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10. Oblivion:
I opened my eyes to darkness yet again. My heart thrummed away in my chest and I brought my hand up to my face and covered my eyes. I heaved a heavy sigh and rolled onto my side. For the past two weeks I had been having the same nightmare. I was running through the forest. There shouldn't have been anything scary about that, except that I was running alone, carrying the knowledge that one only has in dreams. My family was dead and my home was destroyed and I was running to save my own life. But there was no where I could run to. And I was alone.
Alice hadn't seen anything to cause any alarm but I was waiting for it, knowing that it would come eventually. I lay in bed and closed my eyes again.
I knew this place. Before me, the gilded door swung open at my approach. Just as before, I didn't want to go inside but the ominous press of the shadows behind me made me step over the threshold.
As soon as I was inside the dark, the door slammed shut behind me. The room was a blackened wreck. Fire damaged furniture lay in ruins around the room. Soot stained the stone and the room smelled acrid and stuffy, like it hadn't been aired out in ages. There was another scent in the air, however, and that caught my attention. I was sure that I had smelled it before, but I couldn't quite place it.
In the deep shadows of the broken and blackened mahogany armoire, someone sat. I frowned, knowing instantly that this was not the same dream as before. The woman who sat in the corner now was not the same veiled lady. No, she was entirely new to me. And she was another hybrid. I could hear her heartbeat now and it was the same thrumming rhythm of my own and I realized what the scent was that I had caught earlier. It belonged to her and it was familiar to me because it was like my own, a blend of blood and venom.
Her hair was platinum and fell around her shoulders in shining waves. Her skin was even fairer than my own and her eyes were a lovely, clear blue. Her delicate hands rested on her cards as her eyes met mine. Rose petal lips lifted in a smirk. I watched her shuffle tarot cards, taking three from the deck and laying them on the small table before her. She flipped the three cards over, her crystal clear eyes scanning each one individually. I took notice of the cards for the first time. One was of a moon, another was a chariot and the last on the table was a wheel. None of them made any sense to me.
The woman's eyes narrowed and she looked up at me, her lips still pulled up in a smirk.
"Renesmee," she said, her voice was a rich contralto, "I've got you."
And then the dream ended. It went blank, like it had been wiped clean. I was left standing in pitch darkness but I was still asleep. I was still dreaming but I was trapped in the nothingness. Somehow, this empty void was much worse than any of my other nightmares. I was trapped in oblivion and I couldn't figure out how to wake up. As panic squeezed my lungs a rich, melodious laugh echoed around me in the endless nothing and all I could do was scream.
Someone grabbed me and I thrashed in their grip, fighting whoever it was with all of my strength.
"Ow," someone said, "Ness, wake up, honey. You're okay."
My eyes snapped open and I was staring up into Jacob's black eyes. I threw myself at him, clinging to him as I took deep, calming breaths. He held me back, rubbing my back in soothing circles. Something was wrong, though. I could smell fresh blood and I pulled back hastily. I caught the deep red gashes that I had left in his arms and gasped.
"Oh, no," I breathed, "I'm sorry, Jay!"
He chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I've had worse, believe me. Besides, they're already starting to heal."
And so they were. I could just see that his skin had started to knit itself together. I buried my face in my hands and sighed.
"Was it the old suck-heads again?" He asked.
"No," I breathed, "This was something different. There was another hybrid there...and she said that she had me...and then, nothing."
"Nothing?" Jacob frowned.
"Yeah," I replied, "That's what scared me. I was just trapped in an endless blackness and I couldn't wake myself up....it was so much more terrifying than anything else..."
"Well, you're awake now," Jacob said, "So..."
I wasn't looking at him anymore. I was staring out of my window at the mist that swirled around the trees, making elegant patterns in the air.
"Ness," Jacob said and it was only then that I realized that he had been speaking.
"Yes," I asked, blinking up at him.
He frowned down at me, his eyes clearly worried and I sighed, "I'm sorry, Jay. What were you saying?"
"I was asking you what you wanted to do today," he repeated.
"Oh," I replied, "Um....let's go for a hike!"
We hadn't done that in a while and I really could use the distraction that it would provide me. Jacob seemed to consider this for a moment before a smile broke over his face.
"I guess that could be fun," he agreed, "I'll tell Bella and Edward and then we'll be off."
