February 6, 2012
Wow, what an adventure! I returned from an amazing month in Italy to find two hours' worth of edits lining the margins of this chapter. Needless to say, this chapter is in a much more detailed and cohesive state than it was in its first run last year!
As always, enjoy the read, and please review or feel free to recommend my story to your friends!
Blessings,
evelyn-shaye
Special thanks to my permanent beta, Nikki Halen, and my second-run PTB beta, Edwardsfavoritebrunette. You ladies shaped this chapter into a perfect vision!
Chapter Eight: New Day
After the two crucial conversations that had taken place on my bed last night, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect the next morning. My stomach knotted in anticipation, even as the hot shower water nearly scalded me and pounded some tension out of my shoulders.
Would Jacob act any differently today? Would my parents? I sincerely hoped that Momma hadn't told Daddy, or had at least reassured him that Jacob and I planned to take things slowly.
When I finally stepped out of the bathroom, I fussed a bit over my clothes and hair and consequently wanted to slap myself. This is ridiculous, the voice in my head scolded. Jacob would love you if you were wearing blue jeans and a ratty T-shirt, covered in mud!
The mental image made me laugh. I could remember a time that Jacob came over to take me hunting, but when it started to rain, we made puddles in the yard instead. Rosalie threw a fit over that one and refused to let Jacob in the house until he had a proper shower: "I won't have that dog tracking his muddy paws through Esme's living room!"
I sighed. I never appreciated the way Aunt Rosalie treated my Jacob.
After a quick glance through my closet, I decided on a sky blue sundress with Rainbow flip flops, my damp hair falling in a mass of curls down my back. It wasn't my best look, but I felt cute, like someone Jacob would be attracted to.
I bounded down the stairs, suddenly eager to see my best friend. Grandmother glanced up as I made my entrance.
"Ah, good morning, Renesmee," she greeted cheerfully. She slipped on her oven mitts and reached for a tray from our stainless steel ovens. "Cinnamon roll? I made the dough from scratch." Her beautiful face showed a quick flash of concern, but she focused her attention on scooping the rolls onto a serving plate to hide her uncertainty.
As if her baking wouldn't be perfection!
I gave her a reassuring smile and gladly grabbed a soft, gooey roll, proceeding to stuff the whole thing in my mouth. "Om nom nom," I moaned around the sweet bread melting in my mouth. "Thish ish da stuff, Grahmovver." I raised a free fist to my mouth to cover any stray piece of roll that threatened to escape.
"Sounds like someone's excited about breakfast," Jake teased, coming around the corner to join us.
I swallowed my roll in one quick gulp. "Jake!" I exclaimed happily.
Jacob smiled warmly and kissed my forehead. "Hey there, Nessie," he greeted. He glanced up at Grandmother. "Good morning, Esme. Can I help you with anything?"
"Absolutely not!" Her voice sounded shocked, but she beamed at him, anyway. "You two have a seat and let me take care of you."
Jake and I settled contentedly into our bar stools and reached for the cinnamon rolls, brushing fingertips in the process. I blushed, enjoying the lovely tingling feeling that his touch evoked. Even the slightest of gestures was enough to send my heart thrumming.
From the loving expression on Jake's face as I met his gaze, I guessed that he didn't mind, either.
I ate my second cinnamon roll in smaller pieces, taking the leisurely pace to reminisce and ponder everything that he and Momma had told me last night. The moment was broken when I nearly choked as I saw Jake inhale three rolls before I had even finished my one. I stared at him with wide eyes. He noticed my gaping and protested, "What?"
I burst out laughing. "That…was…the craziest…thing…I've ever seen!" Even after growing up with a bunch of teen wolves and having a front row seat to their antics, I had to hold my sides, I was laughing so hard. Next to the stove, Grandmother giggled quietly.
Jake raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Someone is slaphappy," he accused. "How late were you up last night?"
