Chapter 14- Normal enough.

When I wake the next morning the cloud cover has lifted and the sun is shining bright on my face and I lie back on my pillows for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth. I get dressed and go into the kitchen, then stroll into the living room while I drink my milk. Emmett and Jasper are playing chess again and Esme is reading by the window. Rosalie, Bella and Edward are nowhere in sight. No one appears to be ready for school.

"Hello?" I say. "School, remember?"

"Sunshine," Emmett grunts at me. "Can't go out in that, remember?"

"I can," I say flatly. "I want to go."

"It'll look too weird if four of us are absent but you turn up," Emmett says unsympathetically. "Just kick back for the day…you wanted to be normal, didn't you? Cutting is totally normal…relax."

I grit my teeth. "Esme, will you give me a ride to school please?"

Esme looks up doubtfully. "Emmett does have a point. It might look a little odd if you're the only Cullen there, Ren."

"I'll just say they're all sick or something," I say. "Please…it's not fair if I have to stay home." I look at Esme pleadingly.

Esme smiles and rises gracefully to her feet. "Okay then, I'll drive you. Do you have your things?"

"I'll just get them!" I grab my bag and violin from my room, shout a general goodbye and go out to the garage, where Esme is waiting for me in the Mercedes.

"I'm glad you're enjoying school enough that you don't want to miss a day," she says to me cheerfully as we drive. "Although is it school, or a certain boy who asked you to the Homecoming dance?"

I click my tongue in exasperation. "You are a hopeless romantic Esme!" I look at her affectionately. "I don't think there's the least chance that Will is going to become part of the family though! I hardly know him, but he seems nice and I think going to a dance will be fun. It will be, right?" I say, suddenly uncertain.

Esme laughs. "Oh, you'll have a lovely time! I'm just teasing you sweetheart, because I think it's wonderful to see you happy and enjoying life here. I'm glad it's working out so well." We talk about inconsequential things until we're pulling into the school parking lot, and then Esme waves me off with a smile. "If you leave a message for Carlisle at the hospital he'll be able to bring you home from school!" she calls after me.

I nod, and take out my phone to message Carlisle. I'm just finishing up when my ears catch the distinctive sound of crutches and feet, and I look up and watch Will swing across the parking lot towards me.

"Hi Ren," he says with a grin.

"Hi," I say. We both turn and head in towards the building, me holding the doors open for Will to enter ahead of me. He pauses at my locker and there's a slightly awkward pause before I say in a rush, "I sorted it out at home and I can go with you to Homecoming."

Will's face flushes pink and his smile is wide and genuine. "Hey, that's great! Really."

I can't help smiling back. No, this isn't some crazy epic love story…but there's a warm feeling in my belly because this boy likes me enough to ask me to a dance and look so genuinely pleased that I've said yes.

"A bunch of us are going to the game first," he says to me. "Did you want to come to that?"

"You can come to my place to get changed after that," Sarah contributes, moving seamlessly into the conversation. "Bailey's probably coming over too, we can get ready together. It's going to be awesome."

"Oh," I hesitate. "I'd like to come, I really would, but Alice will kill me if she can't play dress ups with me before this dance."

"Who's Alice?" Sarah asks.

"She's sort of an aunt," I say vaguely. "She's making me a dress- I promised her." Keen to change the subject away from my complex family relationships I take my phone and find Alice's website and show Sarah. "She designs clothes…these are her things."

"Wow, these are amazing!" Sarah sounds envious. "Which one are you buying for the dance?"

"She's making me something new," I take back the phone and say tentatively, "You and Bailey could come over to my house before the dance. Only if you wanted to…someone would pick us up from the game."

Well, I hope they will. In all honesty I have no idea how my family will react to human guests in our house- it has always been a rare occurrence and limited basically to my grandfather Charlie and Jacob's pack…and 'human' as a description there is certainly up for debate.

Clearly my offer is nothing out of the ordinary though, because Sarah just nods and says casually, "Great, that'll work. You live out of town right? Are any of your brothers and sisters going? Will someone give us a ride to the dance? God, I can't wait until I can drive!"

