Finally Free
Disclaimer: Characters and settings are the property of Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.
'Just smile and nod, it will be over soon.' As far as command performances went, she thought hers was superior. Gritting her teeth, she tried once again to break the Alfa command, a command that was given to her by both Jake and Sam. 'Have to make Emily happy, her day cannot be ruined by the bitter bitch.' Her facial muscles were starting to hurt. Inching further away from the wedding party, she found that she couldn't move any further until she was allowed too. 'Like a dog on a leash.'
"Alright, Leah. You can leave," Jake stated softly using his Alfa voice. He didn't even have the curtsey to look at her.
Glaring at him, Leah tried not to show just how much he had hurt her. 'Not that my feelings would matter, not since he imprinted on the leech.' Turning on her heel, she swiftly walked away from the joyous celebration. She caught several pack eyes looking at her. Paul and Jared looked like them were silently daring her to act out. Even her own brother refused to look at her, as she strode past him.
She didn't relax until she was outside, away from everyone. 'Finally.' She gulped the cool night air as she tried to steady her raging nerves. She could hear the band starting up for another dance from the open window.
"Thank god, she's gone," Rachel happily snickered, her voice floating out the open window. "I can't believe Emily was nice enough to offer her the maid of honor position at her wedding."
'Nice? She decided that she gets to shove it in my face that Sam imprinted on her and not me. That's what you consider nice. I wouldn't have been here if I was given a choice. I didn't choose for Sam to imprint on her. I didn't choose for Edward to tell Jake that I would whole heartedly refuse anything to do with this farce of a wedding. Where is my choice?'
"I thought for certain that she would have ruined this for Emily," Kim snidely commented. "Thank god, Sam got over his feelings for her."
"Yeah, could you imagineā¦"
Tuning out their voices, she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine, she strode away from the festivities. Ripping the hairpiece out of her hair, Leah hurled it at a tree as she continued on her way to her house. No correction, her mother's house. 'She made that perfectly clear. Emily was that daughter she always wanted. I was welcome to stay at her house, for a fee if I played nice with Emily. I always knew that she loved her more than me, but would it hurt for her to just once take my side?' Jumping up the steps, she bounded inside. Dashing up to her bedroom, Leah grabbed the packed over nigh bag she hid under her bed.
"Please god, let me leave," Leah whispered feverishly. Taking a minute to survey herself in the mirror, she was over come with the need to change. Ripping the cloths off of her body, she pulled on them until they were ruined. Going over to her closet, she hunted for a simple outfit to wear. Spying a pair of blue jeans and a loose t-shirt, she quickly put them on. "Think happy thoughts, otherwise Edward will tell. Happy thoughts think happy thoughts."
Taking one last look at her bedroom, Leah sighed as she picked up an old photograph on her dresser. 'Daddy, I wish you were still here. You would have been on my side.' Forcing herself to put the photo back, she blinked away the tears in her eyes.
Leah grabbed her bag and dashed down the steps. With her acute hearing, she listened to see if anyone was near the house. With soft steps, she moved throughout her house until she got to the back yard. Stealthily she went out the back door. Clutching the handles of her bag, she slowly moved towards the shed. Pulling down the tarp that covered the beat up Jeep, she tossed her bag into the back seat as she hopped in the drivers.
"Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts," Leah muttered to herself as she closed her eyes. With a shaking hand, she inserted the keys. With a flick of her wrist the engine quietly came to life. "Thank you," Leah breathed as she put the Jeep into gear. Putting her foot on the gas, she pulled out onto the main road. It felt like forever until she was off the reservation, but in reality it only took a few minutes. With more pressure on the gas, the Jeep increased in speed.
As the town limit loomed up ahead, she braced herself for the pain. Ever since she phased, Sam and then Jake had forbidden her from leaving. Both had stated that she had no control over her emotions and would endanger the secrets of the tribe. 'What gutter crap! Everyone else gets to leave or at least the choice to leave.' White knuckling the steering wheel, she closed her eyes in preparation of pain. After a heartbeat, she opened them to see the landscape past her by.
"It's over. It's finally over!" Leah whispered as she drove down the highway. Tears of happiness and misery blear together as she let her emotions go. A shaky laugh escaped from her as she continued to drive away. "I'm never coming back."
AN: I always wondered why Leah didn't just leave. Then it came to me, she was commanded to stay.
Finally Free
