Chapter 10

Birthday Notes Part 1

Jacob had carried me up to Rosalie's room, seems as my own room back at the cottage was full of dust and cobwebs. Her bed, like everything else, was white. The bed frame was a mahogany wooden structure, and pillows of various colours were scattered all over the place. He insisted on staying with me, but Rosalie protested, stating she didn't like pets on her furniture. I laughed quietly in my head, wished good night to Jacob, and fell asleep quickly.

I dreamed I was walking down a long, never ending hallway, with stone walls, making the place colder than it should have been. It seemed like forever until I reached the end, and a small barred door to the one side held a sign stating 'danger! Do not enter!' above it. A shelf next to the door was home to a very realistic looking skull and bones. I opened the door, and a rush of bright white light burned my eyes. The pain seared from my eyes to the back of my head, and spread throughout my brain and down to my spine. I grabbed hold of the handle and slammed the door shut, breathing heavily. I closed my eyes and reached for the door again, opening it once more, but more careful. I heard a man's laughter running through the room, echoing off the walls, clapping his hands together. His laugh was shrill and malicious. I closed the door again and ran back down the corridor.

I woke with a start. I thin layer of sweat had formed across my forehead, and stuck my hair to my face. I calmed my breathing down, and grabbed some clean clothes from a pile that had been left at the foot of the bed. I headed to the bathroom and took a long shower, washing away the piercing laugh and the curious dream I had.

I headed down the stairs to the smell of fresh bacon and eggs, but before I could anywhere near the place the food dwelled, Bella and Edward greeted me at the foot of the stairs.

"Happy Birthday!!" They exclaimed with obvious joy. I smiled weakly, and allowed them to lead me into the living room. A mountain of presents had been stacked up high, almost to the ceiling of the room. Alice stood in the centre of the room, and embraced me into a large hug. I hugged her back softly, and grabbed one of the small presents on the floor. I opened it carefully, and the rest of the family stood, watching me eagerly as I opened the parcel wrapped in a lilac and pink flower paper.

"Wow! Thanks Alice!" She had given me an Ipod-Z40, the newest design of gadgets available in this day and age, and definitely one of the more expensive.

"It was nothing" She smiled, waving a hand at me.

I opened a few more presents, glad to see at least one of them was a simple gift I could make use of; some new boots, the latest model of laptops, some CD's, and a few books from authors I didn't recognise from Bella; she knew my taste in books, which I was glad for.

I also had a few presents I could not see myself using; a pair of straightners from Rosalie, a new dress in sky blue, with a matching cardigan, a pair of light coloured sandals. I had the tiniest feeling of a conspiracy theory going on, but I shrugged it off.

"Jacob has gone home for some rest, but he will be back later" Jasper told me, handing me a mounted plate of eggs, bacon and toast. In that moment, Jasper had given me the best birthday present ever.

I scoffed the food down, finishing just in time for Jacob to walk through the front door. He handed me a small box, and I tore the paper apart fiercely, revealing a thin chained necklace with a heart pendant and my birthstone, Sapphire embedded into the middle.

"I know its not as fancy as your locket, but…you know...Happy Birthday..." Jacob mumbled nervously.

"Jake, I love it!" I cried, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He carefully took the necklace from the box, and placed it around my neck, and fastened the back.

"So…I was thinking, you wanna head over to First Beach?" He asked, as I lead him into the kitchen and handed him a plate of breakfast, about three times the size I had eaten. Although we had moved back to Forks, Jacob still hung around and ate breakfast here. Whereas he used to live with us back in England, it was nice to know he could go and visit his dad now and then. But he always came back for breakfast.

"Sure, let me just grab my bag." I ran upstairs and grabbed a small shoulder bag I used for my phone, wallet and house keys. As I grabbed hold of my bed and pulled it from off the chair, a small envelope fell from the outer pocket. I picked it up, recognizing the paper as the letter my mother had handed to me from out of the diary. I held onto it as I ran back downstairs, and met Jacob by the front door. I tucked the envelope securely in the bag and smiled back at Jacob.

"You ready to run?" He asked, grinning widely at me. I nodded at him and fled through the front door.

We arrived at the beach within just a few short minutes. It was usually fifteen minutes from Forks to the Beach, but with our amazing speed, we managed to cut the time in half. I sat on one of the logs, panting a little. Jacob could run much faster than me, because he was a shapeshifter so he ran almost everyday, but I was only half vampire, so I was fast but not that athletic.

I watched the waves rolling around on the rocks, and watched as Jacob skimmed them across the surface of the water. I pulled the envelopes from out of my bag and carefully slide my finger under the sticky end of the paper. I pulled out the letter and checked again that Jacob was occupied. I read through the letter carefully, holding a hand over my mouth with anticipation.

