Ness' Comet

Ch 48: Considerate

I cautiously arrived home, my heart pounding out of my chest. I didn't know what I was going to say to Jacob, or anyone for that matter. The first person I encountered upon entering was Alice.

    "Hello Renesemee," she said in her usual way.

    "Hey," I replied, a skeptical eyebrow raised. I was surprised and suspicious that she had nothing else to say to me. She definitely knew what was going on and usually she could never bring herself to stay out of anything.

    "Have a nice day at school?" she asked.

    I chuckled, "like you don't already know?"

    She smiled nervously.

    "What?"

    She shook her head. "Nothing. You're handling it. I see you made up with your friend though?"

    I nodded. "Yeah, I did. I'm happy about it. I've never really had a friend before, besides Jacob, and I was sad to see that almost slip away."

    Upon mentioning Jacob's name, I received a reaction from her that suggested she was waiting for him to come up.

    "So," I continued nonchalantly. "Where is Jake anyway?"

    "He went to the reservation for a while."

    "Oh," I replied. "And my parents? Jasper?"

    "Jasper is in the living room and your parents are upstairs talking," said Alice.

    This was also very suspicious to me. Jacob would never go anywhere, especially not the reservation, without mentioning it to me first. Normally if he was going to see his dad, he wanted me to come with him so I could hang out with Seth and the others. I hadn't seen them in a while since I started going to school. It was equally suspicious that my parents were upstairs having what was looking like a private conversation. The pieces in my head started to fit together, and I was momentarily livid.

    "Did they make Jacob go to the reservation?" I demanded. As much as things had been weird for me because of Jacob, I still loved him dearly, and not just in a romantic way. The idea that my parents had kicked him out of the house and sent him back to Billy's house was appalling to me! It caused me an insurmountable level of guilt to think that because of me, all those years of friendship between Jacob and my mother were gone, to the point where she threw him out!

    "Calm down," said Alice in her light and airy voice. "Technically yes, but not for the reasons you think. There were things that Jacob needed to talk to Sam about, and your parents thought it best that he go do that."

    I peered at her skeptically. "Really? So what are they talking about up there that is so secretive I can't know? There shouldn't be secrets in this family, and especially not now!"

    "Renesemee, have I ever led you to believe I don't act in your best interest?"

    I opened my mouth to respond but decided against it. She was right, but I didn't want to admit it. I knew Alice would never withhold something from me if she didn't feel it was necessary to do so. However, I could feel something was off. It wasn't simply that everyone now knew about my feelings for Jacob, and Jacob also probably knew. There was another factor that nobody was willing to tell me. I didn't want to seem paranoid or over dramatic so I kept these suspicions to myself. I reasoned that everything secretive in this family always came out eventually, one way or another. It was only a matter of time before I found out whatever it was. For now, I had to hold it together and have patience. Besides, I had other things on my mind to worry about. I was going to let whatever their secret was, be their problem and not mine.

    "Okay Alice," I sighed. "Okay. Forget the whole thing. So is Jacob coming back?"

    "He is supposed to. I don't know when that will be though," she replied.

    I nodded my head, a less than pleased expression on my face. Before I could even finish digging something out of the fridge, I heard my parents appear behind me.

    "Can I help you with something?" I asked, exasperated.

    "Renesemee," Bella said in a chastising tone.

    I turned to look at them, the milk in my hand. "Yes mother?"

    She pursed her lips. "Where were you?"

    I sighed and began to fix myself a bowl of cereal. "I texted you earlier. I was with Lizzie."

    "And what does Lizzie know Renesemee?" demanded Edward.

    I froze. "What do you mean?"

    "Don't do that," said Bella. "Alice told us and you aren't' as good at keeping your kind clear around your dad as you think you are. Do you understand how serious this is if she knows about us?"

    I rubbed my temples. "Look, do you actually think I'd be careless enough to reveal to her our most kept secret? Seriously?"

    "We're not saying that," cut in Edward. "We're just wondering what she knows."

    "Well considering I couldn't convince her no matter how much I tried that she didn't see a giant wolf creature standing in front of her at the Halloween bonfire before I knocked her out, she had some questions."

    Both their expressions went dark. "And what did she ask?" said Edward.

    "What you'd think she would ask. It doesn't matter now. I already had a discussion with her and she doesn't know anything she really shouldn't. She knows that we are different but she understands that there are simply things she can't know for her own safety and sanity."

    Neither of them looked happy with or satisfied by this answer. In fact, I may have put them at less ease than they had been before. I studied them for a moment, awaiting their response. My eyes widened when I saw the look on Edwards face.

    "Don't you even think about it!" I cried. Both Alice and Jasper rushed into the room.

    "Edward," said Jasper cautiously.

    "Stay out of it!" demanded Edward.

    "No!" I cried. "Enough of all of you! You are not going to kill an innocent girl because we weren't careful enough! She's my best friend and just because she's not someone I'm literally in love with doesn't make our relationship any less valuable! If you kill her I will never forgive you!"

    "Renesemee," said Bella, trying to sound calm.

    "Don't," I countered. "You have no idea how trapped I feel on a daily basis! I love you all, but I can't live like this! And I think, it's only fair that I be allowed to make decisions about what people should and shouldn't know without considering you, since you all seem to have no problem doing the same to me! When you can consider my opinion in any decision you make, then I'll do that same for you!"

    I couldn't contain myself. I rarely, if ever, spoke to anyone in that tone. I couldn't recall ever doing so to my parents. I had gotten angry with them in the past, but never this upset. I decided I need to get out of there. I couldn't be bombarded by their words and pressure any longer, at least not any longer that night. Before anyone could do or say anything, I had already slammed the front door behind me. I wiped an involuntary tear from my cheek, and hopped into the Volvo. At first, I wasn't sure where I was even going, but then I knew exactly where I had to go. Only minutes later did I find myself crossing the border onto the reservation.