I smiled as I stepped out of my bedroom with Jacob behind me. I was dressed in some creation Rose had made for me. It turned out that designing was her thing, not only was she great at work with Alice and I now she was making clothes. It was black with little lavender glass beads embroidered into the fabric that was strapless and hit me mid thigh. It also was the only strapless I owned that I didn't constantly have to pull up. I guess when you get a dress made specifically for you it highlights your own personal style, flashed your best features, and fits like a glove. On my neck I wore my old silver chain with a wolf on it and my curls were loosely pulled behind my head. "I love that dress on you, it shows your shoulders perfectly." Jacob said kissing my cheek.
"Mommy, you look pretty." Hailey said coming from her room. She was now dressed in her part outfit, a jumper done in black and purple tartan and little mary jane shoes that matched the mary jane heels I would be wearing. "Oh no Hails you are totally the star of the show tonight." I smiled. "Did Rose make that for you?" I asked. It had Rose's design written all over it. She nodded and smiled. "Can I put on some of your lipsticks?" She asked. I turned and looked at Jacob. My breath was caught in my chest. He wore black jeans and a tight muscle shirt and a vintage looking leather vest cut for him. I had forgotten how breath taking he was.
Jacob winked at me and grinned. "Are you two going to do it like rabbits now?" Hailey asked. I snapped my head forward. "What, Embry said you two do it like rabbits. But I don't know what he meant. He just said when you two look at each other you do it like rabbits." She said in a hurried voice. I pulled down one of her curls and let it bounce back into place. "It's ok Hailey, that just means that Mommy and Daddy love each other. Now lets go get you some lipstick ok?" I offered her my hand. When we passed Jacob I raised my mother brow. According to Alice and Rose I was a hot mom, that seemed to be the general consensus, but I did have my fix it now face.
I led Hailey into the bathroom and picked her up to sit on the edge of the sink. "What color do you want?" I asked. "Is there a color that will make me look more like you?" She asked. I smiled, it was cute that Hailey surrounded by the most beautiful women I had ever known thought I was the best looking of them. "Why do you want that Hails?" I was still trying to et her to accept that she too was beautiful. "I hate how I look Mommy." "Why?" I asked cradling her small face in my hands. "The kids at school make fun of me and ask why I am not white." My brows shot into my hairline. "What?" I asked I could hear my voice making a couple octave jump. "All the older kids say I am half a nig.." "Hailey, that is a mean and hateful word you are never to repeat understand?" She nodded tears welling up in her eyes. "But am I?" She asked. I shook my head wrapping my arms around her. "No, you are half Native American. There is nothing to be ashamed of no matter what you are Hails. Understand? You are beautiful, smart, talented." I stopped and sighed. "How long has this been going on?" I asked. "Since school began. They saw you and started asking if Daddy was an you know? And I said no he is brown." Her little face scrunched up with tears.
"Well you know what you don't have to go to school there any more. First thing tomorrow I will take you there and withdraw you. We will find something that fits you, no more lessons you already know, no more kids making fun of you ever again Mommy promises." "Really Mommy?" she asked. I nodded and hugged her extra tight. "Could do you think Grandma teach me? That is my favorite, well besides the magic." I smiled. "Well I can certainly ask her. I can't imagine she would say no." I wiped the tears from her face and smiled. "Now about that lipstick, what do you say?" She smiled up at me and nodded. "Can I wear the one that smells like chocolate?" I nodded. That was Hailey's favorite perhaps because we had purchased it for her specifically though she didn't know it. I retrieved her lipstick and let her apply it herself.
I helped her down and smiled. "Why don't you go get your present and meet us back in the kitchen?" Hailey nodded and ran off. I stood up straight and frowned. There was no way that I would ever let my daughter feel like she was something dirty because of her skin color. Jacob came behind me and gave me a tight hug. "What is the matter Vand? You are wearing your angry face." Jacob kissed my cheek.
