Please Note: This chapter happens on Halloween Night. And I don't remember if I've mentioned it already in notes or not, but it's worth noting that while Leah loathes Bella, she's always been friends with Veronica. Veronica's friends on the reservation include Seth, Leah, Rachel and Rebecca. Rachel and Rebecca babysat her on occasion when she'd come to visit Charlie on her own for summers and he had to work. So, she spent just a bit more time on the res than Bella has. ;P
I hope you are all enjoying this so far! Thank you for reading!
06
"I can't believe you talked me into playing hide and go seek." I muttered, a soft and quiet laugh coming as I followed Jasmine through the forest. Jasmine held her fingers to her lips and paused. Her eyes darted around everywhere and I stopped beside her, raising a brow.
She shrugged and then muttered quietly, "Everybody else is supposed to be incoming. Are you sure wearing a white dress was a good idea? You're going to stand out like a sore thumb, girl."
"And? I have to get back to Dad's soon anyway, so I can really only play one round with you guys. I have Halloween candy to eat." I explained, earning me a pout from Jasmine. I leaned against the trunk of a tree, texting Leah to see if she and Seth wanted to come out and join us all.
Leah texted back that she was on her way, asking no less than a second later why exactly we were playing hide and seek in the middle of the forest at night on Halloween. Making me laugh to myself as I told Jasmine that I'd invited two of my old friends to join in.
"Awesome. Now we might actually have a more even number. Gonna go out on a limb here and say that neither of these friends were jacket hottie.."
I pouted. "I don't have his number."
"So he just kind of shows up?"
"Basically, yeah." I answered, frowning at it a little. "I wish he'd show up more often."
"Why, you're not going to make a move, you little chicken." Jasmine teased.
A tap to my shoulder had me almost screaming and when I whirled around, I was greeted by a Ghostface mask right in my face. Mike chuckled beneath it, raising the mask up on his head. I laughed.
"Holy crap, can you not scare me?"
"Hi Mike, how are you tonight?" Mike teased in response. I muttered a hi and then lightly smacked him for scaring me like he had. He eyed my deer antler and flower headband and my dress and asked with an amused smirk what I was supposed to be dressed up as exactly.
"She's a deer, Mike. Jesus. Can you not see the little horns and the face paint?" Jasmine rolled her eyes at Mike as she said it, wondering to herself why she'd bothered inviting the idiot in the first place.
"Cute." Mike gave me a flirty wink that had me edging closer to Jasmine just a little bit and I bit my lip, shaking my head at him as I laughed. "Thanks, I think?"
"Okay, how far out are we going, hm?"
"Where the hell is Eric, you dork? I told you to invite him and the others!" Jasmine asked, placing a hand on her hip as she looked at Mike and tapped her foot. Mike shrugged. "They were on the way. Eric was trying to find batteries for his dad's Maglite, I think. And Miller was bringing his brother's ATV, so he had to put gas in it."
"What the hell is he bringing that loud fucking thing for?" Jasmine asked.
"To get around?" Mike shrugged. "I don't know, okay? You know he doesn't go anywhere without it, Jasmine."
"Okay, alright. Get a room or stop fighting you two." I teased them both, making Jasmine glare at me and Mike smirk as he muttered, "Yeah, she wishes."
"I'd honestly rather eat shit and die." Jasmine answered.
I wanted to laugh because I'm not stupid. I know Jasmine's lying through her teeth. She's had a thing for Mike since he and Jessica broke up earlier this month. She just wouldn't be who she is if she didn't make the guy's life a living hell as opposed to acting on it.
Seth tapped my shoulder and I jumped again, making Leah laugh as she held a flashlight up beneath her chin. "I can't believe we're actually doing this. Aren't we all too old for it?"
"We're young at heart." Jasmine smiled, holding out her bag of candy. I dug around in the pocket of Embry's jacket, retrieving mine. Offering Seth a pack of Swedish Fish and Leah some Jolly Ranchers before taking a Milky Way for myself.
"Jas, this is Leah Clearwater and her brother Seth. Leah and Seth, this is Jas."
Jas smirked at them. Her gaze lingering on Seth for just a few seconds longer. A playful grin playing at her lips.
The sound of Miller's ATV approaching had all of us sharing a look and Miller came to a stop next to Mike, laughing beneath his own Jason Voorhies mask as he raised it. "Trinity's gonna come too. She just had to wait til her sister went to sleep to sneak out."
Eric finally jogged up to the group, panting. Laughing because apparently, he and another guy, Levi, had just finished spraying a ton of silly string all over one of the popular senior's cars and putting peanut butter beneath the door handles.
Mike high fived Eric and then mused, "You realize Daryl's going to shove your ass in a locker Monday, yeah?"
"Then I'll just have to escalate next time, dude."
"Okay, alright. So we're all here." Jasmine whistled as soon as Trinity was standing in the clearing with the rest of us. "We better get started since Ms. Goody Two Shoes here isn't keen on staying more than an hour."
"Just tell Charlie you're gonna stay with Seth and I. Say we ran into you." Leah coaxed and I mulled it over, nodding.
