In All Your Vibrant Youth | Rosalie Hale

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 4 - ᴀ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴄʟᴏꜱɪɴɢ

The Cullens were the perfect family. At least that's what Lily believed. Sure, some were standoffish and they had that whole vampire thing working against them, but that did matter. They were good people. She had to remind herself of that fact as she sat in the backseat of the car against her will. Unfortunately for her, it was decided that it was safe for her to start attending the local school. Options for education in the small town were limited, to say the least. Carlisle and Esme sat in front of her as they drove to the local k-8 school armed with the perfectly forged documents.

"You know, they say the public school system is failing." Lily still hung onto the hope that she could change their minds against this whole school nonsense.

"And who are they?" Esme humored the girl, obviously amused by the statement.

"Edward." Lily mummered in response.

Esme laughed, "Edward shouldn't be your only source."

"Emmett said I didn't need to go. He said I could learn more at home anyway."

Carlisle rolled his eyes as he ignored Lily's continued protests. Lily slumped back into her seat. They had decided it was best for the girl to socialize with the local community. It had been long enough that they doubted any sort of investigation would be launched and she needed to be around children closer in age to her. She was acting too much like the vampires surrounding which would not benefit her in the future. Even though they were set in their decision, she probably wasn't wrong in her assessment that she could learn more at their house from the family than the school could teach her.

The girl finally quieted down as they parked their vehicle in the damp parking lot. They exited the car and made their way towards the front office with the disgruntled eleven-year-old trailing behind them. Lily kept a few paces behind them but resigned herself to her fate. Lily eyed the dark door suspiciously. She never particularly liked school. It was always loud and overcrowded. She didn't understand why she needed to leave the safety of the Cullen house just to be taught things she already knew.

Lily finally pried her eyes away from the walls as two women moved around the office. The receptionist peeked over her glasses as the family approached. Esme watched as her eyes scanned over her husband's figure. Her typing became louder as a familiar blush entered her cheeks. Humans were nothing if not predictable in their reactions to the vampires. Still, it didn't mean Esme enjoyed this fact. They logically knew that it was unintentional, their beauty being one of their greatest adaptations to lure their intended prey. She knew her husband was attractive, but sometimes she wished she was the only one who saw him that way.

"Hi, my husband and I are here to enroll a new student." Esme's voice filled the room, making the receptionist change her focus.

"Yes, of course." A forced smile graced the receptionist's face. "Lillian

Fleming, right? I can see the appointment here. Is at least one guardian present?"

Lily squired at hearing her new name. She knew it was necessary. They explained that it would protect her. It was another layer of safety, but it was still hard to hear. At least she could still go by Lily. She didn't understand why she couldn't have just gone with Cullen, but she never voiced disagreement. She knew she was different.

"Yes," Carlisle responded quickly, trying to hide Lily's obvious discomfort, and presented the papers. "She's my niece. We were just granted temporary guardianship. She will need to enroll in the seventh grade."

"I see here that she's a couple of months shy of twelve. I would recommend that she be enrolled in the sixth grade. It would be easier for her to acclimate with children her age." She was trying to be nice, but Lily still did not enjoy the pitying look she received.