Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. I am only putting my spin on Stephenie Meyer's already created world of the supernatural.
Warnings: Violence/Gore, mentions/attempt of suicide and character deaths
"Are we still on tonight for the marathon?" Quil asked over the phone, Claire singing along to a kids' song in the background.
"I never agreed to that."
"Aw, come on, Leah! You had fun at the concert and you'll have fun doing this."
The concert was fun, except for the part about the age restriction we'd found out about after getting there. A guy asked to see our IDs and Quil's first resort was trying to pawn me off to get inside. It worked, but at a price. Me, punching Quil so hard in the arm that his shoulder almost came out of its socket. Also, some pervert in San Fransisco had my number.
Coming home after the concert was less chaotic, but I'd had to hightail it back to the reservation. Sam had slept at my mom's with Emily that first night. After that, the house only had the patrol to keep them safe. I'd ended up driving all night again.
Two members of the pack were always to patrol the reservation now. Sam made it one of our official pack rules, for the time being. I'd just missed that conversation since I was moving out of the Cullens' at the time.
"I'd rather be hunting down the rogue vampire than watching some marathon of a show that I don't even like."
He gasped, the sound coated with static. "Blasphemy! Everyone likes Firefly. See, this is exactly why I wanted Seth to come."
"Apparently, he is. He changed his mind and he's bringing his professor."
"Uh, his professor? Quick question, she hot?"
I rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Seth likes his new professor and wants to introduce him to us. By the way, my mom needs help with a PowerPoint presentation she's making for the tribal council. We'll have to tune into the marathon late."
Quil let out an excessively long sigh. "Fine."
"I have a life, you know."
"We never had to deal with stuff like this when Jake was around," he grumbled.
"Yeah, well, Jake doesn't have a life."
Quil and I cackled quietly into the phone at Jacob the Absentee's expense. "Alright, I gotta play hide and seek. Text me when we're good to come over. Bye."
"Will do. Bye." I hung up my phone and tucked it into my jeans' pocket. Then I pulled it back out again to text Emily and make sure she was good at home.
With the threat of the vampire, the pack was on the lookout for each other and each other's families. Sam had glued Emily to my side after I came home the day before yesterday. All I'd had to protect her from so far was dehydration and starvation. She'd forget to eat and drink while planning her wedding. I'd already had lunch with her today, and Sam looked out for my mom since they were both on the tribal council.
Fortunately, we didn't have to worry about the younger members of the pack too much. After the newborn fight, we all agreed Seth could take care of himself. Even though Collin and Brady were still newbies, Seth didn't get called one anymore. He watched over Collin and his parents often, even doing his homework at their house. Brady lived in the middle of the reservation, though. According to our latest discovery, he was the safest out of all of us.
We'd found a pattern in the vampire's movements. It stuck to the outside of the reservation, using the water to hide and drown its scent for a while. Jared's house was the one that had gotten most of the attention. Weirdly, no new scents or tracks had appeared since I'd come back. I wondered if it had to anything to with my house staying unbothered—except for the strange scent.
And, as it turned out, no one could smell the odd scent in my room. Long story short, we ruled it out as a threat with a lukewarm promise to come back to it later. I couldn't blame them for the lack of urgency. Nothing threatening had happened, no one was hurt.
To be honest, I'd started to doubt the scent was ever real. It was easy to doubt yourself, to doubt your own instincts. I'd gotten very good at it since knowing Edward. I'd become an Olympic-level second-guesser.
And that was the first time I'd thought of Edward's name without being hit with a pang of despair.
No, hold on... Never mind, it'd just been a delayed reaction. It struck me as I picked my work clipboard back up. I had the job of taking inventory today.
Boring as it was, working was a distraction I actually got paid for, so I was happy to have my old job back. Mrs. Cameron had welcomed me back to the gift shop with open arms. Some of the heavier boxes were hard on her back, so I took it upon myself to take care of that for her on my first shift back. Jared was forced to thank me for it since I'd saved him from having to come in and do work for his mom. That was the way Mrs. Cameron had put it: I'd "saved" him.
Bright spot of my week. Well, it was until I'd thought of who I wanted to call and tell all about it.
Three days. How could three days had made all the impact of three years? I'd spent last night alone, under the moon, remembering how lovely cold could be. My mourning was so consistent that it had become a practical joke in the pack to "read my mind" even in human form. Everyone knew he occupied any empty space in my mind. They tried to make me laugh about it, to help cheer me up.
It never worked.
I'd taken to hiding when the thought of him grew to be too big in my head for me to stand. It could happen once or twice a day. I always visited water, like I'd somehow find him there. The Hoh River was full of my tears.
Emily would get scared whenever I went off for any amount of time without telling anyone where I was going. Not because of the rogue vampire, but because of her theory. The only shapeshifters we knew of who'd gotten rejected by their imprints died in the following weeks. "Of heartbreak," Emily had claimed without an ounce of doubt.
I should be so lucky.
My phone blasted Rosalie's ringtone from my uniform's vest pocket, making me jump. The evilest part of me let the call go straight to voicemail and the second it stopped ringing, I felt awful. I reached to take out of my pocket and call Rosalie back, but it rang again before I could.
She never called twice if I didn't pick up the first time. She'd just resort to texting me.
I flipped open my phone and held it to my ear. "Hey."
"It's worse than we thought." Five simple words molded my sorrow into dread.
Anxiety also rattled in my bones, making me all jittery. "What's worse? Is it Bella? Did you find her? What's wrong? Oh God, did she actually fall in front of a speeding car?"
"What? No," she replied with a clear note of annoyance. "I haven't even found her yet, but the Volturi has. They made contact with me today." Some wind whistled through her speaker. "You need to have the kid email the mongrel so he knows not to phase."
"They know where Bella is and you're worried about Jacob?" It was a second before I realized I was an idiot. "You're not worried about Jake. You're worried about me."
She hesitated, scaring the hell out of me. "They saw the mutt. They smelled him and recognized the scent from the newborn battle."
The battle seemed like it had been decades ago now. I couldn't wrap my head around how all this had happened in less than a month. But there were more important things to process than the passing of time and lack thereof.
"Are they watching the two now?"
"Naturally, they're keeping tabs. I know they're at least checking up on them every so often." She hissed and a scraping noise came through the phone. "He needs to know he can't phase."
