Okay, so, fair warning, there is a liitle bit of foul language in this chapter. Just a little bit! I debated about putting it in, but it sort of seemed right. And so, without further ado...
She stormed into the house, the hostility fairly radiating off of her in waves. Groaning, I rolled over on my bed and shoved a pillow over my head in hopes that she would just leave me alone. Her footsteps, heavy with agitation, however, announced her arrival and the harsh slap to my back had me jumping up and finding myself face to face with the scariest thing I'd ever seen. Leah stood nearly nose to nose with me, fuming and shaking in anger. Her voice shook with emotion as she spoke.
"How. Could. You?"
I immediately shrunk backwards. Of course I knew instantly what she was talking about. Jacob had announced that the Cullens would soon be moving – they had started to become a little too conspicuous in Forks – and that he would be leaving with them. It wasn't really a surprise; Jake imprinted on Reneesmee Cullen. He had to be with her. I'd only just recently begun to understand the power of the bond myself, since I found my imprint Julie, and it was overwhelming. I finally really understood what the guys were talking about, why they simply could not not think about their imprints. It was as if Julie had become a part of me, as if she was as essential to my existence as breathing, as if I would simply disappear without her. Jake had that with Reneesmee, so of course he would follow her. No one could expect anything else.
Except Leah.
I sighed. "Lee, it's not like we really have a choice, ya know. Jake's leaving. The Cullen's are leaving. There is no reason to have two separate packs anymore, not that we really could anyway with Jake gone. Besides, this isn't just about you, you know. We're stronger as one pack."
"You're supposed to be on my side!" Her voice was shrill and it resonated through the room, echoing off the bare walls. I started to speak, to tell her that I was and had always been on her side, but she didn't give me the chance. "And what the fuck do you mean, "no reason"? Oh, well, I guess it's not really a big deal for you guys, being back under Sam's all-knowing, all-mighty thumb, listening to his incessant monologue about how much he loves her, how perfect she is…blah, blah, blah. Not that you would even notice now that you have your fucking imprint. You're one of them now, you know, one of the mindless breeding machines," she scoffed, continuing before I could cut in. "Fucking Sam. Fucking Emily. They just can't help but fuck up my life. It's like their destiny or something. Apparently it's not enough that I'm already a freak among freaks-"
"Jesus, Leah, get off it." She looked at me as if I had slapped her. I'd always been supportive of her, listened to her tirades, sympathized with her, defended her, but seriously, even I had my limits and the words just tumbled out before I could stop them. "Everyone is so sick of hearing about how Sam broke your heart, how Emily stole him from you, how you would have been so happy if only…At some point, you gotta take responsibility for your own unhappiness. The reason that no one but me and Jake ever comes around you is 'cause you are a bitch to everyone. I mean, I understood it at first, but it's been years now. You need to just get over it already. None of us chose this, but it is what it is and you're being ridiculous. If you hate the rez and everyone here so much, maybe you should just leave like you're always talking about."
"Seth." She paused, the shock still evident on her face, and I braced for her wrath. But then, it was like all the energy drained from her body; and she seemed to shrink right before my eyes. I immediately felt an urge to apologize, to try to take back my harsh words, but she spoke before I could say anything. So quiet that I would have missed it if not for my supernaturally enhanced hearing, she whispered, "Maybe you're right."
And then, she was gone.
A bubbly little voice cuts through the foggy haze of memories that has settled over my mind. "Uncle Seth?"
My eyes snap open immediately and focus on Lily's brilliant smile. She seems happy here – well, as happy as she can possibly be under such circumstances. Reaching out, I ruffle her hair and lift her up to sit on the couch beside me; her little legs barely even reach the edge of the cushion.
"Yes, little one?"
She pauses for a moment, considering, before answering. "What was my mama like when she lived here?"
Her innocent question catches me off guard. I had just been thinking about Leah, about her last days on the rez, about my part in her sudden departure. But Leah hadn't always been so…broken. The Leah of our childhood flashes in my mind – all sweetness and smiles, always ready for anything. That's the Leah that Lily should hear about, and hopefully the Leah that she calls mommy. "Your mama was…happy. Always happy. Everybody always wanted to be around her."
A satisfied grin erupts on the little girls face, her familiar eyes twinkling. "Mama always tries to make me and Daddy happy. She tells funny jokes, and makes silly faces, and sneaks up on Daddy and kisses him on the cheek! It's so funny, 'cause he never hears her!" She laughs, an effervescent, infectious peal that makes me join her - so like the younger Leah of my memories. Excited now, Lily is nearly bouncing off the couch as she asks, "What else?"
