Part 3: Breaking Dawn

Chapter 20

Through Cassie's eyes

"Nice ring." I said to Bella. She hid it and blushed.

"I told Edward I didn't want the formality of getting married." She said.

"Oh, what a shame, having to marry the man you love while the other man you love is a wolf somewhere in Canada." I snapped, bitter about how she was treating the wolf. No one deserved to be shunned by the person they loved, not even evil people like me.

"It's not like that Cassie. I just don't want people talking about me behind my back is all." She said.

"God forbid someone share their opinion about you." I muttered.

On a lighter note, I love the summer. My parents weren't home all day and we were. I could do whatever I wanted, and if that meant practicing bending in the woods, that gosh dang it I was going to practice! I had been dying to get back to La Push and bend the water at the beach. I wanted to see if I could still start a tsunami. Not on La Push, of course, just, you know, on uninhabited land.

"Well, the wedding is tomorrow." Bella reminded. Yeah, I'm a bridesmaid, remember?

"Yup." I said.

"Are you ready for me to spend my life as a vampire?" Bella asked.

"Sure." That was probably why I was so bitter. Wasn't it my job to stop these things? Why was I letting this happen? Oh, right, because Edward and Bella's love is so strong they'll be together forever! How freaking charming.

That night, Edward was whisked away by Jasper and Emmet, for what I had no idea, I wasn't there to find out. With the vampire out of the house, I was finally able to sleep. I was happy to sleep peacefully for the first time for months.

"Happy wedding day!" Alice squealed when we entered her house. I held back a groan of pretest when I saw how big her smile was. How was I supposed to ruin that?

Bella gasped when I began to put on my dress.

"What?" I asked her, not really sure of what she was gasping about. Nothing had entered the room, and I'm pretty sure the spiders were out of sight.

"Cassie, what happened to your back?" She asked.

"That's why I didn't go with the bareback." Alice said when I turned for her to zip me up. It felt, kind of alright to turn my back to her. I was kind of getting used to Alice being around.

"I thought I told you about that. It was the first time anyone every bent lightning at me. My mother was determined to figure out how to protect me from that so she learned to redirect it. We're the only benders in the world who can do that." I informed them. "Oh, and someone is walking up the steps."

"Mom!" Bella shouted and threw herself at her mother. I had never met Renee before, and I didn't really know what to expect. She looked like Bella, except with laugh lines.

"Bella! Don't ruin your hair!" Alice shouted and fixed whatever had fallen.

"Sorry. Mom, when did you get here? Why didn't you tell me? I thought you weren't going to make it!" Bella spat rapid fire at Renee, who answered as many as she could. I never thought Bella's mother would be so flighty and care free.

"Who's this?" Renee asked me. I smiled politely.

"I'm Cassie, Adel's daughter." Recognition fell upon her face.

"Nice to meet you." She said. She sounded kind of intimidated, maybe because I was taller than her.

"You too." I said.

The ceremony was beautiful, if overly flashy was beautiful. The whole vow part had me itching to move. I felt like we were going to be there forever, and sitting still is not my specialty. Finally, the two said "I do" and got on with the after party.

The cake was the best part, since I only knew a few people so I had no one to talk to. Charlie and my mother danced together. It was my mother's turn to dance with Edward and, being as nice as possible, she did.

Jacob showed up, which was cool because his pack must have missed him a lot. When he showed up, Bella decided to ruin his not so friendly mood with some not so great news.

Turns out, Bella and Edward are trying a real honeymoon. The whole human-and-vampire-sex thing didn't sit well with the wolf. Jake nearly blew a gasket. I would have been laughing at his expression if I wasn't so concerned. The leech was going to kill her, and yeah, I cared, she's my sister.

Jake phased and ran off. I considered running after him, but who was I to comfort him? He and I barely talked, let alone shared after school specials.

I was just glad to have the summer back. The house was left all to me during the long days. I had no problem trying to find something to do. We had some TiVo, a little Netflix, the food channel, and a computer. It did get a little lonely sometimes, but hey, you get used to being alone after a while.

The summer felt endless, although, since school had never been much of a regular thing for me, I wasn't used to having a time limit on my free time. I thought I would have nothing to do this summer, boy, was I wrong.

"That damn boy! That, that… that bastard!" Charlie shouted, pacing the room. We had just gotten news about the whole Bella-and-Edward-are-back-and-Bella-has-a-rare-disease.

"How in the hell are they going to quarantine her? Damn him and his fucking money that brought her to that stupid island!" My mother and I shared a knowing glance. We knew Bella wasn't really sick. I wondered if Edward had killed her, or turned her. Was the sickness a cover up? Were they going to 'kill' her off later? Was there going to be a funeral? Was it going to be open casket? Will she claw herself out of her grave? I ask too many questions.

"That's it; I'm going to go see her." Charlie said finally. I jumped up.

"Charlie, no! You'll get sick too. It's too dangerous." Not to mention the real danger that wasn't a virus. Even I wasn't sure what the real danger was. Would it be the mourning Charlie faced, or the death?

