Hey Guys...
So I'm super exited to post this story here, because I've been writing and editing this for the past 3 years, and I'm really proud of the way it became.
- This is the last chapter - I split the book in three like Breaking Dawn and this is the ending of the first part. I hope you like it, and if you want to read more, PM me and we can discuss the matter :)
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me, only the storyline.
9. CHANGING
When we got home Renesmee ran into our arms and told – or actually showed – us what she had been doing.
She had played with Esme and they had gone to the town to shop.
In the evening we were all sitting in the living room and Renesmee were sleeping in my lab.
Alice was sitting next to me, suddenly looking distant. She was having a vision. When she got back into her body she looked at Edward.
When he nodded she looked at me. "I saw Nathan do something to you. He would make one of his friends take Edward away and he would pull you into the forest… and yeah..." She said. "But we won't let him. We'll be there to help you."
I looked at her with wide eyes. "Thanks. But I don't need protection, I can handle myself." I told her.
"Bella, if a person is messing with one of us, he's messing with all of us." Emmett said from behind me.
"Thanks Emmett." I told him. "Just promise me you won't hurt him. Not unless he hurts one of us."
"Sure thing, I promise." He said but crossed his fingers in front of his chest. He laughed and left the room with Rosalie.
"Thanks Emmett. " I called after him and I heard his booming laughter from the forest.
Alice wanted to talk about Renesmee's birthday so we talked until she started to move in my lab, and then Edward and I took her home.
Renesmee was already up at six am the next day. She was jumping around and shouted, "In six days it's my birthday." Over and over again.
She couldn't wait to tell the others when we got to the main house. She talked to Alice about a party a few minutes before we left for school.
I had promised myself one thing today; I would never let go of Edward's hand. After what Alice had seen I was afraid they would hurt him, so I refused to let them come close to him and have a chance to take him.
"Relax, love. Don't worry about them. They're just some jerks who think Nathan's the king of the school. It's not like they're trained murderers, so don't worry." Edward told me when the third class was over and we were walking to math class where Nathan would be.
I had been spying on the boys all day and I was happy to see that the boy Edward was sitting next to – Andy – wasn't one of Nathan's friends.
Before I could walk through the door Edward pulled me to the side and kissed me with a tension that sent shivers from my toes to the edges of my hair.
"Mr. Cullen and Ms. Swan, would you please join the class." I heard Mr. Moor say from inside.
"I'm so sorry Mr. Moor. It won't happen again." Edward said politely, sounding very innocent.
Edward and I walked inside and Edward continued down in the back when I sat down and I watched him as he slid gracefully into his seat.
I knew Nathan was sitting beside me. I could feel his glance on me all class. It annoyed my greatly.
"Have you changed your mind about the date with me?" he asked me in the end of class.
I chuckled. "Not at all." I said cheerfully and I could feel how he tensed beside me.
Almost as fast as a vampire I saw him reach for my head and turn it against him. "Let go of me." I told him.
He smiled. "Why? You don't do what I want so I don't do what you want." He said.
Just that second the teacher called off for lunch break and everybody packed their things.
When I was about to look at Edward, Nathan pushed me in front of him and pushed me out the door.
I sat my heels in the floor and stopped. I was too strong and he couldn't push me longer.
"If you don't come with me now, your little boyfriend will get hurt." He whispered in my ear. He turned me around and I saw two boys holding Edward by the arms. They pulled him against the door.
I relaxed my legs and let him push me around 'till we were in the forest Alice had described.
Nathan pushed me against a tree and held me tight. "Do you want to know what will happen to your boyfriend if you don't go out with me?" he asked me with a smile on his lips.
"Why do you want to go out with me? I'm just a normal girl, why me?" I asked him in a casual voice.
"Because you have something the others haven't. You look good and I'm sure you would fit perfectly to my side." He said. He stroked his finger along my cheekbone. "I want you to kiss me."
"Forget it. I rather die than kiss you. Why in the world did you think I would kiss you?"
"Because it will hurt otherwise. If you kiss me now I won't hurt you, or your ex-boyfriend." He told me.
"He's not my ex, and he will never be." I told him. "And if I'll get hurt for not kissing you, I rather you hurt me."
