𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠¹| 𝙏𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 ✓

III.X

Lucine was in Bella's room, helping her find a jacket for tonight. It was her warmest jacket and they both knew that it was crucial to surviving a cold night up in the mountains.

Bella took a seat on her bed for a second as she watched Lucine search through her suitcase full of unpacked summer clothes. She watched her move clothes around, noticing a new level of maturity; of confidence. The Lucine she knew was shy yet so outgoing, she was funny and always did what she wanted.

The Lucine in front of her held her head high as if she knew everything, her eyes heald a darker dullness to them but every now and then they heald that star-like sparkle that she was so used to. Even during her times of danger, she held that sparkle.

"Lucine." She said as her sister pulled out the jacket. She looked at her for a second before realizing what was going to be asked of her. She sighed, taking a seat on her sister's desk chair.

"I'm still me Bells."

"I know. You'll always be my sister no matter what." She said with a reassuring smile. "Then what is it?" Lucine asked, somewhat scared of the question her sister wanted to ask. "Is this awakening, or whatever it is, the reason why you changed so much since we've come to Forks?" Lucine stared at her for a second before nodding. "Sort of. It's a bit more complicated than that and I don't think right now is the time for it." She reminded her, making her remember what was going to happen tomorrow.

"When then? When will be the right time to tell me?" She slowly started to get frustrated with Lucine's secrets. They've been so distant lately that it almost felt like they were strangers. "I don't know. Maybe after the battle. Maybe after the Volturi. I don't know." Bella nodded, not saying anything else as she put the jacket on and went downstairs to where Charlie was waiting for them.

He didn't look too happy to see his daughters leaving at such a time. The sun was down and the girls should've been in their rooms doing whatever they did. All he wanted was them to be home and safe, not out and about with whoever and wherever.

"Where are you girls going?" He asked them as they reached downstairs. They looked at each other, realizing that they hadn't come up with a lie yet so Lucine took the lead. "Just a little girls' night before graduation next week." She said, giving him one of her famous smiles knowing he couldn't say no to his daughter. He raised an eyebrow, not completely convinced so he looked over at Bella for answers. She nodded, "Yeah, just a girl's night."

"I know it's cold here, but do you girls really need that many layers?" They nodded rapidly, not wanting to argue with him or negotiate, needing every layer that had on.

He stood there thinking for a second before he let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay but be safe and no boys." The sisters nodded, giving their dad a hug goodbye before leaving.

"It feels like I rarely see them, even though we live under the same roof." Lucine heard him say to himself as she closed the door. She felt bad, she felt wrong having been put in this role as a daughter and sister to people that weren't her family. After having spent so much time with them, they felt like family but a part of her felt guilty.

Edward drove them up to the woods before they got out and went to the campsite. Once they got there, the sisters huddled together in the sleeping bag almost immediately, not being to handle the cold. Jacob joined them shortly after, offering himself off as a human heater.

Lucine accepted immediately but Bella hesitated, not wanting to upset Edward. The whole ordeal made Lucine roll her eyes.

In the end, Jacob laid in between the sisters as they cuddled closer to him for warmth, soon the chattering of their teeth silenced. Edward stepped out for a bit to hunt and calm himself so as to, in his words, "not rip him to shreds." Sometimes he told funny jokes, this, being one of them.

Bella fell asleep shortly after. Lucine noticed how relaxed her face looked compared to when she was awake. She never realized how stressed out she must be with everything going on. She's been stuck in her own world with her own problems that she hasn't noticed how much her sister was going through.

She felt like a terrible sister, she was starting to see a pattern with her actions and she didn't like it. She let out a deep sigh, catching Jacob's attention. Granted, his attention is on her most of the time, to begin with.

"What is it?" He asked softly, not wanting to wake up Bella knowing she needed the sleep.

She drew shapes and lines on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I feel like I've been a horrible sister towards Bella." He stayed silent for a second, making her stop her drawing. "See, even you think I haven't been the best sister." He chuckled lightly before running his hand soothingly up and down her arm. "I don't think you've been a bad sister but you haven't been the best either." She sighed, knowing that everything he was saying was true.

"I've been so caught up in my own business that I've completely disregarded the fact that she also might be going through things and that she might need me."-"In your defense, you did just get memories back from like three hundred plus years ago and on top of that you've rejoiced with a lover from a past life. That kind of stuff isn't easy to process." She took his words into account, letting them sink in for a second.

"That doesn't excuse everything though. I want to do better, I want to be the sister she had before we came to Forks. The sister she would drag off to a book shop because she didn't want to go alone. The sister that she cried to whenever Edward did something out of line." He sighed, realizing that nothing he says will truly get through her guilt-ridden mind.

"Just give it some time. Talk to her after everything's settled. Bella loves you the same way she always has and we both know that." She nodded, not wanting to speak anymore.

She drifted off the sleep soon, the universe using this chance to put more old memories back into her brain.