Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 7
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Antony's Pov
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It was still dark outside when someone came in the room and pulled the covers from my bed. I grunted in frustration. I was on vacation for fucks sake. Why the hell did I have to wake up so fucking early? I looked up to saw Jake with a smug smile on his face.
"What the fuck Jake? Leave me alone!" I growled. I was getting pissed. That was one of my pet peeves. There was nothing more irritating than a morning person.
"Come on we got to get going. We have to meet Charlie early for breakfast before we head to the river," he said. As a wolf he just needed a couple of hours sleep 4 tops. Being Halflings we needed at least 5 or 6 hours.
"Jake it you want to live through today I suggest you get THE FUCK out the room." I was pissed and I could feel my temper building up.
"I would like to see you try that," he retorted with a smug smile on his face. With that, he spun on his heals and was out the door before me feet touched the ground. I climbed out of bed frustrated that I couldn't kill Jake for waking me up. Nessie will never forgive me.
I got my toiletries and made my way to the shower. After I was done I made my way to the room and got dressed. I wore a pair of shorts and T-shirt and headed to wake up the girls. To my surprise they weren't in the room. I walked down stairs to see where they were.
"Good morning sunshine."
I was greeted by my sisters who were sitting in the living room waiting for me. They came and gave me a kiss on my cheeks. I looked at them perplexed. They smiled at me sheepishly. I knew those smiles. They wanted something.
"Ok, what do you want?" I asked.
"Well….we wanted to ask……you something" Nessie stuttered out.
"Ok. Ask me then…" I said raising a brow at them.
"We wanted to ask if you could ride with Charlie to the river so we could spend some alone time with Jake and Seth?" Carlie unleash the full force of her puppy eyes on me. I was a goner. I could never refuse my sisters once the used those eyes on me.
"Sure why not? It's not like I have a choice do I?" I said in a tone which indicated that they got what they wanted.
"Come on load them up" Seth called from the door. I went outside to help Jake put the fishing equipment in the truck.
"Where is Billy?" I asked Jake. Billy always went fishing with Charlie. It was odd that he wasn't there.
"He went down to Sam's house. He will meet us at the river later," Jake replied.
"Alright then let's get going. I'm starving" Seth said showing his impatience.
"Nessie, Carlie come on. We're going to Pops' for breakfast." I called but before I finished they were at my side.
"Let's go, what are we waiting for?" they said in unison. We got in the truck and started driving. I decide to call mom and see what she was doing.
"Good morning my ray of sunshine," I heard my mother's angelic voice answer.
"Hi Mom. How are you to today? Do you feel better?" I rushed through the questions anxious to get some answers. I have been worried ever since Uriel picked-up the phone yesterday.
"I'm great baby, how is your vacation so far?" I could hear the strain in her voice she was hiding something. Why did she feel like she needed to put on a charade for us?
"Wonderful. Yesterday we found an under water cave. It was so enchanting, right out of a fairytale. I know you would've loved it." I said with a little too much excitement in voice. I wish she was there to see it. It was beautiful but it was nothing compared to her beauty.
"Baby you sound like you're having a really good time," she said happily. I could here the happiness in her voice. She was happy that we were having a good time out but I didn't miss the hint of worry.
"Yeah I am. We are on our way to Pop's to go fishing" I said.
"Where are your sisters?" she asked. I hadn't realized she hasn't really spoken with them. I've been so worried about checking on her I didn't realize she hadn't really spoken with the girls. I decided to pass the phone to the girls so they can talk to mom.
"Here I'll let you talk to them," I passed the phone to Carlie.
"Hi mama, how are you?" Carlie asked
"Fine, baby, are you enjoying your vacations?" I heard mom's faint voice ask on the other side of the receiver.
"We are having such a great time," she said with so much animation. The girls have been looking forward to this for a very long time. "We found this cave and I'm telling you it was like finding Atlantis," Carlie said. She was remembering all the colors and the time she spent with Seth.
Ewww I did not need that mental picture!