"Well, if that's how you feel. Just think about it, I could hurt you badly, is it really worth it then, being faithful?" he asked me.
"It's worth everything. If I give in now, just for not being hurt, he will never forgive me and I'll never forgive myself, and you'll win. If you beat the hell out of me, then he'll be sure that I love him and that I'll never betray him." I told him.
He laughed. "Just think about that when I … beat the hell out of you." He said and pulled his hand back.
I wasn't as scared as I should be, because I knew it wouldn't hurt, but there were still some human parts in me that feared this. I closed my eyes and looked as scared as I could. Training my acting skills.
I was ready to hear the crack when his hand would hit my head, but it didn't come. I slowly opened my eyes and looked into Emmett's smiling face.
He was holding Nathan's hand in his own and was pulling him back. He turned Nathan around and looked at him. "If you touch my little sister again, I promise you I will hurt you." He said and pushed Nathan into the tree with as much force he could without reveling himself. He looked at me. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Sure, I'm fine. Have you found Edward?" I asked him and saw for the first time that Alice was with him.
"Jasper and Rosalie went to find him. Two jerks had bound him and put him in a car." Alice said and snickered. She took my hand and with Emmett besides us we walked to the parking lot.
"Thanks for saving me guys." I told them and laughed.
"Of course, Bella. There wouldn't be any fun if we didn't have to save you all the time." Emmett said and laughed.
I hit his shoulder playfully and laughed with him.
That was when I saw him. He was standing against the wall to the cafeteria besides Jasper and Rosalie.
I let go of Alice's hand and ran to him as fast as I could in human speed and hurled myself into his arms. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" I asked him.
"Not a scratch on me. What about you? Did he hurt you?" he asked and pulled his hand through my long hair.
"Not at all. Emmett and Alice saved me before he could do anything." I told him and rested my head on his chest.
"What did he talk to you about?" Edward asked and looked down at me.
"First he said that you would get hurt if I didn't go with him. Then he pulled me into the forest in Alice's vision, where he said that I should kiss him or I would get hurt. He was about to hit me when Alice and Emmett came." I told him.
"It would have been fun to see how he had reacted if we had come three seconds later. If he had hit you." Emmett said.
I laughed. "He would have broken his hand if not his entire arm. And you're right, that would be funny." I said and laughed quietly.
The next days flew by. At home I played with Renesmee, talked to everyone, was with Edward, and in school I just tried to be my non-vampire self.
First on Friday did I realize that it was Renesmee's birthday on Monday.
I hurried to the main house before we woke up Renesmee. Alice was already there – of course – sitting in the couch.
She was wearing a pair of white slim jeans, a transparent red shirt with a black top underneath, and a pair of red stilettos.
"It took you quite a while to figure out what I've been doing the past week." She said.
I laughed. "I know. My mind was on other things. It just doesn't seem to be a year since we got her. The time has passed between two breaths." I told her.
"I know the feeling." She told me. "Well, what are you planning to give her?"
"Well, she has been talking a lot about some paint and brushes, and also some bigger paper and canvas." I told her.
Alice nodded. "We're giving her a necklace with her name on, and Esme brought a jacket for her." She told me. "But that wasn't what you wanted to talk about."
She was good. "Well, I just thought that you would do something major for her birthday, but we both know that she doesn't like big parties where everything's about her."
"I know. That's why I didn't do anything. I just thought I would put some balloons around the house and candles and a cake – a lot like your eighteenth birthday." She told me. "But this time we'll make sure that no one cuts themselves."
I sent her a smile. "Thanks Alice," I told her, hesitating.
"What about your birthday? That's not far away either." She said and giggled. She knew me too well.
"We don't have to talk about that. Because there's not going to be any birthday." I told her. Then I remembered something. "When is Edward's birthday? I had brought a birthday present for him, but I didn't know when it was, so I gave it to him a few days ago."
She laughed. "I don't know when he was born, but I know when he was turned." She told me and laughed again. "You should have waited just two weeks, it's the twenty-second of September."
"It is? Why didn't he ever tell me that?" I asked her.
"Because you never asked," A voice said from behind. I turned around fast and looked up at Edward's smiling face.
"You could have told me anyway. You've always given me everything I asked for and more than that. I have never given you a present, other than the necklace." I said.