"Someone will give us a ride," I say, "I don't think they're going, but someone will drive us. Alice will be so happy I'm letting her put me in a dress she'll probably drive me anywhere." I glance a little shyly at Will. "Is that okay? I'll come get you?"

He smiles at me, his eyes crinkling. "Sure. My mom or one of my brothers will drive you home after, so don't worry about that." He takes my phone and taps it. "Here's my number, just in case anything comes up…text me and then I'll have yours." He hands it back and then waves and swings away on his crutches.

"Oh, he is SO into you!" Sarah exclaims with a laugh. "I've never seen Will act like this before."

"Really?" I'm a little uneasy. I don't want him thinking there is more to this than there is.

Bailey joins our group with a little giggle. "Really. It's cute though Ren!" She shoves her books into her locker, struggling to fit everything around her violin case. "Let's go change for gym."

I reluctantly take my gym bag and follow them to the gym locker room. I've been dreading this, half scared to play with humans in case I hurt them, not sure how to damp down the athletic skill and grace and strength that my vampire half gives me.

"Where are the rest of your family?" Bailey asks, looking around. Bella and Edward are supposed to be in this class.

"They're sick," I say.

"All of them?"

"Um…yes." I realise what Emmett meant when he told me it would seem weird for one of us to be at school when the others are not. "They all have a…condition," I add slowly. "It's a blood thing. Really rare. They need treatment periodically, and it takes a while so they have to miss school." I braid my hair so I don't have to look at them.

"Wow, that's crazy. Your family is so weird," Sarah says. "You don't have it?"

"Recessive genes," I say, fighting back a sudden urge to laugh hysterically. "It's how we came to be adopted by Carlisle and Esme…he's an expert in this thing, so he knew how to take care of them all."

The gym class takes place outside and we're playing soccer. I have to really watch myself, since it's far too easy to unconsciously speed up to supernatural levels and if I were to bump into someone the same way I can body check my family it would be a question of how many rather than if I broke their bones. I'm so used to being the smallest, slowest and weakest when playing with my family and Jacob that I've never had to hold back at all and I find it more difficult than I would have anticipated.

"Ren, that was great!" the coach shouts to me at the end of the field. She jogs over with a grin. "Have you ever considered joining a team? We're always open to new players on the girls' teams."

I smile back. "I don't think so."

She shakes her head. "Well, you should consider it! You've got real skill, and I think you'd learn a lot. Being on a team is a great experience. Just give it some thought, maybe talk to your parents…"

"Okay," I say, although I know it's pointless.

There's a certain freedom in not having my family at school. The sunshine helps, as it lifts most of the students' moods and we even take our lunch outside into the courtyard to eat in the bright warmth. But I find myself laughing and relaxing a little more, knowing that there is no one there with curious and supernatural eyes and ears keeping watch over my every move. In fact I'm so relaxed that when Bailey makes me laugh and then mentions practising together while we're in orchestra I suggest we do it right after school.

"That would be great," she says, sounding relieved. "I'm really having trouble with a piece I'm working on and I'd love to do something on it with you." She bites her lip before saying hesitantly, "Would it be okay if we went to your house? I know the others are having their treatments or whatever, so I understand if it's not, but my house won't work."

"Oh," I'm a little taken aback at the thought, and then I shrug. "That should be fine."

"You're sure?" Bailey seems anxious. "I don't want to just invite myself…"

"No, no, it's fine, really!" I reassure her, hiding my own misgivings. The others should be fine, but I should at least warn them… I grab my phone and discreetly tap out a message. Bringing a friend home. Please act normal! Please! Xxx Hopefully that will do the trick.

"Thank you," Bailey says, relieved. "My grandmother lives with us, and she's a little…difficult." She is blushing, and I try and smile reassuringly.

