Chapter Two-Satisfaction

I woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I hadn't slept in at least 48 hours. Sleep wasn't a necessity; it was more like a gift. It was a pleasant surprise when I could fall into the blissful state of unconsciousness. Normally I was kept awake by thought, curiosity, unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions.

When I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I realized that insomnia was the least of my problems. The gold in my eyes had faded to black and looking at them made my throat burn with thirst. I hadn't hunted in…what? Two weeks?

As if on cue, Renesmee was behind me, also looking at my eyes. I could see that her thirst matched mine.

"Get ready," she said to my reflection. "We're leaving in fifteen." She winked at me and disappeared. Well, not literally, like I could. But she was fast enough that the human eye would not catch her leaving. I often wondered if I could beat her in a race.
Of course, a higher percentage of her genetic makeup was vampirical, but there were too many factors to consider before making an assumption.

The subtle burn in the back of my throat forced me to refocus on getting ready. It was probably much worse for Renesmee. I had been eating human food with Jake and Seth because it didn't repulse me like it did her, but she hadn't been satisfied by any form of nourishment in weeks.

I dropped my phone in my pocket and started downstairs, where Renesmee was already waiting. It was very dark outside. The rain had subsided, and the horizon was clouded with salty mist. She gave me a nod because it was all I needed to know that it was time to leave. We slipped out silently into the cold night.

My life seemed to be full of clichés, lately.

Our secluded vacation house was on the beach, but instead of starting to the water Renesmee ran in the opposite direction, into the thick brush behind the house. I smiled as I shifted my weight. I had wanted a race. I ran after her, but I could tell that she was slowing so I could catch up. The brush became thicker as I ran, and by the time we stopped we were completely surrounded in swampy Florida woodland.

A gust of wind brought the scent, and the animalistic desire so obvious on my face was mirrored by hers. Slowly she reached out to touch my cheek, and my eyes clouded over with memories of the other times we'd hunted together. She was focusing on a particular strategy we'd used, and I nodded.

We followed the scent of wild boar to a slight clearing where the moonlight shone through the trees and we could get a good glimpse of the massive animal. Renesemee and I crouched down not 30 meters from the pig. She licked her lips and my mouth flooded with venom. Renesmee didn't have venom, lucky for Jacob. Of course mine wasn't near as potent as a true vampire's, or even my good friend Nahuel's. Yet another thing I fell short of.

I looked at Renesmee, and she got the message. She looked at me and blinked once. I let myself blend into the background, focusing my energy on the mind of the boar.
See, I didn't really become invisible, but I could trick the mind into looking past me. Getting into someone's head was an offensive skill, but invisibility was defensive. It was yet another example of how I could foster two opposite forces and channel their energy.
It caused me even more emotional turmoil. What kind of skill was invisibility? It was the skill of a coward.

There is a fine line between bravery and foolishness. Carlisle would say when encouraging me to use my gift.

Come out you little punk! Paul would say. Don't be a chicken!

Of course, there were times when I didn't hate my gift, like when I was hunting. I wasn't as fast or as strong as a vampire, but it definitely helped that the animals couldn't see me.
I was always able to get a feel for the mind of whoever I was "blocking". It was kind of hard to explain; I couldn't feel them like Jasper or hear them like Edward, it was more like I could sense their essence. Not just their moods or their thoughts, but their personalities, their priorities.

The wild boar was aggressive. It was actually refreshing; the deer in Forks were always so timid. I positioned myself not 10 meters behind the animal. It was scavenging for food, completely unaware of my presence. I saw its ears prick right before I saw Renesmee reveal herself to the animal. It grunted, and at first I thought it was about to charge. Renesmee's eyes were hungry, exited.

But alas, the boar was old and it decided against attacking. It most likely sensed the danger. It turned around to retreat, playing right into my hands.

The animal couldn't see me, and he was completely taken by surprise when I pounced on him; my strength just enough to take him down. He squealed in surprise, trying to hit me with his massive tusks. Slowly I silenced him, digging my teeth into the soft spot right behind his skull. I let instinct take over, not even noticing when Renesmee came to feed off the carcass with me.

It was worse than I thought it would be. The boar's blood tasted mucky and cloudy, but it was so satisfying that I hardly noticed. I was full before we were finished, but my hunger returned when we caught the scent of deer farther east. We fed for another hour, and by the time we returned it was around six o'clock. The sun was just rising over the water, painting the sky gold almost as vibrant as the new lining of my irises.

Seth and Jake were still asleep, but that changed pretty quickly when they smelled the breakfast Renesmee was making. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the heat had returned. The sunlight filtered in through the window and hit Renesmee's skin, making it sparkle faintly.

I looked at my own skin. The glint was hardly noticeable. It was more like a glow. The shine of gold, not the sparkle of diamonds. The sound of sizzling bacon was interrupted by the loud crash of Seth rolling out of bed.

"Food," he groaned as he bounded down the stairs, wide awake. Ness already had a plate ready for him when he sat down. "Thanks!" he said between mouthfuls of eggs. "Doesn't Aiden want any?" he asked Renesmee, jamming his fork in my direction. I turned to face him from my position on the couch. Seth's face twisted in disgust as he took note of my healthy glow and bright eyes. I chuckled darkly.

Jake slid down the banister and strolled into the kitchen. He hadn't shaved in days, and he needed to. He came up behind Renesmee, sliding his arms around her waist and burying his face in her shoulder. She smiled and looked up from the pan to put her hand on his cheek. His eyes widened and Renesemee laughed. I shuddered looked at Seth. Neither of us wanted to know what she was showing him.

I turned on the TV and started to flip through pointless channels. Nothing caught my eye. My mind began to once again leave my body as I stared blankly at the screen. I wondered how far I could swim, how deep I could dive…

I was so distracted that I didn't notice the change in atmosphere, the sudden silence. Seth's fork clattered to the ground and the metallic ring echoed. Instinctively, I hid myself, becoming one with the linens of the couch. I turned around to see Jake and Seth both standing, concentrating on something I couldn't see. Seth wrinkled his nose and Jake set his jaw.

"Someone's here," he growled. Renesmee stood frozen, looking worried. The only sound in the room was the sizzle of the grease on the frying pan. No one seemed to notice that I had disappeared. "You stay here," Jake said to Seth. "I'll go run patrol of the island. Don't let them out of your sight."

Them. I winced mentally. I knew I could hold my own just as well as my mother, but the words hurt none the less. If only I could phase, I would join the pack. I'd be able to carry my own weight, and everyone could stop worrying. I could fight off a human with ease. Bullets weren't much to worry about either, due to my nearly impenetrateable skin and remarkable healing rate. Disease was the least of my worries, and animals feared me.
But I was no match for a vampire, or a wolf. They would tear me to shreds without a second thought. I may be able to get away because of my gift, but there would be no way I could fight them off. Renesmee wouldn't fare well either.

Of course, there was the question of what I was sizing up.

"Seth," I allowed him to see me. "What's wrong?"

"We caught the scent north of here." He said. For a second, I could see 29 years of life experience behind the mossy eyes of a 15 year old.

"What is it, Seth?" Renesmee demanded.

"Vampires. They're here."