It's no longer Bella and Edwards time for romance
All Grown Up Chapter One:
Changing
The hazy sunlight filtered in through the window and danced across the hardwood floors and warmed the face of Renesme Cullen. Her young, smooth, flawless face seemed to glow slightly from her spot perched the end of her pristine bed. In fact, the word pristine could probably be used for her room in its entirety. Her name-sake and Grandmother had made sure of that when she had set out to designing her bedroom when she was only three years old.
Peering around her white room, Renesme's eyes briefly touched each carefully placed object and piece of furniture. A white desk sat in front of the large window that she sat across from, a pile of note pads and pencils as well as her very own laptop sat on top, looking organized in a very un-planned way. Next to the desk, on the floor was a huge stuffed wolf, something that had been won for Renesme – or Nessie as some called her – at a local carnival when she was nearly a year old by her best friend Jacob Black. It was one of her prized possessions, something that she would often pull on to her bed and sleep on, on nights that she felt lonely.
To the right of the desk, on the wall was a towering mess of shelves that held all of Nessie's books, CD's (her father's influence), old board games, make-up, and other things she could entertain herself. Though it seemed like it should be just a mess it all worked out perfectly and symmetrically like her Grandma had planned. Sometimes it was a little disconcerting that everything was so perfect all the time. Across from the desk was Nessie's bed which sat horizontal to the desk, covered in white linens and silks. It was a grand double bed – one thing that had changed since Nessie was three – covered in big pillows that any normal person could fall into and instantly fall asleep.
But as of late Renesme hadn't been able to sleep. Of course her parents barely took notice of this, and Nessie wasn't quick to share, so it had always been assumed she was sleeping when she kissed them goodnight and went to her room where she would lie in her bed, eyes wide open. It surprised her though, at how clueless her parents were, especially when they were the people that they were.
The thing was, Renesme's parents weren't exactly human. See, the thing was that her father was a vampire, and after her mother had conceived her, and a few months later gave birth, her mother had become a vampire as well. This all made Renesme half-vampire, and a rarity. Not only that, but because she was a half-vampire, she had aged rapidly, and by her sixth birthday she would reach her full potential and never age again. Also being half-vampire, she had inherited her parents talent, and was able to show people her thoughts by touching their faces. But all of this wasn't the surprising thing for Nessie, it was that her father had a special power – a little like her own – that allowed him to read others thoughts, and that she had managed to hide her sleepless nights from him had been a surprise.
Yawning widely, Nessie fell back on her bed, and stared at the starry sky above her. When she was four, Jacob had come up with idea, telling her that there was nothing like falling asleep under the stars, and had taken it upon himself to plastering the glow-in-the-dark stickers all over her ceiling, shaping some into constellations. It had taken an entire day, and even longer to convince Esme, her grandma, that it fit perfectly into the room.
With a pang, Renesme frowned. It had been nearly four weeks since she had last heard from her best friend. One night, while she had been asleep, the scent of a rogue vampire had been caught, and Jacob had been sent to follow the vampires track along with some others. She couldn't understand it, and for the first week she hadn't even tried to hide the hurt by his actions. She knew it was his responsibility as an Alpha-male, but she had wished Sam had gone instead.
Just like Renesme and her parents, and the rest of her family for that matter, her best friend Jacob was special as well. A Quileute native, Jacob and many other boys and girl had been given the 'gift' of becoming massive wolves when her family had first moved to the small town of Forks. Many year ago, back when Renesme's father's family had first stepped foot in Forks the Quileute's had transformed into these wolves to protect the others until a treaty was signed and they left. But when they returned the same thing occurred again, and as more vampires came to forks more and more boys, and even one girl turned into what they called themselves, werewolves.
But Jacob wasn't a werewolf. He was a twenty-one year old man that acted much younger, and when ever he wished could turn into a huge rusty-brown coloured wolf, that acted more like a dog when he changed just for fun. Renesme had always remembered Jacob as being her safety blanket, something and someone to hold on to when she was upset, and someone to tell all her secrets too. There wasn't another person on the earth that she was closer too.
And he was gone. She hadn't seen his handsome face of copper skin, and high cheekbones for what seemed like years. She hadn't heard his deep laugh, or seen his smile. No warm hug or playful joke to fill her head. No one to have fun with. It was starting to get to her, and she was starting to loose hope at hiding it from the others.
