Pink.
That was the only word to describe Indigo's bedroom.
Pink.
The walls, the curtains around the window, the sheets, the comforter, even the lampshade on her nightstand was pink. The furniture was white and the shelves around her room held books and toys that had been pushed aside in favors of the hundreds of seashells and other beach things that Indigo collected.
Kit found Indigo atop her bed, crayon moving furiously in a coloring book, her tongue sticking out in concentration.
"Hi, honey," Kit greeted, perching herself on the edge of Indigo's bed, "Shouldn't you be doing your homework?"
"I will," Indigo rolled her eyes, "I only have one assignment to do and it's super easy."
"Okay, okay," Kit easily relented.
She watched Indigo color for a long time. Her sister's straight blonde hair was getting longer and it would be reaching beyond her waist soon. Her big green eyes were bright with life and Kit swore she could see the faintest of freckles appearing on the bridge of her nose.
Feeling eyes on her, Indigo blinked, then looked up, frowning at Kit.
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked.
Kit sighed, stroking her hand down Indigo's hair.
"I miss you," she murmured sadly.
Indigo blinked again, "I'm right here."
"I know," Kit said. Despite Indigo's protests, she pushed the coloring book aside in order to scoot closer, "You're growing up so fast. It breaks my heart."
"Oh?" Indigo asked, huffing as she eyed her coloring book.
"Yes," Kit laughed, hugging her sister tightly and resting her cheek atop Indigo's head, "It does. You're my baby."
Indigo wilted into Kit's arms and she exhaled a sigh of her own, placing down a red crayon that she held in between her fingers.
"I know," she said quietly. She paused, "You're my mommy."
Kit inhaled sharply at the same time Indigo froze. The two listened intently, but could hear nothing.
"I know, I know," Indigo said, much quieter, "But that's the first time I've said it in, like, fifty years!" she defended.
Though what Indigo had said warmed Kit's heart, she tsked in disapproval.
"I can't believe you remember that," she admonished, "You used to be so forgetful and you stopped calling me 'mommy' when you were six."
"That's because you and daddy said it hurt mommy's feelings," Indigo scowled.
"It did—does," Kit said. She hurriedly changed the subject, "Now, I have to pick up some money from Tiffany Call. More of mom's paintings sold. Do you want to come with me?"
"Sure," Indigo agreed, flipping her coloring book closed, "Let's hit the road."
"Wait, let me…" Kit tucked in the tag to Indigo's shirt, "Your tag was sticking out, and fix your pockets."
Indigo exhaled, but shoved her hands into her jean pockets, tucking in the pocket liners that had been sticking out.
The two sisters donned their jackets: Indigo's pink zip up hoodie and Kit in her yellow trench coat before the headed down the stairs hand-in-hand.
"You two heading out?" Everly asked, rubbing at the blue paint on her nose.
"Yes," Kit said, "We won't be gone long."
"Good, because it's movie night," Everly told them, "Your dad gets to pick."
"Muppets In Space, Muppets In Space, Muppets In Space!" came Blake's chant from somewhere in the house.
Kit chuckled, giving up trying to place where her dad was, "Okay, great. Do you need me to pick up anything else?"
"No, I think we're okay," Everly said, "Question…will you be seeing Emmett today?"
"Oooooh!" Indigo teased, "Kitty and Emmett are in loooooove!"
Kit gently pushed on her sister's forehead, chucking when Indigo cried out and slapped her hand away.
The conversation regarding Kit's love life had been long and awkward, but also funny. Conversations with her family always were. Her parents were very…open; and people often questioned Blake and Everly's ability to parent when they heard the things they told their children, but neither Kit or Indigo minded. However, later that night, a more embarrassing conversation between Everly and Kit transpired when the latter admitted that the two had kissed…repeatedly and that only opened doors for more of Everly's anecdotes that had all of Kit's blood rushing to her face.
It had been nice, though and Kit thanked God everyday for her parents.
"No," she finally answered, "Not that I'm aware of. Why?"
"I was just wondering," Everly shrugged, "Oh and Willa called the home phone. Make sure you call her back."
"I will," Kit promised with a smile, "I love you."
"I love you more," Everly replied.
"Not possible," Kit said as she and Indigo kissed their mother goodbye.
"Yes, possible," Everly patted Indigo's head, "Tell Tiffany that I said hello and thank you."
