petrichor [rosalie hale]

xxiv. beginnings

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Bella asked Alice, her voice quiet even though she knew everyone else could hear her asking the question. Alice shrugged, a small smile on her face as she exchanged looks with Beverly who was trying to hide her grin behind her palm.

Edward's head drifted in the direction of the deck, a small smile ghosting on his lips for a second as he too had been listening in to the conversation that was happening outside. He knew that the rest of his family except Alice and Beverly had chosen to ignore the conversation to give them privacy, but he'd always found it hard to tune out the sound of Kiara's thoughts since they usually shouted at him with no break.

"I think things are going to be just fine," Edward mused as he pulled Bella to his side, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. Bella looked at him in confusion since they'd just watched Kiara puke up black blood outside, and it was clear that everyone around the girl believed that she was killing herself in an attempt to reject the imprint.

Outside, Kiara and Rosalie pulled apart as a loud howl broke through the forest air. They rested their heads against each others, Kiara breathing heavily while Rosalie rolled her eyes at the interruption. 

"Great timing," Rosalie muttered, causing Kiara to giggle a little as she finally moved backwards from Rosalie. It was as if all of the strength was returning to her body, and she no longer felt a stabbing pain in her chest as she looked at the blonde holding her.

"I should probably go," Kiara breathed, not taking her eyes off Rosalie's golden ones. "I didn't exactly bring a phone, and I'm sure Jacob will have told the pack that he left me alone with Edward... they've been pretty protective of me since..."

Kiara trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought. Rosalie felt a pang of guilt in her chest as she knew exactly why the pack had been concerned about Kiara and it was down to the connection they formed. Rosalie knew it wasn't her fault - but a piece of her would always feel guilty for ever bringing Kiara into this life in the first place.

"You should say goodbye to the others first," Rosalie told her, squeezing her hand. She wanted to keep Kiara in her sights and never let her go (especially since the threat of newborns in Seattle was only growing larger - not that they were planning on telling the pack). "I think Beverly and Alice would kill you if you left without saying goodbye."

Kiara smiled, a slight blush coming across her cheeks as she remembered that they were in an entire house of vampires who most likely could have listened into their entire conversation and kiss if they wanted to. She hoped they hadn't, but the way Rosalie mentioned her sisters made Kiara aware that they most likely had been listening in.

As they re-entered the house, Kiara noticed the wall of graduation caps and snorted to herself. Rosalie chuckled a little as she looked behind her and noticed how Kiara was finding the wall humorous, now understanding the joke behind it. She studied them for a moment before looking at Rosalie and softly smiling at her. Everything seemed blissful now. All her worries about Jacob, about the elders and about her father were gone from her mind.

Rosalie led Kiara downstairs to where the rest of the family had gathered to discuss the Seattle situation. If Kiara noticed that the conversation switched as soon as they caught on to their incoming footsteps, she didn't say anything when entering the room. Bella looked over, instantly noticing how Kiara didn't seem to be shying away from Rosalie the same way she had been an hour before.

Bella hadn't seen Kiara act this shy in years. She was bouncing on her feet, almost as if she was trying to avoid looking any of them in the eyes. Rosalie almost looked a little smug, walking past Bella and Edward to greet her sister. They exchanged a knowing look and Bella didn't need to be a vampire to tell that Kiara and Rosalie's talk had gone much better than any of them expected.