"Do you know what Hailey just told me?" I asked. He shook his head. "I was talking to the others about watching their mouths around Hails." He tapped his head. "She just asked me why she isn't white. Apparently kids at school have been making fun of her and the older ones have been telling her she is a nigger." I said my jaw line setting. "What?" Jacob roared. I nodded and took his face in my hands trying to calm him. I promised her that tomorrow I was taking her out of school and we would find something else for her. She wants Esme to teach her." I said. Jacob bit his lip. "Do you think she will?" he asked. "Well I can't picture her saying no, she loves teaching Hails. But even if she did I would teach her myself if I had to." I said. "You won't even consider the school here?" He asked. "Well she is years above her peers, maybe Esme could teach her and she could go for her activities like art and p.e. then she could be getting the school she needs and the friends she needs but she will never ever see the inside of another Seattle Prep classroom." Jacob smiled at me. "You are so cute when you get protective you know that? But cuteness of my wife aside I think that will be a good solution." He gave me a tight squeeze to where I couldn't breath.
"Daddy! Mommy! Are we going?" Hailey asked from the doorway. "Yeah we are coming." Jacob said back. He left me and scoped Hailey up. "I love you Hails you know that?" he asked. "I love you too Daddy. Even if you aren't white." She smiled. My face fell, she was trying to make him feel better, but the words were so hateful without her knowing it. "Hailey, you love Embry right? And Sam?" He asked. She nodded. "Well they aren't white either, you see the color of someone's skin doesn't mean they are better or worse then anyone else. No matter what those kids at your school say. You are special and no one can change that." He tweaked her nose. "You mean they are wrong?" she asked. "They are very wrong, I mean our whole family is made up of different types of people aren't they?" he asked. Hailey nodded. "Well aren't they all just as great wither they are white or brown?" She nodded and smiled as if she got the message.
I smiled and rested my head on Jacob's shoulder. "Besides of all the things that are wrong with Daddy, none of them are his skin color." I laughed. "Oh yeah, what is wrong with Daddy?" he asked. "Mommy says you track mud in the bed after you patrol." Hailey giggled. I laughed and Jacob kissed my cheek. "Ok lets go or we are going to be late." Jacob grinned. I nodded and started to walk to the closet to get my shoes while Jacob carried Hailey to the car to strap her into her seat.
We drove to the Cullen house listening to another of Hailey's cds. She danced in her child seat grinning up at us. Jacob parked behind Sam's car and we were indeed the last to arrive. We got out and walked up the drive way swinging Hailey between us. As soon as we hit the door Hailey ran to Emmett. "Em, Mommy said that one time she was as strong as you are." He laughed and picked her up. "Well she was at one time." "But you are the strongest man in the whole wide world." She said her eyes wide. "No he isn't, I am." Jasper said puffing his chest out. I shook my head and was enveloped by Bella. "Happy birthday!" She said. When she pulled away her face changed. "What's wrong?" She asked. I shook my head telling her not right now. She looked to Edward her brow raised. "That is cheating." I commented. Edward's face held shock. "They said what?" he asked. I simply nodded. Edward leaned in and told Bella. "What? That is ridiculous!" She gave me another tight squeeze and let me go. I was enveloped between my three sisters then. Edward apparently had told all of the Cullen clan of our plight.
Tears welled up in my eyes. "I just, we have spent Hailey's entire life teaching her love, vampire, wolf, witch, all of them and this is what she gets at school." Esme patted y back coming up from behind. "Don't worry Vander. I will teach her, Edward informed us of the problem and what Hailey wants and I will teach her. I am flattered." I smiled and opened my arms to include her into the hug. I heard a photo snap and smiled at the thought of the picture. I released them and turned around to find the next picture moment.
Jacob had he lens trained on Hailey being tossed back and forth between Jasper and Emmett over Embry's head. Hailey was giggling, Jasper and Emmett teasing Embry, and Embry furious. I laughed and started to greet everyone.
