Hello everyone! This is the first chapter of my take on Jacob and Renesmee's story. Let me know what you think, both good and bad. Thanks!
E
Chapter 1
I put down the book I was reading and sighed. I loved Pride and Prejudice, but reading it made me a little depressed. I didn't have any real friends, let alone someone to fall in love with. Aside from my parents and their vampire family and friends, Jacob and his pack, Sam's pack, and Charlie, I never saw anyone. My parents were always telling me how special I was, but I didn't always see it that way. While my parents could pass in and out of regular society with relative ease, I had to stay secluded. Anyone who met me would notice that I had grown to be years older in a span of just a few months. Charlie was the only human who I got to see regularly. He had no idea about the true nature of my family and friends.
He didn't know the full story of how my parents fell in love. He couldn't know, for his own safety that both my parents were vampires. When my parents met, my mom was human. She fell in love with my dad, and he fell in love with her and told her his secret. He knew that they couldn't be together, so he resisted the relationship. He even left my mom for a year so that she could have "a normal life." My mom always laughs during this part of the story. Apparently, being normal didn't work out for her very well. While my dad was gone, she became best friends with Jake, who turned out to be a werewolf. It's kind of cool, actually, because Jake is now my best friend. My only best friend, really. But anyway, my mom went and found my dad in Italy, saved him from the Volturi, and came with him back to Forks, where they realized they loved each other more than life. While still human, my mom married my dad and became pregnant with me. Not something I prefer to think about because only one thing leads to pregnancy, and just…yuck. Grosses me out. Apparently I almost killed my mom while in the womb. As soon as I was born, my dad turned her into a vampire to save her life.
Ergo, here I am, walking around a vampire hybrid amidst vampires and werewolves. According to Carlisle, I'll grow for about five to six years before I reach maturity. At that time, I stop growing and simply…exist forever, I guess. It has been about five years since I was born. Carlisle says that, if I were a human, I would be around seventeen years old.
If I were a human, I would be going to high school and preparing for college. I would have a best friend or two, and I would maybe have a boyfriend. I would be taught by regular teachers in regular classrooms. Instead, I spend five hours a day with one of my relatives teaching me one of various subjects, just so I can "be prepared for anything," as my dad likes to say. He teaches me music, mainly the piano. My mom spends our five hours a week talking about great writers and great works of literature. I generally enjoy my mom's classes, but she feels the need to teach me a greater vocabulary and all of these grammar rules that are ridiculously tedious. She knows I dislike these lessons, so we only do them twice a month. Esme teaches me art, Emmett teaches me math, and Jasper teaches me history. Apparently Jasper is a huge history buff. Alice and Rosalie can pitch in anywhere, but usually they leave the teaching to the others. Carlisle acts as my science teacher. He teaches me biology and chemistry, as well as some other sciences. Carlisle's lessons are always interesting to me. He teaches me all about both human science and vampire science. And, since I don't fit perfectly into either of those categories, we spend a lot of time talking about me, about my life and my body. For a normal person, it would probably be really awkward to discuss this type of stuff with their grandfather. I'm used to it. Carlisle has been keeping track of my medical history since before I was born. Part of our lesson once a week is to measure me to track my development. He also insists that I tell him immediately if I notice any big changes.
Most of the time, although I develop faster than a human, the changes are gradual. Today, however, my body did something that shocked everyone, especially me. I think we all like to forget that I am part human, that blood runs in my veins. It really shouldn't have shocked anyone when I got my period, but it did. Scared me to death. I knew all about human sexual development from Carlisle. We spent one awkward day learning about it. He insisted my parents both be there, so we could all have "the talk" together. I thought the whole thing was entirely embarrassing and unnecessary. For one, I'm not human and therefore, cannot reproduce anyway, and two, I don't foresee me having sex. Ever. It turns out that it takes two to tango. Who knew, right? And the only guys I'm around are either related to me, the wolf pack, or Jacob. I tried to explain this all, very awkwardly, to my parents and Carlisle. They all looked very uncomfortable when I brought this up. My dad looked like he wanted to say something, but my mom whispered something in his ear too low for me to hear. I was incredibly frustrated at this point, but thankfully, Carlisle decided that he'd taught me everything I needed to know about that subject for the time being and to come see him if I had any questions. You can bet that I left his office as fast as I possibly could.
