We walk back to the house together, and when we reach the border, Esme and Alice are there, waiting for us.
Esme is pacing around the line, waiting for me to cross over. I run a bit, hugging her after finally going over that invisible line.
—Are you all right? David really attacked you? She looked at the blood on my shirt. I can still feel it humid in my chest.
—No, he took me out of the house to save me.
—Did he… Her eyes are severe as she observes the cut he made. She's asking if he drank from me.
—No. It was a close call, but he controlled himself in the end. She turns around, looking towards the house, angry.
—Where is he? I wanted to ask if he's still alive, but better not make her think I hoped he wasn't.
—He's in the storage room, but he won't say anything. Edward says he's waiting for you to come back.
—Let's go then.
When we reach the garden, I can see my room window destroyed. Part of the wall is down too, and my bed is broken in half. This is what Seth meant when he said he thought I was dead. The shadow completely destroyed my room, looking for me.
We pass by the house, and David is in front of the others with his head down. I can read my name on his lips when he sees me approach.
—So he did try to feed on you. Carlisle seems disappointed.
—But he didn't. He stopped as you taught him. I'm not trying to cover for him, but they deserve to know everything, including the good parts.
—He attacked you. The deal is off, and Sam is asking for his head. Jasper is deadly serious, looking at David with the anger I've only seen when he told us about his fight with Cinque.
—He didn't attack me. It was a half-truth, but the way I see it, he didn't. He's been trying his best so far, and I believe he could use a second chance, well, third. My parents were vampires, and although they never attacked me, I can only imagine how hard it was for them. We were family, so they had a more substantial reason to resist, but David resisted even without any strong motives not to kill me.
—You're bleeding. Jasper is looking at me like I overlooked that.
—I cut myself.
—Don't insult me, Anne. He looks irritated at me now. He insulted me first when he lied about what they found on Padrone. When he hid all that information and didn't even mention if he would tell me or not. He knows very well what all this means to me; after all, he can feel every part of it.
—You never slipped before? When you stopped drinking human blood, you were never controlled by your thirst? I can see how deep my question hits him. He takes a step back.
—That's a very rude question, Anne. Alice comes to his rescue.
—I know you want to help, I do. But I don't think this is the problem we should be focusing on. There are bigger things than a vampire trying to control his thirst.
—Which problem should we focus on then? They are all here because of you, so I'll let you pick. I really did hit a nerve there. He's trying to hurt me back.
—I regret every second of the day for what I've done to all of you. I wish I could take it all back, but it's impossible. I never meant to hurt anyone, but I did, and I have to live with that.
—We know that Anne. Esme has a hand on my shoulder.
—If you think I don't feel the weight of all this, you're wrong. But, in the end, if all of you want me out, I'll go, even if it means dying alone.
—You're not alone. Seth is still there, right next to me.
Jasper looks at me again, less riled. He might've been thinking I was just taking it easy and doing whatever I felt like, but I wasn't. If he had to make me say it aloud, he doesn't know me at all.
—If we are blaming someone, I guess that's me.
We all turn when we hear Renesmee coming from the forest, followed by Jake and Bella. I haven't seen her in so long, and I'm happy she's here, but this is not the time. David is still looking at me, probably avoiding turning his eyes to her and starting a conflict.
—They came for me, Jasper. All those problems are here because of me, and Anne also wouldn't be here if I weren't. So let's move away from this endless cycle of blame and move to the next step, finding that scientist.
—What about David? If it's Renesmee, they'll hear her. I know she'll be on my side.
—Second chances are the foundation of this family. I think he deserves another one. She's smiles and winks at me.
—He did save her life. As expected. Even Edward agrees with this.
—Fine. Jasper finally gives in.
—Thank you. I say sincerely. —And I'm sorry for being rude. I didn't think I would hit a nerve with my comment. He's so uptight all the time that I thought he was just perfect at everything from the beginning.
He doesn't answer and walks away, followed by Alice. Renesmee comes up to us, smiling and looking careless.
—Thank you, Renesmee. You should've stayed in the house; it's not safe here. After the attack on the house, even less so.
—We half-vampires stick together. She was the only one that seemed to remember what I was. She never held anything back when talking to me, making us grow closer.
—We do. I bump my arm on hers.
