RENESMEE’S POV
It was such a relief to be out of that bed. Being in a coma was not a pleasure. I was completely paralyzed. I cried most of the time because I felt so helpless. I’d feel Gramma’s fingers wiping my tears away but the only thing that calmed me down was Jacob. Listening to him breathing and smelling his familiar scent kept me sane. This was probably how my mom felt when she was transforming from human to vampire. Fortunately I was just extremely bored.
After my aunts and Gramma were done smuggling me with their hugs and kisses I played video games with my uncles. I didn’t really have anything else to do. We were playing Need for Speed and I was surprised when I came out as first place when Uncle Emmett came out second. It was always hilarious seeing him puff with anger. “Again,” he growled at me. I laughed at his competitiveness. We played for hours on end. We even played some Wii games.
It was probably around 2am when I yawned loudly. You’d think being in a coma for more than 24 hours meant no sleep for a very long time, but not for Renesmee Carlie Cullen. Aunt Rose heard my yawn and came into the living room.
“Come on, baby girl, let’s get you to bed,” her hand reaching out to me. I was beside her in one fluid movement. I touched her neck. (Can you brush my hair like you used to when I was little?)
She smiled angelically at me. “Sure thing, sweetie.” But before we left, she went to my uncle and whispered something into his ear that I couldn’t quite catch. Whatever she said made him smile crookedly and before she returned to my side he slapped her butt.
I woke up the next day actually excited for school. I went downstairs, following the sweet aroma of French toast. I sat on one of the wooden stools on the island counter and dug into my breakfast. Jake came in through the back door and joined me.
“Would you like some breakfast, Jacob?” Gramma asked. He nodded and thanked her.
“Ness, are you sure you’re up to going back to school today?” he asked between chewing and pouring more syrup on his stacks of French toast. I rolled my eyes at him. Placing my hand on his, (Yes, I’m sure, Jake. I want things to be normal again. Plus, I miss Mia.)
Just then my parents walked in, hand in hand. Somehow, someway they were always touching each other.
“About that,” my dad said pouring some orange juice for me, “when you were out, she called a couple of times. Alice took her messages.” With that my aunt came skipping in. “Come on, Nessie, let’s get you dressed!” she said with her grin growing wider.
She dressed me within 30 minutes so to kill time I spent it with Jacob. We went to the music room. I was almost as good as my father. Teaching Jacob, however, wasn’t as easy but it was really entertaining. He would press 3 or 4 keys at once, since his hands were so huge. I played him the lullaby daddy wrote for me, closing my eyes because I knew by heart. The last note rang throughout the room and we were left to stare into each other’s eyes. Even with him by my side nearly the whole time I was in coma, I still missed him so much.
I touched his cheek. (Jake, I was so scared. I didn’t know if I was going to make it.) He was wiping the tears away with his thumbs. He was holding my face with his hands now.
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore,” he said. “I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”
I nodded. The way he said that made me really believe him. He was always there for me. No matter what. Sure, back when I was little I thought of him as my older brother but things were totally different now. There was no denying that I felt something else, something stronger, about Jacob. There was no better time for what I had to say to him. He needed to know to how I felt. And if he didn’t feel the same way then so be it, as long as I don’t have to continue living with thinking ‘what if.’
“Jacob, I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
I touched his face again and said, (Remember when we went to the beach and I was going to say something to you but my mom called?)
He looked confused as to where I was going with this but he nodded so I continued.
(When you asked me what I was going to say and I said that I forgot, I lied. I was just so scared to tell you…)
“Ness, you don’t have to be scared when you’re with me. I can keep any secret, you can trust me. Although I don’t know if I can do that with your dad but you should know that I’m always here to listen.”
I smiled a little. And then I took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes.
This time I spoke aloud.
“I remember what I was going to tell you.” I paused and he urged me to continue and I did.
“Jacob Black, I think I’m falling in love with you,” I whispered.
His face was blank and serious. Our gaze never broke but he wasn’t saying anything. My dad came in and said that we should be heading out now. His expression looked shocked. He was probably reading Jacob’s mind. Whatever he was thinking, I didn’t want to hear it. I got up and muttered, “I gotta go.”
My parents got into the car and off to my school we went. Thankfully, my dad didn’t seem to want to touch the Jacob topic either so instead we were talking about Ms. Hill. They were coming in with me today in hopes of convincing her and her vampire boyfriend, Zachary, to come and have dinner with us tonight. I was astounded but pleased when I received this news. If they were anything like my parents then I had no doubt in my mind that they would be great family friends.
We arrived a little earlier than usual so that we’d talk to Ms. Hill alone. I didn’t realize how much I missed her until I opened the classroom door. She was my favorite teacher, hands down. You can tell that she genuinely cared for her students. Everyday, after class, she’d tell me to have a great day. One time when I pretended I needed help on an assignment she offered to help me one on one. She was obviously really educated. Her favorite subject was English, too.
