Revolving Worlds – Book Three

2060

Chapter Four

Purple Heart

Renesmee's Point of View

A smile immediately took over Jacob's face, as soon as our plane landed I know we'd just left Isle Esme only few months ago, but he really did love the warmer climates here, than back home, whether he could be affected by the cold or not. I knew he preferred the warm humidity of Brazil to the cold dampness of Washington (or Calgary, Canada). It didn't seem that different to me, other than the sunlight, but I guess he was right; this place just had a feel to it that was cheery. Even if it wasn't home.

"Renesmee, my dear," Huilen greeted me with open arms. "I've missed you. S'been too long since we last spoken." Then she turned to my husband. "Jacob," she spat, quickly acknowledging his presence, as well. Nahuel's dislike of him had passed on to her. The fact that Jacob and Nahuel had eventually grown to be... not exactly friends, but at least civil to each other, seemed to have escaped her notice. "Tell me, is everyone enjoying themselves up north?" I nodded. "And this one," she said indicating Jake, "he treating you right?"

Jacob quietly growled under his breath but didn't say anything.

"Of course Jacob is wonderful to me," I defended him. How could I not? She must have seen how happy Jake made me. I was beaming with pride at my wonderful husband. "We have something for you," I said as I handed her the invitation to Felicity and Jennifer's wedding.

"Should I open it now?"

"Yes, please. I'm sure you'll be very delighted by what's inside."

Huilen was indeed happy with the news that our daughter was marrying Jennifer. Jennifer and her sisters had been one of the few visitors for Huilen and Nahuel in the past, and they'd always enjoyed each other's company, Jennifer especially, since she was the closest to Nahuel, and less influenced by their father.

Jake could see that Huilen and I were going to be in a conversation for a while so he excused himself to go run around the jungle as a Wolf. I didn't mind. I knew he could smell Huilen's mate, Roberto approaching. The fewer red-eyed Vampires around Jacob the better.

"I'm afraid we can't stay," I told Huilen a few hours later when Jake returned. I'd caught her up on all of the latest gossip from back home and got to get to know Roberto better. We'd met a few times before this, but today was the first time we'd really talked. He was nice enough, I could see why he and Huilen had become mates; they suited each other.

"Our flight home is scheduled to depart on Tuesday and we still have to find the Amazon coven to give them their wedding invitations. And do one more thing before we leave. It's wedding related," I assured her, hoping she wouldn't feel bad that we were leaving so soon.

"Nonsense. You only just come," she argued. I shook my head. We were on a tight schedule. "You travel all day long. Stay the night. Then get early start tomorrow. Not hausted that way. You just like Nahuel. He never want to sleep, always trying to stay wake with me during night," she chuckled sadly. "Secretly I wished I could sleep and dream like he. There's not much but I miss that part of my before life. Nahuel's bed is here. You're welcome to," she continued.

Argh, this wasn't helping. Despite their eventual... there's no way Jacob would want to sleep in Nahuel's old bed. But I couldn't think of a good enough reason to object that wouldn't hurt her feelings.

I gave Jacob and apologetic look. I know she missed her nephew and I was the closest thing she had to him, in a way, being one of the only three half Vampires left in the world.

"Of course. We'd love to," Jake surprised me by saying before I could.

I knew he didn't mean it, but there was no backing out now, I guess we were spending the night.

As we settled into bed I could see that Jake was having as big of a problem with our current location as I thought he would, even though he wouldn't say a word. His tossing and turning were speaking volumes for him. I tried to take his mind off of it.

"So aren't you going to tell me what you did today as a Wolf? See anything exciting in the forest around here?"

His face instantly brightened for a second before getting serious. I guess that was better than disgusted, if only a little. "I ran around for a while. Then I phased into my Spirit Form for a bit, to check up on David and Angelina. I'm worried about those two."

"Didn't the Imprinting take care of any issues? Like when you got over my mother when you Imprinted on me." He'd told me many times about how all the hurt and pain he was in after losing Bella just went away when it happened to him. Wasn't the same true for our son and Leah's daughter?

