Cutting Teeth – Chapter 1
Disclaimer: Twilight is the creation and property of Stephenie Meyer. This fanfiction is nothing more than an homage to her series of books, which most of us wish never had to end. Any references to plot devices/characters/etc. used in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, or the draft of Midnight Sun belong exclusively to Stephenie Meyer.
Author's Note: This story begins four years after Breaking Dawn. I read several fanfiction that detail Renesmee's journey through high school, all of them very creative. This is just my version.
"Renesmee, I swear, if you don't move yourself from that couch and start helping carry things out, you are going to be in a world of trouble." Her mother's voice, meant to sound sharp and menacing, floated down the stairs, lilting musically.
Renesmee sighed and shifted herself off the leather sofa in one graceful movement. Moving. She never thought one word could bother her so much.
"Here you are, Renesmee." Her grandfather smiled as he handed her a box.
"Don't know why I have to help," she muttered. "Looks like Uncle Emmett has it under control."
Her uncle turned to flash her a huge white grin as he balanced another box on the mountain already in his arms. In one load, he had managed to clear the enormous living room. "C'mon, Nessie, I'll race you to the truck."
"Oh, yeah, like that'll even…" Before she could sound out the last words, he was gone, a stream of movement suddenly reappearing in the long drive up to the house. Like feathers, each box flew into the truck where her Uncle Jasper was standing to catch them. Another minute, and Emmet was again in the house, now balancing a couch and armchair on one shoulder and hefting the parlor's small upright piano with his free arm.
Renesmee opened her mouth to retort when her mother appeared on the landing, a slender, waif-like statue, waves of chocolate hair floating in her face. "Renesmee," Bella called. "Have you packed your things?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, then, sweetheart. Esme?" she called. "Do you need anything?" Bella disappeared into an upstairs room.
A moment later, a petite figure danced down the stairs. "I still don't see why we have to take everything with us. Why don't we save time and buy a fully-furnished house when we get there?"
"There's no point in wasting what we don't have to," Carlisle reminded Alice gently, passing by her with an enormous stack of books. "And besides that, Esme would be crushed to leave behind all of these beautiful things."
Renesmee watched her family as they moved around her, gliding across the hardwood floors, carrying things, austere, almost emotionless. How could they not feel it?
"I don't want to leave." Even as they left her mouth, the words surprised Renesmee. Everyone turned to stare at her.
Alice was the first to recover, "Well, no, Nessie, of course not. It's just that…"
"We can't stay here, Nessie," Emmett said, his normally cheerful countenance clouding up. "Not now that you're…" He trailed off.
Carlisle looked sad, "No one wants to leave but…it's time. We always knew that living in Forks was temporary. For all of us."
"You don't have to baby me. I know we're leaving because of me." Renesmee felt sick.
"That's not completely true," her grandfather said quickly. "Sooner or later, people are going to notice that not only do Esme and I not age, but neither do any of our children."
"Yeah, but we all know who the real freak is. The adults that don't age or the child who ages too fast?"
Emmett snorted, "Are you really going to try to win the who's-the-biggest-weirdo contest in a house full of vampires? I'm not saying that's not gutsy but you've already lost."
Her father appeared in the doorway then and pulled her into his arms. "Renesmee, none of this is your fault. You can't help who you are. You're unique."
Fighting the tears that made her feel her mere four years, Renesmee lifted a hand to Edward's cheek, more out of habit than a desire to communicate.
"I know, sweetheart. I know," Edward smiled, stroking her hair. Renesmee dropped her hand, self-consciously but Edward lifted it again to his cheek. "You're never too old to tell your father everything," he said sternly, before grinning again and kissing her forehead. He looked up at the rest of his family, "I think it's time to go."
To Be Continued
Author's Note: What do you think? Let me know.