It has been seven years since Renesmee was born and the Volturi came to Forks, of the efforts of the whole Cullen family, she was spared and the Italian vampires sent back to their high walled city. The Cullens still live in Forks, but none of the locals know it save for the sheriff, Charlie Swann. All the others, including Bella's high school friends Jessica, Mike, Eric, and Angela, have no idea that the odd family still lives in their small town. It has been a relatively peaceful seven years, with only a few disturbances. The vampires remain frozen in time, never changing.
As for the wolf pack of La Push, they are also thriving. While vampires remain near, they keep phasing and stop aging. Sam, however, and a few of the old pack members have moved away with those they imprinted on, wishing to leave the life of a werewolf and not stand by and watch those around them age while they remain young. Jacob is still pack leader, and gets new recruits every year as boys on the reservation become teenagers. Though he himself is forever sixteen, he has the wisdom and leadership of someone much older.
Edward and Bella are still very much in love, and share that love with their daughter Renesmee, who is almost fully grown. If she was a human, she would be about sixteen. She has grown into a beautiful half-vampire, with wavy hair a few shades lighter than her mother's, fair skin, movements as fluid as Alice's, and strength as great as any of a full blooded vampire. She is rebellious, however, and eager to be able to do things without the constant watchfulness of her parents. Edward and Bella, wary from the beginning of Jacob's imprinting on their daughter, have still not told her about the werewolf's connection to her. Renesmee has only ever seen Jacob, in human or wolf form, a few times since she was very young. By the wishes of Edward and Bella, he stays away. Like the other Cullens, (minus Bella) Renesmee respects the wolves but does not feel great affection for them. Boundary disputes are still common, and it is becoming more and more difficult to remember the ties they made during the battles against Victoria's newborns and the Volturi.
But trouble is brewing abroad. Aro, long time leader of the Volturi, has died. Some doubt whether it was truly by natural causes, as the other members of the Volturi claim. Marcus and Caius have taken over, but are challenged by Jane and the group of Volturi loyal to her. A civil war is brewing, and vampire clans worldwide are rushing to Volterra to fight for whoever they deem fit to rule. Soon, the Cullens will have to decide with whom their loyalties lie.
Renesmee opened her eyes and stared up at the beams on the ceiling above her. Her finely tuned ears picked up the sounds of her family moving downstairs. She'd always regretted being the only Cullen who slept, and always tried to stay up as long as possible. But they'd gotten back late from a hunt the night before and she'd been too exhausted to fight it. She climbed out of bed, hair a mess.
One week before had been her seventh birthday. She would age no further. In human years, she was about sixteen, and Edward had been planning on buying her a fast car to honor her being fully grown as a half-vampire. Renesmee had convinced him, however, to give her the money to pick out her own vehicle. He hadn't been happy when she'd bought not a car but a beautiful black motorcycle. She'd pointed out that he hadn't specified what kind of vehicle she could get, and, unable to find a loophole in her logic, he'd grudgingly agreed to let her keep it. The bike had lasted three days before she wrapped it around a tree on a back road. Of course, she was fine, having swiftly leapt off, but Edward had been furious. Bella had managed to calm him down, but there didn't seem to be any likelihood in the near future for her to get another. Or a car, for that matter. She'd just have to borrow Alice's new yellow Porsche (the old one had been looking a bit old according to Jasper, who had bought her another).
What Renesmee hadn't shared with either of her parents were the events leading up to the crash. She'd been speeding along one of Forks's many curving roads, testing the bike's capabilities, when a howl had suddenly ripped through the trees. Startled, she'd tried to ease the motorcycle onto the shoulder. The gravel on the side of the road was loose and it skidded into a large tree. Renesmee landed on her feet in the middle of the road, cursing the werewolves of La Push. Knowing her family's distate for them she hadn't told the other Cullens about the howl, worried that they'd take any excuse to start a feud with the wolves.
Clearing her mind, she eased off the bed and ran a finger through the tangled waves of her hair. Taking a quick shower and pulling on some decent clothing, she went downstairs.
Rosalie was playing the piano, her fingers moving fluidly over the keys. She looked up and smiled as Renesmee came down the stairs. As she passed behind, Renesmee touched her lightly with the tip of one finger, sending her the mental image of her aunt playing.
"It's beautiful, really, Rose. You're almost as good as Dad is."
Bella and Alice were in the kitchen, arguing lightly.
"I can't believe that after seven years you still refuse to wear any of the clothes I buy you!" Alice was complaining.
"Did you think I was going to become a totally different person after I got changed?" Bella defended herself.
Instead of intervening, Renesmee grabbed a newspaper and sat on a stool by the counter to watch.
"Of course not, but I was hoping you'd be a little more reasonable when it came to fashion. Really. Your own daughter dresses better than you!"
"I think she dresses fine," said Edward, entering the room and looping his arms around Bella's waist. Alice harrumphed and turned away.
Carlisle was right behind him, with a worried expression on his face. Bella picked up on it too and asked him what was on his mind.
The doctor faced her. "The situation in Volterra is growing worse. I've just received a call from some old friends of mine. They're going there to join Marcus and Caius's side, but Jane's forces are also numerous. Before long, a full fledged war will break out within the city."
"Maybe we should go lend a hand." Piped up Emmett, coming into the kitchen out of the living room where he'd been watching football. Jasper followed.
"No. It would be better to just stay out of it." Edward said firmly, then turned back toward Carlisle in surprise. He'd obviously heard him thinking something alarming.
"I know, I know," Carlisle said before Renesmee's father could open his mouth, "It's wiser to leave well enough alone. But without the firm leadership of the Volturi and the threat of their interference, rogue vampires are becoming more and more common. And the ones who were previously too scared to disobey the Volturi's laws are starting to act out. We've been watching the papers. The murders are only getting worse."
"So what are you suggesting?" asked Rosalie, leaning her elbows on the marble countertop.
Carlisle breathed in and out slowly. He'd obviously given this much thought. "We've been keeping tabs on the situation for awhile now, and it's only gotten worse. I'm not recommending entering the fight itself at this point, but I think it would be wise to travel to Italy and get an idea of what either side is trying to do."
"But isn't the choice obvious? We'd never join with Jane." Renesmee queried. Her memories of the vampire who could inflict pain with her mind were hazy but enough to still repulse her.
"If it were Aro she were challenging, I would say yes immediately," Carlisle stated, "But Aro is dead, and Marcus and Caius have always had questionable motives. In this case, we need to watch and wait and have a full understanding of just what is going on before we make a decision."
They bickered for the next hour, some of the family inclined to go and others adamant that they stay. In the end, though, they agreed that going to simply observe the situation was the wisest choice. Renesmee was eager to go and hopefully get to fight. She hadn't been any further than northern Canada, where the family went once in a blue moon to hunt bears and cougars. It would be much more fun to test her abilities against other vampires.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Rosalie said suddenly.
"What?" Renesmee queried, eyes narrowing at her aunt's tone.
"We're going to have to meet with the mutts." Rose answered, rolling her eyes.
"The wolves? Why?" asked Bella.
"If we're going to leave for a considerable amount of time, we have to be sure that they know the boundary between our territory and theirs still stands. Otherwise, they might assume we've gone and start patrolling and hunting on our land." Jasper explained.
"The pack leader is something formidable, I've heard." Renesmee offered.
Rose scoffed. "He's young."
"He's sixteen," Bella defended, "and you know they don't age either."
Renesmee was surprised. She hadn't expected the head of the wolf pack to be someone her age. "What's his name?"
A pained expression came to Bella's face. "Jacob. Jacob Black."