The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.
Leah darted to the house. Not only did the window to her room face the forest, she also had a habit of leaving it unlocked. Not that there had been much reason to leave it that way lately, but at a time like this she was grateful for her foresight or lack of concern—she was old enough to know there weren't any monsters lurking in the dark. At least not the kind of monsters she had feared growing up.
She listened as Paul and Quil explained what they could about the pack and their legends. Why they had the ability to phase into wolves and what their true purpose was. Seth seemed to be taking it well—a few times he had interrupted with questions, but overall she likened him to a sponge soaking up the knowledge of the two older boys.
Focusing herself, she glided back into her human form. A blush staining her face and chest as the cool air hit her naked flesh. She didn't think she would ever get comfortable with the nakedness. Even though her and Jared had explored each other bodies and knew every nuance—it wasn't the same.
Her window slid open easily and she clambered into her bedroom. Scrambling to her dresser, she found a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt. She quickly tugged them on before taking a look in the mirror.
Her hair was snarled and tangled. Not as bad as the first time she had phased, but a mess nonetheless. She knew there had to be some way to keep her hair neat. Granted, the legends didn't give them all the details, but long hair had always been a thing of pride among their people. Men and women alike—so, she didn't think for one second that Taha Aki had cut his hair short.
She would have to ask her wolf about it—Sopiya. It was nerve-wracking to find out your ancestor lived inside you. Or maybe you lived inside them. She frowned, the entire idea was too unreal to believe, but she knew it was true. She could feel Sopiya in her. It was a separate and distinct thrumming inside her mind, body, and heart.
It was that thought which gave her strength. They may have believed she was the only female wolf ever, but she wasn't. And with Sopiya, she had the strength and wisdom to do what must be done. But first she must find a way to help Seth remember the rest. The order he had given needed to be removed and then they needed to do whatever was necessary so that the pack became his, well theirs—at least it would be until Seth was ready to take the mantle to which he had been born to.
Rushing out her room, she stopped by the bathroom to grab a hairbrush and then made her way to Seth's room. She grabbed the first items of clothes she saw. And then once again she ran out to the back yard and into the forest.
Paul, Quil, and Seth remained in wolf form. Earlier her adrenaline and anger had fueled her behavior so she hadn't realized how large Seth actually was. She had known he was larger than her, but he even dwarfed Paul and Quil. His first foray into being an Alpha male had changed him. It was easy to see how this was his destiny.
Quil was the first to notice her scrutiny and he phased back into his human form. Squealing, she turned away as she yelled at him, "Quil! Put some clothes on! I don't need to see that!"
"Oh, yeah…umm sorry, Leah…I forgot."
She heard the sound of his clothes rustling and moments later he spoke again, "There, all covered up."
"Please don't do that again. Number one, I don't care to see it. Number two, I don't think Seth will react well to it either. You guys working on getting him to phase back yet?"
"We've been trying, but…" Quil began, shrugging. "He's not resisting it, but his mind's distracted…out of focus; it's making it hard."
"I know the feeling," she mumbled. "Why don't you two leave and I'll phase. I think I'll be able to do it."
"But…what if you two…fight again…I don't think we…"
"Don't worry about that. It's not going to happen again. I'll be fine—we'll be fine."
"I don't know…"
"Just go, Quil—you too, Paul," her tone sharp and authoritative.
She watched in amazement as they both listened to her words and started running back the way they had come; Quil in his human form and Paul as his wolf. It took a few moments before she realized what she had done.
Holy crap! I ordered them to do that…fuck this is going to be a mind warp.
"Seth, give me a second," she told him, her voice shaking. "I'm going to leave your clothes here," she explained as she dropped them on the ground next to his wolf form. "I'm just going over to that thicker brush so I can phase and then we'll get you changed back."
Within minutes, she was concealed from her brother's eyes and anything else that may be lurking in the forest. She pulled her clothes off and closed her eyes. Concentrating, she felt her anger turn into an inferno that raged through her body. The now-familiar stretch of muscle and realignment of her bones which signified the change happened. The pain dimmer; it was less and less each time.
She crashed to the forest floor on four paws. The shake of her fur, instinctive or driven by an unknown need—it was purely animal-like. She focused, picturing what the pack mind looked like. Feeling Paul, she blocked his thoughts from her and she hoped Seth, too.
How did you do that? Seth asked quietly.
Focusing…I don't know…I'm sure you'll be able to do it too.
Why? I don't understand.
There's a lot you have to understand, but first we need to go and see Old Quil and to do that we need to be human.
How? They were trying to tell me, but it doesn't make any sense.
She felt and saw the chaotic nature of his thoughts. He was trying to put together a puzzle—no puzzles and the pieces were all mixed up. For one moment he would think about one thing and then the next he was onto the next topic. Only he hadn't realized, everything was related.
It's easy. At least that's how it was described to me. Remember when I helped you phase earlier. She deliberately pushed the memory her angry taunts.
He growled low, warning her.
