A/N: Okaaaay. Here we go yet again, my darlings. The first chapter beginning A/N. Let's see.
Heads up!
This story is rated 'M' and for a reason. There will be themes throughout this story that do call for this rating, but I will put an 'ImPORTANT NOTE' at the top of the chapter if it heads down a darker path. Just as a heads up to keep an eye open for that one.
DiSCLAIMER!
No part of The Twilight Saga is my property. I don't claim it to be. I never have, and I never will. All I own is Leandra, and the rest of the little people you don't recognize from SM's work. I only mix the two sometimes. Sometimes they play well together, other times, not so much. Both are very entertaining.
Okay. Now that that wonderful stuff is over with, let's get down to business.
Chapter One
"Serves you right."
The sight of Josh hitting the grass after attempting to stand on a soccer ball was priceless. Zack and I applauded him, which was only part of the joke.
"It even ran away after it kicked your ass." Zack gestured to the ball that had rolled away. That had both of us only laughing harder. Josh, pushing himself up, was laughing too. Indication that he was alright.
There was one good thing about living where I did. There were actually many good things about living where I did, and this was just one of them. I could see the boys a lot. Nearly as often as I wanted to, aside from the almost-sunny and sunny days. Nobody had a single problem with me wanting to see them, considering Carlisle knew Heather from work, and Heather sure wasn't complaining. I was pretty positive at this point that if I didn't have someone to miss me, she'd have stolen me herself.
My bruises had finally healed, and the only thing that hurt me now were the memories. Those wouldn't heal so easily. Those would be around awhile.
It was still a new experience for me, living bruise free, but I was still learning. I never knew how easy it could be to move before. How easy it could be to not have to worry about Jack's mood, or worry about whether or not I'd see him later that night.
I was still learning how to not panic at the slightest unexpected movement, and how to not hesitate in saying what I wanted to say. How to sleep through the night, nightmares aside. How to eat every day, and actually not have to worry if it would last me several days. How to have good moods, and how to take jokes Emmett threw my way.
Zack and Josh were helping with that. Without even trying, they were taking my uptight and skittish nature, and smoothing it out. They were almost never serious about anything, the complete opposite of me, so by their example, I could see how it should be and adjust myself little bits at a time. That was probably why nobody had any objections about me seeing them. That, and it gave them a break from my constant human scent.
I was always as well-behaved as I could be regardless. I tried as hard as I could to keep them from regretting taking me in a few months back. As far as I could tell, it was working.
I had yet to hear anything from my mom, which was just fine with me. I hoped she was miserable wherever she was.
My dad was saving this month's visit for two days from now, when I turned ten. I was a little nervous this visit, as he mentioned bringing his wife and daughter along with him so I could officially meet them.
Despite how well things were going for me, and how hard I tried to ignore them, the nightmares stayed. They were relentless, always there whether I was awake or asleep. Keeping me in a constant state of exhaustion, often to the point where I could fall asleep really anywhere I rested if I wasn't careful.
I hadn't a clue about where Jack or Ken were, but then again, I never really asked. I couldn't bring myself to. My dreams and terrifying nightmares at night told me that nothing yet had changed, despite it having been almost four months.
I just had to do the best I could. Which involved watching Josh and Zack hurt themselves in one way or another, or hurt each other in some made up, light-hearted quarrel. I didn't mind that so much. It never got serious, not once, and apologies were given immediately the second someone actually got hurt.
To me, the pair of them seemed more like best friends than brothers. They just happened to live in the same house, and had the same parents.
Zack constantly kept his dark brown hair longer than Josh's, which was quickly becoming an irritating fact to Heather. I assured her once that when Zack's hair got as long as mine, I'd hold him down while she cut it. That wouldn't be for awhile, though, since it only barely reached the middle of his neck.
Josh took his mother's eye color, dark ice blue, while Zack took his father's cloudy gray blue. I never realized before how different blue eyes could be. Other than that, though, they looked quite alike, and they both had quite a ways to go when it came to maturity, which was what I liked most about them.
They had such a simple way of looking at everything, where I considered everything so carefully and completely. To them, things were the way things were, and that was it. I often pointed things out to them that they never would have even noticed before, but sometimes, they did the same for me.
I still had my moments, my bad days where I really didn't want anything to do with anyone. The days where the nightmares, both asleep and awake, were harder than other days. Things I remembered, things I couldn't forget no matter how hard I tried. Images, thoughts burned into my memory and that would stay there for as long as I lived. Memories of my not-so-distant past that would stay. Those were hard, but I couldn't get passed the feeling that it'd only get harder.
The only one that seemed to really understand was Jasper. He was always watching, waiting for one of those bad days, where I suffered more than others. I'd had a few of those bad days, usually after a night of constant sleeplessness, afraid of what I'd see when I actually did fall asleep. I hated relying on him so much, though. With him constantly feeling like he needed to be around, it pushed his tolerance of my scent.
I was human. He wasn't. That was a problem.
Today, however, was an okay day. Not great, but okay. I'd gotten at least a few hours of sleep the night before, so I didn't feel so isolated today. The boys were always up for a visit from me, it seemed, so that was a real plus.
So there we sat, outside their house waiting for Alice to pick me up. It was a warmer day, considering it was toward the end of summer. Mid July. The rain didn't fall today, the clouds high and wispy, which meant Alice would probably show up in Carlisle's car, or not show up until after the sun was in a safer position. An extra half hour of time here wasn't disappointing to me.
Josh retrieved the escaped soccer ball, and sat down next to me.
"Show me how you did that." I requested, and he gave me a look.
"So.." Josh prompted, "What are you doing for your birthday?" Yuck. The question I both expected and dreaded. This subject, though, wasn't as dreaded as one other, but I'd always hated my birthday. It was a horrible day every year, so I had no idea what to expect this year.
"No idea." I muttered, "I hope nothing. I think I'm the only one not excited for it."
"Why aren't you?" He asked, "Come on. You're probably gonna get tons of stuff." As if that made up for everything.
"I don't need stuff." I replied, "I have everything I need."
"Mom wants us to ask you what you want." Zack pointed out, inspecting a blade of grass in his fingers. Josh reached out and smacked him, "Ow."
"Subtle." Josh grumbled.
"Tell her I don't need anything." I muttered, "She knows that more than anyone." Which was probably true. Heather, the boys' mother, knew Jack probably even better than I did. She was his sister, having survived sixteen years with him and their even worse father Ken.