It was nearing her 'eighteenth' birthday, as her Aunts called it, and soon she would reach her full growth potential. As excited as Renesme was about no longer having multiple birthdays in one year, she couldn't help but feel down that Jacob still hadn't returned. Her father had assured her hundreds of times that he would be back soon, only tracking the vampire that had come so close to the town just to make sure nothing sinister was going on.
"It could just be a nomad who was curious," he had told her in the first week.
But the constant assurances had stopped, as if everyone had sensed they weren't helping Renesme, and much to her pleasure, her mother had stopped trying to comfort her. As much as Nessie loved her, hearing how desperate her mother had become when her father left when they first began dating was not something that soothed her soul. She would just place her finger delicately on her mother's cheek and say she was okay, and her mother would leave, silent, and perhaps a little heart-broken that her daughter wanted no comfort from her.
There was a light knock at the door, and Nessie rolled on to her side to look at the door just as it opened, and her father peered in. He wore his usual peaceful and curious look, and flashed his famous crooked smile, that Nessie had tried to imitate many times in a mirror when she was bored. For a moment he just looked at her, smirking at her thoughts of her favourite pass time.
Jacob? she asked without words.
"Still no sign. Sam says that he hasn't heard a thing from Jacob since he said he was in Maine. Both Leah and Seth are with him, so we don't know unless he contacts Sam again." Edward, her father, explained entering the room and sitting at the edge of her bed with perfect grace.
"We're not all perfect," Edward countered when Renesme thought about it bitterly. She frowned, stifling a yawn before her father could catch her. But it was too late; Edward was frowning at her, and searching her thoughts and before she could even brace herself he knew. "Why didn't you tell us that you haven't been sleeping?"
"It's nothing you should worry about." Renesme said aloud. "I don't want to worry mom especially. She's worried enough about Jake, I don't need her dithering over me." She went on.
"If she had you to worry about then she wouldn't have time to worry about Jake." Edward smirked.
Still frowning, Nessie leaned forward and touched her father's perfect face gently with her same glowing hand that was just as perfect. Leaning into it a little, Edward frowned and understood. "I won't tell her, I promise."
"Thank you," Nessie mumbled, and stood up almost as gracefully as her father had sat down, and kissed him lightly on the cheek, the familiar cool feeling filling her for just a moment, and she walked over to the door.
"Omelet?" Edward whined almost, but with a grin.
"Hurry up old man, I'm hungry!" Renesme joked, and then raced from the room to the kitchen, even though she knew she had no chance against her father.
The full moon always made the night spookier then ever, and as Renesme stared out at it from her hope window in the bedroom, lying under the warm covers she let her thoughts wander to Jacob. She knew she didn't have to worry about her father hearing, as he was out with her mother hunting and doing God-knows-what in the woods. It was often that her parents would leave her alone to go on hunts. It wasn't like she was in much danger. The Quileute's still took to patrolling the area at any chance they got, and her Vampire Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents were all only a half a mile away from her
Where are you Jacob? Nessie thought to herself, shifting position as she tried to find one that would allow her to sleep. But no matter how tired she felt and was it would not come to her. She did not know why she couldn't just close her eyes and let it fill her, but it just didn't work that way. When she was younger sleep was one thing she found easy, and as she neared her full growth she found sleep was evading her.
Of course it all had more to do with Jacob then anything else. If he was safe, and where he belonged Nessie wouldn't be filled with worry, and wouldn't be up at night thinking about him. But eventually she had to fall asleep, right?
After another night of restless sleep, Renesme decided to give up, and since her parents weren't home she slipped downstairs and entered the kitchen that was stalked full of her favorite foods (in other words, the only human food she could tolerate) and blood. She had often tried to avoid drinking more blood then eating normal food, knowing that Jacob could easily smell the difference, and probably give her a hard time for it. She knew it was stupid to worry about his thoughts when he was so far away, but eventually he would return home, and then she would never hear the end of it.
"Midnight snack?" Aunt Alice's heavenly voice filled the kitchen as she entered, followed by her Uncle Jasper who was smirking behind her.
Nessie stood frozen by the open fridge, and closed it when they entered. "I couldn't sleep," she told them without bother.