It would be easy enough to get Embry to email Jacob without spilling the beans. The real question was whether Jacob would listen or not. Jacob liked phasing and wouldn't understand that if he did, it would land him in a meeting with the Volturi. Or maybe he'd even try to fight them if they attempted to force a meeting and sentence the pack to death.
God, I hoped he'd listen to someone else for once in his life. If he didn't phase, the Volturi wouldn't care. There wasn't anything otherwise interesting or notable about Jacob Black.
"Aro is likely already aware of their presence. Alice attempted to call me about it, but I hung up on her—"
"You hung up on her? The seer who wants to help us?" I asked, cutting in on her ridiculous sentence.
"Yes, because I have to tell you something." Her voice had become grave and quiet, gaining that serious tone I hated hearing from her. "I would like to preface this well-kept secret by saying it's seriously not a big deal unless you make it one. Or unless he phases."
I leaned back against the display case that made up the top half of the cashier's counter. I didn't have anywhere to sit down, so leaning was my only option. "One-to-ten, how bad does this secret become if Jake phases?"
"In the absolute worst possible situation? Like, if he phased and also fought and maybe even killed someone? …Ten."
I wanted to face-palm, but I worried I'd overdo it in my stress and break a bone or two. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"Right now, it's a one. Let's take a step back and appreciate the fact that it's not a ten. It's never going to be a ten." The metal knot in my stomach started to soften and unravel. "But, just in case, I need to tell you about a member of the Volturi Carlisle has been avoiding discussing with you."
"Caius." The name always created shadows on their faces.
"Yes. I'm about to give you a bit of a history lesson on Caius, one of the three heads of the Volturi." She continued at a slower pace like she was choosing each word as she came to it. "There used to be people sort of like you. Children of the Moon, who were true werewolves rather than shapeshifters. That difference matters to Aro."
"But it wouldn't matter to Caius?"
She released a heavy sigh. My brain imagined the sickly sweet scent of her depressed breath. "These children—these werewolves were vicious and mindless under a full moon. What made them so terrible to my kind was the fact that they naturally sought out vampires. It was like it had been coded into these indestructible killing machines to seek us out."
"Any other creatures out there I should know about?" I asked, my voice coming out cold and sharp.
She gave a frustrated huff. "As far as I know, there are two different types of dogs, vampires, and then humans. And I only found out about the werewolves recently, from Carlisle. Most vampires don't even know about them, it was so long ago."
Could it have been a werewolf that had been what was in my room? That could explain the unrecognizable scent. It still didn't explain how the scent didn't lead anywhere, including outside.
Ok, focus. "Where are the werewolves now?"
"See," Rosalie started, hesitating again. "I would love to say that with age and experience, they grew disciplined or even cured themselves. This, however, is not the case. One attacked Caius. They're all dead now. Any surviving few are living on borrowed time."
For how hard my heart was slamming in my chest, I responded with a deceivingly calm, "That's not what a girl wants to hear."
"Now, it's supremely unlikely he finds out about you. Aro deems you a non-threat, so he hasn't even told him about you. But if he were to discover you after the devilish dog attacks one of his guardsmen—"
"Got it." I got it all too well, understood it with too perfect of a clarity. "Ok. Potential threat. Why didn't you guys tell me about it sooner?"
"Well, we thought you wouldn't take it well. We decided to only mention it if became a real danger—"
"So, it's a real danger?"
She rushed to fix her mistake. "No, no. It's not, but I wanted you to know. You deserve to know why I'm telling you the dog shouldn't phase."
This was what I got for praying for more distractions. "Ok. But it's a one, so let's keep it a one."
"Yes. Let's. And let us also not tell Edward about the Volturi knowing where Bella is. If he knew, he'd race off to find her, like an idiot."
"Why's chasing after someone you love idiotic?"
"Has no one told you?" She asked, sounding doubtful. "Aro wishes to recruit Alice and Edward. If either of them—or worse, both—step foot in Europe, they have to visit him." Rosalie paused and I waited for her to continue. "Don't you get it yet?"
"Get what?"
"If Aro got his hands on any of us, he would see you, Leah. He'd see you." I didn't understand why it was a big deal, but the way she said it sent a chill down my spine.
"So? If he kills me, he kills me."
A bitter, sharp laugh came through the phone, almost painful to listen to. "Kill the only woman shapeshifter who imprinted on a vampire? Ooh, and it's a vampire he favors? No, he couldn't possibly let you die." Her tone was mocking and bitter, crueler than I'd ever heard it. "He would keep you, for so many reasons. You would be his prized pet, forever." This was the one time I didn't appreciate Rosalie's blunt approach with me.
I couldn't get off of the call fast enough. "Ok, good to know. Not a big deal. Keep looking. Bye."
"Leah—" I hung up before she could finish her thought.
The phone creaked inside my tight fist as I considered telling Sam about Caius. What would it help? We all already knew about the Volturi and we all knew we were safer with them not knowing about us. Telling them about the ticking time-bomb with no wires to cut seemed pointless. As long as Jacob didn't phase while he was there, the pack was golden, and I was sure he'd listen to Embry.
I was the real problem. Story of my life. I could sit still and hold my breath and close my eyes and chaos would ensue. Why? Because I didn't cause problems, I was the problem. Edward wasn't even associating with me anymore and I was putting his life in jeopardy. The bond would pull him to not want to leave me alone if Aro got to me. If push came to shove, I could unintentionally take him down with me. I was doomed to.
I would collapse like a dying star and drag everyone to burn with me. No one could resist the pull of my disastrous nature, the inescapable force of me. The human blackhole.
But I'd be damned if I didn't do everything I could to try and protect the pack on my way out.
I flipped back open my cell and dialed Embry. "Yellow," he answered, laughter and background conversations muffling his voice. "Hey, tell Quil he's missing out."
"Later. Email Jake right now and tell him he can't phase. Tell him that if he does, we'll all die, including Bella." I wasn't sure Bella would die, but I also wasn't sure Jacob prioritized the pack's safety over Bella's.
"Whoa, what're you talking about, Lee? Should I grab Sam? We can leave the cookout right now." The playful tone that had him sounding like his age was gone. I felt horrible for ruining his fun, but this had to take priority.
"Nope, no need. Just send that email and everything will be fine."
The calmness of my voice seemed to fool him. "If you say so, second. I'll run home real quick."
"Great. Bye." I hung up and squatted down, supporting myself by gripping onto the edge of the display case. Sickness stirred my stomach, making my mouth water.
