All characters belong Stephenie Meyer and so does a vast majority of the plot. I'm just going to take it and run with it for a while

-Chapter 1-

I grimaced and tried to tune back in to the conversation. The girl to the left of me was rambling once again about a subject I found most distasteful: how gorgeous and sexy my father was. Given that he was immortally and eternally trapped in a 17 year old's body and went to the same high school I did, I supposed it shouldn't surprise me that my friends were talking about him. They usually always did. I glanced across the cafeteria towards my father and mother, watching how his eyes looked up to meet mine. Traces of my own irritation were mirrored there, mixed with amusement at my reaction. Mom looked up, a small frown appeared upon her beautiful face as she watched our silent exchange. She was used to other girls talking about her husband that way, but that didn't mean she had to like it. I grinned ruefully before once again turning my eyes to the group of girls clustered around the table. The speaker was a short red haired girl who looked like she was on the verge of passing out as she glanced again in Dad's direction. I rolled my eyes at her words.

"Edward is just so… yummy!" she gushed, her face delightfully flushed. I gulped and looked away from the red creeping through her cheeks. As a half-vampire, I could resist human blood much easier than my parents and other relatives, but that wasn't to say I was immune to the smell, the fresh sweet- dammit, I reprimanded myself, shaking my head slightly, trying to rid myself of the burning desire that swept through me.

"Oh, I know he's your cousin Nessie, but still, even you have to appreciate that face!" another of the girls spoke at me.

"Uh sure, I guess," I muttered, trying to get them to drop the subject with my eyes. I met the glance of one of the boys sitting at our table and grinned at the eye roll he threw in my direction. My male friends were definitely sick of talking about Edward Masen.

"Oh, if he took me to prom I would just die!" the red haired girl spoke, flashing a quick glance at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"Sasha, I know what you're trying to do, but it's not going to work. I'm not asking Edward to go to prom with you," I stated firmly, finally putting my foot down. Sasha had been hinting for the past month now, in what she hoped was a subtle way, that as a good friend, I should try to hook her up with my 'cousin'. Edward, my father, along with my mother, Bella, posed as my cousins here at Lytton High school. My aunts and uncles formed their own separate family and sat a few tables away from my parents, their cold faces watched with traces of amusement that would be invisible to humans. This interruption to the monotony of their repetitive high school life was prime time entertainment; watching me squirm was such a delight. "Please?" Sasha begged, leaning over to me and wrapping her arms around me. I gasped almost silently as her throat unexpectedly came so close to me and had to clamp my jaw shut tightly as it reflexively opened a fraction. I sensed the vampires in the room react, moving from their stoic positions on the fringes of the cafeteria simultaneously. Uncle Jasper was on his feet and standing by aunt Alice's side in less than a second, aunt Rosalie and uncle Emmett had crossed the room too fast for human eyes to follow and were standing on the other side of the table to me. Alice's eyes were slightly unfocused and Jasper's arm hovered protectively around her shoulder. All of that was sideline knowledge to me as I struggled with my sudden thirst. Sasha's arms closed around my small frame and her throat touched the side of my face. Unwillingly, my eyes were drawn to the faint bluish shapes I could see through her skin. The vampire half of me was not yet entirely tamed and sometimes, when people got too close… My mouth watered with hunger and my arms wrapped around the girl. I wasn't returning her embrace, however, I was reaching to hold her in position while I fed.

Before I could even open my mouth, strong arms clamped on my shoulders and pulled me away, snapping me out of my trance. I whirled too quickly for human company and saw my father looking down at me, his eyes ordering me to stop, pleading with me to snap out of it. I froze, stopped breathing and let him put an arm around my shoulder. To the humans watching, it looked comfortable and friendly, but in reality, he was using a lot of strength to hold me there while I regained my control.

Edward, I've got it, I thought furiously, knowing he would hear it. Everyone in my family called each other by their first names as no one was actually related by blood, except for me.

