Bella's Point of View
The events of today were weighing heavily on everyone's minds. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure if everyone was really up for this family dinner, however this was for the kids. It was tradition for all of us to get together after the last football game of the year. It's rare that we can all find the time to come together, everyone had really busy schedules.
Edward had completely rented the entire restaurant out this evening, so we would have complete privacy. It just made things easier, we had such a large family.
Ezra and Seth had seven children, three sets of twins and Addison. Her children were probably the wildest of all the others kids. She had four girls, Emma; who was nine – you could always find her glued to Addison. Emma really looked up to Addie and tried to copy everything she did. Then there was Hayley and Hannah, they were twins and seven years old. They were perfectly identical in every way; it was challenging to tell them apart. The only way I could tell them apart was because Hayley clung to Seth at all times and rarely spoke. She was such a shy and timid little girl. Her twin – Hannah was a wild child; she was loud and confident and constantly was walking up to new people and introducing herself. She was a social butterfly. Ezra's youngest daughter was Isobel – embarrassingly named after me. We called her Izzy. She was only three years old; she was adorable and was the only of the kids to have Edward's green eyes.
Ezra and Seth's two boys took mostly after Seth. Ethan – the nine-year-old, spent a lot of time on the reservation with the other boys his age. He does a lot of training and working out, he idealizes the idea of being alpha of a pack. Although it's still unclear if the werewolf gene was passed down to him. Lastly was Isaac – the youngest boy. He was a very laid-back kid, he almost never cried, even the day he was born. However, we recently found out that he has some trouble seeing, so he was fitted for glasses.
With all those children, I wouldn't have been surprised if Ezra always looked tired – and that was true, most days she looked exhausted. But she was always so happy and positive, I believe that she truly loved being a mother. Even now she was moving around the table, fixing some of the kid's hair, or giving them something to keep them distracted, such as crayons and coloring books. Addison kept her eyes on her cell phone, not bothering to pay any attention to anyone – until Kora and Daniel arrived with their children.
Kora put little Senika in a highchair next to Isobel before waving to everyone. She must have gone home and changed her clothes before arriving. She was no longer in her stunning black dress, instead she was in a light, pastel pink blouse with grey dress pants. She was always wearing very expensive-looking clothing. Kora had a great love of fashion, even as a little girl. It was something that bonded her with Alice.
Daniel took a seat beside Seth, still appearing uncomfortable. A gloomy look was on his face. He didn't look up to make eye contact with anyone. We all knew better than to speak up and ask him what was wrong. Daniel would never admit to anything. He wouldn't admit that he was incredibly unhappy and didn't want anything to do with this family. I'm not sure if that's really how he felt, but until he speaks up, that was all I had to assume.
Zayne sat next to his father with a bored look – just like Addison his face was in his phone as well. Zoey on the other hand, cheerfully moved over to Addison and sat with her.
"Hey Addie, really good work out there tonight. We might have to adjust the routine a little bit more, just to make it easier on you. But that's no problem." Zoey said with a smirk.
Addie rolled her eyes, looking back at her phone. "It's perfectly fine, we don't need to change the routine. My prosthetic leg isn't fitting as well anymore so my balance is a bit off, uncle Darius is getting me a new one. It will be here before next year."
"Your struggle is so inspiring." Zoey replied with a smug grin. "I hope someday I'll have your strength."
Addie merely glanced at her, annoyance clear on her face, but didn't respond. This was pretty common. Zoey would pick at Addison, try to get under her skin and Addie would just do her best to ignore her. When they were under, Zoey would end up getting Addison to cry, but now that they were older, Addison got a thick skin.
Kora heard the exchange and gave Zoey a serious look. "You leave your cousin alone."
"Yes mother," Zoey said innocently.
The next to arrive was Alice, with Mason and Gracie at her side. Judging by the angered look on Mason's face – Darius was going to be late to dinner. Alice took a seat next to me with a weak smile. Mason took Gracie's hand and helped her up into a seat next to Haylie. Gracie and Haylie were the same age and they tended to play with each often. They both were pretty shy and gentle.
