Hi loves, welcome to the long overdue Chapter 5! I'm sorry it's taken so long; things happened in my personal life and I just didn't have the motivation or inspiration to crank out a full chapter.

The title of this chapter was inspired by one of my favorite songs, "I'm Still Here", from the classic Disney movie, Treasure Planet!💖🌟🦋

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and don't forget, votes & comments are always welcome!💞

 "I am a question to the world. Not an answer to be heard. Or a moment that's held in your arms."-John Rzeznik (from the major motion picture, Treasure Planet )

Angela's POV

"See you tomorrow, Ally," I heard Kenzie say.

Glancing up from my phone, I saw Kenzie hug Alice and wave goodbye as the pixie-like girl skipped across the lot to the row of her family's cars where her siblings were waiting. Once their sister joined them, they slid into their respective cars; a silver Volvo, ruby-red convertible, and silver jeep to leave.

I unlocked the car, got in, and turned on the heat as Kenzie walked over. "See ya, Shortstack!" the familiar voice of Emmett Cullen boomed, the smirk clear in his words.

"Miss you already, Em!" Kenzie called, sending him a grin and a salute before hopping in the car, tossing her bag at her feet and her umbrella in the backseat.

"Shortstack?" I asked once we were on the road.

"Yep, I'm guessing Ally told him about my love for nicknames," she replied with a smile.

"Ellie, you forgetting something?" I asked, laughing a little.

"No, I don't–oh! I completely forgot to tell you about them at lunch, I'm sorry, Ange," she apologized with a frown.

"It's okay, Ellie. I know lunch was a bit crazy, between the paper and the boys goofing off," I nodded, shaking my head at the memory.

"Thanks, Angel. Today's just been a lot, especially with History," she sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Of course. What happened in History?" I questioned, briefly turning to her when we reached a red light.

"We started a new chapter, World War II," she explained, and my heart squeezed in sympathy. Seeing the concern in my eyes, she quickly added, "It's okay though, Ally and Em were there for me, and I feel better now. Rosalie even came to my rescue on the stairs earlier," she remarked.

"I'm just glad you're okay, I'll have to thank them for looking out for you," I remarked, silently thanking whatever force brought the Cullens to Ellie when she needed them. Everything really does happen for a reason.

"Be careful when you do; I thought Emmett's jaw was going to hit the floor when I said goodbye to him in Chemistry," she chuckled.

"Noted," I snickered, turning onto the familiar street.
Ellie's phone chimed with a notification and she typed something before putting it back in her pocket. Not even a second passed before it chimed again. "Someone's popular today," I teased as she took her phone back out.

"Apparently, with Alice anyway. She wanted to remind me about sitting with them at lunch tomorrow, and now Em and Rosalie are asking for my number," she explained, gathering her things as we neared her house.

"Wow," I breathed, putting the car in park. "Some day, huh?"

"You can say that again," Ellie replied with a sigh, opening her door. "Thanks for the ride, I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow," she finished, pulling me into a side hug.

"Anytime, Kenzie, and I love you too. Yep, bright and early. Just promise me you'll get some rest, alright?" I asked as she pulled away.

"I will, I promise," she nodded, holding out her pinkie and I wrapped mine around it, sealing the promise. "Alright, drive safe," she waved once she was on the sidewalk. Smiling in response, I drove back down the street and turned the corner.

Please, give her a break tomorrow.

~ ~ ~ ~

Kenzie's POV

On the drive home, I wasn't too surprised to get messages from Ally, though the second one caught me off guard, "Hey Ellie, Rose and Em want to know if they can get your number. Is it okay if I give it to them?💜"

"Yeah, that's alright with me, and thank you for asking first, Ally.❤️🦋"

"No problem, see you tomorrow!🩷"

"You got it!😊"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After Ange's car turned the corner off of my street, I walked up to the house, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. I took off my jacket and bag, setting them at the table before grabbing a snack from the pantry and heading upstairs to my room.

I was working on a sketch when my phone went off three times in a row. Picking it up, I went to my messages and found two from Rosalie and one from Emmett.

"Hey, it's Em, I'm glad you're doing alright. Try to leave the scaring to me, alright?"

Smiling, I typed out a reply, "Thank you, I really appreciate you being there for me today. As for the scaring part, no promises.💜"

Then, I moved on to my other messages, "Hi, this is Rosalie, I hope you got through the rest of the day without too much trouble." "Thank you for being so sweet, I've only heard good things about you from Emmett and Alice."

