December was another blur. Snow, cold, Alec, shopping, family, Alec, school, finals, Alec. Oh, and a whole lot of Alec. He was so excited about sports season coming up and training and such and his job at the parlor that he forgot all about school and the end-of-semester finals. I promised Arianna to help him out, and so I did. I'm entirely confident he passed all of them.
Alec and I never got as physical as we did on the night of his birthday or at Vanessa's. I don't know if I'm glad or sad about that. It felt amazing – his skin against mine in such an intimate way. But I don't want things to spiral out of control, which I know they easily could.
Winter break is here now. Which means two whole weeks of no school and all Alec. At least, that's what I thought. Until my parents delivered the news that we're going to stay with the Denali clan for most of the time.
Don't get me wrong, I love Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, Garrett and Carmen to death. Without them and their support years ago, my family and I might not be alive today. I feel extremely guilty about what happened to Irina, their sister of sorts, though they all say it wasn't my fault whenever I try to apologize. They're our second family, and I always miss them dearly when we're away. But I had been so looking forward to nothing but being lazy with Alec around the house, baking him cookies and making him hot chocolate, and maybe going ice skating or something.
"Can't Alec come with us?" I ask my mother and father with a desperate edge in my voice.
"We can't impose on the Denali's like that, it's rude. I'm sure they would not like their sanctuary, the only place where they can be themselves, to be tainted by human presence while we are there." Dad doesn't even lift his eyes from his book as he talks to me.
"I'll take Alec out snowboarding every day, and anyone who feels like joining can. He'll be asleep at night, also. You guys will have plenty of time to be yourselves without being "tainted"." I frown at the word, as if Alec is some kind of infection.
"Renesmee, please don't argue me on this. You know the whole family is supportive of you and Alec. We would all love for him to come. But the Denali's would not like it, and that is that." Dad lies through his teeth, setting his book down to stare at me. I glance over at Mom, begging for help. But she casts her eyes away and out the window.
"I hope you can stick by those words." I challenge my father, then leave the room, ignoring his glare. I race upstairs, grab my cell phone, and then leap off my balcony and into the backyard. I run past the pool and gazebo and over the fence into the woods. I get out of vampire hearing range, and then begin going through the contacts on my phone until I find Tanya.
"Hello Renesmee, is something wrong? " She asks immediately, considering I don't call her up to chat much. If I've ever felt the need to chat it up with Tanya before, I had the freedom to grab Alice or Rose and run up there and hang out for a couple days.
"Hi Tanya. Not exactly, but.." I then launch into the story of how I'm in a relationship with a human boy and we had plans over the break and my parents just told me we are going up there tomorrow and that I was wondering how she would feel about me bringing him. "Please tell me if it would impose. I don't want to bring an unwanted burden on you." I say politely while having fingers crossed on my free hand at my side and biting my lip nervously.
"Are you kidding me? I would love for you to bring him! Oh Nessie, I can't believe you're already so grown up! A boyfriend? One you have been seeing for four months? That's incredible. I can't wait to meet the lucky fellow. Tell your father to stop being such a prude and lighten up on you." Tanya laughs. I thank her profusely, and tell her I'll see her tomorrow.
I don't bother going home, just excitedly race over to Alec's house, running at a human pace when necessary. I knock on his front door and he answers after a minute. He is wearing only a pair of jeans, and his hair is messy. He flinches at the pale-gold light that streams in from the open door.
Oh, shit. Light. I glance down at my skin and see the faint glow emanating off me. Alec looks at me, but doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Aha! Humans can't see it!
"What's wrong, Carls?" He mumbles, widening the entryway for me. I prance inside.
"Why are you sleeping?" I ask him in confusion. I have been awake for hours.
"I think it's pretty reasonable considering it's seven in the morning." He yawns. Oh. Right. I don't sleep as much as humans. Oops. I'm making a lot of slip ups today.
"Oh, right, sorry." I frown. He glances out the window and then back at me.
"Where's your car? Did you run here?" He observes my windblown hair that probably has leaves and debris in it, and my mud-splattered jeans and tank top. "Through the woods? In a tank top?"
Damn. "Don't worry about that. You need to pack your bags. You're coming with me to Alaska tomorrow." I grin excitedly. He perks up.
"Alaska?" He asks in confusion.
"Yep! Esme's sister and her husband live there, and their three adopted children, and they practically begged me to bring you!" Okay, so maybe it was the other way around, but what's a little white lie compared to all my big bluish-black ones?
"That's awesome!" He laughs, just as pumped as I am.
