A/N: I know that I post my chapters quickly and I know that because of this few people are going to feel compelled to leave reviews but it doesn't mean I have to like it. I am not going to be like those authors that hold back chapters until they get a certain number of reviews so please be kind to me and leave a review. I really look forward to reading what you guys have to say. I read the traffic report for my stories almost daily and I know that a lot of people are reading this story and very few people are reviewing. It makes me sad:-( SO... this chapter is new, please review! :-)
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all Twilight Saga and characters.
Sarah
Over the summer, only three months after Mac's disappearance, my little brother William was born. We were in Denali by then and it certainly made life a lot more exciting at the Cullen household. Will wasn't like other babies. He was supernatural. I finally understood what mom meant when she said she had the mind of an adult from the moment she was born. William was like a little adult. He didn't behave like any of the babies I met before. It made me a little sad because I couldn't do normal baby things like play peak-a-boo, blow raspberries on his tummy, or tickle his toes. I understood what Sam meant by the consequences of immortality. Still, Will was a great baby brother. Where I looked mostly like my dad, Will looked like a combination of both my parents. His best feature was his winning smile. He was a charmer and could make anyone fall in love with him instantly. I was slightly jealous of this ability but it was impossible to feel anything negative for him. He was like sunshine and I loved him to pieces.
Will had the ability to see into other people's minds. It was a much creepier version of grandpa Edward's and mom's gift. He could focus on one or many people and step into their minds, see things and feel the memories as that person did. It was much better than reading minds because grandpa could only read passing thoughts. Will had access to any thought he desired, all he had to do was think about what he wanted to know about that person and he was there living it. The only problem was that both him and the person he invades become so consumed by the memory that the only thing you can do is stay still until he leaves your mind. It only happened when he wanted to access stored memories, passing thoughts were easier for him so you barely noticed the invasion.
I thought it was a neat power until he looked into my mind to see why I was sad one day. I could feel him access Mac's death and a lot more. There were many things that made me sad and he wasn't specific. He accessed everything, even things that none knew about like the time Jamie pushed me to the ground and Henry spilled milk in on my head, while Pete and Ryan laughed. Pete and Ryan were both wolves now. He also saw the time some of the girls (probably Jen and Casey) stole my clothes while I was in gym. And the time someone spit gum into my hair. It all happened a long time ago anyway. Now they just talked behind my back but Will became really upset. I made him promise he wouldn't tell anyone just like I had made Liam and Lina promise. Will became very protective of me after that also like Liam and Lina. It made me sad. I was supposed to be the one protecting him.
Summer ended and it was time to go back to LaPush. It was hard saying goodbye to the Cullens. Uncle Seth and aunt Eve had left a month before to join doctors beyond borders and nobody from LaPush came to visit us for that final month, so it was only vampires lined up to say goodbye. I looked at my vampire family from the back window one last time and felt a pain in my chest.
"Don't cry, Sarah." Will told me when he saw my face.
"Grandma and grandpa are coming over in a week. You don't have to be sad baby." Mom told me. I just nodded.
She didn't understand. It would be a whole other year before we lived with them again so it would be another year before I was at a place where I felt accepted and loved. Even my two cousins/siblings had forgotten about me. By the time the summer ended, I had gone from spending time talking to Liam and Lina every day to texts once or twice a week. Sam got his way and the younger wolves all formed their own pack with Sammy leading the pack, he had just turned 17. Uncle Kal hated it. He insisted that there should only be one pack but in the end the council agreed that those wolves that had imprinted to immortals or that wished to wait until they imprinted would be in one pack so that they could live out their normal lives and the younger wolves would stay and protect the tribe so that they could learn what it meant to be protectors. They talked to the school and made it into a class so that the wolves could leave school a little early and still get credit.