“Welcome back, Nessie. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family. So tell me, how was your break?” she asked.
I lied and said, “Yeah, my break was pretty good.” My mom saved me and added, “Mmhmm. We went to a resort up north.”
“Wow, well I’m glad you came back all in one piece,” she said with her flawless smile. “So what brings you guys here so early? If you’re checking up on Nessie, well you’ll be glad to hear nothing but praise for your darling little sister. All her teachers adore her, including me,” she added, giving me a wink. I went over to my seat in the front near the door and my parents followed. We sat in silence for a minute or two before my dad finally started.
“We know you know about us, Leila.” She stared at him, baffled.
“I don’t know what you mean by that, Edward.”
“You’re wondering how the first time you saw us our eyes were nearly black, but now they’re gold, just like Zachary’s.”
Her eyes widened. “How do you know all that?”
My mom was the one to answer. “He knows all of that because he can read your mind. We know that you think we’re vampires and your guess is right.”
Ms. Hill shot up from her chair. “I knew it!” she exclaimed. We all grinned. I was happy to see she was taking this well.
“So if Edward can read minds, do all of the Cullens have some sort of power?”
“Well my dad can read minds, my mom can shield minds, and I can show you my mind,” I replied.
She was baffled once again when she inquired, “So Dr. Cullen can read minds, too? And his wife can shield the mind?”
Daddy shook his head and he answered her question. “You see, Leila, it would unusual for us to say that she’s our daughter. Carlisle is my father because he was the one who changed me into a vampire. Renesmee is our biological daughter because she was conceived when Bella was still human. When she gave birth, I had to change her in order for her to survive.
He paused and my mom continued. “Listen, Leila, I know that all of this is overwhelming but we came here wanting to ask if you and Zachary would join us for dinner. We would love to meet him and make sure that you’re safe with him.”
“Why would I be in danger with Zachary?”
“Well when I was with Bella while she was still human, I tried my hardest not to hurt her. She was very fragile, just like any human is to a vampire. Plus, Nessie loves you too much to see you get hurt,” my dad said.
We were all quiet again. Ms. Hill’s head creased thoughtfully. After a while she nodded.
“Can you please come over tonight? My grandmother is cooks like an iron chef,” I said, smiling angelically so I could persuade her.
“We would all love to introduce you and Zachary to the family. We also need to go over the rules with you, if he hasn’t already done so,” daddy added.
“Wait, there are rules? Like official vampire rules?”
My mom said, “That was exactly what I asked before,” sounding amused. “But yes, there are rules.”
Ms. Hill nodded once again and said, “Okay, you’ve got a deal. Zachary and I will come over tonight.”
“Perfect. Nessie will give you our address,” my mom said getting up with my father. With that they kissed me goodbye and they left. I was alone with Ms. Hill. There were about 15 more minutes left until the bell would ring for first period.
“So tell me, Ness,” Ms. Hill said not too long after my parents’ departure,” is there some kind of special etiquette for meeting a vampire family? I mean I don’t want to make a bad first impression.”
I laughed but said, “Just be yourself, Ms. Hill. My family will absolutely love you. Of course you probably know that they won’t be eating dinner with you so it’ll just be me and you.”
“Oh yeah, I completely forgot,” she replied smacking her forehead slightly. In a few minutes, my classmates would be coming in. I was getting ready for the day when a question popped into my head.
She was tentatively reading and writing on the board, with her lesson plan in her other hand.
“Ms.Hill? I asked.
“Yes, Nessie?”
“If you were given the opportunity, would you choose to be a vampire, too?”
It took her a while to actually answer my question.
“I honestly don’t know. But after tonight, we’ll see what happens.”
Just then, the bell rang and dozens of kids began pouring in.
My classes went by fast. The only downside was the fact that I only spent about an hour with Mia. She had to leave early for a doctor’s appointment. When I was finally let out, I was surprised not to see my parents waiting for me. Instead it was Jacob with his Rabbit. Some kids stopped at the sight of him. His face was serious and with his arms crossed, he actually looked kind of scary. The second he caught sight of me his expression changed into my favorite Jacob-ey smile. My face was the complete opposite.
My face was the opposite. I didn’t want to see Jacob right now, not after the incident in the morning. I could’ve easily ran home but I was scared I would attract attention. No, I thought to myself. I would face Jacob right now. If he didn’t feel the same way then I don’t care. I would forget my feelings and just be friends with him. I’d be okay with that.
Before I got a chance to say something, he interrupted me with a hug. I hugged him back after while, thankful there wasn’t an awkward vibe.
“Ness, I think we need to have a talk,” he said, holding my shoulders. I nodded.
I got into the passenger seat and we drove off. We reached the beach and we sat on the bench-like log.
