Esme POV
I watched as the kids
disappeared into the trees, one by one, with Carlisle bringing up the
rear. There hadn’t been a sunny day in a while, so they were taking
the opportunity to go hunting. I was staying behind to go to the
parent’s night at their school, and because I wasn’t particularly
thirsty.
Carlisle paused at the
forest’s edge and blew me a kiss. I waved and then turned back to
the house. Like most of our homes, it was right outside of town, and
very big and bright. No matter where we went though, nowhere would
quite match up to the white mansion on the river, with its glass
south wall and all the best memories locked in its walls.
As I walked at human
speed through the living room, my eyes came to rest on the big black
piano. It was beautiful, of course, but never had as much use as the
old white one. The sound was completely different; there were no
memories in here. I sighed, remembering the happy times.
“Again?” Edward
asked, his false exasperated tone making me smile.
“Again, again!”
Nessie squealed, bouncing on the stool beside him. The movement made
her bronze curls jump up and down like springs.
Edward sighed, and
she giggled, thrilled with her game.
His fingers began to
dance across the keys again, playing a new song now. He had been
through his entire repertoire twice over the course of the afternoon,
but neither he nor Nessie ever seemed to get bored.
“What’s it
called Daddy?” she asked, clapping her little hands to the beat.
“I don’t know.
What do you think it should be called?”
Her brow furrowed
for a second, and then she smiled and closed her eyes. A second
later, her sweet little voice joined the piano, picking up the melody
easily.
“Happiness,
Is your warm arms
wrapped around me tight.
Happiness,
Is the kiss when you
tuck me in at night.
Happiness,
Is the game that you
always want to play.
And happiness,
Is the love you give
me every single day.”
The song drifted to
a close and Nessie clapped. Edward laughed, lifting her up and
perching her on his shoulders before running out into the garden.
Through the window, I could see him racing round and round, with
Bella hot on his heels and Nessie giggling madly on his back.
Those were the good
days; the times when nothing made sense, but no one cared. The lazy
days when there was nowhere to go, and nothing to do but have fun. It
killed me how sad our lives had been for the last ten years. What I
wouldn’t give to see Bella smile, or hear Edward laugh. And maybe I
would, soon.
That was my other
reason for staying. Though the others were sceptical, - trying not to
hope in case it came to nothing - Alice was absolutely convinced that
Nessie was in her music class. I’d seen the drawing she’d done,
and there was no doubt in my mind. Nessie was here, in Juneau, and
she would be at the parent’s night. I was going so that I could see
her.
It was irritating,
waiting all day while the sun was out, before I could set off. I
wanted to be there as soon as possible, to see her as soon as she
arrived. Of course, having six children’s teachers to get through,
I needed as much time as possible anyway.
When darkness finally
settled over the town, I climbed into the black Mercedes and drove at
twice the legal limit to the school. My afternoon of agitated
activity, cleaning the house from top to bottom, had me in a frenzy.
I had to remind myself to move slowly and not attract unwanted
attention.
Talking to teachers
calmed me down, distracted me. As usual, no one could fault my
‘perfect little angels’, as the girls’ Math teacher put it.
Perfect 4.0s, unblemished records and glowing praise all round.
I was so focused on
what I was doing, I didn’t realize they had arrived until Miss
Lucas, the music teacher, appeared on a small stage at one end of the
hall and started speaking into a microphone.
“Good evening ladies
and gentlemen. I trust you are all enjoying yourselves. I would like
to take this opportunity to welcome the Wolfe family...”
She gestured with her
hand, and all the heads turned to look at a very tall young man with
dark skin and short black hair, standing quietly at the back of the
hall. Jacob waved sheepishly and smiled a little.
“Mr Wolfe and his
sister are new to the area, and I’m sure we at Thunder Mountain can
do our best to make them feel welcome here in Juneau. I have the
pleasure of having Vanessa in my class, and she is a remarkable girl.
