A New World Full of Strangers
Disclaimer: All the characters in the story are the property of Stephanie Meyer. I have borrowed them for my entertainment and (hopefully) your reading pleasure. I make no profit from their use.
Chapter 52: Pinkie Swear
"Renesmee!" calls Momma. "Stop daydreaming and come to breakfast!"
"Okay, Momma!" I answer. "I'll be right there!"
I find myself skipping down the hallway and almost leaping into my chair.
"Well, you're a happy girl this morning!" she says with a smile.
"Yes, I am!" I answer cheerfully. "Don't forget I have an extra dance class after school"
"How can we forget when you keep reminding us every ten minutes," says Daddy as he walks in and kisses me on the head. "Now eat up so we don't keep everyone else waiting."
I smile and dig my spoon into my cantaloupe.
Ever since my birthday, I feel like my life has been perfect. I mean, I have great friends in school and I'm doing well in my dance class. Okay, I admit, I was a little upset when I thought that Jacob just thought that I was a kid and not a real friend, but now that I understand everything, I think that it's great.
I mean, I can remember the first time that I heard about imprinting and Jacob told me. And then Emily talked to me and I thought that I understood it. But now I know that Jacob is still my best friend ever and that someday, maybe, we will be together forever, it's all going to be cool. I say maybe, because Carlisle had a serious talk with me when he picked me up from dance last night.
It was the first talk that I ever had with anyone (including Jacob) where I didn't feel like a little kid. But that's how Carlisle is. He has always talked to me like I understood everything that was going on, even when I was really little and he was explaining why he had to keep taking all those measurements.
"So Renesmee," he said. "How do you think that your talk went yesterday afternoon, with your parents and Jacob?"
"I think that it was pretty good," I said. "I mean now I understand a lot better how things are, you know, with everyone. I mean it is kind if weird to think that Momma and Jacob were once so close that he was jealous of my Daddy, even if she didn't love him the way that he loved her. But now it makes sense that they are still so close. And I know that I shouldn't feel jealous."
"That's good," he said. "But how do you feel about Jacob? Are you still mad that he treats you like a kid?"
"Not really," I admitted. "I mean, I am still a kid. Even though I get confused sometimes. But Jacob was talking to me like and adult last night, and . . . can I tell you a secret?"
"Of course," he said.
"Adult talk is boring," I said. "Well, Jacob's adult talk is. I mean all he talks about is fixing stuff and cars and that kind of stuff."
"Well, I'm an adult," he said. "And can I tell you a secret?"
"Sure," I said.
"I would find that stuff boring too," he said. "But tell me. How do you feel about the possibility that someday you two might get married?"
"I don't know," I said. "I mean when we were talking about it, it was pretty weird. I realized that I like being a kid. You know. It's fun to have girlfriends and go to school. I don't know why everyone told me that school would be boring, but it's not."
"But I thought that you knew everything that they teach there?" he asked puzzled.
"Oh, yeah," I said. "That's kind of boring. But I like recess and lunch and hanging out with my friends, I never got to do that fun stuff before. Jacob always told me that he was the only friend that I would ever need. And I guess that was true when we lived in Forks. But in Whitehorse, I have lots of friends."
"Including Jacob," he said.
"Of course," I agreed.
"Well, I want to give you something to think about," he said. "But you only have to think about it. You know from meeting Nahuel and his sisters that you are an immortal like us. Right?"
"Of course," I said. "That was why Momma and Daddy were so happy when Alice found Nahuel. It meant that we were all going to live together forever."
"Well, I think that you need to understand something about Jacob," he said. "Now don't think that anyone has been lying to you or keeping something from you, but the fact is that Jacob is not a true immortal being the way that you are."
"Oh," I said a little odd. "Does that mean that he is going to die?"
"Well," he answered. "Not necessarily. You see as long as Jacob keeps phasing into his wolf form, then he won't grow any older. But Jacob hasn't phased since he's come to Whitehorse."
"Is he getting older?" I asked nervously.
"Not according to my nose," he replied with a smile.
"But if he does phase again then he won't get older?" I asked.
"That's right," he said.
"Why isn't he phasing?" I asked him.
"I really don't know," he said. "That's really a question for him."
"But if he's going to get old," I said. "Then he's going to die and he will leave me all alone."
"That is the way that it would work," he said. "But like I said, you need to talk to him about this. I mentioned it to him a few days ago so he must be thinking about it."
"Do you think that my Momma and Daddy should be there?" I asked.
"No, I honestly don't," he replied. "This is a conversation that you and Jacob need to have alone. This is something that affects you two, not them. Now, I wouldn't even be talking to you about this except for the fact that he has stopped phasing, at least for now."
"Okay," I said. "Do I have to mention it to Momma and Daddy?"
"Do you even have to ask that question?" he commented with a smile.
