Cross-Posting from AO3.
Renesmee looked at her new college dorm, wondering if it was too much. One side looked as if it had come straight out of a Pinterest board, meanwhile, the other side of the room was barren, save the wooden furniture provided by the university. There was no evidence of the room's second occupant, though the insect-shaped name tag on the door declared her name to be Kimberly. Nessie hadn't been able to contact her prior to move-in day.
Nessie settled into her gray office chair at her desk, slipping in her earbuds. She selected a song on her iPod and flipped to a fresh page in her notebook. She let her pencil glide across the paper.
She couldn't help but feel the preppy décor wasn't a reflection of her personality, but rather a part of the charade. She pushed away the thought. She knew she shouldn't complain. She had stepped aside willingly while Rosalie, Alice, and Esme enthusiastically designed her future living space. Nessie was grateful for the assistance. Despite being the most human, she had the least experience with the human world.
Only recently had her aging slowed to the point where she could begin engaging with humans. Meanwhile, the rest of the family faced the opposite problem. Their unchanging appearances raised questions in the small town of Forks. It was long since time to move on, but whenever the subject was broached, Charlie vehemently objected.
College served as the perfect compromise. Charlie couldn't deny the value of an education. Pacific University was five hours south of Forks—close enough to appease Charlie, yet far enough for a fresh start. Esme had restored a house outside of town for the family. Only Nessie chose to reside in the dorms. A few of her family weren't onboard when she initially proposed the idea. Nessie pointed out that many of their concerns didn't apply to her. She could venture out into the sun and she didn't lose control at the scent of blood like a full vampire would. Still, they remained unconvinced.
Bella was the most opposed, though Nessie knew it had less to do with her ability to take care of herself. Bella was longing to hold on to the child that she had never truly been. Not even six years old, and she was already ready to leave the nest. Bella's resistance irritated Nessie. Since her rapid growth had left little need for traditional parenting, her relationship with her mother more closely resembled that of friends or perhaps sisters. She felt like Bella only stepped in to the maternal role when she was telling Nessie "no".
Jacob had proposed a compromise. He, along with Leah and Seth, would live in a house a couple blocks from campus. He'd be able to come to her aid, sun or shine. Plus, Nessie would have a refuge in the event humanity became too overwhelming.
Nessie was brought back to the present by the sound of voices outside the dorm door. Nessie started to turn but caught herself. Her hearing was notably better than the average human. She wasn't sure if a human would have heard the commotion. Nessie continued drawing while she considered her options.
"Is that her name?" one of the voices asked. Renesmee figured they must be looking at her name tag on the dorm door.
"How do you pronounce that?" The family lingered outside the door, debating over the pronunciation of her name. None of them got it right. The door creaked open and she heard footsteps as the party entered. Would a human have heard them enter while wearing earbuds?
"I don't think she heard us come in," one of the voices stated, reaffirming Nessie's decision to remain silent for the time being. She heard the shuffling of boxes, then the room fell silent as they left to unload more of the roommate's possessions. When they returned, they were speaking in a language that Nessie didn't understand. She kept drawing. Her sketches began to take the form of a wolf, hiding in the brush. She listened to them shuffle around for a while, discussing how to arrange the room.
One of the three humans began to get closer. Nessie inhaled, taking in the scent of the approaching body. She had a pleasant smell, floral and delicious. There was a second odor, one much sweeter, but unappealing.
From the corner of her eye, Nessie saw a sweet-smelling tin being placed on the desk next to her. Not even a human could miss this. She decided it was time to introduce herself. She took out her earbud and turned her head. The girl beside Nessie was roughly the same age as her—physically at least. Renesmee assumed this must be Kimberly. She was a rather plain-looking girl with jet-black hair that fell past her shoulders. Even without standing, Nessie could tell she was shorter than herself. She was wearing blue jeans, Converse, and a loose-fitting blouse with floral patterns on it. Further back in the room was an older couple that Nessie assumed to be her parents. They had the same black hair and facial features as their daughter.
"Hi, you must be Kimberly," Nessie smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
The girl blinked in surprise. "Uh, hi," she replied. She smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "It's Kimmy, actually. And your name is?" Her voice trailed off, waiting for an answer to the earlier pronunciation debate.
"Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie," she replied.
Kimmy nodded politely. "Nice to meet you, Nessie."
Kimmy opened the tin that she had placed on the desk, revealing some kind of human food. They appeared to be cookies, but they were an unusual shade of green. "Would you like a matcha cookie? I made them last night," Kimmy offered.
Nessie supposed the sweet scent would be appealing to a human, but she found the scent unappetizing. Though admittedly, it was no less appealing than the elks she had hunted the night before. "Oh um, no thank you," Nessie said. She knew she would have to tolerate human food if she was going to pass for humans while living in the dorms, but she hadn't mentally prepared herself for this moment.