Could it be a member of the Volturi that had been hiding within the trees of our land? Was that why Esme had reacted so oddly to the news? She definitely knew who it was—she and Carlisle both knew. A member of the Volturi would also be careful not to feed, so as not to alert the pack…but we'd already been alerted. Wouldn't the Volturi not want us to know we were being watched at all?
Carlisle had told me the story of the Romanian coven one early morning when Edward was still at Bella's. The Volturi accumulated power under their noses and created a coven full of gifted vampires. Once they felt ready, they struck fast and hard without warning. The Volturi took down the most influential coven in the world in a day. Carlisle had called it "the fastest massive war in known history". So, I got the feeling we wouldn't know they were watching or even coming until they were here.
I wished I could go back to being sixteen and clueless.
"Excuse me, miss." A man's voice interrupted my incoming anxiety attack and I stood back up.
I didn't recognize him, I'd never seen his face before. But his eyes were a harmless blue and he smelled normal. A little nice, actually. Nothing was abnormal or special about him. Nothing to worry about, thank God.
I tucked my phone away in a pocket and brushed my bangs back behind my ears. "How can I help you, sir?"
"I'm sorry, are you alright? You're pale."
"Oh, I'm fine. Had bad noodles for lunch so I'm a little queasy, but my shift ends soon, so." I put on a smile to be more convincing. "What can I do for you today?"
He dropped it easy enough. "Is this a gift shop?" He asked, his very blue eyes shifting around the store.
"It is, it just doubles as a mini-mart. You can get souvenirs and your groceries here."
"Oh, well I was looking for a nice bouquet and a box of sweets. I tried to find an actual flower shop, but I kept getting lost," the man explained with a foreign lilt to his voice.
British? We didn't get many Englishmen on the reservation, but that didn't mean anything. This wasn't something I needed to overthink.
"Flower shop," I repeated as I grabbed the notepad from beside the cash register. "One sec."
I used the pen I'd tucked behind my ear to draw him directions to Pauline's little store. He was smart to come here. Even though we didn't get many visitors, since we worked at a gift shop, we had to be able to help lost tourists.
"We may not have flowers here but we do have some stunning, authentic dreamcatchers. Handmade jewelry is toward the back, too, if you wanna buy some for family or a loved one." Mrs. Cameron's biggest rule was to never let a customer walk out empty-handed.
What makes a customer a customer? According to Mrs. Cameron, "anyone who walks into the store". I'd made her laugh by offering to sell her two pairs of sunglasses for the price of one since it was sunny out that day.
"My sister may like some, but I've no other loved ones to speak of."
"Well, I own a few sets of earrings back there, myself. I'm wearing one now." I brushed my hair back behind my ear, keeping my eyes on the notepad. "They're pretty and I'm sure your sister would love a pair."
He blew out a sigh. "She did ask me to bring something back."
I finished the directions, looking back up at the man only to find he was staring at me instead of anything in the store. "Here ya go." I slid the map over to him, across the glass.
It was better not to touch the customers. It only took one insisting I should go to the hospital for my fever to teach me that lesson.
As he picked up the piece of paper, I examined him thoroughly, just to be safe. There wasn't anything unusual about him, no matter how hard I looked. He just seemed flustered, his slender, pale pink lips moving as he scanned the map.
His gaze flicked up, back to me, a faint smirk on his face. "I take it that I'm not the first newcomer to get lost and come to you."
"Not even close."
"Beautiful map. I may pin it up." He creased the map in half and stowed it in his jeans' pocket. "Evidence of my idiocy, exhibit A."
I managed a wavering smile. "Great name."
"I thought so." He smiled back and then tapped the counter's display case. "Please, tell me about these, erm, carvings here. They're gorgeous."
"The great thing about these is that we put tiny pieces of paper in a hole hidden in the bottom. They all contain words from our language, so you get to take a piece of Quileute with you when you go." I unlocked the case from my side, pulling out the most expensive carving. "A lot of people who found out their heritage like to take these home."
"I see," he said, taking the large bear statuette I offered to him. "I quite like this one—I believe my sister would enjoy it, actually."
"You've mentioned her a couple of times. Is she not here with you?"
He kept examining the bear as he answered, "She's back home, quite busy with her studies."
"What brings you here?"
"I wanted to visit the beach while the sun is out, but since I'm meeting someone later today, I thought I'd pick up a bouquet." His eyes focused on me again and his lips pulled into a wide, handsome smile. "Thank goodness I did. Otherwise, I would have been very late."
"Yeah. I guess things work out sometimes." As long as you weren't me.
He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket after spotting the tiny price-tag on the wooden statuette. "Keep the change," he said as he placed two hundred bills on the counter.
"Uh, it's only one-twenty-five. Are you sure?"
He smiled, crinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes. It seemed like the blue of his irises only deepened the longer I looked at them. I would've found them pretty before I met Edward.
"I'm sure. I'm hoping to brighten your day."
It was nice to get nice customers. I could appreciate that, despite everything. "Would you like a bag?" I asked him as I stored the bills in the cash drawer.
"Yes, please."
"I'll give you one of the nicer ones. It's technically a gift-bag, but since it's for your sister, I figure that's fine." I grabbed a silver gift-bag, and two sheets of green tissue paper. I hesitated to ask my next question, but I was curious if I knew who he was buying the bouquet for. "Who's the lucky lady you're buying flowers for?"
"I haven't met her yet." I pushed the bag over to him, barely avoiding his fingers since he reached up to grab it. "If she's half as beautiful as you, I'll be very glad to meet her."
I fumbled the carving, my reflexes saving me at the last moment. When I looked up at the man, he was smiling again, looking almost bashful. I put the bear in the bag with care as I said, "Thank you for the—…the, uh—"
"Compliment?"
"Yes. Here." I pushed the bag across to him. "Thanks."
He backed toward the door. "Not at all. Thank you for all your help. This is easily the best place I've ever gotten lost."
"Feel free to come back soon, overpaying customer." He smiled and I found myself giving the tiniest smile back. "Have a good day."
"You, too." He left easy, glancing back at me from over one of his broad shoulders as he walked out of the door.
Once he left, I crumpled again, waiting for my watch to beep so I could go home. When my shift ended, I left before my coworker had even arrived to take my place. I ran home.
I was ready to go scream into my pillows to relieve just an ounce of pressure from my back, but I couldn't. My mom needed help with her presentation and I'd promised I would help.
Two hours later and we were finally done. "It's great, Mom. You're gonna get the promotion."
