Forever Young

Chapter 27

It took a long time for Renesmee to release me. And it took even longer for Carlisle and Esme to do the same. Even after everyone stepped back from the embrace, Carlisle held me in his arms, not seeming to believe that I was real.

"Where have you been? We searched everywhere!" Renesmee cried, reaching out to grab my hand. Her hand was bigger than mine now, and easily covered it. 

Wiping at my cheeks, I laughed giddily. "Oregon," I told her. "I've been moving around a bunch."

Carlisle finally set me on the ground, looking me up and down. At first I didn't understand what he was looking for- of course, I hadn't grown at all. But then he held my arm out, running his fingers over it, and I realized he was looking for injuries. Though they were very few lasting marks from Mike, I knew he wouldn't have been able to see them even if they existed. My arms were covered in dirt and dried blood.

Most of the blood wasn't mine.

"Are you injured anywhere else, Love?" Carlisle asked, still searching my body. He had pulled my dress up slightly and was frowning as he took in my scraped knees. Those weren't a big deal, though- they had just gotten a little banged up when I jumped out of the tree after Nessie had spotted me.

I shook my head. "No, Sir. My mouth doesn't even hurt anymore."

His eyes flashed up to my face and I winced at my slip-up. He hadn't known about Mike punching me, even though it had been so long ago. I hadn't seen him since that had happened. 

Carlisle's fingers gently came up to my face, and he used his thumb to pull my lip up. Though he was carefully guarding his expression, I saw a flash of emotion in his eyes before he managed to bury it. It was gone so quickly I couldn't decipher if it was anger or concern.

"Did Mike do that?" I nodded, looking away as Carlisle examined my mouth. "How have you been hunting?"

Uh-oh. "Well... I don't really hunt that much anymore. It's sort of hard. I have to use my nails and stuff. And I can't get a tight enough grip on animals to get that much blood out. It just sort of... isn't worth the effort. Maybe."

Carlisle and Esme were both looking at me, and I knew that wasn't what they wanted to hear. They had always been so particular about me eating on time, making sure I had both a glass full of blood and a plate full of human food. And now they were learning that I had not only gone this long without human food, but I was also not getting the blood that I needed.

No wonder my invisibility had become so weak. My body just wasn't healthy enough to sustain my powers.

Esme began ushering me into the house. "Come on, Sweetheart," she summoned softly. "Dinner only just finished cooking. It's still warm. Let's get some food into you."

Though I knew that this wasn't part of the plan, and I had already decided to relinquish the Cullen's authority over me, I found it impossible to argue with Esme. It seemed to have been engrained into me to obey her, and my growling tummy didn't help me put up much of a fight.

The rest of the Cullens were standing just inside the front door when we entered. They all greeted me happily, countless arms reaching over to embrace me. My smile was a little sad, knowing that I would have to walk away from all of this, soon enough. But for now, I would just smile and enjoy it, and try to ignore the fact that letting myself be so happy in the moment would just hurt me more when it was time to leave.

I sat down at the table in my old spot, and Nessie took the seat on my left, just like she had always used to do. Carlisle stood just behind me as Esme put a plate full of food in front of me, but that's not what I was focused on. I watched eagerly as she poured a cup of blood, and snatched it up as soon as it was in my reach. Tipping my head back, I took deep gulps, feeling the horrible burning in my throat vanish for the first time in months, maybe even years.