(this was originally titled "the power of ctrl z" but i changed it and revised it 5/6/2012.)
here's my twist on the twilight saga. riley's pov of eclipse, breaking dawn, and short second life of bree tanner. right now you're probably like, riley are renesmee? whaaa? but i dare you to read this and not fall in love with the pairing. anyway, i hope this isn't too confusing. time travel is a bitch. super thanks to twilightlexicon's timeline, otherwise i would never have been able to figure this out.
June 15, 2006
Edward, wait.
His pause was brief, but enough. I took this millisecond of hesitation to loosen his death grip around my neck. His eyes were still saturated with suspicion, but they also held the tiniest drop of curiosity; he wanted to know how I knew his name, how I knew he could read minds, and why I wasn't fighting back.
Please, Edward, hear me out. This is not who I am.
He remained still, not easing his grip but not tightening it either. He nodded ever so subtly for me to continue.
My name is Rylan Wendell. I'm from the future.
It was the truth, and he knew it was the truth. But he held his glare and asked in an urgent whisper, "Then why are you here?"
Because you sent me here.
-::-::-
March 10, 2017
I've always been afraid of the day scientists would get a hold of me and stick probes all over me with monitors and beeping machines and clipboards and I'd be nothing more than the newest Area 51 science experiment: the time-traveling vampire. And now, under the fluorescent lights of the gigantic Cullen mansion, in some middle-of-nowhere Wisconsin town, with the entire Cullen household staring at me unblinkingly, my worst nightmare was coming true. Of course, this was all for a heroic deed, but it was dreadful nevertheless.
We were experimenting to see how many people I could take into the past with me. I had managed to bring Edward, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie into yesterday for a whole two seconds before the five of us bounced back into the present.
"That was wicked!" Emmett exclaimed. "Let's do it again!"
"Maybe try six people this time," Edward added.
"Does the number of people you bring along impair the duration of the time you can stay at a certain time?" Carlisle pondered aloud, hand on chin.
I've been doing test runs like this for the past seven hours and I was feeling very much like an exhausted lab rat. I groaned and lied down, face-down on the carpet.
"Guys, give him a break," Renesmee said, moving over to sit beside me. "I know you're excited that we finally found the great time-traveler of Aunt Alice's visions and we can finally save her and Mom, but that's enough for one day. We don't want to break Rylan."
Edward, Jasper, and Emmett whined and complained, but eventually Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie ushered the boys out of the room. I rolled over to lie on my back and grinned. "Thanks, Nessie."
She smiled back and it was pretty dazzling.
"You know, your carpet is unbelievably comfortable," I said, crossing my arms beneath my head.
She laughed and, to my surprise, lied down as well, resting her head on my chest so our bodies formed a T. The warmth of her skin spread through my entire body until I was tingling all over.
"I still can't get over the fact that you're a hybrid vampire," I said. Immediately, Renesmee's memory of our first meeting flashed over my own mind. "And I also can't get over how cool your power is."
"Not as awesome as yours," she replied. "You can travel back in time. You can undo every mistake. If everyone had your gift, the world would be perfect."
"Not perfect. If this power got into the wrong hands, the world would certainly be ruined. But if everyone had your gift, there would be world peace."
We were silent for a while, just laying on the cozy carpet, listening to Renesmee's heart beat. Then she turned her head and looked at me intently. "Do you really think you can get my mother and aunt back?"
Okay, so it started like this. Ten years ago, the Volturi jerklords were intimidated by the powerful Cullen coven so they used Renesmee as an excuse to terminate them. They claimed Renesmee was too dangerous for the greater good, or some bullshit like that, because obviously Nessie-Poo is such a menace to society. Anyways, then the Cullens gathered up a bunch of other vampires to be on their side and it was a legit vampire showdown in Forks. Like, we're talking the beginnings of a Vampiric Revolution.
But then Alice Cullen had a vision that they were going to lose, that not only would Renesmee be killed, but all the vampires on the Cullens' side would perish too. So she struck a deal with old Aro. She offered to join the Volturi in return for her family's safety. She knew that Aro couldn't resist such a golden opportunity to add Alice's powers to the Volturi guard. But Aro, the supreme jerklord himself, just had to have the final word. He agreed to Alice's deal under the condition that Bella joins the Volturi too. He wants them both, or no deal. And that's how Renesmee's mother and aunt were rudely stolen away from her when she was just a baby.
Before Alice and Bella left, though, Alice had another vision of me, how the Cullens were going to meet me one day and I would use my time-travel powers to fix this royally-fucked up situation the Cullens have found themselves in. Edward saw the vision play out in Alice's mind and for the past nine years, I've become their savior figure. Which is why when Renesmee found me a month ago, she jumped on me and hugged me for hours while I just stood there wondering why this beautiful stranger was molesting me.
Yeah, the whole Cullen family tree is highly confusing and when they first explained their situation to me, I nearly passed them off as oddballs and fled the premises. But for some reason, I decided to stay. For some reason, I decided to help them. And that reason was currently lying beside me with her curly hair splayed all across my chest.
"Of course I can get them back," I finally answered. "I'm a pro, bro."
Renesmee laughed again and the pleasant sound echoed throughout the house. Maybe if Renesmee laughed enough, her laughter can fill up the empty absence of Alice and Bella and maybe, the house can be less sad.
-::-::-
March 27, 2017
"There has to be some other way. I can't let you do that, Edward."
"But there is no other way. We tried to stop Irina from telling the Volturi about Nessie, but that only delayed the Volturi to a surprise visit two years later, which resulted in much the same. We tried bringing Nessie into the past and showing the Volturi that she would grow to be completely harmless, but then they wanted to take you away for your time travel power. For the past nine years I've been imagining every possibility and there is simply no other option."
"But….you'll die."
"Like I was supposed to."
"Then Nessie won't exist either."
"That's why you're taking her with you, so she doesn't disappear."
"But I still don't get it. Yes, if Nessie was never born, then the Volturi won't have a reason to come after you. So why don't we just go back and change Bella into a vampire, back before she got pregnant? You don't need to sacrifice your own life, Edward."
