Stephanie Meyer owns all these characters.

First fan-fic attempt

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Nessie's Journey

I'd like to say it was a gradual awakening… a slow evolving awareness. It wasn't. Nothing about my life had ever been slow. So, I shouldn't have been surprised when Jacob Black switched from being my best friend and protector to…to…to…all I could think about.

The timing was ridiculous, the irony fierce. Just the evening before, Papa Carlisle had finished his calculations on my never ending measurements and had concluded that the growth spurt had ceased. I had the body of a fourteen year old and would age normally for the next three to four years. And then I would stop… hold…discontinue growing. Whatever. I had a few years of normal and then I would freeze in time like all the other people I loved.

I had wanted this. Looked forward to this. Practically couldn't wait for this. And now I wanted to be seventeen tomorrow. I was suddenly stuck in this body. I'd never had to wait for anything, well not long anyway. Everything in my life usually moved so fast. And now I had to wait…for him.

It was Friday afternoon and I was sitting at the desk by the window up at the big house. Mom and Dad were probably at home, our lovely stone cottage in the woods. I'm home schooled of course. Can't be raising my hand in class and have teachers call on me.

"Yes Miss Cullen? Did you need to go to the bathroom?"

"No Ma'am. I need to go get bigger shoes."

No, my growth was not conducive to public school. So there I sat pretending to read Kafka, ew, but really just looking out the window daydreaming. My Jacob was out there washing the SUV. I watched him and fantasized about dashing out there and grabbing the hose and wondered how wet I could make him before he took it away from me for payback. And would it be worth it?

Then he turned. It was a rare sunny day and the light flashed off his bare chest and my breath caught in my throat. My eyes slid down his torso following every line of every muscle 'til they reached his jeans hanging low on his hip bones. I realized my hands were gripping the desk and my face felt very hot.

I looked down at the book and tried to control my breathing. Tried to control everything. I had to think. Unfortunately in my family that is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Where could I go? Where would I be safe?

As soon as I knew where I was going I had to act. There was never time for deliberation. I got up and called to Esme that I was going out for a little air. I headed for the backdoor but before I reached it I heard the phone ringing. I knew it would be Alice so I just took off through the woods as fast as I could go. I knew they were all faster but maybe I could get a head start.

I didn't hear anyone coming after me. Maybe Alice told them not to. Who knows? I never know what other people are thinking. That's Dad's deal. And the reason I have to go. I needed to be somewhere where no one could read me or steal images from my head. I hung out in the woods behind his house until he came home from work.

"Hey Grandpa" I walked out of the woods slowly and hoped I wasn't going to give him a heart attack.

"Well hey there Nessie. What are you doing in the woods? How did you get here?" He looked around for a car.

I just put my hands up and shrugged. He dropped it. He was never one to press for answers. I walked up to him, followed him into the house and waited for him to hang up his gun and various cop paraphernalia. I stood in the door way of the kitchen and watched him fix two glasses of ice water. He sat down and placed one across the table for me. Then he put on his cop face.

"You got something to say?" He motioned to the other seat with his glass.

I sat down and wrapped my fingers around the cool glass, not sure where to begin. "I ran away."

Being a cop might have given him a little experience in dealing with runaways or maybe Charlie was just Charlie. Anyway he didn't react in any way I could see. After a few moments he spoke.

"So is this your first stop? Hoping I'll give you some money or a ride somewhere?"

I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not so I just told the truth.

"No Sir. This is where I was running away to. Can I stay with you? For a while?"

"Who knows you're here?" He didn't answer my question but then again he didn't say no either.

"Nobody. And I don't want to see anybody. None of them."

His brows knit and his mouth formed a straight thin line.

"Ok Mom. I can see Mom. But nobody else." I moved the glass around and around on the table spreading the condensation droplets and making a big wet circle.

He spoke quietly. "Are you in some kind of trouble, Nessie?"

I looked him dead in the eye. "I haven't done anything wrong." But I wanted to.

"I'll call your mother and see if you can stay tonight." I started to speak but he continued. "And I'll tell her you don't want to see anybody."

I got up and ran to him throwing my arms around his neck. "Thank you Grandpa!"

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I got ready for bed around ten. I wasn't really tired but there is only so much TV you can watch. I was glad he didn't want to talk. Grandpas are really great about just letting you be there and not have to do anything. I'd stayed over before so I had clothes in the drawers and closet. I really liked sleeping in Mom's old bed and wondering what she was like when she was human.

I turned the lights off so he would think I had gone to sleep. I sat cross-legged in the middle of my bed and stared out the window wondering how much time I had.

Grandpa had made his call telling everyone I was safe and since then the phone had not rang. If no one was calling to check on me then that meant someone was coming in that window tonight.

Please let it be Mom. Please let it be Mom. Please let it be Mom.

It was.