"We will," Indigo chimed, "Bye, mommy. Bye, daddy," she called.
"Bye, you two!" Blake responded, "Be safe."
Kit led Indigo out to their mother's car.
"Oh, good," she said, opening the backdoor, "Your booster seat's-
"Uggggghhh!" Indigo groaned, reluctantly climbing into the seat and expertly bucking herself in.
"Sweetie," Kit started, shutting the door. She hurried around to the driver's side and got in, "You'll grow, I promise. Seriously, when I was your age, I was the tiniest little thing. I was scrawny and my eyes were huge. I didn't think I would ever grow and then I shot right up when I was twelve-
"Twelve!?" Indigo cried, horrified, "Goodness gracious, that's going to take forever!"
"Only four years," Kit said calmly, cranking up the heater, "And who knows, you might grow sooner. Goodness, you might be taller than me in the future."
"Okaaaaay," Indigo drawled out, eyebrows knitting together, "But what if I'm short for the rest of my life, then what?"
"Then, that's okay," Kit summarized, "And you're not short, you're funsize."
From the rearview mirror, she saw her sister scrunch up her nose in distaste.
"Alice is only 4'11"," Kit reminded, "I don't think you've met her, yet, but she's Emmett's sister and she's…a bit older than me and she's done growing."
Indigo seemed somewhat satisfied with that information and relaxed in her seat.
"Okay," she agreed, "I guess I don't care how tall I am as long as I get out of this thing!" she squirmed in her seat.
"Well, you can get out of that thing, yet," Kit shifted the car into park, "We're here."
After getting out of the car, Kit held out her hand, waiting for Indigo to come to her side. With intertwined fingers, they entered the small souvenir shop, an old rusted bell above the door chimed announcing their arrival.
Tiffany Call stood behind the wooden checkout counter, all sorts of small knickknacks piled around the metal cash register. She was beautiful with her russet skin, long black hair and dark brown eyes. Though, currently, she was busy, talking to a boy with similar features.
"You could at least wear a helmet," Tiffany scolded quietly, "Despite that thick skull of yours, you could crack your head open."
"Ugh, mom!" the boy moaned, rolling his eyes, "Come on, that's not going to happen, I do it all the time and so do Quil and Jacob. What? Do you want me to wear a helmet when I cliff-dive? Arm floaties?"
"Watch your tone, Mister," Tiffany warned firmly, "I mean it."
The boy sighed, "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry."
Tiffany gave a curt nod of approval and then her eyes randomly flicked up and widened.
"Oh!" she gasped, seeming to be embarrassed at being caught scolding her son, "Hello, there."
"Hello, Ms. Call," Kit said warmly, walking forward. She looked at the boy, "You must be, Embry."
"Yeah," he said, crossing his arms. He looked her up and down, "Who are you?"
"Kit Algren, I would guess," Tiffany said. She smiled widely at Indigo, "Hi, sweetpea."
"Hi," Indigo returned the smile, "My mommy says hello."
"Well give Everly my greetings," Tiffany chirped, "You must be Indigo."
"I am," the child confirmed, peeking up at Embry. She beamed at him, "Hi!"
Embry's lips quirked up in a small smile, "Hey there, Squirt."
Indigo didn't look pleased at the term, but she let it slide as Tiffany began talking.
"Here you are," Tiffany handed Kit a white envelope, "If it's any help, people are going nuts over the bird paintings. The sunset ones, too. They're a big hit."
"Wonderful," Kit said sincerely, "That does help, and I'll let her know. Thank you."
"Of course," Tiffany smiled, "You girls have a nice day."
"You too. Bye," Kit waved and nodded at Embry, "It was nice meeting you."
"Likewise," Embry drawled, "See you around."
"Kitty?" Indigo asked once they were outside, "Can we go to the beach? Just for a little bit?"
Kit gave her sister a look, "You know we're supposed to go right home."
"Please?" Indigo begged, clutching onto Kit's hand "Only for a minute. Pretty please?"
Kit melted when Indigo fixed her with big green eyes and she sighed, tilting her head back as she caved.
"Okay, okay," she agreed, "Ten minutes, then. Come on, it's close enough that we can walk down."
Her lilac secretary dress ruffled underneath her opened jacket and she squinted when she felt her eyes dry, blinking furiously at the invading wind.
