Bella's POV
I couldn't properly assess the words that spilled out of Alice's mouth. I took it in but they became jumbled up and were swishing around in my head like a boat trapped in the middle of the sea during a tempest.
Ness was well nearing hysteria whereas I was still too shocked, the blow not entirely affecting me. Everyone around me started to hustle, moving here and there while Edward tried to wake me from my frozen stance.
"Love? Love? Are you alright? Answer me, Bella, please," Edward's velvet voice murmured, begging.
My breathing sped in response.
My dad. Charlie. He couldn't die, not yet.
"Let's go. I need to see him; he needs me," I said, already on the move.
"Bella, wait!" I was already running. Unfortunately with a baby bump you can't get very far.
"Bella, it's not as bad as you think. Just calm down, okay? Carlisle has the car ready."
I nodded, letting him drag me back to the house where I found Seth and Leah consoling their mother, Sue.
She must be more devastated than me. Their wedding was planned for this October. She'd lost one husband already and it would be such a pity for her to lose Charlie when their "I Do's" were just a few months away.
I was making my way over, to comfort her, but Alice intercepted.
"Bella," she breathed, her eyes filled with terror.
Before I could ask what she saw, Carlisle was beside me in an instant.
"Bella, I got a call from the hospital. I'm afraid he's in a critical condition; he's lost quite a lot of blood. You can come with me but with your pregnancy I'm not sure if you'll be physically up for it," Carlisle said, his eyes serious.
"I have to see him. He can't die, Carlisle. Please...please don't let him die," I whispered, the tears threatening to come. I thought I was done with the weird human abnormalities but apparently not. Whatever I was feeling was affecting my baby, too.
"Eddie vaguely knows what's happening. He's just worried about you," Edward said at my side, supporting my weight.
"We have to hurry. The operation won't start without me. Bella, Edward," Carlisle called exiting the house and heading to his Mercedes.
"Mommma!" Nessie called from Jacob's lap. Her face was riddled with tears as well.
"Tell Grandpa to hold on and that I love him so much," she said, barely a whisper.
I nodded and we left.
Within 10 minutes, Edward and I were arrived at the hospital with Carlisle. We had to stay in the ER waiting area.
Edward tried to get me to sit. Anyone that passed us by would always make a double-take.
I could only guess it was because I was so big and I wasn't even showing the slightest discomfort while I paced back and forth a little too fast for a human.
5 minutes past. 10, 30 and 45. Carlisle still didn't come out from the pale green double doors.
We weren't alone waiting for the verdict. Sue arrived not long after us with Seth, Leah and Shaun.
I finally gave up and just sat beside Edward, burying my face in my hands. If my father died, I swear I would torture those men who held the drug store hostage. My rage flared and the venom in my mouth was spreading. The only thing that distracted me from my maddening trance was the kicking in my lower abdomen. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't pleasant either. I really hoped I wasn't going into labor here.
"Eddie, it's okay. I'm sorry if you're feeling cramped. But this isn't the place to come out yet," I murmured onto my stomach, rubbing it for assurance.
I was aware that Edward was staring at me the whole time. I turned to him for any response.
"Eddie's just as anxious as you are," he said with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Bella?" Sue called.
I went over to her and plopped down. I had a long night. If I were able to sleep, I'd be in a coma by now.
"How're you holding up, Sue?" I asked. She was always more fragile than me.
"I'm fine," she said with her voice cracking.
"I'm so full of worry. I don't know what I would do without your father, Bella. I'm scared to lose him," she said with her head shaking.
She began sobbing and I rubbed her back. And then a thought occurred to me.
What if she didn't have to lose him? There was always that option. But would I dare give the life I rightfully chose for myself for my own father?
The double doors were suddenly pushed open and out came Carlisle with another man moving my father towards the ICU section.
"Carlisle?" Sue and I asked at the exact same time.
He sighed before answering.
"It was a tough operation but we managed to get the bullet out. Like I said earlier, he lost a significant amount of blood. We're going to keep a close watch on him but he should be out for quite a while."
Sue let out a sigh of relief but I wasn't content. I knew that he was hiding something crucial.
"What are the chances of Charlie recovering?" I asked, half afraid of his answer because I already knew his answer.
"That's what I wanted to discuss with the both of you," he replied and motioned for us to come closer into the halls.
He lowered his voice and said, "I'm terribly sad to say it but I honestly don't think he can survive this. I promise you that I will do anything I can to make him comfortable the bullet wound was just awfully close to his heart and it punctured the aorta."
He paused to look at me but continued. "For me, the only way I can think of to revive him is if—"
"He becomes one of you," Sue interrupted, finally following where Carlisle was going.
We were all quiet for a while. I couldn't decide on that for now. I knew that my dad didn't belong in this life. I introduced him into my world simply because I couldn't bear to close him out of my life like I was supposed to do when I was turned. He was my father and I loved him. If Carlisle changed him then many things would change. I don't think I have the heart to deprive him from Sue and the new beginning he was supposed to start with her. I just don't know how their relationship with work if he became like me and with Sue being the mother of two werewolves.
"Do whatever you can to bring him back to me. Even if that means I'll have to marry a vampire," Sue said, tearing me away from my thoughts.
We all stared at her dumbfounded but I know she was serious. I could see it in her eyes that she truly loved my dad. Carlisle nodded and turned to me.
"I don't think it's what Charlie would want. It's just...I mean... can I just see him first?" I said. I was just so torn. Carlisle nodded and I made my way to his room with Edward silently following me.
I peeked in, carefully sniffing the room to check my control. The smell of sedatives and alcohol overpowered anything else.
I came in slowly, thinking that any sudden movement would wake him from his rest, and sat down on the chair directly across the foot of his bed. I would sit here for as long as it took my dad to wake up.
THE NEXT DAY
I've never seen my dad so weak and pale. I don't know how long we've actually been at the hospital but it felt like an eternity. I know it didn't do anything but I covered him in my shield. I temporarily forgot that by doing this, Edward heard all my thoughts. As much as I hated seeing my father this way, I hated the fact that Edward was suffering beside me.
"Bella, don't think of me. I'm only getting depressed because you're feeling depressed," he started.
"Love, I know that you're hurting right now and you're entitled to feeling that way. But you have to understand that sulking here isn't doing anything. I don't think it's healthy for Eddie either."
I pursed my lips thoughtfully. (Are you saying that I should tell Carlisle to change Charlie?)
He didn't reply right away but when he did, he nodded with a pained expression.
I looked to my father and watched his chest rise and fall. "Healthy as a horse, Bells" ran through my head.
I took a big gulp. Was changing my dad the right thing to do? He would still be my dad and I'm sure his feelings for Sue wouldn't vanish. I think I would dread burying my father more than seeing him go through the transformation. Before I got go through with my decision, Charlie started stirring in his bed.
I was beside him in one fluid movement. He was moaning like he was in pain.
"Dad? Are you okay? What do you want me to get?" I asked, my shield still protecting him. If only it could shield his pain.
"Bella? Is that you?" he asked, fully opening his eyes.
"Yeah, dad, it's me," I breathed relieved.
"I was thinking you were an angel," he huffed. I smiled. Good ole Charlie.
"How are you feeling?" I asked while Carlisle knocked and Edward opened the door.
"Stiff. And drowsy. What kind of medication they got me taking?" he replied, looking to Carlisle.
"Just the normal sedatives like morphine," he answered, his tone happy to see Charlie acting like himself. "It's good to see you up. You sure you don't feel any pain? Specifically in your chest?"
"Well it does kinda feel a little tender..." he mumbled. As he said that, we all heard his heart speed, faster than the usual human rate. He gasped, clutching his heart and then his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
"Dad?!" I yelled desperately.
Nurses started filing in while Carlisle worked diligently over him. Edward had to drag me out into the hall so that I wasn't in the way.
This was it. I knew it by the feeble beating of my father's heart; time was running out.
"Edward," I whispered. His arms were around me in the same second.
"Do you think he'd be in less pain if they put him to sleep first? I don't see how we can move him to the house now if we're going to change him. Oh, I can believe this is happening. I can't lose him, Edward, I can't," I said, silently sobbing against his shoulder.
"Maybe you don't have to lose him either way, as a vampire or a human," he answered.
"What do you mean?" I asked, parting from our embrace so that I can examine his face. He was staring above my head, behind me.
A few seconds later, Kamielle appeared from the corner. She locked eyes with us and she was beside us in an instant.
"Am I too late?" she asked, squinting into the window of Charlie's room.
Edward was the one to answer. I didn't know what was happening. Was Kamielle going to change my father?
"I don't think so. But we have to hurry. Hand me the elixir," he ordered her.
She did as she was told and before he entered the room, he looked to me.
"Everything will be okay, Bella, I promise you, love."
His words rang in my head. Carlisle was still hovering over my father but he looked like he knew what Edward was doing in there with him. Eddie started kicking again, as if he was excited. I was just plain restless.
And then I finally understood what was happening. Carlisle replaced the dripping morphine with the elixir and after a few excruciating moments later his heart beat went back to normal.
I breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Kamielle so tight that if she were human, her bones would've been broken all over.
Before I knew it, Sue, Nessie and Jacob, along with the others gathered around the window. We waited in anticipation.
"He's stable now; his vitals look good..." we heard Carlisle say.
"Momma, Grandpa's going to be okay right?" Nessie asked as she was hugging Esme since Sue was holding onto Jake.
"See for yourself," Kamielle answered her. We all checked to find Charlie starting to sit up.
"Whatever that sedative was, it really worked. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom," was all he said. I shook my head in amusement and pure solace.
My dad was okay, better than before it seemed. Sue was the first one to dash into his room. For now, I needed to rest. The past couple of days were hard on me and I'm pretty sure Eddie would really appreciate it if I ate something.
I checked on Charlie one last time before we all returned to the house to get some well needed break.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
CH24: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY (part two)
Renesmee's POV
Like every party Aunt Alice planned, it began quite smoothly and cunningly. Daddy brought momma right at twilight and when we saw them approaching, we lit all the lights that we worked hard on putting up everywhere. Daddy, of course, was in on the surprises already but it pleased me to their faces brighten up, as if they totally forgot it was their anniversary.
"Happy anniversary momma!" I said, dashing straight to her.
"Thank you, baby girl," she cooed.
"Happy anniversary, daddy," I greeted tippy toeing to kiss his cheek.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
The rest of the greetings began, right on timing. We were due to perform in about an hour. In the mean time, I wanted to be with Jacob. I literally haven't seen him for months. The afternoon we spent together with Seth and my cousins wasn't enough. I mean we haven't kissed in like forever.
"Hey, you," I said coming up from behind him; he was already making his way over to the tables of food a couple feet from the DJ Booth. My uncles would alternate spinning the music.
"Oh, hey there pretty lady," he replied turning around so that his hands we snaking my waist.
He leaned down and gave me two pecks on my lips and one on my nose. I giggled and we continued making our way to the line forming around the table of delicious food my grandparents slaved over practically the whole day.
Jacob and I got our food and we sat with Seth and my cousins. We chatted about this and that, trying to distract ourselves from our nervousness. I honestly don't know why we were so twitchy. Ivee sensed that something was up so she called her dad over. Sure enough, our moods lifted and it helped untangle the nerves. Uncle Emmett and Rommel would go and carry the piano over to the middle of the dance floor right before our performance. All that Emmie had to do was help her brother set up the drums since her cello needed no tending to.
While we ate, I looked around, examining the expressions on everyone's faces. Although it was my parents' anniversary, there was no denying all the explicit love that was diffusing throughout the atmosphere tonight. Having Jacob by my side again filled me with the warmth that had been absent for quite a long time since he's been gone with his pack for a good majority of the time nowadays. And with Emmie completely oblivious to Seth's reason for being with her all time, there was no question that they truly enjoyed each other's company and that as she grew, her feelings were slowly developing for him as it did for me with Jake.
Then there was my grandparents. They held each other by the waists and would occasionally glance at all of us, probably reveling in the life that was happily theirs, with all the children and grandchildren that they could possibly want. My aunts and uncles had no shame in showing some of their affection towards each other. Apparently it was Uncle Emmett's shift to man the songs while Uncle Jasper was sitting down on one of the white benches spewed all over the back yard and he had Aunt Alice sitting on his lap, her arms tight around his neck. Under this lighting, it was as if my family had a particular luminous luster in their physical appearance, my parents having the brightest of them all, especially my mom. Maybe it was that certain "glow" pregnant women get. Whatever it was, everyone at the party seemed affected by it. I like to think of it as universal love.
Sam and Emily arrived a little late but my best guess was that she wasn't feel all too well because of her pregnancy. My mom was lucky to just have the raging mood swings. I saw Poppa greeting them and Momma coming over, thanking them for coming. I smiled when I saw Emily and my mom touching each other's bellies.
I was excited to find that the Auvril and Stephan along with their children Anne and Ethan were here as well. Ethan was 6 and Anne was 4. I was expecting them to be shy, like any other human children but it was clear they weren't. Right when they arrived, they tore away from their parents and approached us. They came a couple hours early because they wanted to help with anything they could. Of course with a full house of vampires planning a party, little to no help was needed. So instead they played video games with us for the afternoon, well more like watched. Naturally, Ethan felt more comfortable with Rommel since he was the only one physically similar to him. As for Anne, she grew attached to Ivee quite rapidly.
The Denali's were present at the party, too. At first, they used to be apprehensive when it came to parties because they knew that seeing the wolves would be inevitable but over time they became comfortable with them being here. They understood that they were basically our family now, too, and so they felt obliged to let bygones be bygones.
And then there was Kamielle. It was weird to finally meet the woman who poisoned me but had no personal intention on doing so; she was, after all, just following orders. She was really pleasant, actually. Her and Poppa were pretty close, since they were with the Volturi together. I was still eating when she approached me with daddy on her side.
"Ness, this is Kamielle," daddy said gesturing me to acknowledge her properly.
I stood up from my seat and so did Jacob. I honestly had nothing against her. She saved my life in the end so her dues were paid. Obviously for Jacob, some things are left unforgiven.
"Hi, Kamielle," I greeted her with a sincere smile. I didn't have to check why my dad let out a small growl since Jake's grip tightened around me.
"Hello, Renesmee. Oh, you don't know how ashamed I am right now. I don't deserve your kindness. It's totally okay with me if you don't speak to me for the rest of the night. In fact, I don't even mind that your mate is glaring at me right now. I deserve it," she replied, her head bowing slightly.
"So what are you doing here in the first place?" Jacob spat out before I had a chance to answer her.
"Well if you must know, I just couldn't refuse the invitation. It would've been really rude of me to not at least make an appearance and greet Edward and Bella. I may be over a 100 years old but my culture is still important to me," she answered politely.
I waited for Jake to respond again but he didn't. The daggers he was shooting towards her, however, didn't stop.
"Kamielle," I said as I managed to escape Jacob's hold and take her hands in mine.
"You don't have to be ashamed. I know that you didn't mean to poison me. We can't change the past so let's not drown in it. I've forgiven you 100%. I was actually very interested in meeting you because Momma said you were physically different than all the other vampires we've met."
Her smile was relieved, then it became amused.
"I'm so glad to hear that you've forgiven me. As for my appearance, I guess I'm the only Danag in the whole Pacific Northwest. So I'm thinking I should leave you to continue eating. Don't worry I'll be here all night; we'll talk later."
A minute later I was still standing next to a fuming boyfriend.
"Jake, cut her some slack. She was apologized and I accepted it. I'm alive now, remember, let's not relish in the past but the present and our future," I said trying to get him to calm down. I didn't want him to phase in front of everyone, especially at my parents' anniversary.
Thankfully what I said indeed calmed him down.
He heaved a big sigh and we sat back down to finish dinner. Seth and my cousins didn't seem affected by our little exchange.
Once everyone had eaten, it was time for some dancing. My mom's stomach was a little too big for her and daddy to dance close like they usually do. Thankfully Uncle Jasper was behind the DJ Booth now. Who knows what kind of song Uncle Emmett would've played for my parents' first dance.
Everyone joined in after that; the dance floor was pretty huge. Jacob and I swayed gently from side to side while my Gramma and Poppa twirled gracefully around all the guests. I found it cute how Emmie was dancing with her brother while Seth danced with Ivee, well all he had to do was carry her since she was a lot shorter than Seth was. I was too busy smiling at everyone that Jake had to catch my attention with his lips on my neck.
"I wish that smile of yours was directed at me. Maybe I should get dancing lessons from your dad huh?" he asked.
I chuckled lightly.
"Sorry, it's just that I can't help but gravitate towards everyone's happiness tonight," I replied.
"S'okay. I'm just relieved to have you in my arms again," he said as his arms tightened around my waist. "AND to see that you don't mind my two-left feet."
I laughed. "Well you're not Bella Cullen's daughter remember?" I asked.
