Author's Note: Aww, part 2 is coming to an end soon! Don't worry, part three is on the way and eventually book 2! I'll try to update as much as possible. I've been swinging several chapters a day for a while but that might slow down to just one chapter a day/two days because I'm starting school on Monday (a little about me: I'm 16, a girl and a student) and I'll have a little less free time. Of course, only two of my classes are academic. The other two I just have time to sit on my laptop and write or watch movies. So don't worry, I won't abandon Cliff's Edge anytime soon! - Eli xx
Chapter Eighteen - Falling
Bella POV
I watched as Charlie's transformation took place in front of me. He was sturdier, smoother, paler now. The scent of morphine was becoming fainter.
A shrill cellphone ringing downstairs startled me. Edward picked up and was met with Jacob's frantic voice. I was too far away to hear, but I caught my daughter's name. Had something happened at home? With a single torn look at Charlie, I darted downstairs.
"Jacob, calm down, explain," Edward's voice was hard. I leaned in to listen.
"Jules and Nessie were home alone!" Jacob yelled. "They were playing, Nessie bit Jules on accident, now something's really wrong with her!"
"What do you mean?" Edward's voice was close to ice. "CARLISLE!"
"We came in and she was on the floor - she's got a fever, she's completely out of it and shaking. This has never happened before, I don't know what to do!" Jake sounded absolutely frantic.
"We're coming, call if anything changes," Edward spoke quickly before slamming the phone shut. Carlisle had just arrived in the room.
"Stay with Charlie, love!" Edward called to me as he and Carlisle sprinted from the house. I threw up my hands in defeat. My daughter was in a crisis and he just expected me to stay with Charlie? On the other hand, Nessie would have Edward and Charlie would need me.
I couldn't sit still as I waited for information.
Juliet POV
Featherlight hands touched my body. They felt like sweet, soft kisses. I was filled with light, bright light. I could feel it inside me. I scratched at my skin, trying to show the light and let it free. The hands held me down.
Water pushed through my veins. My lungs expanded, contracted, comically huge and then small. What was happening to me? My skin felt like it was burning, my insides twisting and bubbling. Angel voices called to me from afar. One stood out more than the rest, a deep silky voice, full of kindness, full of childlike passion.
I knew that voice. It was the voice I would have followed gladly into death. The voice jarred me back into reality.
I was in pain - and a lot of it. My insides were dissolving or something equally horrifying.
"Seth!" I tried to call out. My throat was filled with something, although I could breathe. I tried hard to focus on the voices surrounding me. I could understand them now, they were my family.
Jacob, Nessie, and Seth. All talking at once, mostly shouting.
"S-Seth!" I choked out over the rapid swell and ebb of my throat. "I'm scared!"
Did this have anything to do with Nessie biting me? Was I allergic to hybrid saliva or something?
"Carlisle's coming, Juliet," Seth said. He sounded hoarse, or maybe that was because my eardrums were collapsing and reconstructing. "Carlisle's coming and he's gonna fix you up."
I held on to the hope that Seth's voice gave me, but it really felt like I was dying. For sure something wacky was going on with my insides. Like, incredibly wacky. My veins had turned to water and my insides to mush. I really hoped I wasn't dying. That would royally bite.
Carlisle POV
"Almost to Silverton!" Edward pointed out some landmarks. I nodded, leaning forward, willing my body to run faster. I had to be faster - my daughter could be dying in the arms of her friends, waiting for me to get to her. I couldn't fail her - I couldn't fail my family. Not after all that we'd been through, not after promising her safety. I could not bear losing my daughter.
Just run faster, Carlisle! I snapped at myself. I saw the lights of Silverton approaching. Keep going, keep moving, don't slow down now. We would get through this.
We had to.
Jake POV
Renesmee was in full freakin' meltdown mode. I was attempting to perform some basic first aid on my best friend's girlfriend, not to mention my imprint's best friend. Nessie's meltdown was really distracting me though. Man, if I screwed this up and Juliet died, everyone would be majorly pissed.
