DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twilight Saga or any of the amazing character in it but I do however own this story which involves them.

All hail Stephenie Meyer! XD

Read on and tell me what you guys think! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much I enjoyed writing it. ~Anigrrl

R E N E S M E E

CHAPTER ONE

Appearances

I stared absently at my breakfast, poking the perfect sunny-side up egg. I watched in fascination as the yolk burst and slowly trailed down to my plate. I placed my chin on my hand and started swirling the yolk that had pooled on the surface. Something cool and smooth touched my forehead and lingered there. I looked up and met a pair of concerned golden eyes.

"What's wrong, baby?" My mother asked worriedly in her lilting, musical voice. She continued to press her hand on my forehead, trying to gauge any change in my temperature.

I shook my head and grinned at her. I reached up and laid my hand on her cheek, letting my thoughts and emotions spill into her mind. At least, I only showed her what I wanted her to see. I didn't show her the fact that I was a nervous wreck. The first day of school was tomorrow. I cringed visibly, withdrawing my hand before she caught the panic and dread swirling in my head, tying my stomach in knots. She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at me, knowing only too well that I didn't tell her everything.

"Edward?" She called softly but I knew my father still heard it all the way up to their bedroom on the third floor of our massive home.

"Mom..." I pleaded, biting my lip, knowing it was pointless arguing with her. We both heard my father before he materialized in the doorway of the dining room. My mother and I turned to look at him at the same time. He glanced at me, an apologetic half-smile on his face. In a last ditch effort, I started singing the National Anthem in Korean in my head. I focused only on that and nothing else. It was a little trick I learned from my aunt Alice. She used it whenever she didn't want my dad in her head. I was fervently hoping that it would work just as well for me.

He raised an eyebrow and started laughing.

"I see you're learning from the best, Nessie."

He grinned at me, flashing me his infamous smile that always left my mother looking dazed and confused. I stuck out my tongue at him, keeping up the stream of Korean in my head, keeping myself distracted from the real panic that was making me physically sick. I pushed my plate away. Breakfast suddenly didn't look so appealing. I shifted my eyes away from my dad, avoiding his penetrating gaze as he continued to probe into my thoughts, looking for a crack or a slip in my control. I met my mom's eyes once more and she was watching me worriedly, searching my face. Then her eyes widened as if something just became clear as day to her.

Uh oh...

"Oh." She said softly.

I cringed. She knew me too well. I was like an open book to her. The fraction of a second slip in my control was all that my dad needed to see what I had been hiding.

He grinned and walked over to me. Sighing in defeat, I frowned at him and pouted.

No fair!

"Oh, honey! You'll be okay." Isabella Marie Cullen, Bella to all who know her, my eternally 18-year-old-looking vampire mother, cried, enveloping me into a hug. I sighed again, laying my cheek against her cool shoulder.

Remind me again why I need to do this?

I asked in my head, eyeing my dad as he stood next to us, his hand stroking my curls.

"We need to keep up appearances remember? It's to protect our family." Edward Anthony Cullen, my 100-something-but-looked-17 vampire father, smile – a hint of worry in his voice as he saw the magnitude of my panic and apprehension.

I knew he was right. In order to protect our family and our secret, we always had to keep up appearances. That was why we had left Forks. Only the Quileutes knew what we were but they had their own secrets to keep. The only other person in Forks who had the vaguest idea of the truth was my grandfather, Charlie. And even he tried to avoid knowing the whole story. He rigidly stuck to his "need to know" rule. But I remembered his face, only too clearly, every time he came to visit and he saw how much I changed every single time. Mom always worried that eventually it would become too much for him and he'd end up in the hospital. I guess that was just one of the many reasons we left.