"Hey, I heard that, missy," Momma said, appearing suddenly beside us with her arms still around daddy's neck. All he had on his face was an amused smile.
"Why don't we switch partners for a while. I'm pretty sure Nessie want's to show off her dancing skills and I know that Bella wants at least one dance with her best friend," Daddy suggested.
With that, I was in daddy's arm in one fluid movement and in the next second we were stepping and twirling all over the place.
"Hmmm.." he hummed.
"What daddy?" I asked, our surroundings a blur from our dance.
"I remember how when you were little you used to step on my shoes and I would twirl you around that way," he answered, his tone slightly dejected.
"Would you like for me to do that now?" I asked, joking.
He smirked but picked me up so that my feet were on his. I didn't mind it when daddy suddenly caught nostalgia fever. I'd never really admitted it before but I miss being really young. But it was nice to see how things always worked out in the end. Just look at how Emmie and Rommel developed and how they made Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett so much happier. Ivee wasn't excluded from the additional happiness of my family either and then there was my brother who we couldn't wait to arrive.
We were well into 4 hours of partying. Our performance was a hit. Everyone applauded and we even got a standing ovation. The perfect ending to our song was the light show that Auvril helped Anne and Ethan conduct. Tonight was very well a magical night. The rest of the gifts were passed out as well. Ivee showcased her work and everyone was in awe, including me. I've seen a goood amount of her work before and they were good, but this was really extraordinary. It was almost like a photograph rather than a portrait she painted herself.
Gramma and Poppa got them a ticket to Switzerland. We don't think there are any caves filled with fertility gems there.
As for Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett, they got them an intricate family tree with picture frames already hung in their places. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper gave them personalized stuffed animals of them. They even added the fangs and everyone laughed at that.
Lots more gifts were given, all from the Denali's, Kamielle, and the Redfords. The last gifts that were passed out were from Momma and daddy themselves. Like we all expected, my mom became overwhelmed with the crib that daddy and Poppa made for Eddie. She thanked him a million times before she gave him her gift. It was a big photo album.
She managed to recovery some pictures of daddy when he was still human. He was caught off guard entirely. If he had the ability to cry, he would've supplied enough water to cover the Sahara desert.
Tonight so magical that we didn't even notice that my Grandpa Charlie wasn't here yet when Sue was. He had to work over time tonight but he said he was going to be here an hour ago. I wasn't worried but my mom couldn't stop fidgeting.
"Love, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. He's probably looking for a last minute anniversary gift," Daddy joked.
"I don't know; I just have a really bad feeling," Mommma answered.
The night continued on and still no Grandpa. Now I was getting worried. Leah tried to get a hold of him by calling the police station but all they said was that the officers on duty with him still haven't returned either because of a drug store being burglarized. Everyone was still dancing, having a great time with Uncle Jasper behind the booth.
And then just when the night was ending on a good note, Aunt Alice had that haze in her face.
I was dancing with Jacob when I saw her run quickly towards my mom and dad. I tore away from Jake to hear the horrid news.
"Bella, Charlie just got shot on duty."
Like every party Aunt Alice planned, it began quite smoothly and cunningly. Daddy brought momma right at twilight and when we saw them approaching, we lit all the lights that we worked hard on putting up everywhere. Daddy, of course, was in on the surprises already but it pleased me to their faces brighten up, as if they totally forgot it was their anniversary.
"Happy anniversary momma!" I said, dashing straight to her.
"Thank you, baby girl," she cooed.
"Happy anniversary, daddy," I greeted tippy toeing to kiss his cheek.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
The rest of the greetings began, right on timing. We were due to perform in about an hour. In the mean time, I wanted to be with Jacob. I literally haven't seen him for months. The afternoon we spent together with Seth and my cousins wasn't enough. I mean we haven't kissed in like forever.
"Hey, you," I said coming up from behind him; he was already making his way over to the tables of food a couple feet from the DJ Booth. My uncles would alternate spinning the music.
"Oh, hey there pretty lady," he replied turning around so that his hands we snaking my waist.
He leaned down and gave me two pecks on my lips and one on my nose. I giggled and we continued making our way to the line forming around the table of delicious food my grandparents slaved over practically the whole day.
Jacob and I got our food and we sat with Seth and my cousins. We chatted about this and that, trying to distract ourselves from our nervousness. I honestly don't know why we were so twitchy. Ivee sensed that something was up so she called her dad over. Sure enough, our moods lifted and it helped untangle the nerves. Uncle Emmett and Rommel would go and carry the piano over to the middle of the dance floor right before our performance. All that Emmie had to do was help her brother set up the drums since her cello needed no tending to.
While we ate, I looked around, examining the expressions on everyone's faces. Although it was my parents' anniversary, there was no denying all the explicit love that was diffusing throughout the atmosphere tonight. Having Jacob by my side again filled me with the warmth that had been absent for quite a long time since he's been gone with his pack for a good majority of the time nowadays. And with Emmie completely oblivious to Seth's reason for being with her all time, there was no question that they truly enjoyed each other's company and that as she grew, her feelings were slowly developing for him as it did for me with Jake.
Then there was my grandparents. They held each other by the waists and would occasionally glance at all of us, probably reveling in the life that was happily theirs, with all the children and grandchildren that they could possibly want. My aunts and uncles had no shame in showing some of their affection towards each other. Apparently it was Uncle Emmett's shift to man the songs while Uncle Jasper was sitting down on one of the white benches spewed all over the back yard and he had Aunt Alice sitting on his lap, her arms tight around his neck. Under this lighting, it was as if my family had a particular luminous luster in their physical appearance, my parents having the brightest of them all, especially my mom. Maybe it was that certain "glow" pregnant women get. Whatever it was, everyone at the party seemed affected by it. I like to think of it as universal love.
Sam and Emily arrived a little late but my best guess was that she wasn't feel all too well because of her pregnancy. My mom was lucky to just have the raging mood swings. I saw Poppa greeting them and Momma coming over, thanking them for coming. I smiled when I saw Emily and my mom touching each other's bellies.
I was excited to find that the Auvril and Stephan along with their children Anne and Ethan were here as well. Ethan was 6 and Anne was 4. I was expecting them to be shy, like any other human children but it was clear they weren't. Right when they arrived, they tore away from their parents and approached us. They came a couple hours early because they wanted to help with anything they could. Of course with a full house of vampires planning a party, little to no help was needed. So instead they played video games with us for the afternoon, well more like watched. Naturally, Ethan felt more comfortable with Rommel since he was the only one physically similar to him. As for Anne, she grew attached to Ivee quite rapidly.
The Denali's were present at the party, too. At first, they used to be apprehensive when it came to parties because they knew that seeing the wolves would be inevitable but over time they became comfortable with them being here. They understood that they were basically our family now, too, and so they felt obliged to let bygones be bygones.
And then there was Kamielle. It was weird to finally meet the woman who poisoned me but had no personal intention on doing so; she was, after all, just following orders. She was really pleasant, actually. Her and Poppa were pretty close, since they were with the Volturi together. I was still eating when she approached me with daddy on her side.
"Ness, this is Kamielle," daddy said gesturing me to acknowledge her properly.
I stood up from my seat and so did Jacob. I honestly had nothing against her. She saved my life in the end so her dues were paid. Obviously for Jacob, some things are left unforgiven.
"Hi, Kamielle," I greeted her with a sincere smile. I didn't have to check why my dad let out a small growl since Jake's grip tightened around me.
"Hello, Renesmee. Oh, you don't know how ashamed I am right now. I don't deserve your kindness. It's totally okay with me if you don't speak to me for the rest of the night. In fact, I don't even mind that your mate is glaring at me right now. I deserve it," she replied, her head bowing slightly.
"So what are you doing here in the first place?" Jacob spat out before I had a chance to answer her.
"Well if you must know, I just couldn't refuse the invitation. It would've been really rude of me to not at least make an appearance and greet Edward and Bella. I may be over a 100 years old but my culture is still important to me," she answered politely.
I waited for Jake to respond again but he didn't. The daggers he was shooting towards her, however, didn't stop.
"Kamielle," I said as I managed to escape Jacob's hold and take her hands in mine.
"You don't have to be ashamed. I know that you didn't mean to poison me. We can't change the past so let's not drown in it. I've forgiven you 100%. I was actually very interested in meeting you because Momma said you were physically different than all the other vampires we've met."
Her smile was relieved, then it became amused.
"I'm so glad to hear that you've forgiven me. As for my appearance, I guess I'm the only Danag in the whole Pacific Northwest. So I'm thinking I should leave you to continue eating. Don't worry I'll be here all night; we'll talk later."
A minute later I was still standing next to a fuming boyfriend.
"Jake, cut her some slack. She was apologized and I accepted it. I'm alive now, remember, let's not relish in the past but the present and our future," I said trying to get him to calm down. I didn't want him to phase in front of everyone, especially at my parents' anniversary.
Thankfully what I said indeed calmed him down.
He heaved a big sigh and we sat back down to finish dinner. Seth and my cousins didn't seem affected by our little exchange.
Once everyone had eaten, it was time for some dancing. My mom's stomach was a little too big for her and daddy to dance close like they usually do. Thankfully Uncle Jasper was behind the DJ Booth now. Who knows what kind of song Uncle Emmett would've played for my parents' first dance.
Everyone joined in after that; the dance floor was pretty huge. Jacob and I swayed gently from side to side while my Gramma and Poppa twirled gracefully around all the guests. I found it cute how Emmie was dancing with her brother while Seth danced with Ivee, well all he had to do was carry her since she was a lot shorter than Seth was. I was too busy smiling at everyone that Jake had to catch my attention with his lips on my neck.
"I wish that smile of yours was directed at me. Maybe I should get dancing lessons from your dad huh?" he asked.
I chuckled lightly.
"Sorry, it's just that I can't help but gravitate towards everyone's happiness tonight," I replied.
"S'okay. I'm just relieved to have you in my arms again," he said as his arms tightened around my waist. "AND to see that you don't mind my two-left feet."
I laughed. "Well you're not Bella Cullen's daughter remember?" I asked.
"Hey, I heard that, missy," Momma said, appearing suddenly beside us with her arms still around daddy's neck. All he had on his face was an amused smile.
"Why don't we switch partners for a while. I'm pretty sure Nessie want's to show off her dancing skills and I know that Bella wants at least one dance with her best friend," Daddy suggested.
With that, I was in daddy's arm in one fluid movement and in the next second we were stepping and twirling all over the place.
"Hmmm.." he hummed.
"What daddy?" I asked, our surroundings a blur from our dance.
"I remember how when you were little you used to step on my shoes and I would twirl you around that way," he answered, his tone slightly dejected.
"Would you like for me to do that now?" I asked, joking.
He smirked but picked me up so that my feet were on his. I didn't mind it when daddy suddenly caught nostalgia fever. I'd never really admitted it before but I miss being really young. But it was nice to see how things always worked out in the end. Just look at how Emmie and Rommel developed and how they made Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett so much happier. Ivee wasn't excluded from the additional happiness of my family either and then there was my brother who we couldn't wait to arrive.
We were well into 4 hours of partying. Our performance was a hit. Everyone applauded and we even got a standing ovation. The perfect ending to our song was the light show that Auvril helped Anne and Ethan conduct. Tonight was very well a magical night. The rest of the gifts were passed out as well. Ivee showcased her work and everyone was in awe, including me. I've seen a goood amount of her work before and they were good, but this was really extraordinary. It was almost like a photograph rather than a portrait she painted herself.
Gramma and Poppa got them a ticket to Switzerland. We don't think there are any caves filled with fertility gems there.
As for Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett, they got them an intricate family tree with picture frames already hung in their places. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper gave them personalized stuffed animals of them. They even added the fangs and everyone laughed at that.
Lots more gifts were given, all from the Denali's, Kamielle, and the Redfords. The last gifts that were passed out were from Momma and daddy themselves. Like we all expected, my mom became overwhelmed with the crib that daddy and Poppa made for Eddie. She thanked him a million times before she gave him her gift. It was a big photo album.
She managed to recovery some pictures of daddy when he was still human. He was caught off guard entirely. If he had the ability to cry, he would've supplied enough water to cover the Sahara desert.
Tonight so magical that we didn't even notice that my Grandpa Charlie wasn't here yet when Sue was. He had to work over time tonight but he said he was going to be here an hour ago. I wasn't worried but my mom couldn't stop fidgeting.
"Love, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. He's probably looking for a last minute anniversary gift," Daddy joked.
"I don't know; I just have a really bad feeling," Mommma answered.
The night continued on and still no Grandpa. Now I was getting worried. Leah tried to get a hold of him by calling the police station but all they said was that the officers on duty with him still haven't returned either because of a drug store being burglarized. Everyone was still dancing, having a great time with Uncle Jasper behind the booth.
And then just when the night was ending on a good note, Aunt Alice had that haze in her face.
I was dancing with Jacob when I saw her run quickly towards my mom and dad. I tore away from Jake to hear the horrid news.
"Bella, Charlie just got shot on duty."
Sunday, March 20, 2011
CH23: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY (part one)
Renesmee's POV
It was August now, a few days until Momma and daddy's anniversary. And boy was her belly big! I was surprised that she could even walk. I was glad about one thing: she wasn't in pain. Her hormones, however, were raging. Every now and then she would just growl out of nowhere. Her anger would almost always be directed to Uncle Emmett for he was taking advantage of her mood swings. If she wasn't angry, she would unconditionally be affectionate.
"Oh, Nessie," Momma crooned. "You know how much I love you right? And how pretty you are? It's no wonder why Jacob is so head over heels for you," she said brushing my hair before tucking me in.
I smiled in amusement.
"I'm only pretty because I inherited it from you," I replied matter-of-factly.
Just then daddy appeared, leaning on my doorway with his arms crossed.
"I contributed to your beauty, too, Ness," he remarked with a smirk.
I giggled. "oh, yeah. Sorry daddy. But thanks to you, I have gorgeous hair!" I replied bouncing cross-legged on my bed.
He joined us on my bed and I began speaking to him in my head.
(Did you and Poppa make the crib already?)
Momma was engrossed with my hair to notice his quick nod. My smile grew bigger.
It was nice for daddy to find the crib that once belonged to him when he was younger and use the wood to make a new one for Eddie. I knew that my mom would love it. She always enjoyed the sentimental values of the gifts that daddy gave her.
This was Ivee's first, big celebration with the family, not counting her homecoming a couple months back. She was stressing over what to get for my parents. Since she was such a talented artist, I suggested for her to make a portrait of my mom and dad. I loved how she came to me with her little troubles. In fact, Emmie and Rommel were worried about the same thing. Considering the three of us played an instrument, Gramma suggested we come up with something to perform for the party tomorrow night and we did. I would start with a light intro and Emmie would take over with the melody, but being the boy that Rommel was, he persisted in having a drum solo. We couldn't refuse since the whole time he would just be keeping count with the bass drum. We practiced a couple of times and I had to admit that we played was pretty good. Daddy listened in one time and he loved it. There was no use in keeping the gift a secret from him because of his mind reading but nevertheless, I was happy that he liked it. We couldn't wait to see my mom's reaction.
"I think she'd start tearing up," Rommel commented after practice the other day.
Emmie nodded profusely. "Her mood swings have been on over drive lately. I guess that means Eddie is coming soon," she replied, wiping down the rosin residue on her cello.
I was shaken from my daydream when I heard my mom suck in a quick breath. I twisted in my position to see her wincing and her hand clutching the fabric over her belly.
"Bella, what's wrong?" daddy asked, hovering protectively beside her.
"It's nothing. Eddie's just kicking away. Poor kid, it's probably awfully cramped in here," she answered with one hand behind her hack and the other patting her huge stomach.
"Are you sure, momma? I'm sure Poppa can give you morphine or something to ease the pain. You know that we're prepared," I said getting up.
"No, no, there's no need. I'm fine," she waved off. I looked to daddy to see if I should proceed or not.
He was quiet for a while, either listening to my mom's thoughts or my baby brother's.
After a few moments of silence, he chuckled.
"It seems that your brother enjoys the sound of your voice," he mentioned gently rubbing momma's belly. My mom and I smiled at that.
Now with every strand of my hair brushed, they kissed me goodnight and tucked me in tight. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of preparing for their big day.
I woke up feeling the warmth of the sunlight that peeked through my window. I dressed out of my pajamas in less than five minutes. I got downstairs to find my cousins already eating their breakfast on the island counter. The smell of bacon, waffles and the sweetness of syrup engulfed me. My dad was to take my mom out for the day so that we could decorate the backyard and such. We were expecting quite a lot of people with the wolves and the Redfords coming.
While I was enjoying my plate of bacon and waffles, the kitchen door opened and shut. I didn't even have to turn around to see who it was.
Jacob was at my side in an instant and he planted a kiss on the top of my head. I wasn't surprised to find Seth greeting Emmie the same way.
