-MAISIE-
Rio de Janeiro.
Flying to Rio de Janeiro involved a lot of things.
First, there was the packing, which my mom helped me with. Well, that's kind of a lie. The real first step was getting my parents to not be so entirely opposed to me going in the first place. I mean, I was an adult, so they couldn't stop me…and I did see where their trepidation came from. My family was not hurting for money by any means, but even the Cullens' public wealth was considerable.
If I didn't know what I knew about the Cullens, maybe I would have felt the same. However, since I did know that the Cullens were immortal vampires with wealth going back decades and decades, not to mention that this entire trip was entirely for my benefit in the search of information that just might mean I could make an easier choice…it really put it in a different perspective.
We were officially going there under the guise of Carlisle and Esme renewing their vows now that all the Cullen children were officially 'out of the house'. I had never packed for a trip this extensive, but my mom had for her honeymoon with Dad.
"Besides what you're going to wear to the ceremony, everything else needs to be condensed," she told me. "Your reception shoes, hiking boots, and two pairs of sandals will have to get you through the three weeks."
There were phone calls to Esme, to ensure the 'resort' we would be staying at had laundering services. That factor determined how much underclothes and socks my mom thought I needed to take. Also the number of pairs of shorts, shirts, and a couple of sundresses. Little did my parents know that we would be on Isle Esme, the private island Carlisle bought Esme as an anniversary gift.
I digress.
The vow renewal was a real, thing, though. Alice had coordinated all of us in black outfits almost two years ago for Emmett and Rosalie's most recent wedding. Given the tropical locale of Carlisle and Esme's vow renewal, though, Alice had chosen a pale blue and tan color scheme for all of us to follow.
Most of my packing was hiking-appropriate because that's what we anticipated doing. From Alice's visions of possible answers we might gain from speaking to the locals who staffed Esme island, we knew that some remote vampires might be in the area. Just deep in the rainforest, away from the living, of course.
The other half of my packing was done by Carlisle. I don't know what strings he pulled to get human blood flown to the island. After that afternoon trip to J. Jenks' office, I had realized the Cullens had more…influence within the human world than I initially would have guessed.
I wanted answers, but I didn't care about the specifics of that particular scenario.
There was also the teasing, courtesy of Gunner. That came about because I happened to be talking to my dear brother on speaker phone while driving, not that the fact he was on speaker phone would have made a difference. We were discussing college classes—Gunner was set to start at U of W in Seattle come the fall—when that asshole brother of mine suddenly changed the subject.
"Jasper's with you, right?" He asked, interrupting me in the middle of my explanation as to why college algebra sucked more than any math class he had ever taken at Forks High.
"Yeah, why?" Completely innocent question considering what was coming my way. Glancing over at Jasper, he raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged in response; I had no idea what Gunner was getting at until the words were out of her mouth.
"Make sure you take her to see some river dolphins, they're her favorite anim—"
Gunner didn't get to finish that word because I quickly hung up on him. I could feel Jasper's confusion, his mood bleeding into mine and making me furrow my brow even though I knew what my brother was talking about.
"Don't ask," I told Jasper, not bothering to look at him.
Of course, he didn't listen to me. Not only did Jasper ask—when we were at his family's house, in front of his brothers—but Emmett found it hilarious.
"You can't tell me," I started framing my defense amid Jasper, Emmett, and Edward's laughter, "that it couldn't possibly happen."
Emmett wiped at his eyes, though we both knew no tears would fall. He tried to form some sort of reply, but instead, his words faded out into his laughter again.
When Gunner and I were little, we loved Nickelodeon. One of our favorite shows was The Wild Thornberrys, which once featured an episode set in the Amazon rainforest. The animal focused on during the show was a species of river dolphins that were said to be able to transform into humans and walk on land. There was a whole plot point about how a local girl was actually one of these magical river dolphins that could transform into a human and planned on drowning one of the characters.
After we watched it, I had nightmares for weeks, and the episode was forever burned into my brain. And now my brother was using it against me.
I suppose I didn't technically have to tell them about the episode and my long-standing irrational fear, but Edward could have gleaned it from my thoughts anyway.
Betrayal was the only name I could give my feelings in the moment, even as Jasper tried his best to stifle his own laughing and pulled me into his lap. "We're sorry."
