Chapter 9
The next time Jasper and I go hunting, it happens.
I hear and smell her before I see her.
"Jasper, there's a human," I whisper.
"Can you handle it?"
"Yeah."
I walk up to her. She looks to be around six and has blonde curls that go half way down her back.
My sudden approach scares her and she screams. I look at Jasper and he calms her down.
"It's ok. Why are you in the woods?" I ask.
"I ran away," she says. She has the cutest little squeak of a voice.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Mommy and daddy hate me."
I look her over and she's covered in bruises.
She starts to cry.
"It's ok. Don't cry. What's your name?"
"Emma."
"It's ok, Emma. Do you wanna come to my house?"
She nods and I scoop her up, holding her close to me chest. She wraps her little arms around my neck and cries on my shoulder.
I tell Jasper to run ahead and tell everyone else. He runs off and I try to calm Emma down.
When I get to the house, Esme is the only one downstairs.
"Is she ok?" she asks.
"She ran away. It looks like her parents abuse her."
I sit down on the couch, lay Emma down beside me, and rub her back.
"It's ok, sweetheart. Calm down," Esme soothes.
Emma takes one loom at Esme and cringes away.
"What's the matter?" I ask.
"Tell mommy to go away," Emma sobs.
"That's not mommy; that's Esme."
"Do I look like mommy?" Esme asks.
Emma nods.
"What do we do about her?" I whisper.
"Keep her until she calms down and then take her back," Esme answers.
Emma must have heard her because she started screaming.
"I don't wanna go back! I don't wanna go back!" Emma screams.
I scoop her into lap, hold her close to my chest, and rock her.
I call Alice and she comes down dancing.
"Yes?" she asks.
"Could you look and see what happens if we send her back?"
I whisper.
Alice zones out for a minute and says, "Her parents keep abusing her, she runs away, in the night, and into the road. They don't see her in time."
Ok, that's not an option.
"And if we keep her?"
She zones out longer this time and says, "We keep her human, she continues going to school, keeps our secret, knowing that if she tells, she'll have to leave. The Volturi don't see her as a threat and don't care enough to do something."
"If we change her?"
"Not an option. The Volturi have no tolerance for immortal children." Alice says, without looking.
I look down at Emma. She's passed out cold.
"What do her parents do?"
Alice zones out for almost ten minutes.
"They hardly notice she's gone. They have another child and treat her like an angel."
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
I go upstairs and look for Carlisle. He's in his office.
"Carlisle?"
"Yes?"
I explain the situation with Emma, including the things Alice saw.
"…and I was wondering if she could join the family as a human?"
"Her parents don't look for her?"
"Nope."
"The Volturi don't interfere?"
"Nope."
"She can stay, but if it doesn't work out, if she doesn't adjust, she's got to go back to her family."
"Thank you."
"My pleasure. Can I see her?" She's still asleep, but I place her in his lap. "Will she be yours and Benjamin's, or mine and Esme's?"
"I'll leave that up to her. Esme seems to remind her of her mom."
Carlisle hands Emma back to me. I cradle her against my chest.
"Lay her down and let her sleep," Carlisle instructs.
I go up to my and Benjamin's room and tuck Emma into bed.
I lay down beside her, so she wouldn't wake up alone. I remember, from when I was little, how I hated waking up alone.
"So this is Emma?"
Benjamin walks in and sits down on the corner of the bed.
"Yeah. Did you hear everything from downstairs?"
"Yes, I did. It's a real shame."
"She seems so sweet."
Emma squirms and pulls the blanket over her face.
Benjamin says he has to go feed and jumps out the window.

