IV.
Leah Clearwater was driving me crazy.
One minute she was safe on land, giving me a promise of not putting herself in any sort of danger, then the next minute I found out she was drifiting off to the Pacific without any care in the world. Man, I almost fainted!
Did you see him dance the hula on the cliff? Paul was in hysterics.
You replayed that scene a thousand times already Paul, Jared laughed. But it's still funny! Do it again!
Embry has a nice booty shake Jacob noticed. How undignified. Hee hee...
Thanks for sticking up for me dude. It is so not funny!
The pack ignored me and acted like self-absorbed morons. The trouble wouldn't have had started if it wasn't for a leech. Bloodsuckers were nothing but pain in the ass, I swear.
So I was with Leah. And I was happy. I seriously could have trailed Leah the whole time had Jacob not only so stupidly disturbed the most wonderful moment of my life. Leah was so startled. He literally appeared out of nowhere he should just have appeared as a wolf and officially creep her out. Her heart rate jolted worryingly; Leah eyed Jacob with suspicion. It took all of my patience not to wrestle him to the ground. Worse, the compulsion increased when I found out that all he wanted to tell me was that Sam wanted me (or wanted to ruin my moment). Shit, I didn't know which wolf to kill first. I begged and pleaded and promised to do anything Jake wanted if he would just leave me with Leah. But no, Sam's instructions was to not come back without me. How many times would Sam Uley ruin my life?
It turned out, Sam needed the whole pack to stalk and kill a dark-haired leech who wanted Bella for lunch. Jake was infuriated. Bella! he had screeched. Stupid, crazy, demonic bloodsucker! Die die die!
When we phased back, Jake stomped around Emily's kitchen while I gagged. "He wanted to drink Bella? I mean...eew."
"Apparently, she's mouthwatering," said Paul.
"Bella Swan? Mouthwatering?"
Sam spoke. "Guys, guys. There may be more out there. We need someone at the borders."
I wanted to jump out of my skin. Leah was out there! Alone! I didn't even think. Jared and I both had reacted instantaneously. He rushed to Kim's; I dashed to where I last left Leah. Sam hadn't moved because he had Emily safe on his lap. Lucky twerp.
She wasn't even there.
Embry, I just want to inform you that you're officially squealing like a sissy girl. Paul didn't have any care in the world. He had this under-the-basement level of immaturity to be proud of. I tuned his thoughts out and followed her scent--an intoxicating mix of lemon and something foreign. It lead me to the cliff, where I hurriedly phased, shaking so bad I was hardly able to secure my trousers.
When I finally found Leah, my soul took a turbulent roundtrip to hell, heaven and beyond. My relief in finding her was sky high, but I was also worried sick to realise that she too far out from my protection. Oddly, I didn't want to haul her myself--I guessed that bit was drawn partly because every part of me knew she would not like invasion of her personal space. But duuuuude! Her personal space was so huge! The blinking ocean! What the--it wasn't anywhere close to safe!
And that's when Embry decided the best way to attract Leah's attention was to do the hula, Paul kindly finished.
Jared started laughing, but I pictured Kim in Leah's place, so he choked on his words.
Did I do anything wrong? I mean, other than being honest with her, I don't think I did so bad, right? My question was directed at Jacob, but as usual, Paul just had to say something. Like his opinion mattered. Are you under Leah at this exact second, pinned to her bed and getting laid?
Huh? I was confused, but answered anyway. If there was still hope that Paul would grow a brain, then I wasn't going to deprive him of the chance. Let him have his point. No Paul, can it be any more obvious? Would you even be in my head if so?
Ever heard of a rhetorical question, Embry? You really should be at school.
If that was meant to be rhetoric, why the hell were you waiting for my answer?
Because I want you to know that you didn't do it right. You blew it, man! I knew Paul Meraz would just slip past his mistake. He would rather lick his own arse than admit he was wrong. And that reminded me of one exact wrong he nearly died today for.
And I will break your bones next time you touch Leah, you ass.
Geez, what is it with you imprinted wolves? You're more whipped than a stinking whipped cream!
Nice figure of speech. Jacob approved.
You just don't know which figure of speech I used. It's a talent. Really. Paul being able to be smug about something totally random was God's gift.
Sam had phased by now and intruded our minds like a nosy puppy. Paul was so excited to share the news. He was practically squealing for Sam. My mind drifted once more, reminiscient. Jake abruptly stopped thinking about Bella and grimaced at the pictured in my head. She threw a rock at you?
Unfortunately.
Then, the most beautiful thing that Sam Uley had ever said crossed my mind. She threw me a boulder too. Before, during our courtship stage. I found out later she was already comfortable enough to hurt me. She didn't dislike me as much...