I quickly turned my thoughts to my mother and looked if I could 'hear' anything. Sadly there was once again nothing but silence.
"You sound like you are having the time of your life. I hope that you make it memorable," she said. I could hear her smile in her voice.
"I am, it's been wonderful and it's only the beginning. Seth and Jake have planned a week full of fun," she said while she looked Seth and blushed. Seth kissed her on the cheek thoughtfully.
"I'm happy for you Carlie. Now, may I speak to Renesmee? Remember I love you and take care of each other."
"Of course, I love you to Mama. Nessie, mama wants to talk to you" Carlie passed the phone to Nessie. Mom did not like the nick name Jake gave Renesmee. I called her Nessie only when we were alone.
"Hi mama, how are you?" Nessie asked. I turned my gaze outside. I knew it was going to be the same conversation. My mind started to wonder. I was thinking about how different life would be for me if wasn't a Halfling. Don't get me wrong I love who I am. I was just wondering if mom had fallen for a human instead of my father, how different it would have been. I hated to admit that I was thinking about him more often than I liked. I would never admit to anyone that I wanted to see him and maybe ask him if he cared to know his children, if the offer ever presented itself. I was pulled from my reverie. Nessie was waving the phone in my face. I went to grab it like a life line.
"Bye baby. I love you so much Anthony. Take care of your sister and yourself" the way she spoke her words was like she was saying goodbye as if she would never see us again.
"Bye mom. I love you" I said. I had a strange feeling that something bad was about to happen. For the rest of the drive I stared out side the window and tried really hard to make this feeling go away.
We got to Pop's house and he was outside loading his fishing gear. I walked up to him and gave him a hand putting everything in his truck; which happened to be mom's old truck when she first came to live with Charlie.
"Thanks Anthony," he said to me in a fond voice. I loved my grandpa. I could talk to him about anything. He was there for me when things got unbearable due to my gift. When I stayed up at night in a corner rocking back and forth because there were too many voices at the same time and very loud. He would hold me and gave me his strength to use until I calmed down.
"Your welcome," was all I replied. I turned and started walking towards the house.
I went in to greet Sue. She was cooking breakfast and it smelled heavenly. I approached her, gave her a hug and kiss her on the cheek. She turned to me with a heartfelt smile that reminded me of my mother. I sat at the table with everyone else and ate.
We finished breakfast and made our way to the cars. As promised, I rode with Charlie in order for girls could be alone with their mates. I looked over at Charlie and he was in deep thoughts… and that wasn't good.
"Anthony, I want to talk to you," he said in a whisper.
"About what?" I asked with confusion. I had a bad feeling about this.
"I want you to hear me out. Let me get it all out before you speak." He turned to meet my eyes. Charlie was one not share his feelings so I knew instantly that this was very important to him so, I listened.
"Ok," I said with hesitation. From the things Mom had told me, Charlie was not one for talks but when he spoke, there was nothing less that sincerity and honesty.
"You are a man now and you have been taking care of your mother and sisters for a very long time. You took on a role that was not for you but your father's," he said with determination. I looked at him like he was crazy.
"I can not …" I was cut off by Charlie.
"Listen to me son. I know what it was like. I saw the shell she became. I was there before you where born and I know that you've seen it in Bella's mind. But have you ever, even for second considered your father's perspective?. There are two sides to the story kid," e continued as I stayed silent.
"I know Pop's but I never want to see Mom like that ever again. HE hurt her so much. I will NEVER look at things from his perspective" I said enraged. Why was he doing this to me? The hurt was too much to bear combined with a tiny hint of hope that one day he would be part of our lives. As I said, I would never admit to anyone else than myself.
"You have to try and understand. I felt the same way you do." I looked at him with questionable eyes. What the fuck did he mean?
"Now that I know the truth I can understand his choice," he said. I opened my mouth to contradict him but he continued cutting me off.
"Wait before you interrupt me and let me finish. Put yourself in his shoes. What if you were a full vampire and in love with a human? And with every turn around the corner she was in danger?" he looked at me waiting for an answer. I really never thought of it that way.
