One of the bigger mysteries finally unveiled, Jeanine my OC lol. Hope you like :) Thank you to all my reviewers, I can't think of anyway to show you how much I appreciate it except with a big, virtual hug *HUG* but no kisses because I might be tempted to suck out your blood, mwuahahaha!...ok, anyway, read, review, and enjoy!
(Oh and 'Clancey' I have a message for you at the bottom since I can't reply back to anonymous reviewers, thanks.)
I do not own any of Stephanie Meyer's work, solely the plot and some new characters in this story.
****************************Nessie********************************
I sighed, falling back onto the plush pillows and closing my eyes in exhaustion. Oliver was still somewhat startled with my explanation of the current events. He was relieved to know his brother was in good hands, but I could see the rest of the story held nothing worthy of such calm. He visibly winced when I determinedly described my mother's fight with Jeanine, his eyes bulging then collapsing in sadness when rogue tears escaped the corners of my eyelashes. All in all, it was quite depressing.
We had no idea how long we'd been locked up, though with the sound of Oliver's grumbling stomach I knew it had been a good while. We sat in silence for awhile, basking in the mere shadow of comfort that at least we weren't alone—no matter how uncomfortable in instances given our 'relationship'—drifting off to sleep in turns. We didn't dare sleep at the same time, afraid they might come and take us unawares…and also to avoid any type of cuddling that might unconsciously occur, though we didn't say this aloud.
It was during one of my turns awake that the lock on the door suddenly clicked, the door slowly pulling inward as a dark skinned, dark haired familiar vampire stepped in lightly, her black robe hooding her face. I knew her already too well, however.
"Oliver, wake up," I said softly, prodding him a bit sharply to rouse him. He woke up immediately, blinking at me once before noticing the other body in the room. His reaction was a combination of narrowed eyes, audible growling, tensed shoulders, and a trembling shudder beginning at the top of his spine.
My reaction wasn't too far off.
Jeanine, very quietly scanned the outside of the door, her head moving slightly back and forth before slipping completely inside and silently closing the door, almost as if…she was hiding something…?
As her face met our hateful glares I was surprised with the lack of loathing on her own expression, and instead—
"I thought you might be hungry," she said in one breath, pulling a paper bag from beneath her robe. She strode swiftly, almost too fast for even our eyes, towards the edge of the bed and gently tossed the bag towards us, keeping an arm's length distance.
Neither Oliver nor I moved.
She sighed, a defeated sound emitting her evil self, completely out of tune with the dangerous predator I'd seen before. I was confused, suspicious, and then she spoke again.
"Look, you have every right to hate me, kill me even, but there are some things you need to know before you decide anything," she said evenly, softly, glancing every so often at the locked door.
I made to retort angrily but Oliver butted in first. "Why shouldn't we just kill you now?" he growled, springing off the bed as he spoke. "Because of you and your filthy bloodsucking friends, Renesmee and I might be sentenced to death! And our families—"
"They," she suddenly snarled, the venom glistening off of her curled lip, "are not my friends."
I blinked, startled by her obvious disdain for 'they.' Oliver seemed to catch onto it also, but he continued as if unfazed.
"Does it matter?" he hissed. "You couldn't care less what happens to Renesmee, much less to me, a measly werewolf—"
"That's not true!" she spoke louder, hands clenched into fists and eyes sparking dangerously. "You have no idea what I—the things I've—ugh!"
She raised her hands up in exasperation, turning away with a loud sigh before suddenly springing back, this time right into Oliver's unexpected face. She was shorter than him by several inches but the lack of height didn't do anything to erase the widened eyes of my best friend. "Listen, little shape-shifter," she said quietly, "I am trying to explain some things to you two. I know the circumstances are not in my favor, and I'm not asking you to be my friend, simply for you to listen! Trust me, I want nothing more than Jane and Alec's destruction, so if you just listen—"
"Wait," I cut in, by this point utterly puzzled, "you want Jane and Alec dead?
A smile crossed her expression, frightening with its intensity. Oliver took an unsteady step away from her, eyeing me nervously out of the corner of his eye.
"More than anyone in this existence," she stated, a crazed obsession taking over her red eyes, "throw in Caius and I'd need nothing in the world to make me happier."
Oliver, by now, was looking at her with an identical frown.
"What?"
Jeanine, satisfied with our momentary submission—be it through our incoherence of her mixed messages—motioned toward the paper bag and said, almost eagerly, "Eat. I want to tell you a story. Maybe then you will trust me, if only enough to help you when the time is right."
