Red Dawn - Book 6

Chapter 15

By the time we got back into Washington, Sophia's look changed a slight bit more. She was now the size of an 8 year old. Her skin was slightly darker and was now half a shade lighter than her fathers. Her hair was down the middle of her back and her eyes no longer seemed overly large as her body proportions were balanced out.

She was the perfect mix of Nic and myself.

When we arrived at our home on Bainbridge Island I didn't bother looking around. I was more focused on Sophia and her adjusting after what we had been through these last few days. She still hadn't talked at all but I knew she was very smart by the way she seemed to observe things.

"This is your home." I said to her as I took her hand into mine and walked inside.

She stopped just over the threshold and held up her arms. Without question, I brought her into my arms and started towards the stairs to the second floor. It didn't take long to find Sophia's bedroom, since the double french doors had her name engraved into the beautiful cream colored wood.

When I opened the doors a smiled crossed my lips. The room was beautiful. Pinks, creams, white and even a little splash of the infamous powder blue that frequented anything that had to do with decorating for me.

There, sitting just beneath the floor to ceiling window was a beautiful bed, the cream wood carved in the most extravagant yet seemingly simple detail. The bedding was a mix of pink and floral. Sitting against the back wall, just feet from the right side of the bed was a matching dresser - and to the right of the bed a desk. Everything contrasted beautifully and popped from the powder blue walls.

I looked at the expression on Sophia's face, she seemed to be in awe as her eyes zoomed around the room, taking in every square inch.

"Mine." She spoke after several minutes of gazing.

This was the first time I had ever heard her voice. It was beautiful, like a serene music piece.

I took her hand and brought it to my lips. "Yes, Sophia. This is your room." I stooped down and set her to her feet.

I smiled as she walked across the bedroom and climbed up onto her bed and sat there. She swayed side to side for a few seconds and then turned towards me.

"I like my room, mommy." She said as she slid off her bed, landing on her feet.

She then went over to the closet and began rifling through her wardrobe. Once she had seen everything she could she started searching through all her drawers and cabinets. Then entire time I watched her I couldn't stop wondering what she was looking for. Suddenly she dropped to her stomach and disappeared under her bed only to pull out a large chest of sorts. She opened it and began rifling through what seemed to be spare blankets.

Then I heard a squeal of delight when she pulled a stuffed giraffe into her arms and hugged it.

"Mine." She sighed.

I grinned as I watched her.

"You are welcome." I heard my aunt Alice speak from behind me.

I jumped, startled and turned to face her. "Cheese and rice, Alice!" I brought my hand to my chest as my heart had threatened to burst from inside me. "You frightened me."

Alice wrapped her arms around me and then took a step back. "I was putting together this room for Sophia when I got a vision of her loving her giraffe. She likes penguins and giraffes."

"Wait... Alice. How did you see her in your vision?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "It's not so much seeing. I mean, the visions I managed to get of Sophia are really grainy and pixeled so it's more a long the lines of trying to make out what everything is."

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that Sophia's vampire genes are slightly dominated by her human ones. That is why I can get visions of her, even though they are really terrible quality. I'll manage, though. There is always a loop hole to seeing things when you change the perspective." Alice grinned at me as she tapped her temple.

I smiled before turning my attention back to Sophia.

"Sophia." Alice called. Sophia immeadiately looked up at Alice. "There is a giant present from the entire family just across the hall. I think you should go and see what it is." Alice finished in a sing-song voice.

Oh boy, I wonder what that could be. Since she had mentioned it was from the entire family it could be several things.

Carefully, Sophia rose to her feet and hesitantly walked over to the door. From the door frame she stared at the pair of doors that were across the hall. Then she looked up at me.

"It's alright, Sophia." I said before gently nudging her forward.

She crossed the hall and opened the door. In the room was a giant playland. In the center, the floor was sunken, like a swimming pool. Only, instead of water it was a giant ball pit, filled with an assortment of colors. In the center of that a small island-like area that had stairs made from colored blocks that led to a second floor. From where I stood I saw toys, a play house and a slide that took her from the second story to the ball pits.

"Wow, Alice." Was all I could manage to say.

"Jasper and I thought of the ball-pit, Carlisle and Esme thought of the tea party set, Emmett thought of the slide, Rosalie thought of the dress up clothes and your parents thought of the musical instruments." Alice explained.

Speaking of the family.

"Where is everyone? I asked.

"Nic is downstairs with your parents, his parents, Carlisle and Esme, talking about Sophia. They sound like they are just now wrapping up their conversation."

"What were they talking about?"

Before Alice could answer Nic entered the room. Sophia ran over to his side and grabbed his hand, attempting to pull him closer to the ball pit. She then pulled at his pant leg and pointed at the balls.

"What is it that you want, Sophia?" He said in a gentle voice as he knelt down so he was at eye-level with her.

"She wants to know if she could go play with her toys." I responded.

The only reason I knew this was because I was able to read her mind more clearly than others because she was a part of me. Or maybe it was a motherly instinct sort-of bond that allowed me to know what she wanted, or needed.

