The rest of the week flew by for Amelia. On Tuesday, she had attended her first orchestra practice and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She had come home that day talking nineteen to the dozen about the pieces that they were rehearsing for the upcoming Spring Concert and rushed through her homework so that she could get back to practicing for it. She may have overdone it a little, for Emmett wailed dramatically halfway through Amelia's lengthy practice and dug around for earplugs, inserting them with a flourish and muttering unintelligibly under his breath. He didn't care much for classical music, but the rest of the family had enjoyed listening to it. He and Jasper had eventually left the house to go for a walk through the forest before he drove the rest of the family nuts with his moaning and groaning.
Amelia took her learner's license, and passed. She was now allowed to drive, with a licensed adult's supervision of course. Emmett had rubbed his hands together in glee, excited at the thought of teaching his baby sister to drive, but had been shot down by just about everyone. It was decided that Esme, Carlisle and Rosalie would be the ones to help her out in that regard.
By Friday, Amelia had settled down into her new routine of physio, school, naptime, physio, homework, dinner, bed. Steven Smith had apologised to her upon his return to school on Thursday. Amelia had graciously accepted his apology. She pitied him somewhat, his eyes were wide and terrified when he apologised, although that might have been because her entire family, minus Renesmee, had flanked her while he did so, and Emmett kept flexing his arms and Rosalie grinned evilly at him. According to Edward, she had been fantasising about following through on her threat and ripping his head off, and Smith had been 'bloody terrified' that she would as well. Amelia's only response was to hug her big sister, and the two of them had howled with laughter in the corridor.
---
English and Music class passed quickly on Friday. Math seemed to drag along, so did science. Eventually lunch period came. The girls met in the cafeteria, eagerly discussing plans for the weekend.
"My mom and sister are going to teach me how to drive," said Amelia, smiling widely.
"Sweet!" exclaimed Amy. Like Amelia, she had her learner's permit. Daniella and Narcisse had August birthdays, so both were 16 and drove themselves to school. The three of them lived close to each other so the three of them were in a lift club together, alternating who drove everyone to and from school. The Cullen mansion was quite far out, so Esme cheerfully drove Amelia to and from school every day. Both of them enjoyed the quiet time together. In a household full of vampires, privacy was hard to come by. These mundane moments, like driving to school, were special to them. They could talk freely to each other without someone else hearing them. They loved it and wouldn't have it any other way.
"That's so cool!" said Daniella, grinning in excitement, "Alice or Rosalie?"
"Rosalie. She's the mechanic in the family, so she's going to show me the ins and outs of the car first before I get in and drive. I'll be learning in a manual too, which is great."
"Manual gearbox?" asked Narcisse.
"Yeah. Just about everyone in the family drives a manual. It's nice because you are driving the car, whereas in an automatic gearbox, the car is basically driving you. You can also push start a manual, but can't in an automatic. Also, having a manual license means I can drive both manual and automatic, whereas an automatic license restricts me to driving an automatic. Well, that's what Rose explained to me," she finished, bashfully.
"That's awesome, though I must admit, I do prefer driving an automatic. I can't stall on hills," giggled Daniella.
"Dani would totally die in a manual," stated Narcisse, looking at her friend affectionately.
"Hey!" exclaimed Daniella, scrunching up her empty chip packet and throwing it at her. The four of them burst out laughing.
"So what are your plans for the weekend?" asked Amelia, once they had all recovered.
"We're planning on going to watch a movie in Port Angeles tomorrow. We'll leave home at about 8am, catch the 9.30am show. The movie is about 2 hours long, so we'll finish up at around 11.30, then walk around a little, maybe grab some lunch. Dani is driving us. Would you like to come?" asked Amy.
"You've just insulted my driving skills. Why should I drive you guys?" huffed Daniella in mock annoyance, turning her back on her friends and crossing her arms.
"I'll speak to my parents and see what they say," replied Amelia, "it's been a while since I last went to see a film."
"Yay!" said Daniella, spinning around again.
"If I may ask, is it because of your health that you haven't been in a while?" asked Narcisse gently, "You don't have to answer. I don't mean to offend you."
"None taken at all, Ciss," responded Amelia, winking at her friend, "I'm glad you guys are comfortable enough to ask. Yes, that is basically why. I got out of hospital last Thursday after spending the last four and a half months in hospital in Rochester, New York. Prior to that, I was in hospital in Seattle for two months. Monday was the first time I have sat in a classroom since the end of freshman year."
"Whoa."
"Yeah. I got flown to New York when I got really ill. One of the best doctors in my disease is based there."
"Cystic Fibrosis, right?" asked Daniella mildly, munching thoughtfully on an apple.
"Correct."
"You're so ill though, what is going to happen now? You can't live the way you are forever," said Amy, blushing when she did.