"There's a difference between something you need, and something you want." Zack reminded me, reaching over and stealing the ball from Josh.
"Not to me." I frowned, "I'm happy with what I have, thank you very much."
"Think about it this way." He told me, "If you had a choice between ice cream or broccoli, which would you choose?" That made no sense to me.
"What does-"
"Which one?" He insisted, rolling the ball back and forth between his hands.
"Depends on my mood." I replied, "I don't like ice cream all the time." Which was true. I was still getting used to being able to eat every day, much less have something like ice cream. It was good, but not good enough to have all the time.
He sighed, "Okay, which would you choose if you were in the mood for ice cream?" That was a little clearer of a question.
"Could I have it?" I asked, and he frowned, "Well, I can't exactly have ice cream for breakfast, can I?"
He sighed again, "Okay. Which one would you choose if you were in the mood for ice cream, and you were allowed to have it?"
"See, I need details." Josh chuckled at my response. Zack groaned quietly in frustration, flopping onto his back. I caught the ball as it tried to escape with his action, "What? I like broccoli." Which was also true.
"What don't you like?"
"Not much." I answered honestly, "And seriously. Why couldn't I have both?"
"You get what I'm trying to say, right?" Zack asked, sitting back up.
"Yeah, yeah." I muttered with a sigh, "I get it, but it's true. I don't really want anything. I have everything I've ever wanted in my life now. Why would I want more? That's just nuts."
I'd never actually gotten up the nerve to explain the real reason I was with the Cullens. I never told them exactly why I needed to be there. They assumed, made up their own reason, and I never felt the need to correct them.
They figured the whole reason I was with the Cullens was because Jack ran off, probably to go find my mom, and that was partially true. They didn't understand, though, why I ran from Ken that day in California, and that was a question I always avoided with a passion. Not that they ever really questioned. They'd wondered, sure, but they didn't question. Which was why I appreciated their presence so much, even though it involved their uncle and grandfather.
Zack sighed, "I'll just tell her to get you a turtle." We all looked over as Carlisle's car pulled up to the curb. The sun was effectively hidden, down enough for the evening, so I knew whoever had come could come out for a behavior report from Heather.
"Why?" I frowned at Zack, almost repulsed by the idea.
"Turtles are awesome." He replied, "And it'll give you something to play with when you're at home." To my surprise, Carlisle himself had come to pick me up. I'd been expecting Alice to show up like usual.
Seeing him pull up in front of the house, Heather decided to meet him outside. Stepping from the front door, giving me a smile as I looked over, and greeting Carlisle.
"I have Emmett." I shook my head, returning to the discussion, "He's way better than some stupid turtle any day. He doesn't live in a box and three inches of water."
"Have you ever seen a turtle eat lettuce?" Zack asked, shocked, "Nothing tops that." I smirked to myself, shaking my head. Of course, he was clueless. Just how it should be, I knew, but I honestly wondered how they'd react if I were to tell them. I felt like I knew them well enough to know that they'd probably laugh, and shake their heads. Not believing one word of it, so even if I accidentally did let something slip, they'd just figure it was my imagination again.
Josh stole the soccer ball from where it rested in my hands, and bounced it forcefully off of Zack's head. I caught it before it could escape again. Having to stretch up high to do so, I was once again reminded to be grateful of being bruise-free.
"Josh." Heather corrected, not happy with that. He glanced at her, but continued to talk to us.
"Yeah, Josh." I laughed, "Soccer balls are not weapons."
"She said no turtles." Josh chuckled at Zack's reaction, him sitting there and rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand, "Tell mom to get you one."
"Ask her." I corrected quietly, "You shouldn't tell her to do anything." That was just rude. Heather was an awesome mom, and they didn't need to be demanding anything from her. Zack stole the ball from me, holding it again.
"You have to do it." Zack told him, ignoring what I said, "If I tell her, she won't do it."
"Fine." Josh sighed, "I'll tell her you want a turtle for Christmas."
"Tell her my birthday is next week." Zack shook his head, "Christmas is too far away."
"I think she knows what day you were born, dummy." Josh muttered, looking down at the finger-full of grass he'd just pulled up, "After all, she was the one that did it, so she kind of had to be there."
"Ew." Zack bounced the ball off of Josh's head next.
I ducked quickly as it forcefully bounced back the way it came and nearly hit me, but it hit Zack in the face instead, and he flopped back again with a grunt of pain. Holding both hands over his face, he started laughing first. I was laughing too hard to breathe seconds later, much less try to retrieve the ball that had rolled away. I imagined it giggle, but that was probably just me.
"Really?" Heather barked from the side.
"Did that really just happen?" I had to ask as both of them rubbed their wounds. Josh joined us in laughter, despite him getting hit first. I was sure it was worth it for him to see that, even if it was just a quick glimpse.
"It's not my fault Josh has a weird shaped head." Zack sat back up, and I could see the light pink shade of his right upper cheek where the ball hit. Heather and Carlisle had stepped over, and Heather confiscated the wayward ball, holding it under one arm with a shake of her head.
"Please." I laughed, "Do that again. That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and I didn't even get to see it." I'd been too busy ducking to see the actual impact.
"No thanks." Josh laughed, standing up. I followed him, knowing it was about time to go.
"Lucky you have such a hard head." I pointed out at Zack as he stood up last, "Maybe you do need a sturdy pet. A turtle, or crab or something."
"So are you saying Emmett is your pet?" Zack asked.
"No," I replied, "I'm just saying that I don't need a pet with Emmett around. There's a difference."
"Not really." Zack chuckled, and I swiped to hit him, but he ducked. I moved to chase him, but he turned, running off. I stole the ball from Josh, who'd stolen it from his mom, and I threw it as hard as I could Zack's direction. It missed, unfortunately, but it was funny all the same as it bounced off the grass and got stuck in the bush.
He stopped running and laughed as he turned back around.
"I need better aim." I called to him, and he grinned. I also didn't really try. The last thing I needed was to attempt hitting Zack with the soccer ball, and it fly a completely wrong direction to shatter a window or something.
My goodbye to the boys was brief. I'd probably see them again in a few days, so I wasn't worried about making it last.
"I take it you had a nice time?" Carlisle asked as we left their house behind.
"Yeah." I sighed, calming down from laughing so much, "I always do."
He smiled a little, "I'm glad."
"I thought Alice was picking me up today?" I asked, looking over. Not that I minded, but I was curious.
"She and Rosalie are still in Seattle." He replied, "They got caught up with shopping."
