And then Alice, Jasper, and Nahuel jumped from within the forest. Close behind them was Kachiri and a woman I knew to be Huilen, Nahuel's aunt.
"Alice has been searching for her own witnesses these last weeks," Edward said to the heads of the Volturi. "But I assume you know this already, Aro."
"Indeed I do," Aro replied. He now possessed my knowledge, which was both good and bad.
"Alice, why don't you introduce the witnesses you've brought?" I asked, beating Edward to it.
Alice stepped forward. I'd prevented the three elders from voting- -for now. "This is Huilen, and her nephew Nahuel."
"Speak, Huilen," Aro commanded. "Give the witness you were brought to bear to those who are not yet enlightened."
The native woman looked slightly taken aback by Aro's words, but spoke. "I am Huilen. A century and a half ago, I lived with my people, the Mapuche. My sister was Pire. Our parents named her after the snow on the mountains because of her fair skin. And she was very beautiful- -too beautiful. She came to me one day in secret and told me of the angel that found her in the woods, that visited her by night. I warned her." Huilen shook her head in a mournful way. "As if the bruises on her skin were not warning enough. I knew it was the Libishomen of our legends, but she would not listen. She was bewitched.
"She told me when she was sure her dark angel's child was growing inside her. I didn't try to discourage her from her plan to run away- -I knew even our father and mother would agree that the child must be destroyed, Pire with it. I went with her into the deepest parts of the forest. She searched for her demon angel but found nothing. I cared for her, hunted for her when her strength failed. She at the animals raw, drinking their blood. I needed no more confirmation of what she carried in her womb. I hoped to save her before I killed the monster.
"But she loved the child inside her. She called him Nahuel, after the jungle cat, when he grew strong and broke her bones- -and loved him still.
"I could not save her. The child ripped his way free of her, and she died quickly, begging all the while that I would care for her Nahuel. Her dying wish- -and I agreed.
"He bit me, though, when I tried to lift him from her body. I crawled away into the jungle to die. I didn't get far- -the pain was too much. But he found me; the newborn child struggled through the underbrush to my side and waited for me. When the pain ended, he was curled against my side, sleeping.
"I cared for him until he was able to hunt for himself. We hunted the villages around our forest, staying to ourselves. We have never come so far from our home, but Nahuel wished to see the child here."
Huilen bowed her head when she finished her speech, and hid partially behind Kachiri.
"Nahuel, you are one hundred and fifty years old." It was a statement, not a question like in the book.
"Give or take a decade," he answered in a clear voice. "We don't keep track."
"And you reached maturity at what age?" Aro asked, trying to confirm what he had seen in the book in my mind.
"About seven years after my birth, more or less, I was full grown."
"You have not changed since then." Again, it was a statement, not a question.
Nahuel shrugged, and nodded. "Not that I've noticed."
"And your diet?" Again, trying to confirm.
"Mostly blood, but some human food, too. I can survive on either."
"You were able to create an immortal." Aro gestured to Huilen, clearly making a statement again.
"Yes, but none of the rest can."
"Your sisters," Aro said.
Nahuel seemed taken aback that Aro knew, but kept quiet. "My father came looking for me a few years after my mother's death. He was pleased to find me. He had two daughters, but no sons. He expected me to join him, as my sisters had.
"He was surprised I was not alone. My sisters are not venomous, but whether that's due to gender or a random chance…who knows? I already had my family with Huilen, and I was not interested in making a change. I see him from time to time. I have a new sister; she reached maturity about ten years back."
"Your father's name?" Caius asked through gritted teeth. Well, that's one thing that hadn't changed.
"Joham," Nahuel answered. "He considers himself a scientist. He thinks he's creating a new super-race." He made no attempt to hide the disgust in his voice.
Caius looked at Bella. "Your daughter, is she venomous?" he demanded harshly.
"No," Bella responded.
Caius growled. "We take care of the aberration here, and then follow it south," he urged Aro.