"Not exactly. I wish it was that easy for them," he huffed. "Sure Angelina's quest to find a mate and reproduce is no longer her driving force in life, but she's still dealing with the fact that she fed on and killed a man. And David wasn't exactly happy about that piece of information when he saw it in her dead when they were phased at the same time. He's trying to wrap his head around it. But you know…" I did. Flashes of our son's childhood in New Hampshire, where the Vampire side of my family chose to move to Europe because of David's inborn Wolf hatred of them flashed through my mind. It'd taken him years to accept my side of the family, but he still hated red eyed Vampires and made it his mission in life to exterminate as many as possible. Jake was right. That his Imprint had done the very thing he fought against his entire life was going to cause some issues. "Add to that the fact that he's lost his Imprint, Janet, his Soulmate that he thought was a once in a lifetime thing and now he has re-Imprinted... well," he struggled for the right words, "things are weird for him. He's not suicidal anymore over Janet's death, but he's still partially tied to her and now also Angelina and... well, no one expects him to be ready to move on any time soon. Angelina's helping him through it as best she can."

"Wow. I didn't realize."

"Sure, sure," he said, the way he did whenever he wanted to end a conversation. "Leah was also phased at the time," he added, surprising me.

"I thought she was giving up her Wolf?"

"That was the plan but I guess there's been some Nomad Vampires around the area that she was asked to help out with."

"Is it serious? Do we need to call the rest of my family to go down and help?"

"No. It's all over," Jake assured me. "I watched them get taken out, through Leah's eyes. It was kind of fun actually. I haven't gotten to do anything like that in decades, myself."

I wasn't hurt by what he said, passing Nomads were a danger to everyone in La Push, including my grandchildren. Never-the-less I thought I would have a little fun with him and make him think I was. It might brighten his mood. "Jake, how could you say that?" I wined, overdramatically. "Most of your friends are Vampires now. Your family are Vampires, your wife," I said pointing to myself, "is Half-Vampire, your children are Quarter-Vampires. You're staying in a Vampire's house tonight." I even managed to force out a tear.

"I… I… but these were bad ones." He got all apologetic. "Our friends and family are the good. It's different. They don't eat people. At least most of them." He eyed the door, to where we knew Huilen and Roberto were just on the other side.

"I know," I broke into a smile, letting him know it was all an act. When he relaxed and smiled back I decided to change the subject, "Any other news?"

"Nothing too major, but it seems that... um... yeah this is probably something we should talk about later," he broke off quickly. I wonder what it could be that he didn't want to tell me right now.

The next morning Huilen surprised us by having breakfast ready. I'd planned on hunting, and so had Jacob. We were going to just eat whatever we could find in the area but human food would be fine too. If you could call it food. It looked like she'd charred some roadkill over a fire. Yum.

Jacob and I ate as much as we could, to not make Huilen feel bad, but then tossed most of it among the leaves, claiming we were full. We had to. What she cooked was inedible. She never said anything but I think it upset her. After that we said our goodbyes as pleasantly as possible, assuring each other that we would catch up again during the wedding and then Jake and I took off.

"I think we should head for the Amazon coven next and then pick up the wood on the way back so that we don't have to lug it along with us," I suggested when we were a few miles out.

"Agreed," Jacob said. "But first I think I smell some yummy deer by a stream over there," he pointed to the west. "What do you say we get that horrible taste out of our mouths?"

Instead of verbally agreeing I took off in a sprint to where Jake had pointed. After I drank the animal dry, Jake ate about two-thirds of the meat until he was satisfied and we resumed our trek, looking for the Amazon coven.

Alice had given us directions to the location she'd seen them in before we left, but there was really no way to be sure that they were still where she'd last seen them. Even if we went to the spot and they were no longer there it wouldn't be too hard to track their scent and locate them again.

On the way I asked Jake again what it was that he didn't tell me the night before.

"Well it seems that Leah might finally be moving on from Nahuel."

Oh I can see why Jake wouldn't want to bring that up last night in Huilen's house.

"Really? With who?"

"Do you remember the doctor that tried to help you deliver Felicity?"