"We know, your father told us." Jasper informed her, and when she went to protest he quickly stopped her with a signal of his hand. "We haven't said a thing to your mother, don't worry." He assured her and whether she had done it voluntarily or not, Renesme felt automatically calm.
"Why don't you finish eating, and go to bed." Alice suggested, and without having to tell her Nessie knew why her Aunt and Uncle had come to visit. Her father had probably asked Jasper if he could help her sleep by changing her mood. Nessie had to agree, it was a good idea, but she didn't like to think that everyone knew about her problems.
"I'm not hungry," Renesme admitted, and turned to leave the kitchen. "Good night," she said as she left and heard them murmur a soft goodnight. Going back upstairs, she passed the empty bedroom that belonged to her parents, and continued towards her own. Entering the white room again, the moon was still high in the sky, and still shining brightly into her room. Sliding the window open, she let the cool summer breeze blow into her room, and she went over to her bed. Pulling back the covers, she slipped under them, and faced the window. Already she could feel Jasper's power slipping over her as her head seemed to clear and fill with thoughts of slumber.
Shutting her eyes, she snuggled into her pillows and let her mind drift and soon she was asleep, and entering the world of dreams. Vivid colour filled her mind, images of people she knew, but the one that was the most predominate was Jacob's face. Copper skin, and brown eyes seemed to warm her up, and Renesme smiled. It had been so long since she had felt his warmth. Even as she had gotten older in appearance, she would still fall asleep in his arms, any where. Happiness seemed to fill every part of Renesme and she felt as if she would never wake. In her dreams she had found her safe haven.
"How long has she been sleeping?" a distant voice asked, sounding much like Renesme's father.
"Nearly ten hours," a huskier, familiar voice answered. "Alice said she hadn't been sleeping very well."
"She was worried about you," another voice had joined the conversation. It was gentle, and soft, and Nessie knew it was her mother; her father had given in and told her.
Fluttering her eyes open, she blinked wildly trying to get used to the bright light that was filling her room. She was alone, though she could still hear her parents talking outside. It took a moment for her to register exactly who they were talking to, but when she heard his husky voice again, she almost squealed with happiness. Nearly falling out of her bed in excitement, she raced over to her bedroom door and threw it open.
"Jacob!" she shouted, jumping into his open arms. Hugging him tightly Nessie suddenly felt as if everything was right in the world. Her heart pounding, and mind racing, it was a few minutes before she finally let go of Jacob, and stood by his towering frame. His hair had grown since the last time she had seen him; it was nearly to his shoulders, and soon he would be due for another haircut.
"Why have you been gone for such a long time?" Nessie asked immediately.
"We ended up in Canada," Jacob started, a smile on his lips. "It was a nomad Vampire, she had been curious by such a large coven. Her name was Lauren, but that's all we learned."
Nessie touched his arm telling him her thoughts, and Jacob frowned. "She wasn't easy to track, she changed her direction a lot, and I was afraid she might be a new Vampire. The further from here, the happier I am." He explained.
"Are you hungry Jake?" Bella, Renesme's mother asked, sensing that it would be best to interrupt them now.
"Starving," Jacob admitted.
"We'll get some breakfast ready for you two then." Edward said, and with his arm wrapped around Bella's waist the two went down stairs.
Alone now, Jacob turned back to Nessie. "Are you angry with me?"
Nessie looked down at her feet, debating how she should answer him. Did she really want to be mad at her best friend who she hadn't seen for a long time? Was she even mad at him? Renesme grinned to herself, and looked up at Jacob.
"I can't be mad at you," she admitted, and hugged him tightly. Her feet left the ground as his six seven frame picked her up, chuckling deeply. As they pulled away, Nessie touched his cheek and shared her dream from the night before, of how she had seen him in her dreams and felt his warmth.
Jacob smiled, looking down at Renesme. There was an understanding on his face, and for a moment Nessie wondered what it meant. Without saying words she realized the warmth she had felt wasn't something she made up, but Jacob himself. He had come home the night before, and he had wrapped his arms around her as she slept. Not wanting to say it allowed, Nessie quickly shoved Jacob lightly in the stomach, and watched as he stumbled back a little, on purpose.
