The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.
Seth allowed his sister to drag him toward the car for only a few more steps before wrenching his arm free. "What's your problem, Leah? And don't give me the same BS you tried to say earlier—I don't know what I did to piss you off."
"You'll find out soon enough," she answered softly, gritting her teeth.
"See," he exclaimed. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"I don't want to talk about it now. We can talk when we get home."
"Why does it matter where we are? Either way you're pissed at me."
"Less witnesses," she replied curtly.
"Whatever, Leah. It must be that time of the month for you to be such a bitch."
She reached out and smacked his chest, pushing him into her car. A small thud accompanied his body making contact with it. There was no way her car would escape without a dent or two.
"Leave it alone, Seth," she blustered. Her frustration increased when she realized how much he had grown; tilting her head back she met his gaze. His eyes were surprisingly wide as though he was shocked by her strength or audacity—she wasn't sure which it was. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
Her eyes glimmered as she finally figured out a way to get him to leave her alone until they got home. It was the one thing that would make him feel guilty and maybe that would keep his mouth shut.
"Remember when Grandma Clearwater died?"
"Barely. I was three. What's your point?"
"My point is—remember the last Christmas gift I got from her?"
"I don't know…a doll…wait it was a Barbie. So?"
"Yeah, it was a Barbie, but not just any Barbie. It was a Barbie that was like me. Not some blue-eyed, blonde haired one. It was one with the same color skin as me with dark hair and eyes. To top it off she was wearing traditional dress. I was so eager to show her off to Bella that summer. Especially after she bragged about how Charlie had searched all over Washington to find one that looked like her."
"I still don't get why this is important. You got a point somewhere?"
"What happened to it, Seth?"
"I don't know," he answered, his voice defensive. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.
"You."
"Me?! I was three—how is anything that happened to it my fault?"
She snorted, "That's what mom and dad said too. Tried to say it was all my fault because if it was special I shouldn't have had it out. It was in my room! First you chewed on her feet and hands! Then you moved onto her head which you pulled off so many times that dad had to glue it in place. Half her hair was missing!"
"It was a doll! Just a silly doll!"
"Not to me—it was the last thing memory I have of Grandma Clearwater. It was the first thing I ever had that made me think that someone like me was pretty and special," she whispered. "You don't what it's like to be a girl. To grow up and there isn't a single toy like you. You didn't have to play with Bella like Rachel, Becca, and I did. And maybe she didn't mean it, but every summer Charlie bought her some new doll or toy. Each one reminded him of her and he told her that constantly and we had to hear about it. I just wanted one thing."
"What does this have to do with your mood today?"
"It just does. Okay. I can't explain it right now. Things are shitty enough as it is and…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "Can we just get home and we'll talk about it then? I'm sorry…I'm just angry and frustrated—confused…I don't know…"
"Fine."
She backed away from him and he walked to the passenger side of the car and got in while she followed his lead and got into the driver's seat. After making a few adjustments to the mirrors and seat, she started the engine. Pulling out of the parking lot they headed back to La Push.
Seth couldn't believe his sister was really upset over some doll he had destroyed eleven or so years ago. But somewhere in her rant there was a clue to her current mood. He racked his brain and the only thing he could think was somehow he had taken something from her. Something that was special to her, but what it was he wasn't sure.
For whatever reason, it seemed the harder he tried to remember, the more frustrated he got. He could tell there was time missing—that his memories were incomplete. He could clearly remember being at Collin's for much of the day yesterday.
He remembered getting home last night. The mood in the house was strange. Leah had already been in bed and his mom looked as though she had stared death in the face. And perhaps she had. After all, Emily had been attacked by an animal near their house.
Which was strange because prior to hearing all the commotion, Leah had been home; they had been watching TV when she had abruptly gotten up and left the room. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but why had she gotten up? And furthermore, where had she gone?
He glanced over at her and noticed details he didn't think he would normally see. The tightness in her jaw, the crinkling of her forehead, the bags and purplish discoloration underneath her eyes; she looked like hell. He turned away when he noticed her clenching her jaw tighter.
Furtively, he continued his assessment. Her fingernails were jagged and rough, dirt underneath the nails. Her arms had several red scratches that appeared to be new, yet old—as though they had healed overnight. Lastly, he noticed the faintest hint of bruising very low on her neck—nearly on her collarbone.
He may be only fourteen, but Leah had been dating Sam for years, so he was familiar with the activity that caused bruises like the ones she had now. And for the life of him—he couldn't figure out how or when she would have gotten them, but he knew they weren't there yesterday. At least not before Emily's accident.
He tried to put it all together in his head—Emily's accident, Leah disappearing and her current appearance, the fact his dad had a heart attack in their home and he didn't remember the ambulance showing up—that he hadn't woken up even with the sirens going. How out of sorts he had felt—was feeling.
To be perfectly honest, he didn't even remember waking up. It was as though one moment he had been sleeping and the next he was in shower. Had he sleep-walked through his morning? Was it even possible?
It was as though he had gone through the motions of his morning, but unconsciously. Someone or something had helped him. Last night falling asleep was the last thing he could remember—until his shower which after that he had headed downstairs to get something to eat.
He had been starving too. His stomach had protested from its lack of sustenance—yet he and Collin had gorged on pizza, pop, and snacks. He couldn't remember ever feeling that hungry. And when Old Quil and Paul showed up?
He had already known that his parents weren't home. That Leah wasn't home, but yet the fact hadn't bothered or worried him. And that in itself was abnormal. He was perfectly capable of being home alone, but they always left notes or told each other were they were going.
