Chapter One
Olympia's Buzz
Alice

My alarm clock blared at five o'clock early Monday morning, sending me sitting upright in shock and shutting off my clock as soon as possible.

After taking a few minuets to calm down and recover my breathing, I went into my private bath and showered quickly, twisted my wet long black hair up into a ballerina bun, and got dressed in my favorite outfit. A crimson red skater skirt, black tights, matching crimson red high heels, and a black sweater.

As I went to pick up my foundation, I was suddenly pulled into a vision.

Brilliant sunlight. Laughter. Bronze hair. Cold lips. Taunting banter and playful jokes.

I smiled to myself as my sight returned to me. Edward always puts me in a good mood, even if he doesn't know it yet.

I've had visions for as long as I can remember, some are pretty and then some are pretty horrific. The future is never set in stone, choices change, but one thing that's certain is that Edward and I are meant to be...and today's the day that we 'meet'.

After putting on some light makeup and getting my school stuff together, I left my room and crossed the hall to my seven year old little sisters room.

I opened her door and took just a minuet to look around her room.

Her walls were painted a lovely shade of pastel pink, decorated with pearl colored curtains and matching pearl painted furniture. My room was a dark green, my favorite color, with white accents.

My mother and I had spent a week last summer redecorating mine and my sisters rooms. We had had so much fun, picking out the perfect colors and painting together had somehow managed to bring us even closer then we already were.

"Alice?" Cynthia's sweet sleepy sounding voice called out from under her covers. "What are you doing?"

"I was just thinking about how pretty you are." I giggled and she laughed happily as she sat upright, her hair a mess.

"You're pretty too Alice." She smiled, still a little sleepy.

"Aww, aren't you sweet." I giggled. "Let's get you ready for school."

I braided her long strawberry blond hair into boxer braids and pulled out her new blue dress with some grey tights and grey shoes to match.

"I'll go make breakfast while you brush your teeth and get your book bag together." I smiled and headed downstairs.

I had already scrambled some eggs, made toast, and was just cooking bacon when my father marched downstairs, dressed in his police uniform.

My father, Mark, is the police chief of Olympia, Washington.

Oh, and he hates me.

"Good morning Alice." He smiled and headed over to start the coffee pot.

I guess we're going to play nice today.

"Morning." I responded, fixing Cynthia's plate first and then setting his on the breakfast nook's table.

Cynthia came downstairs then, and as soon as she saw our father she instantly started chatting happily, taking small breaks to shovel food into her mouth.

"Cynthia, don't eat so quickly, you might choke." I giggled and she laughed in response, slowing down her eating.

"Really Alice, you don't have to talk to her like that, you're not her mother." Mark reprimanded me sternly but quietly, so Cynthia wouldn't overhear him.

"Her mother is dead." I snapped at him, my voice quiet and soft but still vicious.

"Watch your tone." He barked, making me flinch and Cynthia's chatter stop. Mark started laughing and playfully nudged my shoulder, making Cynthia think he was joking. When she turned back to her food however, he punched his knuckles into my ribcage painfully and I clenched my teeth to avoid crying out in pain.

"Aren't you going to eat something Alice?" Mark asked, seeming like a worried father as he poured a cup of coffee

"I don't have much of an appetite anymore." I spoke through my clenched teeth, taking as deep of breaths as I could.

"Then take a plate up to your step-mother." He waved me on, like I was some housemaid instead of his eldest daughter.

I fixed Jessica, my new step-mother, a plate and grabbed a bottle of her weird detox tea from the fridge and headed upstairs to her and my fathers bedroom door and knocked softly.

"Come in." Her arrogant and stuck up voice called.

I opened the door to find her sitting at her vanity, rolling her hair up into curlers.

She's twelve years younger then my father and is convinced that she is a gift to everyone's presence, not to mention the fact that she believes she's the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. She is very pretty, I'll give her that, but she has an ugly soul and a demonic attitude.

"Oh, it's you." She sneered slightly and then put on a very convincing fake smile. "I'm so happy to see you Alie!"

"It's Alice." I giggled lightly, setting her plate and tea on her vanity in front of her.

"Oh, right, I was just thinking about how we never get to spend any time with each other." She took my hands in hers.

"Oh, that's alright." I giggled nervously.

"No its not!" She cried. "How are we ever going to bond if we never see each other?" She pouted.

