I watched with a slight grimace as he grabbed the bull elk by the throat and started tearing away chunks of the warm meat. My 7th birthday was in a week and I still preferred the taste of human blood to animal, though I knew that it was wrong morally. My parents had stopped giving me donor blood around my first birthday, telling me that it was for my own good that I get used to animal blood. I would be living off of it for the rest of my life since I still didn't particularly like human food.
Jacob turned to look at me and the expression in his eyes said, Why aren't you hunting? With a huff, I turned away from him and ran after the cows that had sprinted into the forest. It only took me a few seconds to catch up to them and take down the biggest one. I closed my eyes as I let my razor-sharp teeth sink into the main artery in her neck and drank my fill.
Not completely satisfied, but full nonetheless, I dropped the limp body and ran back to where Jacob was waiting in his human form. He did like human food, but hunted with me to make it easier on me. As I ran up to him, he put out his hand for me to take and we took off back towards the house. His grip tightened for an instant before he let go so that he could run through the river as I jumped over it. Even his wolf abilities didn't allow him to jump that far of a distance. We reached the other side at the same time and clasped our hands again as we walked towards the back door.
My aunt Alice was waiting for us, positively bubbling with excitement. Her golden eyes sparkled as she jumped up and down, making her short black hair bounce. She was so glad that I didn't have my mother's aversion to parties.
"So, I was thinking, since the weather is going to be perfect next weekend, we should throw the party outside, just like your parents' wedding. What do you think?" she asked with a huge grin on her face.
"That sounds wonderful, Alice! Mom and Dad will love it, too. I know how much Mom loved the wedding," I said with a similar grin. "Maybe it will make the wolves more comfortable with the smell too," I added, squeezing Jacob's hand tighter and smiling at him.
He nodded in agreement as his black eyes gazed into mine adoringly. I never tired of his loving gaze, even after seeing it my whole life. It had changed about a year ago, when I returned it with a new passion. I had finally matured enough for our love to change into something romantic. Until that point, he looked at me with the love of a friend. Once my body matched my mind - and I realized that fact – we had moved our relationship to the next level.
My parents had not been entirely pleased, even though they had accepted Jacob's imprinting shortly after my birth. I think my mother especially wanted me to be her little Renesmee for a little while longer. But she could hardly be upset when my body looked the same age as hers and my mind was far more advanced than my short years.
I never tired of hearing the story of how my parents met – especially when Jacob became involved in the story. My mother had told me about their history and it didn't bother me in the slightest. Both she and Jacob had told me many times that their story couldn't have been any different because it may have affected me. If Jacob hadn't felt so protective of my mother, the wolves may have come to kill her and the rest of my family before I had a chance to be born. And then I would have never met my Jacob.
My mother's voice from the living room brought me out of my memories. "Renesmee? Jacob? Could you come in here for a minute?"
We walked through the kitchen and entered the living room, where my parents were seated on the white sofa. The rest of my family was spaced out around the large room, looking intently at us. Alice, who had followed us in, skipped gracefully over to the chair that Jasper was seated in and plopped on his lap.
After I glanced at all their faces, my eyes returned to my mother's. Her eyes didn't have the usual sparkle in them, though she was smiling. I moved my eyes to my father's face and he had a similar expression. My smile faltered. Several bad thoughts entered my mind and my father was quick to reassure me. "Nothing bad has happened, we just have some news."
I released the breath that I didn't realize I'd been holding, glanced at Jacob once more and then back to my parents. "Then what is going on?" I said through clenched teeth.
My mom let out a sigh before finally speaking. "The family has decided that it is time we move on. Carlisle can no longer work at the hospital and the rest of us cannot be seen in public without raising suspicions."
My immediate thought was Jacob and I gripped his hand a little tighter. "But why now? Our life is so perfect here. What about Grandpa Charlie and Sue and the rest of the pack?!" My voice got higher as I spoke. I could feel my heart racing and I knew that they all heard it. "What about Jacob?" I added in a whisper.
"I have secured a job at a hospital in Oregon. We won't be far and you can come back anytime to visit Charlie and Sue. If Jacob wishes – and feels comfortable moving away from the pack – he is more than welcome to come with us," Carlisle answered me. His smile was genuine because he knew all too well that moving was necessary. This was the longest they had ever stayed in one place and he hadn't been working at the hospital for five years now.
I knew they had stayed because of me.
I tried to wrap my head around the concept of moving away from the only home I'd ever known. I couldn't picture it. I thought of the cottage, the beach down at La Push, Grandpa Charlie's house, shopping in Port Angeles with Aunt Alice, the big house that we were in now.
"We will still keep all our property here Nessie, and we can come back in a few years when people here have forgotten about us," my father said, interrupting my thoughts.
I looked at Jacob again and his face gave me a little bit more confidence. I touched my free hand to his face. Is this okay with you? He gave me a big smile and squeezed the hand he was holding.
"I will go anywhere, as long as I get to be with you," he reassured me.