"That's just it, Rylan. I don't want Bella to be a vampire."
"Oh, right. You think it's eternal damnation. Nessie told me about that."
"Will you do it, then?"
"No! I'm not killing you."
"You're not killing me; you're just letting me die. There's a difference. Look, Rylan, I know we dragged you into our family crisis without warning, but you're our only hope at getting Bella and Alice back."
"This is insane."
"Then you think of something better." Edward handed me a white envelope, addressed to Carlisle in Edward's elegant scrawl. "Until you do, please do this for me. Take Renesmee to the Wesley Memorial Hospital, Chicago, September 21, 1918, and deliver this letter to Carlisle. And whatever you do, promise me you won't tell Nessie what this is about until it's over. She won't approve."
"I don't think Bella would approve either."
"Bella," he whispered with bated breath, "deserves better."
His dark eyes displayed a century's worth of regret. It was haunting and so terribly out of place on his young face. Technically, Edward was only seventeen years old, not even an adult. People tend to forget that. But the hundred years spent as a frozen vampire, the hundred years spent as a prisoner of his own conscience, has chased away any remnants of his forgotten childhood.
It was all so devastating, really.
"Alright, I promise. But isn't it better to live for a noble cause than to die for one?" I said.
He half-grinned at my Catcher in the Rye reference, but he shook his head and walked away.
Having uttered this new promise, I reluctantly headed for Renesmee's room on the second floor. I pushed open the door walked into Renesmee's bedroom. She was lying on her side while, what do you know, Jacob Black lay beside her, one arm draped over her waist. He snored.
Jacob was a werewolf and he imprinted on Nessie, which apparently is like being shot with a Cupid's arrow on steroids. Basically, it means Jacob and Nessie are so in love and they'll be together forever. It's pretty legit, Rosalie explained it to me.
The Cullens own a bunch of million-dollar homes around the country which they rotate periodically, never staying in one place long enough for people to notice their immortality. Their last residence was in Forks, Washington, which was near the Quileute Reservation where Jacob lived. You'd think moving to Wisconsin would hinder the relationship, but no, Jacob is like a helpless puppy (if that is considered a pun, then I definitely intended it), following Renesmee everywhere she goes. It's kind of annoying, actually.
"Renesmee?" I called, gently shaking her shoulder. "Nessie?"
She groggily opened her eyes. "Rylan? What are you doing here?"
Carelessly tossing Jacob's arm aside, I helped pull her up from the bed. "We have to go somewhere. Now."
"Now? Do you know what time it is?"
"I just met with Edward and we need to do him a favor."
"You're meeting with my father at 3 in the morning? That's pretty sketchy."
"Come on, let's just go."
"Can I at least change first?"
I glanced down at her skimpy tank top and pink pajama bottoms. "Nah, you look fine."
She scowled and made a move to hit me, but I grabbed her incoming fist and together, we blinked into the past.
-::-::-
September 21, 1918
There were sick people everywhere.
Cots lined the entire room and doctors and nurses hustled between the diseased patients. Endless coughs made plagued breaths hang in the air. If I was still human, I'm pretty sure one step into this hall and I would have crumbled into the epidemic too.
I clutched the letter in my hand and marched down the aisle of cots. Renesmee, still in her tank top and pajama pants, ran to catch up and clung to my arm. Why did Edward send us here? she asked through her thoughts. I didn't answer. Being around all these people just breaths away from death was making me highly uncomfortable. Just find Carlisle, I told myself. Find Carlisle and we can leave this awful place.
"There he is!" Renesmee pointed to a blonde doctor tending a female patient whose face was horribly pale. He leaned down and the sick woman whispered something in his ear. Carlisle's expression went from shock to uncertainty to determined, but by the time he made up his mind, the woman had already died.
Renesmee and I ran towards him. "Carlisle!"
He turned around and did a double take. First, he was baffled by our strange clothing and then he was stunned to discover that we were vampires. "Hello," he greeted timidly. "Can I help you?"
"You're probably not going to believe us, but we're from the future," I explained. (We had decided earlier that we weren't going to mention the fact that Renesmee was his granddaughter. Spare the unnecessary details.) "We're here to deliver a letter."
I handed Carlisle the letter that was crumpled in my hand. He gave us both a questioning glance before he opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment.
"What does the letter say?" Renesmee asked, trying to peer over Carlisle's shoulder.
I quickly pulled her back. "No peeking. Our job is done here." Before she could protest, before Carlisle could say a single word, I grabbed Renesmee's hand and we traveled back to the present. Even though I knew what the letter said, even though I knew would happen as a result of that letter, even though Renesmee had a right to know, even though she would be crushed when she finds out, I promised Edward I would do this and a promise is a promise.
-::-::-
May 7, 2005
Renesmee readjusted her purple dress and followed me into the school gym.
"Why are we at Forks High prom again?"
I nervously glanced around the room. "You wanted to know what the letter said."
"What does this—"
"Just wait," I said. I spotted Emmett and Rosalie twirling gracefully near the center of the gym so I grabbed Renesmee's hand and pulled her in that direction. "Dance with me."
We waltzed our way over to where a crowd had gathered around two elegant couples. Renesmee gasped, "Alice is back!"
Alice and Jasper, along with Rosalie and Emmett, were ballroom dancing the crap out of this measly prom and everyone in a ten-mile radius was rapidly dropping self-esteem points.
"Where's Edward and Bella?" Renesmee asked eagerly. "Are they here too?"
And then there it was. Renesmee's smile evaporated when she caught sight of a couple near the back of the gym, gently swaying side to side. The guy had long black hair and the girl had chocolate brown hair in a loose bun and they were both clumsily stepping on each other's feet but they didn't mind.
"Bella…" Renesmee's voice wavered. "Bella is with…Jacob? I don't understand." Then her expression changed once more. She figured it out. "No. No, no, no, it can't be."
"I'm so sorry." I tried to pull her into a hug, but she jumped away.