"I bet I could get to the kitchen before you!" she shrieked, and raced for the stairs without waiting for a reaction from Jacob.
Renesme heard a humorous growl from behind her, and Jacob called his usual, "Its not winning if you cheat!" and together they crashed on to the stairs, playfully pushing each other as they went. This was why Jacob was her best friend. Even as he got older he still would act like a ten year old and joke around for her own amusement. As they banged into the kitchen Nessie found her parents looking-not-so surprised by their appearance, and simply placed their food on the island bar.
Jacob and Renesme both took their seats, and began to eat. Jacob ate with huge fork full's, shoveling as much food as possible into his mouth while Nessie ate much slower. Though she had long gotten used to normal food, she couldn't help but ignore the funny taste it gave her now and then. Just like when she drank animal blood, it was never as appetizing as human blood. But, she reminded herself, human blood would just make her hungrier for it, and there would always be the possibility of hurting someone she loved, like her Grandfather.
For a moment Renesme shared a look with her father. He looked a little worried, but without anyone else noticing she touched his hand lightly to let him know to calm down. He had heard her thoughts about how un-appetizing the food was, and like he always did he worried that Nessie's taste for blood was getting stronger. But it wasn't, in fact it was decreasing. The more she ate normal, the less she craved blood, meaning the less she would go hunting.
"Jake, you are disgusting," Nessie burst out, watching as Jacob grabbed a fresh muffin, that had just been pulled out of the oven and set to cool, and shoved it whole into his mouth with one bite.
"Hey, I haven't eaten this good in weeks." Jacob moaned, and took another one and stood up. "I've got to go; Sam is getting impatient for an update."
"You haven't seen Sam yet?" Nessie asked, surprised.
For a moment Jacob looked uncomfortable, glancing at Edward, but quickly shrugged. Renesme had caught the glance, but wasn't going to push it. What ever Jacob was going to say, eventually she would find out and understand.
"It was late and I didn't want to bother him now that Emily is pregnant," Jacob lied. He quickly kissed Renesme on the forehead, punched Edward in the arm, and kissed Bella on the cheek and started toward the door, muffin still in hand.
"Will Seth and Leah be coming for dinner?" Bella asked quickly.
"Sure," Jacob called from the hall and Nessie watched as he shoved the muffin in his mouth, and ran through the door taking a running jump to transforming.
Turning back to her parents she suddenly felt very full, and pushed away from the counter. Standing up, she looked to her parents. "I think I'm going to go for a walk." She told them.
"Don't go too far," Bella warned. The last time Nessie had gone for a 'walk' she had ended up ten miles away from Forks, tired and hungry. It had been a good thing that her Aunt Alice and foreseen this, and Edward had just flitted over to where she was and carried her home on his back.
"I won't," Nessie assured her mother, and quickly kissed both her parents on the cheeks and left the kitchen. Rushing to her bedroom she changed into some better hiking clothes – clothes that her Aunt Alice would most likely disagree with – and before leaving took a water bottle from the fridge.
The cool breeze sent a chill down Nessie's spine despite the fact her temperature was actually a few degree's hotter than normal humans. The sky was clouded, the sun just peeking around one. Forks had never been a very warm place, but it never bothered Renesme. For the most part it took a lot to make her cold. It could be in the middle of December and she could be perfectly warm standing outside in jeans and a light sweater.
The forest around Nessie's home was lush and green – just the way she loved it. Unlike her mother, cloudy and rainy agreed with her. Maybe it was because she was half-vampire, or because she had grown up in such a dismal area, it was hard to get her upset over the whether. As she walked down a familiar path, she could here a far off howl. It sounded a lot like Leah, and Nessie figured she was just calling for Jacob or Seth. Leah had always been nice to Leah, even with her parentage, but Nessie always felt as if it was just because of Jacob.
Jacob. Renesme couldn't help notice how her heart seemed to skip a beat at the thought of Jacob. She wasn't really sure what to call what she felt, or if there was any way to describe. It wasn't until he was back in her arms that she noticed how empty she had felt in his absence. What did it mean? Biting her lip absently, Nessie glanced around her surroundings. She had long since disappeared into the dense forest, any sign of her cottage home, or the much large one where the rest of her family stayed gone. Just the way she liked it.
