Chapter 15
I will always remember the night I smelt blood from Emma's room.
We've been in Canada for six years. Emma is now 13 and in her last year of middle school. She and Seth recently started dating.
I get up and knock on her door.
"Is everything alright, darling?" I ask.
"Yes, momma," she answers. It sounds like she's holding back tears.
"Why do I smell blood?"
She found out about what we were a few years back.
"Dammit," she sobs.
I go in her room and close the door behind me.
Nothing could've prepared me for what I see.
Emma sits on the edge of her bed with kitchen knife in one hand and straight cut running from her wrist to her elbow.
"Honey, what happened?"
She just looks at her arm and cries.
"Why won't it stop bleeding?" she whispers.
"Why'd you do it?"
"I dunno."
"Did something happen with Seth?"
"No."
"I'll be right back. Ok?"
I slid the knife out of her hand and run to Carlisle.
"What happened?" he asks.
I hold up the knife and he understands. He grabs some gauze and disinfectant spray. We run to Emma's room. I pull her into my lap and Carlisle sprays and wraps up her arm.
Carlisle kisses Emma on the forehead and leaves.
Emma leans against my chest and cries. I hold her in my lap and rock her side to side.
Half an hour later, Emma's out cold.
I call Alice and she's here in an instant.
"Yes?" she asks.
"I know you watch her. Why didn't you tell me?"
"She's been indecisive for the past month. I didn't want you to worry."
"Does she do it again?"
"As of now, no. Cutting is hardly ever a onetime thing."
"Thanks. Warn me next time please."
"Of course."
"Could you get Jasper for me?"
Alice runs out and Jasper is sitting in her place in the blink of an eye.
"Why didn't you tell me she was upset?"
"She was stressed, actually. I tend to ignore stress; it's such a common emotion."
"If it happens again, could you help? Please?"
"I'll try my best."
As he turns and walks away, he looks over his shoulder and mouths that he loves me.
After the waterfall six years ago, we did get back together.
I mouth back that I love him too.
I look down at Emma. Her tear streaked face gives her away. Even sleeping she looks stressed.

As the sun rises, Emma stirs and her eyes flutter open.
"Good morning, sweetheart," I murmur.
"My arm hurts," she whispers.
"You cut it pretty deep."
"I didn't mean to, I swear."
"I believe you."
There's a knock on the door.
"Come in," Emma whispers.
Jasper walks in.
"Esme wants to know if you want breakfast."
"I'll get something out of the freezer."
"Emma, next time you do that little trick," he nods towards her arm, "don't do it when I'm hunting. I think Nanu would prefer it if I didn't kill you."
Emma goes pale and nods.
Jasper chuckles and leaves.
Emma gets up and goes into her closet. She comes out wearing black skinny jeans and a light blue shirt with half sleeves.
We go downstairs and Emma gets toaster pastries out of the freezer.
"May I see your arm?" Carlisle asks.
Emma stretches out her arm and he unwraps it. The cut is almost a perfectly straight line. Carlisle wets a wash cloth and wipes off the dried blood. Thankfully, there is almost no smell. He sprays on more disinfectant spray and rewraps it.
After Emma eats and does her human things, we load into our cars and drive to school.

During fifth period, the fire alarms go off. Monthly fire drills. No biggy.
As we walk outside, I pull my jacket and hood on.
We file into our lines, except for me and my family. We cluster up at the edge of the woods that circle the school.
I look around for Emma's class. They normally line up on the opposite side of campus.
I don't see them.
As the wind blows, I smell smoke.
I walk to the closest teacher and ask, "Is this a drill?"
"No, but it's just a small fire in the middle school buildings," he answers.
"Which one?"
He's reluctant, so I make him answer.
"Outside room 11 in the 300 building."
"Thank you."
That's Emma's room.
I go back to our cluster.
"The fire is outside Emma's room," I say.
"The AC fell outside their door. It caught fire and the fire escape window is jammed," Edward says.
"What do we do?" Renesmee asks.
"We go get them, of course," I say.
Isn't it obvious?
"We can't. It too risky," Rosalie says.
"You're telling me I can't go get my daughter because it's risky?!" I snap.
Jasper sends waves of calm over me.
"The fire department just got here, they'll get her out," Bella says.
"If I can't get her, can I at least be there where fire department does?"
Jasper's calming isn't working.
"Let's go," Benjamin says.
"Let's try not to do anything rash," Jasper says.
The three of us push our way through people until we get to where the fire department is.
"You three, stand back," one of the fire men demands.
"Let us stay," I say.
It turns out I can use as my power as compulsion.
The fire men break the window and climb in. They bring out kid after kid but no Emma.
Finally, the last one out is Emma.
When the fire man sets her down, she runs to me.
I wrap my arms around her and hold her close. She starts crying. I look desperately at Jasper. He calms her down.
"Miss, is she your sister?" one of the fire men asks.
I nod.
"Would you like to ride to the hospital with her?" another asks.
"Yes please."
Emma climbs up on a stretcher and they load her up and I climb in behind her.
When we get to the hospital, Carlisle checks her out and says she's fine. He pulls the curtain closed and whispers, "Did you do anything?"
"No. Jasper made sure I didn't."
"Good."
"Carlisle, my throat hurts. A lot," Emma whispers.
He looks and says, "It looks like an allergic reaction. Stay put."
He walks to a locked cabinet, gets a bottle, takes out two pills, puts some water in a cup, and hands it to Emma.
"Swallow?" she asks.
Carlisle nods.
Emma swallows the pills, but, a couple minutes later, coughs them back up.
"Hmmm. Not good," Carlisle murmurs.