"No! Edward isn't…he's not…he can't be dead. The letter, it told Carlisle not to change Edward into a vampire, didn't it? And you knew about it, too! You knew all along, but you went along with it?" She was making me feel quite horrible.
"I promised Edward."
"You can't go around promising my dad all the time. He's half mental! Let's go back right now."
"I can't do that," I said. "I promised him I would carry through with his plan until we could think of something better."
"I hate you, Rylan." She ran off into the crowd and I let her go. I kind of hate myself too.
Hours later, I found her sitting outside by herself. Residue tears were still on her cheeks. Now would be a good time for Jasper to send a wave a cheery feelings at her, but alas, Jasper has no idea who we are in this future. I sat down beside her and this time, she didn't run away.
"They don't remember me. I walked right up to Jacob and Bella, and they didn't recognize me. I don't exist here, Ry. Edward never became a vampire, which means he'll never meet Bella, which means I will never be born. I don't…"
She buried her face into my shoulder and I felt like the worst person in the world for agreeing to something that made Renesmee cry.
"Take me away," she mumbled. "Anywhere. Anywhere but here."
-::-::-
October 4, 1857
Valparaiso, Chile. That was the first place I thought of. I had lived here once, and it was a nice place, but in my haste, I traveled back perhaps a bit too far in time.
"¿Quéestánusando?"
Renesmee and I walked through the streets feeling terribly anachronistic with her purple prom dress and my black tux. The passersby all glanced at us like we were freaks of nature, and how scandalous for a young lady like Renesmee to be showing her knees in public?
But frankly, we couldn't care less. When life sucks, you don't give a shit what mid-19th Century South Americans think about your attire.
"What are we going to do Ry?" Renesmee asked, after we walked into the outskirts of town. She plopped down under a tree, neatly folding her silk dress underneath her and crossed her arms in a I'm-in-a-foul-mood manner.
I stood in front of her with my hands in my pockets. "Well, on the bright side, Edward's plan worked."
She glared at me. "Yeah, and on the down side, I don't exist and my family doesn't remember me anymore. My father died a human, he never met my mother, I never existed and now Jacob probably imprinted on my mother instead. And did I mention I don't exist anymore?"
"But that's only a technicality, Nessie," I said, giving her forehead a poke. "You are very much in existence right now."
"Quit being a smart-ass and help me think of a plan," she retorted with a huff. "The sooner we think of a better solution, the sooner I can get my life back. Frankly, any solution is better than this solution. Seriously, what was Edward thinking?"
Before I could reply, out of nowhere, a guy pounced on Renesmee and the two of them tumbled down the hill. I immediately dashed after them. The mysterious guy was a vampire, that much I could tell. As if his vicious attempts to bite Renesmee weren't obvious enough, his eyes were also crimson red. Seeing Renesmee struggle to get him off, I also concluded that the guy must be a newborn, or relatively young to have such strength. And he must be relatively stupid, too, if he mistook Renesmee's funky hybrid scent as a full-flesh human scent.
"Get off her!" I yelled as I pried the vampire off. He growled at me.
"Wait, wait, wait. Rylan, do you smell that?" Renesmee asked urgently. I sniffed the air and only got a whiff of cottonwood trees, Renesmee's aforementioned funky hybrid scent, and the weird stink the vampire was giving off…
Hold up.
The vampire had a funky hybrid scent too. And when I listened closely, there was the distinct thudding of a beating heart…
"You're a half-and-half too?" I shouted incredulously. "What…how…you…this makes no sense!"
"¿Qué?" The poor guy stared at me like I had three heads, one of which was shouting gibberish in an aggressive manner.
Renesmee gave me a smack on the head. "He doesn't understand English, idiot." She carefully pressed her palms against the vampire's chest and used her power to show him what I was failing to iterate. Then, with a voice gentle as a kindergarten teacher, she asked, "¿Cuál es su nombre?"
"Nahuel."
We communicated the best we could through Renesmee's expressing powers and her limited vocabulary of Spanish. After Nahuel was on friendly, speaking terms with us, I turned to face Renesmee excitedly.
"What are you smiling about?" she questioned.
"So we just found another half-blood vampire, right? Another vampire just like you? And if he is still alive in 2006, which most likely he will be, we can…"
"We can what?"
At that point, I was too excited to finish my sentence. I grabbed Renesmee by the waist and twirled her in the air. "I know how to fix everything!" I exclaimed. "I have a plan. Now, tell Nahuel this…"
-::-::-
Septemer 21, 1918
There were sick people everywhere. Again.
Renesmee and I entered the hospital wing just seconds after the first Renesmee and me. It was weird to watch ourselves, from a different time yet also in the same time, simultaneously.
As the previous Renesmee and Rylan rushed down the aisle to find Carlisle, we tiptoed along after them. We tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, to not attract any attention to the fact that there were duplicate vampires from the future in the same room. Then again, even if we skipped down the aisle holding hands and singing nursery rhymes, probably no one would have noticed anyway. Everyone was sick to oblivion.
"I can't believe I walked right past my own father and I didn't even know it," Renesmee said. She was possibly still bitter about this. I mean, I would be too.
"Now remember, we can't let the past Renesmee and Rylan notice us, because then that would screw up the entire time-space continuum," I said.
"But isn't that what we do?" she retorted. "We're time-space continuum screwers."
We watched Carlisle open the letter and the other Renesmee and Rylan disappear into another time, then we hurriedly ran over and took their place. Before Carlisle could finish the letter, I reached out and snatched it away from him.
"Just kidding, that's not the letter we meant to give you," I said, adding in some fake laughs for good measure.
"Did you just change clothes?" Carlisle asked, noticing our different appearance from the previous Renesmee and Rylan.
"What, no, don't worry about it. Look, there's a boy over there named Edward Masen and he's dying. And you should go change him," Renesmee said.
"Yes, I just promised his mother I would," Carlisle said, still eyeing us suspiciously. "How did you know?"
"It doesn't matter how we know. A promise is a promise, so you better hop to it!" Renesmee and I shoved Carlisle in Edward's direction.
