Sunlight - Book 3

Chapter 19

Just minutes into the boat ride to the harbor my father called me. From the spot on the deck of the boat I was barely able to make out his voice -that was no more then a whisper- as he was used to speaking low. I didn't have strong ears like my family that were full vampires but I could still hear better then the average human by far.

Turning towards the entrance to the cab of the boat I smiled at my father who was looking out the window of the control room. I skipped happily inside, humming the lullaby he made me in a upbeat tempo, the entire way.

"Daddy." I said in a singsong voice as I hopped to a stop before him.

He chuckled and then moved me to stand before him at the steering wheel of the boat. He reached his arms around me and lifted my hands and placed them on the steering wheel before taking a step back.

I gasped, my eyes widening, and turned to look at him. "Daddy!" I sighed as I turned back to look out the window.

"It's okay, just look out over the bow of the boat and turn the wheel accordingly to where you want it to go. In this case keep due north but stay away from the trees, the water lining is shallow ten yards on either side." He murmured reassuringly.

After a few seconds of navigating by myself a smile broke across my face. I couldn't believe it, I was driving the boat all by myself just like my dad. Still, I wondered where we were going.

"How bad do you want to know?" My father said.

My forehead crinkled as I began disecting his sentence. It didn't make sense as nothing I had said before could amount a response like he had given. Oh. He was reading my mind. I snickered to myself.

"Just tell me please!" I begged.

Forgetting that I was steering the boat I turned around to look at my father.

"Renesmee, the boat." My father said, his tone easy but sharp.

I felt my face flush and quickly turned back around to gain control of the wheel.

"Sorry daddy." I frowned.

I felt my fathers hands on my should. "Don't be sorry its alright."

My father relieved me of the wheel after saying I had enough boating lessons for a day. I moved to the small sitting area off to the side and watched out the window as the boat broke through the hidden driveway and into the public water expressway.

"So, where are we going?" I asked again.

Without saying a word my father took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. I took it into my hands and smoothed out one of the bent corners before I began reading.

-Chihuly Garden and Glass

-Kerry Park

-Seattle Symphony

-Discovery Park

-Space Needle

-Volunteer Park Conservatory

-Kubota Gardens

-Washington Park Arboretum

-Seattle Art Museum

-Pacific Northwest Ballet

-Blue Sky Outfitters Whitewaters

-Japanese Tea Garden

-Frye Art Museum

-Waterfall Garden Park

-Blake Island State Park

-Pacific Science Center

After I finished reading I folded the paper and handed it back to my father.

"Can we really do all this in one day?" I asked excitedly.

I was more for a scenic adventure then an educational one. But I couldn't turn down the Pacific Northwest Ballet or the Seattle Symphony. That was a must.

"I knew you would notice the lack of time combined with the natural time needed in order to do all this. For today though I have a few things that I would like us to do and then from there you can pick whatever you want."

By now we were docking in the harbor. After the boat was tied up my father and I headed off the boat and in the direction of the parking garage. Once inside I followed him to a black chevy suburban. The SUV itself looked fairly new and the scent of the leather interior as I opened the door confirmed it.

"What's first on the schedule of the day daddy?" I asked as we pulled out of the garage and onto Elliot Avenue.

"The Symphony is our first stop. Then after that I have exclusive tickets for the ballet. Once that is finished we shall have lunch in the Japanese Tea Garden with another few surprises, then its all on you."

He handed me an envelope which held the tickets needed to enter both events. But what caught my attention more was the small card with a time written on the card along with the Tea Garden. What did this mean?

It was a fifteen minute drive to the Seattle Symphony building located on University st just off of 1st Ave. As we pulled up outside the building I noted the black carpet laid out for the event. A man dressed in formal attired opened my door and then retreived the keys from my father before getting into our vehicle.

"Daddy, that man is stealing our car." I whispered as my father placed his hand on the middle of my back and began leading me inside.

He smiled as he glanced sideways at me. "He is a valet, its his job to park the vehicles for us and to retrieve it once we are finished." He spoke in a low voice.

As we made our way into the busier part of the building I noticed everyone was dressed in expensive and elegant looking things. Every head turned to look at us and I could have sworn we got several dirty looks.

"Ahem!" A familar voice called out.