Gracie smiled widely at her brother, before turning to Hayley to show off her new doll.
Mason plopped down next to Charlie with a heavy sigh. Charlie looked at him with a raised brow. "Your old man is going to be late huh?"
"Yeah, as always. He is never home anymore. It's like he has completely forgotten about us." Mason muttered, pulling his phone out to stare dejectedly at it.
"Don't say that. Your father's work is very important to him and to this town. He is doing the best he can." Alice said with a little frown. "It's not always going to be like this."
"How much longer is it going to be mom? Because you are going to have this other baby soon. You're going to need help."
"Don't you worry about that; everything is going to be fine. Have some faith in your father."
Mason nodded slightly, but I could see the doubt in his eyes. I felt bad for him. I knew that he was missing Darius. But I knew Darius was doing what he thought was right.
"Your dad has always been a fanatic when it came to work. It's just who he is. But there is no doubt that he loves his family above all else." Kora spoke up with a smile to Mason.
"I know aunt Kora, it just... sucks..." He replied, running his hand through his spiky black hair. "I really wanted him to be here, but I have a feeling, he is going to Julian's side all night."
Julian was the boy that we had found tied up to that tree. He suffered severe burns to his legs. The way Darius was talking, he may need his legs completely amputated. Most of the muscles and nerves were burned away, leaving only bone.
"Poor Julian, I'm sure this is just breaking your heart, isn't it Addie? I mean, he was basically your boyfriend." Zoey said with a pout coming to her face.
This seemed to strike a nerve with Addison. She turned a cold glare onto Zoey. "He wasn't my boyfriend; he was just a friend... he walked me home a few times. It really wasn't even a big deal."
"Yeah, maybe so, but everyone knew that he was in love with you." Zayne chimed in with an amused look.
This was news to me. Addie never mentioned that she had an admirer. But Ezra didn't appear shocked by this at all, she just watched her daughter with a sad look.
"Whatever." Addie said with narrowed eyes, before turning her attention back to her phone.
Elijah and Leah came walking in next with their two kids. The oldest was Storm. He was basically a mini Elijah in every way. At this point in time, he and Mason weren't on good terms. Like their father's relationship, these two were just so different, they have never agreed on anything.
Darius and Elijah have come a long way, they have a solid relationship, as long as neither one of them mentioned Demetri. They most of the time got along well enough. But there was a lot of jealousy between those two. Then there was the youngest, Rylie. She was by far the most special girl in town. Not only was she part vampire, but recently she phased for the first time. She was the only one in Ribbon with the ability to do this.
When Rylie was growing up it was startling to see how fast she grew. Out of all the others, her growth was the fastest. Darius had a theory that her werewolf genetics mixing with her vampire genetics played a part in her growth. Rylie may have been the second born, but she physically appears the same age as her older brother.
Rylie took a seat next to Carly, while Storm kept close to Leah. He was an extremely shy boy. He never played with the others. He always stayed to himself. He clung to Leah, even now as a teenager. They had a close bond, but it concerned me that Storm never made any friends. I know Charlie, Mason and little Greg attempted many times to invite him to play or do things together. But Storm never made an attempt.
Out of everyone, Zayne was able to pull him out of his shell a little. But as long as Leah was at Storm's side, we all knew that he wouldn't be saying a word tonight.
Zayne nodded to Storm, a hint of a smile touching his face. Storm nodded back secretly while Leah wasn't watching.
"Is your mother joining us tonight?" I asked with a smile to Elijah. Even today, when I looked at Elijah, I could still see Avery in his every feature. I still thought about Avery every now and then. I recalled her feelings for Demetri and how excited she was to be having his child. I couldn't accept it at the time, but now things were different. Rosalie had stepped in and raised Elijah next to Demetri. She truly loved the boy dearly, even now that she had children of her own.
Elijah made a slight face, but nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure she is bringing her poor excuse for a husband and the rug-rats."
Elijah never approved of Louis, honestly, I had suspicions that he was hoping Rose and Demetri would get back together. But once Louis imprinted on Rose, that completely ruined all chances of that happening.
