Renesmee was like watching myself grow up again. She was remarkable though. Her gift was truly amazing. She was surrounded by people that loved her and cared for her. Bella was a different story though. The only thing about her that changed was her balance issues. She was pretty much the same as she had always been. I had been warned to keep my distance in the beginning because she was a newborn, but it wasn't a problem. She had even visited with Charlie.
I was sent away to school again, but it didn't last. I had started changing again. The fears had multiplied by two now. Everyone watched Renesmee change like I had, but they were watching me change too. I now looked like Bella and Edward. I was in my late teens or early twenties. I was now seven and life was more complicated. Seth still wanted more from me, but I wasn't in a place for that. It had only been a few months since Renesmee was born and the family was talking about going to look for others like us. Carlisle couldn't believe that we were the only ones.
I spent most of my time away from the family. I was worried about dying soon and their worry added to that. Carlisle was always working on something in his lab and the others would shoot worried glances at me or at Nessie. It was hard to take. Seth was a different story though. He was overly happy all the time. I knew that he was trying hard to show me that he wasn't worried, but it actually might have been worse. I had a lot to think about and I couldn't get over the fact that I had grown another five years in a matter of months.
I was happy at least for the other drama to be over. Charlie was in the loop and that made Bella happy. Jacob and Seth were happy that we weren't leaving. I was glad to be able to finally breathe a bit and focus on my own problems. Seth was a big one and then the whole dying young thing was pretty big too. I had found many pretty great places on my own that helped me find some peace and forget everything. It was nice having Renesmee around too. She was a pretty great distraction.
There were many times that I would find an escape and realize that she was with me. It was nice spending time with her alone though. She was a lot like me. She pulled me back to the childhood that I had missed out on. She loved playing games, like hide and seek. I would occasionally ask Seth to come along with us too. It was nice being around him when he wasn't over the top. I needed him to be the guy I had spent the summer with, the friends that we were before I had been marked with the news that I couldn't be changed.
I had decided to talk to him about it on one of our walks. I stopped on the top of the water fall and looked down. He had stopped in the trees to change and I waited for him to join me.
"We gonna jump today?" His voice pulled me back from the amazing view.
I smiled and shook my head, "I don't know about that. I wanted to talk to you about something." I watched as his eyes showed his worry, but his face didn't give that emotion away, "It isn't anything bad or anything. I need you to understand why I go off alone a lot. Everyone is so worried about me and it is hard for me to see it all the time. You don't act like that, but it is almost like you are trying too hard to show me that you are alright."
He sucked in a breath and smiled, "I'm sorry if I'm too much for you."
I shook my head, "I want you to be you. I don't want you to try to be happy. I guess I just want you to be happy. I want us to go back to the way we were before all this." I waved my hands in the air and sighed.
"So you just want us to have fun and not think about what could happen?" I nodded at him and almost immediately regretted it.
He launched himself at me and wrapped me in his arms. It was like flying for about thirty seconds. We hit the water and were pulled almost to the bottom. I pushed away from him and swam for the surface. I could hear his laugh before my ears hit the air.
"What were you thinking?" I laughed with him and swam to the edge. It had been a long time since I had felt this free.
"I wasn't thinking. Maybe that has been the problem." He followed me easily and jumped out next to me, "Race you back to the top."
I spun around and took off for the path. We continued on like this for hours. It was the greatest day. I was pulled back to the easy days over the summer. I could easily see how I had missed the emotional connection we had made. His easy laugh and the way he seemed to know me better than I knew myself.
Just like the summer had come to an end, this day was brought to an end too. When I pulled myself out for the sixtieth time my eyes found Rosalie standing close by. I could tell that something had happened.
"What is it, Rose?" I was out and rushing toward her. I heard Seth behind me.
"Irina saw Renesmee and she went to the Volturi. They think that she is an immortal child." Her voice was hard and cold.
I closed my eyes and pressed my hands against my temples. Why couldn't we just have one peaceful year? "So we explain to them. They can't really defend a fight when there are two of us. I can attest that we aren't immortal."
"I don't know, but we need to get back to the house." I watched as she disappeared back into the darkness of the woods.
I screamed at the top of my lungs and listened as birds took flight, "Why can't this just stop?"
Seth was wrapped around me before I could hit the ground. He lifted me off the ground and started carrying me toward the house. I wanted to stay in these arms forever, but I knew that I had to put on my brave face once again and become the same stone as the rest of my family. I pushed away from him and he put me on my feet. I had expected him to say something to me, but he was silent. There weren't any words for what was happening.
There was so much to get through. Carlisle and the others were going to go to their friends and send them back to the house to meet Renesmee. Carlisle didn't want me to be a part of any of it, but he knew that I was in their heads and Aro would see me. He thought it would be better to be honest with the Volturi then to try and deceive them.
I suggested that we go to them. He could see me and see that I was alive and growing. I didn't like his response to this suggestion. "I think that it would be worse to go to them. We would be on their turf and there wouldn't be any witnesses to the truth. They could do what they wanted."
"I didn't realize that they were that ruthless." This brought me up short. I was nothing compared to my family. They were strong and would do well in a fight, I would be weak and easily taken out.
Alice and Jasper had left and as far as anyone knew they weren't coming back. I didn't know what to believe. I couldn't believe that she would abandon everyone. I was sure that she was working on something else, but that was only to make myself feel better. I had also found that Bella was working on something also. That was just as hard to figure out as Alice's plan. I was watching my family splintering and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Vampires had started to arrive and the wolves were on edge about it. Tanya, Kate, Eleazar and Carmen were the first to arrive. This was a hard family to deal with though. Their mother had created an immortal child and they would react similar to Irina. The plan was for them to talk to me first and then meet Renesmee. They were very pleasant to me and I remembered them from the wedding. At the time they hadn't known what I was. They thought that I was human.
"It's nice to see you again, Samantha." Tanya was polite as ever. She looked me over and cocked her head, "You have grown."
I smiled up at her and sighed, "Yes, that is why you are here. Carlisle should have spoken to you about me sooner and this wouldn't be a problem now." I felt Edward walk up behind me, "I am part vampire."
I saw the confusion fill all of their faces, "You have been asked to come here to meet my daughter. Irina saw her in the woods on her visit and didn't give us time to explain. She went to the Volturi and told them that she was an immortal child. I assure you that she is not. You have seen for yourself how Sam has grown in a short time. You also see that she is human."
I heard Bella and Jacob exit the house and the gasps from the new coven were immediate. They had heard what we had to say, but were not completely convinced. I stepped forward and looked into Tanya's eyes. "Her heart beats like mine, listen and you will hear it."
I stepped away to let them see her better. My job was done with this coven; it was up to them now. I knew that they would love her. Everyone fell in love with her after they had met her. She was just so easy to love. I watched from the porch with Seth as one by one Renesmee won them over.
It went on like this with all the covens. It was harder with some because they didn't know me, but eventually they all understood and they believed both me and Renesmee. The house was filling up and the wolves were getting anxious. I was a little anxious myself. I didn't like that all of these vampires were here while my family was not. Carlisle and Esme returned home before Emmett and Rosalie. I was happy to have them back, but wished that Alice and Jasper would walk through the door too.
Seth spent more time away from the house to keep his family and the pack happy. It wasn't safe for the wolves to be this close to all of those vampires. To help him, I spent time with him on the reservation. It was nice to see Emily again. I had missed her.
Seth was not happy about any of this and on several occasions asked me to run away with him. He knew what he was asking and he knew my response, but he still had to ask it. I knew that he was feeling something that I would never understand. I was starting to see what his true feelings for me were. He had imprinted on me.
