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Chapter Sixteen

Alec was the last thing on Jumelle's mind as the Cullens travelled home, Jane accompanying them this time. He'd truly angered Jumelle for the first time in their relationship. She couldn't believe he had just stood there and watched a former colleague, a friend even, kill herself in front of him. It was preposterous, and Jumelle knew for certain that she wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she'd just stood by.

Which is why she deeply regretted standing by.

Jumelle hated herself for watching Heidi meet her tragic demise. It was horrifying to watch, but it was worse with a guilty conscience gnawing at the back of your mind. You could have prevented it. You could've stopped her.

Jumelle almost blamed herself for Heidi's death. But Edward had reassured her countless times that it wasn't her fault. If anybody was to blame, it was Aro. He was the scoundrel that had forced Heidi to make that decision. She never would have had to do that for Jane if Aro had just left her be. But, as Jumelle thought to herself, Alec and Jane were his most valuable vampires on his guard, and she was apparently the third, though she still had no idea what her gift was.

Aro continuously told Jumelle that she was special and that her time would come soon enough. SHe would have her own little spotlight in amongst all of the special gifted vampires in the Guard. But she'd still never discovered her gift.

Not until that day.

- - -

Jumelle stormed into Jacob and Renesmee's house, furious. Nessie was sitting on the rocking chair beside the door, and immediately jumped up when she saw her angered sister enter.

"Jumelle?" she whispered.

Jumelle began pacing. Renesmee stayed where she was, rigid in front of the rocking chair. She kept her distance, which was a wise move on her behalf. After all, Jumelle was three-quarters vampire whereas Nessie was only half.

"Ellie, do you wanna talk about it?" Nessie asked after a while. She'd moved a safe distance to the sofa as Jumelle continued pacing. "I am here, you know. You can talk to me about anything."

Jumelle glanced up at her sister, still furious with how Alec had acted back in Volterra. Then she sighed as she looked at Renesmee's concerned expression, and moved to sit next to her on the cream-colored sofa.

"What happened?" Renesmee whispered.

Jumelle shook her head and rubbed her face. "We got Jane back," she said simply.

"That's ... great?" It was more of a question than an exclamation. Ness could see the angered look still on her sister's face and decided against being happy in the moment. "C'mon, Elle, can't you just be straighforward about this?" she groaned.

Jumelle nodded. "Alright. You want straightforward? Here's straightforward for you. So we get to the castle and kill five of the Guard. Then we get to the throne room and Aro says I have to be killed in order to get Jane back. Of course, Alec puts up the fight that could've caused World War III if Emmett wasn't there, so Heidi stepped in." Jumelle swallowed thickly. This was the part she didn't want to explain to her twin. "And s-she, um ... she ..." Jumelle looked down with tears in her eyes and swallowed again.

"It's okay, Elle, you don't have to tell me if you don't want--"

"She killed herself, Ness," Jumelle choked out finally. "Heidi gave her life for Jane." The waterworks began then. "And I just stood there and watched. Watched as somebody who'd hardly done anything for me did everything in that one minute of my life. I'll never forgive myself, Ness. Ever."

"Ssh, come here."

Jumelle was in hysterics now. She was hiccoughing madly as Nessie pulled her sister into her chest. It seemed Jacob had taken off with Daniel somewhere, as the twins were alone in the house.

"And to m-make it w-worse," Jumelle stammered. "A-Alec held me b-back. H-he said that th-they were th-the enemy. So I said, I said to him ... the e-enemy doesn't d-die for us."

"Ssh ..."

Renesmee held her sister tightly, rocking her until she eventually drifted off into a deep sleep.

- - -

"Jumelle ..."

Jumelle spun around, light on her feet, and squinted into the darkness.

"Jumelle ..."

"Who's there?!" she called into the pitch black.

"Jumelle ... Jumelle ... Jumelle ..."

Jumelle jolted awake, panting and spluttering as she was shaken.

"Jumelle?"

Jumelle glanced up, panting, at her sister who was cautiously shaking her awake. Renesmee looked worried sick.

As she sat up, Jumelle noticed that her entire family, including Alec and Jane, were surrounding her. Jumelle also noticed Seth Clearwater in the corner, silently watching.

"Elle, are you alright?"

Jumelle nodded at her father's question and swung her legs over the edge of the couch. As she did so, her head spun. She felt nauseous.

"She doesn't look so good ..." Emmett whispered.

As Jumelle felt her stomach rising into my throat, she leapt up and headed for the bathroom under the staircase. But alas, her stomach decided to give its contents before she got there.

"That's gonna stain," Emmett hissed.

Jumelle heard footsteps behind her and her hair was being held back as she vomited violently into the toilet. That lasted for about five minutes before Jumelle figured she was okay to move around again.

"Get her a washcloth," Carlisle directed from the doorway. "Jumelle, are you alright?"

Jumelle sat down on the floor and gave her grandfather a thumbs down. Carlisle chuckled as he recieved a washcloth from Jacob. He pressed it to Jumelle's forehead as the rest of the Cullen family swarmed the doorway.

"Nessie, would you care to explain what you saw to Ellie?" Carlisle asked.

Renesmee swallowed thickly but nodded. She entered the bathroom as Jumelle glanced at the person beside her. It was Alec. He seemed concerned as he brushed Jumelle's hair from her face. Jumelle couldn't help but lean into his palm, which he kept resting there as Renesmee explained what she'd seen.

"Well, um ..." She cleared her throat. "Uh, Elle was ... she was crying in her sleep ... and, well, this kind of ... forcefield, I guess, just came and ... wrapped itself around her ... like it was trying to protect her or something, I dunno."

Jumelle's eyes widened in shock as she blinked at her sister's words.

"A forcefield?" Jumelle repeated. Nessie nodded. "Wow ..."

"It seems that you've finally discovered your gift."