Two years to the day.
That's how long it had been since the stand-off…and not a damn thing had happened since then.
Not. A. Single. Thing.
"I'm so bored." Leah moaned, kicking the dirt with her feet. She sighed and then crossed her arms.
"Are you? I hadn't noticed…" Seth gestured to the little trench she had dug with her toes, a perfect half-moon that was turning into a muddy mess.
They'd been sitting in the field for hours…waiting; waiting for Jake to arrive with the blessed-unholy one, so that she could follow them around and learn about the land, and life…and occasionally go for FroYo on the beach. That part wasn't completely unbearable…it was the constant shepherding of a whiny, mutant, pre-teen that got old…real fast.
Jake called it "exposure therapy". He figured the more he brought the miracle child around…the more used to her the pack would get. The more used to her people like Leah would get…well…Leah specifically.
"Yes. I am bored. There hasn't been anything to do in…forever…and with our lucky genetic jackpot…we'll be stuck doing 'Thursday's with Little Miss Leech' for the rest of all eternity. I can't do it, Seth. I lack the capacity in my brain to even begin to comprehend how to get through another second of the monotony associated with our Alpha's undying devotion to Princess Sparklepants! Can you imagine the next hundred years? Rip out my throat. Do it right this second so you can eat me before they get here!" Leah let out an exasperated sigh and fell back into the grass.
"Are you quite done?" Seth said, raising an eyebrow.
But she was not done. Leah took another breath, "I just want to be normal. Why couldn't I have gotten knocked up in high school like half of the other girls in my grade? Mom and Dad would have sent me away and I would be a gazillion miles from all this stupid supernatural crap, working my way through community college and trying to balance the everyday challenges that accompany being a teen mom and having my own reality cable show. I should have let William Knowel swipe my V card sophomore year…he turned out to be cute and potently fertile. He has like six kids now!"
Seth cringed. "First off, ew," he said. "And second, Leah, this is our destiny. It was genetically pre-ordained. We are here because of an exceptionally important purpose our ancestors appointed us hundreds of years ago, be proud of your birthright. Remember who you are."
She rolled her eyes "Okay, Mufasa…tone down the "this message has been paid for by the Werewolves for America" PSA…I know all that. It's just…I think our dear Grand-Wolves envisioned a future wrought with vamps roaming the world in constant battle with us all 'Underworld' style. Newsflash. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt…and now, instead of exceptional, we're just exceptionally BORING."
Leah rolled over onto her stomach and put her chin in her hands. Seth crawled out next to her and gave a sigh.
"I give up," he said "Appreciate awesome wolfness or don't…I'm enjoying it, and I will not let your delusion ruin this for me. You have to admit, you gotta' love some of the perks."
"Whatever," she answered, flattening herself to the ground "Do you think they would notice I was gone if I just buried myself in the grass?"
As if on some terrible cue, Jakes voice came cutting through the clearing "Hey guys!"
Leah let out a muffled groan into the dirt.
"What's up?" He asked, approaching. Sure enough, the golden girl trailed behind. Leah was beginning to think that part of the brat's freaky "gifts" was to cast an invisible leash out to Jake. It wasn't completely impossible, she told herself, at this point, she'd believe a lot of things.
"Oh, nothing." Leah began, sitting up. "Seth's feeling a little 'I am wolf, here me howl ' today."
"Yeah, and Leah's feeling a little unpleasant and overdramatic." Seth replied, sticking out his tongue.
"So, a pretty normal day for you two?"
Jake punched Seth in the arm playfully and then turned to the young girl behind him. She'd grown a bit more since the Volturi altercation, and now appeared to be, from the outside, an average twelve-year-old. But she was anything but average. Most kids that age start to get awkward ; Leah recalled her own years of puberty. She was a flat-chested string-bean with coke-bottle glasses and a boy haircut. Her mother thought it was adorable. Leah hated it so much, when she turned 13, she made the decision to never, ever cut it again. Yeah, that was going great.
The girl that was standing before her was anything but awkward. She was an exceptional specimen. She had perfect long, brown hair; brilliant arches and curves in her face, and a nice little body that would most likely turn into something sexy and fun for Jake to play with when it was done cooking. Nope. This chick had struck it big when it came to development…she'd grow into a perfect glowing pile of perfect perfection. And then she would stay that way, forever. Perfect.
"We are going to go into Port Angeles today. There is a film festival going on." Jake put his hand on Nessie's shoulder.
"Father and I agree that exposure to secondary resources will not only aid in my foreign language comprehension, but expand my horizons regarding other cultures as well."
Her voice was like a song. It was like listening to wind chimes. Leah imagined little butterflies flitting around the girls face every time her mouth was open. It was disgusting.
"Wait, wait, wait. Foreign. As in, not speaking English? Damn, Jake, please tell me this is a leech version of a joke." Leah knew she was whining. She didn't care. And she didn't care she had just used the 'D' and 'L' word…oh no! The ever-so-amazing-virtuous-lovely-marvelous one's virgin ears!
Jake opened his mouth to scold/answer, but then it happened.
A terrible bang rose from the direction of the reservation, and then, seeping into her heightened senses, Leah smelled smoke. Sure enough, a black cloud had begun to rise over the tree-line.
The exchange that followed was silent. In one seamless motion, the wolves had phased and Nessie was attached to Jake's back.
"Meet at the ridge, I'll drop Nessie off at the Cullens. Bella and Edward will be worried." Jake was in Alpha mode. His thoughts were alert and abrupt. Everything was an order that must be followed. Until they had more info, they had to assume the worse.
Even though she complained incessantly about it, the past two years of down time had offered numerous opportunity for drills. They had prepared for moments just like this, over and over again.
"Status?" Jake asked as Embry's consciousness joined the group. Even from miles away, Leah could feel his nerves.
"Whatever it is, it's on the Res." There was graveness to his voice, as well as worry.
One thing was for sure as they raced back towards La Push. Whatever it was, it most definitely was going to be very, very far from boring.
