Chapter 7: Who am I?
"Renesmee. You will not keep your room like this during your stay with us. In fact, I cannot see how you do not suffocate in such a pigsty. Clean. Your. Room."
I looked around my room. Honestly, it wasn't that bad! I mean the clothes were only ankle-high as compared to thigh-high a month ago. You could still see my unmade bed and my iDock alarm clock. My vanity had about six square inches of room so that I could do my homework, since my desk was heaped high with sixth-grade papers.
Edward made a disgusted noise, probably at my thoughts, and picked his way across the room. Too late, I saw where he was headed. "NO! NOT THE CLOSET!" I screamed. Too late.
Junk spilled out of the closet, knocking Edward down.
It was that bad.
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Three hours later, after I was finally done cleaning my room, I stumbled downstairs to see that it was already 11:00. Edward and Bella had left fifteen minutes ago, after helping me clean my room. I'd have been in there for the rest of the summer if it wasn't for them and their vampire speed. I was amazed to find out that my carpet was lime green. I'd forgotten what color it was.
I stumbled downstairs to see Emma, John and Jake sitting on the couch. It was apparent that they had been talking. Probably about me, due to the fact that they stopped talking as soon as I entered the room.
"Hi, Nessie." Jake said. "You didn't open your present from me yet."
I searched his face, and saw an uneasy, almost pleading look in his eyes. Emma looked devastated and John looked angry.
"Okay!" I said. I plopped down on the couch. "Bring it on!"
Jacob grinned and tossed me a small box. I already knew what was inside. Well, not exactly. I knew it was the thirteenth charm for my bracelet. When I had come to my foster parents, all I had was Jake, a backpack full of legal papers and money, and a small bracelet. A single charm, a glass heart, had hung from it. Every year, Jake added a charm to my bracelet. I ram my fingers over the charms. When I was two, I got an alphabet block. At three, a princess crown. Four: a firework, for when I got lost at the Fourth of July celebration that year. Five: a microphone, for when I loved to sing. Six: a teddy bear, just because it was cute. Seven: a book. I loved to read when I was seven. Eight: a surfboard, for our family trip to Hawaii with Jake. Nine: a shooting star. A week before my birthday, Jacob and I had gone outside and watched the stars. I saw a shooting star. I made a wish. I never told Jacob, but the wish was that I could feel that happy forever.
Ten: a clarinet. I started to play when I was ten. Eleven: a shopping bag. I began to love shopping when I was eleven. Twelve: an overflowing beaker, for when I won a science competition—and a cash prize. And thirteen… I peeled back the wrapping and looked inside the white box. A miniature piece of wood stared out at me. A wolf.
I laughed. "A wolf?"
"To symbolize the realization of everything around you. Vampires were too hard to carve."
I looked up in surprise. "You made this?"
"Of course I did, Nessie!"
"Wow! It's beautiful!" I said. I walked over to Jacob and held out the charm, then stuck out my wrist. I watched as he clasped it between the star and the heart.
"Jacob?" I asked. "Where did the bracelet come from?"
"Oh……..it was Edward's birthday present to you for your first birthday. He also gave you that charm." He pointed to the heart.
"You know, it's one of my most prized possessions right now."
"What are your others?"
"My new credit card that the Cullens gave me!" I sang.
Emma gasped. "Rachel, don't use it without their permission!'
"Don't worry, I won't." Even I wouldn't be that rude!
"Oh yes. Speaking of the Cullens…….." John said icily. "Nessie, tell me truly: Do you want to live with vampires?"
"Yes. No. Oh, I don't know!" I threw up my hands exasperatedly.
"Nessie, you could always stay with us. There will always be a place for you here. I know Maddie will be devastated if you leave." Emma said.
"I know she will. That's a factor in my decision." I said. I thought of my blond-haired stepsister, who loved and admired me beyond words. I secretly admired her, too. She was always so beautiful and popular, even as a fourth grader.
"Nessie…….just think about it tonight, 'kay?" Jake asked. "You have the rest of the summer to decide, but don't forget that we're going to Forks next week."
"'Kay." I said quietly. I slowly headed up the stairs to my room. I went to my suitcase, which I wouldn't have ever found until today, when I cleaned my room. I began to unload my clothes from their respective bags, removing the tags as I went. As I packed, I mulled over the decision looming in front of me.
I loved my foster parents, but if I stayed, I would go back to my regular, boring human life. And I had always fantasized over my real parents. At night, when I couldn't sleep, I wondered who they were, what they did, what they looked like. I'd come up with countless sets of fantasy parents, ranging from rich movie stars to poor beggars who couldn't afford me. But nothing as wild as my real biological parents. For one, all of my fantasy parents were human.
But I couldn't decide. Should I live with my foster parents and live my regular, boring, safe life where my parents were not resisting the urge to bite me and suck my blood every minute? Or should I live with my elusive biological vampire parents, giving up my safe, predictable life for one infinitely more dangerous? I began to get ready for bed, and I thought everything over. I couldn't decide. I guess that I would just have to wait and see.
