Monday (Day Eleven):
"Why is Angela being such a bitch?"
Katie glanced up from the pavement of the school's parking lot and up at Lauren. School hadn't started yet and per usual, everyone was hanging around their cars chatting and laughing. It was barely sprinkling, which was almost as good as sunshine.
She and her friends were hanging around Jessica's car when Lauren had pulled into her spot and greeted them with her odd question.
How was Angela being a bitch? She was the quietest, gentlest person that Katie had ever met. She never interrupted anyone and was always nice and would help anyone with their homework if they asked.
Ashley appeared to have the same thoughts, "What do you mean?"
"I called her on my home phone, right?" Lauren started and waited for them to all nod, "And when I said it was me, she hung up!"
"What!?" Jessica gasped, "She did not!"
"She did," Lauren insisted, popping out her hip, "I was like…what the heck?" she rolled her eyes.
"Maybe she's pissed off about the prom thing?" Ashley suggested.
Katie rolled her eyes heavily. Who the hell cares? It was prom. A stupid dance that benefited nothing. Prom wasn't going to help any one of these students get into college or get a career. Winning Prom Queen or King wasn't going to get anyone a solid career as a doctor or a pilot or whatever.
Besides, it was weird to Katie that people were being so selfish, and still wanted to have prom, when one of their fellow students was basically on life support.
At least, that's what Katie had heard.
"She should be pissed about the prom thing!" Lauren stomped her foot, "I'm pissed about the prom thing! I can't believe this is happening to me," she touched her forehead as if she might faint.
"I bought a dress," Jessica chimed with a distinct sneer, trying to one-up Lauren.
"Katie was gonna have a date," Ashley said, and Katie looked at her, "Eric was going to ask her. Wasn't he Katie?"
"Eric Yorkie?" Lauren asked, raising her faint eyebrows.
Katie bit her lip and nodded. For the past few months, she and Eric had been texting and talking on the phone quite frequently. He would walk her to class and always made a point to sit next to her at lunch.
He was a total geek. Into science and comic books and nerdy stuff like that, but Katie wasn't going to lie—she found it kind of interesting and he always lit up whenever she asked a question about a certain character.
"He's sweet and funny and really smart," Katie defended him quietly.
Lauren snorted, Jessica laughed and Ashley murmured a snobby, "I know, right?"
Katie glared at them. Why couldn't they be happy for her? There was nothing wrong with Eric and she could easily recall having to defend him the first time, when Ashley had outed her crush on Eric to the two Junior girls.
Jessica had tried to convince Katie that Eric didn't like her, but liked Kit and was telling everyone he was going to ask the freckled-girl out.
She shook her head, "You guys are so mean."
Ashley laughed and Katie winced when Ashley threw her arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to the group.
"Come on, we're just joking!" Ashley assured her and Jessica snickered.
Katie blinked, "But…it's not funny."
"Oh my God, Katie, seriously!" Lauren's voice was teetering between annoyance and humor, "You are such a baby."
"So overly-sensitive," Jessica agreed, flipping her hair.
Katie gritted her teeth, "Stop saying that! I'm not sensitive, you guys are just mean. You don't need to comment on everything! Who gives a shit about prom!?"
Lauren's eyes darted around, then settled on Katie, who was still glaring.
"Okay, Katie, we're sorry," she whispered, "Calm down, you're gonna draw attention. Seriously, chill."
Katie took a deep breath through her nose.
"Yeah," Jessica told her, shifting her bag strap, "Eric's…cool. I've never seen him cleaned up in a suit or dress-up clothes. I bet he'd be…cute."
Katie couldn't help but smile at Jessica's attempt to be nice, "Thanks."
"But I guess we'll never know," Ashley huffed, crossing her arms.
"Okay, but there has to be a rule about this," Lauren called back the attention to what really mattered: prom, "It's not fair. Kit isn't God's gift to Earth—the world doesn't revolve around her!"
Over the weekend and after the disastrous meeting the school board held Friday night, it had been decided that instead of prom, a candlelight vigil would to held for Kit Algren in its place. The prom funds had all ready been used to purchase candlesticks and flowers.
