And they did.
Bella kissed me goodnight, as she normally did, and by morning she had gone.
I woke up, as if it was an ordinary day, and padded downstairs in my bed clothes to make breakfast.
On my way, Carlisle stood at his office door offering me a kind 'good morning', Alice lingered at the top of the staircase leading down to the first floor supplying her own cheerful greeting. When my foot touched the floor into the living room, Emmett, perching awkwardly on the arm of the couch offered his morning acknowledgement, and Rosalie waited for me by the kitchen entryway, smiling as I approached and passed her. Finally, Esme was at the stove pouring batter in a frying pan – a plate of pancakes sat on the counter to her left. The entire production felt too clinical, too calculated. As a result, what was supposed to be friendly and familial, had the opposite effect and instead made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
The night before had been the first night spent in the guest room instead of the makeshift hospital suite where I'd unintentionally spent the last few weeks.
I mumbled a 'good morning' as I hovered between the doorway where Rosalie stood and the island in the centre of the kitchen. Esme moved the final pancake onto her ready-to-go pile and brought the plate over to the island, along with a knife and fork.
"I hope you're hungry," she declared with a flourish and a smile.
I wanted to say no so I could retreat, but my stomach growled, preventing the fib. With reluctance, I took my seat on the stool in front of the plate.
Rosalie came into the kitchen and between her and Esme, my choice of toppings were brought to me – whipped cream, maple syrup, bacon, and to my dismay, a bowl of blueberries.
"Carlisle says you need fruits to keep your sugar levels up," Esme explained. She stood by the counter looking at me expectantly.
I pushed the bowl away slightly. "Thank you, but I don't like blueberries."
I looked down at my plate to avoid her penetrative gaze, waiting for them to leave before I started eating. But they just stood there as if watching someone eat was nothing out of the ordinary. Hadn't they been around humans for centuries?
"She'd appreciate some breathing room," Edward spoke from behind me. "Can you not see how tense this is making her?"
I didn't move my gaze lest I get asked a question. From my peripheral, I saw him move to my side. He switched the bowl of blueberries for a bowl of strawberries that were cut lengthways in quarters – exactly how Bella cut them up for me.
"How did you…" I looked at him astonished.
"Exactly like your mom," he offered.
It was strange to see someone I considered a complete stranger know intricate details about my family. I wasn't sure how I felt about it – especially when it was Edward.
Edward took the bowl of blueberries to the fridge. Esme followed his example and began to wash the dishes, Rosalie hovering to help her. Although they hadn't actually left the room, at least they were leaving me alone.
Edward returned and picked up the newspaper. "Eat," he commanded. He watched me until I picked up my fork, then he turned to the first article and let me be.
I scooped some whipped cream onto my pancakes, then drizzled some maple syrup across the pile before taking a handful of the strawberries and sprinkling them onto my pancakes. I dug in.
I hadn't eaten half when Alice came in, a skip in her elegant step, and the three women turned to me simultaneously.
"So, Nessie," Alice began on their behalf, "what do you want to do today?"
I took another bite of my food and shrugged.
"Come on… we could go shopping, or watch a movie; whatever you want," she implored.
The irritation I felt building in my gut sated what little hunger I had to begin with. I placed my cutlery on my unfinished plate. "I'd rather be alone today."
"We just want to get to know you, and a girls' day would be the perfect opportunity–"
I stood up and took my plate with me, scrapping the contents into the trash and taking my plate to the sink. Before I even had a chance to clean it myself, Esme was at my side taking it from my hands.
I huffed but bit my tongue, seething quietly. If she would not let me clean my own mess then there was no need for me to stay here. I simply turned and walked away, too wired up to remember my manners.
"Okay, so no to the girls' day. I should've known, your mom wasn't really into that either," Alice spoke as she and Rosalie followed me out of the kitchen. "How about hunting, or for a run someplace?"
I turned on them abruptly. "Look, this isn't some extended holiday stay for me. It isn't 'Dad's weekend'," I spat sarcastically. "If I had any choice, I wouldn't be here, I'd be in my own home with my mom. But I can't have either one of those things. I can't forget that she's away in a dangerous situation, so when I say I want to be alone, I mean it. I'm not a child who needs constant attention; I'm a woman who would rather be by myself than around all of this," I wafted my hand to the two of them.
I ran up the stairs and to my temporary room, slamming the door behind me. There was no lock on it – not that it would have been an issue for them anyway. I settled for securing the desk chair under the door handle. Hopefully that would be enough of a sign for them to keep out.
I threw myself onto the bed, buried my face into the pillow and screamed, expelling everything I held in. If I didn't scream I'd cry, and I'd had enough of doing that.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and called my mom, desperate to hear her voice. No answer.
I collapsed back into my pillow and punched it as hard as I could a few times before taking it in my hands and ripping it in two. The sound of tearing cotton satisfied me enough to pause and take breath, allowing me to hear the whimper that sounded from outside. I discarded my destruction and ran to the open window.