He walked a few steps but turned around again with a confused expression on his face. "Who are you?"
"You will meet us again, someday in the future," I explained.
Carlisle was still uncertain, but he finally walked over to Edward, whispered into his ear, and sank his teeth into Edward's neck. Renesmee and I breathed in relief and traveled forward.
-::-::-
December 30, 2006
"I highly doubt Nahuel still remembers," Renesmee said, ever the optimist. "I mean, it's been two hundred years for him."
"Vampires don't forget."
"But still."
We waited under a lamppost which, two centuries earlier, was originally a giant cottonwood tree. Cars sped down the roads and we moved out of the way for a mom pushing a giant stroller. I checked my watch. He should be here any minute now.
"Nessie?"
We turned our heads and there, walking towards us was Nahuel followed by another female vampire. He hadn't changed very much, but then again, neither did we.
"Nahuel! I knew you wouldn't forget!" I greeted, earning a vicious jab from Renesmee's elbow.
"Hola, este es mi tia Huilen," Nahuel said, introducing us to his aunt. Huilen gave us a weak smile, before ducking her head. She seemed anxious, constantly glancing up and down the street.
Renesmee informed Nahuel and Huilen about our marvelous plan and soon, the four of us were making our way to the car I ever so politely stole. I pulled out my phone and dialed Jasper's number. Now I just had to somehow explain to him that I am from the future only he didn't know me yet, but he will, but I'm trying to fix a catastrophic mistake so he needs to tell me his exact whereabouts, I'm not a vampire stalker I promise—
"Santiago, Chile. Sheraton Hotel, room 307," a cheery voice announced through the phone. Before I could even respond, the phone clicked to signal the end of the call.
"I'm guessing that's Alice?" Renesmee asked with a quirk of her eyebrow.
I nodded. "Well, this makes things a lot simpler."
An hour (and forty miles over the speed limit) later, I pulled into the parking lot for the Sheraton Santiago Hotel. Renesmee, Nahuel, Huilen and I speed-walked into the lobby, past all the obnoxious American families on winter break vacations, and up the emergency stairs. Just as Renesmee raised her hand to knock on the door to room 307, the door swung open and an exuberant Alice Cullen attacked Renesmee with a bear hug.
"You're Nessie, aren't you?" Alice squealed. "All grown up."
"Hi Aunt Alice. I've missed you." Renesmee's voice cracked as she returned the hug. Then, Jasper stepped out and ushered us all into the room.
"Wait, wait, what are you talking about? What do you mean you missed me?" Alice asked, once we had settled in the hotel suite. Renesmee, Alice, and I sat on the bed, Nahuel and Huilen sat on the couch and Jasper perched tentatively on the armchair. "Am I…" Alice's voice faltered for a second, "…am I not with you in the future?"
Renesmee shook her head. "They were going to kill me, Alice." She proceeded to explain everything that happened. You really aren't supposed to tell future events to a person of the past, but this is Alice we're talking about, so what the hell.
Jasper tensed as Renesmee spoke but Alice remained unfazed, meaning she'd already considered this possibility. "I was afraid of that," she whispered.
Renesmee's bottom lip quivered so I reached over and held her hand. A wave of her emotions poured into me and my heart shared her ache. She squeezed my hand, telling me to finish the story.
"But you didn't leave the Cullens completely hopeless," I said. "Apparently you had a vision about me?"
"Yes, several actually," Alice nodded eagerly. "I've been having nonstop visions of you. At first I was confused, but eventually I figured it out. It makes perfect sense. You're Rylan Wendell. You can travel into the past and I can see into the future. We're the deadly duo just waiting to happen."
I laughed. I liked this Alice very much. "Yes, so you saw these visions regarding me and my ability to time-travel, so then Edward read your mind and knew that he had to find me in order to save you and Bella. And that's why Nessie and I are here now."
Alice's smile faltered before it settled into a frown. "…I don't understand."
"You came here to search for old friends for support in the upcoming battle, but really, you came for the odd hope that maybe you would find another hybrid vampire," I explained. "So here you go, meet Nahuel."
Alice and Jasper turned, as if noticing Nahuel and Huilen for the first time. And from there, things started to turn for the better.
Turns out, Jasper is quite fluent in Spanish. Five minutes later, everyone was on the same page, Huilen stopped looking so nervous, and Alice had gotten all six of us tickets for a direct flight to Seattle. Vampires are always efficient.
As we left the hotel to head to the airport, Alice pulled me aside.
"You love her." The way she said it sounded so easy.
"Yeah, so?" I stuck my hands in my pockets all nonchalant and whatnot. Up ahead, Renesmee had linked arms with Jasper and Nahuel, practically skipping towards the car. Jasper and Nahuel, who were always so grudging, were actually laughing. Because that's the effect Renesmee has on others; she's like sunshine, everything she touches turns brighter. When she turned around and caught me staring, she smiled.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Alice kept nudging my arm with her shoulder. She was quite short, you know.
"Nothing," I said, keeping my voice low enough so the others couldn't hear. "She's Jake's imprint, remember?"
"But she loves you too. I saw it in one of my visions."
We had reached the car then, so the conversation abruptly ended. That didn't stop Alice's words from whirling around my head though. She loves you too. She loves you too. Renesmee's arm brushed mine as I climbed into the seat beside her and I nearly melted. Shelovesyoutoo. It can't possibly be true. I mean, Alice's visions have been wrong before.
Imprints can't be broken. Of course, half-vampires aren't supposed to exist either.
Maybe Nessie is the exception to everything?
-::-::-
December 31, 2006
The plane had just flown past the equator and Nessie had just dozed off when Alice jerked upright in the seat ahead of me. "No," she muttered. "No, no, they can't, no…"
"Alice?" Jasper asked softly, reaching for her hand. Alice immediately tightened her grip when his hand came in contact. Her eyes were shut but her eyelids fluttered; she was experiencing a vision and Jasper sat watching her full of concern. It was rather strange seeing Jasper with Alice. Now I see that Jasper was a completely different man before he lost Alice. Not so jaded. Not so empty.
