Chapter 6
"Come on, slowpokes and slowbro!" I said, clapping my hands at my pack and the Cullens. Each of them looked at me with varying expressions of shock, discomfort and awe.
"Leah, did you just make a… Pokémon reference?" Seth finally quipped. His eyes were bright with humor as he ran up to me and jabbed my side playfully.
"Oh shut up and get in the jeep already." Rolling my eyes at him, I pushed him towards my jeep before turning to glance at everyone else. "What?" I snapped. They all began to gape at me, their mouths hanging open in an unflattering way. "You're all gonna end up catching flies like that."
Jake was the first to recover, shaking his head violently before wrapping an arm around Ness and storming towards his black Escalade. That in turn spurred Edward into action. He shot towards the driver's end of Jake's abomination and gave the alpha pup the usual lecture of adhering to the speed limit and a whole bunch of blah. Edward shot me a look then, a mixture of amusement and confusion shading his eyes.
"And you called me the slowbro," my brother laughed from the passenger seat of my beauty. I looked back at him and saw his grinning face poking out of the window.
"You're such a dweeb, ya know that, Sethie?" I jested. His response made me laugh; it was a pathetic eye roll that brought me shame.
"Being your brother, he should be a pro by now," the mind reader chuckled. I offered up a small grin to the vampire before jogging to my driver's side and slipping into my Rubicon.
The engine was already running thanks to Seth, so all I had to do was throw it into drive and take off. The top was down and the wind was blowing through my hair while I turned up the radio and danced in my seat to 'Die Young' by Ke$ha. My brother danced along with me, singing in an off key voice and laughing between lyrics. Grinning wickedly, I shut off the radio mid song and laughed my ass off when he continued to sing and his voice cracked when he realized the song wasn't playing.
"Oh. My. Gosh," I wheezed, slapping the steering wheel. Looking at him between guffaws, I noticed the blush that took over his cheeks and ears.
"Shut up," he muttered, frowning and tucking his chin against his chest. He reminded me a bit of a forlorn puppy doing that.
"Oh come on, bro, that was seriously funny." After mumbling a few curse words, he began to smile.
"Your aura is really cool right now, Leah." He reached out towards me and swirled his hand. The air around me started to feel weird, like it was being charged with some sparking heat or something. He furrowed his brows and tilted his head to the side. "How did you do this?"
"Do what?" I watched him from the corner of my eye, curious about his strange behavior.
"Your colors are still acting as if you're near your someday lady lover," he replied.
"I have no clue what you're talking about, weirdo." He chuckled then pulled his hand away, examining it as he did so.
"I guess you don't. Oh well, I'm just happy to hear you laugh like that again, it's nice."
"Shush up, pup, none of this sentimental garbage before school, I don't want the others to think I've gone soft, plus it makes you sound like an old man." We both laughed a bit before I turned the radio back on and hummed to the songs.
We were getting close to school and my heart began to speed up. Olivia was close, I could feel it by the growing intensity of the pull; it was getting agonizingly stronger. My desire to tear out of my jeep and run to her wrapped around my heart and squeezed. I could feel the conflicting emotions she was feeling run rampant inside of me and knew that I was part of the reason she was in such turmoil. A feeling of deep unease began to snake its way under my skin, causing me to shift nervously in my seat.
"It'll be okay, sis, you'll work it out," Seth said softly. His brown eyes were filled with quiet understanding.
"Damn that stupid power of yours." A stupid grin pulled his lips, making me frown.
"Don't be jealous. I hear Embry is showing some signs of having a power. Who knows, you might come into yours soon." He tilted his head to the side and a spark of mischief lit his eyes. "Or maybe your power is extreme bitchiness," he added sarcastically.
"Not jealous," I huffed. We rolled our eyes at each other as I turned onto the street leading to school. "Right now, I'm just annoyed that you can read my aura well enough to know what I'm thinking."
