Forever Young

Chapter 18

Apparently, I had been correct in assuming the pain of my punishment would last a long time. By bedtime, I was still more comfortable laying on my tummy than on my back, and sitting down for breakfast the next morning still caused me to wince.

Nessie looked at me sympathetically, reaching over to squeeze my hand before she started eating. "Grandpa," she asked, "Do we have bible study today?"

Bible study? That sounded really boring. I had assumed that we had the entire day free since it was Sunday, but maybe that was a silly expectation, considering how religious Carlisle was. But he shook his head.

"Not today, Renesmee," he told her. "We're going over to your Aunt Emily's again today."

I felt myself sit up straighter, a smile growing on my face. And then I remembered that the entire pack had heard me being punished the day before, and would likely be there. It wouldn't be a normal playdate with Takoda- it would be much more embarrassing.

"Why?" I asked. "Doesn't Takoda start school with us tomorrow? Why don't we just wait until then to see him?"

Carlisle pointed to my bowl, indicating that I needed to keep eating if I wanted to talk. I obediently spooned more oatmeal into my mouth. Even with the blood and berries, I didn't like it very much.

After I had taken a few bites, Carlisle nodded. "He will be starting lessons with you and Renesmee tomorrow. But I thought it might be nice for you to get a bit of time to play together first, since his party didn't end on the best note yesterday. And you and Mato need to apologize to eachother."

My eyes widened, and I dropped my spoon back into my bowl, no longer hungry. There was no way I was apologizing to him! He had started it! As I plopped back in my seat, though, I winced at the pain. Maybe refusing to do what Carlisle said wouldn't be such a good idea.

And I hadn't thought about it before, but I had ruined Takoda's party. And I felt awful. Would he still be angry with me? What if he didn't even want to see me?

"Nobody is angry with you, Ammie," Edward promised, popping in from the family room. Even as he played the piano, he was listening in on everyone's thoughts. "You've been punished, and you've been forgiven. Nobody will hold a grudge against you now. You have learned your lesson, correct?"

He was likely asking because he had heard my opposition to apologizing. "Yes, Sir," I mumbled, surprising myself. Since when did I call Edward 'Sir'? He didn't even look like a real adult.

He just smiled and shook his head at me as he went to sit back down at the piano in the other room.

My anxiety didn't go away, though. It grew as I sat at the table, forcing down the rest of my oatmeal. And as Carlisle helped me into my dress for the day. And as I was placed into the booster seat and buckled in.

The drive seemed to go by even slower than yesterday. Renesmee was looking at me strangely from the seat next to mine, probably wondering why the thought of seeing Takoda wasn't easing my nerves like it usually did. She reached her hand towards me, and I grasped it, expecting her to speak to me mentally. But she didn't. She just kept her hand tightly around mine, making sure I realized she was at my side.

We pulled into the front of the small house, nestled in the forest. Carlisle came around to where I was sitting and undid the straps on my booster seat. But I stayed in it, not moving as I looked around the yard cautiously. Nobody was in sight, but the wolves had a tendency to suddenly appear from behind trees or bushes.

"Come on, Love," Carlisle encouraged, putting his hands under my arms and lifting me out of the car. He placed me on the ground, and I felt exposed, wondering if I was being watched from beyond the treeline.