"I know the color is weird, but that's just the matcha. They're really good. It's my grandmother's recipe. I've been trying to master it, but I can't get them to be as fluffy as hers. If you like cookies, you'll like these."
"I believe you," Nessie responded. "I'm not hungry."
"Ok," Kimmy said as she closed the tin. "They'll be here if you change your mind."
"I don't think so," Nessie responded. "Why don't you pass them out to the girls on the floor?"
Kimmy looked taken aback. "Great idea. I'm sure they'll appreciate them."
"Awesome," Nessie replied. She wondered if Kimmy's response was intended to be a hostile jab at her refusal.
They stood there in awkward silence for a moment. "Well, it was nice to meet you. I think I'm going to go grab some lunch with my parents." Kimmy headed to the door quickly, motioning to her parents to follow. Once they were in the hallway, they began whispering in the other language, undoubtedly discussing her.
Nessie folded her head in her hands. That went horribly. She replayed the encounter in her head, analyzing where she'd gone wrong. She thought she knew, but she figured it would be best to get a second opinion. But who should she talk to? She could stop by Jacob's house. He was always willing to listen. She knew he'd support her, but he was too human to truly understand her struggle. She briefly considered visiting the new Cullen house but quickly dismissed the idea. Most of the family would be home and she wasn't in the mood for such a large audience. Plus, she knew Bella would use the situation as an excuse to try and convince her to move home. She glanced at the clock and realized Esme would be leaving work soon.
Nessie decided to catch Esme before she headed home. She left the dorm and unlocked her bicycle from the rack outside. She could run faster than the average human could bike, but it was faster than walking at a human pace. She rode her bike east, deliberately selecting a route that strayed far enough from the Cullen house that she would remain outside the range of her father's mind-reading abilities.
Esme's new job, while not a necessity due to the family's exorbitant wealth, served as a part of their façade in the human world. Between inflation and changing societal norms, full-time homemakers were becoming more unusual, especially when even the youngest members of the family were posing as college-aged. Esme had taken a part-time position at a small architectural firm located on the edge of town. Though she'd only been there a short time, her manager was already trying to persuade her to transition to a full-time role.
She approached a small office building. There was little signage apart from the front door declaring the building to be the headquarters of Cornelius Architecture. She spotted Esme's SUV parked outside the building. She parked her bike and waited by the vehicle. It didn't take long before Esme emerged from the building, wearing a loose magenta blouse paired with a black pencil skirt. A warm smile instantly brightened her face. Nessie smiled back. Esme had a comforting, motherly presence that never failed to soothe Nessie's worries.
"Hello Nessie," Esme greeted her. "How was move-in?"
Nessie placed her hand on Esme's cheek. Nessie's preferred method of communication was her telepathic gift. She showed Esme the encounter with her new roommate, expressing her confusion at the interaction.
Esme nodded thoughtfully. "I understand, why don't we talk in my office?" She gestured toward the building, glancing briefly at the cloud threatening to move away from the sun.
Nessie nodded and followed Esme into the building. The office had mostly cleared out for the day, though Esme greeted a couple men wearing button-down shirts as they passed by.
They made their way to a door with a plate that read "Esme Cullen." She stepped inside and looked around the office, taking in the décor. A large wooden desk sat against the far wall, adorned with a sleek MacBook and several picture frames. Esme motioned for Nessie to take a seat in one of the plush chairs facing the desk.
As Nessie settled into the seat, she caught a glimpse of one of the photos and saw a picture of herself from about a couple years ago. Esme noticed Nessie looking at the photo and smiled. "It's nice to have a few real pictures. Normally, we have to Photoshop them." She turned another photo frame to reveal an image of Carlisle holding a young boy wearing Micky Mouse ears in front of Cinderella's castle at Disney World. The child in the altered photo was clearly meant to resemble a young Emmett. Though, the real Emmett had ceased aging long before the castle was constructed. "That's one of the challenges we face when trying to find a place amongst humans. You have to learn to find a balance between staying true to yourself and protecting our secret." She spoke in a soft voice, too low for anyone passing by to overhear.
Nessie nodded. "I don't know what I did wrong. They started talking about me, but I don't know what they were saying."
"What did they say? I might be able to translate," Esme offered. Nessie placed her hand to Esme's cheek, replaying the conversation.
"They thought you were intentionally being rude by ignoring them and refusing the cookies," Esme translated.
Nessie dropped her hand to the desk. "Oh, that's not what I intended."
Esme reached out and placed a comforting hand on Nessie's. "I'm sure it's not your fault. Humans possess a sense of self-preservation that causes them to be uncomfortable around us. They can't always make sense of why they feel the way they do, so they come up with their own explanation to justify their discomfort."
