Alice Cullen

Alice Cullen (born Mary Alice Brandon) is a fictional character in the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

Personal history
Alice's early history is very vague, as she remembers nothing of her human life and woke up as a vampire, all alone. It is eventually revealed that she was born around 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi and was kept in an asylum because she had premonitions, which intensified into her "special ability" when she was changed into a vampire. While at the asylum she was kept always in a dark cell, which was another reason why she remembered so little. Alice was changed by a vampire who worked at the asylum (and did not survive) in order to protect her from James, a tracker vampire who was hunting her. She and Bella are the only two people to ever escape James. After doing some research, Alice found her grave and discovered that the date on her tombstone matched the date of her admission to the asylum (she had stolen her file from their records), perhaps implying that she was 'dead' to her family when they confined her there. Through her research she additionally discovered that she had a little sister named Cynthia, and that Cynthia's daughter, Alice's niece, is still alive in Biloxi.

Physical appearance
Alice shares many of the physical traits associated with Twilight vampires, such as inhuman beauty, pale skin, golden eyes (which deepen to black depending as thirst increases) and deep purple shadows under her eyes. She is described as being petite, the shortest of the Cullens at 4'10", "thin in the extreme", with small, "pixie-like" features. Her hair is described as cropped short, spiky, and black. She moves gracefully, continually cited as dancing, with a carriage that would "break any ballerina's heart", as described by Bella in Twilight.

Personality and traits
Alice is portrayed as being bubbly and optimistic, and loves and cares for Bella like a sister. She often ignores other people's advice and does things her own way, which usually results in the outcome being better than predicted. She has vicarious fun dressing up Bella "like a three-dimensional paper doll" and throwing parties, and loves shopping at expensive shops in large malls. She is very protective over Jasper and makes sure he keeps in line.

Vampiric traits
Like all vampires, Alice has enhanced strength and speed. Though petite, she is a capable fighter because of her agility, speed and ability to see the future. The premonitions that Alice experienced as a human are intensified in her vampire life, and she uses this ability to her advantage in order to keep her family safe. However, Alice's sight is limited: she can only see the outcome of a decision once it is made - meaning it can change all too quickly. Also, the future is subjective and Alice cannot see it once werewolves become involved. This is a mystery that Carlisle has theorized is due to the unpredictability of the werewolves, who, in the split second while they phase, don't technically "exist". She also cannot "see" Renesmee, Bella's half-vampire, half-human daughter in Breaking Dawn. Alice has theorized that she cannot see Renesmee and the "werewolves" because she has no experience as being one of them; she sees vampires because she is one, and can see humans "okay" because she was one. Alice, while talking about her talent, describes herself as being "far from infallible" overall. Alice's gift makes her greatly prized by the leader of the Volturi, Aro, who wishes to take her and incorporate her into his guard.

Romantic relationship
Alice foresaw Jasper Hale finding her in a vision before he even knew he was looking for her. They met face-to-face in a diner located in Philadelphia, where she told him that she had been waiting a long time for his arrival. A little bewildered but intrigued with her knowing him, Jasper "bowed his head like a good southern gentleman" and answered, "I'm sorry, ma'am." She offered him her hand, a non-verbal question of whether or not he would like to go with her. He did indeed take her hand, as the sight of it brought him hope "for the first time in almost a century". During their companionship and travels, Alice and Jasper fell in love. By 1950, they found Carlisle with more assistance from her visions and have been part of his coven ever since.

Alice and Jasper have been together since the 1950s, but are not as flamboyant about their relationship as Rosalie and Emmett are. They are stated to be soul mates and have been married legally once. Their distinctly understanding love is what separates them from other couples, and they are both very protective of each other.

Movie portrayal
On February 12, 2008 it was announced that Ashley Greene will be playing the role of Alice Cullen in the upcoming Twilight film.