EPOV Two months before prologue.
Christina Rossetti said 'Silence is more musical than any song.' She couldn't be more right, I thought, while I laid by myself in my meadow.
But here, I could find solace from the madness the Cullen's home in Forks had become.
Things really changed after our confrontation with the Volturi. The first six months, we still made rounds with the wolves; we were worried a few of the vampires who served as witnesses tried to stay in our land. All of them feed from humans, and they knew about our intentions to stay in Forks for a while and how it would be impossible if they ate our neighbors. Thankfully, the only ones who came to visit were Stefan and Vladimir. They wanted to be sure the Volturi were back in Italy before leaving our continent, but I was sure they were plotting something new against them.
Then, we had the changes in the Quileutte tribe. After those six months, the tribe had to make decisions about their future. Billy was adamant that Jake should remain as the Alpha, but the other elders were more inclined to Sam as the leader of the pack. Certainly, Jacob's attitude improved after he imprinted, but alas, he was still too immature and prone to make harsh decisions. So Jacob and Sam remained the leaders of the pack. This dissension made possible for Leah to be free from the pack.
Leah told us that when she was part of Jacob's pack she felt free. She wasn't burden with thoughts of Sam and Emily, or the pity of the other members of the pack. She was able to finally get over them. She also told the elders that she felt she complied with her duty to the tribe, and they agreed. So they released her from the bond with the pack. She decided to leave the reservation and finally get classes in college. Turned out she was very good at math and she wanted to become an engineer.
But that led to the second addition to the Cullen's household. Seth.
Seth never told us that his colleague pack members were bullying him since he decided to support us. He was so discreet about it that we didn't know. But Leah did. She told us that in their wolf form there were forbidden to bully him by Sam, but when they were in human form... Leah was afraid to leave him alone.
And that brought to my memory another big change. Charlie and Sue. They began to date seriously and moved in together, and the wedding was set to happen next weekend. But with Sue moving out of the reservation bringing Seth with her, he began to feel left out. Sue was a wonderful housewife but she wasn't so deeply involved and careful with her son. She didn't know how the pack treated Seth, and one day when they took it too far, Leah had a talk with her. It was sad, because Sue thought boys were used to play rough between them. That was the way of the tribe. It wasn't like Seth wasn't capable of healing instantly. So she missed the whole point.
Esme talked with Leah, and now they lived with my family. Sure, Seth is still going to school at the reservation, but now they have less chances to get to him.
The third and last addition was someone we considered already family. Tanya. Poor Tanya was so lonely. After the Volturi left, the Denali coven stayed with us for a while, they were grieving the loss of Irina. But even though they supported each other, in the end Carmen had Eleazar and Kate had Garret. Their mates were strong enough to help them heal. But Tanya was alone.
When the time came, and they left, Tanya had a talk with me. The first thing she told me was 'how the hell did I manage to stand being the fifth wheel for so long without going crazy?' Ha. Then she asked me if we would be uncomfortable if she stayed in the house. I told her we would be fine, her little crush on me died the day she saw me with Bella at the wedding. She knew I found true love, and she would never stand in the way. So we welcomed Tanya too.
The most interesting outcome was that Tanya and Leah somehow became best friends. Truly like sisters. Somehow they bonded and now they were inseparable. Incredible.
The quietness of the meadow finally relaxed me. No more hushed voices and dreadful thoughts about which clothes were proper to wear. No more concerns about the patients in Forks clinic.
Simply silence.
Until my daughter decided to come.
"Sorry Dad, I hate to sneak when you have your silent time." Renesmee was aware of how irritable I got when the voices and minds of the family became annoying.
"I'm always here for you, pumpkin." She blushed. She hated that nickname, but I hated more to call her Nessie.
"Ugh! I'm not a toddler Dad!"
"Technically, you are."
"Technically you're over a hundred years, and yet you outrun me, old man."
"Touché. So, I thought you were going shopping with your aunts."
"Nope. None of them are aware of the term 'age appropriate'. Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie still try to dress me in pink with bows and hearts."
I smiled, because it was true. Despite their fashion sense, they were afraid to look at Renesmee as an older girl, like the teenager she was now.
"And Esme, or Tanya?"
