one: betrayed

"LEAH!" It was Karen Uley's voice, screaming to Leah Clearwater from behind one of these trees. She jogged toward the sound of Karen's voice, her silky black hair fanning out behind me. "Leah, I found him!"

Leah exhaled sharply, relieved. Her jog picked up into a sprint as she dashed to see the face of the man she loved, the man who had fallen off the face of the earth for two straight weeks. She saw Karen's ponytail blowing, and she ran to it. Karen was helping someone off the ground, and Leah's breath caught. Sam looked at her, and she thoughtlessly threw her arms around him. His arms wrapped tentatively around her, but his hold was not tight and comforting, like in her memories. It was loose and uncomfortable. Leah pulled away.

"Oh my God, Sam," she breathed. He stared at her, but his eyes were tense and animal-like, darting from place to place in discomfort. "Where have you been?" Sam didn't speak. His gaze never held one place for long. Leah turned to Karen. "What's wrong with him?" she demanded Karen.

Karen shrugged, turning Sam's face deliberately to look at her. "Sam, Sam, honey, what's wrong?" she asked. His face was empty, no sign of the Sam Leah'd fallen in love with in the transparent features. Leah had been working tirelessly with Karen to try to find Sam, but now that she'd found him, she felt oddly let down. She left Karen trying to revive Sam.

Leah tried to hold herself together as she tore through the woods. Something was wrong with Sam. Nothing could change a person that much, could it? Nothing could take bubbly, outgoing Sam to this. That's what she fervently told herself.

But not all hopes, no matter how fervent, are reality. Sam never was the same. Leah tried to fix him, to get back to the old Sam, the one she was in love with. And somehow, throughout all of this, she was still in love with him. Even through this total personality overhaul, she had never even stopped loving him. Even through what happened next, she never stopped loving him.

-----

"Emily's coming down for the weekend!" Seth cheered. Leah's little brother Seth was thirteen, and a total pain in the ass. However, he was the bearer of good news at this particular moment. Emily was Leah's second cousin who lived on the Makah reservation just north of La Push. The two girls were practically like sisters, and they had so much fun together.

"When's she gonna be here?" Leah asked her mom, Sue, who was stirring something or other. Sue was always cooking.

"An hour or so," Sue told Leah. "Leah, your bedroom is a wreck. Go clean it up, please, Emily will be sleeping there." Too excited about Emily's arrival to complain, Leah dashed upstairs to tidy her small room.

By the time Leah had finished folding all the clothes that littered the floor, making her bed for the first time in a long time, and straightening all the posters and pictures taped to every available surface, she heard Seth's excited shout from downstairs. "She's here, she's here!" he chanted. She flew back downstairs just in time, as Emily walked in.

"Leah!" she exclaimed, pulling Leah into a hug.

"Hey, Emily!" she said, a smile in her voice. Emily leaned down to hug Seth, then embraced Sue and Leah and Seth's dad Harry.

"Hi, Seth. Hey, Sue. Hi, Harry. How's it going?" Emily said politely.

"We're great, sweetie," Sue answered for the family. "Why don't you take those bags up to Leah's room? She just cleaned it, so it should look nice enough for you." Emily picked up her navy blue duffel bag, hoisted it over her shoulder, and followed Leah back up the steps. She dropped the bag on one of Leah's twin beds, and flopped down next to it.

"How are things, Leah?" Emily asked.

"Good," Leah replied. Generic answer. But apparently her voice wasn't convincing enough. Emily sat up and eyed Leah skeptically.

"Doesn't sound 'good,'" she remarked.

Leah sighed, then, figuring she could trust Emily, launched into the story. "Well, it's my boyfriend, Sam," she began. "He is awesome, and amazing, and I love him, but one day he disappeared off the face of the earth. Me and his mom Karen found him, two weeks later. But he's not really the same. He's more edgy, kind of tense, like something bad is going to happen every passing second. And I have no idea what's wrong." Leah stopped, frowning, then looked at Emily. A thoughtful expression occupied her face.

"Can I meet Sam? I think I know what you mean," requested Emily. Leah shrugged.

"Okay," she agreed. She helped Emily up off the bed, and the two went downstairs. "Mom, I'm taking Emily to meet Sam, 'kay? We'll be back whenever." Sue shrugged wordlessly and went back to stirring. Leah held open the door for Emily, and the two of them headed to the Uleys.

When Leah knocked on the door of Sam's house, Karen pulled open the door. "Hi, Leah," she said heavily. She sounded tired. "I'll get Sam."

It was a moment before Sam showed up. Leah fingered the hem of her shirt awkwardly, her eyes downcast. When she looked up, Sam was there. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Emily, and his eyes were alight. "Sam?" Leah said hesitantly. Why was he looking at Emily like that? Leah was the one who needed that look. She needed reminding sometimes.

"Leah, who's this?" Sam asked her without looking away from Emily. Leah shot a glance at her cousin. Emily was staring at the ground, looking uncomfortable. Leah wondered if she would feel that way under the intensity of Sam's gaze too.

"Oh, this is my cousin, Emily. Emily, this is my boyfriend, Sam," Leah introduced quickly.

"Emily," Sam breathed. Emily looked pleadingly at Leah. Abruptly, Sam tore his eyes away. Leah noted the effort it took, and it hurt like a punch to the gut. Sam loved her. He had told her so. So why was he looking at Emily like that? "I have to go," he mumbled. He ran onto the porch and down the driveway, faster than Leah had ever seen.

Gently, Leah pulled the door closed as she and Emily stared after Sam. "What was that all about?" Emily demanded.

"I wish I knew," Leah sighed wistfully, feeling betrayed.

Somewhere in the distance, both girls heard the poignant howling of a wolf.

okay. i don't know how far this will go. i don't have any ideas after this, and i don't know when this will be updated. so don't get too attached! i have no idea what i'm doing! :) well, leave me a review anyway. maybe i'll get inspired. lovelovelove, m