When the Egyptians still hadn't come by Tuesday night, we decided to go ahead with our hunting trip. Daddy wanted Tanya and Eleazar to stay behind to be in charge while he was gone, and so Kate and Carmen came along with us, as well as Jacob and Garrett.
When I had first asked him to come, Garrett just laughed until he saw Kate watching him carefully.
"All right, short stuff," he said, tousling my hair. "Why not? I'll try anything once."
Around sunset, Momma took me back to the cottage and we changed into jeans and sneakers for the hunt. The other vampires were waiting outside when we came back out, and I could hear the familiar thumping of Jacob's paws coming closer. Garrett was just dropping down into a defensive crouch when I walked out the door.
"It's all right, it's just Jacob," Daddy said. Garrett stood back up, grimacing at the smell as Jacob ran up. I jumped off the porch and reached up for a hug. Jacob knelt down on his forepaws, nuzzling me with his big, furry face. I buried my hands in his fur, swinging myself up onto his back, and he began prancing around the front yard, bouncing me until I began to giggle hysterically.
Garrett slowly shook his head, watching us. "Now I've seen everything," he murmured.
We all took off running, with Carmen, Kate and Garrett splitting off toward the west after we hit the lower slopes of the mountains. Daddy stared at Jacob for a minute, and then with a nod, he and Momma headed off in the other direction to hunt alone.
Jacob wiggled his shoulder blades to make sure I was secure, and took off at a sprint. I screamed with delight, pulling on his ears to steer our run. After a few minutes, Jacob slowed down as we picked up the scent of a herd of elk. He lay down and I rolled off.
"You go ahead, Jacob. I'm not really thirsty." This was mostly true- I wasn't thirsty for elk, anyway.
Jacob walked around me, nosing my back and pushing me forward.
I sighed dramatically, just like Rosalie. "Oh, okay. On three?" Jacob grinned, his tongue rolling out to one side. He stamped the ground with one of his huge paws: one, two, three!
We both jumped forward. Jacob pulled down one of the males, and I got one of the smaller females. I drank as much as I could- I knew that eventually I wouldn't be allowed to have human blood anymore, so I might as well get used to it. It wasn't bad, really; it just wasn't good.
Jacob took a lot longer, since he was actually eating. I climbed up onto the elk I had killed, settling down to watch the stars while I waited. A couple miles away, I heard a couple of bears' angry roars, and then another roar that sounded an awful lot like Daddy. One of the bear's voices was suddenly silenced; he must have gotten that one. I wondered what bear blood tasted like. So far, I had tried elk, a couple other kinds of deer, mountain goat, and one time, coyote. Momma had killed that one for me. But Emmett and Rosalie both said that bear was the best, so maybe I would like that better.
I got my wish right away. There was a crashing sound coming toward us, and I heard the snuffling and grunting of the bear that must have gotten away. Jacob's ears perked up, and he left his kill, kneeling down for me to climb on. Instead, I poked my fingers down through his fur to touch his skin, showing him a picture of me tackling a huge bear. "Please?"
Jacob shook his big head, raising up one paw to tap the side of his head- his wolf sign for Daddy. I guess after getting in trouble yesterday, he didn't want to let me do something new that my parents might not like.
"Yeah, you're right," I sighed. "Let's go." But Jacob grinned again: he had an idea. He trotted over to a nearby tree, nodding his head up towards it. I climbed up easily, settling about halfway up to watch. He waited quietly until the bear found its way into the clearing, and he attacked, bringing it down to the forest floor with a big WHUMP. He watched the bear for a second to make sure it was dead, and then turned his head up to me expectantly.
"Thank you!" I called, jumping off my branch. I landed silently beside the bear, and Jacob stood watch while I rolled it over and had a taste.
Hmm, not bad!
While I was still drinking, Daddy and Momma strolled into the clearing. Momma's hair was messed up, and there was a little blood on her collar, but she had done pretty well.
I sat up as soon as I saw them. "I didn't kill it," I promised. "I climbed up in a tree and Jacob got it ready for me."
"I know," Daddy said cheerfully. "Not a bad idea, mutt. So what do you think of bear, Nessie?"
"Renesmee," Momma growled, poking him in the side. He poked her back and her scowl turned into a giggle as she poked him again.
"I like it," I said loudly, and they stopped to watch me finish. They seemed sort of proud- like they were watching a regular kid ride her bicycle for the first time. "I like it," I repeated when I was done. "It's way better than those icky deer."
