Emmett came to a halt at the side of Kit's house, expertly jumping up and clinging to the side of the house. He winced when he landed with a little more force than necessary and pushed open Kit's window, climbing silently into her bedroom.

He could hear Kit. She was in the bathroom, humming to herself as she did whatever she needed to do, and briefly Emmett debated leaving for a minute, then coming back when Kit was settled in bed. He didn't want to frighten her, but instead he moved away from the window, further into the bedroom, a look of disgust on his face.

Kit's room reeked.

The scent was foul and plastic-like. It smelled like something that should have burned his nose, but didn't.

His eyes swept the room. He could see every single microscopic detail. Every color and spectrum of light. He could count the dust mites in the air and every stitch in Kit's carpet if he wanted too. He could see that her music stand had been moved a quarter of an inch from where it had been the last time he had been in her room. There was some paper, sheet music, books and pencils on her bed from whatever Kit had been working on. Besides that clutter, the bedroom was spotless as she usually kept it.

There was nothing drastically different about the setup of Kit's room and he walked forward, sniffing to try and place where the smell was coming from. Her dresser.

He walked closer and the smell intensified. He was suddenly thankful that breathing wasn't necessary.

He stopped when he reached the furniture and glanced at the bathroom door. Would this count as an invasion of privacy? Was this justified?

'Oh well,' he thought, pulling open the drawer.

"Thank, God," he breathed when he spotted all the folded shirts. Part of him would have felt bad if he had to go through Kit's underwear drawer.

Hesitantly, he sniffed again and riffled through the drawer, pulling up shirt after shirt until his hand felt something that was definitely not a shirt.

It was a napkin and there was something folded inside. He pulled the edges back and his mouth fell open. He even stumbled back a couple, shocked steps and his head whipped around to the door as if he could see Kit through it. Only, X-Ray vision didn't come with the whole vampire thing.

Blinking and shaking his head, Emmett turned his attention back to the napkin, opening it up even further.

It was a sandwich. At least, it had been. The foul smell was coming from the bright fuzzy blue mold that was starting to grow both on the bread and from the inside of the sandwich. It was completely spoiled.

"Kit's hiding food…" Emmett whispered, needing to hear it in order to believe it.

Why was she hiding food? He couldn't comprehend this. He was aware that she didn't like eating in front of people, but he hadn't really counted Kit's family as those kind of "people". He had figured her anxiety surfaced at school and around strangers.

Then again, maybe that wasn't it. When Carlisle had inquired about Kit's eating habits, Alice had said Kit was eating perfectly fine when she was alone, but was Kit starving herself? Did she have some kind of serious food issue? Was she still trying to lose weight? She was already petite, she didn't need to lose weight, didn't Kit understand that!?

The sound of the bathroom door opening startled Emmett so hard that he almost cried out. Faster than lightening, the sandwich was folded back into its napkin and placed in the drawer. It was closed and he was sitting, perfectly straight on the bed before the door opened fully.

"Oh," Kit gasped slightly, clearly having not expected to see him there. She recovered quickly and smiled, "Hey, you."

"Hi," Emmett looked her up and down. She was wearing bright yellow pajama pants and a matching button-up shirt with long sleeves. She had the clothes she had worn that day bundled up and he watched her toss them into the hamper.

"Are you okay?" Kit asked, noticing the intense way he eyed her. She padded over to him and began to clean up the mess on her bed, "What's wrong?"

Emmett flashed an innocent smile,"Nothing! Carlisle beat me in chess before I came over. You know that I'm a sore loser, baby."

Kit giggled and looked over her shoulder at him, "Yes, I remember."

Emmett made a sound of acknowledgment and watched Kit hurry around her room to put her stuff away. He was holding his breath but moving his shoulders and Kit didn't look to be affected by the smell. Though it was foul, he was more worried about her than anything.

He scooted over on the bed to make room for Kit. They both barely fit on the mattress, but made do.

Kit snuggled up close to him and he kissed the top of her head, feeling her body relax.

"Hey, Emmett?" she asked timidly.

"Mhm?" he hummed.

He looked down just in time to see her bite her lip and frown.

"Can I asked you something?" her voice was very quiet, "About…Victoria?"

Emmett stiffened and rage pulsed through him at the thought of the female. He took a deep breath, wincing when he tasted the mold in the air.

"She's not going to get you or your family, Kit," he told her, "I promise. We're keeping an eye out, especially Jazz. He's good at that stuff. There's been no plane tickets or car rentals."

Kit shook her head, "No. I mean, I'm worried about that, but that's not my question. I—what's going to happen to her?"

His bright gold eyes colored in confusion, "We talked about this," he said slowly, "About how vampires…er…die."

"No, I know," Kit sighed impatiently, "I meant, Victoria and James are mates or I guess…were. So what happens to Victoria now that James is…dead?"

