Chapter 26
Kris
"Olen vähän teekannu, lyhyt ja pyylevä. Täällä on varteni on täällä nokkani*," Noel sang. Carlisle laughed and sang in Finnish with her.
I could tell Noel was going to be a total pain, so I hurried and left the room, bumping into Harry on my way out.
"Hey, Kris. Noel's talking in foreign languages again?" Harry guessed.
"Yup. She's gonna be bored in school, let me tell you," I giggled.
"I can see it now; Name? Noel Clara Call. Address?" Harry tacked off the address. "Languages? Oh, English, Dutch, German, French, Vietnamese, Greek, Latin, Spanish... You writing this down or are you just going to sit there gaping like a fish?"
We burst out laughing.
"Harry, did you get Kris yet?" Brady yelled from downstairs. We looked over the banister.
The wolves, Imprints, and Caleb were downstairs, grouped together by the door.
"We're going up for ice cream; that's why I was sent up here," Harry explained.
"Szeretnék jégkrém**!" Noel shrieked, racing down the stairs.
Did I mention? Noel has completely developed, unlike her little brother. At four months, she's already walking, talking, and counting. Yes, counting. Numbers. Addition. Subtraction.
The kid was becoming the smartest child in the world.
"Noel, watch for the steps-" Marigold screamed.
It was too late. Noel, who insisted on running in her socks, slipped and fell. I screamed. Harry ran forward. Embry ran up.
"Noel!" we all yelled. A sigh of relief and shock rippled through us.
Noel had caught herself on the railing. She was leaning forward on the steps. Then, she looked up at the bar of the railing she was holding and climbed it, setting herself upright. Embry gawked at her. Marigold kept on breathing, "Ohmygod, ohmygod..."
Harry made it to the steps and scooped Noel up. Noel didn't even seem shocked about what almost happened. She just looked a little surprised about the fall. Who wouldn't be?
"What the hell was that?" Embry gasped.
"She advanced," I groaned, falling to my knees. Brady ran up and knelt beside me.
"What?"
"She advanced," I whispered again. "She has enough upper body strength to climb a pole."
"How would she know how?" Embry demanded.
"Because she watched me while I was doing my gymnastics," I explained. "I thought it was just languages, but she was watching to intently..."
"She can copy the exact actions of someone else," Marigold concluded. "Noel, watch mommy!"
Marigold did a handstand.
"Down!" Noel commanded. Harry let her down. Noel copied the movement. It wasn't a perfect handstand, like Marigold's but close enough. I fainted.
The next thing I knew, there were cold, rock-hard vampire hands feeling my forehead.
"Kris, are you alright?" Carlisle asked softly.
"Urm, I'm fine. What happened?"
"You fainted when Noel advanced again," Carlisle sighed. "I did some tests on her. I believe that if we wait for a few months, she'll have the power to change her form, as well."
"What?"
I sat up immediately. Then I flopped back down. Can somebody stop the room from spinning?
"Noel has the remarkable talent of picking up skills, and, eventually, looks."
"Urgh... Noel, you are one strange little girl," I groaned.
"I know," her voice came out sweetly. I gasped and sat up again. This time, I ignored the dizziness and looked for her.
Noel grew. Instead of being 2'11", Noel grew to a remarkable 3'10". Almost a foot. Almost instantly, she shrank again, turning invisible beside the bed. I went to the side to peek over.
Noel was sitting there, smiling at me. She waved.
"I think I'm gonna faint again," I announced. And I was out like a light.
"Let her be... She's had a lot to deal with," Carlisle's hushed voice assured someone.
"Carlisle, I'm worried. Not much can make Kris faint," Brady's voice hissed back.
"She cares genuinely for Noel," Embry whispered. "It scares her to see her so advanced."
"What caused her to grow and shrink like that?" Brady asked.
"I think that would be some of the werewolf genes in her. Don't worry, Embry, she won't fully transform, but she'll pick up on some of the traits. The moodiness, the daring attitude, the rapid growth, the brute strength..." Carlisle explained. "She'll be one hell of a teenager."
"I don't understand."
"Basically, she'll absorb the characteristics of a werewolf without actually becoming one. I'm sure the moodiness and such will come along later in life, around the same time Caleb should be able to phase."
"They won't be around for that to happen," Embry growled.
"I'm afraid that wherever a vampire goes, your son's future will, too," Carlisle sighed.
"No. No, I won't let it happen. It did so much to our families already... Seth and Leah went to Sue's funeral last year. They never aged while she died from it."
"Embry, dude, calm down," Brady said. I heard Embry's sobs. I flinched, and I felt everyone look in my direction.
"Brady," I mumbled. Brady sat next to me and kissed me sweetly.
"I'm here, honey," he whispered. "Noel advanced again."
"So I've heard," I mumbled.
"Want to get up?"
"No. Lay down with me," I whined. Brady chuckled and scooted me over, setting himself next to me.
"Brady, I'm going to check on Marigold and the kids. Goodnight, Kris. Brady, Carlisle."
"G'night," I yawned, snuggling into Brady.
"Night, Em," Brady called out."
"Good night," Carlisle said. "I'm going to hunt with the family. I hope I can trust you two to behave?"
"Yup, all I'm gonna do is sleep, anyway," I murmured. I kicked off the blanket and cuddled into Brady's side.
Who needs a blanket when you have your own, personal werewolf for heat?
In seconds I was fast asleep, with Brady humming something in my ear.
AN:
I have an important question. This involves all of you.
I hate tears, and although I do like to let out a good cry now and then, I don't know about the rest of you.
In my next upcoming Imprint Story, I'm contimplating splitting Seth and Erin apart. It won't last long, so you can breathe again, but it's long enough for you to feel the pain.
I know it'll make some of you cry; Seth and Erin were the first pair and the sweetest. I don't want to crush you guys, so I'm allowing a vote. I'll put up a poll on my profile; please vote! I won't write any more on the series until I get enough "yays" or "nays."
*Translation: I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout."
**Translation: "I want ice cream!"
