Winter. Definition : the season of damnation for werewolves. Why? Well, for starters, our 'normal' body temperature is a constant one-oh-eight. Nice. Really nice. Why couldn't I be running out there, throwing snowballs and building snowmen? Just because I was a teenager didn't mean I didn't like those things. In fact, I loved those things. Snow. It reminded me of me. Cold. Mutual. Dangerous.

I went outside, not bothering for a jacket. Why should I when I didn't need one? Oh right, appearances. Mister Sam, oh, the high and mighty Alpha Sam, ordered us to keep up appearances. Nah. I mean, I have a perfectly nice body, and why not flaunt it? A little voice in my head reminded me. Because Sam said. Sam. Sam. Everything's about him.

He got the happy ending. He got the forever love. He got the girl.

And what did I get? Nothing. Except the werewolf stuff. Not good, I tell you, not good. I would rather I was normal. A human. A person that can walk out the door and not melt a circle of snow around you, as I was about to discover.

I walked out. There was a sloshing sound. Wait. Sloshing? I looked down. "Oh crap!" I muttered. The snow around my bare legs was now water. Cold, ice water. Refreshingly cool water.

"Not bad."

I walked around the garden, melting all the snow. It looked cool. And extremely weird. I bent down, until my knees were in the water too. Oh god, it felt nice. The only thing that can keep me cool for a long-ish period of time. Ice. Ice. Ice.

I heard Seth coming down the stairs, then open the door to the back garden, where I was. He was wearing a shirt and trunks, and walked right into the ice water. His body froze, literally froze. It was hilarious to watch.

"Leah! What the heck do you think you're doing?" Seth asked, raising his voice an octave above normal, after he'd recovered.

"Standing knee-deep in ice water, of course." I said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Doesn't it feel nice?"

"No! I mean yes. I mean whatever. Leah. You are standing knee-deep in ice water wearing a shirt and shorts. Do you know how you look?" Seth asked, trying to get his point across.

"Yeah. Hot." I said, flicking my hair back.

"Leah. LEAH." Seth said.

"What?" I snapped.

"We're not supposed to do this stuff. We're supposed to stay indoors. Not melt the garden. Sam said." Seth reasoned.

"I don't care what Sam says. What is he to me? Oh right. I forgot, the Alpha. Well, guess what? He can't control me! Not anymore, he can't." I shouted, walking into the house, my temper rising fast.

I spent the day in my room. Not moving. Not going anywhere. My mum called me down for dinner. I ignored her. Cruel and unnecessary, I know, but I was the ass of the century then. Winter. The only word that registered in my mind. I don't know why. Maybe the freaky, mind-reading bloodsucker could tell me. Bloodsucker. Another word that I understood.

That night, I didn't sleep. I was thinking. Thinking hard. Where could I get away from all this? At about midnight something ticked. The clock. My brain. Of course! France. An escape, a holiday. All in one. Good idea Leah, I congratulated myself.

I had some money. Well, quite a lot. I've been saving for ages. Not for college, no. I planned to go to community college. No, for me. To create a life. If all goes well I should stay in France for the rest of my life. Yes. That sounded good. I might find love there too, who knew?

I grabbed a random suitcase and dumped everything out. Sam. This was the 'Sam Suitcase'. Oh damn. Who cared anymore? I went downstairs, careful, and grabbed an extra large plastic bag. I went upstairs again and put everything from the 'Sam Suitcase' in. Then I chucked it in the bin. I didn't care, and frankly, no-one else did. Then I grabbed all my clothes and stuffed it in, my toiletries, and some books. I took out a duffel bag and put whatever else I needed.

I looked under my bed. The box. A beautiful gold box. With real purple crystals inlaid with pearls. I opened it and counted. Yes, perfect. Eight thousand, two hundred and twenty dollars exactly. Now time to go. I took a piece of paper and a pen.

Mum, I wrote, I love you. I didn't want to do this, but it looks like I have too. I'm going to France, and I don't know if I'm coming back. Don't send anyone after me, it won't help. Tell Seth to try hard. Love you, Leah.

I left the note on the kitchen cabinet. She would find it, she always looked there. I picked up the phone and dialled the airport. I arranged a plane for Paris that took off in an hour. Plenty of time. I called the taxi service and told them my address. Ready. Wait. I forgot something.

I raced upstairs and grabbed my iPod. How can I forget that now? Interesting. One more thing.

To Sam. Don't send anyone after me, I'll know. If you do, I'll go elsewhere. I'll be fine, not that you care. Enjoy your life with Emily. From Leah, the damned ex-girlfriend.

Hope he know now what he did to me. I heard the tires of the taxi up further in my street. Now it was really time to go. I walked downstairs, savouring every bit of my home, my haven, and possibly the last time I would be looking at all this. Figures. I would probably be staying in France, if I got lucky. I would find a job, then rent a place. A small, quiet studio, with a big bedroom. Then I would forget everything about La Push except for my mum and Seth.

One of the main reasons I'm leaving is because of Sam. And Emily. And their stupid wedding. Yes, the one where I was bridegroom. Why? They wanted me to be embarassed? No. Because they wanted me to have fun for once? Yeah. Let me tell you, not happening. Especially not happening at their wedding. It would make me even more of an ass, and frankly, I don't care.