"I'd better," she muttered under her breath as she took off her reading glasses. "You ok, Leah? You're pale."
"I'm ok." And immediately after I uttered the lie, tears started running down my face. "Allergies."
She gasped, wiping my face with careful fingers. "You don't have allergies, silly girl. Come here." I bent over so she could hug me from the computer chair. She stood up after a moment to lead me to the couch we'd had since I was five. "Tell me what it is."
"I don't know. I can't tell anymore, it seems like it's all running together into one unbearable disaster. All the bad karma from torturing Sam and Emily—"
"Stop that. You were hurt and you made bad decisions. We all do that. You're not any worse than me or anyone else on this earth." She took my chin in her grip, forcing me to look at her. "Is it Edward?"
"I mean, it's always him, but it's so much more than that now. It's like it's everything—and I don't know what I'm doing, ever, and I never do it right. The one thing I do know is that I'm bound to make some new, big mistake soon because that's what I do. And don't ask me why I'm like this because I don't know. I don't know, I'm out of answers and reasons and I'm so tired, Mom."
Her eyes had widened while I spoke, tears brimming in her bottom eyelids. "Oh, Leah." She took my face in her hands, her touch gentle and warm. "I wish I knew what to say. Your father always knew how to make you feel better, but all I know is how to hurt with you."
"Ok," I said, nodding. "Let's just hurt together for a little while."
"Ok."
She grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it around us. Our hands found each other under the heavy weave of the green blanket and she pulled me even closer. All I could do was hold onto her hands and pray. Pray again, even though my other prayers were only answered cruelly.
By the time the tears stopped running down my numb face, I couldn't breathe through my nose. But I kept hanging on and praying.
Please, please spare me. For once, I would like to not have the worst possible thing happen. Please, grant me some solution, some end to—
Of course. I knew what I had to do. "If you knew the only way to be happy was by doing something stupid and dangerous, would you?"
"What do you mean?"
I sat up, looking at her as I said, "I have a chance to keep myself safe and happy for the rest of my days. If I don't take that chance now, something very bad might happen to me."
"You're scaring me, honey. Tell me what's going on."
"I promise I'll tell you later, so please just answer my question."
I could tell she didn't want to answer. It took her a long time to say what we both already knew was the truth. "Yes, I would." She brought me back into her arms, holding on tight.
The two of us settled into a soothing quiet, the tension slowly leaving her arms as I stayed put. Even if it was a false peace, it was still nice to sit there and share it with her. I listened to her heartbeat and how our breathing would fall in and out of sync. Things would change soon, one way or another, but right now everything was ok. Seth was healthy and safe and my mom was, too. Edward would be back to pure bliss soon, too. Bella's return was imminent.
Seth came back from his summer school after a while and when he saw us cuddling on the couch, he didn't ask any questions. He dropped his backpack and climbed under the blanket with us, sandwiching me between the two of them. It seemed like all three of us needed a hug with no explanation.
No moment could last forever, though.
"Guys...I'm sorry, but I farted."
"Seth!" Mom yelled and smacked him with a pillow. He laughed and then decided it was smart to hit me with a pillow.
It became a full-blown pillow fight of epic proportions. Collin heard from his house and inserted himself into the fight, but I was fine with it. It gave me an excuse to smack him around—with a pillow, but still. Mom laughed so hard she cried when I kept using my grip on Seth's neck to push him into the pillow in my other hand. I had to stop because she was making me laugh too hard and Seth fell onto his side. He was pretending to be dead while he grinned, chuckles bubbling out of him.
Collin swore vengeance on Seth's behalf. I won about fifteen seconds after that.
Mom got up to pour some lemonade for us after the "fearsome" battle was over. Collin and Seth got caught up in a conversation about a pack-wide pillow war. I slipped away without any trouble or questions.
I checked my watch while I was on the porch. Carlisle would be getting off work soon, but since he had to drive back from work, I figured I had enough time. He also wouldn't be able to tell that I'd been in the lab, either, because my scent didn't linger among the harsh chemicals long after I visited.
I could get the vials. The biggest concern was how fast he would find out I had them. The clock was ticking, so I took off my watch and my shirt and ran into the woods. I'd worry about the rest later.
Jared and Paul were on patrol when I phased.
If you can find a way to take away shapeshifting, go for it. Paul had never wanted to phase. He hated not being able to get pissed off without becoming a monster.
It's not safe, but sometimes you have to take risks. We won't tell Sam unless you sound weird on your next patrol, Jared thought.
Why would he support me?
I don't like you, but that doesn't mean I want that fate for you. The pack will be ok, especially since you lied about Bella being in danger. Jake won't phase. So, this is just about you. Do what you gotta do, second. Paul and I'll only patrol together to keep the secret.
For sure, Paul thought in agreement. Go for it, Leah. You can survive anything anyway. It's almost like higher powers want you to live.
If that's true, then I'm being kept alive to get tortured.
Well, let's hope you do die then. If you did, I'd get to be second again. Win-win situation. Luckily for Jared, he was only joking.
Luckily for me, I'd phased with the only two people in the pack who'd support my decision to take the therapies.
We talked about what they'd seen patrolling, how the vampire's scent was still faint. I also caught up on what they'd been doing the past three days. Paul had been trying new soda concoctions. Jared had started coming into Kim's room at night to sleep half the night next to her. He worried about her with a vampire on the loose.
Weird, I thought as I approached the mountain lab. It had taken me nine minutes at full speed to get there. I don't even smell Carlisle.
Carlisle visited the lab every morning, so there was always at least a faint scent. No scent at all was alarming.
Do you remember them planning a trip?
Ignore Paul's stupid question and check the road for scents of their cars.
I trotted out to the road, taking a long sniff. There was definitely gas and lots of it. Diesel, too. It seemed like they'd taken their cars out days ago. I was guessing they hadn't come back, either. It was sunny today. Where could they be?
I'll check in with you guys later. I phased back before either could reply.
The house was empty when I walked up to it, so I couldn't resist going inside. Their door was unlocked, as always, so the real difficulty of going inside was dealing with the stench. I'd lost my resistance to their smell, so my eyes watered as I forced myself to go inside.
No signs of a struggle. All their scents were old. They couldn't have been around for at least a full day—maybe two. A quick peek in the dishwasher exposed the dirty dishes no one had run since I'd left.
