Chapter One: Fully Grown
Today is my seventh birthday, yet the countless balloons and banners spread throughout my house state otherwise. In preparation for tonight's party, Aunt Alice had imported a mass of "16th Birthday" paraphernalia into every crevice of our home. I awoke with excitement bubbling through my stomach. I was not like my mother, I enjoyed my birthday. I liked attention and gifts, though not in a self centred way, I just enjoyed the fun of it all. I squealed into my duvet cover, which muffled the sound only slightly. My bedroom door was left ajar, and through it I heard the unmistakable roar of my Uncle Emmett's laughter as he cried,
"The birthday girl's awake!". I propped myself up against my headboard, only to be crushed back down when a pair of thin arms rapped around me, and their owner rolled onto my chest.
"Happy Birthday Nessie!" I tried to let out a muffled thank you as Alice planted kiss after kiss on my cheek. When she threw herself over to lie beside me, I saw that my large room was now filled with the smiling faces of my entire family. Each of them took turns in wishing me a Happy Birthday, bombarding me with kisses, and hugs that caused my breathing to be limited. My mother was last; she came and sat at my side, and placed the tray she was holding on my lap. Food had grown on me with age, when I was younger I had a worrying thirst for human blood, which of course was not allowed. I was raised as a "vegetarian", and would compete with Jacob for the biggest animals. But Jake hated eating like that, and long days spent in the kitchens of Billy Black, and my Grandpa Charlie introduced me to some of the wonders of normal food. I now drank only occasionally, more so for the enjoyment of hunting with my family than the actual taste. Fortunately, my mother had retained the cooking skills she'd had in her human life, and the tray she had just presented me with was piled high with a delicious looking breakfast.
"Woah, Mom, thanks. This looks great. Where's Jacob, I think I'm gonna need his help to tackle all this?"
"He went to meet our guest's sweetie, he'll be back soon"
"Oh ok. Any other offers then, Uncle Jazz, you wanna help me eat this?"
I waved a forkful of bacon in the direction of my uncle, and laughed when he stuck out his tongue and made gagging sounds.
"Ugh Ness, Pig is nasty. Jazz bet me I wouldn't have one once."
"Em, I still can't believe you did that!" Jasper was laughing hard as he clapped his brother on the back.
"Whatever dude, you lost the bet."
I worked my way slowly through my meal as my family discussed tonight's preparations. I wasn't really paying much attention, this party had been in the works for months, and whatever was being discussed, I'd probably already heard about. I was done talking about it; I just wanted it to be here. I wanted to open my presents, and laugh with my friends. I wanted to see my Grandpa Charlie, and Nanna Sue. I wanted to wrestle with Seth like I'd done so often in Forks, and I wanted to meet his fiancée, Louise. I'd learned very little about her from Jacob, apart from that when he first met her "she still seemed a lil' weirded out, but then you would be, if you had Seth following you round all the time."
Leaving Forks had been difficult. We had remained there until I was just over four, but by then it was getting too hard for Grandpa to maintain his age at work. The rest of the family remained a quiet mystery the years we stayed there; I was just a little orphan who'd been added into Carlisle and Esme's unusually large brood. But Grandpa was devoted to his profession, and I was desperate to start a real life, so we had to move on. Packing up was hard for all of us. The Cullen family had been drastically changed in that small town, most notably due to the addition of me and my mother. Leaving the little cottage that had become my sanctuary really hurt, leaving Jake hurt more.
It had been decided that he would stay in Forks. He had responsibilities to his father and his pack (though I was never sure what all the werewolves would have to do after all the vampires in town up and left). I'd wept uncontrollably when I was told, placing my hands on everyone around me so that I could us my ability to convey to them the depth of my grief, everyone but Jacob, whose grief was possibly greater than even mine. I begged him to change his mind, but he'd decided it was best for me. He'd keep saying "Time apart will be good for you Ness. I need to know that I'm really the one for you."
" Good for you", all Jacob cared about was what was good for me; I wished he'd be more selfish sometimes.
Then just after New Years, we were gone. The plan was to travel first, then settle somewhere new. After weeping buckets onto Jacob, Charlie, Seth, Sue and Billy at the airport, my Dad carried me onto the plane headed for Chicago. When we were there Grandpa took us to see where he had worked, and where he had changed my Dad. We even went to see the grave Grandpa had personally paid for, for my Dad's parents, who died of Spanish Influenza in 1918. Through the numbness of missing Jake, I remember feeling strange when faced with the thought that anyone but Carlisle and Esme could be my paternal grandparents.
I would spend the days wandering behind my family as Grandpa guided us round the city. Emmett would always be beside me, half out of sympathy, and half out of his own sheer boredom. While Dad, Mom, Jasper and Grandma found the tour fascinating, Alice and Rosalie would just tag along so they could pass through every little shop they came across. Uncle Emmett would just stroll beside me, jokingly mimicking Grandpa as he pointed out every boring building. He made me laugh, which made him happy. But inside my little heart was still broken. My Mom would sit and comfort me at night, stroking my hair while I cried silently into my pillow.
After three months spent in and around Chicago we split up. The single strangest experience of my life was watching my family disband itself. I'd always thought of us as one inseparable unit. But that day I watched them all fly away. Emmett and Rosalie left first. They were off to Africa, so that Emmett could wrestle with things bigger than grizzlies, and Rose could wander the sunny, empty planes without a care. They were staying in a little house, miles from anything or anyone else. Every time this house came up in conversation, a mischievous look came across Uncle Emmett's face, and just as he was about to say something my Dad would cut him off, "Emmett please, not around Nessie." Aunt Rose held my hand as we waited for her boarding call, I lost count of the times she'd told me she was going to miss me, and just sighed each time she told me to take care of myself while she was gone. Uncle Emmett had to physically pry her hand away from mine so they could leave.
