"Leah, where are you going?" My father called from the front door.
"Gymnastics," I dangled the car keys to make a point, walking down the porch stairs and towards the driveway.
"Not until you mow the lawn," he called after me.
Part of me wanted to just ignore him and keep walking but I knew I would face hell from him when I got back, especially if I got back late. I sighed and turned to face him. "That's Seth's job,"
"Seth has been having a rough time lately,"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure," I yelled back. "He hasn't done a chore in weeks, apparently, that's always my job now, and he spends all day running through the woods with his friends. He hardly ever shows up for school and doesn't even have time to see us anymore. The only time I've seen him for weeks is when he comes home to eat all the food in the house. Because of all the stuff he's not doing, I haven't seen my friends for weeks, but I can't even say anything to him because you guys are so scared of him talking to him is the equivalent of walking on eggshells. But go on, tell me how challenging his life is," There was an undercurrent of sadness and worry in my statement, but the overwhelming emotion was resentment towards Seth, an anger I didn't even know I felt until now. The depth of it surprised me, yet I couldn't think straight and rein it back in. It was like a fire, consuming me, my vision tinged red and my entire body shaking.
My father's face darkened. "You would know, how was it for you when we treated you the same way after Sam? Seth-"
"Don't ever mention Sam to me," I roared, cutting him off. The mention of Sam was like a punch to the gut, it knocked the air out of my lungs and I tipped forward towards the ground. Pain ripped through my body in a flash, and then it was gone as quickly as it had started. I sucked in air, trying to get my breath back, and then the voices slammed into my head, like an entire room full of people all trying to shout over each other.
"What is going on? Who is the new person? Where are you guys? Another one? Already?" Questions, all jumbled, echoed through my head, and I shook it, trying to clear it.
I glanced at my father, hoping he could help and explain what has happening to me, but he wasn't standing in the doorway anymore. He was laying on the floor, his limbs at a slightly awkward angle. I tried to scream but the sound that came out of my mouth wasn't human. So, I did the only thing I could think of, I ran, hoping somehow I could outrun whatever was happening.
A new voice popped into my head, louder and ringing with authority. "Jacob, find Seth. Jared, round up the whole pack and the elders, we'll meet in the clearing. Everyone is to phase back to human and no one is to become a wolf again until I talk with the elders. If a fight causes someone to lose control, I will personally take care of both participants," the threat in his tone was clear and I knew it would be followed unquestioningly. "Everyone aside from Leah, phase out now," This command rang in a double tone and an instant later my head was quiet again. I was almost alone, except for one presence. A presence I would recognize anywhere, one I had tried so hard to forget. Sam.
All the pain Sam caused me came back at once, slamming into me. I stumbled, unable to keep my footing, barely able to bear the weight of the grief much less keep running through it.
A rustle came from the woods behind me and I spun, instinctively on guard.
"Easy," the voice in my head was supposed to be soothing, but that voice could no longer have that effect on me, instead bringing on even more pain. I felt my shoulders drop towards the ground. "It's just me," The wolf seemed to melt out of the woods in front of me.
I raised my hackles and growled. Even in his other form I could tell this was Sam. Part of me wanted to rip his throat out for what he had done to me, but the other part of me knew I would never be able to hurt him like that, regardless of how much he deserved it.
Sam took a step towards me and I tried to growl again, but it turned into more of a whimper as I fell at his feet.
"Lee-lee, I'm sorry," I heard Sam's voice in my mind, remorseful, begging for me to forgive him, to understand. And I wanted to…. How I wanted to, but I couldn't. Not after what he had done.
"Sometimes sorry doesn't cut it," I couldn't look at him, couldn't bear to say his name, but I poured as much of my anger and pain into that simple statement as I could. Even hearing his old name for me felt like it was tearing all the old wounds open again.
"I know, but I don't know what else to say,"
"Tell me this, did you ever love me or was all of it a lie?"
For an instant I almost felt a different emotion come over me. It was strange, I felt something but it wasn't coming from me, as if I was feeling the emotions of someone else. But as quickly as it came it disappeared. All the kindness seemed to drain out of Sam. "Stay on the reservation," he said flatly, "I'll send Jared and Seth to help you figure out how to change back,"
"I don't need advice from my little brother," I argued.
"Would you rather it from me?" he shot back without missing a beat, bickering like we used to before everything changed.
I didn't know what to say, didn't know the answer, so I said nothing and watched him walk away from me again, taking the pieces of my broken heart with him. For as much as I wanted to hate him, deep down I knew that I was still deeply in love with him.
Authors Note: Hey guys, I'm really new to this, so I'd love to hear what you think and if there is anything you do or don't like! I know I changed the timing of Seth and Leah's first transformations a little, but I'll try to stay somewhat consistent with the books when I can.