-MAISIE-
I had come to appreciate the beating sun of South America. It was a delicious contrast to the gloom of Forks and the weak, thin sunshine of Alaska. Isle Esme was only our vacation spot, but the heat reminded me somewhat of my first home in New Mexico. The sun's rays splayed across my back as I lay face down on my paddle board.
Crystal seawater was cool around my forearm when I dipped it below the surface, running my fingers along the ridged shell of a sea turtle lazily swimming beneath me. Jasmine surfaced from her dive a few feet away to scold me.
"You keep flapping your arms in the water and you'll end up looking like shark bait from below." Water seeped from her curls, creating tiny rivers down her face. She was supposed to be diving for seashells, per Esme's request. I was merely loitering, soaking up sun while also observing the marine life beneath me.
Pulling my hand from the water, I pouted at Jasmine. She was probably right, having grown up on California beaches. I sighed, slipping my cool, wet hand under my cheek. Jasmine's eyes were entirely gold now, contrasting with her dark skin in a strikingly beautiful way.
"Can I ask you something?"
Jasmine was practically a fish. Jasper had taught me to swim, it was true, but my movements were still clumsy and unrefined in the water. The way Jasmine moved through the water you would think she had always lived within the waves. I could see her legs kicking to keep her torso above water, and yet not the slightest ripple reached the surface of the shallows we were in.
"Maybe," was her noncommittal answer, her pretty face closing off slightly to me. The boys—and Carlisle—were on the mainland, on another one of Emmett's hunting excursions. He was determined that coconuts wouldn't be the only thing he feasted upon during our stay here. Usually, Jasper was the only member of the family, save for Jasmine, now, who fed so often. That was an attempt to bolster his self-control, not gluttony, as was Emmett's driving factor.
Alice, Esme, and Rosalie were still on the island, doing I didn't know what. But Jasmine had been sent by Esme for new seashells for some interior design idea of hers, and I had tagged along.
I knew Jasmine didn't like talking about her human life, but I couldn't stop myself from asking, "How do you stand it? Knowing your family is still alive, and you can't see them?"
This was a problem unique to Jasmine, with the rest of the Cullens' family members having passed decades ago. It was a problem that I could very well be facing in my future.
Her face softened some before she answered. "I have seen them. Edward took me, before we came to Forks. I…needed to know they were okay. And they are…but I still hate it."
Rosalie, I knew, did not care much for Jasmine. That had little to do with Jasmine's personality and was substantially based in Rosalie's own contempt for 'outsiders'. Never mind that Jasmine was an official member of the Cullen family now. The ire on Jasmine's face as she reflected on her own vampireness was so similar to Rosalie's in that moment that I was almost sad she didn't witness it.
Becoming a vampire had not been Jasmine's choice. I watched her take a deep breath, puffing her cheeks slightly before she dove back under the water—a leftover habit from her human life. Our conversation was over, it seemed. I sighed, watching her dive for a moment before rolling carefully onto my back, so I wouldn't disrupt my paddle board.
When I closed my eyes against the sun, the light left a red haze to my darkened vision. In my mind, I conjured the faces of my family members in turn. Mom, Dad, Gunner, Ava. I paused the longest on Ava, trying to imagine what she might look like in a few years.
How soon would the baby roundness melt from her cheeks? When would her missing teeth grow, filling in her patchwork smile? Would she leave her hair, so like mine in its shade of blonde, long and undyed like I had? Or would she experiment with length and color?
These were all possibilities I could very well miss out on, but only on one life course: the one where I died prematurely.
My choice in becoming a vampire was not the only factor that set me apart from Rosalie and Jasmine. There was also the case of my brother, and his own relationship with the paranormal. He had been introduced to the depths of the supernatural world via myself and Leah, meaning I would be able to keep in contact with him even if I was functionally dead to the rest of my family. Gunner could one day be my link to the past and to an unknown present where I no longer existed.
But that also meant that he would have to lie for me, and Leah, too, by extension. They would lead double lives until their deaths.
From there, my mind began to spiral, following the dark possible-reality that I might watch my brother age by the day while I stayed forever young.
Then the thought of possible immortality made me think of Jasper, his handsome face materializing in my mind. A thousand iterations of the man I loved flashed through my thoughts—sprawled, reading on the floor, his over-long hair falling into his eyes; his hard earned smile brightening up his face; the fierce, dark determination I had seem in him when we faced first James and then Maria, a look that both bolstered me and sent shivers down my spine.