She released Indigo's hand when they got close enough, "Go nuts, but stay where I can see you."
Indigo ran off and Kit walked behind her at a much slower pace. She looked around, having only been to this particular beach once. It was almost empty except for three boys down the beach playing soccer. From where she was standing, Kit could see their dark skin and cropped hair. They were all dressed in the same pair of cut-off shorts and nothing else. They looked like triplets and she wondered if they were brothers.
After a second, she turned her attention away from them and back to Indigo who was digging in the sand, probably for more seashells.
She approached her sister, "Don't get too dirty."
"I won't," Indigo dismissed, "Hey, Kitty, what's this?" she held up a blue chunk.
"Oh, that seaglass," Kit breathed, kneeling down to get a closer look, "Wow, how pretty!"
Indigo frowned at it, "Seaglass?"
"It's normal glass," Kit explained, "You know, like, broken bottles and I think the salt from the ocean makes it so it's not sharp anymore and then it turns into that," she pointed to it, "Ta-da."
"Oh," Indigo said. She pocketed it, "I like it. I'll add it to my seashell collection."
"Sounds like a—eep!" Kit squeaked as something rammed into her legs, causing her to fall over on her side. She righted herself and frowned at the culprit. A dirty soccer ball.
"Hey, Paleface!"
Kit looked up from the ball and saw one of the boys waving his arms wildly up in the air.
"What's a Paleface?" Indigo asked.
"I guess people who have pale faces," Kit mumbled with a shrug. She picked up the ball and climbed to her feet, "C'mon, Indi, but stay behind me. I don't want you getting too close."
Fiddling nervously with the ball in her hands, Kit walked over to the three boys and when she was a few feet away, she stopped and turned to Indigo.
"Stay right here," she demanded, "And don't move."
With that said, she went over to the trio and once she got closer, she could see the slight differences in their features.
The one in the middle was the tallest and had an older face. He stood 6'6" with long rounded muscles, copper skin, cropped black hair and brown eyes.
The boy on his left side was at least 6 feet tall and muscular, with the same brown eyes on black hair.
The one on the right also stood 6 foot with long, rounded muscles. He had red brown skin, brown hair and matching brown eyes.
The one on the left smirked and roamed Kit's form with his eyes, but before he could speak, Kit thrust her arms forward.
"Here's your ball," she said curtly.
"Thanks," the boy in the middle had a very deep voice, "Sorry we knocked you over."
Kit offered a small smile, "That's quite all right. Enjoy your game."
She made a move to leave, but the boy called out to her again just as she turned.
"Sam Uley," he said simply in a way of introduction.
Kit kept her body forward and turned her head, "Kit," she said, not giving her last name.
Sam nodded and jabbed a thumb on his left, "Paul Lahote," he said, then moved to his right, "Jared Cameron."
She nodded slowly, "Nice to meet you all. I have to get going. My parents are waiting in the car."
She turned and walked away after that. She hadn't meant to be rude, but got a weird vibe from the three and while her sister was getting too big to be carried, Kit picked her up and held her close.
"That's her, Sam," she heard the poorly concealed whisper behind her, "That's the other girl."
Kit stiffened and increased her pace, heart speeding up. She could hear them resume their game and that eased her fears a bit. She had never seen these boys before, but clearly they had seen or heard of her. Usually, she would assume that they were aware of her through some kind of rumor, but it was the 'other girl' comment that had thrown her off. 'Other girl'. What did that mean and who was the other one?
She didn't set Indigo down until the reached the car. The child was oddly quiet and Kit wondered what was wrong.
"You okay?" she asked her sister, opening the passenger door.
Indigo blinked wide eyes and looked up at Kit as if seeing her for the first time.
"I think I want to do that," she said, looking towards the beach.
Kit followed Indigo's gaze, but she couldn't see anything, "Do what?"
"What those boys were doing," Indigo clarified, face heating up, "I want to do that…" she scuffed her shoe on the floor, "Play soccer."
Kit almost fell over.
"You are going to love me for the rest of your life and I'm the bestest best friend ever," Willa declared one day after school, her accent thick with excitement.
"Oh?" Kit asked, amused, "Why is that?"
"Because you get to play the violin for me at an audition," Willa chirped, a skip in her step.
"Um…?" Kit slowed her pace, "I do?"
