By the time they arrived in Phoenix, the sun was up and Bella was passed out in the back seat. Courtesy of Jasper and his inability to deal with the human anymore. Sometimes having a gift that allowed him to manipulate people was a blessing. Maya had slept as well, a much more natural one, but the sun in her eyes had woken her a little while ago. As they pulled up to the hotel Maya got out to go check them in while Jasper pulled into the underground parking lot to avoid the sun. She got them one room to share, as it would be easier to protect Bella if they were all together, and then met them by the back stairs.
Since Bella was still asleep, Jasper carried her up to their room while Alice and Maya handled the bags. Once they were in the room, Alice sped around closing the blinds to keep the sun out while Maya headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. She had no idea what would be happening next and wanted to take the time while they had it to get clean and take a chance to relax as much as she could.
As she rinsed off, she couldn't help but think over their situation. In a way she was actually grateful that the nomads had stumbled upon them while they were playing baseball and not some other time. Due to the competitive nature of the family when they played, they all tended to hunt before the game so they could all be at their best. Which worked out well for them as it meant they wouldn't have to worry about feeding for at least a few days. It also meant that they were all at their strongest and if Laurent wasn't exaggerating which ever group went up against James was going to need it.
Shaking herself from her train of thought she quickly finished rinsing out her hair and turned the taps off. Quickly she redressed and stepped out of the bathroom. Towelling off her hair as she moved through the room, she looked around to see Bella still asleep and Jasper and Alice talking quietly on the couches. Tossing the towel over a chair, she made her way over to them and curled up next to Jasper, his arm automatically moving to pull her closer.
"So, what's the plan?" Maya asked.
Alice shrugged, "nothing. We stay here and wait for them to call with an update or for me to have a vision."
"Well, that's a terrible plan" Maya snorted.
"Indeed, but as we got stuck with babysitting, it's the best we can do" Jasper agreed.
"Oh, so its all Alice's fault for volunteering us?" Maya teased, sending Alice a grin.
"Hey, I didn't hear you guys offering a better idea" Alice defended indignantly.
"That's because Edward was already set on his own ridiculous one" Jasper drawled, still not thrilled with his brother's plan of running and hiding. If Edward continued to have his way, they would be stuck dealing with James for the next century.
"Yeah, about that, how come Edward got to make all the decisions? Wouldn't it have been smarter to let you do the planning since you have more experience? Or even Carlisle, since he is the leader?" Maya pulled back a little so she could see Jasper's face.
"Perhaps, but lately it seems like Edward is not acting on logic and the rest of us are simply stuck following along with his ridiculous ideas as he blazes on ahead" Jasper conceded. He thought back on all that had happened since Bella had moved to Forks. How Edward had simply done as he wanted without a care for their family or how his actions impacted them. Grimacing he realized just how true his assessment had been.
"I told you guys earlier that I always saw those two getting together" Alice reminded them in an attempt to defend Edward's actions.
Jasper growled in annoyance at the reminder. "Yeah, but you never mentioned seeing how Edward would stop caring about his family and would start putting a human he has known for less than three months above those who have cared for him and supported him for decades."
Maya nodded in agreement, "Honestly Alice I'm happy for him. He deserves to find somebody to love who loves him just as much, but I don't think that it should come at the expense of everyone else."
Alice said nothing to that, silently agreeing with them that ever since Bella had come their brother had been pulling away from them. Instead, she turned the conversation to the topic of food and what they should order so Maya and Bella had a chance to eat.
By the time Bella woke up, the food had arrived and the three were quietly laughing on the couches as Maya ate. Bella walked in to find Alice tossing french-fries at Maya as she attempted to catch them in her mouth, complaining that it would be easier of they weren't so long. Jasper was off the side, out of the line of fire, laughing at how ridiculous they were being.
As Bella cleared her throat though, they stopped and Maya moved back over to lean against Jasper. Bella felt a flash of jealousy at once again seeing how close the two were and how easily they fit together. She wanted that for herself and Edward, but he insisted on being a gentleman and treating her like glass. Every time she tried to get closer or more intimate, he would pull away for fear of losing control.
Alice distracted her from those thoughts however, as she tried to convince Bella to eat something. As Bella picked at her food, she asked questions. She had every intention of becoming a vampire and wanted to know as much about it as she could before she was changed.
"So, can you tell me more about vampires? Like what did Emmet mean when he said that you and Maya were mates" She asked aiming the question at Jasper, pointedly ignoring Maya.
