Year Two, Chapter Fourteen

Home School

Jacob's Point of View

Nahuel and Huilen left last week. Nessie had spent most of the past month, while I was in school, dividing her time between home school lessons with Esme and hanging out with Huilen and Nahuel. I didn't really like them, I mean they eat people, so what's to like, really? But Nessie thought it was important to be nice to them. They came all the way here for her birthday, and to tell us about the Volturi, . . . and they saved her from them last year, so I guess they were not the worst monsters on the planet. They were there for Nessie so I put up with them for the past month, even if that technically meant I avoided them the entire time they were here. They didn't come here to see me anyway.

As soon as I came home each day, Nessie would excuse herself from them and we would go to our bedroom, where I would do my homework and study and she would hang out with me. Nessie was actually a great help, and even ended up helping me learn how to play the guitar for my music class. I can't say that I was getting any good at it, and was very grateful that Esme soundproofed the walls.

It was currently the first week of October and I had been trying to play a new song on this stupid guitar for the past hour. All I needed to be able to do was just get through a song, just once, for class on Friday. I had not been able to make it all the way through once without making a mistake yet though.

"Jacob, here let me show you. You just need to move your fingers like this." She grabbed the guitar out of my hands and proceeded to play that section of the song, that I had been struggling with all afternoon.

"I didn't know Edward taught you how to play guitar too, I thought it was just the piano."

"He didn't. I've just been watching you do it for the past two weeks. And you have been playing that same section over and over. I don't think I would be able to play anything else though."

"I bet you could, too, Nessie. You are amazing, you know that?"

"I don't think so, I really . . ."

"Sorry sweetheart, could you hold on for one minute?" I grabbed my ringing cell out of my book bag. The caller ID said it was Billy. Was there a problem at home? Was he okay?

"Dad. Hey, what's up?" I tried not to sound too panicked.

" I just called to congratulate you son."

"What, Why, what did I do?" I didn't remember anything.

"Well, today you became an Uncle, and I am now a grandfather. Rachel had her baby about an hour ago. There both doing great. And Paul should be back to normal shortly."

"What happened to Paul?"

Billy was laughing on the other end of the line. "He'll be fine. He acts so tough all of the time, but he lost it at the hospital. It was really funny seeing the kid freak out."

Billy ending up talking to me for over an hour before he said he needed to go. But he promised me he would email me, well actually he would find someone who knew how to email me, some pictures of Rachel and her baby. She and Paul had had a son, which they named Jeremy Paul Black-Lahote. Rachel and Paul still hadn't gotten married yet, but Billy mentioned that they planned to when they had time in the future. He sounded a bit irritated, like he wasn't sure it would actually happen. I could understand that. He wanted his daughter to get married to the man she had had a kid with. It made sense on a parental level.

….

Renesmee's Point of View

It had been a just over a month since Jacob and the rest of the family started school. And it had become easier, little by little for me to exist with Jacob away from me for so long, in a way. It actually still hurt, but I was dealing with the pain it caused me, better. I tried to not let him see it after that first day. I could tell, that him knowing how upset I was only made things harder for the both of us.

Grandma Esme was continuing my homeschooling, just like she said she would, right where the rest of my family had left off back in Forks. I believe she was beginning to run out of things to teach me at a High School level. We had already gone through all of the course books my family had. She wasn't really even teaching me anymore either. Recently I would just read the course books, or we would switch off reading to each other. Afterwards we would have a discussion on the material. I had perfect recall so there was no need to study anything or go over something more than once. Occasionally I would need to ask her a question when I would come across an unknown word (normally it would turn out to be some sort of slang), or on the rare occasion when I would not understand something. This mostly happened when there was a cultural reference that I was unaware of, having been sheltered, and only being a single year old.

Strangely enough Grandma Esme came up with some interesting solutions to these problems. I was thinking of moving on to college course work, but Grandma Esme had another idea for now. But she did promised that in a year or two it might be possible. In the meantime, she wanted me to study humans to help me gain some cultural references "among other things". She didn't go into further detail on that subject and I thought it was best not to push, judging by her tense demeanor when she said it. She didn't think I was ready yet to go out in public, but thought that I might be in a few months.

