The Experiment [RENESMEE CULLEN]

16

My special moment with Jacob can't last for too long. I can't show him pretty pictures forever. I hear people approaching. It can be someone I know. I can't let them see me speaking to someone I've just met.

"I have to go!", I blurt accidentally, ruining my cover. Now Jacob knows I am nervous. Crap. I am just about to turn and leave before I get caught.

"Wait!", he tries to stop me, but it's too late. I really have to go. "Can I have your number?", he demands.

I shake my head. I don't have a phone. "Will you be here tomorrow?", I ask instead, hoping he will say yes. And he does. He nods his head. I let out a breath of relief.

Jacob is looking at me with so much hope, yet too much anxiety. I can't blame him. That's how I feel at this particular moment as well. "How can I talk to you?"

"Tomorrow", is the last thing I say, before I dash out of the bathroom, careful not to rip the IV out of my arm. People are looking at me. I can sense some of them are pointing fingers at me, gossiping about me. Of course. I am a freak. I deserve it. If only I wasn't born.

I wouldn't have met Jacob then. There's something about him that pulls me to him. Like gravity. Or strings.

I want to know him. I want to know more and more about him. I want to learn what he has seen in me at that moment when our eyes have met.

I spend the rest of the day thinking about Jacob and Rachel. I wonder why are they at the hospital. Perhaps their relative is dying?

"You seem happier than usual," my grandpa comments after the daily examinations are finished and I am putting my shoes on. I try not to smile. I can't let him know about today. Since this day has been full of changes, I want to end it this way.

"Can we do something, Grandpa?", I decide to propose to get takeaway. It will give me some more time outside. If Grandpa is in the mood, maybe he can let me stay outside for a bit, to catch some fresh air.

Grandpa raises his eyebrow at me. I ask him if I can have McDonald's for dinner. He overthinks, as usual, and agrees. As a reward for improving at school. My hard work is appreciated. It makes me feel better.

On the journey to McDonald's, I sit at the front and sing out loud with the radio, the wind blowing my unbraided hair. Grandpa chuckles at my silliness. I feel like every other teenage girl, like the ones I've seen on television. And I want this feeling to never stop.

Grandpa parks the car.

"Can I come with you?", I ask, hoping he will let me.

He has other plans, however. "No, Renesmee. You can't sit outside. You have to stay in the car."

I nod, sadly. At least I can have something different than homemade food. I try to concentrate on the positive things in my life. And at the moment, they are more than what I am used to.