Chapter 1: First Day

Chapter 1: First Day

The beeping of my alarm clock jolted me out of my dream. I moaned and buried my head in the pillow.

Not that I wanted to go back to sleep. There was nothing that would make me want to face those horrifying images again. They were worse than other nightmares, because they were memories; real things that had really happened. I just didn’t feel like getting out of bed yet.

Resigning myself to the fact that getting up was necessary - if only to avoid being forcibly ejected by Jacob - I rolled over and pulled back the covers. I dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt, glancing at the clock when I was done.

7:15 am, Monday January 7^th. The first Monday of the new semester. My first day at a new school.

It had been ten years since I last saw my parents and the rest of my family. It was three years since Jake and I realised I wasn’t growing any more. I’d managed to get through freshman year in Florida before Jake picked up an unfamiliar vampire scent on one of his routine sweeps, and decided it was time to move. Again. We were always moving around, so no one could see that I was ageing too fast or that Jacob wasn’t.

Now we were trying to settle down a little, so I could finish school. We had chosen Juneau in Alaska, and Jacob had managed to land himself a job at a garage about 5 minutes from our new house. Not that we were exactly short of money- the stash we had found in my backpack hadn’t quite run out yet- but it would look suspicious, 2 people living alone with no source of income.

I heaved myself out of bed and plodded into the kitchen. Jake was already up, sitting at the counter reading a newspaper and eating toaster waffles (the only thing he could cook).

“Morning sleepyhead!” he said, almost brightly, when he saw me. Jake had this weird way of always acting like I had made his day just by walking into the room. It would have been freaky with anyone else, but, with Jacob, it was comforting.

He pushed a plate of waffles towards me and went back to the paper. I wrinkled my nose, but sat down and started eating. I didn’t have time to hunt this morning.

Note to self, I thought as I chewed. Must convince Jake to let me go out tonight. I NEED MOUNTAIN LION!

________________________________________________________________________

“One more time.”

“Jake, we’ve been through this...”

“I know, I know, a thousand times. Just humour me.” He gave me his best ‘please Ness’ eyes. If there was one thing Jake knew how to do- and do well- it was the puppy dog look.

I huffed, defeated. “Fine. One more time.”

He grinned. It was infuriating and adorable at the same time. Did I just call Jacob adorable?

“Ok, if someone asks your name, you say...”

“Vanessa Wolfe.” I was used to my new name now. It was almost like another life.

As Jacob continued to quiz me on my cover story, I thought about the two people that inhabited my body, switching places as necessary. I had lived this way so long now; they were distinct and separate in my mind.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen, the real me, the one that came out in the house and around Jacob.

A ten year old vampire/human hybrid, daughter of Edward and Isabella Cullen. Living with her mother’s best friend, hasn’t had any contact with her family for most of those ten years; doesn’t even know if they’re still alive. Has lived in Washington, Rio, Texas, Michigan, Florida and Alaska (in that order).

Vanessa Lucy Wolfe, 16, daughter of Christian and Melinda Wolfe (tragically killed in a house fire at a friend’s house when she was only 6). Living with her older brother (27), no other family. Just moved to Alaska from Seattle. She was the one everybody else had to see. For my safety and theirs.

Vanessa had her problems, her share of grieving to do, but it wasn’t as bad as mine. She was my escape. She knew her parents were gone, never coming back. I had hoped, in the beginning, that someone would find us. Even after we moved far from where they had any chance of finding us, the tiniest glimmer of hope that the next knock on the door would be my mom and dad remained in my heart. It still hadn’t gone away; though I had eventually given up hope that they would have survived, it refused to budge, staying locked in my heart.

Once Jake was satisfied that I knew every detail inside out, he kissed my forehead and pointed me in the direction of the front office.

I stood on the kerb, watching the little red VW Rabbit disappear around the corner. I felt so alone, standing there, feeling the stares on the back of my head. This was going to be even worse than last time. Everybody here already had their little groups. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Something flashed in my peripheral vision, drawing my eye to a pristine silver Volvo and a bright red BMW parked across the lot. Ice stabbed at my heart and I shivered. Blocking it from my mind, I took a deep breath and headed for the office.