Happy Saturday loves!
If it's Saturday for you... time zones in all.
Anyways, how are you?
Hope:
I dressed in my usual style today. Dark jeans with a black T-shirt and a brown leather jacket over it. I wore my brown heeled boots that matched perfectly. I added an arrow necklace, in which belonged to my mother. She gave it to me on my seventeenth birthday, not knowing that night, she'd wake up the next morning to a neat and empty bedroom.
I also put on two rings, a wedding set, on my right hand. They were my sister's. Granted I had two, Clementine, my second younger sister, got married first at the age of twenty-two.
Years ago~
I stood behind a tree, watching everyone leave as the service came to an end. I had hidden myself, because my youngest sibling, my brother Bastien, was alive and well. So as he left, I hid behind the tree and then came out to look at the grave. The coffin was lowered and the dirt was set on top of it until the hole was filled. Clementine, my second younger sister, had passed. She was young, only thirty-eight. She was killed by vampires who crushed her completely. I'd seen the autopsy reports made by a vampire doctor.
My sister's husband, whom I've never met, stood there silently. I felt a tug on the long coat I was wearing during this windy autumn day. I looked down to see a child, one that looked oddly familiar.
"Did you know my mommy?" She asked with a cute little voice. She had tear stained cheeks and big watery brown eyes. Her blonde hair was curled and blowing in the wind.
"Yes, I did." This was my sister's daughter, and I had just let the tears go. The child thought I was crying because of Clementine's death, but really I was crying because this little girl was my niece and she had such a striking resemblance to Clementine.
"My name is Nadia, here you go," she handed me two rings, a wedding set, "they were my momma's. I think you should have them. It seems like you two were really close. Take them, and remember she'll always be in your heart."
I bent down to her level, as tears still pooled from my eyes.
"It's really nice to meet you Nadia. My name is Nadja, but I go by Hope."
"You're French?" She asked. I nodded my head and she smiled. "Me too! My momma had a sister named Hope."
Her dad watched us with such proudness and love towards his daughter.
"You have a really big heart Nadia, thank you. She did?" For such a young child, she was brilliant and sweet. She was just like Clemmy.
"Yeah, momma said she died a long time ago. I hope to see you again Nad... Nadj-"
"Nadi." I interrupted her calmly. She was having a little trouble pronouncing Nadja. I laughed at her stumbling.
"Go on, go back to your dad, I'm sure he's wondering about you." She ran back to her dad, who picked her up and swung her. Her laughter filled the cemetery, brightening any down mood. Even mine.
I mumbled to myself, "I love you Nadia."
Present~
That was the last time I ever saw my niece. And I still wore those rings, in honor of my sister's memory. I'm sure my family is watching down on me with such distaste and disapproval. I do go home every once in a while, now that I think about it, it's getting close to the time I usually do go down there.
I ignored that though, I could plan a trip to Paris later. Right now I had to get to the Cullens' so we could begin working on tracking Bella and getting Renesmee. When I got there, the wolves had just showed up, coming out of the tree line in shorts and no shirts, as usual. For some reason wolves never wear shirts, I never understood why.
"Look who it is, the vamp queen," Paul sarcastically says with a smirk. He was intentionally trying to piss me off so that I'd attack him. Does he have a kink for being held against the wall? Surely Jared didn't enjoy it but Paul seems to be wanting me to hurt him, it's quite amusing.
"Oh, thank you for giving me praise. Bow to your knees, my peasant." I heard Edward chuckle as I felt his presence near. Our eyes met as he stood there on the patio, watching us. I gave him a small smile. Paul scoffed, and we both looked at him.
"Okay, enough Paul," Sam ordered. Paul shut his mouth but still glared directly at me. Jacob, Seth and Leah joined us from the woods and we all went inside. The Cullens were in the upstairs living room, which was bigger than the one on the first floor in front of the kitchen.
It's kind of ridiculous that we're spending all this time trying to find Bella just because she's being dramatic. Seriously, Edward doesn't want you, okay? Doesn't mean you get all damn butt hurt and run off with your kid. That's the one thing I don't like about Bella. She's overdramatic and thinks everything revolves around her. This entire time we could've been finding a way to gain allies to help us against the Volturi, we're wasting trying to track down Bella's ass. She's acting like a toddler, like grow up and be a mother.
"So what do we have?" Jasper asks.
"Nothing Jas," I reply straightforward. I hate to bring the mood down but I'm a very honest person and I'm going to speak the truth. We have absolutely nothing besides the fact that we know she's in Seattle.
Unless...
"Unless what?" Jared asks with a scoff. Oops, I said that out loud.
"Speak," Paul pushes.
"Watch your mouth dog," I reply with an eye roll. "I was thinking that if Jacob can get in touch with Bella since he's the only one she trusts, maybe he can set up a time and date to meet with her and lure her out. Then we corner her, and force her to come home with Renesmee."
"Remember when I said you were brilliant? Yeah I still mean that," Edward says.