"If in fact I loved her I would have chosen to change her if that was what she truly wanted." I always knew that she wanted the change.
"I see your point. What if she wasn't allowed to say goodbye to her family and friends? To say goodbye to the life she knew? Could you take that away from her, if you honestly loved her?" he said with belief in his voice. I couldn't answer him. Could I do it to her? If I truly loved her could I ask her to give up her life or soul? I had no answer.
"He loved her and was always there to protect her. How do you think he would have felt if he failed her just once? That he was too late to protect her from his world? Bella chose to love him and enter his world fully. She was young and didn't truly know what she was giving up. Love is blind. When you fall in love it takes control of all you senses." He turned to look at me again but my thoughts were racing miles per minute. I could not focus on his thoughts. He was seeing all the images of my mother and father. They way they held each other when they thought he wasn't looking.
"Anthony, I truly believe he left her cause he loved her enough to want her to be safe. He didn't know about you and your sisters. He left before Bella could tell him about you. I know he would've stayed if he only knew."
Would he have stayed for us? That will be an unanswered question because I will never get to ask it.
"Do you think that makes it OK? If he wanted her to be safe why did he leave? If she was as important why didn't he stay?" I was raising my voice at this point.
"Bella was only in danger when she was with Edward. He must have thought it was his fault that her life was at stake. Do you think he would forgive himself if anything happen to her?" he was trying to convince me to see it from his point of view.
I was stubborn and there was no chance in hell I would ever give him the benefit of the doubt but Charlie's words started to sink in. Even if I didn't want to listen, I HEARD every single word that came out of his mouth.
"Pop's please I don't want to talk about this anymore," I lowered my gaze and stared at my hands. How can I make him understand how I felt, if I wasn't sure about my feeling either?
"I know it hurts kid. I just think you need to open your eyes and stop being so pigheaded." He spoke with a firm voice. HA! No wonder from where I got that from!
"I will try but I'm not making any promises" I said.
"Thank you" was all he replied.
I didn't want to think about my father. If he left her for her safety why was he so cruel? There was no need for those harsh words he told her. Even if he left with good intentions it wouldn't erase the scars he left. There is an old saying: A picture is worth a thousand words. If you'd seen the picture I've seen of my mother screaming and crying on the top of her lungs as she lay on the muddy ground… The words that came to my mind were : pain, agony, betrayal and loss, the list kept getting longer. I couldn't believe that he was trying to do the right thing. Damn bastard, I HATE HIM! He'd better pray that our paths never cross. I will make him pay for what he has done. Instantly, the conversation I just had with Charlie replayed in my head. Did I really want him to explain why he did what he did? Did I really want to have him in my life? These questions scared the shit out of me but not as much as the answers. I was pulled from my thoughts when the truck came to a stop and Pop's called my name.
"Earth to Anthony, let's go" he was shaking my shoulder.
"Coming" I got out of the car and went back to help unload the gear.
We made are way to the river. Charlie was going to show us how to fish. This was sure to be fun.
We stood in front of him like a students waiting instructions from there teacher. First, he laid out everything he would need a rod, a carrying case full of hooks and a can of worms... live worms. He toke the rod and a hook and tied the hook to the end of the line (the string). Then he toke a worm and hooked it. He laid the worm in his had, took the hook and made sure the worm covered the entire hook.
"EWWWW…. That is gross there is NO WAY I'm doing that," I heard Nessie say.
"That goes double for me," Carlie chimed in. I looked over to the girls who wore a mask of horror.
I started laughing so hard from the disgusted look they had. Here were two girls who tackle mountain lions, bears and deer and there scared of worms.
"You have got to be kidding, right?" I asked in between giggles.
"They look slummy there is no way I'm touching these things" Nessie said.
"Pop's can't we use those colorful things that you see on TV all the time? There supposed to help you catch fishes too you know," Carlie said. I could not stop the fit of giggles that came again.
"This is what I call real fishing. I don't like those fruity things" he replied.