"It doesn't matter. I love to give you things and you don't have to give me something back." He told me and kissed the top of my head as he sat down next to me. He leaned forward and looked at Alice. "Hello Alice."
"Hello Edward." She told him and smiled. "Where's Renesmee?"
"She's still sleeping. She need's it." He told her and leaned back in the couch and put his arm around me.
"Have you thought of any more presents to Nessie?" Alice asked us after some time in silence.
"Well, I saw a necklace and a bracelet yesterday, but it was sold out and I would have to wait till Tuesday to get it." Edward told her.
"What? Did Edward Cullen actually say that? Did you rally just give up like that? Didn't you go strait to the production and demanded to get some?" Alice asked in a teasing voice.
"I actually didn't. Should I have? I mean they looked nice, but what kind of daughter loves what her father gives her? Isn't father's just so uncool?"
"Your daughter loves whatever you give her, and you're not uncool." I told him and squeezed his hand in mine.
He turned to me and smiled. It was a happy smile, but there was something behind this god face. Sorrow.
I put my hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. I concentrated and thought, "What's wrong?"
He chook his head and Alice shoot him a sharp look. He frowned at her and looked back at me. "Alice saw Nathan. He's still mad at us and wants to bring us down in front of the whole school. He has come up with some lame stories and wants to take us from the inside. By telling us stories about each other." He told me.
"Why would he do that? Is he just some big looser who can't understand that I don't like him?" I asked them.
"It's not only about you. He doesn't like competition. And he feels we are. We just have to show him that if he messes with the Cullen family, he could get hurt." Alice said and snickered.
"You want to hurt him?"
"Well, if he starts telling Emmett things about Rose, he will. And I'm not sure either of us will let him tell lies in front of us."
She was so right. "No, we definitely wouldn't." I said and laughed.
I heard light footsteps on the terrace and saw Renesmee enter the living room.
She had put on a light blue T-shirt, white shorts and white flip-flops. "Good morning." She said and put her small arms around Edward and me. Then she went to hug Alice and sat down between her and me.
"I thought you were sleeping. Did we wake you up when we left?" I asked her and stroked a curly hair away from her face.
"I was, and you didn't wake me up. I woke up by myself." She told me. "When are you going to school?"
"Well, you woke up really early so there's about an hour till we have to leave." Edward told her.
"And we need to talk to everyone before we go." Alice said. "I should probably go tell Jasper and Em and Rose." She took off and danced gracefully outside and took off against the forest.
"What has happened? Did Alice see something?" Renesmee asked and looked from me to Edward.
"It's nothing. Nothing you have to worry about." Edward assured her and sent her a smile.
Alice went back through the door that moment. She looked embarrassed. Was that possible? She saw me look at her. "Remind me to never wake up Em and Rose again. They hissed at me." She said and sat down in the couch.
"I'm so sorry." Edward said and laughed loudly at her. "I could have warned you about that, but you didn't ask."
"Thank you so much. Now they hate me for the rest of my live, which will be very long."
Jasper walked into the room then. He was wearing an ivory sweater, a pair of black jeans and a black jacket above. He crossed the room and sat down next to Alice.
After about ten minutes we were all sitting down in the couches. Alice had told them about her vision and Emmett was already telling us about how much he wanted to crack open Nathan's skull and eat his brain afterwards.
"Emmett, enough with the details, we get the point without the violence. We have to act grown-up about this." Alice said.
"Alice you know without thinking that Emmett is never going to act grown-up about anything." Edward said and sent a smile to his favorite brother.
Emmett smiled back. "Thank you Edward. I love you too." Emmett said and punched Edward's shoulder playfully.
"That's what I'm talking about." Edward said and punched back.
"Guys! Enough with the childish playing around." Rosalie said and went back to study her polished nails.
They came up with a plan that said; never believe anything Nathan tells you, don't get so upset you want to fry his brain – mostly for Emmett – and don't walk around alone when he's around – not that he could hurt us, but we would revel ourselves if we did anything.
When time came, we left the couches and said goodbye to Renesmee, Esme and Carlisle – he had the late watch today.
"What could he say? I mean, did Alice see him saying anything?" I asked Edward when we sat in the Volvo on our way to school.