"Granny Esme is out helping Sue with the last-minute touches for the wedding. Aunt Tanya and Aunt Leah also went shopping, but you know what kind of clothes they like. I'm not ready to walk in five-inch heels."
Certainly. Tanya was a very sexual being, and Leah loved to live in the edge. They were the ones pushing my daughter to dress like a woman, the exact opposite of Alice and Rosalie.
"And your mother?" This troubled me, in any other day, Bella would be the one letting my daughter to pick the clothes she liked.
"She's emotional again."
"Show me."
Renesmee put her little hand in my face. She showed me how Bella waited until the others left the house and locked herself in our bedroom. She was sobbing, again. But she never wanted to tell me what was wrong. She even avoided Jasper.
"Why is Mom crying? I mean, five minutes later she's all happy again."
"I don't know. If she was still human, I would say it was caused by her hormones. Had you talked to Carlisle about this?"
"No, it would be embarrassing for her. She's very careful to hide it from everyone."
"Everyone except you."
"Or uncle Jasper."
We laid quiet on the grass. We were lost in our thoughts and worry about Bella.
"Dad, do you get bored in this town?"
"A lot."
She was restless and avoiding the subject she really wanted to touch. She was very crafty to turn around my mind reading gift.
"The last time I had fun was when that girl who was in high school with you came to the house. Jessica, right?"
Oh, that day was awesome. We led the people in town believe my parents left to visit us, when in reality Carlisle took Esme to Brazil for some 'alone time' while the rest of us stayed in the house; and Jessica was back from Spring Break. She brought her little cousin to help her to break into our house and steal something of mine. She was still sure if Bella never came into town I eventually would dated her. So I was the one who got away and she wanted some memento.
Between Renesmee, Jasper, Emmett and me, we scared her away. We made her believe the house was haunted by making noises and Jasper made her feel scared. My pumpkin and Emmett moved branches and got her car looking to the other side. She really was scared. No one had come ever again to the house.
"So are you telling you're bored pumpkin?"
"A little."
More silence.
"Grampy Carlisle is sure that my growth will keep slowing down, right? I won't wake up looking like a thirty year old woman."
"Nope. Nahuel told us so."
Again she was quiet, but I could see her forcing her thoughts to go in different directions.
"What's really troubling you?"
She bit her lip, just like her mother. "Well, you know how much I've changed lately." I nodded. "You know how I'm wearing a bra, and it's bigger that Mom's."
Ugh! Not exactly something I liked to find, but Bella told me about it.
"I don't feel comfortable with Jacob anymore."
"What? Did he do something to you?" That mongrel! Just when I was warming to him.
"No. It's just... I used to see him like a friend, but I knew we were 'imprinted'." She made air quotes. "And I knew somehow with time I would see him differently, but now I'm older and I still see him like a friend."
I tried to gather what she really wanted to say, maybe she was confused about her feelings.
"Well, maybe you need more time."
"No Dad! Mom told me how she felt so attracted to you, and Alice knew about Jasper. Don't let me start with Aunt Rosalie! They all said they felt a spark. Something that it felt different, but I felt a bit ... repulsed by Jacob. I can perceive the wet dog smell! And if we were fated to be together I shouldn't smell it or find it distasteful."
"Well, we all learned to live with the stench."
"And the last week, when we were hunting, he phased back to human and had lost his sneakers. His feet smell awful!"
"Sweetie, hmm, most of the young men of Jacob's age have smelly feet."
"I know but... I don't find anything pleasant in him anymore. Like yesterday, I was reading a history book from Uncle Jasper, and he told me it was a waste of time because it already happened, we couldn't change it. I told him it was good to know. We fought about it. Isn't he supposed to find everything I do interesting? Or should I leave all my interest and follow his lead blindly?"
This time, I didn't have an answer for her. But her comments about her relationship with Jacob were disheartening. Was this only a phase in her growth?
Hi!
I know I said I would post after I finished with 'Lets talk about Bree'. But this chapter was ready and the other story is almost finished so I though why not this one and post the next one of LTAB when I get home at night?
Tell me what you think about this one. Oh, and Renesmee looks like 14-15 years old by now, so yeah, there's a bit of teenage hormones in her attitude.
See ya.
May