I hesitated to answer, unsure of what Jake absolutely needed to know from my conversation with Momma, but her beautiful voice graciously intervened. "I'm afraid that would be my fault, Jacob," Momma said as she stepped into the kitchen. "I woke Renesmee up early this morning to discuss a few things." She looked at him meaningfully.
Jake's shoulders hunched slightly. "What kind of things?" he tried to ask casually.
Momma laughed. "Don't worry, Jacob. You're not in any sort of trouble," she assured him. "I just had a few questions for Nessie, which she answered quite willingly and honestly. No harm done."
I nodded for good measure, feeling enormously relieved. If Momma felt that she could be transparent with Jacob, then I had nothing to hide, either.
Jacob relaxed. No doubt, he had been worrying about the same things that had bothered me when I awoke for the second time this morning.
I turned my attention to Momma. Have you told Daddy? I asked silently. I prayed that Momma had her shield up so that Daddy couldn't eavesdrop with his gift.
Momma's eye twitched. "Well…you know that I've been working on releasing my shield for extended periods of time…" She sounded nervous. "And, well, he caught a glimpse of my thoughts as they drifted that direction, and he was already concerned about your crying last night.…"
I groaned. "How bad?"
Momma shrugged, but her attempt at nonchalance failed. "He wants to have a talk with you after school today," she admitted.
"Great," I muttered sarcastically. "Relationship talk with Daddy." Just the idea made my insides squirm. Jacob apparently drew the same conclusion, because he seemed to have lost his appetite and was staring blankly at the food in front of him.
Momma patted my arm. "It'll be fine," she promised me.
Grandmother nodded. "Edward may be stubborn and overprotective, but he's sensitive to those he loves the most, and you definitely fall under that category." She smiled.
I wasn't so sure. Daddy could read my thoughts even if I didn't want to tell him. And what about Jacob?
Momma picked up on my hesitation. "I'm perfectly willing to shield you, if you'd like," she offered. "I can stay in the house while you and your dad talk in the woods. That way, you can share with Edward only what you want to, and none of us will be able to hear your conversation."
My face lifted in hope. "Your shield can stretch far enough that you won't hear us?" I asked, my voice surprised at this revelation. I had always assumed that there was a short distance limit to her shield.
She frowned at me. "Nessie, dear, I know you don't like being reminded of the Volturi attack, but how you could possibly doubt my abilities after such a—"
"Right, I get it, Momma," I interrupted. Even though she had saved us all, I didn't want to think of Momma's near death for my sake. A lump rose in my throat. "Sorry."
Momma's face softened. "Don't even think of it," she told me.
"Should Nessie be worried at all?" Jacob asked, his voice tight. Clearly, he wasn't convinced.
She sighed. "You never know with my husband."
When Jake frowned, Grandmother placed a cinnamon roll on his plate and smiled reassuringly. "Everything will be all right."
I reached over and ran my thumb gently over Jake's palm. I'll be fine, Jake, I promised silently, showing him images of Momma's smile and my increasing confidence. I know how to handle Daddy.
Jacob smiled cautiously, not entirely believing, but closer than he was before. Perhaps more for his sake than mine, he tightened his fingers around my hand and lifted it to his lips for a light kiss.
My hand tingled where he kissed me. When Jacob released it to eat his cinnamon roll, I cradled it in my other hand and stared at it with wonder. How often had Jacob shown such signs of affection that hadn't affected me this way in the least before? Now, even the smallest gesture was enough to set my heart soaring.
Suddenly, I was glad he hadn't kissed me yet. Could vampire hybrids spontaneously combust?
We sat in comfortable silence. I was happy that my relationship with Jake was progressing slowly and naturally, like—well, I was about to say like human growth, but neither Jacob nor I would know much about that. Our relationship was just right, the way it was supposed to be.
That Jacob loved me was now clearly evident. He had told me so himself, and I was beginning to recognize the subtleties. He angled his chair toward me so he could better see me and touch his knees lightly with mine. Whenever I met his gaze, his eyes sparkled. He had a soft but constant smile—his lips turned up at the corners as if he were trying hard not to smile but couldn't help it. And if I smiled at him, he had no choice but to beam in return.
