Chapter2

(Renesmee)

After leaning up on her tip-toes to give him his peck of forgiveness, she turned to me, both of them smiling adoringly.

"Sorry," She sniffled, in spite of herself. She turned to look at dad and then back to me. "We will leave you alone to get ready."

She kissed me again on the forehead and brushed my hair out of my face, unlaced her fingers from dads, and disappeared from my room so fast, I would I missed it if I blinked.

I turned to find my annoyingly smug father sitting on the edge of my bed, petting the stop next to him, gesturing me to sit. I crossed the room, reluctantly, and sat next to him. He put his arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder as he massaged mine.

"Care to explain yourself?" I thought, just incase mom was in hearing range, witch 99.9% of the time, she was. His answering chuckle calmed me down. He patted my head.

"I had to give her the moment with you, she is amazed that we have all made it this far. It was beyond her wildest dreams that she would have a beautiful 15 year old, just 7 years after she was married, dear, as it was beyond mine. We are so proud of you." I almost thought I heard his voice crack on those last words. I smiled.

"Thanks Daddy." Was all I could think. He leaned to kiss my temple and toke my face between his frosted hands, looking me in the eyes sincere importance.

"Please don't complain too much today, everybody is very excited about your birthday, we haven't had a real one since your mothers. Promise?" I looked back at him and nodded, rolling my eyes. He chuckled bells. He kissed my cheek before getting up and walking towards the door, putting his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

"I remember saying almost those exact words to Bella on her 18th birthday. You two are too similar for your own good." That thought comforted me whenever anybody mentioned it, i loved that I was just like my mom, who wouldn't want to be her? He smiled at me, gloriously, pride steaming off of him as he listened to my thoughts.

I wanted to break the silence, in case it got awkward. "I better get dressed Dad. I've got to be at school in like an hour." He nodded.

"Alright, I'll leave you too it." He turned and walked closer to the door before turning around again. "I love you sweetheart," he said to me, smiling at me with a depth of the emotion in his eyes, an emotion that I didn't understand.

I gave him the warm smile I'm sure he was looking for. "I love you too Daddy."

***

I intended to rush through my morning routine, probably having to skip breakfast to get to school on time. I practically ran to my bathroom, grabbing a towel and a set of clean clothes for the day. Since it was my birthday, maybe nobody would lecture me for wearing sweats and a t-shirt to school.

My shower this morning was better than most. Mom and Dad must have restocked my toiletries as a modest birthday gift. I would thank them later. Today I had at least for or five choices of separate types of shampoos, body washes, shower gels, and scented, exfoliating soaps. New body sponges hung on the suction hangers, new razors, and shaving creams, outside on the counter sat powders, balms and lotions, waiting to pamper my every crevasse.

I let the hot water calm me down, let it council me to be respectful today to my family and friends, that are only going try to make me feel special on my birthday. They meant well, it wouldn't be so tough. I indulged in the new scents that filled my bathroom, washing myself lazily with different combinations of different washes and gels until I was certain I couldn't smell any better. I rigorously brushed my teeth, trying to conceal all traces of morning breath.

I dried my hair, pulled it into a high ponytail, brushing my bangs to my left side, and dressed quickly. I wasn't in the mood to get yelled at by Alice for wearing sweats, so I substituted them for a pair of jeans and pulled on a mint green v-neck t-shirt.

When I ran to the living room, I heard a choppy version of Moonlight Sonata, it sounded like a monkey trying to pay Beethoven. When I looked to see where the noise was coming from, I saw that Dad was trying to teach Mom how to play piano. I stopped to observe them, admiring their synchronization for each other.

Standing behind her, he guided her fingers with his, trying to teach her to play the bridge correctly.

After at least 5 tries she slammed the keys, crossing her arms to her chest. He laughed at her frustration, kissed the top of her head before sitting next to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stared at his fingers, moving swiftly, casually, across the keys, while he played her lullaby.

It was a lullaby that I can't remember going a solitary day, my whole life without hearing. I remembered hundreds of occasions watching my Dad play Mom her lullaby. I remember the emotion that took over her features every time she would hear it.

I remembered last year, when they got into that massive fight over mom wanting to learn to sky dive. I remembered watching them yell at each other. I remembered Dad walking out, staying at Carlisle and Esmes' house for the night. I remembered talking to my Mom in her room, "I mean, he can just be so unnecessarily overprotective! I can't have him worrying about me getting hurt forever. I don't need to be controlled or sheltered anymore. Please, what's a little sky dive going to do to me? I'm impenetrable for Christ's sake!" I remembered laughing at her determination, while me Alice and Esme just tried to explain to her that he just didn't like taking too many chances. I remembered the next morning. I remembered making my breakfast, and watching Dad march right through the door, and directly to the piano. I remembered watching mom come into the living room through the bedroom, giving up the second she saw him sitting there, playing her lullaby, without looking at the keys, staring at her with request for forgiveness written all over his face. I remembered her running and jumping into his embrace, feeling uncomfortable watching them melt into each others arms.

