Chapter Five
"At least let me come with you." Leandra hated this.
"I'll be fine." I muttered on my way down the stairs beside her, "I have to go back. It's been three days, and I have to know if anything new has come up at Darren's."
It had been three, long days. Filled with a bunch of new experiences. A first official bath, with warm bath water instead of being dumped head first into a river or waiting for it to rain. Changing clothes before they were falling off of me in pieces or too small, and the first time I actually slept in a bed instead of on the floor.
Everything I fought them tooth and nail on, but eventually saw that they'd been right about.
I couldn't believe how different I looked without dirt clinging to my skin, and my hair brushed. Like a new person. Emmett mentioned, attempting to piss me off, that I finally looked like a girl, and I couldn't be mad at him for it. I had to agree with him, that I looked more like a girl now, instead of a stray animal.
I was embarrassed by the change at first, the difference in the way I looked, but I eventually found that I liked it.
The bed took a bit to get used to. I wasn't sure about trying to sleep on it again. After sleeping on a harder surface my entire life, normal felt weird to me.
It both confused me and worried me, however, when I realized that with all these distractions, I hadn't thought about my dad for several hours. Admittedly, more like all day long, and that was unacceptable to me.
"I would have seen if anything had come up." Leandra argued, bringing me out of my thoughts, "Alice would have seen."
"I have to see for myself." I sighed, rounding the bottom of the stairs, "I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone."
"That's a lie." She grumbled. I crossed my arms, giving her a look. She rolled her eyes a little, "I know, I know."
"Besides." I muttered, "You have school. Can't be late for that, right?"
"What if Darren doesn't let you come back?" She countered, "Have you thought about that?"
"Then I'll rip off his face." I replied, "Relax. Remember what Conner told him? It should be on me whether or not I stay or go, so my dad doesn't kill him when he gets back."
She reached out and grabbed Mikah as he attempted to walk by, and searched his pockets. He squirmed a little with a chuckling yelp, giving her a surprised look.
"Careful there, princess." Mikah muttered, and she smacked him with her free hand, removing her other hand from his front jeans pocket.
"Here." She handed me a small square object, and I frowned down at it.
"What the fuck is this?" I asked, confused.
"It's a cell phone." I could easily see where she was going with this, but I immediately shook my head.
"I wouldn't know how to use this damn thing." I laughed, handing it back to Mikah. He laughed as well, taking it back, "Sorry she robbed you like that, but the best I could do with it, is throw it at him."
"Leandra." Alice descended the stairs beside us, "Come on. You're going to be late."
Leandra sighed heavily, looking to me, "When I get back, I'm teaching you how to use that."
"That sounded oddly like a threat." I laughed again, heading for the door, "I'll be fine." I knew she wouldn't threaten me, though.
I hesitated a second at the door, before I turned back around. Heading into the kitchen, I grabbed a cookie from the plate of them that Esme had made the night before. I'd eat it on the way.
I'd nearly given up on food altogether when I realized that food had to be digested, and I figured out fast what Emmett had meant by 'need the bathroom', which was a deeply unpleasant lesson, but then I learned what dessert was. Dessert made it entirely worth it.
She put her foot down, though, telling me that if I was going to eat cookies or other desserts, I had to have regular food too. I agreed to that, and had to live up to that agreement each time she caught me attempting to be stealthy in sneaking something.
I passed Leandra again, holding the cookie in my lips and giving her two thumbs up before spinning and opening the door. She laughed a little, watching after me.
"She'll come back." Emmett assured her, "There are cookies here."
"Are you calling me fat?" I called back at him from the yard.
"Not at all." Was his response, "Don't hurt me."
I had to have laughed all the way to Seattle.
I couldn't remember a time when I'd laughed as much. Since I'd known them, and willingly spent more time there, I'd noticed a rather large difference in myself. My entire life wasn't about survival, or training anymore. Not with them. There was more to it now.
I was learning new things every day, and it was opening my eyes.
I stopped in the yard. My laughter fading as I carefully approached. To my surprise, finding quite a number of scents I hadn't smelled before ahead of me in the house. Six, at least.
I glanced behind me, unsure about moving forward. They'd have said something if they saw me run into trouble, wouldn't they? Leandra wouldn't have let me go.
"Avery." I jumped, spinning around at the voice suddenly behind me. I had just checked that direction. There had been nobody there, but there was now a male I'd never met before standing there.