"Well, she saw him talking to all of us. He went straight on and told Emmett he had seen Rosalie kiss another guy. That's probably the kind of thing he would say to us too, we just have to shut it out." He told me.
He parked next to Emmett's jeep and shut off the engine. He looked at me and leaned against me.
I caught his head in my hands before our lips touched. "I would never ever kiss anyone but you." I told him.
"A bit late for that," He said. He went on when he saw the confusion on my face. "You kissed Jacob, twice."
I pushed him away – more playfully than serious. "He kissed me the first time. I was a fragile human and I couldn't compete with his strength. And the second time I was afraid he would die." I said.
"I know," he said. "And I know you won't kiss anybody else, from now on."
I pulled his face to mine and kissed his lips.
Too bad we had parked in the middle of the lot. I could feel stares at me, but I didn't care. All that mattered was Edward.
He laughed, like he'd heard me and pulled away. "Isn't it a bit too early for that? You make me want to cut classes."
"Oh, what a bad boy you are, Edward Cullen. Don't teach the kids bad manners." I said like a teacher and laughed.
He laughed too. "I should probably be more like you."
"Oh no! Then we would definitely have to quit classes." I told him.
He laughed and opened his door to get out. I followed his lead and got out as well.
The others were waiting for us and Emmett was laughing loudly. He had heard our conversation.
Edward took my hand and we walked against them. Edward punched Emmett's shoulder and they laughed.
"Grow up. You act like kids." Rosalie said. I didn't know what was wrong with her, but she seemed very tense these days.
"We're not able too." Emmett said and pulled her into a hug. Maybe he felt it too.
She let him hug her, but after some time she pulled away and turned away from him.
Emmett looked shocked and looked at Edward. "Rose? What's wrong with you?" he asked and went after her.
"What is wrong with her?" I asked Edward.
"I have no idea, I can't sense her. It's like she's not even here." Edward told me.
"Rose? Please tell me what's wrong." Emmett begged. He tried to grab her hand, but she pulled it out.
She stopped. "I just have a horrible headache. It's crazy." She told him and turned around. Her face was twisted in pain. She let him pull her into a hug again.
I could feel something against my shield and saw Rosalie's face relax. Whatever had attacked her had attacked me, but couldn't get to my brain.
I felt the pressure lighten and disappear and the look was back in Rosalie's face.
What was going on?
I extended my shield and put it around her. She relaxed in Emmett's arms again.
I heard a distant hiss and looked in the direction. A girl with blonde hair was standing there, looking mad.
She looked like she was younger than me, but all the make-up and the too little clothes made her look older. She was standing next to a blond boy. Nathan.
"That's the least you can do with the freak powers you have. You have done it before why can't you do it now? Did you spend all of your powers to make Sebastian like you?" Nathan asked the girl.
"Don't talk to me like that. I have done everything you have asked for; made every girl fall in love with you; made every guy think they're jealous of you. It's not my fault that no one likes you." The girl snapped back.
"Try one last time, and I'll buy you a new pair of shoes. Bella." Nathan ordered.
The girl concentrated and looked at me. A few seconds later I felt the pressure on my shield.
I turned around and faced Edward. I took his hand and leaned against him. "Find Nathan. Next to him is a girl. She has some powers that can control other people. She's doing it to me and Rosalie, but I'm blocking her." I told him.
He looked in their direction and closed his eyes. I looked at her again and saw her turn her back to Nathan and walk away. He followed her a few steps, but turned around and shot me a fast glance before he turned to the main entrance.
"She's his sister. Little sister, she's sixteen." Edward told me. "And she's some kind of a witch. I didn't even know they existed anymore."
"What the hell are you two talking about? And why aren't you telling the rest of us?" Alice asked.
"We just found out." Edward said and told them quietly about Nathan and his witch sister.
"So she tried to put a spell on me because she couldn't reach Bella?" Rosalie said. "That bitch."
"Yeah, but when Bella shielded you she gave up. She knows something is wrong with us, but she hasn't told her brother."
Rosalie looked at me for a second and smiled. Then the bell rang and we ran to classes.
We avoided Nathan the first classes, but in the fourth I sat next to him and we had to work in pairs, and we had to go outside.