"Brother," he said softly to Caius. "There appears to be no danger. This is an unusual development, but I see no threat. These half-vampire children are much like us, it appears."
"Let us vote," Caius suggested. "These children are of unknown quantity. There is no reason to allow such risk to exist. All of them must be destroyed, along with all who protect them."
Marcus lifted his bored eyes, and with one quick look in his mind, he was clearly utterly bored. "I see no immediate danger. These creatures are safe enough for now. We can always reevaluate later. Let us leave in peace."
"I have cast my vote," Aro spoke.
Caius scowled. "And this Joham? This immortal is so fond of experimentation."
"Perhaps we should speak with him," Aro agreed.
"Stop Joham if you will," Nahuel said flatly. "But leave my sisters be. They are innocent."
Aro nodded, his expression solemn. He then turned to his guard with a warm smile.
"Dear ones," he called. "We do not fight today."
I sighed in relief, knowing they would leave soon.
"I'm so glad this could be resolved without violence," Aro said sweetly. "My friend, Carlisle- -how pleased I am to call you friend again! I hope there are no hard feelings. I know you understand the strict burden that our duty places on our shoulders."
"Leave in peace, Aro," Carlisle said stiffly. "Please remember that we still have our anonymity to protect here, and keep your guard from hunting in this region."
"Of course, Carlisle," Aro said. "I am sorry to earn your disapproval, my dear friend. Perhaps, in time, you will forgive me."
"Perhaps, in time, if you prove us a friend to us again."
Aro bowed his head, and then spoke to me. "I will be seeing you again, my dear Erin. And perhaps young Briana will be immortal by then." He let the warning hang in the hair as he stepped backwards a few steps, then turned around and ran into the forest with the rest of the Volturi.
It was very quiet, and I noticed Bella did not drop her shield.
"My gosh, Bella!" I said, breaking the silence. "Yes it's over!" I answered her unasked question.
Bella turned to the russet wolf next to her, whom I did not notice until now had Renesmee on his back. Bella sort of half-climbed him and ripped Nessie from his back.
"Nessie, Nessie, Nessie," Bella crooned as she hugged her daughter tightly, and Edward embraced the both of them in the same second.
Jacob laughed a big, barky laugh.
"Shut up," Bella mumbled.
"I get to stay with you?" Renesmee demanded.
"Forever," her mother promised.
"Forever," Edward echoed her, and Bella lifter her head and kissed him with passion. I spoke my favorite lines of the book in my head, to everyone around me, though I wasn't aware of it:
I couldn't speak anymore. I lifted my head and kissed him with a passion that might possibly set the forest on fire.
I wouldn't have noticed.
I turned to Seth, who I was surprised to see in human form with a huge grin on his face. You know, if he was as short as he was in the movie, it would have looked ridiculous, but I had to reach my head up as we embraced each other and kissed with as equal passion as Bella and Edward.
LINE BREAK
We were walking through the dark forest, holding hands, and free of worry. Bri was still at Charlie's house, presumably crashing on the couch last I heard. My friend was very obviously relieved that everything had gone well, though still wanted to be changed. There was something else that was bothering me, though…
"Seth," I said. "Have you ever thought of the possibility that after the point where the book ends, I might have to go back?"
"Yeah," he said. "But if you do…I'm going with you. Nothing- -not even the Volturi- -would stop me from going with you."
I smiled. "That's nice to know." My smile faded, knowing what would happen if I did go back. I sighed. "The possibilities of going back are high, though."
Seth scoffed. "I don't care. As long as we're together, I'm happy."
"'You jump, I jump.'" I muttered, quoting from the Titanic movie.
"What's that?"
"Oh, some stupid romantic line from this one movie," I said. "'You jump, I jump.' It means wherever you go, I go. I think."
"That doesn't sound stupid to me," he disagreed.
My phone rang at that moment. "Hello?"
"Erin? There's something going on with the book." It was Carlisle.
"What do you mean?"
"Just come see for yourself." He hung up.
I sighed. "I'm needed at the house."