I was silent for one second, before a whole new explosion in me took place. Really?! Sam are you serious?! Show me!
So he did. He even pointed out the similarities of both our situations, although I thought he had an upperhand--Leah had to help him to the school clinic to control the bleeding and felt closer to him as a result. My werewolf genes took care of that, hence minus the intimacy. Sam had been trailing her that day too, but with a peace offering. Jacob guffawed. Ice cream?
It was summer, Sam defended.
I just flew. The tiniest possibility of Leah returning my undying affection--even just the feeling of her being comfortable with me, of her knowing that I would always, always be there for her, or any feeling at all that was from her to me was intense enough to make yelp and run around.
Wheeeeeeeeeeee! Anything. I'd gladly take anything Leah offered.
How 'bout poo? Paul didn't understand the hyperbole. The pack collectively insulted him.
The only thing I'm worried about is that she might relive the memory. Sam paused to ensure he was a in a safe distance from me. My unprecedented attacks on him happened too frequently nowadays that he had impressively gained a skill in knowing when to expect me trying to murder him. If she recalls our memory...I'm sorry, Embry.
What the heck do you mean?
Embry...Leah knows something absurd is going on around here. She knows our pack. Not everything about us of course, but she suspects something. Can you imagine what her reaction will be when she remembers that what is happening between you is almost a reflection of what has happened between us before?
But I'm different, Sam.
Leah doesn't know about imprinting. She won't accept you with open arms just like that. I'm sorry.
Why are you doing this to me? You left her. You chose Emily. How dare you think you can keep being who you are to Leah when you're marrying her cousin!
I don't mean that. Sam was trying very hard to remain calm. Give her some space. Don't overdo it.
You mean don't leave her for her cousin like you did? Is that your definition of overdoing it?
We're not discussing this! Sam growled.
I just want to be with her, Sam! I'd be her pet if that is all I can be. I just...I can't live without her. You know I can't. And you know she belongs to me. She's not your Leah anymore, Sam. Whether you like it or not.
She will despise you.
The delirious happiness that engulfed me suddenly whisked away. I did not even have enough control over the lifelessness that threatened to rot the joy. I just swerved and stopped. The idea of having Leah despise me--despise me, out of all other painful feelings, crumbled my heart. I could feel its bits and pieces drop to my stomach with a deafening clank, clank, clank. It dragged me towards hell like a lead leash, and I found myself succumbing to the pain. Bending down to the ground, I shook my head and kept it safe between my paws.
I just want you to see it from every angle, Embry. It's not easy. It never will be.
The pack was silent. Even Paul was rendered speechless, and that in itself was an achievement. I should get an award for the bother, but my mind was dead, other than the function working to call Sam a self-absorbed son of a bitch. It was made worse with Jacob dwelling on my pain and relating it to his own. Only Sam acted like nothing happened and managed to get out of the pool of hurt, instructing me to get rest. You too, Paul. You both should go to school tomorrow. Paul, no buts! The rest of us will take patrol tonight.
The last thing I heard before phasing was Jared whining about not being able to see Kim at school. Noooo! Oh my God Sam, noooo!
I detoured to the Clearwaters' first before heading home. Leah's lights were off, and as I listened, the only sound I heard was the light breathing she made. I let out a small sigh. Even just listening to her breathing was heartwarming. I stayed for a little while, intent only on the rhythm of her chest. It was enough to soothe me down that by the time I jogged back home, I was convinced life was still worth living, especially with Leah around.
I slipped into my bedroom window just in time for my mother's nightly checks. Cheeky the cat attempted to snitch on me, but before she even started her feline whines, I was already fast asleep.
I gasped as the morning light hit my face, which felt like one second later. Wow, that was eight hours? The clock that ticked on my bedside table read an hour before school, so I hurriedly got dressed. Mum left early today, but had a whole loaf of toast ready for me to consume. I thanked her silently, left nothing to waste, and ran out, arriving just in time to meet Paul at the parking lot.
Paul was Mr. Grumpy today.
I decided to move as far away from him as I could manage. I even took a small detour to avoid him, although frankly, that had to do with trying to see a certain senior named Leah Clearwater. Unfortunately for me, Paul cornered me at break time to fuss hysterically about the death glares he had been getting from his Science teacher. I barely listened. My eyes racked the school only for one person, and the fact that I hadn't actually seen her for almost three hours made me even grumpier than Paul.