I could feel Edward's glance in my back when we left the class. Before I walked through the door a looked at him and heard his words as silent as a breath, "Be careful."
Nathan made many attempts to talk to me, but I didn't answer one time. I could see his face slowly starting to turn red and his eyes mad.
When it was time for us to go back he tried to hold my hand but the moment he touched me I pulled my hand away.
Right before we walked into the class he tried again and hissed when I pulled away.
The teacher called off and everybody ran out. I walked to Edward in the back where he was still sitting.
I was about to say something when a voice behind me interrupted. "Cullen? Have you ever noticed that does this thing when she kisses you?"
I turned around and looked up at Nathan's smiling face. He met my gaze for a second before Edward got in the middle and pushed him away from me.
"You son of a bitch." Edward said and hit Nathan – without too much pressure – and I think that it was probably the meanest thing he had ever said and done.
"You don't believe she kissed me, do you? You trust her so much that you don't care what she does?" Nathan asked him and received a punch more.
"Nathan?" I heard a girls voice call from the hallway. "I'm here to make some magic."
I recognized the voice, but couldn't put a face on it. Only when the blonde girl walked into the class, Nathan's sister.
She looked from Nathan, to Edward, to me and focused on Edward. She probably wanted to put a spell on him, but he was protected like the rest of us.
Nathan was on the floor and Edward left him there and walked to my side, taking my hand.
"Maria, I thought I told you to wait in the cafeteria. Why didn't you?" Nathan asked her.
"You didn't come so I went here." She told him and looked at Edward. "So you're the new hottie?"
I woke up from my trance and walked up in front of her. "Don't ever touch him. If you do you'll get the same as Nathan if not worse." I said and sent her a dark glance.
"Like you can do that, you're too small and don't have enough confidence to even hit someone." She said and snorted.
"Maybe not, but if you give me a reason to hit you, I'll be glad to take it." I told her and took some steps closer to her.
She made a quick laugh before walking to Nathan. She pulled him to his feet and they walked out the door.
Outside there was a gasp and a voice. "What has happened to you? You should go to the school nurse." It was a man.
A man appeared in the door. He was balled and had a dark beard. He looked like he was about fifty and he wore huge glasses.
He looked at us. "Who of you beat that poor guy?" he asked in a strange sounding voice. It was like a manly mouse voice.
Edward cleared his throat innocently. "I did sir. I'm very sorry, but he said things to me that wasn't nice." He said politely.
"Violence isn't the solution on problems Mr. You could talk about it instead that always helps." The teacher said.
"I'll be sure to remember that if it happens again, sir."
"I'm so very sorry, but I'll have to ask you to come to the principal's office. We won't accept that kind of behavior on this school." He told Edward and nodded to the door. "And young lady, you should go to the cafeteria while there is still time."
"Sure." I told him and squeezed Edward's hand before leaving the room. I walked directly to the cafeteria and spotted the others by a table in the far end.
"Hi Bella," Alice greeted me. "I have told the others about Edward. What is wrong with him? He was the one who said we had to be careful and don't lose our tempers. And that's exactly what he does."
I sat down on the free chair and looked at her again. "What are they going to do about him?" I asked her.
"Well, they're going to give him a warning and send him home for the day."
I shook my head. "I should probably go with him. He's going to be pissed. And Nathan will probably be after him." I said. "When is he finished with the principal?"
She closed her eyes for a short second and focused on me again. "In five minutes. And you're right. It's best not to let him out of sight." She said and laughed.
I rose up. "See you guys later." I said and walked out the cafeteria again. I walked through the school against the main entrance and then down the steps in front of school. I walked to the car and leaned against it while I waited for Edward.
After two minutes he appeared by the doors and started to smile when he saw me there. "What are you doing here?" he asked me when he had put his arms around me.
"I'm ditching class." I told him. "Alice told me you got a warning and had to go home for the rest of the day. How are you feeling?"
He laughed. "Well, I agree with them. I didn't behave as I should have and that's not all right. So they had the right to send me home."
I stroked his cheek. "I was thinking we could go to town and buy the presents for Renesmee. We have the time now." I said.
He agreed so we got in the car and drove to town.