His smile was one I immediately didn't trust. His darker skin somehow pale, his long, tousled hair jet black as it framed his crimson eyes, unsettling me with just one look. It was definitely a first for me, as his sharp, chiseled features made him seem more solid stone than he already was.
I considered myself soft, easier on the eyes. The complete opposite of him. There was nothing soft or easy about him. The only word I could think of to describe him was 'intense'.
Despite being startled and very tense, I growled, "Don't call me that."
He chuckled, "Easy. I'm sorry I scared you." His voice held an almost gravelly hint to it when he spoke. It was deep, almost menacing despite the way he spoke easily. Everything about this guy told me to be afraid.
"Who the fuck are you?" I muttered, letting my distrust escape in my tone. He seemed to be amused by that, given his broader smirk.
"My name is Omar." He replied, "Why, we're practically family."
"Family, my ass." I growled, listening to the door open behind me, "I've heard that line a lot lately."
"Now, don't be rude, Alex." Darren descended the steps to come to my side. Four new vampires following him. I stayed put, letting Darren get to my side. Darren obviously knew this guy, so it was my only hope he'd keep him from smashing me just by looking at me.
"You sure do look like him." Omar murmured gently. I glared and he laughed again, "Come into the house. We shouldn't be out here."
"Fuck you." I replied, "Who are you?"
"I told you who I am."
"You told me your name." I countered, "Not who you are. Why can't any one of you fuckers just be straight with me for once? None of this avoiding the answer bullshit!"
He replied, "Calm yourself, child. I mean you no harm. Despite your father's obvious unearned distrust, I promise I'm not here to cause you trouble."
I glared deeper, "That's not a straight answer." I growled, turning, "Fuck it. I've just decided that I don't care anymore."
I strode toward the other side of the yard before my arm was caught. I took a swing at Darren immediately, but swung too hard, letting anger direct my movements. Giving him an opening to drop me straight to my back.
That stunned me enough to lay there for a moment.
"Ow." I finally muttered.
"Come inside." He told me, continuing to stand there, looking down at me, "Just for a second."
"Why should I?" I growled, climbing back to my feet.
"Omar has been waiting for two days for you to show up." Darren explained, "And he's not one to stay patient for very long."
"And I'm supposed to give a shit, why?" I frowned, "If you weren't such a dick-"
"I've known your father on a very personal level for quite some time." Omar spoke up, taking my attention back to him immediately, "It doesn't surprise me he'd raise his daughter to be just as waspish and cantankerous as he is."
"What-"
"Cantankerous. It means 'ornery'. Easily irritated and very uncooperative." He explained before I had to ask what he meant, "Combative. Troublesome." I smiled a little.
"I'll take that as a compliment." I grumbled.
"Of course, by all means." He smiled also, "Those are traits we've always admired in Jack." He gestured to the ones that had stepped outside with Darren. I pieced it together then. My glare easing.
"You're part of his old coven." I muttered in understanding, and he gave a nod.
"Come inside." He repeated, "All I want is to speak to you."
I hesitated, debating. I had every opportunity to run. I was wide open to my right. I doubted I could get away if he decided to chase me, but he honestly didn't seem the type. I reluctantly believed him.
He waited patiently, letting me move on my own toward the house. The others followed me at a comfortable distance as I stepped inside, finding Conner coming to my side.
"Hi." He greeted, seeming just as unsettled as I seemed to be.
"Hi." I mumbled back, looking back as Omar closed the front door.
"I want to make it perfectly clear right now." Omar's deep, slightly accented voice sounded more ominous inside, more concentrated, "You are free to leave whenever you wish. Nobody here will stop you, nor will they restrain you." I shot a glare Darren's direction. Reading the silent accusation in that glare, Omar spoke again, "Darren was wrong to threaten you that way, and I assure you, I've spoken to him about it."
"Why are you here now?" I had to ask. Why would my dad want to keep me away from him? He didn't seem so bad. He seemed perfectly respectful.
"Your father sent me." He replied easily, "He sent me to check on you."
That didn't sound right to me. I knew him better than that, but even I doubted that assumption anymore. If he wanted to keep me away from him, like he always said he did, why would he send them straight to the place he thought I'd be?
"He sent you?" I asked, suddenly intensely interested in what he had to say, "He's okay?"
