What will always remain the same in this world is that things always change…

-Wendy Singleton Skipper

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It takes quite a lot for something to define itself as strange to me. However, what I was currently seeing came close to meeting those standards. I was in a meadow and standing about a dozen yards in front of me was a young woman. She was human, but I wasn't sure if I recognized her; something about her looked familiar. She was just staring blankly at me, remaining almost perfectly still.

She was also wearing an ice-blue, knee length dress which was actually a beautiful contrast with her long brown hair. It blew wistfully in a soft breeze I didn't even feel, whatsoever. What I did feel was another presence besides me and the young woman. And there was.

To my left, standing just as far away from me as the girl, was a vampire… but not just any vampire. It was my father. He was staring at me with the same blank expression. I was about to walk toward him to ask what was going on when I heard a rustling coming from my right. I turned and there stood my best friend, Jacob- again, at the same distance with the same expression. My gaze switched from him, to the strange woman, and then back to my father. None of them moved, nor did their stares ever change. They were as bleak as the grey sky that hung above us. And it was beginning to become unnerving to me.

Suddenly, the whole scene shifted. There was a huge gust of wind and, next thing I knew, the entire meadow was covered in snow. The trees around us that once stood lush and green were now stripped completely bare. Apparently, so was the sky; there was no longer a single cloud in sight… And the brilliance of the sunlight reflected beautifully off the white, crystal-like skin of my father. I had a subtle glow of my own, but it didn't shimmer and glisten at all like his.

I looked at the girl that still stood before me and noticed that she, too, had changed. Her ice-blue dress was now shredded and her long hair in slight disarray. She reached her hand out to me, silently beckoning for me to approach her. That's when I noticed the spot just above her wrist. No human would've seen it, nor probably recognize it, from such a distance. However, I wasn't human- not completely, at least. Therefore, I was able to see the bite mark on the arm that was reaching out to me. It was the bite of a vampire.

I only knew of one human being that was bitten and still regained her mortality: The same human who conceived and gave birth to me before becoming an official vampire, herself. It was my mother- when she was still human. Why was she asking me to come to her?

I turned to my father, realizing he was also reaching out to me the exact same way Momma was. Then, I switched my gaze to Jacob only to see that he had phased into the huge russet-colored wolf that has protected and fought for me many times before. He sat there, continuing to stare at me, until he let out a long haunting howl. It was beautiful and lingering, a howl he only did for me. Jacob was calling to me, as well.

Who was I supposed to go to first? Before I had time to make a choice, before I could take so much as a step, the scene changed again. The sky began changing rapidly: day turned to night; night turned to day. The pattern kept repeating faster and faster, until the entire sky flashed into a deep crimson red. I heard Jacob howl again. This time it was full of pure, unadulterated fury. As I looked around once more, I could see countless shadows moving- dancing through the forest. They had no distinct shape at first, but they soon began taking form as they gathered closer to where we were. From what I could see, they were coming by the hundreds. As they came even closer, I could hear distant screaming. It became louder and louder, still.

Then- within just a fraction of a second- the hundreds of dancing, screaming, dark figures formed into only five shadowy persons. By that time, Momma, Daddy, and Jacob were suddenly right next to me. Momma was standing, holding me protectively. Daddy was turned sideways from the intruders, his arms of silken iron wrapped tightly around both of us. A low growl was raging from deep within his chest. His teeth were bared and Momma was watching the intruders with guarded eyes. Although, it was difficult to see the intruders at all since Jacob's hulking wolf form was now in front of us. He, too, began to growl menacingly. Then I felt Momma and Daddy tense and saw Jacob poise into springing position. There was a hot, blazing flash of light… And I woke up.

...

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and yawned.

"Hello, Jacob." I mumbled, while stretching. The beast just outside my window made a noise that sounded like a snicker and moved to the front of the little cottage house that my parents and I lived in.

I leaped off of my bed and got dressed faster than any normal kid could. My parents always told me I was special. They said it was nothing to feel bad about. And yet, they only take me out in public every once in a while. Carlisle, my grandfather, told me it was just a precaution till I stopped growing. Still, lately, they had not been taking me anywhere at all. We'd hunt further up in the mountains when I grew thirsty, and Jacob took me to La Push sometimes to play on the beach. Other than that, however, I was usually staying at home.

