Renesmee watched in fascination as her father and Uncle Emmett roughhoused in front of her grandparent's home. They has just returned from Alaska with her cousin Tanya, Kate, Carmen and Eleazar. Grandpa and Grandma returned a few days later with Amun, Kebi, and Benjamin. Benjamin was her favorite, trusting her to touch him, to share herself with him, even when his family didn't. He was kind, even after having been locked away from others for so long.
The young child was taken from her thoughts when she noticed someone watching her from a nearby tree. The woman had long black hair, and eyes similar to that of the rest of her family. She was wearing a black leather jacket, mid-length white dress, and dark brown boots. She wasn't looking at Renesmee in fear or disgust, but in a way the girl had never seen before. She winked, holding a pale finger up to her lips, using the other hand to silently point at Uncle Emmett.
Renesmee didn't say anything, just returning her gaze to the brothers. She didn't say anything when Dad moved so Uncle Emmett's back was to the stranger. She walked up to Uncle Emmett silently, the wind blowing towards her. She walked until she was only a few inches from Uncle Emmett's back, smile wide and mischievous. "Hey, Emmett," she said, causing Uncle Emmett to yelp loudly and jump a few feet into the air.
The woman laughed unabashedly at Uncle Emmett's reaction, adjusting her backpack. "I like how I can sneak up on you after all this time." Turning to Dad, she hugged him. "It's good to see you, Ed."
"You too, Mak," Dad said, letting her go. "You wanna meet Nessie?"
The woman, Mak, raised a dark eyebrow at the nickname, but didn't (verbally) say anything. She just walked over to Renesmee and kneeled in front of the small child. "Hi, Renesmee. I'm Makenna Danek, but you can call me Mak. I guess I'm your aunt."
"Hi, Makenna," Renesmee said, raising her hand towards Makenna's face. She didn't touch, waiting for permission.
Makenna smiled. "Go ahead, squirt." When Renesmee touched her cheek, Makenna closed her eyes, cupping Renesmee's hand in her own. As Renesmee filtered her memories to Makenna, the young hybrid payed attention to the elder woman's face. She was more expressive with her emotions than much of the other vampires that had come. Makenna opened her eyes when she felt the child's curiosity. "I'm younger than everyone here, with the exception of your mother. I was only born in 1923."
"Where?" Renesmee asked. She was fascinated by the different histories currently residing under one roof.
This time Makenna's smile was tinged with sadness. "A little town called Lublin. It's in Poland."
"Poland?"
"A country in Europe. I promise I'll take you there one day. It is so incredibly beautiful in the summertime, you should experience it," Makenna said, smile brighter when talking about her homeland.
"I want to," Renesmee said, forgetting for a moment that there was a very good chance that she would die soon. She yawned, feeling very tired all of a sudden as she dropped her hand from the vampire's face.
Makenna smiled, no judgement in her gold eyes. "C'mon, squirt. Nap time." She held her arms open, giving Renesmee the choice to be carried or not. Renesmee went willingly into her arms, resting her head in the crook of Makenna's neck as she was lifted off the ground. She closed her eyes, ignoring the footfalls of her father and uncle as Makenna began to sing a new song: The first noel: the angel did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay...
Makenna smiled at the sleeping child in her arms. "She has an incredible gift," she told Edward, Emmett sitting on the couch next to Rosalie. Mak nodded at Rosalie, waiting to give her a proper greeting later. "Which room is hers?"
"Upstairs, down the left hall, three doors in on the left side," Edward instructed.
"KK, brb," Mak said, walking like a human upstairs. She heard Edward snort, fond exasperation coming from him. Mak buried her shit-eating grin in Renesmee's soft hair. Setting the child down, she tucked her under the peach covers before heading back downstairs at a much-faster speed. "Hey, Rose," she said to her cousin, sliding into the seat next to the blonde. Mak gave her a hug, squeezing her before letting Rosalie go. Are Carlisle and Esme hunting? she asked Edward.
"Yes, they'll be back shortly," Edward said to seemingly no one. "Why don't you meet Bella? She's outside testing her abilities."
"I told you she was a shield!" Makenna said smugly, at Edward's side in an instant. "You thought she was Superpire or something, but I knew immediately it was just pure and unadulterated stubbornness."
"Which means you two will get along swimmingly," Edward deadpanned.
