Chapter Three: Control

– Alice

This would be difficult… I walked over to the body of Bella. Luckily, there wasn’t very much blood. Edward had been very clean for a vampire. Still, I stopped breathing. I knelt next to her body and placed two cold fingers lightly on her pulse, not expecting anything, she’d stopped breathing after all.

I was wrong.

My eyes widened. I had to get her to Carlisle as fast as possible. I picked her up and —

I carried Bella’s body up the steps to a waiting Carlisle. He took her from me and lifted her inside and onto a table.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“They decided to go hunting.”

I understood. Not everyone had Carlisle’s sense of control. I backed out the door, not willing to test my limits.

“Alice…” I turned back at his voice. He shook his head. “We’ll need to notify Charlie. He will not be happy. Neither will the wolves. They will come as soon as they have enough to slaughter us. Where is Edward?”

“He… left. It cant be too late for her! She was breathing just before I ran here!”

“It was too long. I’m sorry Alice.”

No. I couldn’t let that happen. I looked down at the crumpled heap where I’d dropped Bella. But… I didn’t know any medicine. I’d never had any interests in science, not at any of the schools and universities, not even with Carlisle. I knew now how Carlisle must have felt all those years ago, and why he chose to be a medical doctor. I shook my head, willing there to be another outcome, but no vision came. I only had one choice, but would Carlisle forgive me? I closed my eyes, grasping at the vision… but it was only the same one. I didn’t want to. I didn’t trust myself to… If I killed Bella it would be even worse. If I —

I couldn’t think about it. I could only do it.

I found the marks on her neck where Edward had bitten… but I couldn’t bring myself to bite her neck, it would be too much like the books and movies where all the vampires were evil. I lifted her wrist… but would it be enough? Would there be enough blood flow? How did it even work? Did I bite and suddenly she’d be one of us? No, Carlisle said three days of pain. Pain. Could I force her through that? It was either that or death. I didn’t know her well enough to know which she would choose. Now I knew how Carlisle really did feel, backing before turning Esme and Rosalie. At least Edward had had his mother’s permission, and Emmett had always said he was willing as long as Rosalie was there. And Jasper…

I pushed all those thoughts aside, and gently sank my teeth into her flesh.