Leah's scent was prominent in and around school, but I couldn't pin point exactly where she was. It was frustrating how I was able to catch her scent so distinctly from all the rest, yet still not able to see her. I mulled over and toyed with my food at lunch, ignoring Paul's redundant remarks about wasting food. He grumbled for another serving of apple crumble so I finally pushed my tray to him and saved him the agony. Thoughts of Leah ran in my mind again; I followed the compulsion this time and landed in the library.
Her scent was strongest here. I swerved in and out of the shelves, finding it uncharacteristically long to find her. We had a small library, but it felt like Christmas had gone since I entered the premises. Leah was certainly my lifeline. Any time not being with or seeing her was time painfully wasted. I lengthened my strides to shorten the dismal eternity and shifted my thoughts to preparing myself on what to say when I suddenly showed up.
I was in mid-stride halfway down the corridor when I felt life simply drain out of me. I bent over gaping, horror-struck. It didn't drip slowly; I felt like a dam burst within me and life simply floated downstream, away from where I stood frozen. A deafening crash simutaenously erupted at the end of the corridor and my legs moved swiftly on its own accord. Before I could even breathe, I was there, panting.
For a split second all my mind registered was the mahogany bookshelf that had tumbled forwards, sending dozens of books flying everywhere, littering the well-scrubbed floor. Afterwards, the sickening feeling worsened, sending my mind into a flipping roller coaster ride. I clutched my chest as my breath tightened. I could not understand what had happened within that one second, but as a flimsy hand stretched out from the clutter of books, I started wheezing with strained gasps.
Leah.
I scrambled instantly to where she lay--under the sturdy bookshelf--and lifted it away from her. It crashed into the opposite the wall, sending another loud bang across the otherwise silent room, and laid mangled as it hit the floor. I cradled the limp Leah in my arms and swept the strands of hair that hid her face. Panic started to sink in as I saw blood from the gash on her hairline. No, no, no! I started hyperventilating as I attempted to recall a first aid lesson we had recently. With any bleeding, the first thing to do is to stop the loss of blood.
I tore my shirt with so much force it ripped away entirely from from my body. I had begun shaking violently, and the heat that accompanied phasing surged from my spine. I tried to restrain myself; Leah was so near. I managed to tie a piece of my shirt across Leah's forehead to put pressure on her wound. It was red at once. Shit.
"Embry! Embry, calm down!"
I was too focused on Leah that I did not even realise that Paul was kneeling beside me. I took a glance away from Leah enough to realise that there was now a stunned crowd around us. There were gasps and muffled screams and calls for the headteacher. I ignored them and look backed at Leah. She was clutching my hand tightly.
"I'm here, Leah." I whispered. "I'm here."
Wasting no more time, I carried her away from the crowd and gave a mad dash to the school clinic. Paul trailed me cautiously, clutching my shredded piece of shirt. This was exactly why I couldn't let Leah out of my sight; perfectly innocent things like a bookshelf could pose the greatest danger on someone who just didn't care. I gritted my teeth in exasperation but calmed down as Leah whimpered and clung tighter to my chest. I cradled her tenderly, careful not to jostle her. She rubbed her nose just as tenderly on my bare chest and groaned.
Seeing her so hurt like this, I wanted to whimper. If I could only do anything for her to be completely rid of pain; I would gladly take the agony. I didn't know if I should be mad at Leah; I was certainly was mad at myself for even allowing her to be in danger.
"Sam..." she murmured. "Sam..."
As much as the pain overwhelmed me then, I reached the clinic and hurled the door forward to call for the nurse. She was sitting on her desk when my half-naked self and Leah's bloodied frame blasted through the entrance. I scrambled to get Leah on the bed as the nurse took over. Leah didn't want to let go, murmuring not my name, but Sam's. My breathing hitched as the hurt overcame me. My heart sank; both from her pain and my own.
Letting her be pried away from my arms was so wrong; as was entrusting her to someone else. If it wasn't for Paul who had forcefully dragged me back out to the waiting area, I would have clamped myself to Leah's bedside. The warmth receded at once, and the worry increased a thousand fold.
"She's okay," Paul assured. "You can't go in there dude, you're unstable."
"Unstable?" I all but yelled. "Unstable! Leah's bleeding!"
I could hear my heart palpitating even stronger than Leah's. Paul's face changed from concern to helplessness as the nurse peered austerely into the waiting room to warn about getting us out. I glowered at Paul and sat down to try to calm my nerves. It didn't work.
Other than the heavy uneasiness that was crushing my chest, I couldn't get Leah's repetitive calls for Sam out of my head. Even though it was me by her side, she was still calling for Sam. Could it be any clearer? He was the one Leah wanted; not me. The pain shattered the whole of Embry Call. I started wheezing, until all I wanted was to curl up in a ball and mewl at the anguish.
