?”

“Because I can understand it.” Alice frowned as the words flowed naturally from her lips. “Awaken Ishtar - rise from the depths - you've travelled so far - and enough blood has been shed - awaken Ishtar - steward of heaven - stand strong as the queen you are - guide our ascension.”

“Babylonian,” Rosalie murmured in surprise. “Ancient Babylonian at that – before the fall and rise of a new empire.”

She was blonde, vain, and much rather fill her mind with the latest fashion knowledge than work up to another degree, but that still didn’t change the fact that she was once an expert in History a decade ago.

“I guess you know Ancient Babylonian now,” Emmett shrugged, not finding a big deal in learning an extra language or two, even though he knew five at this point, and that was accomplished by passive learning.

“Your emotions,” Jasper slowly opened his mouth and pulled Alice deeper into his arms – a position she was more than happy to fill. “Your emotions are being pulled with the visions – the music is like subtle emotional brainwashing.” He frowned in displeasure at the unique feel of the emotions Alice experienced with each new vision.

Jasper knew the taste well since Maria – the vampire who turned him – also had a talent for messing with others’ emotions, and it felt a lot like where Alice’s visions were currently heading.

“We should discuss this with Carlisle when we get home. For now –” Edward scanned the thoughts of everyone in the cafeteria, finding that almost everyone was subtly glancing in the direction of their table. “We should limit our excitement since it makes the human excited as well.”

“Look alive, Edward,” Jasper warned. “I feel strong feelings of determination coming from her today.”

Edward scanned a specific table in the cafeteria, finding that Jasper was right and Jessica had decided that today was the day she nabbed Edward Cullen for herself.

As Jessica started her journey forward, others in the cafeteria started to go silent, but their thoughts were becoming louder.

Alice paused for a while and stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds. “Don’t reject the girl all at once, it will end badly and bring attention to the family if you do. Just answer maybe twice and next week you can reject her completely if she doesn’t take the hint.”

Edward cocked a brow and read Alice’s latest vision – a rope, Jessica hanging from the ceiling, and a rather conspicuous note that stated Edward Cullen was the last straw. He now saw the problem.

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CULLEN’S FAMILY RESIDENCE

THAT NIGHT

Carlisle scanned the language on the paper alongside the translation Alice had written and couldn’t help but be surprised when he recognized bits of it. Those memories were so long ago, that even with a vampire’s memory, Carlisle found himself struggling to remember them.

“Very interesting,” Carlisle rubbed his chin. “I remember some of it from my time in the Volturi, and even then, they had only learned of a part of this song from the destruction of the Romanian Coven who learned it from Amun – a friend of mine.”

“A very complicated history, indeed,” Esme frowned, she didn’t like the new mystery – mystery meant risks, and she wasn’t in the business of taking risks. “We should send it to Amun and have him handle the rest from there.” She suggested.

“I agree,” Carlisle nodded and slipped the page to Rosalie. “But Rosalie should also take a look at it and see what she can find. I am sad to say that she is often more determined than me when dealing with such matters.”

“Thanks, Carlisle.” Rosalie beamed inside, but try not to show it on the outside.

But there was no hiding such strong emotion from Jasper, nor such grateful thoughts from Edward – he sent a knowing smile in her direction that just annoyed Rosalie that much more.

Alice frowned, hesitating to speak because what she was about to say next was nearly impossible for them. – It felt like dreaming.

“It felt like dreaming,” Edward spoke the thoughts in Alice’s mind before realizing what he had done. “I am sorry, Alice.”

Alice wore a weak smile. “It’s fine, I was just about to mention it.”

“Are you sure it’s not a growth in your power that’s allowing you to glimpse the past?” Carlisle questioned as it took every ounce of self-discipline inside him to not dig into the matter further.

As a Christian, Carlisle had spent his entire immortal life wondering if he would be condemned to oblivion or hell for choosing to be what he was, and there were things lost as a vampire – things that could never be regained, and dreaming was one of them.

But if Alice’s vision were akin to dreams, even if she was infinitely unique amongst other vampires, Carlisle would see hope for even a race as forsaken as his own.

Jasper could feel Carlisle’s shaken emotions, while Edward could glimpse the thousands of thoughts of possibilities rotating in Carlisle’s head. Esme was no different, filled with worries about what certain revelations may bring.

“She is too young for her power to develop into this, and it takes training,” Esme stated the obvious – reluctantly so. “Her ability is as it’s always been unless we didn’t understand it before. It is more likely that it’s an entanglement event.”

“An entanglement event?” Emmett was at a loss, and he wasn’t the only one.

Only Esme, Carlisle, and Edward understood what an Entanglement event was, and even then, Edward only now came to understand when the thought flashed through Esme’s mind.

“It is what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force,” Carlisle clarified, gesturing to Alice. “In Alice’s case, it could be that at some point in the future, she meets someone who has the ability to alter the past. It rarely ever happens – maybe twice in a thousand years, but abilities that naturally counter each other do exist.”

“What happened to the entangled parties?” Alice inquired, snaking her fingers between Jasper’s.

“We don’t know,” Carlisle admitted. “It has happened twice within the Volturi, and they’re not exactly eager to share such information, but from what I was able to glimpse – all entanglements end at some point.”

“All that’s left is to keep an eye out,” Rosalie concluded, attaching the note of the lyrics Alice had written onto a canvas, and hanging it on the wall where everyone could see it. “Our second family mystery, and this time, I hope we are able to solve this one.” – After all, we have never been able to find out where Alice came from, she popped into the family out of the blue.

Edward’s expression remained impassive – some thoughts didn’t need a reaction.

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FORK’S FOREST OUTSKIRTS

TWO WEEKS LATER

They were in a cave.

The walls were damp.