With this new arrangement was that my parents no longer had access to what was going on with me and the younger pack. This allowed the packs true colors to come out and Sammy got very protective of me when that happened. The younger pack didn't have to pretend to like me anymore because they didn't have to share a mind with my dad or my aunt and uncles. They didn't have to talk behind my back anymore, either. They could just be rude to my face. They made that abundantly clear over my few visits when they all started making gagging noises at Liam and Lina's practice sessions. Sammy took matters into his own hands. Those few times I visited, he would be at my side diffusing the situations. The problem was that Sammy was in high school and I was still in middle school. I managed to keep out of their way because I spent my summer away. Now I was back and school was going to be hell again.
We arrived at the house about a week before school started. Liam and Sarah were waiting for me when we got home.
"Sarah!" Lina came over to me and hugged me. Liam was right next to her. I had seen him a few times over the summer but he still shocked me when I saw him. He was tall and strong and very handsome. He gave me a hug ad held me tight.
"I missed you." He whispered in my ear. This was the first time that Liam and I were apart since we were born. 'Missed' doesn't even cover how badly I felt about being away from him.
"I missed you too." I told him. I felt a pressure in my chest that I hadn't felt before when he kissed my cheek. I felt the same thing when he first phased. It was as if our connection had gotten stronger. Lina was hugging Will when Liam let me go.
Liam was much taller than me now but sadly I was taller too. My body changed over the summer. I was still a bit fat but my growth spurt caused my weight to be a bit more proportional. My body was still wide and tall and big. I definitely didn't look like the fragile flower I felt like most of the time. I was built more like an Amazon but not like any of the ones I had seen on tv or google. I looked less like Zena and more like the WWE wrestler. My body was finally getting some shape. Of course, I didn't look like an Amazon woman yet because I was only 13.
"Yeah, lets never spend another summer separated like this. It sucked! I think it gave me anxiety." Lina said as she rubbed her chest.
"Maybe its heartburn." Will told her and we all laughed. The distance had caused a little bit of a rip in all of us. It was even worst with Lina because she was 15 now and she would be starting out in a new school. I had hoped that once we were all together it would be like old times and it almost was. Even though we were all acting the same and joking around, something felt different. In my heart, it felt like they were tied to me but in my mind they felt distant. They even felt physically distant even though they were right in front of me.
"Hey, the boys are getting together at Sam's for a barbecue this afternoon and later we're going to watch a movie in town and you are coming with us!" Lina said excitedly.
"I don't know. I just got home and this is Will's first day home…"
"No excuses. Will got you all summer, besides I think he's out hunting with aunt Nessie and uncle Jake so don't give me that excuse." Will nodded at her and then he went to find our mom. He had been complaining he was thirsty the whole ride over.
"Were going to the barbecue too." Mom said from the kitchen where she was talking to Claire. "We promised to show up with Will after we went hunting. Its kinda a welcome home barbecue so you have to go." I sighed in defeat.
I could see from the couch that aunt Leah was on uncle Kal's lap looking at the computer. He looked at me as if he could sense my disappointment. I waved at him. He smiled and turned his attention back to the computer. They spend a lot of time on the computer now. Aunt Leah, uncle Kal and my parents decided to take turns being in the public eye. First ten years, Liam and I belonged to aunt Leah and uncle Kal, and now we belonged to my parents, only they were our brother and sister-in-law. Aunt Leah and uncle Kal still went out, but only if they were sure, they would not be recognized. It was the only arrangement they could think of to keep the community from figuring out they were not aging. Collin had to go into hiding too. They seemed ok with it though.
I got up from the couch and looked at my two cousins.
"Fine. I'll go." I told them and I went up to my room to pick out an outfit.
Someone came into my room and when I turned around to see who it was I was surprised to see uncle Kal there. Uncle Kal was an amazing uncle. He was very protective and kind to me and he always gave me whatever I wanted; however, he was never the comforting type so I didn't know why he was up in my room.
"What's wrong, sweet pea?" He asked me from the door.
"It feels different. Being home feels different and I don't really want to go to Sam's so that I can feel worst about it."
"Why would you feel worst?"
"They always make me feel worst about myself?"
"They make you?" He asked me with a smile.
"Well I guess they don't make me." I said begrudgingly. He nodded and walked over to my bed. He sat on the bed and I sat next to him.
