Chapter Ten
Renesmee
I woke up to the sound of gently pouring rain, and for a moment I forgot where I was. I crawled out of bed, headed for the deck and stepped out. The cool drops felt good on my warm skin and within minutes my tank top and shorts were soaked and clinging. I walked to the edge of the deck and peered across the sky where the sun was just making its way over the mountain tops. The forest around me looked magical in the light grey haze. I sighed and rested my chin in my hand, catching sight of the smoke rising up from the little stone chimney in the north.
The thought of Jacob crossed my mind and I began to wonder how things had gone last night at his new place. I was apparently not invited into the condo until he had a chance to unpack and set things up. I thought this was a little strange but at the time had shrugged it off and ran to help Esme with her vision, too busy and excited for anything else. But now that my mind was not distracted with paint colors and such, I found my self wondering why Jacob had left so early and why I wasn't allow into his new home.
Yesterday wasn't so bad... Sure he was acting a little weird, but he was probably just trying to get used to the new me. At least he didn't seem mad... uncomfortable, yes, but not mad. That's got to be a plus.
The sun finally made its way over the mountain tops, barely noticeable behind the thick wall of clouds. I smiled at the sudden chirping of birds. It was as though the sun was their cue to sing. Heading back into my room, leaving the French doors open behind me, I grabbed the towel from last night and dried my now curly hair. I rummaged through one of the cardboard boxes till I found a baby blue track suit that looked like it might still fit.
The pants, which had always been cozy were now snug and the zipper on the jacket would not close over my breasts. I dug around some more and found a cotton tank top which I slipped on under the jacket, grabbed a pair of worn sneakers and headed down stairs.
It was silly of me to be surprised at what I saw on the first floor. It only made sense that because none of my family slept that they would have to spend the night doing something. But to see all of Carlisle's books on the shelves in his office, and his desk set up and lamps plugged in, and to see the dining room and living room freshly painted and decorated with furniture, frames and candles... I shouldn't have been shocked, but I was.
"Whoa... you guys even painted? Where on earth did you find paint in the middle of the night?" I asked when I found them lounging in the living room.
Esme smiled, "There's a Walmart in Vancouver that's open twenty-four hours. I was going to wait until Benjamin Moore opened today, but I needed a way to pass the night and thought I'd give it a try. What do you think?" she waved a hand, motioning around the room.
"It looks great. But are we still going shopping then?" I asked.
"Of course we're going shopping! We still need to buy for your room, plus we could all use some new clothes for school. Vancouver isn't Milan, but it will have to do." said Alice as she eyed up my track suit. "Renesmee, you're not seriously planning to where that out today, are you?"
"Why, what's wrong with it?"
"Firstly it's too small," said Rosalie, "and secondly, track suits are so out."
"But I don't have anything else to wear. Nothing fits me." I moaned.
"Which is exactly why we are going shopping." said Alice as she threaded her arm in mine and lead me out the front door.
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Shopping in Vancouver was ridiculously fun and annoying at the same time. Esme, Rosalie, Alice and I spent most of our time on Robson Street, jumping from one high end shop to the next. While the others were focused on purchasing the very feminine and very sexy outfits, I was dead set on getting a few pairs of jeans and cotton tees.
"Renesmee, you are getting that dress no matter how much you frown. It looks amazing on you!" said Alice of the BeBe cocktail dress.
"Yeah but this will be like the tenth dress that I'll have bought. When do I get to buy some casual stuff? I just want a pair of worn-in jeans." I said as I did a little spin and watched the little black dress lift and swirl around me.
"Why are you so hung up on going to American Eagle? I don't think any girl in the world, but you, would choose to go shopping at American Eagle rather than Armani." said Rosalie as she folded her arms.
"I didn't complain at Armani, I spent over four grand! It's just that..." I dropped my voice so the girls looking through the sweaters near by couldn't hear me. I could tell by the careless way they held up the tops and then dropped them again that they were not really looking to purchase a sweater, rather they were trying to catch snippets of our conversation and sneak quick glances in our direction. I could tell this not only because of the lack of interest in the merchandise, but also for the fact that they had followed us into the last two stores, and hadn't spent a dime in either.
"I look around at all of these teenagers and they aren't wearing Armani coats and carrying Gucci bags. They are wearing comfy jeans, a nice simple top and flats. I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, but I don't want to be boring and average either. I want to have a few nice pieces and a few -"
"Crappy pieces, we get it." interjected Rosalie.