"Yeah, I made it through alright, thanks again for helping me to class.😊" "Of course!💞"

"Alice mentioned you like nicknames, did you have any in mind for me?"

"A few: Rose and Rosie. Are those okay?"

"They're very sweet. You can use both of them if you want.💙"

"How about Rose every day, and Rosie for special occasions?"

"Perfect.🌹 I'll see you at lunch tomorrow?"

"Yes, ma'am!😊"

"See you then, Kenzie.❤️"

Reading the message, I put her as, "Rose🌹", Alice as "Ally💖", and Emmett as "My Hero🌟" in my contacts. Satisfied, I set my phone down, "Wow, what a day," I muttered, closing my sketchbook.

Remembering my promise to Ange, I grabbed a blanket, went downstairs to the living room, and turned on Treasure Planet.

Lost in the story of Jim Hawkins, I didn't hear the key turning in the door or the footsteps coming closer.

"Hey kiddo, how was your day?"

I smiled, hit pause on the TV, and turned around to face him, "It was pretty good. How was yours?"

"That's amazing, sweetheart. Oh, you know, same old, same old. Fixed the dents in Harry's boat, so he's picking it up tomorrow."

"Nice, I guess you still got it," I replied.

He raised an eyebrow, "Doubting my skills, Kenz?"

"Of course not, though I swear I heard a creak when you were bringing in groceries the other day, and I don't think it was the stairs," I snickered.

"Laugh it up, Ellie. One day you'll learn to respect your elders," he retorted, ruffling my hair and going into the kitchen. "How does pizza sound?"

"Delicious!" I replied, hitting play on the remote.

"Your usual?" he called.

"Yes, please!"

While Silver and the rest of the crew were battling it out, the smell of fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza hit me, and a few minutes later, Dad joined me on the couch, setting down two plates of pizza and cans of cola.

"Thank you," I grinned, picking up my plate and digging into one of the cheesy, bacon and pineapple-covered slices of goodness.

"No problem, Ellie," he replied, cracking open his soda.

Before long, our plates were empty, the movie was almost over, and I was curled up on the couch, leaning against my dad's side with his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

Unfortunately, our peaceful bubble was broken by the repetitive chime of my phone. Sliding it out of my back pocket, I unlocked it and found a missed call from Angela. Dad paused the movie and I went into the kitchen to call her back.

"Hey, is everything alright?" I asked when she picked up.

"Hi, yeah, everything's good. I'm sorry if it worried you; Isaac got ahold of my phone and called you by accident," she explained.

"It's alright, no harm done. Is he with you?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's here, why?"

"Can you pass him the phone for a minute?" I questioned.

"Of course," she said, then I heard background noise as she handed the phone to him.

"Hey, Kenzie," he greeted, though I could hear the guilt in his voice.

"Hi buddy, I heard you were messing with Ange's phone again," I said, smiling at the thought of his antics.

"Yeah, though I didn't mean to call you," he explained apologetically.

"It's okay, Isaac. Like I told Ange, it didn't scare me too much. Just try to ask for permission before using her phone again, alright?"

"Okay, I promise."

"Thank you. Can you give your sister the phone?"

"Yep, see you later, Kenzie!"

"See you later, buddy."

"Alright, I'm back," Ange said. "Aside from the phone mishap, has your night been alright?"

"Yeah, Dad and I are almost done watching Treasure Planet," I smiled.

"I'll let you get back to it, then. Good night, Ellie, I love you."

"Good night, Angel, I love you too," I replied, ending the call and going back to the couch.

Dad glanced up when I settled back in my spot next to him, "Everything alright?"

I nodded, "Yep, all good," I smiled and he hit play.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Waylon's POV

When the credits started rolling, I turned off the TV, and glancing over, Kenzie was curled up beside me, fast asleep with her arm wrapped around mine.

Careful not to disturb her, I carefully reached over and hit the lamp switch, then gently picked her up and carried her upstairs to her room.

I set her glasses on her nightstand, put her shoes on the floor, and pulled the covers over her.
"Good night, Ellie. Sweet dreams," I muttered, pressing a kiss to her forehead and closing the door behind me.

After I cleaned up downstairs, I went to my room for the night and picked up the framed photo on the dresser. Tessa, Laurel, Kenzie, and Lyla smiled at the camera from the booth in Carver's. I smiled, gently tracing my thumb over the photo before putting it back. "Good night, girls."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kenzie's POV

Waking up to the sound of my alarm, I quickly turned it off, rubbed my eyes, and put on my glasses. Once I was dressed for the day and had braided my hair, I skipped downstairs to the kitchen, following the smell of pancakes.