By this point, they had shifted, so now Jasper was leaning back on the couch and Maya was resting her head on his chest, his arms around her and their legs tangled together. Not moving, Jasper looked over at her with furrowed brows. "I'm not sure how to explain it" he confessed. Mates was a very instinctive thing. When you met yours, you just knew they were yours and felt the connection. It was simultaneously overwhelming and the greatest feeling in the world. Like you were being washed away in a storm, unable to fight the current and yet it was warm and comforting and lit up your life. Like you were finally whole and that you would do anything in your power to protect and care for the person that caused it. How did you properly describe that connection to someone who had never felt it?
"Like, how do you recognize your mate? And what makes me and Edward different from you two?" Bella asked impatiently, cutting through Jasper's thoughts.
Letting out a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, typically most of us recognize our mate by their scent first. It just draws us in. Not in the way that your blood does to Edward, where he wants to drain you dry, but in a way that overwhelms all other scents and makes us want to follow it. Not to feed, but to protect. Although, even if you don't catch the scent, the moment you lock eyes with them you just know that they're it for you." Jasper played with Maya's hair as he tried to explain it in a way that a human would understand.
Bella ignored the comment about her blood and Edward, still not believing that she was not his mate and thus not destined to become a vampire and instead turned to Alice. "What about you? Have you met your mate yet?"
Alice, shocked at her rudeness in asking like that, brushed it aside to answer. "Nope. I've caught glimpses of them in my visions and know I should be meeting them sometime in the next two years though."
Jasper gave a huff, "must have been a good glimpse. You've had part of your closet sectioned off for them for years and have practically filled it with outfits you think they would look great in." He was happy that Alice would soon find her mate, but honestly, his sister could be a little extreme in her prepping sometimes.
"Jasper be nice," Maya cautioned in a dramatic stage whisper, "After all, we all will owe this person a lot. Alice will finally have her perfect life-sized doll to shop for and play with and we will be spared from having to fill the role."
Alice scoffed and crossed her arms. "Are you kidding? I will definitely still be shopping for you all. Otherwise, who knows what kind of fashion disasters you would force me to witness."
"Are you saying I have no taste in fashion?" Maya arched a brow at her. She may not complain about Alice pretty much taking over in deciding what she wore day-to-day, but she would defend her taste if challenged.
"Oh, you have taste in fashion, you just prefer to bury it under Jasper's clothes" Alice complained.
Maya simply shrugged at that, relaxing further into Jasper's chest. She was unable to deny the truth as she did tend to spend a lot of time wearing Jasper's clothes and had no intention of changing that habit. After all, if the two queens of the vampire race could be seen every once in a while wondering the halls in their mates' shirts or capes, then she could certainly choose to practically live in Jasper's clothes.
"Well, I think you look amazing in my clothes Darlin'" Jasper said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"You're just saying that cause you think it marks me as yours" Maya teased, not at all upset by it. Now it was Jasper's turn to shrug at the truth of her words as Alice laughed at them.
Bella sat off to the side, silently fuming at how easy it was for Maya to get along with them and get them to open up to her. They barely interacted with her at all, and here Maya was laughing and joking with them as if it was nothing! She could not wait for Edward to turn her. Once she was a vampire they would welcome her just as they did Maya and then she could finally have the perfect family she deserved.
Bella opened her mouth to interrupt their family moment and finally get answers about what exactly Maya was when Alice got sucked into a vision. Maya was quick to jump off Jasper and run over to grab a pad of paper as Jasper moved to support Alice.
"What is it? What do you see?" Jasper asked, guiding a pencil into Alice's hand and down onto the paper Maya placed in front of her. Jasper had learned years ago that sometimes asking her questions while in a vision could help her to focus on certain aspects instead of just getting lost in watching the future play out.
"The Tracker, he just changed course" her voice trembled at what she was seeing.
"Where? Where will it take him Alice" Jasper questioned, as he ran his hand soothingly over her shoulder.
"Mirrors. A room full of mirrors" she described as her hand flew across the paper, sketching out what she saw.
"Edward said the visions weren't always certain," Bella stated, trying to understand what was going on and what this vision meant.
Jasper didn't want to answer the human right then, but he did, if only to get her to be quiet. "She sees the course people are on while they are on it. If they change their mind, the vision changes."
"Okay so the course that the Tracker is on now is going to lead him to a ballet studio?"
At this all three of them looked up from the drawing and at Bella, "you've been here?" Alice asked.
"I took lessons as a kid. The school I went to had an arch just like that."
"Was your school here in Phoenix?" Jasper asked, worried now that it seemed likely the Tracker knew where they were and was on his way.
"Yeah" Bella said before walking off to answer her phone.