Navigating a way to the forestry area without raising suspicion proved more challenging than expected. The entire time, my mind was reeling. I'd been alone in what I thought was an entirely human surrounding for less than a day and already I had recognised two vampires and encountered someone who possibly knew more than she should. It wasn't something I could easily fathom. The whole point of me coming to college was to be independent in a human world so that I could experience that half of myself without the other half getting in the way. Yet here I was; the other half of my world encroaching when I didn't want it to.
I kicked a log and growled in frustration.
I knew that I couldn't separate one half from the other - my very nature consisted of being both human and vampire. Yet I'd hoped I could have indulged in human behaviour without my vampire world overshadowing it for once. I hoped to act the normal teenager; the girl who becomes involved in the pointless gossiping of her friends.
The sound of a deer lapping water at a nearby river brought me back to my task at hand, letting my previous thoughts dissipate for a while. The action of its drinking with the sound of its warm flowing blood and beating heart instantly appealed to me, so I let my senses take over and guide me to my prey.
As I approached the unaware animal, I noticed that there was more than one deer close by. Within a second, I had crept, leapt and tackled the stag of the group, cutting into his jugular. I let the thick, warm blood slide down my throat before discarding the lifeless carcass. I located another two deer before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, satisfied my thirst was quenched.
With fresh blood in me, my thoughts returned to Jenna and the two mysterious vampires, and my defensive side perked up. My resolutions were simple: one, I would not fall victim to my paranoia. If Jenna knew, then I would find out exactly what she knew without giving myself away. I would play Jenna at her own game. Two, I would attempt to avoid the vampires and act normal. It was unlikely that vampires knew of the existence of hybrids as we're very rare creatures, therefore, with my beating heart and blood, I would be human. Acting the part would be fun. The only precaution I would take is that I'd keep my mind closed off. I could not reveal my life to them at any cost. Finally, I would not tell my mother about the vampires. She would automatically view them as a threat and force me back home. I could do this.
As I neared the campus, I slowed my pace to a speedy walk. When I passed a group of people, I lowered my head and noticed the blood stain smeared on my hand. I'd completely forgot to wash my hands and face in my haste to hurry back. I noticed too that my jeans were dusted with dirt and grass stains. I looked a mess and I hadn't realised until now.
Arriving back at my dorm, I realised I had ten minutes before I was supposed to meet Jenna and being late would only frazzle me. I entered the small bathroom and washed out my mouth – which luckily had no traces of blood on it – and washed my hands before running to the wardrobe and selecting a new pair of jeans that looked similar to the ones I had previously worn. I brushed my long hair back into a ponytail and I was good to go.
Walking to the cafe, I brainstormed what I could do to mask my thoughts, not just from the vampires but from Jenna too. She was smart for a human, that much I was sure about, and the slightest falter could give her an answer.
I knew I was being paranoid about both aspects. I didn't even know if the vampires had any gifts, let alone gifts that were connected to the mind, but I was anxious because, until this point, Bella had been around to shield me.
The HUB she'd suggested was busy and it took me a while to see if Jenna was around. Eventually I spotted her sitting alone in the far corner of the eating area. I casually strolled over to the table. When she noticed me, she gave me a bright smile.
"Hey," she greeted as I took my seat. "You look much better."
I didn't respond. A margarita pizza sat untouched in the centre of the table.
"I ordered us some pizza, I thought you could use some food. I wasn't sure of your diet so I went with vegetarian-" Her eyes widened at me, then furrowed in confusion. "I- I hope that's okay?"
Shit, maybe she wasn't challenging me. I schooled my face into a friendly passiveness and nodded, picking up a slice. She watched me as I took a large bite. It was good pizza.
"This is great, thank you," I told her, taking another bite, eating in silence.
As I reached for my second slice, Jenna settled back in her chair, picking up one for herself. She took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully as I remained quiet.
"How was your hunt?" She asked after she'd swallowed.
The food in my mouth lost its taste. I chewed some more and forced it down. "My what?"
The blush in her cheeks rose slightly. She cast her eyes down nervously, then stubbornly back up to meet mine. "Your hunt," she said with determination.
She knew. My own blush may have given me away, but maybe that would work to my advantage. "I'm not sure what you mean," I said before taking another bite.
Jenna leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. She lowered her voice and spoke with encouragement: "There's no need to act dumb, Nessie. I know all about you. Well, not you specifically, I mean your kind in general."
I was surprised that my face didn't waver. Instead, I lifted an eyebrow requesting she elaborate. She'd done a good job of reading me so far it seemed.
"Vampire," she whispered matter of fact.
I chewed and swallowed the final bite I had just consumed before chuckling. "You have a great imagination; are you studying a creative art?"
"Psychology." That explains it.
She huffed at my silence. All trace of nervousness had gone and she fell back against her wooden chair with an air of impatience. She folded her arms across her chest. "I take it an hour wasn't enough time for you to get cleaned up too? I'll have to give you longer in the future."
I furrowed my brows. "Excuse me?"
