Chapter One: Sweet Lies
My name is Vanessa Wolfe. I am fifteen years old and I live with my step-father, Jacob, in Atlanta, Georgia. It's not too sunny and not too rainy in our part of the city where we reside in an apartment. I'm 5"6', but next to Jacob, I look like a little kid (he's really tall and muscular). I have long, bronze-red hair that lays in ringlets everyday. To top it off, I have chocolate-colored eyes. I've never met my real parents and probably never will. Everyday I think about them and the life we could have had together, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I've never asked who or where they are. They dumped me off with my step-dad and just left me. It's weird though, not knowing what happened. I can't remember any of my past and that bothers me a lot.
When I was bringing in our mail, I saw a letter addressed to Jacob. The return address was from some lady named Isabella Cullen. I had never heard of her and Jacob tells me everything. It was in an ivory-colored envelope. I had seen others in the mail before, all addressed to Jacob. Today when I got the mail, there was a box and a letter from this Isabella Cullen. Was he seeing this woman behind my back? I had no clue. Jacob usually never left me alone. As a note for the future, I am very, very nosy. I ripped the tape of the box with little effort and dug through dozens of packing peanuts to find a small jewelry box. I opened the littler box to find a charm. It was beautiful. I held it up so I could see the small details. The charm was an oval shape, silver and black, with a lion-like creature in the middle as its main inscription. Above the lion was a hand and below, a ribbon with clovers. It was an odd piece of jewelry, something I've never seen. I heard Jacob coming down the hall and I knew I would be caught. That's another thing, I have amazing hearing. Plus, I'm really fast and strong. I can lift Jacob's weights all at once, just like he can. He was unlocking the door while I was stuffing Styrofoam back into the big box. I tried to reseal the tape, but it was too late.
"What are you doing?" Jacob asked worried. I stood up, putting my hands on my hips.
"Who is Isabella Cullen?" I fired back. He said, "I asked you first." I huffed.
"I am trying to figure out who this woman is. I know she keeps sending you letters and stuff. Now, who is she?" I usually put up a good argument. Jacob looked upset and I didn't know why. He motioned to the couch for me to sit down and I did with him next to me. He sighed heavily and said, "She's an old friend." I felt my eyebrows cross.
"That's it? That's all you're going to tell me?" Jacob shook his head and spoke again. "No, it's just hard talking to you about her."
"Why?"
"Isabella Cullen is your mother, your real mother." My jaw dropped and Jacob looked up from the floor he was starring at and he smiled. I didn't know what to say. She was my mother? Of all people, my mother is this crazy stalker-lady who keeps sending my step-father letters? I blinked.
"What?" was all I could manage to say.
"Okay, you're old enough. I'll tell you the truth." I nodded, still confused.
"Your name is not Vanessa Wolfe," Jacob began, "Its Renesmee Carlie Cullen and my real name is Jacob Black." Again, my mouth dropped open. Thank God! I hated my name, well, my old name. "Renesmee" was…different. I still liked my nickname, "Nessie," better. Jacob continued, "Your father's name is Edward Cullen. They live in Alaska with the rest of your family, all in the same house. You have two aunts, Rosalie and Alice, and two uncles, Emmett and Jasper. And your grandparents, your father's "adoptive" parents, Esme and Carlisle, live there too." I let everything sink in. I had a family. I had people waiting for me and it felt great.
"They love you, Renesmee. They miss you. That's all I can tell you for now. I'll let you know more after I read this letter and see what's in the box." I nodded. "Open it again." I did as he said while he read the letter and I showed him the charm. Jacob got up from his place on the couch and went into his room, bringing with him another small box. He lifted out a bracelet with a charm already on it. It was a wolf. I traced its body with my finger finding in it pure beauty.
"I made it, you know. I gave it to Bella, but she gave it back to me. That's what your mom likes to be called – Bella. The wolf is…me." I was, once again, confused. "Renesmee," he said, "I'm a werewolf and you're a human-vampire hybrid." Okay, um, what? Jacob was crazy. There was no such thing as werewolves or vampires. I rolled my eyes and was upset that he could be making all this up, but I knew him too well for that and survey says, Jacob is telling the truth.
"I'm serious," he said, "Your family is all vampires. When you were conceived, Bella was still a human, but Edward was a vampire. After giving birth to you, Bella was dying quickly and Edward had to change her so she'd live. That's why you're a hybrid."
"That doesn't make you a werewolf," I said, still astounded. Jacob lifted our huge couch and moved the coffee table and lamp, giving himself room, for what, I didn't know. He clenched his fists and bit is lip and before I knew it, there was an absolutely huge, russet-colored wolf in my home. My eyes were so wide I thought they'd fall out.
"J-Jacob, I believe you now."