"Rosalie, don't be rude." frowned Esme. "I completely understand what you mean Renesmee. And I promise that once we are done here we will head straight for the closest American Eagle store."
"But first we need to stop and get some lingerie while we're still in the area. There is this little boutique down the block that is too cute." squealed Alice.
We left the shop and headed to the lingerie boutique that Alice had mentioned. As with the other shops we had visited that day, the moment we opened the doors, all eyes were on us. I pulled my eyes away from the staring brunette and headed to the far end of the shop, away from the sales counter. The boutique was decorated with a French burlesque theme that incorporated a lot of the deep reds, golds and creams that I had selected for my bedroom. As I walked down the aisles of lacy bras, corsets and panties, I couldn't help but wonder how very mature my color selection had been.
For the first few minutes I was left to browse the racks alone as the girls selected items for themselves. The horror began when Alice, on her way to the changing rooms, realized that my hands were empty.
Without warning I was shoved into a changing room and expected to put on a lacy bra and panty set. Not only was that scary enough, but judging from the whispers outside, they were waiting for me to come out. I took a deep breath and stared at the black, C-cup demi-bra in horror. I lifted the lace off the hanger and held it up against my shirt. The straps and the cups were so small... I could feel the breath catch in my throat.
"I can't do this." I called out over the changing room door.
"Of course you can do this, just put it on and come out. It's only us out here, they've drawn the curtain so none of the other customers can see." explained Rosalie.
"Yeah but you're out there." I moaned. "I can't do this!"
"What if I get you something less... um... ahhh! Here we go. Try this on sweetie," said Esme as she swung a nightgown over the door. I grabbed the red silk and pulled it down. It was much less scary than the bra. It was silk and short but at least it wasn't see through.
I slipped out of my clothes and shivered as the silk slid down my back. I adjusted the straps in the mirror and opened the door.
"That looks very nice. How do you feel?" asked Esme.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"How do you feel?" repeated Rosalie, "Does the silk feel soft and cool against your skin?"
"Yes," I replied.
"When you look at your self in the mirror and see your curves beneath the fabric, don't you feel beautiful?" asked Alice.
"Uh... yeah, I do." I replied and felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I viewed my round butt beneath the silk. I suddenly felt very awkward and yet, confident as well. Embarrassing as it was to know that my family was watching me in this intimate moment, I didn't want to change out of the nightgown. It made me feel beautiful and desirable.
"There's a lot of stuff to try on, so why don't you head back in there and at least try on the bra, so we know if it's the right size, and the rest of it you can try on in private." suggested Alice.
I did try the bra on, and the boy-cut lace panties as well. I tried to adjust myself in the mirror, but there was really nothing to adjust. Where on normal girls, I would imagine, a bra is supposed to support and hold the breasts, mine were so firm and high that the bra was merely a pretty accessory that added a little mystery with its black lace pattern and demi-cut cups. The fact that my areola and nipple were nearly exposed over the top rim was enough to make me blush, again, and I slowly stepped out of the change room, eyes to the floor.
"I think that's a perfect fit for you." said Alice as she walked around me, lightly tugging on the back of the bra. "What do you think?" she asked.
I looked up and at her serious, calm face. "Yeah, I actually kind of like it."
"Good, now go back in there and we'll pick out some things for you to try on." instructed Alice, "And don't worry, you don't have to come out and show us."
With in minutes I had a large pile of items to try on, and despite my earlier hesitation, I displayed each and every piece for them. Of course it was much easier to do so when I wasn't the only one in my underwear. Soon we were all parading in and out of our changing rooms, offering complements and suggestions, and before long I was leaving the boutique with over a thousand dollars in underwear and sleepwear.
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I could feel the sun's rays playing across my closed eyelids. Warm and inviting, they woke me up and I found myself laying belly down in my new king sized bed, underneath a satin crimson comforter. I rolled over and propped myself up on the cream colored pillow cases and took in the sight of my newly decorated room. The previous day, Alice and I had unpacked all of our purchases and set straight to work. Surprisingly I was able to stay up most of the night with out feeling the least bit drowsy, until about three in the morning that is, when I totally crashed onto my bed. Now in the morning light I was able to really enjoy the colors and feel of the room.
