Waking up in a new surrounding was always an unpleasant start to anyone's morning. For lily, waking up underneath a mountain of lilac colored blankets and feeling warm for the first time in months was the opposite. She could hear birds chirping outside, which while idealic made her worry. The other shoe always drops, whether or not you expect it to. She just hopped it happened sooner rather than later for her nerves.
As she went through her morning routine of stretching, brushing her teeth, attempting to fix her curls, and dressing for the day in jeans, faded sweater, and sneakers she gave herself a mental pep talk for the day. Bed made? Check. Room clean? Check. Everything organized? Double check. Go downstairs? Might as well.
After taking the stairs as gently as possible as test which ones creaked or groaned, she made it to the brightly lit kitchen. It smelled like coffee and scrambled eggs.
"Good morning sweetheart! I hope you slept well. We tried not to wake you when John got ready for work. Hes a mechanic down at the reservation just in case we forgot to mention it last night. He loves his job but that man is a grouch in the morning before coffee. I'm an ER nurse at the local hospital" Sarah rambled on as she bustled bringing some cut fruit to the table. "you didn't eat dinner so I wanted to make sure you started the morning right! Your file didn't say anything in particular about allergies so you'll have to let us know! I hope you like scrambled eggs!"
A very confused but hungry Lily sat at the kitchen table. She wasn't sure still what to make of this couple. Usually if it starts out strong like this it goes south even faster.
"I know I told you I took the week off last night, but I wanted to let you know that sometimes our schedules become a bit hectic. Mine more so than his. He has a tendency to bring work home with him though. You'll find all sorts of bits and bobs in the garage. He fancies it as his man cave" she stage whispered in a conspiratorial way. But, if you ever feel like we arnt home enough just talk to us. We try to have a family night every month or atleast that's the goal now!
After she finally joined Lily at the table she went through their plans for the day. Grocery shopping for meals lily enjoyed, getting her registered for school, getting more Forks appropriate clothing, stopping by work for a quick errand, and then coming home to unwind. Sarah seemed like an unstoppable force when she was in the mood to do something.
A great chef Sarah was not. But, the effort she put in making the eggs made up for every bit of shell she chewed. She couldn't remember the last time someone made her breakfast. Usually it was a quick bowl of cereal or whatever the school food services offered.
The day continued with whirlwind Sarah being at the forefront of the storm. She was concerned for lily, as any responsible adult would be. She seemed underweight, stressed out, a bit pale, and very quiet. The certification courses her and Johnny took explained that there would be an adjustment period, but she hopped she gave her a warm enough welcome. Once school started she hopped she would make friends with some of the girls her age.
After stopping at the hospital to grab a few things left behind from the last shift, Sarah drove them home. Lily seemed a bit tired so she sent her off to her room to take a nap. Once she heard her close the door, Sarah went to her office to review the file she and Johnny had been faxed overnight.
Lilliana Rose. Age 16. Date of birth: 10 October. The picture included in her file was a black and white print out of an older school photo. It looked to be a few years old. Going through her school transcripts, medical reports, legal proceedings, everything seemed to be in order. But, none of the information gave her any insight as to who lily was as a person. It all seemed so cold and clinical. Coming from her, that was saying something. She noticed she had been part of the gardening club at one of her previous schools. Maybe that could be something they could do together? Deciding to put the file away for now, she washed up to start dinner.
Lily woke up to the sound of the fire alarm going off downstairs. Rushing quickly to see what was happening, she quickly noticed Sarah trying to fan smoke out from within the oven. Lily quickly opened the kitchen backdoor and helped fan out the mess until the alarm stopped screaching.
"im sorry about that dear, I was just reading and I lost track of time! Well, there goes dinner. How does ordering pizza sound?" Sarah asked somewhat flushed. She had some smoke smudged on her cheek and as hard as she tried lily couldn't hold in her giggle. Seeing Lily finally show emotion made the whole fiasco worth while to Sarah.
"ok hush you! I get it, i'm no Chef Ramsey. Go be a dear and grab the menu from the fridge while I clean up. Figure out what toppings you like, and we can order it in a few minutes. Maybe if we are quick, Johnny won't notice…" her thoughts trailed away as she began cleaning.
Needless to say, he noticed the lingering smell of burnt lasagna mixing with the scent of pizza. He just looked at her fondly before showering and joining them in the living room.
They talked about their day, or rather the Wilson's did. Lily listened, chimming in when asked direct questions but otherwise was content just to observe. They seemed happy. Like they were trying hard to include her in their life. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here, but the jury was still out. She didn't want to jump to conclusions too soon.
After a while she got tired and decided to head back to her new room. She noticed her backpack was still where she left it the previous night by the desk. After fishing out her notebook she began sketching the view from her room. It wasn't anything special, but she found that it helped her work through things by drawing.
She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep while sketching. Looking at the alarm, it read alittle after two in the morning. Well, thats alright she though to herself. After cleaning up the mess she had made, she resettled into bed. Her thoughts still felt jumbled. Sarah seemed genuinely sweet if a bit frazzled. John or Johnny as Sarah liked to call him seemed the more quiet of the two. Her instincts weren't shouting at her with anything specific. Just the general anxiety of a new place. Overall, it felt safe which was… new. She wasn't used to safe.
The rest of the week went as follows. Wake up, try a new breakfast concoction of Sarahs making, errands, and listening to Sarah talk about the town. Apperently her job was missing a doctor that had recently moved away. They were having to transport people who needed more specific care to other hospitals while they waited to fill his place.
Her birthday was coming up in a few days, but she wasn't expecting anything. Its not as if her birthday was ever a big deal that she could remember. However, someone forgot to inform the Wilson's. After coming home later than normal with Sarah they were welcomed into the house with balloons, a cake, some wrapped presents, and a few adults Lily seemed to recognize in passing from town.
"Happy birthday sweetheart! We didn't want to let the day go without celebrating it. You remember Sue Clearwater right? Her husband Harry is talking to Johnny by the tv. They regularly go fishing when the weather is good. She has two kids around your age, Seth and Leah. Im not too sure where they are now but they're around! Oh and thats Billy, his son is named Jacob. He's the one holding his dads plate for him. The man talking to Billy is Charlie swan. He's the police chief. He has a daughter named Isabella, but she's not feeling too well so she isn't here." she continued on introducing her to people, receiving well wishes and welcoming to Forks. Leah seemed infatuated with someone named Sam, Jacob was annoying, and Seth reminded her of a puppy. All sweet and happy. She was invited to spend some time at the reservation or the "res" as they called it once she was more settled. All in all, it was a pretty nice surprise. She thanks everyone for coming before heading up to her room to recharge. She wasn't great with too many people, let alone so many new people asking about her and her life story. Lily figured it was a good preview for what school would be like on Monday. She wished some of the other teenagers she met went to school at Forks, but they apperently all either already graduated or went on the res.
Lily wasn't sure what Monday would bring. But, she was finally 17. She felt somewhat safe. She was warm. She wasn't in pain. She was ok. Besides, high-school is only temporary in the long scheme of life. She had plans to make.