"Mr. Call?" A deep tenor from the doorway disturbed my melancholic silence.
I looked up suddenly at the stern face of our headteacher, Mr. Clarke. His receding hair was worsened by the apparent disarray the lunchtime upset had caused, and he had his arms crossed against his inflated self. He wobbled his tiny head at my direction, clearly dumbfounded.
"What happened in the library?"
I swallowed unconvincingly and glanced at Paul for help. Now that I had the chance to look back, I didn't have the tiniest clue what had happened, except that Leah was hurt and that she shouldn't have been. Before I could decide any further, there was a crash from inside the room and I sprang up in panic. Mr. Clark held my shoulders for the briefest moment, lost his remaining patience and threw a fit.
"Mr. Call! You are going nowhere until you give me full explanantion! A whole bookshelf destroyed! Miss Clearwater in the clinic!" My breaths became ragged at the obvious reminder. "You without your clothes! You better give me a good explanation, Call, or you will have detention for a month!"
My mouth fell open. A month? That's way past Quil's record!
"I don't--I--" Screw it. I made a split-second decision to rid Leah of every responsibility except to heal. I pursed my lips and settled for the best possible excuse. "I wasn't looking--I hit the shelf hard and it tumbled on Leah...I--I didn't mean it." Fake as it was, I couldn't stand the thought of me hurting Leah. It went against what I lived for.
Mr. Clarke raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "You bumped into the bookshelf, huh? Then could you perhaps explain how in the name of Christ the shelf ended up ten feet from where it should be?"
"I told you sir, I hit it hard."
"A bookshelf doesn't fly ten feet away that easily, Mr. Call. I will not tolerate dishonesty."
"It's true!" That I'm lying.
"Did you and Miss Clearwater attempt to do something in the library?"
What? My headteacher's eyebrows furrowed deep as my mouth fell open in shock. There was another loud crash and I whipped my head just in time to see Leah throw the door. She did it with so incredible a force that I feared for her safety. But she whisked past me and tutted at Mr. Clarke.
"What the fuck did you dickhead just say?"
The look on Mr. Clarke's face was so infuriated I pulled Leah gently behind me before he could get her into trouble. Leah winced at the touch of our skin, but assayed to shrug me off violently. I gave her a look, predominantly gazing on the gauze wrapped around her head. "She hit her head sir."
"I am FINE!" she roared.
I shifted my eyes back to the bewildered headteacher. "Sir--Mr. Clarke, Leah doesn't have anything to do with this. It's my fault."
Leah clenched her fists and turned fiercely to meet me with blazing, tired eyes. "You better stay out of this, Call."
"Leah, you're turbid--" I pointed out. She was going straight for trouble, and I would rather lay myself on a train track rather than allow that.
"No, Embry. You stay the hell out of this!"
"She hit her head pretty hard, Sir, see? She's bleeding too."
"One more word, Embry. One more word and I swear--"
Mr. Clarke stepped in before she could finish. Poor guy looked like his hair receded in fear of Leah's outburst. "Mr. Call, I will have to depend on your alibi. It seems that Miss Clearwater here still needs some further rest." He gave her a grim lour and commanded the nurse to take Leah back to the room. She fretted insanely, but Mr. Clarke mentioned Sue and Leah stomped away, hesistantly obliging.
"So, Call." He spun back to me. "The truth, please."
Paul gave a regaled snort and excused himself. He knew I wasn't an expert of a liar as he was. My ability to lie, or lack thereof, got worse when it came to Leah. Paul also knew that he wouldn't be able to hold his laughter when I screw it up, which was where I was headed to. I took a breath and fired away. "I told you. It was my fault. I was running and then suddenly the bookshelf moved--"
"It moved?"
"--I didn't see it, okay? So I crashed with it. Sir."
"And Leah?"
"She was just walking past when it happened. It wasn't her fault. Sir."
He struck an awful thinking pose and scratched his head. "But other students said Miss Clearwater was attempting to start a boxing match with the bookshelf..."
"They're lying." I accused, clenching my jaw.
"How do you explain the botched shelf ten--and I repeat--ten feet away?"
I tried my best not to stutter. "I--uh, I threw it aside to cover up the evidence. Sir." I bowed my head in fake guilt, assuming that would aid my case.
"LIAR!" Leah shrieked from inside the room. I expected her to storm out, but she did not appear. "It's not his fault..." she mumbled faintly, too soft for human ears to detect.
Mr. Clarke showcased an irate face directed at Leah and I almost lost my control. Thankfully, he had stepped back and spoke labourously. "Your mother will hear of this, Call. I am very disappointed at you. Aside from mending the shelf, you will have detention for a month."