"I think that being the only human in our family has made you feel different." He suggested. I nodded. I agreed that this was also part of the reason. I never wanted to be human, yet here I was. The only human in a large family of immortals.
"I don't fit in anywhere, but its not just that. They always look at me different and they treat me like I am different. I can't make that feeling go away even if they are not picking on me anymore." I lied. They were definitely still picking on me.
"They made it difficult for you but you are their leader. I don't remember how it was for me when I was your age but I know that the path of a leader is never an easy path. Your tribe, your pack, they all need you to be strong. They need you to stand up to them when they test you. How else will they know you can protect them when times are difficult?"
"I don't have a pack. Sammy and my dad are the alphas not me. I'm not a leader and I don't want to be." He furrowed his brows, contemplating on y words.
"It saddens me to hear that. Soon you will phase and you will become their leader whether you want to or not. You have the power inside of you, like I once did. You need to make a choice. You need to claim them as your pack, you need to claim you place as their leader or they will never follow you." He smiled at me. He was always so quiet and reserved, especially compared to aunt Leah but when he spoke he commanded everyone's attention. Sometimes I forgot that he was Taha Aki. He always spoke like a leader, like a father.
"What if I can't do it? What if I don't want to be a wolf?" He took my hand and gave it a squeeze.
"They are a part of you Sarah, just like they are a part of me. Denying them, denying your wolf would be like denying who you are. Like ripping away a part of you. I should know. I tried to deny my imprint and my children. Every day I did this was agony. For two years I lived in agony." I knew this story. I heard how he ignored aunt Leah and Harry for the first two years of Harry's life because he thought aunt Leah had slept with a vampire. She was raped, and Harry was the product of that. Because of this oversight, Embry stepped in and became like a father to Harry. He fell in love with him and aunt Leah but then she imprinted on uncle Kal and it was all over for him. He left the pack after that but he never stopped being there for them. Harry still talks to him every week and visits him constantly. It was all so sad and so unnecessary.
"Why didn't you just talk to them?"
"Because I thought I was right. I saw Harry and I was sure Leah had him with one of the Cullens." He shook his head. "I purposely ignored my imprint and my duties to her. I missed out on so much from their lives. Harry is such a good son and I hurt him and his mother. It is one of my greatest regrets. This is why you must give your pack a chance." I shook my head at his suggestion.
"You thought something that wasn't true. I know for a fact that they hate me." The two situations were totally different.
"Do you? Have you talked to them?" I glared at him.
"They pick on me. They tortured me. They call me names!" He was there when I finally confessed what they did to me. Did he forget about it already?!
"They all call each other names. Liam and Lina got picked on by the pack every day since they phased, I was there, I saw it. But I also saw that it helped them come closer together. You also make fun of Liam and Lina and it brings you closer together." I couldn't even believe that he was suggesting that the two situations were the same.
"That's not the same. I never say things out of anger to purposely hurt them." He nodded as if he were agreeing with me.
"Perhaps I am wrong about them but good or bad, you cannot deny who you really are or what they mean to you. You can feel it can't you. You can feel them." I looked at the ground and nodded. I felt something the moment I got back but it never occurred to me that it was them. That I was feeling them just like I could feel uncle Kal and Liam and Lina. He brought my face up with his finger so that I would look at him.
"You are their leader, Sarah. It is your duty to lead them and protect them. Soon these boys will be your brothers and family must protect one another and stand for one another. Now that you have a little brother, you should have a better idea of what I mean." I nodded. He hugged me and then he left my room so that I could change.
I took a shower and considered what uncle Kal said. I didn't feel like a leader but that didn't change the fact that I was. Just like when Will was born. It was hard for me to feel like his big sister for the first few weeks. Just because I didn't feel like a big sister, didn't mean I wasn't one. Eventually I got used to it. I was going to have to get used to this too.
Lina was rummaging through my clothes when I came out. She also had a growth spurt. I was still bigger than her but now we were closer in size so we could borrow some clothing from each other.