Katie felt her shoulders slump. She hadn't known how to react when the news of Kit's suicide attempt had spread throughout the school. Her heart had stuttered in her chest and began to race.
Surprisingly, Lauren, Ashley, and Jessica hadn't said a single word about it. They just rolled their eyes or shared secret looks whenever someone brought it up, which was often.
But she and Kit had been friends.
"People have spent money," Jessica complained, "Soo, like, do we get refunds? What if I get terminal cancer next year? This could be my only prom!"
"Tyler almost died in a car accident." Lauren's hand went to her heart and Katie wondered if the blonde actually had one, "Where was his candlelight vigil? He wants to go to prom with me. That should be enough. He's here all of his life. Kit hasn't."
Katie could feel the bitterness and jealously coming off of her friends clogging her pores. Whether or not they liked it, it was obvious that the vigil was simply the right thing to do. Plenty of students were upset about what had happened. On Friday, Katie had seen two girls embracing as they cried.
Katie had never known anyone to kill themselves and it had hit the town hard.
"I heard that the school was going to take Kit's picture and make a bunch of flyers," Ashley said wryly, "Think the Cullens will go to the vigil?"
Lauren visibly bristled, "That's a stupid question! Obviously, they're obsessed with her. Stupid whore."
"Lauren!" Katie gasped, "Stop!" any other time she would have laughed or chimed in an agreement, but now, with Kit in her coma, it just seemed…wrong.
Lauren's eyes became big and she turned her head, too slow to be normal.
"What? What the hell did you just say to me?" she bit out slowly.
"Give it a rest," Katie said sullenly, "Leave her alone. It's getting old. The vigil is a nice thing to do."
"Oh my God!" Jessica laughed, her eyes crinkling with amusement, "Did you hear that, Lauren? It's a nice thing to do."
"Yeah," Katie mumbled. She had been nice to Kit at first…
"Okay, guys," Lauren, the picture of calm, leaned against Jessica's car, despite the look she received from the curly-hair girl, "Did you hear that? Apparently, Katie makes the rules around here. So, we're all being nice, now."
Ashley snickered, "She'll be running Kit's vigil."
"Or eulogizing at her funeral," Jessica suggested and they all laughed.
Katie didn't think it was very funny. It would be horrible if Kit died.
"Katie, since you want to be so nice, then you can go find other people to hangout with," Lauren inspected her nails, "I'm sick of you standing up for Kit and running your mouth."
Katie actually felt like she was going to cry. If Lauren, Jess and Ashley shunned her, then she wouldn't have a group to hangout with. She'd have Eric and a few other people, but this was her main clique and she liked being popular. It was amazing when people she barely spoke to, commented on how great she looked in her outfit when she passed them in the hall or said hi or that they were obsessed with the shoes she wore.
"Go on," Lauren waved a hand, "Go away."
"…I wasn't standing up for her," Katie said meekly, "Kit's basically dead and if people overhear you say those things, they're going to start talking...more than they are. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a bitch. If the school doesn't do the vigil, I bet a ton of parents will be pissed off and threaten to sue the school or something. Didn't you hear about the meeting?"
"Whatever," Lauren said shortly.
No one said anything else and it was uncomfortably quiet between the four.
Katie, however, was distracted by the sight of two cars pulling into the parking lot and she felt her stomach drop to her feet.
Nervous, she began to wiggle her toes in her shoes, waiting impatiently for the occupants to step out.
Out of the sleek silver Volvo, stepped Bella and Edward. Katie lived right near Bella.
Out of the sleeker, more expensive-looking red convertible, stepped Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Jasper. The latter looked kind of sick instead of the painful expression he usually wore. Maybe it was a combination of both. Either way, Jasper didn't look happy. None of them did.
She shifted and swallowed, as she began to fidget. She felt a little dizzy and took a deep breath.
"Um," she muttered, "I think I'll be right back."
Her heart was hitting her chest so hard, she thought it would break her ribs. People had always been wary of the Cullen family and as Katie walked forward, her hands began to shake. She felt goosebumps spread up her arms and the hairs of the back of her neck stood up.