I nodded and watched him leave, getting up to find some suitable hiking attire. I settled for a pair of jeans that had been intentionally distressed and a ice blue button up top. I tied on some hiking boots, pulled my curls back into a pony-tail and headed into the main room. Jacob was sitting on the couch with my parents and neither of them looked particularly happy. I frowned at the scene, hopelessly confused as to why they all looked like that.
"I don't want you going too far today," my father said as I entered the room.
"Why?" I frowned.
"Just don't," he replied.
"O-kay," I said, staring at him.
I couldn't get anything from him and it was then that I saw my mother's hand around his. Jacob was sitting so close to my mother that I instantly knew that he was included in her shields. I sighed. I wonder what they were hiding from me now. I wandered over to them, leaning over my mother while I pretended to glance at the title of the book that was currently on the coffee table, though my actual intention was to "accidentally" brush up against her. The only way that I could break through her shield was if I was touching her, skin to skin. I must not have hidden my motives very well because my father suddenly pulled my mother onto his lap, half spilling her into Jacob's. My mother was momentarily shocked but then comprehension dawned on her and she shook her head slightly. My father held her close to himself and conveniently well away from me.
"It's The Merchant of Venice," my father said quietly, "That is what you were trying to see, correct?"
"Yes," I replied, eying him suspiciously before turning a brilliant smile on Jacob, "Well, lets go, Jay!"
"Not too far, I mean it," my father said.
I nodded to him and grabbed Jacob's hand, towing him toward the door. Jacob was thinking of a million trivial things and I gave up trying to figure out what had gone on inside. Once we were outside, I threw my arms behind me and stretched. Yes, I need the physical activity today. Jacob walked ahead of me through the thick underbrush that surrounded our cottage. He stopped near the line of trees and turned back to me, waiting. I skipped over to him and smiled.
"Which way should we go?" He asked.
"Let's go in a general...that way direction," I said, pointing off to my left.
Jacob chuckled, "I see you've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean again."
"Nope," I smiled, "I just have perfect recall."
"Yeah, yeah," Jacob replied, "I know."
We glided through the forest silently for a while. I had forgotten how nice it was to just stroll through the trees for leisure.
"Hey, Ness," Jacob said suddenly.
"Yes?" I asked, startled.
"Why haven't you told your parents about your nightmares?" He asked.
"I just don't want them to know," I replied, "I think....I think it would be dangerous for them...if they knew. I'm still not too happy that you know."
"But, why?" Jacob pressed.
"It's just how I feel, Jay, okay?" I said, "That's the only way I can explain it."
Jacob sighed and I could hear the millions of questions tripping over themselves in his head and was pleased when he didn't voice any of them. Instead, he reached for my hand and laced his fingers through mine. The forest thinned and soon we entered a small clearing that was a cross between a meadow and a thicket. How interesting. I don't remember seeing this place before.
"Huh," Jacob said beside me, "We've never been here before."
"Are you sure you can't read minds?" I asked, looking up at him, "Or was I projecting again?"
Jacob chuckled, "I guess great minds think alike. Jeez, I feel like I should have packed us a picnic or something."
"This place would be perfect for it," I nodded, "It's beautiful."
I wandered forward into the nest of ferns that crowded around the small stretch of grass and moss that made up the meadow portion. The trees that created the thicket wound up toward the sky in an intricate, curving fashion, creating and almost roof-like overhang. Yes, this place was beautiful, beyond beautiful, actually and it was ours, Jacob's and mine. I turned to look at him where he still stood in the line of trees and smiled before I plopped down on the ground, patting the space next to me. Jacob smiled and joined me, sprawling himself on the ground beside me.
Around us, the breeze was singing through the trees with a haunting melody. None of the other signs of forest life greeted our ears, but then, the birds wouldn't sing for us. No, we were something alien and dangerous to the woodland creatures and they wouldn't welcome us. I had grown accustom to the silence that was always present in the forest when I was in it.
I lay back against the fluffy moss and grass and closed my eyes, listening to the wind and Jacob's heartbeat. I could feel him beside me, his body heat mingling with mine. Above me, and through my closed eyes, the darkness became less and I knew that the sun had managed to make an appearance through the dense clouds. And then I was bombarded by a totally unexpected thought.
God, but she look breathtaking in the sun.
My eyes snapped open as my face turned to Jacob who was looking down at me, his face full of wonder and something close to fear.
"What?" I breathed.
"Oops," he replied, closing his eyes and looking away from me, "Damn it, I thought I was getting better at controlling my thoughts."
