This is a collab written with SaraiR88. She is great! It has been a pleasure working with her so far. When I get unsure of something, she gives me courage to post. Go read her stuff!
Thank you to everyone at Project Team Beta. You have helped me so much. Again, I strongly suggest everyone to use their services. The link is still in my profile. My work is my own but without the beta's to help, it would be worthless. They are looking for more betas if you are interested.
I do not own any of these characters, or the original plot to the Twilight Series. Everything publicly recognizable belongs to their owners. I am doing this only for the pleasure I gain from writing and I am not associated with anyone or anything to do with the Twilight Series. There is no financial benefit, whatsoever, though I may wish there were.
First up, bonnysammy.
Prologue
I watched in horror as the enemy line progressed nearer and nearer. Dread spread through me, infecting every cell and filling me with an odd emptiness. My inability to battle the approaching red-eyed demons triggered a fear that paralyzed my mind. I was so much more fragile than most of the army gathered here . . . to defend me - I was the only true liability. Yet here they stood, ready to lay themselves down for me. I would not allow it; I'd rather forfeit my own life than let them end theirs.
After a few moments, which seemed to take an eternity, I was able to gather myself together and observe my surroundings. I was encircled by people I knew and loved, both friends and family. The closest to me were my parents and my best friend, Jacob.
My mother stood directly in front of me, my father to her right. I clung to my mother's back as if my life depended on it – I was sure at that moment that it did. Though they stood before me and I was unable to see their faces, I knew the expressions that would be displayed there for I had been seeing the same look for the last few weeks. I was sure that they had matching looks of determination on their beautiful faces: eyebrows set, jaws locked. I hated that I had brought this down on them.
My beloved Jacob stood not too far, merely a few feet away, though it was far enough to make me uncomfortable. He had shifted into his wolf form, his russet fur glistening in the dim light. Though he was not human, I could sense his fortitude as well. We were like two parts of a whole at times, this being one of them. I also loathed that my presence had dragged him into what could possibly be an epic, violent, and deadly battle.
I looked again to the encroaching mob. I knew that they had come for me, and their next step was to happen soon. The red-eyed fiend in the center smiled in a way I was sure was meant to feel welcoming, but I only felt threatened. His long black hair shone as he moved his head from side to side, scanning the crowd gathered around me.
My father and grandfather of sorts engaged in conversation with him first, though his attention never really strayed from me; I sensed he saw me as an acquisition. The terrifying man raised his hand beckoning me closer in a request that could not be denied.
I clutched onto my father – he would not let me go alone – as we made our way toward the ancient one. I was oddly pulled toward this alien creature, my heart pumping faster, the sound pulsing through my ears. My breaths became ragged as I neared the leader of this mottled yet somehow homogenous group, our enemy in many ways.
I instinctively sensed that these were possibly my last seconds on earth. My friends, my family, my mother, my father . . . my Jacob would perhaps watch as I perished.
How would it happen? Was I able to die like a human, or would they need to rip me apart like they would have to do to my parents? Would they destroy my parents after me? The rest of my family? My Jacob?
I heard my father growl quietly as we neared the ancient vampire. I could not be sure whether his snarl was a result of my thoughts or those of the fiend before us. I leaned forward and touched the old one's papery skin. I was assaulted by images from my own memory as they ran through my mind. I looked into the cold, dead red eyes of the vampire before me, drawn in and mesmerized by their odd lack of depth. Then everything went black.
I opened my eyes to the sanctuary of my own room. There was a strange ringing shriek that sounded out of place as it echoed in the calm darkness. With a start, I realized that I was sitting up screaming - the sound was my voice reverberating throughout my room.
My door opened and two figures swiftly entered through the doorway and raced to my bed.
My mother gracefully sank to the mattress and placed her hand on my shoulder. Her golden eyes were wide with shock.
The nightmare began to replay in my head, and I froze on the horrible red eyes. I remembered a time when my mother's eyes were much like the monsters in my dream. But her eyes never held the hatred and condemnation I saw displayed in theirs; they had only ever shown love and compassion. Even in their odd color, they had depth that the monsters of my nightmares never did.
I reprimanded myself for comparing my mother to those horrible creatures. How could I even entertain the thought?
"There's no shame in that, Renesmee," my father's cool, calm voice rang in the dark. "You're just trying to make sense of everything. I'm sure your mother would understand."
He then proceeded to explain my nightmares and thoughts to my mother. I was relieved not to have to tell her.
"You're still having that same nightmare?" my mother asked. "They haven't bothered us for years. We're sure they probably will try to exploit you . . . and our talents in the future. But Alice will see them, and we'll gather everyone together once again. Don't worry about that now. You shouldn't worry about it at all."
"We will never let anything happen to you," my mom cooed at me. "You're safe."
They both helped calm me down, and soon I drifted off to a much calmer sleep.
I awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. I had never been a huge fan of human food. I found bacon palatable, but I loved eggs. In fact, the odor from the kitchen made my mouth water. My mom usually tried to force me to eat vegetables - ugh - proclaiming that I needed to eat a nutritionally sound human diet. I had tried to turn the tables on multiple occasions and say that she didn't need to eat human food, but she countered that she wasn't half-human, and I had no further argument.
Bacon and eggs cooking in this house usually meant one thing – Jacob was visiting. I rushed out of bed and into our kitchen, without even taking the time for a human minute, to test my theory. I was right - Jacob was sitting at the breakfast bar, making it appear much smaller than it actually was. He seemed so out of place, like an adult at the kids' table, and I chuckled at the thought of that; he was in his twenties – far from a kid.
"Hey, Jake!" I squealed and ran up to him, giving him a huge hug. As he stood there holding me, I compared the two of us. I was of fairly average height for a normal twelve or thirteen year old girl – though I was nowhere near that old, I was only just approaching five. He was enormous, six foot six inches, or something like that, so I came up to just under his chest. His beautiful brown skin made my pale skin look dull in contrast. He was so muscular, and although I was slender, I was soft somehow.
I had noticed recently that I was starting to have different feelings for my best friend. He had always been just that, my friend, maybe even like a big brother. But now, I had begun to notice more things about him: his strength, his looks, his scent, his . . . everything. It unnerved me, and I often tried to stop these thoughts, especially when my dad was around. Having a mind-reading vampire for a father certainly had its disadvantages, especially when you were starting to crush on someone who was supposed to be his mortal enemy.
"Morning, Mom," I said when Jacob let go of me. "Where's Dad?"
We both sat down at the island, choosing chairs next to each other.
"He went up to the main house to talk with Carlisle," she answered, placing a plate full of eggs and bacon on the island in front me. "How're you this morning?"
"Much better," I answered quickly and shot my mother a hard look, obviously asking her to drop it. "Thanks." I tried to gloss over last night's blip; I didn't want to go into my nightmare with Jacob here. I wanted to impress him, not display my weaknesses.
"What happened last night?" Jacob asked. My bacon was really interesting so I didn't answer him. "Nessie?"
"Oh, nothing. Mom's just overreacting again. You know how she is." I smiled up at him, hoping he wouldn't push it.
He did.
"Bella?" Jacob pushed, more forcefully this time. "What happened?"
"Renesmee had that dream about the Volturi again," my mom explained. Jacob gasped and pulled me under his arm. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him, my knees hitting his legs. He looked into my eyes, and my joints began to feel funny, almost like they were the consistency of a jellyfish. I ignored that sensation – he would never feel like that about me. I was just a little kid to him.
"But she was able to get back to sleep quickly this time," Mom interrupted my thoughts. "And you didn't have it again, did you?"
"You know you don't have to be afraid, right?" Jacob asked me before I could answer my mother's question. "I. . . " he looked at my mom. "We will protect you at all costs. Never doubt that."
"I know," I said, trying to avert my gaze from his eyes and failing miserably. "And no, I didn't have it again, Mom. Just the once." I felt uncomfortable staring into Jacob's eyes in front of my mother, and I didn't want to deal with that on top of reliving my nightmare from the previous night. I knew Jacob meant what he was saying, he would protect me – he always had – and I wanted to end the conversation there.
Just then, I received my reprieve – or so I thought. The door opened and my father stepped into the little cottage. He looked between Jacob and me and sighed. I knew he had heard my prior thoughts about Jacob and my changing feelings. He nodded and I was filled with embarrassment. Just great. Something else I did not want to talk about. Was this pick on Renesmee day?
"Morning, Dad," I chimed, hoping futilely that the other subject I didn't want to talk about would not be broached.
"Morning, sweetheart," my father said and walked over to kiss my forehead. "Morning, Jake." Dad nodded his head at Jacob, a look of disapproval on his face, his golden eyes narrowed. He had been acting kind of cold to Jacob recently, but I wasn't sure why. Dad then flitted to my mom and pulled her into an incredibly romantic embrace. It was my turn to feel uncomfortable again. I barely suppressed an eye roll.
"Love, I think it's time we fully explained the concept of werewolf imprinting to Renesmee," my father said glumly. "She's . . . confused, and she needs to understand everything." As my father spoke, he eyed Jacob and my mom meaningfully.
I didn't get it. Why was he being so bizarre? I already knew all about this stuff. Jacob had explained it a million times.
"You don't know everything, sweetheart," my father interrupted my musings.
"Imprinting?" I asked, slightly wary. "You guys have explained this to me before. It's like Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, and Leah and Mike, right? I understand. They all love each other a whole lot. Kind of like you and mom. But what's that got to do with me? It's a wolf thing, not a vampire-human thing."
"Well, Nessie," Jacob began, "it's not just a wolf thing. Emily, Kim, and Mike aren't wolves. They are one hundred percent human."
"Yeah, but Leah, Jared, and Sam are, so the others were . . . I don't know, trapped?" Jacob winced. I tried to backtrack quickly. I hadn't meant to hurt him. "No, that wasn't the right word. They were, like, predestined for them, right? Born to be with them?"
