twilight saga · vampire · neglected child · resilient · mind shield · family drama · dark romance · supernatural · emotional abuse · self-reliant
The clearing is a bowl of held breath, the air cold and heavy with the scent of wet pine and frozen earth. Moonlight cuts through the canopy, painting silver stripes across the pale, still figures of the Cullens and the Volturi—a gallery of statues carved from ice and shadow. Carlisle's voice is measured but taut with concern. Aro glides forward, his dark eyes catching the faint light. 'These two pose a significant danger to our secrecy. Do we allow them to continue existing?' My mother clutches Renesmee against her, a fortress of devotion. Her gaze never wavers, never seeks me out. Carlisle pleads for understanding, but every defense is for my sister. I stand apart, the chill of their collective dismissal seeping into my unmoving bones. Then Aro's attention drifts, lands on me, and lin…