"Does that mean Janae is coming too?" Little Greg asked with hope in his eyes. "I mean... it doesn't matter if she does." He quickly played off his interest.
Charlie and Mason snickered as they exchanged looks. Elijah smirked as well, letting his shoulders rise and fall. "Probably."
Janae was a pretty little blonde. She was half human, half vampire. She was one of the young girls we had rescued from Caius' dungeon. Caius was her biological father; she never did get to meet her biological mother. Rosalie had stepped in and adopted her. Janae and little Greg had always spent a lot time together growing up, since they were about the same age.
We all knew that little Greg had a bit of a crush on Janae, however it was clear that Janae didn't return those feelings. Janae had her sights on a boy in her class named Noah. She had started dating this boy just a month ago. She seemed completely happy and content, much to little Greg's disappointment.
I secretly was rooting for little Greg to win the girl. Perhaps I am a little biased, but I really wanted to see him happy. Life hasn't been the easiest for him – especially with everything going on with Rene. That's all I wanted for my entire family. Happiness.
It wasn't long before the rest of the family showed up. Rosalie made it, with Louis and the four kids. Her oldest, Janae sat down across from little Greg- flashing him a brilliant smile. Little Greg's face flushed as he smiled back at her. I could hear the boys snickering under their breath as they watched the both of them.
Lily was dropped off by her father, Nick. The exchange between Nick and Rose was a bit strained, but they appeared to be staying kind towards each other. After all, they had been best friends in the past. It had been a surprise that Rose had gotten pregnant with Nick – before meeting Louis of course. Nick was gay – it was something he didn't hide and was proud of. I guess one night – one drunken mistake – and Lily was born. Today, Rose was happily married to Louis and Nick was happily married to a wonderful man named Lenny.
Rose and Louis also had twins, Marie and Weston. They were around the same age as
Demetri was here as well – alone. For once Demetri decided to just work on himself and avoid getting into relationship. He has really grown as a person. Ever since he turned human, he has really cleaned up his life. He almost acts like someone I could respect. Almost. Because of our rough history, I knew deep down that I would never fully trust or respect him.
"So, what happened at the game? I heard some kids got hurt." Rose asked, glancing towards Edward.
"There was a shooting, no one was fatally injured." Edward responded carefully. Before we arrived to the restaurant Edward made it clear that he didn't want to give all details of what happened, until we collected more information. We didn't want to start a panic.
Rose made a face. "Thank goodness the kids are all okay."
"That was so scary, especially with Julian, we still don't know how he got those burns. Do you think it's related to the shooting?" Zoey spoke up, looking to each of the adults at the table. I could see the suspicion in her eyes. She knew that we weren't giving all the details.
Thankfully, Seth was well equipped for these kinds of questions. He spoke up, with a calm, even tone. "At this time, it's too early to know anything. But as soon as we get more information, we will pass it along to the rest of you. For now, school will be out for a week. Just until our investigation ends."
"Is Julian going to be okay?" Addison asked, peeking up from her phone. She ignored Zoey's smirk.
"As soon as my dad gets here, I'm sure he will let us all know." Mason sighed. He kept watching the door, waiting for his father to come walking through. I could tell he was getting more and more impatient.
Our table had now erupted in side conversations. The chattering almost gave me a bit of a headache. Instead of joining in to the conversations, I decided to just sit back and watch my family. They laughed, they teased each other – it was like they didn't have a care in the world. Little did they know, we received such an ominous note.
We have returned. Just those few words set my mind in a frenzy of worries. Who has returned? I thought our enemies were all gone. The Volturi has been completely disbanded. Most of the Dawn Guard was gone – those who were still alive had no clue where we were. And Victoria was in jail for life. Her partner, James – was dead. There was no one to avenge her. So who could possibly be threatening us?
Edward lightly stroked my thigh under the table, instantly distracting me from my concerns. He green eyes peered into me; taking my breath away. Edward had always been irresistible, even more so as he aged and matured in looks. My heart fluttered in my chest as he lifted my hand and delicately kissed it.
