Hey! So I'm new at all this so do forgive my faults. I'm here to practice mostly. Comments welcome, enjoy! :)
This is set post Breaking Dawn and one of many possible stories that could occur. I hope to write more soon.
The disclaimer: based on books by Stephenie Meyer. I do not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator.
It's RENESSMEE's point of view.
1. Etched
I jolted upright, instantly awake. There was no gentle drifting from the world of dreams to the one of reality. It just hit me. Like a thunderbolt. Hyperventilating I placed my feet on the floor and stealthily approached the rattling, window of my room. The curtains blew eerily into my face shielding me from the painful conclusion.
He wasn't out there. He was gone.
The wind sent a cold shiver through me. At the sort of heat I radiated this wasn't an easy task. My eyes searched longingly into the forest. I released an almost inaudible whisper.
"Jacob."
The trees murmured back to me. He's not there. I knew he wasn't there. He was never there. A lone tear sailed down my cheek, falling by my bare feet. I had learned not to cry out anymore. I had learned to silence the pain, at least most of it. My father could still hear what I was thinking, what I was always thinking. But he had learned to not ask about it anymore.
* * *
It happened three years ago. The memory etched into the depths of my mind, relived nightly in my dreams. It was the day before my fifth birthday; at my alarming rate of growth, we decided to celebrate my tenth. Alice had planned a fabulous party with all our families and friends, everyone from the Wolves at La Push to my Gran, Renee. Seemingly my life was perfect.
It would have been the first time Renee and I would have met. After years of persuasion, mum had finally relented and given us our first meeting. She spent months coming up with the perfect alibi to explain my age, my intelligence. She had told Renee I had a 'rare form of a special medical condition'. Carlisle, my granddad, had even come up with a suitable name (Werner's Syndrome) so she could satiate her thirst for knowledge with a quick Googling. It didn't matter to me, as long as I got to meet Renee! If there had been a beating heart in my beautiful mother it would have broken down from the stress of the elaborate story we were to weave.
That day, my best friend Jacob came over to tell me he wanted to give me something before the craziness of the party ensued. Jacob was my confidante, my bodyguard and, my partner in crime. He stood, like he always did, semi naked in the kitchen next to the fridge.
"Meet me at the cottage at midnight." He instructed before diving into the fridge.
"Of course, of course!" I grinned manically at him. I started pulling faces at him. He began to choke on his drink. Mission accomplished. As juice came dripping down his nose he flung a wet cloth at me.
"Ness, stop it!" My features assembled to another silly face. He choked and laughed.
"I'm being serious. You're killing me!" He muttered trying to regain composure.
"Sure, sure" I chided. As he prepared to chuck an orange at me the shrill of the phone saved me. It was Alice.
"Nessie?" she inquired impatiently.
"Uh huh" I replied whilst systematically nodding my head.
"Good!"
'Who is it?' Jacob shouted from the kitchen. I ignored him, more curious to why Alice sounded so...confused. She had rang me on my cell, so why was she questioning who answered it.
"Er, just checking you're there and y'know, not sneaking around the house looking for pressies."
"Of course not, what do you take me for?" I cheekily answered.
The fridge door slammed closed.
"Off now, remember, midnight!" Jacob shouted as he slammed the door. Simultaneously, Alice hung up the phone.
That was the last time Jacob and I ever spoke. It was the last time I would ever see him.
An hour passed as I idly sat reading in the cottage. The howling winds distracted my attention momentarily. The sound of the latch on the door caused my ears to prick up. Mum and dad blew into the house like a hurricane. If their manner of entry had not revealed it to me, the fact that my uncles, Emmett, Jasper and Aunts, Alice and Rosalie were encircling me definitely did. The nausea hit me instantly. Something was wrong.
"Renessmee..." my mother said choking up. She never used my full name. The intensity of their faces gnawed at my heart. I couldn't breath.
"Mum?" I whispered scared. Her golden eyes locked into my fathers. He embraced her soothingly stroking her dark hair.
"They're coming..." He sighed, pained. "The Volturi."
Even as a little girl I had known, the Volturi had never truly got over their 'defeat'. They had never truly let us go. They had never given up. And like all governments, underground or over, they only 'appeared' to be playing by the rules. They had come back, back to claim what they had not first time round. They had come for my father, my aunt, my family...for me.
The decision had been instant. It was smart of them. They were working on our weaknesses. The Volutri had been in Portland when they had suddenly changed their course and headed to Forks. We had no time. They would be here in less than an hour.
Our options were few, and flawed. We could flee but in truth there was no corner on earth we could hide from the Volturi. Besides my uncles would never cower; they refused to live in hiding. The only other alternative – we would face them, and if it meant a fight, so be it. For now our slim hopes rested on Esme and Carlisle returning from their hunt before the Volutri arrived. Carlisle was our diplomat, our negotiator. If we did have to face the Volturi, he was our best chance of survival.