Yeah, just keep cracking jokes, Jacob. Whatever eases the pressure. From what I could tell, Juliet's throat wasn't blocked, but she was struggling to breathe. I took another look, harder this time. It was weirdly flexing,opening and closing. Her muscles seemed to shift and harden underneath me, solid one moment and soft the next. She was rapidly losing color - not just in her face, in her whole body from what I could see.
I wasn't stupid. I had gotten basic tutoring from Doc Vamp. I probably should stop calling him that. Anyways, Carlisle was giving me lessons on the side. After my life stops being so damn crazy - for example, when I graduate highschool again and Nessie's all grown up, I'm going to study to be an EMT or a nurse. So that people like my mom don't die and kids like me don't grow up without a parent. That sorta thing.
Anyways, some seriously freaky crap was happening with the kid. She was starting to look even more like Renesmee - a million possibilities crossed my mind when I made that connection. Oh, hell no. Oh, fuck. Oh, god damn. No.
It made sense, if you thought about it. Her skin was trying to harden, when I placed pressure on her abdomen I could feel her organs changing. Or adapting. Even her facial structure was shifting before our eyes. I pressed my head to her writhing chest - it sounded like Nessie. I could smell vampire on her. Was that just because she spent all her time fraternizing with vampires, or was it something else?
Nessie wasn't supposed to have venom. There was only one person who had answers for me. Nahuel. I didn't particularly like the kid, but if it would help us, I could swallow my pride.
"Renesmee, honey, go to Carlisle's office. Look through his phone book, whatever you can. Find Nahuel or Huilen's contact information. Can you do that for me?" I kept my voice calm and level while monitoring Juliet, who we had propped on the couch.
"Why?!" Nessie asked.
"Just go!" I told her. She nodded and was gone in a flash. Upstairs, I could hear books hitting the floor as she clumsily searched Carlisle's desk. I turned my attention to Seth. The boy was a wreck, with red puffy eyes and a wild look on his face. I'd be the same way if Nessie was in Juliet's position. That wasn't to say I wasn't worried about Juliet - she was one of my closest friends and my stomach was sick. I was just pushing it down so that I could give her the care she needed.
"Seth, I need you to go into the kitchen and get a glass of water and bring it here, okay?" I asked evenly.
"I don't wanna leave her," Seth shook his head. "Don't make me leave. Please."
"Hey, Seth? I've got her. I'm not gonna let her die, and Carlisle's gonna be here any second. I need you to do that for me now," I told him, staying firm. Seth got up and jogged to the kitchen. Hopefully the movement and activity would help clear his mind, but eventually I would have nothing left to keep him busy.
"Dammit, Doc, hurry up," I grunted, listening to Juliet's heart. It was starting to mimic Nessie's almost perfectly in tempo.
"Seth?" Juliet asked weakly, eyelids fluttering.
"It's me, Jacob," I told her with a grin. "He's playing nurse at the moment."
"Hiya, Jake," she tried to shift. I held her down gently.
"Stay still, hon. Are you in pain?"
Her eyebrows furrowed and she nodded. "I'm really sore from the inside out. It's like my… organs are…"
"You don't have to talk if it hurts," I told her. "Can you breathe, yes or no?"
"Kinda," she took a deep, shunted breath.
"Can you tell me how it felt after you got bit?"
"Tingled -" Deep breath. "Then hurt. Where's -" Deep breath. "Nes'mee?"
"Upstairs running errands," I told her. "Now, save your breath."
Seth came in as Juliet closed her eyes again. He set the water down on the coffee table and resumed his crouch by her head. He was afraid to touch her. I smiled at him.
"It's gonna be okay, man," I told him. "I have theories, and I'm about ninety percent sure she's definitely not going to die."
"Really, Jake?" Seth glared. "Not funny."
"Not a joke."
"You know what's wrong with her?" His voice broke. His eyes were helpless as he stared down at her. Here was a girl who had a lot going on for her, a boy who'd never let her go, a family that actually cared for her. It would really suck if she bit the dust right after getting what she wanted.
"I won't know till Carlisle gets here," I looked at my watch for the fifth time. Where was the guy?
"We're here!" Edward burst into the room.
"Quickly brief us on the situation," Carlisle's voice was all business. He was in doctor mode, not dad mode.