"Morning, Sleepyhead," Dad greeted, flipping the pancakes.

"Good morning," I replied, snagging a few blueberries from the bowl and popping them in my mouth as I brought the syrup and plates to the table. "Thanks for making sure I got to bed last night."

"No problem, honey," he smiled, dishing out breakfast and taking a seat across from me. "Got any plans after school?"

"I don't know, Alice might want to do something, but I'm not sure," I commented, digging into my food.

"She's one of Dr. Cullen's kids, right? Short hair, bright personality?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's Ally," I chuckled, thinking of the pixie-like girl.

Glancing at his watch, he stood up and took his dishes to the sink. "Have a good day, sweetheart. I love you and I'll see you later," he pulled me into a quick side hug.

"You too," I waved as he headed for the door.

After eating, I cleaned up and ensured I had everything I needed for the day. My phone rang and I quickly answered, "Hey Ange, what's up?"

"So, I promised Jess I would help her study for her history test before class. Can you be ready to go in ten?"

"Of course, I just need to grab my jacket and I'll be all set," I replied.

"Thanks, Ellie, and I'm sorry for the short notice," she said.

"Anytime, I'll see you soon," I smiled.

"Alright, see you then."

I went upstairs and grabbed my leather jacket, got my bag from the table, and sat on the front steps to wait.

Sure enough, Angela pulled up a little while later, and I slid into the passenger seat.

"How's it–are you alright?" she asked, concern flowing through her words like water in a stream.

"Yeah, I'm good," I nodded.

"Kenz, you're fiddling with your chain like there's no tomorrow," she countered. She was right, I was twisting and turning my jean chain around my fingers in a nerve-induced loop.

"It's just, what if they don't like me?" I muttered, letting the chain fall back to the side.

She shook her head as she started the car, "They would be crazy not to, Ellie. Besides, I'm pretty sure Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett already love you." Seeing I still wasn't convinced, she continued, "C'mon, Alice didn't leave your side until you got to my car yesterday, Emmett's smile was a mile wide when you said goodbye to him, and Rosalie saved you from falling down the stairs."

"Alright, alright, I concede!" I chuckled, raising my hands in surrender as we reached the parking lot.

"Good," she smirked, satisfied. We got out and she gave me a hug. "I'll see you later, you've got this," she nodded at me as we pulled apart.

"Thank you, Angel, I love you," I grinned.

"I love you too," she said before heading toward the building.

"Ellie!"

Energetic footsteps hit the pavement before two arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug, which I gladly returned with a grin. "It's good to see you too, Ally," I laughed as she pulled away, her eyes and smile somehow brighter than yesterday.

Hooking her arm through mine, like it was our usual routine, we went toward the stairs. "So, are you excited?" she asked, joy woven through every melodic word.

"For lunch?" I confirmed.

"Mhm," she nodded as we carefully climbed the slippery stone steps.

"Yeah," I wanted to say more, but I didn't want it to come out wrong.

"But?" she softly asked, tilting her head in my direction.

Nodding, I finished, "But, I don't want to make a bad impression."

When we reached the top, she held the door open for me and we walked inside. She replied, "It's okay to be a little nervous, Ellie. I'll be there, and so will Emmett and Rose. Besides, Edward and Jasper are excited to meet you."

"Really?" I questioned, taken a bit off guard by the last part.

"Yep, and everything will work out, I promise," she assured, crossing her heart, and I couldn't help but grin back.

"I actually have to get to the library, but I'll see you in homeroom," I explained.

"Of course, I'll save you a seat," she nodded before walking away, a skip in her step. Huh, I wonder if she ever did ballet.

Letting the door close behind me, I walked over to the main desk where Ms. Robin was looking through a stack of books.

"Good morning, Ms. Robin. Happy Friday," I greeted as she turned at the sound of my voice.

"Good morning, Ellie, and Happy Friday to you too. Ready to get to work?" she smiled.

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded.

"Wonderful, there's a cart of books over there that need to be shelved in the fantasy and romance sections," she gestured to a full cart on the other side of the desk.

After setting my bag behind the desk, I grabbed the cart handle, wheeled it to the middle rows of the bookcases, and started reshelving them while Ms. Robin went to the back office.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I was down to the last few books when I heard the click of the door closing, and books being set down. "Just a second, I'll be right with you!" I called, not worried about disturbing anyone; no one else was there anyway, except for Ms. Robin.