"Something's wrong," Alice said, after she came to. "The Volturi. They're moving already."
"But that's too early," I said. "The plane won't land for another seven hours."
"Will we get there in time?" Jasper asked urgently. We were all calculating the hours in our heads and it just didn't add up. I leaned forward in my seat, as if the extra weight would make the plane fly faster.
Alice nodded deliberately. "Maybe. If we run fast enough."
I leaned back in my seat and sighed, almost wishing I could jump out of the plane and swim to Forks myself. I've invested far too much in this plan for it to fail again.
Nessie shifted in her sleep and her head rested on my shoulder. Upon the skin contact, I saw into her sporadic dreams. To my shock, I was in her dreams. But then, so was Jacob. It looked like Jacob and I were playing tug-of-war and I lost. (I tried not to analyze any deeper psychological meaning to this dream.) I felt like I was intruding so I tried to lift her head off my shoulder, but she only snuggled closer to me and hey, I wasn't going to fight.
Seven hours later, the plan landed in Seattle. Two seconds before the pilot announced over the intercom that it was safe to exit the plane, Alice was already up and the rest of us followed her down the aisle until we were the first ones off the plane. After stepping onto the terminal, the six of us broke into a sprint and zigzagged our way through the airport. Reconvening in front of the airport, we contemplated stealing a car. But based on Alice's visions, the Volturi were arriving at the clearing now and there was simply no time.
So we all ran, as fast as we could and then even faster, through the forests of Washington, past Seattle, Olympia, Port Angeles, closer and closer to Forks and hoping it wasn't too late. Trees blurred in my vision until I was seeing nothing but the destination, running fast, faster, ever fastest. Nessie and Huilen were dragging behind, but there was no time for them to catch up. We only had seconds to spare. Five. Four. Three. Aro was going to do it. One command and the two sides would start to fight and the Cullens did not win the last time around. Two. One.
Alice leaped and ceremoniously landed in the clearing (just on time, but did you ever really doubt otherwise?) followed shortly by Jasper. I slowed down, remaining a safe distance from the clearing while I urgently waved at Nahuel to hurry. He rushed into the field a few seconds later, and then Huilen a few seconds after that. Renesmee jogged over beside me, cheeks flushed from the run. And together, we waited.
"Shh," I whispered. "Your heart is beating so loud, I can't hear what's going on."
"Well, excuse me," she snapped. She finally calmed and we listened with breaths held as Alice expertly presented the case to Aro. Exhibit A: Nahuel.
Afterwards, the whole forest grew quiet and we could hear everything. Some movement, here and there, the Volturi muttering amongst themselves, the pending judgment half-hanging in the air. If you listened close enough, you could hear the rapid heartbeats of the werewolves. If you listened even closer, you could make out one distinct heartbeat, softer and quicker—the younger heart of Renesmee Carlie Cullen.
Then, all the vampires down in the clearing took a collective sigh of relief. The Volturi couldn't find an excuse to attack the Cullens anymore, so they left as they came, empty-handed. It made the whole thing very anti-climactic, but everyone was safe so that's all that mattered.
Renesmee wrapped her arms around me, whispering "Thank you" into my chest and two tsunamis of emotions crashed over me at once. Absolute bliss, because we did it, we erratically roamed the centuries and somehow we did it, at last, we succeeded. Then utter agony, because now it was all over and we both knew when we returned to our own time, nothing would be the same ever again.
All the vampires had left the clearing and Renesmee still hadn't let go of me. Moments like these, it was so easy to believe that maybe Alice was right and maybe Renesmee did love me, in her own non-imprint way.
And that's when she started to fade.
"Nessie?" When she looked up at me, she was only half there. Her presence appeared nothing more than a poor-quality hologram, constantly flickering in and out of existence. Terrified, she grabbed onto my arm, but her grip was so weak, like she was barely even there.
"What's happ—?" Her plea was cut short when she disappeared for an entire second before popping back, opaque as a ghost.
"You're returning to your own time," Alice answered. In the panic, I hadn't noticed Alice and Edward approach us until they were standing twenty feet away. "You just changed the outcome of this incident, thus changing the future," Alice continued to explain. "And in this future, Nessie will never have met Rylan, so she would never be here in 2006."
"But this has never happened before!" I exclaimed. Renesmee kept fading, lighter and lighter.
Alice only shrugged. She couldn't see Renesmee's future, after all. "Perhaps because this time, you finally got it right."
"So I'm just going to transport back to the future? Will I still remember everything?" Renesmee asked frantically. "Will I still remember Rylan?"
Alice and Edward shared a look.
"Alice? Edward? Dad?"
"Oh Nessie, I'm so sorry. We just wanted to catch you before you left to thank you, for everything…"
But Renesmee wasn't listening anymore. She had latched herself around my torso and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to remain here and now. If only time travel worked like that.
"It will be okay, Renesmee, I'll meet you when we get back," I told her.
"But I won't remember, Ry! I'll see you and I won't have any idea who you are! These months we've spent together will all be erased. I don't want to forget you."
"Then I won't let you. I promise to tell you every single detail of our travels and I will not leave you alone until we are best friends once more, you have my word."
"It's not that!" She flickered once more and I could barely see her. Her voice came out in a nearly inaudible murmur. "I love you, Rylan. And I'm afraid that in this new future, I might never fall in love with you again."
Edward was shocked at her words. Alice was shocked at her words. I was shocked at her words. Despite the fact that her father was watching, I leaned forward to kiss her. It just felt like the right thing to do. Her lips were pressed against mine for one brief second and then…nothing but the cold, December air and the echo of her final two words, "I'm sorry."
I stood with Edward and Alice for a few moments in silence. I was exhausted and slightly heartbroken. I considered going into the future after Renesmee, but then I realized I really didn't want to face a Renesmee who didn't remember, not yet, so I stayed.
"The others have all returned to the house," Edward finally broke the silence. "But we wanted to come and thank you. For saving us from a horrible future. You're the hero of the story."
