Chapter 27
Nessie
"Renesmee?" a soft, unfamiliar voice whispered. It was coming through a crack in the door to my cell.
I peered through the darkness toward the sound, but did not respond. I was in too much pain to speak. My jaw was still swollen and sore from being struck by the vampire I'd thought was Kade, and I could barely move my arms and legs. Even in the blackness of my prison room, I could see that my limbs were covered in multiple bruises, bruises that I'd acquired at the hands of the sadistic vampire that had beaten me for trying to escape. He'd taken great pleasure in tossing me around this room, slamming me against the stone walls like a rag doll, and striking my face repeatedly before chaining me up again. I had no idea what had become of Nahuel. I hadn't seen or heard anything from him since our near escape. I was sure he'd suffered just as badly as I had, if not worse. I was filled with a pure, white hot rage I'd never experienced before as I thought about what might have happened to him. He'd only been trying to help me, I could see that now. I didn't know how or why he had come to be here, but he'd never betrayed my family or me, I was positive of that.
I fervently wished, not for the first time, that I was a full vampire instead of a half breed; only the reasons behind my wish were new. Before this, I'd merely longed to be a full vampire so that my family's fears concerning my exact life span would be quelled. I wished for it now so that I could have the necessary strength to break free of my bonds, to rescue Nahuel, and to exact revenge on those that had brutalized me and brought pain to my loved ones. I envisioned the strange, yet oddly familiar face of my latest tormentor, setting it in my mind, committing it to memory. Once I'd gotten over the initial shock of seeing "Kade" here, I'd wondered briefly how he could possibly be a vampire without anyone knowing it. That was just before he'd punched me. After he'd yanked me to my feet and dragged me down the maze-like hallways back toward my cell, I realized that it wasn't Kade after all. Although the facial features were identical, I began to see that this was someone else, a complete stranger. The most perceptible differences between Kade and this man were his ice cold, marble hands clamped vice-like around the tops of my arms, his tell-tale chalky pallor, and the burgundy irises that marked him a drinker of human blood. I'd been close enough to Kade at school to feel the warm, vibrating waves of blood pulsating through his veins, to see the blush in his cheeks whenever he'd been embarrassed or angry. This man was also slightly taller than Kade and had a stockier build. His hair was a shade or two darker. That was as far as I'd gotten in my surreptitious study of my captor. I'd had no more time to ponder the question of his true identity; he'd flung me into my cell as soon as we'd arrived and had commenced to punish me. I'd blacked out after a while, and had no idea how much time had passed. It couldn't have been long since he'd left me, considering the amount of pain I was in.
Another whisper brought me back to the present. A voice that I could now distinguish as female continued to call my name from the hall outside my room. I remained silent. I didn't care who she was or what she wanted, even though she sounded friendlier than anyone else who'd bothered to talk to me here. I heard the click of the bolt on my door, and then a steady creaking as it swung slowly open. Apparently she wasn't going to give up or go away. I steeled myself for more punishment, trying desperately to project my mind to a happier time and place.
The girl stealthily crept into my room and knelt by my side.
"Renesmee, my name is Ximena. I would very much like to help you, if you would allow me to," she whispered.
I didn't say anything for a moment as I studied her face. She was quite lovely, with skin the color of teak, raven hair, and kind, dark brown eyes. She tentatively reached out and took my hand.
"I have been a party to this insanity long enough. I cannot abide such cruelty to one of my own kind any longer. It was wrong of my sisters to take you and for my father to allow you to be caged like this, like some kind of animal," Ximena mumbled, shaking her head sadly. "I used to look up to him. I used to respect him as a brilliant, innovative man. Now I just look upon him as one who has gone utterly mad."
"Who..," I croaked. My throat was so dry, it felt like sandpaper baking in the desert. I coughed a little to clear my throat before I went on. "Who is your father?"
"His name is Joham. He is my biological father. My human mother died giving birth to me almost two decades ago, and it is something I have now only come to regret." A look of genuine sadness passed across her face, and I couldn't help feeling a stab of sympathy for her.
"That means….you're Nahuel's sister," I whispered.
"Yes, Nahuel is my brother. I have come to know him well since we arrived here. He is truly an amazing person. He only came here in the hopes of convincing our father to release you, then stayed on when his attempt failed. He fooled Joham into believing he'd reconciled himself to our father's plans, and secretly plotted ways to free you. I told him that I would do everything I could to aid him. When the two of you were caught, there was nothing I could do but stand by and watch as they…beat you. I am truly sorry for that, but if they suspected I was helping you…I would have been locked away as well, and would be of no use to you now," she explained, shame clouding her features, her eyes beseeching me for forgiveness.
"I understand. I'm glad you didn't step in. You only would have gotten yourself hurt," I assured her.
I didn't know why, but I was beginning to feel a kinship with this woman, though I had just met her. She seemed so kind and sincere, and I believed that she really did want to help me.
"So what are we going to do?" I asked.
She frowned slightly at my question, thought for a moment, and then said, "I'm not sure. I can't get you out of here by myself. Nahuel is being kept in a room just down the hall, bound with chains as you are. I don't have the keys to the restraints. My father keeps them at all times…"
The small spark of hope that had begun to blossom in my mind was quickly extinguished. Ximena clearly wasn't strong enough to break my bonds, nor could she pick the locks as Nahuel had done. If she could have, she would have already done so. I wracked my brain for a way to escape, but nothing came. I couldn't seem to think through the pain and exhaustion that enveloped me.