"Don't fret," he said softly, a hint of a smile touched his lips. "I'll never let anyone hurt you, or our family."
His words melted me. How could I ever deny him? He always knew what to say to calm me down. But things were different. We weren't vampires anymore, we are mortal. If the people that are threatening Ribbonwood are supernatural in any way, we wouldn't be able to come to Ribbonwood's defense. We are weak – soft humans.
At this point our server came over to get everyone's order. The young lady had her work cut out for her. This table held 32 people alone. We were still waiting for Darius. However, she seemed up for the task. Determination was on her face.
I'm Nichole and I'll be your server for this evening, can I start you all out with your drinks?" Her face was pretty, she was clearly a teenager. Her hair was a honey blonde with eyes a light creamy brown.
Charlie and Mason sneaked a few interested peeks in her direction. I could tell by the little tiny shades of pink coming to their faces that they found her just as appealing. Zayne rolled his eyes at how those two were acting and with just a slight flip to his short blonde curls, he caught the waitress' attention instantly.
"I'll have a water," he said looking to the girl with no sign of emotion, before turning away from her with disinterest.
The girl looked like she was mesmerized by Zayne for just a moment, before turning to the others for their orders. It was a classic move from Zayne, he always was such a charmer. He knew how to play with the emotions of those around him, especially women. He was a cute kid, but had a lot to learn. Kora would have her hands full with him.
By the time everyone put their drink orders in, Darius came marching through the door, removing his hat to shake off some drops of water. It must have started raining outside. The tip of his nose was a little pink and I could see that something was really bothering him.
Alice sensed this as well and quickly waved him over to sit next to her. "Over here honey,"
Without hesitation he came over, flagging the waitress for a coffee. He removed his long white lab coat and rolled up his sleeves to his button-up shirt. Mason was thrilled, you could almost see him bouncing up and down in his seat.
"Dad, you finally made it. How is Julian?" Mason asked in a bubbly tone – it reminded me of how Alice spoke when she was excited.
Darius' expression didn't falter, but I could see sorrow in his eyes. "Let's not talk about this right now. It's been a very long night, Mason. I'd just like to enjoy this time with the family."
Everyone at the table had an idea now what condition Julian was in. We picked up on the negativity in Darius' words. This could mean one of two things. One – Julian was alive, but his legs had to be amputated. Or two – Julian died from his injuries. I wasn't sure which it was.
"I only ask – because we wanted to go pay him a visit at the hospital." Mason continued with a raised brow.
Little Greg, Zayne, Zoey, Charlie and Addison all nodded in agreement. Even though this little group tended to tease each other and get on each other's nerves, there was something that always united them. And that was their compassion for others. Even though they might not have been close to Julian they all wanted to make sure he was okay. It really spoke volumes for their character. They were raised right.
"Julian's mother isn't allowing visitors at this time." Darius said, then gave Mason a look. It was the kind of look that screamed – don't ask any further questions. Mason picked up on it and didn't continue on that subject.
"Whoever did this, is going to pay." Elijah spoke up with narrowed eyes. "That could have been one of our kids."
"We will find who did this, don't worry, our patrol men are the best." Seth said leaning back to let his arm wrap around Ezra. "Something like this is never going to happen again."
"How can you be sure? Don't you remember last time something like this happened? We lost a lot of people." Rose shot back. "I don't even feel safe letting Lily, Maria and Weston out of my sight after this. If this had happened at the elementary school... I think I would have had a heart attack."
Her words sent a jab to my chest as my father's image came to my head. I could feel tears sting in my eyes, but I forced them back. I wouldn't cry. It's been ten years... the mention of my father's death should rip me apart anymore. But the pain of him not being here... it still hurt just as bad as it did the day, I found out she was killed.
Edward noticed the subtle changes in my posture and hugged me a little closer to him. He threw a glare in Rose's direction, but it was Charlie that spoke up.
"Yeah, the man that I was named after was killed. I think most of us here realize how bad it was back then. I know some of us weren't even alive yet, but you don't need to remind those that do remember." He spoke with politeness but got the point across.