For a couple of weeks, I tried to forget about "the talk." I tried not to get too hung up on the whole "forever a virgin" thing. I kind of accepted it as another fact of life, similar to being thirsty whenever I saw Charlie. I thought about it once and a while, but never when my dad was around. I normally don't care about my dad being able to read minds, it's just another thing to add to the list of weird things about my life. Aside from being the daughter of vampires and the best friend of a werewolf, my dad can read minds, my mom has a mental shield, my aunt Alice can see the future, and my uncle Jasper can control emotions. A whole bunch of our vampire friends and family have special abilities. It all seemed pretty normal to me. I usually didn't care about my dad reading my thoughts, but I did not want him to know that I was thinking about sex. That would be the most awkward thing ever. I was glad that my dad was off with Emmett and Jasper when I discovered that I was getting my period for the first time. It really freaked me out, but I figured out what was happening pretty fast. I didn't know what to do about it though. I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom of the big house trying to figure out how I was going to bleed for a week in a house full of vampires when my mom knocked urgently on the door.
"Nessie, are you okay?" She didn't even give me time to respond before she asked, "are you hurt? I thought I could smell…"
I opened the door, and she ran in with a panicked look in her eyes. I was surprised to find myself crying. "Mom," I sniffed, "I think…well I don't…I'm…" I had no idea how to tell my vampire mother that I was getting my period for the first time. I took a deep breath. "I think I'm getting my period."
My mom's eyes got big and her mouth popped open for a split second, but she recovered pretty quickly from the shock. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug. "Oh sweetie, it's okay." She paused for a second, still hugging me. "My little Nessie is growing up so fast." I sniffed again, the tears receding.
I wiped my eyes and leaned against the counter in the bathroom. "I don't know what to do." That was the understatement of the century. Up to about three minutes ago, the thought of having my first period never crossed my mind because I considered it an impossibility.
"I'll send Alice out to get some…er, supplies. And we should tell Carlisle. Do you want to tell your father or do you want me to?" She must have seen the look on my face because she quickly answered her own question. "I'll tell him as soon as he's back. I think we should let the rest of the family know as well. They are going to know anyway, it's probably best to warn them up front." She sighed, smiled, and kissed me on the head. "I'll go get Carlisle."
I sank to the floor again with my head in my hands. This was beyond embarrassing. Only in a family of vampires would getting your period be this big of a production. I sighed. It was going to be a long week. I picked myself up and looked in the mirror. I splashed some water on my face and went to sit in my room. It couldn't have been more than two or three minutes since I told my mom the…news when I heard Alice flitting up the stairs. She knocked on my door and bounded into my room before I had a chance to say anything, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Oh this is so exciting! I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I got four different brands of "feminine needs" products. I hadn't even walked down that aisle since your mom was human. They have so many different kinds!" I flopped down on the bed, slightly mortified and highly irritated. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Why aren't you excited?"
I sighed again. "Because it's awkward and embarrassing and everyone is going to know and-"
"Don't be silly," she interrupted. "This is a wonderful, coming-of-age moment in your life." I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'll leave you alone," she said as she put two bags from the store on my dresser, "but your mom and Carlisle said to meet them in his office when you're ready."
I sighed again. This was going to be a day full of long, irritated sighs. I grabbed the first package I could get my hands on and trudged to the bathroom to take care of things.
I hesitated in front of the door to Carlisle's office, waiting to be invited in. Before I could even take a deep breath to reassure myself, he called "come on in, Nessie." I walked in and shut the large door behind me. My mom was at my side in an instant. She grabbed my hand, squeezed it once, and led me to one of the two large chairs placed in front of Carlisle's desk.
"Your mother tells me that you started menstruating today. First off, let me offer my congratulations. You have become such a beautiful young woman in such a short time. This is just one step of many towards you reaching maturity." He smiled warmly. I usually didn't get frustrated with Carlisle, but everyone's excitement over this was really starting to annoy me. My mom smiled at me sympathetically. I had forgotten that she knew better than anyone else here how I felt. She had only been a vampire for a few years. She probably remembered what it was like to go through this as a human. Carlisle continued, ignoring my discomfort. "I really should have expected this. I apologize about for making incorrect assumptions about your reproductive properties." I blushed again, and he continued. "Obviously, this is all new to me, so I can't give you much of an idea of what to expect. My guess right now is that you will go through a normal reproductive cycle, only accelerated and therefore, shorter. Your periods will be shorter than a normal human, but they will also probably be closer together."
"Umm, yeah, okay." I sighed again. "Do you think I will have them for the rest of my life?"
"I really can't answer that. My guess is that they will stop once you are fully mature, but again, there is so much we don't know. I am trying to contact Nahuel to see if I can talk to one of his sisters. If we are able to contact them, we could gain much more insight. Until then, we just have to wait and see. During this first cycle, I am going to ask that you meet with me once a day, so we can get an idea of how long a normal cycle is for you. Other than that, life should be pretty normal."
"Carlisle," my mom asked, "if she is going through a normal reproductive cycle, can she…" She trailed off, looking perplexed.