"Oh." I nodded. That definitely sounded like Alice. I wondered how many shirts she'd return with for me. How many more pairs of jeans, or worse. Dresses. Puke.
"May I ask what the business was with the turtle?" He smirked and I laughed again, just remembering it.
"Zack was asking what I wanted for my birthday." I explained, "And I told him I don't need anything, so he just came up with telling his mom I want a turtle. Which I don't."
"I see." He chuckled.
"Yeah." I murmured, "They're crazy sometimes."
"Well, I'm glad that you get along with them so well."
"Josh was talking about his friends coming over for his birthday on Sunday." I told him, "I'm not sure about being there for that."
"I don't see the harm in that." He commented.
"I kind of don't want them to." I added, shaking my head, "I'm not so good around new people."
"It'll give you practice for the fall." He pointed out, and I winced. I gave him a look. I knew what he was talking about, and I dreaded it more each day. School.
"Can't Esme just keep teaching me?" I asked, frowning.
"Esme is only catching you up on what you missed, Leandra." He replied, just like all the other times we had this argument, "You don't have anything to be worried about."
"I'll still be the smallest." I mumbled, "They always pick on the smallest ones. If I was in the wild, I'd be the first to die." I was being dramatic, given the look he gave me. Even I could see that, but that didn't keep me from doing it.
I whined, "Can't school wait until college?"
"I'm afraid not." He replied, "I think this is the best way for you. You need to socialize with kids your own age."
"Zack is my age." I reminded him.
He shook his head slightly with a glance my way, "Two others is hardly socializing."
"It is for me."
"Leandra, your aversion to people needs to be addressed as soon as possible." He reasoned, "If we let it slide, this could be something that'll affect you your entire life."
"That's not my fault." I muttered.
"I understand your apprehension, but I know you'll do fine." He assured me.
"And what if I don't?" I asked, looking over, "I won't know anybody there, except for Zack, but he won't be much help. He's got his own friends."
"You make it seem like you're going to be fighting for your life there." He pointed out, "And that's what I want to work with you on. It's just school."
"Kids are mean." I whimpered, "I hated school when I did go."
"You'll do fine." He repeated.
I groaned, but sat back in my seat. Defeated, as there was no use in arguing with Carlisle. He would always win. I comforted myself with the thought that I still had some time before I had to go. That made me feel better, but the worry was still there and I couldn't let it go.
We made it home not long later, and I immediately found Emmett standing in the living room, talking with Jasper. Almost scrambling to his side, I looked up at him.
"You agree with me." I told Emmett, "Just say yes."
"That's never good." He chuckled, looking to Carlisle as he followed me into the room, "What's up?"
"She's protesting school again." Carlisle answered, and Emmett sighed, looking down at me.
"Like I told you, shorty." He said, "Just tell them you know me. Nobody's going to mess with you."
"Like that's gonna work."
"Everybody knows everybody in a small town." He reminded me, "It's all about who you know. Reputation. Enough of those kids have older siblings that are bound to know me. Or any one of us."
"I'll spread the word for you." Jasper assured me quietly. That didn't help much. Nobody was on my side about this, which bugged me to no end. I knew what I was talking about.
"Then I do want a turtle." I grumbled, "I'll stuff it in my backpack so I can have something to throw at them." I turned, sitting heavily on the couch with a light bounce.
"Turtles aren't weapons." Emmett found that amusing, even if he was confused.
"Neither are soccer balls." I muttered, and that seemed to confuse him a little more, but Carlisle understood.
I couldn't help smiling again. Even when I wasn't with them, the boys helped me not be too irritated. It was one of the times I didn't hate my thoughts, when they crossed something good or something that made me laugh. That happened more often the more I was with them.
The subject wasn't brought up again the next day, and by the day of my birthday, I had more pressing issues to occupy my mind. Like the fact that my dad was due there around noon, and I had less than adequate sleep the night before. A few hours less than needed to put up with something like this.
I was nervous as hell to meet my half sister, but I had no idea how I'd even like his wife.
Apparently, my half sister Lily was born not quite five years after me, so she was still little. I had a slight hope that I'd feel a little better when I was bigger than her.
Unfortunately, Alice really wanted to make a thing of it, instead of him just visiting. Like they all didn't already know what day it was, Alice figured there needed to be decorations. It annoyed me, but I didn't say anything bad about it. If it made her happy, I'd suffer through it. Swatting a balloon when it drifted in front of me like it offended my ancestors.
I found that the first look at Lily came seconds after she was inside the door. She looked up at me, and I looked down at her, really unsure how to react. She smiled a little, but I couldn't return it. Beside me, everyone else was being introduced to Rachel, my dad's wife, but I was focused on the kid clinging to her leg.
Rachel was already iffy to me. Just because of her name, which happened to be the name of someone I really didn't like. My dad chuckled something about needing to go to the car for a second, but I ignored that.
Unlike me, Lily took a pretty even mix of both her parent's looks. I could recognize my dad's auburn hair color on her head. Dark reddish brown, just the same as me, but she took her mother's brown eyes, unlike me with my dad's green. It began to irritate me how cute she was.
"Be nice." Alice reminded me quietly.
The five year old in front of me stared at me like I was the most confusing thing in the world, and I stared at her the same way, with a bit of dislike thrown in there. Neither of us having said anything to each other yet.
"Well," Rachel sighed, laughing a little, "This is going great."
My dad returned then with a few gifts in his arms. Esme helped him carry them inside, and naturally, the group of us followed them. I watched after Rachel and the runt with her, not wanting to get too close to it.
Being seated didn't change the looks or silence between us, though, which had gotten my dad's attention. Lily was catching on, and my dislike was spawning a dislike of her own. I could tell by the way she stuck closer to Rachel's side.
It seemed as if Carlisle could tell, the others only having a suspicion, but the way he stayed near me told me he wasn't taking chances just yet. Not until I spoke up, or gave my opinion on it.
"So, Leandra." My dad took my attention, "How've you been?" I finally looked away from the evil little thing staring at me.
"Good, I guess." I replied quietly, shrugging a little, "Not bad."
He smiled, "That's good. Settling in well?" I nodded, glancing briefly to Rachel who'd leaned over and was talking to a very uncomfortable looking Lily.
I had to ask him the question I asked him every time I saw him.
"Have you heard anything from mom?"
He probably expected that question, given his expression. I asked him that every time, hoping every time it was the answer I wanted.
"Nope." He replied honestly, "Not a word." I sighed, relieved.