"You will be, but I don't think you get to speak for the other two hooligans." Eventually, Edward and Emmett were able to quiet themselves, except for when they caught each other's eye. Then they would chuckle again, trying to contain it so they could make fun of me instead.
"Maisie. You're basing this off a cartoon you watched when you were younger, yes?" Oh, Edward, always the logical one.
"I mean, The Wild Thornberrys incorporated a lot of factual stuff into the show."
"Like a girl who can talk to animals because a shaman gave her magical powers, right?" Emmett interjected.
"Says a vampire with super strength even for his vampire kind! Not to mention…there's a local pack of werewolves in town? But I'm the unreasonable one."
Jasper wasn't great at hiding his laughing himself. I could feel the way his restrained mirth shook his chest behind me. I considered elbowing him, but as always, he caught onto my irritation with him. Cool fingers caressed my cheek.
"Sorry," he murmured, though I doubted he was.
I reached into Jasper's pocket, pulling out his phone. Mine was across the room in my bag. I pulled up a picture of the Amazon River dolphins, zooming in before showing the screen to Emmett and Edward.
"Tell me this dolphin doesn't look shifty."
There was no swaying any of the three of them. As always, I was the silly, superstitious human believing in fantastical things that definitely could never exist…unlike vampires and shapeshifters, both known beings in the world.
Then there was the travelling to Seattle for the flight part. I was the only one affected by the fact that the flight left at 3:30 in the morning, of course. A foggy recollection of Alice pulling me from bed—I had stayed overnight at the Cullen house—and instructing me to get dressed. Jasper's hand gripping mine tight, leading my stumbling feet down the stairs and out to Rosalie's waiting car. I knew we travelled to the airport with her, Emmett, and Alice. How long that took with Rosalie's penchant for speeding I couldn't say, as I slept the entire way with my head cushioned by Jasper's shoulder.
All the noise in the airport ended up being a largely muffled, distorted roar as we checked in. My limbs felt heavy as I followed Alice's lead in front of me, and as soon as we sat down, my eyes started to drift shut again.
"I didn't realize Maisie had narcolepsy," I vaguely remembered Emmett commenting. Pretty sure I flipped him off for that before Esme whisper-chided him.
"These are regular human sleeping hours."
By the time we were boarded on the plane, I was awake enough to realize we were sitting in a row with Alice. Emmett, Edward, and Jasmine were a row ahead of us, with Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie behind us. It was not lost on me that Jasper had taken the window seat. Closest to the wall and in a row sandwiched between his family, hopefully that was enough to stave off the scent of the other humans on board.
Fuzzy, half-formed thoughts still dominated my head. I was trying to wake up entirely, but I figured it would help Jasper if I laid my head back on his shoulder. He had used my scent before to drown out that of other humans and keep his thirst in check. My guess had been right; Jasper inconspicuously dipped his head close to mine. His breath tickled through my hair.
"Thank you," I murmured to him. Taking a plane was for my benefit, and I knew it was a veritable hell for Jasper. I also knew he wouldn't be talking much, if at all, during the flight as an added precaution, so he wouldn't chance breathing in or tasting the air around him. So, I wasn't offended when his only answer came in threading his fingers through mine and giving my hand a squeeze.
I dozed in and out throughout the flight, despite my efforts to keep myself awake by looking at fashion magazines with Alice or watching a movie with Jasper. Having my sleep interrupted felt like I hadn't slept in days. No matter what I did, the heaviness of it pulled me under again and again.
"Has she been this exhausted regularly?" Carlisle's worried voice, I was pretty sure. I had become skilled at deciphering the Cullens' quick speech they sometimes used to talk when they didn't want to be overheard. When I wasn't paying attention, it was harder.
"It's become more frequent," Edward said, hedging out Jasper's reluctant reply.
"Yes." Was that hesitancy his own dislike of speaking around so many humans? Or was Jasper trying to downplay the progression of my symptoms for me, since I was so loath to admit them myself?
Head heavy as concrete, I forced myself to sit upright. I tried to be inconspicuous about the way I rubbed at my eyes before clenching my hands and stretching my legs a little. Anything to get my body awake even if my mind wasn't as cooperative.
"I'm fine." My words slurred out despite myself.
When I moved, I pulled away entirely from Jasper. He reached out to me now, laying his hand on my arm. "Maisie."
The concern was obvious in his voice even as he rushed over the syllables in my name. Usually, the lilting of Jasper's accent was soothing for me. But right now, it only served to irritate me as I insisted, "I'm fine."