"He's perfectly fine." He smiled a little, "He only wanted to make sure you were alright, due to his prolonged absence." That did sound like him, so my suspicion dropped a few notches. I shifted my weight between my feet, suddenly nervous. Would Omar tell him I wasn't staying where he'd told me to stay?
"When's he coming back?" I demanded quietly.
"Soon." He murmured.
"Where did he go?"
"So many questions." He chuckled, "You'll know all you need to know in time. Patience." I sighed heavily, "First, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Omar, and I've known your father from the moment he joined our coven. I'm the one that took over his position when he left."
I gave a nod, "And you already know me."
"But of course." He chuckled, "Your father has spoken very highly of you."
"He did?" I asked, unable to help smiling a little. I fought the pride that brought me, but I couldn't completely squash it. He gave me a nod and a very polite smile.
"Does this surprise you?" He asked conversationally.
"A little." I admitted, "He's never told me anything about you."
"That doesn't surprise me." He replied, his smile fading away, "There was quite a bit of tension over his choosing to leave. Especially after what happened."
"Why was there tension?" I asked.
"Over the years, during his quest for revenge, we'd lost many." He answered frankly, "Friends, family to us. To abandon that quest for revenge so suddenly, especially as he had every opportunity to acquire it, was inconceivable. His quest was our quest, and to just forego everything on a technicality was completely disregarding everyone who had been lost." He took a breath, "Then came the decision to leave us. Running away, like a spineless dog."
"Watch it." I snapped, that being too far for my patience, "My dad isn't spineless."
"Of course not." He replied, "My apologies. It's a very sensitive subject."
"So.." I mumbled, "He didn't leave on good terms?"
"How would that be possible?" He asked in return, "But taking ten years, avoiding us has done its job. We were willing to forgive him for running away."
"He wasn't running." I countered, "Maybe he just didn't see the point in staying with you anymore."
He smirked.
"This would go better if you stopped insulting him." I pointed out with a growl.
"Of course." He gave me a nod, looking to the right of himself, "Allow me to introduce those I've brought along. Protection. I'm sure you understand?" He seemed unsure, so I nodded a little. He gestured to the three to Darren's left, "This is Keegan, Caleb, and Mitchell."
Mitchell was easily the most intimidating out of those three. Besides Omar himself. Mitchell didn't seem the patient type, and he studied me close like he knew that I was the flight risk I really was. Like if I made one wrong move, he'd be the one to step up. He reminded me greatly of a much meaner-looking Emmett.
Omar continued, gesturing to the two to Darren's right, "Those two are Vance, and Holden." Vance looked pretty relaxed, but confident. Holden just looked bored, like there were a thousand other things he'd rather be doing than standing there with me.
"Aiken and Shawn are out in search of a more.. Secluded location for our grouping. I'm sure you'll meet them another time."
"Why so many?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
"I like to be cautious."
"Clearly." I replied, "What do you have to be cautious about?"
"You don't even know, do you?" He chuckled, stepping forward, "You're playing with fire, that at any second could destroy you and all of us along with you, and you don't even know it."
"I'm not doing anything." I muttered defensively.
"Exactly." He replied, "You're not doing anything." I frowned, narrowing my eyes in confusion, "I'm talking about that coven, child."
Understanding now, I groaned.
"Seriously?" I snapped, "It's back to them? You people do need a hobby."
"The fact is that you have the opportunity that none of us have ever had, and you're not doing anything." Opportunity? "Darren attempted, but failed. They saw right through him, but they can't see through you. You made it further into that coven than any of us have, you brilliant child."
I was starting to catch on, and I wasn't liking it one bit. My opinion of him did a proverbial three-sixty. Immediately heading south in as much time as it took for me to glare.
"What?" I asked, "Get to the damn point, Omar."
"You have the opportunity to remove the threat from the inside out." He explained, "One at a time, or the entire coven at once."
"You're fucking crazy." I snapped, "I'm not-"
"You're not going to mess this up." He smiled, "I have the deepest confidence in you."
I could clearly hear the unspoken words, the threat in those statements. He was trying to tell me that I had little choice in what he was telling me to do, but he was attempting to do it in a way that should have made me feel proud if I wasn't smart enough to catch on.
I was astonished. Speechless for a moment.
"You're not going to use me to do your dirty work." I gasped incredulously once I'd finally found my voice again, "I won't betray them." Every single word of that was true. I couldn't betray them like that. No matter who it was telling me to.
"I sincerely hope they haven't corrupted you, Alex." Omar sighed, his small smile fading.