"Hey, where's my kiss?" Rommel asked, playfully pouting. He resembled Uncle Emmett so much when he did that.
"Right here," Ivee answered pecking his cheek.
"Aww, thanks little cuz. Because of that, you get 2 kisses, one on each cheek."
We all smiled. I'm glad that we all got along so well.
"Jacob, Seth, why don't you sit and eat? I'm sure you two are starving," Gramma offered.
"Don't mind if we do," Jacob replied, having 2 stacks of waffles already piled on his plate.
After we were all done eating, we thanked Gramma and started making our way out back. We found the enormous grass area completely covered with a dance floor and a DJ booth not too far away. Tonight was going to be a lot of fun judging from all this get up.
We all had duties for the day. My grandparents were to be in the kitchen for a good amount of time, cooking for the party. As for me, my cousins, Jake and Seth, we were to do the lights, hanging them every where, including the trees nearby.
We didn't have much trouble so we were done in no time. We didn't feel like practicing, so we played video games until we were called to get dressed.
I only called this part one because I knew that I haven't posted since forever...and so here's what I got so far.
I haven't done any homework yet and I have church tomorrow so I don't really know when part 2 will be up. Sorry guys...
It was August now, a few days until Momma and daddy's anniversary. And boy was her belly big! I was surprised that she could even walk. I was glad about one thing: she wasn't in pain. Her hormones, however, were raging. Every now and then she would just growl out of nowhere. Her anger would almost always be directed to Uncle Emmett for he was taking advantage of her mood swings. If she wasn't angry, she would unconditionally be affectionate.
"Oh, Nessie," Momma crooned. "You know how much I love you right? And how pretty you are? It's no wonder why Jacob is so head over heels for you," she said brushing my hair before tucking me in.
I smiled in amusement.
"I'm only pretty because I inherited it from you," I replied matter-of-factly.
Just then daddy appeared, leaning on my doorway with his arms crossed.
"I contributed to your beauty, too, Ness," he remarked with a smirk.
I giggled. "oh, yeah. Sorry daddy. But thanks to you, I have gorgeous hair!" I replied bouncing cross-legged on my bed.
He joined us on my bed and I began speaking to him in my head.
(Did you and Poppa make the crib already?)
Momma was engrossed with my hair to notice his quick nod. My smile grew bigger.
It was nice for daddy to find the crib that once belonged to him when he was younger and use the wood to make a new one for Eddie. I knew that my mom would love it. She always enjoyed the sentimental values of the gifts that daddy gave her.
This was Ivee's first, big celebration with the family, not counting her homecoming a couple months back. She was stressing over what to get for my parents. Since she was such a talented artist, I suggested for her to make a portrait of my mom and dad. I loved how she came to me with her little troubles. In fact, Emmie and Rommel were worried about the same thing. Considering the three of us played an instrument, Gramma suggested we come up with something to perform for the party tomorrow night and we did. I would start with a light intro and Emmie would take over with the melody, but being the boy that Rommel was, he persisted in having a drum solo. We couldn't refuse since the whole time he would just be keeping count with the bass drum. We practiced a couple of times and I had to admit that we played was pretty good. Daddy listened in one time and he loved it. There was no use in keeping the gift a secret from him because of his mind reading but nevertheless, I was happy that he liked it. We couldn't wait to see my mom's reaction.
"I think she'd start tearing up," Rommel commented after practice the other day.
Emmie nodded profusely. "Her mood swings have been on over drive lately. I guess that means Eddie is coming soon," she replied, wiping down the rosin residue on her cello.
I was shaken from my daydream when I heard my mom suck in a quick breath. I twisted in my position to see her wincing and her hand clutching the fabric over her belly.
"Bella, what's wrong?" daddy asked, hovering protectively beside her.
"It's nothing. Eddie's just kicking away. Poor kid, it's probably awfully cramped in here," she answered with one hand behind her hack and the other patting her huge stomach.
"Are you sure, momma? I'm sure Poppa can give you morphine or something to ease the pain. You know that we're prepared," I said getting up.
"No, no, there's no need. I'm fine," she waved off. I looked to daddy to see if I should proceed or not.
He was quiet for a while, either listening to my mom's thoughts or my baby brother's.
After a few moments of silence, he chuckled.
"It seems that your brother enjoys the sound of your voice," he mentioned gently rubbing momma's belly. My mom and I smiled at that.
Now with every strand of my hair brushed, they kissed me goodnight and tucked me in tight. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of preparing for their big day.
I woke up feeling the warmth of the sunlight that peeked through my window. I dressed out of my pajamas in less than five minutes. I got downstairs to find my cousins already eating their breakfast on the island counter. The smell of bacon, waffles and the sweetness of syrup engulfed me. My dad was to take my mom out for the day so that we could decorate the backyard and such. We were expecting quite a lot of people with the wolves and the Redfords coming.
While I was enjoying my plate of bacon and waffles, the kitchen door opened and shut. I didn't even have to turn around to see who it was.
Jacob was at my side in an instant and he planted a kiss on the top of my head. I wasn't surprised to find Seth greeting Emmie the same way.
"Hey, where's my kiss?" Rommel asked, playfully pouting. He resembled Uncle Emmett so much when he did that.
"Right here," Ivee answered pecking his cheek.
"Aww, thanks little cuz. Because of that, you get 2 kisses, one on each cheek."
We all smiled. I'm glad that we all got along so well.
"Jacob, Seth, why don't you sit and eat? I'm sure you two are starving," Gramma offered.
"Don't mind if we do," Jacob replied, having 2 stacks of waffles already piled on his plate.
After we were all done eating, we thanked Gramma and started making our way out back. We found the enormous grass area completely covered with a dance floor and a DJ booth not too far away. Tonight was going to be a lot of fun judging from all this get up.
We all had duties for the day. My grandparents were to be in the kitchen for a good amount of time, cooking for the party. As for me, my cousins, Jake and Seth, we were to do the lights, hanging them every where, including the trees nearby.
We didn't have much trouble so we were done in no time. We didn't feel like practicing, so we played video games until we were called to get dressed.
I only called this part one because I knew that I haven't posted since forever...and so here's what I got so far.
I haven't done any homework yet and I have church tomorrow so I don't really know when part 2 will be up. Sorry guys...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
CH22: BUNDLES OF JOY
Bella's POV
The week flew by quickly. Edward and I went on a little trip to visit an old friend of mine: J. Jenks. I phoned him, as to not give him a heart attack since another Cullen was asking for one of the specialties in his menu. Ivee needed a passport and an ID and fast. During her stay in Alaska with the Denali's, I asked Alice for a picture of Ivee and sure enough, it was in my email in less than 30 minutes.
Esme and Rosalie were the most exicted next to the children themselves. Rommel was a little reluctant but that was only because there were a lot more women in the house now. He simply could not wait until his other new cousin was here. I just ruffled his already messy hair and told him the same thing.
Next to Alice in the decorating business was Rosalie. She, Emmie, Nessie and Esme would night and day on the preparations for Ivee. Starting from a brand new room to the whole house, every surfaced was polished with this and that for Ivee's homecoming. We decided on the last minute to not invite the wolves for now, for they might frighten her.
I tried to help out at the best of my ability but then having Edward Cullen as your husband and the father or your children made it a little more than difficult to even walk up and down the stairs. He was only acting this way because my stomach grew significantly and my cravings were acting up more than ever. It wasn't a surprise to me that the only human foods I still enjoyed were eggs that Edward cooked. My baby seemed to also enjoy lots of sweets like ice cream cake.
We were all piling up in the living room now. Alice, Ivee, and Jasper's plane landed about an hour ago. Carlisle and Emmett left tp pick them up.
It wasn't long until we heard the car pull up on the driveway.
I was happy to see that she was already clearly attached to her new parents. Of course, with Alice as your mother, you'd be looking fashionable any day and every day.
She was all smiles and her expression was classic the second she stpeed foot into the house. Shouts of welcome erupted and filled every room. Her eyes were so close to popping out of their sockets.
"Oh daddy," she cried, hiding sheepishly behind Jasper. "Is all of this for me?"
"Yes, all for you my precious little red tulip," he answered placing a kiss on her forehead.
Esme was quick to claim her newest grandchild. "Hello, Darling. Welcome home! I've cooked all sorts of foods for you and your Aunt and I prepared your bedroom. Oh, you do not know how much you mean to us," she said rocking her back and forth. She was so small compared to everyone else, her being the youngest by far. She looked to be about a big 5 year old.
I hugged her next, taking advantage before the children sweep her away to give the grand tour of the house.
"Hi Aunt Bella," she greeted with the cutest chime.
"Hi Ivee," I replied, "welcome home sweetheart."
SHe smiled in return and started batting her full, long lashes.
"CanI kiss your belly? Mommy said that there's baby growing inside," she asked rocking on her feet and her hands crossed behind her back. She was too adorable. I laughed and nodded.
She hesitantly walked closer to me and patted my stomach. By now everyone had been watching our little exchange, hypnotized by her cuteness.
She gave one quick peck to my 5 month looking stomach and dashed right back to Alice's side. The party officially started with feeding the children. Esme and Edward were busy the whole day in the kitchen cooking spaghetti, lasagna, and other italian foods. Nessie helped occasionally, too. The whole day was dedicated to the newest Cullen member. I don't know how everyone else felt, but for me, I was the happiest for Alice and Jasper. Things were really going well for those two. I noticed that as her siblings moved on, starting families, she looked just a little bit sullen. She probably felt the hole in her heart growing again, just like the first few years of her transformation, not remembering at all her human past. All that changed when she met Jasper and joined the Cullens. I've always known that Alice would make an exceptional mother. Seeing her so distressed in finding Ivee in time really reflected that. As for Ivee, it was obvious that somehow, someway she belonged in this family, like it was her destiny to be joined this way.
I had no doubt that she would fit right in with our family. She and Emmie were almost inseparable. The two had rooms of their own, but we found them sleeping together more often than not in either of the rooms. Ivee looked up greatly to Nessie as well. She was intrigued with her skill at playing the piano and she would always tug her shirt to play something or teach her. Rommel enjoyed her company as well. Surprisingly, despite her girly exterior, Ivee was very into sports. If she wasn't with Emmie or Nessie, she would be outside with Rommel and the rest of the guys playing with some sort of ball.
She had no trouble forgetting Jesse, that's for sure. She was really smart, too. When we left her in Alaska with Alice and Jasper, Alice reported that she was a really talented painter. All she had to do was watch the sunset for about 5 to 10 minutes and then within the next hour, the most perfectly creative interpretation of the sunset would be made.
The most astonishing of all would have to be her gift. I know she had never used it on any of us yet but I knew that one day it would be inevitable. Alice and I were looking through some magazines the other day and the topic of Ivee's power came up.
"She did what to Jesee?" I asked, my head shaking in disbelief.
"Well she was really mad that one day, when I had the vision of her fleeing, and she used her gift to manipulate him. Like actually control his thoughts and told him to swim far, faw away."
"So wait, let me get this straight. She has the power to persuade? And if she gets furious, it gets so powerful that she can control your mind?"
She nodded nonchalantly. Well I knew who's bad side I was to steer away from.
Alice saw my face and she laughed.
"Bella, don't worry. Jasper and I told her to never use her power for evil. She also knows the rules about humans and exposing our kind. She's smart, all of the children are. Oh Bella, you don't know how much I like the sound of all the children running around the house. Ever since Ivee came prancing into our lives, I've been more complete, jubilant and elated. Jasper and I should've adopted sooner," she rambled on and on.
I just smiled, still listening to her. In fact, all of our lives were more complete now. Edward and I loved Nessie dearly, more than our own lives and now we were expecting another bundle of nudges with Eddie coming soon. Then with the twins, Emmett and Rosalie became the parents that they always wanted to be. With Ivee, she brought out the maternal and paternal sides of her parents, which I would've never discovered. Even with Nessie being born, Rosalie was like her second mother whereas Alice was the aunt that didn't know how to change diapers. Esme and Carlisle were the next to be completely overjoyed.
Esme loved cleaning, cooking and caring for her beloved grandchildren. She even did nightly tuck ins now. As for Carlisle, he took more time off from the hospital to spend time with the children, too.
The Cullen house was definitely full of happiness now a days. And to think that these children were thought to never even exist. Like what Rosalie said, "I guess this family is just blessed with miracles."
I wrote 'precious little tulip' as Jasper's responce to Ivee because red tulips mean "perfect love" and I just thought it matched because Ivee was a perfect match to be Jasper and Alice's daughter because she makes the both of them feel more complete and such. Oh and red being that her hair is red... xD
The week flew by quickly. Edward and I went on a little trip to visit an old friend of mine: J. Jenks. I phoned him, as to not give him a heart attack since another Cullen was asking for one of the specialties in his menu. Ivee needed a passport and an ID and fast. During her stay in Alaska with the Denali's, I asked Alice for a picture of Ivee and sure enough, it was in my email in less than 30 minutes.
Esme and Rosalie were the most exicted next to the children themselves. Rommel was a little reluctant but that was only because there were a lot more women in the house now. He simply could not wait until his other new cousin was here. I just ruffled his already messy hair and told him the same thing.
Next to Alice in the decorating business was Rosalie. She, Emmie, Nessie and Esme would night and day on the preparations for Ivee. Starting from a brand new room to the whole house, every surfaced was polished with this and that for Ivee's homecoming. We decided on the last minute to not invite the wolves for now, for they might frighten her.
I tried to help out at the best of my ability but then having Edward Cullen as your husband and the father or your children made it a little more than difficult to even walk up and down the stairs. He was only acting this way because my stomach grew significantly and my cravings were acting up more than ever. It wasn't a surprise to me that the only human foods I still enjoyed were eggs that Edward cooked. My baby seemed to also enjoy lots of sweets like ice cream cake.
We were all piling up in the living room now. Alice, Ivee, and Jasper's plane landed about an hour ago. Carlisle and Emmett left tp pick them up.
It wasn't long until we heard the car pull up on the driveway.
I was happy to see that she was already clearly attached to her new parents. Of course, with Alice as your mother, you'd be looking fashionable any day and every day.
She was all smiles and her expression was classic the second she stpeed foot into the house. Shouts of welcome erupted and filled every room. Her eyes were so close to popping out of their sockets.
"Oh daddy," she cried, hiding sheepishly behind Jasper. "Is all of this for me?"
"Yes, all for you my precious little red tulip," he answered placing a kiss on her forehead.
Esme was quick to claim her newest grandchild. "Hello, Darling. Welcome home! I've cooked all sorts of foods for you and your Aunt and I prepared your bedroom. Oh, you do not know how much you mean to us," she said rocking her back and forth. She was so small compared to everyone else, her being the youngest by far. She looked to be about a big 5 year old.
I hugged her next, taking advantage before the children sweep her away to give the grand tour of the house.
"Hi Aunt Bella," she greeted with the cutest chime.
"Hi Ivee," I replied, "welcome home sweetheart."
SHe smiled in return and started batting her full, long lashes.
"CanI kiss your belly? Mommy said that there's baby growing inside," she asked rocking on her feet and her hands crossed behind her back. She was too adorable. I laughed and nodded.
She hesitantly walked closer to me and patted my stomach. By now everyone had been watching our little exchange, hypnotized by her cuteness.
She gave one quick peck to my 5 month looking stomach and dashed right back to Alice's side. The party officially started with feeding the children. Esme and Edward were busy the whole day in the kitchen cooking spaghetti, lasagna, and other italian foods. Nessie helped occasionally, too. The whole day was dedicated to the newest Cullen member. I don't know how everyone else felt, but for me, I was the happiest for Alice and Jasper. Things were really going well for those two. I noticed that as her siblings moved on, starting families, she looked just a little bit sullen. She probably felt the hole in her heart growing again, just like the first few years of her transformation, not remembering at all her human past. All that changed when she met Jasper and joined the Cullens. I've always known that Alice would make an exceptional mother. Seeing her so distressed in finding Ivee in time really reflected that. As for Ivee, it was obvious that somehow, someway she belonged in this family, like it was her destiny to be joined this way.
I had no doubt that she would fit right in with our family. She and Emmie were almost inseparable. The two had rooms of their own, but we found them sleeping together more often than not in either of the rooms. Ivee looked up greatly to Nessie as well. She was intrigued with her skill at playing the piano and she would always tug her shirt to play something or teach her. Rommel enjoyed her company as well. Surprisingly, despite her girly exterior, Ivee was very into sports. If she wasn't with Emmie or Nessie, she would be outside with Rommel and the rest of the guys playing with some sort of ball.
She had no trouble forgetting Jesse, that's for sure. She was really smart, too. When we left her in Alaska with Alice and Jasper, Alice reported that she was a really talented painter. All she had to do was watch the sunset for about 5 to 10 minutes and then within the next hour, the most perfectly creative interpretation of the sunset would be made.
