Chapter Two

It wasn't even two months into living with my vampire family until something drastic happened. I figured I'd be safer here than anywhere, but I really did not want to put my family into any type of harm. And being here, where all my vampire family and my werewolf family happened to be -- well, it didn't make me comfortable.

"Lookie here, Nessie!" Alice shouted from halfway inside the door. "There's a letter for you! I wonder who it's from . . ." She studied it over before I grabbed it out of her hand.

"I wonder who could've known I was living here," I mumbled.

The letter was written on parchment paper, and it looked burned at the edges. Someone was obviously trying to make some sort of statement. The curlicue writing style on the front made me a little nervous that it was from a vampire . . . A vampire of higher status.

I opened it and read:

"'Dear Renesmee,

I know we've had some minor problems in the past, but I do hope you'll forgive me. I was only trying to do what was best for the entirety of our race. I have heard rumors that you are now fully grown, and in only ten years! Well, rumors are just rumors, but I have also heard that you've gotten married and also produced a child. I'd like to see just what exactly has become of you, so I think I shall visit sometime in the near future. Look forward to me!

With love,

Aro'

Great," I mumbled. "Just great. I hate rumors."

Alice looked over at me, her eyes a bit clouded. "But he's not bringing the entire pack this time. He doesn't want another reoccurrence of last year. He thinks that you really just got married to someone normal and wants to see the child. He's . . . intrigued."

"That's make me feel so much better," I replied sarcastically. "What exactly is he gonna say when he realizes that I've married a werewolf, or shapeshifter, or whatever. Then he's gonna find out that Camille is part vampire, part human, plus part shifter. And what happens if she decides to shapeshift into a werewolf, like the others? Or if her vampire side takes the most control? What happens then?"

Alice shook her head. "I can't see."

"Of course not." I clenched my fists in frustration.

Jacob came up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Calm down, Nessie. It'll be just fine. If he doesn't bring his whole pack, we know that he won't be able to fight us. We have so much backup and I'm sure he won't want to fight."

"Plus," Alice added happily, "Camille seems to be a relatively normal child. She doesn't smell like werewolf or vampire . . . or even human. She doesn't have any oddly pointed teeth like you do, and we won't know until she's much older if she can shapeshift."

I sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's stop making excuses as to why he wouldn't fight us. All we need, really, is to prepare just in case he wants to."

"What, are you planning to do what we did ten years ago?" Jacob asked a little surprised.

"No, no, nothing quite so drastic. I'm thinking more along the lines of having your werewolf friends on standby and having our vampire family on standby. I don't want Aro thinking that we're preparing for a fight; I just want to be ready."

Jasper walked up behind Alice. "Okay, Nessie, that doesn't sound too bad."

Alice nodded. "Aro will never know."

Over the course of time, we started preparing slowly. Alice knew that it would be a while before he would actually take the time to come down, and we took much advantage of that. I wasn't quite as drastic as my mother was, although she did start to tell me that calling on vampire backup would be a good idea, and decided that all we needed were what we already had.

It took a little over a year until Alice could see that the few Volturi coming down were preparing. Aro was bringing Alec and Jane, but no one else. My dad figured he just wanted to be on the safe side if he accidentally ran into unfriendly guests.

Camille was quite grown now, since a year happened to go by so quickly. She could walk and talk fluently and conversed with us daily about the happenings going on around our neighborhood. I told her the truth, mainly. There were smaller details that I left out, including what had happened with me years before.

I did tell her what she was and why the people were coming down, however. I told her to say nothing of being human, shapeshifter, and vampire.

The time finally came in the chilly last few days of October. Camille was still considered too young to attend school, so when Alice reiterated to us what she was seeing, Camille helped us prepare. It was a bit like an invitation to a party. We decorated the house and put out the nice plates and napkins. We always had food because the only two people in the house who ate were Camille and Jacob, although we knew that they wouldn't eat when they came down.

Camille followed me to and from the kitchen table, asking every few seconds if she could help out. "Mommy, wouldn't it be ironic if they came on the night of Halloween."

I stopped walking for a moment and thought it over. "I'd never thought of that. Yes, I suppose it would be pretty ironic."

Camille smiled. She was always happy when she said something that I agreed with. Her vocabulary had grown through listening to us talk in the living room and at the dining room table while she and Jacob ate. She was only about two, but she could speak to us as if she were an adult. I thought kindergarten would be pointless to put her in at this time.

I was done rearranging the house and setting the table and the rest of my family were working on making the outside look absolutely perfect. I stood for a moment and sighed slightly.

Camille looked at me quizzically. "What is it?"

I looked at her and smiled wryly. "Nothing important. Just thinking."

We walked toward the rest of the family in silence, awaiting the fated time.