Ikaris awakened to find Goose2 curled in his arms, and even without knowing exactly what happened while he was unconscious, it was easy to connect most of the dots immediately.

It helped that Eternals, even as weak as he was, never really let their entire minds rest at one time. There was always that small bit of them aware if anything were to happen around them, and Ikaris was slowly mastering that perk.

“Two weeks, huh?”

Ikaris glanced at the permanent scar on his chest and realized just how reckless he had been, and the amount of grief such recklessness caused Goose2, who went to great lengths to ensure he wouldn’t die.

MEOW

“Good morning to you too, beautiful,” Ikaris laid the compliments on thick, knowing that Goose2 was still a child in many ways, and hence, very easily pleased. “You look so beautiful today, did you recently groom?”

HISS – HISS – MEOW

While Goose2 was not as gullible as she seemed, a small part of her vain heart still revelled in the compliments, though a couple of well-timed hisses were able to conceal the glee within.

At least, she hoped it was.

“Hmmm…” Ikaris touched the scar on his chest. “Why is the scar not healing?”

MEOW – MEOW – MEOW – MEOW – MEOW

“So, wounds made by you don’t heal?” Ikaris was surprised at the information, finally realizing it took Goose2 two weeks to get the rod out of his body because she couldn’t make deeper wounds in his body since that would have killed him for sure.

Goose2 had been forced to peel away the surface of Ikaris’ skin, remove the rod, and placed the Eternal inside her personal dimension where he took a week and a half to heal as a normal human would.

“You have worked hard,” Ikaris gave Goose2 a proper rubbing. “How about we get you something to eat – you can order as much as you like… as long as you don’t eat people.”

MEOW

The feline’s reply was a very reluctant meow, but Ikaris could hear the deeper purring hidden between the sounds – Goose2 was a bit excited, and as if her voice wasn’t enough to portray that, her swaying tail told the entire story.

‘So innocent.’ Ikaris thought and sniffed at his current clothing, noting it had become a dirt gown due to his recent unconsciousness. “Got any more clothing for me? Preferably, something with a jacket or hoodie and sharp shoes? We don’t have any money, so if we’re gonna buy something, we at least have to look rich enough to owe them.”

Goose2 purred in agreement, but the guilt in her eyes told Ikaris that she was all out of the miracles that came from her gut. There could have also been a bit of shyness in there somewhere – Ikaris could not tell exactly.

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FORK’S MILL AREA, OUTSKIRTS

Ikaris slipped out of the forest with Goose2 wrapped firmly around his neck, seeming almost like a squirming scarf. The area was a little isolated, but after about thirty minutes of walking, The Eternal could see more and more people.

And of course, they could see him and smell him.

“I need a change of clothes,” Ikaris mumbled as he dipped under the covering of a nearby shack, scanning the street to see how he could acquire the basics: communications, clothing, and money.

It took a couple of seconds for The Eternal to narrow down his prospects to exactly three groups of people, and the choice became even more apparent the next moment when one particular group offered themselves up.

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“Are you sure you got everything?” Robin was standing; he wasn’t able to sit after what just happened. “Did anyone see you?”

“Of course, nobody saw me!” Teddy spat back, equally as nervous since it was possible he was indeed seen. “I copied the key and went in when everyone was on their lunch break.”

“Just pop it open and see what we get,” Kyle – the bully and true planner behind today’s events – yelled at the other boys. “And if you don’t get those fucking leg-ins my girl wants, you’re going back into that fucking store.”

“Excuse me.”

The boys froze where they were.

“I need those suitcases you stole,” Ikaris continued as politely as possible.

Kyle and the boys took a couple of steps back, imagining huge armed guards behind them, but when they got a good view of who it was – five-four, black hair, no older than fourteen – Kyle found his nerve once more.

“Get out of here you piss ass weird-speaking freak.” Kyle’s tongue dripped with venom, and the boys behind him also came to their footing, cracking their fists like villains to show what would come next.

MEOW (Translation: Maybe, I can eat these ones? I prefer the smaller ones anyway.)

“Maybe – I mean no!” Ikaris was almost caught off-guard by Goose2’s question so it was best to deal with the matter before things got out of hand.

The Eternal took a couple of steps forward, standing just short of the suitcases of clothing on the ground. “I said…” Ikaris stretched his wording and deepened his Scottish accent as his eyes started to glow with golden Cosmic Energy. “I need those suitcases you stole. Does anyone have objections?”

Kyle’s knees buckled after witnessing the ominously glowing eyes of Ikaris, and the other boys – much less brave than Kyle – especially had no objections. By the time the boys had regained their bearings, Ikaris was already dressed in a new suit and escorting two suitcases out of the alley.

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45 BEAVER AVENUE, FORKS

Ikaris and Goose2 sat on the bench across the street from a small park, enjoying the fruits of their spoils. A couple of things in the suitcases were easy to sell to kids so they did just that, made a bit of money, and proceeded to buy snacks from the nearest store.

But another problem popped up when it came to dividing the snack.

MEOW – MEOW – MEOW

“What do you mean you did most of the work so you should get the last bag of chips?” Ikaris wasn’t taking Goose2’s bullshit anymore; he was motivated to get the last bag. “I was the one who almost exposed myself with glowing eyes. Four people have seen my eyes glow now!”

MEOW – MEOW (Translation: I was watching your back, and I could have solved the problem by eating them if you allowed me to. Aren’t you trying to stop me from contributing? Maybe… we need to rethink this partnership.)

“You can have the last bag,” Ikaris popped it open and laid the delicious chips at Goose2’s royal feet, but as it turned out, neither of them would have a chance to enjoy it.

WOO – WOO – WOO – WOO

WOO – WOO – WOO – WOO

WOO – WOO – WOO – WOO