Renesmee spent the remainder of the weekend with Nahuel. She knew she wouldn't be able to avoid her parents forever, but for now, she didn't want anything to distract her from him. Besides, he wasn't particularly interested in hearing her personal drama as his body pressed against hers.

It was easy enough to ignore her problems when they were together. His presence was intoxicating, clouding her thoughts and consuming her senses. It was like he was a drug. An ecstasy sending her into euphoria. She couldn't get enough of him.

She considered skipping class on Monday, but she knew she wouldn't be able to evade her parents forever—better to face them in a controlled environment where they'd be required to maintain decorum.

She focused her thoughts on class as she entered the building. She thought about the assignment that was due later in the week. She'd meant to work on it over the weekend, but she's completely forgotten about it until now. The stairs to the second floor felt like a mountain as she ascended. The flow of students alongside her forced her onward, keeping her from hesitating on the steps. Her parents' scent hung in the hallway outside of the classroom. Her body tensed as if she'd detected a predator. She chastised herself for responding so defensively. She took a deep breath and forced herself through the doorway into the classroom.

Neither vampire said a word when she entered. Bella's anger was palpable. She sat too still at her desk. The nearby humans glanced nervously at the seething vampire. Bella looked over at Nessie's father. His expression was unreadable as he watched her cross the room.

Nessie put an additional desk between her and them. She monitored their body language carefully. Bella shot Edward a meaningful scowl. He took her hand beneath the desk and squeezed it.

Edward's collected expression had Nessie realizing just how badly she had messed up. She could see that he was waiting, too. Decorum wouldn't prevent him from delivering whatever devastating lecture he had planned.

She realized she'd misjudged their response. She'd been focused on Bella's anger, but in avoiding them, she'd given them time to conspire against her. She could see now that Bella was deferring to Edward, letting him take the lead on the situation. She wasn't surprised that he had a plan, but getting Bella on board probably took some convincing. Nessie immediately regretted her decision to face them during class. The suspense was worse than any reprimanding Bella would've doled out had she faced them two days ago. The hour ticked by agonizingly slow. She forced herself to copy down the professor's words from the PowerPoint without absorbing their meaning.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the professor dismissed the class. She took too long to pack her backpack.

To her surprise, her parents rose from their seats and left out the door. She blinked in surprise, not daring to move until they were out the door.

There were no other exits to the room, so she had no choice but to follow after.

They were waiting for her in the hallway. They didn't try to corner her. Edward watched her carefully, waiting to see what she would do.

Nessie realized they were giving her a choice. She could walk away—a decision that would come with its own consequences—or she could face them.

She took a deep breath and walked forward to her parents.

"Happy birthday," Edward said with a polite smile that didn't reach his watchful eyes. The statement caught her off guard. The days had been blurring together and she'd lost track of the date.

"Thanks," Nessie responded.

"We had planned on celebrating your birthday at our house this evening, do you plan on attending?" Edward asked. Another choice.

Hypothetically, her birthday should be her day to spend as she pleased, but that was not a reality. In the Cullen family, all birthdays were celebrated, but for most, they were a reminder of their immortality and their unchangingness. She was the only one with a "real" birthday as she was the only one aging albeit at an accelerated rate. Her birthday was treated as a family holiday. It was a celebration of humanity. The Cullens took it as an opportunity to fully embrace the concept of a birthday celebration. They typically planned the event around whatever age she was physically. For her first birthday, they'd purchased a bounce house, though, between Emmett and Jacob, it didn't last very long. Last year, Edward had gifted her a car and taught her to drive. They'd stuck to backroads as her Bugatti was a bit too ostentatious for Forks.

By this time next year, she will have stopped aging forever—meaning today was the last "real" birthday she would get. She had no idea what her family had planned, but she was sure she had already marred the festivities. If she backed out now, it would be a transgression equivalent to the repo man coming for Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve.

"Of course," Nessie answered. Regardless of the decisions she made recently, she didn't want to ruin the day for them. They were still a family, after all.

Edward nodded. "We'll see you at the house at six." He and Bella disappeared down the hall. Nessie stayed frozen in place as she watched them leave. That was it? She was stunned. No lecture, no threats, no punishment… Just a reminder of her own birthday. What did they have planned?

