Purple Sky - A. Teller (the chimp paradox txt) 📗

and the stone white skin was what stopped us short. Alice. Welcome Home

 

“Renesmee! You’re safe!” she practically screamed, running to hug me. Her stone hard body hit me like a ton of bricks, but I was glad to see her. I hugged her back, kind of irritated, but glad to see her. She let go of me, smiling. Her angelic features seemed to savor the long-waited relief to see me. She sighed, exhaling the scent of lavender and vanilla all around us. Even Jacob awakened a bit. We were both tired, but only I had slept on the plane. That was Jake’s thing. He saw that he could only sleep knowing I was comfortable and safe.

“Of course. I told you not to look for me Alice,” I said sternly. She apologized, since she knew just what I was talking about. Jake had no idea, raising an eyebrow at me. I waved him down, but as I reconnected my eyes with Alice, her fox face was now searing as she glared at Jake.

“You!”

I held Alice’s shoulder. Stone hard, I could still feel her muscles tighten. She looked at me, angry, but understanding. We climbed in the Volvo and drove to our house. The car was quiet, and me and Jake exchanged glances, knowing what was coming. When we reached home, our welcoming committee was less then pleased. I squeezed Jake’s hand, and we separated out of the car. The cold air smacked against my face as we walked across the stretch to the door. The loss of his heat gripping my hand almost frightened me. Alice walked to me, separating me from Jake’s side.

So many thing that I hadn’t thought of raced through my mind in a sixteenth of a millisecond. I wondered if Jake would be pardoned. Again. I begged to my dad, who I knew was listening, “Please Daddy! Please be nice! Please!” I tried to apologize in my mind, but I felt like a lemon being squeezed. I noted my eyes were blurry. The “lemon juice” fell from my eyes. Jake squeezed my hand this time.

“Renesmee, you’re okay!” my mother exclaimed, hugging me.

“I’m fine mom.” I sniffled up the tears and shook my head once. Good. My father’s mask took over.

“Why the hell would you run off like that?” Bella asked, awaiting an answer. How many times have I heard that question? I thought.

“Mom, I…I had to see him. I had to know he was okay,” I said, turning to Jake. He wanted to smile, but I shot him a glance, and he complied.

They all stared at me. My aunts and my mom were more engrossed in asking if I was hurt. My answer was no, every time. My father came over and kissed my forehead, then made me stand with my aunts as he took a step towards Jake. His eyes that looked through me before he stepped away were angry. Furious. A new kind of angry. Like hell reflected off his face. I wanted to move. I wanted to run and protect Jacob. But I couldn’t, and the cold vises that gripped my arms grew tighter and tighter. My aunts held me firm as Edward walked up to Jake. I felt Jake’s eyes try to make Edward burst into flames.

“You left my daughter without saying why, you left her unprotected and endangered, and then you let her walk over 500 miles, just to pretend everything is okay,” my father said, almost in a whisper. Jake looked at him, confused.

“I didn’t force her to do anything.” Jake’s tone was dead.

“The hell you didn’t! You knew she’d go searching anyway! And put her in danger! Jacob, you need to stay away. We’re done here,” Edward concluded. We’re? I don’t think so. When did I become a we?

“No, you’re done!” I screamed, fighting back tears. I jolted from my aunts and ran to Jake. I held up my arms, but not in defeat. “I’ve had enough! You can’t decide for me anymore!”

My dad looked surprised. “You’ve given me no choice, Nessie,” he said softly. He thought he’d win this fight, which is why he didn’t yell. When did I give you a choice? When have you ever given me a choice? This shouldn’t be your choice, I thought, knowing he could hear me. I had to turn to Jake. I didn’t want to see Edward’s face. If he saw me cry, he would definitely win,

“Jake, please. Please, don’t go,” I asked him. I wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could. His muscles tightened in response, but he tried to hide his pain. Esme walked over, and set her hand on my shoulder. I released Jake, expecting to be dragged back to my room by my shoulders. Kicking, screaming. Thrown back into my room. My cell, I should say. But Esme’s icy hand was soft. Compassionate.

“I agree with you and Jake. Edward,” Esme said. Her warm, honey eyes were insistent. Her rosy, unnaturally red lips were solid, and stern. “Jacob should be able to see Renesmee. You know what will happen if they're ripped apart.” My jaw dropped slightly. Out of shock, and thankfulness. My gramma was the best.

Edward looked at Jake, then back to Esme. But not to me.

“But, Esme…” Edward opposed. His arms tightened, and his lips twitched. Fatherly instinct was more powerful than respect for a parent or superior. My mother came to my defense as well. My eyes sparkled. I felt the little crystal glitter swimming in the honey of my eyes. I wasn’t alone in my quest for Jacob.