Rose glanced at me with an apologetic expression, before backing down slightly. "You can understand my concerns, correct?" Her question was directed to Seth.
"Yes of course, I have four children going to elementary school, I would have been just as upset. But that isn't going to help the situation. We need to respond to this carefully. We don't want to start a panic. There are several others just like you – they want justice served right now. I'm afraid those people might take matters into their own hands if they are aware of everything that's happening."
"The people have the right to know. If they think this is just some kind of cruel prank, they won't take this serious enough. At the end of the day, our children were targeted by someone malicious and everyone needs to understand that this is a real threat. It's dangerous. They need to be ready for something worse to happen." Demetri spoke up, looking to each of us.
His eyes lingered on mine – emotions were dancing in his eyes. I couldn't read them. But apparently, even without the ability to read minds, Edward could pick up on something. Edward narrowed his eyes slightly at Demetri. His arm went out around my shoulders with a protectiveness that left my insides tangling up.
"Well said dad," Elijah said with a serious nod. "The parents of these children have a right to know what's going on." He looked pointedly at Edward now.
Darius cleared his throat, appearing annoyed. "Until we know what we are up against, telling the town anything will only scare everyone. There is nothing to announce yet."
You could feel the tension in the air between the two young men. Elijah was supporting his father. And Darius was supporting Edward – who was more of a father to him then Demetri ever was.
And right on cue, the waitress returned and began to pass out all the drinks. It took a couple minutes as she ran from the kitchen in the back to the table several times. Then she took everyone's meal order. I noticed that she grew shy each time she glanced at Zayne and even more so when she was speaking with Edward and Darius.
In Ribbonwood there were a handful of residents that the town people recognized as royalty. The mayor of the town, Edward. And the president of the hospital, Darius. They both were viewed as gods. It was a hilarious development – much to their embarrassment. But their popularity did put a strain on some relationships. Purely out of jealousy. For example, I could see Rose silently fuming, along with Demetri and Elijah. Rose and Demetri detested the special treatment that Edward received. While Elijah was more bothered by Darius' popularity.
Elijah owned his own autobody shop in town, his place was situated close to Ezra's vacant dentist office. Everyone in town went to Elijah for any automotive issues, he was well known. However, he didn't have the most tactful personality. He was arrogant and at times his temper got the best of him. Elijah was a hard person to communicate with, but he had a passion for his work and it showed. He could fix anything.
Once the waitress finished taking all our orders, I noticed Charlie and Mason's gaze follow her, clearly ogling the girl from behind.
"Boys, you're in public, let's try to act like gentlemen." I scolded, shaking my head at them.
"Yes mom," Charlie said ducking his head in embarrassment.
"Yes gram," Mason chimed in with a devilish smirk.
Alice gave Mason a warning look, folding her arms across her chest. She didn't even have say a word, Mason knew that she was disappointed. His smirk slid off his face and like Charlie, he hung his head.
"Boys will be boys." Kora said with a slight chuckle. "I should know, Zayne is just completely infatuated with Sam and Emily's daughter Brie."
Zayne looked at his mother in horror, his face instantly turning tomato red. "Mom!" He groaned.
Little Greg, Charlie and Mason all laughed at Zayne's expense. Even Zoey, his twin – threw him a snicker.
"Hey, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Brie is a gorgeous girl. I'm sure she would love nothing more than go to that school dance with you." Kora said reaching across to pinch at her son's cheeks.
Zayne dodged her with a huff. "Yeah right – I'm not going to that stupid dance. And I am not interested in Brie."
"Oh, well if you aren't going to ask her, then I will." Mason smirked.
Zayne narrowed his eyes at Mason now, but forced an expression of disinterest on his face. He turned away from the rest of them and went back to staring down at his phone.
These boys were always picking at each other.
It was probably a good hour before our meals started coming out. I was thankful for that – I had been starving. I decided on a shrimp pasta. While Edward chose a beef wellington with steamed broccoli and a baked potato. This restaurant was well known in town for being the most expensive, but the most delicious place to eat in the area.