"I-I don't know. But right now I have to go clean up the kitchen and finish getting Cynthia ready for school." I smiled apologetically.

"That's fine, go, shut the door behind you!" She smiled brightly, resuming her work on her hair, happy to be rid of me.

"Okay Cynthia, run upstairs and get your backpack." I ushered her as I finished cleaning up the kitchen.

"Have a good day at school Alice!" Mark smiled at me from his position at the coffee pot as I grabbed my car keys off of the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, it will be, we're getting new students today." I nodded and he cringed up.

"Alice, what have I said about-"

"Daddy! Do you like my new dress?" Cynthia giggled as she came bounding into the kitchen, unknowingly saving me from another beating.

"You look gorgeous sweetheart!" Mark praised her, showering her with affection and adoration, looking at her the way he used to look at me when I was her age.

"Okay, come on Cynthia, we have to get going or we'll be late for school." I cooed, holding out my hand for her to take.

She happily took my hand and I led her outside to my moms old minivan that my dad lets me drive now. I made sure she had her backpack, her lunch, and was buckled up before I pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Cynthia's elementary school.

"Alice?" Her sweet voice asked softly from the backseat, her mood unusually calm.

"Yes Cynthia?" I smiled at her reflection in my rear view mirror.

"Was Daddy gonna yell at you again?" She asked quietly and my heart hurt for her.

"Yes Cynthia, I think he was going too." I answered her, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.

"Why does Daddy yell at you so much?" She asked, watching the passing scenery intently.

"Daddy doesn't understand me like you do Cynthia." I chirped, smiling at her as much as I possibly could in the rear view mirror.

"Your pretty pictures?!" Cynthia perked up and resumed her usual loud personality, my smile convincing her that I'm alright.

"Yes Cynthia, my pretty pictures." I smiled softly at her as I pulled into a parking spot at her school. I climbed out and opened the sliding door for her, took her hand, and walked her inside like I do everyday.

"Bye Alice!" Cynthia hugged my waist and started giggling as she raced off to her classroom with one of her many friends.

"Bye Cynthia!" I laughed as I finished signing her in at the office.

"Oh, hi Alice!" Mrs. Deen, the mother of Cynthia's friend caught my arm as I went to leave.

"Hello Mrs. Deen." I smiled politely up at her.

"I just wanted to ask you how you were doing. With your mother being gone and sweet Cynthia still being so little, you've taken on a lot recently haven't you?" She smiled widely, but I knew what she was really doing.

She was only trying to get some decent rumor-worthy material out of me for her next 'book club' meeting, more like the gossip club. She was using a teenage girl with a recently deceased mother and a impressionable little sister to take care of to fuel her petty and pointless gossip.

"Yes, I suppose I have." I sighed.

"But, shouldn't your step-mother be taking Cynthia to school?" She smirked.

"Jessica is a very busy woman, with her modeling career and everything." I smirked back at her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head to school or I'll be late. Cynthia is still having a sleepover with Annie at your house this weekend, correct?" I smiled.

"Oh, sure, sure Alice." She smiled, obviously disappointed I didn't offer her anything juicer. "See you Sunday then." She said her goodbyes and I rushed back out to my van.

I quickly drove over to my high school, threw my backpack over my shoulder, and started walking inside.

When I was halfway to the school, I suddenly remembered a previous vision and stopped in my tracks effectively causing the person behind me to bump into me and knock me to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" A deep velvety voice apologized and helped me up off of the ground quickly.

I came face to face with Edward Cullen, my bronze haired vampire I've been seeing for the better part of a year. He was even more breathtaking in person. His nose was sharp and his features were all angular and perfect. His golden eyes were such a rich butterscotch and I took a brief moment to drown in his kind expression.

"It's okay Edward." I chirped, smiling up at him as he towered over me.

He looked shocked. "How did you-"

"Oh, I know a lot about you Edward." I giggled. "Don't worry though, I won't say anything." I winked and peered around him to see his siblings looking at me with wide eyes.

"Hello Emmett and Rosalie." I smiled and waved at them.

"Hey." Emmett confusingly waved back, a amused but cautious glint in his eyes.

"I'll see you in Biology." I smiled up at Edward and turned back towards school.

"Wait!" Edward called and I stopped, looking at him from over my shoulder. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Alice." I smiled and rushed off to my first class.