"My family can be difficult too." You don't know the half of it! My phone buzzes and I check my messages- one is a photo from Emmett of his own bloody hand holding up a dead deer and the message below it reads Normal enough? I grit my teeth, but there is also a message from Rosalie that reassures me. Sorry. He'll behave. "But it's fine- they're expecting you now."

Indeed, Carlisle is waiting in the parking lot when Bailey and I walk out after orchestra, sitting in his Jaguar with the darkly tinted windows up against the sun. I open the door and slide in to the back seat, Bailey slipping in after me.

"This is Bailey," I say. "Bailey, this is Carlisle…my dad."

Carlisle smiles over his shoulder at us. "It's nice to meet you Bailey."

Bailey smiles shyly. "You too Dr Cullen."

I reach over the seat and touch Carlisle briefly, silently telling him the story I've started about the rare medical condition my family suffers from. Carlisle's lip quirks into a smile as his eyes meet mine in the rear view mirror. "Interesting," he murmurs. "How was school?" he goes on in a louder voice, and we fill up the drive home with casual conversation.

In the garage Bailey climbs out of the car with her eyes wide. It's so familiar to me that it takes me a moment to realise that she's shocked by the opulence of the cars parked in there- Edward's Mercedes, Emmett's Jeep, Rosalie's Lexus, Alice's Porsche – now being joined by Carlisle's Jaguar. Apart from Emmett's Jeep, which still bears the scars from our drive here to Oregon, they are all the newest models and gleam with an air of luxury and expense.

"They like cars," I say lamely. "Come on, let's go inside."

Esme greets us in the kitchen, complete with a beaming smile and the smell of baking hanging in the air. "Hello sweetie, hello Bailey."

"This is Esme," I tell Bailey. "My mom." It still feels funny to say that.

Bailey is so intimidated by the cars and the huge house and now Esme that she's barely audible as she murmurs hello. I look imploringly at Esme, who nods reassuringly at me and passes across a plate of my favourite peanut butter and m&m cookies.

"I've baked you cookies," she says cheerfully. "What would you like to drink? Milk, Ren? And Bailey, we have milk or juice or soda or…"

"Juice is fine, thank you," Bailey mumbles.

Esme hands over glasses and then diplomatically withdraws, and Bailey and I eat and drink in silence. When she's done, Bailey grins at me. "Your house is really something," she says, seemingly more relaxed now that we're alone.

"Esme's fixing it up," I tell her. "Well, she makes all of us help- the kitchen and my room is finished, but a lot of the rest of it is a mess. I'll show you the rest if you want."

"Where are the rest of your family?" Bailey looks around warily.

"Somewhere about," I say. In truth I can hear most of them; Carlisle and Esme are talking quietly in their room, Jasper and Emmett are playing Warhammer in the study and Rosalie is in there with them, tapping away on her laptop. Probably working on another computer virus- it's one of her favourite hobbies. Edward and Bella are upstairs, and…nope, not listening to that. None of these are sounds that would be audible to human ears though, so I shrug my shoulders at Bailey. "They'll probably turn up."

"They're a bit…intimidating," Bailey says awkwardly, following me to my room where I drop my tote at the end of the bed. "Your family I mean."

"A lot of people think that," I say. The human reaction to vampires is something I still don't fully comprehend. All that lethal strength and hypnotic beauty and grace has surrounded me since the day I was born and formed the basis for my worldview of ordinary. They might be the most perfect predators on earth and mystical creatures of the supernatural world…but they're still just my family. "Don't be shy though. I know that they come across as kind of weird, but they're really not that bad!" I giggle, and take my violin out of the case. "Let's have a look at this."

Practice goes well, I think. It's interesting for me to see the human process of learning a new piece and playing it- I gain a new respect for human musicians as I realise how much my vampire half contributes to my musical skill. When we've finished playing we sit on my bed and talk. I have to be so careful with what I say, there are so many half-truths and omissions as I tell her about my life and listen to her stories, but at the same time I feel such a warm glow at the idea that this human is becoming my friend. I can do this, I'm normal enough…I can belong in that world if I want to.