As soon as I walked into school Tuesday morning, Derek was there waiting for me. His face wasn't the bright happy face I knew and loved. This morning it was serious and troubled. "Derek, what's wrong?" I asked when I reached him.
"Where's Luke? He wasn't in school Friday, yesterday, and I haven't seen him yet this morning. Usually he's attached to your hip as soon as you shut the car door."
I closed my eyes and let my head drop. The bruises were almost gone, and the Luke draw was completely shut. Aunt Alice has been paying close attention to Cooper's decisions, but he hasn't even thought of doing anything.
"I don't know where he is."
"What happened with the two of you?"
"We broke up." I said quickly.
"I find that hard to believe. You were completely taken by him." He reached up and took my face in his hands. "You're hurting, Renesmee, talk to me."
I opened my eyes and looked into his bright green eyes. I did need someone to talk to, and maybe it was time for Derek to find out who I really was. "Do you want to go to class today?"
"Not if you need me."
I nodded. "Lets talk."
Derek took my hand and we walked out the front doors. Alyssa's eyes popped wide when she saw Derek pulling me out the school doors.
It's fine, we'll be back later. I put the thought in her head and she nodded slightly and turned to jump back in her conversation with some of our friends.
Derek and I walked until we reached the park. It was the same park where Luke and I first talked. I shivered and Derek noticed. He pulled me close to him and wrapped his arm around me. "I'm really worried about you, Ness." He stopped walking and pulled me over to a bench. We sat down and he turned his body so he was facing me.
"I've been lying to you, a lot." I confessed.
He raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer to me. "About what?"
I decided to start off with the easier of the two. "Luke was the one that messed me up Friday night, and he was the one that put the new marks on me." I stretched my neck and let him see the fading hand mark.
Derek's breath caught and he growled. It was almost funny to hear a human growl when I was so used to hearing a vampire growl. "He did all that to you? Why didn't you tell me? I could kill him! You have to tell your sister! You have to tell someone!"
"Derek, Derek, calm down." It was my turn to take his face in my hands. "I told my family, they… well, they took care of it. That's why you haven't seen him around."
"Good." Derek sighed.
"There's more."
"Go on then." Derek's face was now calm, but I could see the pain in his eyes. The pain he felt for not being there for me, for letting me lie to him.
"Well, I'm not who you think I am."
Derek burst out laughing. "I know exactly who you are, Renesmee Cullen." He stated.
I nodded. "Yes, but my parents didn't die. My parents can never die."
"What do you mean?" Derek leaned away from me so he could concentrate on my face.
"They're immortal, and I'm half immortal."
"Still confused over here."
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I took his hand and placed it over my heart.
"Whoa!" Derek gasped and pulled his hand away quickly.
"Immortal." I whispered again.
"How?" He seemed to be going into some sort of shock. His eyes were wide and he stared at my face, like he was waiting for a monster to erupt out of my skin.
"My family, their vampires, but don't worry," I added quickly before he could freak out. "They wont hurt anyone. They don't feed off of the blood of humans. We drink the blood of animals."
"So, so your parents… they're…"
"Bella and Edward, forever frozen at eighteen and seventeen. My mother was human when her and Edward got married. He was a vampire, and has been for over a hundred years. Bella conceived on their honeymoon, and had me a month later, just three days before her nineteenth birthday." I watched Derek's lips turn purple. "Derek, breath!"
He took a deep breath and continued to stare at me.
"I'm actually ten-years-old. I grow faster than a full human. That's why my mom carried me to full term in just a month. When I was little I grew more quickly than I do now. At the size of a five-year-old I slowed to a human's growth pace. Now, here I am." I held my arms out in front of me and smiled at him.
"Alyssa?" Derek whispered.
"Oh, she's human. She's still my cousin and was adopted by my Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett. Carlisle and Esme are my grandparents, and Alice and Jasper are also my Aunt and Uncle."
"Wow," Derek sighed.
"Yup." I popped my lips on the P. "You mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad?" He asked, shocked spread across his face.
"Because I lied to you, I lied big time."
"Renesmee, this was obviously a secret that you were meant to hide. I understand that, but I am glad you told me. I wish you had faith in me to tell me earlier. Before you let Luke…" Derek trailed off and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Oh, Derek, I'm so glad you don't hate me." The tears spilled over and ran down my cheeks.
"I don't think I could ever hate you. You're my best friend. I trust you." He whispered into my ear.
"Thank you." I sobbed.
It began to drizzle, but we didn't move. Derek was suddenly full of questions about my inhuman family. I answered them truthfully. He seemed pretty intrigued that we had special powers.
"Can you do anything?" He asked excitedly.
"I flipped both my parents talents." I told him.
"How? Your dad reads minds and your mom has this powerful shield thingy…" He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me.