"She sounded horrible on the phone. I'm going to see her." He was determined, set in his ways. My mother shook her head and stood to walk over to him. Placing her hand on his chest, she murmured something I couldn't hear.

"But, Adel, this is my daughter. If this were Cassie, wouldn't you go after her?" He asked.

"Now, Charlie, I love both of our daughters very much. If Doctor Cullen says that we can't see her, then we can't see her." My mother said.

"I don't care what he says! And why aren't either of you worried?" He asked.

"There is nothing we can do. Why hang on to that thought? I don't want to spend my life regretting these things." I told him honestly.

"So, you don't care." Charlie accused, his eyes narrowing at me. I shook my head.

"I do care. But acting on that is like standing on a railroad and trying to stop the train. It'll only get you killed." I said. My mother glared at me, curled up on the arm of the sofa. I'm sure if we had been alone she would have hit me, but Charlie was here, and there was nothing she could do now.

"Just, just go." Charlie told me. Nodding, I walked upstairs and left all the comforting to my mother. I had made a huge mess, but I didn't care. Deciding I'd take my punishment later, I grabbed my glider and flew out of the window.

I wasn't sure where I was going, but one thing was for sure, I was going. Flying circles around the small town of Forks could only be so entertaining. I decided to check up on my ill sister.

My feet hit the lawn of the Cullens house. I was gapping at nothing. Bella was freaking pregnant. It defiantly wasn't one of those normal pregnancies either. I had passed women on the street and I knew how soft and fragile the baby was, but the vampire skin on this baby was ridiculous.

"Cassie, now is not the best time." Carlisle said.

"Bullshit. I already know about it, so let's just get on with it, shall we?" Carlisle stepped aside and let me through to my sister.

"Hey, Bells, what's up?" I asked, like I hadn't noticed just how badly she looked. Very tired, very skinny, very messy, very sweaty.

"Cassie, I have something to tell you. I don't want to keep secrets from you."

"I know, I know, I'm amazing. Really, you don't have to tell me this often." I smiled at her, hopping to shine some comedy on the gloomy situation.

"No, Cassie, I meant that-"

"I already felt it, Bells. No need for explanation. I see someone didn't use protection." I smirked and gave her husband a look.

"They didn't know! Besides, this child is a blessing." Rosalie said. I sighed.

"Well they should have. The legends of the hybrids help brainwash us benders into setting the vampire as the bad guy, always." I told them.

"You knew this could happen." Edward whispered, his soulless eyes full of agony, like he was being burned alive. I felt a twinge of pain for him, remembering the first time I had seen someone actually get burned alive.

The young boy named Cartel, stood on the podium, surrounded by fans of the executers. He couldn't have been much older than me, after all, I was only five at the time, and he looked about six. I was sitting by my father's side, waiting for the signal to be given.

I wasn't sure what the signal was for, I didn't know what they were going to do.

"Let this be a warning to the rebellion." My father's friend bellowed to the crowd, "We show no mercy!"

And I watched the five men send fire the young boy's way. I watched him scream for his mother, who was not there to fend for him. I could see the smile on my father's face. I wanted them to stop, the screams were too much. The boy was in too much pain. The punishment was unfair, why should he be burned for his mistake?

I knew better than to speak up against my father. So, I sat silently and watched the boy die, and I knew he wouldn't be the last. I would have been burned myself if I had spoken my thoughts. But I never could let go of the regret I felt every morning for not speaking up for Cartel.

Judging by Edward's face, he had seen this, but he didn't seem sad for me, just for Bella. I get it; I'm not asking for sympathy, the love of his life was dying. But, something about the way he ignored me hurt.

I realized what I had just done by purposely thinking about that boy. I had opened up to Edward, even in the most subtle way. I had, for once in my life, let my guard down and reached out for help to the vampire I loathed, and he didn't even spare me a glance.

Maybe I was a bitter, attention deprived, child, but there was something about being ignored that didn't sit well with me. Something about lying low to stay out of trouble rubbed me the wrong way. There was something about sitting back and watching people die that grinded against my nerves.

I wanted to be heard. I wanted to be noticed. I needed to help. I wanted my opinions heard by anyone who would listen. But I just couldn't. Not with a past such as my own. My opinions were important to me, but my past I wish I could forget. By giving Edward that snippet of information, I had let someone know that my life wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. And he didn't even bat a long eyelash.

"Sorry for the lack of sympathy, but I have more important things on my mind right now." Edward hissed at me. I wondered where he mustered the strength to be angry when he looked so broken.

I nodded and sat down, just being there with my sister was all I could do right now.

Alright, show of hands, how many people think Cassie is going to hate Renesmee. The real answer might surprise you… Or will it? Yeah, probably not… Actually, it's complicated.

So, can anyone guess who Cartel was?

Alright, special thanks to NO-he's MY Monkey Man for reviewing after every single chapter.