“Edward, when you left, I tried to harm myself so I could see you again. Do you really want that to happen to your daughter? Night terrors, addiction to adrenaline, weight loss, physical and emotional pain continuously…” My mother blinked her candle-gold eyes, trying to get Edward to understand. His expression stayed hard, but it was a weak barrier. Carlisle came to our side as well. I was finally breathing again.

“I won’t lose my granddaughter, Edward,” he said calmly. We now had Jake, Carlisle, Bella, Esme and myself on our side. Opposing, was Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, and Edward. Tie.

“Daddy,” I whispered. “Please?”

There was no point in begging the others. Jasper was a stone wall when it came to what he believed. Emmett was…impossible to persuade. Rose was…Rose. Let’s just say that and move right along. Alice was my best friend. How could she?

He sighed heavily. “Don’t screw up again Jake. Or else.” Edward went back inside, not waiting for Bella or anyone else.

I hugged Jake in triumph. I could sense he was smiling, and I flicked his shoulder. My family wouldn’t want to see triumph in Jacob’s face. Rose huffed, but I dismissed it. My mother sighed, familiar with Edward’s bleak attitude when it came to me and Jake. Esme hugged me and went inside, with Carlisle following her. I looked at Jake, who looked worried.

“What? Aren’t you happy?” I asked.

“Yeah. But on the plane, I was thinking about that thing you were telling me about this morning. Do you think it could have been…” Once he said my father’s name, I promised myself, Give no answer. Jake found my silence was an answer in itself.
...
I went up to my room to try and shake my horribly mysterious thoughts. Of course there was relief, that I could see Jacob again. But the mystery of the figure submerged my thoughts. “Who was it that was in that house?” I kept asking myself. I grabbed my brush and sat on my futon. I brushed through my hair, listening to my family conversations downstairs. The house was divided. Half wanted me and Jake to be allowed to see each other (as friends), but the other half wanted us to separate, claiming I’d get over it, go to school in a couple years, and meet someone else. They wanted to stop us, or at least that’s what I heard. Stop us from what? I ignored the question and continued listening. I was mostly calm. But the one thing I hated was that my family was deciding my fate. My fate.

And what hurt me most, was that Alice, my best friend, was against me and Jake. So was Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and (secretly), my father. But he kept quiet, standing by and supporting my mom, who was on my side. I tried to ignore everyone, so I figured taking a bath might help. The water was nice, but I couldn’t spend more than 10 minutes before I had to get out. I didn’t want them arguing, but I did want to know what they were saying. I slipped into a red silk nightgown, which I only wore in times of stress. It stretched down to my knees. I only wore it occasionally, when I would be alone for a while. I didn’t like being seen in it. It was too revealing. I wrote in my little, purple diary that I hid in a secret place. Not even Jake knew about my book. I kept everything in it. Secrets, feelings, thoughts…all of it I wrote in this book. It was the material version of my inner self.

A thump caused me to slide the book underneath me. I was lying on my stomach, feet crossed. I looked up to see Jake, standing there, a little embarrassed. I grabbed a blanket and tried to cover myself and my book, but I toppled and fell off my bed.

“Privacy means nothing to you,” I said, wrapped up in my blanket like a burrito. It was so tight, I couldn’t get free without help.

“Apparently not. And it wasn’t like I knew you wore something…like that,” he said.

“Oh, ha ha. Well, I thought I’d be alone. I should lock that window,” I teased. But the comment made Jake growl instinctively. The idea of being away from me was unbearably frustrating to him. I walked over to the bathroom and wrapped a robe around myself. But I couldn’t find my book! I looked and shook my clothes. Nothing. Then, I heard a page flip. Jake! I sprinted from the bathroom, almost slipping on the bathroom mat.

“Jake! Don’t you dare!” I said, grabbing the book. We both held onto it, and I tackled him for the book. That book was the most private thing I had in this house, and I was not about to let it be exposed. I pushed his face away with my left hand, as my right held tightly on my book, which he wouldn’t let go of! I ripped the book from his hands and ran for the bathroom, but he grabbed my foot! I tripped and fell onto the carpet, shaking my foot. I was laughing, he was laughing. If the world saw us, they’d be laughing.

“Let go!” I shrieked through the giggles. He let go, and I crawled to the bathroom. Hiding my book, I returned to find Jake on the floor.

“You can get up now,” I said. He scrambled to his feet, trying to seem cool.

“I still can’t believe everyone is fighting over my future. Isn’t that my job?” I said, laying down on my futon at the end of my bed. Jake sat at the foot of the futon, smiling.

“Technically, your future is my