RISING SUN

Chapter 1

"Goodnight Jake," Momma smiled, and Daddy did too.

They were heading back to our house. She turned to look my way. "Are you coming soon, Nessie?"

"I just want to finish this book," I said absentmindedly, lost in the pages.

Jacob stood up and gave Momma a hug, then stretched and yawned. "I guess I'll head back to the Rez now. Gotta check on Dad." He looked at me expectantly.

His father lived on the Quileute Indian Reservation, in the small, red house Jacob had grown up in. Though Jacob's sister, Rachel, had moved back home briefly when she and Paul became an item, she moved out when they were married a year later. Jacob made sure to get by to see his dad regularly.

I stood up to get my hug from Jacob too. Even though I was taller than Momma, my forehead didn't even reach his shoulders. As I hugged his waist, he leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

"Night, Ness. I'll be back before lunch tomorrow."

Esme's eyes brightened, as she appeared in the doorway. "Come hungry. I want to try out some new recipes."

"You can count on me," he grinned.

Momma laughed and Daddy shook his head, smiling, as they called goodnight to the others in the house and headed out the door with Jacob.

After reading another chapter, I closed my book and decided to go back to the house where Momma, Daddy and I "lived." Though we spent most of our time in the main house with the rest of our family, we had our own house on the property, just as we had in Forks.

"I'm going to get some sleep," I said to Esme as I moved toward the door.

"Goodnight dear," she said, her eyes now fixed on her favorite cooking show.

Rather than run as I usually preferred, I walked, actually strolled, across the open spanse. The grass was low but not manicured. I didn't need to hurry and it was a beautiful, clear night.

The sound of voices carried through the air. The windows of our house were open and Momma and Daddy were talking. They had not yet heard my footsteps. It sounded like they were having…not exactly a disagreement, but more of an intense discussion. I froze, not wanting to intrude. Before I could turn around, I heard my name.

"Renesmee's growing up, Edward. She's taller than I am now, and nearly as strong."

"Yes, but we don't know if she is full-grown yet. I know Nahuel said it took about seven years for him, but it's not an exact science." He spoke matter-of-factly.

"Her growth has slowed dramatically the last few months," she countered.

"Bella, even if we do have a grasp on the physical, we don't know for sure about the other aspects."

I was still frozen in place. I knew I should not listen to their private conversation but I was hanging on their words. And, because it was about me, I felt a little bit justified in listening.

"We can read it in the thoughts she shares with us," Momma continued. "And you know better than all of us..." Her voice trailed off.

I could almost hear the grimace in Daddy's voice as he said, "You know I try not to invade her mind too much. Everyone deserves privacy, especially from their parents."

A warm feeling washed over me. I had never known he pointedly tried not to listen to my thoughts. It had never concerned me; I had nothing to hide. Of course he would be considerate in this way. He was one of the most considerate people I had ever met. He was so…so good.

"I know, Edward." Momma sighed. "I just think she may be ready to know."

Know? Know what?

If there was a chance before that I could have stopped eavesdropping and walked away, it was gone now.

"But if she knows, will she feel an obligation? She needs to have the freedom to make her own choice." He sounded so sure and serious.

I stood transfixed.

An obligation to what? A choice between what?

"I know how strongly you feel about her having a choice and I understand. It was the same with me and my choice," Momma continued reasoning with him. "But I knew what my options were."

He sighed. Perhaps she was breaking through his defenses. I wanted Momma to win. I wanted to know. I heard his step, just one, on the hard floor and could imagine him reaching out to wrap his arms around her.

"No, love. At least, not yet."

I knew he must feel very, very strongly about this. He almost always gave in to Momma. It looked like I would have to wait. But the mystery would drive me crazy in the meantime.

I turned quietly and crept back toward the main house. As I walked, I considered the choice that was before me. A choice that I could not define. Momma's choice had been whether to become a vampire or not. Of course, she had, so that she could be with Daddy forever. But that didn't make any sense in this situation. I already had all the advantages of being a vampire – immortality, strength, speed, inhumanly sharp senses. I was already both a vampire and a human, so my choice must be something different from what hers had been.

My thoughts turned to the other things that Momma had said. My growth did seem to be slowing. And I had noticed that my senses had become even more heightened recently, as had my strength and my speed. Did this mean I really was getting close to being full-grown? I was very nearly seven years old. To a normal human, this would still be childhood. But for a half-vampire, who grew at more than twice the rate of a normal human—it was the equivalent of being a 16-year-old.

In many ways, it seemed I was getting closer to being a vampire every day, though I knew that wasn't really the case. My heartbeat had slowed as I grew, but that was normal even for humans. And my temperature had cooled but only slightly. I used to be even warmer to the touch than Jacob and the rest of his werewolf family, but now I was about the same. I contemplated this further. In some ways I was more like Jacob and the other wolves than either vampires or normal humans. We both had heartbeats and could bleed. Though my skin was nearly impenetrable, it was not entirely so, but when it was cut, it healed quickly, like his. We were both human and something else, not or. Neither Jacob nor I was venomous, but we could still do serious damage with our teeth. And, we would both live forever, at least that was the theory, as long as he remained in close proximity to vampires, which seemed to be a given. He had always been around, and always would be. I had never questioned that.

I reached the house. Esme looked up from her seat questioningly as I walked back in the front door.

"Forgot my book," I mumbled, thankful that I had indeed forgotten it and had a convenient excuse. I didn't want to lie.

When I did return to our house later, Momma and Daddy were gone, to my great relief.

Though I didn't need a lot of sleep to function normally, and could go for many days without it if necessary, I did sleep a few hours every night. Part of being half-human I guess.

That night, my dreams were unsettling, which was a first for me. I had known little anxiety in my life and had never had a nightmare.

In my dream, Momma, Daddy, Jacob and I were walking through the forest, when we reached a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, Jacob turned and, without a word, started walking west. Momma and Daddy turned and started walking east. I called to them all, but no one seemed to hear me. They wouldn't stop walking. I had to make a choice. I didn't know what to do.

Is that my choice? I wondered as I woke with a start.

No.

It couldn't be.

It didn't make sense.