Disclaimer: None of this is mine.


Chapter Five- Bet You've Got Me Wrong

"As of now I bet you've got me wrong

So unsure we reach for something strong

I haven't felt like this in so long

Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love

That don't last forever

Something's got to turn out right"

Alice in Chains- "Got Me Wrong"


The Clearwater's House

Sue and Seth Clearwater were sitting on the couch, waiting for Leah. She was usually home by now. Sue was praying that nothing bad had happened to her.

A knock on the door, and Sue jumped up. She opened it, thinking Leah had forgotten her keys. Sheriff Charlie Swan was standing in the rain.

"Sheriff Swan, what brings you here this late? Is Leah okay?" Sue asked.

"Good evening, Mrs. Clearwater. May I come in?" Charlie asked.

Sue opened the door, "Of course, come on in."

Charlie stepped inside. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you."

"What is it?" Sue asked, sitting back down next to Seth.

"Well, I'm afraid Leah's got herself into a bit of trouble. I just came from Johnny Reb's Boot Scooters, the bar your daughter works at." Sheriff Swan said,

Sue nodded, "Yes?"

"Mrs. Clearwater, there's no easy way to say this. Your daughter shot some men." Said Charlie.

Sue gasped. "No!"

Charlie nodded. "Two of them are dead, one is in the hospital."

"That's not possible!" Sue said.

"Leah wouldn't do something like that." Seth chimed in.

"Son, I'm afraid she did. I have two eyewitnesses that say it was her. Also we can't seem to find Leah anywhere, is she here?" Charlie asked.

Sue shook her head. "No, we were just wondering where she was. She's usually home by now." Sue told him.

"You won't mind if I look around will you? Nothing against you, Mrs. Clearwater, but parents have a tendency to hide their children from us." Charlie said.

Sue waved her hand. "No, go do what you have to, but she's not here."

Charlie walked into the hall and started looking around in the bedrooms. Sure enough, Leah wasn't there.

"Well, have a good night, Mrs. Clearwater. If Leah should come home, you'll do right and call me won't you?" Charlie asked as he walked to the door.

Sue nodded. "Of course, Sheriff Swan."

Charlie looked at her. "Sue, I know this is hard for you to hear. My daughter Bella is Leah's age and goes to the same school. Bella's taking it pretty hard that someone she knows was capable of this."

Sue nodded. "Thank you again, Sheriff Swan. Give Bella my best."

Charlie nodded. "I will. Night, Mrs. Clearwater, Seth." He walked out the door into the night, determined to find Leah Clearwater.


Back at the Brandon's House

Sometime during the night, Alice had worked her way out of the rope that Leah had tied around her. She silently got out of the chair and crossed the room to Leah. She took the knife out of her hands and went into the kitchen. She got out some eggs and bacon and started to cook breakfast.

She was nearly done when a voice asked, "Why didn't you run?"

Alice turned. Leah was standing in the doorway. "What?" Alice asked.

"Why didn't you run? Do you think this is a joke? I shot three men, why didn't you run when you had the chance?" Leah repeated.

"I'm not the one running away. Besides, my mother told me not to go anywhere." Alice answered.

Leah was baffled. When she'd woken up to see that Alice had escaped her bounds, Leah panicked. She thought Alice would try to attack her or run from her. She was surprised to find Alice making her breakfast.

Alice put some food on her plate and put it in front of her. Leah started to eat as she realized she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. She tried not to think about Seth. Her little brother had always looked up to her. What would he think of her now? Leah didn't want to think about what her brother might think of her now, so she shut those thoughts from her brain and focused on her food.

When she finished, Alice stood up. "I'm going to go take a shower and get ready." She left the room and went upstairs.

Leah stood up and found some clear tape in the kitchen cabinets. She fixed the window she had broken the night before. She heard a shuffling sound outside. Carefully, she peeked out the window and saw that Sheriff Swan was out in the yard. Leah moved away from the window and went towards the stairs. Alice was just coming down the stairs, drying her hair.