"It's not hard to figure out. Her silvery pink color is growing in your purple; it kind of reminds me of fireworks… actually maybe not all of it like fireworks. By the way you're moving, your aura I mean, I'd say you're nervous, really frustrated, sorta sad and kinda really scared."
"Stop fucking reading me!" I growled.
"Okay, okay, I will, just know that I'm pretty sure it'll work out quickly and easily. Whatever happened on your run really did something to you and it's amazing." He offered me a small smile before turning his attention out the window.
So something really did happened, it wasn't just my overactive imagination. The sensation was something actually tangible… sort of anyway. I wonder what it meant. Whatever it was would wait until after I spoke to my imprint.
Not even a minute later, I pulled into the parking lot, claimed my spot and nearly tore my door off its hinges trying to get out of the jeep. From the moment I turned onto the lot, I knew something was off and I had to fix it, fast. The feeling only worsened when I was parked.
The scent of blood hit me hard as I rushed into the gathered crowd of freaking out students in the front of the school. A strong sense of dread drowned me, filling my heart, lungs, stomach and everything. I wanted to slow my strides but my body moved as fast as it could without drawing too much attention. I wanted to turn around and ignore what I knew was in store for me. I wanted to close my eyes and live in blissful ignorance. I wanted to be someone else without a tie to anything or anyone. But more than anything I wanted to run full speed to the scene that was playing out in front of me. I wanted to cry and explode and take care of my responsibility with the efficiency of a supernatural. I zoned out and lived in my mind for a few seconds and before I knew what was going on, I was kneeling in a puddle of blood with fat tears rolling down my cheeks.
"Where the fuck is an ambulance? Someone get help, now!" I screeched, glaring at everyone around us. "Move back! Give her some fucking room you stupid-" I couldn't even finish off my insults; the sobs that tightened my throat were too much. I bowed my head, buried my face in my hands and bawled. Warmth rested on my shoulders and I felt the familiar presence of a gentle and caring essence behind me. I sucked in painful breaths and desperately tried to stop the tears.
"The ambulance is on the way," I heard Edward announce. His smooth voice and the coldness only vampires possessed were close as well as other sources of that cold. I felt them shuffle around me in a circle. I felt my brother and pack brother move directly beside me and wrap an arm around me. I couldn't decipher their words but I knew they spoke to me.
Then I felt fingers brushing the backs of my hands and my heart nearly burst. The caress was tender, fleeting, and familiar; the fingers not cold but not warm, like an in-between life and death temperature. Pulling my face from my hands, I looked into the most beautiful pair of eyes I ever saw. They were swirling with colors, like a kaleidoscope of different shades of hazel, gold and silver. I reached out and caressed the face that held those eyes, running my fingertips along the perfect slope of the nose, tracing the sculpted brows, grazing the soft, plump lips. The fingers that weren't quite the right temperature wrapped around my wrist in a loose grip.
"It's going to be okay, I promise," a familiar voice whispered from behind me. Shivers ran down my back, nothing like those of an oncoming phase.
Darkness began to pull at my consciousness. The grip on my wrist kept getting stronger as my hold on reality began to crumble.
"It's okay, don't be afraid," he whispered. Goosebumps crawled across my body as shadows danced in my narrowing field of vision. All that I could see somewhat clearly were those life altering eyes.
Everything began to fade further, the colors of those eyes were dimming and I couldn't feel anything except the spreading warmth that traveled from my shoulders to the tips of my fingers which I somehow remembered were still caressing that face.
The last thing that reached my conscious mind was the soft whisper that left those lips.
"Leah…"
Sometime yesterday after Leah left with Renesmee
Olivia's POV
"You're pushing yourself too hard!" Miranda yelled. The loud rush of blood pounding in my ears almost drowned her out, almost. "Slow down, Olivia!"
I ignored her, pumping my legs faster, pushing my limits passed anything else I ever attempted.