For her to contact him, it would only be for one reason, and that was to look for me. The only reason she would look for me, would be because Jack was looking for me. I didn't want that.
"I told you, kiddo." He added, "You'd be the first to know."
"I can't help it." I replied quietly.
"I doubt she'd look me up anyway." He said that every time.
It took Heather, Zack and Josh's arrival to send Jasper outside. I couldn't blame him, with as many humans that were here. This was probably not something they were especially used to. An extra human here wasn't so bad, but all of them all at once was bound to be an issue. Emmett went out to keep him company, no doubt disguising the fact that Jasper needed space with the cover of chit-chatting on the porch. Emmett was good at playing cool and distracting from discomfort.
I was glad to see that Heather had gotten the day off, and was able to make it. I always liked seeing her, even on my bad days.
"Is there a turtle in here?" I asked, taking Zack's wrapped gift from his hands as he stepped inside. I turned it all around, shaking it a little and searching for any air holes.
"If there is," He said, knowing what I was looking for, "It's dead now." I laughed, setting the box down on the table with all the rest. I liked the wrapping paper, as it was a metallic, medium blue color.
"Now, who is this?" Heather's attention had been taken by my dad, "I've got to be seeing things."
Spotting who it was that had spoken, my dad grinned and stood up. As it seemed, he hadn't seen her yet. Despite being in town three times before now, he hadn't stopped in to see her. I briefly wondered why, but I knew it was probably none of my business. His reasons were his own, but part of me was glad he had put it off. I got to see it.
It was interesting to watch, knowing all I knew about them. The last time they'd seen each other, I'd been a baby along with Josh and Zack. So long ago, so it was like two parts of my past meeting each other again. As weird as it was to see, it was still really fascinating to me.
I'd mentioned my dad a few times around Heather, explaining to the boys my situation with him as much as I could, but she never responded much. She knew enough to know that it hadn't been his fault that he had to leave, but I was never really sure she believed me. Seven, almost eight years was a long time to not see someone.
"Look at you." He chuckled, accepting her hug with a friendly one of his own, "It's great to see you. You haven't changed a bit."
I was a bit relieved, actually, that it seemed to be going well.
"You two, though." My dad looked to us, at the boys beside me, "Have changed. Quite a bit." They seemed confused, but they understood the situation. Zack glanced to me, and I just smiled a little. Now they knew how weird it felt to have someone they didn't remember know them from babies like Heather knew me.
"They're growing up too fast." Heather sighed, patting Josh's head as we neared her, "Mister almost-twelve-year-old here really makes me feel old." Josh grinned.
"No kidding." My dad laughed, "Holy cow. Twelve years, huh?"
"Twelve years on Sunday." Heather nodded a little, "Zack turned ten back in March."
I found a seat near Esme, watching the scene. Zack had followed me, standing beside the large chair I shared with Esme. Josh seemed more open to socializing with my dad, but Zack seemed more shy. He wasn't exactly afraid, but curious.
"Weird, isn't it?" I asked him as Esme smoothed my hair in a very comforting way.
"Very." He laughed a little.
"You get used to it." I replied with a small laugh of my own, "I think it's pretty cool."
"Yeah, it's cool," He allowed, "But still weird." He looked around, "Who's that?" I followed his gaze over to the couch, finding Lily watching me.
"That's Lily." I replied, "My half-sister. My dad's her dad."
"I can sort of tell." He nodded a little, "You look more like your dad, though." At least that was one thing I outdid her on.
Thankfully, it was my dad that introduced the boys and Heather to Rachel and Lily. I didn't have to talk to them to do it. It was one thing remembering them, but a whole different thing actually having to see them and interact with them. Rachel didn't seem so bad, but not particularly interesting, either. Just normal.
It didn't take long for Josh to lead the way outside. Being cooped up inside wasn't one of his favorite things, and he would lose his mind if he wasn't doing something physical, so Zack and I followed him out into the yard. Unfortunately, Lily followed us.
It was very overcast today, ensuring no chance of sunlight peeking through the clouds, but there was also no threat of rain, so it was perfect for everyone watching from the wide porch as we all ran around. I was fairly sure there were some stories going around about me, given the laughter from the adults, but I chose not to focus on that.
Outside, Jasper didn't seem to have an issue with the humans around. Especially not with Alice next to him, so out here, everyone could interact. Sometimes Josh did come up with some good ideas.
I didn't mind this part of the day. It was easy to ignore the fact that Alice made a big deal out of my birthday this way. It was Josh's idea to see who could reach what point first. It never got boring running back and forth, because there was so much room on this side of the house. I led the way, always staying faster than the boys. Once or twice, it was a tie between Josh and me, but most of the time, I led the way by a mile.
Lily trailing us with a meek, "Wait for me."
Out of breath, I eventually followed Lily up onto the porch for something to drink while the boys continued. They could go forever without a break, but I wasn't used to that. I chose a bottle of water versus the sodas sitting there, finding that more appealing. Glancing over as Lily did the same, but she struggled with the top.
"Here." I offered, and she looked to me shyly, handing me her bottle. Unscrewing the top, I screwed it back on lightly and handed it back to her.
"Thanks." She mumbled.
"No problem." I mumbled in reply, and she turned. I watched her find an open spot to sit next to my dad and take it. Not distracted from what he was saying in the least by Lily's sudden presence, he gathered her onto his lap, cuddling her lightly. He was talking about some business, probably the one he ran.
"Leandra." Josh called from the yard, "Can you please throw me one of those?" He didn't want to come all the way up here, since Heather would probably make him sit and rest too.
"Can you catch it?" I asked in reply, "Or is it going to explode everywhere?"
"Let's find out." He laughed, so I turned and grabbed one. Taking aim, I lobbed it as far as I thought it needed to go, but out of nowhere, Zack dove to catch it. Barely managing to land back on his feet as he did so, laughing triumphantly.
"Stolen." Zack laughed as Josh chased him down. They didn't seem too against sharing a bottle, so I shrugged.
Shaking my head, I chose to sit at Emmett's feet, directly on the deck while I caught my breath and sipped some water. Listening to the chatter.
"I guess you've been busy." Heather commented, her eyes on my dad, "You know, though, that a phone call wouldn't have killed you." I started to catch on to the subject.
"I didn't think about it, to be honest." He replied, "I was a little bit preoccupied."
"Well, had you filled me in, I could have filled you in." She told him, "I could have checked on her for you."
"Speaking of which," My dad frowned, "Why didn't you head over there?"