I waited for him to start. I’d done enough talking for the day. It was his turn to do some explaining.
“Your parents and I discussed this a few months back and I talked to your dad again today after they dropped you off and he said it was safe to tell you about imprinting.”
“Imprinting?” I asked, my face crunched up in confusion.
“Yeah. It’s a wolf thing. So I guess I’ll start with examples.” He paused, thinking and staring at the water but then he continued. “Do you notice how Claire and Quil are? How he’s always with her and how he always brings her to the bonfires or whenever there’s a meeting?”
I nodded and he spoke again.
“And it’s not just them. It’s also Sam and Emily, Leah and Shaun, and Paul and Denise. They’re always with each other, almost inseparable like you and me. The thing with imprinting is that once a werewolf see’s that one other person, the one that they’re completely drawn to, they can’t leave them alone. It doesn’t necessarily involve romance but mainly friendship. For Quil and Claire especially, he’s strictly her friend. She’s too young to understand what he really is to her. But Quil loves her to much to choose what he’ll actually be to her. It’s all up to Claire to decide when he can be her friend, an older brother and possibly someone more. But for Paul and Sam, they’re completely in love with their significant others. Imprinting for us, is a way to find our ideal soul mates so that we can continue passing on our genes. And when you were born and I first laid my eyes on you, I imprinted on you.” He gulped but became quiet. He looked to me to examine my expression.
“So from what you’re telling me, I’m drawn to you only because you’ve imprinted on me?” I asked slowly.
He hesitantly nodded. I looked away from him and stared at the waves. The horizon was preparing to change. I thought about everything. I thought about how over the years, the feelings changed. I thought about how Leah and Shaun always looked deep into each others eyes. It was obvious they were so in love. As for Paul and Denise, he was always overprotective of her, almost like how Jacob was to me. She absolutely loved him. They would often separate from the group and just hold hands and whisper sweet nothings into each other’s ear. They were almost as affectionate as Sam and Emily and they were already married!
After a while I started to smile. I finally realized what Jake was actually telling me. I didn’t care that we were attracted to each other just because of some wolf thing. He liked me back and that was all that mattered.
I turned to him and kissed his cheek. He was surprised and he asked, “What was that for?”
I shook my head and said, “Just because.”
He smiled back and stood up, pulling me into a warm hug. “So you know how I feel for you, too, right?” I touched his face and said (Yeah, but I want to hear you say it.)
He chuckled and said, “I think I’m falling in love with you, too.”
I frowned and asked, “you think you’re falling in love with me?”
He chuckled again and said, “No, I know I love you. I’ve been knowing for a long time now but I wanted for you to say it first and when you did tell me earlier this morning I was just shocked.”
He still held me in his arms when he added, “But you have to know that your parents don’t want us to be in a relationship yet. They want to wait until you’re at least a sophomore, like the original plan.”
I pouted. I can’t believe that the guy of my dreams totally just said that he loved me back but I couldn’t actually BE with him just because my parents say so.
“I know, I know, but Ness, I’m willing to wait that long. I’m just glad that you finally told me you felt the same way.”
I smiled and reluctantly said, “Fine, I guess I can wait, too.”
It was getting dark now and we walked back to his car. He drove me home and when I entered the house, I was welcomed by Gramma and my parents. There was something off about the house but it was obvious that Aunt Alice made it more presentable. Every room had a vase or two filled with several flowers.
I was walking up the stairs to my room when I noticed my parents following me.
I turned around and asked, “Can I help you?”
My mom smiled while my dad looked slightly angry. “How did it go with Jacob?” she asked.
“Okay, I guess.” I thought over my afternoon with Jake and I guessed my dad was following along because when memory lane ended he looked relieved.
“Ness, we want you to know that you’re still allowed to see Jacob but he can’t be your boyfriend just yet,” was what daddy said.
“Yeah, I know. That’s fine with me because all I care about is that fact that he feels the same way.”
My mom came over and kissed me forehead. “You’re growing up so fast, Ness. I’m glad you’re being mature about this. You have to understand that we’re only doing this because we can’t bear to lose you to Jacob so soon.” She had me tight against her chest and my dad came over and hugged the two of us.
They let go and I said, “you know that I’ll always be your little girl.” They nodded and smiled.
“Okay, now come on, Ms. Hill will be here any minute.”
As we ascended down the stairs, we heard a car driving up on our driveway. My grandparents, aunts and uncles, as well as my parents positioned themselves along the wall to the main entrance of the house. The car door opened and shut and footsteps were nearing the steps to the door. It was odd not hearing another pair of feet following them.
Just then the doorbell rang and Poppa opened the door. I was sad to see Ms. Hill alone. She was wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt. Her face was pink and a little swollen from what was apparently crying. I looked to my dad for answers.
Ms. Hill was still outside when my dad announced: “Zachary left her…and she’s carrying his child.”
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