Author's Note: Wow. You guys are amazing. I didn't expect so many reviews! This chapter isn't intense, but the next one will be much more. ;) I had to make a chapter to set everything up, and this one was it. As for last chapter, the first part was just a dream. It was not a flashback.

Rain splattered against the window in the only occupied room of the old cottage. Nessie pressed her hand against the glass. It wasn't raining earlier this morning when she had first woken up. She grimaced. That dream felt real. If only it had actually happened. She shook her head rapidly, as if that would shake out the remainder of thoughts of the dream. She didn't want her father snooping.

She rubbed her eyes before glancing at her alarm clock. Seven thirty. It didn't register in her head that classes started at eight until she was adjusted the straps of her emerald green bra. "School starts at eight…?" She pulled her eyebrows together, trying to figure it out. Her brain felt like mush. She pulled a sky-blue t-shirt with an extravagant design on it over her head and slipped a faded denim miniskirt over her thighs.

Her head hurt.

Maybe she could tell her parents she was sick. Her father would probably put her into quarantine or something. Maybe even give her to the hospital for a few days to make sure she hadn't caught some sort of disease. He was so over-protective. Of course, Carlisle had been a doctor. Nessie figured Carlisle would know if she was making it all up.

Were there any other options? Her brain wasn't responding. She buttoned up the skirt slowly before slipping into sparkly ballet flats. Her hair would just have to stay as it usually was – waist-length bronze curls cascading down her back.

She ran towards the Cullen's house reluctantly. She wanted to turn around and throw herself onto her springy mattress and sleep for an eternity. It sounded promising – nothing to wake her up from a sweet dream.

But maybe something good could come from going to school. Maybe she would learn something. Maybe she would find someone to distract her from Jacob. The Cullen's house was in clear view by this point, and she sprinted over.

The smell of eggs wafted into her sensitive nostrils. She cringed. Who was making breakfast? Why were they making breakfast? She had just hunted last night. She wasn't hungry. And the only time they ever made breakfast was when Jacob was over.

Wait.

Jacob was over?

She heard her heart beating unevenly, quickly. The whole dream had come rushing back to her in fragments. She wanted to curse. Loudly. She heard a snort from the kitchen. What if that was Edward… laughing at her? No, he was more likely to be chastising her. She could imagine it easily. He would start by saying her full name – "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, you are far too young to be thinking of such things" – even though he was probably thinking the same thing when he was her maturity. Not her age necessarily…

She hadn't realize she had glued herself to the floor until her name was called from the kitchen. "Nessie, you should come in. We have to talk about something." It was her father's voice. No – he was going to scold her. She felt blood rush to her cheeks.

"Dad, that's not fair" – she started, moving her legs quickly, as if walking fast would allow her to pass up this 'talk'.

"It's not about that." He grinned when she walked in. He was frying up an extra serving of eggs. She refused to let her gaze linger to the dining table in the other room. She refused to look anywhere but into her father's golden eyes. "It's about school."

She nodded. "Right, of course. I knew that! I was just saying how it wasn't fair that I – uh – have to go to school. Yeah." She cringed inwardly. She hoped there was a class that could teach her to be a better liar. And it was unfair when she couldn't even hide her mind from him.

He laughed. "You don't have to go to school, Nessie. It was your choice," he pointed out. Nessie folded her arms. "You need to learn to live with the consequences of your actions."

"I don't need to be taught a lesson right now, Dad," she responded curtly. "Can you please just cut to the chase?" Her patience was slipping away from her rapidly. "I don't have time for this!"

"Fine," Edward said, turning off the burner and putting the eggs onto a large plate. "You're going to introduce yourself as my niece" –

Nessie's attention was elsewhere. She had heard the footsteps moments before they had reached the doorway of the kitchen. She noticed his height first, as usual. And then her eyes drifted downwards to his face, where he was looking just as handsome as he had last time she saw him. And he was wearing a cotton gray shirt…

She felt herself blush. He was wearing the same thing he had been wearing in her dream. She wanted to turn away, but it would seem far too suspicious. "Hi Jake," she squeaked. What was wrong with her? Her throat tightened and refused to let her say anything else.

"Hey Nessie! I heard you're starting school today," he nodded with a playful grin. A playful grin. What did that mean? Did that mean 'sucks for you, you're going to school' or 'you look good'? Why was she obsessing over these things right now? Her hands were balled into fists and she was squeezing them together with the utmost amount of pressure…

Cool down, Nessie, she told herself just as Edward growled. Why was her father growling? She shot him a questionable look. "Cool down, Dad," she said. I'm just talking to him. Leave me alone, okay? "Yeah, I am. I'm going to be late, too."

Her feet remained in the same position as if she hadn't any intention to try to make it to school on time. Jacob laughed. She liked his laugh.

Wait… why wasn't she moving if she was going to be late? She must have sounded stupid. Not just stupid, but really, really stupid. She winced. When did she start acting like this around Jacob, anyway? He had just been a really good friend a few months ago. Now he was a really hot friend.

She felt a tingling sensation in her chest as she went over the last few thoughts in her head. And then she remembered she had an invader in her head. "I have to go. Dad, can you drive me…?"

Shit. Why was she asking her dad to drive her? He could read her thoughts throughout the whole entire car ride, so she'd probably have to think of something like unicorns and butterflies.

"I think your mom wanted to do it." He finished a bit nervously, as if he didn't want to be in the same car as Nessie. It occurred to Nessie that maybe he didn't enjoy hearing her thoughts just as much as she didn't.

"Right." Nessie nodded.

"I could drive you," Jacob offered, running a hand through his unkempt black hair. "I don't have anything else to do" –

"No!" Edward and Nessie exclaimed. Nessie covered her mouth quickly, her cheeks turning bright red. I'm not obvious at all, she thought sarcastically. "Bella really wanted to drive her," Edward explained. Jacob looked puzzled, with his eyebrows knotted together and his teeth biting his lower lip.

"Yeah. It's this whole mother-daughter bonding moment, you know?" Nessie added. She should really learn to think about what she was going to say. She sounded utterly dumb right now. Maybe she would end up failing all of her classes. With the way she was going this morning, she wouldn't be all that surprised if it ended up happening.

As if on cue, Bella appeared in the kitchen with the keys to her Ferrari jingling in her pale hand. "Ready to go?" she asked, saving Nessie from any more awkward moments with Jacob and Edward. "You're going to be late."

"I know," Nessie shrugged. She picked up her backpack from the floor before she followed her mother to the garage, feeling both Jacob and Edward's eyes on her back. She hoped Jacob would look at other places on her backside besides her obvious back, but with Edward in the room it probably wouldn't be safe. Why couldn't her father just leave her alone once in a while? "Isn't the Ferrari going to cause a lot of attention?" Nessie asked quietly as she got into the passenger's seat.

Bella responded with a sorry smile. "Edward hid the other keys. Sorry," she apologized.

Nessie's breath caught as the high school came into view. And everyone was staring right back at her.

"Remember, Nessie, you are Edward's much older brother's daughter whose parents got into a car crash, and Edward and I adopted you. Got it?"

"Yeah. I'm Dad – er – Edward's niece," Nessie responded as she parked. "I got it. See you later." She hopped out of the seat quickly and swung open the door. She slammed it on accident, and then walked to the front office.

She could feel the eyes of every student poring into her. It was uncomfortable. She pulled her class schedule out of her backpack and examined it. Her first class was history. Nessie swallowed, hoping that something would just pop out of the earth and whisk her away from here.

"Okay, face your fears," she mumbled to herself and started toward her classroom.