Through all of this, she tried to stay calm and confident. Maybe she'd have a better chance talking to Bella. She was as big as a freak as her boyfriend and his family, but would be easier to talk to.
"Bella!" she called, hating how raspy her voice came out.
Much to Katie's surprise, the brunette stopped walking, giving Katie more time to approach her. She stopped right in front of Bella, her heart still beating wildly.
It kind of irked her, the way Bella was looking at her. The clumsy girl looked at Katie like she was a pesky fly that wouldn't go away.
"What?" Bella asked sharply.
"Um," Katie's eyes went to Bella's and Edward's linked hands, then traveled up to look at him for a short half-second. He looked more pissed off then Bella did, his dark eyes hard.
"Um," Katie's breath caught in her chest, "Did you hear? Prom was…canceled…"
"I heard."
Katie felt her stomach turn in an unfriendly way. Why was Bella being such a bitch? Katie was just trying to be nice. After all, they were neighbors.
Katie heard Edward snort lightly and her cheeks burned in a painful blush. Being around any of the Cullen's, always made her squirm.
"Did you want something?" Bella asked impatiently, "Class is going to start soon and I wanted to get some reading in."
'If I vomit I'm literally going to kill myself,' Katie thought, swallowing again.
"I just," she cleared her throat, "I wanted to ap—I wanted to ask, I guess—or—there's gonna be a vigil, I think and—well, is Kit—
"None of your goddamn business!"
The loud, yet musically voice startled Katie and she turned as she jumped, facing Rosalie who was approaching her rapidly.
Rosalie was so gorgeous even in anger. Her blonde hair bounced with every angry step, her hips swayed. It was intimidating.
Still, Katie felt defensive. She and Kit had been friends way before Rosalie ever came into the picture. Rosalie didn't even like Kit. Everyone at school knew it.
"I was trying to be nice—
"Oh, shut up!" Rosalie snapped loudly, "You're not nice. You're a cruel, heartless person and this is your fault! This is all your fault!"
Katie growled, "You've known Kit for what? Five freakin' minutes!?"
"You and your stuck-up friends have been torturing Kit, for what? The entire time she's been here!?" Rosalie mocked her and Katie's mouth dropped open.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jessica grab Lauren's arm.
She felt numb as tears gathered behind her eyes, "I-I didn't mean to…" she sniffled, then whimpered.
"You did!" Rosalie snapped and Katie felt her tears fall, "Ugh, stop crying. It's not cute. It should be you in the hospital, not Kit!"
Katie heard footsteps and before she knew it, all her friends had come to comfort her. In fact, it was Lauren who spoke.
"You're making her cry," Lauren sneered at Rosalie.
Rosalie made a noise that Katie had never heard before, but frightened her to her very core. Lauren gasped in her ear and she swore that she heard Ashley whimper in fear.
"I suggest you get out of my face," Rosalie said lowly, "We have class to get to."
"It's okay, Katie," Jessica tried to soothe her and Katie nodded, "Hurry, come on. Everyone's looking. Come on!"
Katie nodded tearfully and let her friends lead her away.
"Keep your head down," Ashley hissed, "Let's go to our bathroom."
'Our bathroom' was the bathroom they all occupied during the mornings. There was never enough time to get ready in the morning at home, so, sometimes, they would all meet in the bathroom closest to the lunchroom and do their makeup. Once, Lauren had brought her hair straightener.
"Oh my God, everyone's looking," Jessica's voice quivered.
"That Rosalie is such a fucking bitch," Lauren said hurriedly and Katie was comforted by the fact that Lauren no longer seemed angry at her, "You didn't do anything wrong. There's no rule against talking to their precious Bella Swan. That blonde bimbo literally attacked you!"
"And her brothers and sister didn't even try to stop her," Ashley raged, "Alice and Jasper were talking to Emmett like nothing was happening. They should have stopped Rosalie when she started screaming at you. It was the right thing to do. If I had siblings, I would never let them attack someone like that."
"I was trying to be nice!" Katie wailed. They were in the bathroom, now and she had been released from her friends' arms.