But as I thought back to the first time she really ever needed anything that wasn't given to her, I was sleeping in my bed on the yatch and our room was flooding. The way I woke up, it had felt like someone was calling me, urging me to wake up.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." Nic said.

Sophia made eye contact with me, wanting approval. I nodded my head and then she went off into the ball pit.

"How do you think she is doing?" Nic asked me as he joined my side.

I watched as she swam through the ball pit, to the center island and began climbing the stairs to the second story.

"I can't be too sure. But she spoke today."

"She spoke!" Nic exclaimed. "I can't believe I missed her first words."

"It was a sentence, actually," I said proudly.

"An entire sentence? What did she say?"

I leaned my head against his chest. "She said, 'she likes her room'."

"Of course she did!" Alice cut in. "No one ever dislikes anything I design. Afterall, I am the epitome of fashion and design," She smirked before turning on her heel and striding from the room.

"She isn't lying, you know." Nic chuckled.

"I do, know. That is why my mother says no one argues with her decisions when it comes to fashion."

"Speaking of mother, lets go and check on Sophia. She has been awfully quiet up there." I said. Thank goodness Alice really did think of everything. In the corner by the door was a spiral staircase that led to the second story of Sophia's playroom.

When we reached the landing we found Sophia standing at the back of the room, staring out the window that made up the walls.

"What are you looking at sweetie?" Nic asked as he crossed the room.

She pointed at something out the window and then looked up at Nic.

"What is that?" Nic asked as he lifted Sophia into his arms.

Then I was at his side, staring out the window. There, just fifteen yards from our back porch, was what looked like a ghost form. It was atleast 6 feet in height and 2 feet in width.Though it had no distinctive features, I could tell it was watching us. Or more like, I could sense it was. I couldn't tell if it had any eyes, or even a face.

"Nic, what is that?"

Then it was gone.

"What in the world was that?" I repeated again.

One thing my life -so far- had taught me was to fear the unknown, or at least put your guards up until you were sure there was no harm intended.

I had no idea what that creature -if it was even that- was doing at our home. More worridly, what it was doing staring at our daughter. I knew it wasn't the Volturi, they had been eliminated months ago- every last one of them. They were the only enemies I knew we had- apart from Rachel, but she was also dead.

Who could possibly be after us now? We haven't done anything wrong, or bothered anyone.

Still, what frightened me more, apart from our daughter possibly being in danger, was that I had no idea what that thing was.

Later that night, before our families departed, they ran a perimeter around the house in an attempt to find some trace of what we had seen. Unfortunately, and to a somewhat relief, no trace was found. Nic and I convinced one another that it was just a trick of the light that disappeared the moment the suns light had been blocked by the overcast.

Though, it seemed to make me feel a bit better, I could sense Nic wasn't fooled. He knew what he saw, and so did I.

It was just after eight o'clock when I put Sophia in the bath, or attempted to. The second she was in the water she began to scream at the top of her lungs so I immeadiately removed her and resorted to wiping her down with baby wipes. Even the slight dampness of the wipes unsettled her but I managed to keep her calm enough to get her cleaned for bed.

When nine o'clock hit Nic and I tucked her into bed and turned on a nightlight and put some light classical music on. Yurima always relaxed me as a child so I figured it would do the same for her.

And it did. Before Kiss The Rain had finished she was fast asleep.

Nic and I sat by her side for a half an hour more to give us some peace of mind and then we turned in for the night. The second I laid down the feeling of sleep overwhelmed me. I didn't even realize how exhausted I had been over the past week. Constantly worrying about Sophia and how she would adapt. And then the recent events of the 'thing' we had seen outside, staring up at her, plus her reaction to the water.

I was mentally drained and was in need of some decent sleep.

And so it was.

I had slept for a little while before I suddenly opened my eyes. For a moment I was confused as I saw it was just after 3am. Why was I awake? I never woke in the middle of the night unless I had a bad dream -which I didn't.

"Renesmee?" Nic said as he leaned into me and put his arm at my waist.

I quickly sat up and turned on the lamp on the night stand. The room quickly filled with light and I rose to my feet.

"Renesmee?" Nic said again.

"I'm just going to go and check on Sophia, I'll be back." I said as I walked around to his side of the bed and kissed him once on the cheek.

I grabbed my house coat off the hook by the door and slipped it on before I left the room. As I began walking down the dark hall my heart beat began to speed up. I stopped in my tracks and inhaled deeply to taste the environment.

I smelled Nic's scent, my scent, flowers, air freshener and.... fear.

I took of running down the hall and opened Sophia's door. She was still sound asleep. I let out a deep breath and crossed the room to her bedside. Leaning down I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. I stood by her side, watching her sleep, for a few minutes more. As I went to turn away I froze. From the corner of my eye I could see a faint white object near the far corner of her bedroom.

Slowly I turned my head towards it and felt my stomach sink. The 'thing' we had seen watching Sophia from outside was in her room.

I didn't bother trying not to wake her, as I hastily pulled her into my arms. As quickly as I could I ran from her room, down the hall and into ours before I slammed the door shut behind me. In half a second Nic had bolted out of the bed and was at our side.

"It's back." I gasped.

AUTHORS NOTE: Want to know how to get a chapter dedication? It's simple.

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