—C'mon, I'll help you with your cut. She grabs my arm, and we walk to the house. I take one last look at David, and Edward puts him inside the house. Sam, Embry, and Quil are watching him this time, most definitely because Renesmee is so close to him.
We go towards my room, and I see poor Eve broken on the floor. The closet was trashed too, and the clothes were everywhere. The shadow must've looked for me inside it.
—We can't talk there. Renesmee thinks for a moment before turning to Seth behind us. I didn't even notice him there.
—Can we use your room? She asks, making him jump.
—My room?
—Yeah. Why? Can't we? Renesmee had a very charming way about her. You just couldn't say no to her requests.
—Ahm… one second. He rushes inside, and I can hear him organizing his mess.
—I'm regretting it now. A boy's room must be nasty.
He comes out breathing heavily and telling us to go ahead.
We go inside, and he tries to enter too, but Renesmee won't let him.
—No way. Stay out.
—What? But-
She closes the door on his face before he can finish. He hid away all of his stuff, so the room looked presentable. The few times I peeked through his open door, the place was like a sea of clothes everywhere.
We sit on the sofa under the window, and she takes a look at my neck.
—It bled a lot. I thought I felt just a tiny cut. It was just a poke on my skin, but it bled so much that it went all the way down my shirt.
—Vampires can stop the blood from coagulating, so even a tiny cut can make you bleed a lot. Are you dizzy?
—Maybe a little. Or maybe I'm just tired.
—No joke. You scaped death twice in one day and fought Jasper. He's scarier than Rosalie. She laughs, and I love how she makes things so light-hearted.
—But no one is scarier than Alice. I laugh with her.
—I know! Once, I ruined a blouse she gave me, and I thought I would lose my head!
—You remember that time she didn't speak to me for a week after I cut my own hair?
—I do! She said it was a personal attack on her habilities. We are laughing loudly now, and my heart is light as a feather.
—Thank you, really. You saved David.
—I said that for you. I understand your feelings. My parents had to go to war to keep me, and I felt like a burden many times too. She knew exactly what I was feeling right now. The weight of having to make them fight to keep alive because I can't do it on my own.
—But they are your family; it's just normal.
—I know, but it doesn't change the fact that they got hurt because of me. I never wanted to see them fight. It felt selfish and made me sad.
—I've been selfish from day one. I held onto Esme's hand, and I couldn't let go, like a leech.
—That's not true. Esme loves you; we all do. You underestimate how much you are part of this family. I look up at her, listening carefully.
—Except for me, none of us are blood-related. We care for each other, and that's much stronger than kinship. I can tell how deeply you care for us too. You accepted us as vampires even before knowing you were one. You never questioned or mocked our lifestyle and did your best to adapt to our isolated life. Hoping to be loved is not selfish, Anne.
I support my head on her shoulder and cry quietly. She is probably right, but it's hard for me to feel that way when I threaten their lives like this.
—We do love you know. That's why Jasper was so angry at David; we all were. We were worried about you and wanted to finish this as fast and as painless as possible so we can go back to our days together. She takes a medicine tin out of her pocket and puts some of the gel on my cut. I can feel her love through her touch when she lets it flow to me.
—Now, She continues —about David. I think he deserves a second chance, but I'll kill him myself if he hurts you again. She gives me her "scary smile," showing me her sharp teeth.
—He's a nice person. He really is. I'm sure he can win over his instincts. I genuinely believed that.
—If you say so. Now, what's the deal with Seth?
—What about him? I have no idea how this conversation ended with him as the main topic.
—C'mon. Spill the beans. I'm still confused up to the moment she opens a smile identical to Rosalie's the other day, making me feel so embarrassed I want to die. I can't believe Alice told her about that!
—There are none! Whatever Alice told you, it's not true!
She's still smiling at me and touching her chin like she's doubtful of my words. —Hummmmmm…
—Shut up! I playfully push her, and now we are giggling like a couple of teenage girls, and it's like my problems don't exist.
Downstairs, Seth is by the stairs, listening carefully.
—What's so funny? He heard his name and couldn't understand why they would laugh. Are they laughing at him?
—Quit eavesdropping. Esme says, but she is also very curious about their conversation.
—They are talking about me. What's so funny?
—I'm not scary… right, Edward? Alice took their words a little too personally.
—I'm not answering that. Ask Jasper. Edward cleverly removes himself from the conversation.