"Yep," Willa nodded, "Here's the great part: Scouts are coming to the studio I dance at. You know, auditions for prestigious dance camps and summer intensives? I checked and we're allowed instrumental for a couple of the audition pieces. I think Jessi's having her mom play."
Kit was still confused, "Jessi?"
"Jessica," Willa said. Noticing Kit's brief look of panic, she quickly corrected herself, "We met her at La Push, remember? I stayed with her to look at some kind of CD. She lives on the Rez."
"Oh, yes," Kit's shoulders relaxed, "Yes, I remember her now. She's a dancer, really? No way?"
Willa grinned, "Way! So," she continued, "Back to the great part: Dance scouts have connections to all the best orchestras! I bet they'll put in some recommendations for you. There are music and orchestra camps."
Kit's eyes widened, "Wait, you want me to play for you at your auditions!? Auditions that-
"Could possibly jump start my career and get me on the wait list for Julliard, yeah," Willa finished casually.
"Nooooo," Kit dragged out, shaking her head, "Mm-mm, nope, no way."
"Why not?" Willa whined.
"Because I'm not that good," Kit told her, "What if I mess up?"
"You won't."
"You've never heard me play before."
"I'll hear you play at the audition."
"What if one of my strings breaks?"
"Then fix it!"
"Willa!"
"Kit!"
Kit sighed impatiently at her friend.
"If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have asked," Willa sounded authentically hurt, "I wouldn't risk this opportunity to placate you and you know how my parents feel about this 'dance thing'," she used air quotes, "They don't think a career involving the arts is practical," she shook her head, "And I respect that, I get why they feel that way; but what they want me to do with my life isn't for me, it doesn't hold my interest."
"Oh?" Kit murmured, showing that she was listening. They had stopped walking completely and now occupied one of the picnic tables.
"Yeah…" Willa's eyes were glazed and faraway, "I'm not going to get too much into it. You wouldn't understand, Jessi and I talked about it once, but some of my family members—especially the old people think I'm 'white-washed' because I do ballet. They don't understand. I'm still very immersed in my culture and I take pride in it, but I can practice Hinduism and break barriers in the dance world at the same time, you know?" she asked rhetorically
Kit didn't know and she kept her mouth shut, waiting for Willa to continue. For all she knew, Willa was only speaking her thoughts aloud and not to Kit directly. She had absolutely no idea what Willa experienced when it came to ballet and her culture or how her family perceived it.
"Anyway, think about it," Willa suggested as she stood up, quickly dispelling the tension, "And let me know. Jessi's sleeping over this weekend. Do you want to too?"
Going with the change in subject, Kit agreed with a small smile, "Sure, I'll ask my parents. It sounds fun," she bit her lip, "And, er…I'll do it. Play for your auditions, I mean. But I only know classical pieces…"
Willa's eyes lit up, "Perfect! It's only for a couple of auditions," she clarified, "Most auditions, you take a full ballet class, but a couple of companies go a bit over the top. They'll be in April, can you do that?"
"I can do that," Kit confirmed as they neared Willa's car. She smiled and waved at Willa's parents.
"I still have a lot to tell you," Willa said, stopping by the passenger side, "My family's all coming over, tonight, so-
"Hello, Kit," Willa's mother rolled down the window and smiled widely, waving a hennaed hand. Her accent was much thicker than Willa's.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Korai," Kit waved back, leaning down to peer into the window, "It's nice to see you both."
Mr. Korai laughed. His hair was inky black and cut short and he had dark brown eyes and rich brown skin.
Mrs. Korai was very cute and had her long black hair pulled into a ponytail. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled, her skin tone matched her daughter's. They looked very much alike.
"Call me Lahari," she said, then placed a hand on her husband's arm, "Sahar."
Sahar leaned forward to look at her "How are you? Are you coming over today?" he turned to Willa, "Kit par aa raha hai?"
Though she hadn't understood anything besides her name, Kit glanced at Willa, awaiting an answer.
Willa hummed ever so softly and shook her head, "This weekend," she said firmly, "Slaiaipovair. Jessi, too."
"Ahhh," Lahari nodded and looked at Kit, "This weekend?"
Kit smiled and nodded, "Yes."
"Okay, good," Lahari seeming satisfied, reached out the window and took Kit's hand, squeezing, "S'good to see you."
"You too," Kit said sincerely.
"Did Willa tell you we're thinking of moving down to Seattle?" Sahar asked conversationally.