"So what if they have?" I asked, "Really? What's the big fucking deal? It's not any of your goddamn business."
"That would be a shame, and news I'm sure your father wouldn't want to hear."
"I didn't even want to stay here." I growled incredulously, "You tell my father that whatever happens now is his fault. You tell him, when you see him later like I know you will, that he's this close to losing me for good, because he thought it'd be funny to drop me somewhere and leave.
"Well, if he thinks I'm waiting around forever, he's got another damn thing coming." I stepped closer to him, "This is bullshit. It's not my intention to be used, and it's not my intention to hurt or cause harm to any single member of that coven. Especially when they've done nothing wrong, so fuck you, Omar."
I went to step passed him, but he turned, watching after me.
"You're making a very grave mistake, Avery." He called after me, "I assure you."
"The only mistake I'm seeing right now is bothering to come back here at all." I growled, "And don't fucking call me that."
He sighed, shaking his head. I moved for the door, pausing as I heard Mitchell move. Watching him closely, glaring at him just as Omar held his arm out. Stopping Mitchell's advance in his tracks.
He said I was free to leave whenever I wanted, and apparently, he was going to keep his word. I pulled open the door, and left the house. Slamming the door behind me.
"Fuck." I growled to myself.
"Alex." I looked behind me as the front door opened again, Conner stepping out. He closed the door behind himself, and descended the steps to my side, "You need to go back inside."
"Fuck you." I muttered, looking him over with a glare.
"I'm serious." He replied under his breath, "You need to stop this. Knock it off. If you care so much about that coven, you need to stay here."
"And if you care so much about your life, you need to back the fuck up, and-"
"Stop." He growled, "Listen to me. As someone who's known these guys for several decades, they're not kidding around." He wasn't normally this insistant, so it caught my attention, "You don't even know the things Omar can do. Much less, Darren."
"What can Omar do?" I found myself asking. He sighed, giving a look around himself.
"Let's find a place we can talk." He suggested, and I nodded.
Looking down as he took my hand, and we both started running. He led me easily all the way across town, straight to an abandoned garage. The building was clearly run down, not having seen any care in years. Possibly longer, as it was hard to tell with the weather around this place.
There were two others already there, standing up as we arrived.
"Geez." One sighed looking us over, "You scared the hell out of us, kid."
"Sorry." Conner sighed, gesturing to the one that had spoken, "Alex, this is Aiken, and that's Shawn." Aiken looked physically about sixteen, but Shawn was much older. Roughly in his twenties, at least.
"This is Avery?" I growled at Shawn's question.
"Sorry." Conner repeated, his eyes on me, "They go by first names." He looked to them again, "But yes. This is her."
"The big bad boss' pretty little daughter." Aiken chuckled, stepping closer, "She's kinda cute, isn't she?"
"Knock it off." Conner snapped before I could snap a retort. Both of them chuckled, and I glared. He looked to me again, "They're not going to bother you."
"Speak for yourself." Aiken stepped around us, circling us, "What? Two years until she's grown?"
"Just ignore them." Conner sighed, "Now. About your question."
I wasn't exactly paying attention. A quiet growl left me at Aiken's obvious assessment of me. He reached forward, as if he wanted to cup my chin, but I snapped. Just barely missing tearing his hand from his wrist.
"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Aiken grinned.
"No." I answered honestly, "But I did hurt myself a little climbing from hell. Trust me, that's not a fun trip." The look on his face was priceless.
"Omar's gift is subtle." Conner explained, ignoring our little exchange, "He controls the senses."
I frowned, looking to him, "How?"
"It's.. Pretty difficult to explain."
"He takes control of them." Aiken offered an explanation now, "He can either heighten them, or dull them to the point where they're useless. The best part? Nobody ever realizes he's doing it until it's too late to stop it."
"He uses it mainly to get close to someone without them realizing he's there." Conner added, "They can't hear or smell him coming."
"That's.. Pretty useful." I had to admit, and it made sense, "Hold on."
I moved too quick for Aiken to react, surprisingly. Taking hold of the back of his neck, and slamming his face into the aluminum wall behind me, creating an indent into the metal in the shape of his head.
I thought Shawn and Conner were going to die, with how hard they laughed.
"I think I'm in love." Aiken chuckled, recovering. I rolled my eyes a little as he stood upright, smoothing his hair back.