"True, Daddy will know anyway," I said. "But not if I hide my thoughts about it from him."
"Sometimes that's the only way to handle him," he sighed.
When we arrived home, I went upstairs and did my homework. I knew better than to ask how school went for them. If anything of significance had occurred, they would have told me. I was actually quite glad that it hadn't. Momma and Daddy both seemed a bit more relaxed. I didn't want to spoil that.
After we drop the others off at school, Esme drives me over to my school.
"Now remember, Renesmee . . . " she starts.
"I have a dance class after school, even though it's not usually a dance day," I finish.
"That wasn't what I was going to say," she replies a little sternly. "No matter what anyone says about your, um, brothers and sisters, you are not to say a word."
"Okay," I say as I hop out of the car.
"Don't forget!" she warns me.
Jeez, why would I forget? Besides, no one knows what goes on up at the high school. Terah might, but she would never say anything because it would involve her sister too. I skip into the building where Celine is already waiting for me.
"Hi Renesmee!" she says. "Did you have a good night?"
"Yeah, pretty good," I reply. "You know, the usual, I had to get my homework done after dance so there wasn't time for too much else."
Since I knew that it took a lot of the other kids two to three hours to do all their homework, I had learned not to say that it only took me a half hour. It took the French Immersion kids longer than the regular students because of the language thing, but that never bothered me.
"Me too," she grimaces. "How do you like Le Petit Prince?"
"I think it's pretty neat," I say. "I can't wait to see what happens."
Of course I read the whole book the first day we got it. But I also knew that reading too quickly would be another sign of not being normal. I wouldn't be the only one who had read the whole book, but I decided to go with the majority. And Mlle. Charles didn't like it when we read ahead.
The morning passes quickly. We have a lesson on the changing colors of the leaves and why they change at this time of year and certain leaves turn certain colors. Of course I already know about photosynthesis, but I listen carefully like everyone else and take good notes at human speed. After that, we go out for a walk to find leaves that we like. In the afternoon when we have art class, we are going to make collages.
At lunch, we all talk about the different things that we are doing this weekend. Some of the girls are going horseback riding. It sounds like fun. They are surprised to hear that I have never been before, but I know better than to say that horses run away from my family. They do not like vampires.
Before recess is over, Terah pulls me aside.
"Renesmee," she says quietly. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Is it a good secret or a bad secret?" I ask, knowing that there are some bad secrets that you have to tell.
"I think it's a good secret," she answers.
"Okay," I say. "You can tell me."
"You have to promise not to tell," she says. "Or my sister will kill me, pinkie swear?"
"Pinkie swear," I say as we join pinkies.
"It's about my sister, Maggie," she says. "You know, my big sister who is friends with your sister Bella."
"Yeah," I say slowly, thinking that maybe it was a bad idea that I just pinkie swore not to tell it.
"Well," she says. "She eats lunch with your brothers and sisters. And she has a crush on your brother Edward."
Oh, now I am really sorry that I pinkie swore not to tell.
"Oh, um, uh . . . " I say. "How do you know that? Did she tell you?"
"Well, not exactly," she admits. "She was talking to Aurora about it last night after us younger kids went to bed. So I kind of overheard it."
"Oh," I say. "That's not good. I got in trouble for eavesdropping on my big brothers and sisters. My Mom told me that it wasn't nice. It isn't as bad as teasing, but almost."
"Do you tease too?" she asks.
"Yeah," I say. "I was teasing my Sissy, and it hurt her feelings."
She nods.
"Sometimes my little brothers and sisters tease me and it makes me feel bad," she says.
"Okay," I say. "How about if I don't say anything, I just listen."
"Okay, you see," she explains. "She wishes that your sister wasn't going to the Sadie Hawkins with him because she would have wanted to ask him. Now she is hoping that he will ask her to the Homecoming Dance. I thought that maybe you could put I a good word for her."
"Oh, um, I don't know," I say. "What if no one asks Sissy?"
"Oh, someone is going to ask her," says Terah. "This guy Tim talked to Maggie because he wants to ask Bella. But he knows that Bella is really shy, so he had the idea that if Edward asked Maggie and he asked Bella, then they could all go together. So he asked if she would mind going with Edward."
"Oh, um, well," I say uncomfortably. "My Mom told me that I wasn't allowed to talk about my brothers and sisters because they would get mad at me for getting in their business. So maybe we should pretend that we didn't have this conversation"
She looks insulted.
"We pinkie swore not to tell," she says. "I would never break a pinkie swear."
"I'm sorry," I say. "But I just got scared there for a minute. I forgot. Of course I trust you and you can trust me to not tell any secrets."
"Good!" she says and gives me a hug. "You're a good friend, Renesmee."
"You are too, Terah," I say.
