Aros Stolen Daughter

Chapter Eight

"Why am I such a wreck?" I laughed as Grandma Esme and I were making cookies. Everyone was in the kitchen and we were all talking playfully about my emotional state.

I've been with the Cullens two weeks now. And I cry all of the time. Someone hugs me and I cry. I think about sensitive things and I cry. I'm emotionally unstable. I'm a compassionate and emotionally tuned person by nature but this is getting a bit excessive.

"Maybe because you are a mental case." Jacob chuckled and I shot him a long hard look.

"Careful mongrel. You just might end up in the dog house." I smiled and as I slid another batch of cookies into the oven everyone laughed.

"Very funny Princess." He spit the name out and anger flashed through me.

"Never call me that again!" I screamed turning on him.

"Or what? You'll have your daddy Aro send me to my...what did you call it? Doghouse?" He taunted and I rushed towards him.

Dad grabbed my arms and held me back. It took him, Uncle Jasper, and Grampa to all hold me back and calm me down.

"Jacob, you need to leave." Renesmee pushed him out of the kitchen and down the stairs.

"He called me Princess." I felt like I was going to slip into my mind.

"He accused me of running to Aro? Why?" I questioned.

"Jacob was just trying to get under your skin. Don't worry about him. Besides, if he does do anything he'll have to go through your dad and I before Aro even hears about him." Uncle Emmet laughed deeply and play hit my shoulder.

"Your right." I smiled up at him.

"That's something I don't hear very often." He laughed again.

"Don't get used to it." Aunt Rosalie laughed.

I don't call them dad, mom, ect. To them at least. I think of them that way but I just can't bring myself to call them by their titles.

"Hey I have an idea! Why don't we all go outside and play something?" Alice cheered. After agreeing all of us except Esme, who wanted to stay with the cookies, and Renesmee, who went to the reservation, all went outside.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked smiling widely standing by my dad. He cautiously wrapped an arm around my shoulders and ruffled my hair making us both laugh loudly.

Alice was just staring at me with this loving look. A look that was appreciating every little moment.

That's when Grampa Carlisles phone went off.

"Dr. Cullen speaking." He answered.

Everyone looked heartbroken. I couldn't make out the individual words like everyone else so I was left in the dark. A deep heavy feeling settled into the pit of my stomach as he said goodbye...in Italian.

"That was..." He stopped and a tight expression crossed his features.

"Who? Who was it?" My normally calm and airy voice sounded panicky and breathless.

"Aro. He wants you home. Now." His eyes held tears that would never fall.

I looked around at my separate family members faces. They all looked broken and sad. I didn't dare turn around and look at my parents.

Mom. She's so sweet and special and mysterious. She's 'secretly' learning Italian to surprise me and because she wants us to feel closer. We've had some very personal and much needed conversations and I adore her.

Dad. He's so brave and daring and family oriented. He's always been right where I needed him. Whether or not that involved being around me. We're so much alike it's ridiculous. Same crooked smile, same crazy laugh, same love for music. Same hair color, same former eye color.

Renesmee is a lot like mom while I'm a lot like dad. It's funny to look for the similarities between us. I love my parents deeply.

They were just getting their daughter to open up to them and now she was leaving to go back to her prison cell.

"I'll just go...get you packed." Alice excused herself and Rosalie followed.

I don't really remember what lead up to me being here. Standing in an airport terminal surrounded by my broken family members that were trying desperately to not fall apart in front of me.

Renesmee burst out into tears suddenly and threw her arms around me.

"I'm going to miss you so much. " She cried into my neck.

"I'm going to miss you too sister." I squeezed tightly and after a minuet Jacob had to uncurl Renesmee from my waist.

That's how most of the goodbyes went. Hugging, tears, each one more painful than the last. When mom hugged me and recited a poem about family in Italian to me I though I had gotten through the worst of it without tears.

Then Edward stepped forward. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and took deep shuttering breaths.

"I'm going to miss you Melody." He spoke into my hair.

"I'm going to miss you too." Tears lines my eyes and I squeezed them shut tightly.

"We're always here for you. I'm always here when you need to talk. Remember that."

"I will." I nodded.

"I'm not going to tell you goodbye. It's too final."

"Then don't." I laughed a little while tears escaped.

"Melody, your flights boarding." Grampa Carlisle touched my shoulder lightly. I tried to move away from Edward but his hold was too firm.

"I can't let you go." He sounded so hollow.

"Then don't. I'm still your daughter, I'll just be gone for a bit." I pulled away and without looking at anyone in particular I got my carry on and headed towards the gate.

"See you later Melody!" Edward called.

"See you later...Dad."