"Jacob," I said, sitting up and grabbing his arm, "What?"
Do I really need to repeat it?
"Yes," I replied.
He sighed loudly and turned back to face me, "You remember how imprinting works, right?"
I nodded. I don't know how many times I've gone over the mechanics of imprinting before, both with my parents and with Jacob.
"Safe and happy and all of that," I waved it off like it was nothing, "But why does that matter?"
Jacob closed his eyes and swallowed hard before he spoke again, "Yeah...about that happy part..."
"Just spit it out Jacob!" I said.
"I talked to your parents this morning," he continued, "And I'm pretty sure that they didn't like what I had to say, Edward especially. This is so hard..."
Ah, maybe I'd finally get to see what the scene in the living room this morning was about. I didn't press but waited for him to continue.
"So this morning, I let Edward see what I've been thinking about these past two weeks," Jacob said, "I'm surprised that he didn't kill me right then...Anyway, he understood how hard it is for me because he understands the imprinting thing and all that it entails...And I assured him that I understood his point of view, and your mother's, too..."
"I don't..." I began but Jacob held up a finger to silence me.
"I'm getting to it," he said, "I have to keep you happy. I have to, it's not a choice and recently, you've made it clear that what would make you happy is if I was more...romantic...with you."
My eyes widened, "Oh!"
"So I told your parents," Jacob continued on as if I hadn't just had a revelation into the uncomfortable atmosphere that had greeted me in the morning, "I'm still not sure how they'll react to that...or what they're willing to allow...but I will respect what they want, even if that means that I can't...give you what you want...but it won't be easy for me."
"You told them all of that while I was getting dressed?" I asked. How had I not heard any of that?
"No," Jacob shook his head, "I told them all of that while you were still asleep. I told them about what we were doing this afternoon while you were getting dressed."
"Now I understand why my dad didn't want us to go too far," I nearly smiled, "He wanted to be able to find us quickly."
Jacob wasn't as amused by this as I was. This was really hurting him. His morals and the imprinting were clashing violently.
"Jacob," I said softly, giving his arm a gentle squeeze, "Jacob, you can't think of me as a normal girl. I'm not normal. I'm half vampire...I'm far more mentally advanced than my physical appearance and you know that. I might even be more mature than you are."
I smiled at him to let him know that I was teasing him but he didn't smile.
"C'mon, Jay," I sighed, "Don't turn this into a burden."
"Ness," he sighed, "That's not what I meant by any of that...It's just hard."
I nodded, "I know."
I ran my hand down his arm and wove my fingers within his and just held his hand. He looked at our joined hands and I felt what he was feeling. Happiness, confusion, sadness, anger, betrayal, love, self-loathing, disgust, all mixing together with each other at once.
"I know," I whispered, as if reply.
He reached for me, his hand cupping my cheek gently and I closed my eyes under the tenderness of his touch. In that moment we both wanted the exact same thing, each other. Neither of us moved, we only let the longing flow through us like some beautifully painful heat. Jacob's hand fell away from my cheek and my eyes fluttered open and I gasped. His face was inches from mine, like it had been in the car, however, this time, this time I was strong enough to resist the temptation to close the distance between us though my lips trembled with the need.
Jacob took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he drew away from me, a wistful smile on his face.
"Okay," he said, "Good."
"Easy for you to say," I mumbled and he laughed.
Just then, a cell phone rang and Jacob plunged his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out the phone.
"Yeah," he said.
"Jacob," said my father's voice on the other end, "You and Renesmee need to come home, now."
"What's wrong?" Jacob frowned, on edge.
"Just do it," my father snapped, "The big house, quickly."
And then the phone went dead. Jacob snapped it closed and looked at me but I was already on my feet. Something was wrong and I had a terrible feeling that I knew what it was. Jacob and I ran through the forest as fast as we could, clearing the river and porch at lightning speed. As the front door slammed shut behind us, my vision tilted as the scene in front of me confirmed my worst fears.
My entire family looked up at us from their positions on the floor, where they were all clustered around Alice who was on her knees. Her eyes shifted to me and I felt my legs shake as the memory of her vision replayed in my head.
"The Volturi have disappeared," she said softly, "I can't see them anymore. They're gone."
My legs gave out from under me and darkness took me.
AN: Sorry it took so long guys! Life got in the way! Anyway, another cliffy for you! Ahahahahaa!