" who the fuck are you "

Jasmine felt the rumble of the car as it sped down the highway, waking her from her uncomfortable sleep. She sat up groggily, eyes not quite open and the urge to yawn passing through her as she muttered, "What the fuck, Paolo? Slow the fuck down."

Her eyes snapped open at the quiet shriek that came from the passenger seat. "You're not Paolo," she stated, taking in the two startled girls who she had most certainly never met before, "Who the fuck are you?"

Alice huffed, cursing herself silently for not noticing that there was a human sleeping in the back seat. She kept her hands firm on the steering wheel, sparing Bella a glance and choosing to ignore the disgruntled girl, "We don't have time for questions," she said, focusing on the traffic and her visions.

"Alice, how did you not know she was here?" Bella mumbled accusatorily, sure to be too quiet for the other human to hear.

"I'm kind of preoccupied, Bella," Alice snapped, swerving easily through the busy streets.

Jasmine scoffed, crossing her arms haughtily, "You're going to make the damn time for questions. You stole my boyfriend's car!" she exclaimed, pausing momentarily to uncross her arms and point wildly at herself, "And me!"

"Look," Alice said firmly, "Just wait ten minutes and then I'll answer whatever you want."

Jasmine grumbled a quiet, "Fine," turning to glare grumpily out at the passing scenery and trying to figure out where her captors were taking her.

.

Ten minutes passed, quiet words passing between Alice and Bella as they discussed what Edward's next moves were. Jasmine ignored them, deciding that their conversation was of no value to her. She focused instead on the sea of red cloaks that gathered around the car. She'd never witnessed St. Marcus Day in person, only ever seeing clips of it on the news or pictures from when her friends would go without her.

Suddenly, the car came to a halt and Bella was running into the crowd and towards the clock tower. Jasmine startled at her sudden movement, jumping again as a police officer tapped impatiently on the driver's side window.

Jasmine quickly exited the car, fully prepared to tell the cop that she'd been kidnapped, but before she could, Alice was already trying to weave her way out of trouble.

"Ma'am, this car has been reported as stolen,' the cop said gruffly, snapping himself out of whatever spell Alice had begun casting on him.

Jasmine didn't know what came over her then, but she began speaking without thinking, "Signore, please. This is my boyfriend's car. My friend and I took it while he was asleep and I forgot to tell him," she said, her Italian accent thicker as she lied, "Please let me call him and sort this out."

The cop nodded, offering her a polite smile, "Do you need to borrow a phone?"
"Yes, please. I broke mine a few days ago and haven't replaced it," Jasmine stated, feigning a casual demeanor yet mentally cursing herself for helping a thief. She took the phone that the man offered and hurriedly dialed Paolo's number. He picked up after the third ring, frantic sounding and out of breath, "Hello?"

"Paolo, I'm sorry. I took your car without telling you," she said nervously, not ready for the yelling she knew was coming, "I'll have it back within the hour."

She heard his heavy breathing on the other line, his anger palpable, yet she kept a smile on her face as to not alert the cop or Alice of how much trouble she was in. "What have I told you about touching my car, Bitch? If there's one fucking scratch on that car you're dead," she said venemously, hanging up after his threat.

Jasmine returned the phone with a smile on her face, ignoring Alice's worried expression.

She couldn't possibly have heard.

The police officer nodded at the two girls, "Alright, Miss, sorry about that. Just be sure to let him know next time. He really seems to love his car."

Jasmine's smile became strained as she thought about how much Paolo really loved his car and how many bruises she'd gotten because of it.

Alice stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Jasmine's shoulder as she expertly ended the conversation. The man lingered for a few seconds, entranced by Alice's smile, before leaving on his bicycle.

Jasmine whirled on Alice once he was out of sight, a frown marring her soft features, "Now who the fuck are you?"

.