Too bad no one knows it. Nessie won't even know it.
"We know it, Alice, Jasper, and I," Edward said assertively, answering my thoughts. "And Carlisle apparently. We truly appreciate everything you've done."
At first I was puzzled as to how Edward knew so much about me when this is the first time he's met me, but the guy can read minds after.
"This isn't the first time we've me," Edward replied to my thoughts. "Remember, on the mountain, we—"
Alice put up a hand to stop him. "It hasn't happened yet. In our past but in his future."
This is the downside to time travel. It gets confusing as hell.
"Look, before you return to the future, there's one more, very important thing for you to do," Alice instructed.
"May 9, 2006, 10:50 pm, Seattle, at Roosevelt and 14th St." Edward said.
I was really sick and tired of all this time traveling, but I've come so far, I couldn't say no. Besides, maybe it will get my mind off Renesmee.
-::-::-
May 9, 2006
I walked down the deserted Seattle streets, kicking empty soda cans across the sidewalk and peering down the eerie road lit by the faded yellow light of streetlamps. Besides an ominous atmosphere, there was absolutely nothing happening here. So why did Edward and Alice tell me I had to come here, specifically here? Glancing at my watch I see that I am indeed in the right time, so perhaps this isn't the right place?
I took one step in the opposite direction when a quick movement catches my eye. A person ran from behind one building to the next, faster than humanly possible. Vampires? They wanted me to meet some Seattleite vampires?
Another vampire dashed across the alley. Then another. It was only then did I smell the scent of fresh human blood after a recent kill. The Cullens had long since converted me into their vegetarianism, but the fragrance of blood still got my mouth watering. How long has it been since I last hunted? It's hard to keep track of time when your life is non-linear.
Footsteps behind me. I spun around and saw three red-eyed vampires crouched and growling at me. More footsteps. Now there were nine vampires surrounding me, teeth bared, ready to kill. This is when the panic sets in. As one vampire gave a cue, all of them pounced at me and I scaled the building at the last second. Running and leaping across roofs of buildings, I dodged the clan of vampires.
Edward and Alice wanted to kill me but were too polite to do it directly. I knew too much. Or maybe I was of no use to them anymore. Or maybe they didn't want me going after Renesmee. That's why they sent me here.
I tried to blink back into the present to escape, but the angry vampires were faster than I was and grabbed a hold of me mid-leap. As a big bundle, we all crashed down onto the cement, where my body left an imprint. Ferociously biting and pulling at my limbs, I realized that all nine vampires were newborns, and by the brightness of their eyes, they were all less than one month old. Why the hell were there clans of newborn vampires roaming the streets of Seattle in 2006?
A bulky newborn sunk his teeth into my shoulder and I howled. Using all my energy, I punched and kicked the vampires away, but the newborns were too strong. In no time at all, I was reduced to a fetal position on the ground as the vampires took turns attacking me with no mercy. I swear, I was going to die…
"What are you doing?" a loud, shrilly, feminine voice barked.
The newborns immediately stopped their actions and backed away. A tall, beautiful vampire with fiery red hair walked towards me, her head held high with an air of authority. I tried to make myself look more presentable, but I only managed to straighten my legs out in front of me. Everything else was in too much pain. The woman vampire kneeled down and inspected me for a second before she turned around and scolded the newborns. "You imbeciles! I told you to go hunt. And what do we hunt?"
"Humans," the bulky newborn replied.
"Yes. Humans. And is he a human?" the woman pointed at me.
"No." It seemed like only then did it click in the newborns' minds that I had no blood to offer. For vampires, they were quite dull.
"Useless bunch of shit," the woman muttered. Then she turned back to me and helped me stand. "I'm sorry. I haven't gotten around to training them yet."
"That's okay," I said. I twisted my shoulder back into place. "I feel great."
The woman laughed. "I'm surprised they didn't kill you. Nine newborns and you're still alive. You must be pretty powerful."
"I guess."
She raised one eyebrow and hummed, deep in thought. Then she ordered the bulky newborn to carry me and the whole gang ran back to an abandoned house. The woman helped me sit into a chair where she began licking my wounds. Talk about awkward.
"If you lick it," she explained, "it heals quicker."
"Got it." I don't think I was anywhere remotely interested in what she was saying and I didn't bother hiding it.
"Oh silly me, where are my manners?" she said. Her voice sounded too false and too sweet. "My name is Victoria."
"Rylan," I replied. "Can I ask why you have a group of idiotic newborns?"
Victoria smiled. "I'm sure you've heard of the newborn armies that were created for territorial battles in the 1800s?"
I nodded. That's how Jasper got all his scars. "So, you're creating a newborn army? For territorial conquest?"
"Aren't you a quick learner? It's a nice surprise; I'm surrounded by fools every day."
"Who are you fighting?" I asked.
"A clan in the northern part of Washington. The Cullens."
My stomach dropped and I felt every muscle in my body flex. "The Cullens?"
"Have you met them?"
"No," I lied. "I'm a nomad. This is my first night in town."
"And what a pleasant welcome, right?" Victoria joked, gesturing at my injured body. Suddenly, her eyes widened and a devious grin stretched across her face. "I have a proposition. How would you like to help me train my newborns?"
And then the world made sense again. Edward sent me here because I'm supposed to join forces with Victoria, in order to secretly sabotage her plans and protect the Cullens. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Got it.
"Sure," I agreed, perhaps too easily. "I have nothing else to do."
"Perfect!" Victoria gave me a quick peck. Maybe she was trying to seduce me but she was only creeping me out. She hummed again."So your name is Rylan, huh? Hmm…I don't like it, it sounds too good. No, why don't we call you Riley?"
-::-::-
May 19, 2006
"I'm going to check up on the Cullens tonight," Victoria told me. "Take the newborns hunting. And do we have any gifted vampires in this new batch?"
"Yes, Raoul seems to have the power of attraction while Fred seems to have the power of repulsion," I reported.
"Cute." She gave me a kiss and walked out the door. "I'm counting on you, Riley."
