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Blue and purple bags cover her under eyes like watercolor paint, a mixture of the night, dark veins appearing from every corner, completing the scene on her face as noxious trees.

Enid rubbed at her eyes with thin fingers, sleep written within her lids, face as pale as a fresh sheet of snow, smooth yet cold to the touch. The baggy sweater that engulfed her upper torso did little to prevent the cold biting at her skin, she could feel the goosebumps rising up her arms, the diaphanous material rubbing against them uncomfortably.

Brown tendrils of hair curled onto her forehead as her gaze drifted down to the sweater; her brother's sweater. Ethan always wore it whenever Forks had reached the coldest temperature it could touch, his laughter was all she could hear now. At the thought of him, her eyes brimmed with tears, the pressure behind them too painful to keep in.

Without warning, the tears spilled over, staining the old copy of Anne Of Green Gables that sat in her lap, a black pen in between the yellowed pages labeled sixty seven and sixty eight.

The book was something Enid had read at least a dozen times, little arrows with notes scribbled next to them littered most of the pages; thoughts that had popped into her mind whilst reading. Now, her favorite book had turned into a distraction, something to keep her up at night as she sat on the window seat, inhaling the scent of coffee and burnt wood that would always linger on his too big sweaters that she had harboured as her own.

Enid never knew what it felt like to drown until he passed. She had always had this image in her head of clear water, calm waves splashing against the tiny, white sailboat she took refuge in. The waves were her obstacles, the water getting stronger with every harsh ripple that came her way, and she had managed to avoid her boat from tipping over - until she couldn't.

She was pulled out of her dark thoughts by a light knock on her bedroom door, the sound filling the eerie silence that she hadn't grown used to over the span of two weeks - it still felt unnatural.

Clearing her dry throat of the invisible sandpaper lodged inside, she spoke, but not before wiping the tears that ran down her cheeks. "Come in."

The rusty hinges creaked, the oak door opening wider as seconds passed until she was looking her aunt, Katie, directly in the eyes.

Her dark eyebrows were furrowed together, green eyes swirling with concern, sadness and disapproval all at once. Her hair was pulled up into a neat ponytail, loose honey curls framing her face as she ran her tongue over her lips. Enid could tell that the past two weeks hadn't been kind to her either, as they looked identical with the dark bags and pale faces. Her outfit had consisted of a baby blue button up blouse and a pair of black slacks, typical work attire.

"Uh, are you going to school today?" She awkwardly scratched her head, "If not, today is your last chance to stay, unfortunately. I can't afford to have you miss another day."

Katie had taken over as Enid's guardian when her parents had passed three years before, adapting to the role quickly as soon as the kids showed up at her doorstep, small bags in hand, nervous looks on their faces.

Enid thought for a second, she felt like she had taken enough time to grieve by herself, many nights of crying could prove that. The thing that bothered her the most at the moment though, was having to start fresh on a Tuesday, and she hated not starting off on a Monday like she always did. Reluctantly, she closed the book on her lap with the pen inside, setting it off to the side as she lifted herself up, stretching her limbs.

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, peeling off a bit of chapped skin, "Yeah, just let me get dressed."

Katie just looked at her niece, a hint of a forced smile on her face as she nodded, closing the door behind her as she left. She often reminded Enid of Marilla Cuthbert, with her stern yet loving attitude, which made her smile for the first time in a while.

Tugging the tights off of her legs, Enid switched to a pair of dark jeans, deciding to keep Ethan's sweater on, sliding a pair of sneakers on her feet. On her way out, Enid quickly took a look at herself in the mirror that hung on the blue wall near the door and cringed.

Her hair was frizzy, knots in between strands that stuck up in every possible direction. Brown eyed were as dull as ever, the night sky still painted beneath them. Her lips were chapped as well, the skin peeling from lack of moisture. Enid unknowingly ran her tongue across it, hissing at the cut that had made itself known by sending a sharp pain to her.

With a small huff of air, she tore her eyes away from her reflection and headed toward her vanity, the floorboards creaking beneath her with every step she took.

A few days after she had gotten to the house, Kaite had told her that the house held both sad and happy memories. Enid's favorite one had been when her mother was a teenager, about fifteen or so, she had gushed to Kaite about a boy named Anthony, who had become her father years later. Kaite had told Enid that her mother had been beautiful, joyful and that's why she looked up to her all those years ago.

All the brown haired girl had seen of her mother was a sunken face, pale skin and tired eyes. When she was still alive, it felt like she wasn't and that's what broke her the most.

Shaky fingers grabbed the brown brush off the white surface, hastily pulling the hairs into an unkempt ponytail much like her Aunt's.

Enid threw the brush on her bed, grabbing her backpack that sat on a chair in the corner of her room, and rushed down the stairs.

"Could've sworn it was a horse coming down the steps," Kaite appeared near the entrance to the kitchen, water bottle in her left hand held out for her niece to take.

The girl pursed her lips before grabbing it from her.

"Thank you,"

Snatching the car keys from a decorative bowl that had sat on a table near the door, Enid opened the front door and set off outside, gravel crunching beneath the soles of her shoes.

The air smelled like fresh rain and soil, a scent that used to suffocate her.

"What do you think you're doing?" This question came from Katie who looked at Enid, eyebrows furrowed.

Gulping, Enid dangled the keys from her pointer finger, "Driving,"

"Not in your current condition, you're not." She lunged forward, trying to grab the keys but Enid closed them in her palm.

"Come on, I'm perfectly fine,"

Katie cocked her head to the side, ponytail swaying behind her, "Enid, give me the keys, now."

With a roll of her eyes, Enid threw the keys at her, dragging her feet to the passenger door, pulling the handle and hopping inside.

The leather seat felt uncomfortable to sit on, causing intense fidgeting the entire ride to school which had made her heart drop as soon as the car had pulled into the lot.

Despite the dark clouds that always loomed, and the cold that stung, students looked relatively happy. A knot had formed in the pit of Enid's stomach as soon as she opened the car door, sending a small goodbye her aunts way before scurrying off to Tyler Crowley's van.

Lauren Mallory was the first person she saw, sat next to Tyler, a red lollipop between her lips as she sent a small smile Enid's way. Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton stood a few feet away, laughing at something that Enid was clearly unaware of.

"Enid!" This voice belonged to Angela Webber who had rushed to the brunette as soon as she had seen her.

In the blink of an eye, arms were wrapped around her neck, squeezing her tightly. Angela's hugs always seemed to melt away any worry that Enid had, something she was beyond thankful for.

A chuckle left her lips, "Hey Angela,"

The dark haired girl's arms had returned to her side, her face twisted into that of concern. "You okay?"

At that, Enid inhaled sharply, the smell of wet soil burning her nose hairs. Behind Angela's small frame, she could see her group of friends staring at her, their lips formed into a tight line.

Was she alright? The more she thought about it, she really wasn't. Her life had changed so much already that she wasn't sure if she could handle anything else at the moment.

So, she lied. "Yeah, I'm good."

Angela hesitated a second before speaking, knowing that wasn't the case. "Well, if you wanna talk to someone, I'm always here." She sent her a genuine smile, pushing her glasses up a bit before grabbing Enid's wrist, dragging her to the group

"C'mon, let's catch up."

Suddenly, Enid had wished she had stayed home today, even if it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

-

Finally got this out!
I was in a bit of a writing slump as you could probably tell.
Sorry if this seems a bit rushed as well.