"I didn't think it was any of my business." She admitted, "I knew it was probably not going to go well, but who was I to meddle?"
I stood from my place on the deck, to sit on the bench between Carlisle and Emmett. I wasn't bothered by this subject, my early childhood, but I was interested. Two of the people that were there and could clearly remember, were discussing it. I doubted I'd ever get another chance like this. As long as the subject stayed mostly on me, I'd stick around.
"A concerned friend." My dad reasoned, replying to Heather, "You knew Leandra about as well as I did. I'm sure Gina would have understood." I fidgeted a little at the mention of my mother. My dad gave me an apologetic look.
"Yeah." She allowed, but trailed off. I knew what she wanted to say. I was grateful for the way she kept herself from continuing, but I was curious.
"Jack wouldn't have seen it that way." I mumbled, and by their glances, I knew they agreed. Beside me, Emmett patted my head lightly.
"Did you really try to take me?" I asked, looking to my dad. To my surprise, I realized that I hadn't asked him that yet.
"You did?" Heather asked, surprised.
"Of course." He replied to her as if that should have been obvious, "You remember the day I met Jack. He wasted no time whatsoever. I knew the second I saw him something was off, so when I figured out he was living there? No. That absolutely did not sit right with me. Gina, being as stubborn and hard-headed as she was, defended her decision, though.
"She just wouldn't listen. More afraid of losing her daughter than she was of the psychopath living with her. All I wanted was to take her for a few days, just to give Gina a chance to get a feel for the guy without dragging Leandra through that learning process with her. Just a few days, but Jack wasn't having that, so Gina wasn't having that. To be honest, I barely recognized her that day. I mean, I get it. I understand why she was so bitter with me, but that shouldn't have made her that blind to reason. Not when it came to Leandra."
This was really interesting to me, and I didn't even really know why. I just sat there, listening intently to everything he was saying. I could almost picture it, and I briefly wondered if maybe that could be a memory, but I doubted it.
"All the blame doesn't fall on her, though, Chris." Heather reasoned, sipping from her own bottle of water.
"Yeah it does." I grumbled, "At least for me."
"Of course." My dad replied to her, "I had my part in it. I'm the last person to deny that."
"What did you do, anyway?" I asked, and he looked to me, "You keep saying you were part of it, but what did you do so wrong?"
"Uh.." He trailed off with nervous laugh, "I, uh.." He was clearly uncomfortable, looking to Rachel seated beside him.
"Oh." Heather clearly understood, "Oh, geez. Really, Chris?" I still didn't get it. Frowning my confusion, but I was convinced by her tone that if my dad wasn't sitting out of her reach, she'd have hit him.
"I never said I was proud of it." He defended himself, "It was just.. One of those things."
"What?" I asked, "I don't get it."
"I'll explain later." Emmett muttered to me.
"No you won't." Esme corrected him from Carlisle's other side.
"Anyway." My dad clearly wanted a subject change, "With Gina so bitter with me, I couldn't take her that day." I found myself listening, though I was still confused, "Not with Jack protecting her too, so I bided my time until my next allowed visit. Needless to say, Gina completely freaked out when I didn't have her back on time, and I can understand why, but she should know I'd never have hurt her. I thought maybe if I didn't try to hide away with her, they'd take that into consideration, but it really didn't work that way. All Gina wanted was Leandra back, so I didn't do jail time for it, but that didn't matter to that damn lawyer Jack hired for her."
Heather's eyes narrowed.
"Jack hired her a lawyer to handle the divorce?" She asked, and my dad nodded slowly, confirming it.
"I got to see Gina once after trying to take her." He replied, "After that, it was all him, and let me tell you. He's very good at taking everything from someone. I didn't want anything else. She could have the house, the car in her name, even the damn savings, everything. The only thing I was asking for was joint custody, so I could still see her and have her for more than a few hours every few days, but because of what I did, those few hours every few days weren't even possible."
I would have loved that. I would have even taken the few hours with him every few days. Happily, but because of Jack, I never got to see my dad again. That really didn't surprise me much, but it still bothered me that my mom would agree to that.
"Enough money gets you anything." Heather commented bitterly, "I'm starting to see now." She sighed deeply, "My brother disgusts me. Chris, I am so sorry." I looked down.
"Don't." He replied, shaking his head, "Please don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just sorry I never contacted you to explain. I thought sure you'd hear all about the kidnapping, and be just as against me as everyone else."
"Hind sight." Heather reasoned, "But no. I would have understood completely. Not many people can see passed him, you know. He's always been that way."
"Well, I could, and I didn't like what I saw." My dad muttered, "How different things would be if just a few things were changed."
"Weird to think about, isn't it?" Heather laughed sadly.
"Very." My dad laughed in return, "Oh, to have that ability. To see ahead and know what's going to happen?" I barely bit back my incredulous laugh the second his words registered to me, but cleared my throat a little instead. Disguising that cover up as a cough.
"You okay?" My dad asked me, and I laughed a little.
"Yeah." I coughed again, "Choking on air." I glanced across the porch at Alice, seeing her silent laughter.
"Be careful, kiddo." He laughed again. I chose that time to dart up again. I didn't want to sit there and raise suspicion.
Before I could get too far, though, Emmett followed me and lifted me. Flipping me around and laying me in his arms, drawing a loud laugh from me at how quickly he managed to do so, and still use human speed.
"Where do you think you're going, birthday girl?" He asked me, carrying me down the steps and toward the boys who'd stopped to watch.
"Away." I laughed a little. I looked over at Zack, "Told you he was better than some turtle."
"Well, glad to hear you think so highly of me." Emmett chuckled.
"How strong are you?" Josh was amazed at the easy way he held me.
"Pretty damn." I answered for him, laughing again as he lifted me, still laying in his arms, up higher.
"It also helps that she weighs almost nothing." Emmett added, and I playfully hit him.
"I weigh plenty." I told him, falling dead-weight in his arms. There was no difference in his effort, "I'm a hippo."
"You are not." Josh snorted.
"Yeah right." Zack laughed at the same time, "Not even close."
"Good." Emmett told them, "Whenever she starts spouting insanity like that, tell her she's wrong. That's how you get a girlfriend."
"Hey." I frowned up at him.
"Just not this one." He countered, squeezing a squeak and laugh from me, "She's off limits to you two."
"But she's already my girlfriend." Zack argued, and I smiled. I knew where he was going with that.
"If I believed that, I'd throw you up into that tree, and leave you for the pigeons." Emmett replied curtly, "But I don't."