Alice and Jasper went next. They were going to Paris. Aunt Alice adored Paris, and she'd promised to take Uncle Jasper to every war museum and scholarly place of interest she could find. Alice had left me with the playful warning that she would cause me serious damage if she came back to discover I had grown even taller than her. Despite the fact that my growth had not yet stopped then, she still had to raise herself a bit to wrap her arms around my neck at the airport. Jasper just gave me a kiss on the forehead and stared deep into my eyes. Watching him leave was like watching my antidote be taken away. Unlike the other members of my family, I welcomed and encouraged my Uncle's gift; it had made the pain of my separation from Jacob slightly easier to bear.
Then came the boarding call for the flight to Brazil. My parents were off to an Island owned by my grandmother, and I wasn't going with them. I was sad to see them go, but my family was such a close unit, that it wouldn't feel much different to be with Grandma and Grandpa. My Mom got a little upset, and just kept asking if I was ok. I couldn't really feel much at that point, so I'd just nod and hug her. My Dad wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear,
"It'll be ok Ness. If he really is the one, it'll be ok." I thought about his words long after they left. They were very similar to what Jacob had kept saying "if he was the one". Of course he was the one. To everyone around me I might have appeared only around thirteen years old, but in my head, and in my heart I knew, I would never want anyone in the world except Jacob Black.
Grandpa, Grandma and I were going to London. Somewhere behind my pain lay excitement. When I was younger, Grandpa had told me stories of how he had discovered a vampire coven in the sewers of the city, and how a confrontation with them had led to him, and consequently, the majority of my family, becoming vampires. I slept through most of the flight, resting my head on Grandma's shoulder. When I woke I was in a bed, a huge bed. Rain was splashing against my window, and for a split second I thought I was in Forks. I spent my days wandering the city, hand in hand with my grandparents. I loved looking at all the statues and old, grey buildings. Grandma and I would giggle each time we passed a manhole and Grandpa would stand on top of it, point down and bite his hand in fake fear of the creatures lurking in the sewers.
After two months, it was time for the Cullen's to reassemble. Grandma, Grandpa and I were the first to arrive in Denali. We received warm welcomes from the coven we were staying with, and each of them expressed there delightful surprise at how I had grown since they saw me last. I did not talk much during the visit and this concerned Carmen in particular, who would sit in silence with me, appreciating that I did not wish to speak. Alice and Jasper came back first. Alice's cheerfulness and Jaspers soothing were a little relief. I watched Alice as she paraded before me the many outfits she had purchased on her trip, and I was not shocked to see the mass of clothes she had brought back for me. Jasper replaced Carmen after returning, and I felt more comfortable talking with him. He'd tell me all about the things he'd seen while he was away, and I told him about the London Statues and the manholes. I didn't even know Rose had returned when the door to my bedroom flew open and she ran towards me,
"On Nessie, I've missed you." Aunt Rose's sent filled my nostrils as she held me tight, my family was coming back together, at least I had that. When my parents returned, Mom was so shocked by how much I had apparently grown, she vowed never again to leave me until I had finished developing. We stayed with the Denali's for a few more weeks, and I would just spend my time sitting and staring into space, thinking of Jacob. Mom would cook for me and I would eat. Jasper and Emmett would beg me to hunt with them, but I never did. Dad watched me a lot too, reading my thoughts I guess.
I was wandering through the large house one day when I saw Grandma, Grandpa, Rose and Mom hovering over a map, while my father and Uncle's sat at the table around them.
"So it's Juneau then, we all agree?" Grandpa looked up at me after saying this. "All of us?" I just raised one eyebrow in confusion, and he beckoned me over to the map. There was a little red star over the city of Juneau in Alaska, not too far from where we were now. "Our next home Ness, what do you say?"
"Yeah, sure whatever." I just shrugged and began walking away, at least now a decision had been made and I could start a proper life.
"That still isn't everyone Carlisle." Dad's face was smug as he leaned back on the chair he was sat on. Jasper and Emmett snickered and glared at me. Grandpa's face was filled with smugness too as he said,
"Oh yes, I forgot. Well Alice shouldn't be too long now so I guess we'll just have to wait a bit, not that he'll need much convincing."
"Grandpa, what are you talking about? Where is everybody, Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, they're all gone"
"Yes Renesmee, I fell a little guilty we've had to drive them all out of their own home." Grandpa didn't look guilty, not at all. I looked round the room, desperate for someone to explain. My oblivious gaze fell on Emmett,
"Come on Ness, we put up with the Werewolf smell because we have to, we can't expect the Denali's to do the same."
My whole body froze and my eyes widened, my heart was racing a mile a minute and everyone at the table laughed. I couldn't speak but my mind was demanding an explanation, thankfully my telepathic father heard my pleas.
"We figured it would be best if Jacob came to join us in Juneau, permanently." Everyone covered their ears as I let out a long, high pitched scream of joy.
I waited two hours on the steps of the Denali's mansion; Alice arrived first, saying she'd left Jacob in the trees to phase back and get dressed. I didn't wait though. I just ran as fast as I could in the direction she had come from. And when I saw him I leapt in to his arms and squeezed him as tight as I could.
"You never leave me again Jacob Black, never".
I pushed the tray off my lap, half of the breakfast still lay piled on the plate, but I couldn't finish it. Before I knew it Alice was dragging me from beneath the covers,
"Thank God, I thought you'd never finish. They'll be here soon and we have to get you dressed Birthday Girl"