I smiled at that, a feeling of calm coming over me. If we were together, everything would be alright. Still looking at Jacob, I spoke to my parents. "Can we go back to the cottage and talk about this more, just the four of us?"
"Of course. I'm sure you have many questions for us," my mother answered. My heart barely had time to beat once before they were at my side. I turned to the rest of my family – Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice – and gave them a smile.
"I appreciate that you all stayed here so long for me."
"It was no problem my dear, we love it here just as much as you do," my grandmother answered. "We all wanted to give you the happiest childhood you could have."
I grinned wide in response to her words, because it had been a very happy childhood. And I was suddenly grateful that I had grown up so fast so that I could spend all of that time here in Forks. A squeeze on my hand regained my attention and I followed Jacob out through the kitchen, my parents right behind us.
We arrived at the cottage a few moments later and all took our seats in the small living room. We sat in silence for a few minutes until I finally spoke. "Where exactly are we moving too? How far away is it? Does this mean I have to go to school now? Is Jacob going to live with us?" The questions spilled out so fast that a normal person wouldn't have understood them. I knew that my vampire parents and my werewolf soulmate heard every word.
My father was the one to answer. "Carlisle got a job in Newport, Oregon. It's on the coast and is surrounded by forest. By conventional driving speeds, it's about 6 ½ hours. We can obviously make it in less. The rest of the family agreed that we will be able to stay there longer if we all enter school. Jacob is more than welcome to live with us. Any more questions?"
"Actually, I have one thing to add," my mother said as she took my father's hand. She glanced at him and seemed to be asking a silent question. She had improved her shield so that she could project it easily, allowing him to hear her thoughts. He nodded in response and then she spoke again. "I think now is the perfect time to give you your birthday present, even if it is a week early. "
I looked at her quizzically, wondering what my birthday present could have to do with moving.
"We have decided that, should he choose to come with us, we will allow you and Jacob to live together. Even though you are only seven, we know that you are fully mature and can make your own decisions." She smiled wider and in her eyes I saw her blessing for us to be together. "We would also like to give you some privacy, so the family has purchased a rather large beach house that also has a guest house. We are giving you and Jacob the guest house."
I had not been expecting that at all. I turned to Jacob and he looked as stunned as I felt. As much as I loved him and wanted to spend every waking minute with him, I had never really thought about living with him. As the thought of the gift sunk in, I wondered why I hadn't. I loved living at the cottage with my parents. It was home, as was the big house where the rest of the family lived. But I also loved Jacob and missed him terribly when I lay in bed at night. As I thought about it, my mind began to wander. Our relationship had progressed to the romantic level, but it had not progressed that far. Suddenly, I remembered my father in the room and that he could hear my every thought. I quickly dismissed my daydreams, but he still glanced at me with a look that said it was okay.
"I don't know what to say. Thank you. So much. I truly was not expecting a house…" I couldn't think straight anymore. I really wanted to run over to my mother and touch her cheek so I could tell her all the things that I couldn't put into words. So I did. She didn't seem startled at all when I crouched in front of her and put my hand to her face, even though I rarely used this form of communication anymore. This is exactly what I didn't even know I wanted. It is the perfect gift. And then I just showed her the happiest images from my life. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into my hand, enjoying my memories – seeing her for the first time, seeing Jacob for the first time, being reunited after her transformation was complete, the feeling I had once we knew we were safe from the Volturi, my first birthday with my family, spending Christmas' with Grandpa Charlie, quiet evenings in the cottage, seeing Jacob with a new love in my heart. My father looked on, seeing everything I was showing her. I slowly lowered my hand and she opened her eyes.
"You are very welcome, my love," she replied. She turned her face to my father and I dropped my hand. I stayed crouched in front of her, wanting to be close to my parents.
It was my father's turn to speak. "Now that the surprise is out, we need to discuss details." I stood up and returned to Jacob's side so that he could speak. "We chose Newport for many reasons. It has an excellent hospital and they welcomed Carlisle with open arms. It is surrounded by forest so we will have abundant food sources. It is also a bit larger, so the school will be more populated. Now that there will be eight of us, we couldn't blend in as well at a smaller school."
My mother's sudden laughter distracted us all. She looked at my father still laughing and said, "When did you five ever blend in at Forks High School?!" None of us could help laughing along with her. I hadn't been out in public that much, especially in Forks, but I was always aware of the looks I got.
We laughed a bit longer and after we finally quieted down, he continued. "As I was saying, it will be easier to blend in at a larger school. Especially since we will be four couples. Humans will think it is a little odd when all the adopted teenagers are paired up."
I nodded in agreement, still sad about the idea of leaving but excited for a change. It was true that the last seven years had been amazingly happy, but deep down I had always known that it couldn't last. When you had a group of ten people that didn't age, it became a little suspicious. Even though we didn't need to go into town that often, it wasn't practical to hide at the house all the time.