Dear Renesmee,

I am not sure how to start this. It seems only yesterday that I had given birth to you. I hope that Jacob has told all about what happened, and why I did what I had to do –I do not wish you to grow up not knowing the truth about me, your father and the rest of your family. I only wish I could be there to tell you in person.

I hope that you are safe and well, and most of all, I hope you are happy. I want you to know from my own words how much I love you, even if I cannot tell you from my own mouth, I can tell you from my hand, and write these words especially for you.

I wish you the best in life; I know this letter may not give much away, just my feelings for you, and to tell you that my life means nothing in comparison to yours. You truly are something special, as I write these words watching you as you sleep next to me; I know that you will be okay. You will be more than okay, you will be an amazing, extraordinary person, and unique.

I love you, and you mean more to me than my own life.

Your mother, Bella

"Whatcha reading?" Jacob asked, looking over my shoulder. I screamed loudly, and jumped almost half a mile in the air.

"Jesus, Jake!" I had tears in my eyes, and streams down my face. When he saw me, his face turned from friendly and playful, to sympathy and sadness. Jacob didn't like to see me cry.

"Hey, its okay, I didn't mean to scare you that much, I'm sorry" He said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I let the tears fall freely down my face, and buried my face into his chest. I waved the letter to him, and he read through it quickly. He sighed deeply and stroked my hair, guiding me back to the log and sat me on his lap, rocking me slightly as he let me cry. I eventually calmed down, occassionaly letting out the odd gasp of air, Jacob wiped the tears away from my stained face, and pulled me closer to him.

"You shouldn't be crying on your birthday, it's unlucky" He chuckled lightly, and took hold of my hand. I saw his thoughts in my head; it was a small girl, a little over four and she was crying, red in the face and short of breath. I picked the child up and hugged her close to me, and bounced her on my knee. She looked up at me, and smiled at me. I lifted her onto my shoulders and gave her a piggy-back, she began to laugh, a light giggle that seemed infectious, as I laughed with her.

"Whoa…What was that?" Jacob asked, as he gently tugged his hand away from my own.

"Oh…I have a new ability, or something. I can't control it" I whispered to him. I had forgotten that Jacob did not know about this particular talent of mine. "Maybe I should start and wear gloves permanently.."

"Hey, now come on, cheer up! I know its your birthday and everything, put you shouldn't be so gloomy. Now, do I have to give you a piggy-back, or are you going to come willingly hunting with me? We haven't been for ages!"

I smiled at him, and agreed to go hunting. We walked back to Jacob's house, and greeted Billy briefly as he sat in his wheelchair outside the front door. He was waiting for Charlie as they had planned to watch some sports game together. Charlie still thought we were in England, and Billy had agreed to keep quiet about our return until we could visit him. I hadn't seen Charlie since we left Forks, when I was just a child. Bella had sent Charlie photos of me growing up, and he would comment on them whenever Bella phoned him, saying how much I had grown in such a short time, so Bella began to space the photos out. He didn't know that I was a seventeen year old looking child whose birth was just seven years ago. That would have to be talked about in person, but at a later date.

Jacob grabbed some clean clothes from out of his room –and also some smart looking clothes, which made me instantly suspicious- and stuffed them into a small bag. He also grabbed a pair of shoes and put those into the bag. He handed the bag to me, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you up to Jacob Black?"

"Just hold onto this, I'll carry you on my back, it's quicker that way."

"Where are we going?" I asked him, hoping to retrieve an answer from one of my questions.

"You'll see…" He replied simply. No answers there then. I put my smaller bag into Jacob's, and pulled the straps over my shoulders. We headed outside, towards the trees by Jacob's house. I waved goodbye to Billy and watched as Jacob ran off to shift into his wolf form. I caught up with him a few minutes later; he bent down towards me and helped me climb onto his back. He started running through the trees, and I held on tightly. We took a few turns here and there, and my vision became blurry as we sped through the forest. We eventually came to a halt at the bottom of some small mountains, an area I did not recognise. I handed Jacob the bag as he changed back into his human self, and changed into the clean clothes he had brought with us. We walked for a while, climbing bits of the mountain every so often. It was peaceful and secluded, a scattering of trees faced the west, looking out onto the ocean, and mossy hills lay in groups towards the east. We walked through a small opening in between the two larger hills. A small stream ran through, shallow enough to see the rocks at the bottom.

Jacob led the way through the gap, stopping and crouching as he found a small herd of mountain goats. I copied him, and together we pounced onto the two largest goats. I finished my portion of animal blood quickly. It had been a while since my last hunt, and I had almost forgotten what the blood tasted like. I found another goat, and hunted my prey with ease. I finished the second almost as quickly as I had with the first, but Jacob had gotten through three times the amount I had. He had travelled about a mile or so north, and had found a larger area to hunt. I met up with him, ready for one last hunt before we headed off. The day had passed quickly, I noted, and the sun was blazing in the afternoon sky, a light pink tint was present in the clouds. Jacob and I shared the goat, I patted my stomach with satisfaction, and burped loudly, laughing as it echoed across the mountains. A nest of birds fled from the trees, chirping as they disappeared out of sight.