"Bring your snowboard, don't bring any money. Be at my house at around ten tomorrow. I'll text you more details." I tell him, knowing he has a snowboard in his garage that he has ridden several times vacationing in Colorado, then turn and head for the door, needing to get back to my family. Alice probably wants to go shopping.
"Wait, Carls, you can't just wake me up and leave." He pouts.
"I'm really sorry about that." I tell him, feeling immensely guilty. I know he has been studying hard lately and probably has at least twenty extra hours of sleep to catch up on. "You need to go back to bed."
"Come with me?" He grins boyishly and cutely, showing me he doesn't mean anything sexual.
I want to so bad, but I know I can't. "I'm sorry, I really have to go."
"Let me at least give you a ride." He offers.
"No, I'm fine. Go to sleep." I urge. I turn for the door, but double back and walk over to him, giving him a chaste kiss. I leave quickly, heading back for the woods and then running home.
When I arrive back, Esme is in the kitchen cooking breakfast for me, Mom and Dad are in the same positions reading their books, Emmett and Rose are still, er, busy, Jasper is playing jazz on his keyboard softly, and Alice is pacing around anxiously.
"There you are!" She gasps as I walk in through the back.
"Here I am." I smile at her.
"Were you hunting?" She asks, crinkling her nose at my clothing. I laugh.
"No, this happened just by running. It's muddy out there. Actually, I went out to call Tanya." I keep my smile firmly in place as Dad's head whips towards me.
"Tell me you didn't, Renesmee." He begs.
"I did. And, funny story, she insisted I bring Alec along." I smirk, crossing my arms, probably looking like a total brat.
"That's a great idea! I really like that boy, you know. You choose them well, Niecey." Alice pats my head like a child. She calls me Niecey as a pet name though we are more like sisters than aunt and niece. And I call her Auntie sometimes, just like Alec calls Vanessa.
"Thanks, Auntie. Aren't you glad too, Dad? I know how much you love Alec, and now that we know he isn't imposing on Tanya, we can bring him!" I smile giddily.
"Ecstatic." Dad says flatly, then exits the room.
"Someone is grumpy." Jasper chuckles from the corner, continuing to play his smooth jazz.
"Renesmee, go get dressed. We are going shopping." Alice commands.
"Sir yes sir!" I salute her.
"Don't forget to pick up Alec a few things." Mom winks at us, as happy as I am that Alec can come. She hates having confrontation with Dad in front of everyone, but I'd bet a million bucks that tonight they're going to have a huge fight about Dad's behavior.
The next day, I lugged three suitcases downstairs and into the back of one of the four taxis outside our house. I get in and give the driver directions to Alec's house, leaving my family behind. I'll meet them at the airport. We drive up to Alec's house and I tell the driver to hold on.
I jog up to Alec's door and ring the doorbell. He answers almost instantly, a couple bags in hand and Cullen on his leash. I urged him to bring Cullen. The little guy has grown on me, and he was meant for snow.
Cullen yips as he jumps up my leg. I pick him up, cooing at him, freeing Alec to go pack his things into the trunk of the cab. Cullen licks happily at my face, causing me to giggle. I hold him in my lap on the ride to the airport and then we have to put him in his crate. We go through security and board in a little under three hours. Then we ride for a few hours to Denali. It took less time than usual, though I heard Dad grumbling earlier about how the human would slow us all down.
Alec is in awe of the Denali's huge house that is modeled to look like a log cabin. It has a wrap around porch with a porch swing and outdoor furniture, and acres of land covered in trees and snow. Carlisle raps lightly on their door and Carmen opens a few seconds later, their human charade up.
"Esme!" Carmen gushes, hugging her dearly missed "sister" lovingly. They can pass as sisters, their hair only a few shades off and the same gentle features and of course, topaz eyes.
"Carmen, dear!" Esme hugs Carmen tightly.
"Everyone, come in, come in!" Carmen ushers us all inside. We find Eleazar sitting in a large chair reading a thick book, Kate and Garrett making a gingerbread house together, still in pajamas, and Tanya is calmly knitting.
"Carlie, angel, it is so lovely to see you!" She gushes in her tinkling voice, coming to hug me, perhaps overdoing the I'm-just-an-innocent-human facade. It's been a while since she has had to really pretend for any length of time.
"And you must be Alec. Carlie talks about you so much." She giggles, and my cheeks flame red. "I'm Tanya, her cousin. It's wonderful to finally meet you." She hugs Alec tightly, not measuring her strength carefully enough, and then, so out of the times, kisses him on his cheeks. Her lips are much too close to his, the edges just barely brushing together. He jerks back abruptly, offending her a little I think.
"N-nice to meet you." He stutters. Tanya, very confused, backs away.