Leah grabbed her gently. "Alice, there's a cop outside. If he knocks on the door, you have to answer, but act normal okay."

Alice nodded. Leah ducked around the stairs and disappeared down the hall. Sheriff Swan knocked on the door and Alice went to answer. She was still drying her hair as she pulled the door open.

Charlie looked up from his feet. "Well, Alice Layne. Your parents home?"

Alice shook her head, her long wet hair swaying in the process. "Nope, daddy's giving his Sunday sermon in Porterville."

Charlie nudged the door open. "Well, you won't mind if I come in for a minute."

Alice hoped that Leah was hiding somewhere good. Charlie looked around. "Are you here all by yourself?"

"Yes, sir." She answered. "Is there a reason you stopped by?" She asked. Of course, she knew why he was here, but she didn't want him to know that.

Charlie said, "Well, we got a homicide suspect on the run. Killed two men, wounded another."

Alice nodded and decided to ask, "Do you think he's around here somewhere?" She was careful to ask if 'he' to appear that she didn't know anything about the murders. If she knew it was a woman, Charlie may be suspicious.

Charlie shook his head, "Well, it's not a he. It's a woman. Around your age actually, Leah Clearwater."

Alice gasped. "Leah? She goes to my school." She said acting shocked.

Charlie bought it. "I know, but we don't think you'll have anything to worry about. She's injured, so she won't get far. We'll get her. Keep all your doors and windows locked and if you do see or hear anything out of the ordinary, I want you to call me first okay?"

Alice nodded. "Of course Sheriff Swan."

He touched her shoulder. "Give your daddy my best regards."

"I will." She smiled. He nodded once and then walked toward the door. He shut it and Alice promptly locked it behind him. Alice sighed and went down the hall. "Leah?" She called softly. She found Leah sitting on the floor in John Brandon's study. She walked over to her.

"Don't touch me." Leah snapped. Alice stepped back from her. She walked around and sat in her father's chair.

"You know I hate this room." Alice said suddenly. "I was never allowed in here when I was younger. Except if I was in trouble or something." She was lost in the memory for a moment.

Leah snickered. "What did you ever get in trouble for?"

Alice smiled. "Everything. Nothing."

They were silent for a few minutes. Alice stood up. "My father always wanted a boy. He never forgave my mother or me for it. My father is convinced that any bad thing any man has ever done, is because of a woman wearing lipstick." She wandered slowly around the room, touching various things that belonged to her father.

"When I got my…." Alice started. "When I told my mother I got my…." She moved her hand over her stomach area. Leah got the picture, but waited for Alice to finish. "....my monthly cycle. She retired to her room. My father came in here and started praying for my salvation. I was the biggest sinner in the world, for becoming a woman." Alice shook her head. "I wasn't allowed to go to prom because I had developed breasts and my father thought I wasn't mature enough to handle dancing with boys. All my life I've been afraid of two things, my father and going to hell. In that order."

Alice stopped in front of a painting of Jesus. She said, "This is where my father writes his sermons and communes with god. I always wondered how my father knew exactly when I had done something wrong. Then I realized. God had snitched on me." She walked over to the little table next to her father's desk.

Leah watched her in silence. She had never thought Alice would be like this. She always thought that Alice was just a sweet church girl, but Alice was starting to unravel right before Leah's eyes. Seeing Alice so vulnerable was attractive to Leah. She was seeing so much of Alice she hadn't seen before. Alice's fingers traced a glass sculpture of God's hands.

"He still does." She whispered. Her fingers pushed the glass sculpture a few inches at a time until it toppled off the table and shattered on the hardwood floor. Without warning, she turned and sprinted from the room.

A/N: So this chapter we learned some more about Alice, next chapter, we learn some more about Leah. Thanks for being such lovely reviewers, I hope you like this chapter. Big shout out to CullenGurlsDoItBetter and LucyClearwaterMeraz for pimping me out. Love you for it! -Loveless-