Luckily, we weren't far. After walking through the front door, I was instantly dragged by Carlisle through the back door. Jeez.
There on the ground, face-up, was my Breaking Dawn book. There was some weird shimmering mist hanging around it.
"What's that veil around it?" I asked, taking a step forward, but was instantly pulled back.
"We don't know," Carlisle said. "I was taking it back here to read when that mist started to form. Horrified, I had dropped it and called you immediately. What do you supposed it is?"
"Probably a portal," I said, "to my world."
Carlisle gasped. "You don't mean- -"
"That I have to go back, yes." I took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. "It's time for me to go home."
"I'm going with you," Seth said, putting his arm around my waist.
"Oh, no you aren't Seth Clearwater!" Leah's unexpected shout came from the trees. "You are going to keep you and that furry butt of your's are staying here where you belong!"
By now, everyone was outside- -even Nahuel and Huilen, who were looking very confused.
"We're back…" I heard Jake's voice falter as he arrived inside the house, seeing no one there. He'd gone to get Bri from Charlie's house. "Where is everybody?"
"The backyard!" I shouted. Seconds later, Briana and Jacob appeared. Instantly, Bri ran over to me, and Jake ran over to Bella, who had Renesmee.
"What's going on?" Bri asked, mystified.
"I think it's time for us to go home," I admitted, gesturing to the mist.
"Either you're seeing something I can't, or you're going crazy." I realized Briana couldn't see the barely visible mist around the book.
I looked at Carlisle. "Then…she's not meant to go back?"
He shrugged. "I only know as much as you."
The other wolves stepped from the forest, in human form. Embry, I noticed, seemed to be looking at Briana with a strange look. Great, another imprintee. And Briana noticed.
"Whoo!" I cheered, despite the situation. "Yay, Embry!"
Everyone who was not a mind reader looked at me like I was crazy.
"He imprinted on Bri," I said, like it was obvious. "Duh."
"I guess I'm meant to stay…" Briana said, trailing off as she looked at Embry.
"So…What were we talking about?" I asked after a second of awkward silence. And then I remembered. "Oh, yeah. I gotta go back."
"And I'm going with her," Seth said, giving Leah a firm look.
"Are you sure?" His sister asked.
"Yes."
And then Leah did something that surprised us all. She ran over and hugged her baby brother.
"I'll miss you," she whispered, one tear escaping down her cheek.
Seth hugged her back. "Me, too."
Leah stepped away from him, and turned to me. "You take care of him, Erin Baker, or I'm gonna fight my way into that dimension of your's and kill you myself."
"I swear I'll take care of him," I said, smiling. I heard a tiny whimper, and looked over to see Renesmee reaching towards me from Bella's arms.
I took her, and she put her hand to my cheek. She was saying her own personal goodbye, playing images in my head that were her favorite times of us together- -her absolute favorite one when Jacob imprinted on her.
"I'll miss you," I said to her. "Make sure you keep an eye on Briana and Embry for me, will you?"
She grinned. "Goodbye, Auntie Erin."
"'Bye," I said, handing her back to Bella. "Bye Bella. Too bad there aren't any more books to keep an eye on your life."
Bella narrowed her eyes. "I'm thankful for that, actually. Goodbye."
I turned to Bri, and was surprised to see she was crying. "Take care of my car, will you?"
"What?" She asked, blue eyes widening. "You're giving me your Porsche?"
"It's all your's," I said, taking the keys out of my pocket and handing them to her. "Take care of it."
"Sure," she replied.
There were too many people to say goodbye to. I didn't want to leave, though I knew it was unpreventable. I turned to Seth. "You ready to go?"
I noticed he was holding a picture of his family, and he quickly put that in his pocket. "Yeah. I'm ready."
I took his hand in mine, and together, we stepped through the misty veil.
Everything started to spin like crazy, and went dark. There was wind howling from all directions, and up ahead, I saw a dim light. The light swiftly became closer and seemed to run into us as we suddenly found ourselves in a bookstore. I was home.