Chapter 2 STALKING
Stalking
For the rest of the week, Charlie went up to the haunting music tower, and became more comfortable around Mr. Cullen. He never went by the window on sunny days…which were rare this year. He hardly went down for lunch. He stiffened whenever Charlie came in, and like Charlie, Edward wished the week would end. He wanted to go see his daughter. And now that he thought about it, maybe he could get her to go to the school.
He marched into Mr. Bloor's office.
"Ah, Edward, sit, sit!" Mr. Bloor exclaimed, pulling out an extravagant chair. Edward sat uncomfortably.
"Anything you want? Champagne, wine?" Mr. Bloor offered. Edward shook his head.
"I wish to enroll my…my niece here," Edward began, noticing how the room smelled musty and old. He picked up a faint scent of longing…but it was very faint. Edward did not like the school so much anymore. Every endowed person smelled…well, they smelled fantastic, just as Bella had smelled that first day…even though he was far stronger than any vampire could have imagined, it was still difficult, especially with Charlie Bone.
"Ah, you do? What talent does she have?" Mr. Bloor leaned in, excited. He knew that there was something up with Mr. Cullen. He must be endowed.
"Well, I expect she'd love to be in art, frankly, but she also has a gift," Edward explained.
"And what is that?" Mr. Bloor asked excitedly.
"I do not wish to share it, but when she makes physical contact with people, she hands over her thoughts. She always wears gloves and long sleeved shirts and jeans. My niece also cannot go out into the sunlight. She may go out on a cloudy day however. The sun makes her…feel ill," Edward said. It was bad enough calling her a niece. Of course Nessie was his daughter. He had no trouble lying however, and his rich velvet voice gave him an advantage to persuasion.
"Of course, of course, Edward. And what is her name?" Mr. Bloor asked.
"Renesme Cullen."
"Fabulous. We shall make arrangements at once. She can attend on Monday."
"Thank you, Horace." Edward bowed his head respectfully. Renesme would find it okay here. Edward was about to leave when he turned.
"Oh yes…and if she wants to go outside at night, let her," Edward nodded, knowing she would have to hunt. "She can come outside with me at night."
"Of course, Edward, of course," Mr. Bloor said, ecstatic that another endowed child was attending.
Charlie hopped on the bus to home, well, really to Uncle Paton's home. They didn't like changing bus routes and Charlie was happy to bind into the door.
"Uncle Paton!" Charlie called, turning off the hallway light. Ms. Ingledew walked into the hall. Of course, she was Mrs. Yewbeam now, but Charlie couldn't bring herself to call her Yewbeam.
"Ah, Charlie, your Uncle is in his room," she nodded to the stairs.
"Thanks!" Charlie said, and he ran upstairs and knocked on his Uncle's door.
"Come in, Charlie!" Uncle Paton cried.
Uncle Paton was sitting on his bed now, and Charlie rushed over to him, jumping over his books and papers. Paton scooted over and Charlie sat down.
"Uncle, that piano teacher, he is Edward Cullen, your neighbor!" Charlie said.
"Interesting Charlie…I have something far more interesting," Paton said.
"What is it?"
"I met Edward's wife and daughter on a midnight stroll, she is most extraordinary, and his daughter is…hmm, thirteen?" Paton said, jumping off the bed to pace.
"Thirteen? Uncle, Mr. Cullen is hardly twenty at the most," Charlie said, confused.
"Exactly, Charlie. He is a vampire," Paton exclaimed.
Charlie stood, his mouth open wide. "I've been learning…piano…with a vampire this entire week?!"
"Yes, but he is good, and so is his wife. They find endowed people very tempting though, and dear Bella, his wife, told me their whole story."
Charlie listened in fascination how Edward had fallen in love with a human girl, Bella, and they faced so many struggles and endurances until they finished high school together and then they got married. Unexpectedly, they had a child, who grew at an incredible rate in just one short year. Bella also became a vampire, and she had the power to make a shield.
"And Charlie, they came all the way from America," Paton said, shaking his head. "They thought all this strange activity and murders and deaths were vampires…but now even though they didn't find a vampire they are being stalked. Someone followed them,"
"That's terrible," Charlie cried.