When Emma wakes up, she looks around in confusion. She looks at me and seems to remember yesterday.
"Good morning, sweetheart. How'd you sleep?" I ask.
She just nods her head.
She doesn't look like a morning person.
"I need to potty!" Emma says.
I smile and then wonder if the bathroom even works.
I scoop her up and carry her to the bathroom. As she washes her hands, she brightens up and smiles at me
I brush her hair and braid it in pigtails.
"Do you wanna make some new friends?"
She smiles and nods.
Everyone is in the living room, waiting.
I go through names one by one.
"You forgot something," Edward whispers, too quiet for Emma to hear.
"What?"
"She's human. Humans need food," he chuckles.
I curse under my breath.
Bella kneels in front of Emma and asks what she wants. Emma says she wants pancakes and Bella leaves to go the store.
"After breakfast, do you want to go buy some clothes?" Alice asks.
"Can we go to the toy store?"
"Of course!"
"Make sure you get a teddy bear," Emmett says.
"Not everyone is fascinated with bears like you are, Emmett," Jasper says.
"I wanna teddy bear!" Emma says.
"Told you!"
Jasper sticks his tongue out. Then Emmett does.
"Stop acting like children!" Esme scolds.
Emma laughs.
Bella comes in a few minutes later and says Emma's pancakes are ready.
"Renesmee, would you like some?" she asks.
Renesmee gets off the couch and walks away, towards the cabin.
"I'll go talk to her," Rosalie says and runs off.
Emma skips into the kitchen, dragging me behind her, and sits at the table.
"Where are you gonna go shopping?" Bella asks Emma.
"The toy store."
"What are you gonna get?"
"A teddy bear!"
I hear Emmett chuckle and Jasper snarl.
"I missed something, didn't I?" Bella asks me.
"Yeah, while you were out."
When Emma finishes her pancakes, Bella gets the booster seat that Renesmee used, for the short time she was small enough, I buckle Emma in, and Alice and I get in and drive to the mall.
"Whose is she?" Alice whispers.
"I'm going to let her pick."
"Do you want to know?"
"Sure."
"She picks you and Benjamin, but is inseparable from Jasper and Emmett; she picks and chooses who she clings to."
"Renesmee didn't react well earlier. Do they get along?"
"Eventually. Nessie's used to getting all the attention, so when someone else gets attention, that happens."
We pull into the parking lot; I get Emma out, and carry her inside.

After we go to every child clothing store, the trunk of the car is full. We bought multiple pairs of flats, sandals, and Converses. We got some skirts, shorts, jeans, leggings, and capris. We also got some t-shirts, long and half sleeve shirts, tank tops, bathing suits, and pajamas.
"Can we go the toy store now?" Emma begs.
"That's where we're headed, sweetheart," I smile.
When we get inside, I put Emma down and she runs to the stuffies.
She finds a gigantic teddy bear.
"Mommy! Mommy! Can I get it?" she squeals. She realizes what she called me and her hands fly up and cover her mouth.
"It's ok. You can call me mommy."
She grabs the bear and holds it tight and Alice goes to get a cart.
Emma finds another teddy bear and tries to grab it, but her little arms can't reach, so I grab it for her.
Alice comes back with the cart and Emma puts the teddy bears in.
We fill the cart with Ty's, Beanie Babies, Barbie dolls, and baby dolls.
We have to get another cart for a Barbie dream house and a baby doll crib.
As we check out, the cashier's eyes keep flickering between the three of us.
"My husband and I adopted her and this is my sister," I explain.
"I didn't know you and Benjamin got married," Alice whispers.
"We didn't. It's easier to explain and makes more sense."
After everything gets checked out, Alice and I shove everything into the car. We manage to get everything in and go home.

"Emmett! Emmett! Look what I got!" Emma squeals. She's carrying the two teddy bears and tripping every few feet.
"Well look at that! Someone does love bears!" Emmett chuckles.
Jasper snarls and curses under his breathe.
Emmett picks Emma up under her arms and swings her around, all the while, Emma giggles.
Carlisle nudges my arm and motions for me to follow him. We go up to his office. He closes the door behind us and I sit in his chair.
"What are we going to do about her schooling?" he asks me.
"Like normal parents do. Drop her off and pick her up."
"Is she going to go to her old school or will we need to relocate?"
"I don't understand. Why would we relocate?"
"People will wonder why we have a child that belongs to other people, we're supposed to by at least five years older than we look, and we're too big for Forks. We're nine strong, including a hybrid and a human. Next to the Volturi, we're the biggest Coven."
"I didn't think about that."
Carlisle calls everyone into his office. Emma crawls into my lap with her teddy bear.
"We'll decide with a vote. Someone call Renesmee," Carlisle says.
Bella calls Renesmee and Jacob gets her here in five minutes.
"We're voting on whether or not we should move," Carlisle explains.
"Can I just say what we vote?" Alice asks.
"No. Everyone deserves to voice their own opinion."
"So I can't say what everyone votes?" Edward asks.
"What's my answer to your question?"
"No."
"Thank you. Amun would you like to start?"
"I vote to move, as long as we're further away from the Volturi," Amun answers.
"I'm with Amun," Kebi says.
"I vote to move where ever we're safest," Benjamin answers.
"I'm with Benjamin," Esme agrees.
"I vote to move where ever there are the most bears," Emmett says.
"I vote to go back to Alaska," Edward says.
"I'm with Edward," Bella and Alice say.
"I go where Alice goes," Jasper says.
"I go where Emmett goes," Rosalie says.
"Nanu? Renesmee?" Carlisle asks.
"Father or Alice can say my vote," Renesmee growls. She walks out the door and I hear I go outside and call Jacob.
"Her vote, summarized, is no," Edward says.
"I vote to move," I say. My vote doesn't matter. Either way, I just want my family to be safe.
"Where do we want move to?" Carlisle asks