"Hey Seth," I said to the agitated wolf trotting beneath my window. He moaned again and I told him I was fine. His presence immediately calmed me and made me feel safe.
"How's my Grandpa?"
He snorted, took a playful jump backwards then titled his head to the side. I took that as a good sign and allowed myself to giggle at his antics.
A much larger wolf appeared from the trees behind him, his footsteps calculated and sure. Seth jumped so high that all four paws lifted off the ground. He caught himself and turned to his alpha. They had a short and silent communication before Seth looked back up to me, his eyes bright, and scurried away into the trees. I waved to him goodbye.
Jake watched him until he'd disappeared, then turned back to me at my window. He always seemed so regal as a wolf, the many colours in his fur was stunning, especially as it dallied in the winter breeze. He grinned wolfishly at me, so I blew him a kiss in return. He winked and then he was gone; one bound was all it took for him to reach the forest.
It was all I needed to remind me that I had friends surrounding me here. I could get through this.
-o0o-
A week had gone by with no contact from Bella or Jasper. Alice assured everyone that they were fine; she was watching.
But that didn't deter my anxieties. As my anxieties increased, so did my short temper. I had grown so impatient of the Cullens and their insistence that I spend time with them. Although my message on our very first morning was received, it hadn't been applied. Instead, their tactics changed, and now Carlisle and Emmett had become involved. Every day there would be a flurry of suggestions to do something, or conversation openers that I had no desire to be part of.
The only person who seemed to understand my need for personal space was Edward. But either he wasn't sharing his observations with the rest of the family, or they were ignoring his suggestions. Even so, I found myself sitting in comfortable silence with him often. I despised that he'd become my safe space, but whenever we were in the same room, the others left us alone… mostly.
The proverbial floodgates opened yesterday, however, when their antics became too much to endure. And today I was wallowing on that memory, refusing to even come out of my room.
The Cullens needed to hunt, as did I. As much as I wanted to go alone, they wouldn't let me, citing Victoria and the new-borns as the reason. So, I reluctantly agreed to their suggestion to go hunting as a group – as a 'family' they said. I scowled at that term.
It was decided that we would hunt close to the Canadian border as there were larger populations of animals around the mountains there. That way, there would be enough for everyone and fighting over prey could be avoided when our instincts took over.
I'd always loved to run, it was a good way for me to relieve tension. I attempted to block out my companions, focusing instead on my stride. In my peripheral, I noticed Emmett overtake me a little. In the chaotic mix of euphoria and frustration, I pushed until I was back in front of him.
He pushed forward again. So did I.
This continued silently and suddenly we were in an unspoken race, both of us fast and determined. When we got to our destination, I was exhilarated, my heart thundering against my ribcage and energy coursing through me, momentarily overshadowing what had plagued me the past week..
When we both stopped abruptly in the clearing, Emmett held his arms out to his side and declared, "I win."
I laughed, a giggle that burst forth, joining his deep, belly laughter.
"This time. You win this time," I responded, the promise of a rematch hanging in the air.
Edward drew up next to us a few seconds later. "Nice race," he praised.
When the others arrived, their faces were delighted. And that was the point that everything changed. Because in their infinite wisdom, they thought that because of what I had just shared with Emmett, everything between us all was suddenly peachy. It was written across their faces. My euphoria fizzled out and my resentment and unrest returned.
Ever the fickle optimists, when I took down my first kill, a rather large mountain lion, one of them actually had the audacity to clap and say, "Well done, Nessie."
Still in a feral mindset, I rounded on them and growled. "This isn't my first hunt, don't treat me like a child."
The animal, now with its neck broken, no longer held my appetite. The audience made it difficult for me to want to drink. Muttering a curse, I drained the animal as fast as I could. Leaving the carcass for them to deal with, I took off back towards the house without so much as a goodbye. I didn't need as much blood as a vampire and the lion was enough to sate my thirst.
Since then I had been locked in my room. I was aware my actions were reckless, I shouldn't have run off without one of the escorting me, but I couldn't stand the hovering. Thankfully, no one tried to coax me out, but they didn't exactly give me the type of privacy I craved either as every hour someone would purposely walk past the door.
I just wanted some normalcy. A life that felt easier than the days I was surviving now. A life before the Cullens appeared. I wanted fishing trips with Charlie, playful wrestling matches with Embry, Seth sharing his latest antics around an impromptu bonfire, Bella encouraging me to do our homework together, sitting in the garage at Billy's watching Jake as he tinkered with a new mechanical project... something, anything, that didn't involve hunting with or for vampires, or fights, familial or otherwise, or being in this place that had nothing of me in it!
In my despair, I absentmindedly thought over my possibilities, daydreaming. The only person I definitely couldn't have in that equation was my mom... but... I could have the others – they were all in one place!
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I dived out the window, acting first and thinking later. I landed with a dull thud on the dried up dirt and took off to the direction of La Push without looking back. I couldn't risk being conflicted. Without my mom there to protect my thoughts, I had no idea whether Edward was listening in or not. And even if Edward hadn't been listening, my decision could have danced across Alice's mind as soon as it was finalised. Either way, I needed to be fast and in my haste to escape, I was louder than I'd wanted to be - not that I'd had a chance to plan. It wasn't as if I'd be gone long – I'd go back before nightfall. But I needed to get away from that house for a few hours; it was suffocating.
