Chapter 7: Distraction

Song for this part: Going Under by Evanescence

I snarled as I lowered down into a crouch. Intense satisfaction filled me as looks of disbelief and fear flickered across the leeches' faces. I barked and the sound echoed across the forest…and yet, they didn't run. The male stepped forward, held his ground, crimson eyes burning.

"How strange," he said, in a slight British accent, "and here, I thought most of the werewolves were gone." He looked up to the sky, as if hoping to see the moon. "Strange," he repeated again, looking at me in a calculating look.

"Michael, let's move on," the woman said, eyeing me warily. She tossed her blond hair and took a step back.

"Just sit this out. It will be quick, I assure you."

I growled angrily and took a step forward.

Michael launched himself at me, moving so fast that he became a white blur. I had almost forgot how fast vampires were, but I could be just as fast. His curled fingers latched onto my leg painfully, but before he could do anything I sank my teeth into his arm, my nose wrinkled because of the smell. He let go quickly, his face spasming in pain. I tossed him sideways like a rag doll, hoping to rip off his arm but only succeeding in smashing him into a tree. The ancient pine groaned and fell backwards with a loud crack.

"Michael!" the woman screamed.

I grinned and prepared for her to launch herself into the fray.

"Stay there, Madeline!" he said, getting up and rolling his shoulders. His face was a mask of pure rage. "This is my fight. There's no way a dog is going to beat me."

Let's see you try, I thought, my tail wagging. I jumped at him, but he was quick and moved to the side. He caught me with a punch that sent me flying through the air. I was pretty sure my shoulder blade was fractured. Readjusting my position midair, I was able to absorb the impact of hitting the trees and push myself forward. I feinted left and tricked the poor leech. I guess he didn't think I was smart enough to juke him.

I bit down on his upper arm and, with all my strength, I ripped his shoulder from its socket. He screamed in agony as I leapt back and tossed his limb to the side. Madeline was standing with her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with fright.

Suddenly, Michael was right beside me. I tried to jump back, but he kicked my left front leg and I immediately felt it fracture. A whine escaped my mouth as I tried to evade his next move, which ended up slicing my face and almost dislocated my jaw. I reared back and pinned him down by standing on his chest, but then his legs came up and kicked me in the stomach, catapulting me across the clearing. This time, I wasn't able to land well, and ended up dropping like a garbage bag onto the ground. I was now pretty sure both my shoulders were hurt, and maybe a back paw, even though my cuts were healing up. There was no way I'd be able to outrun the bloodsuckers like this. I tried to lift myself, and ended up falling to the ground. Sure, I could heal fast, but not this fast.

Michael stood over me, grinning smugly. "No match for me, pup."

No match? I thought grimly, I ripped your friggin arm off.

"You know what, though? It was a good try," he said, leaning towards me.

Suddenly, I saw my opening. I surged forward, threw a paw over his body to keep him down, and, as he screamed, I sank my fangs into his neck and jerked my head to the side. It all happened so fast that Madeline hadn't had time to even move when I released his head and it landed by her feet, eyes open and staring.

She must have been a new vampire, because she just stared at his head, mouth agape. It was actually kind of funny.

"You killed him!" she said disbelievingly. She looked up at me, eyes almost bugging out.

Yep, I thought, grinning again. Then I growled and took a step forward. Madeline didn't know what to do. She looked like she wanted to fight, but in the end, terror won out and she bolted. Um, not going to happen. I chased after her and she was much easier to catch than Michael. I just pounced on her and then proceeded to dismember her. Typical stuff, that.

When I dragged her pieces back to where I had killed Michael, lightning struck and boom there was a fire all of a sudden. I hastened to throw their pieces into the fire and then grabbed my bag and was out of there. There's nothing like ripping up a few bloodsuckers to brighten your day.

I ran through the pouring rain, away from La Push and Forks, away from my troubles. Although, as they say, running away from your problems doesn't solve anything. And it didn't. I felt like howling until I lost my voice.

Leah?

Oh, just wonderful.

What now, Jake?

Just checking up on you.

Okaaay…and?

Are you okay?

Stupid question.

He was silent for a second, then picked up on my still slight limp.

Are you hurt?

Yep.

Why? And could you please give me more than a one-word answer? Everyone's worried about you.

Everyone? I asked, almost hopefully.

Er…almost everyone.

Oh.

So what happened?

Leeches.

How many? Did you kill them? Are you okay?

Two. Yes. Yes.

So where are you now?

I dunno.

Leah! Jake yelled at me, You are NOT helping me out any! Do you have a specific location that you can tell me?

Nope.

AHHHH! He screamed in frustration. It was actually quite funny.

No, Jake, I don't really know, nor care, where I am. I ran into two bloodsuckers earlier and had to take them out. My shoulders got banged up a bit, but they're healing. I don't know where I'm going. Once again, I really don't care. And no, I am NOT okay in the non-physical sense. Does that answer all your questions?

Yeah…I guess.

Can you leave me alone then?

I was actually on my way to Nessie's house.

Oh.