The most astonishing of all would have to be her gift. I know she had never used it on any of us yet but I knew that one day it would be inevitable. Alice and I were looking through some magazines the other day and the topic of Ivee's power came up.
"She did what to Jesee?" I asked, my head shaking in disbelief.
"Well she was really mad that one day, when I had the vision of her fleeing, and she used her gift to manipulate him. Like actually control his thoughts and told him to swim far, faw away."
"So wait, let me get this straight. She has the power to persuade? And if she gets furious, it gets so powerful that she can control your mind?"
She nodded nonchalantly. Well I knew who's bad side I was to steer away from.
Alice saw my face and she laughed.
"Bella, don't worry. Jasper and I told her to never use her power for evil. She also knows the rules about humans and exposing our kind. She's smart, all of the children are. Oh Bella, you don't know how much I like the sound of all the children running around the house. Ever since Ivee came prancing into our lives, I've been more complete, jubilant and elated. Jasper and I should've adopted sooner," she rambled on and on.
I just smiled, still listening to her. In fact, all of our lives were more complete now. Edward and I loved Nessie dearly, more than our own lives and now we were expecting another bundle of nudges with Eddie coming soon. Then with the twins, Emmett and Rosalie became the parents that they always wanted to be. With Ivee, she brought out the maternal and paternal sides of her parents, which I would've never discovered. Even with Nessie being born, Rosalie was like her second mother whereas Alice was the aunt that didn't know how to change diapers. Esme and Carlisle were the next to be completely overjoyed.
Esme loved cleaning, cooking and caring for her beloved grandchildren. She even did nightly tuck ins now. As for Carlisle, he took more time off from the hospital to spend time with the children, too.
The Cullen house was definitely full of happiness now a days. And to think that these children were thought to never even exist. Like what Rosalie said, "I guess this family is just blessed with miracles."
I wrote 'precious little tulip' as Jasper's responce to Ivee because red tulips mean "perfect love" and I just thought it matched because Ivee was a perfect match to be Jasper and Alice's daughter because she makes the both of them feel more complete and such. Oh and red being that her hair is red... xD
Sunday, March 13, 2011
CH21: IVEE
Alice's POV
Five long agonizing hours, 25,000 feet in the air. I kept on fidgeting, trying to focus on Ivee and where she could be. All that I got were flashes of trees she ran past and a deer that she caught and drank from being so worn out from fleeing.
I was glad on one thing: that she chose to be vegetarian on her own.
What I didn't understand was how she escaped from her father. Or how she knew about us and where we were. The last I saw of her was standing amongst a tree with a huge trunk covering. She decided to rest for a while and then start running again as soon as she regained her strength.
I sighed in relief. Edward's features eased, too. This way, it would be easier to find her, now that she was stable.
After about an hour the plane finally landed and we were literally sitting on the edges of our seats. As far as I knew, Ivee was still sleeping but it took all of my might to not break down the emergency exit and make a head start.
"Alice, don't do anything rash. She's safe now, sleeping. We'll find her in no time," Edward reassured me.
I smiled meekly, silently thanking him for his words of comfort.
We began exiting the plane about 5 minutes after our little exchange and we walked, a little faster than human speed and found Kate and Garett quickly.
"Kate, Garrett, thank you for accompanying us in search for Jasper and Alice's daughter," Carlisle greeted them with extended hands.
"Anything for family, Carlisle," she gestured with her gaze resting on each one of us.
"Let's get going. With all of us searching, we're sure to find her within an hour or 2, maybe less. Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar are scouting Anchorage and other local places not too far away," Garrett mentioned already making his way through the crowds. Poor Jasper must've been struggling with his scorching thirst being surrounded by all these humans, obviously here for Alaska's annual summer scenes which was fast approaching. I took hold of his hand, lacing it with mine and ran ahead. Everyone followed soon after and we made our way to the forest.
Within 30 minutes of roaming, trying to catch Ivee's scent, I had a vision. And my worst fear came to life. Her father found her and was practically dragging her along the forest floor because of her resistance. He was actually contemplating whether or not to steal one of the boats secured along the harbor and tie her up to the railing, pulling her back to Fairbanks through the water!
I panicked. We were losing time. I ran faster, desperately seeking any whiff unfamiliar to me, hoping it could be Ivee's scent or her father's.
Edward, Bella and Jasper didn't stray far away from me. We were well into the border of Anchorage and like an answered prayer, Jasper came to me, reporting a scent he found. We followed his lead and sure enough the scent became stronger. A little more searching, closer to the coast of the forest where the water was visible, and I saw her fiery red locks. As we were nearing her father, something stopped him short.
It was Tanya, blocking his path. Soon, Emmett and the rest caught up with us, emerging from the deepest parts of the forest.
At first, he wasn't aware that he was being ambushed.
"Tanya, what a pleasant surprise," he said sarcastically, sneering. So this guy knew Tanya.
"Jesse, hand over the girl or we'll attack you," she warned with acid, this encounter unpleasant to her as well.
"Humph," he grunted, "everyone seems to want this stupid kid."
Jasper and I couldn't hold back our hisses, and we were joined by Edward and Bella. Jesse turned around at the sounds.
"What the?" He said his eyes bulging out. "What're they doin' here?"
"We're here to get my daughter," I seethed out.
Ivee's head turned at my statement. Her eyes were full of longing. His grip tightened on her arms.
"Ow! Stop hurting me!" she yelped.
Jasper couldn't contain himself. He ran full speed towards Jesse. Tanya snatched Ivee away just in time. Jesse and Jasper were throwing punches and teeth were snapping. Edward and Emmett followed quickly. Jesse was in trapped in Jasper's arms, a few seconds away from getting his head ripped off.
"Wait!" I shouted. I wanted him to get a piece of my mind before he permanently left this Earth.
"How can you treat a sweet, innocent little girl like a stubborn horse? She's your daughter for God's sake! She's not safe or happy with you and we're NOT going to allow you to send her to Italy."
"Aro will find you! He has that Felix guy and he'll find you in a heartbeat. Aro will know that you took her and he'll kill you," he spit out.
I huffed. He probably hasn't heard of us.
"I would love to see the Volturi try. He wouldn't dare kill us. We're not even supposed to know why he wants Ivee. From this moment on, she's MINE. With us she'll be loved and protected," I said.
He glared at me for a good while and then he directed profanities to Tanya.
"This is all your fault, you bitch! I never wanted this life! Look what you've done!"
Tanya shook her head incredulously. "Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. Always blaming someone else for your unhappiness. I bit you because I saw potential. You and I could've been really happy together, but you never let me explain. You just took off and went on the wrong path. Ivee doesn't deserve the anger to put out on her. You don't like this life? Well, too bad because this is the only life you have. And then you go and make another life, a life that you never intended to be responsible for. Now, do you see what you've done?"
His jaws locked and unlocked as he processed her rant.
"I don't get why you guys want her so much. She's useless; she never does anything I tell her to do. She even used her power against me. That's the only reason why she escaped from me. Stupid, girl," he muttered. And that was all it took. I ran to him and finished his head. Jasper and Emmett took the rest of his body apart and Rosalie tossed the lighter on his chunks.
Ivee clung tightly to Tanya, her eyes completely sealed shut. She was even whimpering a little.
"Hush now baby girl. He's gone and you'll never be treated like that again. Ever," I soothed. She looked up, sniffled, and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Are you really my mom?" she whispered, looking up at me as Tanya placed her on the ground.
"No, but from this moment and until forever, I am," I said, lowering myself so that I was at her eye level.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for you, Ivee," I breathed.
She began crying but crushed herself to me. I hugged her tight, never wanting to let go. It wasn't long until Jasper's arms were around us as well.
"Are you my new daddy?" she asked innocently with her big blue hazel eyes.
He chuckled and answered: "Yes, I am and your new name is Ivee Jade Cullen."
Her whole face lit up. "I've never had a last name," she replied excitedly.
"What was your first name?" I asked, wondering what awful name Jesse came up with.
She frowned at the mention of her terrible father. "He just called me 'Red' because of my hair."
Jasper and I exchanged an exasperated look.
"Hey Jasper, Alice. You wanna introduce us to you daughter?" Emmett called as everyone began approaching us.
Ivee's hand was glued to mine while I spoke.
"Ivee, honey, this is your family now. You're grandfather, Carlisle and these are your aunts and uncles: Emmett and Rosalie, Edward and Bella, Kate and Garrett and Tanya."
Carmen and Eleazar joined us not long after all the introductions.
Ay, Dios mio! You've found her! Thank goodness!" Again, we were hugged and kissed. I was eager to get on the plane back home but we had one little problem.
"She has no passport. We won't be able to get her one in such late notice," Carlisle said, his hand rubbing his chin.
"We'll run. I'll carry Ivee on my back if I have to," Jasper answered.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. We have more than enough room for all of you in our home. Perhaps Carlisle and the rest would want to leave ahead and get the documents needed and come back," Eleazar offerd.
"Thank you so much for your generosity. It all depends on our new little member of the family now," Carlisle answered. We all looked to Ivee for a response. All she did was tug on my shirt to bring my ear to her lips.
"Let's stay here for a little bit. Please mommy?" she asked with her adorable, tiny chime-like voice. Who could say no to that?
I nodded without any hesitation and then we were off in our separate ways.
Carlisle and the rest would go back to Forks by plane while Jasper, Ivee, and I would stay with the Denali's. We were expected to stay for at least a week in Alaska and I would take advantage of that time to spend it with my wonderful husband and newly adopted duaghter that was now all mine, forever and ever.
Five long agonizing hours, 25,000 feet in the air. I kept on fidgeting, trying to focus on Ivee and where she could be. All that I got were flashes of trees she ran past and a deer that she caught and drank from being so worn out from fleeing.
I was glad on one thing: that she chose to be vegetarian on her own.
What I didn't understand was how she escaped from her father. Or how she knew about us and where we were. The last I saw of her was standing amongst a tree with a huge trunk covering. She decided to rest for a while and then start running again as soon as she regained her strength.
I sighed in relief. Edward's features eased, too. This way, it would be easier to find her, now that she was stable.
After about an hour the plane finally landed and we were literally sitting on the edges of our seats. As far as I knew, Ivee was still sleeping but it took all of my might to not break down the emergency exit and make a head start.
"Alice, don't do anything rash. She's safe now, sleeping. We'll find her in no time," Edward reassured me.
I smiled meekly, silently thanking him for his words of comfort.
We began exiting the plane about 5 minutes after our little exchange and we walked, a little faster than human speed and found Kate and Garett quickly.
"Kate, Garrett, thank you for accompanying us in search for Jasper and Alice's daughter," Carlisle greeted them with extended hands.
"Anything for family, Carlisle," she gestured with her gaze resting on each one of us.
"Let's get going. With all of us searching, we're sure to find her within an hour or 2, maybe less. Tanya, Carmen, and Eleazar are scouting Anchorage and other local places not too far away," Garrett mentioned already making his way through the crowds. Poor Jasper must've been struggling with his scorching thirst being surrounded by all these humans, obviously here for Alaska's annual summer scenes which was fast approaching. I took hold of his hand, lacing it with mine and ran ahead. Everyone followed soon after and we made our way to the forest.
Within 30 minutes of roaming, trying to catch Ivee's scent, I had a vision. And my worst fear came to life. Her father found her and was practically dragging her along the forest floor because of her resistance. He was actually contemplating whether or not to steal one of the boats secured along the harbor and tie her up to the railing, pulling her back to Fairbanks through the water!
I panicked. We were losing time. I ran faster, desperately seeking any whiff unfamiliar to me, hoping it could be Ivee's scent or her father's.
Edward, Bella and Jasper didn't stray far away from me. We were well into the border of Anchorage and like an answered prayer, Jasper came to me, reporting a scent he found. We followed his lead and sure enough the scent became stronger. A little more searching, closer to the coast of the forest where the water was visible, and I saw her fiery red locks. As we were nearing her father, something stopped him short.
It was Tanya, blocking his path. Soon, Emmett and the rest caught up with us, emerging from the deepest parts of the forest.
At first, he wasn't aware that he was being ambushed.
"Tanya, what a pleasant surprise," he said sarcastically, sneering. So this guy knew Tanya.
"Jesse, hand over the girl or we'll attack you," she warned with acid, this encounter unpleasant to her as well.
"Humph," he grunted, "everyone seems to want this stupid kid."
Jasper and I couldn't hold back our hisses, and we were joined by Edward and Bella. Jesse turned around at the sounds.
"What the?" He said his eyes bulging out. "What're they doin' here?"
"We're here to get my daughter," I seethed out.
Ivee's head turned at my statement. Her eyes were full of longing. His grip tightened on her arms.
"Ow! Stop hurting me!" she yelped.
Jasper couldn't contain himself. He ran full speed towards Jesse. Tanya snatched Ivee away just in time. Jesse and Jasper were throwing punches and teeth were snapping. Edward and Emmett followed quickly. Jesse was in trapped in Jasper's arms, a few seconds away from getting his head ripped off.
"Wait!" I shouted. I wanted him to get a piece of my mind before he permanently left this Earth.
"How can you treat a sweet, innocent little girl like a stubborn horse? She's your daughter for God's sake! She's not safe or happy with you and we're NOT going to allow you to send her to Italy."
"Aro will find you! He has that Felix guy and he'll find you in a heartbeat. Aro will know that you took her and he'll kill you," he spit out.
I huffed. He probably hasn't heard of us.
"I would love to see the Volturi try. He wouldn't dare kill us. We're not even supposed to know why he wants Ivee. From this moment on, she's MINE. With us she'll be loved and protected," I said.
He glared at me for a good while and then he directed profanities to Tanya.
"This is all your fault, you bitch! I never wanted this life! Look what you've done!"
Tanya shook her head incredulously. "Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. Always blaming someone else for your unhappiness. I bit you because I saw potential. You and I could've been really happy together, but you never let me explain. You just took off and went on the wrong path. Ivee doesn't deserve the anger to put out on her. You don't like this life? Well, too bad because this is the only life you have. And then you go and make another life, a life that you never intended to be responsible for. Now, do you see what you've done?"
His jaws locked and unlocked as he processed her rant.
"I don't get why you guys want her so much. She's useless; she never does anything I tell her to do. She even used her power against me. That's the only reason why she escaped from me. Stupid, girl," he muttered. And that was all it took. I ran to him and finished his head. Jasper and Emmett took the rest of his body apart and Rosalie tossed the lighter on his chunks.
Ivee clung tightly to Tanya, her eyes completely sealed shut. She was even whimpering a little.
"Hush now baby girl. He's gone and you'll never be treated like that again. Ever," I soothed. She looked up, sniffled, and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Are you really my mom?" she whispered, looking up at me as Tanya placed her on the ground.
"No, but from this moment and until forever, I am," I said, lowering myself so that I was at her eye level.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for you, Ivee," I breathed.
She began crying but crushed herself to me. I hugged her tight, never wanting to let go. It wasn't long until Jasper's arms were around us as well.
"Are you my new daddy?" she asked innocently with her big blue hazel eyes.
He chuckled and answered: "Yes, I am and your new name is Ivee Jade Cullen."
Her whole face lit up. "I've never had a last name," she replied excitedly.
"What was your first name?" I asked, wondering what awful name Jesse came up with.
She frowned at the mention of her terrible father. "He just called me 'Red' because of my hair."
Jasper and I exchanged an exasperated look.
"Hey Jasper, Alice. You wanna introduce us to you daughter?" Emmett called as everyone began approaching us.
Ivee's hand was glued to mine while I spoke.
"Ivee, honey, this is your family now. You're grandfather, Carlisle and these are your aunts and uncles: Emmett and Rosalie, Edward and Bella, Kate and Garrett and Tanya."
Carmen and Eleazar joined us not long after all the introductions.
Ay, Dios mio! You've found her! Thank goodness!" Again, we were hugged and kissed. I was eager to get on the plane back home but we had one little problem.
"She has no passport. We won't be able to get her one in such late notice," Carlisle said, his hand rubbing his chin.
"We'll run. I'll carry Ivee on my back if I have to," Jasper answered.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous. We have more than enough room for all of you in our home. Perhaps Carlisle and the rest would want to leave ahead and get the documents needed and come back," Eleazar offerd.
"Thank you so much for your generosity. It all depends on our new little member of the family now," Carlisle answered. We all looked to Ivee for a response. All she did was tug on my shirt to bring my ear to her lips.
"Let's stay here for a little bit. Please mommy?" she asked with her adorable, tiny chime-like voice. Who could say no to that?
I nodded without any hesitation and then we were off in our separate ways.
Carlisle and the rest would go back to Forks by plane while Jasper, Ivee, and I would stay with the Denali's. We were expected to stay for at least a week in Alaska and I would take advantage of that time to spend it with my wonderful husband and newly adopted duaghter that was now all mine, forever and ever.