As soon as my growth became too obvious to hide and the fact that my mom couldn't really show herself in public without causing eyebrows and questions to rise, we had moved away. The story we left was that having graduated high school, the Cullen kids were starting college in the east coast and Esme – not wanting to be so far away from them, decided that the whole family should move. Carlisle – being the giving husband that he truly was readily agreed to his beloved wife's wishes and thus moved the entire family east. Charlie had reluctantly said goodbye but he understood it was necessary. Jacob came without hesitation and my family, knowing that arguing with him was out of the question, had agreed with his decision. However, the others of his pack and his father were not too happy with the situation to say the least.

The truth was, we had moved to Alaska. We had been in hiding for the past 4 years, waiting out my abnormal growth spurt. We had lived in the remotest area, isolated from human civilization. The visits from our Denali cousins were the only form of contact we had from the world outside of our self-imposed exile. It was only a couple of months ago that Carlisle had noticed that I had finally stopped changing. The news that everyone had been waiting for. It was finally safe enough for us to rejoin civilization.

After saying our goodbyes to Tanya and her family, we left Alaska. Currently, we live in one of the top ten cloudiest, rainiest, and all around worst weather places in the entire US, a town called Binghamton in the state of New York. Not that I mind the bad weather. It was just like being back in Forks and it allowed my family the freedom to go out during the day time. Carlisle now worked at the local hospital. My parents, aunts, and uncles will be attending Cornell University in Ithaca, a city about 37 miles away. Jacob adamantly refused going back to school. He'd rather spend his free time running around on all fours and in his own words "to watch over" me. I had asked my family if I could just skip school as well but no dice there. So tomorrow begins my torture. High school. I cringed visibly.

"Jacob won't be too far. He'll be there as soon as you need him." My mom crooned in my ear.

I had to smile. It was still hard for her to grasp the fact that I was no longer a toddler running around in diapers – not that I ever wore one. A few short years and I now appeared to be an 18-year old teenager. Sometimes I felt sorry for her for having been cheated out of my babyhood. I was constantly changing & growing until I finally just stopped. Now I'm frozen in time just like the rest of my family.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen, the 5-year-old-who-looked-18 immortal half-breed. I laughed under my breath, pulling away from her embrace.

"I know." I said feeling relieved at the mention of Jacob.

My Jacob. I smiled.

Hearing my thoughts, my dad frowned. I sighed. That fact never used to bother him before. But now that I'm all grown up, well sort of, it made him uneasy. And the fact that Jacob lived with us and he could hear Jacob's thoughts 24/7, didn't give him any peace of mind either. Not that I had any clue as to what Jacob was thinking. But I had noticed my dad glare murder at him whenever they were both around me. Jacob, on the other hand, was ecstatic that we can now go out without people mistaking him for my babysitter. I giggled. I laid my hand on my mom's cheek to let her in on the silent conversation.

"I liked it better when he was just your babysitter." My dad muttered in answer to my thoughts.

He was never just my babysitter, Dad.

I pursed my lips, frowning at him.

"I know." He sighed, giving me a crooked smile. "You can hardly blame your old man for worrying."

Pfft! Old man. We look about the same age!

I rolled my eyes at him, while my mom nodded in agreement, laughing.

"You know what I mean, Renesmee." He said, frowning now.

Whenever he used my full name that usually meant joking was over. I pressed my lips together, letting my hand drop from my mom's face as she stood up. I watched as she quietly took his face in between her hands, resting her head against his chest. She closed her eyes, a smile playing lightly on her lips. I knew she was letting him see into her thoughts. I saw him visibly relax, his arms circling around her slender waist. I smiled and quietly stood up, feeling as though I was intruding in a private moment. He closed his eyes and softly kissed her hair, both were completely oblivious to me now. I laughed silently, tiptoeing out of the room.

I fidgeted nervously in my seat, watching the school approach as we drove closer to the gate. My heart started to pound in triple time causing the three vampires in the car to shoot me reassuring looks--my grandfather, Carlisle, in the driver seat, my dad next to him and my mom sitting right beside me. Only Jacob seemed oblivious to that silent exchange as he sat quietly on my other side, staring out the window, holding my hand and absently squeezing it every now and then. If I wasn't feeling sick to my stomach, I would've laughed at how comical it must have looked to see a teenager being dropped off at high school by a whole entourage.