"Of course, Paul's older brother, Lucas. He fainted during the delivery."

"That's right."

"Leah is interested in him?" That didn't seem right. He was such a... wuss, for lack of a better word.

"No," Jake chuckled. "He must be in his seventies by now; Leah still looks like she's in her early twenties. And emotionally he's not right for her in any way. He's also already married," Jake said shaking his head and chuckling a little bit more. "But Lucas has a son, later in life, and the two of them seem to be hitting it off. I'm not saying it's going to turn into anything and she didn't Imprint on him. It could just be a short little fling, or lead to just friendship, or something but it's a start. Finally."

He was right. This was good news.

By the time Jake had finished his story we found the Amazon Coven. Luckily for us they hadn't moved and though we'd lost some time last night it was easily made up this morning.

We met up with Amazon coven just after noon and practically did a repeat of the previous day's events where Jacob went off on a run, not wanting to be around the red-eyed Vampires any more than necessary, while I caught them up on everything that has been going on in Canada. Only this time they didn't ask us to stay the night, which was more than fine with Jacob and me.

Now on to the main reason for our trip. According to Alice, the Purple Heart trees grew on the east and west coasts, so we would have to run half way across the continent. After seven hours of running we were halfway there, but it was getting dark, I was exhausted and I could tell Jake was hungry. The blood I drank earlier meant I was good for at least a week or two, but Jake went off and found a small fox to eat, then we spent the night camping out amongst the stars. It was beautiful. Jake built a fire and we told stories. It reminded me of the Pack meetings his father use to host in La Push.

The next morning we woke at dawn with the sunrise and set out to run the rest of the way to the coast. The trees were right where Alice said they would be.

"We're going to have to find some branches that have already been knocked down, Nessie," Jake told me. "If we're going to be carving these weren't going to need wood that's already dried out, not something that's just been cut and is still moist."

"It's probably illegal to cut one down anyway. If it's not, it should be," I said I eyeing the majestic trees around us. There was one, so tall, towering high above our heads, rising close to two hundred feet in the air, it's leaves not present until the very, very top. There would be no way for us to cut off a branch or two even if that was an option.

It was strange, I expected to see a tree covered with purple bark or at least a normal looking tree, like back home with purple leaves or some purple somewhere but despite their height, and the fact that their leaves were only at the top, leaving a dark baron trunk the entire rest of the way up there was no purple to be seen. Purple Heart trees only took on their strong purple color when oxidized after being cut or fell, but still... I thought that maybe I would see a hint of color somewhere with my enhanced supernatural sight. I was wrong.

Eventually after some searching we located a few logs that would be suitable to use.

"Do you think we should grab a couple more? I don't want to have to come back here if we run out."

"Good point. But do you see any more?" Jake shook his head from side to side, looking for any more fallen branches.

"We don't have to head back to the airport for another few hours. Let's take another sweep and see if we can find any," I suggested.

"Not gonna let ya bring dat on da plane. Dat illegal da take outta da country," our taxi driver said, pointing to the bag we'd gathered the wood in.

"Of course not. I wouldn't even dream of trying to." I smiled at him, attempting my father's famous dazzling technique, while zipping my bag shut.

It seemed to work. He shook himself out of the daze I successfully put him in, before pulling up to the airport curb, letting us out with a smile and a wave.

"Did you know about that?" Jacob whispered to me, too low for anyone around us to here.

"I had an inkling."

"So what are we going to do, try to smuggle it on to the plane? They have scanners that look at every piece of luggage. How are we going to get it past security?"

"The way the Cullens do anything, of course," I smiled back up at my lovely husband, showing more confidence than I felt. "With money and charm. Anything can be done with enough of both."

I was right. Airport personnel - security, flight attendants, and baggage handlers, all were easily bought, to look the other way, for the right price. I only had to dazzle one self-righteous security guard, who thought himself too good to break the law. I didn't feel too bad. It's not like we were trying to smuggle in weapons or drugs, just some wood. We hadn't broken any other laws. We didn't cut down any trees; the logs were already lying on the ground. And we weren't hurting anybody, so what was the harm? I didn't see any.