A/N: THE SEQUEL TO SOLSTICE: AFTER BREAKING DAWN.
Hey, everyone: Sorry it took me so long to post the sequel. :/ I just never really had time. I mean, I had it written, just not edited and I didn't have much time at all to post it. But I'm posting it now! Thank you all sooooo much for being patient. :) And I'm sorry if there are any typos in this. (I'm really tired right now...) But...yeah. I hope you like it, and I'll try to have the second chapter up later this weekend or later this week... Also, I hope you dont find the first few paragraphs awkward. :] But anyway... :D THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR READING!
Oh, and if you leave a signed review, I'll send you a preview of Chapter 2. :) So PLEASE REVIEW! :D
Chapter One: Resurfaced
Renesmee Cullen's POV
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••"I love you..."
He kissed me again, his lips moving down my face, to my jaw, and still descending. I felt his hot breath on my neck, his hands on my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing my lips to his, bringing his body closer to mine.
His hands found their way to the bottom hem of my shirt, pulling the fabric away from my skin and sliding his hands up my bare back, pulling me, if at all possible, even nearer to him.
Pretty soon my shirt was on the floor, as was his, and we were kissing each other with increasing fierceness, passion.
He stopped suddenly, not touching me at all, but looking deep into my eyes. I sat up, leaning towards him, looking back into his beautiful, mahogany, smoldering eyes and found regret there, remorse.
"I'm sorry," he whispered huskily. He leaned in, planting a light kiss on my forehead.
Then he was gone.
"Jacob?" I started saying quietly, my voice getting gradually louder as I called for him. I continued to yell, and I tried to move, but I couldn't. I was glued in place. "Jacob!"
"...Renesmee!"
I awoke with a shock, sitting straight up in my bed, feeling cold sweat on my neck. I looked around my room, startled.
Topaz eyes were staring back at me.
"God, Renesmee, I thought you went into a coma," my mother said to me, a little exasperated.
I sighed. I knew they had all gotten tired of my behavior, of my depression. At first, they all felt sorry for me, they all felt sympathetic. But now, there was only irritation. They all expected it; they all knew that I had these beautiful nightmares every night, too. But thank God they didn't know what they were about.
"I'm sorry, Mom," I apologized in a monotone, my voice clearly saying that there was no remorse for my behavior at all.
"Sure you are," she muttered under her breath.
"Wait...you were blocking my thoughts, right?" I asked tentatively.
"Of course I was, Ness. I always do anymore, don't I?" she told me with a small grin. "Come on, now. Get ready. School starts in an hour." She then ran from my room.
I got out of bed then, off to get ready for yet another boring, eventless day at school, where all the guys flirt with me, all the girls hate me, and I don't acknowledge anyone, except, occasionally, my family.
I exhaled heavily and went to pick out my clothes for the day; a long-sleeved white T-shirt and black skinny jeans. This is what my attire consisted of lately, what with me not having the ambition to put together an outfit with much anything else.
I then went to my bedroom's attached bathroom to take a shower, my usual morning routine. When I was done, I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and then went to go get dressed in my usual outfit.
"Renesmee, are you about ready?" my grandma called to me from the kitchen.
"Yeah," I spoke quietly, knowing she could hear me.
Done dressing, I walked lazily down the wooden stairs, not feeling any need to hurry. I went into the kitchen, sitting down at a stool at the table, and Esme set down my breakfast in front of me.
"Did you sleep well?" she questioned almost cautiously as she sat in the stool next to mine.
"Not really, no," I informed, shaking my head and taking a bite of bacon.
She patted my back and kissed the top of my head. "Don't worry, Sweetie. It'll get better, I promise," she told me, giving me a hopeful smile.
"I hope so," I breathed, more to myself than to Esme.
She gave me a sympathetic smile and walked into the other room where the rest of my family was. I continued to eat my breakfast.
"Renesmee, are you almost done?" my mom called.
"Yes," I answered, taking my last bite and setting my plate in the sink. I picked up my book-bag and trudged into the other room where my family was waiting.
"Are you ready, Nessie?" my father asked, and I flinched slightly.
I told you not to call me that, I forced into his mind. He just shrugged.
I didn't let any of them call me Nessie, not anymore. Not unless...not unless Jacob was here. He came up with the nickname, and every time I heard it, my mind dwelled on him, and I couldn't stand thinking of him all the time. Of course, I already did, so maybe there was no point. It's as though I put up a wall to keep the thoughts out, but instead of the wall being impenetrable, the memories were.
"Yes, I'm ready to go, Edward." I turned quickly and rushed to the garage.
"Come on, Renesmee. You can go to school with me," Emmett told me, pulling me towards his car, Rosalie following close behind. I was grateful that I didn't have to ride to school with my mom and dad, but Emmett wasn't exactly one to avoid awkward conversation; he was usually the one who started it.
I climbed into Emmett's new Jeep, in the back seat, Rosalie got in the front seat, and Emmett was driving. We were the first ones out of the garage, and Emmett was driving fast.