Oliver narrowed his eyes at her again. "How do we know you didn't pois—"
"Oh please!" she rolled her eyes, grabbing the bag and ripping it open in one fluid motion. Several things landed softly on the silk sheets: sandwiches, two chicken breasts, snack packs and a bag of pretzels. She took a sliver of chicken and gulped it down forcefully.
I started. "Where did you—"
"We have a small provisions cafeteria for any 'humans' serving us, she wasn't the only one you know, Gianna—" she stopped, a strange look coming over her as she mentioned the name. The red eyes disappeared briefly as she shook her head before opening them again. "Never mind that, a loss, another story for another time."
Oliver and I glanced at each other in like questioning…could vampires be bipolar?
"Renesmee Cullen, remember what I told you on the helicopter earlier?" she turned to me. I remembered, a shred of humanity amidst the dome of cruelty; I nodded.
"I meant it. You are the one who is to be implicated, the one who, if justice is seen to, will be punished. However, your little imprint,"—I could feel Oliver's questioning gaze on my back, asking if we should correct her misunderstanding. I gave a slight, inconspicuous nod no—"technically didn't do anything wrong since he didn't actually kill anyone, understand?"
We both nodded, though one quick glance at Oliver told me he wasn't exactly thrilled with the news that I was a criminal and he was not.
"Nevertheless," she sighed, and this time I was at my wits end with all the confusion. She sounded unbelievably sad, her eyes closing as if for a painful memory, regret laced into an endless road of sorrow… "it is my belief that they are going to kill him, regardless of anything."
Oliver only blinked, not really surprised with the news. I, however, retorted angrily. "But he didn't do anything, I mean, you said so yourself! You're part of the damn Volturi, you could—"
"Do nothing," she said through gritted teeth, finally opening her eyes and staring angrily at a piece of the wall behind us. It was a statement of agony, of anger, of defeat…it suddenly dawned on me, a possibility as to why she had done everything she'd done…what had they done to her to make her so angry, so bitter…yet obedient?
"Please eat," she said again, this time a bit softer as she settled her chaotic eyes on us once more, "Many of my human memories are a blur, but there is one chapter of my life that will forever remain with me…I want to tell you my story."
****************************Jeanine************************************
"Long, long ago there were a native people, the Chemakum, that lived just beyond your borders in the western area of Washington's Olympic Peninsula. They were never vast in numbers, and sadly quite contentious in character. Wars with their fierce neighbor, the Clallam, occurred often, and in 1850 their numbers had dwindled to a mere ninety, wiped out by Chief Seattle and the Suquamish people. It was at this critical point that a young girl, Narixha, embarked on a dangerous quest of escape; though the remaining people were herded into a smaller village, she knew it would not be for long, that only time would tell of their complete obliteration. She was right; by 1860 the Chemakum were no more, their only aboriginal kindred being the Quileute people."
"Wait, so they were related to us?" Oliver suddenly asked. I smiled wanly.
"Yes, didn't you know the Quileute language originated from Chemakum?" I asked.
He shook his head, his brow creased in confusion, eyes curious nonetheless. "No, I thought we were descended from wolves—"
"As legend holds it, yes, but I'll get to that." I silenced him.
"And so the Chemakum were never to be heard of again, believed to be exterminated completely. My ancestor, Narixha, managed to stow away on a ship headed west. Little did she know just how long of a journey crossing the ocean would take. She survived just barely, indulging on meager leftovers, picking through trash for scraps, and hiding in the smallest of corners to keep warm. She might've died on that fateful trip had it not been for an American teenage boy. Growing weary from the tiresome trip and limited nourishment, Narixha found her only solace in sleep, which was another issue in itself considering she needed to be on constant alert for fear of being found. One day, however, too tired to even care anymore, she overslept and was shocked to find two inquisitive blue eyes staring confusedly at her ragged mess.
The boy, younger in his years, could've ruined everything. Stowaways were never allowed, natives being of particular interest considering the begrudging relationship between white settlers and Native Indians back then, and so Narixha did the only thing she could think of.
She slapped him and ran.
The boy, whose name she would later find out to be Benjamin, was quick and caught up to her easily—"
"Let me guess, they fell in love, huh?" Renesmee suddenly interrupted, somewhat of a gleam in her sad eyes.