I can put my thoughts into others heads and no one can keep me out. The opposite of both of them. My dad hears your thoughts in his head, and my mom can keep anyone, but me, out of her head.
"Holy crow! I heard you and your lips didn't move!" Derek smiled widely.
I couldn't help the hysterics.
"Do it again!" He begged.
I'm so glad your not running and screaming.
"I wouldn't do that to my friend."
"Thanks." I smiled and flashed him memories of him and I hanging out together.
"Wow, that's really something. You're lucky. The only talent I have is getting yelled at by my parents."
I chuckled. "Don't worry I have that talent too."
"Renesmee!" Aunt Alice was running towards me. Her eyes wide with fear. My stomach turned. This was not a normal look for her. She was usually the best at hiding her emotions.
Derek jumped off the bench and hid behind me. Apparently he wasn't as brave as he thought he was.
"She wont hurt you." I assured him and he relaxed a little.
"Come on, we have to get you home, now." She said frantically.
"Why?" I pulled out my cell phone and looked at the time. "It's not even noon yet."
Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett appeared behind her and they moved around her to take my arms. Their eyes searching all around. "What happened? Where's my parents?" I asked nervously. The words were getting stuck in my throat.
"They're packing your things." Aunt Alice said as she reached for Derek.
"What are you doing to me? What are they doing to Renesmee!" Derek cried out as Aunt Alice's cold hand touched the bare skin of his arm.
"They're not hurting her." She rolled her eyes. "They're protecting her. Her uncles would never do anything to hurt her, and I'm not going to hurt you, but we need to get the two of you inside." She pulled him and he had no choice but to go with her. I saw his body relax and mine followed soon after. I looked up at Uncle Jasper and he threw me a crooked smile. Derek looked around him seeming confused at the sudden calmness that took over his body.
Let it calm you, it's my Uncle Jaspers talent. Don't fight it. Derek looked behind him and I nodded my head towards my uncle. Derek smiled unevenly and turned back to pay attention to where Aunt Alice was taking him.
What's going on? Why are my parents packing? I asked either one of my uncles. Neither answered me. They were both looking straight ahead as they pulled me along. Their eyes constantly searching for something.
As soon as we walked through the front door to my house I was welcomed by a gust of wind as my dad flitted up the stairs.
"What the hell was that?" Derek whispered to me.
"My dad." I answered.
"Can you move that fast?"
"I wish." I groaned and rolled my eyes.
"Nessie," My mom pushed past my uncles and they surrendered me to her. "You did nothing wrong." She said as she tucked my hair behind my ears.
"What didn't I do wrong?" I looked around at everyone. Jacob stood further back with a bag on his shoulder, my duffel bag.
"It's me that's leaving. You're packing for me." I met Jacob's gaze and we stared into each others eyes for a long moment. I suddenly didn't care what was going on around me. I was safe, Jacob's eyes put me in a safe bubble.
"Where is she going?" Derek's worry pulled me back down to earth.
"Jacob and Bella are going to take the both of you away for a while." My dad said as he pulled both my mother and I into his arms. "Ten years, we have not been separated in over ten years." His face twisted in a way I have never seen before. And I have seen my dad in pain and suffering before. This seemed to be killing him.
"I know," my mom's voice squeaked and she let me go and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She dug her face into his neck and I heard her taking in his scent. He bent his head and pressed his nose into her hair. "But I have to go with her. They wont be able to track her with me hiding her scent, and Jacob hiding mine." Her voice was mumbled against his neck.
"If something happens to either of you…" My dad murmured into her hair.
"Shh…" She leaned back to look at him and put her finger to his lips. "Nothing is going to happen to us. I'll keep us safe, Jacob will keep us safe." She assured him.
"I'm having Leah and Quil meet us there."
"WAIT!" I yelled and immediately had the attention of the room. "Where the hell are you taking us. Why are we going. Who is coming after us, Cooper?" I turned to look at Aunt Alice.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. "No, not Cooper." She said softly.
"Than who?"
"The Volturi." She hissed. "Cooper has been watching you, waiting for you to slip up somewhere. He knew he couldn't defeat us alone, so he waited for you to do something wrong. You did, you told a human about our world. Something that is not allowed unless that human is turned into one of us, or they die." She took a deep breath. "I couldn't see it all because it involves you, but since I'm so close to you some things slipped through and then I saw Cooper deciding to go to the Volturi to tell them that you exposed us."
The room spun and I could no longer focus on her face. I saw me as a child, the only memory I had of the Volturi was when they were coming to kill me and then when they had pulled me from my own back yard. They were coming for me again, but not just me this time. They wanted Derek. I was such an idiot for pulling him into this. I felt myself slipping off the edge and I didn't want to hold on anymore. The darkness overtook me and something soft and warm cradled me.