Bella's Little Sister

Chapter 64

The next morning found Jacob, Renesmee and I in the car, on the way to see my father and sister. 

"I'm surprised you took a break from Jedi training," Jacob stated. 

"Yeah, well..." I said in response. "If I don't take Renesmee to my dad, he'll come to us. Twenty-seven vampires and two humans..." I shook my head, glancing briefly at him. "Not so great."

Jacob dropped his voice to a whisper as he spoke his next words. "I know that's what you told Edward." I gave him a blank stare in return. "Whatever," he shrugged it off, his tone seemingly casual now. "I'm just glad to get away from all those reeking bloodsuckers."

His words infuriated me, though I made an effort to keep my anger in check, especially since Renesmee was in the car with us. Tightening my grip slightly on the wheel, I kept my gaze forward and shook my head. "You're really starting to piss me off, Jacob. I get that you hate us, but you don't need to use derogatory terms, either." 

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry. I know, they're the good guys."

"Yes, they are." My tone was bitter as I shook my head again, refusing to look at him now. 

"But come on," he prodded. "Dracula One and Two are... creepy." He broke out into laughter, though it was not reciprocated. He broke off quickly when I looked at him again, my eyes flickering dangerously.

"I don't want to hear you say anything else about us, Jacob. Just keep your thoughts to yourself." I snapped at him, making him shut up rather rather quickly.

My father had strung Christmas lights up around the roof and entrance to the door. Dad, Bella and Sue Clearwater came down the porch to greet us as I pulled the car to a stop, but I did not shut off the ignition, as I would not be joining them. 

"There she is," dad called out as Renesmee jumped from the car and ran towards him, smiling widely. "Come here." He spun her around once before lowering her to the ground again. "Wow! Look at you. You've grown half a foot!" 

I stepped from the car, lingering by the door. Bella made her way over to me once I made eye contact with her. I said nothing, only watching her. "You're not staying," she stated matter-of-factly. 

"No." I hesitated, not entirely sure that I wanted to tell her the complete truth. But because of how well she knew me, she called me out on it. Sighing, I filled her in on what was happening. "Irina came to reconcile with us, but she saw Renesmee catching snowflakes and went straight to the Volturi." I took note of the way my sister's skin paled at the name. She remembered all too well just what had happened when I had gone to Italy. "She told them Renesmee was an Immortal Child, and now we're all under a death sentence."

Bella's tone wavered with fear as she took a breath, trying to keep her composure in front of dad and Sue. "So what happens now?" 

"We gathered as many witnesses as we could. They'll stand with us when the Volturi make their appearance, but it won't be enough. I have a feeling that we're going to be highly outnumbered. Alice left me a message to meet with someone named J. Jenks in Seattle. I need to see him." I paused then to take a breath, not wanting to tell her what I had been thinking, but I knew that she would never forgive me if I didn't. "Bella, there's a good chance none of us may come back from this."

My sister's eyes filled with tears at the thought, and I reached out to take her hand. "I didn't want to tell you, but..." 

She shook her head before pulling me firmly into an embrace. "I know," she whispered. "You don't want me to worry."

We stood that way for a moment longer before I pulled back. "If we don't make it back, promise me that you will take care of Renesmee. I know she'll have Jacob, but that won't be enough. She'll need you, too."

Bella nodded in understanding. "I will, I promise."

Sue called out to Bella and I. "Come on, lunch is on the table."

"I actually have some errands to run, but I'll be back soon." Before any of them could say anything further, I got back in the car and shut the door, quickly driving away.

Though I tried to fight against it, knowing that things could go very badly with the Volturi, Alice's note gave me a new sense of hope. I couldn't help but think that maybe she had a plan for us after all, and that maybe J. Jenks was the key to it all. By the time I pulled to a stop in front of the building I would be meeting with J. Jenks at, it was raining almost heavily. 

I entered the building, looking around me as I walked down the long hallway. Strings of lights were everywhere, lining both sides of the hallway. "I'm meeting Mr. Jenks," I informed the host of the restaurant he had arranged for us to meet in. 

"Right this way." The host pulled back a curtain that divided the spacious room in half. 

Jenks stood as I passed through, reaching out to shake my hand. "Mrs. Cullen." I nodded in greeting as he moved to pull my chair out for me. "I'm so happy you called." He smiled as he returned to his seat. "I always meet my private clients here," he explained. "It's more comfortable than the office."

I nodded in acknowledgment of his words. "And it's more public." After a brief second of silence, I questioned him on the type of work that he did. 

"Oh, you know, this and that." He claimed that it was always different, so it kept it interesting. 

"Have you known Alice and Jasper long?" I asked him when he did not say anything further. Jenks stated that he had been working with them for more than twenty years, though his late partner had known Jasper fifteen years before that. 

"Jasper is unusually well-preserved." 

"Yes," I agreed. "He is." I kept my gaze on him, waiting for him to continue.

"I trust that Mr. Jasper is enjoying his vacation." 

Leaning back in my seat, I crossed my arms. "He didn't tell you where he was going, did he?" I suspected that I already knew the answer to that question, however. 

Jenks shook his head, holding up a hand as he, too, sat back. "No, no, no. He just mentioned that he was leaving when he came by to place his order."

Order? I wondered. What does that mean? "I assume that his order is ready?" 

"Of course." Jenks stated, seemingly offended by my question. "I've never been late with a delivery." He pulled a manila envelope from beneath the napkin beside him, glancing back over his shoulder as he slid it across the table towards me. 

Needless to say, I was surprised by what I saw inside. Two passports, one for Jacob and Renesmee. I flickered my gaze around the room as my mind began to race. What does Jasper know? Jenks took a sip of his water, slowly returning the glass to the table as he asked if there was a problem. I took my time answering that question, slowly returning the documents to the envelope again. 

"No," I finally responded, releasing a slow breath. "My husband and I thought that we would all be traveling together." 

"Jasper said only two were traveling," Jenks responded. "His instructions were very clear." 

"My mistake." I spoke the words quickly, gazing at him with the same blank expression I had carried for days now. "Apparently, that is not going to happen."