"Indeed. Sunday, at the Pets' Café, you must tell your friends," Paton said firmly.
"But don't they want to keep their existence a secret? I didn't even know vampires existed!" Charlie told him.
"Of course, but we won't spread it across the entire world, and Bella said it would be fine," Paton assured him. They glanced across the street at the Cullen's place.
"Bella, you told our secret?" Edward growled, more upset than angry. How could he be angry at Bella?
"Edward, Paton Yewbeam is really a fine man, and you said Charlie told you himself!" Bella cried. She found it hard saying Charlie out loud, after all, her father was a Charlie, and she didn't call her father Dad.
"Yes, but…but…" Edward spluttered.
"Really, it'll be fine," Alice growled from the couch, trying to read her book.
"Alice, can you…?"
"No, I can't. It's the most frustrating thing in the world," Alice cried. "I thought I'd had enough of it with Jacob, but twelve endowed children, not including adults? And my sense of predictions is just fine without my talent, thanks a lot."
The weekend passed uneventfully. Jasper was nearly always out for some odd reason. Jasper always came home "exhausted", and he snapped at anyone who bothered him, including Alice.
"Jasper, quit it, this isn't like you!" Alice wailed.
"I'm just…tense, that all. There's a lot of it around," Jasper, said, throwing his hands all around.
"A fine excuse," Alice mumbled.
Soon the weekend was over, as Edward and Renesme prepared themselves for a week at Bloor's, and while Jasper headed out.
"Did you see the new girl?"
"She's an awful lot like her uncle, Mr. Cullen."
"She's gorgeous."
Those were the whispers that tailed Charlie.
They always asked him what it was like working with Mr. Cullen, the handsome man that girls always giggled around. Joshua Tilpin was also mighty smug about something.
Renesme wandered the grounds, often in her own world. So many children smelled so good and tempting, and she was sad that on sunny days she couldn't go outside. She remembered the meadow that her parents had shown her back in Forks. She longed to stay there.
Her teachers were exceedingly nice and so were the students. At dinner a boy came up to her and asked if she'd go out with him.
"No thank you," Renesme declined, thinking longingly of Jacob back at home. He was several years older than her but she loved him so…after all, Jacob had imprinted on her.
Another boy came up to her soon. She gave him a glare with her warm chocolate brown eyes.
"No, I am not going to date you," she said irritably.
"Please, I wasn't going to ask you that," he said nervously. She noticed he was wearing a blue cape and wasn't supposed to be over here.
"Then what is it?"
"Do you know your way to the King's Room? I'll escort you there," he offered. Renesme looked at him for a moment. Then she realized who he was.
"You're Charlie Bone, Paton's nephew," she said with wide eyes. Charlie nodded eagerly.
"Ah. Well then Charlie, I accept…do you have a nickname? It's rather unnerving to call you Charlie. My grandfather's name is Charlie." Renesme said.
"Oh…um, not really. You do know that…that I know that you're a…a.." Charlie stuttered. This girl could kill him any minute, and from what Uncle Paton told him, she could easily kill everyone in this room.
"Yes, I do," Renesme hushed him, hurrying back to her seat. She didn't want Charlie to say it out loud…someone might overhear him.
After dinner Charlie waited outside the three cafeterias' for Renesme. She came up to him in her brilliant green cape and she turned to see her father walking out of the cafeteria. Edward turned and gave her a wink, then he stared at Charlie for a moment before walking away.
"He's not…going to…like give me a talk or anything, is he?" Charlie asked nervously.
"No, I have a lover at home," Renesme said calmly. She turned to Charlie for a moment, and then turned away.
"Sit next to me in the King's room and let me show you something…I assume you know what I can do?" Renesme said quietly.
"Yes," Charlie replied.
"Good. I want to do it there…it can be a shock the first time and I want you focused on your homework. If they suspect anything I'll give you heads up through my thoughts and let go…I can handle it," Renesme said.
