It was a dark and stormy night …. Alright, I lied. It was just coming on dusk, and there was a light drizzle, which is only to be expected in Washington. And not just anywhere in Washington, but only twenty minutes outside the town of Forks, the wettest place in the U.S.
The engine of my sleek bike purred as I covered the remaining miles faster than any normal person would. But then, I was not normal; I was a half-breed. And that was why I am here, on this stretch of road, quickly closing in on my mother's old home - the home where she met my father, and where my grandfather still lives. I was coming to Forks (well, returning to Forks, really), to experience life as a teenager.
You would think that I would have lived life as fully as possible, considering my life consists of vampires and werewolves. But I have been raised in that world; it is not unique to me, no longer exciting or, more importantly, interesting.
I love my family - my parents, aunts and uncles, my Jacob. But I need a challenge, something to occupy my intellect. I have reached my teen years and, apparently, my age for rebellion. Dartmouth is great, my family is great, but I have this need to escape, to experience life on my own. I have felt smothered lately and, although my family allows me anything I desire, I know this plan is not something to which they would agree. My freedom. Independence. Self-sufficiency. These are the things I desire, the things I crave.
Which brings me to this stretch of road, outside of Forks. I hurtled closer to my new home, for the next year at least. My goal: to live as a normal human teenager for one year and experience all the joys and sorrows of that life.
I did not tell my family what I was planning, where I was going. Lying to my parents was easy, easier than I ever thought it could be. Alice was a complication, but she has difficulty seeing me; I kept my exact plans vague, hoping that was enough to keep her from seeing my intent. Jacob … I did not tell him, did not so much as hint to him I was not satisfied with my life. Jacob is my best friend, the closest I could possibly have. My heart ached to know I had caused him pain, to know just how much anguish he would suffer when he discovers my escape. But this trip, this experiment really, is about me and my emotions. My control, my future. More than I need to experience human life, I need time to think, to determine what I want from Jake and what he expects from me.
I slowed as I entered the tiny town. Everything was so green, made so by the ever-present damp. Is this what my mother saw first, when she came to live with Charlie after Renee's marriage? Was this her first view of her new home? I felt connected to her, in an odd, spiritual way. I am close to my mother and have heard stories of her and my father's love - their trials and tribulations and glorious successes, from the day I was born.
Charlie's house came into view as I turned onto the street. I parked along the curb and walked, slower than I would normally, when I don't have to worry about humans watching from their living room windows, to the front door.
When it opened, Sue was standing in the light. She and Charlie had married a few years past, and she had moved in with him.
"Renesmee!" she exclaimed, startled to see me. I had not called ahead to prepare them. Because of Alice, this had to be as impulsive as possible, with minimal planning. "We weren't expecting to see you until Christmas. Is the rest of your family here too?" She scanned the front yard, attempting to appear casual. It would be dangerous for them to return so soon, merely five years after they had left, looking as if they had never aged.
"No, it's just me this time. Do you mind if I come in?"
"Of course." She held the door open further, allowing me to step out of the wet. "We're just sitting down to dinner. Join us?"
I hung my jacket in the hall and followed Sue to the kitchen. Charlie was at the stove, peering into a bubbling pot that smelled like tomato sauce. He turned as he heard us enter. "Nessie!"
He embraced me and I kissed his cheek. "We weren't expecting you. Are—"
"I'm alone," I interrupted. Sue had moved to the stove to plate the food, giving us space to talk. I laid my hand on Charlie's cheek and showed him my purpose, explaining without words. It took a few moments to run through all the necessary information, and when I was through he rocked back on his heels looking slightly shell-shocked.
"You want to stay with us?" he asked. "You want to go to high school? Most teens avoid school like the plague, you know."
I smiled. Jokes are good; they meant he's likely to let me stay. "I think I'd like the challenge of it."