"We tried to warn you," Jessica commented, ripping out a handful of paper towels.
"I know," Katie sniffed and wiped her tears. There was no reason for Rosalie to scream at her the way she did. She had been talking to Bella, not to her. She hadn't called Bella any names—out loud, that is—and had been speaking in a normal, friendly tone.
"Everyone knows that the Cullens are a bunch of freaks," Lauren proceeded to fix her eyeliner, "They have no friends, they all date each other—that's incest, you know—and their father practices plastic surgery on them. Whatever they say, is worthless. No one will believe them."
"Yeah," Katie accepted the towels, trying for an even tone, "Thanks."
"It's a good thing you don't do your bottom lashes," Ashley pointed out, referring to Katie's mascara, "If you did, it would have stained your foundation."
Katie managed a weak and watery laugh, carefully wiping away the last of her tears.
Hampton, New Hampshire, 2003:
Everly was hurrying to butter toast, pour milk and coffee, scramble eggs, and flip pancakes.
It was a full spread, as it had been for the past few weeks since moving her small family from their broken-down, one bedroom apartment, to her mother's giant house which had been left to Everly when she died.
'Wow,' she thought, shaking her head. Tears built up in her eyes and she let one fall, 'It's almost been a month.'
A whole month without her mother. Never, in a million years, did Everly think she would be an orphan by age thirty-one. Her father had died when she was five, way before Kit was born. He had died in war and it had been very hard on her mother.
It was quite literally just her, her husband and her two children. Blake was estranged from his family and had been for quite awhile.
If she was honest, Everly wasn't too broken up about it. She had never cared for Blake's parents; and they had never cared for her.
She had no parents.
Blake was taking the loss of his mother-in-law just as hard as she was. Katherine had been his mother figure and Blake had even called her 'mom' here and there, lighting up Katherine's eyes like a Christmas tree.
He was at work, now. A boring desk-job that he hated and later, he would go to his retail job at a shoe store, which he equally hated; so that she could be a stay at home mom.
She was in the process of trying to get him to quit. When her mother's lawyer had said that Katherine left her and her small family everything, he had actually meant everything.
They had enough money to start their art careers. They had connections and friends in the community, but had never had enough money for the expensive paints, the pencils, the easels, or anything else.
She usually worked as a receptionist for a hair salon, but was taking some time off to grieve and be with her children.
She snapped out of her thoughts and hurriedly wiped away any last traces of tears, going back to the stove to ladle some more pancake batter into the frying pan.
By the sounds of the footsteps, Everly could pick out that it was Kit. Indigo never wore high heels and it was still early. Her youngest should still be sleeping.
"Hey, Kit Kat, good morning," Everly made her voice extra cheery, "Did you sleep well? Don't worry, breakfast will be ready in a second, just let me finish this, so that your pancakes will be extra hot. We ran out of blueberries, so-
"I can't go to school, today," Kit's voice was low and sad.
"Oh, honey," Everly tsked, "I know you're having a hard time, but—
She turned to face Kit and her loud gasp was muffled by the loud shattering of glass. She had dropped the butter dish.
Her mouth hung open, eyes so wide she feared that they would pop out of her head.
"Oh…my gosh," she breathed, "Oh my gosh!" her voice was laced with hysteria.
Her daughter's thick, luscious, dark chocolate s-shaped waves that had cascaded all the way down to her waist was…was…they were gone!
Kit's hair had been—had been—the waves had been chopped off and didn't even come close to touching her shoulders! Her hair was uneven in all places and looked lopsided and stiff. Even her feathery, fringe forehead bangs had been completely cut off and exposed too much of Kit's forehead, almost going up to her hairline.
Everly stood there, mouth moving as she floundered for words.
Kit, however, was just standing there staring at Everly with a blank and bored expression.
"I—I don't—wha…? How did—what—wha…?"
Kit lifted one shoulder in a small shrug, "It was an accident."
.
.
.
.
"Mommy, I'm tired," Indigo whined, rubbing at her eye with her fist.
