☼Rising Sun☼

☼ chapter zero ☼

RENESMEE

My parents have a habit of staying in their room until I wake up in the morning.

However, today, as I slip out of my room with bleary eyes and messy hair, they sit on the couch, speaking in low voices. Immediately upon seeing me, their eyes flicker to look at me, matching smiles adorning their faces.

In less than a second, my mother is standing in front of me, my father not far behind.

Smiling tiredly up at them, I give my mom, then my dad, a quick hug. "Good morning. You guys are early."

Dad grins down at me. "Actually Ness, you're late. It's nearly noon."

My eyes, which had begun to close with exhaustion as I greeted them, fly open to their widest point. I gape up at them, shocked. "What?"

They laugh softly. "Did you get to bed at a reasonable time?" Mom questions curiously, her lips pulled back in a small smile.

I shrug sheepishly, yawning. "Well... I got into bed at ten. But I ended up planning for an hour... or two..." Or more.

Dad frowns, a troubled look in his eyes, and I knew in that moment that he was scanning my thoughts, but Mom just laughs again.

"Ness-"

"I know," I cut her off, feeling my cheeks redden slightly. "I know it's not for two months, but I just... I just want it to be perfect. It's Jacob, you know? Whether he's aging or not, he still will only turn 23 once."

Neither of them say anything, but the disapproval is clear in my father's eyes. He's never been as supportive of my friendship with Jacob as my mom has.

At least, not in the recent months.

Eventually, my mom smiles again, her expression soft and warm and comforting. "Yes baby, I know. It'll be fine. We've got plenty of time, okay?"

My heart clenches nervously. "Two months isn't that much, Mom."

"It's plenty." My dad interrupted, his voice smooth, like the calm before a storm, as he swiftly changes the subject. "Do you want something to eat?"

I shake my head, keeping my mind as tranquil, as empty of thought and emotion as I can. Recently, I've had to be much more mindful of what I think, which is extremely frustrating, but it can't be helped. "No. Jacob and I are going hunting."

He already knew this, of course, but I repeat it again anyway. At this point, keeping in their good graces is more important than being sassy.

There's a silence in the living room for a handful of seconds, a slight awkwardness that has begun to arise in our family since... well, since my growth began to slow and I turned six and a half: my family tends to celebrate everything, including half-birthdays- or, my half-birthdays, at least.

"Ness, why don't you go get ready and then we can head over to the main house," Mom speaks up suddenly, playing peacekeeper, a role she's been taking on more and more frequently as my relationship with my father grows ever more strained.

I don't know why it's now harder to be around my dad than its ever been in the past.

I don't know why every time I mention Jacob or plan to spend the day with him my dad becomes annoyed.