Chapter 5
Questions
The rest of Renee's visit went as well as could be expected. The whole family suffered through meal times on my behalf. We went out to eat with Charlie twice. Renee tried to team up with Charlie against me with 'twenty questions', but Charlie had my back. At one point during dinner, he asked me to leave the table so he could talk to Renee alone. I obliged, but of course my keen ears caught the whole conversation.
"Ease up on Bella, Renee." What I wouldn't give to be able to actually see her reaction to his words. "Now I'm not usually a good person to take parenting advice from. But I saw what Bella went through with that infection. I know you can't believe how much it's affected her, but it has. She's putting up a big front with you here right now so as not to upset you. So, just don't be so hard on her …please."
There was a long moment of silence while Renee processed everything that he said. "She's putting up a front, for me?" There was no answer, and then Charlie cleared his throat. Somehow I knew that was my cue to return. My stone body remained the most relaxed out of the three of us for the remainder of that meal.
There was a tearful goodbye at the airport. A little thought in the back of my head that told me I would never see my mother again. She wasn't like Charlie. She couldn't accept the small truths as he did without question. As her plane departed, a weight was lifted off my shoulders that had been there long before she had arrived. Our relationship had reached it pinnacle, and now there was closure. There was sadness in that thought, but relief as well.
When we returned home, Jacob and Nessie were there. I began to realize everything I had missed while entertaining my mother. Carlisle had been on the phone with all of our friends that stood with us against the Volturi. He had heard from Benjamin that our mystery guest had paid them a visit as well. They had a new addition to their coven; a newly turned vampire with a particular talent. Amun seemed to be a collector of strange gifts. Her name was Adeazziah, and she was a protector. She knew instantly when another person or vampire entered the area and what their purpose for being there was. Carlisle wasn't sure the radius her power affected, but described it as mental alarm bells once someone crossed that invisible line. Amun and Benjamin had been out hunting for a meal when they heard an alarming scream half a mile away. Curiosity led them to Adeazziah. She knew who they were immediately, and was of course, terrified. Amun, now intrigued, studied her. When they didn't kill her instantly, she told them about her gift. Amun changed her immediately. Our common visitor was not checking up on Amun's coven, he was searching out Adeazziah.
The mysterious vampire was very powerful. He had Alistair's ability, but with a broader range. He kept his distance once he discovered that Adeazziah belonged to a coven. It made perfect sense that a vampire with a knack for finding talented vampires would make their way to our home, where there were four vampires and one half-vampire possessed of powerful gifts. There was one question though, who sent him?
"I would have seen if the Volturi had sent him." Alice pleaded. "Out of all the things that I watch, the Volturi are highest on my priority list." No one seemed convinced. Why would a vampire travel across the world just to take inventory of talented vampires and their gifts? There had to be a purpose behind it.
"Well I for one and not going to worry about it right this instant." I declared. I wasn't going to go from one tense situation to the next without a break. I scooped up Renesmee and we flew outside. She locked her arms and legs around me and we were off, running through the forest. Renesmee giggled into my shoulder as her hair strung out behind her in the wind. Nothing held me back in that moment; not some cast or splint, or the need to act human. I was free to revel in the damp ground beneath my feet and the warmth of my daughter, clutched tightly to my back…until I caught his scent.
Edward caught up to us in record time. "Now is not a time when the two of you should be out here alone." Of course he was right, in my urgency to remove myself from the tense atmosphere I didn't stop to think about the danger that I was putting myself and Renesmee in.
"You're right, as usual." I sighed, smiling up at him. I shifted Renesmee so that she was now in my arms. Edward put his arm around my waist and we began a leisurely pace back to our cottage.
"There are other things that we need to discuss, Bella." From the smile on his face, I hoped that these things were much more pleasant then our discussion at the house.
"I found a house in Alaska. I thought maybe just you and I could drive up and have a look." At first I frowned over the thought of leaving Renesmee. He looked at me perplexed. I used the opportunity to focus on my shield. Physical training was only part of honing my skills. I continued to test the boundaries of my mental power. Closing my eyes, I envisioned my shield as an aura surrounding my body. It flexed and bent easily now with little concentration, pushing it out to envelope Renesmee and then pulling it back in. Forcing my shield away from me was still quite a challenge. I sat Renesmee down on the ground and wrapped my arms around Edward's waist, pulling him close to me. My mind struggled with my will to let go of its defenses. I could feel the weight of it leave me. It was an odd feeling; like standing naked on stage among a crowd of strangers. Edward chuckled. I thought of Renesmee, leaving her…again, imagining her three years older when we returned a few days later. "Really, Bella?" He questioned. My shield snapped back, firmly protecting my mind and mine alone once again. I released him and we began walking again.