An eternity with the person you loved was what you were supposed to want, right? I wanted it; I would never deny that. But could I justify the price?
I hated these thoughts and the circles my mind ran when they started. Forcing my eyes open, I let the sun burn them away, staring just off-center from it.
I dropped my arms back into the cool water, paddling them in an approximation of a back stroke. Maybe I would end up looking like the biggest seal ever from below, enticing a shark to make my decisions for me while he thought it was the luckiest day of his life.
Jasmine took notice of my melodrama, however. One moment I was basking in the rays of the sun; the next, I had been upended, sliding from the sanctity of my paddle board into the clear, cold water below. Were it not for the ankle strap anchoring me to the board—and the surface by extension—my fledgling swimming skills might have failed me.
As it were, Jasmine's golden eyes found mine under the waves. She was obviously amused with myself as I wheeled my arms around to get my head back above water.
"Very funny," I told her, hauling myself back onto my board. My paddle had drifted a few feet away thanks to the capsize. Not wanting to tempt Jasmine to throw me back into the water, I stretched myself out until I was just barely able to grab the thing.
Back on the scorching sand, I left the board to dry in the sun. I had spent more time in my bathing suit here than I ever had in my life, I was certain. Esme met me at the front door, a towel in her hand.
"Your coverup is in your room. I imagine you might want to leave it on a bit longer. I've no idea what the boys have planned once they return."
I dried off on the porch before padding to the blue room, slipping the gauzy coverup dress over my head. In the living room, I found Alice and Rosalie debating the merits of paint samples with Esme.
"What're y'all painting?" I asked, grabbing a mango from the fruit bowl on the counter. Besides living exclusively in swimwear, my diet had basically become tropical fruit.
"The whole house," Alice informed me, her excitement bleeding into the words. "This one, anyway."
"Now?"
I wasn't sure if Rosalie's eye roll was directed more at my question or my unkempt hair. Another Isle Esme habit. It was so humid, and we spent so much time in the ocean, that taming my hair felt like an impossible task.
"It's the dry season, so now would be the best time. We won't start until tonight, though." There was a certain kind of energy Esme exuded when she was in her element. That determination and excitement over creating the perfect space exemplified her passion. "Don't worry, we won't paint your room just yet."
Between the paint samples and Jasmine's seashell collecting task and the paint samples, Esme must have had a small-scale overhaul planned. I wondered, vaguely, if Esme would ever change the pale wooden flooring and white tile that dominated the flooring throughout the house.
Gustavo and Kaure would surely be disappointed by this domestic scene that we painted. Though Esme, Rosalie, and Alice's skin sparkled and refracted in the sunlight, that was the only sign that this activity was anything other than domain.
Alice stuck her tongue out at Rosalie over a disagreement about a shade of green. Esme was humming quietly to herself, using her hand to cast a shadow and observe the paint samples in a dimmer light. It was easy enough to cut my mango into cubes, and I ate it with sticky fingers while I watched Rosalie and Alice debate the subtle difference between Green Energy and Snip of Parsley.
I would have liked to argue that my morning in the sun and waves was the cause of my desire for an afternoon nap, but I knew better. Three days had passed since the last time I had a dose of blood. Low energy was par for the course by day three. To my luck, no one raised any objections when I slipped away to the blue room for a siesta.
Before crawling into the bed, I peeled off my layers of damp swim wear. I pulled one of Jasper's cotton t-shirts from the laundry basket, slipping it over my head. His scent still clung to the fabric, a small comfort as I drifted off to sleep.
I hoped this scent would keep my earlier thoughts from repeating in my sleep, like a dreamcatcher warding against nightmares.
The sun was setting when I woke. It cast a golden, rosy glow through the gauzy curtains covering the open window. Sea breeze mixed with the scent of fresh paint. Apparently, Esme had changed her mind about her painting schedule.
Emmett's booming laugh sounded from across the house somewhere. That laugh of his was probably what woke me. When had they come back?
I didn't get much of a chance for speculation. Alice burst through the door as soon as I sat up, a cheek-splitting smile lighting up her face. "Our resident Sleeping Beauty is finally awake!"