"Alec, these are my other cousins, Kate and Garret, and my aunt and uncle, Carmen and Eleazar." I quickly intervene, and looking at the expressions of Tanya's family, they're just as horrified by her as the rest of us.
"Hello, Alec darling." Carmen comes forward, giving him a quick, kind hug.
"Hi Alec!" Kate chirps happily. Garrett gives Alec a small nod.
"It's great to meet you all, thanks for letting me come stay." Alec says politely.
"No problem. Anything you need, just ask." Eleazar smiles, wrapping an arm around Carmen's waist. I take Alec upstairs, knowing all of the house like the back of my hand and already knowing which rooms I want us staying in. "Okay I'll be in here." I inform him, throwing my bags inside my normal room. "And you'll be here." I open the next door, showing him the large, luxurious, ocean-themed room. He is awed by it, dropping his stuff just inside the door.
I give him time to settle in, then go get him from his room. I knock on it and say, "It's me." A few moments later, Alec opens up, hair wet and messy, droplets of water clinging to his shirtless chest with only a pair of jeans on and Cullen peeking at me from in between his legs.
"Can I come in?" I ask him with a small smile. He opens the door, allowing me access, then shuts it behind me.
"You know, when you said Esme's sister's children, I kind of thought we were dealing with kids. Not people our age, one of whom practically kissed me in front of you.." Alec says, taking a seat on the large ivory sofa. I sit down next to him with a sigh, snuggling into his side as he wraps his arms around me.
"Tanya is a little much, I know. I should have warned you, I'm sorry. But I don't blame her. You are irresistible." I grin, running one hand over his bare, muscular chest.
"Not going to argue with that." He chuckles arrogantly and I roll my eyes.
"Tomorrow we're going snowboarding. You need to be up by ten." I tell him.
"Sounds good. Who else is coming?" He asks.
"Probably Kate, Garrett, and maybe Emmett and Rose." I yawn tiredly even though I slept most of the plane ride. Alec suddenly picks me up, lays down on the couch, and places me on top of him. I curl up on his chest like a cat, closing my eyes and losing my grip on reality.
ALEC POV
Carlie drifts off into sleep while laying nestled on my chest. She is so light I wouldn't even know she was there if her skin wasn't so amazingly warm and if her touch didn't send electricity rippling through my blood stream.
She looks so beautiful when she is sleeping. She smiles in her sleep and giggles softly. Could she be any more adorable? I take one of her small hands, playing with it absentmindedly. God, she is so perfect. I bring her hand to my cheek, closing my eyes and leaning into her small fingers.
As soon as her palm makes contact with my face though, I am thrown into a world of vibrant colors and beautiful sounds. I gasp and jump a little, yanking her hand off my face and coming back to the real world. Carlie is slightly disturbed, but quickly returns to her slumber.
I stare wide-eyed at her tiny little hand. Then, slowly, I return it to my face. Her palm touches me, and I am transported to a new universe.
"Looks like someone is losing their game!" Carlie's voice rings out through a mass of moss-covered trees. I am seeing the world through her eyes, and everything is different. Her eyesight appears a million times better than my normal one. And we're moving through the trees impossibly fast.
A playful growl sounds from behind her, and suddenly a humongous russet-colored wolf darts in front of us. Carlie laughs and launches herself in front of him. When we land, we're in a large clearing. A small, fairytale-like cottage sits in the middle with smoke curling up from the chimney. A light rain drizzles down.
A mass of fur hits us from the back, sending us tumbling through the tall grass. We land on our back with a huge wolf lands on top of us, pinning us down with his massive paws. His tongue lolls out to one side, dagger-like canines glinting. His eyes are the size of baseballs, a rich chocolate brown that is much too intelligent for any animal. In his eyes, Carlie is reflected. She is much younger, her face chubbier and her eyes more naive and child-like. Her teeth are squared, her cheeks are ruddy, and her hair is a tangle of damp curls splayed out above her head.
I am fearful of the creature, but Carlie just smiles. "Jake! You're getting my clothes dirty!" She squeals, squirming uselessly beneath the wolf. Did she just call him Jake? As in the intensely buff, tan, best friend of hers that tried to kill me with glares on her birthday?
The wolf yelps happily, then leaps off her and bounds into the woods. A few moments later, the guy from her party emerges from the trees, wearing the same cut-off jeans I saw him in through the doorway.
"I won." He announces proudly, jogging back over to Carlie.
"Liar! I beat you by at least ten feet." Carlie crosses her arms defiantly.
"Sure, sure. But I still brought down the bigger elk." He ruffles her hair. She glowers at him through the sprinkling rain and cringes away.
"You no good mutt.." She grumbles under her breath, turning and stomping towards the cottage. Same Carlie. Competitive and stubborn.
