"Bye, dad, going to the rez!" That's what I told Dad every day of Bella's pregnancy. I would pull up to the Cullens' house, give Leah a kiss, say hi to Seth and Jacob, and run in to see Bella. Everyday, Edward looked more angry, Bella looked sicker, skinner, and closer to death. I'd get a lump in my throat every time I would see her.
One of those days, I had to take a break. I walked out of the Cullens' house and saw Jacob, Leah, and Seth staring at the river. They turned around and smiled when they heard my footsteps. I stood next to them, and Leah wrapped her arm around my shoulders.
However, I realized that Esmee had followed me out the door with some packages. She was in the kitchen for the first time I have ever seen her. I always brought my own food to the Cullens'. Esmee attempted to give the food to the Black pack, but none of them approached. Finally, I rolled my eyes and took the food from Esmee.
"Thank you, Lizzy." Esmee said with her shy smile.
"I'll thank you on behalf of the Black pack." I said with a small sigh. Esmee turned around and walked away from us and the four of us sat down. "I hate that you three left the Uley pack. I know they want to kill my sister and future niece, but, you know, I'm your imprint Leah, I'm part of your pack. I just really like them, they're good people."
"I know." Seth said, frowning.
"Our Mom isn't letting us home yet." Leah said with a huff of air.
"That's awful!" I exclaimed.
"That's just the curse we wolves carry. She's just trying to protect her children, Lizzy." Jacob said, shaking his head.
"I guess I understand." I said, looking in Leah's eyes. "I just hate seeing all of you so isolated. You need your tribe, your pack, your families."
"We're doing this for you, Lizzy!" Leah exclaimed. "I told the other wolves not to text you, to make it less complicated."
"Huh, well, I know Jacob is doing this for my sister." I said, looking at Jacob, who was still silently angry. He was like Edward in that way. "I hope you find your imprint Jacob. You need to move on from my sister, you deserve better."
Poor Bella, all the Cullens had their own opinions, sometimes I heard Bella and Edward argue, Jacob was sulking around, and I had to watch Bella drink blood. I knew the risk the fetus carried, both to Bella's health and to the Cullens. I knew the werewolves and the Volturi were going to come soon.
The next day was much different. At first it was normal, greeting the Black pack, flirting with Seth, anxiety increasing as I saw Edward's festering anger, and finally holding back tears to see Bella, looking worse everyday. That's where the routine ended.
"Bella, school is starting again this Wednesday, so I won't be able to see you very often soon." I said with a small frown. "I really want to stay with you."
"Don't worry, Lizzy, I'll be fine, really." Bella attempted to say, but she was getting weaker. "I'm just glad you're here."
"Well, Lizzy, good thing you're here today, Bella was about to tell Edward and Jacob the baby's names." Rosalie said with a smile as she and Alice attempted to support Bella, who was too weak to even stand up.
"For a boy, EJ, Edward Jacob." Bella said. Edward and Jacob both smiled at this. "And for a girl, I was playing with our moms' names, Renee and Esmee. Well, Renee and Esmee are both French names, and end with an 'ay' sound at the end. So I took the 'R' from Renee and the 'S' and 'M' from Esme. I came up with Rose-Mae. Rose is French for pink, Mae is French for May, you know, the month. It has 'R', 'S', 'M', and an 'ay' sound so Rose-Mae."
"I love it." I said with a smile. "I can't wait to be Auntie Lizzy to EJ or Rose-Mae."
"I talked her into it." Rosalie said with a smile. "Her first option was Renesmee."
"God, that's terrible." I said with a small, lighthearted laugh, which made Bella smile. "That's very clever, Rosalie."
"J'apprenais le français avant de devenir une vampire." Rosalie said with a small, proud smile. Alice chuckled softly. Then, Bella reached for her styrofoam cup filled with blood, but she was too weak and she dropped it.
Then, she slipped in Rosalie and Alice's arms. I covered my mouth with my hands and gave a small yelp. Then, I heard a loud crack, it sounded like a bone cracking, but much louder. I saw Bella bend backwards. Oh no, Bella broke her back. Then, she fell and landed on her knees. Based on the sound, her kneecaps shattered.
I screamed out loud. I fell to my knees and was at Bella's level. My sister, my dear sister, the girl I've spent my entire life with was now lying on the floor, broken and about to deliver a mutant killer baby. I've given thanks everyday that I was adopted into the Swan family, that I had Bella as my sister, but now she is dying.
My heart was beating faster than it ever had in my entire life. The entire room was spinning around me, I couldn't breathe, all the sounds were distorting, and all I could do was cry on the floor of the Cullen mansion.
Somehow, I followed the Cullens into a room. It was empty except for a table with medical equipment. I heard screaming from Bella, arguing from Jacob, and attempts of calm from Edward. I didn't know who was in there, I was so confused, in hindsight I think it was an out of body experience.
I felt like my heart was going to stop from exhaustion. I think Rosalie was there, maybe Alice. I knew Dr. Carlisle, Edward, and Jacob were there. Dr. Carlisle was operating on Bella with a scalpel, but she was still screaming, that couldn't be right. Unless, no, were they giving Bella a c-section with no medicine?
