❝Don't hold your breath for anyone❞
FORKS, WASHINGTON - STANLEY HOUSE
The brush went through Jessicas hair at a steady rhythm, the girl was over the moon, not only was she graduating, but her sister had been allowed to come home and help her get ready.
Anna was overjoyed to see her family again, to see their smiles when they saw her, but it was bittersweet, because Anna hadn't seen them happier or more careless in years, and she knew it must have had something to do with the fact that they didn't have to worry about her for all hours of the day and night.
Nonetheless if anything it made Anna even more adamant on recovering, she wanted to be able to live with her family, and she wanted to be able to be a part of a family that was full of laughter and joyful times.
"Have you prepared your speech" Anna asked as she continued to brush though Jessicas hair, "yes I've rewritten it like a hundred times but I think it's okay now, I'm nervous, are you nervous? wait no you already graduated, I forgot I'm sorry I'm just so nervous" Jessica rambled making Anna chuckle slightly, she had truly missed her sister.
Jessica looked up at her sister in wonder, though Anna didn't know it herself, her family weren't the only ones who had changed, no in this short amount of time that had went by since Anna had decided to at least try and get better - which had resulted in her eating three meals daily, and going for a walk every morning, so that she at least left her bed - she had regained some of her old glow, one that Jessica and Denise hadn't seen in many years.
FORKS HIGH-SCHOOL
Applause echoed off the walls, through the room. Jessicas speech had been absolutely beautiful and Anna couldn't be prouder, Jessica had overcome a lot of obstacles in the past year; she was the type of girl who'd chase perfection with a pair of broken legs, and this year had been far from that, first counting Annas disappearance followed by her death, and her moms breakdown. Jessica however had stood tall through it all and that thought brought tears of joy to Annas eyes, as she embraced her mom after applauding the speech, she was so incredibly proud of her family - and herself for that matter - because they were still here.
One by one the students of the years graduating class came up onto the stage and got their diplomas, Anna cheered extra loudly when Jessica as well as Bella and the Cullens received theirs, seeing as these were all people that were her family.
SOMEWHERE IN THE CULLEN HOUSE
The party that Alice had planned was in full swing when Anna arrived with Jessica, she had luckily gotten out of decorating duty by hiding at the Stanley household earlier that morning. Jessica pulled Anna to the dance floor along with Angela the second they entered as she spotted Mike and Eric, they danced for a while, basically they were having the time of their lives. "oh look there's Bella" Anna exclaimed pointing towards the Swan girl that had just come up the stairs, "let's go say hi" Jessica beamed and pulled the two girls towards the party wallflower, Isabella Swan.
Jessica, Anna and Angela all took turns bringing Bella in to a hug, before Jessica started her usual rambling: "what did you think of my speech? too easy breezy, too self-helpful, you hated it?" she asked trying not to get her hopes up, "ehm you pretty much nailed it" Isabella answered, "yeah! it's like I was born to lead right?" Jessica praised herself, before Angela dragged her back to the dance floor as a new song came on.
Just then the last people Anna expected to see entered the room, Quil Ateara, Embry Call and Annas former crush that she hadn't seen or talked to in a very long time, Jacob Black.Anna felt a pang in her chest at seeing him again, it reminded her of simpler times where she only had to focus on herself and her own problems, now she had a soulmate that kept changing his mind about her, she lived in a house full of vampires and she had to deal with her best friend being in constant mortal danger. It made her nostalgic, and not in a good way.
"what are you doing here" Bella asked him, getting straight to the point "you invited me remember?" "was my right hook too subtle for you? that was me uninviting you" she snapped back at him "look Bella I'm sorry about. you know. The kiss. And your hand. I'd blame it on the hole inner animal thing, but it was really just me. Being an ass" he apologized sincerely, before turning to Anna, "I'd like to apologize to you too, Anna. I'm sorry for not being there, I didn't know you were going through all that" but Anna wasn't having it, she was learning to stand up for herself and not waste time on people who didn't truly care for her like she did them.
"that's the thing Jacob, you should have known, you were one of my best friends, all you had to was ask how I was, and I would've told you everything" she answered, "I don't blame you for not asking, because I understand that you can't force someone to feel about you the way you feel about them, but I just wished you would've" she finished looking down at the floor.
Just as Jacob was about to answer they were interrupted as Bella noticed Alice Cullen having a vision, "Alice what did you see?" Bella asked her voice full of distress, Alice responded simply by sending the girl at look "you're not going to Seattle" Bella concluded "no. they're coming here" Alice elaborated.
CULLEN HOUSE, THE PORCH
"the Volturi is in Seattle for the night. They wanted to avoid all the teenagers. We can speak freely here" Carlisle explained to Bellas questioning look about why they had simply retreated outside when she expect the place to be crawling with vampires with super hearing.
"they'll be here in four days" Alice told them, "this could turn in to a blood bath" Carlisle said worriedly "who's behind it?" Edward asked, "I didn't see anyone I recognized. maybe one" Alice answered, while Jasper sent her worried looks, "I know his face, he's local, Riley Biers. he didn't start this" Edward told the group consisting of Anna, Jasper, Alice, Edward, Bella, Carlisle and the three wolf boys "whoever did is staying out of the action" "they must belaying with the blind spots of your vision" Carlisle noted thoughtfully "Anyway the army is coming and there aren't enough of us to protect the town" Jasper said getting straight to the point, like the army man that he was.
"hold up. What damn army?!" Jacob sneered "newborns, out kind" Carlisle answered "what are they after?" Embry asked, "they were passing around Bella and Annas septs, in the form of a red and a blue blouse" Alice informed them. "they're after the girls? what the hell does this mean?" "its means an ugly fight, with lives lost" Jacob sent a look to the two boys standing slightly behind him before responding: "alright we're in" and like that what seemed to be an unbreakable alliance was formed between the wolves and the local vegetarian vampires.