"You look amazing in that dress, happy birthday" Emily smiled at me. "Thanks, you look good to Emily." I smiled. "And sorry about Sam and the S-bomb." She apologized. "Well I taught her fuck so I can't be to mad." I replied. After so many supernatural hugs I felt like I might never breath the same again. Everyone seemed to have caught wind of our little problem but no one said more on the matter. Hailey, Clair, and Sam and Emily's son were already running around outside playing hide and seek. We all went to the kitchen and started to make plates of the food Esme had prepared. Being responsible for feeding the pack sometimes had thrilled Esme, she was getting to do all sorts of motherly things she had never hoped she would do.
"Mommy, mommy" Hailey ran inside followed by Sam junior. "What is it honey?" I asked bending down to be on level with the children. "It smells funny outside." She said. "What do you mean?" I asked. "The wind isn't moving out there Vandy." Sam said, he used my nick name being embarrassed to try the full thing. I went rigid. "Funny like when Mommy does the shield?" I asked. She nodded. I looked up and all of the adults in the room went stiff. Someone was doing magic around our house, and worse yet none of use had sensed it. "Everyone with none ass kicking powers upstairs." I said. My old room had been safeguarded for pretty much any attack we could have thrown at us. Emily nodded and started to gather the children.
I took off my heels and sat them beside me and rose. "Alright, lets go outside." I said making my way to the open sliding door. We filed out of the house me leading everyone. I strode to the middle of the yard. "Air, I command you bend to my will and be released." The wind whipped around us then settled to a gentle breeze. The vampires adopted low crouching positions and the wolves phased.
An almost translucent man stepped forward. "Vander Cullen, I am Aro and I come in peace." he gave a small bow. My hands lit up blazing with fire. "Why have the Volturi come to our territory?" Carlisle asked stepping forward. "We have come to take Vander Cullen with us to be a guard. Typically we would accept a no but someone of her caliber, can not be let go." He said as if it was the most sensible thing in the world. "It is Black now, you should really keep up with your intel Aro." I said tilting my head. "We have come in peace. Yet you offer violence." he gestured to the fire. "Lets see you brought a witch with you and there are more little vampires laying in wait for us out there. In peace? I done think so." I shook my head. "Do you remember what I told Felix? Well you are close to ruffling the hair on the heads of my family. You leave now and you can claim your lives still. Refuse and you will be first."
He simply bowed and Felix and three others stepped forward. "We did offer you peace." Felix said looking at me. "I am not a vampire." I said slowly as if I was speaking to someone who was not all there. "Well allow me to remedy that." Aro said. I blazed hotter and stepped forward. "You take a step and before your second foot hit the ground you will be dead." I growled. I could feel my family at my back moving closer to me. I raised my brow. "Last chance Aro go now." "I am afraid not Vander." He smiled at me and raised his hand. Suddenly I could not breath. That was bad, I couldn't break the spell without knowing where the witch was and the only other person who could possibly do it was locked in a room in the house.
I clawed at my neck my fire being snuffed out form lack of oxygen. I could hear voices far away from me. "Come a step closer and the witch dies." Aro warned. I felt my head slipping away from me in a foggy dream. Shout swirling around me. My world was fading fast to black and there was about to be the final nothingness surround me, one that I would not wake up from.
Suddenly my world was focused to a sharp familiar pain at my neck. I was allowed breath again but the damage was already done. My fast beating heart started to circulate the poison in my veins. I heard a window crash and Hailey jumped from the second floor window. Embry moved and landed on his side making her fall safe. "Mommy!" she yelled. She scrambled to her feet running toward me. "No!" I croaked. Still she ran to me. I raised my hand though it was painful and created a wind barrier to keep Hailey away. Aro and his guard took the opportunity to drag me away into the woods. My family started to fight against the barrier but it was no use. My last vision before blacking out was Jacob ramming the barrier.