"Aw, come on, Nessie. Don't be such a sore loser!" Jake laughs, keeping pace with her easily though she is moving faster than any little girl her age could be capable of. Why did he just call her Nessie?
"Renesmee! Come inside, dear, you're soaking wet!" A female voice calls. Carlie turns, allowing me to see Bella, Carlie's older adoptive sister, standing in the doorway of the cottage with Edward's, Carlie's older brother, arms around her waist. They look exactly the same as they do today, though this dream must have taken place when Carlie was a child, and judging by how young she looks, before she even knew Bella. And why did she call her Renesmee?
Carlie sticks her tongue out at Jake, and then looks back towards the cottage. "Coming, Mommy!" She calls back in a sweet and innocent voice. Mommy? What the hell is going on?
Suddenly, the setting of the dream begins to swirl away. The cottage, the rain, the trees, Edward, Bella, Jake, everything begins being sucked up in what looks like some kind of tornado. At first, I thought Carlie was waking up. Until another scene took place.
We're in the woods again with the same looming trees covered in fuzzy green moss. The only sound is Carlie's bare feet crunching on leaves and branches. Her eyes are darting around nervously, and her body is tense and rigid, as if she is expectant of danger.
She walks upon a small, glassy pond. There is not a ripple in it at all. She kneels down next to it, looking at her reflection. She looks older than herself now. And.. very different. Her skin is as white as snow, her eyes are a startling crimson, her features are somehow even more perfect, and the weirdest thing: blood runs down her chin and is spattered on her long, strapless dress that trails to the ground in billowy fabric in shades of green and blue.
"You were always destined to become a monster." Her reflection speaks to her in a hissing tone.
"No.." Carlie murmurs, gulping in fear.
"What more can be expected of a demon child? The impurities of immortality stained you the moment of conception." The reflection growls. Carlie squeezes her eyes shut, and when she opens them, the red eyes, paleness, and blood spatter are gone. She is back to herself. She scuffles away from the water's edge quickly and scaredly.
"Carlie?" My own voice whispers from the trees. Carlie looks up as I step out and into her line of sight, smiling at her.
"Oh, Alec." She cries, stumbling over into my arms. I hold her tightly, and it is pretty unnerving to feel myself holding me in another person's body.
"Don't let go. Please, don't let go." Carlie sobs on to my shoulder. Dream-Alec smooths her hair and shushes her gently.
"Renesmee, your time is up." A slithering voice hisses from the darkness behind Dream-Alec. Carlie, still holding me, fearfully looks up into the line of trees, watching as a V-formation of black cloaked figures with pale skin and glittering ruby eyes emerge.
"No.. Stay away from him." Carlie cries, throwing dream-Alec back behind her and crouching protectively in front of him, growling at the black-cloaks. A thud sounds behind her, causing her to turn around. Dream-Alec lay sprawled on the ground, eyes wide and unseeing, body sheet-white.
"Alec!" Carlie shrieks, falling onto her knees next to him. There are two crescent-shaped lines on his throat with dried blood caked on them that look as if he was bit. Carlie raises her fingers to her mouth, feeling moisture. She brings her fingers in front of her face and sees blood.
"No.. Oh, God, no.. Alec!" She throws herself on top of dream-Alec, sobbing miserably. Whisper-laughter sounds behind her.
I jerk her hand away from my face in fear. My thoughts are scattered, my brain a fried and frenzied mess. What the hell goes on inside Carlie's head? Why does she picture her best friend as a wolf, her adopted sister and older brother as her parents, herself as a monster with red eyes, a thirst for blood, the name Renesmee, me dying at her hands, and a clan of psychotic figures come to ruin her? But perhaps most importantly, why can I see her dreams through the touch of her hand?
Carlie sits up only a second after I leave her dreams, breathing heavily and scaredly. She takes a second to get her bearings, looking down at me but not noticing how completely freaked out I am. She takes a couple steadying breaths, then laughs awkwardly. "I just had a pretty crazy dream."
"Oh, really? Tell me about it." I challenge while trying to seem non-chalant.
"Maybe some other time. Come on, I'm starving." She gets up, stretching herself and walking for the door.
"You know what I just realized, Carlie? I don't know your middle name." I stand up too, stretching also and following her slowly.
"It's Renee." She tells me as we walk downstairs. Renee.. Renesmee.. Too close for it to not be coincidence. Really, there is nothing coincidental about Carlie's life. She has always been secretive, and it's always killed me. But now that it seems some of her secrets are unravelling themselves, I'm not sure that I'm ready to know.
Looks like it's going to be one crazy winter break.