The atmosphere in the cottage was agonizing. Alice's face was contorted into a vision of pain. Her mind replete with flooding images. She muttered frantically to herself. Jasper held her in his arms desperately trying to comfort her. Rosalie stared glassily into the distance with Emmett's body curled protectively around her, snarls issuing forth from his gut. We felt so hopeless. My mother talked a hundred miles an hour at my father. He kept looking over at me, his eyes tormented. I knew I wasn't being told the whole story.
My head sunk into my hands. Rosalie crept over to me and placed a cool arm across my back. Gently she whispered in my ears.
"Ness, we'll be ok. We'll stand together. Like always."
The tears welling up blurred my vision. I hid my face in her hair. I felt so sick. I didn't know what to do. My head was spinning. Rosalie picked me up and carried me to my room. Sitting beside me with her back up against the wall she lay her hand on my back. She tried to calm me, to placate my worries. My pillow grew damp from the tears as visions raced through my mind.
Suddenly piercing screams shrieked through the house, bouncing off the walls and obliterating in my ears. It was Alice and my father. Rosalie and I jumped to our feet. We ran in to find Alice and my father both on the floor, with the others circled around them. Alice gasped.
"Carlisle...Esme...the wolves..." Her last word drifted into silence. I couldn't even be sure it's what I really heard.
Alice appeared to be paralysed She couldn't move. Her eyes were fixed blankly onto the wall. My father crouched over her, half in protection, half in desperation. There was a silence. It could have been an eternity. Finally it was broken.
"Her visions, they came so fast. She couldn't see everyone." His voice was muffled. "They have Esme and Carlisle...and...and the wolves. They didn't see it coming".
My mother tensed. She was concentrating on creating a strong shield. I gripped her body tightly, somehow hoping I could apportion my strength to her. The faintest sounds of footsteps echoed through the trees. Moments later I heard the malefic voice. It sent anger coursing threw my veins.
"My friends...we should speak. I have a proposal for you..." It was Aro.
Emmett and Jasper rose, poised for the fight. Snarls ripped through their bodies.
"Come on, what the fuck we waiting for?" Emmett spat out whilst clenching his fists "We can't cower here in shame. Carlisle. Esme. That's our family out there!"
Jasper nodded in agreement. His unwavering anger emanated from his body causing adrenaline to surge in all of us. My father stood up silently and raised his hand.
"No." My mothers eyes looked pleadingly.
"Edward, we must..." His expression silenced her.
"No" He repeated firmly. "He wants Alice. He wants me. He wants you. And...and..."
"Me" I whispered. My mother wrapped her arms around me and kissed my forehead.
"Never!" She snarled. "Never. Not my baby!"
My father walked over and cradled the two of us. Kissing our heads, he whispered.
"I love you."
With that my father strode out the door flanked by his brothers. My mother, sobbing silently, stood in front of me, casting her shield out whilst Rosalie sat by Alice stroking her head.
"Aaahhh" Aro began. "so you are interested in my proposal?"
The exchange was brief, in hushed tones. I couldn't make out the exact words. My heart thumped like a battering ram against the castle walls. Thug, Thud Thud. I winced as I heard the terms. The four of us for Esme and Carlisle. Although I couldn't make out the exact words, the outrage from our side was unmistakable. The terms were redefined. I could make out the words 'young one' for the 'two old'. I froze. Unable to think, to feel. Paralysed by the fear. He meant me.
A snarl ripped through the woods. Shouts, scream and shrieks reverberated in my eardrums. My vision was obscured by the tears. My heart panicked by the shock. I stood exasperated by my inability to function more efficiently. A smash against the door caused Rosalie, my mother and I to turn our heads. My eyes adjusted to the scene just in time to see myself and Alice thrust on the back of a massive wolf. It ran out the cottage, far from the battle zone at unprecedented speeds. I could tell by the colour and the scent who it was. Leah.
Minutes into our journey, our path became blocked by two blood thirsty vampires, one taller than the other. My heart stopped. Leah screeched to a stop causing Alice and I to tumble into a heap meters away from the ensuing battle. Quietly I tired to shuffle in the deep black of the forest. I could see the bright vermilion eyes of the vampires dancing around Leah. I wanted to scream. I curled my body round Alice hoping she would wake. Her eyes flicked like she was watching something. Alice was transfixed by her visions. She couldn't break free. I shook her gently, than more forcefully. What was she doing!
