Rain cascaded over Forks, carried by the relentless gust. Droplets, sharp as needles pitted against a silver Volvo as it sped past the Calawah River, following an unpaved path that led through the forest. A jeep wrangler was following close behind.
Inside the Volvo, Edward adjusted the rearview mirror until Alice came in to sight. She sat alone in the back seat, her head resting on the window, seemingly lost in thought. The seat beside her, usually taken by Jasper, stayed empty.
"Can't see him yet?" Edward questioned lightly, trying his best to sound comforting. Though he couldn't hide the concern in his eyes.
Alice brought her hands together, her eyes downcast. "Nothing. It's like he was never here in the first place... I'm sorry Edward I—"
"Don't be," Edward cut her off gently. "I couldn't read him either," though he tried his best to sound comforting, a shred of unease escaped.
To him, Dimitri was an enigma. Despite their encounter being brief, he could feel the danger radiating from him. His instincts warned him not to get close, and he wasn't his only problem. Bella Swan, her scent was too alluring for him to resist. He was afraid he'd lose control, and they couldn't afford that, not now. He rubbed his temples, a sigh of frustration escaping his lips. It was all too much for him to handle alone.
They rode in silence from then on, each lost in thought, until a large wooden structure came into view, their home.
The Cullen house was built mostly of wood, supporting large glass panels that would've been a bother had it not been built so deep in the forest, where privacy wasn't a problem.
Edward pulled the Volvo into the drive, wet gravel crunching under its weight. He pulled the keys out, wasting no time, went inside the house with Alice in tow. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper soon followed.
Inside, the siblings seated themselves on the couch, waiting patiently for their adoptive parents. No one dared to break the tillness that hung over the living room. Minutes passed without change until footsteps sounded from the porch, quickly followed by the sound of the door clicking open and closing.
A collective breath of relief escaped them when they recognized the familiar scent. Carlisle walked in with Esme, taking calm, deliberate strides. He stood at the center of the room, taking a brief look at his children before seating himself as well. Esme settled beside him, her hand brushing lightly against her husband's.
"There's no need to rush things," Carlisle began. "From what Edward told me over the phone, this Dimitri doesn't seem like an immediate threat." his eyes found their way towards Edward. "Were you able to hear anything else from him Edward, anything that might help us find his goal?"
Edward's jaw tightened. He shook his head. "Nothing. His mind is completely sealed off....I don't even know if he's doing it on purpose." Edward gazed at the window, as if expecting the storm outside to give him answers.
Carlisle turned to Alice, deciding against questioning Edward farther. "What of you Alice? have you seen anything in your visions?" His tone was noticeably softer than when he spoke to Edward, expectant but not overbearing.
"No," Alice shook her head, her face betraying no emotion. " I haven't seen him yet either."
She swallowed hard, then forced herself to meet Carlisle's eyes. "I don't like it. I've never been blind like this before."
Rosalie folded her arms, scowling. "Or maybe you just don't want to see him. You're giving him too much thought."
"Rosalie," Esme warned gently, but Alice didn't flinch.
"No. She's right." Alice's voice was quiet but firm. "I can't stop thinking about him, and that frightens me more than the visions."
Edward turned sharply toward her, alarm flickering in his eyes, but Alice avoided his gaze.
"I see... then there isn't much we can do for now. If he does turnout to be a threat," Carlisle paused, waiting for his words to settle.
"Then we will fight, the Denali will support us if he proves too difficult to handle." He finished with finality. No matter what, the family's safety had to come first.
"So what, are we going to wait till he makes a move himself?" Rosalie raised her voice, her distaste for Dimitri was obvious. She just couldn't accept it. Why did they have to be the ones who backed down, this was their home.
How powerful could he even be? she thought to herself. She never once thought for a second that they were inferior to this half-baked vampire.
"He hasn't done anything to warrant our hostility, Rose. We will wait." Carlisle's voice carried the quiet authority he'd nurtured for centuries, even she wasn't willing to go against his word.
Rosalie nodded and went back into silence, albeit a bit reluctantly. Emmett, being the supportive boyfriend he is, put his hand over her shoulder. A small gesture, but a meaningful one—at least for her.
With Jasper staying silent on the matter, Carlisle decided to bring the topic to a close. Dwelling on it further wouldn't bring any benefit, and he could see that Edward had more on his mind. Carlisle's expression softened when he spoke.
"Edward, stay with me. I think there's more on your mind. The rest of you, get some rest."
One by one, the others dispersed, footsteps fading until the house grew quiet again. Alice lingered by the stairs, eyes lowered, before slipping away to her room.
----
Alice opened the door to her room, its usual quiet was broken by the steady beat of raindrops pitting against the window. She closed the door behind her and jumped on to the bed. The mattress dipped slightly under weight as she sank onto it, her body curling up as if she could hide from her own thoughts.
She stared at the ceiling for a while, letting the rain fill the silence. It used to soothe her, a gentle distraction from the endlessness that felt suffocating at times, even with her family nearby. But now that same rhythm sounded like an omen, and she didn't know what it meant.
For the first time in decades, she felt blind, at the mercy of the unknown. And yet, there was no fear, only something entirely different. Something that could endanger not just her, but her entire family. She was getting curious.
Dimitri, Why can't I see you?
Alice pondered for a moment before reaching for a vision again. She wasn't willing to give up, not yet.
It ended exactly as she'd feared.
Nothing.
Just a blank expanse, as if the future's been cut of completely. Frustrated, Alice reached for the nightstand and grabbed hold of her sketchbook, she didn't mean to but did so anyway out of instinct. A few rough hatches and a silhouette of a face came into being. Every stroke of her pencil brought out the resemblance to the man in her mind, and yet something felt lacking. The eyes seemed wrong, and the lips curved at their edges, forming a smile that didn't feel the same.
With a resigned sigh, she tore off the page but didn't throw it away. Instead she folded it neatly, careful not to wrinkle it and pressed it close to her chest. She knew better than to leave everything to chance. But at that moment, she relished her blindness.
(End of chapter)
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A/N: Sorry for the delay again :( I'll do my best to stick to a schedule from now on😅. Maybe one chapter every two weeks. Thank you for your patience.
Plz tell me ur thoughts about the chapter. I thought it'd be fun to write from the Cullens perspective.
I've also decided to change the requirements for the system's activation. Once he fully masters his power, the original setup would've been pretty useless. I'll be rewriting just that part.
PRAISE DAGON!!!!! ╰（‵□′）╯