Once the books were shelved, I put the cart back in its place and went behind the front desk. "Hi, how can I..." I faltered and cleared my throat when I saw who it was. "How can I help you?"

He smiled slightly, like he'd just heard a cheesy joke, "Hi, I wanted to return these," he gestured to the decent stack of books in front of him.

"Of course," I nodded, pulling the stack forward and scanning them back in. Wow, he has good taste, I thought as I set a Robert Frost collection and Grimms' Fairy Tales on the cart.

"Do you have any recommendations?" he asked, meeting my eyes when I looked up. Crap, did I say that out loud? Good job, Ellie, way to make a fan-freaking-tastic first impression.

Trying not to let my embarrassment show, I nodded, "Well, I noticed a number of fantasy stories in your stack, so you might enjoy The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, it's one of my personal favorites. Though, The Hazel Wood series by Melissa Albert is really good too, as long as you don't mind the darker-toned stories," I answered. Yeah, just talk his ear off, why don't you, I mentally scolded myself. Well, he did ask for recs, I amended. Yeah, a few suggestions, not a whole freaking paragraph.

"-called?"

Snapping back to reality, I met his caramel eyes again, "Sorry, come again?"

"What are the books in The Hazel Wood series called?" he repeated gently.

"Oh, Book 1 is called The Hazel Wood and Book 2 is The Night Country," I replied, relieved that he didn't look irritated. Yep, just keep it to the point. He can get on with his day, and you can pinch yourself, hoping this is just a nightmare.

"Thanks, I'll have to check it out sometime. I'll see you at lunch, Kenzie," he nodded, then started walking toward the doors.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" I asked.

He turned back to face me with an amused light in his eyes, "Alice and Emmett mentioned you, once or twice." With that, he turned and left, leaving me dumbstruck.

"Well, lunch is going to be interesting," I muttered as Ms. Robin came back to the front.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she asked.

"Yeah, the books are shelved and these are checked back in," I nodded to the new stack of books on the cart.

"Thank you, Kenzie," she smiled gratefully.

"Of course, have a nice weekend," I waved, heading for the door.

"You too, dear," she replied, and I smiled back at her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Walking into homeroom, I nodded at Mr. Cooper and walked to my seat. Alice looked up from her book with a grin as I settled at my desk next to hers. "Hey Ally, sorry I wasn't here sooner," I apologized, meeting her eyes.

"It's alright, I got to catch up on some reading. Besides, we'll have all of lunch to talk more," she smiled, though it fell a little when she noticed my fidgeting. "Did I say something wrong?" she gently asked.

"No, no, it's just...I ran into one of your brothers in the library and I'm not sure I made the best first impression," I sighed, frowning at my desk.

"Jasper?" she guessed.

"Nope, it was Edward, and I made a fool of myself. I was stuttering and zoning out, and when he asked for book recs, I rambled on like I was giving a speech," I explained as I put my head down, covering my face with my arms.

"Did he storm off?" she asked.

"No," I said as I sat up.

"Then you didn't make a bad impression, Ellie. He isn't always the most vocal in my family, but he makes it very clear when he doesn't like something or someone," she assured.

"So, I didn't screw up?" I checked, fiddling with my bracelets.

"No, of course not," she agreed, her smile soft and sweet as she gently squeezed my hand.
I nodded in response, softly squeezing her hand in return as relief flooded my mind. Hopefully, things will go well with Jasper, too.

It wasn't long before the bell rang and we stood up and gathered our stuff. "I'll see you at lunch!"Alice grinned before we parted ways again.

Taking a deep breath, I strolled off to Chemistry, trying to keep my nerves in check, "One more bell, then lunch."

A/N: Ta-da! In case you're new, I'm known for my cliffhangers, so you'll want to get used to 'em!😊💜 Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter in the life of Ellie Forge! I think this might be the longest chapter, and I'm proud with how it turned out!💖🌟🦋

🎶Featured Music: "I'm Still Here" by John Rzeznik

🦋Questions of the Day: What did you think of Edward & Ellie's meeting?
How do you think Jasper is going to react to meeting her?
Why do you think Laurel doesn't live in Forks anymore?

Stay tuned for future chapter updates of this and my other stories; they are coming, I promise! Have a sweet day/night, and I'll see you in the next one!🩷

~Love, Sunset