Disclaimer: The entire Twilight realm belongs to Stephenie Meyer. Not me.

Chapter Three - Disturbed

Renesmee's Point of View

My evening hunt couldn't come quickly enough. As usual, I insisted on going alone—which bothered them, but what could they do about it. I promised not to stray too far and keep my cell on me.

The cell phone was the point.

As soon as I was out of my father's "hearing" range, I dialed the number. It rang twice before the line clicked and a deep, resonant voice asked, "Nessie?"

Joy bubbled up in my throat. "Hey, Jake!"'

"How was school? Bite anyone?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha" I mocked. "Jake, you do know, as nice as everyone smells, you're the only one I ever bite."

"Of course. Only me."

"There was this incident today, though, with this girl, May Li, she wanted to know who designed my shirt, and then kind of started petting me. I don't think she meant to. And this other girl Alyssa started making fun of her. It was weird."

"What's May Li like?" He asked with a very controlled tone.

"She's really pretty, I think. She told me her mother is from Japan. Black hair, cut at a sharp angle across her chin. She smells like plumb blossom and…"

Jake cut me off. "Ok, changed my mind. If you want to nibble on the girls at your school, that's totally fine by me."

"Ew, Jake. Is that what you're doing at Stanford, watching girls nibble on each other?" I tried to keep my voice even, but I think he must have detected something in it.

"No." He was changing the subject. "Although I'm starting to think that Leah could use some girl time. She had a date on Friday, you know."

"I didn't. How many bones did she break?"

"Well, apparently he asked if he could call her Tiger Lily."

"Oh, no."

"Yeah, she didn't get the connection right away. She asked why. And then he said that Tiger Lily was the hot Indian princess from Peter Pan. Leah was about to show him 'how to fly,' when Seth came into the room and stopped her from tossing him out the window."

"Huh, so the yoga and the kids aren't helping that much?"

"Well, she's been taking a few Native American Studies classes, as a part of her scholarship, and I think she's even more sensitive, if that were possible."

"But she really seems to like her teaching assistant job? She really seems to love her kids."

"She does."

"Well, tell her I said 'hi' and to give you a few jabs for me."

"Sure. Sure. So any hot teachers I should know about?"

I hissed. "What is wrong with everyone?! No. No hot teachers."

"Yeah, I figured your dad would have already done a sweep, anyway."

"Of course."

We talked on like this for a while. Jake was still figuring out what to major in. He couldn't decide whether to pursue history, fine arts, or something more technical—like engineering. He thought it would be cool to not just assemble, but design cars. It was only when the moon started becoming increasingly visible that I realized I needed to head back.

"Moon's up, my friend."

"Says the half-vamp to the werewolf."

"They'll be worried. The Volturi could still snatch me any second, you know?"

"Not funny, Nessie. Tomorrow, then?"

"Same time, miss you."

"Miss you, too. Bye." And we hung up.

I still had to hunt. There were coyotes nearby in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence National Park—but I ignored them. Too much like wolves. I followed a trail to a pack of caribou to the east, and downed one quickly before heading home. I knew I had better hurry back. There wasn't cell phone reception in this part of the park, and dad would be flipping out.

I flew through the valleys and stopped only as I came in sight of St. Claire, our home. Esme had been delighted to discover the nineteenth century French villa. I had been shocked to learn how long it had been unoccupied, but apparently the foundation on the east side had been begun crumbling, and the realtors had been unable to sell it, due to the repair costs. Esme bought it without a second thought. While the costs wouldn't have been a barrier, we didn't feel the need to waste time on contractors either. Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper had simply lifted the structure, while the rest of us had repaired the damage. I think we had done a better job than any contractor could have managed.

Now, it was perfect.

I ran through the antique rose hedges toward the carriage house, where mom, dad and I had our rooms. I padded in through the stone arches before stopping short.

Not again.

There they were. My father and mother, on the dining room table in all their glory, totally lost in each other, and most assuredly, behind my mother's mental shield.

No wonder they hadn't heard my entrance or my thoughts.

As I fled to my room, I heard my mother swear. "Crap. Renesmee." Then total silence.

When my mother entered my room—dressed, this time—there was that subtle, stressed pinch above her eyebrows. I'm not sure human eyes could have detected it.

She swung her arms. "So, Nessie. Well, we didn't mean for you to see that. I'm sorry, but," she paused, " your father and I talked, and now that you are a certain age, there are a few things that you should be aware of."

I was not going to open my mouth to have this conversation. I put my finger on top of her palm. It's not the first time I've seen this.

I flashed the thoughts into her head. My waking up late at night in the cottage, hearing her screams, running to help her, seeing her on top of my father. Not in pain. My silent flight out the door. Jacob. Showing Jacob. Crying. Asking him to explain. His laughter. Rolling on the floor laughter. 'You're mother was enjoying herself wasn't she?' More laughter. Fury from me. Confusion. And then Jacob had finally explained. He had explained perfectly, not making me feel uncomfortable, just making me feel safe. Answering every last question.

"Huh? He would do that, wouldn't he?" She looked slightly irritated. You know, Nessie, normally it's the mother who gives the sex talk, not the wooly best friend."

I shrugged. Well, it didn't look like you wanted to be interrupted to chat.

Her brow creased. She looked a little embarrassed.

"Nessie, when you showed Jacob that image. He wasn't upset at all, was he?"

Quite the opposite, as I showed you.

"That's good, love. I wouldn't want to hurt him. And there was a time, when I was human…"

Ugh, sure, sure. Jacob told me about it. Dad left, and you two were close, and he had a huge crush on you. I know, mom.

But then I pulled my hand away from hers, because I was starting to feel confused. I had been just over four years old when Jacob had told me the story. I had been probably about the size of a human ten-year old. His story had not bothered me then. When he told me he had kissed my mother, I had thought it simply gross. I had been more intrigued by the fact that she had punched him and broken her hand. I couldn't imagine a world in which my mother could be broken by anything.

But now, I didn't think the kiss was gross. It was unsettling. Jake didn't kiss anyone now. I would have known. We told each other everything. That meant he hadn't kissed anyone since my mother. They were still really good friends, especially for a vampire and a werewolf, and he definitely didn't seem to be bothered by the image I showed him, but there was no reason why he should be around so often. Yet, he was always there. Always when I needed him.

Mom, I returned my hand to hers. She was eyeing me critically. Why did Jacob stick around after you married dad?

Her brown tensed, and she looked down. "He wanted to help."

I snorted. Like vampires needed help.

"He was worried about Charlie."

Hmmm… good not but not good enough. She was trying to hide something.

Then Edward strolled into the room. My father was a good actor, but I could tell from his eyes that he was still slightly embarrassed by the previous "incident," although clearly also rushing to help my mother assuage my thoughts. Nice, dad. You know, you can get of my head. I've seen more than enough of you today. I don't think you need to see anymore of my thoughts.

"Nessie, bed."

Yes, bed. Maybe you should have thought of a bed before defiling the dining room table. I know you don't eat there, but I have on the rare occasion.

He closed his eyes and controlled his face, ignoring my thoughts, before repeating his words, "Nessie, bed."

I made sure to stomp my feet harder than usual as I stormed to my bedroom. Unfortunately, one of the large flagstones cracked. Crap. Crap. Crap. I shut my door with more care, before crawling under the covers.