"We'll—" immediately, Kit clamped her mouth shut and averted her gaze, considering she couldn't turn her head.
Everly blanched and exhaled softly. She reached over and patted Indigo's arm.
"I know, Indi, we'll be done soon," she promised, "Try and be patient, okay?"
She reached around to cup the side of Indigo's head and pushed gently until Indigo was laying against her side.
They were sitting in the waiting chairs by the doors of the hair salon where Everly worked, while Kit was in the style chair, having her hair done by Deetra, a woman that attended the church they went to and sung along with Kit in the choir.
Or should she say used to? Kit hadn't been to church or choir practice since Katherine's passing and wanted to quit.
Everly figured she had no right to scold Kit, but still encouraged her to think about it. After all, she hadn't been back to church, either.
"Don't worry, hon," Deetra ran a rat tail comb through Kit's hair, angling her scissors, "I never saw you, I promise."
"Thank you so much, Dee," Everly said. She smiled, though it was forced, "We really appreciate this. Don't we, Kit?"
"Yes," Kit whispered.
"Seriously, I have been wanting to cut your hair forever!" Deetra said, very perky, "You're gonna look so dang cute, you have my word! I'll be done in a sec."
"From what I can see, it looks cute!" Everly added optimistically, "It makes your cheekbones look nice and you can see more of your face. It makes you more approachable."
"I'll teach you how to style it," Deetra continued, when Kit didn't respond, "It's really easy and you can use the products you're currently using. The leave-in conditioner. And you know, now you can use a lot less of it and I bet your showers will be a lot shorter. You can finally sleep in."
Deetra's positivity warmed Everly's heart. Not only had her friend opened early to help take care of Kit, but not once had she spouted any of that "So sorry for your loss". Though well-intentioned, currently, those words would do more harm than good.
"Aaaaand, done!" dramatically, Deetra spun Kit's chair around and passed Kit a black hand mirror.
Everly gasped, her hand fluttering near her mouth.
Kit's dark chocolate hair had been cut into a short, choppy bob and Deetra had styled it with her own products and parted Kit's hair slightly down the left.
'I barely recognize her,' Everly thought, tilting her head. Kit had always had long hair. One of the many things that made her look like her grandmother.
She wanted to get up, but Indigo was sleeping heavily against her side.
"Honey, you look great," she told Kit sincerely.
"Doesn't she?" Deetra was leaning over the back of the salon chair, touching Kit's hair, "And now it looks like you did it on purpose. You look beautiful."
Kit visibly grimaced at her new look, "Thank you."
Sitting in the hospital cafeteria, Esme nodded slowly. She had convinced Everly to come down to the cafeteria with her and eat something. She had gotten Everly some chicken and rice soup while she forced herself to eat an apple and choke down some coffee.
"I should have known," Everly choked out, "I mean, she cut off her own hair. She played it off as an accident, but…"
"It's not your fault," Esme promised, reaching over to touch Everly's wrist, "You're such a good mother. Trust me, Kit absolutely adores you."
Everly's lips quirked up in a stiff smile and Esme was happy when she took a bite of her soup.
"She's such a good girl," Esme continued, "We love her very much. She definitely knows how to keep my son in line."
Everly chuckled a little, "He's good for her," she admitted, "Kit needs someone like Emmett. She can be such a bore, but Emmett took her hiking and wild swimming and he makes her loosen up. She's so serious all the time."
Esme smiled warmly. She loved seeing Kit and Emmett together. They were so opposite, but got along so well.
Her small smile fell when a tear dripped down Everly's cheek.
"I don't think I'll make it without her," Everly sniffed.
"Oh, Everly, you can't think like that," she squeezed Everly's hand, then let go, "I know it's hard, but you have to try and think positive."
The words tasted weird on her tongue. She knew exactly how Everly felt. Before she had been turned, she had fallen pregnant from her abusive ex-husband Charles. Her baby had died of lung fever. Her darling little boy dead before he could live. The cliff had seemed like the only option. After everything she had been through, she couldn't handle the loss of her child.
It had been such a horrible, frightening time in her life.
