This story is about Renesme and Jacob, but is not necessarily a NessieXJacob story. This will be an interesting thing to write, and probably will not end up very popular with readers. :) That's fine with me, because for once I'm writing to send a message, not entertain myself or the world who will read this. That doesn't mean I will be slacking in my writing or anything, but my intention is to make a point. We'll see how this goes, and if a lot of people really dislike it, then I might abandon. And with this in mind, I begin Choice. Please review. And if you don't like it, please do tell me, but please be considerate. :)
"Nessie," my mother murmured to me softly, stretching up to pat the top of my head—I had outgrown her in the last year. "Jacob won't be gone much longer. The wolves will be back by tomorrow."
I nodded to show that I had heard, sat back down at the table, and returned to my drawing—a sketch of a beach house with two overlapping palm trees in the lawn. I usually drew when I was nervous or anxious and Jacob's absence created that feeling of unease. Frowning at the picture, I erased and began to redraw the curvature of the palm tree trunk, editing it so it was just right, creating a symmetrical arch to the tree beside it. Upstairs, I could hear the beating of Esme's hammer upon the wall; we had recently moved into this house and Esme was busy, as always, redecorating, painting and hanging pictures all over the house. Most of the pictures were of me, and if you walked up the stairs looking at the wall, you would see a collage of my life, arranged so that it appeared I had been alive for sixteen years, rather than the six that had passed since my birth.
Another loud hammering noise echoed through the empty house, reverberating more than usual off the walls because much of the family was gone. It was just my mother, Esme and I in the mansion we modestly referred to as a house—the rest of my family was off hunting outside Seattle. Yet another disruptive banging noise interrupted my concentration on the sketch and my forehead creased into a frown.
"Mom, I'm going out," I said, gathering up my supplies and notebook. "To get some peace and quiet." She smiled warmly and nodded her approval.
After closing the door behind me, I set out, walking down the cool gravel road connecting our house to Chicago fifty miles south of us. Running, I'd make the distance in a split second, but I was more contemplative than impatient as I perambulated down the road, listening to the melodies whistled by the birds in the trees. I wished Jacob could be there to see it as I did. Things with him had been getting more serious recently. All my life, he had been a crutch, the support I so desperately needed as I entered adolescence. The one I went to when I was mad at my parents or annoyed at my lack of privacy with a mind-reader in the house. I knew he loved me and that he had waited six years for me to be ready to love him back and was ready to wait longer if I needed more time.
He was physically sixteen and so was I. Neither of us would age much past this point. It seemed clear, obvious, even, that I should be ready to pursue the romantic relationship with him that I knew since early childhood would someday occur.
So far, I hadn't pursued it; I had avoided the topic like the plague and he, of course, hadn't even mentioned it. I doubt he even thought about it. He was perfectly content with waiting for me.
I found a satisfactory location for a drawing and sat down with my sketchbook, leaning against the trunk of a tree. A small bird's nest was in a bush in front of me. It was a likely candidate for a drawing. I set my pencil to the page and began to lightly draw the top of the bush and the intricate leaves that would encircle the nest. Drawing was my catalyst for escaping the abnormal lifestyle that accompanied being half vampire.
I remained under that tree for several hours, patiently editing and sketching. The sun crept lower in the sky, casting a shadow over my head. If I was human, it would have made it difficult to depict what I was drawing, but my senses were sharper than a human's, and I could easily see the sketch.
Behind me, I could faintly hear the sound of footsteps that were far too quiet to be human. They must be back, I thought happily and quickly gathered my supplies, rising my feet. I ran towards the sound, intending of intercepting them and seeing Jacob again.
When I saw who it was, my jaw dropped in surprise and I promptly dropped my notebook.
"Who are you?" I gasped, staring at the unfamiliar face.
It was a boy—no, it would be wrong to call him that; his face held the compassion and wisdom that no boy could possess. He was handsome, I noted with surprise. Thick black hair that was pulled back, much like how Jacob always had his hair in a ponytail. His skin was impossibly dark, but at the same time, rich and bronzed and… almost beautiful. His eyes stood out in stark distinction with his face; the golden brown hue contrasted dramatically with the otherwise dark features of his face. He was tall, not quite as huge as Jacob, and well-muscled. When he bent to retrieve my notebook, I noticed the superb catlike grace he possessed in his movement, which is quite an accomplishment: to be both physically impressive and graceful.