The door slammed and I wanted to laugh. Victoria thought she's got me under her control when the joke is on her. Her number one man was her biggest traitor and she didn't even know it.
I ran into the forest and fed on a single deer. I couldn't risk overfeeding for then my eyes will be too golden and too suspicious. But those newborns are so ignorant, they probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. Sliding on my sunglasses, I ran towards the building where all the vampires stayed during the day. They were too gullible, completely buying into my lie that the sun will burn them. Frankly, I just thought letting these brainless vampires run rampart in the clear day was not a good idea.
As the sun set and twilight fell upon the forest, I opened the door to the basement and the starving newborns looked at me as if I was Santa Claus. I randomly picked a few vampires and we ran off into the city. It hurts to have them kill innocent people like that, but Victoria wouldn't like it if I had all the newborns feed on mountain lions and squirrels. Only feed on the dregs, I tell them. Only feed on the people whom the world won't miss. I'm lucky if half of them listen.
"Hi Riley." I turned to see Diego running beside me. "Where are we going today?"
"Wherever. How are you feeling?"
"I've been better." I smiled because that was our little joke. "Raoul has been pissing me off, though."
"That makes two of us," I replied. See, I actually like Diego. He is one of the less clueless vampires. He actually has morals, he is genuinely curious, and he would make a great fighter for Victoria's army. Which is precisely why I can't let Diego stay. Give Victoria a clan of vampires like Raoul and the Cullens could win blindfolded. Give Victoria a clan of vampires like Diego and Houston, we have a problem.
-::-::-
June 2, 2006
It felt weird, poking around in Bella's room. The whole time, all I could think about was the fact that this was the room of Renesmee's mother, back in a time when the idea of Renesmee didn't even exist yet. I found a picture of Bella and Edward and I was suddenly struck with how pivotal my role was in the outcome of everything. If the Cullens don't win this fight, if Victoria succeeds in killing Bella, then Bella will never give birth to Renesmee. And a future without Renesmee would certainly be a dismal one.
I shook the thought away and continued around the room. Victoria originally wanted to come here herself, but I convinced her otherwise. Somehow, I had a feeling that Charlie would show up, which he did, and I knew that if Victoria were here instead of me, Charlie would be dead by now.
Now, what's something that smells like Bella? I grabbed a sweater and gave it a sniff. Yep, that was a nose-full of Bella alright. If the newborns smell this, they'll definitely go into a frenzy. The only thing easier to defeat than a stupid newborn army is a frenzied, stupid newborn army.
I stuff the sweater into my pocket, slide the window open, and ran away.
-::-::-
June 10, 2006
"Um, Riley?"
I had just left the basement when Diego came up to me, just as the sun was about to rise. "You better hurry inside," I said. "The sun will burn us."
"No, that's what I wanted to tell you. The sun won't burn us."
Well by George, he figured it out. Yes.
"Bree and I were hiding in a cave," Diego continued, "and I stuck my hand out into the sunlight, as an experiment. I didn't burn. It didn't hurt at all. Vampires don't combust in sunlight, they just—"
"Sparkle?" I interrupted him.
Diego's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, you knew? Then why did you lie to us?"
The sun was quickly rising and Victoria was expecting me back at the main house in a few minutes. I didn't have time to explain all the details to Diego. "Look, she's preparing you guys for a battle," I started to summarize. "But, see, I'm like a double agent, if you will. The Cullens—the vampire clan she's fighting against—sent me here. I'm here to sabotage. You're not the first to realize the truth about the sun."
"I'm not?"
"No. It's just everyone else before you never came back. Because I let them go."
"So Shelly and Steve and the rest…?"
"All free." I smiled and patted his shoulder. "They were too smart, too good, and had too much potential. I wasn't going to let them die in some stupid newborn army. I wasn't going to let them strengthen Victoria's army either. And now, Diego, you are free as well."
His eyes widened as he remembered Victoria. "But what about her?"
I chuckled. "Sometimes, she's as clueless as the newborns. Now, hurry. Go before anyone sees you."
Shell-shocked at his new liberation, he took a few stumbling steps towards the city before turning around. "I can't leave without Bree. She's smart and good too. She deserves to go with me."
Nothing pulls on my heartstrings more than blossoming love. Because in Diego, I saw a little of myself. Boy, was I a sucker. "Ah yes, Bree Tanner. She sits with Fred in the back and reads books."
"So can I go get her and then we'll leave?"
"No. I need Bree to get through to Fred," I explained. Fred's power would be difficult against the Cullens when his repulsion made him invisible. "Tell you what, you go ahead and I'll tell Bree to meet you."
Diego looked at me with uncertainty. After all, would you really trust someone who's only ever lied to you?
"Go," I ushered once more. I began my jog towards Victoria's house. "I will help Bree and Fred escape, I promise. It's okay, Diego. You'll be with her again."
June 15, 2006
Something was wrong. After I led the newborns halfway to where the Cullens were waiting, I glanced back, expecting Fred and Bree to be long gone. But there, following at the rear of the pack, was Bree. I had no trouble seeing her, which meant Fred must have had the sensibility to flee, but no, Bree, no. Why was she still here? I told her specifically to meet Diego after we left for the battle. Could she possibly have missed him, waiting in the shadows ten miles back? Was I not clear enough in my instructions?
My wallowing in guilt was rudely interrupted when Victoria appeared at my side. "They're all waiting at the clearing, but Edward is at a different location in the mountain."
"Alone?"
"I can only smell him and two wolves. But he's not going to leave his precious pet's side. Wherever Edward is, that's where Bella is. The clearing is just a decoy."
I panicked. Victoria saw right through the plan. What do I do what do I do what do I do.
"But what if it's a double trap," I suggested, attempting reverse psychology. "What if Bella really is in the clearing?"
"Change in plans. You lead the newborns to the clearing. I'll get the mind-reader. Their little human has to be in one of those locations."
"No!" I shouted, much too quickly and much too suspiciously. "Um, let me go with you. You can't take on Edward and the werewolves alone."