"So how many other gifts did Omar bring with him?" I asked, looking to Conner. I needed to know if I was going to warn Carlisle about them, which I was definitely going to do. Especially after that exchange of words with Omar.
"Mitchell's ability isn't really a gift." I knew there was something about him, "He's a tracker."
"Tracker?" I asked.
"Just what it sounds like, Angel." Aiken chuckled.
"He tracks people." Conner explained, "He can pretty much find them anywhere."
"Lovely." I muttered, crossing my arms.
"Keegan deflects gifts." Conner continued, "Offensive gifts, that effect someone, he can deflect. Not exactly like a shield, but similar. The main difference being he can apply his gift from anywhere, whereas a shield needs to be within a certain distance." I had to ask.
"Does it work on prophets?" I asked. That would certainly explain why Alice or Leandra couldn't see what was going on here.
"Of course." He gave a nod, "A prophet wouldn't see anything regarding those close to him." I made a mental note to warn them about him.
"Caleb is the one of the other useful ones. He handles scents." Conner continued, "He can cover someone's scent with other scents in the area. Essentially replacing them. It only used to work on himself, but he worked on developing it until he figured out how to cover someone else."
"That can happen?" I asked, surprised, "Gifts can grow?"
"Oh yeah." Conner replied, "It just takes work."
"What about those of us.. Who can't work on them?"
"You have an ability?" Aiken asked, surprised, "Little you?"
"You can work on it." Conner replied, "All it takes is just figuring out a way."
"But what if I don't even want it?" I asked, "If there's a way to make them grow, is there possibly a way to get rid of it?"
"Why would you want to?" He asked, "Alex, you don't even know how awesome that ability is. Imagine if you worked on it? And could include more than yourself?" Darren had obviously told them a thing or two about what I could do.
"I don't care." I mumbled.
He sighed, "As far as I know, there's no way to permanently get rid of a gift, and I've never even known anyone who'd want to try."
"Why would you want to?" Aiken asked this time, returning to Shawn's side.
"Why wouldn't I?" I asked in return.
"Okay." Conner put a stop to that before it led nowhere, "Now tell me. What the hell is it about that coven that makes you so ready to jump in?"
"I don't know." I sighed, shaking my head, "They're different."
"And different appeals to you?" Conner asked.
"I can be different, baby." Aiken grinned.
"You, shut the fuck up." I snapped Aiken's direction, "You're pissing me off." He only chuckled in response as I looked to Conner again, "Not so much different, but they appeal to me. I don't know what it is."
"Well, you should probably work on figuring it out before you completely fuck everything up." He replied, "You need to be sure what side you're on, because the second your father gets involved-"
"Fuck him." I snapped, my voice ringing around me, "Why the fuck can't I just make my own damn decisions without him getting brought up?"
"Because like it or not, he runs this shit." Conner snapped in return, "He dropped you here for a reason. He left for a reason, and he sent these fuckers here for a reason. Pay attention. Open your eyes, Alex. You're waist deep in something you don't want to be in the middle of, and it won't take long before it's too far over your head."
"So I've been told." I growled, pacing a few steps away.
"It's not only your decision." He continued, "Whatever you choose decides what happens. Stay here, and spare us an undoubtedly ugly fight, or keep doing what you're doing, and lead us straight to hell."
"That's not fair." I snarled.
"Fair or not, that's how it is, baby." Aiken agreed with Conner, "You've got to choose."
"I don't want to get in the middle of this," Conner added, "But I'll do what my coven leader tells me to do."
"Think for yourself." I snapped, "It's not that fucking hard."
"Actually, it is." He countered, "You don't have a coven, so you don't understand what it's like."
"It's not my fault you choose to follow Darren like an obedient little puppy." I replied, "Whatever Darren decides to do is on him. Not me."
"You don't know how wrong you are." Shawn spoke up, and I looked to him, "Let me see if I can explain this in a way you might understand." He paced forward slowly, "Darren's coven follows Darren. Our coven follows Omar. Both of them are highly gifted, and both of them follow Jack. Your father." I was starting to understand what he was getting at.
"You're Jack's daughter." He continued, finally coming to stand in front of me, "Someone for which he's willing to slaughter anyone just for looking at you wrong. If he gets back here, and discovers that you've turned your back on not only us, but him, he's going to go fucking ballistic, and his sights will be on those that caused you to turn your back. Am I making sense?"