She easily recalled telling Bella part of her story, but she hadn't told Kit. Maybe she should have.
She thought of telling Everly, but thought better of it. She wanted to stay off the topic of losing children.
"Why don't you tell me more stories about Kit?" she suggested, "Tell me, what was she like as a baby?"
"Oh, gosh," Everly's breath hitched, "She was wonderful…"
Esme nodded at her encouragingly, pushing Everly's soup bowl closer to her.
Emmett tapped his foot rather impatiently, sitting in the colorful, bad news room. He had come to see Kit, but the nurses were with her, now and it was only family allowed until they were finished.
He could still hear everything coming from her hospital room though, and none of the sounds were pleasant.
Needing a distraction, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out the baggie he always carried with him and dumped Kit's locket into his hand.
He cradled it carefully. It was old, but he supposed he could see its appeal. It was so Kit.
Was there a picture inside? Kit had never told him if there was or not and he didn't think it would hurt anyone if he looked inside. After all, Everly had given it to him to look after.
One wrong move and he could break it, so he minded his actions, gently prying open the side of the locket to look inside.
There was only one picture…and it was a picture of Kit.
It was an old picture in sepia tone, but it was her all right. She was younger, maybe thirteen. She stood in a field that was so tall it came up to her waist. Her wavy hair was quite long and she had a wavy fringe. Her body was turned to the side, but her head was turned, her eyes staring straight at the camera. Her lips held a small smile and her arms clutched a bouquet of baby's breath to her chest.
"That's Katherine."
Emmett looked up, slightly startled. He had been so focused on trying to block out all the noises, he had been distracted from the sounds of her footsteps. He hadn't smelled her either. He always held his breath when he was at the hospital.
He was more surprised, when Vanessa came to take a seat next to him. He shuffled over, trying to put a some space between them.
"What?" he said, though he had heard her perfectly.
"That," she pointed to the picture, "That's Katherine. Kit's grandmother."
"What?" Emmett scrutinized the picture more closely, for show. He could see every detail, every line, every crinkle in the picture, but it still looked like Kit. The nose was a little wider and lips thinner, but he had never seen pictures of Kit from when she was younger. She had always talked about how small and short she was.
"I know, right?" Vanessa's eyes lit up with amusement, "They could have been twins, but that's Katherine. Here, I think I have some pictures of Kit."
From her pocket, Vanessa pulled out a black wallet and she flipped it open and went through the main pocket, pulling out some photos.
"Here."
He took them from her outstretched hand. The first picture had definitely been taken when Kit was younger. When she was eight, he had to guess.
She was wearing a dark purple robe and she had her arms thrown around a black girl who had her hands hooked on one of Kit's arms. Their faces were squished together and they smiled so widely that their eyes were closed.
"That's my daughter, Shelly," Vanessa pointed, "She's seventeen, older than Kit. Her godsister. I have another one, Dominic, he's nineteen, but he's such a brat, he hates pictures," still, she chuckled and Emmett could tell Vanessa really loved her children.
He flipped to the next picture. This one was of Kit and a black boy, who looked similar to both Shelly and Vanessa, so Emmett assumed this to be Dominic.
Kit had her arms thrown around Dominic's neck, her body turned to the side, while his was facing the camera. She was standing on one heel, her other leg popped up behind her, giving her enough leverage to kiss Dominic on the cheek. Dominic was glancing to the side at her, his lip between his teeth to hide an obvious smile.
Her hair was so long and she had the same fringe bangs, but she looked a lot older than in the last picture.
She was wearing a cotton dress with pastel pink and white plaid print. The bodice was fitted with a shelf bust fit, nipped waist and free full skirt. She had paired this with four inch mint green t-strap tapered heels with teardrop-shaped cutouts, perforated accents, and a faux-suede finish.
Emmett smiled. It was nice to see Kit dressed in one of her fun and quirky outfits, even if it was only in a photo.
"I miss her so much," he whispered.
"I do, too," Vanessa said, "We're all trying to stay strong. She'll make it."
Emmett tried not to wince. He could hear the awful sounds of the nurses clearing out Kit's chest.