I travelled back to my house with werewolf transportation. I lay my head upon Jacob's back as we ran back the way we came, but his long fur irritated my skin, and I scratched at my cheek until it almost bled. I might have to recommend a hair cut to him, I thought to myself.

As we entered the house, Jacob ordered me to change into the clothes I had received as my birthday gift. I hurried up the stairs, even more suspicious than I had been before. I showered quickly, and dragged a comb through my hair, and contemplated using the straightners I had also been given. I decided against it, because I wasn't sure how to use them, and thought that the blistered-and-burnt-head look may have had its day. I threw on the blue dress and cardigan, and the matching sandals; I looked at myself in the mirror with distaste. It was one thing to dress up once in a while, but twice in two days? I sighed deeply, and stroked the heart pendant around my neck. I smiled weakly back at myself and headed back downstairs.

Jacob was standing with Edward at the front door, and I saw that Edward was clutching a small black box in his hands. I walked up to them, confusion spread across my face. Jacob had also changed, into the smart clothes that he had stuffed into the bag.

"Before you go, Bella and I want you to have this…"

Go where? I thought, but I didn't have chance to ask as the black box Edward was clutching was pressed lightly into my hands. I opened it carefully, as though some snake was going to jump out and bite me. Inside was a key, with an'18' keychain attached to it. I picked it out of the box, and held it up to my face. I recognised this key; it was to one of the cars in the gigantic garage. My mouth formed a 'O' shape and my eyes widened with excitement.

"The Guardian?!" I asked with disbelief. Edward beamed at me, nodding his head with agreement. "Holy f- I mean, wow! Thanks Dad!" I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I let go of him, and ran to the car, which was conveniently parked outside the house. I was about to jump into the drivers seat, when I realised I didn't know where we were going. I tossed the keys to Jacob, and I climbed into the passenger seat. We sped off down the driveway, turning sharply onto the road. We had barely begun driving fast enough before Jacob started slowing down, and eventually came to a halt. It seemed like just a few minutes since we had pulled away from the house, and now here we were, in Port Angeles outside some new small town theatre that had been opened for a few months. Jacob got out the car, and ran around to get my door, holding my hand as I placed my feet on the floor. We walked round to the entrance; our arms wrapped around each others waists. Jacob pulled out two tickets for the latest play that was showing – The Notebook, which had been recently turned into a musical. I grimaced a little as I saw what we were about to watch, but I smiled at Jacob as best as I could, although I'm sure it wasn't very convincing.

We took our seats and sat in an awkward silence until the lights dimmed down and the curtains went up. Jacob kept his arm around me as we watched the first few minutes. I wished I had brought my Ipod, I found myself thinking, but I shook my head, trying to forget my ungratefulness. Jacob had spent his own money to bring me here, and I wasn't even trying to enjoy it. I wondered what made him think of The Notebook, and then I remembered that Alice was the one who had bought me the outfit for my birthday. She must have seen what the theatre would be playing, I thought, concocting a theory in my head.

"I've just got to use the bathroom…" I told Jacob. He stood up as I vacated the seat, even though there was no need for him to stand. I left the theatre and stood outside in the autumn breeze. The sky had turned a deep violet colour, and stars were dotted throughout the darkness. I leaned against a pole and crossed my arms. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. I thought Jacob knew me better than to bring me to some…chick flick. And I also thought he knew better than to take Alice's advice. I could have kicked myself for feeling so unappreciative. I slapped my forehead with my palm hard, scaring an elderly couple who looked at me as though I was crazy. They scurried quickly into the theatre.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing outside, but Jacob had come to join me.

"Hey…" He spoke quietly, and stood awkwardly next to me, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey" We stood there again, uncomfortably for what seemed like a decade, but more along the lines of thirty seconds.

"You don't like the play." He said finally. It wasn't a question.

"I'm sorry Jake, I know you must have put a lot of effort into this, and really, I am thankful but…The Notebook? I don't do girly stuff, Jake. Give me 'Rise of the Footsoldier' any day, but I don't do chick stuff."