—Rather jump in a pit of fire, thank you very much. Jasper is not about to do that to himself. He's more than old enough to know there is no correct answer for questions like that.
Alice talked to him and tried to convince him to tell Anne the truth, that he was the one asking for David's head first and how he just hid those things about Padrone because he can feel how sad Anne gets every time they have to take a risk for her. He thought protecting her from that pain was the best solution, but she might've been better off facing it head-on, although the pain would be… too much.
—Now, on a serious note. The David problem. Carlise knows they need a solution for that fast. The boy was not bad, and the fact that he didn't even taste Anne's blood is impressive, but they can't let him get away with that with just a light scolding. Jasper punched him quite a bit and ensured he felt the pain, but it could happen again, and he might join him next time.
—I say we let Anne take care of it. Jasper had a good idea about how to keep her busy and updated just enough so she'll feel less left out.
—You can't be serious. Seth stops eavesdropping after hearing Jasper's words.
—She's more capable than I thought. You don't just talk a vampire out of killing you, but she did, twice. I honestly believe she can make him talk.
—You can't be suggesting she'll question him alone. Esme has one eyebrow up.
—No, I'm suggesting she joins us during his time hunting and make her responsible for controlling his thirst. She'll see it with her own eyes how it all works, and maybe, her presence there will make him talk. He seems comfortable around her.
—Sounds like a good idea. Bella joins the conversation. She also entered the family as someone that couldn't do anything for them and remembers how much she felt left out for a while. —Including her in all of this will make her feel like she's helping too.
—I don't like it. Seth is very wary of David as it is, and now they want Anne to interrogate him openly? A few questions here and there is one thing, but watching him hunt and act the detective is-
—He doesn't like it because he knows she'll say yes. Edward said Seth's thoughts aloud. He knew questioning him was all she wanted.
—We'll ask her. If she says no, then we drop it. But before that, Seth, I need you to talk to Sam. He's listening to your decisions about Anne, so let's hope he'll do the same this time too. Jasper says.
—I'll try my best. Seth is unsure how to convince Sam because he also wants to kill David.
Anne and Resnmee come downstairs. Seth and Esme walk forward first.
—Anne will need a room. Renesmee has her arms linked with hers. Anne is still wearing a bloody shirt and has no shoes since her room is destroyed.
—And a shower. She completes Renesmee's words.
—Mom, can she stay with us today? Her room is trashed. Renesmee always enjoyed Anne's company. She's just like her, a half-vampire, but she lived a human life for so long, a much more exciting one than her mother's, in her opinion, and it's nice to hear her stories about all the stuff she used to do in high school to mess with her friends and teachers.
—Sure, honey. Now she, Edward, and Jacob can catch a break from Renesmee's incessant questions and need to be distracted. If this was a normal situation, she wouldn't be this needy but being locked away was too much for her active mind.
—There are other rooms in the house. Seth doesn't want to stay away from Anne after that. His "please stay" puppy eyes are at full mode now, but against Renesmee, it is like he's not even there at all.
—That's not the point. Let's go, Anne. They walk towards the door, and Seth goes for one last attempt.
—I'll take you.
—Mom will take us.
—But…
—You have to talk to Sam.
Renesmee was right but still… He looks at Anne, but she just shrugs like this is a lost fight. He steps aside, and they leave with Jake and Edward behind them.
Bella carries me to the house, and I would rather walk, but Renesmee is too impatient for that. Every time we hung out, she would jump up and do stuff for me to finish it faster, so sometimes I would tease her by doing things extra slowly so she would lose her patience, and I could laugh at her annoyed face.
When we get there, she gives me some of her clothes, and I take a shower to wash out the blood; it dripped down all the way to my stomach and stained my shorts as well. I love these PJs and hope Esme can find a way to remove the stains.
I put it all in a plastic bag and closed it tightly, trying to seal the smell inside so it won't bother them too much, and joined Renesmee and her mother in the kitchen.
—Here you go, Anne. Esme dropped this for you. Bella gives me a big plate with a hamburger and salad on the side. I was starving after all that.
—I used to love hamburgers, but the greasy type, not the healthy homemade stuff. Bella says. Esme would never make something unhealthy for me, and I sure miss fries and oil dripping hamburgers.
—Thank you, Bella. I start eating immediately.
—She also said they moved your stuff to another room already. Bella says.