She attended the rest of her classes as normal. She and Emmett were partners during their evening lab together. He was more serious than she had ever seen in her life. His change in demeanor offended her. He'd killed far more than she had, he had no business judging.

The car ride to the house with Emmett was no less awkward. She was desperate to get to the party now. Surely, he would go back to his usual goofy self.

As they pulled up the house, Nessie started searching for some sign of the festivities, but there was nothing. Everything was eerily normal. No bounce house, no disco lights, no giant presents too large to fit in the house. Nessie checked her phone to verify the date. Today was definitely her birthday, September 10th. Maybe the party had to be contained to the house since this location wasn't nearly as secluded as their home outside of Forks. The curtains were drawn, anything could be waiting for her inside.

She hurried to the door and threw it open. She was caught off guard by the lack of any signs of festivities. She scanned the room, searching for some change in scenery. When she accepted there was nothing, her eyes landed on the seven figures waiting for her like statues.

The reality of the situation hit her like a brick. It was all a ruse. She was hurt, how could they have canceled her birthday?

Emmett came in behind her and moved to stand next to Rosalie. He took her hand in his. He looked at Nessie sympathetically.

Only Bella's eyes betrayed any anger. The others made glances to Carlisle.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen," Bella growled. "You are in so much trouble, young lady."

Nessie relaxed slightly. This was a reaction she was expecting.

She launched into the defense she had prepared. "Nahuel was showing me how to hunt without making a mess. I know I screwed up with Kevin. I promise that'll never happen again."

"What has gotten into you?" Bella chastised. "You murdered an innocent woman, then refuse to answer your phone. We raised you better than this. I have half a mind to pull you from school and take you back to Forks, right now."

"You can't make me go," Nessie insisted. "I'm not a kid, I can make my own decisions."

"You are five years old," Bella said.

"Six," Nessie corrected. Today was her birthday, after all.

"I should be dropping you off at kindergarten," Bella muttered. "You're not an adult."

"Yes, I am," Nessie insisted. "I can make my own decisions."

Edward put his hand on Bella's shoulder. She fell silent. Nessie noticed everyone was watching Carlisle, waiting for him to speak.

"What was her transgression?" Edward asked coldly. Carlisle watched silently.

"What?" Nessie asked.

"The woman you killed," Edward clarified. "What did she do to deserve to die?"

"Why does it matter?" Nessie shrugged. She honestly hadn't thought much about the human since she'd disposed of the body. She was too preoccupied by Nahuel and her family's response.

"She was a person," Edward said. "She had a family and people who cared about her."

"Yeah? Where were they? Those humans had clearly been stuck for days. Nobody was coming for them. If anything, we saved them from slowly starving to death or getting mauled by a bear." Renesmee pointed out.

"You could've helped her," Edward pointed out.

"She was old. It's not like I would've bought her much time." Nessie said. "Humans die all the time."

"That doesn't give you a right to kill her," Bella hissed. She crossed the room so she was standing directly in front of Nessie. They were the same height now. Nessie looked her in the eye and crossed her arms defiantly.

"You never have an issue when other vampires hunt humans," Renesmee pointed out. "What about Siobhan, Benjamin, Zafrina, and all your other friends? Why does it matter when I kill people, but not them?"

"We choose-" Bella began.

"No, you chose," Renesmee interrupted. "And I'm supposed to go along with whatever you say."

"Don't talk back to me," Bella growled. "I am your mother."

"Right, sorry, I forgot I'm not allowed to have my own opinions," Renesmee sassed.

A growl escaped Bella's lips. A wave of calm passed over the room as Jasper eased the tension. Bella and Renesmee both rose from their crouches. Nessie hadn't even realized she'd sunk into a crouch.

"Are you planning on humans now?" Edward asked.

"I didn't say that," Nessie backtracked. "I just want to be able to make my own decisions."

There was no point in hiding anything from her father. She didn't care about humans, not in the same way they did. She'd never been human; she didn't seem to carry the same reverence for humanity that he had.

For the past two weeks, she tried living amongst the humans as one of them. She went to class and tried to make friends and it all failed. She failed. She was rejected over and over again. The thought of repeating high school and college over and over again was suffocating. Was it really such a crime to want an alternative?