"Our plan is to have Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper start as sophomores and the four of us and Alice as freshman. Rosalie and Jasper will pose as twins again and we can't deny yours and my resemblance, so we will be twins as well. We don't usually start so young, but we all agreed that we wanted your first high school experience to be as complete as possible. Plus, Jacob has yet to finish school and could probably use the extra couple of years to refresh his memory." My father shot a huge grin at Jacob and could barely control the urge to chuckle.
"Yeah, because I need more schooling so I can get a good job when I grow up," he said sarcastically. "I'm just going to live off you guys forever anyways." His bright grin was genuine and I knew he took no offense from my dad's joke. Their friendship was stronger than ever because Jacob made me happy and that was all that mattered to my father.
"And don't forget that even though this will be my second time through high school, it will be my first as a vampire," my mother said. "I will be just as nervous as you."
I thought about that for a moment before I responded. "I really don't think I'll be nervous. I'm actually kind of excited to finally go to school. When I was younger, I knew I couldn't because I aged too fast. Plus, elementary school would have been quite boring for me. The idea of high school is really quite thrilling." My smile was so big that it hurt my face. I was really excited about the move.
"I'm glad to hear that. I truly have no doubts that you will love it, at least the first time," my father said. "We just have a few more details and then you and Jacob can enjoy the rest of the evening. The house down there is already furnished, except for the guest house. We wanted you two to pick out your own things so it would feel more personal. We will leave everything here so that we can easily come back anytime. School has already started in Newport, so we will be missing the first few weeks of the semester. We would have left sooner, but we wanted you to have one last birthday here with your family and friends. We know that you have been looking forward to this particular birthday for a long time. Plus, we couldn't keep Alice from throwing one last Forks party at the Cullen house."
I had to laugh because the thought of my aunt not getting her way when it came to this party was so hilarious. Ever since Nahuel – the South American half immortal who had come to our rescue - had told the Volturi that he was fully matured by his seventh birthday, the whole family had been anticipating this year. It was also my mother's seventh year as a vampire and we celebrated our "birthdays" together every year. Alice always threw a huge party, more for me than my mother, who still disliked being the center of attention.
"Come on Jacob, let's go for a walk." I stood up and tugged on his hand. He was looking at my father and I could tell he was talking to him.
"Since we are all supposed to be adopted and not related, except for Jasper and Rosalie and Nessie and myself, we don't foresee a problem. It may actually help us blend in more if all eight of us aren't pale white with golden eyes."
Ah, he was asking how he fit into the plan of being the Cullen's adopted son. I'm different too, don't worry. He turned his gaze to me and answered my thought with a smile.
"Yes, let's go for a walk. We have a lot to talk about."
I led the way out the door and we headed west, going nowhere in particular. I waited to speak until we were out of my parents' hearing range. "Is this all ok with you? I really don't want to take you away from your dad or the pack."
"I told you earlier, as long as I'm with you I will be happy. It really isn't that far and I will still be able to communicate with the pack when necessary. My dad will be fine, too. He loves you almost as much as I do and Charlie, Sue and Rachel will look after him. I honestly think I'm just as excited as you are about the prospect of change. I'm looking forward to being a normal couple out in public. We really haven't had the chance for that here."
"I know, it will be a welcome change to not have to hide anymore." We kept walking as I thought about my next question. I was embarrassed to ask it, but not really sure why. I used my other way of talking with Jacob much more because we were usually touching, so I decided it would be easier to voice my question that way. I wasn't sure if I could even say it out loud anyways.
What about the living together? Are you nervous about that at all? I mean, we've never really discussed our relationship in that way… I let my train of thought end, my face flushing a bright crimson.
His laugh surprised me. "Ness, I love you. Living with you will be a dream come true but I will not pressure you at all to do anything you aren't ready for. Did you think I would be expecting sex the minute we moved in?" Still laughing. I didn't like it.
Well…yeah. You've waited a long time for me. I kind of figured that was what you first thought about when they told us.
I hadn't been looking at him during this conversation so I was shocked when he pulled me to a stop. I made myself look in his eyes and I saw a flash of anger, followed by shock.
"Renesmee Cullen, is that really what you think?" Great, I'd hurt his feelings.
I reached my free hand up to cup his cheek. I love you. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn't mean anything by it, I just know that I've thought about it and I figured that you had too.
"You have? Really? I had no idea, why didn't you ever bring it up?"
How do you bring up something like that? I was embarrassed.
"That is nothing to be embarrassed about. You have the body of a teenage girl and the mind of someone much older. I have the mind and body of a 20-something man who also happens to be a virgin. Of course we both think about it. I just want you to be ready."
His reassurances flooded me with relief, but there was also a hint of desire entering my mind. I tried to push it aside because I knew that I wasn't quite ready. Not able to fully squash it, I stood on my tiptoes and my lips met his. He dropped my hand and brought both of his to my cheeks. I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled him closer. Our lips parted and our tongues met. We kissed passionately for a few more seconds and then he pulled away slightly and lightly brushed his lips against mine.
He moved his mouth to my ear and his breath tickled as he whispered, "I love you Renesmee. And I will wait as long as you want."
I smiled and pulled his lips back to mine, my desire not fully satisfied.