Pulling the door shut behind her, Alice flitted over to the bed. She had already tugged the blanket off my legs before I realized there was something in her hands. Clothes, of course. What else would have Alice so excited? As the sleep left me, I realized Alice herself was dressed up. Gone was her painting garb from earlier; now her lithe, little body was swathed in a frothy red lace romper that left her back exposed.
Smile unwavering, she revealed what she had for me: a two-piece set comprised of a crop top with ribbon straps and a pair of flowy shorts that mimicked a skirt. Both pieces were in a bright turquoise shade, the exact color of the seas around Isle Esme at noon when the sun was overhead.
"We're going out, if you hadn't guessed," Rosalie said from the doorway. She came in so quietly that I hadn't noticed her arrival. Her curves were accentuated by her form-fitted white off the shoulder dress. "But not with that hair. It looks even worse than before your nap."
Rosalie's nose scrunched in her disdain over my appearance, disappearing into the bathroom. She was back only a second later, a cup of water in her hand. I let her unwind my hair from the messy bun I had put it into earlier, her fingers quickly and gently combing through the strands. Then she dipped her hand into the cup, wetting her fingers between twirling locks of my hair. Her careful coaxing created soft, beachy waves, replacing the scraggly look the saltwater had given me earlier.
"Esme wants to finish painting," Alice explained while Rosalie worked, "without the risk of Emmett ruining it in one way or another."
"He can't help it," Rosalie defended him, though she provided no justification. My hair was done in a matter of minutes under Rosalie's expertise, leaving me free to change into the outfit Alice had provided me.
'Going out' meant going to the mainland, to Rio de Janeiro, where the nightlife was thick and thrumming. The night air was cooler than during the day, but still comfortable, especially with all the people milling around. Clubs and bars abound—I was old enough in South America, and Jasmine's fake documents aged her at eighteen—but I knew that would be uncomfortable for Jasmine and Jasper both. Alice, obviously, knew that, too. She led us deeper into town.
I walked with Jasper's arm slung over my shoulder. After a day hunting in the jungle, his eyes were extra golden. For someone who had been running through the rainforest all day, Jasper still looked impeccable. If I wasn't so busy appreciating this fact of life, I might have considered how unfair it was. Instead, when we paused our trek to wait for the crosswalk signal to light up, I stretched onto my tiptoes to plant a kiss on Jasper's jaw.
He smiled, dipping his head to kiss me just before the light changed.
I hadn't been able to differentiate the music Alice was making a beeline for from the throbbing music spilling from the clubs and bars. There was a street concert going on in the midst of all the noise. It wasn't until we were closer that I was able to pick out the acoustic sounds of a live band from the thrumming beats spilling out of the clubs. Amongst food carts and bystanders and the small stage, people were filling the space with dancing.
Alice had no problems finding a willing partner to join the throng of dancers. It had not occurred to me until that moment that Jasper could dance. Not with this Latin music, so different from the slow-dance songs at the Forks High junior and senior proms that he attended with me. The rhythm here was a different beast entirely, and yet there wasn't an ounce of the trepidation I felt evident in Jasper as he led me forward.
"You never cease to surprise me, Whitlock." His cool hand was a wonderful contrast to along the exposed skin of my waist. The first spin Jasper led me through made it obvious dancing was Alice's plan from the start. As I moved, the flowy fabric of my shorts swished and swirled around my hips.
"I'm offended you expect anything less." With Jasper as my partner, being led through the unfamiliar steps was a breeze. Somehow, his elegance and grace extended to me—I'm sure the wash of calm and relaxation I felt as we joined the dancers was also to thank. "Ali and Rose have long rotated through the three of us as dance partners, for every style under the sun."
I didn't doubt him for a moment. Alice was especially skilled with coercing her brothers into doing her bidding. She didn't want for partners, either. With exceptional ease and bright smiles, Alice easily found human men to dance with.
Our second-to-last night in the southern hemisphere was spent dancing. And some drinking on my part, with coercion from Emmett. He kept pressing coconut drinks into my hand. I got the feeling this was his forced compensation on my part for our failed coconut experiment. Whatever Emmett's motives, I wasn't complaining. The alcohol made my head buzz, but somehow Jasper kept my feet from faltering.
