"Don't know if you get it 'cause I can't express how thankful I am. That you were always with me when it hurts, I know that you understand."-Zoe Wees (from her song, "Control")

A/N: Hi everyone, welcome back! I'm sorry this chapter is late, but on the bright side, you get to see three perspectives in this one!😊💜🦋

⚠️Here's a minor content warning specifically for this chapter: Slightly detailed descriptions of one of the many World War II tragedies.

I hope you enjoy, and without further ado, here is Chapter 4!💖🩷💜💖🩷💜

Kenzie's POV

"-lie? Ellie, can you hear me? Kenzie, wake up. Wake. Up!"

I shot upright, simultaneously knocking the persistent hand off my shoulder. Looking up as I adjusted my glasses, I saw Angela standing in front of me with a half-amused look on her face, an eyebrow raised at me.

"What?" I questioned, picking up the worn copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which must've slipped out of my hands at some point, landing unceremoniously on the floor. Dusting off the cover, I stood up to put it back, only to stumble, thanks to my feet, which had gone numb.

Ange quickly steadied me, replying, "We're running late for class, c'mon." In no time, she had taken the book, set it on the to-be-shelved cart, slung my bag over her shoulder, and acted as my crutch on the way out of the library and down the hallway.

Just to be safe, she walked me to History and sat my bag down on my desk. "You're a lifesaver, Ange, thank you," I said as I sat down.

"No problem. Just remember, if you take that long to wake up again, you're getting the old Wicked Witch of the West treatment," she warned, miming splashing a bucket of water on me.

"Noted, just spare the books," I nodded, snickering as she rolled her eyes. "Good luck on your test."

"Thanks, bye, Kenzie," she smiled with a wave before hurrying out the door. Soon after her speedy exit, Emmett came strolling in, and spotting me, made his way over, setting his bag on the floor and taking the chair next to me.

"Hey shortstack, long time no see," he smirked in greeting.

"It's good to see you too, Em, though I hate to break it to you, you're a little late," I replied with a grin, which grew into a smirk as a look of confusion wiped the smugness off of Em's face.

"But, the bell hasn't even rung yet," he retorted, eyebrows furrowed as he threw a quick glance at the clock.

"I wasn't talking about class, I was talking about your comeback. It's about..." I made a show of pretending to do the math, "two and a half hours late," I finished with a nod.

Realization clicked in his eyes and he chuckled, shaking his head as he remarked, "Wow, Alice wasn't kidding."

"Alice wasn't kidding about what?" I asked, turning to face him fully.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Take out your textbooks, please," Mr. Raymond announced after the bell rang.

After taking out my book and turning it to the right chapter, I muttered, "What wasn't Alice kidding about?"

Emmett did the same, and with an innocent shrug of his shoulders and a barely concealed smirk, he muttered back, "I'll tell you later."

"I'm holding you to that," I replied, getting another chuckle from him in response as I focused on the chapter we were starting today; World War II.

The words seemed to mock me, jumping out at me like jumpscares in a video game: The Jewish Holocaust, which lasted from 1933 to 1945, is considered to be one of the most devastating tragedies in American history. It is estimated that among the casualties, 6,000,000 Jewish people lost their lives, along with many other groups: Europeans, prisoners of war, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, both real and suspected.

I usually enjoyed History, but this chapter hit close to home for me. Needless to say, I was grateful when the bell chimed, and got my things together as quickly as possible. When I looked up from putting away my pencil case, Emmett was holding out my book to me with a soft, though concerned smile.

Smiling gratefully in return, I accepted it and put it in my bag, clearing my throat, and trying to keep my emotions under control. "Thanks, I-um, I'll see you tomorrow." With a final nod, I left, barely registering his response.

"See you-."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Emmett's POV

When I walked into History, I was wondering why Alice had been so persistent about me getting there on time. Kenzie was sitting in one of the middle rows of desks, laughing a little to herself about something. Smiling, I walked over to her, debating giving her a little scare again, silently cursing myself at the missed opportunity when she noticed me approaching. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

"Hey, shortstack," I smirked, remembering Alice practically bouncing out of her seat at lunch as she told us about the nickname Kenzie gave her. Why not give her a nickname of my own?

"It's good to see you too, Em, though I hate to break it to you, you're a little late," she said, a smirk on her face and a familiar twinkle in her eyes.

"But, the bell hasn't even rung yet," I countered, smirk gone as I double-checked the clock. What is she talking about?

"I wasn't talking about class, I was talking about your comeback. It's about..." she pretended to do the math, "two and a half hours late," she nodded.

It hit me, she was messing with me. She was messing with me? Me, Emmett Cullen, one of the "unapproachable Cullens"?  "Wow, Alice wasn't kidding," I chuckled, baffled at the girl next to me. It had been a long time since anyone outside my family had talked to me like I was a real person. Ellie's behavior was refreshing, to say the least.