It was weird, how much she liked to be alone, away from everyone else. Except for Jacob, of course. Unlike the others it wasn't a burden to have him around. He understood her perfectly, as if he had been made for her. But again, there had always been a single thing that he kept from her; something that everyone she knew kept from her. For a long time she had ignored the feeling of mistrust, deciding that she was probably better off not knowing, but now that she was older she was getting suspicious. Was it because she and Jacob were so close? None of it made sense.
For a few hours Renesme wandered around the forest, tracing old trails, catching glimpses of fast moving deer, and once she thought she saw the gray coat of fur that belonged to Leah in the distance running by. It was plausible, she had always been the first choice to be picked to go along the line as she was the fastest, and Nessie was walking pretty close.
It wasn't until the sun began to set, sending red and yellow hues mixed with blue and purple across the sky that Nessie chose to start heading home. She had taken a long time to get where she was, taking different routes, and she took the more straight forward route home, arriving on the grassy field that sat behind her grandparents home within an hour, just as the sun seemed to touch eerily over the horizon, almost gone for the day. It seemed like forever since Nessie had last eaten, and she ran into the house only to be received with angry glares.
"Where have you been?" Rosalie asked immediately when she entered the kitchen. "You missed lunch."
"I wasn't hungry," Nessie said quickly, reaching for her Aunt, but Rosalie quickly pulled away before she could.
"You can't convince any of us that you meant no harm," Alice had joined the conversation, standing in the door way. Suddenly everyone was in the kitchen, all frowning at her, and looking worried. All except for her Uncle Emmett who seemed to be resisting the urge to laugh.
"You know we don't like it when you go so far," Bella, her mother wandered over to Nessie, and held her face.
"Oh come on!" Nessie quickly protested, surprised how everyone was reacting. It wasn't the first time she had disappeared for hours. Perhaps, it was the longest she had ever gone before, but still, they were Vampires! It wouldn't be hard to track her, if not hear her if they got close enough. Hell, Alice could just search for her if she wanted to in the future. Bella saw all of this as Nessie gripped her mother's elbow, and Bella frowned.
"That is not the point." Bella said in a motherly tone. "You know how dangerous it could be for you to go out that far. You know how there are Vampires that are curious about the rumors they have heard about you, it could be dangerous if they catch your scent. You are still part human, Renesme."
Glancing away from her mother's eyes, Nessie felt as if she was young again. Sure, she looked young, and had looked even younger only a few weeks before, but despite the fact she had only been alive for six years; her family had always treated her to be much older because she seemed to be. She learned faster then other's her age, understood adult matters long before most would, even if she indulged in her childish self when ever possible.
"I'm sorry," Renesme heard herself say, and she hugged her mother, and looked to her whole family apologetically. They all seemed to take this well enough, and everyone slowly left the kitchen, Emmet's laugh trailing behind, until it was only Renesme and her parents left in the kitchen.
"Are you hungry now?" it was the first time Edward had spoken, and Renesme smiled at her father. He was a true father in that way, always looking to make Renesme feel better, and often Bella chastised him on it. He made her look like the bad guy, something they would later joke as being part of normal life. But in reality, Nessie knew how much her father cared for her safety, and that his relaxed mood was more for the benefit of her mother, then Nessie.
"I'm starving," Nessie agreed and watched as her father set out to preparing food. She could never deny the food he made, no matter how much more appetizing the scent of blood was. "Where's Jacob?" Nessie asked once she sat down at the small kitchen table.
Bella let out a laugh as she sat next to Renesme at the table. "He's coming, and he's hungry." Bella smirked, looking at Edward.
Nessie smiled. There was always a plus side to having parents who had super hearing.
A/N: Okay, so this is my first fic in this particular fandom, and so far I'm having a blast. After reading the last book in the Twilight series I was filled with plot ideas. I never much liked Fanfiction for other stories besides Harry Potter, and this took me by surprise. But not in a bad way! Meyer's has left us with an abundance of raw characters and material to work with, and I want to have fun! I would like to bring my own little thing to the Twilight characters, which is trying to flesh them out a bit, and make them a little bit more believable, and human in there non-human fantasy world. Haha. So, if you like it, tell me in a review. I would love to respond, but sadly, I still haven't gotten the hang of this issue on this site yet. :D