Emmett hesitated. He knew what Kit was really asking and he always hesitated when it came to the topic of him and Kit being mates. He always brushed it off and promised to tell her later. He really was going to tell her later, but he wasn't sure precisely when later was.

He prided himself on his blunt honesty, but with Kit, he tended to think a little more.

After a stretch of silence, he said, "I…don't know what to say."

He felt Kit nod slowly against him and he supposed that was her answer.

"I see," she muttered, "…That's so sad. I feel bad for her."

"You know she tried to kill you," Emmett blurted, "She wants to kill you and she'll stop at nothing until she succeeds."

Ah, there was that blunt honesty.

"I'm aware," Kit whispered, shuddering, "I just—I don't know. She's all alone."

'Leave it to Kit to feel bad for someone plotting to drain her dry,' Emmett thought. Briefly, he wondered if he knew her as well as he thought he did.

"There are a lot of nomadic vampires," he pointed out. He hoped that would make her feel better, though that wasn't how it worked, "Why are you so concerned about her?" he placed his free hand on her hip, "What's going on?"

"Well, it's sad and now she's going to be alone…no one deserves a fate like that...and I guess—I'm still trying to understand some things," Kit answered his question, her voice soft, "I'm trying to understand why James was like that. Peter and Charlotte drink human blood and they're—why are they so different than Victoria and James?"

"Psychology," Emmett said simply, "We all still have our individual characteristics. Our interests, our dislikes, our personality. All of that with our natural behavior and needs as a human are frozen with us during the transformation, but they're heightened as well. Like our senses."

"Ahhh," Kit breathed, "Okay, yes, now I get it. So, that's where Esme and Carlisle get-

"—they're gifts from?" Emmett finished, "Yeah, exactly. Not every vampire is the same."

"I'm sorry!" she uttered in quick apology. The bed shifted as she looked at him, "I didn't mean to offend you."

Emmett forced himself to laugh quietly, fearful of waking Kit's parents.

"You didn't, babe," he said, "I don't expect you to remember every single detail of being a vampire. Our memories are perfect, but it took me forever to get the hang of it."

"Oh," Kit said.

Her tone was bland and Emmett could tell there was still a heavy weight on her mind. Maybe she was still thinking about Victoria. Not only that, but each time he saw her that day she was yawning. She was probably exhausted.

"Sleep," he told her.

"Bossy," Kit teased, closing her eyes. She pulled the blanket up further, "I'm about too."

When Kit tilted her face up, Emmett gave her chaste kiss, smiling warmly at her when he pulled away.

"Goodnight," he said, "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, turning over on her other side, "Goodnight."

It took ten minutes for Kit's breath to even out and when it did, he sighed, scrubbing his free hand over his childlike face. Ugh, Victoria and should he have said something about the sandwich? No, he didn't want to humiliate her and he knew how she felt about confrontation. Plus, he had technically snooped through her drawers and while he knew it was wrong, he had done it anyway. Part of him felt terrible and guilty, the other part justified his actions.

He sighed again and leaned his head back against the cushion headboard.

'She has to be eating,' he thought, glimpsing at Kit, 'Or she'd get low blood sugar and lately, that's been fine.'

He looked down again when Kit made a groaning sound and shifted in her sleep, tossing and turning until she settled down, facing him.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger before he pulled away. He moved his gaze from her face, knowing how she felt about him watching her sleep.

The sudden sound of small footsteps caused him to stiffen and he gently moved Kit's position, darting to hide in the shadows by Kit's closet. As flexible as he was, he doubted he could fit inside with his large, muscular frame.

The door to the bathroom creaked open and Indigo poked her head through, then shuffled forward, dressed in pink footy pajamas and a gray stuffed bunny with floppy ears tucked under her arm.

Emmett watched her get close to Kit and then she lifted a hand, shaking Kit gently.

"Kii-iii-ttty?" she asked between a yawn, "Kitty?"

"Mmm," Kit shifted in her sleep and her eyes cracked open, "Hey, sweetie," her voice was slurred with sleep, "Wha's the matter?"

Indigo's lower lip stuck out in a pout, "I had a bad dream. Can I sleep in here?"

Emmett saw Kit turn her head, probably looking for him and he felt a little bad that he had left her, but knew that he couldn't be caught in Kit's room.

"Of course," Kit breathed scooting over. She lazily patted the spot, "C'mere."

Indigo clambered into Kit's bed and Kit pulled Indigo as close as possible, causing Emmett to smile. He knew how much Indigo meant to Kit and he could tell their relationship was deeper than sisterhood.

"Thank you," Indigo whispered, laying her head on Kit's shoulder. She yawned again.