Friday, March 11, 2011
CH20: FLEEING
So sorry that this chapter took so long to be posted. I've been really caught up with school and such. Things should be back to normal now, which means updates every 2-3 days. I know I've never really asked before, but now I am. If you read this story and you like it, please comment every once and while :) I have no idea if I'm doing a good job or anything, you know? Now you don't have to write a whole lot, just a "good job, keep writing!" would be ample enough. Also if you guys have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please don't hesitate to speak out. With that, here's chapter 20. MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL THOSE STRUGGLING IN JAPAN. ALL WHO SUFFERED THIS DEVESTATION ARE IN MY PRAYERS.
Alice's POV
We watched Edward's Volvo speed away by the window. When the car was out of sight, everyone left to do their own thing. With Jasper's hand in mine, I led him upstairs to our bedroom.
"Jazz, I think it's time..." I said crawling to the center of our enormous king-sized bed.
"And by time, I'm guessing you don't mean sex, right?" he replied with a sly grin.
"Honey, we can do that later, when the twins are sleeping," I answered back cunningly.
"I have a feeling we're going to find Ivee soon and that means we have to tell everyone. And now that Bella's secret is out, it's only fair that we share ours."
He stared gingerly at me with his amber eyes. I can tell he was deciding. I waited patiently, well as patiently as I could, and as clear as he would've answered aloud I had a vision; Esme and Rosalie buried themselves in designing Ivee's bedroom. As for Edward, I saw him getting upset at the fact I didn't tell him that the Volturi were involved. I'd deal with him later.
"C'mon, c'mon let's go and tell everyone!" I said, tugging on Jasper's shirt. He chuckled and kissed my nose.
"You're so cute," he replied, his lips meeting mine.
"Oh, I know," I answered back.
We were back downstairs in a heartbeat and in that same time I called for everyone to meet in the living room once again. I was already jumping up and down from my excitement.
"What's up, chipmunk?" Emmett asked with Emmie and Rommel on each of his shoulders. I always loathed that nickname he gave me, but nothing could possibly shatter my happiness at the moment.
"Jazz and I have an announcement to make," I started.
I looked to my husband before I continued.
"We're going to adopt!" I exclaimed.
Esme's arms were around me within a blink.
"Oh, Alice! And to think I was going to have 4 grandchildren, but now there'll be 5! I'm so overjoyed." If she were able to cry tears of joy, the house would've been flooded by now. Rosalie was next to claim me while I heard Emmett congratulate Jasper with an "it's about time, bro."
"Alice, was this what you were hiding? You should've told us sooner. Everyone is obviously happy for you and Jazz," she said.
"Yeah, Aunt Alice. Keeping our future cousin a secret is mean," Emmie said with a frown.
"Well the cat's outta the bag now so we can celebrate," Rommel replied with a hug. Oh, how this little boy was growing up exactly to be like his father. Jasper was quick to do the explaining.
"We could've told you all the good news sooner but with this adoption, it's going to be a little challenging."
"Heck yeah, you know how I like a challenge," Emmett answered smugly.
Before his comments got out of hand, I continued.
"About a month ago, I was searching for my and Jasper's future. Seeing Rosalie and Bella so happy with their children made me really want to adopt. It was then that I saw a glimpse of a girl, younger than Rommel and Emmie, crying in the woods somewhere, like she was abandoned. After that I started getting more flashes about her. I saw that she's miserable with her good-for-nothing father. What's worse is that the Volturi are involved."
Rosalie's grip on her twins tightened.
"When we went hunting last night, Alice saw that Aro wants her for her gift. He plans to use it against us," Jasper added.
"Then, what're we waiting for? Let's go and get your daughter," Emmett said rolling his long sleeves up.
"Em, it's not that easy," I replied, allowing myself to be pained a little.
"I haven't seen the decision being made yet. Her father plans to send her to Italy soon. When he decides, I'll find her."
"Alice," Esme said with her motherly tone, "don't be ridiculous. We'll help you find her," she reassured. Rosalie and the rest nodded in agreement.
I smiled in return. I'm glad my family was so supportive.
"My best guess is that Ivee's in Alaska. One of the places I saw her in looked like Anchorage," I mentioned.
"Well in that case, we should give the Denali's a call. I'm sure they'll be glad to help and look out," Rosalie suggested. Emmie lit up at the mention of my daughter's name.
"That name is adorable! I can't wait to meet her, Auntie Alice," she said, her arms wrapping around my waist.
"Me, too, kiddo. Me, too," I sighed, stroking her long blonde hair.
Hours past before we heard the car crunching the gravel on the way to our driveway. I was too engrossed in my thoughts when I saw Bella make the decision to name her son Edward Masen, Eddie for short. After that I replayed and replayed the image of my Ivee. I wanted her beside Jasper and I, safe from Aro's reach. She doesn't belong it Italy; she belongs with us. I distraced myself by thinking of her skin, milky white and her hair a curly fiery red. She also had the sweetest blue hazel eyes...
"Alice," Edward called bursting through the door. I was prepared for his mindless rampage, already waiting on the couch with Jasper's head resting on my lap. Carlisle came in a few moments after, carrying Nessie who was mumbling sleepily.
"Who's Ivee?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Who's Eddie?" I asked back, equally callous.
Bella was beside him now and she patted my brother's cheek. Like always, he calmed down with just her mere touch. She must've dropped her shield to explain about Eddie.
"Really? Edward Masen?" he asked her, his whole face full of wonder. She nodded and then turned to me.
"I'm guessing your secret's out now, too?"
I chuckled lightly, "mmhmm."
"Alice," Edward sighed, "I wish you would've told me about you guys wanting to adopt."
"Edward, you have to understand that I was thinking about the safety of Ivee and our family. At that time of my vision, I just knew that the Volturi were involved but not exactly their reason of involvement."
He nodded and sat next to me with Bella following him.
"I'm sorry if I was so hostile earlier. I've had a long day and now a new one is starting," he said shaking his head at the dull light peeking through the living room curtains. "I'm happy for you the both of you, honestly. You'll finally know the feeling of utmost joy and love of having your little miracle." As he said this, he began to rub Bella's growing stomach. Jasper and I smiled.
"Has the decision been made yet? When are you going to get her?" Bella asked.
"No, but I know it's going to be soon. Aro wants her gift. He thinks it will be useful against us in the future." Edward's lips pulled back slightly at my vision I replayed for him.
"Aro just won't stop," he said.
"Exactly! Which is why I need to find her!" I was practically yelling from worry. Just then my line of sight blurred and I was no longer staring at my brother.
Ivee was crying again but instead of crying in the middle of somewhere, she was fleeing. She was fleeing to find us.
I was snapped back to reality. Jasper was still shaking me, begging to tell him what I saw. Thankfully Edward was already way ahead of me.
"Ivee's coming here. We have to go now if we have any chances of finding her before she gets lost or if anyone snatches her," he said.
Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Carlisle gathered at the living room, hearing his declaration.
"I'm coming with you," Bella said getting up. Edward shook his head, his eyes hard, liquid amber.
"Bella, please stay here with Esme and the children," Edward implored.
"You'll need my shield to protect all of you," she argued. We were quiet, awaiting Edward's response, but I already knew his reluctant decision. Before we left, we called for Jake to help with watching over the children. With Jake, it was only expected for Seth to be included in our future protection details.
We also gave the Denali's a call. Being that Ivee was still considerably young, she can't go that far off and would still be in Alaska's vicinity. Carlisle was quick to get us last minute tickets to Juneau. From there, we would meet up with Kate and Garrett and head for the forest to find my daughter.
Emmett and Rosalie kissed Rommel and Emmie while they were still fast asleep as did Edward and Bella to Nessie. Esme held my face with her hands.
"Be safe. Make sure all of you come back in one piece," she breathed, stroking Jasper's cheek as well.
"We will," he said, his tone riddled with determination.
If only I was as brave as my husband. I couldn't hide the terror underneath my features.
"Alice," he said, pulling me into him. "We will find her..."
"I really hope we do," I said onto his shoulder.
With all the goodbyes done and Jacob and Seth arriving, we left for the airport to Juneau to rescue our daughter.
Alice's POV
We watched Edward's Volvo speed away by the window. When the car was out of sight, everyone left to do their own thing. With Jasper's hand in mine, I led him upstairs to our bedroom.
"Jazz, I think it's time..." I said crawling to the center of our enormous king-sized bed.
"And by time, I'm guessing you don't mean sex, right?" he replied with a sly grin.
"Honey, we can do that later, when the twins are sleeping," I answered back cunningly.
"I have a feeling we're going to find Ivee soon and that means we have to tell everyone. And now that Bella's secret is out, it's only fair that we share ours."
He stared gingerly at me with his amber eyes. I can tell he was deciding. I waited patiently, well as patiently as I could, and as clear as he would've answered aloud I had a vision; Esme and Rosalie buried themselves in designing Ivee's bedroom. As for Edward, I saw him getting upset at the fact I didn't tell him that the Volturi were involved. I'd deal with him later.
"C'mon, c'mon let's go and tell everyone!" I said, tugging on Jasper's shirt. He chuckled and kissed my nose.
"You're so cute," he replied, his lips meeting mine.
"Oh, I know," I answered back.
We were back downstairs in a heartbeat and in that same time I called for everyone to meet in the living room once again. I was already jumping up and down from my excitement.
"What's up, chipmunk?" Emmett asked with Emmie and Rommel on each of his shoulders. I always loathed that nickname he gave me, but nothing could possibly shatter my happiness at the moment.
"Jazz and I have an announcement to make," I started.
I looked to my husband before I continued.
"We're going to adopt!" I exclaimed.
Esme's arms were around me within a blink.
"Oh, Alice! And to think I was going to have 4 grandchildren, but now there'll be 5! I'm so overjoyed." If she were able to cry tears of joy, the house would've been flooded by now. Rosalie was next to claim me while I heard Emmett congratulate Jasper with an "it's about time, bro."
"Alice, was this what you were hiding? You should've told us sooner. Everyone is obviously happy for you and Jazz," she said.
"Yeah, Aunt Alice. Keeping our future cousin a secret is mean," Emmie said with a frown.
"Well the cat's outta the bag now so we can celebrate," Rommel replied with a hug. Oh, how this little boy was growing up exactly to be like his father. Jasper was quick to do the explaining.
"We could've told you all the good news sooner but with this adoption, it's going to be a little challenging."
"Heck yeah, you know how I like a challenge," Emmett answered smugly.
Before his comments got out of hand, I continued.
"About a month ago, I was searching for my and Jasper's future. Seeing Rosalie and Bella so happy with their children made me really want to adopt. It was then that I saw a glimpse of a girl, younger than Rommel and Emmie, crying in the woods somewhere, like she was abandoned. After that I started getting more flashes about her. I saw that she's miserable with her good-for-nothing father. What's worse is that the Volturi are involved."
Rosalie's grip on her twins tightened.
"When we went hunting last night, Alice saw that Aro wants her for her gift. He plans to use it against us," Jasper added.
"Then, what're we waiting for? Let's go and get your daughter," Emmett said rolling his long sleeves up.
"Em, it's not that easy," I replied, allowing myself to be pained a little.
"I haven't seen the decision being made yet. Her father plans to send her to Italy soon. When he decides, I'll find her."
"Alice," Esme said with her motherly tone, "don't be ridiculous. We'll help you find her," she reassured. Rosalie and the rest nodded in agreement.
I smiled in return. I'm glad my family was so supportive.
"My best guess is that Ivee's in Alaska. One of the places I saw her in looked like Anchorage," I mentioned.
"Well in that case, we should give the Denali's a call. I'm sure they'll be glad to help and look out," Rosalie suggested. Emmie lit up at the mention of my daughter's name.
"That name is adorable! I can't wait to meet her, Auntie Alice," she said, her arms wrapping around my waist.
"Me, too, kiddo. Me, too," I sighed, stroking her long blonde hair.
Hours past before we heard the car crunching the gravel on the way to our driveway. I was too engrossed in my thoughts when I saw Bella make the decision to name her son Edward Masen, Eddie for short. After that I replayed and replayed the image of my Ivee. I wanted her beside Jasper and I, safe from Aro's reach. She doesn't belong it Italy; she belongs with us. I distraced myself by thinking of her skin, milky white and her hair a curly fiery red. She also had the sweetest blue hazel eyes...
"Alice," Edward called bursting through the door. I was prepared for his mindless rampage, already waiting on the couch with Jasper's head resting on my lap. Carlisle came in a few moments after, carrying Nessie who was mumbling sleepily.
"Who's Ivee?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Who's Eddie?" I asked back, equally callous.
Bella was beside him now and she patted my brother's cheek. Like always, he calmed down with just her mere touch. She must've dropped her shield to explain about Eddie.
"Really? Edward Masen?" he asked her, his whole face full of wonder. She nodded and then turned to me.
"I'm guessing your secret's out now, too?"
I chuckled lightly, "mmhmm."
"Alice," Edward sighed, "I wish you would've told me about you guys wanting to adopt."
"Edward, you have to understand that I was thinking about the safety of Ivee and our family. At that time of my vision, I just knew that the Volturi were involved but not exactly their reason of involvement."
He nodded and sat next to me with Bella following him.
"I'm sorry if I was so hostile earlier. I've had a long day and now a new one is starting," he said shaking his head at the dull light peeking through the living room curtains. "I'm happy for you the both of you, honestly. You'll finally know the feeling of utmost joy and love of having your little miracle." As he said this, he began to rub Bella's growing stomach. Jasper and I smiled.
"Has the decision been made yet? When are you going to get her?" Bella asked.
"No, but I know it's going to be soon. Aro wants her gift. He thinks it will be useful against us in the future." Edward's lips pulled back slightly at my vision I replayed for him.
"Aro just won't stop," he said.
"Exactly! Which is why I need to find her!" I was practically yelling from worry. Just then my line of sight blurred and I was no longer staring at my brother.
Ivee was crying again but instead of crying in the middle of somewhere, she was fleeing. She was fleeing to find us.
I was snapped back to reality. Jasper was still shaking me, begging to tell him what I saw. Thankfully Edward was already way ahead of me.
"Ivee's coming here. We have to go now if we have any chances of finding her before she gets lost or if anyone snatches her," he said.
Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Carlisle gathered at the living room, hearing his declaration.
"I'm coming with you," Bella said getting up. Edward shook his head, his eyes hard, liquid amber.
"Bella, please stay here with Esme and the children," Edward implored.
"You'll need my shield to protect all of you," she argued. We were quiet, awaiting Edward's response, but I already knew his reluctant decision. Before we left, we called for Jake to help with watching over the children. With Jake, it was only expected for Seth to be included in our future protection details.
We also gave the Denali's a call. Being that Ivee was still considerably young, she can't go that far off and would still be in Alaska's vicinity. Carlisle was quick to get us last minute tickets to Juneau. From there, we would meet up with Kate and Garrett and head for the forest to find my daughter.
Emmett and Rosalie kissed Rommel and Emmie while they were still fast asleep as did Edward and Bella to Nessie. Esme held my face with her hands.
"Be safe. Make sure all of you come back in one piece," she breathed, stroking Jasper's cheek as well.
"We will," he said, his tone riddled with determination.
If only I was as brave as my husband. I couldn't hide the terror underneath my features.
"Alice," he said, pulling me into him. "We will find her..."
"I really hope we do," I said onto his shoulder.
With all the goodbyes done and Jacob and Seth arriving, we left for the airport to Juneau to rescue our daughter.
Monday, March 7, 2011
CH19: THE REDFORDS
Renesmee's POV
I was really proud of myself for keeping daddy out of the loop. For one whole month, I was a success. Of course, going back to school helped out a lot. I mean, keeping the fact that my mom might be pregnant with my little brother or sister was such a heavy load on my shoulders. Momma couldn't contain herself most of the time. She kept on dropping hints. My dad became suspicious anyway when she would cover me in her shield whenever she was in the room with me. He even tried to bribe me once. He offered to let Jacob sleep over. In my room. With me.He was being so unfair.
"Daddy..." I groaned. "I can't tell you. I promised Momma and Aunt Alice."
"Alice?" He asked with his eyebrow shooting up. "Alice is a part of this?"
Oops. Just then, my aunt came prancing into the dining room from upstairs.
"I heard my name. What's going on?"
"Alice," daddy said with his velvet voice. "I know you're having a hard time keeping Bella's secret. So why don't you do yourself a favor and just tell me."
"Nope!" she replied, with a pop.
"We made a deal. She hasn't told my secret so I'm keeping my mouth shut as well." As if to make it official, she zipped her lips and threw away the key.
"Alice," daddy growled.
"Edward," she replied, mocking him.
I laughed and said, "Daddy, just relax. I thought you liked the fact that Momma can keep secrets from you. You know, it's like a mystery, totally sexy."
