Hello lovely people of the interwebs. Sorry for the delay in posting. Writing has become quite the luxury these days. So I literally just spend most of the time with a thousand and one ideas bouncing around my head and never enough time to put them to paper... er... computer. But enjoy! I'm already working on the next chapter so you won't have to wait as long!

The song for this chapter is Fireflies by Stephan Moccio.

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Disclaimer: I'm only doing this for a friend. I don't get anything from it but her undying appreciation. I certainly don't get to have fun with Emmett and the boys in my head.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Fireflies

BPOV

Hell would freeze over before I would ever trust Edward Cullen again.

And I'd run for mayor of Forks before I'd ever attend a stupid school dance again.

I told him it would end in injury.

But did he listen?

Of course not. Because no one could possibly know more than Edward Freaking Cullen.

We didn't even make it out onto the dance floor before I'd injured myself.

One minute, we're walking -okay, he was walking and sort of dragging me along behind him while I argued that this was a terrible idea -and the next, I'd rolled my ankle and couldn't walk without shooting pain.

Carlisle had NOT been happy.

Which was the only bonus to rolling my ankle at a school dance. Because he gave Edward an earful. The words 'send you to Alaska to get eaten by a polar bear' may have been mentioned.

It was glorious.

Not as glorious as being able to spend the evening making out with Carlisle in his library while Edward sulked before taking me home at an appropriate time and explaining to Charlie that I was a klutz but we'd still had a nice time.

Charlie hid a laugh and we'd spent all of Sunday taking it easy in front of the tv. He turned on sports and I read a book in companionable silence. It was actually nice to be able to share space with him while we both amused ourselves. Mom had always been loud and busy. She didn't stop long enough for a silence to form before she'd filled it or dragged me off to do something I definitely did not want to do. Charlie was content to just be near me without needing to talk or busy himself. I guess it was a personal trait that I realized made me more like him than I'd realized before now.

When I woke up Monday, my room seemed off and it wasn't until I'd rubbed my eyes and then flown to the window that I realized what was different.

The sun was out.

It wasn't the same as Arizona but I could imagine the brightness on the windowsill was settling into my skin and spreading through me, warming me from the inside. I felt the kind of beaming happiness like after Carlisle's kisses and rushed through getting ready for school, eager to share my joy with my friends.

Charlie didn't miss that I was more buoyant than usual but he seemed a little buzzed as he prepared for his first day back since the logging accident.

"What's got you glowing," he asked cheerfully as he poured himself some coffee. I didn't bother to hide my grin.

"The sun is out." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Even a rainy town like Forks gets sun sometimes," he pointed out good naturedly. I shrugged.

"It happens so rarely, it feels as exciting as Christmas," I admitted as I pulled toast from the toaster and started buttering it.

"It is pretty rare. Just don't go running off to the woods. Lots of people think that since it's nice, they can get lost in nature and usually just end up getting lost."

"Dad, I'm happy it's sunny but even that couldn't convince me to go hiking," I assured him with an exaggerated shudder. He laughed before standing up and kissing me on the head.

"Just be safe," he muttered against my hair. He was suddenly serious, a dark undertone edging his voice. I turned to ask him about it but he was already heading for the door, grabbing his keys and leaving. I frowned at the wall separating the kitchen and front door for a few moments before shoving aside my worries. He was probably just concerned since I'd already hurt myself within the last few days.

I drove to school, still reveling in the bright sunshine that almost gave the trees a green glow. When I arrived, I realized that I wasn't the only one excited about the change in weather. Several people were wearing shorts and tank tops. That was maybe a little too optimistic but I couldn't begrudge anyone their happiness at a change from the misty drizzle that seemed to settle permanently over this part of the world. I parked and climbed out of my truck, looking around the lot for Edward's car or Emmett's Jeep but they weren't there. I shrugged it off as the bell rang. They must have been running late.

When Government rolled around and Edward didn't show up, I started to get worried. I pulled my phone out discreetly.

Hey. Where are you? Did Carlisle follow through on his Alaska threat? Thought you'd at least say bye first.

I sent the text message to Edward and then put my phone away, trying to focus on the lesson.

Edward didn't text me back. By lunch, I was ready to grill his siblings about his absence but when I got to the lunchroom, our table was empty. I looked around to see if they were in line to get food -even though they never really ate it -but there wasn't any sign of them. I moved robotically through the lunch line and then took my tray of food to my seat, anxiety souring my appetite. Ten minutes passed and none of the Cullens showed up. I pulled my phone out and texted Edward again.