It wasn't long until the two were asleep and when it was all clear, Emmett zipped to the window and pushed it open, closing it once he was outside and jumped down.

Lost in the high of running, the run home was speedy, but of course he had taken some time to swing and jump from trees and he arrived at the front door in record time, picking out a few leaves from his curly hair.

While they had a high-tech security system in place, there was no reason to lock the door. There were no neighbors or anyone for miles and if it was another vampire or some other supernatural creature, a locked door wouldn't stop them from entering.

He walked through the door and Rosalie was the first to greet him. Sort of.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded with a scowl and one hand placed on her shapely hip.

Emmett sauntered past her and plopped down onto one of the many chairs that occupied the space near the flatscreen TV, "I know this constantly comes as a shock to you, Rosie, but…" he paused for dramatic effect, "I. Live. Here."

Rosalie was not amused, but Alice giggled, coming to sit next to him. A second later, she moved to sit on Jasper's lap.

"Why aren't you with Kit?" she asked. She tilted her head, "Did something happen?"

'Yup,' he thought.

"No," he said, "Nothin'."

"Somethin'," Jasper replied, backing off when Emmett glared at him.

"She's just worried about Victoria," Emmett told his siblings, recalling the odd conversation, "That's all," he shrugged casually. He supposed that much was true. Kit was worried, only not in the way the others would think.

Rosalie hissed, "We killed Victoria's mate. She's not going to let that go. More trouble for us," she said, irritated under her breath, but everyone who was in the room heard her.

"It's not about us," Alice said gently, touching Rosalie's hand, "It's about keeping Kit and Bella safe."

Rosalie only scoffed in disgust and rolled her eyes, turning back to the magazine she had picked up.

"Whatever," she spat, flicking a piece of blonde hair from her face.

Emmett eyed Rosalie, but chose not to say anything, pressing his lips together. While he loved Rosalie more than he could express, he was getting sick of her catty comments and death glares towards Kit and Bella. If he was honest, he could understand her resentment for Bella—it was personal and while he didn't agree with it, Bella could make her own decisions. She was cool and very entertaining. He enjoyed seeing her and hoped Edward would bring her around more often.

But Kit? That, he failed to understand. Kit hadn't done anything wrong. Maybe he was just bias, but to his knowledge, Kit had never said or done anything to personally harm or offend Rosalie.

'Kit would never hurt a fly,' Emmett thought, 'The only person she ever hurts is herself.'

With an angry sound, he popped up out of his seat and darted up the stairs, ignoring the looks he got from his siblings. Carlisle had worked a 48-hour shift, but Emmett knew he was home. They weren't due for another hunt until next week. Earlier if someone—most likely Jasper—needed it. None of them really liked hunting alone.

Only he hesitated when he reached his father's room. He remembered the look on Kit's face when he told her he'd spoken to Carlisle. She had panicked and he apologized for not asking her.

'But then she admitted she would have done the same thing,' he argued.

With that, he burst into Carlisle and Esme's room without knocking.

"You need to talk to Kit soon," he blurted to Carlisle, "Because she's hiding food and you need to fix it!"

"So," Blake started, Friday morning, "You're going to pack…?"

"Uh-huh," Kit confirmed in her own drawl, passing her father a dripping wet plate.

"And Emmett's picking you up…?" Blake continued.

"Yes," she said, "And Willa's parents drive her to school. So, instead of them picking us all up at school, after dance, Jessica and Willa are going to drive to the school, pick me up, then we're all going to go to Willa's house and we're staying for the whole weekend. I'll be back Sunday."

Blake nodded, rubbing harshly at a spot on a drinking glass.

"And you're just going to tote around your clothes and Nero all day?" he asked.

Kit passed over a cereal bowl and answered, "No, Emmett's going to keep it in his trunk until after school and Willa said that Jessica and I could shower at her house. It's all worked out."

Blake seemed to accept that, "Very well. That all sounds okay."

"Here, I'll finish up," Everly said, coming to stand beside Kit, "Go make sure you have all your stuff."

Kit dried her hands, "Thanks, mom."

She left the kitchen and hurried upstairs to her room. Her leopard print bag was sitting open on her bed next to her violin. She had packed her pajamas, a couple pair of high-waisted jeans, her undergarments, her toiletries, her phone charger. She planned to wear the black Mary Jane heels that she already donned, and…

"I need one more shirt," she mumbled, turning to face her dresser, "The pink one."

As soon as she opened her dresser, the smell hit her full force. It was almost sickly sweet and musty at the same time. It irritated her nose and caused her to sniffle as a hand came up to cover her nose, a frown on her face.

Her mouth fell open then, realization dawning upon her. Her eyes moved to both doors in her room and she rushed to the main one, hurrying to close it and wincing when it squeaked.

