Chapter 10
"Northern Canada it is," Carlisle says.
"It's works out perfect! We live in the woods and go to school again! Just like here!" Alice cheers.
"What about Renesmee?" Bella asks.
"We fly her down and she spends the summer with Charlie and Jacob."
"Nanu, will you come with me to find Nessie?" Bella asks me.
"She hates me. It would only make the situation worse."
"She doesn't hate you; she absolutely loathes you," Jasper says.
"Thanks. That makes me feel so much better," my words drip more sarcasm than my teeth do venom when I'm hunting.
"That's what I'm here for!"
"No matter how she feels about you, you can make her come with us," Bella says.
I agree to go and tell Emma to stay here.
"I got it! It goes north," I say.
We have been looking for Renesmee's trail for over an hour. It seems like the whole pack got together, one wolf took Renesmee, and they all ran in different directions, crossing paths every couple of miles. After back-tracking several times, I find a small line of Renesmee's scent, where I assume she traded out who she went with.
"Are you positive?" Bella says.
"It's the only thing I've smelt that isn't wet mutt."
Bella finds the scent and takes off.
I meet Bella at the Canadian border, where she stopped to feed.
"Feed up. You'll need the extra strength," Bella instructs.
"She's not near here?"
"I'm not sure. She trades off again and is with Seth. They trade off every fifty miles. I think she'll go with eighther Paul or Quill next."
I feed and we take off again.
"Bella, they're messing with us. The trail splits."
"Where's the strongest?"
"That one," there are three trails and I point to the third.
"I'll go first. Follow me in thirty seconds. Follow my trail and only my trail. If you get another lead, ignore it."
Bella follows the trial, I count the seconds off, and take off.
When I see Bella again, she's standing at the edge of an opening in the trees and motions for me slow down.
I slow to a walk and stand just behind Bella.
"Stay here. If she becomes reluctant, I'll motion for you to make her come. Don't underestimate the pack. When I motion for you, walk. If the pack stars to close in, put your hands up. If you act threatening in any way, they will kill you. No hesitation. Don't make them do anything."
Bella walks to the other side of the field and talks to Renesmee.
After half an hour, Bella turns around and nods her head.
I walk into the clearing and twenty wolves appear. I put my hands up and half fall back. I focus on Renesmee, she says she'll come, and walks towards me. Bella follows her, along with Jacob, in human form, and another wolf, who I recognize by his scent as Seth.
Seth phases back to his human form and Jacob hands him a pair of pants, which Seth slips on.
"Who are you?" Seth asks.
"I'm Nanu. I'm originally with the Egyptian Coven."
"You weren't her five years ago, were you?"
"Almost six," Jacob corrects.
"No, I wasn't."
"How old are you?" Seth asks.
"Almost a year."
"You don't look like one, eye wise."
"I was raised on animals."
"Are you the reason they're moving?" Seth asks with no hint of cruelty, just pure curiosity.
"We're moving because we're getting to be too big of a Coven. We're a liability."
"Leave Nessie with us," Jacob growls.
"I'm not leaving my daughter," Bella snarls.
"Then take me with you."
"If you take one of us, you take all of us. You can't break the pack," Seth says.
"Whose side are you on?" Jacob growls.
Seth whimpers.
"Leave him alone!" I demand.
I don't know why I stood up for Seth, but it feels like the right thing to do.
"Don't tell me what to do," Jacob growls.
"Want me to make you?"
"Nanu," Bella warns.
I look around at Bella, Renesmee, Seth, and Jacob, turn on my heel, and run back to Forks.
Half way home, a sandy colored wolf with an unforgettable scent, one unlike any of the rest of the pack, runs past me and stops in front of me.
I stop in front of him and he stares at me with pleading eyes.
"What?" I ask.
He walks forward and leans his head against my chest. I scratch behind his ear and he wags his tail.
"I never thought I would be friends with a wolf."
Seth whimpers.
"You didn't imprint, did you?"
He shakes his head against my chest.
I slip my hoodie off and tell Seth to phase. The hoodie is big enough that it should cover everything. He phases behind a tree and comes back to stand in front of me. The hoodie covers perfectly.
"No, I didn't imprint. There's just something about you that… I dunno. Maybe it's just that I want a friend that doesn't know all of my secretes," Seth explains.
"How old are you?"
"Which part of me? I stopped aging at fifteen almost seven years ago. That's when I became a wolf."
