"Alice, cmon!" I call.
"Lenzy won't get his shoes on, gimme a minute!" She huffs back making me smirk. Lorenzo and shoes? Nightmare. That kid throws a tantrum at the thought of having to wear any item of clothing.
I hide my smirk as she eventually carries the toddler down the stairs over her shoulder, his legs kicking as he screams. I end up laughing which earns me a glare. "It was your turn! Don't sulk at me, Mrs Cullen." I kiss her cheek and grab the school bags. "Ryan, Maxwell, Lily!" I call. They all come running downstairs in their black school blazers and blue ties. Lily is 15, Maxwell is 9 and Ryan is 8. Little Lorenzo is just turning 3.
We head to the cars and I kiss Lorenzo on the head as Alice straps him and Ryan in. "Mommy loves you." I say to him. "Be good for mama. And Ryan, I don't want to hear that you bit the dentist again."
He giggles and shrugs. I kiss Alice gently; she tucks my short hair behind my ear and kisses my head. "See you at lunch?"
I nod and smile. "Fingers crossed Lenzys papers came in."
"I'm almost certain they did." She grins, giggling.
I roll my eyes and climb in my Range Rover, beginning to drive in the opposite direction. I bet this is strange for you all - so, let me fill you in. Alice and I left shortly after our wedding, a story for another time. Sadly, we haven't kept in contact with our family because of safety reasons, so it's been hard. We have been married almost 12 years and I've been a vampire for almost 11. Yes, I've changed. Literally.
My adjustment hasn't been difficult like everyone says, it's been too easy. Alice believes I had a gift - the gift of invisibility. Hence why she could never see me. From what we've gathered from when I was human and since being immortal, no gift has an affect on me. Jasper says he always struggled, Edward says before I was aware of his gift it was easy but after that he struggled to hear my thoughts. Alice has only seen me for a handful of visions. Aro can't read me, Jane can't touch me, even Alec has no affect on me.
While I did struggle with thirst, I dealt with it a lot easier than most. I mean, I understand why Jasper lost it but to me, the craving everyone and everything phase disappeared after only a few months. Since then, I've never almost lost it. Which is why we were able to adopt Lily when she was 4, and Foster over 20 children over the last few years. It's why no one's ever been able to find us - I'm an untraceable speck.
I do feel bad for not struggling as much as others did, but at least I wasn't like Bella. I, at least, struggled some. I did feel every second of the change. Every. Single. Second. And I fear my children will one day want the same, to be with us forever, and it terrifies me that they'll feel what I felt but ultimately it is their choice - once they're 21 years old.
I pull up outside the school and look at Lil and Max. "Be good, okay? Maxy, you have a meeting with your social worker after lunch - would you like Alice or I to be there?"
He shakes his head silently. He doesn't talk much. I smile gently. "OK buddy, have a good day at school. Love you both."
They jump out and head inside. I watch Lily go inside, making sure she does so, before I head home. Lily is very much like I was... A little bitch. I love her to pieces but she's at her difficult phase. It almost makes me feel bad for what I put my parents through.
After spending the morning baking for the harvest festival service at the school tomorrow, I get ready to head to lunch. I smile as I climb out of the car and see Alice pushing Lenzy on the swing outside the restaurant.
"Theres my favourite people!" I smile wide.
Alice kisses me gently and smiles. "We got here early, so I thought he deserved a bit of free reign."
I smile and watch Lenzy. He came to us a little over year ago as a Foster baby who was so behind with development and very malnourished. He couldn't talk, walk or sit up on his own but now? We struggle to reign him in. I pick him up. "My little booger. Are we ready?"
Alice takes my hand and we head into the restaurant, a quiet little place just outside of the small town we live in; we moved to the boarder of Scotland just after my change as while parts of it are well built a lot of it is still rural, it has pretty crap weather but it is a beautiful place. Lily's accent never fully stuck and Lenzy copies how Alice and I pronounce things. Every other foster child has come and gone with polish accents, Scottish, londoner, Irish... Alice and I love it all.
I smile as I see Anna sat waiting. "Lenzy, look who it is!"
"Nana!" He shouts and launches himself at her.
