Chapter Seventeen

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Renesmee

Magnificent—there was no other word to describe Volterra, Italy. Even that didn't come anywhere near explaining the gorgeous antiquated structures of the buildings that surrounded the citizens, as if they were people as well.

I listened closely to the hundreds of different conversations, trying to remember the Italian my father had taught me. Although I was good at the language, after a month I wanted to postpone the lessons; my argument had been that I wasn't going to Italy anytime soon to be able to put all of that hard work to use. I supposed the joke was on me now.

"Where are we staying?" I asked Nick, exhausted after our full day of sight-seeing that followed our plane ride.

"I figured we can stay in a hotel tonight. There's a beautiful one just a few blocks from here."

I stopped walking and shifted uncomfortably. "Well...I don't have very much money left."

Nick smiled as he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. "I can pay. I can even buy us two separate rooms, if you want."

I felt myself blushing, embarrassed that I was going to have to take the offer. "I think my parents would appreciate that."

As if staying in the same room as Nick would be the biggest of my problems when I returned home. I expected I would not be allowed out of the house for a few months, at that was if they were feeling generous.

On the plane, I had realized how cruel I had been not at least letting them know that I was still alive. I texted my mother that I was safe immediately after landing. If they tracked me, they tracked me; by the time they realized where I was, I will have gotten what I came here for.

As soon as it sent, texts and voicemails began pouring in. I immediately powered down my phone.

He planted a kiss on my forehead, and then took my hand, pulling me back into the crowd of people that were walking the streets. I felt homesickness settle upon me as I thought about how I wasn't going to be sleeping in my bed tonight. I was going to be staying in a strange hotel, in a foreign country.

I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to truly enjoy myself; Jacob was continuously at the front of my mind every second of the day. Everything reminded me of him. The buildings, strong and tall like the side of him that was clear to everyone who gazed upon him. The people, lovely and romantic like the side of him that only I knew. I heard his name in conversations that weren't even in my language. I saw his face in the clouds that graced the blue skies. The sounds of the fight we had had continuously echoed through my mind; first the smashing of the table, then then snarling of angry words that I was sure we both regretted.

"Are you thinking about me?" Nick asked, the sound smooth and beautiful. However, somehow, no sound would be as angelic as the Jake's rough voice.

"Yes," I answered quietly. The lie seemed to hang in the air for the moment as we moved forward a few more steps.

Eventually, he sighed and turned to me. "I know you are thinking of them."

"Well of course I am," I replied with a frown. "They're worried sick about me. I'm not going to apologize for that."

"Renesmee," he told me softly.

I didn't like when he called me Renesmee; it was a name my parents used. Jake never called me Renesmee. In fact, my mother told me that he was the one who gave me the nickname of Nessie.

"Do you want the purpose of this trip to be fulfilled?" He stopped before pulling me gently out of the way of the busy sidewalk.

My eyes met his for a moment, his gaze intense and focused. "Of course I do. More than anything."

"I know that tonight, you're going to be tempted to call your family. But I know that if you speak to them, you will want to go back home. You have this desire to please the people you love, and that's something I admire about you. However, this time, you cannot please them. You have to do what's right for you for once in your life. Promise me that you'll give yourself that gift, Nessie. You deserve it."

I paused for a moment. Of course, he was right. My desire to call them didn't even come from missing them. Instead, it came from a place of mourning. I would be mourning over the loss of my family not being the ones standing next to me as I uncovered the greatest secret of my life. Nick was. And as much as I appreciated him for everything he had done and everything he promised to do, this wasn't how things were supposed to be.

"I promise," I finally replied. And I meant it.

As I drifted to sleep that night, I dreamed of hidden dungeons and secret clues, all leading me to the memories of my past.