Well, that surpassed Quil's three weeks. And that was even due to him being caught making out with a senior in the locker room. How fair was that? "And one week for Miss Clearwater for her rude words," he added. "Do take it in your stride to pass on the message to her from me, alright?"
I could not believe this man! "No, no, no, sir! How could you impose a detention on her? She's a victim!"
"That does not justify her rude words."
Cue my negotiating skills. "Oh come on Sir! How would you explain this to her parents? She's hurt, but she still has to do detention!"
He rolled his eyes dramatically. "You might want to be a lawyer, Embry Call. You have some damn good persuasive skills." He started to walk away, then stopped just outside the door to raise a wagging finger at me. "Detention, remember."
As Mr. Clarke disappeared, Paul snuck back, face permanently painted with laughter. He handed me my shirt, or what was left of it. Oh hell, another reason why mum might want to bury me alive.
Leah bustled out of the door with a sadistic outrage. "You!" she started, angry face locked on mine. She started to say something but clamped her mouth and closed her eyes. "Put your shirt on."
I cleared my throat and raised my ripped shirt to signal that it couldn't be helped. She opened her eyes and sighed. Before I could help myself, I spoke. "Are you okay?"
"You're such an ass, Embry Call!"
My jaw dropped. "Why?"
"Why did you do that for?"
"Do what?"
"Cover-up my tracks!"
Ah, I see. So no thank yous, let alone thank you very much-s. "You're graduating, I can't let you get into trouble." And I would do practically anything for you! "It's nothing," I shrugged.
She exhaled angrily. "Nothing? NOTHING? You got yourself a month's worth of detention for saving my rotten ass when it was me who wanted to beat the goddamn bookshelf to death!"
Please tell me she cares for me, please tell me Leah Clearwater cares for me! "Are you feeling better now?" I asked again. I heard her heartrate speed up, so I continued. "Do you want anything? You have to rest..."
She blinked a few times before realising her pause. Then without a warning, her face changed into something I couldn't decipher and she stormed out of the room, clutching her head in disbelief. "Oh my God. I cannot believe this!"
"What did I do?" I questioned Paul.
Thankfully, before I could wallow in failure, the nurse strode out, ushering me to her desk. I took the chance to ask her to tell me Leah's condition, which she dismissed as okay. Head wounds just usually bleed too much. They were the attention seeking wounds. So, technically, other than the fact that Leah needed to rest tomorrow, she was fine. I breathed a sigh of relief. Though, as the nurse later explained that she had fainted due to the blow the tumbling bookshelf caused, I had ceased relief and returned to hating the wretched woodwork.
Mr. Clarke called me to his office once the school ended, at which time I was already sulking, because Leah had gone home. I was still frantic about her getting hurt. I half wanted to pin Seth to the ground and demand how Leah was, but Mr. Clarke was firm on locking me in the library. I started working on the poor bookshelf, which was far beyond repair. I desperately wanted to use my enhanced abilities, but that would be too suspicious. Half the school already heard me moaning about the wrecked shelf. Them finding it too well done the following day would be out of worldly.
Boredom was tailing me like a shadow as I pieced together the pieces of wood I destroyed. All I wanted to do was run and see Leah. But Mr. Clarke struck an unfair deal with me. If I ditched my detention, at any given point in time, Leah would have to have her one-week punishment. Seemed like he had learnt how to use my weakness as his advantage. What choice did I have? I silently cussed him and agreed.
There I was, whistling a tune in an attempt to maintain sanity when the door suddenly gave a creak. I took my glance away from the rain-pelted windows and turned towars the unseen door. It was too late for someone to be around, so it was probably the headteacher sneaking to check on me again. I sighed.
"I'm still here," I called loudly. There was no answer, but the door creaked again.
I continued working, itching as I did, given that the replacement shirt provided by Mr. Clarke was the glorious kingdom of all that was itchy. I was already shirtless; I couldn't stand one minute with that shirt on. The rain grew stronger outside as the room inside grew more and more eerie. As I drowned in boredom further, I finally decided to grab a book to read from the other side of the library.I stood up, traced the length of the room and made my way. That was when I saw it.
Tucked neatly on a chair beside the library door was a shirt I recognised--my shirt--clean, freshly laundered and perfectly folded. A bottle of water stood beside it, in the same perfect stance. I blinked a few times to ensure I wasn't hallucinating and approached the items with caution. I was certainly they were not there earlier, as I checked beforehand. If anything, I could only connect them with the creaking door. Someone left them for me. Instinctively, I gave it a small sniff.
The most alluring scent of lemon and something foreign.