We were quiet for a while, lost in our own thoughts. The storm raged on around me as I made my way through the hills of the forest. Through Jacob's eyes, I could see that, back at La Push, the sun was actually shining. There was a small breeze that wove through the branches.

It's nice out today, Jake commented.

I wish.

Sorry about that.

Ugh. Did all the crappy weather leave La Push with me?

It's been pretty nice here, lately.

Oh, cuz that makes me feel so much better.

I…didn't mean it like that.

I know.

His thoughts switched to Nessie as the Cullens' house came into view. Mixed in among his normal thoughts of her was a feeling of fierce protectiveness. As if he'd do anything to keep her safe. I knew he would. So that must be what it felt like to Imprint. Protectiveness. And belonging. Love.

I guess I'll talk to you later…you will check in, won't you?

Every once in a while, I guess, I said grudgingly. Although I knew Jake had been pretty far away when he left La Push, I think I was still looking for the distance where poof all the telepathic wolf crap would just stop.

I felt Jake leave then, and I felt more alone than ever. I hate that kind of mood where you only want to be alone, but then when you are you feel so desolate. It not only distances you from everyone close to you, but it keeps you away even when you're ready to come back to them.

(Trouble is a Friend by Lenka fits this part pretty well)

Eventually, I left the storm behind and then Midwest along with it. I decided to head a little southward, ready for the sun on my fur…and maybe, just maybe, I'd do a little soul searching along the way. I was tired of being roughing it in the woods…more than that, I was tired of being alone. I'd stay at some hotel or something, at least for a while. Just to be around people and out of the woods.

I was kind of nervous when I changed and walked along the highway, leading toward Kittyhawk, North Carolina. When was the last time I had been around people? Not since that loser in the bar had tried to pick me up. Ew. Plus, I was kind of…grungy looking. I mean, I hadn't had an actual shower since I left, because rolling around in streams and stuff really didn't count.

It was pretty hot as I walked across this really long bridge thing. I was actually sweating. As it turns out, I didn't have to walk the whole way to the beach because there were a lot of families going to the beach. One of them, a nice middle-aged couple with a little daughter, stopped next to me.

"Would you like a ride?" the woman asked, smiling.

"Um, sure." I got in the back, next to the girl, who smiled at me.

"Where're you headed?" the man asked.

"You can just take me as close to the beach without going out of your way, please."

"Can do," he said.

"I'm Natalie," the girl of about nine said, smiling happily.

"I'm Leah," I replied. Her little green eyes were bright, her blonde hair was pulled into a pony tail.

"Have you ever been to the beach before?"

"Not a warm beach."

"You mean there are beaches that aren't warm?" she exclaimed incredulously, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah. Back where I lived, the beach was almost always cold. The waves were always gray and choppy."

"Where did you live, Leah?" the woman asked curiously.

"Oh, in the northern part of Washington," I said, wrinkling my nose a little.

"I'm sure it was very pretty up there," the father commented.

"It is very…green. But when the sun shined, everything turned a pretty jade color. Too bad there's so many clouds there."

"I'd like to visit there someday. I've heard the smaller towns are very homey," the woman said. "By the way, I'm Winona, and this is Luke. And that, of course, is Natalie."

"I'm Leah. It's nice to meet you," I said, smiling. This human contact stuff was great (notice how I mention this as if I've never met a human before). "It is very welcoming up there…most of the time. I lived in a small town, La Push. It's up by Forks, north of Seattle."

"Oh, I've never heard of it," Luke said curiously.

"It's an Indian reservation for us Quiluetes. It's really cool to have a tight-knit community there." Don't ask me why I'm telling them all of this. Chalk it up to desolation from humans.

"So did you ever, like, go swimming in the water?" Natalie asked.

"Sometimes. It's really cold there, though."

"Oh. So what about surfing? Cuz I'd like to try that when I get older, but Mama says that it can be dangerous. I still want to try it," she told me confidingly.

"I know some kids who went surfing up there. It was pretty awesome, but I don't know if I'd be any good at it."

There was a silence that stretched on for a while. I found that Natalie kept staring at me and smiling. I smiled back. She was an only child, I guessed, so she probably wanted a sister. I know I had, especially after Seth was born. I felt a pang in my heart. Seth…I wonder how he was now. And if he'd solved his girl troubles.

Luke looked back at me in the rearview mirror as traffic started to thin and we passed onto the island from the bridge. "So, Leah, do you have anyplace to stay while you're here?"

This was the question I'd been dreading the most. I didn't want to lie to these people, but if I told them the truth, they'd probably think I was just a homeless person…which, I guess, I was.

"Uh…not really. I was planning on getting a hotel somewhere, for a while, at least." This was half true; I wasn't sure if there were any decently price hotels around here.

Luke looked at Winona and she nodded. "Tell you what, Leah," she said, turning back to look at me. "Would you be interested in looking after Natalie for us? This is kind of a business trip for both of us; we just decided to rent a beach house for the week while we were down here. We wouldn't be able to pay you, but you could stay at the house and eat with us. What do you say?"

I was taken aback. Although these people seemed very nice, I couldn't believe they were going to let a complete stranger watch their daughter and stay in their house with them. They were on a business trip. I had a feeling that these people weren't with their daughter as much as I first thought. But, anyways, I really couldn't afford to put out the money for a hotel room.