His expression was hard but it didn't touch his eyes. "Besides my own sweet, little girl, my sister is keeping secrets, too? Jasper probably knows as well plus he's easier to persuade," he mentioned, his eyebrows wiggling up and down like a villain.
"Edward!" she pouted, "why do you need to know everything? Have a little fun! Don't worry, our surprises are very much worth the wait." With that, he sighed, admitting defeat.
And then we heard the kitchen door get ripped from its hinges. In a flash, Aunt Rose appeared with my limp mother in her arms. Rommel was close behind them, consoling his sobbing sister.
"Rosalie, what happened?!" Aunt Alice asked when Aunt Rose placed her on the couch.
"CARLISLE!" Daddy roared. In a few seconds, everyone had gathered in the living room.
"We were out hunting and we caught the scent of some deer. Then when Bella got her kill, she drank it halfway and just stopped. She couldn't stand up so I carried her over here," Aunt Rose explained quickly.
"I'm fine, you guys," Momma said feebly. And then she vomitted a fountain of blood.
"Bella!" Daddy screamed, completely terrified. I was too overwhelmed to do anything but stare wide-eyed.
"Let me handle this, son," Poppa said, already kneeling before my mom. I just hope the baby is okay, I thought.
"Baby? What baby?" Daddy snarled. My aunt flitted to me, placing me protectively behind her.
"See, Edward? This is why we were hiding this from you."
"You mean to tell me this was Bella's secret?" He asked, more gently.
We nodded, not knowing what else to say. Gramma had already managed to clean the floor.
"Edward, I'm fine now. Everything's okay," my mom said, looking completely recovered and approaching my dad.
"Bella...are you really?" He asked, his question incomplete. With her dazzling smile, she nodded, absolutely glowing with opulence.
"But how?" Aunt Rose asked, her question pointing directly towards Poppa. By now, Emmie had stopped crying from worry and was being held by Uncle Emmett.
"Well it would explain her abnormalities these past couple of months. And now that I think about it," he paused to start pacing, "this all began about a week after your trip to Isle Esme."
"Maybe she's not pregnant," daddy suggested and at the same time, my smile and my moms smile faltered.
"Yes, I am. I felt nudges," momma replied with a pout. It looks like her mood swings are acting up again.
"But love," daddy urged, "you and I both know that this is impossible," he said pointing at her stomach.
"So what? We thought Renesmee wasn't possible." She then took daddy's hands with hers. "Edward...I'm pregnant. I know I am," she said, her eyes pleading for him to comprehend.
Again, he sighed. "Carlisle, what do you think?"
He was shaking his head in disbelief but answered, "I think she's right. I have no other explainations. There is, however, one factor that goes against her pregnancy."
"What, Poppa?" I asked.
"You see, sweetie, with you, your mother was pregnant for only a month, the same goes for Rommel and Emmie with Leila. Its been about 4 months now, and Bella isn't even showing."
"Actually, I am, kinda," Momma answered sheepishly. "I've been trying to hide it to surprise Edward."
"Bella," daddy groaned. "You shouldn't have hid this. Your life may be in grave danger."
"Edward," momma replied, patting his cheek. "I'm a vampire now, remember? Nothing can hurt me."
"Exactly. You're a vampire now, and that means it's impossible for you to be pregnant," daddy responded fiercely.
My mom shook her head and said, "Why must you be so stubborn? Alice and Nessie believe me."
"Hey, I do, too," Aunt Rose joined in. "I guess this family is just blessed with miracles," she said with her eyes grazing over me and her twins.
"Oh, how exciting to have another grandchild," Gramma added with her hands over her heart. Aunt Alice and my mom exchanged a wary glance. I wonder what her secret was.
"Yes, very exciting," Poppa said, now having his arms around Gramma's waist. "I suggest we go and visit my friend Stephan Redford in Salem. He should have an answer for us."
"Let's go right now. It's nearing twilight and we can reach Oregon by midnight," daddy said.
"Bella, what do you think?" Poppa asked.
"Okay, let's go," she answered with a nod.
"I'm coming, too! I don't want to go to school," I exclaimed. No way was I missing out on finding out about my little brother or sister.
The drive to Salem, Oregon flew by just like the trees we passed on our way over there. I was anxious to meet the man that knew about my kind. Poppa called him while daddy was on the wheel, gripping it so tight that the tendons in his knuckles seemed close to popping out. I couldn't understand why he was acting this way. To lighten the tension in the atmosphere I started asking Poppa questions.
"So what kind if vampire is this Stephan Redford guy?"
Poppa was quiet for a good minute before he answered me.
"He's not a vampire. He's actually a warlock," he said slowly.
Momma and I were speechless. Are all the myths true? Vampires, werewolves, and now, witches and warlocks?
Daddy's laugh nearly shook the car.
"What's so funny, Edward?" My mom asked.
"It's Renesmee. She's questioning about the myths in the world."
I'm glad my curiosity was amusing him. Maybe now he'd loosen up a little. It wasn't long until we were in front of what looked like a small book store. The lights were out but once we shut our doors, they flickered open. Even with it being spring, the Pacific Northwest still had fog rolling in. We neared the entrance of the store and we were greeted by a handsome, lanky man. He wore square, black rimmed glasses that did no justice to his icy blue hypnotic eyes. His hair was combed very neatly, almost as if he didn't even have to try to look so suave.
"Carlisle Cullen. Long time no see, eh?" He said, extending his hand to Poppa.
"Precisely, my old friend," he replied.
"Well come in, come in! I wouldn't want you to stand out in the cold. Oh, what am I saying? You vampires don't even feel the cold!"
We laughed at his little joke and we ushered into the store. Row upon row of shelves were filled with all kinds of books. Stephan led us to the back where we went up a flight of stairs. A few moments later we entered their living room.
"Auvril, honey, they're here," Stephan called while he gestured for us to sit. Just then, a woman with long, sleek black hair and big brown eyes stood before us. She was a good 4 or 5 inches shorter than her husband. She was very pretty with rosy cheeks.
"Welcome to our home," she said with the warmest smile, with a dimple showing, almost as if it were shy. "I was going to bake a pie but Stephan reminded me you don't eat."
"Oh, yes but thank you for the thought," daddy replied.
Her eyes darted between my parents and I and daddy answered her silent question.
"Yes, she's our daughter. This is Renesmee and my wife, Bella."
"I'm pleased to meet you all. Stephan and I have 2 of our own, Anne and Ethan. They were tucked in bed already when you called."
"It's fine, it's fine. We wouldn't want to wake the children," Poppa waved off.
"So Renesmee, tell me, are you a hybrid?" Stephan asked.
I nodded and Auvril's eyes lit up.
"Oh, how intriguing! I haven't seen one in centuries," she claimed exasperated.
"Do witches and warlocks live forever, too?" I asked, my curiosity taking over.
Daddy gave me a chastising stare. Auvril and Stephan noticed.
"Oh young Edward, don't scold your little one. She's just very open, I like that," Stephan said with a genuine smile. "You see, for warlocks and witches we don't necessarily live forever. We age once every 50 years or so. The more we practice our magic, the longer we live. Anne and Ethan are still fairly young and so we try and make their lives as normal as possible."
"I see," I said and nodded.
"Anyways, I noticed when you called that there seems to be an emergency," Auvril said.
"Yes, there is indeed. Bella here, seems to be pregnant. But you and I both know that it's impossible for our kind to reproduce. We were wondering if you had a book of some sort to answer our questions," Poppa answered.
"Would you mind if I examined you, Bella?" Auvril asked politely. "We can step into our bathroom, if you'd like. I guess you can call me some sort of witch doctor or nurse," she added with a tiny laugh.
Momma agreed, getting up. Daddy followed them, never letting go of my mom's side.
Stephan began entertaining us with his questions, mostly towards me.
"Darling Renesmee, I must know...do you have a power?"
"Yes, I do," I replied. "Do you want me to show you?" I asked peeking through my lashes. I didn't want to make it obvious that I was staring; I didn't know that witches and warlocks can be so graceful and beautiful as well.
He nodded eagerly and I touched his cheek.
(Is my mom really pregnant? I would really love to have a baby brother. Or a baby sister. Either way I just really want a sibling.)
He smiled, dumbfounded at my gift. "How extraordinary," he whispered.
It took awhile for him to compose himself, and answer my question.
"From what I know and researched about the vampire world, it is possible for your mother to be pregnant. It is, however, very rare."
After that, Auvril and my parents returned to the living room.
"What's the verdict?" Poppa asked, as anxious as me.
"Bella's pregnant," daddy breathed, truly elated.
I jumped up from the cushion and did a happy dance.
"Momma's pregnant!!! Yes, I'm going to have a baby brother or sister!"
"But wait, we still don't have an explanation," Poppa persisted.
"Yes, well Bella and Edward described where they conceived. There are only about 3 mystical caves in the whole wide world that have been untouched by human mining. The cave that they entered had magical fertility gems, if you must, that enabled them to conceive. It's very rare, indeed, but Bella was able to carry Renesmee when she was still human so her reproductive organs are still working, but over time it will completely stop," Auvril explained.
"It's a miracle!" I proclaimed. Everyone smiled and she continued.
"Now with this pregnancy, your symptoms are very similar to that of a human. Bella is very well into her 5th month and I'm guessing she'll be due in September or October. She is, after all, carrying a vampire child, although he or she will be very unique due to her power as well as Edwards."
"Is there anyway of monitoring the fetus? How will we deliver it? Will she be in any pain at all?" Poppa asked, question after question.
"Unfortunately, no, there's no way to monitor the baby. Her skin is acting as a barrier, protecting it. Bella will be able to deliver normally, but a C-section is what we recommend. As for the pain, it will gradually come as she nears her due date. The last month should be the hardest."
"Also like Renesmee, this baby will grow quite rapidly. He or she would most likely reach maturity within a year or two," Stephan added.
"Is there anyway to find the sex of my baby?" Momma asked, reserved.
"We can look into my crystal ball," Auvril suggested. I couldn't control my snicker. This time my mom joined me.
"Yes, we know, it's very stereo-typical but I gurantee you, it works," Stephan said, with a hint of laughter in his tone as well. I'm glad they weren't getting offended.
We all went downstairs to the back room of the book store. Auvril opened an empty cabinet. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She was murmuring a chant in a language I didn't understand. And then out of thin air, the crystal ball appeared right in the center. She took it and placed it on the table.
"Bella, can you stand next to me please?" she motioned. Stephan said we would have to watch from afar.
Auvril started chanting again. With one hand on the round, crystal ball, she rubbed my mom's stomach with the other. Ripples and blotches of a magnificent green and silvery white danced and intermingled within the crystal surface. Daddy was staring intently at her, reading her mind. After one full minute, the ritual was done and my dad had the biggest grin on his face.
"So what did you find out?" Momma prompted.
"I'm glad to say that you're going to have a healthy and handsome vampire baby boy," Auvril announced.
I raced over to my shocked mom and hugged her tight. I lowered myself so that I could talk to her stomach.
"Hey baby bro, I can't wait to meet you," I crooned.
Everyone was all smiles and cheer. Once Auvril had put everything away, she used her cool witch powers and everything disappeared, we left.
"Stephan, we cannot thank you both enough for tonight. We do apologize for barging in so late," Poppa said with his hand on Stephan's shoulder.
"Hey now, what're old friends for? Just don't be a stranger, alright? We should definitely meet again soon, have our families bond, yeah?"
"That's a brilliant idea. " Daddy exclaimed. We said our goodbyes to Stephan and Auvril and raced to get home before daybreak. I feel asleep as soon as we hit the freeway. When we reached the house, I heard daddy say something like: "Now time to deal with Alice's secret." I was too drowsy to react.
I was really proud of myself for keeping daddy out of the loop. For one whole month, I was a success. Of course, going back to school helped out a lot. I mean, keeping the fact that my mom might be pregnant with my little brother or sister was such a heavy load on my shoulders. Momma couldn't contain herself most of the time. She kept on dropping hints. My dad became suspicious anyway when she would cover me in her shield whenever she was in the room with me. He even tried to bribe me once. He offered to let Jacob sleep over. In my room. With me.He was being so unfair.
"Daddy..." I groaned. "I can't tell you. I promised Momma and Aunt Alice."
"Alice?" He asked with his eyebrow shooting up. "Alice is a part of this?"
Oops. Just then, my aunt came prancing into the dining room from upstairs.
"I heard my name. What's going on?"
"Alice," daddy said with his velvet voice. "I know you're having a hard time keeping Bella's secret. So why don't you do yourself a favor and just tell me."
"Nope!" she replied, with a pop.
"We made a deal. She hasn't told my secret so I'm keeping my mouth shut as well." As if to make it official, she zipped her lips and threw away the key.
"Alice," daddy growled.
"Edward," she replied, mocking him.
I laughed and said, "Daddy, just relax. I thought you liked the fact that Momma can keep secrets from you. You know, it's like a mystery, totally sexy."
His expression was hard but it didn't touch his eyes. "Besides my own sweet, little girl, my sister is keeping secrets, too? Jasper probably knows as well plus he's easier to persuade," he mentioned, his eyebrows wiggling up and down like a villain.
"Edward!" she pouted, "why do you need to know everything? Have a little fun! Don't worry, our surprises are very much worth the wait." With that, he sighed, admitting defeat.
And then we heard the kitchen door get ripped from its hinges. In a flash, Aunt Rose appeared with my limp mother in her arms. Rommel was close behind them, consoling his sobbing sister.
"Rosalie, what happened?!" Aunt Alice asked when Aunt Rose placed her on the couch.
"CARLISLE!" Daddy roared. In a few seconds, everyone had gathered in the living room.
"We were out hunting and we caught the scent of some deer. Then when Bella got her kill, she drank it halfway and just stopped. She couldn't stand up so I carried her over here," Aunt Rose explained quickly.
"I'm fine, you guys," Momma said feebly. And then she vomitted a fountain of blood.
"Bella!" Daddy screamed, completely terrified. I was too overwhelmed to do anything but stare wide-eyed.
"Let me handle this, son," Poppa said, already kneeling before my mom. I just hope the baby is okay, I thought.
"Baby? What baby?" Daddy snarled. My aunt flitted to me, placing me protectively behind her.
"See, Edward? This is why we were hiding this from you."
"You mean to tell me this was Bella's secret?" He asked, more gently.
We nodded, not knowing what else to say. Gramma had already managed to clean the floor.
"Edward, I'm fine now. Everything's okay," my mom said, looking completely recovered and approaching my dad.
"Bella...are you really?" He asked, his question incomplete. With her dazzling smile, she nodded, absolutely glowing with opulence.
"But how?" Aunt Rose asked, her question pointing directly towards Poppa. By now, Emmie had stopped crying from worry and was being held by Uncle Emmett.
"Well it would explain her abnormalities these past couple of months. And now that I think about it," he paused to start pacing, "this all began about a week after your trip to Isle Esme."
"Maybe she's not pregnant," daddy suggested and at the same time, my smile and my moms smile faltered.
"Yes, I am. I felt nudges," momma replied with a pout. It looks like her mood swings are acting up again.
"But love," daddy urged, "you and I both know that this is impossible," he said pointing at her stomach.
"So what? We thought Renesmee wasn't possible." She then took daddy's hands with hers. "Edward...I'm pregnant. I know I am," she said, her eyes pleading for him to comprehend.
Again, he sighed. "Carlisle, what do you think?"
He was shaking his head in disbelief but answered, "I think she's right. I have no other explainations. There is, however, one factor that goes against her pregnancy."
"What, Poppa?" I asked.
"You see, sweetie, with you, your mother was pregnant for only a month, the same goes for Rommel and Emmie with Leila. Its been about 4 months now, and Bella isn't even showing."
"Actually, I am, kinda," Momma answered sheepishly. "I've been trying to hide it to surprise Edward."
"Bella," daddy groaned. "You shouldn't have hid this. Your life may be in grave danger."
"Edward," momma replied, patting his cheek. "I'm a vampire now, remember? Nothing can hurt me."
"Exactly. You're a vampire now, and that means it's impossible for you to be pregnant," daddy responded fiercely.
My mom shook her head and said, "Why must you be so stubborn? Alice and Nessie believe me."
"Hey, I do, too," Aunt Rose joined in. "I guess this family is just blessed with miracles," she said with her eyes grazing over me and her twins.
"Oh, how exciting to have another grandchild," Gramma added with her hands over her heart. Aunt Alice and my mom exchanged a wary glance. I wonder what her secret was.
"Yes, very exciting," Poppa said, now having his arms around Gramma's waist. "I suggest we go and visit my friend Stephan Redford in Salem. He should have an answer for us."
"Let's go right now. It's nearing twilight and we can reach Oregon by midnight," daddy said.
"Bella, what do you think?" Poppa asked.