"It's true." He grinned, "She's Josh's girlfriend too."
"Oh, ha-ha." Emmett caught on, and I honestly wasn't sure if it was an act. I got my answer when he looked to me, "That true?" He was joking.
"Oh yeah." I replied, "One hundred percent."
"Why you.." He turned me, suddenly hanging me by my ankles. His grip was firm, but it didn't really hurt, though it should have with all my weight on my ankles. My hands scrambled to hold my shirt down, but I laughed immediately.
"Look, guys." Emmett turned to face the porch, "I caught a pinata. I'll string her up, someone get a stick." I knew he was joking, and I actually found that funny too. Heather stood up, obviously worried about him dropping me. Like she could do something to prevent that from the porch. Esme stood up as well.
"Emmett." She sighed, "Put her down." She was worried for another reason, but the size difference between Emmett and myself would probably lead anyone to believe that I really was that easy to hold this way.
"Put me down!" I tried to sound mad, but it didn't really work, "Come on!"
Zack, taking the opportunity, started tickling my sides while I squirmed the best I could. He grinned when I couldn't let my shirt go.
"You're dead when I get free." I told him, but that didn't deter him from continuing.
"You're all pink." Josh pointed out, leaning down to look closer at my face.
"Emmett." Esme called again, and he sighed. Lowering me to the ground, he chuckled as I sat up quickly and slapped his leg. I was still recovering from laughing so hard, so it was hard to tell him off at first. Not that he gave me a chance, though. Scooping me back up like I weighed five pounds.
Lily obviously saw something she liked, though, because she squirmed off of my dad's lap as soon as she was able and ran over to us.
"Pick me up too?" She worded that demand as a question, which bugged me. My good mood plummeted.
"No." I told her, looking down at her, "There's no room."
"Sure there is." Emmett corrected, "Hang on." He carefully kneeled down and adjusted me. Sitting me up, and sitting me on his right shoulder.
"Lily, honey, I don't know if that's a good idea." My dad was obviously apprehensive about this, standing up, but I just didn't want it to happen. I wasn't sure if he was more worried about me slapping her, or Emmett dropping her.
"No there's not." I argued with Emmett. Trying to get my point across. Lily, seeing an open spot, ran closer. I didn't like this. It really didn't sit right with me.
The second he settled her on his left shoulder and went to stand up, I frowned and my tension rose.
"No." I reached over and pushed her. Emmett, of course, braced her so she didn't fall from his shoulder, but the effort was enough. Kneeling back down, he readjusted her with a surprised glance my way, but I took the opportunity to jump from my spot. Landing back on my feet.
"Never mind." I grumbled, stepping around Zack in front of me.
"Aww, shorty." Emmett chuckled, "Come on." I looked back, giving him a look before moving up onto the porch.
"Leandra?" Esme was concerned. I could tell that from her tone, but I didn't care. I knew why they were surprised, as I hardly ever acted out.
"Well.." My dad sighed, "That's how you know they're sisters." He was trying to ease the tension, but I wasn't falling for it. He reached for my hand, but I avoided it. It wasn't quite a forceful rejection, but it would become one if he kept trying.
Lily seemed oblivious to the whole thing, shaking off my shove like I never even did it.
"Excuse us a moment." Esme murmured to everyone else, capturing my hand gently in her own. I allowed that, turning with her back into the house.
She led me inside, closing the door quietly behind her.
"What's going on, sweetie?" She asked, sitting me on the couch as she kneeled in front of me. I looked down, shrugging a little. Honestly, I couldn't explain it. I didn't know what was going on any more than she did.
She offered a small smile, "Just need a break?" I instantly nodded, as that did sound nice. More than she knew.
"Okay." She replied, "We can sit in here for a moment."
We took a few minutes. However, the longer I sat there, watching Emmett play with Lily outside, the more I realized it was more than just needing a break. I'd never felt like this before when I needed a break. Most of the time I was angry, or wanted to cry. This was like a very unpleasant mix of both.
Outside, Heather stood up and I knew she was going to come inside. Probably to see if there was anything she could do to help, but I wasn't up to sitting through that so I stood up instead. Passing her in the doorway without a word. She watched after me, but didn't try to stop me.
"Everything okay?" My dad asked me, and I sighed.
"Fine." I replied, shrugging as I descended the steps to stand with Josh and Zack. They seemed a little confused, but didn't ask about it.
I actually avoided Emmett for the rest of the day. As much as he'd let me, anyway. I kind of wanted to stay mad at him, and he didn't even know why. I didn't even know why.
I did my best to pretend Lily wasn't still watching my every move. I did my best to pretend that Lily had never even been born. As for Rachel, I continued to reserve judgement. I wasn't too sure about her, but that was nothing surprising.
I got through the opening gifts part without dying of embarrassment. I usually avoided attention. Especially for things like this, but I couldn't avoid it this time. I'd just have to get through this in one piece.
I had to laugh, though, at Zack's gift. This was stuff I wanted. Stuff that I'd be able to look at, and smile. Remembering exactly what brought on the idea for the gift, which he did seem to understand. They all did, but he really nailed it.
I lifted Zack's gift from the box, discarding the packaging from my lap and looking over the pretty decent sized stuffed turtle.
"You got a turtle anyway." He grinned, and I laughed again. Grinning myself as I looked it over.
"I couldn't talk him out of it." Heather laughed from her place on the couch.
"I love it." Which wasn't a fib. I really did, "Thank you."
It was cute in a creepy sort of way, with its bright blue and green coloring, and giant blue eyes. I didn't even especially like turtles, but I loved this one. It stayed right there next to me through the rest of the gift opening part.
I got so much stuff, I wasn't sure what to do with it all. I didn't mind the clothing gifts in the least, because it was all stuff I liked to wear, and it gave me more choices. I didn't care much for shopping, but I liked having clothes, so this was perfect.
A few necklaces I'd probably be too afraid to wear for fear of losing them, but I admired them nonetheless. Picture frames, and lots of them. I counted ten. All different sizes, but nothing too big. My room could definitely use some more decorating.
It was so strange to me, getting everything I got. I didn't know how to react to it, really. This many people knowing me well enough to know what I'd want. I'd never gotten gifts growing up, so even though I'd specifically said repeatedly that I didn't want anything, this meant a lot to me.
I still hated my birthday, but I had to admit that I was in a better place than I had been the year before. For one, I was safe now. For however long it lasted, I was safe. I wasn't worried about whatever Jack would come up with to 'give' me. I wasn't hurting, or dreading anything. I had to be thankful for that gift. At very least.