Worry convinced me to check the second level of the house. I went to Rosalie's and Emmett's room. I threw open his closet to see a bunch of empty hangers. I checked for his suitcase and it was gone.
They'd decided to travel?
I went to Edward's room, opening his closet, too. A lot of his shirts and sweaters were missing, along with his suitcase. When I turned back around, I spotted a book on his neatly made bed. It was open, face-down like he got interrupted while reading it and thought he'd come back soon.
They had to leave the house fast and of their own will, but it wasn't planned. Had an emergency happened? Wouldn't they have told Rosalie who would've then told me? This whole thing didn't seem right.
Hoping to get a clue of where they went, I picked up the book Edward had left behind. It was the book I'd chosen out of his bookshelf on my first night in his room. It was even on the page I'd randomly turned to.
And smack-dab in the middle of the poem was a drawing of my eyes. From the arch of the eyebrows to the almost-black irises, they were my eyes staring back at me. Around them, he'd sketched blossoms, flowers that bloomed from the corners of my eyes.
He missed me. I couldn't let myself think it meant anything more than that. But I couldn't convince myself that it meant anything less. I couldn't minimize it or pretend like it didn't mean anything. It meant something. Deep down, it always meant something. Maybe he'd even left it out, hoping that I'd see it.
Rosalie's words echoed back into my head.
There was a part of him whispering for me.
What if it wasn't a whisper anymore? I could call him. I could use the landline and dial the number I memorized a while ago. What if I agreed with him that Bella wasn't coming? What if I promised that I would instead?
A whole lifetime played out in my head. He would hold my hand as we ran through the years together. When I couldn't run anymore, he would hold me and carry me with him. We'd be by each other's sides, always. The last thing I would see with old eyes would be his face before I went to join my dad.
Then a more realistic life trampled all over the warm fantasies of a life of sweetness and cold hands. One where Aro stroked my hair and trailed bruises down my neck just to watch them heal. One where Edward, out of guilt, joined me. One where I had to watch the gold slowly turn red, blood dripping down pale cheeks like tears.
I didn't call Edward.
Rosalie ended up having pants in her room that I found when I was looking for something to wear. They were silk, but they beat a skirt or any of her many, many dresses. I put on a sequined camisole that I found in the first drawer I pulled open. As I was leaving, I noticed I was tracking dirty footprints through the house. It didn't matter, though. They wouldn't be back in time to see what I was doing or stop me. There were too many clothes missing for them to be back anytime soon.
Climbing up the jagged mountain was still hell in these stupid pants. A skirt may have been better, after all. It took me an extra two minutes to make it to the spot where the hidden entrance was. I lifted the heavy, camouflaged door and peeked down the long way to the bottom of the ladder.
Goosebumps ripped along my skin when I locked eyes with one pissed off little pixie. "Caught ya," Alice whispered, her eyes narrowed into menacing slits.
I couldn't think of anything else to say except for, "You're not supposed to be here."
"No, you're not supposed to be here. I even told Rose to tell you not to come, not that it would've stopped you even if she had. Now, move because I'm coming up."
I dodged out of the way as she shot up, flying a foot or two above the ground before landing on her pointed flats. The ribbons that tied the shoes to her feet trembled with the impact of her landing. The skirt of her dress fluttered around her legs like gentle butterfly wings in the breeze. It made the fury in her eyes that much scarier in comparison.
"Would you like to explain yourself first, Leah Clearwater?" She placed her hands on her hips. Her tone reminded me of my mom's when she'd find out I played hooky in high school.
"I just want to end this, Alice." I sounded tired. I was tired. "Don't you?"
She used the tip of her toes to close the entrance. A slight flick of her foot sent the door screeching shut, the slam of it echoing. "Yes, but not at any cost."
"You've seen the cost? You know what'll happen if I take the therapies?"
"That explains Carlisle's guilt," she mumbled to herself. "Yes, Leah, I know what happens. I also know Rose told you about Aro and Caius. I knew she'd be the trigger and that's why I've been living in this Godforsaken, bland lab since you moved out."
"Well? What happens? Is it good and you stayed behind to help me?"
"I stayed to warn you. You die, Leah. We attend your funeral."
"My funeral," I repeated, and then laughed like some unstable maniac. Better to laugh than to cry again, though. "Is it nice?"
"This is serious. Edward kneels over your grave after everyone leaves, he's despondent with grief. Rose has disappeared. Carlisle and I are having a discussion where he blames himself. He says he didn't lock up the lab tight enough." She put her foot on top of the door, the act seeming too graceful for the cracks it created in the stone concealing the metal. "If you do this, you don't just die. You hurt everyone."
It took me less than a second to respond, "But if I succeed, I'll be letting everyone off the hook. I have to at least try."
She gave a fragile sigh and covered her face as she mumbled, "You're way more exhausting than Bella. I'll give you that."
"I'm not trying to be exhausting. I'm trying to take action."
"You're certainly taking your life into your own hands."
"Yeah, well, I'd rather do something and live a short life than stand around doing nothing for eternity. And this is my choice, Alice. This is what I want to do." This was what I had to do.
"Why?"
"Because if Aro finds out about me, he won't let it go. And he'd find me eventually, right? I'd have to deal with all of it eventually."
My question stalled her, making her response time drastically slow. In the end, after what must've been a full minute, she said, "Choose your future wisely, Leah. You've been warned."
"Death is better than being a pawn for a coven that embodies everything I despise in the world."
"Even a hard life is better than no life at all." Her eyes changed, growing old as she looked off into the distance. "There's always a chance to change your life until you lose it."
She ran off before I could think of anything to say, back toward the house. Would she packing to go join her family where they were? Would she tell Edward? Carlisle?
I opened the door to the lab, waiting to see if she turned back around to fight me, after all. She didn't, so I jumped down.
Getting in the room with the vials was a cinch since I could fit into the vents. The hard part came when I saw two new sets of vials that had been made in my absence. Carlisle had been a busy bee.
There was a murky, viscous purple fluid that smelled like spoiled prunes in one new set of vials. The second new set was a radioactive green and had the consistency of water in its vials. I couldn't describe the smell of them, it was like he'd created a new chemical with the batch. It was difficult to decide which one was less deadly.
I ended up picking the purple set of vials since they at least smelled like something that existed. They also held a saccharine scent that sort of reminded me of Edward. When I climbed back out of the lab with the vials in a barf-bag, Alice was there with a pair of heels and a different shirt for me.