I smiled wider this time. "Well, yes, to make a long story short, he helped her survive the rest of the trip and they fell in love. Now let me continue."
The two teens shifted, getting more comfortable on the bed, their miserable, once-narrowed eyes having calmed down a great deal. I smiled to myself…at least they're interested. I took a deep breath.
"You can guess what happened once they reached the Japanese shore. The boy, Benjamin, was so enamored with Narixha he never wanted to leave her side. Considering her tragic past, however, they agreed it would be best to stay as far away as possible, and so they settled near a town called Aomori, within the edge of a small forest on a hill nearby. Years passed, they had many children, and the origin of their tragic history was passed down generation to generation. They formed a sort of small community, a huge family of a sort. They never called themselves Chemakum, however, they knew it was their rightful heritage but never spoke of it to outsiders for fear of any possible enemies. Nevertheless, it was important that we knew the truth."
I sighed. The easy part of my story was almost done…
"We knew the truth, as I said, and we knew the sacredness of keeping our origins a secret, however…there was one thing we were never told, at least not all of us…the legends of our kindred brothers, the Quileute people. I do not know why we were never told, why Narixha would keep such an important secret to herself, if I had known then maybe…perhaps she didn't know about that until it actually happened…well, I will get to that.
I lived with my mother, father, my elder brother Hansel, and my younger twin brother and sister, Jeremiah and Serena. Life was as good as could be hoped, my older brother was about to go into college and my younger siblings about to start high school. I myself was in my final year of secondary.
One day, while on an errand for mother, I happened upon the strangest sight on the edge of the road, a small girl with pale hair, her head hidden in her knees, cowering on the ground and shaking. I pulled over and asked the girl if she was alright, walking briskly to her side with an outstretched hand. She whimpered in response and I tentatively placed a gentle hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. I was surprised by her cold skin but refrained from pulling away in disgust; a crying girl, alone on the side of the road, something was definitely not right. I coaxed her to tell me what was wrong, that maybe I could help her."
I felt my eyes close at the memory, the moment of deception that had started it all.
"She finally looked up at me and I remember an overwhelming urge to take a step back. She was absolutely beautiful, a breathtaking angel child, pale skin with bronze, almost red eyes…it was a terrifying beauty, and I was only vaguely aware of the lack of tears on her pretty face, too entranced with her unrelenting glamour. She spoke to me then, and if I thought her appearance was something, her sweet voice was intoxicating.
She told me her brother had gotten lost in the woods and she was afraid to look for him by herself. I helped her off the ground and volunteered to help her, still unable to look away from her delicate and exquisite face. As we walked into the woods I asked of her family, of how she'd come to be here in the first place. She answered timidly at first, avoiding my gaze as we got farther in. Her confidence grew with the distance as well. I couldn't help but notice the almost cat-like way in which she moved, soundlessly through the many roots and brambles strewn across the dirt-packed floor. She must be some kind of dancer or something, I thought.
After about fifteen minutes, she suddenly stopped, staring straight ahead as I continued a few steps before noticing her halt. Confused, I turned around to ask if she was alright…and then I saw her eyes, no longer the pretty bronze-reddish color I'd met her with, but a deep blood-red. I found myself without words at the sight, and for some reason she smiled, though it was no ordinary smile, nothing sweet like the girl I'd found on the edge of the road. This one was sinister, foreboding, and instead of going towards her I found my feet moving backward.
I didn't understand the sudden clenching of my stomach, the instinct to run away as fast as I could. She was just a little girl! There was nothing to be afraid of…My thoughts were a mass of confusion and fear, but it wasn't for long. Within the next second I was thrown against the trunk of a tree, the pain justifying my earlier thoughts of doubt. Through a blur in my water-filled eyes I could see the girl smiling wickedly at me, her lips pulled back to reveal a terrifying sight. She moved closer to me, fifteen feet away, slowly, as if enjoying my inevitable death. My brain was fuzzy with the pain in my body, the blood running down my head, but I began to realize what exactly she was…
A vampire.
I only knew vampires from storybooks, myths, and despite my spiritual roots I'd never actually thought them to exist, but seeing her in front of me, her paleness, coldness, incredible speed and strength…I had no doubt in my mind she was the very same monster.
She crouched, her eyes blazing hungrily as she prepared to spring onto my helpless form, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a huge, black creature toppled her over, snarling viciously as they rolled away into a mess of limbs and snarls. I only barely made out what the creature was…a wolf…before I fled.
