Chapter 18: Home

Nessie's POV

Carlisle dropped me off at my house a short time later. It would be a few more hours before my aunt and uncle returned home. I tried not to think about the impending conversation that I had to have with them. It was not a conversation that I was ready to have. Yet I knew that I couldn't wait much longer.

I sighed. I had a lot of homework to do. The Cullens had been kind enough to bring me my all of my work that I would have done in class as well as the homework I'd been assigned. I could use the extra free time to catch up on all of my work. So I hit the books and started to tackle all of my math assignments first.

I only stopped working when my stomach started growing. I looked at the time and was surprised to see that it was twelve thirty already. So I went into the kitchen and fixed myself a ham and cheese sandwich. As I was making my sandwich I had a really bad cough attack. I didn't have time to look away before some of the blood that I had coughed up ended up on the sandwich.

It was several minutes before I was able to stop coughing and get some much needed air in my lungs once again. I started crying as I cleaned the specs of blood off of the sandwich. Why did this have to happen to me? Why did cancer have to exist? I was suddenly fueled with anger. I was so angry. I slammed my hand down so hard on the counter that pain shot up my palm through my wrist. Great. Now I will probably have a nasty bruise right there later.

I picked up my plate and grabbed a bag of Doritos before going to sit down in front of the TV. I didn't pay attention to what I was watching though. My mind had wandered elsewhere. Death. Death seemed to dominate my thoughts a lot lately. I guess that tends to happen when a doctor tells you that you're going to die it's just a matter of time. What was going to happen when I died? Was it going to hurt? Was I going to go peacefully? Was there an afterlife? I was raised as Catholic. I went to church almost every week. I'd been baptized, had my first communion, and completed my confirmation classes. I believed in the reality of Heaven and Hell. Where would I end up going when I died? I'm not an evil person so I'd like to think that I would not end up in hell but I was still scared.

I shook my head. I couldn't think this way. If I kept thinking about topics like that I would only end up driving myself crazy. I had to focus on my life right now and staying alive. I had to at least try to beat this illness. No matter what the odds were. I had to at least try.

With that final thought I pushed my illness as far away from my conscious mind as I could. I finished my lunch and went straight back to working on my homework. Just as I was finishing up my homework for the night I heard someone entering the house. My skipped several beats until I realized that whoever it was had a key. So it was either my aunt or my uncle.

I nearly tripped as I ran down the stairs to greet them. "Nessie!" my aunt shouted when she saw me. She threw her arms around me. "We missed you so much,"

"I missed you to,"

"Ness are you alright?" she asked me. "You look worried,"

Of course I should have foreseen this. My aunt was a very observant woman. It was impossible to keep anything from her. But I couldn't just blurt out that I was dying of lung cancer. Nor could I tell her that I'd accidentally let it slip that she and my uncle having been giving me alcohol and cigarettes since I was little. Or that the doctor I'd accidentally told had now informed the police and an investigation had been opened.

"I'm fine. I just have a lot of homework to finish that's all,"

"It's Friday and you're already doing homework?" my uncle asked as he walked through the door. "Jesus Christ kid take a break will you?" he laughed.

"Yeah I think I might do just that," I smiled. Maybe I could keep my secret just a little bit longer. "So how was the trip?"

They launched into a play by play of everything that happened. It was a business trip so it wasn't all that interesting but it would stop them from questioning me further. We ordered pizza for dinner. After dinner I felt really tired. So I went to sleep earlier than I usually did.

I woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe. I started coughing but my airways weren't clearing up. The coughing wouldn't stop either. Every time I coughed a lot of blood came out. I heard my aunt and uncle running toward my room. Having been awoken by the noise.

"Ness what's wro-call 911!" my aunt shouted frantically when she saw all the blood.

"What's going on?!" I heard my uncle yell.

"I don't know! She's coughing up a lot of blood! Just call an ambulance!" she shouted. "Oh God Ness no. Please baby. No," she cried.

I could see the fear in my aunt's eyes. She and my uncle couldn't have children of their own. When my adoptive parents entrusted me to her in their will I became more than a niece to her. I became her daughter. She loved me and I loved her. Although she didn't know what was wrong with me she knew it was serious.

I heard the sirens only a minute later. By then the lack of oxygen had really gotten to me. I was really dizzy and on the verge of losing consciousness. The paramedics came in and loaded me on the stretcher. In the back of the ambulance they started pumping oxygen into my lungs but I could feel that it wasn't working. My lungs refused to take in the much needed air.

"We're losing her!" Were the last words I heard before the blackness hit me.

I was confused by my surroundings when I opened up my eyes. I was in a forest somewhere. It was quiet. I listened and I couldn't even here the normal creatures that resided in the woods.

Suddenly there was a very bright light. I was blinded yet drawn to this light.

"Nessie,"

I spun around on the spot. Behind me was a girl that I'd only ever seen in my dreams before. So this must be one weird dream then. That's all this was. A dream. One very weird dream that I would awake from at any minute.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

She laughed. "Of course you wouldn't remember me. I should know. I'm the one that made you forget. Just like you asked me to. I'm Savanah. We met when you were very little,"

"I don't understand. Who are you? What's going on?"

"A witch always senses when a person she has helped has passed into the next world,"

"What?" I gasped. This was all very confusing and I had no idea what was going on.

"A witch is always in tune with a person she has helped with her magic. I sensed it when you got sick. I sensed it when you died. This forest we are in right now is the bridge between all the worlds. The physical world, Heaven, and Hell. You have to die to come here. Unless you are a witch or wizard. We can come and go here as needed.

"So what do I do now?" This was one hell of a weird dream and I wished that I could wake up already.

"You cross over. That bright light means you're meant to go to Heaven,"

"What if I don't want to die?"

"Well. That's why I'm here. It's to offer you a chance to go back,"

"I'll do it," whatever it took to wake up from this dream.

"Nessie you have to understand something. Making that decision comes at a price,"

"Okay how much do you want then?"

She shook her head. "Not money. If you are to live then three people who love you must die,"

"What?"

"Magic always comes at a price. Especially when you mess with the forces of life and death. Someone has to take your place. Since you are pregnant with twin boys someone will have to die in their place also so that they may live,"

Pregnant with twin boys? Now I was sure that this was a dream. Well I did have sex with Justin so I could end up pregnant I guess. But I was still sure this was a dream.

"Do you understand that Nessie? In order for you and your babies to live three people who love you must die. Species doesn't matter either. They can be human, vampire, or shapeshifter,"

"Who will die?" Why was I asking this? It didn't matter since it was all a dream.

"I don't know. Death will decide whose life to trade for yours and your babies. I do not know when exactly it will happen either but it will happen very soon. So I ask again. Are you sure that this is what you want?"

"Yes," what I wanted was to awake from this dream.

The world suddenly vanished around me. Then I heard a voice say "I'm sorry Dr. Cullen she was pronounced dead on arrival," A loud cry of deep pain could be heard.

Suddenly something slammed into my chest. It felt as if my heart had restarted itself. I opened my eyes and sat up gasping for air.

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