"In a way, yes," my dad said, his voice oddly faltering. His voice never faltered. "It is believed that the imprinting process helps to strengthen the next generation of wolves. So, when a wolf finds their perfect mate," I hated that word. It was so clinical. My dad smiled. "Okay, then, their perfect other half?" He raised one eyebrow.
"Much better." I smiled back at him.
"The wolf imprints on that other person," Dad continued. "It is as if all others cease to exist for that wolf-"
"Let me take this, Edward," Jacob interrupted. "It is like all the ties you had to this world are severed. The only thing that exists is your imprint. This person becomes everything that holds you to this world. Not even gravity holds you down."
My heart sank. I could tell Jacob spoke from experience. Had he imprinted? No one had mentioned it before so it must have been recent. Was I going to lose my best friend? I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I was much too upset over losing just a friend. I wondered why that was.
"So the person imprinted on doesn't necessarily have to feel the same," Jacob persisted, oblivious to my despair. My dad came over and wrapped his arms around me. "But when presented with that level of love and adoration, the wolf becomes exactly what the imprint needs at any time. How can they not feel the same?" Jacob sounded almost wistful.
"Jacob, Renesmee needs to understand why we're telling her this information," my dad prodded. "Can you explain everything to her?"
Why were they pushing this, and why did Jacob have to tell me?
"Well, Nessie," Jacob said and then nervously cleared his throat. "I'm sure you've guessed that I've imprinted."
I couldn't speak so I just nodded. He reached out a giant hand and gently stroked my cheek.
"It's you, sweetheart," Jacob said.
"Huh?"
"You're my imprint," he explained. "I knew from the first moment I saw Rosalie holding you. When I first looked into your eyes, I knew. The things that had been so important before all fell away. All that was left was you."
Jacob had always said he loved me from when I was born, but I never thought he meant like this. I looked to my mom and dad, confused. They just offered tight grins and nodded. I turned toward Jacob again.
"Be serious. What's the punch line?"
I heard my dad snort. What did he find so funny?
"There's no punch line, sweetheart. Jacob is one hundred percent serious." The intense look in my dad's eyes informed me that this was real.
This time my mom let out a nervous little laugh. Was there some kind of inside joke between my mom and dad? Jacob was confessing undying love, and they were laughing. I felt unbelievably uncomfortable now and wondered if a marriage proposal was coming next. I figured I should ask a really basic question to try to understand.
"But I was just a baby?" A small amount of disgust eked through in my tone.
"Yes, you were," Jacob said. "The most beautiful baby ever. As you know, we become whatever you need. I just want to protect you and see you happy. You need to understand now that I can't deny you anything. You do not have to choose me." His face fell at these words. "But I hope someday you might. Once we imprint, we are changed forever. You're it for me."
Yep, practically a marriage proposal. I decided that I was way too young to think about that sort of stuff.
My dad smirked and turned to my mom.
"Just like vampires," he added, staring into my mom's eyes, their hands intertwined.
"Don't you know, Edward," my mother began as an aside to my father, "swans mate for life." She giggled and he pulled her into a tight embrace. With that comment, I knew our serious conversation was over. It didn't escape me that my mother had used her maiden name.
"Ugh!" I exclaimed. "How gross! I mean, you are my parents. Can't you keep that stuff behind closed doors?"
"I guess she really has entered the teen years." My father's comment fell a little flat as my mother's eyes grew sad. He pulled her impossibly tighter and she put her head on his shoulder.
"I'm going to go get dressed," I huffed and then said goodbye to everyone. I practically fled the room for the privacy of my bedroom. I needed to contemplate the new information I had been given.
I was Jacob's soul mate; it had been written in the stars since he first saw me, only a few minutes after my birth. Sure it was all fairy tale and once-upon-a-time-like. It seemed my prince had found me before I even knew to look. But it was still kind of weird.
I knew it meant Jacob didn't have a choice and that bothered me. I had always thought of him as my Jacob. I just didn't realize that he really always had been, regardless of his wishes. How could he even want that? I mean, he never even had the chance to choose someone else - I was it. I wondered who he would have chosen if he had that option. I worried that he would come to begrudge the fact that my existence had taken his free will away from him at some point. I didn't want and didn't think I could bear Jacob's resentment when that time came. No, I knew I couldn't handle that.
But didn't this imprinting also take away my choice? If I thought about it, I guess I would always choose Jacob. He was so loving and thoughtful. He made sure I had everything I could want or need, and he was so much fun, so it sort of was an easy choice. But I still felt like my options had been taken away, too.
To say I was confused would have been an understatement. I didn't know what or who I wanted. My life was so messed up. I didn't fit in anywhere; the human/vampire hybrid with half of my family vampires and the other half human. My only friends were werewolves, and now my best friend was supposed to be some epic love of mine. All of them mated for life, meaning I had no one to share my confusion with. They all understood and apparently accepted this whole imprinting thing. Could my life get any more convoluted?
End Notes:
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