"Of course I hate leaving, but don't you know what tomorrow is?" I tried to think of the date. Renee had come into town six days ago on the sixth of August. Tomorrow was the…thirteenth. Had it been a year already? I had it in my head that eternity lasted forever. I failed to see how time would pass so rapidly when you had forever. How could this day have snuck up on me?
"Penny for your thoughts?" Edward asked as we entered the cottage. Smiling my favorite smile.
"It just crept up on me. It's hard to believe it has already been a year since our wedding day. So much has happened: my change…Renesmee…the Volturi…Renee's visit…and now our visitor. Time went by so quickly."
"The last year has been very busy, especially given everything that was thrown upon us. I thought it would be nice to get away from it all. Rose and Emmett should be back tomorrow morning, so there will be plenty of people to watch over Renesmee."
"Aunt Rose is coming!" Renesmee interrupted running in from her room.
We laughed, "Yes, Nessie, Rose and Emmett will be back, and hopefully for a while this time." Edward told her. She squealed with delight. "See, Nessie will be just fine. Besides, I really want you to see the house. I am the only one who has seen it, and only in pictures. Usually Esme is the one that purchases all of our real estate, but I was looking for something in particular. I think that I found it." There was something in his far-away look that intrigued me.
"How long will it take to get there?"
"According to Map Quest, it would take about 50 hours, but that is using main roads and paying attention to speed limits. I think that we will be able to cut the time in half at the most. If we leave tomorrow morning, we will be there no later than early Monday."
"Just you and I?"
"That was my thought, but if you'd rather have company?" Edward seemed disappointed.
"No. There is no other person I would rather spend twenty four hours with crammed in a car then you." I teased, wrapping my arms around his neck pulling myself to my tip toes to kiss him. "Besides, do you really need to pay that much attention to the road? I can think of some ways to make time go by a little faster." I mused, tapping my finger lightly on his bottom lip. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer; molding me to his body. A wave of heat rushed through me and I felt as though my granite knees might falter.
"So, Mrs. Cullen, just what type of things would you be talking about?" He breathed into my hair. His voice was like sweet honey, tickling my skin.
"As much as I would like to continue with our…conversation, I also don't want to scar Renesmee for life. Later love, I promise." He growled in protest, but released me. We soon had the cottage back in order, the way things were before Renee came to visit.
Jacob was still sitting in the Cullen's living room, watching the game and eating pizza when we arrived. It was funny how he no longer seemed out of place here. Carlisle and Esme were upstairs in the office; Carlisle was on the phone while Esme rifled through some papers. Alice sat on the bottom stair and looked to be deep in concentration. Jasper sat beside her, her hands in his. Since everyone else seemed occupied, I took the opportunity to talk to Jacob about our impending move.
I plopped down next to him on the couch. He hardly glanced away from the TV screen to acknowledge my presence.
"Jake, we are heading to Alaska tomorrow. Edward found a house."
"That's nice." He answered robotically, not even taking his eyes off the game. I would never understand the interest that football held for most men.
"School starts in two weeks. We'll be taking Nessie with us."
"Uh huh." This was getting irritating. In a nano-second I retrieved the remote control from his hands, and turned off the TV.
"Excuse me! I was watching that!" He complained.
"You can watch it in just a few minutes. Did you hear a word I said? I said that we are taking Renesmee with us to Alaska in a week and a half."
"OK. So I guess I'll be packing my things for the trip. What's the big deal, Bella?"
"Are you OK with moving, leaving the packs, Billy, Sue? It's a big decision, Jacob."
"There never was a decision. I go where Nessie goes. No one will question my decision. Besides Alaska is a just a short run from here, right?"
"It's only a short run if you can walk on water. Its two thousand miles by land. Will you be able to communicate with the packs from that far?" He only shrugged in response.
"I guess I can check in on weekends if not."
"Edward enrolled you in some basic classes; only part time. You can choose to go to school or not. It's up to you. I will be going to classes during the day while Edward will be taking night classes. Your classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays only, so you will have an extended weekend."
"Sounds like you guys have everything set. I'll give college a try, but I'm not saying I'll make it through the semester." He paused. "So do I get a doghouse out back or what?" He snickered.
I rolled my eyes "Of course not…though I'm not sure exactly where you'll be staying. I know nothing about the property, which is why Edward and I will be heading up there tomorrow."
"Well, have a safe trip. Now can you turn the game back on?" I tossed the remote at him as I got up from the couch.
The rest of the night was spent in heated discussion over the meaning of our rouge vampire. Jasper suggested that someone might be putting together an army of vampires with unique offensive and defensive skills. The possibility seemed plausible, but why seek someone out without making contact with them. There were too many unknowns in the equation. Edward said that Jasper thought there might be another war brewing. Another territory dispute perhaps? If this war included armies of super vampires, things would be utterly unpredictable.