"Want me to drive you home?" She asked sweetly, her skin glittering as the cloud that'd been blocking the sun passed us.
I shook my head, letting her fix my bangs after I'd pulled off the shirt I'd been wearing. "I'll be late for this marathon thing that's happening."
"I'll run with you. I can carry your clothes and vials." I put on the top as she folded the other one I'd had on. "Perfect. Now, take it all off because you're not allowed to ruin these."
"You really wanna come with me?"
"You're still my friend, Leah. Even if you make awful decisions." She didn't seem that bothered by the prospect of my death anymore, though. "Hurry up. I have my own things to tend to after our run."
I tugged the pants down, handing them to her before I slipped out of the shirt she'd picked for me. I guessed, "The event?"
"The event," she confirmed, her smile softening even more at the mention of it. One day, I would squeeze what it was out of her.
Our run back to the reservation was relaxing. She talked a million miles a minute since I could still understand her at that speed. I could tell she'd missed me since she would pat me or run a hand through my fur every now and then while we ran. She also promised to visit me when she was a little less busy. The whole time, the burning question of where all the other Cullens had went kept turning around in my mind.
When we got to the edge of the reservation, I slowed down in the trees so I could change. I phased back, ignoring the amazed look she always got whenever she saw the shift.
"Beautiful. You have such a nice body," Alice said once I'd gotten dressed. "I would kill for legs like yours."
"Thanks, but feel free to give me more functional clothing next time." She waved off my recommendation, grinning away. "Don't be a stranger."
"How could I be when you're going to call me at noon, every day?"
I should've known she wouldn't let me take the vials with no strings attached. "You know I'm horrible with my phone."
"Get good or you'll be getting a lot of visits from me."
I groaned at the thought of her coming every day with new outfits. "Ugh, fine. I'll call."
"At noon."
"At noon."
"Every day."
"Oh my—every day! Sheesh! Can you go away now?" She shot me a cheeky smile and then turned to go. "Wait! Wait, hold on."
She made a soft "tsk" at me, clasping her hands in front of her as she twirled back around. "Go on. Ask."
"Where are all the others?"
"Somewhere cold. Bye now, Lee." She flew off, back into the cover of the trees. "I'll miss you," she whispered before she was out of hearing distance.
It screwed me up on a fundamental level. She wouldn't actually let me die, would she? ...No way.
I walked the rest of the way home, the page from the poetry book tucked into my waistband and hidden by my silk blouse. Alice had seen it, but didn't question it—thank God. The edges of the folded page chafed my skin, reminding me that I was alive. I hadn't died yet.
I wouldn't die.
"Shh! She's coming!" Someone whispered loudly from the house
After hearing that, I ran down the path to the house. I was ready for my ambush of pillows. I ripped the door open with a grin, only to see—
"Red gravel," I mouthed, shock having stolen all the air from my lungs.
"Leah?" I looked up from the palm and stumbled back at the sight of a familiar face.
"Lost guy?" It was hard to forget such a blue pair of eyes.
"Peter, actually," he corrected me, humor in the curve of his smile. "Seth didn't tell me your name until I'd arrived for the marathon dinner. I simply assumed there were two Leahs. What a coincidence."
"Seth?" I called, my voice high and thin.
My little brother came skipping out, grinning. "I wanted to surprise you. There were no home invaders, Leah," Seth said before wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "It's ok. Calm down."
My heart was beating almost as fast as when Carlisle had a tube in my chest. "What the hell is going on?"
Quil yelled from inside, "Tell her already, Seth!"
"Turns out I was the one who left the gravel behind without noticing. It's at the building where the program is. Mr. Peter pointed it out to me and I told him to bring it when he came over. So, it wasn't a home invasion, after all!"
The unsettled feeling remained in the pit of my stomach, even as I understood what they were saying. "Why couldn't you tell me that like normal people?"
"I thought it'd be funnier this way," Seth said with a little giggle. He then stopped to take a look at me. My heart was still racing. "Are you ok, Leah?"
"Fine. Wanna drink? Peter, wanna drink? Quil? Embry?"
Peter looked at Seth before nodding and saying, "Yes, sure. I could fetch them for you—"
"No, I'll get 'em. Sit down, rest. You're Seth's beloved professor. I'll get you a drink. You said you wanted one, right? Right." I walked into the house, going straight into the kitchen.
My mom watched as I took the lemonade out of the fridge and drank straight from the pitcher. I chugged it all, spilling a few drops on Rosalie's shirt before I put the empty thing back in the fridge.
Seth came in then, while Mom was still staring at me in bewilderment. "Leah, he's the one who came after the other professor got into that bad car accident." He got close to me, lowering his voice to a whisper. "He shares our ancestors."
That snapped me out of my tiny freakout well enough. "Then why in the hell would you bring him here? There's a vampire's scent all over the place."
"He got adopted by his uncle, who married into our blood. His adoptive sister is the real Quileute descendent. But that could still be super bad since—"
"I could be a start to a trend and not an exception." I wiped the back of my hand over my lips, getting rid of the excess lemonade. "Damn."
"Pretty great find," Seth chirped, sporting a huge smile. "I did good, right?"
"Except for the part where you forgot about the red gravel."
"I thought there wasn't any. It's gotta be new or something. I never noticed it before when I was running to a class," he whispered, his eyes big and sorry in a second flat. "I'm just as mad myself as you are."
I couldn't bring myself to be hard on him, seeing how hard he was taking it already. "It's fine. Have you told Sam about all this?"
He shook his head, his smile returning. "I did something better. I told Emily."
Her car came motoring down the path then and I let out a sigh. Peter, who'd been engaging Embry and Quil in conversation, excused himself to get some water. He came in while I was mentally preparing for Emily to fill the living room up with her historical papers and tomes.
"Hello," he murmured as he walked past me, going for one of the plastic cup towers.
"Hey, Peter. Did you enjoy the beach?"
He shot me an easygoing smile. "I did. It was very beautiful."
"Yeah, it's heaven on earth living here," I said, my voice gaining a sarcastic bite. "Crap. I forgot you asked for a drink earlier."
"It's fine," he replied, holding up his cup he'd just filled with tap water. "I've got it covered."
Quil grumbled from the couch, "Awfully forgetful today. First, she forgets to text us. Now, she tries to dehydrate Peter to death."
I gritted my teeth and with a lot of willpower, ignored the child. "Crazy day for you, huh?" I asked Peter and then looked at my two confused family members. "We met at the gift shop. I helped him get un-lost."
