Chapter One: Liberated

She hadn't slept since she was a year old, but she could always feel when the sun rose and set. Eden could sense the day beginning. She had been awaiting the twentieth year since she first heard her family upstairs discussing it, before Renesmee visited her with the wonderful news. It seemed her family didn't share in the excitement and she understood it, they had good reason. Nonetheless, she couldn't wait for the door to the world to be opened and her chance to leave through it.

Moments after she dressed, choosing a simple sun-dress, she heard footsteps a few miles away. She could hear the voices of her mother and father, though her sister was silent. Eden could sense her twin approaching, hearing her fluttering heartbeat as it cooed in her chest. As her parents and sister reached the main house, a door opened. The footsteps were above her, moving closer to the door. The swell of pure joy overwhelmed the young hybrid, a wide smile spreading across her face as she bounced on her toes.

She felt her mother's concern, the taste was warm and slightly bitter, "Nessie, are you sure you don't need one of us to go with you?"

Renesmee scoffed, and Eden could just imagine the stance her sister took; arms crossed, hip popped out, and that quirk in her eyebrows that completed the perfect body statement of "are you serious?". Their father sighed, a heavy breath that she could feel sting her heart. Out of all the family, Edward disliked her the most. Although her behavior after birth would give anyone grounds to be wary, it was how much of himself he saw in her that exhumed so much animosity.

"Don't look at your mother like that, she has every right to worry. You know that girl dangerous."

"That girl is my sister," Ness spat, her tone absolutely venomous. "And your daughter."

It was clear that Edward and Bella were unnerved by this dark side to their child. She was such a delicate, sweet girl. Renesmee was like a rare flower, ethereal and beautiful. They'd raised her to the best of their abilities and she'd matured in to a brilliant, young woman. However, no matter how hard they tried to warn her away from the other child, she stood strong. Protective, even. Carlisle deduced it was their being twins, a bond that couldn't be severed by mere will.

Eden's excitement had dulled as she realized Renesmee was the only one, other than herself, looking forward to this moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cause conflict on her first day of freedom. So caught up in her thoughts, she hadn't heard the door open until her sister had begun the descent downstairs. She smelled of vanilla and lilies, the complete opposite to Eden's fragrance. Renesmee once told her she smelled like pomegranates and a strange combination of cinnamon, but it was more than pleasant.

As her sister came in to the light, Eden found that they had picked the same outfit today. It wasn't uncommon; Alice bought two of everything so the girls had nearly identical wardrobes. Renesmee embraced her sister, the joy radiating from her igniting Eden's elation once more.

"Are you ready?" Nessie asked her.

Blinking, Eden pushed her fears to the back of her mind, "As I'll ever be."

Renesmee broke the hug, taking her sister's hand before leading her up the steps to the bright light on the other end of the doorway. If Eden's heart was still beating, she was sure it would be racing out of her chest. The journey to the world above felt surreal, she'd never traveled up the stairs; this was her first and last time ever making this trip again.

At the landing, her eyes adjusted to the sunlight bleeding through the window and she instantly recognized her parents. The desire to hug them was undeniable, Eden loved hugs, but she saw their reservation. They watched her, scrutinized and ready, like prison guards from one of her novels. Their eyes widened as she entered the light, transparent shock registered in their expression. She bowed her head from their gaze. She didn't know what they saw, she hadn't looked in a mirror even once in her life, but she always wondered if she appeared as evil as everyone thought she was.

"Salutations," she hesitated, unsure what to call them. Eden had never spoken to either of these beings, though she knew they were the ones who created her. It was obvious they were not familiar enough to be called "mom" or "dad", so, though it pained her, she settled for something that would not upset them. "Edward and Bella."

Eden knew that Ness didn't like how that sounded, her grip tightened, but their parents seemed comfortable with the greeting, if not a bit taken aback.

"Good morning, Edeline." Bella said, attempting a smile, but it looked pained. Forced. It never reached her eyes, the discomfort overtaking the shades of gold. Edward merely nodded in response, speechless. He saw no resemblance between the twins. In fact, Edeline was the spitting image of his younger sister, the sister he left behind in his human life. Her face was heart-shaped with a delicate nose, full lips that mirrored his own, and almond-shaped eyes, though the color was absolutely horrifying. That stilled crimson, the color of a newborn's, overtook the iris with a thick ring of carbon. It was a sight he never wanted to see and couldn't bear beholding.

Each emotion her father felt, Eden could see dancing in his eyes as she peeked up at him. He was a handsome man, sharing the coppery curls that Renesmee wore. She realized she had inherited Bella's dark color of hair, but Eden's locks fell pin-straight with no real shape. In the few moments that passed as the vampires looked over the daughter they had locked away and pretended hadn't existed, they decided she'd behave. She seemed very quiet, restrained even. Good. They could get this over with and put her back where she belonged.

As the thought past through their thoughts, Eden felt her throat swell and close. She didn't need to breathe, but she felt as if she couldn't anymore. This was supposed to be a new beginning; she'd spent two decades learning her lesson, punished for something she had no control over. She would never do it again!

"Come on, you can finally meet everybody!" Renesmee murmured to her, completely unaware of what their parents were planning. Eden was confused, couldn't everyone hear thoughts? She was sure her sister could hear hers. She tried to think about things that would get her sister to talk, but nothing. Renesmee was totally unaware. Oh god, what else was wrong with the misunderstood hybrid?

They entered the living room, the new sights and smells invading Eden's senses. She tried to grasp and distinguish each one, which she did easily, but there were so many she was overwhelmed. Eden took a long glance around the room, only recognizing Carlisle among the many faces. She tuned in to their minds as she had for years, identifying each one by their inner voice. They all viewed her the same; unpredictable and dangerous, but that same look of shock that her parents had registered as well. It didn't make sense, but no one explained anything further.

"Edeline, this is the rest of our family," Nessie announced, swinging her arm out at the introduction of each person. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper. Eden was quickly realizing this was not the reunion she and Ness had been expecting; "their" family only thought of Ness as their own, while Eden was the dirty disgrace they'd been hiding in the dark. Never once in her life had she longed to be locked away, but in that moment, she wanted to crawl back in to her basement. That was home.

"The Volturi will be here soon," Carlisle said, ignoring Renesmee's little party. No one was interested in getting to know Edeline, he knew this, but he wasn't about to break his favorite little girl's heart. While Eden knew she wasn't anyone's favorite anything, hearing that thought stung more than she expected. Carlisle went on, clearing his throat, "We should move and be ready for when they arrive."

The group murmured in agreement and moved to the door. Somehow, Renesmee and Edeline were separated, their palms slipping from one another's. For just a moment, Eden was left by herself in the middle of the house and even in her solitary time in the basement, she had never felt so alone. She followed, an unwanted addition. She had been right about today being a new beginning.

It just wasn't the beginning she had hoped for.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it... if you did, let me know in the reviews. I love reading your guys' feedback!

-Allie3