"Olivia!" I glanced at her, which was something very stupid to do. That small straying of attention caused me to slip on the treadmill, sending me skidding and screaming as the walking belt kept running. My head hit the control panel on my way down and the belt burned my skin as it dragged across my face.
"Fuck," I grumbled. By the slight sting on my cheek and forehead, I knew I didn't look so wonderful. "How bad do I look?"
"Well, Norman, or whatever the fuck his name is, sure wouldn't be pleased." She walked through the doorway and knelt down beside me with a frown. "No more being a dumbass, especially when you're alone." That was when she decided to finally look around the room and I braced myself. Her eyes took in the training room, pausing briefly each time she passed somewhere I obviously worked out. Anger began to ignite her emerald irises.
"Miranda-"
"We need to clean your face up so there's no chance of infection," she interrupted in an eerily calm voice. She gripped my upper arm and gently tugged me up along with herself. I gulped, terrified of the explosion hidden behind her composed demeanor.
We walked silently down the hall, making our way to the bathroom. Miranda opened the door and motioned me in, glancing up and down the hallway.
"Where're your mom and Ellie?"
"They're still at Redwood, probably checking in on Kurt," I replied quietly. She nodded, her frown deepening.
"Ellie's going to miss Monday's classes, I'll have Aiden drop off her assignments and any notes she missed out on." Her voice was smooth as she spoke, motioning me to sit on the toilet lid as she got out the first aid kit.
"Mom would appreciate that." Another quiet nod. "Miranda, it's not-"
"Don't." Her hair fell into her face, strands of her dark tresses hiding her angry green eyes. "Let's get this over with before we talk."
I didn't say anything more, just sat back and winced through the cleaning. Even though I knew my cousin was extremely angry, she kept her touch swift and gentle. Within only a few moments, my wounds were thoroughly cleaned and bandaged. When she finished, she clucked her tongue in satisfaction and leaned against the sink. A small sigh escaped her before she began speaking.
"Earlier, you looked like some fucker shanked your puppy in front of you then gutted it and fed the entrails to a mutant gator woman on her period. Now, on the other hand, you look as if you were the mutant gator woman, or at least when you were running you looked like that. What the fuck happened to you today?"
I dropped my eyes to my hands which were resting in my lap. I kept my gaze averted before I started talking.
"Miranda-"
"Look up at me." Slowly, I lifted my eyes to meet her own. "Continue."
I swallowed. "I think I figured out what's wrong." She lifted her brow and nodded, urging me on. "Her name's Leah, Leah Clearwater." When I said her name, a small flutter bloomed in my chest and warmed me for a second. What the hell was wrong with me?
"I'm not following," Miranda said, an edge of suspicion licking her livid tone.
"Ugh, I don't know how to explain it. I mean, when I see her, I feel… good and warm and safe. When we're by ourselves, I laugh until I practically piss myself. She's the best friend I've ever had and I've known her less than a year. I hate saying bye to her. I hate when Renesmee gets so fucking snug with her or when Alex makes all those crude comments about her body." What the hell was I saying?
"Oh shit," she gasped, gaping at me. "You're not fucking with me, are you?"
"Yes, Miranda, I totally am, because it's just so fun to mess with you when I'm obviously having some serious issues," I huffed, regaining an inkling of the anger I felt before.
"Well, then, I think it's obvious what's going on. You are developing intense, sapphic feelings for this Leah girl." The anger I heard in her voice before was absent.
"But I… I have a boyfriend." There was absolutely no way I had those types of feelings for her. "She's my best friend and I'm dating Nathan. Nathan is my boyfriend. I like it when he kisses me and holds me and lifts me off the…"
"If you say bed, I will kill you," she growled. A little, slightly hysterical laugh escaped my lips.
"Not the bed, but… shit, this isn't making any sense. I've never had any feelings like this for anyone, let alone a girl. I've never been attracted to one. I love you, Randy, but I don't… I'm not a… lesbian." I looked down again; I couldn't face her.