As soon as it clicked shut, she rushed back to her dresser drawer. When she spotted the pink shirt, she placed it aside and lifted shirt after shirt, until she found what she was looking for.

She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath until her lungs burned and she turned away from what was in her hands to inhale shakily.

When she turned back, she pulled apart the napkin and winced at the sight. No wonder the inside of her nose had been so itchy lately. It was from the mold growing on the old grilled sandwich. While she could clearly remember the day that she had hidden it, she couldn't believe it had slipped her mind.

She shook her head, disgusted with herself. She couldn't dwell on the feeling for long due to the knock on her door.

Panicking, she wrapped up the sandwich shoved it back into her drawer. She could still smell it, but the air freshener was all the way in the bathroom, under the sink and she didn't have any perfume.

"I-I'm changing my shirt," she called, "I got it all wet."

"Emmett's here," Blake said through the door.

"Okay," Kit replied, "I'll be down in a minute. Hey, daddy? Could you get me a plastic ziploc bag from the kitchen?"

"No problem, Kit Kat."

As soon as his footsteps faded, Kit placed her arms atop the dresser, resting her forehead against them.

"Oh my gosh…" she breathed, lifting her head. She could feel her heart racing and now she needed to change.

Scurrying over to her closet, she moved a few hangers aside and picked out a dress. She didn't have time to pick out a whole other outfit.

It was a turquoise blue cotton dress with a folksy black floral print and it would match her shoes.

As fast as she could, she yanked off her skirt and shirt, pulling the dress over her head and stumbling over to her mirror as she tried to figure out the correct holes.

"Here you go, Kit Kat," came Blake's voice from outside her door, "Hurry, you're going to be late."

"I'm coming!" Kit practically yelled, voice slightly muffled, "In a minute."

Blake said something else, but Kit failed to hear him, due to her struggling to get dressed. She finally pulled it over her head, chest heaving with the effort. She adjusted the full circle skirt and the bib & button detail at the neckline, smoothing down her hair that had been ruffled.

Her eyes trailed down her reflection and she chewed the inside of her cheek, perking up in slight alarm.

She went back to her closet and slipped on a black long-sleeved tie front shrug and went to go pick up the bag that her father had slid under the door.

She reopened her dresser and picked up the sandwich, dropping it inside the bag and held her breath. She squeezed all the air out and zipped it closed.

She didn't want to leave it in her room any longer and couldn't throw it away here nor at Willa's house. That was completely unacceptable behavior.

'School,' she thought, the bathroom flashing through her mind, 'The trashcans in there are huge.'

With her mind made up and knowing that she was keeping Emmett waiting, she folded the ziploc bag as much as she could and placed it carefully into one of the front pockets in her satchel. She didn't keep anything in there, so there was no reason the sandwich would be disturbed or fall out.

Now that that was taken care of, she tossed the pink shirt into her carry-on bag as well as some sheet music, then zipped it up, double-checking that she had everything that she would need for the two day sleepover.

She shouldered her school satchel, her violin in one hand and her sleepover bag in the other. She left her room and was impressed at the way she managed to get down the stairs in six inch heels. Though as soon as she was spotted, Emmett went up the rest of the stairs to help.

"Here, let me," he took her violin case and her bag. He kissed her, "Good morning."

"Morning," Kit greeted with a smile, jumping off the last step.

"What took you so long?" Indigo asked, making a face.

"I was looking for my pink shirt and I couldn't find it," Kit explained, "That's all."

"In the top drawer of your dresser," Everly said, flummoxed, "That's where you put all your shirts."

Kit's smile was a bit tense, "That's where I found it, but it was all the way at the bottom," wanting to change the subject, she looked up at Emmett, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"

"Not at all," Emmett said, "Ready to go?"

"Yes," she said bouncing on her toes. She went forward to hug her mother, "I'll see you all on Sunday and I'll make sure to call."

"Good," before pulling away, Everly slipped some money into Kit's hand, "In case you go anywhere or you need anything."

"Thanks, mom," Kit placed it into the bag on Emmett's arm, "I love you."

"I love you more," Everly replied.

Kit shook her head and went to hug her father, "Not possible."

Everly smiled, "Yes, possible."

Giggling, Kit kissed her father's cheek, "Bye, daddy."

"See you, Kit Kat," he said, "Have fun."

"I will," she knelt down to her sister, "Bye, sweetheart. Have a nice weekend. Do your homework."

"Okaaay," Indigo huffed, "I always do, don't I?"

"Yes, you do," Kit agreed, pecking her sister's forehead, "I'll see you Sunday," she went to Emmett's side and noticed that he had a fond look on his face, "Let's go."

"Bye, Emmett," Indigo said.

"See ya' 'round, kiddo," Emmett said warmly, "Goodbye, Everly, Blake."

