After those that ate finished eating Rosalie took Gracie upstairs to clean her up and get her in fresh clothes. While this was being done I suggested to Ethan that we go for a stroll in the woods to do some hunting. From the darkened shade of his eyes he hadn't hunted in a while. I didn't want that risk in or around my family.
Running through the woods I took down a small elk and drained it of its blood before I waited for Ethan who caught two lions. After he was finished and his eyes were a varient of gold was I relaxed.
"Take a stroll with me."
Ethan looked into my eyes and nodded his head once before we started our walk that took us higher up north. Once we were well out of the range from the home I stopped and took a seat. Ethan who sensed that there was importance in this moment did the same a few feet away.
"So I'm guessing you want to talk about something." Ethan said, his voice slightly strained.
I nodded my head silently as I thought about the best way to bring this subject up. I took one deep breath and let my words flow. "I'm sure you've noticed our family is different from those you may have come across in your life time."
Ethan gave a slight head nod before clasping his hands together. "Yeah but I've had a 'different' family most of my life. The day I was born my mother didn't want me because she wanted a girl so I was placed in a orphanage which is where I met Zelda, Rhiannon and Samara."
"So Gracie..." I said wondering about her. I could easily read his mind but only when it comes to what he was thinking about at the present time. Unlike Aro's telepathy I couldn't see into every thought they had.
"I was just about to turn 16 when she was born. From what I was told by the orphanage our mother died giving birth to her. They looked for relatives that could possibly take her but apparently my mother was an orphan as well. So they found me and decided it would be better if she grew up in the same orphanage as I. Then all went to hell. Five months before I was to turn 17 a Cholera outbreak in the orphanage began making people very sick and then one by one they started dying off."
"How did you and your cousins survive? How did your sister survive?"
"I was one of the first handful of children to get sick. I was so close to death when one night a blonde male with a red headed woman told me they could make me better. They took me out into the middle of nowhere and then the woman bit me. For three days, I think, I was in excrutiating pain. I wanted every moment to die, I even begged. Then it all stopped and I was thirsty. But I didn't care the only thing I could think of was my sister and protecting her. I ran off and found my way back to the orphanage expecting her to be dead but she wasn't. She was alive and healthy unlike everyone else there. Before I fled with her I tried to find Rhiannon, Zelda and Samara but they were gone. I assumed the worst. That was 16 years ago though. My sister is now the same age as me." He finished.
I stared blankly at Ethan. He had went through so much and then some in order to keep what little family he had intact. He single handedly raised his baby sister since the moment he awoke into his life as a newborn vampire. That alone took considerable control.
"Well then I can safely presume that you would do anything to protect her even if it was to give your own life am I right?"
"I would die for my sister." He said firmly. "What are you getting at?"
I sighed as I picked up a small rock between my hands and crushed it effortlessly. "Soon my daughter will be in danger and if the visions are correct many of us will die. I want to make sure she is in the best care possible if the worst possible happens."
"What does that have to do with me?" he asked, slightly confused.
"What you saw, Alice's vision. I can read minds I saw what you both saw. My daughter was with you and her looks were slightly older. I can only assume that something has happened to make you take her under your care."
He looked at me and smirked before breaking into a gentle laugh. Adjusting himself he leaned with his back against the large tree nestled behind him and looked at me. "Come on, be realistic Edward. Certainly someone else is more qualified to take care of her if something were to happen."
"There is someone more qualified and that is Jacob Black but he will be fighting with us because we need all the man power we can get. I just want your word that if I tell you to go you will take Renesmee and flee."
"Come on, if it gets that bad I will have to take care of my sister. I can't handle two children."
My face grew sullen at the thought of something happening to my daughter. "Please. I mean if it was you in the sitatuation with your sister in my daughters place what would you hope for?" I said manipulatively.
Ethan's golden eyes bored deeply into mine before I saw something in his mind click. Very slowly the mechanics in his mind began going in reverse and I knew I had won.
"Fine. I'll do it as long as it doesn't interfere with my sisters well-being." He said before raising hastily to his feet. Before he headed back to path that led to the house he stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. "Just try and stay alive." Then he was gone.
Placing my hands on the sides of my head I closed my eyes and let my head fall back before letting out a stressed groan. I can believe how messed up this has all become. Why couldn't the volturi let us be. We did absolutely nothing wrong yet here they are breathing down our necks with threats. Did they not know how long I've lived miserabally before I got my Bella. Did they not know what my wife had to go through in order to give life to our child. We just wanted to live in peace, happily. Without worry but they wouldn't even allow that.