"My feet hurt," I complained when, late in the night, the crowd began to disperse. I say 'night', but the edges of the sky, when I could catch a glimpse between the buildings and trees, was starting to lighten. It was morning. "Why'd you give me wedge heels?"
My accusation, aimed toward Alice, carried no weight. She rolled her eyes at me, as if my question were entirely ludicrous. I giggled at the mock offense on her face. But just a second later, one of my wedge heels sunk into an unseen hole, making my steps falter. Jasper caught me by the arm, laughing at my misfortune. I wondered, vaguely, if my buzz from the drinks had transferred to him with his empathetic abilities.
He was as sure of his motions as ever, though, easily lifting me onto his back. "You got her drunk, Em."
"It's not a crime here," Emmett shrugged. His arm was wrapped tightly around Rosalie's hip. While he smiled, she was shaking her head.
"Esme and Carlisle are going to be upset with you if she starts vomiting." Her chiding did nothing to Emmett.
"I have more faith in Maise than that to hold her alcohol. Besides, that would be Jasper's mess to clean, not mine."
From my perch on Jasper's back, I tucked my head into the crook of his neck, making him laugh again. I could feel the ridges of his scars beneath my lips, they were so thick across his skin there.
"If I got taken out by alcohol poisoning, I'd be pissed. I would come back from the afterlife to haunt you, Em." As always, his big laugh filled the space around us, drawing glances from people nearby. We were all making our ways home. Maybe my perception was just off, but it felt like forever until we reached the motorboat we had taken from Isle Esme to the shore.
"Esme says you swim like a fish," Emmett appraised Jasmine while Jasper helped me into the boat. "Bet I could still beat you back."
"Edward's faster than you," Jasmine retorted, "and I always beat him. You're on."
"You'll ruin your dress!" Alice protested, entirely in vain. Nothing could have stopped Jasmine from ripping the hem of her tightly fitted dress, giving herself more freedom to move her legs. She and Emmett were beneath the water before Alice could even reach out to try to grab hold of Jasmine's arm.
I giggled, Jasper pulling my feet into his lap. He undid the straps, freeing my feet from the confines of the wedges. Rosalie daintily got into the boat while Alice pouted about Jasmine's outfit and Edward maneuvered the boat out of its dock.
"We'll beat them both," Edward declared, pushing the boat to top speed. Suddenly it was a three-way race. The speed did not do good things for me, making me feel wobbly though I was sitting still. I closed my eyes and leaned against Jasper, searching for some steadiness.
"What's the outcome, Ali?" Jasper asked, but Alice was still in a mood. Her reply came layered in sass.
"Have some patience. Edward, I will throw you overboard if you tell him."
I never knew the outcome of the race. Before we even got to the shore of Isle Esme, I started to drift to sleep. It wasn't the rocking boat pulling me under, but rather Jasper's influence. The warm, heavy drowsiness settled over me like a blanket despite the unease the motion of the boat was wreaking on my stomach. I didn't fight it in the least bit, more than happy to snuggle against Jasper's side and fall into sleep.
I had slept through the day after our late night out. Apparently, that caused quite a stir with Kaure when she came around mid-morning per her routine. Emmett had great fun re-enacting Kaure's over the top concern for my safety. According to him, it took both Gustavo and a heavy dose of Jasper's mood-altering abilities to calm her.
"You'd have thought Esme had painted with your blood or something by that lady's reaction."
Esme chided Emmett for his amusement. "She was worried. I showed her you were sleeping and everything, but she was relentless that something was afoul."
Though misplaced, I thought Kaure's concern over me sweet. There was no shortage of bravery involved, I was sure, to travel to an offshore island twice a day with the intent of checking on a stranger's wellbeing. Kaure knew enough about vampires to know the dangers the some carried with them; she must know, surely, how feeble a human's defense would be against a vampire as well.
In the morning, we would be making the long flight back to the States. The truth of the matter was that I had no way to repay the kindness Kaure and Gustavo had shown me. I knew they were employed by Carlisle and Esme to care for the island, so I had no doubt that they were paid well. Eventually, I settled for a paltry offering of homemade brownies and coercing Edward into helping me pen a thank you note.
We celebrated Esme and Carlisle on our last night on the island. Unlike with Rosalie and Emmett's last wedding, the décor was devoid of any lights. The full moon reflecting off the ocean was more than enough, along with the stars, to light the night up. It was outdoors, on the stretch of uninterrupted beach behind the house.