Everly bounced on her toes, "Goodbye, honey. Take care of yourself."

With their farewells given, Kit let Emmett lead her to the car and she got into the passenger side while he put her things in the trunk.

She kept her satchel tucked behind her feet, looking up with large eyes when she heard the door open.

"You're jumpy, today," Emmett pointed out.

"Am I?" Kit asked, her voice high-pitched, "I think I'm nervous about everything. Indigo's starting soccer, the end of the year is coming up and it's going to be my parents' birthday. I don't know…" she trailed off, tense and uncomfortable.

She had yet to tell Emmett about playing for Willa's auditions. While she knew he would be very supportive, she wanted to wait. Just in case she screwed up.

It was silent the rest of the way to school and Kit dug her teeth into her lip, then began to bite her nails. Throwing away a moldy sandwich shouldn't be making her so uneasy, but it was. She just wanted to get rid of it.

A small yelp left her mouth when she felt a hand on her thigh and she whipped her head around to see Emmett, his eyes wide and his hands held up with his palms facing upwards.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, "I—we're at school. I'm sorry."

Kit relaxed, a hand going to her heart, "No, no, you're fine. You didn't do anything wrong. I was spacing out. Honestly, I was a million miles away."

Emmett lowered his hands, still hesitant, "Yeah…I could tell."

"I'm fine, Em," Kit leaned as far as the seat belt would allow and pressed her lips firmly to his. She pulled away, "Lost in my thoughts."

"Anything I can help with?" Emmett queried, "I know you're doing the prom poster, Indigo's starting soccer, your parents' birthday," he ticked off on his fingers, "Homework. I can help you study?"

"You already do that," Kit said, still lost in thought, "And you said you'd teach me the rules of soccer. I'm just," she cut herself off with a sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead, "I need to get more organized," she forced a laugh.

Emmett rolled his eyes playfully, "I don't think that's possible."

"We'll see," Kit teased. She unbuckled her seat belt as more cars began to pull into the lot, "Come on."

"Kit, wait!"

Emmett's hand seized her wrist and Kit turned her head, then the rest of her body when she saw the look on his face. Perhaps she had imagined it, however, because now his face was a mask of calm and while searching his eyes, she saw the same cheerful youthfulness that she always saw.

"After the weekend, on Tuesday, can we talk?" Emmett asked.

"Talk?" Kit repeated as if the word was foreign to her, "Sure, but we can't talk now? There's still time."

"I thought we could talk after the weekend," Emmett said, "On Tuesday?"

Kit licked her lips, eyes full of suspicion, "That's oddly specific. Are—do you want to break up with me?" she asked sadly. She wouldn't be surprised.

"What!?" Emmett gasped, horrified that she had come to that conclusion, "God, no! No, Kit…" he took her face in his hands, "It's Spring, now and Monday's going to be a rare sunny day. That's all."

Color flooded Kit's cheeks, "Oh," she laughed breathlessly, "Now I feel stupid, I'm sorry. What did you want to talk about?"

"It's nothing bad, if that's what you're worried about." he said, flashing an easy grin, "Come on, we're going to be late."

She frowned at both the cryptic statement and the deflection. She still had the look on her face when Emmett opened her door.

"It's not something we should talk about at school," he informed her.

'What, vampires?' she thought, accepting his hand, 'That's never stopped him before.'

Only she didn't press the issue any further and with her free hand, she picked at her nails nervously.

"It's okay, Kit," Emmett soothed her, "It's nothing to be worried about."

"Mhm," Kit lied, lips tugging into a brief smile, "I know."

Walking between Willa and Jessi, Kit laughed, loudly, covering her mouth with her hand. The trio was on their way to Jessi's car after school.

Jessica Saraf was a nice and beautiful girl. She was a few inches taller than Kit with thick shiny black hair that fell down her back past her waist. She had dark brown eyes and russet skin.

"It was so mortifying!" Jessi raved, "God, I didn't even care if I placed."

"Oh my gosh," another giggle burst from Kit's lips, "Did the judges know it was a bra? They had to right? With the clasp in the back?"

"No," Jessi chortled, "I mean, they might have noticed, but, like, we sewed a bunch of purple patches to it and one in the back to make it less noticeable."

"That was the best day of my life," Willa said through a laugh, "And our teacher got upset at her too, but wouldn't risk pulling the number."

Jessi shook her head, "It wasn't even my fault and I cried for hours afterwards. But, hey, I wanted to dance…it was worth it and I'd do it again!"

"You would not!" Willa interjected.

"Okay, she's right," Jessi bumped Kit's shoulder, flicking her eyebrows up, "I would die first."

"Hey, you did it once," Kit said, "That's…" she shook her head, then laughed again, "Oh gosh, I don't even have the words."