"Good," Momma said with relief. This was the first time I had admitted to liking animal blood. She had been hoping I would find something I liked. "Now, since you're getting to be a big girl, would you like to help bury the animals?"
I began to dig. Jacob moved up beside me, his huge paws flying as he dug beside me. Pretty soon my elk and the bear were hidden, and Jacob went back to finish his meat. He was lucky because he didn't have to hide his dinner.
"Well, that was interesting," said a male voice. A second later, Garrett, Carmen and Kate were standing with us, as well. Garrett was licking his lips, looking slightly disgusted.
"It gets better," Kate promised.
"And wait until you try polar bear!" Carmen added. Garrett just made a face.
We were all about to leave when Daddy's cell phone rang. He put it up to his ear, and all the vampires tensed after a second. Daddy just said "okay" and snapped the phone shut.
"Amun's at the house," he said. "We've got to go, Jacob. I think it would be best if you sat this one out- he's going to be difficult enough to convince as it is without- what? No, I don't think that's a good idea. No."
Jacob let out a growly whine, but stayed put while the rest of us left. Momma scooped me up and flipped me up onto her back as she started to run.
When the house came into view, Daddy stopped running and stood still, listening for a moment. "It's not the kind of Arabic I was expecting," he said with a frown. "But I think I can get most of it." He paused for another few seconds, his eyes squinting with effort. "He's already upset. He still doesn't know what this is about, and he's anxious about the size of the gathering." Then his frown turned up at the corners. "But Carlisle was right- there are four of them."
"I think Renesmee and I should stay out here for now," Momma whispered back.
"I agree," he answered. "I'll call for you when it's time." He and the others ran on ahead and into the house.
I stood quietly so that Momma could hear what was going on. She stood like a statue for a couple of minutes, and then sighed in frustration. I heard the front door bang open and we saw four strangers file out, followed by Daddy, who was pleading with the male in front.
"Amun, please, listen to me! If you just look at her-"
"I don't want to look at her," the man growled. "This is an outrage- Carlisle had no right to get me involved! You're all going to burn for this! Let's go, Benjamin."
The other male bowed his head and followed, along with the two females. But with all the vampire scent in the area, they must not have known where Momma and I were standing, because they walked very close to us. The leaded- Amun- stopped in his tracks when he saw me, his face twisting in disgust and fear. He spun around and began to move in the other direction, followed by his coven. But the one called Benjamin stopped after a couple of steps, looking back at me curiously.
"What is that sound?" he asked. His voice was beautiful, and so young- he looked even younger than Daddy.
"Her heartbeat," Daddy said hopefully. "I'm telling you, she's not an immortal child."
"It's a trick," Amun spat. "When you give your final testimony before your execution, make sure you tell Aro that I had nothing to do with this. Benjamin! What are you doing?"
Benjamin was creeping closer to me, an enchanting smile spreading over his face. "Hello," he said timidly.
"Hello," I answered. Benjamin jumped back in surprise, but recovered himself and crept closer again.
"How old are you, little one?" he asked.
"Three months, and my name is Renesmee," I said in as old a voice as I could manage. "Would you like me to show you?" I reached out my hand. Momma put her arms on my shoulders and I could feel her tensing up, but she didn't pull me away.
Benjamin looked at my hand, and then back up at my face in confusion. "What do you mean, show me?"
"I have a special talent," I said, standing up as tall as I could stretch. "If you let me touch you, I can show you things with my mind. Then you will see that I'm not an immortal child."
Benjamin inched closer, but Amun flew over, restraining him. "Benjamin!" he hissed. "You will not let her touch you! Who knows what powers she might have? We're leaving!"
"In a minute," Benjamin said distractedly, gently taking Amun's hands off of his shoulders as he continued to stare at me. "I want to see her talent first."
"I forbid it!"
But Benjamin came and sat on the ground in front of me, nodding his permission. I stepped forward and put my hand on his face, showing him my life in fast-forward. His smile grew and grew as he watched. By the time I finished, Daddy was smiling too, and nodding to Momma; it looked like we had another witness.
Ignoring Amun's wordless sputtering, Benjamin turned and held out his hand to one of the women, who came and let me touch her, as well. She didn't speak, but she smiled at me with the same wonder as Benjamin had. The other woman looked curious as well, but as she began to inch forward, Amun whispered a single word in Arabic and she drew back to his side instantly.
After sharing a look with his mate, Benjamin stood up, squaring his shoulders as he faced Amun. "Tia and I are staying," he announced. "We're going to join the witnesses."
"This is madness!" Amun shrieked.