"My name is Nahuel," he said in a voice that was not the musical tune of a vampire's voice, or the husky voice of Jacob, or the normal flat voice of a human. It was soothing and relaxing, a pleasant thing to hear. He looked down at my notebook in his hands, examining my sketch.
I snatched it out of his hands, angry now. "Stay out of that!" I snapped at him. Who was this guy? What was he doing here? Initially, I had not recognized him, but now he seemed almost familiar. Maybe I'd ask Mom or Alice when I got… oh. Alice. He's a half-vampire like me. Nahuel. I remember now. Not from my own memory—I didn't remember much of the Volturi face off excepting my terror for my loved ones. However, I had heard the story told several times. Why was he here?
"You're a very good artist," he told me in his strange foreign accent, completely disregarding my previous statement. He smiled warmly at me, flashing his straight teeth.
"Nessie? What are you — who is this?"
Thoroughly relieved, I spun towards the beloved voice, as Emmett stopped, staring at the pair of us, bewildered. Recognition flared on his face second later as he was looking at Nahuel, and I knew he remembered him. He stepped forward, placing his large hand firmly on my shoulder protectively. For once I was thankful for his instinctive protectiveness of me and leaned into his hand, relieved when Nahuel eyed him warily.
"I want to speak with you," Nahuel said carefully, cautiously. "With your… leader. Carlisle was his name?" He phrased it as a question, his strange light eyes boring into mine.
Emmett's hand tightened on my shoulder. "Sure," he said tightly. "This way." He grabbed my arm gently as he turned to run, still protective. I could hear Nahuel's graceful, evenly timed footsteps behind us as I ran. Emmett wasn't racing at full speed—I couldn't quite run as fast as a vampire, thanks to my human genes. I was grateful he hadn't carried me. I hated being carried.
A small blur sped towards us and then Alice was prancing along me smoothly, her short black hair spiked. "Carlisle's waiting," she sang to Emmett. "Hello, Nahuel!" She waved enthusiastically at the hybrid, reminding me that she had already met and spent a considerable amount of time with him.
Emmett held the front door open for her, and she winked once at me before grabbing my hand, slipping inside and pulling me along. The entire family, except for Jacob, was assembled in the living room. My cheeks lifted in a smile when my mother beamed at me, leaning her head on my father's shoulder as he put an arm around her securely. Alice excitedly pulled me to sit beside her and Jasper and faced Carlisle attentively as he faced Nahuel, who was shifting awkwardly, uncomfortable at being the center of attention.
"I came because I wanted to," he began hurriedly as Carlisle opened his mouth. "I wanted to meet the other half-vampire, and I thought I could help her. With understanding… things."
"He means us no harm," my father clarified. "He has sated his curiosity." He nodded to me warmly.
"I'd like to stay, if it is no trouble," Nahuel said quietly.
"What about your aunt?" Rosalie responded. "What happened to her?"
He looked at the floor. "She wanted me to come but didn't want to accompany me." His accent was harsher now. Was he really that nervous? I watched him, intrigued by the way the light reflected off his dark skin.
"A vote, then?" Carlisle suggested, looking around the room democratically.
I felt Nahuel's eyes on me as the vote went around the circle and everyone confirmed that they had no problem with his visit.
"Thank you," he said fervently, light brown eyes locking with mine as I lifted my head. Why was he staring at me? Because he knows you're a half-vampire, I answered my own question. Wouldn't you be curious, too? Of course.
"You can stay in Jacob's room for tonight," Alice sang from beside me. "He won't be back until three tomorrow afternoon." My heart sunk. Nahuel in Jacob's room? It just sounded… wrong. A frown pulled at the corners of my mouth and I quickly smothered it. Jacob will be back tomorrow, I reminded myself. Only one more day.
Nahuel was staring at me again, and I glowered at him in a small fit of temper. He quickly dropped his gaze and I felt bad. It wasn't his fault I was missing Jacob.
Missing Jacob… was I finally ready to push our relationship to the next level? I felt incomplete without him, like part of me was missing in the most cliché way. I knew I loved him, but was I in love with him? Only time would tell. In the meantime, however, I would love him with everything I had and would be his best friend. That would never change.
So what'd you think? Please, do be honest. If this is your first time reading one of my stories, my name is Mel and thanks for reading. If you have read another of my stories, thanks for coming back. As usual, please review and have a wonderful, superb day.
Mel.