Nessie suspected the friction she experienced was human, caused by her own blunders. "What can I do?"
"When they start to come to their own conclusions, let them and lean into it," Esme offered. "It's better for them to be content with being wrong than to continue searching for answers."
"So I'm supposed to pretend I was ignoring her?" Nessie was starting to get frustrated. She didn't want to be somebody's roommate horror story.
Esme smiled sympathetically. "Of course not," Esme began. "You can be honest about your feelings and let her know you didn't have any ill intent. Start by apologizing. You can tell her you want to start over."
Nessie considered Esme's advice. "I guess I can do that. What do I do if she doesn't want to hear me out?"
"Talk to your RA's," Esme answered.
The answer was so normal, it caught Nessie by surprise. "I forgot about them."
Esme chuckled. "That's what they're there for. In the meantime, remember that building relationships can take time. You don't have to be best friends immediately."
Nessie nodded. She thanked Esme for her support and left the office. She biked back to the dorms, determined to amend the situation and mentally preparing to eat the cookies if necessary.
When she arrived, Kimmy wasn't there, though it was evident that she had returned to finish setting up her side of the room. The two halves of the room had contrasting color schemes. Nessie's side was pastel pink and gray while Kimmy's featured bolder colors. The wall at the head of her bed was adorned with Polaroid pictures featuring Kimmy alongside various individuals whom Nessie presumed to be her friends and family. A large floral tapestry hung on the adjacent wall. Above her desk, she'd hung posters of a popular British boy band and a Canadian pop star.
Nessie was disappointed to see that Kimmy had decided to lower her bunk. The loss of space made the room feel smaller. Nessie acknowledged that it was her bed to do as she pleased. Kimmy had brought her own minifridge which now occupied the space next to her lowered bunk, doubling as a nightstand.
Nessie hadn't known what Kimmy was planning to bring, so she packed all of the essentials, including a futon, TV, microwave, and a minifridge. She'd asked Alice for insight, but she refused to check, claiming that normal humans couldn't see the future so using her gift might raise suspicion. Nessie didn't think it was a big deal, but she didn't press. Alice had other matters she wanted to focus on. Several months ago, her biological sister's granddaughter had gone missing and the family had no leads. Alice was conducting her own investigation in the hopes of giving her niece closure. Nessie suspected that this was just an excuse and Alice didn't actually want to aid her.
Nessie knew that Alice had only foresaw a future without Nessie, where Bella was her best friend instead. The two were still close, but Nessie suspected that Alice wasn't thrilled about Nessie filling the role that otherwise would have been hers.
The room felt cluttered with all their stuff. Nessie jumped up onto her bed in a single leap, brainstorming possible ways to maximize their space. It wasn't long before Kimmy returned.
"Hey, Kimmy," Nessie slid off the bunk and landed lightly on her feet, agile as a cat. Kimmy blinked in surprise. Nessie made a mental note to use the ladder going forward. "I wanted to apologize for our earlier interaction. I didn't mean to come across as rude."
"Don't worry about it," Kimmy smiled without showing her teeth. She held up an empty tin. "I passed out the cookies to the floor. Sorry, didn't save you any."
Internally, Nessie was relieved. She really didn't want to eat the cookies. "That's alright," Nessie thought back to Esme's advice. "I wasn't intentionally ignoring you earlier. I didn't hear you come in."
"Sure, you didn't," Kimmy said sarcastically.
"You think I'm lying to you?" Nessie asked, perplexed by Kimmy's response. She remembered one of her parents had assumed Nessie hadn't heard them enter, so she wasn't sure why Kimmy didn't find the scenario believable.
Kimmy stared at Nessie in disbelief. "Are you deaf or something?"
"Yes," Nessie lied in a panic. Kimmy looked at Nessie skeptically. "I mean, I'm not totally deaf, but I do have some hearing loss, you know?"
Kimmy's eyes widened, her features reflecting remorse. "Oh, I didn't realize. I'm so sorry for assuming." She spoke in a louder tone.
Guilt washed over Nessie. "I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we could start over? Pretend this afternoon didn't happen?"
Kimmy gave Nessie a sympathetic smile. "Sure, thing. I am really sorry for the misunderstanding."
This definitely was not what Esme meant, but it was too late to turn back now. The girls sat together on the futon and began chatting without tension. They discussed possible ways to decorate the dorm and talked about music and art, finding a shared interest in drawing. They talked long into the night before finally going to bed. As Nessie lay in bed, she felt guilty for deceiving Kimmy, but not an ounce of regret. She made her decision. She would do what she needed to do and live with the consequences.
Chapter Playlist:
Help! - The Beatles - Renesmee
Photograph - Nickelback - Esme