"Yeah," his voice came out shaky, "Now, what's this picture from?"
Shelly and Kit were sitting on a sofa and between them, sat a Caucasian boy with black hair and brown eyes, who had his arms around Kit and Shelly's shoulders.
"That's Anthony," Vanessa pointed to the boy, "He's not in the choir anymore. People in the choir started being mean to him when they found out he was gay. It was horrible. I kicked them out of the choir, but Anthony wouldn't stay. He played the drums for us, too. So talented. They were all so cute, cracked me up," Vanessa's head tilted fondly, "He's a bit older than the girl's. I think he's nineteen, now. I heard he had cancer a couple years ago, isn't that awful?"
"Awful," Emmett repeated.
"I'd show you more pictures, but I bet they're all still packed up in boxes," Vanessa said apologetically, "Usually, there's a ton around the house."
Emmett nodded. He had been up in the attic before and had spotted a number of boxes that had yet to be even opened. Perhaps the Algrens were terrible at unpacking or maybe they never planned to stay for long.
"Anyway, I don't really approve of my goddaughter having an older boyfriend," Vanessa started, in a no nonsense tone, "She wasn't allowed to date anyone until she was sixteen and I guess she picked you."
Emmett frowned. She guessed?
"I love her," he said firmly, "My whole family does."
"Right," Vanessa nodded, "Your father's the doctor taking care of her."
"He's a wonderful doctor," Emmett said defensively.
"Sure, sure," Vanessa mumbled, "It says a lot that you sit here, and come to visit everyday. I appreciate that. And if this gets to be too much for you…" he met her eyes as she gave him a look.
"It's not," he assured her, "I'm fine."
"Mm," Vanessa hummed. It was clear she didn't believe him and he handed her the pictures back, "You seem like a nice kid," she said, placing the pictures back in her wallet, "If I see you around the next five years, I might bother to remember your name."
Emmett's eyes widened, put off by the sudden abrasiveness from Vanessa.
"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled, loud enough for her to hear. He didn't know what else to say. He very well couldn't argue with Kit's godmother. Despite his appearance, he was not some disrespectful meathead. At least, not all the time.
"If you'll excuse me," he said, standing up, "I need to use the restroom."
He left the room before she could respond. Did Vanessa really think he could be scared off so easily? Too much for him or not, Kit was his mate and he would never leave her. She was in more danger than just medically.
Victoria was still out there. Somewhere. With Kit as vulnerable as she was, the redhead could attack at any moment. She could drain Kit dry and kill Everly all in the same second.
Alice was doing her best to keep an eye on Victoria's future, but for obvious reasons, she was a little distracted and it was harder for her to see. They were all too indecisive, leaving all their futures in knots.
"Do we need to talk?"
Rosalie trailed her hands down her sides, twisting this way and that to admire herself in her mirror. She really was beautiful and she loved staring at herself.
She couldn't believe that Edward was attracted to someone as irritating and awkward as Bella Swan. Her facial structure was all sorts of off, and her hair was so plain.
But Rosalie's facial structure was perfect and her hair was like spun gold. How Edward couldn't see that still blew her mind, and pissed her off.
Not that she was attracted to him, but it was the principal. For awhile, she had been convinced that he was into men…
"You're back from the hospital, early," she finally answered Esme who had walked further into the room.
"And you haven't been at all," Esme said gently, taking a seat on Rosalie's plush bed.
"Why would I go?" Rosalie asked simply. She kept her eyes on her reflection and could see Esme's as well, "What would I do there?"
"Talk to Kit," Esme suggested, "I'm sure she'd like to hear your voice. You could tell her about your day."
Rosalie scoffed. Esme—she was such a mom. She never wanted any of them to be fighting and wanted to remain one big, happy, lovey-dovey family.
"My voice is lovely," Rosalie agreed, "But I have nothing to say to her."
She had made her feelings for Kit abundantly clear and made all attempts to ignore the brunette.
"I would think you'd try extra hard to get along with, Kit," Esme said softly, "Make amends. She's Emmett's mate."
