When the final bell rang, my good mood lasted exactly until I reached the parking lot.
The air was cool and damp, that familiar Forks mist clinging to everything; cars beaded with moisture, asphalt darkened as if it had soaked up the sky. Students drifted past me in noisy clusters, laughter and slammed doors echoing between rows of vehicles. It should've been just another Wednesday.
Then I saw her.
Alice Cullen was leaning against my car, arms folded loosely, posture deceptively relaxed. If you didn't know her, you might've thought she was just waiting for a ride. But I knew better. Alice never showed up unannounced without the universe preparing to punch someone in the gut.
My smile faded before I even reached her.
It wasn't that I didn't like Alice. Hell, most days she was the brightest thing in any room she entered. But today… today her eyes were sharp, focused somewhere far ahead, like she was bracing for impact. No bounce in her step. No excited grin. Just tension, wound tight beneath porcelain skin.
That never meant anything good.
"Hello, Mike," she said.
Her voice was polite, smooth, but the usual cheer was gone, stripped away like color from a photograph.
"Hey, Alice," I replied, forcing something casual into my tone. "Good to see you. You… need something?"
As if on cue, I heard the unmistakable sound of Bella's truck door opening. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see her climb out. Her expression was full of concern as she started walking toward us. She had been about to leave when she noticed Alice.
Alice noticed her too.
"Could we talk somewhere else?" she asked quietly.
She lifted a hand and gave Bella a small wave; too small, too controlled to be reassuring, before opening my passenger door and slipping inside my car without waiting for an answer.
I let out a slow breath and looked back at Bella.
"Sorry," I mouthed, offering an apologetic shrug.
Bella hesitated, then nodded, though the worry in her eyes didn't fade. I could practically hear the questions screaming in her head as I got into the driver's seat and turned the key.
The engine rumbled to life. I pulled out of the lot and headed toward the trees lining the road, the school disappearing in the rearview mirror.
For a few seconds, the only sound was the car's engine and the faint whir of the heater fighting off the chill. Neither of us minded the cold, but I still turned it on out of habit.
"All right," I said finally, breaking the silence. "Talk. What's going on?"
Alice bit her lip.
That alone was enough to make my shoulders tense. Alice Cullen didn't hesitate unless the future was actively refusing to cooperate.
"Edward wants us to leave Forks," she said.
The words hit heavy, like a punch I'd seen coming and still failed to block.
I exhaled slowly and dragged a hand through my hair. "Yeah," I muttered. "I was afraid he'd pull something stupid like that."
The forest closed in around the road as we turned, tall evergreens swallowing sound, sunlight dimming into a muted green haze. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
"But what do you expect me to do?" I continued. "It's not like I can stop him if he's set his mind on it."
Alice's hands were clenched in her lap now, fingers interlaced tightly enough that I could see the tension even without superhuman eyesight.
"You can try," she said softly.
I snorted. "That's not exactly a plan."
"It's the only one," she insisted, turning to face me fully now. Her golden eyes were intense, almost pleading. "Every other option ends the same way."
I frowned. "And this one?"
She hesitated.
"I can't see the future where you interfere," she admitted. "Nothing. It's blank." Her voice dropped. "But that's why it matters. It's the only path that isn't already decided."
That made my grip tighten on the steering wheel.
Alice wasn't scared easily. If she was asking for uncertainty, it meant the alternatives were worse than anything unseen.
"Please," she said. "Just try to make him see sense. Even if you fail… it's better than not trying at all."
The familiar gravel path to the Cullen house came into view, winding through the trees like a private artery cut into the forest. I groaned as I turned onto it.
"Great," I muttered. "Guess I'm going to talk sense into the world's most stubborn century-old vampire."
"You're our best option," Alice said quietly.
I parked the car and shut off the engine, the sudden silence pressing in around us. "All right," I said after a moment. "I'll see what I can do."
I glanced at her, one corner of my mouth lifting. "And if words fail… maybe a little hands-on therapy will help."
Alice let out a small, almost genuine smile. "Just don't hurt him too badly."
"No promises," I replied, pushing the door open. "Depends on how hard he makes it."
She sighed, that smile fading into something strained. "I fear you'd have to kill him, then."
I paused, one foot on the ground, and looked back at her.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," I said.
But even as I stepped out of the car, the weight in my chest told me hope wasn't exactly on our side.
…
(Sorry about the extra short chapter. I'm a bit busy with new year's preparations. Happy New Year btw, still 10 hours to go here, but in some places I guess it's already 2026. 🐢🎶)