"How many others have phased since our arrival?"
"You're really informed about all this."
"Benjamin told me everything before we came here."
"He's the one that can control the elements, right?"
"Yeah."
"To answer your question, five have phased."
"How old are they?"
"Two twelve year olds, an eleven year old, a thirteen year old, and the youngest to phase, a ten year old. The more of you that show up, the younger we phase."
"Since we're leaving, no more will phase."
"Would you come down with Renesmee during the summer?"
"I could run down during school breaks."
"Please?"
"Of course."
Seth hugs me. It catches me off guard, but I hug him back.
"Crap. Jacob's coming."
He goes behind a tree, hands me my hoodie back, and phases. He motions with his head for me to leave. I wave good-bye and run.
When I get a mile away, I hear a growl, a whimper, and the sound of a breaking tree.
I snarl and run back.
When I get to where I left Seth, Jacob, in his wolf form, seems to be telling Seth off. I stay back, waiting until I have to interfere. Jacob lunges at Seth, knocks him on his back, and stands on his chest. I hear ribs crack, then I hear them heal in all the wrong places. Seth whimpers and tries to move. Jacob moves his paws into Seth's shoulders and pushes down. The shatter and heal worse than the ribs. When Jacob moves his paws closer to Seth's neck, I interfere.
I ram my shoulder into Jacob and he flies into a tree. I try and get Seth onto his feet, but he's too broken. Bella and Renesmee show up and try to figure out what happened. I explain in a whisper. Renesmee hears the part where I pushed Jacob and runs over to him. Bella looks torn between her best friend and daughter's boyfriend or the broken boy. She chooses Jacob. Jacob recovers and lunges at me. Before I can react, he tears my arm off. I scream, push him hard into a tree beside me and collapse to the ground. Bella puts venom on my arm and heals it back. I look at Seth and Jacob and they're both out of it. Seth recovers first and phases.
"Bella, tell Carlisle to get ready," I say.
Her eyes dart between me, her daughter, Jacob, and Seth. She runs over to Jacob and seems to look for some sign of life. Renesmee curses me to hell and runs to Jacob.
I take my hoodie off and slip it over Seth's head. I scoop him up and run home. A mile from home, I scream for Carlisle.
"What happened?" he calls.
"Ask Alice or Edward."
When I get to his office, he's ready.
"Where's Jacob?" Carlisle asks.
"Somewhere with Bella and Renesmee."
I lay Seth down on the table and he winces.
"Take Emma and run. She doesn't need to hear this," Carlisle instructs.
"I'll be back in sec, Seth. Hang in there."
I find Emma playing doll with Emmett.
"Emmett, can you take Emma to the cabin?" I ask.
"I'm not going in there. You know what they do in there," he scoffs.
"Please. At least take her out of the house," I'm begging now.
"Fine. Come on Little Bear, let's play outside."
He picks Emma and the dolls up and they go outside. As soon as the door closes, Seth screams a string of obscenities. I run upstairs.
"Nanu, in the closet there's a box labeled morphine, get it," Carlisle instructs.
I do and he tells me to get one of the syringes.
"I don't do shots."
"Fine. See how my hands are? When I move, put your hands exactly like mine."
"Ok. Count off."
"3…2…1… now."
Carlisle moves and I'm where he was in flash, my hands on either side of Seth's shoulders. Carlisle injects the morphine. Seth closes his eyes and his breathing slows.
"Carlisle?" I ask warily.
"He's fine, it's the morphine."
Carlisle slides his hands undermine and tells me to go find Jacob.
I take one last, desperate, fleeting look at Seth and bolt before I do anything stupid.
I find Bella, Renesmee, and Jacob where I left them.
"He won't phase," Renesmee whines.
I look at Jacob and imagine him phasing. He does.
Bella covers her daughter's eyes and glares at me.
"He phased," I shrug.
"How's Seth?" Bella asks.
"Carlisle's taking care of him."
"Make her not look at him," Bella whispers so low I barely hear it.
"What, do you not want her to lose her innocence?"
"Nanu, please."
I make Renesmee turn around, Bella picks up Jacob, and runs him home.
I allow Renesmee to turn around and she asks, "Where's mom?"
"Running home."
"With Jacob?"
"Yes. Want me to run you?"
"Don't touch me," she growls.
"Feisty little thing."
She growls and runs past me. I run and catch up to her and past her in five minutes.