"What do you think of this outfit?" She asked as soon as I got out.
"Cute. It will go perfect with the new belt that aunt Alice bought me. I think its still in my suitcase. There's matching jewelry for that belt too if you want to borrow."
"Duh! Of course I do, silly." She told me.
"Go take a shower and I'll look for it." She went into my shower and I got everything ready for her after I got dressed. I really liked our outfits.
Quill and Claire had stayed at the pack house all summer because Claire decided to take three online classes so that she only had to take two courses during the fall semester before she graduated. Claire was finishing up grad school while taking care of two kids so it was easier for her to be closer to home where they had many, MANY babysitters to help out. Uncle Quill and Embry's business grew and he was able to take Fridays off to spend time with his family in LaPush during the summer. It was nice having them home. Claire came into my room while I was finishing up my hair. She took my hand and made me twirl.
"Girl! You are definitely Alice's niece. Next time you're doing my outfit." Lina and I laughed.
"Girls lets go. We're going to be late." Quill called from downstairs.
"Hold your horses, bossy pants! We're coming." She yelled from the door and then sat at my vanity to put on some lip gloss. I laughed again. They were such a cute couple. I took another five minutes to help her with her makeup and then we headed downstairs. Then we all got into the cars and drove to Sam's stupid party.
My parents were already there by the time we got there. It was a big party. All the former wolves were there. I don't think I had ever seen all the wolves together in one place. I was glad they were celebrating my brother's homecoming. But it made me thing that this was Sam's way of trying to fix things with my parents because he felt bad about how things went down last time. Sam saw us come and he made his way towards us. Towards me.
"Its been a while since you visited." He told me. I didn't know what to say so I nodded.
"I'm really happy you came. So are the boys." He said leaning towards their direction. I nodded my head again.
"Thank you for inviting me." I told him simply and I moved on to Emily who I actually liked. She gave me a huge and then fixed me a plate of food. I sat next to my parents and ate quietly. Lina was also sitting with me and Liam was standing by the food table eating as he served himself food. He sure ate a lot now that he was a wolf. Will was with my parents and their friends being a little charmer. I sighed as I saw how easy it was for him.
After we ate, Lina and I went for a walk as we were walking we overheard Jen (Jeremy's oldest) and Grace (Andrew's oldest) eating together and talking.
"Can you believe this party?" Grace asked Jen.
"I know Sam and Em actually did all this for them. Ugh!" She said and then ate another bite of her hamburger.
"They're not that bad. Dad really likes Nessie and so do I. She's really nice." Grace told Jen. I was surprised to hear her say that. I remember her mating pig noises right along with Jen a few years back.
"Oh so now that your little brother is a wolf you suddenly like the leeches."
"They're hybrids so they are part human and you are just jealous that your brother is still too little to be a wolf and that you haven't phased or imprinted on anyone."
"I'm not jealous of those freaks. And there's still time for me to turn into a wolf." Lina rolled her eyes at her. She was never turning into a wolf. Only female decedents of the three main bloodlines could phase. She was being crazy.
"When do you think your brother will turn?" Grace asked her.
"He's just turned eight so it will be a while." Jen looked sad about it. Didn't she know what this would mean for her brother? He would have to train to fight vampires. Its like she cared more about the status of having a wolf in the family than anything else.
I was done overhearing them. I signaled Lina to keep walking and we made it all the way to the beach. Liam was with the pack playing football. All the grownups were back at the house so the kids were at the beach. According to Lina, we were out of hearing range so we actually had some privacy from the adults. Sammy, Henry, Jamie were playing against Pete, Ryan and Liam. It was funny to watch. Pete, Ryan and Liam were the newest additions to the pack so they were still getting to know each other's moves, unlike the other three boys who were completely synchronized.
"Do you want to watch the game or do you want to keep walking?"
"You're tired already? I thought you were supposed to be a big bad wolf?" Some of the boys laughed. Lina tripped me and I fell on sand. They laughed louder.