Benjamin's angelic smile remained. "If you would let her touch you, you would see."
"Of course I would see! Look at who her creator is!" Amun hissed, pointing an accusing finger at Daddy. "A mind reader, spawning a mind control talent! You're a fool, Benjamin!"
Benjamin's smile finally faded. "Very well. We will return to you after it's over."
Amun clenched his teeth. "Now just a minute-"
"Goodbye, Amun." Benjamin's jaw was set stubbornly, but I could see a twinkle in his eye. He turned to me and winked.
Was I missing something? What was so funny?
Daddy looked amused as well. He dropped his smile instantly when Amun turned to face him. "Of course, Amun," he said with a serious tone, "You are free to leave. We appreciate your coming to listen, but we understand."
"It may be some time before we return home," Benjamin said carelessly. "It might be interesting to travel for a while…" he looked back at Amun with just the slightest twist of a defiant smile.
Amun snarled as he looked back and forth between Benjamin and Daddy. "If you think I'm leaving my son here to be slaughtered, you're wrong," he said in a defeated voice. "Kebi and I will stay, for now. But keep that thing away from me," he added, pointing at me. I backed up and buried my face in Momma's shirt, and she held me with hands that were tight with anger. She stayed silent, though.
Amun stalked out into the woods, his mate following close behind.
"Wait," Daddy called, as he moved to follow them. "About the hunting…"
His voice trailed off as he disappeared into the woods, as well. I took my face out of Momma's shirt and smiled at Benjamin and Tia. "You tricked him," I said gleefully.
Benjamin winked at me again. "That's some talent," he said eagerly. "Can I see more?"
While I was showing him more pictures, some of the others came outside. Eleazar drew especially close and spent a long time staring at Benjamin with a look of awe on his face. After a while, Benjamin stood up and began to speak with the others. He seemed shy at first, but soon he was talking and laughing along with everyone else.
"Time to get ready for bed, Renesmee," Momma said finally.
"Okay. Can I say goodnight to my new friends?"
"Of course."
I ran over to Benjamin and Tia, tugging on both their arms. They both knelt down, and I briefly touched both of their faces, showing them an image of me, sleeping in my bed and holding my wolf puppy.
Tia smiled her bright red eyes widening. "You can sleep?"
I nodded, smiling back at her. Her voice was so pretty.
"Goodnight, Renesmee," Benjamin said in his musical voice. "It was very nice to meet you today."
"It was nice to meet you, too," I said politely. "Can I ask you a question?"
He nodded, and I leaned closer to whisper. "Eleazar was looking at you funny. Do you have a talent like me and Daddy?"
"I do," he whispered. "Although Amun doesn't like people to know about it. Can you keep a secret?"
"Okay," I whispered back.
Benjamin held his hands out together- it looked like when Daddy held his hands up to play the piano. But he wiggled his fingers like a magician, and the dirt on the ground between us began to swirl. He closed his eyes in concentration, moving his fingers around in the air at vampire speed. When he opened his eyes, he looked down and smiled, showing me the rose he had "sculpted" out of the dirt. He reached over to a nearby water puddle and "pulled" the water up into the air, wiggling his fingers again to make it rain on the rose. But instead of turning into mud, the rose opened and bloomed. He waved one of his hands again, and the rose melted back into the ground, becoming just another pile of dirt.
"Cool," I sighed.
"Renesmee!" Momma called. I waved to my new friends and ran back to Momma, jumped and landing on her back as I wrapped my arms around her neck.
"I like our new friends," I whispered as we ran. Then I frowned. "Benjamin and Tia, I mean. Amun is really grumpy."
"I think so, too," she answered. "But I think he's just grumpy about a lot of things. Anyway, it looks like he and his mate are going to keep their distance."
"Good. And I don't think he would like Jacob either," I said thoughtfully.
Momma snorted. "Probably not."
When I drifted off to sleep, I travelled through a dream garden. Benjamin waved his arms like a magician, making the flowers bloom and swirl around me as I danced.
.
.
I decided that after the emotional intensity of the last chapter, we needed a short & easygoing one. But there should be more fun with the Egyptians as we go on. Next up, Carlisle and co. return home!
NOTE (Jan. 2017): Sorry, I know I haven't updated this one in forever, but please keep it on your alerts. I do hope to get to all the witnesses eventually, including the Amazons and the Romanians. The story won't cover the confrontation with the Volturi, but I hope to have an epilogue set afterward so she can officially meet Nahuel and Huilen and be reunited with Alice and Jasper.