I saw blood. I think Rosalie left. By this point I was on my knees on the cold floor, sobbing. Then, Bella's screaming stopped. Somehow that made me feel worse. I began to hear a biting sound from Edward. What was going on?
"What is she doing here?" An urgent voice asked. I couldn't tell who it was. My head was light, but painfully pounding, like I was about to pass out and then shoot to the moon. I couldn't even tell if I was crying.
"Get out of here, Lizzy." Dr. Carlisle ordered. I heard the baby crying, the cry healthy babies give when they're born. Edward was pounding onto Bella's chest, performing emergency CPR and biting her all around her body. I didn't leave until I saw Jacob leave.
I ran to follow Jacob, and he ended up sprinting out the door. All I could do was look down on him in pity. I had never seen the strong, hotblooded werewolf be so vulnerable. He was crying, hugging his knees to his chest, with real heartbreak. I felt hot tears run down my face, and from the corner of my eyes, I saw Leah looking at me, also crying.
However, Jacob stood up, and stormed back into the Cullen mansion. I was confused, so I turned to Seth. The two Clearwaters had looks of terror on their face I had never seen on them before. My heart felt like it was about to fall into my stomach.
"He's going to kill the baby." Seth whispered to me.
"The pack is coming, too." Leah also whispered.
My eyes went a mile wide with fear. I ran, ran faster than I ever had in my entire life. I pushed past Jacob and ran into the living room. Rosalie was holding Rose-Mae, who she had already cleaned. I sprinted to Rosalie, and snatched Rose-Mae from her arms.
I didn't see Rosalie or Jacob's reaction. I heard a wolf howl coming from the Cullens' doorstep. When I skidded onto the front steps I saw all the members of the Uley pack, including a few new ones, in front of me.
Leah and Seth nodded at each other and shifted into wolves. Some of the wolves began to leap towards me, attempting to bite Rose-Mae from my arms. I screamed at each one. Luckily, when one of the wolves attempted to kill Rose-Mae, Leah attacked them with a violent ferver. Seth gave Leah back up support.
"No!" I screeched. One of the wolves, Jared I think, jumped at Rose-Mae, almost biting my arm. "I said, no!"
"Lizzy, what are you doing?" Edward asked. I turned my head. The entire Cullen coven was standing behind me.
"To kill her you must kill me first." I screeched at the top of my lungs. I looked at Sam's wolf form, I stared at him with an anger in eyes I had never known. We stared each other down with a tension you could cut with a knife.
"An imprint can never be harmed. It is the wolves' most absolute law." I heard Edward say. I stared down at the wolf form of Sam Uley. He stopped baring his teeth at me, I saw a twinge of fear in his animal eyes when I heard a growl come from Leah.
Sam scampered away from the Cullens' doorstep, I felt Edward take Rose-Mae out of my arms. When Sam went away, so did all of the other wolves, including Jacob, Seth, and Leah. Sam howled and the wolves disappeared into the night.
Seven missed calls from Charlie. Shit.
"Dad, hi, sorry, I… got drunk with Emily." I lied.
"Damn it, Lizzy, don't do this to me. I'm already scared to death about Bella. You have to go back to school in two days." Charlie said through the phone. Every muscle, every fiber, in my being was holding back my tears.
"Dad, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." I cried. The tears began to flow out of me. My sister is dead, my sister is dead, my sister is dead. I could say it fifty times in my head, but it still couldn't sink in.
"No, no, Lizzy, please don't cry. I'm so sorry, I overreacted. Lizzy please, I love you, just spend the night at Emily's, we'll talk in the morning. I love you, more than anything, Lizzy." Charlie hung up, I continued crying, falling to my knees.
I texted Emily.
Me: If anyone asks, I got drunk with you tonight.
Emily: Oh my god, Lizzy, I miss you! I don't know why you need that, but I'll cover for you. I won't tell Sam about this. I really hope Jacob, Seth, and Leah return to LaPush.
Me: You're the best!
"Oh, Lizzy, don't cry, please follow me." Rosalie said. She gently placed her hands on my shoulders and I stood up. My eyes were blurry from tears, but when Rosalie stopped leading me, I realized we were in the room Bella gave birth in. Edward was wiping a sponge on Bella's body, wiping the bloody mouth marks away.
I stared at her pale, cold body on the table. Her entire body looked healthy again, as if she were alive again. Then, her eyes shot open, they were bright red. I gasped with happiness to see my sister fully awake.
However, I felt Jasper's strong grip on my shoulder. He picked me up by my waist and vampire walked me to the red truck. It was a strange experience, it felt like what I imagined teleportation to be like.
"Go home, Lizzy." Jasper commanded. "Bella is a newborn, her thirst will be unquenchable, her strength is overwhelming. Get in the car and burn rubber. Do it for your safety. If not for your safety, then for Bella's. If she kills you she will have to live with that until the end of time. Do you understand?"
"Ok," I said with a nod. I walked towards the red truck, damn, that was the most insane day of my entire life. Then, I saw Leah jogging towards me, the first time I've seen her since she ran away with the Uley pack.
"I love you, Lizzy." Leah said, wrapping me in her arms, squeezing me into her chest. "You'll be safe while you're at school, it's really far away. I don't want you to be away again, but it's for your safety."
"I love you, too, Leah." I said with a happy sigh.