"Juliet started to experience an odd tingling sensation after Nessie's bite. She then fell and was unresponsive until a few moments ago. Her skin keeps fluctuating between hard and soft, her organs are oddly pulsing and her heartbeat is going at a similar tempo to Nessie, steadily increasing but not going higher than Nessie's average BPM. Her facial structure undergoing slight changes, entire body steadily losing complexion," I ranted as Carlisle listened to Juliet's hard, felt her skin and placed pressure on her abdomen.
"Good work, Jacob," Carlisle said. He closed his eyes and inhaled.
"Her scent is starting to mimic Renesmee's. What's your theory, son?"
"I think there's something we've yet to learn about hybrids," I told him. "I think Juliet is changing into something. Nessie's venom was likely never strong enough to impact me. I sent Nessie to your office, she's looking for a way to contact our friend Nahuel."
"Ahh, Nahuel," Carlisle mused. "Yes, I have his cellphone number. Watch Juliet, I'll call Nahuel. Edward, console your children, please."
Seth was sitting on the floor looking shellshocked. Nessie had just come from Carlisle's office, her hair wild in all directions and tears on her face.
"I couldn't find anything!" She wailed.
"It's alright, Renesmee, Carlisle has it handled," Edward scooped her up into a hug. "Juliet's going to be just fine, love."
While Edward was sitting with Seth and Renesmee, Carlisle called a number. After a few moments, he spoke.
"Hello, Nahuel, it's Carlisle. Yes, it has been a while. I'm fine, how are you?" Carlisle made small talk for a moment. "Listen, Nahuel, we have a situation here. Renesmee was playing with our sixteen year old human daughter and bit her by accident. She's very ill now - not Renesmee, calm down, my daughter is ill. Yes, her temperature and heartbeat are above average and she has organ pains. Yes. I see - Nahuel, I'm wondering, why didn't you contact me as soon as you knew? Yes, well the damage is done. Is there anything else I should know? I see. Uh-huh. We'll be in touch. Thank you, goodbye."
Carlisle's face was enraged when he hung up the phone.
"What, what is it?" I pressed.
"Nahuel and his sisters discovered that hybrids can be created," Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose. "For some reason, female hybrids can only change human females. If I was a geneticist I could study a venom sample… nevermind that. Juliet's going through a very painful change, she'll have a rough night and a stressful road ahead of her."
"She's going to live, Carlisle? For sure?" Seth piped up from the floor, tears streaming down his face.
"Yes, Seth, she's going to live for sure," Carlisle sighed with relief. "She'll reach full growth like Nessie and then hopefully stop - but I'm not taking any chances. Weekly checkups for her for the next hundred years. God, I feel like I've just aged a decade."
"We all feel that way," I sighed. "Scared the crap outta me."
"When will she wake up?" Seth asked as Juliet flinched on the couch.
"Likely some time later tonight," Carlisle said. "We'll have to keep a close watch, comfort her when she's conscious. I'll excuse myself now to call everyone back in Forks, get an update on Charlie and let them know the news. Edward, if you would be so kind…"
"I'll call Rose and Emmett," Edward confirmed, pulling out his cellphone. "They won't be so happy."
The two vamps disappeared to make their phone calls. Nessie stood shakily, like a baby deer, and made her way over to where Juliet was. She sat down numbly.
"You did a good job, Jacob," she whispered. I tucked her into my side, kissing the top of her head. When would it quit? All this crazy stuff going on in our lives. We had five quiet years, now everything was upside down. Charlie was gonna be a freakin' Dracula, for Pete's sake.
"Yeah, guess so," I said. We watched Juliet in silence for several long moments.
"Is she going to hate me?" Nessie suddenly burst like a dam. Once she started, she couldn't be stopped. "We were just playing, I was only gonna pretend! I swear it was an accident, but now her whole life is changed! She was supposed to have a choice - is Carlisle going to hate me? Ohmigod, Esme, even? I can't believe I did that! How could I have done that?! I am a monster… I really am a monster, aren't I?"
