Red Moon ~ Chapter 9 ~ Theories

Chapter 9: Theories

We didn’t have to announce to anyone that I had phased back, Edward had told everyone. They were standing in the living room waiting for us. Mom hugged me tightly and I hugged her back. What if I stayed a fox forever? What if I could never hug her again? For several minutes, though they seemed like ages, no one said anything.

“Baby, are you okay? I was so worried about you!” mom whispered into my hair.

“Yes, mom I’m fine, Jacob found me,” I said as I pulled back a little to breath from her crushing hug.

She raised her head and gave him a questioning look. Her nose wrinkled and her face looked like she smelled something really bad. It must be the way Jacob smells… but she looked thankful he was around.

“Later,” he said as he observed her reaction.

“Mom, I’m tired, can I go sleep? We’ll talk in the morning,” I begged, sleep calling my name.

“Of course. Alice left you a pair of pajamas on the bed in Renesmee’s room.” She sighed and hugged me once more.

“Okay. See you all in the morning,” I said as I walked to my room, waving and not giving anyone else a chance to ask any more questions. Not tonight anyway. 

    

They murmured disappointed goodnight and Nessie followed me. I quickly put my PJ’s on, left the clothes Alice gave me on the desk chair, lay in the bed and pulled the blanket up to my nose.

“Are you sure you are okay? Because…you know…last time you were a-” Nessie cut off.

“Fox? Yes. I’m fine. Thanks to Jake. Sorry for growling at you, I didn’t mean to,” I said, shame obvious in my voice.

“Don’t worry. Go to sleep. You had a long day. Night,” she said sweetly as she sat on the bed and rubbed the top of my head that was peeking out under the covers.

“Night,” I said as I listened to her hum the most beautiful lullaby.

It wasn’t hard to fall asleep. Nessie’s lullaby easily coaxed me into slumber, but then I started seeing a dream. I was in the forest again. Ness and Jake were with me too. There were no foxes, no wolves, nothing weirder than usual. Just the three of us. Hanging out. It was a calm dream. I slept deeply that night and even though I couldn’t remember exactly what it was about I woke up in a very good mood and completely refreshed for the first time in a very long time.

The curtains in the room were tightly shut, so I couldn’t tell what time it was. Nessie was not in bed. I happily skipped out of the room humming my favorite song. Alice and Nessie were chatting about shopping and Esme was just coming down the stairs.

“Hi, Eshe. Did you sleep well?” She asked as she came up and gave me a sweet hug and warm smile.

“Yes, I feel great. Where are the others?” I responded honestly.

“Carlisle is upstairs in his office and Rosalie, Edward, Bella and your parents have gone hunting,” Esme continued.

“Jasper and Emmett?” I asked about the ones she did not mention.

“They’re fighting. Emmett got bored of bears; they’re too easy for him,” Alice answered. We all giggled.

“Hey, Eshe, wanna go hunting?” Renesmee asked me.

“Yeah, but later. I want to ask Carlisle about some stuff first if you don’t think he would mind,” I queried.

“Stuff?” she asked not realizing what I meant at first.

I gave her a meaningful look with a cocked eyebrow.

“Oh, stuff. Okay.” She smiled and gave me a wink.

“Go up now. He can work later. He won’t mind at all,” Esme said shooing me up the stairs.

I disappeared right away, but I stopped right in front of the door.

“Come in Eshe. Sweetie,” he said before I had time to knock.

He was sitting in his office as Esme had said, smiling as I walked in the door and patted the chair inviting me to sit down. I went and sat next to him.

“Can you try and explain some things to me?” I asked shyly.

“About changing into a fox?” he asked me.

“Yes.” I turned away as I answered him.

“I was wondering about that while you were sleeping. I talked to Jacob and your parents. They said you have never turned into an animal before, right?” he continued as he gently reached and turned my face to look at him.

“Yes. So you don’t know what’s wrong with me?” I asked, tears fighting to fall and turn me into a blubbering teenage girl.

“Eshe, dear, there is nothing wrong with you. I have a theory though. I think it is a gift you had from your birth, you just didn’t know until now,” he said reassuringly.

“Two abilities? Is that even possible?” I asked shocked.