She pondered it for a moment, hummed ever so annoyingly, then agreed. Relief flooded my body as she ran towards the mountain while I turned to pass the instructions to the minions. When Bree passed, I saw hatred and betrayal in her eyes. And the single thing I regret the most is that I never had the chance to explain, to tell her the truth about Diego. I turned and ran to catch up with Victoria, hoping that some miracle will occur and Bree will survive.
Turns out Victoria was right, just as I was afraid of. Worse, Jacob chose this exact moment to abandon the already minimal defense force to join the just-for-pretenses war down in the clearing. That left Edward and the young Seth to fight Victoria and me, a statistical balance that scared me.
It was also the first time I got a good look at Bella. Last time I saw her, she was dancing with Jacob at prom. Here, standing beside Victoria, I couldn't help but stare at Bella. She was…subtle. Subtly beautiful and subtly heroic. I suppressed the urge to shake hands with her and be like "Hi, I'm Rylan, you don't know me, but I've been risking my life and criss-crossing the space-time continuum for you. And I think you're daughter is hot."
The ensuing battle was difficult—Edward and Seth don't know me yet, so I couldn't exactly parlay the message that I was actually on their side. Finally, Edward trapped me between him and the rock. He was threatening to decapitate me, but at least I got his attention.
Edward, wait. Please, Edward, hear me out. This is not who I am. My name is Rylan Wendell. And I'm from the future.
"Then why are you here?"
Because you sent me here.
His eyes widened as I gave a Reader's Digest condensed summary of the complicated situation here. My explanation sounded absolutely ridiculous, but Edward believed it because you can't lie to a mind reader. So he released his hold on me altogether and let me escape into the forest. I offered him my arm so that he could more accurately fake my death for Victoria, Bella, and Seth.
"Thank you," he muttered.
You're welcome. You better head back, Seth can't hold Victoria much longer. There are a lot of lives at stake here…all the Cullens, Bella, the werewolves, your future daughter—
"My what?" Yeah…I said too much.
Nevermind. Just go. I shoved Edward with my left hand, since my right arm was currently detached and in his hands. Oh Edward, one more thing. Please, save Bree.
And then, with a nod, Edward slipped back into the battle where he defeated Victoria. (Okay, I admit, I cheered a little when she died.) When Edward, Bella, and Seth left for the clearing, I snuck back out from my hiding spot and retrieved my arm.
Maybe I should have stayed to see if Bree survived after all. But I had a gut feeling that, no matter what Edward does, it wouldn't be enough.
-::-::-
March 6, 2017
The first time I met Renesmee Cullen, she smelled like pineapples, cherry blossoms, partly cloudy skies, half-human type-O blood, and wet dog.
-::-::-
June 24, 2017
I held my breath as I walked up to the house. With Victoria crushed and the Volturi battle having been averted, it seemed like a happy ending was in store, but you just never know when it comes to these things. All I'm saying is, after everything I've gone through, this future better be goddamn perfect.
"Rylan!" Alice burst through the door with a huge grin on her face and attacked me with a hug. "You're finally here!"
"Yeah, good to see you!" I replied. I tried to peek into the house. It looks like everything turned out okay.
"Rylan Wendell." Edward walked up to the door with a smile. "Yes. Everything else did turn out okay."
He stepped aside and there, happily holding his hand, was none other than Bella, in all her vampire glory too. I finally sighed in relief. Edward laughed and pulled me into a hug.
"Riley?" Bella recognized me from the brief brawl atop the mountain. She glanced questioningly at Edward, then me, then Alice, then back to Edward again. Seeing us all in laughs, she shrugged and went along with it.
"Hey, who is it?" Renesmee waltzed into the foyer, her hair billowing out behind her like some Garnier hair commercial. She looked just as beautiful as she always was, but unbelievably happier. And when she saw me...nothing. Jacob walked out of the living room then and stood beside Renesmee. The two of them looked so good together, I almost laughed out of delirium.
"I love you, Rylan. And I'm afraid that in this new future, I might never fall in love with you again."
I sighed and tried to shake the memory away. Maybe it's better this way. Renesmee has Jacob, and she'll always have Jacob. I was a fool to try to break an imprint. That's what I am. A fool.
"Everyone, meet Rylan Wendell," Edward introduced, draping an arm around my shoulder, "He's an old friend."
By now, the rest of the Cullens had appeared along with Seth, Quil, and Claire, who were in Wisconsin visiting for the weekend. It really was the whole shebang.
"It's so nice to meet you, Rylan," Esme greeted in her warm voice. "How wonderful, I didn't know we were going to have another guest. Will you be staying with us?"
Before I could respond, Alice and Jasper were both at my side. "Yes, he will," they replied.
"For a while," I quickly added. I didn't want to impose.
"Feel free to stay as long as you like," Carlisle said, giving me a nod that said he truly meant it, and that he recognized me as the strange boy from the future, all those years ago. And that he's waiting for an explanation later.
Esme clapped her hands once. "Great, then it's settled. We were just about to play baseball. Rylan, you can be on Emmett's team; that will even out the numbers and maybe then he'll finally stop pouting."
Sometime during the game, when I was way out in left field, it finally hit me that I did it. I really figured out the happily ever after. Bella and Alice are back again and everything is just peachy. I'm back with the Cullens, who are more of a family than I ever had. Everything is exactly how it should be. So yeah, maybe it's a little weird that I know all about them from another time and dimension, but I mean, I'll tell the others about my time travels eventually.
What matters is everyone got their happy ending. Except me. But don't worry, I know not to get my hopes up.
"Hey Rylan?" Team Emmett Is Really Awesome was up to bat and Renesmee approached me while we waited for our turn to bat. "I know I've never met you before, but you look kind of familiar somehow."
"Really? How so?"
"Like déjà vu." She stared intently at my face, nose scrunched and all, and I was practically waiting for her to magically remember and then we could make out or something. (Okay, so I'm still working on the not-getting-hopes-up thing.) "It's like…like I know you from a different life."
I smiled. "Something like that."