Snickering, Jessi popped the trunk to her maroon 2001 Buick LeSabre, "Who would have words? It didn't look bad, but it was still embarrassing."

"The other costumes kind of looked like bras," Willa defended, handing Kit her violin to place in the trunk.

"Yeah," Jessi agreed. She jerked her head towards the front, "Willa, you're going to have to sit up front with me. I don't know the way."

"Sure," Willa agreed.

Kit climbed into the back behind the passenger seat, placing her satchel on the floor. She had ditched the moldy sandwich before lunch. Excusing herself to the bathroom. She had still been nervous from her and Emmett's earlier conversation, but he assured her that everything was going to be fine and while wary, she trusted him.

"So, Kit," Jessi started, "How long have you been playing the violin?"

"Since I was six," Kit answered proudly.

"You've always played?" Jessi asked, "For that long?"

"Um, I didn't always play," Kit answered, "I took a break when I was eight and sometimes I'd stop, then start again if I got too busy, but it's something I've always tried to stick with."

Curiosity clearly peaked, Jessi asked, "Why'd you take a break?"

"My sister was born," Kit said with a soft smile, "Both of my parents had to work, so I had to take care of her with my grandma and I couldn't go to my lessons without a way to get there and I couldn't play if it would wake her up."

"Take a left, then another left, then go straight," Willa instructed to Jessi.

"Aww, no way?" Jessi frowned at Kit in the rear view mirror, "That must have been awful."

"Eh," Kit waved it off, "I was a little upset—I didn't understand at first, but I loved taking care of my sister. Do you have any siblings?"

"Two," Jessi moaned, but she was smiling, "An older sister and a younger brother. I kind of get it. There were times I couldn't go to dance and I'd be furious. Once, I had to miss a competition and I blamed my siblings."

"Wow…" Kit breathed, shocked, "Do you guys get along?"

"My sister, yeah, but my brother gets on my last nerve," Jessi made a face, "He's eleven, going through that annoying phase...which is all the time. Do you and your sister get along?"

"Yes," Kit nodded, "She would annoy me when we were both younger, but it's fine, now."

Jessi glanced at Willa, "Are we leaving you out?"

"No," Willa said with a chuckle, glancing at a street sign, "Turn right up here and then go straight. It's the fourth house on the right, the one with the dark blue car in front."

"Are you sure we shouldn't have brought anything?" Kit inquired, a little worried.

"Yeah," Willa promised, "Everything's taken care of. We have a million blankets and pillows. Kit, my parents know that you're a vegetarian and we went grocery shopping the other day. We'll be sleeping in the living room."

"Cool," Jessi said simply, pulling into Willa's driveway.

It was a fair-sized house surrounded by bright green grass and trees; like the rest of Forks. Leading up to the dark brown front door, there were a number of concrete steps.

Jessi paused getting out of the car, "Should we bring our backpacks in or not?"

"Ugh," Willa groaned, "I have to bring mine in anyway, but I don't want to study," she twisted around to look at Kit, "Do you?"

Kit looked up, having been sending a text to her parents and grinned sheepishly, "No, not really."

Jessi was the first to get out of the car, "Then, we can leave ours in the trunk. It'll be less stuff to carry."

"Okay," Kit chirped and closed the car door, going around to the trunk, "Willa, please tell me that you picked a song!"

"I did!" Willa exclaimed, her backpack slung over her shoulder, "I narrowed it down to two. Entr'acte by Tchaikovsky or God Help The Outcasts—I can't remember who that's by."

"Hey, those are both from Disney movies," Jessi pointed out.

Digging her house key out of her pocket, Willa nodded, "Yeah, I know. 'Sleeping Beauty' and the 'Hunchback of Notre dame'. I'm stuck on the first one because I like that movie better, but Kit's the one that's going to play it."

Kit opened her mouth to respond, but closed it when Willa got the door open. She entered after Jessi where a harsh blast of warm air hit her. Her shoulders relaxed at the feeling and scent of incense.

They stood on a square of tiled floor and there were two small staircases, one going down to another floor and one going up to where Kit assumed to be the living room.

She copied Willa and Jessi in removing her shoes and took a pair of socks out from her bag once she set it down next to her violin. She thought it rude to walk around barefoot in someone's house.

She picked up her bag again and hurried to follow Jessi and Willa who were already climbing the stairs.

"Maan, ham yahaan hain!" Willa shouted, climbing the six carpeted stairs. She turned to her friends and spoke in English, "My dad's at work."

"Hello, Kit, Jessi," Lahari greeted warmly. She showed her white teeth as she smiled, "How are you?"

"Good," Kit and Jessi answered in unison.

The living room was large and spacious with a flat screen TV and a brick fireplace. On the mantle were framed family photos and above that on the wall, was a huge framed photo of Sahar and Lahari on their wedding day.

