Hi guys, thank you again for the patience and support. This one is a little shorter than I would normally do but I hope you enjoy and review...
"Leah!" I called excitedly as I practically jumped out the truck and ran over to her. Something was wrong, for the older girl only managed a half smile as she hugged me.
"Hi Holl, Sorry I didn't get up here sooner. Things have been- well… Hi Bella. You may not remember me but I'm Leah Clearwater, Harry's daughter" she said, slowly putting her hand out, which my sister quickly shook before letting go after coming around the other side of the truck.
"Nice to re-meet you,"
"You too," she answered,
"Listen, I know it was probably your first day of school and you both have a lot of catching up to do, homework wise." said Leah, "But I was wondering if we- me and my younger brother Seth, could borrow Holly for couple of hours? We're just going to be in La Push. I'll have her home by 6:00. Just in time for dinner with you and Charlie"
Bella looked at me, "Do you want to go?"
"Yes," I nodded. For Leah to come get me personally, it was something pretty serious. Both Leah and Seth were like my cousin/ best friends. We tried to be there for each other, even if it was just a phone call away.
"Alright," said Bella "Have fun, I guess"
"Thanks," I said, giving her a quick hug before getting into the front of Leah's car as she got in. My sister's eyes never left mine as we backed out the driveway.
"Is she always like that?" asked Leah as we got underway.
"Pretty much, Bella is more of a "Mom," than Renee. And she hates being the center of attention. So school was… "uncomfortable" to say the least. So, what's going on?"
The older girl sighed as she gripped the steering wheel. "Sam and I broke up…"
"What?!" I couldn't be hearing this right. Sam and Leah had been in a serious relationship for two, almost three years now.
"What happened? Did he get cold feet or something? Because according to the last time we talked, you and he were starting to look at making plans for after high school. Which if I recall correctly isn't for another year or less"
Leah looked pained, "In the beginning I thought it was that. But Sam had been starting to act strange for a while."
"Strange how?"
"He started getting hotter"
"Well you knew he always was, or so you kept insisting every time Emily came to visit and you two started talking about boys."
She looked at me as we paused at the stoplight. "What? Your room is not soundproof, Seth and I could hear you both very clearly from downstairs. Tried to give you some privacy by turning up the TV or going for a walk on the beach, depending on the weather but weren't always successful. Any way as you were saying: Sam was getting "hotter"?"
"I meant body temperature wise Holly. He felt like he was consistently running a fever"
My eyebrows fused together, "Was he sick?"
"That was the other strange part. Sam seemed to be just fine, until this one day about three weeks ago when he got violently ill and disappeared"
"Disappeared?"
"Uh-huh, Sam went missing for two weeks. I and some others searched high and low for him but found nothing. Finally, he came back or was found less then a week ago. He's changed Holly. Not just in looks. He cut his hair short and walks around shirtless, showing off his well-toned body. He's pushed people away, especially me. Saying we can't be together any more without even giving a solid enough reason. He just said "We can't! or He couldn't!" Couldn't what?!"
She hit the dashboard in frustration.
"What do your parents say? I'm assuming they know?"
Poor Leah's face looked like I'd just lit a fuse. "Oh! They know alright! And they- particularly my Dad are on his side!"
"You're kidding?"
"Nope, and what's worse is that Sam keeps stopping by the house to talk to Dad. I don't know what they're talking about. Mom says it's tribal stuff but I know she's in on it. In less than a month, my life has been turned upside down and inside out with all kinds of lies and secrecy. And I hate it. Seth is the only one behaving "normal" around here"
"I'm sorry," I said, not exactly knowing what else to say as we turned down the road towards her house. "Is he here now?"
"I don't know and I don't care. I still would've come and got you. Sam Uley does not run my life and I can have my friends and family over in my own house. You, Seth and I will just spend more time down at the beach until he leaves."
I silently nodded, "Okay," as we pulled in. As we silently let ourselves in, Seth met us at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hey," he greeted quietly and gave me a hug. "It's good to see you,"
"How long as he been here?" asked Leah, as we picked up Sam and Harry's voices coming from the living room.
"About five minutes after you left" her little brother answered shaking his head.
"Typical," Leah sighed, "Do you have all your stuff?"
Seth nodded, grabbing his coat.
"Just walk straight through the living room to the kitchen and out the back door. If we're lucky, they won't notice us"
I did as he said, with him leading the way while me and Leah brought up the rear. Walking sandwiched between the two siblings; I could definitely tell the vibe around here was totally different then the last time I visited. The men did look at us as we entered. I could tell that Harry was surprised to see me but before he could get a word out, Leah hustled me into the kitchen. We were almost to the back door when we heard Sue's voice from behind:
"Hold it. Do you two really think you can sneak off to the beach again without a word? Oh, my goodness! Holly! Nobody told me you were coming over!" she said, warmly coming over to greet me.
"I didn't know myself, Leah surprised me" I shrugged.
"I bet she did," said Sue looking at her daughter who glared back.
"I can have friends over; Sam doesn't LIVE here." she slowly enunciated, making her mother's eyes widen. "Come on Holly," she said, grabbing my hand quickly escorting me out the door with Seth following…
"Sorry about that," she apologized, letting got as we got further and further away from the house. "But do you see what I mean? They're acting like the break up never happened, and I am supposed to be "ok" seeing the person who broke my heart in my house on a daily basis? Gah-! I refuse to believe my parents are that stupid or inconsiderate. But the evidence is proving to the contrary. Can my life get any worse?!"
I quickly put my hand over her mouth, shushing her. "Don't say that, Leah. The Universe might jinx you. People said the Titanic was unsinkable, and look what happened?"
She sighed defeated. "I guess you're right, I still want to know what's really going on though"
"And that's another one in the "Be careful what you wish for" category. Leah, you're away from the house. Just try and relax. Do you want to go swimming or "cliff diving?" It was too cold last time"
"And what makes you think now is better?"
"The tide, for one" answered Seth, looking out towards the water. The waves weren't choppy. It was mostly calm for an overcast day.
"Regardless, it's still too cold. Give it another month. Spring hasn't even officially started yet," said Leah.
While the two siblings debated the subject, I however walked down to the water's edge. Getting an up-close look at the waves coming in and the wet shiny rocks underneath. My go to as a kid. Curious, I reached down and put my hand in. It felt cold, but there was something else to it. Some sort of energy current?
"Oh Wow! Look at the that!" I heard Seth's voice and looked up to see a fish, not that far out in the surf, jump out of the water! "Did you see that, Leah?" her brother continued.
"I saw it, very peculiar. Fish don't normally do that. Are you alright Holly?"
"I'm fine," I answered, slowly pulling my hand out of the water. It tingled a bit, strange…