Raising to my feet slowly started my trek back to the house. I needed my wife, she always set me in the right state of mind.
Entering through the front doors Bella was at my side as if she knew I was looking for her. In the next second she wrapped her arms around me and then went up on tip toes before pressing her lips to mine. When she leaned away her beautiful golden eyes were gazing softly into mine.
"I missed you." I murmered before pressing my lips to hers again for another kiss.
"I missed you." She replied back. She released me and then laced her fingers through mine before pulling me into the too white living room. Why did she have to bring me to this one, why not Emmetts masculinely decorated living room. No one, except Rose even enjoyed being in this room. Not even Alice, who has been trying to convince her to let her redecorate it. Then it hit me. Bella brought me here because no one was here. "You seem more stressed then usual, what is it?" She asked me as we took a seat on to extra plush feathered love seat.
Pinching the spot between my eyebrows I forced my eyes shut. "Its hard preparing for everything and anything that could go wrong. Alice's visions are all over the place. One moment we are a few of the survivors and the next moment we are dead. I just want to know what the hell is going to happen. I want to know if Renesmee will be okay."
Bella was silent before she let her lips part slightly. The expression on her face was unreadable to the point it drove me insane. I needed to know what she was thinking.
"Bella, love. Say something."
"Something." She said, her voice lacking any expression or tone. Then she gasped. "Lets leave. Lets just go and take Renesmee and go to our island."
"Bella, thats not going to stop them from finding us. From taking Renesmee."
"You were there when Aro said it. We are going to come for you. They will expect Renesmee to be anywhere we are. Lets send her off to the island with someone we can trust and then fight them off. If we die there is no way they can find out where she went."
"They have the tracker."
"Who will be here shortly to try and join forces with us. We can kill him when he least expects it then Renesmee's future will be safe." Bella replied. I sighed. Certainly it would be better if Renesmee was away from the showdown when it began. "Rhiannon could keep her safe Edward." she added.
Just like any gift it could falter. If it faltered and they came for them then they would not have the upper hand against a strong vampire. Rhiannon wasn't that strong. They needed muscle as a precaution.
"Okay. I will allow this if Ethan accompanies them. I want to make sure they are protected."
"Rhiannon said the more people she has under to wing the more chinks there could be in her gift." Bella said.
"In any other situation but remember Ethans gift. He has a strong mimicry gift. He could double the strength of the gift. Thats more protection for Renesmee."
Just then Renesmee came running past us to the other side of the house. Gracie was following behind her and Ethan behind Gracie.
"He won't leave his sister." Bella stated matter-of-factly.
I nodded my head. "That's why she will be going with them. It will give Renesmee someone to play with." I leaned closer to Bella so I wouldn't be over heard. "If we are going to do this we need to to this in secret. All Aro has to do is touch you once and he can find out where they went. Its better to lessen the minds of the people that know where she is."
"So Jacob?" She questioned.
Of course they would both be broken when they realize they might not see each other ever again but its for the better. Jacob couldn't go either because then he'd have to tell his pack and then they'd be a risk. So we had no choice. It needed to be a clean cut.
I shook my head silently. "You knows as well as I do that if Jacob knew Renesmee was leaving he'd want to go to. Rhiannon's powers don't work when there is a wolf around. Its as if wolves cancel out her power all together."
"How do you know this?" Bella asked.
"Its all she's been thinking about really. She's worried that by being here she and her sisters will be found by James and Victoria." I explained.
"But they are dead. Don't they know that?"
"They were made aware but they are still on edge. Victoria was the one who turned them. Back in the day James and Victoria played a game where they turned people into vampires. Whoever turned the most vampires won. That game stopped when the Volturi threatened to dispose of them so James resorted to tracking." I explained.
My wife nodded her head. "So when do we tell them. How do we do this?"
I took her hand into mine and kissed it. "Tonight. We will drive to our home in Forks and then they can leave from there." I pulled my wife into my arms and held her, inhaling her sweet scent. "Everything is going to be okay Bella." I wanted more then anything to be as sure as my voice sounded as I spoke these words to my wife. But I knew that being sure wasn't possible at this point when there was too much at stake. All we could do was be prepared.