"I'm really staying though. So you better get ready to give up half your bed, Leah." I told her as I stepped away from everyone to call my dad and ask if it was okay. My dad picked up on the first ring and after I explained, he chuckled.
"It's fine with me. Just make sure you're up in time for your shift at the diner tomorrow."
"Yes sir." I smiled, hanging up my phone. Stashing it back in the pocket of Embry's jacket.
"See? Problem solved, midget." Seth grinned.
"Okay, so.. Wanna try hiding in teams for the first round?" Jasmine asked.
"Yeah."
Right away, Leah grabbed hold of my arm. "She's with me. We have a lot of catching up to do. You don't mind right, Jas?"
"Fair enough. But I'm hiding with Seth."
Leah eyed her suspiciously, especially when Seth flashed his cocky smirk and stepped over to Jas, taunting his sister with, "May the best of us win."
Mike wound up hiding with Trinity but he didn't seem thrilled about it. And Miller and Eric started off the game as seekers.
Leah and I darted through the trees, running until we were both stopping to catch our breaths.
"Behind that cluster of bushes."
Leah pulled me in with her. And as we settled in to wait, she told me about the way things ended with Sam. I sighed, leaning against her. "Shit. I'm sorry, Leah. I thought you guys were gonna be together forever."
"It's whatever. I tell you this to warn you. Embry's under his thumb these days. And there's been talk that Sam has kind of formed this weird little group with Embry, Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote."
I nodded. I got the distinct sense that Leah was about to warn me. "Jacob told Bella and I that was happening. But.. I mean, I've met Jared and Paul and so far, Embry's been nothing but nice to me… I don't know, Leah."
"Just trust me. If you're into the guy, proceed with caution."
"Honestly, given the way Bella and Edward turned out, I don't know about proceeding at all. I'm just.. Like I'm scared that I'll get that lost and caught up too."
"You're not your sister, okay? She's always had these tendencies. Trust me. Remember the summer Jacob Black had a crush on you and she was constantly popping up, trying to insert herself?"
"To be fair, he was her best friend first. I was always closer to you and Seth and Jacob's sisters." I spoke up, defending my sister.
"I love you Veronica but you really need to wake up. You need to see your sister the way she really is sometimes."
"But she's not that way with me…" I went quiet.
"Look.. Either way… Just be very careful around Embry. Because if Sam can do what he did to Emily's face and Embry's always with the guy.. I mean last year? I'd have never thought Sam Uley was capable of that."
"Yeah, I'm definitely going to file that away. Thank you for the heads up." I muttered, breaking off a piece of my candy bar, holding it out to her. Leah took the candy bar and bit into it. And as the chill grew in the night air, I hugged Embry's jacket closer to me.
The sound of Miller's ATV nearing had both of us sharing a look. Darting out of the thick bushes. Leah went one way, towards base, and I took off towards one of the other designated bases. Running so fast and shoving at branches. Nearly stumbling over a tree root or two.
I reached the secondary base, another little clearing with a rock in the middle of it, and I sat down on the rock, catching my breath.
The snap of a limb had me glancing around.
The limbs shook a little. And when the giant gray wolf with a black snout stepped out, my jaw dropped open. I think the reason why I didn't scream and run immediately is because I was shocked.
The wolf approached slowly.
I swallowed hard. Taking a step or two back. "Hey, whoa… I don't want to be food tonight?"
What good I thought talking to it was going to do I'll never know. Why I wasn't screaming and running is another good question I was asking myself also.
The wolf came a little closer. Then closer. Until it stopped in front of me, settling on it's haunches. Gazing at me, almost expectantly.
"What the hell?" I muttered, mostly to myself, in awe that the wolf just seemed to be sitting there. Waiting.
"Uh, hi?" I tried to will myself to run but it felt like my feet had grown roots. My eyes were glued to the wolf. To it's eyes. There was something so… Realistic.
I reached out my hand, gasping quietly, my gasp followed by a quiet laugh and the wolf whining at me as my hand drifted over thick gray fur. The wolf got even closer. It's snout nuzzling right against my face.
"Are you somebody's pet?" I muttered.
The wolf whined again. It's face seemed to fall when five seconds later, three other wolves cried out in the night. The wolf gave one last rub against the palm of my hand and then it took off for the treeline it'd come out of, disappearing deeper into the forest.
And it's like all of a sudden, I came back into reality and I could finally move. I took off at a break neck run, nearly colliding right into Leah's back and almost taking us both down to the grass. Leah steadied me and laughed. Then she saw the look on my face and eyed me. "What happened?"
"A wolf. I saw a wolf just now."
"Why didn't you run?"
"I..uh.. I was frozen. And it walked right up to me and like… Nuzzled me?"
Leah eyed me, laughing until she caught sight of the look on my face and realized no, I wasn't laughing.
"Well, there is a guy on the reservation who supposedly keeps a pet."
"God I hope that's what just happened." I muttered, catching my breath. Letting my heart climb back down out of my throat. Letting the shock and the slight panic I'd been in fade as I smiled a little. "I can cross petting a wolf off my bucket list. Honestly, it was kinda neat. I think it was just curious."