"Watch it human." She said giggling. I grabbed her back jean pocket and made her sit next to me.
We watched the game and eventually the other girls came by with some of the younger kids. The older girls didn't sit next to us. Lissette, Brady's three year old came to sit on my lap and her twin brother Bradley sat between me and Lina and Zack (Stephen's son) was next to Lina, which I was sure was driving Jen crazy since she baby sat him all the time. I was sad that Mark wasn't with the group. Brady had an older boy named Mark but he was anti-social. He was six and preferred video games to sitting with family. He was in love with my mom so I figured he was probably with her. She was the only one who could get him to talk. Will was probably with them so I hoped that he could befriend Mark.
We all sat together making fun of the boys for playing poorly especially Liam. Lissette and Bradly would giggle when the younger boys would miss and when Lina made fun of them. Liam was getting the worse of it.
"Ok well if you think I'm so bad why don't you two come give it a shot." Liam told us.
"Oh just wait until Sarah turns, birdie, and we'll teach you boys a thing or two." Lina told him. I laughed. Lissette was giggling on my lap because Lina called him birdie. She kept chanting 'Birdie, birdie, birdie!' which made Liam laugh. I have her a hug and kissed the top of her head. She was just so cute. That's when Jen decided to ruin my day.
"If I haven't phased yet. She's definitely not going to phase." The wind must have carried her voice my way because I didn't think she meant for me to hear it. I turned my head to her.
"And why wouldn't I phase?" I asked her abruptly. She looked surprised at my reaction. I don't know why I even responded to her comment but I figured I was still a bit annoyed that she called my family freaks before. The boys were still playing but I could tell they were watching us. I was too angry to care.
"Because unlike me. You are part leech." She said loud enough for everyone to hear. Lissette stuck her tongue out at her. I sat her next to her brother so that I could walk over to Jen.
"What? Are going to suck our blood?" Casey, Jared's daughter, said mockingly. Casey was a year older than me so her comments made me madder because she was supposed to be more mature. At that moment, I really wished I had a tray so that I could break her face with it.
"No. Your blood is not worth drinking. Your blood is not worth anything. That's why you will never phase and I will." I said angrily.
"No you won't. Your blood is dirty, half breed. You will never phase and neither will your freak brother." Jen said. I head Lina and Liam growl simultaneously. Sammy quickly came over to us.
"That's enough, Jen!" Sammy told her. He put his hand on my shoulder but I ignored him. I was so sick of their elitist crap. I took a step closer to the girls and away from him.
"According to everyone, I am going to phase whether I want to or not because this is my pack. Unlike you, my dad is an alpha and that means that so am I. I have no choice. My brother is possibly a future spirit warrior and we'll have to sacrifice our lives to protect ungrateful humans like you! We don't even have a choice! Grow up, get over yourself and leave us the hell alone!" I yelled at them. A warm surge flowed through me as I yelled at them. Their eyes got wider the girls started crawling away from me. That's when I realized, I was shaking again and it made me very afraid because, unlike last time, I couldn't make it stop. I turned around to look at Lina for help and her eyes also widened. Lissette started crying and Lina covered Lizzie's eyes with her hand wordlessly.
"Lizzie?" I said. Sam was closest to me. He looked at me shocked, frozen, but he was the first to snap out of it to tell me what was wrong.
"Your eyes." He whispered but I could hear him perfectly. My hands were still shaking. Liam came towards me which made me turn towards the rest of the pack, they all gasped.
"The girls are right! Look at her. She's fucking thirsty!" Henry said angrily. I instantly felt a burn in my throat but it was bearable.
I turned away and I ran. I ran fast. I ran superhuman fast. I had no idea how I was doing it but I was moving swiftly through the trees at what I assumed was vampire speed. It would have been exhilarating if I wasn't so damn terrified. I could hear others running but I was faster than them. I could smell a woodsy animal scent in the wind and my brain made the connection that they were in their wolf form, chasing me. Chasing the leech in their territory! I started to panic. I was trying to figure out where to go when someone caught me. I screamed!