I'm sorry, Seth—I am. It's just it takes anger to change into the wolf. And sometimes we don't have a choice how we do it—you had to phase because you had to remember.
The memory of Jared provoking her, slipped. She was unable to hold it back and it was strange how she knew it had happened only yesterday, but it seemed to be ages ago. Now that she understood the reasons behind it—the hurt was no longer there.
See…it happened to me too. I know that he didn't mean it.
Fine, he ground out. I get it. Can we be done with story time?
She rolled her eyes before replying, Sure. Now to change back you need the opposite of anger. A memory, a thought, a feeling—something that makes you feel elated.
She watched as he tried and failed. His anger and confusion were still present and clouded his ability to focus. With each passing moment, he became more and more frustrated and further away from phasing back.
Here, let me, she pleaded softly.
She took his silence as acquiescence. Their memories were so enmeshed together and she worried if she thought of something he remembered that it might not be enough to break through the litany of his rambling. So, she dug deeper; into memories that were hers alone, but of him.
Her first attempt wasn't met with much success as she thought of the day she had first met her little brother. Their dad had been so proud and their mom had been entranced by Seth that Leah felt alone and forgotten. She tried to get her parents' attention several times, but it didn't work. When she finally threw her temper tantrum—aka "meltdown" as her father liked to call it—all it did was get their grandparents called, so she could go home and take a nap.
Leah, I don't think that's going to work.
I'm trying, okay. I have to start somewhere.
She concentrated harder, trying to find the right memory. Flashes of a baby Seth ran through their heads. She had nearly given up when finally the right memory flashed by. Seth's intrigue was palpable as he watched the scene through his sister's memories.
A chubby Seth grasped the coffee table and pulled himself into a standing position. His hands slapped the table in delight; his lips pursed as he blew spit bubbles before he turned to Leah and gave her a toothy grin.
Through their shared mind, he felt Leah's irritation with him; the action of her crossing her arms over her chest became his. He felt her lips curl as she remarked, "You're such a baby, Seth. All you do is make messes."
"Leah, that's not nice," their father's deep voice reprimanded her.
"I don't care—it's true," she retorted, stomping her feet. "He's just a dumb baby. Even Jacob is better—at least he walks and talks."
"Leah! That's enough! Go to your room and think about your behavior."
"Fine." Seth was amazed at the amount of venom his sister managed to put into that single word. She couldn't have been more than six at the time. It seemed his sister had always spoken her mind.
She turned and began to walk away. The memory that had seemed so intriguing was suddenly dark and painful. It didn't seem to be the right one to help him change back.
Just give it a chance, Seth, Leah pleaded softly as she continued to play the memory.
There was a tiny whimper; Seth realized that it was him—baby him crying, or just about to start crying. In that moment, the memory became his. He remembered her two braided pigtails and the purple overalls she was wearing. He didn't want her to go. He had been trying to show her something—he wanted her to like him, to play with him.
He turned; one tiny hand still gripped the table for support. He had to stop her. Letting go, he furrowed his brow in concentration as his small tongue poked out between his lips. He picked up one foot and stepped forward, then did the same with the other.
"Sue, come quick!" he heard his dad shout, but he tuned the sound out.
He had to stop her, but she was too quick. Her legs much longer than his and her steps were steady and sure which was completely the opposite of his. Each step brought him closer, but each step threw him off-kilter.
"Leelee," his baby voice called out.
She stopped abruptly and he called out again. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks while he waited for her to turn around. She didn't like him, he decided. He had tried so hard, but she didn't want anything to do with him.
Spinning on her heel, she called out, "Seth…" her voice hesitant.
"Leelee!" he screamed, clapping his hands together. The moment was too much for his wobbly legs and he fell backward. The impact made his lip quiver and he began to cry loudly.
"Aww…Seth," she cooed, rushing over to him. "You're fine. If you fall, you have to get back up. That's what dad said when I learned to ride my bike. Now come on, let's try it again."
Her hands entwined with his and she helped pull him to his feet. She continued to hold onto his hands while slowly stepping backwards. Her movements forced him to move forward.
Seth barely noticed when his body slid back into its human form. Had it not been for the abrupt cease of the memory—he would have thought he was still in wolf form. His hands shook as he pulled his clothes on.
His sister's voice breaking into his thoughts, "See I knew I had one in there somewhere. You ready to go to Old Quil's?"
"Yeah," he answered, shaking his head. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Maybe…you'll just have to figure it out," she replied with a laugh as she threw her arm over his shoulders.
Old Quil had been expecting them. It seemed on their way home or back to Sam's—where ever Paul and Quil had decided to go, they stopped at Old Quil's. The warning was just enough to have the old man ready with a comeback or two of his own.
"It's about time you two showed up. I found a dozen more grey hairs while I was waiting."
"Your entire head is grey," Leah retorted.
"Well, then I guess it was even longer than I thought. Now, come in before I get any more signs of old age."