"What is it you're trying to keep from me?" my cousin asked gently. There were perks to having such a close friendship with someone; they knew you enough to ask something you wanted to avoid like the damn plague.
"Nathan doesn't lift me off the ground… or twirl me… Leah does."
Just then arms wrapped around me, engulfing me in a warm hug. I buried my face in her shoulder, taking deep breaths and trying not to cry out of frustration or pain. Once my breathing returned to normal, I turned my face and looked at her with a watery smile.
"This is the second time you've hugged me today," I said simply. She laughed, kissing the bandages over my temple before releasing her hold on me. The tears that welled up in her eyes didn't go unnoticed as I wiped at my own face.
"Don't get used to it," she teased. "Olivia, I get that you're scared, but being in denial won't help anything." Her tone was void of any teasing then. "When I first realized that what I felt wasn't what most people would say was normal, I freaked and went into major self-phobia as I call it. I hated myself for being different… I was ten, Olive, ten. When I came out to Mom, I was so scared, but I couldn't deny what I felt anymore. I was done pretending to be a big slut who jumped any guy who looked at me. Did you know I bullied the most beautiful girl ever because I had the hugest crush ever on her?" She shook her head in self-disgust, balling her hands into tight fists. "For eight years, I was the biggest bitch and I couldn't do that anymore."
"Miranda, I'm not a homophobe. I just know that I've seen enough naked girls in the showers to know that there's never any tingle… down there like there is when I see a hot guy with his shirt off."
She softened again as she looked at me. "Sweetie, you do know what a bisexual is, right?"
A blush exploded on my cheeks, spreading down my neck and reaching the tips of my ears.
"Yes," I hissed, my embarrassment written clearly all over my face.
"You could be bi," she said, obviously trying to fight a smile.
"You're not getting it. I have never felt anything for any girl at all. How could I be bi if that's the case?"
"It only takes one, Olivia. And it's not all about making your lady bits tingle, it's about feelings. Apparently, Leah makes you feel something more than Nor- I mean Nathan if you thought of the twirling. Look, don't be scared. I'm going to be here for you through it, okay?" The sincerity that rang in her voice was mirrored in her eyes.
"I love you, Randy; you're the best cousin ever."
She playfully punched my arm and shrugged. "I try." She turned to walk out the door before she glanced back at me. "Don't take out frustrations on exercise equipment again, okay? That shit's expensive and can seriously mess you up." With that finally addressed, she walked out of my bathroom and towards my living room.
"That wasn't what I was expecting," I confessed to my mirror, gazing at my image reflected there. I didn't look too bad with the bandages and such, but I thought of a mummy almost instantly.
"Nathan really won't be pleased," I huffed, following the path my cousin had just taken out of the small bathroom. I tried to ignore the voice in my mind wondering about Leah's reaction.
My cousin had plopped herself down on my favorite couch and reached for the remote on the coffee table in front of her. She glanced at me with a small grin lifting her lips and twinkle in her green eyes, before turning her attention to the television.
"What's that for?" I asked, quirking my brow as I did so. She just laughed and pat the cushion next to her.
"You'll see," she smirked. I bit my lip, slowly making my way beside her before sitting down. My cousin was well known for being able to come up with various ways of strange and unusual punishment.
"Randy," I said cautiously. Her smirk just grew as she clicked through the channels.
"Ya know, I love you and your amazing sister, who just so happens to have my taste in some wonderful shows."
"Riiiight," I nodded, drawing out the word as a sense of dread settled in my stomach. She wouldn't.
"I love that she remembers to schedule them on your DVR, that way I can catch up on episodes I haven't had time to watch before."
And just like that, realization hit me like a freight train but it was too late, Randy had a firm hold on my wrist and she was already on the DVR menu. I tried to squirm away and had a very brief second or two of pleading for mercy but she didn't budge.
