A/N: *Sheepish smile* Heh heh... So... Sorry I haven't updated for, like, 20 days... :| REALLY sorry about that... But I had a semi okay reason for not updating and or writing, (Since I just finished editing)... Okay, so, school started. Never fun. And the worst part is that I'm in three advanced classes so I have to get a ton more homework than other people... *grumbles*. I mean, really, for the past week I've had homework in every class... it's insane! UGH! Sorry...excuse my rant... :/

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! And, same as always, if you leave a signed review, I'll send you a preview of chapter 38. (When I start writing it...) lol. :) So, I'll try to write and or type during my free time so I can update as soon as possible. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review! (Even if you don't have an account). :D

Chapter 37: Childish

Renesmee Cullen's POV

"Oh…um…" he stuttered.

I tried not to laugh.

"Well, you're a better kisser, of course…" he said, chuckling nervously.

I smiled and laughed. "Okay. But I'm going to tell my mom that."

"Actually, no, you can't tell your mom that. I mean, I know she knows that we kissed once, but she thinks that I haven't kissed you as much as I've kissed her. So…" he reasoned.

I sighed. He was right. Dang it. "Fine. Then…I'll tell her when I'm actually 'allowed' to date you."

"But…" He exhaled in exasperation. "Fine. Be that way."

I smiled and giggled a little. "Well, if she's really over you, then she won't care," I said.

"True," he agreed.

I then heard the doorknob to the front door turn angrily, and saw an unnaturally ticked Alice storm through the door.

"Where did you run off to? Why did you run off?" she erupted.

Crap. An angry Alice is never good.

"Well...um..." I started, not looking towards her.

"Oh. I get it. It was all part of your plan, right? Your plan to run off, have Jacob chase you, and then you make-out with each other?" Alice guessed, only sounding pretty sure of her theory.

"No! I didn't—"

She cut me off. "Oh my God! Have you been here the whole time? What the hell did you guys do?" she exploded.

"Nothing! I swear, Alice!" I shouted over her shrill voice.

She took a deep, unneeded breath. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"Ya think?" Jacob muttered.

She glared at him.

I groaned. "I hate this. Everybody overreacts way too damn much!" I shrieked.

Alice had a hurt look on her face, but I didn't regret my words. They did overreact too much.

"But Nessie, that's only because we're trying to look out for you," Jasper said, trying to calm me down with his gift.

"Well stop! I don't need to be looked after 24/7. I can take care of myself. And Jasper, quit trying to calm me down," I said in an annoyingly calm but angry voice. I felt anger engulf me again.

"But Sweetie, you're only seven," Alice said desperately.

"Yeah, I know I'm seven, but I look seventeen, do I not?"

Jacob looked at me with a semi-dreamy smile on his face. "Yes, yes you do…"

Alice stepped up and slapped him. Jacob swung his head back with her force, and then lifted his hand up to his face. His face was pretty red from the blood rushing up, but other than that, I'm fairly certain that he was fine.

"Alice? What the hell?" Jacob shouted.

"Don't say that about my niece!" Alice yelled back.

I sighed in exasperation. "I'm technically not your niece, Alice," I said logically.

Alice looked upset again. Then she put on a poker face. "Fine. Then I won't treat you like my niece."

"And how will that make anything different?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You have to buy your own stuff. And cook for yourself. And take yourself places on your own," she said, though I knew she hated saying it.

"Fine."

"Fine."

She stormed out of the room, followed closely by Jasper.

"Um...Nessie...?" Jacob said a bit cautiously.

"Yeah?"

"Just a guess here, but she seems pretty mad," he said a bit sarcastically.

I sighed. "I know. But I'm not her real niece. And I'm sick of my family bossing me around all the time. Especially my dad," I told him, rolling my eyes. "They're way too protective."

"Maybe, but they're still your family," Jacob tried to persuade.

"No, technically only my mom and my dad are related to me," I said logically.

He sighed, exasperated. "Renesmee, they treat you like family even if you're not. You should at least respect them."

I groaned. "But they never trust me! They treat me like I'm a child."

"Look, Ness, I know you look way older than you actually are, but you are technically still a child."

Ow. That hurt. I know it probably wasn't intentional, but...I don't know. It just hurt. Hearing Jacob say that I was a child...

Ouch.

I felt a bit of wetness in my eyes, but I was too angry to cry.

I turned toward him so fast, my head felt dizzy.

"Did you really just call me a child? Really?" I growled.

He closed his eyes for a second or two, and then opened them again. "I know you don't look like a child, but your actual age proves that you are. And, well, sometimes your attitude does, too," he said calmly but sternly. But...he said the wrong thing. It only made me more furious.

But I wasn't going to act even more childish around him. No way.

So, I took a deep breath, stood up, ad started walking away. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but I wasn't going to stay here and be humiliated.

So, I walked slowly up the stairs, not saying a word or looking anywhere but the wall in front of me.

I heard Jacob sigh. "Nessie..."

I kept climbing.

"Nessie! Wait!" He groaned when I didn't respond. "Now you're the one who's overreacting."

I swallowed and turned on the stairs to face him. "Oh well. But do you still think I'm a child? That I'm childish?"

"Well, no offense, but you're sort of acting like a child right now."