"It will be okay, Nessie. You'll do great." Carlisle smiled at me through the rearview mirror.

I sucked in a lungful or air, fighting to calm myself and nodded jerkily.

The car pulled into the parking lot and Carlisle parked right in front of one of the small buildings that housed what appeared to be an office. I swallowed hard, trying to push down my breakfast that threatened to come up and out. I could hear nothing but the rhythmic pounding of my heart as it hammered against my chest. I reflexively squeezed Jacob's hand, eyeing the little building in terror.

"Ow. You're gonna break that hand again, crazy." He chuckled, squeezing my hand back gently.

"Sorry." I breathed, loosening my grip, giving him a sheepish look.

"C'mon, Nessie. How bad can school be? I'm pretty sure this is nothing compared to facing certain death at the hands of the Volturi." He grinned brightly – again oblivious to the sudden tension in the car.

That subject was still very sensitive for us even if it happened years ago. To a vampire who lived for all eternity, a few years could very well only equal to a few months.

I narrowed my eyes at him, pinching his hand to remind him that the Volturi subject was taboo. He clamped his mouth shut, giving me an apologetic look before scanning the faces in the car with us. Carlisle's face was carefully blank, as he opened his door to get out. Mom had a frown on her face, the little crease on her forehead all the more pronounced. Dad on the other hand was once again glaring daggers at Jacob, his jaw set.

"Sorry, Edward. It was meant as a joke." Jacob said sheepishly, raising his hands as if in surrender.

My dad sighed but didn't answer and got out of the car. He opened my mom's door and held out his hand to her. She clambered out of the car without taking it. I suppressed a smile. My mother was never one to willingly accept chivalry. She was no damsel in distress. Hearing my thoughts, my dad met my gaze and rolled his eyes. I laughed, sliding out of the car after her.

"That's better." My mom said, smiling widely, cupping my face between her cool hands.

I breathed in deeply, nodding, her familiar scent calming me.

Here goes nothing.

"Do you remember what we had discussed last night?" Carlisle murmured quickly under his breath that no human ear could possibly hear or understand.

Even Jacob, who was beside me, could only catch some of it.

I nodded.

It was part of the "keeping up appearances" talk. They had rearranged the family tree last night and laid it out to me. It made me uneasy just thinking about it. I glanced swiftly at my parents and sighed.

From that day forward, my father was Carlisle and my mother was Esme. In the adoptive sense, since both looked too young to be otherwise. My aunts and uncles were now my adoptive brothers and sisters. Even Jacob had asked what role he was going to play. I sighed, remembering Rosalie's scathing remark that he can be the family dog. Catching my thoughts, my dad coughed, trying to disguise his laughter but failed miserably. I narrowed my eyes at him but he merely looked at me innocently. I wavered in my glare, as my thoughts drifted back to last night's conversation. Edward, my dad, was now my biological older brother. You can't deny the family resemblance there. And Bella, my mom, was now just another one of my adoptive sisters. I cringed, looking away from him. I would have to get used to calling them by their first names in public. I felt like I was betraying them.

"No, you're not."

My dad smiled crookedly at me, lightly brushing his knuckles across my cheek. I looked up at him, blinking back tears. I knew he was right but it still didn't help me feel any better. Everyone else was giving us questioning looks, trying to make light of our silent conversation. I nodded then and grinned back at him. It was to protect our family after all. I'd rather deal with this than have any sort of suspicion cast our way.

"Let's get this over with." I said, making a face, opening the glass door for everyone.