Alice introduced herself and explained what she could, apologizing for unintentionally kidnapping her. She was interrupted by a vision of Bella saving Edward, slumping in relief, "I need to catch up with Bella," she stated, moving to leave Jasmine with the car.

"Hold on, you can't just leave me here! You have to take the car, and me, back," Jasmine whined, grasping at Alice's gloved hand to keep her from leaving. She ignored the way Alice's eyes darked and focused on what looked to be glitter sparkling on her cheeks.

Alice averted her eyes, back and forth, as she thought about the outcomes of taking Jasmine with her. "Alright, come with me and once I know my brother is safe I'll take you back, okay?" She squeezed Jasmine's hand reassuringly before turning and manuevering the two through the crowds.

They ran at a human pace, their hands connected as to not lose one another among the hoards of people. Alice stopped them out side of the two grand doors not three minutes later, dropping Jasmine's hand and pacing for a few seconds.

Jasmine panted, looking in awe at the unaffected girl before her. She startled as Alice grasped her shoulders, "Do not enter those doors, okay? Stay here, and I'll come and get you in a few minutes," Alice said, sounding serious if not slightly ominous. Jasmine nodded dumbly, watching Alice push open the doors confidently before turning to slump against a pillar.

.

"You, Girl. You've been requested," A voice purred.

Jasmine jumped, turning to face the man who's interupted her people watching. She looked him over warily, trying not to hyperventalate as she took in his crimson eyes, "Sorry, I think you have the wrong person," she said, turning away from him and gnawing on her upper lip nervously.

He chuckled, "Your friend, Alice, said to fetch you. I'm only fulfilling her request."

Jasmine hesitated, not trusting the mischievious glint in his eyes but choosing to ignore her paranoid thoughts. She nodded in recognition, her insides curling as she watched a sadistic grin spread over his face.

"Follow me."

.

He led her through a maze of hallways, stopping at a large door. He opened it slowly, allowing her anxiety to build as she began hearing the voices on the other side.

"Master, I've brought the girl," he said, nodding once and moving to stand beside a mountain of a man. His 'Master' giggled excitedly as Alice's face dropped.

"Jasmine, what are you doing here? I told you to wait outside," Alice glared though her anger wasn't directed towards the naïve human girl. She turned to Aro, stepping forward, "Leave the girl out of this. She is innocent."

Aro chuckled, "She has been brought to Volterra against her will, yes, but she is not a mere bystander. You've seen it yourself that she will have a future as one of us." He turned to Jasmine, offering a hand and a threatening smile, "Come. Give me your hand, Child."

Jasmine stepped forward and let him take her hand, too scared and confused to question his motives. She watched as Aro greedily grasped at her hand, his eyes closed tightly in concentration, and she jumped at the snarl that erupted from one of the men behind her, turning to see that Bella was desperately clinging to him. She figured that he was Edward, the reason they were all in this mess.

He released her hand, an almost sympathetic expression on his face, "It seems that bruise on your cheek was not an accident," he stated, grinning down towards the flustered girl. She quickly moved a hand to cover her cheek, appalled that he had been able to see the bruise through her layers of foundation. He stepped back to sit lazily on his throne, flicking a wrist towards one of the many people lining the walls of the room, "Kill her. She would be grateful for it."

Jasmine's eyes flew open, wildly scanning the room for Alice but not finding her before she was engulfed in a pain unlike she had ever felt before. Screams left her mouth and her body dropped to the floor, flailing wildly. None of her senses were working. Even as the pain was subsiding, she was unable to see or hear what was happening around her.

A fight had broken out between Edward and the guards as Bella screamed for them to stop. Alice could barely contain her anger, fighting against the grip one of the guards had on her arms and glaring at Aro, "Stop!" she shouted, breaking free and moving towards Aro with a hand extended.

Aro motioned for Jane to stop, Jasmine's tortured cries turning into heart wretching whimpers as she curled into herself on the floor. "What have you seen?" he questioned, hungrily snatching Alice's hand.

