Chapter 3
1553 Words
Sometime during my and Tyler's swim I lost all interest in trying to get back at Jacob. My mind was preoccupied with something else, or someone. There was something about Tyler and the way I felt when I was around him. I felt safe, sure, normal. I didn't worry about anything. I forgot about the complications of my future and the problems that could soon arise. All that mattered to me was this one moment between us.
The sun was setting when the party began to disperse. Tyler and I were sitting in the boat house loft watching it from the window. It was beautiful.
"Beautiful." Tyler smiled as he glanced at me.
I shrugged my shoulders. The sunset was okay but I've seen better in the time since I was born.
"It's alright." I sighed as I crossed my arms in order to keep warm.
"I meant you Ness."
I turned and looked at him for any sign of joking. I never thought about myself like that. Sure I've been told by my family and... Jake, but that's different. I was just called beautiful by a person who hadn't known me since I was a infant.
As I held his gaze I felt my cheeks flush.
"Thank you?"
For several long minutes we just stared at one another. No words were spoken, no moving was done. It was just observation of one another.
"You don't think you are beautiful do you?" he asked me.
I pursed my lips. "Whether or not is irrelevant because I never thought about my outward appearance on those terms." I paused to ponder my next choice of words. "I know I look like my mother and father."
Tyler's face blanked. "So I'm going to guess that you are not adopted."
I began wringing my hands nervously together before slowly shaking my head. My expression was guilty because I was. I just reveled a small piece of my families secret.
Raising to my feet I grabbed my clothes and made my way down the stairs to the main floor of the boat house. I could hear Tyler calling my name. From the consistency in his close distance to me I could tell he was following me.
"Just leave it alone Tyler, you don't need to know this."
He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. "Why are you keeping me out?"
I released myself from his grip and stepped back. "I'm keeping you out to protect you. Please you are digging yourself a grave that me nor my parents will be able to dig you out of. Just do yourself a big favor and leave it alone."
Turning on my heal as quickly as I could I ran to the house. I felt exposed from the constant questioning from Tyler. I wanted to feel secure again.
Only when I shut my bedroom door did I notice I wasn't alone. I tasted the air just as I turned around. Both my senses and my sight told me it was my parents.
"Renesmee," My mother crossed the room. Her expression was worried.
"Mom, what's wrong?" I pulled my clothes tighter against my body as I walked further into the room.
"You need to keep in mind the consequences of expressing our secrets." My father said.
"I know daddy. I walked away."
"Not before telling him enough to keep his mind on the subject at hand. I read his mind, he isn't going to give up. He is determined to know everything."
"And I am determined to not have the Volturi making anymore appearances into my life. I won't say anything."
"Be careful with what you do say because if the Volturi feel like there is a threat to our secret they will act. Tyler will be-"
"I know dad, Tyler will be subjected to the life of being a vampire or death." I rolled my eyes.
"Please don't roll your eyes at me Renesmee I am just trying to keep that innocent boy out of the problematic life we endure."
"Problematic?"
"If there is any coven out there that the Volturi has a pure hatred for it would be ours. We have thwarted them twice, killed Jane and we have what they want. All they are looking for is a reason and the perfect moment before they try and come at us again."
"But you said they will die if they try."
My father nodded his head. "But that won't stop them from trying. That boy needs to be kept at an arms length."
I crossed my arms. "He's my best friend and he has no one else dad. I won't turn my back on him."
"So you'd rather risk him becoming one of us just to keep him in your life. He'll grow suspicious and start asking questions. If not now then in the next few years when he continues to age but you don't. Nip it in the butt before it becomes a problem."
"Goodnight dad." I replied before heading over to the stairs to my bed.
I wasn't tired and it was definitely too early but I wanted to end this conversation. I got the point he was trying to make. All I needed was time alone to think.
I froze on the first step before I decided a bath would be better. I slipped into my closet and grabbed a pair of pajama's before hurrying to the bathroom. Closing the door I flipped on the lights and began running the bath water.
The moment I sank into the lavender and chamomile oiled water I relaxed. The scent was calming, rejuvenating, beautiful.
What do I do? That was the million dollar question right there. If I give in to Tyler's wishes and tell him he will be sentenced to this blood thirsty lifestyle or death. If I don't I might lose a really good friend. Scratch that, my best friend. He had no one else. I couldn't do that to him.
My bath continued until the water was cold. I got out and drained the water before drying my hair and slipped into my pajamas. When I left my bathroom I sat at the piano and started mindlessly playing the lullaby my father wrote for me.
I didn't hear when my bedroom door opened and close. I didn't even acknowledge the footsteps or the human scent but when a hand was on my shoulder I was right and alert.
"You shouldn't do that." I whispered while I continued to play. "You could have startled me and I could've hurt you."
Tyler laughed as he pulled up a chair and sat beside me. "You couldn't hurt me, you are just a girl."
"A very different girl then what you may be used to."
"Different? How?"
My piano playing halted immediately as I simultaneously turned my head to look at him.
"They are my biological parents." I replied as if the previous conversation never ended.
"How old are they?"
Technically there were two true answers to the question. My dad was almost 109 years old, 17 in human years. My mother is 17, 18 in life years. What should I tell him? For now I guess, less is more.
I inhaled nervously. "Both my mother and my father are seventeen."
Tyler shook his head. "That's impossible because you are 16."
"I swear it's the truth."
"Then how old are you?"
"6 months short of being a full year." I was shamefaced.
All my families secrets were being revealed by me. I knew that I could be putting my family in danger from being exposed and endangering Tyler by him knowing this knowledge. The more he knew the closer he was getting to an untimely death at the hands of the Volturi.
"Seriously Renesmee, why are you lying to me?" A tear fell down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. "Why are you crying?"
I snuffled. "I'm not lying. This is what I was telling you about. The Jacob thing, the secrets." I turned around to face him and grasped his hands. "I wasn't lying either when I said if I told you we'd have to kill you."
I couldn't hear his breath intake but I knew he was alive. My ears easily picked up the sounds of his heart beginning to race, he was scared.
Then he gulped and took in a huge breath. "Kill me how?" he asked.
I stared at the palms of his hands. "I don't know. It's not really my family you have to worry about its..."
"What?"
"They are basically the law enforcers of my world."
"Who? What world?"
"The Volturi. They enforce the law. There really aren't many for our kind except no humans are supposed to know about the existence of-" I took a deep breath. "I've already told you too much. My life isn't like yours, the dangers in mine are surreal."
"What are you saying?"
I pulled him into my arms and held him. "Trust me, just trust me on this. If you want to know everything about my life you will have to give up yours."
"What do you mean?" Tyler's voice was careful.
"The Volturi will give you an ultimatum, death or becoming what we are."
There was a longer-than-normal pause. "What are you?"
- Writer
