Darkness Will Come to Light [1]

XXIX. What If

The first step to recovery is to admit that you have a problem. Mel took in a deep breath and tried to form the words in her head before she spoke.

Mel and Sav sat across from each other on the large bed in Mel's bedroom. Music on the radio played quietly in the background from the speakers on the nightstand. 

"What if..." Mel started slowly. Sav nodded encouragingly when Mel hesitated. "What would you say if I told you that I'm--that I've self-harmed?" Mel bit her lip and looked away from her best friend. Mel wasn't sure how she was going to react.

Sav touched her hand so Mel would look at her, but she only closed her pale green eyes.

"Melaina." She was suddenly engulfed in Savannah's warm arms. "Mel, I would say that you're my best friend and I love you. I know you've been struggling, and I know that you hurt. I wish that you had found a better way to cope, but I don't think any less of you. You're only human. I understand, Lai. I had my suspicions, but I wanted you to be comfortable enough to tell me yourself before jumping to conclusions. Thank you for trusting me with this."

It was only then that Mel reopened her eyes. They were filled with grateful tears. A tear or two of regret also slipped out and ran down her cheek.

"I love you too, Savvy. I'm so sorry that I waited so long." Mel's voice was thick as she choked back an onslaught of waterworks. "I was--I am so ashamed. I can't stop. The Cullens have been hovering like crazy to prevent it, but it's not that easy. I can't just stop. It's something in me that craves the feeling; it's a need to release the emotions in a way nothing else can. I can't stop. I get too overwhelmed..."

Sav held Mel as she talked and cried. "I didn't want to drag you into this," Mel continued. She swiped her sleeve under her nose. "I'm not a good person. I have so many demons. I didn't want to affect your positivity."

"What if that's what you needed, though? I like my chocolate milk half full. You prefer half empty. Maybe I could help. That's what best friends are for, remember?"

"I can't be helped." Mel had said that so many times to Carlisle and Mrs. Rinehart, her school counselor. "It's not even worth the effort." I'm not even worth the effort, Mel thought to herself depressingly.

Sav pushed Melaina to an arm's length away and brushed Mel's tears with her fingers. "Melaina Rose," she said sternly.

Mel heaved a sigh. She was in for a bucket full of rainbows and butterflies.

"You are beautiful and kind. Talented and caring. You have the power to change the world. You have the power to change yourself. You are worth saving. I will not have my best friend thinking that she is anything less than perfectly imperfect." Sav breathed in after her long rant and concluded, "I love you, okay?"

"I love you too," Mel promised.

"I want to see a smile."

Mel rolled her eyes. "But, mom," she mocked. Sav stuck her tongue out playfully. Mel had to smile. Whether she deserved it or not, Savannah Myers was truly a soul sister to Melaina.

"So is there any other secret unnecessarily eating away at you as you try to spare me?"

Oh, yeah, almost forgot: my foster family is a clan of vampires.

Mel could imagine Sav's excitement. She knew that she had to keep that one to herself, since it wasn't even her secret to tell, so instead of answering, Mel laughed and pushed herself to her feet. She shook her legs to rid them of the pins-and-needles feeling.

"Let's go commandeer the living room," Mel suggested. Sav jumped off the bed and landed in a crouch on the lush carpet. "But first, snacks!"

Mel and Sav raced down to the kitchen, laughing and pushing each other. Happiness simply radiated from the best friends. Even without Jasper's pathokinetic ability, the few Cullens who stayed in the house could feel it in the air.

Giggles sounded through the mansion as Sav and Mel stumbled into the kitchen.

In their traditional game of "snack attack," Sav lunged for the closest food item. She tripped over the leg of a bar stool and tried to grab onto Mel as she went down. Mel sidestepped Sav's waving arms and reached for the bowl of fruit. Before she could get her hands on the banana, Sav pulled her down. She jumped up and pulled out an apple triumphantly. Mel glared playfully from the kitchen floor. "I was first to touch a piece of food." She did an awkward victory dance before helping Melaina from the floor.

"Yeah, yeah," Mel grumbled. "You get to pick the recipes."

Mel worked on a pan of brownies while Sav threw together a trail mix of various treats. They talked about easy topics like school and hobbies.

Esme checked in on the girls a few times throughout the night. When they got ready for bed, Carlisle gave Mel her medicine to take. Other than that, the vampires remained scarce to give the appearance of the girls having privacy.

Jasper and Alice remained out of the house as an extra precaution. Alice wanted to stay for the sleepover, but Jasper dragged her away, so Mel could have alone time with Sav. Edward was playing piano softly in his bedroom; he probably eavesdropped on the girls' words and thoughts all night. Rosalie and Emmett went for a short hunt close by.

After talking, eating snacks, and watching movies, Mel and Sav fell asleep on the couch under a single blanket wrapped around them both.

Esme came out of her studio when the girls' breathing became steady as they slept. She turned off the movie playing on the flat screen TV and took the bowls and plates to the kitchen to wash. She returned to the living room and tidied the place quietly.

Esme smiled lovingly at the sleeping girls. Melaina and Savannah looked like two peas in a pod as they laid across the couch. Sav's blonde head poked out of the fuzzy blanket on one end of the couch while Mel's dark hair peaked out from the opposite end.

Esme felt that Mel rekindling her friendship with Sav could be good for both of them. Savannah seemed like a nice girl who greatly cared for Mel. Their friendship was pure and strong. She hoped nothing would tear them apart again.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Who's excited for the arrival of Bella Swan in the next chapter? 

*Crickets sing the song of their people*