"Okay, let's go," she answered with a nod.
"I'm coming, too! I don't want to go to school," I exclaimed. No way was I missing out on finding out about my little brother or sister.
The drive to Salem, Oregon flew by just like the trees we passed on our way over there. I was anxious to meet the man that knew about my kind. Poppa called him while daddy was on the wheel, gripping it so tight that the tendons in his knuckles seemed close to popping out. I couldn't understand why he was acting this way. To lighten the tension in the atmosphere I started asking Poppa questions.
"So what kind if vampire is this Stephan Redford guy?"
Poppa was quiet for a good minute before he answered me.
"He's not a vampire. He's actually a warlock," he said slowly.
Momma and I were speechless. Are all the myths true? Vampires, werewolves, and now, witches and warlocks?
Daddy's laugh nearly shook the car.
"What's so funny, Edward?" My mom asked.
"It's Renesmee. She's questioning about the myths in the world."
I'm glad my curiosity was amusing him. Maybe now he'd loosen up a little. It wasn't long until we were in front of what looked like a small book store. The lights were out but once we shut our doors, they flickered open. Even with it being spring, the Pacific Northwest still had fog rolling in. We neared the entrance of the store and we were greeted by a handsome, lanky man. He wore square, black rimmed glasses that did no justice to his icy blue hypnotic eyes. His hair was combed very neatly, almost as if he didn't even have to try to look so suave.
"Carlisle Cullen. Long time no see, eh?" He said, extending his hand to Poppa.
"Precisely, my old friend," he replied.
"Well come in, come in! I wouldn't want you to stand out in the cold. Oh, what am I saying? You vampires don't even feel the cold!"
We laughed at his little joke and we ushered into the store. Row upon row of shelves were filled with all kinds of books. Stephan led us to the back where we went up a flight of stairs. A few moments later we entered their living room.
"Auvril, honey, they're here," Stephan called while he gestured for us to sit. Just then, a woman with long, sleek black hair and big brown eyes stood before us. She was a good 4 or 5 inches shorter than her husband. She was very pretty with rosy cheeks.
"Welcome to our home," she said with the warmest smile, with a dimple showing, almost as if it were shy. "I was going to bake a pie but Stephan reminded me you don't eat."
"Oh, yes but thank you for the thought," daddy replied.
Her eyes darted between my parents and I and daddy answered her silent question.
"Yes, she's our daughter. This is Renesmee and my wife, Bella."
"I'm pleased to meet you all. Stephan and I have 2 of our own, Anne and Ethan. They were tucked in bed already when you called."
"It's fine, it's fine. We wouldn't want to wake the children," Poppa waved off.
"So Renesmee, tell me, are you a hybrid?" Stephan asked.
I nodded and Auvril's eyes lit up.
"Oh, how intriguing! I haven't seen one in centuries," she claimed exasperated.
"Do witches and warlocks live forever, too?" I asked, my curiosity taking over.
Daddy gave me a chastising stare. Auvril and Stephan noticed.
"Oh young Edward, don't scold your little one. She's just very open, I like that," Stephan said with a genuine smile. "You see, for warlocks and witches we don't necessarily live forever. We age once every 50 years or so. The more we practice our magic, the longer we live. Anne and Ethan are still fairly young and so we try and make their lives as normal as possible."
"I see," I said and nodded.
"Anyways, I noticed when you called that there seems to be an emergency," Auvril said.
"Yes, there is indeed. Bella here, seems to be pregnant. But you and I both know that it's impossible for our kind to reproduce. We were wondering if you had a book of some sort to answer our questions," Poppa answered.
"Would you mind if I examined you, Bella?" Auvril asked politely. "We can step into our bathroom, if you'd like. I guess you can call me some sort of witch doctor or nurse," she added with a tiny laugh.
Momma agreed, getting up. Daddy followed them, never letting go of my mom's side.
Stephan began entertaining us with his questions, mostly towards me.
"Darling Renesmee, I must know...do you have a power?"
"Yes, I do," I replied. "Do you want me to show you?" I asked peeking through my lashes. I didn't want to make it obvious that I was staring; I didn't know that witches and warlocks can be so graceful and beautiful as well.
He nodded eagerly and I touched his cheek.
(Is my mom really pregnant? I would really love to have a baby brother. Or a baby sister. Either way I just really want a sibling.)
He smiled, dumbfounded at my gift. "How extraordinary," he whispered.
It took awhile for him to compose himself, and answer my question.
"From what I know and researched about the vampire world, it is possible for your mother to be pregnant. It is, however, very rare."
After that, Auvril and my parents returned to the living room.
"What's the verdict?" Poppa asked, as anxious as me.
"Bella's pregnant," daddy breathed, truly elated.
I jumped up from the cushion and did a happy dance.
"Momma's pregnant!!! Yes, I'm going to have a baby brother or sister!"
"But wait, we still don't have an explanation," Poppa persisted.
"Yes, well Bella and Edward described where they conceived. There are only about 3 mystical caves in the whole wide world that have been untouched by human mining. The cave that they entered had magical fertility gems, if you must, that enabled them to conceive. It's very rare, indeed, but Bella was able to carry Renesmee when she was still human so her reproductive organs are still working, but over time it will completely stop," Auvril explained.
"It's a miracle!" I proclaimed. Everyone smiled and she continued.
"Now with this pregnancy, your symptoms are very similar to that of a human. Bella is very well into her 5th month and I'm guessing she'll be due in September or October. She is, after all, carrying a vampire child, although he or she will be very unique due to her power as well as Edwards."
"Is there anyway of monitoring the fetus? How will we deliver it? Will she be in any pain at all?" Poppa asked, question after question.
"Unfortunately, no, there's no way to monitor the baby. Her skin is acting as a barrier, protecting it. Bella will be able to deliver normally, but a C-section is what we recommend. As for the pain, it will gradually come as she nears her due date. The last month should be the hardest."
"Also like Renesmee, this baby will grow quite rapidly. He or she would most likely reach maturity within a year or two," Stephan added.
"Is there anyway to find the sex of my baby?" Momma asked, reserved.
"We can look into my crystal ball," Auvril suggested. I couldn't control my snicker. This time my mom joined me.
"Yes, we know, it's very stereo-typical but I gurantee you, it works," Stephan said, with a hint of laughter in his tone as well. I'm glad they weren't getting offended.
We all went downstairs to the back room of the book store. Auvril opened an empty cabinet. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. She was murmuring a chant in a language I didn't understand. And then out of thin air, the crystal ball appeared right in the center. She took it and placed it on the table.
"Bella, can you stand next to me please?" she motioned. Stephan said we would have to watch from afar.
Auvril started chanting again. With one hand on the round, crystal ball, she rubbed my mom's stomach with the other. Ripples and blotches of a magnificent green and silvery white danced and intermingled within the crystal surface. Daddy was staring intently at her, reading her mind. After one full minute, the ritual was done and my dad had the biggest grin on his face.
"So what did you find out?" Momma prompted.
"I'm glad to say that you're going to have a healthy and handsome vampire baby boy," Auvril announced.
I raced over to my shocked mom and hugged her tight. I lowered myself so that I could talk to her stomach.
"Hey baby bro, I can't wait to meet you," I crooned.
Everyone was all smiles and cheer. Once Auvril had put everything away, she used her cool witch powers and everything disappeared, we left.
"Stephan, we cannot thank you both enough for tonight. We do apologize for barging in so late," Poppa said with his hand on Stephan's shoulder.
"Hey now, what're old friends for? Just don't be a stranger, alright? We should definitely meet again soon, have our families bond, yeah?"
"That's a brilliant idea. " Daddy exclaimed. We said our goodbyes to Stephan and Auvril and raced to get home before daybreak. I feel asleep as soon as we hit the freeway. When we reached the house, I heard daddy say something like: "Now time to deal with Alice's secret." I was too drowsy to react.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
CH18: SECRETS
BELLA'S POV
I couldn't explain what was happening to me. When I got angry or overly emotional it was as if someone else was controlling me. Thankfully most days I was back to normal.
"Love," Edward called to me apprehensively. He was the one suffering more than me in my situation.
"It's okay, Edward, I'm not moody today. Well at least right now I'm not," I answered.
"Bella! Are you ready?!" I heard Alice call from downstairs. She arranged for all the girls to have a shopping day. For some odd reason she wanted to go all the way to Tacoma. Before I left, I made sure to kiss Edward. My sisters and Esme did the same with their husbands and then we were off; Rosalie didn't forget her darling little boy, of course. The guys would have a day out together, too, some male bonding. They were taking Rommel out to a more secluded area out of Forks so he could catch his first mountain lion.
Alice and Nessie were to drive with me and Rosalie drove her red mustang with Emmie and Esme.
"Ness, aren't you excited for an updated wardobe?! Spring is finally here! Oh, I have these FAB rompers for you in mind plus the white straped peeptoe wedges I bought online would tie everything together!!!"
Nessie was able to come with us because school let out for Spring Break. She'd return to school in May.
"I was looking online, too, and I found this adorable Hello Kitty sweater with cat ears on the hood;it practically has Emmie written all over it," Nessie added.
Their conversation droned on and on, my background music. With my hands on the wheel, I weaved through the spaces on the road to the mall in Tacoma. Rose was trailing close behind me.
I was too busy trying to figure out why Alice was acting so strangely around Edward. This usually meant she was hiding something from him, which was an obstacle for most members of our family. When we arrived at the Tacoma Mall, Alice was the one to pull me away.
"Bella," she whispered fiercely. "I know you know I'm hiding something. You have to understand that you're the only one I can trust with the information I have. Edward mustn't know, or else he'll tell everybody. Well at least for right now he shouldn't know."
I stared into my pixie-like sister's big, puppydog eyes.
"Alice what did you see? And why does it have to be so secret?" I asked back.
"You have to promise me you won't tell first."
I paused to think. If our family were in danger she would've spoken up by now.
"Fine, now what is it?"
She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Jasper and I are going to adopt," she answered, her eyes full of jubilance, her smile beaming with delight.
I gasped in response, completely caught off guard.
"Alice!" I exclaimed with our embrace. We were so happy that we were jumping up and down right there on the parking lot. The rest of the girls went ahead without us, eager to shop til they dropped.
"That's great! I'm so happy for you guys. It's about time you two started settling down," I joked.
"Yeah, well seeing Rose and you so motherly and such made me really introspect about my and Jasper's future," she replied, linking her arm with mine as we approached the mall's entrance.
"So wait, why do you want me to keep this a secret?" I prompted.
She skidded to a stop which caused me to halt abruptly as well. Clouds of worry replaced the twinkle in her eyes.
"Alice, what's wrong?" I asked frantically.
She started shaking her head, as if to get rid of the thought haunting her mind.
"That's the thing, Bella, I just know that for right now, we have to keep this a secret. I've seen my future with Jasper and my daughter. Like the both of us, she has a dark past, full of burdens. Jasper and I met because of fate, regardless of my seeing abilities," she urged.
"Now I'm not entirely sure because everything has been obscured, but I know that the Volturi is involved."
I hissed in response of their name. They were always interfering with my family's well-being.
"Are you telling me that they know you're going to adopt? That's why they're keeping her away from you? Perhaps in hopes of you joining them?" I asked.
"I don't think it's like that. Like I said, I'm not 100% sure; I just see her being a Cullen. I truly believe that she was brought into our world to be with Jasper and I. Plus I've seen how her 'father' treats her. He's basically how I imagined Zachary would be. She's not being loved and cared for. God knows what'll happen to her if her father goes through with sending her to Italy!" she cried.
My gut was telling me that this was a bad idea. It could be a trap, but then again Alice's visions almost always come true. And when my sister decides on something, there's no turning back.
"What if the Volturi are, indeed, involved? I mean her father wouldn't be sending her to them unless she has a gift that Aro wants," I replied.
Her brow creased in thoughfulness.
"That makes sense. It explains why everything has been a blur...or maybe its you and your silly mood swings!" she answered, coming back to her chipper-self. I had forgotten about my sudden abnormalities until now.
We laughed, coming into an expensive department store. Nessie had no trouble finding us.
"Momma where did you and Aunt Alice go? We already have 3 shopping bags filled for each of us!" she exclaimed.
"Nowhere, sweetie. We just wandered off a little to have a little talk, that's all."
"Okay. Now let's shop!" she roared as quiet as she could.
By the end of the day, we each had about 20 shopping bags in tow. I took advantage of Renesmee sleeping in the back of Edward's Volvo to ask Alice more questions.
"So when exactly are you going to adopt her. In fact, how are you going to adopt her?"
"It's not going to be anytime soon, most likely in the middle of the summer or earlier. As for the how, I haven't seen that yet."
"Does she have a name?"
"Jasper and I really like Ivee. Ivee Jade Cullen. Adorable, right?!"
"Totally! All these adoptions make me really want to have another little nudger," I said, poking my stone-hard stomach. Alice volunteered to drive home. As if my body understood my yearning, I felt movement in my lower abdomen. I gasped in astonishment, when I felt another kick.
"Momma, what's wrong?" Nessie asked, my gasp waking her.
With my head shaking incredulously I answered: "I swore I felt a kick in my stomach." I expected her to reassure that it was nothing to worry about but instead,she remained quiet.
"Renesmee?" I asked twisting in my seat. I found her fidgetting and looking around, avoiding my eyes.
"Ness, what's the matter? Do you know something I don't know?"
She cringed but eventually answered me.
"Well when I was at Mia's after school one day, I told her about how you were acting really weird and she said that you might be pregnant," she muttered under her breath.
Just then Alice made a sudden turn and the next thing I knew we were on the side of the road, away from the freeway. I wasn't aware that she could drive and have a vision at the same time.
"BELLA!" she cried.
"What? What happened, Aunt Alice?!"
"I don't know how its even possible, but inconceivably, your mother is-"
"I'm pregnant?" I whispered in complete disbelief, my hand almost instinctively clutching my now growing stomach.
The car was filled with thoughtful silence. And to think Alice was the one who was going to be a mother.
"We have to keep this to ourselves," I said, breaking the stillness in the air.
"Okay, if that's what you want," Alice said, her 'deal-making' expression lingering on her face. We both had secrets we had to keep now.
"I'll try my best to keep this from daddy. But I think we really should visit Poppa's friend. I think he mentioned something about him knowing everything about the vampire world, hybrids and all," Nessie suggested.
I nodded, agreeing.
"Let's head back now, we don't want anyone worrying."
With that, Alice returned to the road and off we went, hauling our secrets with us.
I couldn't explain what was happening to me. When I got angry or overly emotional it was as if someone else was controlling me. Thankfully most days I was back to normal.
"Love," Edward called to me apprehensively. He was the one suffering more than me in my situation.
"It's okay, Edward, I'm not moody today. Well at least right now I'm not," I answered.
"Bella! Are you ready?!" I heard Alice call from downstairs. She arranged for all the girls to have a shopping day. For some odd reason she wanted to go all the way to Tacoma. Before I left, I made sure to kiss Edward. My sisters and Esme did the same with their husbands and then we were off; Rosalie didn't forget her darling little boy, of course. The guys would have a day out together, too, some male bonding. They were taking Rommel out to a more secluded area out of Forks so he could catch his first mountain lion.
Alice and Nessie were to drive with me and Rosalie drove her red mustang with Emmie and Esme.
"Ness, aren't you excited for an updated wardobe?! Spring is finally here! Oh, I have these FAB rompers for you in mind plus the white straped peeptoe wedges I bought online would tie everything together!!!"
Nessie was able to come with us because school let out for Spring Break. She'd return to school in May.
"I was looking online, too, and I found this adorable Hello Kitty sweater with cat ears on the hood;it practically has Emmie written all over it," Nessie added.
Their conversation droned on and on, my background music. With my hands on the wheel, I weaved through the spaces on the road to the mall in Tacoma. Rose was trailing close behind me.
I was too busy trying to figure out why Alice was acting so strangely around Edward. This usually meant she was hiding something from him, which was an obstacle for most members of our family. When we arrived at the Tacoma Mall, Alice was the one to pull me away.
"Bella," she whispered fiercely. "I know you know I'm hiding something. You have to understand that you're the only one I can trust with the information I have. Edward mustn't know, or else he'll tell everybody. Well at least for right now he shouldn't know."
I stared into my pixie-like sister's big, puppydog eyes.
"Alice what did you see? And why does it have to be so secret?" I asked back.
"You have to promise me you won't tell first."
I paused to think. If our family were in danger she would've spoken up by now.
"Fine, now what is it?"
She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Jasper and I are going to adopt," she answered, her eyes full of jubilance, her smile beaming with delight.
I gasped in response, completely caught off guard.
"Alice!" I exclaimed with our embrace. We were so happy that we were jumping up and down right there on the parking lot. The rest of the girls went ahead without us, eager to shop til they dropped.
