Chapter 4:
It was a typical cloudy afternoon in Forks. Two friends were walking down the street when one noticed a mysterious looking teenage girl standing outside a store across the street.
"Who's that?" the first girl asked.
"Who?" The second saw who she was talking about. "Oh her, she's one of the Cullens."
"The Cullens? Doesn't your dad work with a Dr. Cullen?"
"Yeah, he's her dad."
"There's no way he's old enough to be her dad."
"He's her foster dad. Dr. Cullen and his wife have a whole bunch of them, like eight foster kids or something like that. They're really weird. Apparently they're home schooled and don't hang out with anyone but each other." The first girl shrugged.
"Let's go say hi!" With that said, she dashed off across the street.
Nessie waited impatiently for Jacob to come out of the auto shop. She was thinking about the 'hunting trip' they had gone one earlier when a girl who appeared to be about seventeen with red curly hair skidded to a stop in front of her.
"Hi, I'm Carly," she chirped. Nessie smiled politely.
"Renesme Cullen." Carly gave her a weird look. "You can call me Nessie." A girl with shoulder length straight brown hair appeared cautiously next to Carly.
"Oh Nessie, this is my friend Anna." Nessie extended her hand towards Anne politely.
"Nice to meet you."
"Same here. My dad works with you dad at the hospital." Nessie stopped for a second as Anna's words sank in.
"My dad?" a sudden realization of what she really meant washed over her. "Oh, you mean Carlisle! That's cool." The sudden war of a motorcycle tearing down the typically silent street caught the attention of all three girls. Of course, Nessie knew who it was almost immediately.
Emmett flew down the street on his bike with Rosalie's thin yet iron-like arms around his waist firmly. She pressed her lips between his shoulder blades in a loving kiss. As soon as he saw Nessie, he sped up to see her. He braked when he got close, stopping right next to Nessie. Her face lit up when she saw him and Rosalie.
"Hello Renesme," Rosalie said. Nessie scowled at the sound of her full name, but she still bounced over to her aunt and uncle. She didn't even notice Anna and Carly gaping at Rosalie and Emmett's sheer beauty.
"Where are you guys going?"
"Camping for the weekend," Emmett replied with a knowing glitter in his youthful eyes.
"Well, have fun."
"You have fun with your new friends too. It'll be nice for you to be with someone other than that dog." Nessie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Rosalie. "Okay, okay, sorry. We'll see you later." Rosalie winked at Anna and Carly before the motorcycle jumped to life, and the couple sped away.
"Who, who was that?" Carly stammered, still in shock over Rosalie and Emmett's beauty and grace.
"Oh, that's just Rosalie and Emmett," Nessie replied with a simple shrug as if it was no big deal. "They're my brother and sister; well, foster brother and foster sister."
"Is it just you three?" Anna asked; her curiosity was starting to get the best of her. Her father constantly spoke highly of Dr. Cullen, but few knew the details about him, his young wife and their wealth of foster children.
"There's me, my sister Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie." The cover story for the Cullens had been drilled into Nessie's head quite literally since birth.
"Wow," Anna commented, causing Nessie to blush just like her mother. "Sounds like fun."
"Yeah, I guess. It's pretty nice to have so many people together in one house." Carly glanced at her watch briefly.
"Oh crap, we have to go, Anne." She turned to Nessie. "Lemme get your number so we can get together soon."
"Okay, let me get yours too," Nessie agreed enthusiastically. Once phone numbers were exchanged, Anna and Carly dashed back across the street, leaving Nessie along feeling, for the first time in years, like she had some real friends outside the family and Jacob.
Nessie was so deep in thought that she didn't even realize that she wasn't alone until she felt a familiar arm slide around her waist and pair of lips press against the top of her head.
"Who was that?" Jacob asked. He had seen her talking to Carly and Anna and hung back in the shop to give her some space. Of course blondie couldn't provide Nessie with the same luxury.
"Some girls who live here. Carlisle works with the father of one of them. We might get together soon." There was no denying the excitement in Nessie's voice as they began to walk down the street hand in hand towards her Mercedes.