—A room next to Seth's? Renesmee teases me, poking my ribs, and I elbow her side, looking shyly at Bella.
—That I don't know. Bella continues. —But I do know they'll ask you about David. They want you to be responsible for him.
—You mean I have to watch him? I can't stop him from running away…
—They want you to take charge of his training with Carlisle and do the interrogation part with them as well. Her words put the biggest smile on my face.
—They'll let me do it? This is the best news I had in a while. I can finally get my answers.
—Seth was afraid you'd be too happy about it… She smiles.
—I can ask him anything now!
—You'll ask about your parents?
—And about the time I was in that tube, and where Mirania is, and how that man enhanced the vampires, and well, everything! I can't contain my excitement now, and the plans in my head are going crazy. I will find Padrone in no time and finish this while getting the answers I want. I'm finally in!
—Seth will never sleep again. Renesmee teases, but she's right. I'll make sure he's there too; I can't do this alone.
—It might be scary to watch a vampire hunt. Bella says, but that's nothing.
—It can't be that scary. He's hunting deers.
—Yeah, but he'll have his fun. It's not like taking a can of soup from the shelf. Renesmee is trying to scare me, but I have already made up my mind. I finish my food and can't wait to head back and start working.
—I'll be fine. Maybe I'll ask Esme how it works. I better get going.
—Why? You said you were going to stay over! Renesmee complains.
—You guys don't sleep. I know anyone but Seth, and I do, but it's less strange when I do it in my own room. I don't think I could sleep here that easily, and I have a feeling Renesmee will talk my ears off if I stay.
—I can close my eyes… That's what she says, but I know she can't.
—She misses Esme. Bella was right, and I was a bit embarrassed by it.
—So I'll carry you back. Renesmee says.
—It's ok. I can walk. I don't want to be carried again after eating so much.
—We'll take foreveeeeeer!
—Go ahead with your father. I'll walk her back.
Renesmee agrees and runs back with Edward. Jake walks with us through the forest, but I don't really see him.
—You were human when you met Edward, right? I've heard their story from Renesmee, but she was very uninterested in the details of their relationship. After all, no kid wants details about their parents' love life.
—Yes. I was 17 when we first met. Maybe if I can understand how she kept Edward from drinking her blood, I can use the same approach with David.
—How did you approach him?
—Actually, he came to me. He told me he wanted to drink my blood.
—Wow.
—I know. Be he didn't. Well, he did once, but it was to stop me from turning into a vampire at the time. In the end, I changed, but it was because I had Renesmee.
—How did he stop before killing you?
—He loved me. That's why he stopped. Well, I can't use that on David.
—Well, I can't… count on that.
—I'm saying it was his reason. Ask David about his and make sure to remind him of it all the time. Talk about it or show him things to remember him of that. The rest should come naturally.
—Will it work? He was really close to drinking it.
—But he didn't, and that's the point. As long as he can stop, he's keeping control.
—I see… So, he said he wanted to drink your blood, and you like… stayed? I can't wrap my head around their story.
—It was… sexy. She talks like it's a valid reason.
—I saw that face many times. She's observing my expressions. —The "You're crazy" face.
—I'm sorry, I'm simply confused. I was so scared when David approached me, and it was… confusing.
—Vampires can do that, change the fear of death into something pleasureful so they can feed without much struggle.
—His hands were all over my body, and he was whispering in my ear. I wanted to run but couldn't move; his voice was bewitching.
The way he touched me was like he was ready to consume me whole and just speaking about it makes me cold all over again.
—That's normal, right? I ask as she has a strange expression in her eyes.
—I never had human blood, so I can't be sure.
—Oh, I see.
—We're here. We arrive at the house in no time, and I can see Esme in front of the gazebo, waiting for us.
—Thank you for walking me and sorry for all the weird questions.
—No problem. Come more often, and we'll have a… sleepover? She smiles at the awkward suggestion, but I'm sure Resnemee would love it.
Esme came over to us, and I met her halfway, hugging her right away.
—You're back already? I thought you were spending the night.
—I prefer my room. It's what I said, but I actually prefer to be near her.
—Finally! Renesmee comes out of the house, followed by Edward.
—I'll see you around. She says, holding her hand up. —One for all. I high-fived her, and they go home as I go back inside with Esme.
—I'll do it. I say to Jasper, ready to start working. I'm finding Padrone and getting my answers. That's a promise.