Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Twilight!

When Rosalie had told Leah she was about to meet the coolest people on Earth, the Native American female had been prepared to meet a bunch of lunatics – most people that ended up in places like this had usually lost their marbles a long time ago. She'd been prepared to deal with insanity – she realized that she wasn't exactly the most mentally stable person or anything, but what she hadn't expected was to meet people she could actually relate to. They were just like her. Of course they each had a different background, but when you got down to the roots of their pasts and the reasons as to why they were locked up to begin with, they were so similar to her own story.

Emmett McCarty was the first person she was introduced to, and Leah had to admit the guy was pretty cool. It took her a few minutes to get past his size, which was rather intimidating, but after she managed to do that, she realized he was just a big kid at heart. He liked to make jokes – most of them perverted – and she deemed him safe enough to hang out with. Plus, he only had eyes for Rosalie, so she wouldn't have to worry about him hitting on her. Emmett also gained brownie points with her when he gave a smoke to her when his girlfriend wasn't looking at them. Yes, Leah could see herself becoming friends with him – if only for the smokes at the bare minimum – and the fact he didn't ask her a bunch of stupid questions about her past and why she was there only made her like him more.

Alice Brandon was a strange girl, but not in a bad way. She reminded Leah of an older and female version of Seth. The toddler-sized girl spoke mostly in riddles and was hard to understand most of the time – kind of like the character Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series – but she had this innocence about her that was refreshing. Apparently, she'd been tortured as a child by her mother and it pushed her over the edge. She was sane most of the time, but there were still moments where she could crack. The state had wanted to lock her up, but Jasper wouldn't allow it; he took charge of her and her boyfriend, Edward, who'd been the one to find her living on the streets when she was twelve.

Edward Mason was probably the sanest out of them all. He had this maturity about him that most adults didn't even have. It was hard to believe that someone like him was dating Alice, but then again, opposites attract. One look at the pair told Leah how in love they were. Edward's story was actually the closest to Leah's out of everyone else. He'd had a younger brother, Felix, who died when he was three due to a severe beating from Edward's stepmother. The bronze-haired boy had been seven at the time, and he'd walked around a mile to the nearest hospital with his brother in his arms, hoping they could save him, but he died shortly after being admitted. The next day, Edward ran away from home without ever looking back. He had taken care of himself and been in and out of the system until he found Alice and Jasper had taken them both in.

The last person Leah got to meet in the tight group of friends was Jacob Black, who also happened to be Native American. He didn't say much, but from what Rosalie had told her about him, she probably wouldn't speak much either, if she'd been put through what he'd gone through. Jacob was gay and his parents refused to accept it, and tried to beat the gay out of him. They even had someone try to exorcise the demon out of him. When none of that worked, they tried to get women to fuck the gay out of him. Eventually, Jacob got fed up left without a word. That's all anyone other than Jacob's case worker and Jasper really knew about him. Leah had a feeling that, if she were to become close friends with any of these people, it would be him.

The russet-skinned runaway had met one other person, but she wasn't a part of the tight group of friends, though she wanted to be. Isabella, who everyone referred to as Bella, was someone Leah knew was going to be her enemy no matter how friendly she was to her. It was obvious that Bella was into Edward Cullen, and it was just as obvious that Edward couldn't stand her. She would try every few seconds to get closer to him, and he would edge away, not wanting to be outright rude, but getting closer and closer to it the more persistent she became. She just didn't seem to take the hint, and when Leah tried to introduce herself, she was given a glare for her efforts. Leah decided then and there she wasn't going to try for a second time.

"Isabella." Rosalie didn't even try to play nice as she glared at the 'Home Slut,' which was Bella's very accurate nickname. "Maybe if you put half as much interest in trying to get your daughter back as you do in trying to get laid, you may actually get the chance to get her back."

"Daughter?" Leah whispered to Emmett, who was the closest to her. She couldn't really picture this Bella chick as a mother.

"Son, actually," Emmett whispered back. "Reneesme, well, Ren, as he likes to be called, was born in a girl's body. He's eight and sometimes he stays here with us, but Bella got caught dealing some E and the state took him again. Jasper is trying to get him since we are the only family he has ever really known. Word of advice, when Bella's around, do not refer to Ren as a boy, or she'll flips out."

Bella had caught the tail end of what Emmett said to Leah and her expression turned to one of rage. "Nessie is not a boy! I don't understand why the state took her away when all I was trying to do was beat the freak out of her! She needs to realize that she's a girl, she was always a girl, and I will never accept her as a son! I don't want a son – fuck, I didn't even want a daughter – but I got one anyway! She was born as a girl and that's what I'm gonna get, end of story."

Leah knew she had to say something. It probably wasn't her place, but if it was Seth who was a transgender, she knew would love him regardless. This Bella chick needed a verbal slap into the real world.

"Wow, I thought you were just a whore, but as it turns out, you're a heartless bitch, too."

Bella turned to her in shock, but before she could retaliate, Leah kept talking. "I don't have any kids, but I do have a younger brother and I love him more than anything else in this world. It wouldn't matter to me if he was gay, transgender, bisexual, or whatever. The fact is that he's my brother and I'll always love him. I would do anything for him, and you can't even accept your kid the way she, I mean he, is? I feel bad for your kid, I really do. If I wasn't so set on being on my best behavior in order to get out of here, I'd beat your scrawny ass. I suggest you take your whoring ass out of here and away from me before I change my mind and lay down some physical pain on your judgmental ass. If I see you again and I find out you're being anything less than perfect towards your son, I promise that I'm gonna whip your ass. You can leave now – and that wasn't a request."

Bella opened and closed her mouth a few times, like she wanted to say something, but when nothing came out, she turned on her heel, her face tomato-red, and stormed out of the room. After she disappeared down the hall, everyone in the room, who'd stopped to listen to Leah tell Bella off, burst into laughter and applause. No one other than Rosalie had stood up to Bella like that before. If anyone in the group had been unsure about Leah before, they were absolutely sure of her now. She was one of them, a part of their messed up family, and families took care of each other. The first step would be in trying to get her brother back, and Rosalie decided the best way to do that would be by talking to her brother. Until then, the group wanted to show Leah a good time.

"You're pretty cool, Leah Clearwater," Emmett crowed before throwing an arm around her shoulder. "You're like the little sister I never wanted."

She rolled her eyes before removing his arm. "Gee thanks, that means more to me than you'd ever realize. Say, shouldn't we be heading to dinner? In most of the homes I've been to, if you don't get food as soon as possible, you don't eat."

"Ah, you have so much to learn," Edward sighed as he moved to stand next to her. "When you hang with us, you get the perks. Such as, you don't have to worry about fighting for a meal."

Alice grinned like a loon as she bounced around the room. "Yes, yes, Leah, you just have to follow us! Follow, follow, down the rabbit hole, but don't you fear, we know where to go!"

The small teen grabbed Leah's hand before pulling her down the hall and Leah thought to herself, Could I have picked weirder people to hang out with? What the hell have I gotten myself into?

TBC…