Makenna laughed. "Be glad I never met her before now. You're lucky I didn't change her myself, you tenacious dumbass," she told him as they entered the backyard. Edward growled, but the only response he got was a middle finger from the ninety-five year old vampire. "Down, boy. Carlisle wouldn't have let that happen without her consent." She smiled once more when she saw Zafrina and Senna. "Where's Kachiri?"
"With the seer and her mate," Zafrina answered.
Makenna's eyes widened in surprise. "Alice, you sneaky minx," she said to herself before her eyes landed on an unwanted face. "You!" she shouted, lunging for him. Amun did the same, only to be held back by his mate. Edward tried to hold her back, but she kicked him in the stomach and pushed him off her. Kate tried to disarm her with her own unique abilities, but Mak had felt more excruciating pain in her human life than that, so she was able to compartmentalize the pain.
It wasn't until a boy stepped in front of Amun that she stopped her assault. He had blood-red eyes, black hair and dark skin. His eyes made her stop cold, for they held no animosity in them. They were only curious. "Please, let us not shed blood today. We are here for Renesmee. Don't make her feel worse than she already does." Mak felt the fight go out of her at that, nodding at the unknown man. "Good. Now, may I ask why you wish to harm Amun?"
Her golden eyes glared at Amun before looking back at the other man. "He nearly decapitated me when I refused to leave Cairo."
The other vampire turned back to his coven leader, disapproval radiating from his lithe form. He sighed before turning back to Makenna. "I apologize for Amun's actions, though they were in my best interest." He held out his palm, creating a small vortex made of fire and water. "I can manipulate the original four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Extremely rare, according to Eleazar. Something the Volturi would covet."
"Something different to add to their collection. Of course," Makenna said, bringing a finger to the miniature cyclone. "I think your gift should be free from their influence. Beauty usually comes from freedom."
The man smiled at her, snuffing out his creation with his fist. "I am Benjamin," the vampire said, holding out his hand to her.
"Makenna Danek," she said, grasping his hand. She nearly gasped aloud at the warmth that flooded her system at his touch. Her stomach clenched, and Mak knew her palms would be sweating if they could. She could feel a similar reaction from Benjamin, confusing her. Makenna slowly released his hand when she felt Edward's smugness. Go fuck yourself, Mak thought to him. "Pleasure to meet you, Benjamin."
"To you as well, Miss Danek," Benjamin told her, grasping her hand once more to kiss her fingertips.
Makenna rolled her eyes, but smiled fondly at him. "Such a gentleman. You should take notes, Garrett."
"What are you talking about? I'm the perfect gentleman!" Garrett retorted.
Makenna snorted loudly. "Yeah, right. But this isn't about us." Turning to Bella, she gave the brunet a kind smile. "This is about teaching Bella to harness something that's already a part of her. Now, what are you feeling when you try to make your shield tangible? Don't say it out loud, just feel it in this moment." Bella nodded. Makenna felt helplessness and fear come from the newborn vampire. She shook her head. "That won't help you. The Volturi feed off of this more than they do humans. Think of them as the Nazis. Ruthlessly destroying all who they believe stand in their way to absolute power. The only thing that can bring them down is the one emotion they've forgotten about: hope. Just think of your family; use that love you have for them to your advantage. Shape the shield as if you're holding Renesmee in your arms." At that, Makenna felt a change in not only Bella's emotions, but her aura as well. "I think she's ready. Kate?"
Kate reached out for Edward, placing her entire hand on his forearm. Edward flinched, bracing for the pain. When it didn't come, he smiled at her, his love for his mate nearly overwhelming Makenna. She forced herself to smile, pushing down the dark thoughts before they could encroach into her heart. "Excellent job, Bella. You may want to try a few more times, if Edward isn't afraid." Smirking at her cousin, she turned her back to the others. "If you need me, I'll be hunting. Been a while since I've allowed myself the fun of a mountain lion. I'll be back in a few hours, m'kay?" With that, she jumped onto the house, conveniently next to the window by the attic. She waited until she was sure the others were occupied before speaking. "Next time, wait before you judge. She may have only just become a vampire, but we were all like her once. Never forget that, Alistar." With that finally off her chest, Makenna jumped from the roof and ran as if the devil was at her heels. If her human existence was anything to go by, perhaps he was.