Once again, Alice had coordinated our outfits, all of us in shades of tan to subtly offset Carlisle and Esme's white clothing. Rosalie had woven tropical flowers into our hair—or simply pinned, in the case of Alice's short, black hair. Esme's dress was simple and flowing, catching in the night breeze that rolled off the water.
To my surprise, Rosalie acted as an officiant. I watched the vows tucked under Jasper's arm. The simplicity of the whole evening reflected the way I had always viewed Carlisle and Esme's relationship—sweet, straightforward, and undoubtedly true.
Simplicity was lost on one Emmett Cullen, though. As soon as the vows were completed, he flitted away from the ceremony. Alice smiled conspiratorially, while Edward rolled his eyes. Emmett was back within a second, though he stopped short yards away and crouched down. His big body created a shield of sorts, so that I had no clues what he was up to until the first round of fireworks shot into the sky.
Pops and sizzles filled the night, the fireworks lighting us all up in washes of golden light. Emmett had picked a color scheme and stuck to it. One after another, his aerial display continued.
"Em's always been prone to dramatics," I overheard Edward telling Jasmine. "It's why he and Maisie get along so well."
I untangled myself from Jasper. "Excuse me, but I have to let Edward know I'm deeply offended." Instead, Jasper hooked his finger under the strap of my dress, gently pulling me back toward him. He trailed his finger from my shoulder to my chin, tipping my head back to kiss me.
"He says it in love, even if he cloaks it in disdain," Jasper insisted in his brother's defense. I shook my head, but Jasper only smiled…until he caught Edward's eye over the top of my head. Jasper's smile fell, his lips setting into a hard line, his eyebrows drawing together. "What is it?"
"A new visitor."
Edward had heard the thoughts of the stranger, surely, but the scent must have hit the others just moments later. Alice had the most dramatic response.
"Oh, dammit!" She lamented in her frustration. "I'm so tired of blind spots!"
Alice only had her vision blind spots with shapeshifters and the vampire-human hybrids we had recently learned about. My fear must have shown on my face, because Emmett chuckled, his fireworks now abandoned.
"Don't worry, Maise. It's another hybrid, not a river dolphin shapeshifter." Under different circumstances, I probably would have rolled my eyes at him. As it was, though, I was nervous. I hadn't anticipated Joham or his daughters to return.
"His son," Edward murmured, correcting my assumption. Joham's son…what had been his name? I was fairly certain it started with an N…
Nobody moved, but everyone turned to the left, toward the house. We watched as a young man and woman came around the corner. When they drew nearer, I could just barely make out the burgundy tint to the woman's eyes, marking her as a vampire. She spoke first.
"Oh, we're interrupting your celebration. I apologize." As she spoke, she ran her fingers over her long, braided hair. "We hoped to catch you before you left. Joham's letter only came in this morning."
When she said Joham's name, her lips twisted as if there were a sour taste in her mouth. Jasper took a step to the side, moving me in tandem, to make room for Carlisle to come forward. I watched him extend his hand to the new guests.
"We talked with Joham just days ago. He mentioned that he had a son. I take it you are Nahuel?"
The young man nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing along his throat as he swallowed. "Yes. I've come with my aunt, Huilen. We… wanted to clarify some things. My father has very fantastical thoughts, and I'm afraid my sister's largely hold the same beliefs."
Nahuel held his hands in front of him, picking at the nail on the forefinger of his right hand. He dropped his gaze down to the sand before picking his head up to look us over. "I'd also like to apologize for his forwardness. He has a way of forcing his ideas on others and leaving himself blind to their opinions."
Huilen laid her hand on his shoulder as he said the last part. With the bright moonlight, it was easy to see ho much Nahuel favored his father. There was the same angle to their jaws, the same shape and set to their lips. But Huilen was there, too, in his high cheekbones and the almond shape of his eyes.
This time when Carlisle spoke, his tone had softened from politeness to understanding. "Please, come inside. Excuse the smell; we used part of our vacation to do some touchups on the house. Still, I think this conversation would be best had inside."
A/N: We can't leave South America without some Nahuel! I intended to get this chapter out sooner than this, but I got sidetracked with the holidays. Sorry about that!
I love you guys! Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews, despite how sporadic the updates have been. Y'all are truly the best.
