Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries

Seriously

Seriously - se·ri·ous·ly - /ˈsirēəslē/

1. in a solemn or considered manner.
2. with earnest intent; not lightly or superficially.

Odessa sat on the grass, relishing in the feeling of the sun on her skin. The back of her shirt wrinkled against tree bark, rising a few centimeters up her spine, blades of green grass tickled her ankles where they laid in front of her, tiny rocks tried creating small indentations in her palms, only to fail and fall quickly to the ground every time she readjusted her limbs. She wanted to be alone, so she had gone outside a handful of minutes ago. However, about five minutes ago, Bella, Edward, and a few of their friends came outside to practice. Bella had the gift of being a mental shield, and they were practicing expanding the parameters of it. Kate, a Denali and "cousin" of the Cullens, was talking Bella through the process. Odessa was facing away from them, watching small critters scurry past meters away, and tried to block out their shenanigans. It was difficult to do so. Irritated and annoyed, she stood up and made her way to the small group.

"She's obviously got tremendous ability, and we're only beginning to touch it. She can do better, I'm sure. She's just lacking incentive," Kate said as she pursed her lips. There were murmurs throughout the small crowd surrounding the newborn. Odessa saddled up next to Garrett, a nomad who was fascinated by Kate's electrifying power, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Kate," Edward said in a tone of warning. Kate darted over to Renesmee, who was walking along a river with Zafrina and Senna, the Amazonians.

"Nessie," Kate said, "would you like to come help your mother?"

"No," Bella snarled. Edward hugged her reassuringly, but Bella shook him off just as Renesmee flitted across the yard to her with Kate, Zafrina, and Senna right behind her.

"Absolutely not, Kate," Bella hissed.

"I completely agree," Odessa said in a menacing tone. She wouldn't let Renesmee become a guinea pig. Some lines shouldn't be crossed, and Kate was close to crossing one of them.

Renesmee curled into Bella and said, "But Momma, I want to help."

"No," Bella said as she backed away from everyone. She looked like a trapped wild animal ready to lash out, and Odessa grimaced when Kate took a deliberate step in Bella's direction with an outstretched hand.

"Stay away from us, Kate," Bella warned her. Kate refused to back down and began stalking forward towards Bella. Kate took another calculated step forward and a vicious snarl ripped up Bella's throat and through her clenched teeth. Bella stopped moving, allowing Kate to strike. Her hand was a millimeter from touching Renesmee's index finger when her movement halted. She tried to move forward, but her body was frozen.

"She wasn't going to harm her," Edward told Odessa cautiously. Odessa stared stonily at Kate, yet her eyes were daggers digging into the blonde's skin. Kate's eyes flitted to meet Odessa's eyes in surprise.

"I don't care what she was or wasn't planning on doing," Odessa said in a low tone. "What I care about is that she would joke and even try to harm a child for an experiment."

"Amazing," Eleazer breathed out.

"You can let her go now," Tanya, Kate's sister, said in a pleading tone. Odessa refused to back down and threw Kate against a nearby tree. Kate hit the tree hard and was slow to recover. Pieces of tree bark flew through the deadly silent air.

"'Dessa, it's okay," Renesmee said as she detached herself from Bella. She walked forward and gave Odessa a reassuring hug. "Aunt Kate was just trying to help momma."

"That is not the point, Renesmee," Odessa said harshly.

"She didn't hurt me, though, 'Dessa. So, please don't hurt Aunt Kate."