In fact, she has agreed to do us the honour of singing tonight. So,
without further ado, ladies and gentlemen... Vanessa Wolfe.”
People clapped with
Miss Lucas as a girl bounced up onto the stage and took her place in
front of the microphone. Checking to make sure no one was watching
me, I darted to the back of the hall, a few feet from where Jacob
leaned against one of the pillars, and pulled out my cell phone,
going straight to the video camera.
The girl had a slender
figure, wrapped in boot cut jeans and a loose t shirt. Her hair hung
loose, the bronze curls shimmering in the light and bouncing with
every movement. Her wide brown eyes looked out at the crowd of faces,
searching, while her teeth glittered in a wide, slightly nervous
smile.
“Hi,” she said,
raising one hand in a small wave. “As Miss Lucas said, my name is
Vanessa, but I prefer Nessie, and I’m going to be singing ‘Where
is Love?’ from Oliver. I think this is such a beautiful song, I
hope you like it.”
She smiled another
dazzling smile, and then nodded to the side of the stage, where Miss
Lucas stood poised over a CD player.
The music began to
drift through the room, and Nessie took a deep breath before she
began.
“Where,
Is love?
Does it fall from
skies,
Above?
Is it underneath,
The willow tree,
That I’ve been
dreaming of?
Where,
Is she?
Who I close my eyes,
To see?
Will I ever know,
The sweet hello,
That’s meant for only
me?
Who can say where she
may hide?
Must I travel far and
wide?
Till I am beside,
The someone who,
I can mean,
Something to.
Where?
Where,
Is love?”
The audience exploded
with applause; a few people cheered, and I heard one man whistle. I
shut off my camera and clapped with them as Nessie took a bow,
smiling shyly. I shot a sideways glance at Jacob, only to find him
looking at me in exactly the same way. He smiled, and then turned
back to Nessie, who was just stepping down from the platform.
I decided to stop
wasting time. I walked up to Jacob and stood beside him, close enough
to feel the heat radiating from him; and to smell the wet-dog stench
that clung to him. I pushed it out of my mind, not letting it
distract me.
“Hello Esme,” he
whispered, so low that even the closest humans wouldn’t hear him.
I smiled. “Good
evening Jacob. I trust you two are well.”
“Very well thank you.
One second...”
He shoved off from the
wall, walking forward to meet Nessie, who had worked her way through
the crowd to us.
“That was amazing
Ness!” he crowed, pulling her into a huge bear hug that lifted her
feet off the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me you could sing?
You’re fantastic!”
She laughed and put her
arms around his neck, pulling herself up to kiss his cheek.
“I didn’t tell you
because I knew you would make a big deal out of it. Now put me down,
people are staring.”
She blushed crimson,
her eyes darting around the room at her audience. She looked so much
like Bella; I smiled involuntarily.
Jacob set her back on
her feet. Though she had, of course, grown to at least twice the size
she was when they left us, she only just reached his chest.
“Come on. There’s
someone who wants to talk to you.” Jacob murmured, tilting his head
towards me.
Nessie turned. Our eyes
locked, gold to chocolate, and her face lit up. Jake had to grip her
hand to stop her running headlong into me.
“That was lovely
dear.” I said when they reached me, holding out my hand for her to
shake. She gripped it tightly.
Hey grandma.
Just two little words,
but they made my smile grow wider. I had missed my little
granddaughter so much. I squeezed her hand, letting her know I had
heard, and then dropped it before people could become suspicious.
“Why don’t you two
come over to our house tonight? The others are on a camping trip, but
they should be back around seven.”
Nessie looked up at
Jake, begging with her eyes and, I guessed, her thoughts; her hand
was still in his, their palms pressed tight together. It made me
wonder if she knew about the connection they shared, and what it
could turn into.
Jacob pursed his lips
for a second, teasing her. Then he smiled.
“We’d love to Esme.
How does six sound?”
Nessie’s blinding
smile lit up her face as I nodded.
Boy, were the others
going to be surprised.
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