He knew he couldn't have been sleeping when his dad's heart attack happened. But he wasn't in the house, either—at least he didn't think he was. So, where was he? Where had he been? And why wasn't he there?
The questions were piling on faster than he could answer them. It made his head hurt to try and figure out what happened in those missing moments. About the only positive was that he was sure the missing moments were only this morning—thankfully he hadn't lost an entire day. Not yet.
Leah noticed his observation. She could also sense his thoughts as he tried to figure out the puzzle. As he took in her appearance and their recent interactions; trying to figure out where it fit into the bigger picture. While he racked his brain, trying to find out what had occurred in what she now termed the void.
Frowning, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She needed to have a talk with her wolf spirit about that. How she was going to go about that she wasn't sure, but it had to be done. Maybe she could talk to Seth's wolf about it too.
It didn't seem right to have chunks of memories missing; even if it was because their wolf took over—or they gave control to their wolf. She had forgotten to ask Jared about it when they talked last night. He had said it normally took time for their human and wolf selves to exist in harmony. Did that mean the others retained their memories when they were all wolf?
Sighing, she realized she had unknowingly answered her question. The reason why they didn't remember was because the wolf was present and the human side wasn't. If both sides were in harmony—they would both be present, so any memories created would be intact.
Now all she had to do was figure out a way to get Seth to remember. The order he had given—Paul was sure it was unable to be broken. And Seth didn't seem to remember phasing. She had already decided only yesterday that he would never believe her if she just told him. And just because he had phased, didn't mean he suddenly believe the tales either.
She would have to make him remember. There was only one way to do that. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, she weighed the options. Alone—or call Paul and Quil. She couldn't call any of the others because of the order.
She continued to mull over her limited options. Her decision was made by the time she pulled into the driveway. From what she knew about their human size and how it correlated to their wolf size—she knew Seth would be massive. But she was smaller and she hoped that meant that she was quicker too. Add the bond they shared as siblings which she was 99% sure would carry into their wolf forms; the odds were in her favor. Or so she hoped.
Turning the engine off, she pulled the keys out and stuck them in the console. She wasn't overly worried about someone stealing her car and her wallet didn't have much more than her license and a few dollars.
"Seth," she started, turning toward him. "How about we go for a little walk so we can talk? It's been a while since we've done that and we used to do it all the time as kids."
Her smile felt forced to her, but it must have looked genuine because he returned the gesture with a smile. "I guess…but aren't you worried about that animal—the one that attacked Emily."
Her response was soft, the words tinted with sadness, "I'm not afraid of the animals in the forest…there's things a lot scarier than them."
He couldn't help it and frowned at her words, but nonetheless he followed her. They walked quietly side by side until they reached the backyard. The small path they had carved out over the years was still there though the forest was slowly taking it back.
It wasn't until they were a dozen or so yards in when Seth began to notice things he hadn't before. How clearly he could hear all the sounds in the forest and the sharpness of his vision. Then there was their lack of appropriate attire for a November afternoon; evident by the steam which rose from their mouths with each exhalation. The bitter scent of anxiety rolling off his sister in waves; the smell of it turned his stomach and he struggled as he stopped his desire to retch.
Abruptly, she stopped. It was now or never. They were far enough in the forest that they wouldn't be seen by prying eyes, but close enough that she doubted the pack would venture this close to their house. She wasn't sure whether the order included distance; reason told her they would be able to sense if she was nearby and thus they would be compelled to stay away.
She mustered her courage and schooled her face into what she hoped was a fierce look. Facing her brother, she glared at him. Using her finger to poke his chest as she taunted him, "Did you figure it out yet? Or do I need to spell it out for you?"
"What the hell, Leah?!" he countered back, pushed her hand away.
"I can't believe you. Without even having the facts—you…" she raged, suddenly flustered as she tried to put words to how she felt. "I can fight my own battles. I don't even know whether it will work or not—but it's my life! My decision! Not yours!"
"Huh?" he questioned confusion evident on his face.
"Jared—you didn't have any right to say what you did," she emphasized with a smack to his chest. "It's not your business. It's not Sam's business. It's mine and Jared's—we're the ones who get to decide."
Her words seeped into his brain. A moment of clarity returned—breakfast, his parents, Jared and Leah; his dad taking Sam's side again while Leah was ambivalent. Not agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Why was he there," he growled; his body trembling. "He's one of Sam's goons, so why didn't you say anything?"
"Because…there was nothing to say…I love him and he loves me."
"You're stupid if you think that. Have you been walking around with blinders for the past few months? Haven't you heard dad and Charlie talking? He's with Bella, just like Sam is with Emily."
His height was a distinct disadvantage for her, but somehow she overcame it and managed to clench her fist, aim just right, and strike him on the delicate bones underneath his left eye. Her hand and his face made similar crunching noises during their impact. Tears flooded her eyes at the sudden sharp pain. She had broken something; she was sure of it.
Pulling herself together, she yelled at him, "You're an asshole! I hate you. All you do is wreck things. If Jared hadn't been there—dad would've died and you don't even care!"
He snarled at her, no words falling from his mouth. His eyes blackened with rage and she began to second guess her plan. The slight tremor turned into violent shudders—the change imminent.
Backing away, she pushed away her fear and found her anger. The force of it as it rushed through her limbs and centered on her spine, burning her in its intensity. Within seconds she was once again a lithe grey wolf and facing the largest wolf in the pack. A wolf that was more wolf than her brother, so she did the only thing she could do and attacked. It was better to be on the offensive than be defending oneself.
FF_8756144_28 01/20/13 7:37AM