"Randy, please, don't do this. They messed it up so badly; don't do this to me," I whimpered. It was no use, she hit the play button and my living room was filled with the upbeat narrator of my most favored and hated show.
"So here's what you missed on Glee…"
I groaned, covering my ears, closing my eyes and childishly chanting, 'la la la, I can't hear you!'
Miranda began laughing, tossing her head back and clutching her stomach.
"You deserve this!" she declared between guffaws. The death glare I shot her just made her laugh harder.
"I told you, I'm not watching it until Klaine and Brittana are officially back on! I vowed to leave the show alone until then!"
"Chill, it's a repeat episode we kept saved, it's I am Unicorn so calm your tits, Bicorn." I blushed at the nickname. "Oh shit! That should have been a dead giveaway! You didn't acknowledge it and I kept brushing it off but you ogled the hell out of HeMo and Nay-Nay as much as I did!"
"There are such things as girl-crushes, Unicorn. Plus, I don't have to be lez or bi in order to support such cute couples," I pouted.
"True, but I'm sure there's a part of you that recognizes what's going on. Like I said, you don't have to be afraid; I'll be there for you throughout this… journey. Just don't pull a Karofsky, kay?" Of course my cousin would pull a Glee reference.
"Whatever, just hush, HeMo is being cute."
"She sure is," Miranda winked.
We shared a giggle then sat back and watched a couple of episodes in relative silence. All the while my mind was chewing over my sexuality and wondering about certain raven haired beauty. My thoughts kept whirling around in my head and eventually we fell asleep on the couch.
"No!" I shrieked, jolting myself awake. My heart was hammering wildly in my chest as I kicked at blanket around my legs. "No, no, no, no, no, no," I mumbled to myself.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" my mom asked. Her soft blue-grey eyes held my gaze as she walked into my room. She had her shoulder length blonde hair pulled up in a sloppy bun and still managed to look as if she belonged on the catwalk in Milan.
"Where's Randy? I thought we fell asleep in the living room?" My voice was breathy, as if I just finished running a marathon. Her lips tugged down into a small frown.
"Sweetheart, don't you remember? When Ellie and I got home, we woke you up and you came in here and Miranda bunked in the guest room." She reached forward and ran her hand down the good side of my face. "She told me you had an accident in the E room." I winced at the memory and worried about my mom finding the room in ruins. "At least you're not that hurt and the room isn't in such bad shape."
Randy must've been the Super Cousin she was and cleaned up my mess. I owed her.
"What time is it?" I asked, yawning.
"It's six, so time to get ready for school." Thankfully she didn't go back to the what's wrong question.
I nodded and waited until she left my room. Once I was sure she was long gone, I threw myself back against my pillow and let out a long breath.
"I fucking hate nightmares," I told my pillow. My heart was still beating a little too fast as I got up to get dressed. "It's a 'fuck it all' day today." I hastily gathered some sweatpants and a decent looking plain t-shirt.
"I call the shower first!" I yelled, hoping Ellie wouldn't protest.
"Shut up, Bellatrix, I'm trying to sleep!" was the annoyed reply as I made my way to the bathroom.
Once I was in, I went to the shower and ran the water, slowly stripping out of my clothes and looking at myself in the mirror as I gingerly took off my bandages. The gasp of surprise that left my lips was inevitable as I gazed at my reflection. While the gauzy material of the bandages held light traces of blood, my face looked as if I just got a wicked sunburn.
"What the actual fuck. This can't be real life." Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I stepped into the warm water and lost myself in the sensation. It felt as if Le- "Stop thinking about her when you're trying to relax," I admonished myself. "Especially when you're naked."
I spent the rest of my shower trying not to think of her or the creepy images I awoke with at the forefront of my mind this morning.
When I stepped out of the bathroom my mom tossed my backpack at me. Her smile was sheepish as she ran around the kitchen and living room in a flurry.
