Forever Young

Chapter 14

By now, I was used to Nessie waking me up. I would be laying beside her, and since I was such a light sleeper, would be woken as soon as she stretched or moved to slide out of bed.

Today, I was woken up by her laugh, followed by a quiet shushing from someone else. But it sounded muffled, unlike when she first woke up beside me and I could hear each breath that she took. 

Yawning, I stretched, my body a little bit sore. I must have been in the same position for most of the night. That was rare for me now- usually, I was so uncomfortable sleeping in beds that I would toss and turn all night in my efforts to get comfortable. This was a welcome change.

As I sat up, an arm moved from under my neck, and my eyes flashed over to where Esme was still laying beside me. She was awake, of course, and sat up along with me. "Good morning, Camellia," she greeted, smiling at me as she stood. Carlisle was still on the other side of me, too, in the same position, but a new book in his hand. This one had a brown cover.

"Good morning," I mumbled, embarrassed at my behavior the night before. Had I really asked to sleep with them? Had I really forced them to stay by my side, even though they didn't sleep and must have been horribly bored the entire night? Now there would be absolutely no way for me to convince them that I was even slightly mature.

Mercifully, Carlisle didn't ask about my request from the night before. He set his book to the side, gently pushing me to lay back down as he lifted my nightgown to just above my tummy. "Does your stomach feel better today?" I nodded as he softly pressed down on it, though I wasn't sure what he was checking for. I wasn't as nervous about people walking in now- Nessie had explained to me that everybody always knocked before entering Carlisle and Esme's bedroom.

Unlike Nessie and I, the adults of the house granted each other privacy.

Satisfied in his evaluation, Carlisle pulled my nightgown back down and allowed me to stand and stretch. Just from the position of the sun outside the window, I could tell that I had slept at least an hour later than usual. It was rainy today, though- the sun was only barely visible through the clouds.

I guessed that meant another picnic was out of the question.

"Go on and head to the bedroom," Esme suggested. "Bella and Rosalie are in there. They can help you find your clothes for the day." As she said this, Esme was already on her feet and walking towards her own giant wardrobe on the opposite side of the room.

Rosalie? But I didn't really know her. Most of the Cullens I still avoided.

"Go on now, Love." Carlisle's voice, while not upset, left no room for argument. All I could do was nod and head for the hallway.

Though I had gotten pretty used to sharing a room, I still had no idea what to do as I walked towards it. Technically it was my room. But if Rosalie was in it, should I knock before entering? Would it be weird if I just went in? Or would it be weirder if I did knock?

Apparently my worries weren't needed. Despite the fact that Nessie was standing in nothing but shoes, socks and underwear, the door was wide open. Unlike me, she didn't seem to care at all if people in the house saw her undressed. I still closed the door behind me as I entered, though.

"But Mama, I want to wear a skirt," Nessie was complaining to her Mother. Her arms were crossed over her naked chest, though I could tell it was more out of defiance than embarrassment. She never cared who saw her undressed. "This uniform is for babies."

In front of Nessie, folded on the bed, was a gray dress and white blouse- it seemed very different than the bright colors she usually wore. As I edged towards my own bed, I realized that a similar dress and blouse were laid out on it.