For now, she suggested I watch television. Not all day long, sitting on the couch like Uncle Emmett sometimes did when there was a sporting event on. But intermittently throughout the day. She asked me to study a variety of TV shows – sitcoms, drama, cartoons, movies, documentaries, reality TV (which she was quick to point out was not really based on reality), games shows, etc. . .

Grandma Esme was always around to ask questions when I came upon something that was perplexing to me. Oddly I found television more confusing than advanced calculus. That at least made sense, math was logical, there was a right and wrong answer. Television characters seemed to be bumbling their way through life, making the same mistakes over and over, never learning anything, even on the shows where the characters were suppose to be highly advanced scientists or geniuses. The entire point of some television shows seemed to be to see how much one person could, not only screw up their own life but the lives of everyone around them, and then laugh at the mess they made. I'm not sure what I was supposed to be learning from this, but it made the time go by quicker, until Jacob returned from school.

The remainder of time that Jacob was at real school I spent reading. I made it my goal to read every book in the house.

….

Jacob's Point of View

Nessie and I were laid out on our bed, while I did my homework, I forgot how much I hated doing it. I think she was starting to get frustrated with me, it was taking me a ridiculously long time tonight. She must have gotten bored because she climbed on my back and started braiding my hair. I didn't keep it very long these days so there was not much for her to do, and it ended up sticking up in the braids, I must have looked very strange. But it made her happy, and kept her occupied while I tried to figure out to translate a story from English into Spanish. It was still not a very good subject for me. I was not completely lost like I was when I took Spanish on the reservation and actually remembered almost everything I had learned before, but the new stuff was still not easy, but then again, it didn't seem as hard as I remembered.

"Alright Jacob, try these on," Alice said, appearing in the doorway, while tossing me a pair of shorts. That was quick. I would have thought it would have taken her more time to come up with a thin material I would not set on fire when I phased. Whatever, I think a homework break would be a good idea, so much so, I was even willing to go with Alice.

"Nessie, do you mind staying here, just in case these shorts are not as fire proof as Alice thinks they are?" She just nodded. "Thanks, I'll be right back, sweetheart."

Once outside I saw that we were the only two out here this time. Good, I really don't need to give everyone a show again. Slipping behind a bush, I quickly changed into the shorts. "Okay Alice, I'm ready. You sure this is going to work this time?"

"Jacob Black, are you doubting me . . . again?"

"Well normally . . . no, but after last time . . ." I couldn't finish that sentence having to duck whatever it was that she just threw at me. "Okay, okay."

Less than a second later I phased into a wolf, the shorts felt like they were still there, Alice gave me a nod and I phased back. I didn't feel the same warmth like last time and when I looked down the shorts were still there."

"Wahoo, never doubt me again," Alice started jumping up and down.

"Great, so do you want them back now?"

"No keep them, I will make up a couple dozen more to start you off with. You can just wear them under your clothes, so you won't have any more accidental exposures. I'm thinking I can make some as cargo shorts for the summer, boxers for under your pants in the winter, maybe even a few as bathing suits . . . "

I didn't think it would be good for my health if I mentioned that the last "accidental exposure" was entirely her fault and was also the only time it happened in front of Nessie. I was not too happy about that. Neither was Edward and Bella for that matter.

Alice was still talking about different styles and colors, but I stopped paying attention. "Sure, sure." I cut her off, "I need to go finish my homework, I am sure whatever you make will be fine, Thanks." I blabbered as I took off running back into the house.

When I arrived back in the bedroom, Nessie was right where I left her, but my Spanish assignment was completely translated.

"Nessie, did you do this?"

"Well it seemed to be giving you trouble so I thought I would help."

She was so sweet. "Thank you, but doing it for me, isn't really helping. I actually need to learn this."

"Alright, is there anything I can do to help, then?"

She was wonderful. We spent the next hour finishing my homework, together. She even ended up assisted me on my math after the Spanish assignment was completed.

Everything was going great, but I was starting to feel . . . hot? Well hotter than usual, anyway.

"Jacob, are you sweating?"