"I actually, erm, have something for you." He scooped up a bouquet of white roses and daisies from the counter beside Mom. "For Seth's sister."
I snorted, taking the bouquet. "Nice choice. Very friendly." I started looking for a vase in the cabinets. "Thanks."
"Of course. Seth told me you liked flowers." I stood on my tippy toes to reach a nice vase. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you coming back from?"
It was way easier to lie when one size fit all. "A friend's house. I was there to, uh, pick up something."
"What?" Embry asked, leaning around the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. He supported himself on the air of the couch. "What did you pick up?
I was thinking of another lie when Emily came in with her big history bag. And my puke bag full of vials. I must've dropped them in my shock.
"Ok, so what's this that I'm holding? Who's he? Why is Leah dressed like a model? Why did two separate people ask me to come for two completely different reasons? And should I call Sam?"
"Don't call Sam," Quil, Embry, Seth and I said in unison.
Peter looked around with a quizzical expression. "Who is Sam?"
"My future husband and the best man you'll ever meet. I'm Emily." She rushed over to shake his hand, in a special hurry to be pleasant. "Are you an Englishman?"
"Hah," he nervously chuckled as he shook her hand. "That I am. And you're Seth's cousin? He didn't mention how pretty you were. You're all so beautiful." He glanced around the kitchen, his eyes lingering on me.
Yeah, not a chance, buddy.
Emily and my mom giggled away, though. Emily was only amused for a few seconds before she saw me again. "Let's get you changed." She held out a hand to me.
"Sure." I took her hand and let her tow me upstairs. I was assuming the second person who'd called her was Embry. It explained her eagerness to get me alone pretty well.
She shut my bedroom door behind us when I waltzed in ahead of her, ready to get the talk over with. It was only then that I saw how I looked in the body-length mirror by the doorframe.
The silver silk pants that fanned out toward my ankles, making my legs seem longer than they were. The velvet top clung to my torso and was just short enough to expose a bit of my midriff. I looked like I was ready to go party with the rich, especially with the dazzling, sparkly heels I was wearing.
"I hate it when she dresses me like this."
"You mean like you just came walking off the red carpet? Yes, how horrible," Emily replied dryly. "Leah, what are these vi—?"
"Don't say it. Not everyone needs to know." I tugged my shirt off after staring her down, making sure she wouldn't stubbornly continue.
I could tell by the furrowed brow and lines in her forehead that I was in for something, though. "Embry told me something was wrong and I should check on you. Care to expound?" She asked as I finished changing into a baggy sweatshirt, cotton shorts, and soft socks.
"I'm trying something new. It'll either work out or it won't."
"Will you die if it doesn't work out?"
She'd gotten straight to the point. I hated it when she did that while I was trying to weasel my way out of conversations. "It's not that bad."
She frowned at me, clearly disapproving of my actions. She didn't even know what I was doing yet. Was I that predictable? "If it's not that bad then why can't I call Sam?"
"Because he's busy planning a wedding with you. It's the same exact reason why you shouldn't be worrying about it. It's under control."
"What even is it?" She asked with an agitated, vague gesture toward me. "Is it this?" She held up the puke bag and I snatched it from her and stuffed it into the underwear drawer of my dresser.
"Just trust me when I say that it's under control." It wasn't under control. My head felt like it was spinning, spinning, spinning, and my heart was speeding up in my chest again.
Would Edward miss me or would he just feel responsible? Both answers were worse.
She rubbed her temples, her scars twisting with her deep grimace. "I'm already planning two weddings with Sam's mother breathing down my neck, I don't wanna have to worry—"
"Wait, two weddings?"
"And receptions," she added. "Allison's whining finally wore me down. Now, I'm planning a second bare-bones wedding that 'better represents my culture'. It'll have an outside, cookout style reception. The plan is that during the cocktail hour for wedding number one, we'll be having the second ceremony. With that and the hired entertainment during the appetizers, we should have enough time to do it all. Our photographer is great, too, so she's willing to take pictures at both. And I know what you're thinking."
"Do you?" I wasn't sure what I was thinking. I was still processing what she'd said.
"It's insane. How am I going to change my makeup so fast two times? How am I going to change my dress? How is everyone going to be transported back to the other reception? How—and honestly? I'm not sure of everything yet. My brain hasn't come up with how this is all going to work, but I know it will. It'll work because me and Sam work and that might not make sense to you, but it does to me. And I'd rather plan another wedding than listen to Allison say one more thing to me about seeming ashamed of my heritage." She gasped for breath after her mini-rant, but still wasn't quite finished. "So, whatever I have to do, I'll make it work."
"Wow."
She laughed, but it sounded closer to a sob. "Yeah." Her fingers had stopped rubbing her temples, her hands pressing to her cheeks as she thought about God only knows what. Two seating arrangements, probably. "What were we talking about again?"
"How pretty you're gonna look in your wedding dress." She put her hands on her hips, not impressed. "You know, Sam's already worried he's gonna cry when you walk down the aisle."
She melted at the mental image I painted for her. I was going to miss using the wedding—or weddings—to get out of things. "He is? I knew he was lying before. He's too much of a softie to just stand and smile. Did I tell you about how he got misty-eyed when we were trying samples to decide on the cake?"
"Only fifty times," I replied, making her give a weak chuckle.
"I'm sorry. I know it has to be annoying to listen to me talk about the weddings. It's like it's become my entire identity. I'm Bride McWeddingson." She whimpered and walked over to rest her head on my shoulder. "And now there's pressure to make Kaya the flower girl instead of Claire."
"Well, they're both your nieces. Can't you just have them take turns for the two ceremonies?" I asked, stroking her hair as she curled her arms around me.
"No! It's already hard enough now that I have to organize two different ceremonies and receptions. Switching out people's roles for four separate events that are happening in four dif—"
"Just use Claire for both and I'll handle the angry aunt and uncle for you."
She leaned up, looking at me with unshed tears in her eyes. "Would you?"
"Sure. Anything to help you be less stressed." I paused for a second, realizing exactly what I'd said. "Wait—"
"That's great news! Then, do you think you can take care of the pack while Sam and I go check on the honeymoon cabin? And also work with Paisley to get the price down on the arch for the first ceremony? And plan my second bachelorette party? And come with me tomorrow to talk to my flower vendor because you're gorgeous and he's lonely and will give me a huge discount for my two ceremonies and receptions if you just smile?"