Taking up the entire middle of the square living room and the dark beige carpet was a beautiful large red Agra rug. At the center of the rug was a small quatrefoil medallion of lotus flowers spewing forth, sparkling against the classic red ground. There were golden strap work vines brimming with palmettes of every shape and description and an ivory ground palmette border.

"You have a beautiful home," Kit complimented, her gaze lingering on a vase and a few decorations. There was a sleek brown table in the corner—the Korai's home altar.

"Ahh, thank you," Lahari smiled and followed Kit's gaze to a bronze statue. She pointed to it, "From India."

"It's pretty," Kit said, noticing the sparkle even under the dim light bulbs.

"We're going to go to my room and then downstairs," Willa said, her accent much thicker than Kit had ever heard it.

"Kya aap bhookhe hain?" Lahari asked, gesturing towards Jessi and Kit.

"Are you hungry?" Willa translated.

Jessi shrugged, then shook her head, "No, thank you. I'm okay."

"Me too," Kit said, a little too quickly.

"Okay," Lahari nodded, "Pizza later?"

"Yes, please," Willa said, going to hug her mother, "Bahut."

"Mhm," Lahari hummed, releasing Willa.

Lahari returned to the kitchen where she was washing dishes and Kit followed Willa when she jerked her head for them to follow.

"This is the bathroom," she pointed to the first door on the left as they walked down the small hallway, "My parents' room," she pointed to the very last one, then turned right, "And here's mine."

Willa's room had a soft blue-gray carpet and one wall painted pink, the other three were painted light purple. Most of the space was taken up by a large mattress and a tall black vanity dresser by the door that was weighed down by a sparkling jewelry box, perfumes and all sorts of things. There were sliding closets opposite the bed and a few leotards strewn about and Kit spotted a couple pairs of old pointe shoes.

"Hey, what's this?" Jessi asked, pointing to a decoration on Willa's wall.

Willa looked over and smiled, "Aww, that's the Hindu Praying Goddess. My aunt got it for me when I was little. It's a lot heavier than it looks. There are some candles on my dresser," she pointed to them, "My aunt and uncle go to India for five months out of the year and they always bring us stuff back. My mom will go too for a couple of months out of the year."

"Do you ever go back?" Kit asked, genuinely curious.

Willa shook her head, "No, I've never been. It's hard to work out, especially when I have school; and I still dance during the summer."

"Oh," Jessi said, "I was going to say maybe you could go back when dance starts to cool down."

"But that never happens," Willa laughed, going to grab a pair of pointe shoes, "Jess, did you bring your shoes?"

Jessi bounced her bag on her shoulder, "I always do. Oh, we should warn Kit," she looked at the brunette.

"Warn me?" Kit asked, feeling a little gawky as she followed the two out of the room.

"Our feet," Willa made a face, "They're pretty in pointe shoes-

"—And that's about it," Jessi finished, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "They're gross."

Kit had no response to that and she picked up her violin, going down the second staircase, to what looked like another living room.

"Does someone live down here?" she wondered aloud, noticing the upturned mattress.

Willa nodded, "My uncle, but he's at work and won't be home until late, so we won't bother him," she led them to a room in the back, "And here…is where all the magic happens."

"Wow…" Jessi's eyes were wide with awe.

It was a simple, small and square room with a sleek hardwood floor, a stereo in the corner, the entire back wall taken up by a large shiny mirror. There was even a one person barre.

"This is so cool!" Kit said, briefly studying herself in the mirror.

"It was super easy to build," Willa said, speaking more to Jessi, "The floor was already here, but we bought the barre at a fitness store and ordered the mirror online. It's being held up by some kind of industrial hooks. Something like that."

"It was that simple?" Kit asked. She moved a piece of hair from her face, taking a look around the room once more.

"Yeah," Willa said. She glanced at Jessi, who was typing furiously on her flip phone, "You have been texting all day. Even at dance," she complained, "Do you have a secret boyfriend I don't know about?"

Kit chuckled and stepped a little closer.

"You wish," Jessi snorted, "I'm texting some stupid, annoying girl."

Kit's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and she shared a look with Willa who looked a little put off as well.

"Is it someone from dance?" Willa asked, plopping down onto the floor. She began to remove her socks, "Anyone I know?"

"Noooo," Jessi drawled out, pressing another button on her phone. She closed it and put it into the pocket of her jeans, "It's some stuff with my friends, nothing big."

"Well, put it away," Willa demanded. She paused, then groaned dramatically, "I didn't change my clothes!" she wailed dramatically, "Uggggh!"

Kit laughed, in the process of opening her violin case, "You didn't know that you were still in your jeans?"

