I had made it through the clearing of the woods before I stopped to take in the amazing sight. Our backyard was covered with a dozen pink and white Chinese lanterns. Pink Christmas lights wrapped every tree. My grandmother Esme had done a great job of refinishing an old Victorian mansion. She had updated the backyard by putting in a pool and a pool house. She had really put the pool house up for Jacob so that he would be as comfortable as possible living with a bunch of vampires. My room was all the way in the attic that she had redone. My favorite spot was the window seat that she put in. It over looked the pool.

"Wow. You'd think I'd be use to Alice's parties by now," Jacob said as he reached me.

"Yeah I know," I sighed.

"Well, I'll see you in a few," he called as he walked over to the pool house.

"Okay."

I walked inside the house to hear most of the family in the kitchen. I assumed they were still doing last minute preparations for my birthday party. I ran up the flight of stairs into my room. I had to say that I was pretty spoiled. I had never had wanted for anything. My uncles Emmet and Jasper had gotten me a flat screen TV for my fifteenth birthday a few months back. My father and mother put in a stereo system few months before that for my 14th birthday.

As I slipped off of my shoes I noticed a dress hanging in my closet. It was a shimmery pink babydoll dress. I slipped it on and looked at my self in the mirror. I noticed my chest… finally boobs. I laughed as I remembered that most girls have to wait a lot longer than me for those and it was kinda ridiculous for me to be so impatient. I couldn't help but noticed that I did look older. I was beginning to look like an adult. I spun myself around in the mirror and checked myself out. Not to bad, I thought.

There was a small tap on the door.

"Yes?" I called.

The door opened as my father and mother walked in.

My mother sighed as she helped me put on my locket around my neck.

"You look beautiful," she said, "Alice picked out the perfect dress."

"Thanks."

"So are you excited about tomorrow?" my father said with a big grin on his face.

"Yes! I really want to make friends with normal people, you know. Have a normal human friend. Emmet was telling me how funny they are."

My mom laughed, "Yes, well remember that you need to be careful around them. They are more breakable and also no showing off. I see how you are with Jacob. Your father has apparently been rubbing off on you."

The new story that were using was a little more complex than the last one used due to the addition of family members. Emmet, Alice and my mom Bella were siblings (the dark hair) still going by as Cullen. My father and I were brother and sister that were adopted later. We were going by Mason. Then Jasper and Rosalie Hale joined the family. We didn't know how to fit Jacob in the picture, so he is going as an emancipated minor that Dr. Cullen took in. This time though we were going to a large high school where there were too many kids to follow who belongs to who. No more small towns for us.

I sat on my bed as I watched my father tinker with the locks on the window. Every time he came in he was always checking how secure they were. I raised my eyebrow at him as my mom noticed and sat down next to me. She smiled as she shrugged her shoulders.

"So you are not bothered about attending your first day of high school with your parents are you? Not weirded out?" My father asked.

I took my mom's hand and held on. She looked at me with knowing eyes.

"No dad, no weirdness." Yes it was weird! It was even weirder going to school with your aunts and uncles. What if I get asked out? My dad is going to know what they are thinking! This conflicted with my plans on going to homecoming. I was so excited about the trivial human rites of passage; I was determined to do every one of them. But I knew that there was no way to avoid it. If we were going to stay in one place as long as we could we all had to pretend that we were young.

Over the years my power had grew forming into a power that no one saw coming. I could steal powers. I just had to be touching them. This was helpful when there were things that I didn't want my dad to know I could just hold on to my mom or if there was something Alice was hiding I'd grab my dad. It was useful when I got in trouble for sneaking out to hang out with Jacob. Luckily Jasper was right there and I was able to calm my dad down. I didn't fully steal the power, it would just be like a faint whisper to them and the second I let go it would flood right back into them.

My dad raised his eyebrow at me. I was starting to notice that most of my facial expressions were a lot like his.

"Well we will try and make it as less weird as possible," He said as he kissed me on the forehead.

"We wanted to come up and give you your birthday gift early before the party," Mom said as she looked up at my dad, "You will be able to use it tomorrow for school."

"Really? What is it?" I asked.

"Just a typical sweet sixteen birthday gift," he said with a huge smile on his face.

My father handed me a black velvet box. He was smiling pretty big, like he was dying to give me the gift.

"Open it," he said.

I quickly opened the box to see a car key with a ribbon.

"Thanks dad!" I said. I could cared less about what type of car it was but the fact that I didn't have to ride with them to my first day of school was a present enough.

"Go on, check it out. It's in the garage."

"I'm sure I'll love it. Thank you so much," I said as I gave them both hugs and walked downstairs to make my way to the garage. They were following behind me. I started to worry that my dad had gotten a little carried away and got me some outrageous sports car. I wanted to blend in with people from my school, not stand out. I heard my father sigh behind me.

"I told you honey," my mom said to my father.

As I got to the garage there was a white convertible car with a big red bow.

"It's a C70 Volvo," my father said, "it's a hard top convertible."

"Thanks mom and dad. Its great."

It was defiantly on the showy side but I think I could blend in alright at school.

"I should have asked Jacob to join us. At least someone would be a little more enthusiastic."

I laughed, "No really dad, I love it!"

I gave them both hugs.

"Well we should head out in the back and get this party started," my mom called as she put her arm around me.

I pierced my lips together, ugh another birthday party.

"Don't worry," my mom whispered in my ear, "soon we will be celebrating your birthday just once a year."