Of course, I did not blame any of them for trying to be discrete about me. After the incident with the Volturi, all of us- including myself- couldn't help but feel a slight wound within ourselves… A sort of emotional scar, at the thought of what could've happened; what would have happened, if it weren't for Aunt Alice and our new friend, Nahuel. It was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one of my kind (my very, very rare kind.) Though, I'm quite happy to say that I was the only one who still had both of her parents. Nahuel and his half-sisters lost their mothers in the midst of childbirth. Their father, a vampire, was persecuted by the Volturi as well for attempting to create a new species of half breeds… a species like me, Nahuel, and his sisters. For all any of us knew, Nahuel's father had received his punishment. Though, I've no intention of even picturing such a punishment.

As I made my way to the front door, I looked around for signs that my mother and father were still in the house. They were, not too long ago; I could smell them. My senses were not as sharp as the normal vampire, but still far surpassed that of a human. I assumed they had gone to Grandfather Carlisle's, not that far out of the forest from which our little cottage home was settled in. I reached the front door and opened it. Sure enough, Jacob had phased back into his human form and was leaning casually against the threshold. He grinned down at me almost lovingly; his deep, dark eyes boring into mine.

"Hey there Nessie," My real name's Renesmee, but everyone calls me Nessie for short. "Ready to go?" He held his arms out to me, welcoming me into his embrace.

I happily obliged, and then gently touched the side of his face while picturing my parents. I'd chosen not to talk much. It just didn't seem that necessary when I could simply communicate through thought by only a matter of touching. Jacob saw my parents as I projected one of my mental pictures of them into his mind.

"They've just gone hunting, honey. They'll be back soon." he answered.

Although I could communicate through touch, I could only master sending pictures and feelings- never any audible thoughts, like the kind my father could read from all who surrounded him… given one exception, of course; my mother. Anyway, though I preferred to express myself by using my talent, there are still some statements I had to make out loud.

"Why can't I just walk, or even run, to Grandfather Carlisle's on my own?" I pouted. "We both know I'm very much capable."

Jacob chuckled. "Kid, you really ought to actually talk more often. It should be a crime to abuse such a sweet little voice." he replied as he absent-mindedly pulled a runaway strand of hair behind my ear. I frowned and raised a brow at him. Jacob sometimes had a tendency to change the subject whenever I spoke with him. At the sight of my face, he chuckled again.

"Nessie, hun, don't give me that look. I get enough of the same one from your mom." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I'm your guardian, kid. It's my job to protect you."

"I still don't understand…" Really, Carlisle's home wasn't even two minutes away- if we ran, that is.

Jacob smirked. "You don't have to." he answered, gently putting me down. "Now stand back, so I can phase and escort her ever-small majesty to her next destination." He bowed mockingly and I rolled my eyes, my arms folded. Jacob broke out into full blown laughter watching me.

"You really are too much like your mom. I'm glad, though. It's one of the many things I love about you." He was changing the subject again. I sighed quietly, but he heard it.

"Look, you really wanna know why I'm so protective of you?"

I nodded. Jacob leaned down to my level and gestured me to come closer, as if he were about to tell me a secret. I leaned forward, as well. And in a low tone, he answered.

"It's because… we are imprints. That means we were meant to look out for one another."

I smiled and rolled my eyes again. I'd heard Jacob talk about imprints before. He never gave much description, other than what he just said.

He grinned back at me one more time before taking a few steps back, away from me and the little house. I watched as he closed his eyes for a brief second; his body began to tremble and, as it did, he sprinted forward. Then in one big leap, Jacob had phased into the massive, russet-colored wolf that I'd come just as acquainted to as his human form. The beastly creature that Jacob became eyed me expectantly, those dark, stellar irises being the only part of him that didn't really change. Jacob leaned the upper part of his body downward to let me climb on. I did so without any hesitation and settled myself between his shoulder blades. Then, we were off.

I still didn't think being escorted to my own family's not-so-distant home was necessary. However, I chose not to question anymore about it. For now. Instead of saying anything, I rested my head against the thick, warm fur of Jacob's neck as he glided quickly and effortlessly through the forest.

Upon approaching the large, beautiful mansion of the Cullen family- my family- I couldn't help but feel a momentary feeling of utter contentment. That or Uncle Jasper was bestowing his own special greeting to me with his power to sense and manipulate moods of those around him.

Hmm… No, it was me.

I suppose I was simply glad to be spending time with the rest of my family. It had been at least three days since I last visited, which was very unusual- seeing as how I always spent time with them on practically a daily basis. Things had been considerably quiet, lately. Aside from a few times when I went hunting with my parents, three days is the longest I'd ever stayed away from the rest of my family. I was beginning to suspect they were all keeping something from me- something they weren't telling me.