Only Carlisle, Jacob and I stepped into the office. It was brightly lit and spacious. There were desks beyond the counter that cut across the wide room. A homely looking woman was seated at the desk closest to the counter and she looked up with a welcoming smile at the sound of the door opening. I looked backed anxiously through the glass double doors at my parents waiting outside. My dad was leaning against the car grinning at something my mom was saying. She was talking animatedly, gesturing as she spoke, their linked hands never separating. They looked exactly like the normal human teenage couple they were pretending to be. People would never believe they were my real parents. I smiled ruefully; even I sometimes couldn't believe it.

They had decided to wait by the car just so we don't overwhelm the hapless human inside the office. I grinned, imagining the woman's would be reaction at being greeted by 3 outstandingly beautiful people, a giant of a teenage boy, and me. I wrinkled my nose. I probably would have looked so out of place beside them. The only normal looking human girl. Well, half-human anyway.

"How may I help you?"

The woman's cheerful voice brought me back out of my reverie. I turned to look at her and trudged behind Carlisle as he approached the counter. I inhaled experimentally. Her scent wafted into my nose, making my throat burn just slightly. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

Confident that I wouldn't jump the woman, I stepped closer to the counter. The woman's polite expression drastically changed to one of obvious shock and dazed fascination as her gaze zeroed in on Carlisle's smiling face. I bit back a laugh.

Yup... Was definitely a good idea you guys stayed out there. I thought laughing, knowing my dad could hear me.

"Hello, Mrs. Seymore." Carlisle greeted, glancing briefly at the woman's name plate sitting on her desk. "I'm Carlisle Cullen, this is my daughter Renesmee. She's a new student to your school."

The woman continued to gape at Carlisle completely oblivious to everything he said. I glanced at Jacob and met his amused gaze. The humans' reaction to my family was a joke that both of us thoroughly enjoyed and will probably never get tired of. I grinned and rolled my eyes, making Jacob bark out a laugh. The woman blinked and somewhat remembered where she was.

"Oh! Um... Yes?" She stammered, blushing scarlet, avoiding Carlisle's eyes.

My ever patient grandfather merely smiled as if she just didn't make a fool of herself.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen. This is my daughter Renesmee Cullen. She's starting school today." He said again helpfully, smiling at the flustered woman.

"Oh! Y-yes, of course. Dr. C-Cullen!" She stuttered, busying herself with looking for my paperwork, her face still bright red.

Of course she's heard of the gorgeous young new doctor. Who hasn't?

Her hands were shaking so much that she accidentally knocked over a tower of papers to the floor. I grimaced, suddenly feeling sorry for the hapless woman. I heard Jacob choke back a laugh. I threw him a reprimanding glare, elbowing him. He winced, rubbing his leg.

"Do you need any help?" Carlisle asked in concern.

"N-no! I'll fix it later." Mrs. Seymore burst out, shaking her head quickly. "Ah! Here we are." She exclaimed after a moment, finally finding what she was looking for.

"Here's your schedule of classes and the directions to your classrooms, Renesmee." She said glancing down at my paper. "What a lovely name. It's quite unique." She added, looking at me.

I saw her eyes widen but she quickly caught herself. She looked...fascinated? I couldn't be sure.

Or maybe I have something on my face. I thought self-consciously, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Thank you. I was named after my..." I caught myself. I almost said my two grandmothers. "...grandmother, Renee and my mom, Esme."

"How lovely!"

She smiled, glancing quickly at Carlisle, who smiled back. I smiled, relieved that she was no longer staring at me like I had two heads. It was then that I noticed she looked rather confused. She kept glancing at me then at Carlisle, back and forth. I laughed realizing the reason for her confusion.

"She's my adoptive daughter. My wife and I adopted Renesmee and her older brother, Edward." Carlisle said, realizing at the same time as I did.

He motioned with his hand toward the glass double doors. Outside, my parents were still waiting patiently. This time, however, my dad was looking into the office, his head cocked slightly to the side, listening. He met my gaze and winked at me. I grinned brightly back. My mom smiled and raised a hand. I waved.

"Oh! I see. How silly of me!" Mrs. Seymore smiled, blushing again.