"Well…she was brave. Nothing scared of anything. Kinda like you." I gently pinch her nose and she playfully slaps my hand away, giving a very unladylike snort. "And, she was the prettiest girl on the reservation. Also like you." A blush creeps up her cheeks, but her eyes are wide in admiration and a pleased smile plays on her lips - she likes being compared to her mother.
We sit for a minute in companionable silence, each of us lost in our own memories of the same girl, before she speaks. Her next question throws me off balance again; always keeping me on my toes – just another similarity between her and Leah. "Uncle Seth, how come Mama left? Why didn't she stay here with you and Grandma?"
Great. Just great. How can I tell this sweet heart, this perfect doll, that the reason her mother ran away from her family and the only home she had ever known, was me? Surreptitiously, I glance around looking for a distraction, a savior in the form of…well, anybody, but I'm disappointed. Man, this place is always buzzing with activity, but when I actually need someone, POOF! Ghost town.
"Well, um, you mama was…see, some things happened and then some, uh, other things happened, and that caused some stuff, that –"
bzzzzz…bzzzzz...bzzzzz…bzzzz...
"Lily! Liiiiilllllyyyy! Where are you?"
My stammering is interrupted – thankfully – by the simultaneous buzzing of my phone and the cacophony of Lily's fan club/search party seeking her out for a new round of tag. Her little head whips around to find the source of the noise and, with a quick wave goodbye to me, she is gone, a flash of pink across the living room and out the open door to the yard. I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket, giving the screen a cursory glance before putting it to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hey." Jacob's low, rumbling voice greets me from the other end of the line. "Any news?"
I lean my head back against the cushion again, closing my eyes. "Nothing new. We keep expanding our radius, but it's useless. Whoever took Leah is long gone."
"Sam said that Lily is doing alright, all things considered."
"Yeah. She's so much like Leah, Jake. It's hard. Mom's having a really tough time...I just don't know what to do."
There is a moment of silence before Jake speaks again. "Carlilse has cut the meeting with the other vampires short and we'll be heading down there in a few hours. A few more eyes and ears can't hurt."
"Yeah." It's hard to believe that anything will make a difference at the point. We've scoured the area without finding so much as hint of who might have Leah or where they went, but I am glad that Jake and the Cullens are coming. "What was the meeting about this time?"
Jake sighs, sounding tired, and I have a mental picture of him pinching the bridge of his nose. "There are stories floating around that the Volturi are capturing vampires and others with...special abilities. We think that they may be trying to build some sort of...army or something."
My eyes snap open. "Are you serious? Why?"
"We're not sure. We think that they must feel threatened. I mean, the Cullens have quite a following now, ya know? More and more vamps are going vegetarian, settling down, and I guess that they think we're gonna try to take over or something."
"How many have they supposedly kidnapped?"
"We're not sure, but there are a lot of rumors. And, do you remember Zafrina and Benjamin? They're missing. No one knows where they went-they just disappeared without a trace."
"Jesus." Zafrina and Benjamin are gifted vampires that had stood with us against the Volturi before. Zafrina can change what a person sees, I mean, literally make someone see something that isn't there and Benjamin can manipulate the elements. Both really powerful vamps. It's scary to imagine that they might be in the hands of our enemies, that they might be forced to fight against us.
"Yeah. But I guess we'll all talk about that when we get there. We'll be there soon man. You know that we're all gonna do everything we can to find Leah. She's like a sister to all of us."
"I know." I pause for a moment, but I don't have anything to say except goodbye.
My eyes close once more. I am so tired, but my mind is still racing. Where could Leah be? Who took her? How can I ever admit to everyone that I am the reason she left? Is she dead? What about Lily?
Argh! As if there isn't enough to worry about, now I gotta think about the stupid Volturi too. My thoughts shift gears, and now, on top of everything else, the Volturi loom ominously in my conscience. Great. Just great. Like they haven't already caused enough problems. Now they've gotta start building an army, kidnapping other supernatural beings with special abilities-
Wait. My mind freezes, focusing. What was it that Leah had called herself? Think, Seth, think! Something, an important something, floats just out of my mind's grasp. It's like it's on the tip of my tongue, I can't quite…
'A freak among freaks.' That's what she'd said! And Jake said that there are rumors that the Volturi are kidnapping-
I have to talk to Sam.
Yea! Finally got this chapter up! It was really difficult for me to finish for some reason. Anyway, I know that it's late, but...goodness. I loved Eclipse! I think it's the best Twilight movie yet! They finally just got what it's all about or something. If you haven't seen it (although I'm sure probably all of you have!) I highly, highly recommend it. That is all. Oh, and I have the next chapter planned out in my head, I just have to get it written. I'm thinking, maybe a Jacob chapter? And hopefully some more answers! Also, please forgive any spelling/grammatical errors in this chapter...it's late, and I'm about to fall asleep, but I really wanted to get this posted tonight.
