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180

"Meredith."

"Amelia."

"Care to explain where you've been all weekend?" She raised an eyebrow. Her arms folded across her chest while she stood in the doorway as if she wasn't going to let me in. "Hm?"

"I texted Ad, told her she could tell you if you asked," I sigh, "I was at the Cullens, well, the Masons to be more specific."

"And you didn't feel a need to come home? For three days?" She makes a wild gesture with her arms.

"Amelia, I'm almost 200 years old, I think I can spend the weekend with a friend," I tell her. I was mad at her over the whole Jasper situation. Not that she'd lied to me about my birth, but more so that she lied to him. He wanted to see me. She said no. I could have helped Renesmee with the Volturi. I would have met them then and there, then we wouldn't be in this mess now.

"Is that my little Merabear?!"

"Clarence!" I shove past Amelia and jump into his arms. "I've missed you! How was your trip?! You were with the Denali's, weren't you? Are they amazing?"

"They are amazing," he nods, setting me down, "they said we're all cousins; us, them, the Cullens... oh, Mer, I can't wait for you to meet them."

A door slammed, and I noticed Amelia was no longer standing beside us. I shrugged. Let her be mad. Having more people we can trust and count on is a good thing, I don't know why she's always so secretive.

I toss my body onto him again, "I've missed you so much!" I take in a deep breath, "it's been rough without you and Harper. I spent the whole weekend with Renesmee."

"So I heard," he chuckles, kissing the top of my head, "and for what it's worth, I'm glad you're starting to be your own person finally. You haven't been a baby in about hmmm 170 years." We both laugh. I was a teenager by around age 10, I still grew a little after that but only for two or three years, I remember the panic as I grew and everyone thinking I'd shrivel up and croak.

"I wonder how long it took Nes to mature..." I wondered out loud.

He shrugged, "ask," he chuckles, "I'm sure they're not hiding it. They probably went through the same things we did... not knowing if she'd just become a wrinkly old lady and die."

I creased my forehead together. When Jasper came looking for me and was told I'd died, I wonder if he thought it was because of my growth... if he and Alice went into a panic imagining their niece dying of old age within a few short years.

"Hey what's going on?" Clarence pulled away and looked into my eyes, "when did Jas—" I covered his mouth. I didn't want Amelia to know I knew yet. I didn't know how to approach that conversation. I nodded for Clarence to follow me outside, and he did. "Okay so what...?"

"Jasper knew I existed," I tell him, "he's the one that brought my mother to Amelia... kind of. It's a long story it doesn't matter right now. But she made him leave, when Renesmee was born a while later he came looking for me... she told him I died."

"And Amelia hasn't officially met Jasper yet..." he sighs, "but why would she lie?" She's Amelia why wouldn't she lie. "But... why didn't Jasper just keep you instead?"

"Amelia knew my mother the whole time she was pregnant, Clar..." I sigh, "I wasn't a surprise. She'd planned for it, researched it... she was ready. I don't know why she wouldn't let Jasper be a part of it, but she made him leave." Jasper wanted to be a part of our family as a whole, he would have never left. But she made him. Probably for the best, or else he'd have never met Alice... but still. I don't get it.