Two, I had my dad here. Even if he did bring that stupid little runt with him, it was nice to have him here. Actually knowing him. To have seen him with my own eyes, and gotten to know him a little as a person. Hell, just knowing what his voice sounded like was more than I could have asked for, even if I didn't want to live with him.
Heather and the boys. I liked having them here, too. This time the year before, I was thinking I'd never have anything like this. I never even imagined something like this was possible. Not in a million years, much less just one.
However, I was starting to get really tired.
It was nearing the end of a very busy day for me, and with as little sleep I got the night before, it was wearing on me. The problem with being tired, however, was that my moods were a little more sensitive. It's just how I was.
I was more emotional while I was tired, more prone to the anxiousness I normally suppressed. It was normally Jasper that gave everyone a heads up when I was anxious, because while I was anxious, it was very easy to upset me.
I watched Lily carefully during the winding-down part of everything. Closer than when she'd first arrived, but it sure wasn't because I wanted to get used to her. I wasn't even trying to get used to her because I knew after today, I wouldn't have to see her again. At least for a long while.
It wasn't until Carlisle started paying attention to her that I got really edgy. She didn't think much of it at first, which gave me the opportunity to move to his side from Esme's. With Jasper standing outside with Alice, I wasn't sure he was paying much attention.
Josh and Zack stood arguing with their mom about having to leave soon, so I didn't have them to distract me. Esme, Carlisle and Emmett were talking with Rachel, so she wasn't distracting the stupid five year old headed my way from the other direction. Approaching me from the other side of the coffee table.
The couch pillow I held was a sturdy one. Thick, and pretty firm, so I could squeeze onto it to help ease my tension. I normally did this, so nobody thought it was odd. Until said couch pillow somehow became a weapon. Not a projectile, because I didn't want to risk breaking anything but Lily.
I wasn't thinking about what it'd do. Lily got too close to me, and I just reacted. Whipping it out and slamming it across her face. It sure didn't take much to send someone that small flying to the side, especially if said pillow-wielder didn't know her own strength. It hit her hard, as I'd used quite a bit of force.
Naturally, that got the room's attention, before she even hit the floor. Smacking her forehead on the edge of the coffee table on her way down. Rachel was on her feet before the tears even started. Lily's or mine, moving to her daughter's side as her bawls began. Mine started one sob after hers.
"What'd you do that for?" Emmett asked, surprised. Carlisle turned toward me, probably to see why I was crying, but I scrambled away. Over the arm of the large chair to stand beside it for a moment.
I didn't see any blood, but that didn't mean much. I wasn't really looking, more concerned about getting away from being in trouble.
Esme stood up as Rachel cuddled a loudly sobbing Lily, "Leandra, honey-"
I rounded, running for my room.
Nice, I told myself as I slammed the door behind me. After all this time trying to keep them from regretting taking me in, I had to go and fuck it all up. I didn't even really know why I wanted to do it. I just wanted to do it, and it was sure effective enough. I was sure it got my point across.
I rounded my bed, unsure what to do. I was probably in trouble, despite having an almost flawless record so far. The knock at the door only made me sit, folding upright on the floor on the side of the bed opposite the door.
"Leandra?" It was Carlisle. I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut. I could still hear the slight commotion up the hall, and I just needed to hide from it for a minute.
I didn't like the way I felt. The tension finally coming out forcefully enough to make me snap like that made me feel bad. I didn't feel bad for what I did, but it made my stomach hurt in a way I wasn't used to and left the taste of anger in my mouth.
Carlisle didn't ask again, as I heard the door slowly open. Letting in the sounds of Lily's crying, and Heather attempting to calm her down. Probably looking over her forehead. He shut the noise out behind the door, closing it behind him. I appreciated that.
"Leandra." I didn't look over, "Why did you do that?" He kneeled beside me, and I kept my gaze away. I couldn't look at him.
"I don't know." I mumbled defensively in reply, "It just.. Sort of happened."
"Was it an accident?" He asked, and nervously, I bit my lip and shook my head. I'd meant to do that, and I didn't feel like lying to him about that. He sighed, "You really could have hurt her."
I closed my eyes, "I know." That was why I did it. I didn't want to admit that part, though. I couldn't explain it any more than he could.
He sighed again, and I chanced a small glance over at him.
"How much trouble am I in?" I asked quietly.
"Well," He murmured, "Rachel isn't too happy with you at the moment."
"I don't like her anyway." I grumbled, hugging my knees. I didn't care if she was happy with me or not. I wanted to know whether or not my family hated me.
"I think you're just overwhelmed." He wasn't mad? "You're tired, and that's a lot of people to handle in one day."
"I told you." I couldn't help mumbling, "You don't believe me, but I told you. I'm not good around people. I hurt them."
"You're alright around Josh and Zack, aren't you?"
"That's different." I muttered, "They're like family, I guess. Anybody new like that runt out there or like Rachel, I want to run away. When I can't, at like school or someplace like that, I get nervous. When I get nervous, I get mean. When I get mean, I don't think about things I do. Not usually, anyway."
"You just haven't had enough practice yet." He assured me, and I looked over again, "It'll get easier." I sighed deeply with a shrug. I didn't feel like arguing with him. The last thing I wanted to do was change his mind about being mad at me, but I'd been this way for as long as I could remember. If it hadn't gotten any easier by now, I doubted it ever would.
Needless to say, the little gathering didn't last too much longer. With Carlisle's insistence, I had to go back out there. I couldn't stay hidden away, as much as I wanted to. I had to at least go out and apologize to Lily. I had to own up to it.
"Sorry." Was the only word they were getting from me on the subject, but it seemed to be good enough for her.
"It's okay." She mumbled, still sore from crying so much, but at least she'd calmed down. She had a decent bump and bruise on her forehead, but that was about it.
"Don't feel bad, Leandra." Zack came to my side, distracting me from the not-so-glad glance from Rachel, "I hit Josh with a shovel once. He had to get six stitches."
I smiled a little. At least he didn't seem to think badly of me.
"Why?" I asked him.
"Because he threw a rock at me first." He shrugged a little.
"Why'd he throw a rock at you?" I asked, frowning.
"Because it seemed like fun." Josh replied, coming to my other side, "He was in range, and I wanted to see if I could hit him."
"Siblings are weird." Zack shrugged again, "I don't know how it is for sisters, but for me and Josh, well.. The fights aren't pretty. Most of the fights we have are over stupid things. Things that don't really matter, like what dumb TV show to watch or whose turn it is to do the dishes. You're still new at it, so I don't blame you for pillow-whacking her."
