Not a lot had changed in the five years since I was born.

Aunt Alice still couldn't "see" Jacob and I, Aunt Rose still thought every one but Uncle Emmett and I was an
idiot, Carlisle still had quilt issues, I still preferred using my seriously abnormal gift instead of talking, and no one could get inside Momma's head unless she let them.

Really, the only thing different at all was that I had grown freakishly fast to the point where I looked about thirteen or fourteen, and my family had to move frequently because of that.

There weren't a lot of places that had as many overcast days as there were in Forks, which was a problem considering I lived with a family of vampires. So in the most recent place we moved to, there was sunshine.

Those sunny days were the times Jacob and I went around the town, riding bikes down the steepest hills we could find, breaking playground equipment with our strength, him glaring threateningly at clerks in stores so we could get free stuff, entertaining stray cats with laser pointers, and so on.

Today, we had been riding our bikes when we saw a bunch of little boys playing baseball. Every time one of them hit the ball, we would yell, "pwn3d!" not that either of us knew what it meant. We just felt it was appropriate.

When I got tired of it, I touched his arm.

Let's go.

We rode up to the water tower and were about to start climbing it when a freak storm came up. I would have been fine, but his
imprinting instincts made him pull me under the shelter so I wouldn't get struck by lightning. I wasn't irritated by his reaction; I knew he just wanted me to be safe.

While we waited for the storm to end, I thought about what had been bothering me for a long time. The subject of imprinting.

The first time I asked him why he was still with all the vampires, I had already known it was some thing to do with me. All Jacob had to do was define "imprinting".

"When?" That was what I had asked him. I felt the need to speak aloud instead of my usual way of communicating.

"When you're old enough." That was what I had been told. By everyone I had asked.

But I had no idea when it would be. Now? I had been thinking about that so much lately that Daddy kept asking me to keep my thoughts down.

I said I could if I had some help. He just told me to do whatever I wanted. And... I did want that.

"Jacob?" I asked in my musical soprano.

"Nessie?" His voice was so much deeper and huskier than mine.

I put my hand to his face and pictured us together.

I'm old enough.