I raced through the forest, my aching body forgotten and self preservation taking over every instinct. It took me less than half the time to get to my car and hastily jump in. I drove away as fast as I could, sobbing nonstop and terrified for my life."
I paused, wincing with the memory. I knew the worst was yet to come. Renesmee looked at me with knowing eyes, a hint of what I could only guess was compassion in her brown pools.
"It was Jane, wasn't it?" she asked. I nodded, closing my eyes once more.
"Yes, it was Jane." I took another breath.
"That night, in my home, my wound washed and cleaned by mother, I slept restlessly. Though I'd taken every precaution I could think possible, burning my clothes, de-sanitizing my car and even my body with bleach and soap, I was utterly worried. I'd told my parents I'd been attacked by a wild animal; they were both already older in their years and I didn't want to scare them. I remember panicking when Hansel never showed up for dinner, but quickly calmed down when mother said he'd told her earlier he was working the nightshift that night. Nevertheless, I was in a frightened state and I forced my younger siblings to keep their windows closed, anything to keep the monster out. I kept my own window locked that night, but…now I know just how naïve I was.
Jane took me that night, leaving no evidence of her break-in whatsoever. Before I even knew what was happening, how I'd ended up in an isolated patch of green and brown, I began to feel the most excruciating pain of my life."
"Jane changed you?" Oliver blurted out, his eyes bulging in disbelief. Renesmee elbowed him to shut up and I merely gave him a glance.
"There is no need to go into the horrid details of the pain, simply believe that it is the most horrible pain one could experience…well, physically anyway, and I will never forget it." I said before continuing.
"I don't know how long it was before the pain finally receded. As I opened my eyes for the first time in this wretched life the first thing I saw was Jane. She was a bit a ways from me and, remembering she was a vampire, I instinctively jumped in preparation to run. She laughed, however.
"Well, I'm surprised you didn't die after all, considering your 'blood'," she'd said. I was suddenly aware of how intact my senses were, and not just intact but very, very, very intact, as if everything had been enhanced…
"If you run they're going to kill you," Jane continued, eyeing her fingernails whilst talking, "So I suggest you listen up, newborn."
I wanted very much to run, to get away from the evil girl, but something about my different state of being, the way she'd said 'newborn,' and the indescribable sensation with the word 'blood,' kept me there, somewhat crouched in suspicion. Jane began explaining everything then, what I was, what the rules were, and an organization, a sort of government called the Volturi.
"You are very fortunate, you know," she'd said, finally locking her eyes with mine. "There are some vampires who possess special gifts. One of our leaders suspects you may be of use to us, and so it is only because of that that you are still alive."
I was confused. Gifts? What gift could I possibly have? I was never anything special as a human…and how would they know anyway? Jane continued speaking, finally revealing the main reason for my transformation.
Join the Volturi or die.
I got angry. There were still several things she hadn't explained, and considering my predetermined route to damnation I didn't care whether I died or not. Why had they come here in the first place? What exactly did they want with me? What did she mean by my 'blood?' I opened my mouth, an involuntary breath escaping as I attempted to retort back angrily, but then—
I felt it, the thirst for…blood, an insatiable sensation ripping through my throat with that one breath, consuming my entire mind and body. Jane laughed.
"Oh, yes, one more thing," she'd smirked, "being a newborn, you're going to be quite overcome with thirst."
I barely heard her, the need for quenching my crazed thirst overwhelming every rational thought. Jane took advantage of my vulnerable state.
"Once you are part of the Volturi guard, you will never be thirsty," she'd said, gleaming red orbs staring triumphantly at me.
The thought was more than I could handle, all the blood I wanted…suddenly a scent hit me, strange and slightly nauseating, but as it got closer, there was only one thing that stood out from it: delicious blood.
I turned instinctively towards the aroma, my eyes catching sight before Jane's, and I saw them: two giant wolves headed towards our way. I hardly noticed until later remembrance Jane's wide eyes, all I heard at the moment was a quick order.
"Kill it," she'd said.
And I did, lunging for the smaller of the two, its pulsing veins driving me insane with obsession. The other wolf mysteriously crumpled into a giant heap behind me and Jane swooped in; I was only vaguely aware, however, too preoccupied with consuming the animal's blood in my arms. I remember the taste being somewhat sour, bitter on my tongue and throat, but quenching nonetheless. And so I focused solely on the need, ignoring the taste completely. My eyes closed of their own accord as I sucked in the thick liquid, drinking greedily until the horrid taste began to finally register. With one last intake I quickly pulled back, releasing the beast so that it fell limply on the ground, much lighter than it'd been when I attacked."