"Hey, Renesmee, tell me if there's a cop around, okay?" Emmett asked me, a mischievous tone in his voice.
"Sure," I agreed. I opened my mind to everything around me, making sure to follow Emmett's order. He had to be going at least twice the speed limit, which was already sixty miles per hour. "All I can hear is my dad thinking that you're an idiot," I informed him.
He smiled a little. "Good," he said, and went a little faster.
I rolled my eyes.
When we got to school—usually a fifteen minute drive that we finished in about five—people stopped and stared as usual. The guys watched me and Rose in awe, some of their mouths literally forming an "O". But the girls stared at Emmett, giggling and sighing dreamily. But that was pretty much nothing compared to what they did when my dad showed up.
I rolled my eyes and walked ahead of Rose and Em to the front doors, not stopping to talk to anyone at all. When I got to the second floor where my locker was, I got my book and my notebook for Social Studies, and I went to my class. I was pretty much always the first one to every class that I had, sometimes even before the teachers. Mostly because I never talked to anyone like everyone else did. But after a few minutes, the classroom started to fill up, the noise level growing louder and louder. Pretty soon my dad walked in, about a minute before the bell, and sat in his assigned seat next to me. I turned away from him.
He sighed. "Renesmee, it's been over two years. You have to let it go," he whispered to me, concern in his voice.
I looked at him, my eyes filmed with tears. "I can't get over it, Edward, okay? What if he's..." I choked on my next words.
"Renesmee, he's not dead," he told me, and I flinched. "He doesn't give up fighting that easily, trust me. He'll be fine, and he'll come back. I promise you," he swore with such belief that I had a hard time believing that he didn't know what was going on with the pack, something that he'd denied for the past two years.
I sighed, swallowing back the standing tears in my eyes. "Thanks, I guess," I told my father, staring down at my desk.
The bell rang, then, and the teacher, Mr. Simmons, walked in.
"Alright, alright. Be quiet..." he said with little emotion whatsoever.
I sighed. No one ever learned anything in this class, everyone always talked. So, I just sat and spaced out.
"Hey, Renesmee, wanna go out with me this Friday?" a guy named Alex called to me from across the room. I pretended I couldn't hear him. But my dad's jaw was tensed, so I figured what Alex wanted to do with me on Friday wasn't exactly parent-appropriate.
"Renesmee!" I heard Alex's voice right by me, and I knew I couldn't use the excuse of not hearing him this time.
I looked at him. "Yeah?" I asked, uninterested.
"Will you go out with me this Friday?" he asked, smiling a crooked smile. Alex was one of the more popular guys at my school, and every girl was trying to go out with him. I knew for a fact that he had a girlfriend already, but I guess he didn't dwell much on that knowledge.
"Sorry, I can't. I'm busy on Friday." Total lie. Honestly, I was probably going to end up playing piano or watching TV, wishing that Jacob was there with me.
"How about next Friday, then?" he persisted.
I turned toward him in my seat. "Okay, Alex, look. How many times have you asked me out in the past two years? And how many times have I said yes?"
"W-well, you haven't really—" he started to say, his cheeks turning a little red.
"Exactly," I interrupted him. "Now, goodbye," I told him with a false smile, waving him away.
My dad had a small smile on his face, and he was looking down at his desk. "Nice," he said quietly, unable to be heard by any regular human over the chatter.
I sighed. "Thanks, I guess."
"Renesmee, please, cheer up," Edward begged me.
"Edward, I haven't heard from him or anyone for more than two years, and I can't just forget about him, okay? I know you want me to, but I can't. And honestly, the chances of him coming back anytime soon aren't looking so good," I argued lightly, not wanting to acknowledge the truth of my own words.
Edward sighed and didn't say another word, which confirmed my fear; Jacob probably wasn't going to come home soon.
The rest of the morning went by rather fast, and I found myself in the lunchroom sooner than I expected. I always sat at the same table with my family, where I was always the only one who ate anything at all. But most days, I didn't have an appetite.
I was one of the first ones in the lunchroom, the rest of my vampire family showing up soon after me, the way it always was. Alice sat down in the seat next to me, as usual. That's the way it was anymore; there was rarely any excitement in my life now, no surprises.
"Hey, N—Renesmee!" Alice exclaimed, still occasionally fumbling on the name rules even after two years.
Finally, I just gave in. "You can call me Nessie if you want, I guess," I allowed, sighing.
She gasped. "Oh my gosh, really? Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, getting out of her seat and jumping happily up and down. She crouched down to me and gave me a hug, then sat back down, still beaming. She giggled a little. "Nessie! I haven't called you that in so long..." Then, she was lost in her own little world. Typical Alice.
Our lunch row was called then, and we all got up to get our food, the rest of my family using it as a prop rather than actual nutrition. Today's lunch was pizza. Pizza that quite frankly tastes like cardboard, so I knew I wasn't going to be eating that.