The tut I heard behind me from Carlisle was decidedly uncomforting. It was obvious my lies held no weight, but I still refused to sleep for the rest of the flight. My second go around with staying awake was more successful, even if only slightly so. I lost count of how many times my head began to slump as sleep almost took me again before I jerked myself back awake.
You'd have thought that spending the majority of my life in Forks, Washington, where it rained constantly nine months out of the year, would have prepared me for humidity. It felt like I was swimming through the air. I was jealous, instantly, of everyone else I was with. With their vampire skin, they were all cool.
I was not so lucky.
As soon as we stepped off the plane, I was damp with sweat, despite it being nighttime.
Esme and Carlisle departed right from the airport, with no luggage in hand. Whenever Carlisle had sent over the blood for me, he had shipped their luggage, too. The two of them headed to the island alone, leaving the rest of us waiting at the conveyor belt for our stuff.
"I should've gone to the island with Esme and Carlisle," Rosalie muttered after thirty minutes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Babe, we all know what Isle Esme's being used for right now. I mean, if you wanna bear witness to that…" She didn't let Emmett finish, smacking him on the shoulder even as he grinned his dimpled smile, clearly pleased with himself. I watched their spat unfold, Emmett ducking low to pick Rosalie up amid her protestations.
Coiling my hair in my hand to get it off my sweaty neck, I leaned into Jasper. Not because Emmett and Rosalie's playful flirtations were inspiring, but more so I could take advantage of his much cooler body temperature. He obliged me, dipping his head to press his lips the uncovered skin of my neck.
"Me and Maisie need to find coconuts, anyway."
Edward and Rosalie's eye rolls were so perfectly synchronized that they could have been the pair of siblings to pass themselves off as twins. "Not this again."
During the flight, I had been so focused on simply staying awake that I didn't realize I skipped eating. Now, with Emmett bringing up food—even if it was just coconuts—my stomach started to growl and make my hunger known.
Our luggage was still nowhere in sight. Rio de Janeiro made for a good summer vacation spot, if the considerable number of fellow tourists around us was any indication. I stretched onto my tiptoes, trying to see over the people around us to spot any kind of airport restaurant.
"We forgot to feed the human!" Emmett whispered dramatically. "We're terrible babysitters, but especially you, Jazz. You live with her! Shouldn't you have her on some kind of schedule?"
Jasper sighed behind me. In our current position, with his siblings huddled all around, he was feeling more comfortable. His speech came easily, the honied nature of his voice sliding over his words. "Have you ever known Maisie as a person to be scheduled?"
Even so, I didn't want to push him too much in this crowded human metropolis. When I reached for a hand, it was Alice's I took instead. "Come to McDonald's with me?"
Alice loved restaurants. The smile on her face was instantaneous and undoubtedly bright enough to light up the nighttime dark outside.
"Will you get one of those ice cream and coffee concoctions?"
"Frappes don't have ice cream in them, they're just frozen." Her pursed lips let me know exactly how disappointing that revelation was for her. "But I need the caffeine, so, yeah, I'll get one and you can smell it."
Smell it she did, holding it so close to her tiny, upturned nose that she got whipped cream on the tip. I reached over to her, wiping it off with my thumb. As someone with no human memories, a lot of aspects of human life was entirely fascinating for Alice. She loved anything sweet. For whatever reason, it just put her in a good mood, even if she wasn't the one eating it.
"Are you going to live now?" Emmett asked upon our return. His arms were weighed down with both his and Rosalie's luggage, because of course she wouldn't be carrying her own. Not like I had room to talk, since I knew Jasper would carry mine without me having to ask.
"Through the power of chicken nuggets and this frappe, I just might make it."
For my benefit alone, since I was the only one who slept, we were staying on the mainland for the night. Well, I guess that was for Carlisle and Esme's benefit, too, considering Emmett's innuendos. My chicken nuggets successfully got me from the airport to the taxis to the hotel.
Checking into the hotel meant seeing Rosalie in action. For the first time, I noticed she was wearing a blouse, tailored pants, and heels. The rest of us were dresses like you normally would for a flight—leggings, jeans, sweatshirts and hoodies. But Rosalie looked immaculate and determined as she led the way into the Emiliano Rio. I didn't think about it until we walked in the door, but a group of teenagers checking into a luxury hotel would be suspicious.
