Chapter Twelve Chrysalis Rending

Everybody in the various stages of trying to fall asleep when Renee's shriek pierced the night, found themselves up on deck before the scream had even finished leaving her throat, witnessing Charlie catch his wife before she could hit the ground.

"What's happening?" he frantically asked Carlisle, yet it was Alice who answered, her eyes opened wide "How could I not see this happening?"

"What? What's happening to my wife, Alice?"

"She is changing the world, Charlie," She responded, wonderingly " our world; everything we think we know about our existence, is about to be yanked out from under our feet."

"Again?" asked Edward, incredulously "As if silencing the thirst on top of all the other changes we are facing isn't enough, what else could possibly happen that could be any more disconcerting than what we have already witnessed?"

Alice shook her head "I can't even begin to explain..." she cut off as a strange sound that had been hanging in the air, suddenly became louder to their ears, more pronounced.

Ba-boom. Ba-bom. Ba-boom.

The sound was coming from Renee, it sounded almost as if

"Holy crap!" Carlisle said, earning a reproving look from his wife over his language "Sorry dear," he said, not bothering to be embarrassed "but do you hear that? Renee's heart is beating!"

Everybody refocused on the face of the woman in Charlie's arms just in time to see her face shift from the chilled, stark white typical of a vampire(she and Charlie had not yet gotten around to the polymer spray), to a fully flushed countenance, radiating heat.

Opening her eyes, Renee woke up beaming "I did it ." was all she said.

"Yes," responded Carlisle "you did. But what exactly did you do?"

"We've had it wrong all along," said Renee, shaking her head "we have never been among the 'undead' " she said, raising her hands and doing quotation marks in the air "we have been in a bizarre form of waking stasis."

"Waking Stasis?" Edward questioned.

"Yes," Renee replied "the venom that enacts the change in our bodies is not meant to change us into blood-sucking fiends," everybody but Charlie flinched at her cavalier choice of words "rather, it was meant to put our feet on the path to a sort of glorified evolutionary process. We have all been locked in our individual metamorphosis, literally crystalized. But with the quenching of the thirst, it is now possible, easy even, to finish the transition."

"But we heard you scream." Charlie protested.

Renee grimaced 'I said easy. I didn't say pleasant."

"Does this mean we can be human again?" Charlie asked his wife, looking uncertain as to whether or not he wanted to hear the answer.

"Yes and no." came Renee's reply "More than human. Much more than human." Moving faster than even they could see, Renee was out of Charlie's arms in a flash, and he and Emmet felt a heated grip on their wrist as they felt their arms almost yanked out of their sockets, and suddenly found themselves face to face with each other, Renee's arms locked together around the narrowest section of their waists, and she lifted them off the deck in her fierce embrace. With a wicked gleam in her eyes, she issued a challenge to the largest and the strongest of the clan "Try to get out of my grip." she said, grinning wickedly.

Looking at each other, practically nose to nose, both men grinned at the woman who held them together, noting the warmth and softness of her deceptively strong grip, and gently at first, so as not to hurt her, they both began to flex, with gradually increasing power.

Renee's grip, which felt so warm and yielding, nevertheless was unbreakable. Before long, both Charlie and Emmet were struggling for all they were worth, trying to break free, whereas Renee's expression never quite faltered; the only change- was that her grin went from wicked, to downright evil, as she effortlessly tightened her grip, putting Emmet and Charlie in a more than awkward position, as they were involuntarily drawn closer than any "manly" hug would generally permit.

"Incredible." whispered Carlisle in disbelief.

Setting the two men back down, Renee looked up "Much, much, much more than human."

"Renee," Carlisle began, hesitantly "what else can you do?"

Wordlessly, Renee extended her arm "Watch." she whispered, pointing to her wrist, capturing everybody's focus. As they watched in silence, the flesh covering her wrist parted seamlessly, releasing a portion of blood before resealing itself.

Rather than falling and spattering on the ground, the small portion of blood hung suspended before them in the air.

"I have gained total control over every molecule my body is comprised of."

As Renee spoke, the blood that hung suspended before her in the air, formed into a globe and began spinning in orbit around her, continuously shifting fluidly from one shape into another.

It was beautiful.

"I am not only totally aware of my body; my very cells; but it responds to my every command." Looking at Jacob, she said "Like yours."

Backing up, and shaking his head jacob responded "I can't do any of that."

"Not. Yet." replied Renee empathetically.

Emmet, in fascination, had come closer to Renee "Hey Auntie!" he called out "if my thirst hadn't been so thoroughly slaked, I would be going absolutely insane over this stuff," he said, gesturing to the shape shifting globule of blood moving around in it's orbit "it smells out of this world!"

"I have to agree," rejoined Carlisle "it smells like human blood, but immeasurably more potent."

"There is not a vampire in this world, or any other," she responded, ominously "who could take my blood without my consent. Now, enough talking! Everybody drop into a lotus position." she commanded "I have been the only one of my kind for several minutes already, I have no desire to remain so any longer."

"I don't know, Renee," Charlie said uncertainly "do you really think this is something we can all do?"

"Trust me," his wife said confidently "just listen to my voice, and do as I say."

As one, the Cullen family dropped into lotus position, and closing their eyes, followed Renee's voice through the doorway of their destiny.