"I know." He said simply. He came towards me, and enveloped me in a hug, pressing my head lightly against his chest. "It's just that…You know, I thought that's what people did on…dates and stuff…"

I smiled at the last part, and pulled my head away from his warm body, and stared into his dark and beautiful eyes. "I don't mind if we go crawling through horse crap, Jake, just as long as it's nothing girly." He smiled back at me, but I pulled my entire body from his. "C'mon." I told him, and ran to the car, Jacob not far behind me. I jumped into the driver seat, and slammed my foot down, driving like a maniac, but in perfect control. A little thing I learned from my awesome father. I skidded round corners and threw the car into the bends, eventually turning onto a little dirt path not far from the house. I stopped the car a few yards up the track, and got out of the car, Jacob doing the same. I took my cardigan off and my sandals and threw them on to the back seat of the car. Jacob looked at me with a confused expression, I laughed at him, showing my full set of gleaming white teeth, and ran off across the dirt path. I ran past some trees, and came to a halt at a small mud pool. It had never been empty of mud, with the almost constant rain in Forks. I waited for Jacob to catch up, which didn't take long, and smiled at him once more before I threw myself into the pool.

"Nessie!!" Jacob yelled with amazement. The pool came up just above my waist, it was thick and slimy, and smelled of moss and grass and dirty rain water. I grabbed a handful of the thick brown goo and tossed it at Jacob, hitting him directly in the chest. His face was blank for a second, then he jumped in with me, grabbing a handful and rubbing it into my hair. I slapped some across his face gently, and he threw some back at me, which hit me across my neck. We played in the mud for a long time, until I reached out to him and kissed him passionately on the lips. He laughed into my mouth, and his tongue lightly traced my lips. We stood in the pool, embracing each others presence, lips locking around each others for an even longer time.

Eventually, and reluctantly, we pulled away from each other, and Jacob helped me out of the pool; he climbed out first, then grabbed onto my arms and heaved me out with a loud squelch. We got back to the car, then looked at the state of ourselves. We were both covered head to toe in the mud, only our faces showed little signs of the disgustingly fun muck.

"Uhh..Maybe we should walk back, and collect the car tomorrow?" I asked, smirking from the corner of my mouth.

"I think that might be best" Jacob chuckled, and grabbed the keys from the ignition and locked the car up. "No one can see the car from here, the trees are hiding it." He explained, taking my dirty hand into his swinging our arms lightly as we headed down towards the house.

We thought about sneaking in the house, hoping not to get caught in the state we were in, but seems as the family never slept, this was a pretty hopeless idea. We figured we'd just walk in, take a shower, then clean up whatever mess we had made in the house.

I opened the front door, and the hallway was free from vampires, thankfully. I kissed Jacob once more, this time quick and light, and attempted to hurry up the stairs into the bathroom. My plan unfortunately, was flawed. Alice came down the stairs, prancing on each step like a fairy, then came to a halt when she noticed me standing on the first step.

"Oh my god!" She whimpered, looking me up and down. "What have you done to that dress?!" Her face scrunched up in agony, staring at the once blue, now brown dress as it dripped with thick blobs of mud onto the wood floor.

"Alice, I can explain-" I started, looking from the corner of my eyes at three heads that poked around the doorway of the living room. I guessed one of them was Emmett, as I could hear the TV playing some action film with firing guns and explosions. Another I noticed was Esme, her face was full of amusement and bursting laughter, the third, which was now moving closer towards me was Rosalie.

"Bella! What have you done? Look at your hair!" She moved a hand forward to touch my head, but took it back as if I had some unknown disease. "I give up! Alice, she's never going to be ladylike with that mongrel hanging around like a bad smell –which he is!" Her nose wrinkled up, and she grabbed either side of her nose to keep some stench out. "She's a lost cause!" Rosalie headed back the way she came, a slight huff came from under her breath, and I laughed as I ran up the stairs to clean up.

I came back down wearing a pair of blue pyjamas with fluffy sheep jumping over wooden gates. I curled myself up into one of the white chairs in the living room, watching the TV with Emmett. To my delight, I saw that he was watching 'Saw II' although the film was already half way through. Jacob had also been in the shower, and sat talking to Edward over by the window, both chuckling every now and then, and looking over their shoulders at me. As they did this for a fifth time, I reacted by bobbing my tongue out (and giving them the birdie when they turned away, although I knew they saw me in the reflection of the mirror). Bella came in the room and squished herself in the chair with me then shifting to sit behind, watching the film with me, and playing with my hair.

The rest of the family gathered, and talked, and laughed for a good hour at least, when Esme finally spoke up a little louder.

"Oh, I almost forgot" She stated, then rummaged in her pocket for something, and pulled out a deep red envelope. "This came for you after you left this afternoon, dear." She handed me the envelope, and I tore the paper, and read through the note.

I lifted my head in slow motion my face full of horror and fear. I turned my head to Bella, and when she noticed my expression, she dropped the strands of hair she was holding of mine, and placed her hands on my shoulders, her face turned to confusion, and I could detect a slight amount of panic.

"Nessie? What wrong? What does it say…?"

Okay...this chapter was pretty damn long, and took a hell of a while to get it done, but dont you just love the Nessie-Jacob mush?

I know what you're thinking...'What does it say?' Hmm....You'll have to guess XD