"Of course," Charlie murmured. Renesme was so beautiful, despite her being a vampire…ish. Well, she was a strange hybrid, however she could still kill him and was incredibly strong. Her bronze girls, pale porcelain face and deep brown eyes were her best features. Her voice was a melody in of itself, and Edward was such a wonderful piano player. Charlie distantly wondered what her mother was like.
They entered the King's Room. The twins looked up with their cold telekinetic eyes. Joshua Tilpin gave a horrible smile to Renesme, which she knew well enough to avoid. Manfred glared, sweating and hot with his blazing power. Asa didn't look up.
The others greeted Renesme warmly, while she took her seat. Charlie distantly wanted to laugh. What a disappointment to the Bloor family. They thought they had gained another endowed child, but really they had gained something totally lethal. The twins glared at Renesme being so close to Charlie, and scattered her papers and books. What a mistake.
Renesme hissed and spat, her features horribly deluded by a monstrous look. She bent low, growling and hissing. Slowly enough she regained herself and put her books back in place…the twins were horrified, a look that suited them nicely.
Renesme glanced at Charlie's pale face, and smiled smugly. She took off one of her gloves, and put her hand very close to Charlie's looking at everyone in the room. The twins watched her and so did Manfred, Emma and Gabriel.
Renesme placed her hand upon Charlie's while he braced himself, staring fixedly on the homework page, scribbling things out.
He fought to restrain a gasp. His mind flooded with incredible senses…everything was so clear. Quite suddenly he was whisked away into another thought, of a wonderful home in the fall, with loving, caring people surrounding him. Being held in someone's arms…so many beautiful people…then snow and dozens of pale faced characters, and sense of fear crawled up Charlie's neck. Three cloaked figures with deep red eyes stared at him, giving him the creeps, and Charlie wanted to scream.
Charlie went through millions of scenes, but he noticed most of them involved a very, very tall, red skinned…man or boy? His hair was short and cropped and untidy and incredibly handsome. A burning love filled Charlie, but he knew it belonged to Renesme, and he listened while she explained a number of different thoughts. A huge, terrible wolf entered his mind, and Charlie finally screamed.
He was wrenched to the King's room, where everyone was staring at something just to his left, and then he turned to his left to face himself. No, it was Renesme looking at him, he realized as she let go and suddenly he was in his own senses.
"S-sorry," Charlie muttered. Renesme's hand hovered just a millimeter above his hand, like they were still holding hands. It would cause suspicion if she had let go suddenly…they'd think she had something to do with it.
"Well, Bone?" Manfred glared.
"S-sorry, I heard voices."
"Staring at the King's portrait again!" Manfred bellowed, shaking his head. "Get back to work!"
"Yes, sir," Charlie murmured, turning to his paper.
Renesme gently put her hand on his again, and Charlie was thrust into her world, as she calmly explained in her mind how the wolf was the tall boy. Her love. Charlie watched in fascination, until fifty minutes later Renesme showed the King's room, and she let go. Charlie was now in his own senses, but he realized that his homework was finished…
"Alright, go!" Manfred shouted.
Renesme tugged Charlie out and quietly explained, "I can control people when I touch them to…I did your homework for you."
"Thanks…" Charlie said, thoroughly confused.
"It'll leave you…dazzled," she smiled, giving him a heart wrenching smile and skipping away in the most graceful casual walking he'd ever seen. Bitterly Charlie thought how she already had a lover for life.
"Charlie, are you alright? You were all funny in there, when she was touching you, like you were hypnotized," Gabriel said to him.
"I wasn't, and her name is Renesme," Charlie reassured him.
"Renesme? That's a cool name."
"Renesme Cullen…" Charlie told him.
"Dang, you mean…"
"No, his niece," Charlie lied. He didn't want their secret let out.
"She's beautiful," Gabriel commented.
"But not available," Charlie sighed. "She won't stay for long, maybe a semester. Then she's going back to a place called Forks, Washington, in America. She's got a guy there."
"How do you know so much?" Gabriel asked.
"They're Uncle Paton's neighbors."
"Amazing…" Gabriel murmured.
"Truly amazing," Charlie sighed.