"Hey Ness, how's everything going over here?" he asked in a friendly voice, directing his winning smile towards my table of friends. Sasha could only gape and smile stupidly and the other girls followed suit in a similar fashion. The boys at the table smiled uneasily in return and looked away quickly. The Masens were strange and usually kept to themselves, with the exception of myself, so for Edward to be coming over here and making small talk was a strange incident.

"How about you come finish your lunch with Bella and I? I haven't seen you in a while," Edward offered, squeezing my shoulder. I nodded and grimaced, picking up my lunch tray and following him back across the crowded room. I made eye contact with aunt Rosalie; she looked concerned. Unlike uncle Emmett, whose face was lit up in a grin. Trust Emmett to find humour in my close call. As I took a seat beside my Mom, I felt myself blush, an extremely rare occurrence for me, something to do with my half and half genes.

"Before you say anything Edward, I'm sorry. I know, I know, I can't just lose control like that."

"You're right, you can't. Maybe you should hunt tonight," he spoke the words so low that any passing human wouldn't be able to hear.

"No, I'm fine. Human food is fine," I argued, stubbornly not admitting weakness. If the full vampires of my family could manage to abstain from blood, then surely I, a part human, could manage to survive without it.

"Renesmee…" Edward trailed off, his brow furrowing anxiously.

"Edward," Bella interjected, her tone gentle. He looked up to meet her gaze and something in him changed.

"Sweetheart, your father and I have been wondering… Maybe we enrolled you in high school too soon," she trailed off uncertainly.

"No!" I declared, my voice defiant but still low enough that only other vampires would be able to hear it. "I'm fine. Today I messed up. I won't let it happen again," I promised darkly, clenching my fist.

"Honey, you're only just full grown. We know that, intellectually, you're just as advanced as an adult, but you're body, well, you're still new at this. I don't want you biting off more than you can chew," he said. I heard Emmett guffaw loudly somewhere across the room at the pun.

"Dad. I'm fine, honestly. Quit babying me you guys. I have to get this right some time, and hey, practise makes perfect right?" I got to my feet, smiling brilliantly but knowing the conversation was far from over. I would have to face another lecture when I got home. The Volturi this, the Volturi that… Blah, blah, blah. I knew how important it was that I stay in control, that I keep the secret, but sometimes, I just didn't care.

***

The rest of the day passed slowly and miserably for me, the feeling of shame hanging over me like the dark clouds outside. The weather in Lytton was always gloomy but some days I couldn't help but think that it was setting the backdrop for my moods. By the time my final class, Math, came around, I was feeling downright depressed. I followed my friends Jackson and Kate into the room, thinking that I wanted nothing more than to ditch and go call Jacob. Even though he lived in La Push, we still talked every day. Sometimes, when the urge hit me, I would run there to see him, though he nearly always met me halfway as he sensed me coming. I sighed as I took my seat and began to open my books, thinking how much I missed him. He was my best friend and even though I knew he was the only one left to be Alpha, it still stung that he'd had to choose the pack over me. Couldn't Leah Clearwater have done it? She was constantly bragging about how good a wolf she was, so why not? I thought back to the afternoon Jake had told me he had to leave.

"Nessie… There's something I gotta' tell you."

"Mmmm?" I looked up from the floor, distracted.

"Well, you know how Sam was hit by that car a few weeks back?" he continued, his voice wary.

"Yes?" I replied, my tone sympathetic; I knew what a sore sport his death was to my friend.

"He was the alpha. The pack needs an alpha, Ness, and… well, I'm it." No. No, no, no! He couldn't leave me, he was my Jacob.

"What about me? We're imprinted together, you can't just leave me," I argued, scrambling up from the floor to sit in his lap.

"I don't want to leave you, believe me I don't, but the pack needs me."

"I need you," I begged him, resting my head against his shoulder. He wrapped a comforting arm around me and rocked us slowly. "Please don't go. I'm starting high school next month, how am I supposed to do it without my best friend around?" I persisted.

"You're strong. You're strong enough to do it, I believe in you," he said. I couldn't help the snort that came from me as I quoted him.