"No," Kit's eyes widened and she looked at Willa, then back to her parents, "Really?" she said, astonished that Willa hadn't mentioned anything.
"For Willa's dancing and family," Sahar confirmed. He gestured wildly, "All of our family is down there, no one in Forks. So, we go down there and be with them. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, everyone!"
"Awww," Kit gushed with a wide smile, "That sounds really nice. Good luck."
"Thank you," Lahari said. She laughed, "I hope it all works out."
Willa looked irritated at her parents for spilling the news and she sighed as she hugged Kit.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, "And I'll email you about the dance stuff."
"Okay," Kit said, "See you tomorrow," she waved once more at Willa's parents, "Bye!"
She quickly got out of the way for them to pull out of the parking spot and she saw Emmett across the lot, leaning casually against his car and waiting patiently. She hoped he hadn't heard any of her and Willa's conversation. If she could help it, she wasn't going to tell anyone except her parents about playing for Willa's auditions.
The conversation regarding Willa's dancing and how her family perceived it broke Kit's heart and she hoped, with everything that she had, that her friend's dreams came true. Willa was her best friend and she deserved it.
"I'm sorry that I took so long," she said when she reached him.
"You don't need to apologize," he opened the passenger door for her, "How was your day?"
Kit waited until Emmett had gotten situated in the car, "It was fine. Nothing interesting."
That much was true. It had been kind of awkward when a few people had asked what she had done over Spring Break. She had simply said that she had remained at home, then turned the tables on the conversation.
Lauren and her clique hadn't given up their verbal assault, but there had been no pushing or other physical altercation; that made a somewhat good day in Kit's book.
"How was your day?" she asked quickly, hoping Emmett hadn't noticed her brief space out.
"Same old, same old," Emmett said, bored, pulling out of the parking lot, "I'm ready to graduate."
"I'm sure you are," Kit smiled sadly. She couldn't imagine what it was like to repeat high school so many times, "It takes a lot to do what you all do. Repeating school, I mean."
"Hell, yeah it does," Emmett breathed out, exasperated, "I can't tell you how many essays I've recycled," he grinned at her, "Next time we do our homework, I'll do it from scratch. Time me. Ten seconds."
"Nu-uh," Kit shook her head, eyeing him warily, "It does not take ten seconds."
"Ten!" Emmett repeated firmly, "Probably less, depending on the subject. I can't remember the last time I actually had to do an assignment."
"Wow…" she mused, "You must have a lot of free time. What do you do with it all?"
"I work a lot in the basement," he told her, "The bat we use for baseball? I made it," he said proudly, "It took me longer than I'd like to admit and Jasper helped, but that's beside the point."
"You made the bat?" he asked, eyes wide, "Cool. What else?"
"I play video games, chess…" he trailed off and waved a hand, "A bunch of stuff, really. At night, I'm with you."
"I know," she said this a little guiltily, "You must get so bored."
"Not, really," Emmett said, "It's interesting watching you sleep."
She blinked rapidly and looked at Emmett, shocked, "Pardon? You watch me sleep?"
"Yeah," he said casually, perplexed, "Like I said, it's interesting…" he paused, "Wait, what did you think I was doing?"
Now it was her turn to look stumped, "I don't know," she lamented, "Maybe you read a book or something. Do I look weird when I sleep?"
Emmett laughed and reached over to touch her arm, "No, you look cute, but you get all restless. Sometimes I move so that you don't hurt yourself. Do you have nightmares?"
"No, not that I'm aware of," she murmured, shocked at the revelation, "Huh…"
"What?" he asked.
"No, nothing," she shook her head, "It's just interesting. I can't recall what I dream about."
"Does it bother you?" he asked, "I can stop."
"Thanks," Kit said with a shy smile, a hint of a flush on her cheeks.
With the speed of Emmett's driving, they were at Kit's house in no time, and the sleek silver car pulled into the driveway and idled there. There were no other cars parked and Indigo was still at school.
"Would you like to come in?" Kit asked, unbuckling her seat belt.
"You two are taking forever!"
Kit screamed, loudly, both her hands going to cover her mouth. Chest heaving, she whirled around and saw Alice flashing white teeth, Jasper beside her.
"Oh my…" Kit panted, leaning back against the seat. She placed a hand over her racing heart, "My heart just stopped."