Ximena got up from the floor slowly, lost in her own thoughts. "I'm going to go and ask if I can bring you something to eat. I'll try to find out as much as I can, and see if there is a way that I can get the keys. I'll be back soon," she promised. She didn't sound very hopeful, so I didn't dare to dream that she could get me out of here. In any case, it was nice just to know that not everyone here was malicious, that someone here was treating me kindly and was willing to help me. I nodded off after Ximena left, snatches of nightmarish scenes of isolation and torture plaguing me and keeping me from any real rest. I snapped fully awake immediately when I heard the door open again. Ximena came in carrying a tray with some fruit, a sandwich, and a glass of water. She placed it on the floor in front of me, and held the glass out so I could drink. I greedily gulped the water down, the soothing coolness instantly relieving my parched throat. It was heaven. She held the sandwich for me next. Although it wasn't particularly appealing to me, I tore into it with real pleasure. I longed for blood, but was immensely grateful for what Ximena had managed to bring me. I hadn't been given anything here except for moldy bread and the occasional glass of water. She let me eat for a while before she said anything. When she finally did speak, I understood why she hadn't shared her news with me right away. If she had, I might not have eaten anything, and I desperately needed some form of nutrition.
Ximena's eyes sparkled with excitement, and anticipation rushed through me, giving me a bolt of much needed energy.
"Your family is on their way here," she whispered, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, as if she were afraid someone was listening in on our conversation. Most likely, someone was.
"My parents? Jacob?" I asked, barely able to contain myself.
"Yes, along with many others. They'll be here soon. My father has had one of my sisters following them since you were taken," she explained a little sheepishly. "Your family has been searching for you relentlessly, traveling non-stop. They went to Italy first because they thought the Volturi had taken you."
"Well, that makes sense. Aro sent me a gift several months ago, on my birthday, and my parents weren't too thrilled about it. We discovered that I was being followed shortly after that, so we all assumed the Volturi was behind everything," I shrugged.
"My father ordered my sister, Yara, to spy on you. I'm sorry about that. It's just a coincidence that she began following you after you received Aro's gift." Ximena bowed her head and began picking at my napkin, tearing it into little pieces.
"Look, none of this is your fault, alright? You can't control what your father does, and you're not responsible for his schemes," I tried to soothe her.
"I could have prevented this from happening," she sighed, tears springing to her eyes.. "I could have warned you and your family of my father's plans. If only I hadn't been so afraid…"
"You're here now, and that's all that matters," I said firmly. "We need to be concentrating on a plan of our own. We need to think of a way to get to Nahuel, and for all of us to get out of here."
"You're right," she nodded vigorously, apparently grateful that I was willing to forgive her so easily. "Let's see," she mused, getting to her feet. She paced back and forth with her chin in one hand. "If only there were some way that I could get a message to your family…"
"You can!" I exclaimed a little too loudly. My mouth snapped shut instantly and we both froze, waiting to see if anyone would come storming in. A few frenzied heartbeats later, Ximena knelt beside me once again.
"How?" she questioned quietly.
"My father can read minds. It's his talent," I whispered. Ximena nodded, already having been informed of this.
"If you can get close enough to him, all you have to do is get his attention with your thoughts, and let him know exactly where to find me," I explained.
"Alright, but will he trust me? He might think I'm just setting your family up for some type of trap."
"Hmm, that's true," I frowned. After a moment of thought, inspiration struck. "Wait, I can show you something, one of my early memories, something that no one else could possibly know about. You could think about it, and show him that I showed it to you. Does that make sense?" I blurted excitedly.
"Yes, it does. And it's a good idea," Ximena grinned. She already knew about my special talent of course, as it had been her sister's mission to note every detail of my life and report it back to Joham. This thought burned me, but I shook it off and beckoned Ximena closer. She leaned down so I could lay my hand on her cheek. I already knew which memory I would show her. Though I was no more than a day old, I recalled with perfect clarity the first time my father had sung the special song he'd composed just for me, as he'd held me and rocked me in Carlisle's study, anxiously waiting for my mother to awaken from her transformation. His eyes had been filled with such adoration and complete devotion as he gazed upon me, holding me so tenderly, so lovingly. I lingered on the memory perhaps longer than I needed to, wanting desperately to see my father's face again, if only in my mind. I missed him terribly. I missed my entire family so much that it had become a constant ache in my heart.
Ximena looked up at me, her eyes filling with tears again. "You are very fortunate to have such loving parents," she said. The longing in her eyes told me that she wished that she too could be part of a real family, to have people in her life that truly cared about her instead of being surrounded by vindictive monsters that only wanted to use her in their malignant plots.
Searching for a distraction, I decided to ask Ximena about the man who'd beaten me.
"He's one of my brothers. He-" She abruptly stopped speaking and cocked her head to one side, then turned back to me with panic in her eyes.
"Someone's coming!" she whispered fiercely. "I have to go. I'll try to get to your father before they come here. I'll send someone back for you." She hurried from the room and quickly locked the door behind her.
