Chapter 13
Forgiveness?
I woke up in the morning still troubled about what Antoine told me last night. I got out of bed and went out into the living room. My parents were there and they were sitting on the couch next to each other. My father was playing with my mother's hair as my mother read Shakespeare. I walked slowly over to the fire place and sat down on the floor.
"Good morning sweetheart." My mother said sweetly. I smiled at them and looked back at the fire place. "Something troubling you, Renesmee?" my father asked. "I don't know." I said quietly. "I'm going to go get dressed." I said. I got up and quickly went into my room to look for something to wear. I opened my enormous closet and walked into it. I liked having a walk-in closet. I picked out a pair of dark wash jeans and a gray sweater and I grabbed my white jacket that went down to my knees. I put on a black scarf and wrapped it around my neck. Then I put on some white knee high boots. I brushed out my bronze curls and applied a little eyeliner under my eyes. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and walked out into the living room. "I'm going to go for a walk, I'll be back later." I said as I walked out of the room. Before they could say anything that would stop me from going, I ran out the door. I ran to The Cullen place to talk to Alice. Even though I wasn't totally healed, I still felt good enough to run. I didn't get far before I was stopped by someone. I looked at the person ahead of me, it was Jake.
"What are you doing here?" I asked angrily. "Nessie, I am so sorry. I didn't mean what I said last night and I really didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you were that nasty bloodsucker." He answered. I looked away from his gaze. "Nessie, will you at least talk to me?" he asked. I still looked away. I started to walk to the other direction to get around him, but he caught me in his arms. I punched and kicked in efforts to free myself. "Nessie, please listen to me!" he shouted. He let me go and I didn't move. He turned me so that I would look at him. "I am so sorry; I let my jealousy get the better of me. I love you and if that means that I am going to have to let you go and just be friends, then that is what I'll do." He said. "So now we can just be friends." He said. I looked up at him with a disgusted look on my face. "What makes you think we can be friends now?" I asked angrily.
He looked down at me and he looked so helpless and sad. "Jake, I don't want to be friends with you; I don't even want to be around you. You disgust me and not to mention you almost killed me. So get out of my way." I snapped. I pushed away from him and I walked away. I glanced over my shoulder and he just stood there slumped over.
I began to run and I arrived at the Cullen house quickly. I ran in and Carlisle and Esme were sitting on the couch watching T.V. "Where's Alice?" I asked. "She's up in her room, dear." Esme replied. I nodded and went up stairs and knocked sheepishly on her door. "Come in!" she replied in her pixy like voice. I opened the door and walked in. "Hi Renesmee! How are you today?!" she asked excitedly. "I'm good, but Alice I really need to talk to you about something." I said quickly. She looked at me and nodded. "Go ahead Nessie." She said reassuring me. "Okay so Antoine came over last night and we got to talking about his family and then he told me something that scared me. See I asked him who his mother and father were and he said his father lived in Italy and that his father was a hybrid like me and then he told me his father's name and his name is Aro. I know Aro because he is part of the Volturi and he wanted to kill me and then he told me his mother's name and he name is Victoria, she had bright red hair and she was absolutely gorgeous. I know the name Victoria, but I just don't know why. So, I was wondering if you knew." I finished quickly and was gasping for air when I was done.
She stared at me and she looked horrified. "Nessie, you have to stay away from him. Victoria wanted to kill Edward and Bella, you have to stay away from him okay?" she asked with desperation in her voice. I looked at her with my eyes widening. "Alice I can't do that." I said with a shocked tone in my voice. "Nessie, you have to stay away from him, I don't know what he could be planning to do to you, how do I know that his mother didn't tell him that he needed to kill you if she ever got killed." Alice snapped. I shook my head. "Oh no, Oh no Nessie!" Alice said with a disappointment in her voice. "Are you really?" she asked. I nodded, looking down at the floor. "Yes, I am in love with him." I replied. She got up and hugged me. "Renesmee, you have to." She said trying to comfort me. She let go and looked in my eyes. "Okay I'll try." I said. "Promise?" she asked holding out her pinky. I put one hand behind my back and crossed my fingers and then I held out my other hand and stuck up my pinky.
We locked pinkies and when she let go, I uncrossed my fingers. I now didn't have to honor my promise, seeing as my fingers were crossed. "I'm going to go for a walk." I said. "Alright." Alice answered. I walked swiftly out of the room and down the stairs. Carlisle and Esme were still on the couch together. I left the house and began to run. I kept running until I got to a spot that made me feel week in the knees. I looked around and I realized that it was the spot where I had met Antoine.
