Title: Never as They Seem

Chapter 12: More Questions

I was out hunting like my mom made me. I had separated myself from the family like I normally do. They stopped caring after I refused to hunt with them when I was younger, not to mention that sometimes one of them would come after me due to my heartbeat. We found it easier for me to break apart during the hunt.

That didn't mean I wasn't within ear shot if something happened to either of us. I could still hear them if they yelled and they could still hear me. I crouched in the bushes as a deer walked by. I bent down as I stared it down, I was faster than a human but still not as fast as most of my family. I started my way through the bush, trying to make sure I had a clear line to it. Once the deer knew I was here, it would be a matter of seconds before the deer would run.

I finally had a clear shot at the deer when it picked its head up and looked around. Before I could react, it ran off. It was unusual for animals to sense me. I was part human, typically they wouldn't fear me. "Dammit." I muttered getting out of the bush. I started to pick the leaves out of my hair. It was so much easier when I was younger and my parents would bring me the pre-killed animal.

I started to sniff around for another deer or a bigger animal. I found a few bunnies, a squirrel, and even a mole but there were no deer around. I gave up as I started to walk toward my family. I had already picked down three animals, which should suffice.

I stopped when I heard a noise in a bush not far off. I turned around and looked at it, the bush had stopped moving. I figured it was a squirrel that was running from me as I turned my back to it and started to walk toward my parents. I pulled out my phone to call my family when I felt my phone get knocked out of my hand and myself thrown to the ground.

Not again.

I looked over to my left to see my cell phone drop to the ground as it bounced and broke apart. I looked up to see who my attacker was to be met with two red eyes staring at me.

I gulped as I tried to get away. I knew what red eyes meant. I had only met a handful of nomadic vampires and I learned quickly what the red eyes meant.

"You're a vampire." Was all I could say as if I had just figured out something new.

The person over me stared at me as if confused. "What are you?" it asked forcefully. "You aren't fully human, what are you?" It practically yelled the last part out.

"I'm half vampire and half human." I said honestly, hoping it wouldn't kill me if I gave it the right answers.

The vampire moved off of me and backed away. I heard my name off in the distance. My mom just yelled it out. Both our head snapped in that direction.

"Don't answer." The vampire said to me. She had brown curly hair that seemed rather messy, most likely from being a nomad.

"I think I have every right to answer if you are going to kill me." I told her.

"Please, just don't. I won't kill you." She looked scared as if she were afraid of being seen by other vampires. Nomads are so weird. My dad told me to never stay around one because they are all crazy. This may be proof.

We heard my mom say my name again.

The girl looked at me, "Renessme? Renessme?" She muttered as she paced back and forth.

"Yeah that's my name." I said as if it were obvious. What was wrong with this vampire?

"Your whole name?" She asked quickly, turning to look at me.

"What?"

She came into my face as her red eyes bore into mine, "Your whole name, what's your whole name?"

"I…"

"Tell me or they die." She said pointing in the direction of my family.

"Renessme Isabella Hale." I stuttered out.

"Hale?" She said as she then looked like she was deep in thought, "Hale, hale, Hale…" Then a light seemed to click. "Parent's name? Tell me now!" She spoke so fast, if I didn't have the hearing of a vampire, I wouldn't have understood her.

I gulped, "My parents are Emmett and Rosalie."

She hissed at my mother's name. My family was getting closer now. This woman seemed more and more spastic as time went on. She was pacing back and forth. "I knew I couldn't trust her." She muttered repeatedly as she kept moving her hand up and down. It reminded me of someone who had Tourette's syndrome or at least someone who went insane.

She then cupped my cheeks in her hands, forcing me to look in her red eyes. "You can't tell them. I'm not ready." She said.

I tried to push away but with no luck.

"Don't tell them. If you tell them, I will cause harm to your whole family. If they asked why you didn't answer, you tripped over a rock. You understand me?"

I nodded as I whimpered in her hands. I made sure not touch her. My parents always said to never let a nomadic vampire know your power when you first meet them. I didn't trust my ability right now. I was too scared.

"Good girl." She said soothingly as she kissed me on my forehead. "Don't tell them I was here." She said before running off. I watched as she ran through the woods.

I was catching my breath when my whole family surrounded me. My mom wrapped me in her arms, holding me to her. "What happened to you, Little Bear?" My mom asked.

"I…uh…tripped when I went after a deer." I said as I stared in the direction the girl left.

"Are you sure that's it hunny?" My mom asked as everyone else seemed up tight. I was never a good liar. The others were talking quietly amongst each other. They knew someone else was here whether I was a good liar or not, the smell was still here.

"Yes mom, I just want to go home." I said.

My aunty stepped forward, "Jasper should take her home. He was the first to finish anyways."

"I can take her home." My dad said. "I don't want something coming after my little bear."

"Jasper is the best at fights; he will keep a good eye on her." Aunty said.

Uncle Jasper nodded, "Yes, I will take her home."

Uncle Jasper and I started to walk away. I looked behind me to see the others talking amongst themselves as they ran into the woods. I secretly hoped they wouldn't find that person.

"You alright?" I heard Uncle Jasper say.

"Yeah, I'm just confused." I said.

"It's alright, that's my life most of the time." My uncle said as he wrapped an arm around me. "Let's just get home."

We both went inside the house as I realized that Jacob wasn't home yet. He was still with Grandpa at the hospital so it was just Uncle Jasper that I had to elude around. I went into the living room trying to seem like I didn't have a plan. I turned on the television to a cartoon, something I knew uncle Jasper wouldn't watch.

Once uncle Jasper was in his room and had put the music on, I started to walk the halls. I stopped when I stood in front of my uncle Edward's room. I stared at it, trying to keep my curiosity to a minimum so that uncle Jasper wouldn't feel it. I looked down the hall at his door. It hadn't opened yet and the music was at the same volume. This was my chance to see what everyone has been hiding from me.