Still, I chose to worry about that later. I was too eager to see all of their smiling faces again. Jacob had reached the back part of the large home- which was the one side that was almost entirely made up of glass, something about the place I always found especially unique- and we circled around to the front yard. As we made it past the main driveway, my eagerness got the best of me as I jumped off Jacob's back, and then bolted to the front porch. At the very millisecond I reached the threshold, the door was already open. There, on the other side, stood Aunt Alice.

Of course she would know exactly when to open the door without having to look. She's a psychic. Rather, she could see the future based on the decisions people made. In that way, Aunt Alice's visions are subjective- since no future is set in stone, her visions could change. There are few things in the world that limit her given power. One would be if somebody she was watching couldn't make a decision; then her visions of said person would become hazy. Also, there would be other phenomenal creatures in this world- such as half breeds like me, or changelings like Jacob- that are so rare and so different from Aunt Alice's vampire kind, that they completely block out her visions when in close proximity… Much like I was probably doing now. Aunt Alice didn't seem to mind, though. She just stood there, waiting expectantly, her small frame that wasn't much taller than mine seemingly relaxed. She tilted her head- which consisted of short, spiky, dark colored hair- a little to the side and bit her lip, her golden eyes shining with excitement. Obviously, Aunt Alice didn't have to be psychic to know what was coming next.

She smiled as I leaped into her embrace, my arms practically constricting around her in a tight hold. "It's wonderful to see you again, too, Nessie." she said, laughing her silver wind-chimed laugh.

"Hey Shorty," Jacob greeted Aunt Alice from where he was now standing, at the doorway. Jacob had his little nicknames for just about everybody, which most of us tolerated; not liked, but tolerated…

"Hello Jacob," Alice replied politely.

Just then, the room became more crowded as other family members approached to bring their salutations.

"Hey there Ness," bellowed Uncle Emmett, who's hulking height and muscular build rivaled even Jacob's tall form. Though, with his child-like demeanor, he overall reminded me of a giant and playful teddy bear. He lifted me up and perched me onto one of his shoulders- which was so broad, probably another half of me could fill out the remaining space.

I placed my hand on the side of his face, still smiling all the while. Uncle Emmett let out a thunderous laugh at my greeting. "You, too, small lady- you, too." He, then, took notice of Jacob's presence. "How's it going, Stinky?" Emmett addressed him. Apparently, Jacob's kind didn't smell too pleasant to the typical vampire; that was how Emmett sometimes referred to Jacob, just as Jacob sometimes referred- more fondly- to Emmett as Brother Bear (from my little analogy.)

"Pretty much same-old…" Jacob replied to Uncle Emmett. He redirected his gaze up the nearby staircase, where my other uncle was standing silently. "Nice seeing you, too, Soldier Boy."

Uncle Jasper, the one Jacob was referring to, was among the most experienced of our vampire family- next to Carlisle that is. I was told he'd been a great leader in the Confederate army during the Civil War, before he was changed, and an even better leader for newborn vampire armies in the immortal Southern Wars that carried on to present day. Though, that was just part of Uncle Jasper's dark past. He was much better now, in a real family where we look out for one another.

"Jacob Black," he murmured softly in response, nodding in Jacob's direction once as a sign of respect. Uncle Jasper, then, switched his gaze to me. I could barely see the scars he'd gotten from battle during his early years as a vampire that rested on various parts of his flesh. Most who could see the scars found it intimidating, making Uncle Jasper's lean form and sharp features all categorize under the danger-scale. I, for one, didn't find him dangerous or scary at all. He was pretty (like the rest of us) and had slightly curly, honey-blonde hair.

"Hello Nessie," Jasper smiled softly at me. I waved timidly at him in response. The smile on my quiet uncle's face suddenly grew more definite, and- considering his power to change peoples' moods- I knew why. Within seconds, I felt a most random urge to laugh. I snickered clutching my side a little. It didn't take long for Uncle Emmett and the others who were in the room to catch on.

"Hold it, Jazz. You know that's supposed to be my job!" Emmett pointed out. In an instant, I was hanging upside down against his chest- one huge hand latching onto both of my knees to keep me from falling completely off his shoulder, the other attacking me on all sides in a ticklish fury. I laughed even harder while trying to kick myself free; everyone had also begun laughing as they watched me. After a few more seconds, the tickling ceased and I landed in someone else's arms.

