The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[3.05] keep going

LYDIA COULDN'T FALL ASLEEP THAT NIGHT. It didn't really matter that she couldn't—phoenixes only needed a fraction of the amount of sleep humans did, so a few sleepless nights wouldn't do anything. 

She just wished the reason behind her sudden insomnia wasn't so awful.

After Jasper dropped her off at her house, she spent a few minutes talking to her mothers before going up to her room for the night, relieved to see Jasper already by her window, his eyes full of concern as he took in her slumped shoulders. 

Lydia didn't say a word—instead, she just walked into his arms, letting the tears fall as she hoped beyond hope that her best friend wasn't lost forever.

One sleepless night spent willing herself to believe Jasper's whispered words of comfort later, Lydia went to the reservation to see the pack. Gwen's dad had let Leah know about Gwen's disappearance that morning, and the shifter was as distraught as Lydia, frantic at the thought of Gwen falling victim to the danger infecting Seattle. 

Though she hated to, Lydia kept her mouth shut about the Cullens' theories as to what was really happening in Seattle, at least for the time being. Until the Cullens figured out who was behind the army and how to handle the situation, they didn't want the pack to know about it. It was yet another reason she hated the divide between the two worlds, and wished nothing more for the stupid rivalry to never have existed at all. 

"I should have gone with her," Leah muttered, glaring at the ground in front of Emily's porch steps. "I could have protected her."

"We don't know that she's hurt," Embry reminded her softly from where he sat next to Lydia, their legs pressing together as he offered her whatever comfort he could. "This could all be a misunderstanding—maybe her car broke down on the side of the road and she hasn't gotten to a phone yet."

Lydia wished she could believe him, but everything she knew about the situation in Seattle and the supernatural dampened her usual optimism. Despite that, she forced herself to nod at Embry's words, hoping Leah would take some comfort in them, even if Lydia couldn't.

Leah looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn't seem to have the energy to refute Embry's words. "Maybe," she echoed faintly, as if trying to make herself believe him.

It had been eighteen hours since Gwen had been heard from, twelve since Lydia's mom called her about it. Every minute that passed without some information or updates on Gwen felt like an eternity.

Lydia had expected to at least get sixty years with Gwen, hopefully more. The idea that she might lose her so suddenly—it was like a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.

Alice had promised to look for Gwen in her visions, but there was nothing so far. That could have meant a few things—maybe Gwen was unconscious, or maybe she just wasn't making any concrete decisions, or maybe...

Lydia didn't want to even think about the last option.

After a while, Leah left to run off some steam, needing to clear her head as best as she could. Lydia watched her go with sad eyes, seeing her own fear and worry reflected on the girl's face. It was impossible not to see the love Leah felt for Gwen, and how terrifying the thought of losing her was.

"I'd ask if you're okay, but it's kind of a stupid question right now," Embry said softly.

"I can't lose her," she whispered. "I knew I would eventually, but not... not so soon. And not like this."

Embry reached for her hand, squeezing it. "Your boyfriend's sister's psychic, right?" At Lydia's nod, he said, "Then I'm sure she'll be looking high and low for Gwen, just like the rest of us. We just have to stay optimistic."