CARME, The Runaway

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

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The house began to fill up with guests as more witnesses arrived to help the Cullens. Renesmee found herself surrounded by new faces, each fascinating in their own way. She was especially drawn to Benjamin, with his control over the elements, and Zafrina, who could create vivid, magical illusions. For a little while, as she laughed and talked with them, the heavy cloud of worry hanging over the house seemed to lift.

Zafrina had just finished showing her a breathtaking vision of a lush, hidden jungle when Benjamin stepped in, playfully making the wind whip through the room, causing Renesmee's curls to flutter around her face. She giggled, feeling the rush of air and the warmth of their companionship. Moments like these made her feel like she could almost forget the danger they were all in.

But even in this lively atmosphere, a sense of unease lingered at the edges of her thoughts. As Benjamin talked about how he could manipulate the earth, making trees grow and rivers shift, Renesmee found herself distracted. She couldn't help but wonder—would Carme have been as impressed as she was by his talents? Carme, with all her strange and powerful abilities, had always been someone who seemed to hold the spotlight without trying. Would she have easily outshone Benjamin's talents, or would she have been content just to admire them as Renesmee did?

The thought unsettled her, and she forced a smile, trying to shake off the way the shadows of her sister loomed in the back of her mind. It was now the first week of December, almost three months since Carme had run away. Her feelings for her sister seemed to shift with every passing day—one moment she was worried, the next, a deep confusion clouded her thoughts, but there was always that undercurrent of something else. Something more complicated.

Don't get her wrong, many of her family have already tried talking to her about it, but it's like every day she found something new to feel about her twin sister. The first month was a mixture of worry and jealousy. Jealousy, by the way, was a common thing she felt when it came to her sister. The rest of September after Carme ran away was chaotic as everyone tried to look for her, calling friends and going on multiple search parties.

Renesmee isn't apathetic, to be clear, especially the longer that her sister was away, but with the chaos, she felt ignored by everyone who wasn't Rosalie or Jacob. She grew a lot in September, going through her first steps, first words, first everything in a short amount of time. Yet the only one who cheered her on was her two favorite people. A confusing situation for her considering Aunt Rosalie was so excited for her while Bella and Edward gave a smile before going outside again to look for Carme with the rest of the family. Worry and jealousy, that was September.

November, irritation and anger came into the mix along with more jealousy. Maybe it was because Renesmee hadn't been with Carme a lot after they were born, but she couldn't understand her twin sister. Why didn't she come home? Where did she go? Renesmee also didn't understand her family. The search parties didn't end nor did her parents pay attention to her like she expected. Rosalie and Jacob were there for her first steps, her first words, for her everything. Renesmee was still here, she was the one who stayed, so she didn't understand why her parents were still worried about her missing twin sister.

It wasn't surprising that the only time her parents even focused on her was when she talked to them. It was also after that moment that the rest of the family may have come to their senses. Aunt Alice began to handle her clothes while Grandma Esme cooked for her more. Jacob said once that it was probably because they felt guilty for ignoring her. They should be, she thought. Renesmee made sure her father wasn't around to hear that thought. That was also the time Grandpa Carlisle gave her extra attention, but that part she wasn't sure she liked. He kept asking her about her feelings and her twin sister. He helped though. For example, a week ago they had a talk in her grandfather's office.