I snuck into my uncle's room; I had to know what they were hiding. I looked around. He had a couch, a computer, a wall of CDs. I walked over to his desk with his computer; there was a picture back when I looked around six from the photographer. I looked at it closely; it was the extra pose that wasn't put on the wall. Why did uncle want it if he didn't even want to talk to me? I went over to his closet. He's such a creeper.

This closet was where I was forbidden to ever go. I opened it up to find nothing but clothes hung up. I sighed, very disappointed. Then I noticed boxes on the floor. They were marked with sharpie that read, "Do Not Open" I couldn't help it, I didn't break the rules just to listen to some box.

I opened it and found right on top a photo album that seemed to be somewhat ripped. I sat it on the floor and read the cover, 'Swan/Cullen Wedding.' Uncle was married?

I was perplexed as I opened it up to see someone who I seemed to look like more than my own mother.

The girl in the picture had close to the same hair as the girl I met earlier. However, she didn't seem to walk the same as the earlier person. She looked so happy and so human. I put my right hand to my heart; I was human…or at least part. Why would they hide something like this? I would like to know that I had an aunt that was close to what I was.

Then I went into the box again to find another album, this one was titled, 'Joyful Memories' but Joyful was scribbled out, more like scratched out. I opened it up to see a small cottage with Uncle and his wife standing in front of it. They were happy. I have rarely seen Uncle happy; the smile in the picture was one I couldn't imagine on my own.

I flipped through the pages, looking at each one intently. First it started easily, with captions like "Bella and Edward" or stupid little captions of an island- probably their honeymoon.

Then the girl started to get a belly. The caption read, "Bella one week." I looked at it perplexed. One week? Whether that's from pregnancy or from being married, I doubt anyone would look like that in one week.

Then there was one of the girl at a side view, she was smiling while holding her starting to pooch stomach with both arms, it read, "Bella- nine days." And several others until it reached three weeks.

The girl was no longer standing on her own. She was in a hospital bed, she was still smiling for the camera but it was obvious she was weak. There was one of her and another man who looked like a younger Jake, the caption read, "Bella and Jacob- four weeks." I stared at the picture, Jacob? I was praying that it was a coincidence that they looked so much alike. If not this was more recent than they are letting on.

Another picture was of Uncle and the girl that read, "Bella and Edward- four and a half weeks." My uncle looked so distraught. He wasn't close to smiling and the girl looked paler than he did. The album stopped there. I shook my head, wanting to know what happened. Did both child and mother die? Was that why Uncle was so bitter? Why did it end here? So abruptly?

I screamed when the album was shut unexpectedly in my face.

"You know not to look at those." I heard my Uncle Jasper say as he put them away quickly. "If Edward smells you in here or finds out you looked at his stuff, it will be over for me. I was supposed to be watching you. I shouldn't have listened to Alice that was such a stupid move."

"Who was she?" I asked my uncle Jasper who closed the closet door.

"It's not for me to say. Now I will need to find a reason why I came in here and try to mask your scent." He said trying to think of a reason

I didn't care, "Why are you guys trying to hide that from me?"

"I will take a CD." He muttered to himself as he went over and grabbed one from the shelf. "Mozart is always a good man to listen too. Now get out of the room." He said. My uncle Jasper always looked out for my wellbeing.

"Please tell me." I said as I was scooted out of the room.

"Ask Rosalie and Emmett. It's not my place to say." That's right they would know, they are my parents after all.

I waited around for my family to come home. I was watching television when the door opened. It turned out that my grandfather came home the same time as my family. Jacob came over hugging me. "I have a clean bill of health." He said to me.

For some reason, I couldn't help but think of how similar he was to the Jacob in that picture. I looked at the clock realizing it was around four in the afternoon. "I think we need to get back to college now." I said to him.

"Yeah, sure." Jacob said. I walked up stairs to get my bag. Jacob was at the door waiting with his bag.

"Bye mom and dad." I said to them, hugging them.

"Bye little bear." My dad said.

"You are coming back in two weeks, right?" My mom asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, two weeks."

My grandparents hugged me, "bye Nessie." Great, the nickname caught on.

"Bye guys."

Aunty and Uncle Jasper then hugged me each saying their goodbyes.

Uncle had never come back with the others, not unusual for him.

We got into my car. I started it up and we were gone. I just couldn't look at my family right now, why were they hiding those albums from me?

I looked over at Jacob who looked like he wasn't too happy with my silence and started to think back of that picture of the Jacob who looked like him. Did he know my family before this?

"Nessie." Jacob started to say but then stopped.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm wondering what's wrong. Why are you acting so odd? Your…mom told me that you were acting weird in the woods. She said they smelled another vampire around but when they got there it was just you. Did you meet a vampire while out?"

"NO, it was just me out there."

Jacob turned to me the best he could in his seat, "You can tell me anything. If another vampire was there, we deserve to know."

I shook my head as I started to tear up.

Jacob reached out and touched my hand. We both pulled away at the same time.

Oh crap, did I accidently say something to him? Dammit.

"I just want to get back to school now." I said to him.

"Alright." He agreed as we both went silent.

I turned on my radio as we both rode in silence the rest of the way back. I almost wish I didn't sneak into my Uncle's room now. What were those photos? Who was that girl? And why did I feel a strong connection to her?

I hate questions, why did my whole life seem to be one big question?

I try not to write these too early but you guys are awesome at reviewing and I wanted to give you a New Year's Eve treat! Be safe! If you can drink don't drink and drive and if you can't drink then don't drink. =P I for one have already had one drink and will prolly have one more while home but will not be going out. BE SAFE!

Please review!