A Certain Metamorphosis || Rosalie Hale

Chapter 31 - With Overwhelming Fear

Emmett looked forward to spring every year. He always found winter to be dull and lifeless, especially in the areas they resided. Spring meant larger animals to hunt. Everything seemed to come to life in the spring. He was glad Lily was no exception.

With each passing day, Lily intertwined herself in their lives again. Emmett was taken aback the first time she asked him to join her on a hike, but he pounced at the opportunity. It was nice to have his sister back again. The glimmer in her eyes seemed to come back. It was easy to fall back on old times and patterns. He was thankful that any tension that seemed to linger between the pair had disappeared. Neither one of them enjoyed being angry at the other. He was afraid that Lily would resent him for reaching out in their absence, but she had tried to move on from the past. They were both fine not letting the past fester between them.

Emmett, along with the rest of the Cullens, feigned ignorance at what could have caused the change. The answer was quite obvious. It was hard to miss the change in the two blonde women in the house. Whatever emotions one was feeling would be reflected ten times over in the other. In the decades Emmett had known Rosalie, he would have never described her as an overly cheery person. Lately, that seemed to have slightly shifted. It wasn't uncommon to see the vampire unconsciously smiling in the presence of others even if it seemed to disappear every weekend.

Emmett wasn't proud of this fact, but he had tried his hardest to get Lily fired from her job. He had tried to tell the owner, Scott, that she was underage but the man called him a liar and said that he had proof of age. It was obvious that Scott wasn't the biggest fan of them. Emmett wanted to kill Alice for giving her that fake. It didn't make sense to try so far away for a job she didn't need. It would be better if she would just let one of them come with her. Hell, Emmett was willing to be her private chauffeur if she so wanted. She very clearly didn't want that so Emmett had given up. It wasn't the end of the world, but it always put the Cullens on edge when she left. However, they had other more pressing matters they had to focus on.

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Even as the hours of sunlight grew, the days seemed shorter. Lily no longer had to scramble to fill hours of crushing emptiness. Days were now filled with smiles and laughter and inside jokes. She didn't know if she had felt this relaxed all senior year. Her friends seemed happier. The Cullens seemed happier.

Lily found herself with more energy than she was used to. She thought it was normal to struggle through the day. Maybe she was wrong. Micheal had stopped sending her concerning glances. He looked less tense these days. Lily was glad. She didn't enjoy putting her and Micheal at odds. They were always a united front. It was nice to have him around again.

Lily didn't realize the amount of energy she was putting into avoiding the Cullens until she stopped. It still hurts occasionally living with the knowledge that it would end again. She would miss the Cullens. She would miss Bella too when she went with them. She hoped Scott and Laura would take her in for the summer. She knew she needed to leave and where she should go to school. It was just too painful to imagine putting thousands of miles between them immediately.

It was amazing how the weather could affect someone. Lily never realized how bleak her life was until the world around her started to brighten. She was smart enough to realize the Cullens may have played a part too.

It was also amazing what having solid meals could do to a person's mood. Lily wasn't smart enough to think of that.

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Lily enjoyed eating lunch with her friends. It was the one time a day everyone got to catch up. It was the perfect opportunity to warn others about upcoming tests, spread gossip, and joke around. Unfortunately, that was also the downfall of lunch. She was confused when Alice came across as being perkier than normal this morning. She was even more confused when the shorter brunette parted ways saying she would see her at lunch.