She surged forward with surprising force, bringing her hand up to the collar of my blouse. I looked down and saw a tiny splash of blood located on the tip. "Blood," she said triumphantly, leaning back and crossing her arms. I felt like kicking myself. I should have been more thorough and not as concerned with being a few minutes late.
"Blood? Interesting query. So," I challenged, "if I am a so-called 'vampire', how come I have a beating heart, am eating food, and can go out in daylight?"
Jenna didn't seem fazed; she just sat there like she was positive about the truth. It concerned me some. How much did this girl know? Does she not know the consequences if she does in fact know?
She shrugged, "Sorry, I'll be more specific: you're a hybrid."
It caught me off guard and, for a brief second, the mask I had been holding, fell, before I recovered.
It was enough for Jenna to notice. She let out a brief laugh. "There's no need to look so worried."
Hearing it wasn't enough for me though. She knew about me and I had no idea how. Humans weren't that bright, they couldn't figure things like that out themselves unless, of course, they had been told or had actually witnessed it like my mom had.
I laughed sarcastically at her and pushed the plate toward her.
She straightened up and I saw seriousness in her features. "Nessie, please," she pleaded, "I get that you don't want to admit it because of the consequences but I only want to be friends. I know vampires, okay? I can recognise them a mile off now, so don't be panicked. But please don't try and pretend with me either. I know the truth," she concluded.
I sighed and briefly lifted my eyes to see a small smile across her face and a truthful look in her eye. I knew then she was being honest with me.
"Okay," I answered. My mind was battling over whether I should stay restricted because I knew this girl was human, or whether I should just not worry because this human already knew about my kind. The former would be more appropriate yet I felt strangely inclined to spill my darkest secrets to her. I knew I could trust her in my heart and that's the place I was always told to follow.
"So how do you know vampires then; 'can recognise them a mile off'?" I quoted.
Jenna smiled wider than she had done all day, possibly due to the fact that I was letting her in. This made me even more positive about sharing things with her.
"I've been around them a long time," she replied.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "A human who's been around vampires and lived to tell the tale," I half joked. "How did you manage that?"
Calmer now, I picked up my final slice of pizza.
Jenna smirked, picking up her own. "What, you don't know any humans who lived around vampires and knew what they were?"
"No, I'm not saying that. I know humans who lived like that too; my mom was one of those humans. It's just that most vampires would prefer you as a snack, not a friend," I stated knowingly.
"Well, most vampires don't feed on animals but it doesn't stop that from happening," she replied immediately.
I brightened. "So, the coven that you know are vegetarians too?"
"Vegetarians," she exclaimed, delighted. "I like that!" She laughed to herself for a second then her eyes widened and she clicked her fingers. "That explains your reaction to the veggie pizza."
I laughed sheepishly, eating the aforementioned veggie pizza.
"So tell me, how do you know vampires?" I asked again. I was intrigued by how she spoke of them and how she knew so much about them. Given that she already knew the secret anyway, I felt obligated to know.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "They're my family."
She shovelled some more food in her mouth as silence descended.
"Is that all you're going to tell me?"
"What would you like to know?" She offered.
I felt my body tense as I smelt their entrance. Jenna's eyes widened comically as she looked behind me at the door; her hand, filled with food, hovered halfway to her lips.
I snapped my fingers in her face, drawing her back to me. "Don't think about it, think of anything else, something complicated."
She immediately obliged and I occupied my mind, too.
"Shall we get some air?"
An unspoken agreement passed between us and we both stood at the same time, abandoning our leftovers, and walked towards the exit on the opposite side of the room. Even outside, we kept our pace hasty until we reached the Drumheller Fountain, having put enough distance between us and them.
We slumped together on a bench, hearts beating faster than normal. "They were vampires!" Jenna whispered-yelled.
I nodded.
"Why did you get me to think?"
"You know that some vampires have extra gifts, right?" I asked as I turned my head to her. She nodded. "Well, my mom told me that a vampire she used to know could read minds, and there are quite a few gifts that consist of mental invasion." I shrugged before I continued, "I'm not sure why, but I have this feeling about them. Those vampires in particular. I've never had it before and don't know why it's happening. Something inside is telling me to be careful. Weary."
I sighed. "Better to be safe, right?" I put my face down. I remembered Jake teasing my mom about her own intuitions when I was only a baby. She took it lightly because it was Jake, but I hardly knew Jenna and felt a little silly telling her about my paranoia.
"It's okay to think like that, especially when it comes to vampires," she joked as she nudged my shoulder. I smiled back.
"So, are you going to share more about this vampire family of yours then?" I teased.
She laughed and avoided the question with one of her own, "What about your family?"
"Vampire mom, human grandpa, and a friend of the family," I offered. "Your turn."
She laughed. "Seems we're in the same situation… kind of."
Immediately I was confused. Thankfully, she was quick to elaborate, "Human, vampire, hybrid…"
"Wait, hybrid?" I interrupted, astonished, my mouth hanging agape.
"Yeah," she clarified with a look that said, 'what the…'. Okay, so I knew I couldn't possibly be the only hybrid in existence, not with our kind being so close to the human race, but we were a rarity; I had never heard of any other hybrid until now.