"Actions have consequences," Edward said.

"I know that," she said. There didn't have to be. No other predator was forced to contemplate the value of their prey. If anything, predators were an important part of the ecosystem. Without them, the prey species would become overpopulated. Choosing to abstain from hunting humans had its consequences too.

Edward and Carlisle exchanged a meaningful look. Edward shook his head slightly.

Carlisle grimaced and took a step forward.

"The Volturi is already keeping a close eye on us. With two human deaths now attributed to us, it is no longer safe for us to remain in the area. I have decided that it is in our best interest to move on," Carlisle said.

"What?" Nessie and Bella said at the same time. Bella placed a hand on Nessie's shoulder.

"What about my classes?" Nessie said. She didn't want to have to repeat school already. She'd only just begun. "You can't make me leave."

"Your tuition is paid for," Carlisle said. "If you would like to finish the semester, that is your choice."

Nessie shook her head in confusion. "But you just said we were leaving."

"Yes, we are," Carlisle gestured to the vampires standing beside him. Edward looked down at the ground as his mate tried to catch his eye.

"But you said I could finish the semester," Nessie asked. She didn't grasp what Carlisle was saying. Were they leaving or not?

"Respecting the sanctity of human life is one of the essential values of this family. If you're no longer willing to abide by that commitment, then I'm afraid I cannot invite you to join us," Carlisle said.

Nessie's jaw dropped. She was getting kicked out?

"I never said I was going to keep hunting humans," she backtracked.

"But you're unwilling to promise you won't," Carlisle answered.

"Carlisle, let's talk about this," pleaded Bella.

"Bella, I'm sorry," Carlisle said. "This is not something I am willing to compromise on."

Nessie looked around the room from one pair of golden eyes to another. They were all devastated–if Esme could cry, she would be in tears–but only Bella was shocked. Nessie knew there was no negotiating.

Most of them had been chosen by Carlisle, the rest had chosen this life knowing what it would entail.

She was the only member of the family nobody asked for. Of course, Carlisle never wanted her here. He'd considered her to be a liability to his handpicked family from the very moment he knew of her existence.

Of course, they wanted her gone. She was no longer the cute malleable child for which they could live out their human fantasies.

Her presence caused Alice physical pain. Without her, she'd never have to worry about blind spots and they could keep the family safe. And then, of course, there was Jacob. They'd made no secret that they loathed his odor. They were killing two birds with one stone. Boot her, Jacob would follow. The family could be safe again. No more surprises.

"Nessie that's not true," Edward protested her thoughts. "We love you. You are as much a part of this family as everyone here."

Then why are you doing this? Nessie asked.

"You aren't giving us a choice, you know the rules," Edward said.

"You can't have it both ways," Carlisle says. "You can't hunt humans and still live amongst them."

"Then I won't go to school," Nessie amended. "I'll stay hidden, just like I always have. I'll travel out of state to hunt—"

"No," Carlisle said. "As long as you are taking human lives, you cannot stay with us."

Renesmee tried to back away towards the door, but her mother's hand was an iron shackle on her shoulder.

"I'm not leaving my daughter," Bella said. She glared at her mate.

Renesmee didn't want this. She didn't appreciate Bella's support. She still didn't approve of Nessie's actions and now Bella was going to use Carlisle's decision against Renesmee, blaming her for tearing their family apart.

Let me go, Nessie broadcasted her pain and betrayal to her mother.

Bella's grip loosened in surprise. Clearly, she seemed to think they were on the same side—as if she had completely forgotten that she had been the one leading the dissent just moments ago.

Renesmee pulled away and bolted for the door.

"Nessie, wait," Bella called.

"Give her space," Edward caught her arm, preventing her from following.

Nessie bolted down the street. This was cruel! If they accepted her as she was, none of this would be happening! She ran too fast for public, but she didn't care who saw. It was dark enough that they wouldn't have a decent view anyway.

She had to get to Jacob. He would understand. He would support her. He was the only one who did. Surely everything would be alright once Jacob was on her side.

Chapter Playlist:

Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youths - Edward

Friendly Fire - Linkin Park - Carlisle

Never Enough - Five Finger Death Punch - Renesmee