Keeping my senses alert just in case, I felt hopeful as I neared the treaty line. The trees wheezing by as I raced as fast as I could toward my destination. My heart thudded and my excitement grew as I got closer.
My joy was premature. I heard footsteps behind me, fast ones. I'd been noticed. I pushed myself faster, sweat beginning to mare my brow as I exerted myself more than I had before, constantly aware that the footsteps were getting louder as the distance between us diminished. As the treaty line got closer, so did my chaser, and at the very last second, when I could almost feel the wisp of a touch at my back, I managed to skid over the treaty line.
I let out a startled breath as I lay on the cold ground, my shoe encased in mud as the speed and power of my skid caused a deep track. I rolled over into a crouch and looked at Edward's heated gaze as he paced on the spot along the treaty line, conflict maring his face.
"Renesmee Swan, come back over the line," he demanded. In that moment he sounded like a father.
In spite of the momentary loss of composure, I remained as stern as I could.
"No," I told him defiantly.
His expression and his voice were fierce. "There is no room for discussion, don't think I'm not scared to cross this line," he pointed to the invisible line that ran between us.
Growls vibrated among the trees and leaves rustled, creating a soundscape of intimidation: a warning. Edward's pacing stopped as he tensed, ready to fight, as five wolves appeared from the trees in a formation behind me.
Feeling smug at my backup, I stood my ground and raised my eyebrow, calling his bluff.
Only he wasn't bluffing.
My heart lurched to my throat, a garbled sound escaping, as he lifted his foot to cross the treaty line, never breaking eye contact. When his foot met the ground, over the treaty line, I propelled myself forward as Paul lunged for him. I tackled Edward back over the line as a panicked "NO!" flew from my mouth. We hit the ground with a resounding thud and I braced myself against Edward's chest, anticipating Paul's claws at my back.
They never came. In that same split second, a ferocious snarl filled the air behind me and two wolves collided. Whilst one snarled, the other whimpered.
From where I was, I opened my eyes and turned to see Jake, who had appeared from seemingly nowhere, poised in front of me, snapping his teeth at Paul who was shaking himself off.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked intimately. I nodded, keeping my eyes trained on Jake as Edward sat us upright. Once Paul limped back into line, Jake's posture relaxed and I could look away.
"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. He looked fine. My quick fire emotions changed once again. "What were you thinking?!" I chastised.
He sighed. "I could ask you the same thing," he admonished. For someone who until now had lived with a poker face, it was disconcerting how much expression I could currently read on his face. I looked away submissively, remorse fuelling my response.
I hadn't anticipated he'd actually risk breaking the treaty because of me.
I didn't need to verbalise my apology. His hand rubbed my back, comfortingly as he brushed off the last minute. "It's okay," he stated softly. "Let's go home."
"No, please," I begged as he guided me up to standing. "I can't be in that house anymore, I need a break away from them."
"Nessie, we can't protect you here," he argued.
"But they don't get it!" I yelled petulantly. I knew I was acting like a brat but I couldn't help it. If they wanted to treat me like a child, then I'd act like one. Maybe it was the only way to get my point across.
I squashed that fleeting thought as soon as I had it. I wanted to be mature about it, and out of all of them, Edward had been the one who seemed to be most respectful about giving me my space, albeit not as much as I'd have liked.
I pulled out of his grasp and he allowed it, clearing seeing that I wouldn't attempt the same stunt. Facing him directly, I begged, hoping this time he'd hear and understand why I needed this time here: "They don't leave me alone and I've had enough. I appreciate you looking out for my safety but it's relentless. I need some space. Not only do I not need constant attention, I don't like it. I push them away but every time I do, it's like an elastic band and they try to come back at me harder. I hate it."
I took a step closer. "I wasn't running away, I swear, I just needed some me time with people who actually know me."
Although I said this aloud, I begged in my thoughts too. He could see it wasn't me being stubborn, the way I was being treated was not like anything I had experienced and it wasn't a change I was willing to make, especially not when I was worrying about my mom. Solitariness was my solace; silence was how I coped. Constant talking and cushioning was not for me, it never had been, and my family and friends knew that. It wasn't my fault if the Cullens couldn't understand that.
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he took in what I'd shared; a tell for when he was stressed. It was my tell too I realised as I withdrew my own hand from my windswept tresses.
He broke eye contact briefly as he thought, ignoring the audience we hadn't acknowledged yet.
His hand halted on his scalp. He looked back at me, a soft smile playing at his lips. "What if there was somewhere else I could take you, somewhere away from them? Somewhere that wasn't the house, but still close enough that we could all protect you?"
My entire body relaxed as I listened, hope brewing in the pit of my stomach. "Lead the way."
This is where we got to last time. So, where's he taking her?