"I know. I need a lung transplant in order to survive, but my prognosis is bad. It's unlikely that I am going to survive the transplant, even if they manage to find me a donor. I'd hate to waste a good set of lungs like that."
"Jeez," said Narcisse.
"You've taken your name off the list, haven't you?" asked Daniella quietly.
"Yes I have. I'm sick of fighting this horrible disease."
"How long do we have left with you?" asked Amy, suddenly realising just how ill her friend was.
"My doctor in New York said I won't see this Christmas. My dad and I reckon I might make it as far as September, but we're taking it one day at a time. Hey, it's okay guys, really. No need to be upset," said Amelia, glancing up at her friends, who were looking pretty gloomy.
"We'll miss you," whispered Daniella, tearing up.
"I'll be in a better place. I can breathe freely, no pain, so sickness. I'll always be keeping an eye on you, I promise. If nothing else, my last few months in this mortal life will be spent with family, something I have always dreamed of having. I got my greatest wish, and I'm looking forward to it. I get to spend it with some really great friends too," she smiled. Ironically, she wasn't actually lying about her future. Immortality would bring her a life she had always wished to have.
They moved on to brighter topics and before long, Narcisse and Amelia were walking to Biology class. They had moved on to genetics, and it was a topic that both Narcisse and Amelia were enjoying thoroughly.
"Okay class, so I am going to give you a project to do. It's going to be an individual task, so don't get your hopes up," the class groaned at Mr Banner's words, "come on, it's not so bad. You'll need to pick a genetic disease and write a report on it. You'll need to present it in class in one month's time. I want a written report and a poster, alright?"
He handed out the instruction page and rubric. "I'll also need you to tell me which disease you have chosen so that we don't have five people doing the same topic."
Amelia examined the instruction sheet, grinning as she did so. She knew exactly which topic she'd be writing on. At the end of the class, she went up to Mr Banner.
"Mr Banner, may I give you my topic now?" she asked.
"Yes Miss Cullen," he responded with a smile, taking out a class register. Amelia's kind and loving nature, and determination to learn had made her a well-liked student. She was different to other students, and although painfully aware of it, she had not used it as an excuse to get off doing homework.
"I'd like to do Cystic Fibrosis, please," she said, stifling a yawn as she did so, "sorry about that."
"Tired already, my dear?" he smiled at her.
"Yes. I have an early start to my day, so I'm going to take a nap when I get home."
"Well, have a good weekend and get some rest. You look exhausted."
"Thank you, and same to you. I can go home now at least. Good afternoon, Sir."
Amelia walked to her locker and grabbed her textbooks that she would need for the weekend and packed them into her bag. Picking up her violin case, she shut her locker and waved goodbye to Mr Mason, then walked out of the building to the waiting Mercedes. She put her stuff in the trunk and climbed into the front passenger seat.
"Hey Mom," she greeted, leaning across the console and giving her mom a hug.
"Hey sweetheart. Did you have a good day at school?"
"Yes thanks. How was your day?" she queried as she pulled the seatbelt across herself and buckled in. Esme then turned on the car and backed out of the parking spot.
"It was very nice, thank you. Do you have homework?"
"Yeah. We got an assignment to do in Biology about a genetic disease. We need to do a poster and a written project. Twenty guesses which one I'm going to do."
Esme smiled at her fondly.
"So, Dani, Amy and Narcisse want to go to the cinema in Port Angeles tomorrow morning. They've invited me along," she began, twisting in her seat so that she faced her mother.
"That sounds lovely, what time are you girls leaving? Do you want me to drive you?"
"Daniella's driving. They want to leave at around 8am, hit the 9.30am show. The movie should be over by 11.30, then they want to walk around for a bit and grab some lunch before heading back home."
"Well, we can chat to Dad and Alice and see what they think. I certainly don't object to you going, although I would prefer to be nearby in case something happens."
"I totally understand. I'm not entirely sure I want to go. I don't particularly enjoy going to the cinema and I honestly don't want to go out, period."
"You need to get out, sweetheart."
"I don't want to get sick. I'd prefer to learn how to drive, actually, and finish off all the catch up work I have to do."
"If you don't want to go, then you don't go. We'll speak to the family and take it from there, alright?"
"Sounds good. Hey Mom?"
"Yes love?"
"Do you guys celebrate Valentine's Day?"
"Uh, Alice does, so that makes us all do it as well, I guess. Why?"
"I'm merely curious. I'd like to get some chocolates for Dani, Ames and Ciss. Do you think maybe we could go to the supermarket at some point?"
"Would you like to go now?"
"I don't have my purse with me."
"Check the passenger door side pocket."
"I love Alice!" Amelia exclaimed, finding her purse exactly where her mother said it would be.