Forever Young

Chapter 50

"She's lying," Koda insisted, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Nobody else is like you, Ammie. Vampire-hybrids are so rare. There's no way another one just happened to have a kid with another vampire. Vampires are rare, too. The chances of that happening are basically zero."

Mato nodded, patting my other shoulder as I gazed out the window, watching the rain drip down from the sky. The snow was all gone now, little piles of slush the only reminder the it had ever been there.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of Melina's words. My power of invisibility was covering the conversation so nobody else could hear us. "But she even said I could ask my parents," I whispered. "Why would she say that if it wasn't true?"

Koda scoffed. "She was just trying to mess with your head! And it worked. She knew you would be too freaked out to ask. I can even ask them for you- there's no way."

I shook my head again. "No. No, you're right. Don't bring it up, or she'll think it got to us. Just let it go."

Mato and Koda both eagerly agreed, but it seemed impossible for me to take my own advice. When we were called back downstairs, my eyes fell on Melina. She was looking at me, too, a small smirk still on her face. She nodded towards my parents, and I could almost hear her silent taunts.

Go on. Ask them.

I glared back at her and shook my head, brushing her off. She didn't get the satisfaction of seeing me stress out over her lie- even if I would love to see her get into trouble for it. 

Doing my best to appear calm, I walked over to where Siobhan was sitting with Renesmee and my mother. I climbed into Esme's lap, grateful that Edward had gone away with Sam for the night. He wasn't around to hear the turmoil of my thoughts, and hopefully I would have sorted through them all by the time he returned.

Esme appeared to be totally at ease as she spoke to Siobhan about my childhood with Nessie. Benjamin slowly inched closer, no doubt still trying to understand our family dynamic. My Mother smiled at him, too, calm and secure in her home.

But she hadn't been calm the day that Zafrina had left. She had been so quiet, so worried. Something had been bothering her- something that she had wanted to hide from me. 

Had it been something more than an insignificant argument? Had her worry not been entirely about turmoil within her acquired family? Was there more to it?

I watched Carlisle and Esme as they spoke- they both seemed calm and collected. I felt guilty for my suspicions- I loved my parents. And I trusted them to do what they thought was best for me. But to them, censoring the truth, making it more child-friendly, was often what they considered to be best for me. Would they truly keep something this big from me?

I was quiet for most of the day. I didn't want to go play outside with Ani. I didn't want to build a lego tower with Koda. I didn't even want to try and ride Mato's new skateboard when Esme deemed it dry enough on the porch.

Mato and Koda didn't push me, but I noticed the glance they exchanged when I turned down dessert after dinner. Esme noticed this, too, and leaned down to press the back of her hand against my forehead. 

"You don't want any?" She asked, looking down at me. "Camellia, Christmas dessert is the best variety you'll get all year. I've made pies and  pudding and trifle- you don't want any of it?"

I shook my head. "No thank you, Mama. I'm full."

Carlisle and Esme both glanced at my plate- it had been stacked high with every kind of food, far more than my usual serving, so I hadn't been required to finish it. But I had hardly nibbled at it, only eating the parts that Esme insisted upon.