"Here, take a warm and hook it like I showed you," Pop's said as he took two worms from his hands and tried to place them in Nessie's and Carlie's hands but they were clenched into fists.
"Are you serious? You girls are half vampire and drink from animals 3 times your size and you grossed out by worms? I guess girls will always be girls," he said while tried to hide his chuckle. I loved watching Charlie's smile. It reminded me of Mom; when she smiled the whole world would light up.
Both girls scowled at him, refusing to touch the worms. They turned to look at their mates. They looked up from under their eyelashes with puppy eyes and had biggest pouting expression I had ever seen on a face. Jake and Seth were being dazzled by them. They rose up on their tip toes and placed a tender kiss on their cheeks. They stood frozen for a few minutes before I cleared my throat to get their attention.
"What?" they both asked in unison. I was now chuckling along with Charlie.
"I feel sorry for the two of you. My girls have your sorry asses, wrapped around their fingers" Charlie said between his chuckles. .
All four blushed tomato red. You could hardly tell with Jake and Seth due to the russet color skin. They looked at the ground from embarrassment which made us laugh even harder. I was on the floor holding my side.
"Get of the floor Anthony, we have some fishing to do" I looked up and Charlie was offering me a hand to help me up. I didn't need it but I took it not to hurt his feelings.
"Jake, Seth, the gears are over there. You know what to do. I'm taking Anthony with me." He said and with that he turned, walked into the river and I followed him.
We walked into the river and the level of the water didn't exceed our knees. Charlie had on one of those plastic overalls that went over your clothes. I didn't need one because I couldn't get sick.
It was every peaceful. The water run over the rocks like a caressing hand, while the wind whispered his secrets. The wind caressed my face like velvet silk soft and sweet.
The sun was shining bright it was a warm day. Perfect! Billy showed up around noon and I spent the rest of the day listening stories about their youth.
I looked over to my sisters and saw Carlie using her telekinesis to take the fish of her hook along with Nessie. They didn't want to touch the fishes. I stared at them dumbfounded. I started laughed so much until I was on the ground holding my sides again. Billy and Charlie looked why I was on the floor and soon joined me at the site of girls. The girls scowled at me. The day continued in much the same manner.
We got to Pop's and Sue cooked some of the fish we caught. She did fish fry with broccoli and wild rice... it was delicious as always. I helped Sue clean the kitchen. I started to feel like something was missing. I realized I haven't called Mom since morning. I looked at the clock and figured she'd be home. I dialed the house number and it just rang. I let it ring for about five minutes. Yeah I know that was a long wait but something was wrong. So, I called her cell and it went to voice mail. I left her a voice to call me.
When I went to bed a feeling of vagueness washed over my body. Something was definately wrong...
A/N:
I want to take this opportunity to give a special thank you to the following Authors. Some who have actually mentioned my story in their own and have review every single chapter:
~* TWILIGHTER1966- SUGAR RUSH SHOPPING TRIP*~
~* OLIVIA NIAMH CULLEN – AFTER HE LEFT ME*~
~* DEMENTEDEVILPIXIE – SHE HAS 7 STORIES ALL GREAT GO TO HER PROFILE*~
~* MRSONEILL – SHE HAS 2 GREAT STORIES GO TO HER PROFILE*~
~* ALEXAET – A NEWLOVE FOREVER AND ALWAYS*~
~* LOVEISEDWARDBELLA – HAS 4 STORIES GO TO HER PROFILE *~
FINALLY
~* JUST4ALE – SHE HAS STORIES GO TO HER PROFILE …A VERY VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU ALE*~
~* MrsEdwardCullenP (CO-PILOT) - HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT THERE ARE NO WORD TO SAY HOW GRATEFUL I AM TO YOU*~
I WANT YOU GUYS TO SHOW EACH OTHER SOME LOVE
THERE ARE SOME OF YOU THAT HAVE MY STORY ON STORY ALERT THAT HAVE NOT REVIEWED I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. LET ME KNOW I'M DOING A GOOD JOB ON MY STORY…
SO PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP REVIEW MY STORY…LOL