I sat down in the flowers and looked up at the sky, making shapes of the clouds. I laid back and closed my eyes and envisioned the moment we met, replaying it back in my head. I began to fall asleep when I heard a noise in the woods. I sat up immediately to see what it was. I looked around me and I saw nothing. Then the sound happened again, it was coming from the bushes. I could feel my breathing slightly pick up as the seconds of wondering went by. Antoine then emerged from the trees with a small smile on his face.
"Renesmee, are you all right my dear?" he asked quietly. I nodded and looked down. "I don't know exactly what happened last night, but if I did something to offend you, I am terribly sorry." He continued. He began to walk closer and then he stopped in front of me. "May I sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the spot next to me. I nodded again. He sat down slowly and looked at me. "Did I do something to you last night?" he asked. "No, no you didn't." I replied quietly, still looking down. "Well then what is it?" he asked again and I could tell he was getting worried. "It's not you, it's your…your…" I broke off and I looked forward in a daze. "It's my what?" he asked. I looked down again and spoke to the ground.
"It's your parents." I looked up at him and I could feel tears in my eyes. He stared back at me and I could see he was confused by my answer. "What is wrong with my parents?" he asked. "It's just that—well—they aren't good people." I said, my voice crackling. "Not good people? Why aren't they good people?" he asked, becoming a little angry. "Antoine, I can't tell you." I said looking at the ground again. I looked around the forest, trying to escape awkward tension. I looked back up at the sky, trying to keep myself from bursting out and crying. "Renesmee, you can tell me anything, now tell me why my parents aren't good people!" he said with his voice rising. "I can't, I just can't! It's a family promise and I can't!" I shouted back and I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.
He stood up and so did I. "Renesmee, tell me what is going on with you!" He shouted. I looked around me, biting my lip, trying to hold back tears. "I can't tell you, I just can't!" I shouted back at him. I turned around and began to walk home, but he caught my wrist and pulled me to face him. "Renesmee, I want to help you." He said, staring deep into my eyes. I looked away. "You can't help me, Antoine." I said quietly. He let me go and I walked away. I glanced over my shoulder to see him standing there, looking defeated. I kept walking until I was out of his sight and then I began to run.
I stopped when I reached my house. I just stood outside, not knowing what to do. I slowly made my way towards the door and walked inside the house. My parents weren't in the living room, where they usually are. "Mom? Dad?" I called out. There was no answer. I checked every room of the house, but there was no one there. I left the house and ran to the Cullen's place. It was pouring down rain and I could tell I was getting soaked. I walked in and everyone was crowded around in the living room with anxious expressions on their faces.
"What's going on?" I asked. They all looked up at me when I spoke. "Renesmee, we need to leave Forks." My mother said. I looked around at everyone's' faces. "W—w—why?" I asked, stuttering. They all looked down, not knowing what to say. "Alice had a vision about Antoine." My father said, but he wouldn't look at me. "And?" I asked, waiting to hear the bad side of that. "And, he's not a good guy. In fact, he has been using you to get to us." He finished. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I mean, that he is using you to get to us to finish his mother's work!" he shouted at me. I backed up, too stunned to say anything.
"That's not possible; Antoine wouldn't do something like that." I argued. "He loves me, I know he does!" I shouted. "No he doesn't! He doesn't care about you at all Renesmee!" he shouted back. "Well I don't care what you say, I love him and he loves me. You can't change that." I said and I turned and walked out the door. I ran home and called Antoine.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Antoine?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"It's Renesmee."
"Renesmee, how are you dear? I am sorry about how I acted today, it was out of line."
"I forgive you but, can I stay with you tonight?"
"Of course, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I just can't be here tonight."
"I'll be there in a few minutes to pick you up, Renesmee."
"Thank you, so much, Antoine."
"No problem"
He hung up, and so did I. I walked over to my closet and grabbed a small bag to put some clothes in. I heard a knock at my front door and I grabbed the bag and ran out there. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's Antoine!" the person called back. I opened the door and he held out his hand to take my bag. I handed it to him and he threw me onto his back and ran out into the night.
We finally reached a large cottage in the middle of the woods. It was two stories tall and was absolutely beautiful, but it was also dark out. He set me down on the ground gently. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the house. I looked at him and smiled and he put an arm around my waist and we walked to the house.