"She will be changed," Alice muttered, "She's my mate."

.

Two Days Later

Jasmine woke up with the worst migraine she'd ever experienced. She kept her eyes closed, the light shining through her eyelids letting her know that she definitely wasn't looking forward to adjusting to it. It was silent in the room, only the steady beeps of a heart monitor meeting her ears, and she groaned as she realized she was in the hospital.

"Good, you're awake," Alice said chirpily from the bedside.

Jasmine shot up, her eyes opening, and she groaned from the brightness, bringing a hand up to her head, "What happened?" Once her vision focused, she let her eyes roam warily over Alice's figure.

"There's no time to explain-"

"Where have I heard that before," Jasmine muttered, rolling her eyes and ignoring Alice's impatient glare.

"As I was saying," Alice enunciated, "We have to leave now. Our flight is today." Alice fluttered around the room, passing a duffle bag to Jasmine before moving to throw out a bouquet of wilted roses.

Jasmine stared blankly at the clothes she'd pulled from the duffle bag, "You're leaving today?" She ignored the wave of disappointment that overcame her, continuing her inquiries, "What does that have to do with me?"

Alice chuckled breathily, "You're coming with me," she stated bluntly, smiling as Jasmine floundered, "Not only do my family and I have some things to explain to you, but I'm not going to leave you with that Paolo guy."

"I- I can't go with you," Jasmine ran a hand through her hair anxiously, "Italy is my home. I have a life here. I can't just leave."

Alice scoffed, "You have an abusive boyfriend here and a crummy job."

"How do you know where I work?" Jasmine asked, knowing that she should be more afraid than she was.

"Lucky guess," Alice grinned, "Come with me and my family. I know you'll love it in Washington!"

"I don't even know where Washington is!" Jasmine bundled the clothes, wrinkling them then tossing them away as Alice gave her a disapproving look. "How do I know you're not going to kill me?"

Alice gave a sad smile then, resting a cold hand on Jasmine's covered thigh and giving a squeeze, "I know you're going to be much happier with me and my family," she said seriously, "Trust me."

Jasmine gazed into Alice's amber eyes, ignoring every instinct that told her to run and choosing to follow the voice in her head that said:

"Yes."

.

"Allie, have you seen my keys?" An accented voice said through the empty house. Jasmine waited a few seconds for a response before huffing and trudging up the stairs towards the room she shared with Alice.

Alice waited impatiently on the couch in their shared room, a mischievous smirk on her face as she dangled the keys from her slim index finger. Her grin widened as the door opened and Jasmine's grumpy face came into view.

Jasmine sped towards Alice, tackling her and staring down at her with a playful glare, the keys now grasped firmly in her palm, "So you took my keys? Figures," she scoffed, rolling her eyes with a grin on her lips.

Alice leaned up, kissing Jasmine on both cheeks before placing a quick peck on her lips and pulling away, "I needed to get you up here somehow."

"Well you've got me here," Jasmine smiled, "Was there a specific reason you needed me?" She ran a hand through Alice's short hair, leaving her hand to rest against the couch behind Alice's head.

Alice flicked her gaze to the hand Jasmine held her keys in, "Take a look at your keys," she grinned.

Jasmine sent her a quizzical glance, opening her palm and seeing her keys. She looked closer, seeing the unfamiliar glint of a diamond hooked onto the teddy bear keychain Alice had given her.

Alice waited anxiously for Jasmine's reaction. Slowly sitting up and pushing Jasmine to sit before her, she took the keys and swiftly unhooked the ring.

"Allie," Jasmine trailed off, "Is this what I think it is?"

Alice nodded, holding the ring up between them, "Jasmine, will you marry me?"

Jasmine nodded quickly, throwing herself at Alice once again and laughing excitedly, "Yes, yes."

Alice beamed, slipping the ring on Jasmine's awaiting hand and holding up her own, a diamond shining on her left ring finger, "I knew you'd say yes."

word count 2301