"That's great! I'm so happy for you guys. It's about time you two started settling down," I joked.
"Yeah, well seeing Rose and you so motherly and such made me really introspect about my and Jasper's future," she replied, linking her arm with mine as we approached the mall's entrance.
"So wait, why do you want me to keep this a secret?" I prompted.
She skidded to a stop which caused me to halt abruptly as well. Clouds of worry replaced the twinkle in her eyes.
"Alice, what's wrong?" I asked frantically.
She started shaking her head, as if to get rid of the thought haunting her mind.
"That's the thing, Bella, I just know that for right now, we have to keep this a secret. I've seen my future with Jasper and my daughter. Like the both of us, she has a dark past, full of burdens. Jasper and I met because of fate, regardless of my seeing abilities," she urged.
"Now I'm not entirely sure because everything has been obscured, but I know that the Volturi is involved."
I hissed in response of their name. They were always interfering with my family's well-being.
"Are you telling me that they know you're going to adopt? That's why they're keeping her away from you? Perhaps in hopes of you joining them?" I asked.
"I don't think it's like that. Like I said, I'm not 100% sure; I just see her being a Cullen. I truly believe that she was brought into our world to be with Jasper and I. Plus I've seen how her 'father' treats her. He's basically how I imagined Zachary would be. She's not being loved and cared for. God knows what'll happen to her if her father goes through with sending her to Italy!" she cried.
My gut was telling me that this was a bad idea. It could be a trap, but then again Alice's visions almost always come true. And when my sister decides on something, there's no turning back.
"What if the Volturi are, indeed, involved? I mean her father wouldn't be sending her to them unless she has a gift that Aro wants," I replied.
Her brow creased in thoughfulness.
"That makes sense. It explains why everything has been a blur...or maybe its you and your silly mood swings!" she answered, coming back to her chipper-self. I had forgotten about my sudden abnormalities until now.
We laughed, coming into an expensive department store. Nessie had no trouble finding us.
"Momma where did you and Aunt Alice go? We already have 3 shopping bags filled for each of us!" she exclaimed.
"Nowhere, sweetie. We just wandered off a little to have a little talk, that's all."
"Okay. Now let's shop!" she roared as quiet as she could.
By the end of the day, we each had about 20 shopping bags in tow. I took advantage of Renesmee sleeping in the back of Edward's Volvo to ask Alice more questions.
"So when exactly are you going to adopt her. In fact, how are you going to adopt her?"
"It's not going to be anytime soon, most likely in the middle of the summer or earlier. As for the how, I haven't seen that yet."
"Does she have a name?"
"Jasper and I really like Ivee. Ivee Jade Cullen. Adorable, right?!"
"Totally! All these adoptions make me really want to have another little nudger," I said, poking my stone-hard stomach. Alice volunteered to drive home. As if my body understood my yearning, I felt movement in my lower abdomen. I gasped in astonishment, when I felt another kick.
"Momma, what's wrong?" Nessie asked, my gasp waking her.
With my head shaking incredulously I answered: "I swore I felt a kick in my stomach." I expected her to reassure that it was nothing to worry about but instead,she remained quiet.
"Renesmee?" I asked twisting in my seat. I found her fidgetting and looking around, avoiding my eyes.
"Ness, what's the matter? Do you know something I don't know?"
She cringed but eventually answered me.
"Well when I was at Mia's after school one day, I told her about how you were acting really weird and she said that you might be pregnant," she muttered under her breath.
Just then Alice made a sudden turn and the next thing I knew we were on the side of the road, away from the freeway. I wasn't aware that she could drive and have a vision at the same time.
"BELLA!" she cried.
"What? What happened, Aunt Alice?!"
"I don't know how its even possible, but inconceivably, your mother is-"
"I'm pregnant?" I whispered in complete disbelief, my hand almost instinctively clutching my now growing stomach.
The car was filled with thoughtful silence. And to think Alice was the one who was going to be a mother.
"We have to keep this to ourselves," I said, breaking the stillness in the air.
"Okay, if that's what you want," Alice said, her 'deal-making' expression lingering on her face. We both had secrets we had to keep now.
"I'll try my best to keep this from daddy. But I think we really should visit Poppa's friend. I think he mentioned something about him knowing everything about the vampire world, hybrids and all," Nessie suggested.
I nodded, agreeing.
"Let's head back now, we don't want anyone worrying."
With that, Alice returned to the road and off we went, hauling our secrets with us.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
CH17: MIRACLES?
Renesmee's POV
Besides the fact that Seth imprinted on Emmie, everything was pretty peachy. We settled in quite rapidly and comfortably. The location was different but many elements from the old house were eminent here as well. The twins grew and apparently so did I. We were well into March now and Poppa explained that considering my 6th birthday was well under way, I was changing, slowly but surely, to look 17 for the rest of my existence.
On the days that Jake came, if he came at all since he was busy nowadays, he'd bring Seth along. My aunt was pretty persistent on her conditions of imprinting but I had to admit that Aunt Rose was really easy on him. He received better treatment than Jacob ever did, that's all I know. I'm guessing she's acting like this only because she knows that he sees Emmie as a friend; he feels compelled to protect her. This all started when Jake brought him along to help with the move. The second he laid his eyes on Emmie, his heart strings were being pulled in all directions, permanently tangling them to see only her and have feelings for only her. On the plus side, she had Rommel to occupy her whenever Emmie and her best friend were together.
Rommel was a mommy's boy, that's for sure, despite his semi burly demeanor. They spent a good majority of their time in the music room, playing duets together. Within a couple of weeks, he was able to master the piano on my level. Gramma was especially happy with this. She'd applaud and claim that seeing her children and grandchildren playing such beautiful music together always made her day.
As for me, my education resumed. Mia and I were officially freshmen in Forks High School, starting our first semester when technically it was second. Thankfully, we adjusted quickly. Since we were the only two who got bumped up, our principal thought it would be better for us to have all our classes together: World History, English, the dreadful PE, Biology, and Geometry. My parents told me that they met in Biology II but I told them I had the same teacher, Mr.Melena.
Nearly everyday when school finally let out, I'd come over to Mia's house until dinner since it still wasn't safe to bring her home.
Sam and Emily announced not too long ago that they were pregnant. Sam also mentioned that he was thinking of retreating from the pack so that he and Emily can can grow old together and raise their children normally. Because of this, Jake had to step in a lot and help train Paul, Sam's Beta. He would be away days on end, performing his Alpha duties, along with filing in for Sam. Thankfully he usually had ample time to come in the morning to give me a goodbye kiss before school. Being with my best friend helped me cope with not seeing Jacob most of the time.
"Ness? Nessie? Helllooooo, Earth to Renesmee?!" Mia snapped. I was looking at her from her bed, completely disregarding my homework, but all I saw was my boyfriend.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I asked.
She sighed in frustration and muttered under her breath a 'never mind' response. She slumped back down on her computer chair, with her back to me. I bit my lip and mustered up enough courage to apologize.
"Look, Mia, I'm sorry. It's just that I miss Jacob. Plus I'm worried about my mo- I mean Bella."
"Whoa, I knew that you were feeling down because of Jake, but you never told me that something was wrong with your sister," she said as she spun her seat so that we were talking eye to eye. Fortunately she didn't notice my little slip up.
"Yeah, I mean I'm sure it's nothing but lately she's been acting really strange."
"What do you mean by strange?"
I thought about it. Momma started acting out of the ordinary about a week after our vacation in Isle Esme. She didn't usually have a temper but for a good couple of days she did. She lashed out one night when we were all watching TV. Commercials started rolling and she got impatient. And when you're an immortal, time isn't that significant of a variable. My mom was absolutely furious at the TV. "I can't stand all this waiting. I'm leaving" were her exact words. She stormed out of the living room within a blink of an eye. I got up to try and console her but daddy already beat me to it, but it didn't necessarily work. Another few days passed and her unexplainable anger died down. Her unusual shifts of mood didn't end there, however, because if she wasn't angry, she was very emotional. Emmie was playing her cello one morning when I was at school and my mom came in to watch. When my cousin was done playing, she opened her eyes to see her Aunt Bella welling up. This worried me especially because vampires can't produce tears. Thankfully that was only a one time thing but she continued being really moody. And then the last thing that happened, the one that was extremely odd, was last night when I was eating my dinner. Gramma made me my favorite meatball and mushroom spaghetti. I was sitting cross-legged on my chair in the dining room when momma came down from upstairs. She looked as if she were hypnotized, my dinner being the culprit. To my complete and utter astonishment, she took a couple bites and said that it was really delicious. It was unbelievable coming from a vampire, who should be saying human food tasted like mud pie. What made things worse was the fact that Poppa had no potential theory as to why my mother was acting this way. When we asked Aunt Alice to see her future she'd bow her head in shame and say that she couldn't see anything. Before, this was her usual answer because of me and Jake, along with the rest of the wolves, the reason behind her blurred visions but over the years, she found ways to read over us and see the future. Whatever was happening to my mom was worrying everyone, me and daddy especially.
I explained everything to Mia, leaving out the details she wasn't supposed to know.
"Well there's only one thing that came to mind as you were explaining your observations to me."
"What?"
"Well I feel like I'm intruding if I ask you what I'm thinking..." she said blushing pink.
"Just ask me," I prompted, but she stayed quiet. I wasn't going to let her get away so I made sure to never draw my gaze away from her, the one thing that made her really, really nervous.
"Okay, okay!" She surrended, actually putting her hands up. She took in a deep breath before continuing.
"Do Edward and Bella..err..have, umm, sex?"
Oh, this was why she was acting so shy. To ease her tension, I laughed.
"Yeah, they do. They've been together for a good long time now so I suppose they do, I guess," I shrugged. Oh, how little did she actually know.
"My thoughts stand corrected then. Bella may very well be pregnant," she said matter-of-factly.
My breathing staggered and my gaze deviated my best friend's hopeful eyes. All of the obvious signs flashed through my mind, all the brain boggling pieces of the puzzles finally coming together. But it couldn't be true! It was impossible for me to have a biological younger sibling, no matter how much I wanted one. Right?
Mia's face started to wrinkle from her worrying. I waved her off and said, "I'm just a little shocked."
"Why? You and I both know that's what happens when 2 people come together and make love," she replied, her words riddled with humor and her face puckering up, making kissy-noises.
"Shut up," I answered playfully. "It's just that she tried to get pregnant not too long ago and my dad checked her and he said she wasn't capable of having children," I continued, completely making it up as I went.
"Oh, I see. Well, then consider this a miracle!" Mia got up and joined me on her bed to give me a big 'congrats' hug. She was really happy for me, so why couldn't I be happy myself? I guess now I understood why everyone feared the unknown...
Besides the fact that Seth imprinted on Emmie, everything was pretty peachy. We settled in quite rapidly and comfortably. The location was different but many elements from the old house were eminent here as well. The twins grew and apparently so did I. We were well into March now and Poppa explained that considering my 6th birthday was well under way, I was changing, slowly but surely, to look 17 for the rest of my existence.
On the days that Jake came, if he came at all since he was busy nowadays, he'd bring Seth along. My aunt was pretty persistent on her conditions of imprinting but I had to admit that Aunt Rose was really easy on him. He received better treatment than Jacob ever did, that's all I know. I'm guessing she's acting like this only because she knows that he sees Emmie as a friend; he feels compelled to protect her. This all started when Jake brought him along to help with the move. The second he laid his eyes on Emmie, his heart strings were being pulled in all directions, permanently tangling them to see only her and have feelings for only her. On the plus side, she had Rommel to occupy her whenever Emmie and her best friend were together.
Rommel was a mommy's boy, that's for sure, despite his semi burly demeanor. They spent a good majority of their time in the music room, playing duets together. Within a couple of weeks, he was able to master the piano on my level. Gramma was especially happy with this. She'd applaud and claim that seeing her children and grandchildren playing such beautiful music together always made her day.
As for me, my education resumed. Mia and I were officially freshmen in Forks High School, starting our first semester when technically it was second. Thankfully, we adjusted quickly. Since we were the only two who got bumped up, our principal thought it would be better for us to have all our classes together: World History, English, the dreadful PE, Biology, and Geometry. My parents told me that they met in Biology II but I told them I had the same teacher, Mr.Melena.
Nearly everyday when school finally let out, I'd come over to Mia's house until dinner since it still wasn't safe to bring her home.
Sam and Emily announced not too long ago that they were pregnant. Sam also mentioned that he was thinking of retreating from the pack so that he and Emily can can grow old together and raise their children normally. Because of this, Jake had to step in a lot and help train Paul, Sam's Beta. He would be away days on end, performing his Alpha duties, along with filing in for Sam. Thankfully he usually had ample time to come in the morning to give me a goodbye kiss before school. Being with my best friend helped me cope with not seeing Jacob most of the time.
"Ness? Nessie? Helllooooo, Earth to Renesmee?!" Mia snapped. I was looking at her from her bed, completely disregarding my homework, but all I saw was my boyfriend.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I asked.
She sighed in frustration and muttered under her breath a 'never mind' response. She slumped back down on her computer chair, with her back to me. I bit my lip and mustered up enough courage to apologize.
"Look, Mia, I'm sorry. It's just that I miss Jacob. Plus I'm worried about my mo- I mean Bella."
"Whoa, I knew that you were feeling down because of Jake, but you never told me that something was wrong with your sister," she said as she spun her seat so that we were talking eye to eye. Fortunately she didn't notice my little slip up.
"Yeah, I mean I'm sure it's nothing but lately she's been acting really strange."
"What do you mean by strange?"
I thought about it. Momma started acting out of the ordinary about a week after our vacation in Isle Esme. She didn't usually have a temper but for a good couple of days she did. She lashed out one night when we were all watching TV. Commercials started rolling and she got impatient. And when you're an immortal, time isn't that significant of a variable. My mom was absolutely furious at the TV. "I can't stand all this waiting. I'm leaving" were her exact words. She stormed out of the living room within a blink of an eye. I got up to try and console her but daddy already beat me to it, but it didn't necessarily work. Another few days passed and her unexplainable anger died down. Her unusual shifts of mood didn't end there, however, because if she wasn't angry, she was very emotional. Emmie was playing her cello one morning when I was at school and my mom came in to watch. When my cousin was done playing, she opened her eyes to see her Aunt Bella welling up. This worried me especially because vampires can't produce tears. Thankfully that was only a one time thing but she continued being really moody. And then the last thing that happened, the one that was extremely odd, was last night when I was eating my dinner. Gramma made me my favorite meatball and mushroom spaghetti. I was sitting cross-legged on my chair in the dining room when momma came down from upstairs. She looked as if she were hypnotized, my dinner being the culprit. To my complete and utter astonishment, she took a couple bites and said that it was really delicious. It was unbelievable coming from a vampire, who should be saying human food tasted like mud pie. What made things worse was the fact that Poppa had no potential theory as to why my mother was acting this way. When we asked Aunt Alice to see her future she'd bow her head in shame and say that she couldn't see anything. Before, this was her usual answer because of me and Jake, along with the rest of the wolves, the reason behind her blurred visions but over the years, she found ways to read over us and see the future. Whatever was happening to my mom was worrying everyone, me and daddy especially.
I explained everything to Mia, leaving out the details she wasn't supposed to know.
"Well there's only one thing that came to mind as you were explaining your observations to me."
"What?"
"Well I feel like I'm intruding if I ask you what I'm thinking..." she said blushing pink.
"Just ask me," I prompted, but she stayed quiet. I wasn't going to let her get away so I made sure to never draw my gaze away from her, the one thing that made her really, really nervous.
"Okay, okay!" She surrended, actually putting her hands up. She took in a deep breath before continuing.
"Do Edward and Bella..err..have, umm, sex?"
Oh, this was why she was acting so shy. To ease her tension, I laughed.
"Yeah, they do. They've been together for a good long time now so I suppose they do, I guess," I shrugged. Oh, how little did she actually know.
"My thoughts stand corrected then. Bella may very well be pregnant," she said matter-of-factly.
My breathing staggered and my gaze deviated my best friend's hopeful eyes. All of the obvious signs flashed through my mind, all the brain boggling pieces of the puzzles finally coming together. But it couldn't be true! It was impossible for me to have a biological younger sibling, no matter how much I wanted one. Right?
Mia's face started to wrinkle from her worrying. I waved her off and said, "I'm just a little shocked."
"Why? You and I both know that's what happens when 2 people come together and make love," she replied, her words riddled with humor and her face puckering up, making kissy-noises.
"Shut up," I answered playfully. "It's just that she tried to get pregnant not too long ago and my dad checked her and he said she wasn't capable of having children," I continued, completely making it up as I went.
"Oh, I see. Well, then consider this a miracle!" Mia got up and joined me on her bed to give me a big 'congrats' hug. She was really happy for me, so why couldn't I be happy myself? I guess now I understood why everyone feared the unknown...
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