With Edward being the mayor of Ribbonwood, our meals would all be free of charge. But of course, we all would pitch in for a large tip. All the food coming out looked so good, I couldn't even wait for everyone to get their meal – I had to start eating. My stomach had been growling for the past ten minutes.
The first couple bites had been pure heaven, but I could feel my stomach growling turning into something else. It felt like I was traveling on a boat at the moment. The nausea that hit me was strong. I had to slow down a little. If I kept up at this pace I would surely vomit.
Darius noticed and raised a brow. "Getting a little sick in the stomach?" There was some humor in his voice.
I gave Darius a look. "Just a little bit, I started eating too quick, that's all." I sighed.
Alice grinned widely. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Wait, what are we talking about?" Rose asked, looking at me with curiosity.
"Darius thinks that our mom is pregnant again." Ezra said with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Kora snorted, waving the idea off. "That's all fine and dandy if mom and dad want another kid. But come on, they already have the most amazing children, do we really need siblings?"
"Way to make this whole thing about you." Ezra muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Excuse me?" Kora snipped, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not making anything about me. It was a joke."
I could see the two of them getting into a little fight – just like when they were children. They had such conflicting personalities; it was always a struggle to keep those two civil. But I was glad to see the attention off of me possibly being pregnant.
"Ez, relax – try not to take things so personally. And Kor, your opinions aren't facts... they are just opinions." Darius said calmly.
Just like always, Darius swooped in and stopped the fight before it turned into something worse. Both girls seemed to relax a little.
I quietly went back to enjoying my meal, but the nausea in my stomach continued. I ignored it the best I could. But what I couldn't ignore was Rene stumbling into the restaurant. She was visibly intoxicated. And on the verge of becoming belligerent.
"Oh Bella! Miss mother of the year! I see that you forgot my invitation to family dinner." Rene slurred. She unsteadily walked over to our table, bumping into it – causing drinks to fall over on the table.
"N-not at all, I mentioned it to you yesterday, remember? I said as long as you were sober, feel free to come." I said ducking my head slightly in embarrassment.
Edward lightly rubbed circles on my back, before nodding to Darius. "I think Rene looks like she would like a drink, how about you get her on Darius." He spoke lightly.
"See, Edward gets it. I always knew he was more than a pretty face." Rene smirked widely.
Darius pulled out a flask from his coat pocket. It was something that he has been carrying around for an emergency. There wasn't alcohol inside the flask, it was a tonic that Mila and Darius crafted. It would sober Rene rapidly. Originally the idea behind this was to give drunks that wander into the hospital, or those suffering from alcohol poisoning.
Darius poured some into a wine glass and handed it over to Rene. "Here you are grandma. Drink up." He sighed.
Rene took the glass shakily and downed it in one gulp. Her expression changed almost instantly. And right on time, Ezra passed over a paper bag – that she was going to use to take her leftovers home.
In a matter of seconds, Rene was puking into the paper bag. It wouldn't be long now – she would be sober soon. At least I'll be able to have some kind of civil conversation.
"Come on mom, let's head to the bathroom." I said carefully standing up and leading her away from the table.
Rene nodded, but jerked my hand away from her as she walked next to me – still puking. "I can walk myself." She huffed.
Great. She was in a bad mood today. Maybe I won't be able to have any kind of conversation with her after all.
Kora noticed the small exchange between Rene and I – she quickly followed after us. Kora always seemed to be the only one to calm down Rene. I was thankful, this was going to be challenging enough.
The second that the three of us made it into the bathroom, Rene began to sob, clutching the sink to keep herself up on her feet. "I-I just completely embarrassed myself in front of my daughter... again."
I already knew that Rene wasn't referring to me. She was concerned for Carly.
"No, you made a mistake, you're okay now," I said gently. "Once the nausea stops you can join us for dinner."
Rene didn't even look in my direction. "Carly must think I'm an awful person. I was doing so well... I knew I shouldn't have met up with Chuck at the bar."
Kora and I exchanged glances, but otherwise stayed quiet.
Rene glanced at me, already defensive. "Yes, I met up with another man. We have gone on a few dates, it's nothing serious. It just gets lonely... Chuck is a wonderful man. And he loves me."