"And if she doesn't answer or refuses?" Jacob asks.
"Then we find another way, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For starters we just need you to try and get in contact with her." Jacob gets his phone out and calls Bella, putting it on speaker and telling us not to say a word or make a move. She's a vampire, even mere breathing she will here, therefore we moved the wolves out of the room.
When Bella finally picked up, we all went completely silent. No one moved.
"Jacob?"
Edward's face filled with relief, but anxiety. We still didn't know for sure if she would accept Jacob's offer.
"Hey Bella."
"Why are you calling me, what's wrong? And why do I hear breathing? Are you with the wolves? Can they hear me?" She started asking all those questions like she was hyperventilating or something. And that's when I stood stiff.
I'd completely forgotten that I was still part wolf, I still breathe and my heart still beats. Edward was right, I would've eventually slipped up and let my secret slip right on through my fingers. Edward and I looked at each other, and my eyes never once left his because I knew if I looked at anyone else in this room, I would break.
He was the only one holding me together while Jacob was still on the phone with Bella.
"I promise, no one can hear you Bella." That had calmed her definitely, and I could feel his eyes on me but I didn't shift my gaze and continued listening to the conversation.
"Okay, that's good. But why are you calling me?" Renesmee's little baby noises were heard in the background, and Edward looked pained. I know how much he misses her, and I know Renesmee not being here is killing him.
"I want to meet up with you, no one else besides me, you and Ness. I'm dying inside Bella, I just need to see her one time, and know she's okay. Know you're okay."
Bella and Jacob used to have a thing, and him using those old feelings to his advantage, making Bella feel like his world still centered around her more than Renesmee's, would definitely play her.
"Jake... I don't know.."
"I'm serious Bella, just me, you and Renesmee. I'd even leave the pack, the wolves, the Cullens, all to just be with you and Ness." Jacob was literally pleading for her to agree. I couldn't tell who was hurting more, Edward or Jacob?
"Okay. Downtown Seattle, Little Johnny's restaurant, tomorrow night eight pm."
She hung up, and we all visibly relaxed. The wolves returned from out back. And then the Cullens and Jacob shifted their focus back to me. There was no way I was getting out of this this time, I was going to have to face them, and tell them the truth.
"Explain why Bella was able to hear a heartbeat in this room when all of the wolves besides Jacob were outside," Rosalie asked. She wasn't too demanding with her tone, or too angry, but all trust we once established was gone. I don't even think Jasper trusted me at this point, and I think that's what hurt me most. I spared Jasper a glance, his emotions were void, his expression neutral, just like Major Jasper Whitlock from the confederate army.
All of their eyes were on me, and I was starting to feel myself tearing up because I'd grown attached to the Cullens. My mate was a part of this clan, I'd just found my best friend perfectly alive and well except for being a vampire, and they welcomed me with open arms. I didn't want to let them down. It was harder with the wolves being here, because I'd crossed pack territory, even with the treaty and the two separate lands, this wasn't going to go over well.
I took a deep breath, and just decided to show them rather than tell them. But when I tried to let them follow me out the door, Paul stopped me quickly with a hard grip that could crush any vampire.
"Paul." Sam ordered Paul to stand down, and as much as Paul hated it, he had to follow alpha's orders.
"Just follow me, that's all I ask."
And they did. Edward came by my side, and held my hand until we got outside near the woods. Then he stayed back so that I didn't hurt him.
"Keep your distance," he warned the others. Another deep breath, and then I shifted. The stunned and betrayed looks on all of their faces killed me inside. I'd been here for nearly three weeks, and that's a long time to be lying to someone. Jasper's face was what had my insides churning. I'd been a wolf since I was born, they all knew that, it's common sense. And I'd never once told him. I shifted back behind the trees and got dressed before stepping out and coming face to face with them.
"What are you?" Alice asked.
"A hybrid."
"But how?"
"Jasper, I'm sorry." I tried to apologize to him, but he turned around and went back inside.
"Just give him time Hope," Edward tried. Tears fell as I blurred to my car. Before Edward could even move, the keys were in and the car was started. And I drove away, back to my motel. I packed everything as quickly as I could, and then I drove again. I found myself at the sign saying, "You are now leaving the town of Forks, visit again soon!"
I cried even harder. I was doing eighty as I drove down the two lane road. I heard the howling of the wolves and pressed the gas, until I reached one hundred. By the time it was night, I was way out of Washington. I didn't know where I was going, I was empty at this point. My mind was filled with pain. My heart ached because of the mate pull, urging for me to return to Edward.
But I just couldn't, not after this. They were going to have to get Renesmee and go up against the Volturi themselves. I didn't want to abandon them, but they didn't want my help anymore, Jasper didn't want my help. So he won't have it, I solved their problem. They don't have to hate what they see everyday now.
Even though it tore me apart, this was for the better. I'm sorry Edward.
Well, well. I'm going to Texas to spend the evening with my aunt for her birthday. I will update tomorrow though!
Love you all <3