I reached up and touched my forehead. It was damp. Huh? Was I getting sick? I haven't been sick since I started phasing.

"Grandpa Carlisle, can you come here please." Thirty seconds later he appeared in the room.

"What can I help you with Renesmee?"

"Its Jacob, he's sick." Nessie seemed to be panicking more and more as the seconds passed.

"Nessie, calm down, I don't think I'm sick. I feel fine, just hot."

What if something was wrong though? The last time I felt this hot was right before I phased for the first time. Maybe something was happening to me, again. I have been living with vampires for an unprecedented amount of time. When I originally phased it was just from the scent of the new vamps around La Push. What if something else was happening to me? What if the next time I phased I was unable to change back, and was stuck as a wolf forever?

"Jacob, did you hear me?" Carlisle was speaking but I hadn't heard a word.

"I'm sorry Doc, what did you say?"

"I was wondering if there was anything that you have been doing differently? You may just be having a reaction to something. Have you change your diet, or started using a new deodorant or laundry detergent? Or something along those lines?"

"No Doc, nothing like that."

"Jacob, are you still wearing the shorts that Aunt Alice made you?"

"Yeah, why? You don't think she did something to them, do you?" She wouldn't do anything to me, would she? She did get pretty made at me for doubting she could make them fireproof in the first place. But I don't think she would still be mad enough to do anything.

"Alice, could you come here for a moment please," Carlisle said in the same calm voice he always used.

"I'm here, and am offended to even think that you would suggest I would ever do anything to harm Jacob."

"Of course, Alice. No one here thinks that. We just need to rule the shorts out. Could you tell me what materials and chemicals you used creating the shorts."

It turned out she used something called Kovenex, which was a material that ironing board covers, fire fighters suits, fire blankets and a bunch of other things were made with. It was great for stopping things from catching on fire but unfortunately in my case it also trapped my body heat in, making it unable to radiate off of me and reflected it back. That caused me to overheat.

A few minutes after taking the shorts off I felt completely fine and my body temperature returned to normal.

"Don't worry Jacob, I will find something that works, don't give up hope."

"Sure, Alice. Whatever" I really didn't care about the stupid shorts, but it was Alice, so I wasn't going to say anything to her.

….

Renesmee's Point of View

"Grandma Esme, I have a problem."

"What is it sweetheart?"

"Well, you know how I have been spending the days reading in between studying human interactions on the television and our course work?"

"Yes dear. Do you have any questions about what you have read so far?"

"Not exactly, it's what I have not read that is giving me problems. I have found that some of the most interesting books are the medical books in Grandpa Carlisle's office."

"You are reading his medical books? I was unaware of that. I thought you were reading the books in the library. Did you happen to ask him if that was alright before you started reading them?"

"No, I did not think to even ask. Why would it be a problem? Will he be mad at me?"

"I am sure he won't mind, but you should ask in the future. It might be better to wait to read some of those books until you are a bit older."

"Why do you think I need to wait?" What is going on. First she didn't want me studying college level material, until after I completed her "social training", now she doesn't want me reading some of the books in the house.

"Nessie, darling, it's just that some things might be a bit to advanced for you."

"Yes, but isn't that the reason that I am reading everything? So that I can learn more."

"That is true dear, but some of his books contain information that may be too advanced for you. Or you may find some things disturbing or uncomfortable. Other things, in the older medical books are no longer relevant and are now known to be incorrect or have been disproved. It might be best if you went through everything in those books with Carlisle."

"Alright, but can I interest you in a compromise? I will hold off on reading his books until he can go over them with me, if you will teach me Greek and Latin in the meantime." I am learning so much. Unfortunately many of the words are in Greek and Latin in the newer volumes and there are entire older books completely in those languages.

"Well Nessie, that might be a very acceptable compromise, but unfortunately I do not speak Greek or Latin. But how would you like to learn it together?"

"We could do that?"

"Of course, it would be fun. You can learn almost anything online, nowadays. Would you like to start tomorrow?"

"Yes please."

"Wonderful."

The next day Grandma Esme googled "how to learn to speak, read, and write Greek" and a bunch of websites came up. After a bit of searching we found one that looked promising and began.