"It's sunny." I looked up to see Angela Webber standing in front of the chair by mine.

"Yeah," I said, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"Doctor Cullen and his sister always excuse their kids from school when it's sunny," she said, taking a seat. I noticed her boyfriend -Ben? -sit next to her, engrossed in a comic book.

"Really? That seems a bit of an extreme reaction to sunlight. And I'm from the desert." She laughed and shrugged.

"I guess they're really outdoorsy. They go camping and hiking and all sorts of stuff. I think. Didn't they tell you they weren't going to be here?" I ran my fingers over my phone lightly.

"No," I said softly. "But it's not a huge deal. I'm sure I can survive the day without them." Angela eyes me thoughtfully.

"I know you guys are really close. I'm happy they found someone they could be comfortable with. Ever since they moved in…"

"What," I prompted, my interest fully peaked.

"Maybe it's because they're different or because people think it's weird that a brother and sister would raise their kids together, in the same house… but they sort of give off this vibe. Like…," she squinted at the window, face scrunched as she tried to find the words, "they're dangerous, I guess? But that doesn't really make sense. They just make people uncomfortable, I think."

"Not everyone," I muttered, my eyes landing on Jessica and Lauren across the room. Angela followed my gaze and huffed a laugh.

"Yeah well, they've been interested in anything new and shiny since we were in preschool. It has less to do with who the Cullens are and more to do with the fact that they were new. And wouldn't give either of them the time of day. That's part of the reason why you guys didn't really get along once they found out the Cullens liked you."

"Well, not everyone can love me. I'm not pizza." We laughed and she sat back, giving me a wide smile.
"I'm sorry I haven't really gotten to know you." I started to wave off her apology but she held up a hand. "I know you have friends. But I just… don't want you to think that everyone here is the same as the people you already met and… didn't get along with. I think you and the Cullens are a good fit but if you ever feel lonely or the sun comes out, just know that I'm around and I won't be mad that you and Edward Cullen are an item." I smiled softly at her.

"Thanks," I murmured, throat thick. "I haven't had the easiest time here. But it is good to know that the way… certain people feel isn't the general consensus. Although I'm sure that tomorrow, things will be back to normal." She shrugged and then we spent the rest of lunch talking about our favorite books.

~~~STY~~~

Tuesday dawned as bright and cloudless as the day before. I frowned at my phone, reading through the unanswered messages to Edward and Alice. I'd even texted Carlisle, unsure if he had evaded work in favor of the excellent weather. But no one had responded. I could feel a pity party trying to get into full swing in my brain and immediately tried to squash it. They were probably out of cell service. If they'd done like Charlie and Angela had described, they were undoubtedly out in the woods and mountains, away from civilization and unable to get their text messages.

But a small -okay, medium -part of me felt hurt at being left behind without a word. Would it have killed Edward to let me know they were leaving?

Or Carlisle?

I banished the morose thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on school that day. Angela came and sat with me at lunch again and we discovered that we had a lot in common. She was also a homebody who preferred books over school dances -though that hadn't stopped her from going to the last one with Ben. Lunch passed by quickly, her company easing the pang of loneliness that felt similar to the drizzly mist I was so used to.

After school, I lounged around the house, unsure of what to do with myself. After I finished laundry and homework, I found myself staring at my phone, willing a message to appear. After ten minutes, I sighed and grabbed a blanket and a book, heading out to the backyard. I spread the blanket out and reclined across it, soaking up the sun. I opened my book and lost myself in the story.

At some point I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, the sun was starting to set and the temperature was beginning to drop. I sat up quickly, glancing around the tree line. Charlie's house backed the forest and as a child, I had been scared to enter the woods, convinced that there would be trolls or big, bad wolves waiting for me. I'd eventually grown out of those fears but now, they flooded back to me as I heard something crashing around in the bushes, breaking twigs.

"Hello," I called out tentatively, praying that nothing answered, heart pounding. The crashing grew louder and I grabbed my blanket and book, prepared to barricade myself in the house. A dark figure burst through the tree line and I gave an involuntary scream before I stopped, squinting at the mass on the ground. It reared its head and I froze.

"Rachel?"