"Sorry, Hun, I'm in a rush today and need to borrow your car," she explained as she snatched up some toast and grabbed for my keys that hung on the hook under my name.
"Sure thing, mom, no worries, I'll just catch the bus."
"Don't be silly," she said, walking towards the front door. "I'll drop you off since I'm pretty sure you never eat breakfast here anyway." She waved me forward and I knew there was no use in arguing so I just followed her out the door and to my car.
"Buckle up, honey," my mom instructed as she backed out of our driveway.
"I know mom," I answered in the typical whiny voice I knew annoyed her, but in a good way. As expected, she rolled her eyes with a soft chuckle.
"You're lucky I love you so much, twerp."
"It's sooo obvious you do with such amazing terms of endearment," I replied with light sarcasm.
"Do you want to keep this playful banter or do you wanna hear about your father and brother?"
"Okay, okay, how are they doing?" I asked, dropping all hints of sarcasm from my voice.
"They went out hiking and we didn't catch them before they left."
I burst out laughing, nearly choking on my own saliva as I tried to calm myself. "You're kidding, right mom?"
"I kid you not, they went camping." The smile in her voice was understandable. My brother was not the camping type; he was more into sports and videogames.
We spent the entire trip coming up with different scenarios of my dad and brother running into trouble while out in the wild. When we pulled into school I felt much better.
I bid my mom a brief goodbye before looking around. The parking lot was only semi occupied; there were still quite a few empty parking spaces. I grinned seeing my spot empty; everyone knew where not to park. I had endless patience with most things but messing with my parking spot was a big no-no.
"You mother fucker! Stop!" someone yelled. I turned and saw a burly guy barreling towards me. "He has a knife!"
I was frozen in place as he rammed into me, stabbing at my side as he did so. I fell in slow motion, watching the guy's back as he continued to run away.
Flashes of my nightmare ran through my mind. Dark, angry and frantic eyes locking with my own. Smooth skin only marred by a single scar. Straight white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. Frightened statues. Shadows dancing around me. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood. Blood.
"This isn't real life," I said as blood began to spill from my mouth. My voice sounded so weak and hoarse. I closed my eyes, unable to manage the energy to keep them open. My mind reeled and it felt like only seconds before I felt my body tingle all over. Without opening my eyes, I knew she was kneeling beside me. I felt her crying next to my body. My slowing heart skipped a beat when I heard her angelic voice filled with such desperation.
"Where the fuck is an ambulance? Someone get help, now!" 'Now' was punctuated with low growl. "Move back! Give her some fucking room you stupid-"
Whatever else she was going to say was lost to the sobs I felt rocking her body.
Someone said something about an ambulance coming and I knew it was like in my dream. I knew that I was surrounded in my own life blood. She was crying because of me.
The need to comfort her was overpowering, giving me enough strength to open my eyes and reach out to her. The second my fingers touched her skin pain erupted from my wound. 'Shouldn't I have felt pain earlier, like when I actually got stabbed?'
Her dark, gorgeous eyes met mine and I saw into her heart which eased the sting. The beauty laid out before me was utterly astounding. My mind raced to find words good enough to describe the splendor she showed me and before I understood what was happening, she was touching me. Her fingers tenderly ran along my skin, sending tingles shooting throughout my body.
She gave me energy through her caress. Before I realized what I was doing, my hand was holding on to her wrist. Her eyes widened with apparent shock and her hand stilled, frozen on my cheek.
Our gazes remained locked on each other as strength began to blossom within me. My hold on her got a little more firm and I felt strong enough to possibly say something. There was only one main thing I wanted to say and I felt closer to my goal of speaking.
"Leah," I breathed as my consciousness finally decided to falter and send me spiraling into a dark abyss.
My mind screamed with fear because I knew something really significant was going to happen that could kill me but the worst part was I couldn't tell her exactly what I wanted to.
I do believe I am beginning to sort of remember where I was going with this... cross your fingers, folks.