Alice at least looked like she felt bad, "I'm sorry, Kit," she said sincerely. She grinned again, "I really thought you heard Jasper and I opening the doors."
"Obviously not," Emmett laughed, placing a hand on Kit's arm, "You okay, babe?"
"Peachy," Kit groaned, turning to look at the couple in the back, "What are you two doing here?"
Alice sighed and leaned forward, all business, "I have a question."
Kit's eyes darted to the side, then back. She frowned, "Okay?"
"What's your favorite color?"
Kit blinked rapidly, not understanding, though the question was something a baby could probably answer.
"I don't—my—i-it's yellow, you know that," she said stupidly.
"Really?" Alice wrinkled her nose, "You want a yellow themed birthday party?"
Kit blinked at her again, then looked at Emmett desperately, "I don't know what's happening, right now," she moaned.
Emmett laughed and Jasper snickered.
"You don't know what a birthday party is?" the Southerner asked, a rare, teasing smile on his face.
"Of course I do!" Kit exclaimed, "I just—Alice, you couldn't have asked me this at school? And my birthday isn't until the summer."
"Well, I have to plan early," Alice huffed at Kit, her hands on her hips, "Your party needs to be perfect."
Now that her heart resumed it's regular rate, and with breath evened out, Kit's lips quirked up, "Well, thank you, but I don't really celebrate my birthday…I guess."
Alice's eyes widened, "You don't celebrate your birthday!?" she cried dramatically, "Why not!?"
Kit smiled a little sadly, "Would you believe that my mom's birthday is only four days after mine? And my dad's is two weeks after hers? We all wait and then do a small celebration together. It's really quite lovely, but we go all out for Indi's birthday…" she trailed off, uncomfortable with Alice's intense, unblinking stare. She looked at Emmett, "Um…?"
"Alice," Jasper nudged her, "You're scaring the human."
Alice blinked, "So, you've never had a birthday party?"
Kit frowned and shook her head, "No."
Growing up, in elementary school, Kit hadn't had a lot of friends. As a child, she had always been awkward and quiet. People had made fun of her clothes, comparing her to a banana because of her freckles. She was a loner, perfectly happy to celebrate with her parents, her grandmother and later, Indigo. It had made Kit feel extremely happy that she and her mother had birthdays so close together. She was special and unique, her parents had said. They were a special family.
"My parents had someone from church come over once," she said, biting her lip, "I'm not a big party person…sorry."
"She might not be here, Alice," Emmett interjected, coming to Kit's rescue, "She'll probably be in New Hampshire."
"Uh-huh," Kit promptly nodded, "New Hampshire."
It was silent again and Alice stared, making Kit visibly uncomfortable as she squirmed in her seat.
"Um…" Kit drawled, "Did you two want to come in?"
"No, thank you," Alice declined politely. She took Jasper's hand, "We should get home, but Kit, would you help me plan Bella's party?"
"Bella's?" Kit's eyes widened, "Her birthday's in September!"
"Oh, I know," Alice shook her head, looking tense, "And hers has to be big! She's turning eighteen. You'll help, won't you?"
"Okay," Kit agreed, still perplexed, "Yes."
"Great!" Alice leaned forward to kiss Kit on the cheek, "See you tomorrow!"
And then she and Jasper were gone, the car doors closing with barely a click.
"Alice is big on celebrations, huh?" Kit asked, her and Emmett exiting the car.
"I guess," Emmett shrugged, "She's always itching to celebrate something. The last time she threw something together was for my twentieth."
"So, you're not even old enough to drink," Kit teased, laughing as she entered the house.
"Hey, I resent that," Emmett called to her, "The drinking laws were different back then!"
"Mhm," Kit hummed, giggling.
She went into the kitchen and went into the fridge to get a bottle of water.
"Hey, so, tell me about this church-thing," Emmett said, sitting down at the table. He eyed her oddly, "You went to church?"
Kit's cheeks colored and she went over to sit on his lap, "Up until my grandma died," she whispered, "We stopped going, then, but…" she swallowed thickly, tears welling up when Emmett began to run his fingers through her hair, "She was the organ player and I was in the church choir with my mom."
"You were not!?" Emmett gasped.
"I was!" Kit insisted, wiping her eyes as she laughed, "Gosh, I was great," she paused and looked at Emmett, "Is it okay if I talk about it? I almost mentioned church once before, but I wasn't sure how you felt…? Being a vampire…?" she trailed off awkwardly.