Not with Rosalie as our leader, I soon realized. She leaned over the counter, speaking to the clerk in a velvety voice. When she let loose a shy smile—something that was so rare but radiant from her—I knew the clerk was done for. The credit card she pressed into his hand was glossy and black.
"Is it always like this?" I asked Jasper.
"Before Alice and I came along, Rosalie handled all the family's…persuasive business."
By that time, Rosalie was back with us, handing out room key cards to each of us. "You're all welcome. Ali, you said it will be cloudy until noon? Let's leave at nine-thirty tomorrow, then, so we can be on Isle Esme before the cloud cover breaks."
Isle Esme was everything you would expect from a private island. Sprawling bungalow, sparkling water, lush plant life. It was a literal paradise just off the South American coast. I would have been happy to spend our entire time there, but instead, there were already plans being made for night fall. Well, Jasper was making plans.
I was outside, sitting in the sun-warmed sand, catching coconuts that Emmett tossed to me from his perch in the tree. Unlike Jasper, who was holed up inside to avoid the sun in true vampire fashion, Emmett was unabashed in the sunlight as it broke and refracted off his skin.
"I don't even know how to cut a coconut open."
"Maise, do you really think that's going to be a roadblock here?" To punctuate his point, Emmett cracked the coconut he held in his hands as easily as if the husk were made of paper. Coconut water immediately oozed out, splattering all over Emmett's legs as his eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell!"
"What did you think was inside?" I asked, unable to keep myself from laughing.
"I don't know! I thought we would have to put it in that thing, the blender."
"Juicer. Not this fruit. Try not to spill anymore of our specimens."
Emmett dropped down from the trees only when he had thoroughly cleared them of their bounty. In all, we had fifteen coconuts spread out between us as we sat in the sand. A creaking sound eeked out of the next coconut as Emmett carefully pried it apart.
"Oh, good, we're just in time for the idiot show." Isle Esme had to be a truly private island for Rosalie, Alice, and Jasmine to come sauntering across the beach with seawater dripping off them. I knew how important staying hidden and blending in with humans was to the Cullen family, so for everyone to be so free in the sunlight here, they must have been sure we would not be interrupted.
"Babe, be nice. It's for science."
"Even Edward and Jazz are watching." Rosalie tipped her head toward the window, where both of them had stopped looking over their notes to gaze outside instead. Only Carlisle and Esme were disinterested in our antics. Closer to the shore, Esme lay sunbathing while Carlisle read softly aloud to her from his book.
Emmett passed me one half of the coconut, empty of its milk. I pulled a piece of the white meat out of it. The cool sweetness spread over my tongue and filled my mouth. "For science."
"For science!" Throwing his head back, Emmett took the coconut water like a shot of liquor. He gulped it down before wiping his mouth dry on the back of his hand and meeting my gaze. "Anything?"
"Nope, still black."
"Son of a—" Another coconut was down in a matter of seconds. And another, and another, as we repeated the routine over and over.
One coconut's worth of coconut water is already a full serving for a human, I was pretty sure. By the fifth, Emmett's mouth had set into a grimace. On the tenth, he gagged before forcing himself to swallow.
"Are you gonna throw up?" I asked. "Can you throw up?"
I heard Edward and Jasper laughing through the window. "Please, Em, could you?"
"Carlisle! Can I throw up?"
"You still have a gag reflex, son." Carlisle called back casually. Something told me that this was not the first time Emmett had pulled some kind of 'science experiment' on his family.
"I think I might. Is that terrible, Maise?"
"Throwing up? Uh, yeah. Don't you have venom in your stomach fluids? Pretty sure that would suck for you."
Emmett reached his arms out like a little kid, waiting for Rosalie to come comfort him. She was rolling her eyes and laughing as she started combing her fingers through Emmett's curls. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against her stomach where he sat and closing his still-black eyes.
"Dammit. I don't want to throw up. How do you not throw up?"
"Willpower. Just think really hard about not throwing up." That was the only advice I could think to give him.
"And if that doesn't work?"
"I guess just hope Rosalie's bikini didn't cost too much or she moves out of the way fast enough."
He groaned pitifully, and I wondered if consuming all that coconut milk had actually made him sick to his stomach. There was a lot going on here. More questions, still no answers.
Always more questions.
I tried not to think too hard about that.
A/N: A huge thank you to everyone for reading and supporting. I hope everyone has a great week! I love you all!