"Sure, I'd be happy to watch Natalie for you," I said, smiling.

"Yes!" she shouted, punching the air. "Ooh, it'll be like we're sisters!" She was practically bouncing in her seat.

I smiled. This would be an interesting week.

At around five that night, we pulled into the driveway of a large teal, yes teal, beach house. It was three stories tall, with a deck on the roof. I was kind of surprised that such a small family would rent a large house like this. I mean, it was on a pretty grand scale.

"We're the first ones here!" Natalie yelled, excited all over again.

"Who else is coming?" I asked, completely confused.

"Oh, this is where our company holds some of its longer meetings," Luke explained.

"Oh." Um was it weird that they were going to the beach with their daughter for a business meeting, or was it just me?

"Come on!" Natalie said, jumping out of the car like it was on fire.

"I should really help unpack…"

"Oh, go ahead and have fun," Winona said, smiling.

Natalie pulled me from the car and lead me up the stairs, past the front door, and back to the deck that faced the ocean.

"Look! There it is!" she said wonderingly. "Hey, will you take me on a walk? Pretty please?" She tugged me toward the beach.

"Natalie, shouldn't we ask your parents first?"

"Oh. Yeah." She ran off and shouted our intentions to them and came back. "Come on, come on, come on!"

I dropped my duffle bag on a wooden bench and slipped off my shoes. Natalie ran down off the walkway onto the sand.

"Natalie, wait up!"

She stopped and waited for me, amazingly, and then looked up at me. "You can call me Lee-lee," she said. "Everyone does. Cuz, you know, Nata-LEE."

"O…kay…" A pain shot through my chest. That was Sam's nickname for me…it always had been a special pet name…just between us. Had, I reminded myself. No longer. Move on.

"Are you okay? Leah?"

"I'm… fine. Why don't we go feel that water?"

"Okay, let's go!" She grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, to the ocean. We stuck our toes in tentatively.

"Oh! It's warm!" I said, surprised.

"Of course it is, silly! Can we look for seashells?"

"Sure. You know, where I lived, the only seashells we had were all crushed up. Mostly it was just pebbles."

"That's weird. You said you lived on an Indian reservation, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, are you, like, an Indian."

"Not just like one," I said, smiling as I picked up a swirled shell, "I am an Indian." Go Indian pride!

"What kind of Native American are you?"

"Quiluete."

"That's cool." She paused and picked up a pink shell. "Do you think we'll be able to go swimming tomorrow? Maybe we could go to the pier too."

"We'll see. I have to buy a bathing suit first."

"You don't have one?"

"Well, when I left home, I left pretty quickly. I didn't have time to pack up things."

"Is that why you're carrying a duffel bag around and don't have a car?" she asked, looking up at me.

"Uh…yeah, I guess so."

"Are you homeless?"

"Noooyeah."

"Huh?"

"I guess I am. But I'm looking for somewhere else to stay for a while." I kicked a piece of seaweed. "Ouch!" I yelped, pain stinging through my foot. Drops of blood stained the sand red.

"What happened?" Natalie asked, panicked.

"I don't know," I said, looking at the seaweed. As it turns out, there was a jellyfish beneath it.

"Should we turn back?" she asked, eyeing my cut warily.

"I'll be fine. It'll heal in a second," I replied out of habit. Even as I watched, the blood flow slowed and stopped, and the cut turned into a thin pink line.

I guess Natalie was watching, too. And I guess I kind of forgot that normal humans don't heal in, oh, I don't know, thirty seconds. "How did you do that?"

"Um…what?" I said, acting all innocent.

"It just…healed…in, like, a minute! Normal cuts don't do that!"

"I don't know…it just…did that."

"Are you sure you not a fairy, or a witch, or something? With magical powers?"

"I'm sure I'm not a fairy or a witch," I said, smiling. I never said I didn't have 'magical powers,' so it wasn't a lie. Natalie squinted at me suspiciously.

"Okay, whatever. Grown-ups are sooo weird." She started walking again.

"Hey, I'm not that old," I said, running to catch up with her.

We walked for a little longer, and then turned back. By the time we got back to the house, my pockets and Natalie's were full of shells and pebbles. It was strange, because I had just met her, but I felt like I was really bonding with her. Her take on life was funny and like a nine-year-old's version of mine, minus the pain and heartbreak. She even insisted on me giving her a piggyback ride back to the house. As we walked back up the walkway to the house, I could hear more voices, which meant, I assumed, that more corporate stiffs had arrived. I picked up my duffel bag and Natalie led me into the house, where her parents showed us to our rooms. This would surely be a crazy week.

AN- So, let me know how you like it. I figured we could use a few lighter chapters at least, to break the depression up. I know Natalie gets very attached and trusts Leah pretty quickly, but I think that's how a lot of younger kids are. Her parents were kind of stuck with bringing her along, so that's why they were so quick to grab Leah, especially since they won't have to pay her and all. Oh well. More reviews=more motivation for writing! So give me lots and lots of 'em! ;p

-TwilightAngel08