He had a point there. I'd never really had a sibling before, so I wouldn't know how that whole thing was supposed to work. I wondered if it could be more than just some sort of sibling thing, but I accepted that as an answer for the time being. It was easier than wondering why I wanted to do it.
He paused for a laugh, "You got her good, too. Just out of nowhere. Bam."
"And you're the older one, so you have to beat her up." Josh pointed out, "It's like the law or something."
"But I don't have to live with her." I frowned, "So it can't be that."
"I don't think it matters." Josh replied, "You know she's related to you, if only half way. You know the law. That automatically makes you mortal enemies." The three of us laughed a little at that one.
"For me," Josh continued, "When we were younger, he always had to have what I had, and that bugged the living crap out of me. What was mine, was mine. Mom always told us something about learning how to share, and all that happy crap, but there had to be a limit. Like I'm just gonna let him walk up and take what I have, because he's my brother." He rolled his eyes a little, "I could share some things of mine, but others, no way. It's still like that sometimes, but I think I've just gotten used to it and it's not as big of a deal."
"She wasn't taking anything of mine, though." I pointed out.
"No," Josh said, "But she could have. It's a competition thing. Something about parents picking favorites, or something stupid like that. It's the same thing as me trying to sell Zack for a nickel when we were younger."
"I remember that." Zack grumbled.
I sighed, responding to Josh, "Maybe."
That did make sense, though. I gave a short glance over at Emmett by the door. He and Jasper were talking, probably about me, so he didn't notice. I didn't really start to hate Lily until she butted in earlier. After that, I didn't want anything to do with whatever she had anything to do with. I'd never really felt like that before.
Carlisle sighed, and stepped around me. He'd been listening to everything we were talking about, and truthfully, I'd almost forgotten he was standing there.
"Next time," Zack spoke up, "Swing harder. She might go over the table."
Josh chuckled, "With a little more of an angle, she could really get some air-"
"Boys, don't encourage that." Heather caught on, having finally overheard.
"I'm just kidding." Zack told me, "Don't do that." The subject quickly changed directions.
"I've never seen you guys actually fight." I mumbled.
"That's because we're so good at it." Josh grinned, "We fight all the time, but in the end, it doesn't last."
"Except that one time when I didn't talk to you for like a month." Zack pointed out.
"Best month of my life." Josh laughed, and I had to smile a little too. He looked back at his mom nearly ready to go before looking to me again, "Remember. You're coming over in a few days, right?"
His birthday was two days after mine, and he made sure to ask me that every time I saw him this month.
"Why?" I pretended not to know, and he seemed surprised until I laughed, "If I'm still allowed, yeah. I'll be there, but I can't stay the night."
He nodded, understanding that, "Yeah, my mom doesn't think that's a good idea either."
"How many people?" I had to ask.
"Total, there will be seven of us." He replied, "Just four others you don't know. Two of my friends. Nate and Dylan, but Dylan has to bring his little sister." He smiled apologetically at my look, "Sorry. His mom made him agree. Zack invited his friend Lucas." I still hesitated, so he laughed a little, "You'll like them. Don't worry so much."
I managed to get through the goodbyes, and by the time everyone left, I was ready to just drop. I made it far enough to the couch, flopping lightly on it with a heavy sigh. More than worn out.
"So." I yelped loudly at Emmett's sudden appearance, falling into the open spot directly beside me.
"You know I hate it when you do that." I grumbled.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" I muttered, closing my eyes.
"Earlier, Leandra." Alice reminded me, despite the way she probably knew full well I knew what she meant. That didn't mean, though, that I was willing to really talk about it.
"The pillow?" I asked, laying my head back. For once, I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do instead of sleep. I normally put off sleep as long as I could.
"That too." She allowed, "But before that. Outside."
"Nothing." I mumbled, "I guess I just hate her."
"Oh, no big deal." Emmett scoffed, "Just like that? You hate her?"
"Yup." I sighed, peeling myself up off the couch. I moved for my room, until I was captured again. Scooped up and laid in Emmett's arms, just like earlier.
"Not so fast." Emmett chuckled quietly.
"Don't." I grumbled. I was really not in the mood this time, probably announced by my tone and light struggles to get down.
"Come on, shorty." He replied, "What's bugging you?"
"Nothing." I answered, "I just want to go to bed. I'm tired."
He sighed, before letting me down. I appreciated that. Just because I weighed nothing to him didn't mean I particularly liked being treated like something small. I'd grown some in the last few months, having gained a little bit of weight, but I still had a ways to go before I was caught up to kids my age.
I was in my pajamas before I was approached again. The door partially open, signifying I was done changing, so when a knock came to the door, I wasn't surprised. I looked over at Jasper.
"You had nothing to be jealous of, Leandra." He told me, and I sighed, laying my bedcovers back. Hesitating as he continued, "Earlier. Outside."
"I know." I mumbled, "I just couldn't help it. She has everything, and she wanted what I have? How's that fair?"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"She wouldn't survive one day living the life I lived when I was that young." I explained, sitting down on the side of my bed.
"Nobody should have to." He reminded me.
"What I mean is, she's never had to know what that's like." I went on, "She doesn't know how good she's got it with a family that cares about her like that. She doesn't know how hard I worked to get to where I'm at now. I know it's not really like what she's got, but what I have is mine and she still wanted to take it from me."
"That's not it at all." He replied, sighing as well.
"It bugs me that he'd just let her." I muttered, shrugging as I looked down.
"If I remember right, it was you who walked away." He pointed out, and I stayed quiet for a moment. Trying to figure out how to reply.
"Because I couldn't hit her without everyone freaking out." I finally responded, "Like I did with the pillow. She had that coming all day."
"Leandra, she's five years old." I shrugged a little at his reminder. That didn't really matter to me. I didn't care how old she was. All I cared about was the fact that she did what she did.
"So you're possessive of us?" That word seemed to sum it up.
"I guess so." I mumbled, "I never really had to be before. At least not that I remember."
"It definitely explains a few things." He nodded a little, "Just please don't let it come to violence."
No promises there. None at all.
A/N: There we have it. :) First chapter down.
Personally, I'm glad I got around to Re-Vamping this series. I already notice problems in places I honestly question.
I hope you enjoyed this new start, because I certainly enjoyed typing it. Josh and Zack amaze me sometimes.
Until Two, my darlings! :D