"Uhhhh—"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best! Yay! So glad you agreed. I'll meet you downstairs." She ran out of my room before I could even count how many no's I needed to use.
I couldn't even be upset. I'd walked straight into her trap. But since I didn't want her to deal with all that stress anyway, I wrote down my list of duties. Instead of heading back down after the fact, I laid down on my bed and eavesdropped.
It turned out that Peter's adoptive family weren't descended from the Ephraim Black bloodline. He believed and confirmed with Emily's help that his family came from a member of the tribe who left to see England. They weren't important to the pack, but they were significant to the tribe. They were an activist for our people there, attempting to fight for equal rights. He had heirlooms to prove it that Seth had encouraged him to bring. He'd stored them in his car's "boot".
So, the sister, Naira, wasn't a concern anymore. But the jury was out on whether she could be someone's imprint. Everyone's reaction to the pictures of her Peter showed was very positive, too. Collin, who'd come over some time while I was eavesdropping, didn't bother to look. Seth was happy to see the photo, though. Seth was even happier when Peter offered to help us try and recover our language. Apparently, he used to be some hotshot linguist.
They all seemed to love him. He was the perfect gentleman, super-intelligent, well-spoken, and funny. Plus, he might've opened up the door for someone to their imprint. But after a while, I started to notice something. Emily had grown quiet, fading into the background. It made me want to come down to see her face, but I couldn't deal with people anymore today.
I listened to her leave and assume I was asleep. She walked out to her car and it wasn't until she'd stowed her bag away and climbed into the driver's seat that she spoke. "Leah," she whispered.
To give her a sign I was actually awake and listening, I turned off my lamp.
"I don't trust him. None of us do. He seems off. It's like he's too clean. Something's just…off. I'll send Sam over. Seth, get Peter to go home."
"It's getting kinda late and we have class tomorrow," Seth said instantly to Peter with a fake yawn that turned real.
Peter had to have checked his watch since he went, "Oh goodness, it's beyond late. I should get going if I don't want to fall asleep behind the wheel as I drive back to the hotel."
"Sucks that you're at a hotel. Hey, maybe you can stay with Billy." I sat up fast in my bed, cursing under my breath. "He's close by and then you could be within walking distance of Emily. It'd help with the translating, right?"
"I couldn't possibly—"
"Billy would love company," Seth insisted, lying through his teeth. "You could stay in Rachel's or Rebecca's room."
It felt wrong to even think of a stranger staying in their rooms. Billy had left them open, hoping they'd come back someday.
"Ah, well, I suppose if he would be happy to have me, it would be nice not to have to pay for a room." Peter yielded. Most people did to Seth's peppy pressure.
"Forks sure thinks a lot of itself for being such an icy, rainy nightmare." Peter laughed at Embry's comment. "How long do you plan on staying around, Pete?"
"I'm not sure. I was only going to stay until the end of summer, for the program, but now I'm reconsidering. I was offered a job to teach a class at the community college. I may take it so I can stay as long as necessary to try and map out the native Quileute tongue."
Quil piped up then. "We'll talk to Billy for you. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you."
It wasn't too much longer before Peter left, the sound of his radio fading off into the distance. Sam's footsteps took up its place and I came back downstairs as he came in with Jared.
"What was that, Seth?" Sam asked, a severe look on his face.
"You can get to Billy's fastest and you said to keep our enemies closer," my brother answered. I stepped close to him, reminding Sam of who he was talking to.
Sam's flared nostrils went back to normal when he met my gaze and he let out a forceful sigh. "Don't make a decision like that again without consulting me." Then he moved straight onto me. "You heard Seth, right? We have to keep our enemies closer than even our friends."
"I heard him. I agree," I said, backing up my blood.
"Good, then you won't mind dating Peter to try and get information out of him."
I made a noise of pure disgust. "No. No way. I don't wanna date anyone, let alone someone we don't trust."
"The only other people who could get close to him are either too young or too busy. Besides, a seductress has an easier time pulling secrets—"
"Seductress, Sam? Seductress? No freakin' way! Just because I'm the only woman in the pack, doesn't mean you get to pimp me out at your convenience!" I crossed my arms against a tremor that almost shook me off my balance.
Jared muttered, "Give her a break, Sam."
"I wish I could. I wish I could give all of you breaks. Do you think I like having you patrol all the time? I'd rather you all get to have fun and relax this summer. I'd rather our loved ones not be in danger. I'd rather leave Leah alone, but that's not where we are. Right now, we are on the defense." Sam stopped pinning everyone in the room with his gaze so he could look me in the eyes again. "And there's no one I trust more than Leah to make sure we're safe."
I scoffed. "Yeah, right."
"It's true. And I would never ask you to sleep with him. Seductress was the wrong word," Sam admitted, appeasing my offended pride. "I need you to be our spy."
I swallowed hard, forcing down my disgust at the prospect of dating. At least it wouldn't be real. Not for me, anyway. "Fine. I'll do it. For the pack."
"I know you will. I also know you'll neutralize a threat if you see one. Effectively and discreetly." He was right. That's why I'd make sure the therapies worked on myself before offering them to the young in the pack.
We discussed the rogue vampire's activity and the lack of it, among plenty of other things. I tuned out most of the conversation, though. All I could think about were the vials in my underwear drawer.
When it was over and everyone went home, Seth went to bed. My mom was already asleep, having passed out before Peter had even left. I was scot-free to take my first dose of the chemical therapies.
I stole alcohol wipes and a syringe from the first aid kit in the upstairs bathroom. I powered through filling up the syringe full of the purple muck, ignoring the cool stench of it. It was only when I had everything ready and the syringe at my arm when I hesitated.
"I'll miss you."
I put a bit of the solution back into the vial, settling on a milliliter. And I could do anything in small doses. I could do anything for my family, for Edward.
I pushed the needle into my arm and pressed down on the plunger.
A/N: There are a lot of bad decisions being made by a lot of people in this chapter. Almost everyone makes a bad decision in this chapter. Oops. Also, I would like to warn all of you that the next chapter may be triggering for some. I don't want to spoil anything, but there will be a lot of blood and pain. So, read with caution when the next chapter comes. I will also put a warning at the beginning for those who don't read my end notes.
Thank you so much for waiting and now for reading. Forgive me and my many, many mistakes which I never catch before posting lol. I love you all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! I'm so happy you're all sticking around despite my pauses between chapters. I'll try to update faster!