"'I believe in you?' Really Jake?" I laughed. He grinned and mussed my hair before turning serious again.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again. Since the Cullens left Forks there haven't been any other vampires, so pretty soon we can stop patrolling. Maybe I can stop phasing soon after that, and then I can come back to you." I nodded slowly, accepting his words, even as I felt the tears run down my face. I kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "My Jacob. Always mine."

"Renesmee Mason!" a loud voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see the angry red face of Mr Trethewey as he demanded an answer from me. I glanced at the board, taking in the complicated equation. My vampiric half also made me smart, so I was able to blurt out the answer quickly.

"38."

"No-" he paused and looked down at his paper, then at the board. "Very well then," he finished, flushing somehow redder still and stalking back to the front of the room. I sighed and caught Jackson's eye as he suppressed a laugh two seats away. Mr Trethewey knew I was smarter than him so he took every chance he could to pick on me and try to catch me out. Thinking that Emmett would get a laugh out of it, I telepathically directed my thoughts towards his mind. When I located the familiar brain pattern, I played out my thoughts for him, knowing he shared my distaste for the maths teacher. If I strained my ears I could almost hear him laughing down the corridor. I could also hear the subsequent apology to the teacher and that nearly made me laugh out loud.

Nice one Emmett, I thought towards him, grinning as I returned my attention to my workbook. I'd never get out of my junior year if I didn't at least give the illusion that I was studying.

By the time school was let out and I was meeting my parents by the silver Volvo, I had almost forgotten the events in the cafeteria. Edward approached the car with a smile and I could tell that he had been monitoring my afternoon classes and had seen my little run in with the teacher. Bella looked slightly confused so I pushed my thoughts towards her mind. I replayed the event for her and she cracked a grin when it was finished. "Good work," she complimented me as we slid into the backseat and Edward took the wheel. The drive home would take a human about half an hour, but the way my father drove shortened the trip by twenty minutes. If we were a normal family, then this would be the part where we talked about our day, but we weren't normal. We all knew that nothing remarkable had happened today, except for the cafeteria incident. I sighed, knowing a lecture would be waiting for me at home. When we drew up to the driveway, Edward shocked me by turning left rather than right. Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, Jasper and my 'grandparents', Carlisle and Esme, lived across the road from us. Of course, both of the houses had long winding driveways so we were hardly neighbours. We just barely beat the others home from school, pulling into the spot in front of the house just before them. The Cullen house was beautiful, as I'd been told they always are. As I'd only been in the family for 7 years, I had only experienced the beautiful white Forks house. After we'd stayed as long as we could in the small town, we'd taken off to travel, bringing Jacob with us. Once I'd reached my full growth, we'd finally settled down again in the community of Lytton. The house was large and modern with overlapping pieces of maple wood covering the exterior, reminding me of a large, beautiful bird house.

Emmett, grinning, met me at the door and lightly punched me on the shoulder by way of greeting. He might've thought it was light but it still hurt and I knew I would probably bruise. I hit him back with all of my strength and when he just laughed and kept walking I scowled at his broad back, irked that everyone was so much stronger and faster than me. Esme was waiting just inside the door for me and pulled me into her cold arms in a hug before I could resist. I indulged her as I always did by returning the hug.

"Hey Gran," I greeted her with a wink. She and my grandfather were both about 27 in appearance and barely looked old enough to be parents, let alone grandparents.

"My little Nessie. How was your day?" she said, taking my arm and steering me over to the couch.

"The usual," I shrugged, deliberately ignoring the look Edward threw in my direction. Carlisle entered the room just then, walking over to the couch to sit beside me.

"Hey Grandad," I grinned at him. I loved teasing them.

"Watch it kid," he said in a mock serious tone as he ruffled my hair.

"So, Nessie, why don't you tell Carlisle what really happened today?" Edward prompted me, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms, his expression atypically stern. Mom was talking with Alice over by the door but they both fell silent as they took in what was happening.

"Well, let's see… I had English and P.E and our team won the soccer match. Oh and in maths I showed up my teacher," I said, smiling at my dad with a super sweet expression.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen Masen, tell your grandfather what happened," Edward ordered. I groaned.