"I was listening to Jessi," Willa complained, "Now I have to untie my pointe shoes, take them off, go upstairs, get my leotard, put it on, come back downstairs, put my pointe shoes back on…"

By this time, Kit and Jessi had dissolved into a fit of giggles and Kit could feel her eyes tearing up.

"Y-you're s-such a…trooper," she stuttered through her laughter. She coughed, trying to calm down and wiped her eyes, "Why don't we pick a song first?"

With a heavy sigh, Willa straightened out her legs and pointed her feet, her arms behind her to support her weight.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Okay. Whatever I pick, we could find the sheet music online, right?"

"Probably," Kit said, straightening up. She went to Willa and extended up hand, "I'm so nervous."

"Me too," Jessi interjected, "I can't believe you're going to play for her."

"And she's going to go pro," Willa put in smugly, "Just like us, Jess. Come to Julliard with us."

"Yeah, okay," Jessi rolled her eyes, "That school would eat me alive. I have the worst technique known to man."

Willa gave Kit a look and shook her head, "That's not true," she said as if Jessi weren't standing right there, "She's a great dancer."

"I'm sure!" Kit said, smiling at the other girl, "You danced on stage in your bra. If that doesn't say 'great dancer' than I don't know what does."

"Oh, shut up, Kit!" Jessi shoved her playfully, "Ugh, I can't tell you anything!"

Kit laughed for what seemed like the millionth time that day, Willa and Jessi joining in.

"Okay," Willa said, clapping her hands, "We have work to do. I'm going to go change and Jessi, there's a bathroom down here. Kit, you do whatever you have to do and my mom will order pizza when we're ready."

"I hope we're not going to do this all weekend!" Jessi called after Willa.

Jessi got no answer and looked to Kit for some sort of direction. She looked her up and down, then tilted her head to the side.

"How do you get your dress all poofy like that?" her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh," Kit looked down in surprise, "I think there's wire or something in it that holds the shape. I just get dressed and it's like that."

"Don't your legs get cold?" Jessi said, impressed.

Kit extended one of her legs, "I don't think so. I don't really notice."

"Huh," Jessi made a move towards the door, "Well, I'm going to go change. Be right back."

"Okay," Kit replied, "I'll be here."

Jessi left and when Kit heard the door to the bathroom close, she turned around, having avoided looking at herself in the mirror.

She stepped closer, her socked feet slippery against the floor and she scrutinized her appearance. Her skin was back to it's warm ivory color, something she was quite happy about, tired of all the comments on how pale she looked.

Her eyes were trained on the bottom portion of her dress. She couldn't see her thighs, but she could see the cellulite on the back of her legs and wondered if they jiggled when she walked. She ran a hand over her stomach, able to feel the bulge through the tight bodice. She could see a little bit of her love handles. Had she lost any weight? There was no scale at home.

She recalled Lauren's outcry from the school parking lot. Lauren had called Kit fat multiple times to her face. There was no reason for Lauren to draw attention to Kit's "weight loss". What did the blonde get out of that?

Her parents hadn't said anything, nor had Emmett or Willa. Only Lauren.

'Have I lost weight?' Kit thought, leaning in closer. She couldn't exactly pull up her dress and check. Her breasts looked the same size and so did her face. The only difference in her appearance was that her hair was a bit longer. She hadn't cut it since moving to Forks. Was she the same size she had always been?

"Stop, Kit," her voice was a near whisper. She turned from the mirror, "Stop being ridiculous. Who cares what you look like?"

'Obviously you do,' came the unwanted thought.

Kit shook her head furiously, chasing away the thought. She wasn't going to be like this.

Hearing footsteps approach, she looked up and smiled widely when she saw Willa, "Look how cute you are!"

Willa was dressed in pink tights and a simple black leotard. Her hair was pulled from her face into a tight ballet bun.

"I've never seen your hair up before!" Kit continued to gush, "Awww, you're adorable!"

"Oh my gosh, stop," Willa demanded, covering her cheeks with her hands, "I heard Jessi yelling at me earlier. We won't practice for long."

"Okay," Kit said, "Jessi's still in the bathroom."

"That fine," Willa went over to the stereo, "Come here. I'll play the songs for you."

Kit got up and obediently went over to Willa, still teasing her friend about how cute she looked.

This was going to be a fun weekend.

Author's Note: I've gotten a couple reviews that state people are confused with the story and I'm not sure why? If you find anything confusing, please don't hesitate to message me and I'll try my best to explain without giving away any spoilers.

There are a few filler chapters if that's where the confusion is coming from, but I'm trying to portray this as realistically as you can get with a vampire story and Kit's life isn't all about vampires unlike how Bella was portrayed in the books/movies. Kit has a past, a family, friends, a life. She's a normal, awkward teenage girl in high school who obviously has her flaws and problems. I honestly can't stress that enough.

So, I hope that clears some things up.

~ FictionChic