Hearing Emmett's name caused Rosalie's eyes to soften, "I warned him about this. I said humans were too fragile and it's his fault for not listening to me. Anyway, it doesn't matter…he hates me," her voice broke into a whisper.
She blinked at the dry feeling in her eyes, keeping her face schooled in a straight face. After Emmett had stormed out of the house, Esme had stepped forward to comfort her, but Rosalie had darted to the kitchen, destroyed a few things, then rushed to her room and threw herself under her bed covers.
"Emmett and I were supposed to travel around Africa, during the summer," she complained, "For three months," she whirled on Esme, suddenly furious, "How could you let him shout at me like that!?"
She searched Esme's matching eyes, waiting impatiently for her answer.
"Sweetheart," Esme breathed, "You love Emmett very much, yes? How would you react if someone spoke to him—treated him—the way that you did Kit?"
"So, this is all my fault!?" Rosalie felt a growl rise in her chest, her body trembling with the urge to release it.
"I didn't say that," Esme said coolly, "However, I do think that you need to take some responsibility. You weren't very kind to Kit, I've scolded you many times for calling her names and hurting her feelings. And maybe, this will help you reflect and you can treat Kit and Bella with more kindness in the future."
Rosalie didn't give that much thought and rolled her eyes dramatically. Nothing she said to Kit, had been a lie. She did cause problems for Rosalie's family, they did spend too much time talking about Kit, Jasper was affected by Kit's mood swings and Emmett was constantly worried about her.
"You made her cry…"
"Ugh!" Rosalie scoffed, "I did not. The mortal was blubbering about something else."
"Because she couldn't take it anymore," there was a hard frown in Esme's voice, "Rosalie Lillian Hale. Do you have no compassion? You're better than this. I know exactly how Kit felt, so does your father. Were we blubbering?"
"No!" Rosalie whirled around, "No, of course not. Esme, you know that…"
If there could only be one thing that she and Esme had in common, then it would be their desires to be mothers and have children. Esme made due with Rosalie and her siblings, but Rosalie was sure her mother still longed. She sure did.
"Then, why was Kit?" Esme tilted her head, "I would think that her love for Emmett and the happiness she brings him would be enough for you. She's a part of this family, Rose. I love her."
Rosalie's shoulders slumped when Esme blinked furiously, a sign that her species would cry in their own way.
It was a very real possibility that Kit might not pull through. Apparently, pneumonia was a very serious human ailment even for the healthiest of mortals.
"What if Emmett won't listen to me?" she mumbled, "He said he hated me."
She couldn't live if Emmett hated her and she didn't know what she would do if he never spoke to her again. Friday, in the heat of things, she had considered running away. There was always Denali, with her cousins, but sometimes, Tanya and her sisters got on Rosalie's nerves.
"He was angry," Esme assured her, "But I'm sure he's started to forgive you. After what you did at school."
There it was.
Rosalie grimaced. She was the spokesperson when it came to her family interacting with the humans. She was completely against it unless it became necessary for them to blend in. How many times had she almost ripped Edward's head off before he started dating Bella, and after?
"That was really nice of you," Esme said sincerely, "You made a scene like that, all for a girl that you can't stand?"
"I've never cared for Lauren or any of her friends," Rosalie stated. Her tone was clipped, making it clear that she was done with this conversation. She hadn't wanted to have it in the first place.
Luckily, Esme got the hint and changed the topic, "Carlisle and I spoke with Alice about what would be best, in terms of us attending the candlelight vigil. Alice was able to see and she says we'll be safe either way. Carlisle agreed. I think we should all stay home for the evening. As a family."
Family. Both Carlisle and Esme didn't care for the word coven when referring to them as a whole.
"Okay," Rosalie said.
"Okay," Esme stood in one fluid motion, then walked at a human pace, opening up her arm, "Come here."
Rosalie exhaled softly, but went into Esme's arms.
"I love you," Esme murmured, "You know that you have a very special place in my heart."
Rosalie nodded. She was Esme and Carlisle's first daughter. Esme had always wanted a daughter.
"I love you, too," and Rosalie pulled back and kissed Esme's cheek.