"And hey, you're still alive." Leah snickered and shook her head in amusement at me. I gave her a light shove and she did it back.
Seth's loud whoops and Jasmine yelling "Ayo! We're incoming!" had Leah and I sharing a laugh as Seth came into view, Jasmine perched on his back. Seth sat her down on the ground at my feet, squatting down. Looking at her ankle.
"What on earth happened?"
"I'm blind in the dark. And I tripped and fell."
"Yeah, that's a pretty nasty sprain." Seth winced, shaking his head. Glancing up at Leah. "Think our parents are still up? Mom can wrap this. And we're closer to our place already anyway."
"Yeah, probably. Just.. stay off it and let my brother carry you." Leah gave me an amused look when she glanced at me and I shrugged. Leaning in to whisper, "Well, Seth's one hell of a lot better than Mike, so I'm not discouraging it."
"He's my little brother though. It's.. I can't even think about him with anybody… like that. But it's kinda cute, I guess?" Leah answered, shrugging. The little weak smile she'd had quickly disappeared.
We made our way through the forest and onto the reservation, stepping out of the trees in Leah and Seth's backyard. Seth was already making a beeline for the porch steps leading up to the back door on the little red house and I caught Leah, stopping our walk.
"Sam's an idiot if he can't see how awesome you are, okay? I mean that."
"There's a little more to it than that." Leah muttered, going quiet. I sighed and shook my head. In my mind, the things Leah told me about the abrupt and cold way Sam Uley broke things off with her were just another really good reason I was clearly better off not getting involved or attached to anyone.
As if my parents and my sister's current situation weren't reason enough alone. As if I needed another.
"I am pretty awesome though." Leah managed a smile for me, mostly I suspect to relieve any tension before we walked into the house. She reached out, straightening the headband sitting on my head, giving a soft laugh as she informed me, "You were losing your antlers, Bambi."
"Stupid headband's been doing that all night." I smiled at her, sticking out my tongue as I challenged, "Last one in the house has to sleep on the floor!" before attempting to take off at a run. Leah flew past me, disappearing through the back door and I wandered in a second or two later.
Harry called out to his wife Sue, "Hey, Sue? Look who decided to come by. We got any of that candy left?"
I shook my head, laughing softly as I held up my half full bag. "I think I'm good actually. But thanks."
Leah grabbed for the bag, taking it and tearing into a Snickers bite size as she told her parents, "Veronica is staying here tonight. That's okay, right?"
Her parents shared a look. "It's fine with me. Is Charlie okay with this?"
"Yes sir. I called him earlier." I answered, smiling.
Sue was looking over Jasmine's slightly swollen ankle. Laughing as Seth told how she'd gotten it.
"Well? She's had a fun Halloween from the sound of it. What about you?"
"Well, I went to that carnival in the town hall earlier with her and then we were playing hide and seek in the woods for a little bit and I saw a wolf." I smiled as I said it. Now that I'm reflecting on my little run in with the wolf earlier, I don't think it meant me harm?
I think it was just curious.
"Did you now?"
"Mhm. Wolves are so big here. I'd forgotten just how big they are."
Harry chuckled. Studying Leah and I in amusement. "It's good to see you around, kid."
"I'm glad I got to come over. I've been wanting to, between school and everything else, I haven't been able."
Leah grabbed hold of my arm, pulling me out of the room before I could say anything else. Once we were in her room with a horror movie going, sprawled on her bed, she gave a small smile. "I kind of needed tonight."
"Yeah, I could tell you were kinda down when I talked to you last week." I smiled and nodded. Unwrapping a cherry flavored Tootsie Pop and popping it into my mouth thoughtfully as I got sucked into the movie, Leah and I taking turns yelling at the television when one of the characters made a cliche dumb choice.
And in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about the wolf I'd seen earlier tonight. Mostly it's eyes and the way they seemed so human. So familiar somehow.
Leah must have noticed I was zoned out because she paused the movie. "What's that look about?"
"Forget it, it's dumb."
"Tell me."
"Okay, fine. That wolf I saw... "I trailed off.
"Yeah? What about it?"
"There was something weird about it's eyes. Like… they were almost human?"
When Leah doubled over laughing, I pouted. Raising her pillow and lightly hitting her with it. She grabbed the other pillow, hitting me back, the two of us laughing. Jasmine peeked in to say her goodbyes for the night and I called out to her, "Hey, come by the diner tomorrow when I'm on the clock!"
"You knew I was already, Ronnie." Jasmine gave me that little smirk of hers and I found myself wondering what she'd be telling me. I got the feeling that given the way she and Seth hit it off, I'd be hearing about him from her for a while to come.
As she shut the door behind her, Leah laughed in amusement. "She's something else."
"She is." I laughed and nodded in agreement.
"Are you sure you weren't imagining the wolf's eyes?" Leah asked, gazing at me.
I shook my head. "No, it'd be kind of hard to have been given that the wolf was really really close to me. I told you this was dumb!"
"It's not dumb. Maybe it was you, being in shock at seeing a wolf up close and personal?" Leah questioned. I nodded. "That had to be it."
Because it had to be. That was the only answer that seemed to make any logical sense.