I suddenly realized that we were like my parents in that regard. The two of them reacted to each other instinctually; there was no hesitation to make even the slightest shift to compensate for the other's movement.
Jake and I were like…magnets.
All too soon, it was time for school. I wished that Jacob could ride with us, but it was only the second day, and we were still pretending to be virtual strangers. I sighed dramatically as he hugged me good-bye. Jake would be in all of my classes like he was yesterday—bless Grandfather for making the necessary arrangements without drawing attention to us—but so would Daddy. I did not want to know how he would react to my conversation with Jacob last night.
Jake chuckled as I passed my thoughts to him. "Don't worry, Ness. I believe Bella, and we'll see each other in no time," he reminded me.
I smiled and reached up to lightly kiss his cheek. He seemed more relaxed about the situation than he had at breakfast, and I was glad to see him happy. "See ya then."
He kissed my forehead, as he did more often now.
I allowed myself one final glance at my best friend before climbing into the car with Momma and Daddy. I tried not to look in the rearview mirror, but I couldn't avoid Daddy's probing eyes for long. When I finally met his gaze, I saw that he was frowning.
"Renesmee Carlie Cullen," he said quietly, almost menacingly.
I started to tense but relaxed when I felt Momma's shield envelope me protectively. "Edward, honey, whatever you have to say, Nessie shouldn't have to go through an entire school day thinking about it," she interjected soothingly. She smiled at me. "This can wait until after school—"
"So she can ride home with Jacob and postpone this conversation even longer?" Daddy countered.
Momma bit her lip. "It's not even a problem," she attempted again. "Nessie and I talked this morning, and I can assure you that she's being very responsible."
"When you and I were dating, you had a different definition of responsible than I did, in case you've forgotten," Daddy retorted. His voice held a tint of amusement. "If you're going to have a lapse in control, I can think of a better place for it," he quoted in Momma's bell-like voice. "Let me be in charge of responsibility for a few minutes…or hours."
Momma winced with embarrassment. I had to admit that Daddy sounded pretty convincing, but I didn't think that Momma was that hormonal as a teenager. "You have a good memory," she finally admitted.
Daddy grinned smugly. "I'm a vampire. It's not my fault that that memory is particularly clouded for you."
I laid my hand on her arm, happy that, for once, Daddy wouldn't be able to see what I showed her. You couldn't have known that you were giving him ammunition against me, I reassured her. She smiled. But…after what you told me last night, I thought that you two never pushed each other physically.
Momma sighed. "Things changed the longer we were together," she murmured. We were both keenly aware that Daddy was listening closely to her side of the conversation. "I was convinced that, if Edward hadn't killed me yet, he wasn't about to. I wanted as much of him as I could possibly get before I became a bloodthirsty newborn, so I pushed a bit toward the end of my human life."
She flashed a dazzling smile at her husband. "And I won eventually!" she said triumphantly. "You are living proof that I made Edward Anthony Masen Cullen cave to his passions."
"Ah!" I cried, shoving my hands over my ears. "TMI, TMI!" Did I want a reminder of the sex ed lesson Daddy had given me last year? Or even worse, the awkward explanations that I had endured as a child when I heard "funny noises" down the hall? I loved my parents, but…gross!
Both of them laughed at the disgusted expression on my face. "Don't be in any rush to change your perspective on sex," Daddy instructed jokingly.
"Not a problem," I muttered. I was glad that Momma still had her shield wrapped protectively around my mind, because my mind was beginning to travel that direction. It had been about a year since I reached the biological age that most humans went through puberty, but this incident with Jake was the first time that my body seemed to respond on more than just an emotional level. I was feeling stirrings for him that I didn't quite understand. From the myriad experiences I had with my overly passionate family, I assumed that this physical reaction was normal, but I had no personal grounds for comparison.
I decided to let it go. At the moment, Jacob and I hadn't defined a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship for ourselves, and he was still very much my best friend. The rest would follow.
