Chapter 31

A Chapter by Danielle

I felt the minute shift in the breeze that signified morning had come. As usual, a heavy downpour of rain and thunder began soon after the sun had risen, now hidden behind two thick gray clouds which cast the familiar dark shadow over Forks. Through the disastrous weather, our small cottage, nestled deep in the forest, had an aura of warmth, of protection. For me, the presence of my family contributed greatly to that, and though the dark, omnipresent skies would beg to differ, I almost allowed myself to relax.

But unfortunately, there was absolutely no chance for this Friday to share anything but our wearing relief that everything would be fine for the day. Today marked exactly one week back in Forks. Alice had foreseen this coming weekend as our last, absolutely safe one. From then on, every day will begin blind, either end with a pang of relief or the sign of approaching danger. This would be the one event we weren’t the least bit prepared for.

I sat quietly in the rocking chair placed in the corner of Nessie’s room. She slept soundly in her oak framed bed, carved intricately with roses on vines.

I gazed over to the pastel colored shelves placed against the side wall from corner to corner. They were stylistically positioned so every other hung at a slightly lower elevation, creating a pattern that added a unique flair to the room.

Conch shells, framed pictures, and other treasured items of Renesmee’s were placed upon every one. I paused for a second on the crown jewel which had been my wedding present from Aro. Even today, it seemed to sparkle.

My eyes stopped on a clearly new edition, a little wolf figurine carved out of wood, stained a reddish brown color, and glazed so that it appeared shiny. It stood on its hind legs, eyes staring straight ahead. I recognized the elaborate detailed carving from the wolf figurine Jacob had given me for my graduation; though this one was much larger.

I couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship, though still my uneasy feelings ceased to fade.

I took a deep breath.

“Renesmee, time to wake up”, I said softly.

She stirred, quickly opening her eyes.

Almost immediately she jumped out of bed, all too aware of the wolves perched imminently outside.

Two seconds after she’d woken up, Alice burst through our front door, a huge grin set on her face. Remembering this was supposed to be a happy day, I forced a smile towards Nessie.

“Ready?”, Alice asked.

“Yes”, Renesmee answered bravely, taking a deep breath.

They both turned their heads to me.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get you ready Nessie.”

Alice rolled her eyes at me, obviously expecting me to play along with the charade.

She dashed towards the closet, retrieving the gown purchased only yesterday. It was pure white, and wrapped in plastic. The delicate ruffles reminded me of my own dress, though this one was sleeveless.

Renesmee’s heartbeat accelerated from behind me.

“Where’s Jacob?”, she asked.

“He’s getting ready back at the house”, Alice said, removing the gown from its wrapping.

She reached a hand to Alice’s neck.

“Sorry Ness, you’ve got to follow the rules.”

She sighed as Alice slipped the gown over her head.

I stood motionless.

“Good thing Jake doesn’t like following rules”, Renesmee teased.

“Oh, don’t you worry Nessie. We’ve got the pack guarding the house, just in case Jacob gets any more funny ideas”, Alice muttered.

By her tone, I guessed this wouldn’t be his first attempt.

“Perfect. Now let’s fix up those pretty curls”, she said lightly.

Renesmee looked towards me, concerned.

“It’ll be over fast, Mom. Don’t worry”, she soothed me, stroking my arm.

I tried to regain my cheerful façade; for the sake of my daughter. Had she just called me mom? My eyes burned as I grabbed a brush off the dresser and ran it through Renesmee’s waist-length bronze hair.

I couldn’t believe this was happening. Alice wasn’t thrilled either; a spur of the moment wedding left little time for the numerous preparations she’d had in mind.

But this was what they wanted. And perhaps it was for the best. We’d only had one week to prepare, to send out invitations to all our guests.

In a way, having the Denali Clan, Nahuel and Hulien, Siobhan and a couple others here at such impeccable timing might be useful, as Edward had pointed out a few days before.

The shrill ring of the phone from my pocket startled me from my almost lifeless state of mind.

I quickly viewed the ID before holding the phone to my ear.

“Hey Rose. What’s going on at the house?”

“Alice pretty much completed the decorating before she left. We just finished the cake.”

“Sounds good.”

“Would you mind asking Nessie what color flowers she’d like for her wreath?”, she said.

“Lavender”, Nessie answered immediately, hearing through the phone.

“Did you get that, Rose?”

“Yes. Oh, and make sure the dogs are clear on the plan. If they show up in wolf form, I’ll kick them out myself.”

I smiled.

“Got it.”

I closed my phone, and slipped it back into my pocket.