"Well mom, that's great, I'm happy for you." I said, trying to keep my expression unreadable.
Rene scowled at me. "Yeah right. I can see the disappointment all over your face. Excuse me for not being the world's best mother... at least I've never stole another woman's child."
I knew she was referring to me taking little Greg and Carly. This wasn't the first time she made a comment like this. It hurt each time, but I did my very best to not let it show.
"Well grandma, it's like this, my mom went out of her way to make sure your kids were happy and healthy. She raised them and took good care of them when you couldn't function. You couldn't even find the energy to get out of bed to take a shower. Ezra and I had to take turns going over and take care of you – while our mom took care of your kids. You should be thanking her." Kora said with narrowed eyes.
Rene looked to Kora, sniffling as she began to cry again. Apparently, something Kora said had stuck Rene.
"Just leave me alone." Rene growled, waving her hand at us.
In that instant a wave of nausea hit me – I quickly threw myself into a stall and puked noisily into the toilet. Kora was at my side, holding my hair back. "See mom, you have to be pregnant. We better stop at the store and pick up a test." She spoke quietly.
Rene snorted. "Of course, mother of the year is pregnant again." There was a sourness in her words that really hurt me. I wished that my own mother didn't hate me so much. Yes, I took her children without her permission... yes, I kept them away from her while she was spiraling into depression, drugs and alcohol... But I didn't do these things to hurt her. I took little Greg and Carly so they would be safe and give Rene time to work out her difficult feelings.
"If grandpa Charlie was here, he wouldn't even recognize you." Kora said with a glare in Rene's direction. "That's your daughter that you're talking about."
Rene's expression shifted – for the briefest second, regret was written all over her face. But she decided that she wasn't going to show it. She pulled a mask of disinterest on her face.
"A daughter wouldn't steal her siblings away from her mother." Rene muttered quietly – but just loud enough for the both of us to hear.
By now I had finished puking, I went to the sink to rise my mouth. Kora handed me a stick of gum to help with the foul after-taste.
"For the last time. I only took them because you couldn't take care of them properly – I had no plans on stealing them away. As soon as you cleaned up your life a bit and got back on your feet – I was going to return them to you." I sighed – keeping my tone gentle.
Even though Rene used her words to hurt me as much as possible, I knew that she was doing this out of pain. My father was killed – leaving her with only her children. And then I took them away from her as well. It makes sense that I'm the villain of her story. I took the very last piece of Charlie away from her – little Greg and Carly.
Would she ever forgive me?
Rene shook her head stubbornly and turned her back on the two of us. "I'm not sticking around to hear this crap again. I wouldn't want to spoil your family dinner. I'm heading back to the bar. I'm too sober right now."
"I thought you gave up drinking? I thought you have an interview at the library tomorrow." Kora said with narrowed eyes.
Rene glanced behind her shoulder at Kora. "I'll show up to the stupid interview. But after everything that's happened today – I need a drink." With that she marched out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.
I felt tears spill down my cheeks as I watched my mother leave. It broke my heart that Rene was acting like this. I truly didn't recognize her. Grief has twisted her into a stranger. She didn't lean on her family for support – she ran to alcohol... of any substance that would briefly take her pain away.
Kora sensed my sorrow and pulled me in for a hug. Kora was much taller than I was – my head was at the level of her shoulders.
"It's going to be okay mom. She is just an angry old lady, looking for someone to blame. But deep down, she knows that she is the only one to blame in this situation."
Kora was right of course, but it didn't make any of this easier. My mother despised me. It was a hard pill to swallow. I hoped that this wouldn't be permanent. I didn't want to lose her. I loved her – regardless of her choices.
Suddenly the bathroom door came flying open – Ezra appeared with an excited smile on her face. "Come on – Alice's water just broke. We are all heading into the hospital. This baby is coming now!"
If you are enjoying the story so far – Please leave some feedback. This chapter was more or less just to introduce the newest additions of the Cullen family. And to give a bit more of a clear picture of the relationships between these characters.
What do you all think about Rene and her situation?