Chapter One
Renesmee

I felt the earth coming down on me as my mother continued to crush my final defences. I tried to stand tall as her eyebrows set into a perfectly arched cage over her eyes. Around her my extended family sat around the room, oblivious to the conversation, their eyes turned towards the TV or their chess game. To the naked eye it would seem as if they were uninterested in our argument, or too interested in what they were doing to care. But I saw their perked ears, their lack of movement or breathing. They were listening intently, always ready to step into the fight. And about as much help to my cause as a wet sock.

"Mom." I started, trying a different tactic. She leaned her weight onto her other foot and crossed her hands around her waist, lips pursed. "In human years I'd be sixteen..."

"...and still to young." She finished, cutting me off. "Nessie, we've been through this before. Your judgement is all off on this matter. You are not an adult."

"But I'll always be a kid to you!" I said, my voice starting to whine. "You'll never take me seriously!"

"That is not true Nessie, and you know it." She said, hurt coming into her tone. "We respect your opinion on almost everything."

"Except this one thing! The thing I want!" I said, tears creeping into my eyes. Unlike my mother the vampire, I could still cry, like a human. It was an especially embarrassing quality, and I had the tendency to cry when I got angry.

"Thats enough, Renesmee." My father said, stepping in. Edward was taller than me, although I was catching up (bang on 5"8 inches), and had a heap of copper hair on his forehead. To humans we looked like brother and sister, maybe even twins, but Edward always possessed that parental authority when he was around me, that everyone always guessed he was more of a mentor.

"Fine!" I said angrily, biting my lip and looking at the floor. Around the room my family heaved a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere of the room seemed to thaw. All except my nerves, which were still wound as tight as a spring. I heaved an extra loud sigh for exaggeration, turned on the balls of my feet and left the room.

As soon as I was out of the house I was running. Not anywhere in particular, just running. I couldn't run to Jacob, Edward would know if I was. And I couldn't run to our cottage, I just wanted to get away from everyone and everything. So I just ran.

The physical exertion was tough for a human, but not challenging for me. I took off my shoes while running, so I could feel the cool earth beneath my feet. Trees of all shades of green - khaki, moss, olive; flashed passed my peripheral vision. I didn't worry about hitting them, I could easily miss them at a moments notice. I swerved through a couple of fern leaves, concentrating on maneuvering through the bush. Signs of my family were there, but scarce. A scent of Jasper down that path, a taste of Rosalie through the quickest possible route. I tried to avoid them, but wasn't altogether successful. I gritted my teeth as the wind brushed my auburn hair over my face. I wafted it impatiently out of the way, trying not to think of the conflict between me and my mother. No matter how much I argued, reasoned, begged and cried, my mother stood her ground. I was not allowed to spend the night with Jacob.

It wasn't that they didn't trust me. They did. They knew I wouldn't get "up to no good" - as Edward called it. Its that they didn't trust Jacob. I couldn't see why, although I knew there had been some sort of conflict to do with our families in the past; probably due to the fact that he was a werewolf and my coven were vampires. In the whole seven years I had known Jacob - from the day I was born to now - he had never given my vampire parents reason not to trust him. I just didn't understand it.

I felt a dulled stab on my hand as my nails dug into the skin. I unclenched the fist that I hadn't realized was there and stretched out my fingers. Long and slender, like most of my body, my hands were not the perfect marble of my parents, nor the soft velvet of humans. They were somewhere in the middle, a calloused smooth texture.

A sharp crack of a twig allerted my attention to another presence. The sound wasn't far away; if I hadn't been so absorbed in my thoughts I would have noticed it sooner. Instantly I was errect, alert. Slipping behind a nearby tree trunk, I crouched, camouflaged in the bush.

I pricked my ears as the stranger moved closer, aware that they were closing in on me with every footstep. I tried to smell them, but I could only tell the person was a wolf. But I didn't know if they were friend or foe. I froze as they came within a foot of my hiding spot.

"Nessie!" The person whispered. "Nessie, its me."

I relaxed and strode out of my hiding place. The "stranger" was none other than Seth Clearwater, the thin, weedy werewolf. He gave a little start as I stepped out of the undergrowth, but then his face relaxed into a grin.

"Heyya, Seth." I said, modulating my tone with the correct amount of friendliness and surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Just in the 'hood." Seth joked, taking a step closer to me. In all the six years I'd known him, Seth hadn't changed. The lines of his cheekbones had strenghened, and his face had lost a little of his roundness, but he was still unnaturally tall and thin as a stick.

"Right." I said, rolling my eyes. Dispite my mood I felt myself relax in his presence - Seth was easy to get along with.

"What are you up to?" He asked curiously.

"Just running."

"Cool. I'll join you!"

He smiled and started to lope down the path at a casual pace. I kept up with him easily. We ran in compatible silence until Seth screeched to a stop.

"Whats bugging you, Ness?"

I sighed, knowing that my face had betrayed me again. Seth was just too onto it for his own good. If he had been a vampire, or a half breed like me, his power would have defiantly been perception.

"Mom. And Dad." I said, kicking a bit of dirt by my toe.

"Ah." Seth said, his eyes growing wider in knowledge. "Same problem?"

"Yeah..." I said, blushing in spite of myself. Seth had never imprinted, and he had no intention to, but he was annoyingly knowledgeable about my problem. He'd "picked it up off the street" he told me once.

"Don't worry. In a year...or probably less at your rate, they'll let you move out or something."

I scoffed. "Yeah right. I'm just a baby to them. They don't want me to leave home...ever!"

"It doesn't matter how long it takes." Seth said. "Jake will wait for you."

"Sure, sure..." I said. The sun was beginning to set over the trees, and I could feel dusk darkening the forest. "I'd better get back...I have to..."

"Okay." Seth said. If he was stung by my choice to get away from him, he didn't show it. He just waved as I gracefully turned and ran in the opposite direction, trying, unsuccessfully, to leave my troubles behind me.