We brought paint and brushes, and also some paper and canvas. We also went to the store with music instruments and Edward brought a guitar.
"A guitar? What is that for? Can you even play the guitar?" I asked him on the way home.
"If I can? Yes, I didn't only play the piano. I also played the guitar, but the one I had broken before I met you and I didn't buy a new one." He told me.
When we got home he played some for Renesmee and me. Renesmee wanted to learn to play it too, so they spend the whole weekend playing and when she played for me a last time Sunday night it sounded good.
After we'd said goodnight to Renesmee, Edward sat down and played my lullaby on the guitar. It didn't sound as good as on the piano, but nearly as good.
"Don't you think this year has passed so quickly? It has just disappeared." I said when I was lying against Edward's chest on the couch.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I feel the exact same way." He told me and stroked my hair.
I turned my head against his and leaned closer to him to kiss him.
He gave me a quick kiss before he pulled away. "I have to go see Alice about tomorrow. She's standing outside and hates that I shut her out." He told me and laughed. He lifted me off his chest and kissed me lightly before putting me back onto the couch.
He walked to the door and like he had said Alice was standing in the doorway and looked mad. Which wasn't mad for her, just less happy.
"Thank you for finally coming! I've been waiting here for ten minutes." She almost yelled at him.
"Why didn't you just knock or actually yell out loud?" Edward asked her.
"Because that would wake up Renesmee." She said. "Now come on. You don't want to wake her up either."
Edward looked at me for a few seconds before he followed her. He closed the door behind him and walked away.
I found a book and walked to our bedroom and started to read. I had read it a few times already, but it was the best I've got.
After a few pages I heard a sound and thought that Edward had come home, but when I looked up I saw Renesmee standing in the door.
"I can't sleep." she told me and came up to the bed. She crawled up and lay down on the pillow next to me.
I put the book down and looked at her. "Too excited about tomorrow?" I asked her.
She laughed. "Probably." She said. She pulled the quilt over her and closed her eyes.
"You want me to read you to sleep?" I asked her. Only Edward could sing her to sleep so I had to do the reading.
She nodded so I went to find the book we had been reading before we went to Rio.
It was about a mother who had lost her husband and then later loses their child, and stops believing in everything she had before. In the end of the book she finds a little boy on the street and raises him like he was her own son.
When I closed the book after reading the last sentence Renesmee was looking like she was thinking of something very important.
"Will I ever find someone who loves me like you love daddy and like he loves you?" she asked me.
Bad question. Because she already had, Jacob, but how could I tell her that? "You will, someday. But right now you just have to be a child." I told her.
She smiled. "Will I ever have a child? Like my own?"
Another bad question. "Well, that depends on a lot of things you know. But the thing is …" I hesitated. I should never have said more.
"What?" she asked. "You don't think I can, do you? You don't think that I can have babies?"
"I didn't mean it like that. It's just, that someday you will stop aging, stop changing, like the rest of us. And we can't have kids." I told her.
"That doesn't mean that I can't. You and daddy always told me that if there was something I wanted I just had to believe it. And I really want children." She said and her eyes filled with tears. "I see how you love me and how I love you, and I want to have it too."
"I'm sorry sweetheart." I told her and put my arms around her. She yanked away from me and jumped down the bed.
I heard her scream and before I could react she was lying on the floor. She was screaming in pain while her body was twisting.
The door opened and I heard Edward's gasp. He kneeled next to her and tried to hold her still.
I was so frozen in my place that I didn't notice him gasp again. I suddenly just heard the big clock. It was midnight.
"Nessie? What happened to…?" He didn't say the rest before a loud scream filled the room.
I blinked twice and looked down at them. When I saw Renesmee I thought my vision was shaking because it was like she got bigger and bigger, but Edward was all still next to her.
I held still and focused on her. She was growing. Her hair was getting longer and her body was getting more mature. She was still screaming and everything felt like it was a part of an evil dream.
"What is happening to her?" I asked Edward.
His first words drowned in a loud scream. "She's growing. Fast." He responded in shock.
Her screaming stopped and her body wasn't shaking, maybe it stopped? She was breathing fast and it was like she couldn't open her eyes.
Edward reached down to her and stroked her cheek with a shaking hand.
She opened her eyes.