"How in any way is that not offensive?" I exploded. I was stopped on the stairs now, reluctantly looking over to Jacob.

He chuckled without humor. "See?"

I took a deep breath and folded my arms across my chest. I wasn't going to let him win, though. I know I love him, but... Well, I wasn't going to feel helpless.

"Okay. So, maybe I am a child. And you're technically dating me. But you're an adult. So, what does that make you, a pedo?" I said with a small, smug smile on my face. The sourness matched my voice.

I could see his jaw tense. "May I remind you that you were the one who kissed me first?" he argued gently.

"Okay, I see how it is. Blame your troubles on a little girl."

"I'm not going to do this, Renesmee," he warned.

"Fine. Then I'm not going to stay here. Bye." I quickly walked down the stairs and out the back door. From there, I ran into the woods behind the house.

Of course, just like when I ran from the store, he was following me. But I decided not to let him chase me until we were in Spain or something. So, reluctantly, I slowly came to a stop. He, of course, caught up to me soon.

"Nessie, that doesn't help the child status," he breathed when he stopped next to me. I wasn't looking at him, though.

I sighed. "But I'm not a child. I'm probably smarter than you," I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, you're a genius. I meant running away," he clarified.

"Then don't make me mad."

"I wasn't trying to make you mad."

"So? It still hurt."

"Well, it wasn't intentional. You should know that. Do you think I would ever try to intentionally hurt you?" he questioned.

"Well, you should have known better. And you can't change anything now. You should have known it would hurt me," I said, my voice breaking a couple times.

He sighed. "Nessie, I'm sorry. So sorry. Really, I am," he apologized. I could tell he meant it. When I looked up, I saw the internal torture in his eyes, saw the pain he felt knowing he hurt me. Even though the topic this time is small, he was still upset by it. "Do you forgive me?"

I kept my face blank for what seemed like minutes when it was probably only a few seconds. Then, I let out the breath I had been holding since he started talking.

"Yes."

Then, the smile that I love spread across his face and he hugged me. I, surprised, wrapped my arms around his neck as well, but not as enthusiastically.

"Come on, Ness. Can we go back home?"

"You can. I'll be back in, like, an hour, okay?"

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"I just want to be by myself for a bit," I said, swinging my arms randomly.

"Um..." I could tell that he was reluctant to let me go, so I read his mind to find out why.

When Bella went off by herself she almost got killed... I couldn't live if anything like that happened to Nessie...

"Jake, I'll be fine. I'm not a helpless human," I reminded him.

He sighed. "True, but... Just be careful, please," he said, pleading.

I smiled half-heartedly. "I'll be fine." I reached out and hugged him reassuringly. He held me back.

He took a deep breath, and then forced a smile as he let me go. "Just please be back in an hour or an hour and a half. Please."

I leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Whatever you say..."

"Because if you're not back, I will find you..." he said with a semi-joking smirk on his face.

I smiled, taking a step back. "Stalker..." I teased.

He chuckled a little. "Bye." Then, he turned around and started walking back towards the house.

"Bye," I said quietly, knowing he could hear me. Then, I turned back into the trees, walking deeper into the woods.

As I was walking, I thought about…well, random stuff. I thought about how much homework I would have when I got back home… Wow. I think I was going to be buried in homework for at least a week after I get home. Yea.

Deciding not to dwell on the fact that my head would explode in approximately a week, I thought about music. Then, I started to think about bands, and my mind fled to a particular band, my favorite.

The Beatles.

Yes, I know, what technical seven year old—or any seventeen year old, for that matter—listens to the Beatles? And not just that I listen to them, but that I know the majority of the words to pretty much all of their songs, too. It's not what you'd call normal for someone my age. But then again, when have I ever been normal? I don't think I'd ever been called normal in my life.

So, then, with my thoughts focused on the Beatles, I started humming some of their songs. First, I hummed "Help!" Then "Hey Jude," then "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," then "Yesterday," then "When I'm Sixty-Four"…

But then I almost completely stopped thinking when I almost ran into a tree. Even though it would only hurt the tree, I decided to be nice to nature. By that point, I stopped humming and started to pay attention to my surroundings.

I continued to walk through the trees and the foliage, stepping over fallen tree branches and puddles from this afternoon's rain.

When I entered a small clearing, I stopped, standing completely still, appalled by the horrifying image in front of me.

On what used to be green grass, there was a pool of blood. I soon found the source of it.

A human.

One of them were crouched over a young girl's limp body, head at her neck. The teenage girl was screaming, probably because of the venom entering her body, though, by the looks of it, the pain wasn't going to last much longer.

It was like my worst nightmare had come to greet me, only this time, I was alone. There was no one here to save me, and I didn't have a chance.

I almost fainted when the girl's weak attempts at a scream were cut off and I heard her heart take its final thud. And to think, all of this happening because of the demon that was hovering over her. The demon that I didn't stand a chance at defeating if that's what it came to.

Ever so slowly, the red eyed, pale, chalky skinned monster dropped the girl's lifeless body carelessly to the ground and turned to face me, seeming to notice me for the first time, though it had to have heard me.

This is it. I'm surely going to die now.

And the worst part—this isn't a dream.