I went back to my table and started eating the actually decent food. I knew anyone at my table would give me whatever food I wanted from their trays, so I wasn't worried about going hungry. But I barely ate any of my own food, anyway, so there was no need.
When everyone was back at the table, Alice exclaimed loudly, "Hey, you guys, Nessie is letting us call her Nessie again!" She was standing up, smiling brightly and clapping joyfully. Plus, most of the people in the cafeteria were staring at her. Great.
"Yes, Alice, we know," Bella said, grinning a bit.
Alice sat back down suddenly, her joy buzz seeming to go out like a flame. "Wait, does that mean you're over Jacob?" she asked, her hazel eyes boring into mine.
Everyone at my table had different facial expressions in response to Alice's question. Alice's was almost horrified, which surprised me. My father was rolling his eyes, probably hoping that my answer to her question would be yes. Emmett was grinning a bit, most likely wondering why Alice has the ignorance to ask such a stupid question when it came to the subject. Jasper's face was neutral; he was probably lost in his own world—or trying not to think of the truth about me and Jacob. I just really hoped that Alice wasn't thinking about the truth. My mom's face knew that I hadn't gotten over Jacob—mostly because she's really the only one who has even the slightest idea of what my dreams are about. Meanwhile, Rosalie's face was plain hopeful, not even a tiny bit of shame written in her features at all. But I was pained. Of course I would never get over Jacob—how could I?
I swallowed, trying not to let any tears surface. "Alice, can we talk about this later, please?"
"Just answer, really quick—yes or no?" she persisted.
"No, Alice," I nearly growled, staring down at my uneaten tray of disgusting food.
She sighed out of relief and acted as though she never asked the question, for which I was grateful.
I had Spanish class after lunch, and it's usually my favorite class of the day. Mostly because no one tried to talk to me. The only one from my family in that class was Jasper, and he was unsocial, anyway. But today, the favorite class ranking was officially changed.
The class started out as it usually did. I sat down in my assigned desk near Jasper and some other people who never bother me at all. But that changed today.
"Hey, Nessie," a guy named Matt called to me. By the use of "Nessie," I knew that this couldn't be good.
I tensed. "Yeah?"
He came and sat on my desk. "Why do they call you Nessie?" he inquired, definitely not just interested for his own personal knowledge.
"I don't know," I answered flatly.
A girl named Maddie came to stand by him. "Yeah... And who's Jacob? Is he your boyfriend? Is he hot?" she questioned with a mischievous smirk.
I stood up—I didn't like their height advantage. I took a deep breath and spoke. "Jacob isn't my boyfriend. He's just my friend."
"Well, is he hot?" Why isn't he here? Oh my God, is he in college?" Maddie rambled. Did I mention that she never shuts up?
"Okay, the truth?" She nodded eagerly. "Yes, Jacob is hot. He is actually the hottest person I have ever seen in my whole entire life. And he's not in college. And I honestly have no idea where he is right now," I explained in a rush.
"Oh," Maddie almost purred, basically disregarding everything I just said. "He sounds like my type of guy... Hot, mysterious, single..." She grinned. "Why did he go?"
"I don't know why he...why he left," I sort of lied. "But I do know Jacob well enough to know that he wouldn't really date girls like you," I said, my tone snarky.
"Oh, really? And why not?" she challenged, almost possessive. Then she muttered, "He probably left to get away from you."
I pretended I couldn't hear her, because no other normal human would have been able to. Instead, I inhaled and exhaled, trying to keep myself calm. "Because he's not into fake girls like you," I said quietly, but angrily. Yeah, I was definitely getting angry. I could feel Jasper trying to calm me down, but it was pretty much too late for that; what was said was said.
"Um...excuse me? Did you really just have the nerve to call me fake? You really shouldn't be talking," Maddie shot back at me, giving me a quick once-over, her hands on her hips.
"What's that supposed to mean? Because I'm not fake," I argued, resting my hands on my hips as well.
"The hell you aren't!" she shouted. Great, everyone was watching now.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really," she mocked.
"Yeah, Ness, no offense, but no girl I've ever seen has had a figure like that naturally," Matt intervened.
"Well, then I guess you haven't seen a real girl before," I shot at him.
He held his hands up defensively. "Hey, that was supposed to be sort of a compliment, too, you know..."
"Well, I'm sure she's not interested," a voice came from behind me. An almost blank look came into Maddie and Matt's eyes.
I almost sighed with relief.
Yep, Jasper had joined the argument. "Now go sit down, both of you," he ordered gently.
Without question—rather total calm—they both went to sit down at their desks. I gave Jasper a thankful look and he nodded, going back to his work.
I sighed. All this talk about Jacob, all the memories that had resurfaced in my mind, they were all causing me unbearable pain now. It was like my heart's wounds had been cut open and drowned in salt water. I could barely breathe, let alone think, but I went back to doing my Spanish work regardless, thinking of him the whole entire time.