"I imagine, should she want to, she could have children. Eventually," he added, seeing the look on my face. Well wonderful. Great. I can have a child if I wanted to. La di dah. Like that was ever going to happen.
"Your dad's home," my mom said as she got up to leave. "I'm going to go tell him the news. Are you sure you don't want to come?"
I cringed and shook my head, and she left, closing the door softly behind her. "Is it alright if I go too Carlisle?"
He nodded, and smiled gently. "Go ahead. I'll plan on meeting with you tomorrow at 8:30, before I go to the hospital." I nodded and left quickly. I went back to my room, not wanting to go downstairs and face everyone just yet. I went into my room and looked at the alarm clock. Three o'clock. I had an hour until Jake got here. He was going to the community college in Hoquiam during the day. His classes had started a few weeks ago, and I was incredibly bored without him. During the summer, I spent almost all day every day with him. It was hard to fill an entire day without Jake to do stuff with. I sat down in the chair and looked around the room. It used to be my dad's room before he and my mom got married. Now, we all live in a cottage a little ways away from the big house. I generally sleep in the cottage, but I also have a room here. It has a huge wrought-iron bed in it that I hardly ever use. This is more a place for me to hang out in during the day if I need some space. I put on my favorite music and settled in to read some more Pride and Prejudice until Jake got here.
A knock interrupted me, and I closed my book. "Come in."
My dad opened the door and came in. He looked concerned as he said "how are you? Are you okay?"
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I was having my period. I wasn't dying, for Pete's sake. "I'm fine. I little overwhelmed, I guess…" I trailed off and shrugged, trying to sound blasé and not let on that I was freaking out a little.
My dad smiled and walked over to kiss the top of my head. "I love you. Always."
I smiled. "I know. Love you too." I looked at the clock and got to my feet. "Jake's going to be here soon. I am going to go downstairs to wait for him." I paused, seeing a look of irritation cross my dad's face. "What?" I asked him.
"Nothing. What are you and Jacob going to do tonight?" He asked as he followed me out of my room. "Are you going hunting or eating in?"
I pursed my lips, thinking. "I'm not sure. I'll see what Jake wants to do." I could survive on human food or blood, although I usually preferred blood. I usually ate regular food with Jake, but sometimes we hunted together. He would hunt in his wolf form, and it usually got pretty competitive between us.
"Well, your mother and I are going hunting tonight, if you want to tag along."
"Umm, I'll get back to you," I said as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I gaped at the huge bouquet of roses on the table in the living room. Alice. I should've known that she would go overboard. I'm surprised she didn't throw a huge "congrats on your first period" party.
My dad laughed as he read my thoughts. "She wanted to, but we reined her in." Sheesh. Thanks, I thought to myself, knowing my dad would hear. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. It's awkward and embarrassing and…I let my thoughts trail off. My dad wrapped one arm around me and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
I walked over to the roses and picked up the card. "Congratulations. We love you," it said. It was signed by everyone; Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, Carlisle and Esme, and my mom and dad. I smiled a little and looked up to see everyone had walked into the living room and was beaming at me. My mom and dad were the first ones to hug me; then they went and stood in front of the front windows, my dad's arms wrapped around my mom's waist. He whispered something in her ear, and she reached up to touch his face. I loved that my parents were so in love. I sighed again. I wish I could have a love like that. My thoughts were interrupted by Alice and Jasper. Then Rosalie gave me a hug, and Emmett picked me up and twirled me around to make me laugh. Esme and Carlisle were last, and as I was hugging them, Jake walked in.
"Hey. What's the occasion?" he asked as he walked in.
"Jake!" I ran over to him, and he gave me a hug. "It's nothing. How were your classes today?" I asked.
He still looked suspicious but answered "boring, as usual. How was your day?"
"Fine. Nothing exciting," I said, lying through my teeth.
His eyes narrowed, and he shot my dad a look. "No really, tell me. What's going on?"
"It's nothing. I'll tell you later." Everyone else went back to minding their own business, and I breathed a sigh of relief. My parents walked over to Jake and I.
"Hey Jake," my mom said as she gave him a hug.
"Hey Bells. Hey Edward." Jake and my dad shared a look that I didn't even pretend to understand. Jake turned to me and said "so what are we going to do today?"
"That depends. Did you want to eat supper in a civilized or uncivilized manner?" I asked with a grin.
Jake laughed. "I'm up for catching supper on the hoof. Can we go now? I'm starved"
Now it was my turn to laugh. "You're always starved. Sure, we can go now. Let me go upstairs and change into something a little more durable first. I'll meet you outside." I dashed up the stairs, shooting my parents a warning look first that I hope said "don't tell him anything."