The black night influenced my vision. My head lifted to see Leah's silhouette smack one of the vampires, sending him flying into a tree causing branches to snap. Behind her the other vampire, a female, launched onto her back biting into her neck. Leah ran backwards, crushing her opponent against a rock. Being presently engaged, Leah hadn't seen the taller vampire of the two running towards her. I screamed stopping the vampire in his tracks. His head turned, his murderous eyes fixed on me. What had I done? I paced backwards. My strength, my prowess was nothing compared to this full vampire. He crouched, ready to pounce, when something crept behind him and in one swift motion floored him. It was Alice. My heart danced before returning to the more typical rhythmic race.
I was no coward but I knew that I couldn't defeat these two soldiers of the Volturi so I kept out of the way. It was the only thing I could do to assist my family. Alice and Leah continued to fight but it didn't last long. Alice was no match with her gift. Her ability to second guess every move made the fight like a bloody, murderous pantomime. Leah's speed was also a gift for her. She chased the female vampire weaving in and out of the trees until she was forced to the ground under Leah's paws. The snapping sound made my stomach turn. I didn't have to guess what happened. This battle was over. Leah piled the remnants of the two vampires together whilst Alice stoked the fires. The smell of the smoke burned my nostrils.
There was no time to watch the burning stones. Leah ran and ran until the battle cries were no longer audible. She stopped at the hillside, exhausted. Alice, Leah, still in wolf form, and I turned to watch the thick smoke camouflaging the night sky. To my surprise there were fires everywhere, not just in the woods but towards La Push. There even seemed to be some in Forks. It couldn't be true. Had the carnage really been so widespread? Engulfed in grief I couldn't speak. No one could. Alice just held me, her face tortured. There were so many questions I needed answering but I knew now wasn't the time. The war still raged on, there weren't any answers yet. Devastated by the unknown, tears streamed down my face. Alice cuddled me tighter. Leah hovered in the background, waiting to hear news from the pack. I cried till I fell asleep.
I awoke to see the rising sun battle with the grey clouds. For a few seconds I was just confused. Then I remembered. The pain of the cold exacerbated the expectant horror of what I guessed had happened to my family. Alice was beside me, hand on my knee. She turned to face me and released a small smile.
"Nessie. Nessie. You're awake. I love you so much. So so much." She blubbed before springing from her seat into a full embrace. I brushed the hair out of my eyes and waited for the bad news. Her face crinkled as she tried to read my expression.
"Oh." She began. "The explanation." I sat, braced, anticipating the death count. She smiled warmly at me. I grew distressed and impatient. She read my anxiety and continued. "Carlisle, Esme are ok. Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, Jasper, all ok. Me and you. We're good. Charlie's good! We're all good Nessie! Everyone survived!" My expression morphed from morose to surprise.
"Everyone?" I implored quizzically.
"Yes!" She nodded frantically. "With injuries, sure but...but we're all alive!" A sudden wave of energy pulsed through me causing me to leap into the air. My family were alive! I grinned wildly at her.
"An Jake...and the wolves?" I asked already feeling they were ok.
"Er, well I don't know. I can't see them" She said matter of factly.
"You can't see them?" I asked rhetorically. "So you don't know if Jakes ok?"
"No...I don't."
"Well, did Leah not say?" I asked. Alice shook her head.
"No...no...she left a while ago...she hasn't returned yet. I mean we heard wolf howls..." Her face changed from one of relief to one of grief. "I can't see..."
I stared towards La Push. The smoke still rose. The time was indeterminate as I tried to make out the houses of those I loved. My searching heart despaired as I begged,
"Are the wolves ok? Is Jacob ok?"
"No, he's not." Leah replied.
It was the last thing I heard.
* * *
Aro had never come to hurt us, or even claim us. He had been a diversion. The real fight had been between Caius, his army, and the Wolves at La Push, The Volturi's decision had been so sudden that neither the Wolves or the Vampires, my families, had time to prepare. Alice had been unable to see the Wolves. We couldn't even warn them. Her head had been crammed full to bursting with their ever changing minds, she had been powerless to help. Her guilt was still abundant. Even now. But at the time she had to choose the best outcome for our safety, for the safety of all our families.
The Wolves had been ambushed in the woods surrounding La Push and on the shores of first beach. Again, fortunately, the death count had been zero. This was of some consolation but there had still been many injuries some very serious. Sam and Paul had faired the worst, both spending the following months in Carlisle's home made hospital. They had managed to defend their home so for them it had been worth it.
Aro, Caius and a handful of others had left before the fight had started. No doubt to claim their innocence when the word of the fight had spread. They were not stupid. The situation had been so carefully orchestrated that neither their thoughts or actions could have been linked back to them, at least not incriminatingly. But we knew.
The only person unaccounted for was my best friend, Jacob Black.
Any thoughts?