"Stop, Nessie, shush," I scooped her onto my lap. "Stop it. You're having a know Juliet loves you more than anything, you're a sister to her. She'll understand. Even if it takes a little time - and nobody else will hate you. Right, Seth?"
"Of course," Seth furrowed his brow. "Ness, s'fine. No one's gonna be mad."
Tears continued to fill Nessie's eyes, but she fell silent.
Juliet POV
I was dying, and that was a certain thing. I could only see stars falling under my heavy eyelids. I couldn't hear a thing.
I thought of the people I loved, Seth, Renesmee, my parents, Jacob, my other siblings. I saw their beautiful faces, but I couldn't hold on.
I was back in my mom's bedroom. Erica was tugging on my tiny arm, yanking me away. Blood stained my hands - was I bleeding? My mom laid there, blood replacing her pretty features. An unidentified man next to her.
I saw flashing police lights. I saw the insides of unfamiliar homes, heard slammed doors. I felt my weak, childish hands let go of her for the last time as my sister was dragged away. My head hit concrete, once or twice. Hands that were supposed to bring kindness only brought pain. I suffered it, I took it. I took it and I waded through it towards the light of every single sunset.
I made it. I made it to the very last sunset. Nessie loomed over me, face lit with laughter. Her lips grazing my throat as the room turned orange, streaked from the sun dropping behind the trees. I closed my eyes and fell backwards into death.
Okay, ouch. Wasn't this supposed to be easy? Well, it hurt, and it was loud. I opened my eyes to tell Death to quiet down. My eyes met two familiar dark ones.
"Seth?" I asked. "What are you doing h-ouch!"
"Jules, you're awake!" He cried. Why was Seth crying?! Oh, I was supposed to be dying. But I couldn't remember why. Come to think of it, I didn't really feel like it. All I could see was Seth's beautiful face hovering over mine.
"Hey, I love you," I told him. His eyes widened.
"I love you, Juliet," a dorky grin lit up his face. Okay, now we've established that. I winked at him and turned my face. A very nervous pair of chocolate brown eyes met mine.
"Okay, hi, Ness," I groaned. Why was everyone so damn close to my face?
"Juliet, I'm so sorry, I-" Nessie babbled.
"Can we not crowd my patient?" Carlisle asked dryly. My friends skittered away. "How are you feeling, Juliet?"
"Uh," I squinted. "Not great, Dad. Okay, I'm starting to feel better, but weird."
"Any pain here?" He asked, putting pressure on my abdomen. My skin felt different. Less vulnerable. Jesus, I was a tank. But why?
"No, no pain," I looked down at myself. I was less tan than I was this morning, more like cream. My head felt clear, everything had a scent and a sound and a sight. I could see everything.
"Okay, okay," I sat up fully now. "Someone better tell me what in the Hell went down here because my body is doing all sorts of freaky crap!"
Nessie POV
Juliet was handling the news better than expected. Once we explained how it was possible and unintentional, she turned to me with tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," I cast my eyes to the floor.
Juliet POV
"Are you freaking kidding me right now, Renesmee Carlie Cullen?!" Juliet raised her voice. "Don't you see?! You've given me everything I could have wanted. I get immortality. I get to keep my human side, Renesmee. I can stay with Seth. You're my freaking hero, Ness! Christ on a cross, I could KISS you right now!"
"You aren't… mad?" She peeked at me hopefully. I shook my head, throwing my arms open wide. Nessie threw herself into them. She didn't feel as hot as she used to feel. We were the same temperature now. She smelled like herself but with a sweeter edge. Upon further exploration, Seth and Jake both smelled a little dusky and woody, but not bad. Carlisle smelled like he usually did, but with Nessie's sweet edge multiplied. Interesting.
Carlisle kept trying to explain the doctor stuff to me, but Rosalie poured into the room with Emmett hot on her heels. It took half an hour to get them to relax and stop freaking out over me. Then my dad was able to explain that he wasn't sure what kind of crazy side effects could happen, so I'd have to have a full checkup every week for, like, the next million years.
Then comes the question of the Volturi. We don't want to let them know that we have the ability to create hybrids. That's just a huge 'no' as far as we're concerned.
We decided to take things one day at a time. After all - we had forever.