I broke from the recollection to see my Dad, sitting with a huge smile on his face, remembering with me. Without breaking his rhythm, he leaned over and kissed my Mom with what it seemed to be, the most love he could muster. He looked away from her and back to the keys, transitioning from my Moms lullaby to my own.

This was my favorite sound in the world. This lullaby was probably the one sound, the one thing that reassured me the most. It was my rock. It gave me whatever I needed whenever I heard it. I closed my eyes, letting the melody flow through me, hypnotizing each fraction of my body with its breeze of a melody.

I remembered all the times that my Dad would play this for me, every night before I would go to bed, every Sunday morning while preparing my breakfast. But most of all, I remembered my Dad playing for me during my growth spurts.

I remembered, for the both of us, me, writhing in agony, screaming at the top of my voice, for somebody to just kill me. Like i always did during my growths. I would cry out for hours, twitching on the ground flopping like a fish out of water. Nothing would diminish the pain coursing through my body, flooding through my veins, giving me constant monthly reminders of what I was.

I remembered about 4 years ago, I had one of the worst growths of my existence. The pain was entirely unbearable. My senses overpowered over me; I didn't know who I was, where I was, or why I was being punished. I have never felt anything more excruciating in my life. I remembered, through the fire, through the flames, hearing my lullaby over the sounds of my blood-curdling shrieks of torture. And in that moment, it was my constant. I focused all my energy on it, away from the pain that tried to swallow me whole. I pictured the notes dancing in my head through the inferno, I saw my lullaby being acted out to me, and it brought me back.

The memory was enough for both of us to come out of it shuddering. I slung my book bag around my back, took the keys off the counter, and said goodbye to my parents after slipping on a pair of flip flops, then headed for the door.

It really was a beautiful day. The sun was immaculate, warming my skin when I walked out from under the shade of the front porch. Unfortunately for me, my skin didn't reflect rainbows. I guess I was going to school.

I walked down the marble walk to the driveway, up another walk way to the garage. I opened the garage door with a button on my key chain and the giant doors coiled up into themselves, revealing 2 cars and 2 motorcycles in our 4 car garage.

I wasn't technically, legally licensed to drive, but I was well taught by Carlisle, Emmet and Daddy. It helped that the only legal authority running the streets was my dear Grandpa Swan, and his friendly deputies. I wasn't too worried about the repercussions of driving without a license.

I decided to take the Dads Volvo today, instead of the Aston Martin Vanquish Daddy got Mom for an engagement present. We all always preferred to drive the Volvo. The three of us didn't like the attention that came from the other car. It usually only got driven by Emmet or Jasper. It bothered me that I still didn't have my own car.

I shrank into the black leather interior of the Volvo, throwing my bag in the passenger seat, playing with the CD's in the stereo before starting the car and pulling out.

Before I could get out of the driveway the car suddenly stalled. Confused, I switched gears and tried to move again, but it wouldn't budge. I glanced out the back window to see why the car wouldn't reverse. When I didn't see anything I restarted the car, and tried to back out again. The car went back maybe half a foot before stopping again. Irritated, I jumped out the car to see what the obstruction was.

While walking around the rear of the car, I heard a soft, husky snicker and turned quickly to the dark corners of the garage, trying to spot where it came from. When I didn't find anything, I turned back around skeptically, trying to center my attention on the car, before I was late for school.

Unexpectedly, I was being forced into enormous, hot arms. The mysterious arms spun me around over and over, squeezing the breath out of me, giggling with strong, gruff delight, before setting me to my feet and tossing my hair with a massive fist.

My face was painted with annoyance while I gathered myself, trying to fix my hair and take a few deep breaths. I look up to see what idiot and his phantom hands would be stupid enough to piss me off today, of all days. Prepare face the wrath bitches. Once I saw him I don't know why I even bothered looking, I already knew whose face the arms belonged to.

My breath caught. I looked up expecting to see a face, but instead greeted by built, broad, bare shoulders. I looked up farther; searching the shadowed silk of his russet skin for the huge, luminous smile I knew was waiting for me. I came to the round, plump of his chin before looking upward directly toward the beam of his pearls for teeth. His smile was much wider than I expected it to be, gleaming light from the sun as it shone from ear to ear, forming the dimples on his cheeks that appeared with even the slightest facial expression. I saved his chocolate, almond eyes shining with excitement for last. Mainly for the sole purpose of trying to keep the look of contempt on my face as long as possible, knowing that the second I saw his eyes my frustration would evaporate into the pure joy brought to me by seeing my best friend, my brother, my wonder wall. My Jacob.