I hadn't even realized that the car was stopped, but when I looked out the window, I saw masses of tasty-looking humans making their way toward the high school entrance. A number of them stopped to admire our entourage, but the novelty had worn off fast. The majority of them continued on their way without a second glance. Relief and annoyance at their reactions warred within me.
I climbed out of the car, and to my surprise, was immediately greeted by a human girl.
"Hey! You're Renee, right? The new girl." It was one of the girls from my algebra class, Tamara, if I remembered correctly. I sifted through my memories and found her short brown curls and blue-green eyes in my biology class, as well.
In only a human second, I smiled and replied, "It's Renesmee, actually." I shook her hand quickly in hopes that she wouldn't notice my abnormal temperature.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Re-Renesmee." She stumbled through my name. "It's a beautiful name, but so different! Not that different is a bad thing," she added hastily.
I laughed easily. "Please, don't worry about it," I assured her. "You can call me Nessie. It's a little easier to remember."
"That's what your family calls you, right?" Tamara asked. My parents had moved ahead, so the two of us meandered slowly across the parking lot, side by side. "I remember you talking to that boy yesterday—Jacob, right?"
"Yes, Jacob Black." I said his name with fondness, but inside, my defenses went up. If I thought Jacob was attractive, then certainly other girls would notice. But I wasn't about to share my best friend with some frail human girl, even if she was pretty. Especially if she was pretty.
"He's new here, too, I think," she said, almost to herself. "At least, I don't remember seeing him before, and most of us went to the same middle school…." She raised her eyes to mine. "Do you mind if we partner up for biology lab?" she asked abruptly. "Most of the girls in that class are complete preps, and you seem really nice."
"Oh, ah…" I liked this Tamara, for a human, at least, but I had planned on partnering up with Jacob, now that we were starting to establish ourselves in the school. We worked well together, and if we were in the same class, I wanted to spend every moment with him.
Tamara noticed my hesitation and backtracked. "Of course, we don't have to," she said quickly. Her voice wobbled slightly. "I mean, it's only a temporary thing. I'm sure that the teacher will have us switch out every once in awhile. And I know some girls in the class—"
"Tamara, I'd love to partner up with you sometimes," I interrupted, emphasizing sometimes.
She smiled widely. "That would be great!" She reached for my hand and squeezed it for a couple of seconds, like we were good friends. Then, her eyes widened. "Are you—do you have a fever?" she asked with concern. She didn't release my hand.
I searched her eyes carefully. She didn't seem fearful or suspicious, but rather worried about my health.
I inhaled deeply. "I'm…very warm-blooded?" I suggested shyly.
"I'll say," Tamara breathed. She cradled my hand gently. "Are you sure you're not sick? I could get the nurse. Or we could call your dad. He's a doctor, right?"
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. After all my worrying yesterday about being the isolated hybrid in a school full of humans—and some vampires—I had found a friend.
I squeezed her hand back, very aware of the relative coolness of her skin against mine. "I promise you that I am perfectly fine," I told her. "Grand—um, my dad—keeps a very close watch over me. If I were in any sort of danger, he would never let me come here."
Tamara smiled with relief. "That's so good to hear!" she enthused. We opened the doors to the school to find a swarm of kids and too much noise to process any thought. Tamara turned back to me. "My locker is down this hall, but will you save me a seat in biology?"
"I'll see what I can do," I promised.
She squealed and hugged me. "This is gonna be such a good year!" she yelled as she danced down the hall to my locker. I shook my head with a growing smile as I turned the opposite direction toward the science labs.
The wheels were already turning in my head. I thought back to my carefree days in La Push, painting Claire's nails and baking with Emily, Kim, and Rachel. With Tamara, I could learn more about the teenage world and spend time out in the city, going to movies, fixing our hair, giggling about our crushes…the possibilities were endless. I couldn't wait to pepper her with questions and have a normal peer relationship for the first time.
My parents and Jacob would have to approve of Tamara Jackson.