I looked up to see that it was Aunt Rosalie. She was the most beautiful member of the family, next to my mother. I'd told her that once, when I was with her, Uncle Emmett- her husband- and my father while we were relaxing in the large sitting room. She and Uncle Emmett laughed at my comment. Daddy, on the other hand, just smiled broadly and kissed my forehead. Later, I'd come to realize there are different kinds of beautiful. While Aunt Alice always had a magical, fairy-like kind of beauty and Momma a more sweet and angelic one, Aunt Rosalie's beauty was always a magnificent and other-worldly beauty of sorts.

Her face seems a little younger than the actual age she was when she was changed. Its perfect oval shape and well defined features look as if it were all carved by true artists. Her lips are full and of a deep, rosy shade. Her dark eyelashes are long, her light brown eyebrows thin yet deeply lined with thought. Add all of that to a tall, curvaceous figure along with lengthy thick blonde hair, and that's Aunt Rosalie.

I placed my hand on her pale cheek, thanking her in my special way for catching me. "You're quite welcome, Renesmee." she answered sweetly. Then, with very little enthusiasm, Aunt Rose turned to Jacob. Her face hardened into a scowl. She and Jacob didn't exactly get along too well. However, for both me and my parents' sake, they… tolerated each other. "Mutt," Rose greeted dully.

"Blondie," Jacob replied in the exact same tone, as he scowled right back at her.

I attempted to disengage their staring match and lightly touched Rosalie's face again. I pictured my vampire grandparents while giving off an aura of curiosity.

"Esme is meeting with your parents on their way back from hunting; she had something she wanted to discuss with them- and no, it's nothing serious." Rose added that last comment at the end before I could even question about it. I smiled sheepishly and nodded in understanding. She continued. "I think Carlisle is still upstairs in his study, though."

I looked up the large stairwell, where Jasper was still standing, and then back at Aunt Rosalie. She immediately understood and let me down. I'd dashed a quarter ways up the steps when I abruptly stopped, having almost forgotten about Jacob, and rushed back to his side. He leaned down, letting me touch his chin. I watched his face carefully and in a few seconds he smiled down at me assuredly.

" 'S okay, kid. Go see your gramps. I'll be fine down here." Jacob promised.

At that, I darted up the stairwell once again. I felt a sudden wave of caution as I passed Uncle Jasper and refrained from rolling my eyes. The two of us had practically developed our own private communication system, projecting pictures and emotions back and forth to one another. I have a special bond with each of my family members, but the kind I share with Jasper has always been particularly unique. It didn't require any talking; all we ever had to do was be close to each other and the silent conversation went on from there. Just now, Uncle Jasper had purposely made me feel cautious as a way of saying not to run so fast going up and down the stairs. He can keep his distance, as he's been known to do out of old habits, but he can be very protective of me- just like everyone else is.

I honestly didn't see what the big deal was. I wasn't a baby anymore, I couldn't be that helpless. Besides… I only burned the stairwell one time before, due to my speed. And that was only because I was still growing into my vampire abilities, and saw it fit to practice some of my skills by running up and down the stairs several times. Only three steps got second degree burns. Momma blamed Daddy that day for, "one: not monitoring Nessie like he was asked, and two: passing on his genes of having a keen ability for speed onto his daughter."

I could faintly hear a small chuckle coming from Uncle Jasper, after sensing my annoyance no doubt. I ignored him and proceeded to seek out my vampire grandfather. I rarely ventured into Carlisle's study, as there wasn't much to do in there. On some occasions, I would speculate the dozens of paintings that were plastered all over the walls. It fascinated me at just how much Grandfather Carlisle had seen and been through in his centuries of exploring the immortal world. From time to time, I would point out one of the paintings to him, asking what made them significant, and he always had an interesting story that followed. One of those paintings was a portrait of me that Aunt Alice had made when I was younger. It was hung close to Carlisle's desk; he always said I was his greatest discovery, but that most importantly- and even better than any discovery, in his opinion- I was his granddaughter. Grandfather Carlisle is like a true father to my parents, and loves them and the rest of my aunts and uncles as if they were his own. For any of them to be able to bring up a child was a wonderful miracle in its own. At least, that's what he's told me.

I made it down the hall to his study. The door was open a small crack and I slowly peeked inside. He was working intently at his desk. Surprisingly, he showed no sign of noticing I was there. I quietly stepped into the room and walked around the large desk to stand at his side. He finally lifted his head and glanced at me, a soft smile forming on his face.