When she asked me about Alice, I could tell that she wasn't trying to be nosey, not like most of her classmates. She was just curious, in that innocent way that very few teenagers, scratch that, people, I had ever met still had.

How did it go downhill so quickly? One minute we were joking around and getting our textbooks out, the next, it felt like the light had disappeared. Sure, History wasn't the most fun of classes, at least not to me, but it wasn't that bad.

That's when I heard it, a low, shuddering breath, and with barely a sideways glance in her direction, I knew it came from her. The sound was familiar to me, I'd heard it from Jasper multiple times when he got overwhelmed from being around too many people, and on a handful of nights, I'd heard it from Esme too, when she would greet Carlisle after he came home from a long day of work.

I looked at her again; her eyes were closed as she took another breath, and she had a vise grip on her textbook. I couldn't help but frown, wishing that I had my brother's empathic ability, the power to take some of the tension out of her shoulders and carry its weight myself.

Yeah, I didn't know exactly what was wrong, what it was that made her smile go away, but it didn't take a genius to see she wasn't okay. Turning to the clock above the door, I sighed. Just a few more seconds. Sure enough, right on cue, the bell rang.

I wasn't too surprised that Kenzie was scrambling to get everything back in her bookbag. I grabbed her book for her and she gave me a small smile as she slipped it in her bag. "Thanks, I-um, I'll see you tomorrow," she nodded, making a hasty exit.

"See you, later..." I trailed off. Taking out my phone, I brought up Alice's contact and started typing out a message, "Something's wrong with Kenzie, not sure what. Can you or Rose-"

Before I could finish the text, I got one from her, "I'm on it."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Alice's POV

As soon as the vision ended, I wasted no time in shooting a text off to Emmett, "I'm on it."

Waving goodbye to Mr. Molina, I left Biology and made a beeline for the nearest vending machine, put a few quarters in the slot, and chose a few things before heading to class.

I spotted Kenzie's usual desk, though there was already someone sitting at the desk next to it, and walked over. "Hi, would it be okay if we traded seats?"

The girl nodded, looking like she had just seen a ghost, "Y-yeah, of course," standing up, grabbing her bag, and walking to the other seat.

"Thank you," I smiled, sitting down and setting the soda and candy on Kenzie's desk. I took out a book I borrowed from Jasper and picked up from where I left off while I waited for her.

I didn't have to wait long, I had just started a new chapter when she walked over. "Hey, Ally," she greeted, taking notice of the snacks on her desk. "Are these yours?"

"Hi, Ellie. And no, I got them for you," I replied, smiling softly at her tired expression as she sat down.

"Oh, Alice, you really didn't have to. Thank you," she finished, a small grin spreading across her features, though she quickly took off her glasses and wiped at her eyes, where a few tears were gathering.

I went to the teacher's desk, grabbed a few tissues from the box, and returned to my seat, handing them to Kenzie, "Here, these might help."

"Thanks," she nodded, chuckling half-heartedly as she wiped away her tears. "Sorry you had to see that," she apologized, putting her glasses back on and leaving the used tissues in a crumpled pile on her desk.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ellie," I dismissed, gently squeezing her hand.

Hearing a chime from my phone, I pulled it out of my pocket and smiled at the text from my brother, "Is Ellie alright?"

Satisfied with my reply, I sent it, "Don't worry, she's okay now, Em.💜"

Putting it back in my pocket, I smiled at Kenzie, "That was Emmett, he was really worried about you."

"What did you tell him?" she asked, cracking open the ginger ale and taking a sip.

"That you're okay now and he doesn't have anything to worry about," I answered, picking up the tissue pile, crumbling it into a ball, and tossing it into the trash can.

"Wow, nice shot," Kenzie remarked.

"Thanks," I grinned.

"Do you play sports?" she asked, eating a few gummy bears.

"Yep, my family and I love to play baseball," I nodded.

We continued like that for a while, making small talk and getting to know each other better.

"Do you have any siblings?" I questioned.

"Yeah, my little sister, Laurel," she nodded with a smile.

"That's sweet, does she go to school here?"

"No, she lives in LA with our Aunt Lyla, though they like to visit us as much as they can without interrupting school for Laurel or business at Aunt Lyla's bakery," she explained.

"I'm sorry, you must miss them," I frowned apologetically.

"It's alright, you didn't know. Besides, we get to talk all the time. I actually got some pictures from Laurel this morning. Do you want to see them?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," I nodded, and we looked at the beautiful pictures of Laurel and Lyla at the observatory until the bell rang.

After we said our goodbyes and I made sure she made it to Angela's car safely, I went home with a smile on my face. It was nice to have a friend.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!💖 Did anyone catch the Five Nights At Freddy's reference?

🎶Featured Music: "Control" by Zoe Wees

🦋QOTD: Which Cullen do you think Kenzie will meet next and why?

All kudos and respectful comments are appreciated so much more than you know! Stay tuned for Chapter 5, and I'll see you next time!💜🩷💜