I squeezed my eyes shut, the first real painful memory explicit in my mind, the very first time as a vampire that I'd realized I couldn't cry.
"As I pulled away from it, I suddenly realized why it felt so much lighter, why HE felt so much lighter…the boy lay in a lifeless heap, his russet body bare and trembling no longer, his black hair plastered against his clammy forehead, lips parted in shock and eyelids doing a final flutter with the lack of blood and the infiltration of my venom. His eyes, my father's eyes, stared back at my betrayal, and I realized with the most piercing and heartbreaking agony who he was."
"It was Jeremiah, my younger brother."
Long author's note, read if you're curious
OMG! Ok, so before I get bombarded with questions, I need to let you know that there is still more to her story. I'm sure some of you have noticed several holes in this account, for instance, who were the other two wolves that Jane killed? Were they other family members? The rest of the story, as known by Jeanine, will be in the next chapter—it would've been waaaaay too long to fit into this one, already about 4000 words!—and so just bear with me.
I did some research for this chapter regarding the Chemakum (also written Chimakum). The main thing you need to know is that they are the Quileute's only kindred and were wiped out. My alteration of these events is one escaped girl and ALSO the tie to the wolf descendant myth. I originally planned on just inventing another tribe in Asia that was descended from wolves, but in this way there's at least some plausibility to it. True, the Chemakum might not have been closely related to the Quileute, but 'kindred' means 'family,' so the idea that they are also descended from wolves, however distant, is more realistic. Also, the Chemakum being wiped out in 1850 deviates—with different sources—from 1855 to the 1860s, just to let you know. The town Aomori is located in the northern Tohukan region of Japan. 'Aomori' actually means 'blue forest' thus my choice for Narixha and Benjamin's settlement (needed them near a forest for my events to work out). I am not too familiar with the area so if anyone finds a mistake in my tale of events please let me know.
Also, though Jeanine's brothers had the 'wolf' gene, she did not, thus the reason for her transformation. HOWEVER, she is still part Chemakum—Quileute relative—and this is going to be a contributing factor to other events. Remember her unique smell? That's one example. Ok well, next chapter will be up soon, please review till then! This is a VERY different chapter from the rest, but absolutely necessary; I would really like to know what you think, what you liked/hated if you hated it completely. I do think I might've over-explained some things (like her origins?) but better to be thorough in my opinion. Alright then, thank you all again for all the support, lots of candies and cookies, muchos dulces y galletas! Don't forget to review, thanks :)
Note to anonymous reviewer Clancey:
hello, just wanted to clear a few things and seeing as how I can't exactly write back, here goes lol. Know that I'm ever-grateful for your honesty and please note that this is in no way my attempt to offend you/your views. If there is one thing I try really hard to do in this story it's keep the characters true to themselves, so this is just my reasoning.
Perhaps I should've put a warning for language regarding Jake's F moment, but you need to see it from Jake's perspective. He is unbelievably upset because his reason for living, for existing, is in a perilous situation and he can't do anything about it. For the moment, the people stopping him from storming out and going to Italy are Carlisle and Esme. Jake has always seemed like one to quickly lose his patience when it comes to things/people he is passionate about (I remember him going haywire when he realized Edward is marrying Bella; also when he finds out he's agreed to have sex with her before turning her) and Nessie is his biggest passion yet, by far more important than Bella ever was. This being the case, Carlisle and Esme are the temporary enemies by not letting him leave, know what I mean? Throughout my story, no matter all the bad stuff that's happened to him, Jake has not really displayed any crude language; however, now that it's directly dealing with Nessie's wellbeing, I felt him dropping the F-bomb would be the ultimate display of his emotions, considering also that he can't physically do much in his wounded state.
Now for the Nessie/Oliver implied 'sexual' relationship. As far as I can remember there has only been one 'steamy' moment. I have explained this at least twice but basically it goes something like this: Nessie is, mentally, much older, and Oliver is a young man with hormones, simple as that.
I hope you can understand where I'm coming from, I'm not asking you to like it lol, since everyone is entitled to their opinions, but at least see the reasoning behind these events. Thank you for your honesty, once again, and for reviewing; in all honesty on my part, critiquing reviews can do nothing but help me with my writing, thanks :)