Forever Young

Chapter 37

The ride home took forever. Even though Mato, Koda and I slept as Carlisle drove through the night, it seemed to take forever for us to finally pull into the long driveway that led to my house.

"It's about time," Mato groaned, leaping from the car and stretching. I struggled with my seatbelt, the straps of the carseat trapping me. Before Carlisle could make his way over to help me, Koda was there, slipping the restraints off of my chest.

Renesmee ran outside, pulling me into a tight hug. "I'm so happy you're safe," she cried. I hugged her back. "Alice saw so many horrible outcomes... but that doesn't matter now. You're home. That's all that matters."

I was led back into the house and felt myself immediately relax. It was strange how, once, this house had felt like a prison- now it felt like the most cozy and safe place in the entire world. The forest would always be my escape- but never again would it be my home. 

That thought didn't make me as sad as it used to.

It was close to naptime now, but lunch was first. Koda, Mato and I made our way up to the bedroom while we waited, and I was surprised when Renesmee followed us. "You're coming?" I asked.

She paused on the stairs. "Yeah," She said, a tiny smile at her lips. "What, am I kicked out of the gang because I got older?"

"Well, actually-" I shoved my elbow into Mato's ribcage, cutting off whatever insult he was about to hurl towards my sister. He sighed, but stayed quiet.

"Of course you can come, Ness!" I asserted, grabbing her hand and pulling her up with us. I closed the bedroom door behind us, and was a little surprised by how the bedroom looked. I was still used to the way it had been when Renesmee and I had shared it- the new look from Koda and I sharing it was still settling in. 

Koda emptied his backpack out on his bed, getting ready to put his stuff away. Though I knew I should do the same, I climbed up and kneeled on the window seat instead, pressing my hands against the glass. There was a big, whispy cloud nearing the house, and I was hoping for snow. 

A hand brushed against the back of my leg and I turned to see Renesmee touching my thigh, just below the edge of my skirt. "Jeez," she mumbled, watching me wince away from her touch. "I can't believe you had to sit through such a long car ride like that. It's still that red from a spanking that was like two days ago?"

I nodded, self-consciously rubbing at the pink skin that trailed up my thigh. "Daddy was real mad," I mumbled, shuffling away to pretend I was focused on putting my stuff away. Though I had told Nessie that she could still come be with us, talking to her about punishments was more awkward now. She no longer received them herself, so that was just one more difference between us. One more reminder that she was higher up than me in the house hierarchy.

But then something occurred to me, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to ask or not. I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to know. 

Focusing very hard on the dresses I was sorting through, I sighed and gave into my curiosity. "Hey, Ness? You can't like... get me into trouble, right? Like you can't... punish me now that you're bigger?

There was a moment of silence.

And then another moment.

And then it felt awkward, and I glanced up. Renesmee was staring at me, looking like she was considering something. But she still didn't answer.

"She can, Ammie," Mato grumbled, coming to sit beside me on the bed. "Why do you think I keep telling you she's an adult? She'd send you to get a paddle just for looking at her wrong."

"That's not true, Mato!" Renesmee's voice was sharp. In a way, it only confirmed Mato's point- she sounded incredibly similar to Esme or Bella. That was the tone that they both used to scold me.