"Who?" I yelled - almost yelled – in surprise.
Jenna smiled. "My brother."
She opened her mouth to continue but I interrupted again with a question, "When you say 'brother' is that biological or metaphorical?"
"I'll get to that part, just hold your horses," she giggled. "Anyway, a human, a vampire, a hybrid and no dad to speak of?" I nodded. She sighed. "My dad left us when I was a toddler and I haven't seen him since. I have one memory of him and that's him walking out the front door." I could see a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but she turned away before I could get a real look at what I was. "What about yours?"
That's when I turned my head away. "I've never actually met him," I told her.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied softly.
I just shrugged. "It's fine. He left and I'm not even sure if he even knows I exist." I forced a small smile onto my face though it felt more like a grimace.
"Do you mind if I ask why he left?" She questioned.
I smiled genuinely. "That's a bit too deep," I jested, "and how do I know if I can trust you?"
"Oh come on! We're spilling our guts out here and you're wondering if you can trust me or not?" Jenna expressed mockingly.
We both laughed. It was nice to have a girlfriend for once.
"Okay, so no dad, hybrid brother and a vampire?" I prompted.
"The vampire is my mum," she corrected.
I tried not to look flabbergasted as I heard that. I failed.
"Can you please start from the beginning?" I asked.
She laughed before clearing her throat. "Okay well, I grew up in a small village in the centre of England with my mum," she began. It was then when I noticed the British twang she had to her voice. "She was still human when I was born, obviously. When I was three, my dad left us and from then on it was me and my mum. She had one living parent who never spoke to her, and her nanna when this happened so I was pretty much all she had.
"Anyway, when I was seven, Nanna was murdered, but the killer was never found. It completely tore up my mum and it took her a while to get herself together again. After the upset, came the insecurity; she only had me and she didn't feel safe where we were so when her boss offered her a transfer to the states, she accepted immediately.
"Being seven I had no idea what was going on when the time came to move; little me thought of it as an adventure, which I suppose pleased my mum. We moved into a small apartment and we got settled and I thought that everything was going to be okay. One evening I was left with a baby-sitter when my mum came home, told the sitter to leave, then collapsed on the sofa and cried herself to sleep. I was so confused because it was only that afternoon when she came back with a huge smile on her face before leaving an hour later all dressed up.
"I remember having to grow up a lot within the month that followed as I watched my mum cry herself to sleep every night and watch her belly grow bigger. It wasn't until I started screaming after burning myself with hot water trying to make her a cup of tea that she snapped out of her state and realised what she was doing to me."
I watched Jenna intensely as she pulled back the sleeve of her jacket to show me a faint red mark on the inside of her right forearm. It resembled and upside-down tick.
"We quickly moved after that; to Mississippi which was further south. I saw her eating raw meats all the time and I asked her why her belly was growing quicker than it should. She smiled and said, 'because your brother or sister is different to you and me and can grow really fast and is really strong'. She bent down to my level and said, 'but you must promise me that you'll keep him a secret'.
"Of course, I agreed and it wasn't long after that that I saw my brother rip his way out of her stomach. I can remember screaming the entire time. She'd gone into the woods so that I wouldn't see, but she'd collapsed at the opening of the tress and I could see everything. I was banging on the windows trying to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't."
Jenna's face contorted into a mask of pain and I felt the need to comfort her as her memories took over her mind. A tear glistened down her cheek before she smiled. "I remember thinking to myself, 'I'm going to rip that baby's head off'. I saw him crawl over to her and bite her arm before he curled into her. I sat there for hours waiting in the house. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is seeing a different version of my mum. Her red eyes scared me. She told me everything was going to be fine and that now she was stronger, no harm would come to any of us. Justin was introduced and it's been the three of us ever since. It wasn't until I was older that I found out she'd met a guy who turned out to be a vampire that seduced her and got her knocked up."
She sighed then looked at me waiting for a reaction. In all fairness, I had no idea what to say. I was in awe of her for going through this. She was a strong individual and she was just a human.
"That's some story." I paused to take it all in. "Do you and Justin get along now?"
Jenna snorted. "Yeah, it's usually us against our mum when it comes to decisions. He acts like my older brother because he looks older than me, but that's only because he's muscled and because I look young for my age. I don't let him forget that he's the baby. He's really protective of us; me in particular because I'm 'fragile'," her nose wrinkled in disgust at the word, "I think he's picked that up from Shane," she concluded absentmindedly.
"Who is Shane?"
She looked at me after she realised what she said and smiled. "Shane is who Justin and I consider our uncle. He's a nomad who found my mum during her change. He actually forced her to stay away from me while she got used to being a vampire. He took care of me and he taught them about their gifts-"
"Gifts?" I prompted, intrigued. I quietened my voice, "What kind of gifts?"
She dismissed my comment with the wave of her hand. "Forget that, I'll tell you later. First, tell me about you," she demanded excitedly. "How did Renesmee Swan come into this world?"