"My friend Sasha got a little close at lunch today and well, I couldn't help the way I reacted. I didn't kill anyone!" I grumbled as Carlisle's fond expression grew weary.

"Nessie… What's going wrong? I thought human food was sating your hunger adequately?" he asked.

"It was. It is. I just, I dunno, I messed up. Come on, you can't tell me you guys haven't done it once or twice?" I said, frustrated as I looked around the room for backup. I was surprised when it came in the form of uncle Jasper.

"Cut the kid a break, she's doing her best. I think she did remarkably well in the cafeteria. With a human throat that close, I don't know if any of us wouldn't have reacted the same," he said, coming to stand behind me and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you Jasper. You see my point? I just need more time and practise to get better," I defended myself.

"But the Volturi-" Rosalie started to say.

"They haven't bothered us in years, Rose. Not since my birth," I reminded everyone pointedly.

"That's not the point. They would only need the smallest excuse to come after us again. The condition of their leaving was made quite apparent: you must be safe to be around humans," Carlisle spoke, his voice carrying the ring of authority and knowledge. I hated when he pulled that card, but because I knew he had a point, I kept my mouth shut.

"Nessie, we know how much you love being normal and going to school, but if you can't control yourself better, I'm afraid we're going to have to consider pulling you out," Edward spoke up from his side of the room.

"No!" I argued, angry that they wanted to take that away from me. "Come on Dad! I didn't kill anyone and you guys were there to back me up. It won't happen again, I promise," I swore, looking around and making eye contact with my family. Alice had that faraway look about her that told me she was scanning the future with her peculiar gift.

"She means it," Alice declared, her small frame dancing to my side to add her hand to my shoulder with her husband's. Carlisle sighed, seeming to realise he was being outvoted. I allowed myself a quick, smug smile before I got to my feet and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" My mother asked me, her eyes unreadable.

"I feel like going for a run. Maybe I'll go visit Jake."

"Oh no you will not, it's a school night and you need your sleep," Rosalie said, marching to my side. I scowled at her, irritated by her mothering tendencies. When I'd been growing up, I'd appreciated them, but now as a vampiric teenager, for lack of better term, they were beginning to get on my nerves.

"Fine, fine. I'll just go hunt or something," I grumbled as I left the house.

"Keep it in the border, okay?" Esme called after me.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," I called back as I kicked off my sneakers. When I ran, I preferred to feel the Earth beneath my bare feet and shoes usually didn't last against the terrain I ran against. I took off into the surrounding forest, letting my vampire side have free reign over me. In the forest it was almost as dark as night, but the lack of light was no trouble for my keen eyes, my extra senses.

I didn't know how far I ran for before I smelled it. Human, but not quite. Werewolf? I breathed in through my nose as I skidded to a stop. My nose wasn't as acute as a full vampire's, but I could still pick up far more than the average human. Not werewolf either, I realised, pressing my back against a tree.

There was somebody, something just north of me, maybe a hundred yards away. Curiosity was my dominant emotion but I'd been taught better than to wander into possible trouble like that. Whoever they were, they weren't making much of an effort to keep silent, stomping through the undergrowth like a large animal. I didn't know what to do, so I stood and bit my lip as I considered. Whatever it- he or she?- was, was coming closer by the second. I should probably have turned away that second but curiosity kept me rooted to the spot. The thing had closed about half the distance between us before it stopped. I heard someone inhale and sensed them freeze. A strained second later and they began moving towards me again, but faster and much quieter now. I could barely pick up the sound their footsteps made, but they were definitely coming faster now. I leapt silently into the tree branches above me and waited for them to approach.

What I wasn't prepared for was the guy who entered the clearing I had stood in seconds before. He had unruly blonde hair that came down just above his ears and was wearing no shirt. He looked about seventeen years old and his body had impressive muscles. His jeans were black and ripped. He looked around, confused for a second before he spotted me in the branches. I gasped as I made eye contact with him and smelt something from him I'd never expected. He smelled like me. He was another half-vampire.

Duh duh DUH! Okay, intro chapter was a little boring, but I promise there's some good stuff right around the corner. Rate and review?