I heard my father groan before I turned around. Alice was here and she was dressed in a dark green flapper styled dress that sparkled and shimmered with every movement.

"It's not necessary." I heard my father grumble.

Alice placed her hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me to her side before wrapping her arm around me. "If you are going to be taking your daughter to her first symphony, atleast let her enjoy the full experience."

After a few seconds my father groaned once more.

Alice wiggled excitedly before letting out a small squeal. "I knew you'd give in."

"You always know everything. From now on you should just cut to the chase. Instead of explaining just walk up to me and say "You're going to give in" and then just drag us off."

Alice rolled her eyes. Only she could make it seem natural to be smiling at the same time.

"Anyways. I'll take Renesmee and primp her while you go and take care of yourself. Your suit is hanging in the closet just off the sitting room in the mens lavoratories."

Alice took my hand and whisked me away. This should be interesting.

On our way to Alice's designated primping area I was stopped by faculty who told me that this was a black tie event. Alice of course told him that it would be taken care of and slipped him a fifty dollar bill to turn his head.

Once we were in the safety of the restrooms Alice confided to me that my father and I weren't supposed to be inside without proper attire. That bit of information explained why she had to pay the man to turn away.

Alice disappeared for a sixteenth of a second and then she reappeared in the form of a green and white blur. Everytime she reentered the room another item was sitting at the vanity. On her third return she was motioning for me to come to her.

As I walked to her side my eyes took note of a garmet protecting bag, a small box and another box that was double in size of the previous.

Without a word she began quickly undressing me. I didn't even need to move as she moved my limbs to where she needed them to be. After I was stripped from my clothes she removed my ungarmets and bra and then helped me into a different pair. These were made from red lace.

My eyes widened and I glanced at myself in the mirror. I felt nervous as I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt like I shouldn't be wearing this type of stuff. What would my mother say?

Then Alice went to work brushing red color onto my lips before adding a bit of under tones that she said would bring out my features in the dim light. Lastly she added a bit of red pain to my finger nails and toe nails and let them dry while she began working on my hair.

When she deemed me finished she pulled the garmet bag to herself and opened it to reveal the dress inside. The dress, like my lips and nails, was red. The entirety was lace and teeny tiny jewels.

Alice helped me into the dress and then into the red jeweled heels and then pulled me to the floor length mirror that stood in the corner of the vanity area of the womens restrooms.

My eyes popped as I looked at my reflection. I looked really pretty but my look was more like my aunt Rosalie's then my mothers in style. I looked like a adult. My dress was strapless and hung formfittingly to my body but slacked as it passed my mid thigh. The bottom half of my dress was loose and sheer instead of lace. It hung floorlength in the back but knee length in the front.

"Now for the finishing touches." Alice said as she wrangled a intricate diamond necklace on me. Matching earrings and a hair comb soon followed.

"There we go!" Alice stood back to admire her work. "You are perfect."

She quickly stowed the items away quickly before grabbing her black beaded clutch.

I followed her from the restroom and down the hall to the foyer outside the entrance to the theater. When my father saw me his eyes all but popped out of his skull. He looked around the room and then briskly walked over to Alice and I.

"I agreed to the full experience but not this!" My father hissed. "She doesn't need to be wearing such revealing clothes Alice, she is too young."

I frowned. "Daddy, don't I look pretty?"

My father sighed. "it around me so that I was more covered. "There, she is more covered but don't think for a second it will ease the minds of the men."

"It will ease my mind." My father said before looping his arm around my shoulder and leading me to the doors that had just opened to the tOf course you do Renesmee but that's not my point. My point is-" He paused and growled before turning his head to look at a pair of gentlemen just a few yards to our left. "-My point is all these men are thinking about my daughter in ways I would prefere to not hear."

"Edward, stop being so irrational. They are just men and that is how they will always think. Especially when it comes to Renesmee."

My fathers head snapped to the right and his expression was manic. "If I kill someone today I blame you Alice."

Alice smirked. "If you kill someone I'm sure your wife will have the last word with you." She winked and then walked off down the hall only to return a few minutes later with a long black sheer cloak which she placed over me and pulled heater.

I walked with my father down to the first row of seats. They had the name Cullen embroidered in every chair on this row and the one behind it too.

After we took our seats and the rest of the crowd did the same the doors closed and the lights dimmed until only the stage was lit. Then it began.