Sue glanced over her shoulder, confused. "Challenge?" She, like Charlie, knew of my keen intellect and speedy development. The idea that small-town high school curriculum could provide a challenge is ridiculous.
"In a way." I said vaguely. High school would be challenging, just not academically. It would be a challenge for me to live a full year without my non-human talents. But Sue and Charlie don't necessarily know of these talents - that whole 'need to know' thing. So I left out this part of my explanation.
Sue and Charlie were looking at each other, speaking with their eyes in the way that married couples often do. Finally, Sue turned to me. "You can stay in Bella's old room. We've left it as it was, so you should have everything you need in there."
We sat down at the table to eat. Sue and Charlie kept up a running commentary on the people in town, things I will need for school, everything I would ever need to know about Forks and the people in it. I only paid partial attention to their discussion. Using my fork, I lifted a strand of limp spaghetti and examined it. "Gross" I muttered to myself.
"Do you not like spaghetti?" Charlie asked. He was watching me. I let the strand slither off my fork and flop back onto the plate. "We can go to the store and get you whatever you'd like to eat."
I doubt that, unless you can buy human blood at the grocery store; last time I checked, this was not the case. "This is fine. Thanks, though." Steeling myself, I forced a bite into my mouth and down my throat. I could feel it slither its way down. Ugh. This may be harder than I thought.
After dinner, I used Charlie's phone to call my parents. Edward answered at the first ring, as if he had been waiting for my call. Alice may have seen that much, or perhaps he had already sent out search parties for me, despite my letter.
"Charlie." I could hear the worry in his voice, though he was trying to disguise it.
"Hi Poppa."
"Nessie?" He sounded surprised; I guess Alice hadn't seen this, then. The line was silent for a second then. I knew he was evaluating the situation. If I was at Charlie's, I was safe - his worry swiftly changed to anger.
"Explain." He growled. He was furious.
I sighed. This was the difficult part, trying to explain to my parents, who had always given me everything, why I needed space. I swiftly ran through my options, debating how much to tell him.
"I need some time to think, Dad." I started. "I love you, and Momma, and everybody else, but I need time to myself to … to sort some things out.
"What things?"
How to verbalize it all? This would be so much easier if I could touch him, show him. But living as a human meant I had to do without that skill, hard as it may be. And wasn't that the point?
"My place," I started. "My … humanity, I guess. I want to live as a human, experience life as a human. Both you and Mom lived as a human, had human experiences before you were changed. I want … I need to explore that part of myself. Can you understand that?"
The line was silent again, for longer this time. Eventually I heard him sigh. "No, not really. I don't understand. Why didn't you tell your mother and I how you felt?"
"I know I should have, but … It was too difficult. This is something I need to sort out myself. I've felt like this for a while, but I didn't know what to do. My plan was a bit impulsive, I know. I'm sorry for worrying you."
He was silent again. Then, "If this is something you feel you need to do - I won't stop you."
Hope that this would work began to grow. "Thank you."
He was thinking now of the logistics. "It could be dangerous. The Volturi…"
"The pack is here."
"Hmm." He was still thinking. "I don't think that's enough. I'll send Jacob —"
"No!" I fairly shouted.
"No?" He knew something was up, that I hadn't told the full story. I wasn't going to explain this, though. It was too personal. Besides, I knew where Dad stands on the whole Jake issue.
"Please Dad. I'm fine here, with Charlie and the Pack. Just-"
"Just don't send Jake. Is that what you need to think about?"
I let my silence be my answer.
"I see." He sighed again. "All right. But be careful. I'll call Seth; he can be your touch-point with the pack."
"Sure-sure Dad."
I finished the conversation, talked briefly with my mother and hung up. Yes! I did a little shimmy dance to celebrate my success. Let my human life begin.
Author's note: This is the beginnings of a story idea I had. I'm not sure if it'll pan out, but it was worth a shot, right? Please review and let me know what you loved/hated, etc.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I do this for fun, not profit.