When we get to art class, since Celine and I are seat buddies, we are allowed to talk to each other. Celine is acting a little funny.
"Is something wrong, Celine?" I ask.
She hesitates.
"Well, I noticed that you and Terah were whispering together during recess and then you hugged each other," she says.
"Oh, yeah," I say. "We were having a private conversation."
"Oh," she says. "Can you tell me about it?"
"Not really," I say. "It was kind of about our big brothers and sisters. And we could both get in trouble if they found out about it. I already got in trouble for not minding my own business."
"Oh, but I wouldn't tell," she says.
"I know," I say. "But it's a little complicated."
And your mother had the biggest mouth in town, I think.
"You could get into really big trouble?" she asks.
I nod.
"So could she," I say. "So we are going to pretend that we never had that conversation."
She thinks for a minute.
"Okay, that makes sense," she says. "I was just afraid that you didn't want to be my best friend anymore."
"No! Of course not!" I say.
"So then, we will be best friends forever?" she asks.
"Forever!" I say, sorry that I have to lie to my best friend.
Because forever means a very different thing to her than it does to me. And I will be moving in five years because people would notice that we weren't aging. It makes me feel a little sad. It's kind of the opposite problem that Jacob has, only he can age if he wants. But at least I can talk to Momma about this one.
Celine is very happy after that. And she enjoys going to our extra dance class because her Papa is really mad that that her Mama "roped him into" dancing onstage. Of course Mrs. Bouchard is very happy. Celine and I giggle when they are not looking and Becca makes funny faces at us from across the room. When Carlisle picks me up, I am in a good mood . . . for about thirty seconds.
"So, Renesmee," he says right away. "Were you a good girl and didn't talk about your brothers and sisters today?"
All of the sudden I feel bad because I have to lie.
"Not exactly," I say.
He is silent for a minute and then begins to drive at human speed, even though we are out of town.
"I think that you better tell me if not exactly means the same thing as not at all," he says.
"I pinkie swore before I heard what Terah had to say," I reply.
"Terah as in Maggie's little sister?" he asks.
"Um, yeah, but she was only telling what she eavesdropped about," I answer. "And then I said that I couldn't talk about my big brothers and sisters. And I didn't really say anything. I just listened. Does that count as not saying anything at all?"
I can see that he is shaking like he is trying not to laugh. I don't know what is so funny. I have a feeling that I am about to break my first pinkie swear and I don't like it.
"Okay," he says. "Do you think that this is something that Edward and Bella need to know?"
"Probably?" I say uncertainly.
"Well, I will tell you what," he says. "Something tells me that you had better tell me. Then I will decide what to do. And I will try to keep you out of it."
"Carlisle," I say. "I never made a pinkie swear before. Do I really have to break it?"
"I'm sorry, Renesmee," he says kindly. "But you know that we have to do everything that we can to avoid exposure. And sometimes what see like little things can cause big problems. Now this is a case where Edward and Bella may need to avoid some problems. It also may keep someone's feelings from getting hurt."
"Well, Terah did tell me that I could try to help Maggie without bringing her into it," I say.
"How does she think that you can help Maggie?" he asks.
"Maggie has a crush on Daddy and she is hoping that he will ask her to the Homecoming Dance," I say quickly. "So she asked me to put in a good word for her."
"Well, we are going camping that weekend," he says. "So it won't be a problem. I guess nobody told you that."
"No. They didn't," I say. "But there's more."
"How much more?" he says.
"Not much," I say. "Tim wants to ask Momma to the Homecoming Dance. So he asked Maggie if she minded if he suggested that Daddy take her, then Maggie, and they could all go together. You know, because Momma is so shy."
"The next time we move," he says as if he is talking to himself. "When they start high school again, your Momma is not going to be shy. Who thought that it would cause so many problems?"
I don't say anything. He looks over at me.
"What is it?" he asks kindly.
"Well, this is my other problem," I say. "Celine and I were talking today and I agreed that we would be best friends forever. But forever is different for me than it is for her. And we will be leaving in five years. I feel bad."
"I'm sorry," he says softly. "This isn't a problem that any of the other kids ever had because they never really made friends with the kids they went to school with. But for a human, five years is a long time. And in a place like Whitehorse, people move in and out all the time."
"I know," I say. "But it makes me feel kind of sad. You know. It feels like I'm never going to be able to keep the friends that I make anywhere."
"I know what you mean better than you think," he says. "Before I created Edward, I was alone for almost three hundred years. But you do have a family and you will always be with us."
"Promise?" I ask.
"Pinkie swear?" he replies and holds out his finger.
So we pinkie swear and I feel better. And then I realize that I better put the conversation out of my head or Daddy will see it. I really don't want to have to talk about this with him. I don't want him and Momma to feel bad about it. That's what Carlisle is here for. He can talk to you and not feel bad about stuff. I think.