"Hello Renesmee," Carlisle turned in his chair to face me and opened up his arms in invitation. I accepted and climbed onto his lap. Once I was settled, his arms closed lightly around me and I laid my head against his ice-cool chest. I saw the papers and charts on his desk and looked up at him with a questioning expression. Grandfather Carlisle's eyes went from me to the papers, and then back to me again. "It's nothing of extreme importance, just some stuff from work."

I believed him, but there was something else in his voice that I wasn't so sure about. I thought back to my family's strange behavior over the past few weeks. There had to be something they were hiding, something they were not telling me… And I couldn't be sure if it was good or not. I let out a sigh and leaned back against my grandfather, closing my eyes for a brief moment.

"Is something wrong?" I could feel one of his hands gently stroking my curly, red hair. I decided to answer out loud.

"No, Carlisle, nothing is wrong." I replied softly. "I just missed being here," which was partially the truth. I didn't want to worry him with my suspicions right now. Besides, if my family truly was keeping something from me, they would tell me soon enough- or so I hoped.

"We missed you, too, Nessie." Carlisle agreed, as he continued to stroke my hair. "Did you have enough sleep? You seem tired."

I reached up and touched his face, remembering the strange dream I had last night. His eyebrows arched a little. "I see…" he said as he observed the pictures that flowed through his head. I showed him my parents, Jacob and the meadow. I showed the bizarre screaming shadows and continued replaying every last detail I could remember.

"Interesting," Carlisle murmured. "Very interesting, indeed." When I finished showing him the rest of my dream, he paused- contemplating, I suppose- and then answered. "Your dream was so detailed, so vivid and precise. Not even humans could possibly picture anything as clearly. I wonder what could've brought such a dream about…" Carlisle looked back down at me again. I just shrugged in response.

"Hmm, maybe it's because of your vampire traits that you can dream in so much detail." he concluded. "As for what the dream meant, however, I'm sorry I cannot be sure; you always seemed to have your mother's perceptiveness and imagination- perhaps your conscience is trying to tell you something."

My suspicions of my family rose back to the front of my mind. If my dream had anything to do with that… no, I didn't want to think about it. Not today.

"Ah well," Carlisle sighed. "Are you thirsty? Maybe if I give you a small vile, you won't feel as tired."

Grandfather Carlisle's a very experienced doctor, a surgeon. He has spent centuries perfecting his resistance to human blood, only feeding on the blood of animals. It's a difficult lifestyle for most vampires. I've only known two covens that consist of what we Cullens call "vegetarian vampires," and that's the Denali coven- all of who are much like our cousins- and of course my family. That's why after we hunted our eyes would turn a bright, golden brown color, where as vampires that followed the original diet would have frightening crimson irises. Anyway, since Carlisle's a doctor, he always kept some extra blood samples from his human patients stashed away in the house. Normally, it was just for emergencies. Though, considering what today was, I assumed my grandfather was feeling extra generous.

"No thank you," I said out loud. "I'll be fine." Then, I gave him a reassuring smile and he returned it.

At that precise moment, I heard something. The sound was very faint at first, but my sensitive ears could still pick up the light footsteps coming from the forest behind the house. There were three of them and their pace was far too fast to be any other creature. Once I recognized what it was, my head perked up from where it was laying on Carlisle's chest. He obviously heard it, too. When I looked back up at him, his smile had grown wider.

"Well, it sounds like they're back." The second he said those words I made a mad dash out of his study, stopped, ran back to place a small 'thank you' kiss on his cheek, and then ran out again. I could hear Carlisle's laughter as I ran down the stairs. I didn't pay attention to what everyone was doing on the first floor, where I'd left them, but Jacob was still standing at the door. He opened it for me just as I reached it, and I sprang almost ten feet off the porch and onto the lawn.

Sure enough, the three familiar silhouettes became clearer as they emerged from the thick woods. Grandmother Esme appeared first, in all her radiant and graceful beauty. Her light brown, shoulder length hair looked a tad winded and her heart-warming smile was so welcoming. I rushed up to her for a quick hug.

"Hello dear," she cooed in a smooth, maternal voice.

Then, I saw them appear just behind her. His lean, athletic figure; her thin, curvy frame… His wild copper-red hair; her wavy, waist length, dark brown locks… It was my parents.

I wasted no time and dived straight into the waiting arms of my mother. I felt her lips kiss the side of my head, and then Daddy's voice came from next to us.

"Happy birthday, Renesmee."