The two of them followed him; the living room ended up being the final destination. The rotting smell of Bella's blood still lingered in the air. How that was possible, Leah wasn't sure because a glance at the table showed her it had been clean. When Seth wrinkled his nose and growled—she knew it wasn't a coincidence.
"You too?" Old Quil asked, his dark eyes pinning Seth with a steely gaze.
"Huh?"
"The girl—her blood, you can smell the wrongness of it."
Seth's eyes dropped as he paused to gather his thoughts. "It smells like…death…evil…unnatural… Why is it here?"
"Your sister would answer that best."
"Later," she replied with a glance at her brother, her eyes pleading for him to accept her answer for now. At his nod, she turned back to Old Quil, "You wanted to see me? Well, now us?"
"Yes, I only know what your grandfather Peter told me. He didn't share all the secrets with me, but he seemed to think what has come to pass—would."
Leah nodded in understanding before admitting, "I think there's more that you need to know."
"I have no doubts about that. For Seth to be able to order the boys—it means something, doesn't it? More than just your connection as siblings…"
She nodded and he continued, "Is it true, then? What Peter foretold? That Seth would inherit the pack?"
"Yes. It seems that way."
"What?! Me…why would I? That doesn't make sense…Paul…Quil…they said it's Jake's right… It's not me…it can't be me."
"But it is, Seth. Or it will be. I'm not sure how it will work," she frowned. "Maybe it's better that I explain what happened today."
She began to tell exactly everything that occurred after they left the hospital. Her taunting of Seth; how she used everything within her arsenal to make him angry so he would phase. The fact they fought, which Seth began to argue with her about. He hadn't remembered it, but she silenced his protests and continued.
"There's something you're not telling me," Old Quil guessed. His face pensive while he read between the lines of her story and Seth's reaction to the events. "At the hospital, I spoke to Seth in Quileute, but it wasn't Seth? I know it wasn't. There was something about the presence that seemed otherworldly and powerful."
She nodded; still unsure whether she was allowed to say the words or not. Taha Aki said Old Quil would have the answers or he would ask the right questions.
"And you, Leah, you weren't yourself yesterday. Not when you bit Bella nor when you spoke those words…'my father would be more ashamed...' You weren't talking about Harry. It cannot be, but it must."
His eyes focused on the two young natives sitting in front of them. While he could see them clearly, there was a barely perceptible shimmering which transformed their features into people he didn't recognize. He should be afraid—daunted by the power that emanated from them, but he wasn't. There was something comforting and an overwhelming sense of security as he sat there.
"Your wolves are you, but not. The spirits of them are old; from beyond this time. A way to right the errors from hundreds of years ago—if Sopiya resides within in you, then Seth…great spirits…Taha Aki."
Old Quil's heart sped up, nearly galloping out of his chest. His lungs wheezed in and out in an effort to breathe. His already pale copper toned skin, whitened further. His lips appeared bloodless.
"That's why Seth was able to order the boys. Why you sensed what was wrong with Bella."
"I think so. If it is an imprint—a true one, can it be broken," she asked.
"What's an imprint," Seth asked.
"Crap," she swore. "Seth, there's something more about this wolf stuff that you need to know," she chewed her lower lip while she figured the best way to explain things.
"Does it have something to do with the girls," he asked, anger leeching into his tone.
"Kinda, but you have to keep an open mind. It's not all that it seems. Bella's one of them, but she can't be. That's her blood you smell. She was bit by a vampire—it doesn't make sense that she could be his mate."
She chose the wrong time to emphasize her words. Seth's ears perked up the moment she did it. One could practically see the wheels turning in his head.
"They have imprints. Why would you let yourself be hurt like that again? Do you think I don't remember what you went through because of Sam," he finished with a sneer.
"Yes, but it's not the same. And at the moment it's a moot point—you've ordered over half the pack to not be able to think, talk, or come near me."
She crossed her arms over her chest defensively before turning away from her brother. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she asked again, "Do you think it could be broken?"
"I don't know. To my knowledge, no one has ever tried."
"What would one need to do in order to break it? I mean, if it could be done—how?"
Old Quil smiled wistfully, "Leah, I think you're setting yourself up to be hurt. Even if he manages to break his; what happens when you imprint?"
"I don't care! It doesn't matter. I can't keep doing this—it can't be wrong. I can't describe what it feels like when I'm away from him. I don't feel right; there's something missing, a constant yawning emptiness."
Seth sat there stoically and listened to his sister's words. A buzzing sensation ran through his veins, his heart began to beat with a different rhythm and a sudden feeling of certainty crept over him as he spoke, "Clearwaters don't imprint."
Where the knowledge had come from, he wasn't sure, but he knew it was the truth. His sister gasped, her hand reaching over to grasp his tightly. Her eyes pleading as she searched his face.
He repeated it again, the words falling from his lips easier; the truth and weight behind them, lifted the misery which had lingered in the air, "Clearwaters don't imprint."
FF_8756144_31 02/02/13 9:12PM