Storming Sky

PERMANENT

Despite my family telling me to take it slow with Ryan, I cornered him at school the next day. I didn't wait for class, I just kissed my Dad goodbye and booked it towards him in the parking lot.

"We need to talk," I growled at him. He initially looked surprised, but quickly went back to his façade, showing off to those around him.

"Danielle, what a nice surprise!" He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his wrist, dragging him far away from human earshot.

"I don't think Jacob will appreciate you dragging me off to some private location for a thump, my dear," Ryan teased in the background. I ignored him.

"I know that you know what I know, so you need to tell me what you know," I spat at him. He looked confused, but gave me that creepy smile.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that, Danielle," he said, glaring at me.

"Unless you tell me what you know, I will not get any more specific than that," I told him.

"Then I can't tell you what I know. It turns out we both have secrets, now don't we," Ryan winked, walking away. I grabbed him.

"What the hell do you want with me?" I growled. "What the hell do you want with my family?"

"Your family? You're a human, Danielle. They're not your family. You're just their pet. Nothing more than a small kitten," he spat out.

"That's not true," I defended. "I'm one of them."

"Then why haven't they turned you? Why are they putting you in danger by keeping you human? One word from me and you'll be destroyed. They had orders, and they disobeyed. They'll be destroyed as well," Ryan explained.

"I don't want to be a vampire. They're trying to protect me," I said, wondering if that was too much information.

"They'll kill you. If it comes down to your life or theirs, they will kill you," Ryan promised. "Like I said, humans are nothing more than pets to vampires."

"Just because you're a rat doesn't mean we all have to be put into the same category," I told him. He shoved me against a tree.

"Don't you dare call me a rat!" He yelled, then regained his composure. He took a deep breath. "I like you, Danielle. I'm trying to protect you. I know what they'll do to you. Humans like us have no business being in their world."

"Is that why you haven't told them that I'm still human? Because you like me?"

"Because I'm not here for them. I'm here for revenge. They killed my mother because she was of no more use to them. That's what their kind does. They keep us as pets and then they kill us. I was sent here to see if you were still human or not, and I'm glad you are. I have a plan, Danielle. I have a plan that will save both of us, but now isn't the time. You are going to go through the rest of the day like we never had this conversation. You are going to go home and pretend like you don't know anything about me. We will talk more about this later. For now, you need to get to class. Remember, vampires are not your friends, Danielle. Think of all the times they've abandoned you. Think of all the sacrifices you've had to make so that they can be who they truly are. You don't belong in their world. Neither did my mother, and neither do I."

Ryan didn't give me time to respond after that, he just walked off. I tried to follow him, but he was walking much too fast for me to keep up. I didn't know who to trust anymore. I wanted to tell my family what he had said, but I also didn't want him to think I was betraying him. I didn't want to make him angry enough that he'd give Aro a phone call. I had to be friends with Ryan now, and I think that was the most disgusting part of all of this.

"How was school?" Jake asked when he came to pick me up. Ryan had been in the parking lot waiting, and briefly put his finger to his mouth reminding me to be quiet. I had seen Edward do this several times with Renesmee when Charlie was over.

"Slow," I lied. Jake was going to see right through it, but I needed Ryan to be able to trust me.

"Slow?" Jake teased. "You don't do slow."

"No, that's why I'm annoyed. I already know everything we're talking about in class. I could graduate tomorrow if they'd let me," I explained, hoping that would alleviate some of the skepticism. Jake smirked.

"Do you even know where you're applying to school yet?" Jake poked. "How can you graduate if you don't know what you're doing?"
"I'm applying to University of Washington and I'm going in as a Sociology major," I told him. He raised his eyebrows.

"I thought you were going to do something with dance?" He asked.

"You can't get a job in Forks with a dance degree," I sighed. I would love to just be able to dance for the rest of my life.

"Do dance and business, and open up a dance studio," Jake suggested. "You don't need to pick a random major because you think you'll get a job in it. You're not going to be able to get a job in Forks as a sociology major anyways."

"I'll figure something out," I promised. What I was going to school for was literally the last thing I was worried about right now.

We pulled into the driveway and I started conjugating Spanish verbs in my head. I didn't know if Edward was home or not, but I didn't need him reading my mind and figuring out what Ryan was up to. I could do this on my own.

"Holy shit," I said as I stepped into the living room. Renesmee was walking – rather, stumbling – around, with the whole family looking at her like she was the new Jesus Christ.

"Watch your mouth," Mom warned me, taking her eyes off of the baby so that she could come take my bag and give me a hug.

"She's only a month old, right?" I clarified. Edward and Bella nodded. It felt like yesterday that everything had gone down, but still, a month had passed. Renesmee was aging very fast.

"She's slowing down, though. She's gonna start picking up words soon, we think, so just watch what you say," Seth mentioned. He was on the ground playing with her. Per usual, her toys were strewn around the room, but she had no interest in them. Only her werewolf. I could understand that.

"Can it, Seth," Jake rolled his eyes, walking to the kitchen. I smacked him on his way out, giggling.

"Dani, a word?" Dad whispered from behind me, making me jump. I hadn't even realized he was home.

"Sure," I said, and followed him upstairs to his office. It was still a little hard for me to be in here after what happened, but I was okay. I took a deep breath before walking in.

"Are you alright?" Dad asked, noticing the change. I nodded. I would be fine.

"Yeah," I told him. "What's up?"

"Bella and I are going to visit Aro," he said matter-of-factly. "Rather, she will be going alone, and I will be accompanying her to her connection in London. She'll be leaving next month, Alice has already booked the flight." I sat down, and began to panic again. Dad squatted down in front of me, and grabbed my hand.

"I am not going to let anything happen to you," Dad promised. "Aro cannot read Bella's mind. She will tell him that we are planning on letting you graduate and become an adult before changing you, just like we gave Bella that opportunity. He will have no reason to believe otherwise, since we kept our word regarding Bella."

This could work, I thought to myself. Ryan wouldn't have anything against me, because Aro would know that I'm still human. The intent to change would still be there, and Alice wouldn't be there to prove otherwise. Ryan could say that I was human, because it was the truth. We weren't lying. Aro would never know the difference.

"Are you okay?" Dad asked again. I smiled, and nodded.

"I'm great," I told him, squeezing his hand. He nodded.

"Okay then," he sighed, standing up. "I have to admit, you took that a lot better than I expected," Dad chuckled. I stood up and hugged him.

"I love you," I said. He seemed a little shocked, but went with it. I wasn't a pet. I was Carlisle and Esme's daughter. I was a sister to five – now six – incredible people. I was an aunt and a fiancée. I wasn't a kitten. I wasn't a pet. I was permanent.