"Well, welcome, dear, and good luck with your school year." She added brightly, her coloring finally returning to normal but she still carefully avoided looking at Carlisle again.

"Thank you." I said weakly, the feeling of nausea and panic suddenly returning full force.

This was it. Everyone was leaving and I would be on my own. I felt suffocated by the rising panic that I took an involuntary step towards the door. Escape. Of course. Acting on instinct, my body wanted to run away from this place. I felt a steadying hand on my arm. I looked up and saw Jacob looking at me worriedly.

"Steady now, Nessie." He whispered to me, darting a quick glance toward Carlisle and Mrs. Seymore, who were saying their thank yous and goodbyes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and struggled to remedy my terror-stricken face without much success.

Carlisle turned away from the counter and started toward the door, eyeing me worriedly. I managed a weak smile and followed him out, clutching my class schedule in a vise-like grip. I barely noticed Jacob's steadying hand that was still holding my arm, as he steered me towards my waiting parents.

"I think I'm going to be sick." I blurted out when we reached them.

My mom's arms were instantly around me, pulling me into a hug.

"M-maybe she doesn't need to do this." She pleaded, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Bella..." My dad murmured helplessly, obviously torn between what must be and what my mother asked.

I felt guilt starting to gnaw at my conscience, knowing I shouldn't be putting them in this difficult situation. I started to pull away but my mom continued to hold me, unwilling to let go.

"It's okay. You don't have to do this." She whispered in my ear so softly and rapidly that it seemed that I was the only one who heard it but I knew my dad and Carlisle heard it just fine.

"Bella, this is to protect us, to avoid any questions that maybe directed our way. People in town are bound to talk when they notice Nessie not attending school when she appears to be quite capable of doing so. We must avoid standing out. Unwanted scrutiny will only endanger us." Carlisle explained softly, his kind eyes willing her to understand.

That decided it for me. I couldn't – wouldn't let any danger come to my family just because I was terrified of the notion of going to school. I'll get over this. Taking a deep breath, I untangled myself from my mom. She looked at me worriedly. I cupped her tiny face in my hands and showed her that I was fine. I saw her relax visibly, as she leaned against my dad. I let her go and stepped back onto the sidewalk and grinned widely at them. Carlisle gave me an encouraging smile as he slid into the car.

"See you after school!" I said cheerily, fighting the rising panic churning in my stomach.

Jacob came to stand with me on the sidewalk and held my shaking hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Please stay as close as you can, Jake." My mom said anxiously.

"Don't worry, Bella. I won't be far." He replied reassuringly. She nodded gratefully and reluctantly slipped into the car.

"I'll be here when you get out of school." My dad said, studying my face.

I nodded, singing happy birthday in Chinese at the top of my mental lungs. He grinned in amusement before sliding gracefully into the passenger side.

I watched the car pull away from the curb and raised my stiff arm to wave goodbye. As soon as they were out of the parking lot, I felt my smile waver and fall. I took in a shuddering breath and looked up at Jacob. He pulled me to his side, putting his arm around me and guided me towards the main school building.

"Only the first few hours will be bad. I bet you by lunch time you'll be more bored than terrified." He said gently, rubbing my arm with his hand.

I nodded mutely, looking around the school grounds. Only a few students were milling about. It was still pretty early.

Jacob placed a hand under my chin, forcing me to look up and meet his dark eyes.

"I'll be here. I promise." He murmured, sounding conflicted.

I frowned at the tone in his voice. It seemed as though he wasn't certain of the truth of his own statement. Anguish flickered in his eyes as his gaze slowly traced my features. Before I could put anymore thought into it, it quickly vanished as if it had never been there. I blinked – a little troubled and flushed bright red when I realized that I was leaning into him. He laughed huskily, running his hand through his now cropped jet black hair. I looked down hastily and stared at the button of his shirt, studying it as if it was the most interesting thing in the entire universe. My head was reeling from all the unnamed emotions that were suddenly overwhelming me.