Emmett shrugged, "It's fine. I believe in God and stuff, heaven and hell…to an extent, but I don't practice anything. Do you?"
"It's been a few years," Kit said, "But my family and I are Christian—non-traditional, I guess. I don't know. We have different beliefs and don't believe in quite a few things that are in the Bible—we know that Jesus was Middle-Eastern," she shook her head, "Christian to us can mean something way different to another Christian family. We used to pray before every meal and went to church multiple times a day—choir practices, but then my grandma…" she stopped, "So, we just don't practice as much as we did," she sighed, "I miss the church more than anythin—oh gosh," she covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm rambling again! I'm such a chatterbox, I'm sorry."
"Hey, you're fine," Emmett promised, "I told you, I like your rambles."
"It doesn't get annoying?" Kit asked, twisting around to look at him.
Emmett tugged on a lock of her hair, "Never."
"M'kay," Kit hummed, lying her head on his chest, "It doesn't bother you that I'm Christian? I won't…burn you or anything, right?"
Emmett laughed, "No, another myth. You know, Carlisle's a huge religion nut. You and him seem to have a lot in common. He used to be a pastor."
"Really?" she asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah," Emmett nodded, "He'll tell you about it, if you ask."
"Okay," Kit said, though she had no plans to do so. She wasn't necessarily avoiding Carlisle, but she remembered telling Emmett she would think of speaking with the blonde doctor and that made her extremely nervous.
She startled when she felt Emmett's arms wrap around her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, hearing her heart speed up.
"Yes," she said, "Just thinking."
"About?" he prompted.
Biting her lip, Kit hurried to come up with something, "You know that you'll be graduating. Won't it be weird dating someone still in high school?"
It was silent and Kit focused on the feeling of Emmett's slow breathing. She tried to match it to keep herself from panicking. Both from her earlier thoughts and the current subject they were on. The age difference really didn't bother her, especially since Emmett would live decades longer than her. It would have if Emmett was human. She had been a little on the fence about liking him when she thought he was a normal eighteen-year-old boy, but he wasn't and she thought that would make their relationship okay…
"Kit, babe, if you're not comfortable, then that's fine," Emmett said, "I promise. We can take a step back if you want. Hell, I'll make big scene and set myself on fire in the aftermath of our breakup if that will make you comfortable."
Kit laughed and looked up at him, "You would?"
He grinned, "I would," he sobered, "We can slow down. What has you so worried?"
Kit shrugged, but answered, "I'm comfortable where we are in our relationship, but guess I'm not used to being in such a small town, yet. People talk…"
'Then they question my mom's parenting,' she thought bitterly. She couldn't remember a time before coming to Forks, when she had been so worried and caught up with what people were saying about her and her family.
Emmett's voice brought her back to the present, "And they sound stupid when they do," he said, "Most of the time, they have no idea what they're talking about and it makes them sound ridiculous. There are some good people in this town."
Kit hummed an agreement and the two sat there for awhile, Kit wrapped in Emmett's large and muscular arms.
"Kit?" came Emmett's voice, a soft murmur.
Kit, who had closed her eyes, the chilliness of Emmett's skin keeping her from falling asleep, allowed her eyes to flutter open. She peeked up at him.
"Mhm?" she hummed.
"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Emmett asked, "You know, a special one?"
A smile lit up Kit's face and she laughed lightly, "A special date?"
"Yeah," Emmett said, kissing her forehead, "In a few weeks or so."
Kit beamed at him, "That sounds lovely. I'd love to go on a special date with you," she paused, "What's the special part?"
"It's a secret," he said simply.
"Ugh," Kit scrunched her nose at him, moving to her own chair when she got too cold, "You and your secrets," there was some teasing in her tone and she chuckled when Emmett stood and picked her up.
"I know, it sucks," Emmett laughed along with her.
"Well, put me down," Kit demanded, "And tell me the secret of doing math homework."
Author's Note: I was so excited to write this chapter, especially the conversation between Willa and Kit. I know there's sort of a rule or a MarySue thing about your personal life and OC characters, but I'll (unashamedly) admit that Willa (and her family) is such a personal character to me and I love her so much. I am so excited to further develop her character and storyline in future chapters.
- FictionChic