“Probably. But I don’t think it’s a completely different power, but some kind of extension of your first one,” he continued as he wrinkled his forehead in thought. 

“So I may be able to change into other animals too?” I perked up and listened more intently.

“I doubt it. But you may be able to change some things in your appearance while you are in your fox form,” he said distantly like he was imagining something.

As he said that, a crazy picture came to my mind. A fox with purple fur. I was about to burst into laughter.

“Can...” I giggled “...can I change my fur too?” I couldn’t hold it anymore and started laughing.

Carlisle smiled. “No, I don’t think you can. But probably your eyes can change color. Of course, we really don’t know the extent of your shifting, since it is so new to all of us.”

I nodded.

“I’m trying to understand if your ability is like Jacob's. Can you tell me some things about yesterday?” he asked as he patted my hand gently.

“Yes.”

“Okay. When you phased did it hurt? Was there any pain?” he questioned, Dr. Cullen kicking in.

“Pain? No. I didn’t even realize what I was until I looked at myself in the water. Why? Should it hurt?” I squirmed in my seat.

“I am not sure. I have never heard of anybody else changing into a fox. But all Quileute boys have said the first transformation is painful. And it takes them much longer to change back too. Have you growing a lot lately, like becoming taller suddenly or more muscular?” he continued, the questions sounding like a medical examination questionnaire.

I shook my head no.

“Then there is another difference…” He trailed off in thought for a moment.

Great. Again, I can’t fit in anywhere. Why couldn’t I be at least a normal shape shifter?!

“Hmm…” was all I could say. I heard a snicker coming from downstairs. Edward?

“And something else. Jacob said you were talking while you were in animal form. Could you hear his thoughts?” Carlisle asked.

“Not everything. Just what he wanted me to hear, I guess. And every now and then, I would see a flash of a picture that may have went with a thought he was having, but I am not sure. And I think I did the same thing to him too,” I explained the best I could.

“Interesting. I have a theory for that too. But I am not sure.” He scratched his head and looked at something he had written on his desk and wrote something down in the same notebook.

“Can you tell me?” I asked anxiously.

“I’m not sure it works this way, but I suppose all shape shifters have some kind of connection with each other. I mean everyone in Jacob’s pack can hear the thoughts of the other members of the pack while in wolf form. So does Sam's pack as well. The two packs can’t contact with each other except the between the Alpha’s, Jacob and Sam. But even then, they can’t hear every single thought of each other; I think it’s more like the way Sam and Jacob can communicate. You don’t belong to a pack but you are like one on your own, I suppose. So you can speak with the Alpha’s like Jacob and Sam when you are in your fox form,” he tried to explain in a way I would understand. This was all so new to me and overwhelming.

“So I can’t talk with everyone, just Sam and Jacob?” I asked him, trying to understand his thinking.

 

“At the moment, Eshe, I guess so. I don’t know much about it and as I told you, this is all just a theory, but I will do some more research and let you know if I find out more about it. Oh, just try not to get angry, I think this was what triggered your change,” he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder and pulled me into a slight hug.

I hugged him back, then pulled away and asked, “Would I have had this ability if I didn’t get that angry?”

“Yes, you would. Just later maybe. With the wolves, it happened the same. They changed either way, just the ones under a lot of stress or anger phased a little earlier than they would normally have. You hadn’t been having such anger outbursts before, had you?” he questioned again, Dr. Cullen style.

I shook my head and he nodded in understanding.

“Thank you, Carlisle,” I said genuinely and hugged him again.

“You’re welcome. Now go downstairs and eat breakfast. Your mom cooked before she left. You have been sleeping for almost twenty hours.” He smiled and pushed me toward the door.

“I want to go hunting today,” I said and I heard a loud “Woo Hoo!” come from downstairs. Nessie?

He chuckled at his granddaughter then said, “Oh, okay. Just try to keep in control. And don’t go alone.”

“I won’t. As you heard, Nessie asked me earlier, so we will go together and she’ll have her cell, okay?” I laughed.

“Sure.” He said as he opened the door for me.

After that, I rushed out of the room. Alice and Renesmee were talking again, but Nessie wasn’t focused or paying any attention to her. Within seconds, she was standing at the bottom of the stairs and as soon she saw me, she grabbed my hand and pulled me out through the front door. This can’t be good…

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