The walls remained the same color of warm cream and it nicely complemented the rich tones of the wood found in my desk, dresser and bed frame. Near the doors to the deck was a beautiful cream chaise with gold threaded detail, courtesy of Esme's vision. She had also chosen a pair of Tiffany lamps that sat on two night stands on either side of my bed, as well as the countless other accessories in shades of red, gold, ivory and even black.
Lost in the beauty of my room, I nearly missed the familiar scent and the angelic voice which was my mother. I could hear her somewhere down stairs, talking with Esme, complementing the renovations, and asking about me. I hadn't realized before now, but I hadn't seen my mother since Tuesday evening when her and my father left for their little cottage, hands intertwined and eyes on each other.
Truth be told, I missed her, and before I could stop myself from acting out like a little girl, I was in the living room, tugging at my mother's arm and begging her to come and see my new room.
"Come on, Mom! You need to see how awesome my room is," I tugged.
"Alright, alright." she sighed. "Thanks again Esme, I'm completely lost when it comes to this stuff. I'll meet you back here at noon."
Once upstairs, I gave my mother the grand tour, finishing with my massive and now full closet.
"Looks like you had a great time in the city."
"I did! It was great, granted that the girls kept giving me a hard time about wanting to get some causal clothes..."
"That doesn't surprise me. Alice's favorite form of torture was to put me through one of her makeovers." she smiled at some distant image. "The room looks wonderful Ness, all that's missing now is the deck. Do you know what you'd like to do out there?"
"Um... no, not really. I guess just some flowers and some furniture."
"Why don't you come out with Esme and I later, we're going to go looking for some flowers and stuff. I'm completely lost when it comes to gardening, but I'd really like to do something with the cottage - oh! That reminds me, honey, you haven't seen the cottage yet, have you?"
"No, I haven't. And I haven't seen Dad since Tuesday either." I didn't mean anything by the comment, I was just mentioning it cause I missed him. But I noticed that my mother looked embarrassed and rather flustered.
We reached the cottage faster that I had anticipated. It was a little thing made of wood and stone, and looked as though it was built about a hundred years ago. The yard in front was overgrown with weeds and brush and the trees surrounding the house where so thick and full that barely any sun shone down onto the house. All in all, it looked kind of creepy.
"Wow, nice place Mom." I said with sarcasm.
"We haven't really had a chance to do much with the outside, but your father has done a lot of work inside to make it cozy and inviting. Come see," she pushed open the front door and I entered into a small living room complete with sofa, coffee table and fireplace. The living room was nicely done with white curtains on the window, pillows on the sofa and picture frames on the mantle. I took a step closer and found that all five frames contained some image of me, one where I was sleeping in my father's arms, and one where I was destroying another one of Esme's spoons with my inhuman strength.
"You're always welcome here, Renesmee. I love you very much, and so does Edward, but we just need a little time to ourselves to reconnect. You understand, don't you?" My mother placed a cool hand on my shoulder.
I turned around and nodded, "Yeah Mom, I know. And really, I don't mind. I just missed you, and Dad."
My mother laughed, "You say that now. Just wait till you start school."
I smirked, highly doubting that I would ever get sick of my parents. "Sure, sure. So, what does the rest of the place look like?"
The rest of the cottage was cozy, just as my mother said. The kitchen was small and unused, the master bedroom was a good size and fully decorated with white sheets and mosquito netting on the four poster bed. And in the second, smaller bedroom was where I found my father, his fingers clicking lightly away on white piano keys.
I sat down next to my Dad, on the piano bench and watched as he continued to play silently, eyes closed and a smile on his face. Once he had finished his silent piece, his eyes opened and he smiled.
"How do you like it?" he asked.
"The cottage or the music?"
"The cottage," he smirked.
"Very nice, Dad." I smiled back. "What were you playing, anyway?"
"Oh, just a little something I wrote last night. I didn't want to disturb you while you were receiving the grand tour from your Mother, but I did want to practice before I played it for you."
I lifted one of my eyebrows in question and he answered, "I wrote it for you."
I sat quietly and listened to my father play his song for me. It was horribly beautiful and made me feel all sorts of things as I listened to the rise and fall of the notes. Though it had no words, it spoke to me, clearly expressing a father's pain and joy in watching his little girl grow up into a beautiful woman. While the song marched on I felt my mind fluttering in an assortment of images; recollections of the past, dreams of the future and contentment in the present.
I kept my own eyes closed well after the last note, but when I opened them I found my father staring back at me with what I imagined would have been tears in his eyes, had he been able to cry.