She laughs, catching him. "Hello mister Lorenzo. How have you been doing?" She looks at Alice and I as we all sit down.
"Someone's graduated to pull ups just at night." Alice smiles.
"High give!" She gasps and high fives Lenzo as we grin. "That's so awesome. And his speech?"
"He's a little parrot - makes us careful of what we say but we love it." I smile and hold Alice's hand.
Anna smiles and sits him down in the highchair as the pasta Alice ordered for him comes out. "That's amazing. So - business time."
I strain to keep my calm smile on. "Yes... What did the judge say?"
Anna hands us an envelope. "See for yourself."
I look at Alice as she slowly opens the large envelope, pulling out the papers. My eyes scan the pages at a greater speed than I'm used to - forever trying to behave human means I'm still surprised at my other nature - trying to absorp the words. Alice and I gasp at the same time as we read the same words.
It is with this ruling that I deem Mrs. And Mrs. Brandon to be the parents of Lorenzo Woking. The papers will be signed on November 1st.
"In just 2 weeks?" I say shocked.
Anna smiles, nodding. "Lenzo is a special boy and needs the family you are providing. Anyone can see the influence you've had on him and his growth and they'd be fools to stop you from having him. Congratulations."
I kiss Alice hard and we hold each other for a moment; another miracle. "He's ours." She whispers and we both look over at him as he eats his pasta with his hands - still working on the fork thing but it's OK, he's cute.
"He surely is... Especially eating messily like that, he must take after you." I tease.
Alice gasps and nudges me playfully. Anna watches us smiling. "You guys are truly amazing... I don't see how you're never tired or greying haired."
We smirk at each other. "We were just made to do this. Routine works a charm." Alice says. And the fact we don't sleep or age or get tired. She whispers so only I can hear. I giggle and kiss her jaw, overjoyed once again.
-
Alice and I are only hunting a few miles from our house when my phone rings. I wipe the spot off blood from my lip and hold the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
"Mu-m, I I-" Lily sobs down the phone.
I tense and sense Alice not too far away racing towards me, hearing. "Lily, what's going on?"
She sobs hard. "Lenzo..."
I freeze solid. "Lenzo what!"
"H-he fell and and I he I-"
"I'm minutes away love, calm down." I say quickly, hanging up and taking off running with Alice on my heels. In less than 2 minutes were on our land, racing across the fields and into the house. Lily sits at the bottom of the stairs cradling Lenzy who lays unmoving.
Tears stream down her face. "H-he won't wake up."
I kneel quickly and take him. "Lenzo? Mommy's here, baby, look at me." I coo, stroking his forehead as I brush his brown curls back. "Lenzo, you're scaring mommy." I say a little more forceful. "Lorenzo!!!"
-
I hate this. I hate feeling so-so human. I hate feeling vulnerable. But as we sit waiting for the doctor to talk to us about Lorenzo, I feel more vulnerable than I ever have. Lily lays asleep on my lap, tears dried on her cheeks; she blames herself for his tumble down the stairs but it was inevitable. Alice and I don't understand why we didn't smell it before but he's sick. Our poor boy is sick and we didn't notice.
"Anna says she's sorted a temporary home for Ryan and Max." Alice says gently as she comes back in and kneels beside us, running her fingers through Lily's hair. "Just until we hear more."
I take a shaky breath. "Maybe it's best they find a permanent one... Lorenzo may need us more now.".
Alice's eyes sadden but she nods small in agreement. "Let's wait until we've seen the specialist."
I look down at Lily. "She's so shaken. I haven't seen this side of our baby since she came to us."
Alice smiles small and kisses her head. "She likes to be tough to act okay but she's still the sweetheart we love. Sensitive and caring."
"I'm glad she learned that from you." I say gently. "She's exactly like you, just a bit more timid."
She giggles a little. "Oh yeah? She has your attitude."
I shrug. "That doesn't offend me - I know she can stick up for herself that way." I grin.
Alice kisses my hand, her face going serious again. "The social services are going to be on our case... I saw them checking in."
I sigh. "They would be, I figured." I whisper. "His adoption was legalised 3 days ago and he's already been hurt in our care."
"Its just a formality. They know we're amazing parents, okay? It'll all be fine."