"Let me see if I can explain this in a way you might understand." I growled, facing him straighter. He was pissing me off, "Your coven follows Omar, and Conner's coven follows Darren. They're both loyal to my father, but guess what? So am I. I don't belong to your coven, nor Darren's. I don't have to answer to anyone but my father, so if you can't understand that, that's your problem. When he gets back-"
"-And doesn't find you not only not where he left you, but right in the middle of that coven, he's going to take it out on us first, then them. How fucking fair is that?" His tone had lowered, "Think carefully, kid. Don't be so fucking selfish."
"Selfish?" I growled, "How is wanting to make my own choices selfish?"
"It's selfish when you wanting to make your own choices is what'll eventually get our asses kicked." He growled in return, "And that doesn't make me happy."
"Then figure out a way to make yourself happy, because making you happy is not my problem." I countered, glaring deeper before turning.
"Wrong." He was suddenly in front of me, keeping me from leaving, "Because if Jack's pissed at us, we're pissed at you, and daddy isn't always going to be there to save you."
"Don't fucking threaten me." I warned him.
He moved too fast for me to counter, suddenly gripping both sides of my head tightly between his hands, pulling me closer with a growl. Nearly off my feet, to stare straight into my eyes. His grip tight, and actually causing me pain. I gave a struggle, forgetting for a moment all the training I'd gotten in my pain and fear. His hands clenched, balling his fists in my hair and slamming me back against the wall, actually eliciting a whimper from me.
"That's not a threat." He growled between clenched teeth, "That's a promise."
"Shawn." Conner came to his side, "Let her go. Come on, man."
Nobody had dared to speak to me or treat me like that yet, and I hated to admit it, but it scared me. I struggled to return my tight breathing to normal, watching him closely.
"You better think real hard about what you want, little girl." Shawn continued. I glared, and reached forward. Bringing my arms up quickly and forcefully, breaking his hold on me. I slammed my fist against his face, knocking him back several feet.
"Back the fuck up." I warned him, and despite my obvious fear, I was pissed off, "Touch me again, you'll lose your hands." He narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing me. He stepped closer, purposefully and slowly raising his hand to poke me in the forehead.
I snapped with a snarl, sinking my teeth into his wrist. He was essentially the one that made the mistake of jerking back after I had a hold. I countered, twisting the opposite direction, actually tearing his right hand off at the wrist. I immediately dropped it, shocked at the fact I'd actually done it.
His snarl of pain had me ducking and rolling away, crossing the small area to the door. He'd be fine. It could be fixed, reattached with enough patience, but it really had to hurt to lose a limb.
His expression twisted in intense pain and deep anger, his dark crimson eyes trained on me.
"You fucking bitch!" He was pissed, "I'll kill you for this-"
"I'm not afraid of you." I snapped his direction, "You don't fucking scare me."
"Alex, please reconsider." Conner muttered, "Please. I don't want to have to kill you."
"You tell Omar and Darren that I've made my decision." I replied sharply, "If you want to kill me for not choosing you, that's fine. It's fucking whatever, but I'm not helping any one of you. You tell them that I'm loyal to whomever I choose. It's not their choice. It's mine, and I've made it. Tell my dad. Tell him whatever you want. He can come find me himself."
Aiken growled, "That coven-"
"They've done nothing to you." I growled intensely, "Don't come looking for me again, and I'll return the favor. The only one I'm willing to see now is my father, and even he's iffy."
With that, I turned again. Trying to ignore the struggle behind me.
I had to admit, I did walk a little fast, but that was just to get the fuck out of there. Behind me, I heard Conner sigh. I didn't care. I wasn't sticking around to face Shawn again. His growl was enough to scare me into moving faster, though. I didn't know if I could be fixed so easily, and if I lost something, there was no guarantee it could be reattached.
I ran as fast as I could back in the direction of Forks. Pushing faster than I ever had before. Shaken up, I considered calming down at the barn first, but I was scared. Admittedly shaken. Easily deciding against staying alone.
I wouldn't go to the house, however. Esme wasn't the one I needed to see.
I shoved through the front doors of the hospital, hardly giving the automatic doors time to open, following his scent up the hall. In the direction of the Emergency Room. I had to see him first, and I had to warn him.
My shoes squeaked lightly on the polished floor with purpose. Heading straight for his scent.
By the time I found him, I had two receptionists following me, about to catch up. I came to his side, interrupting what he was about to say to the patient sitting there.
"Hi, how ya doing? Get well soon." I looked to Carlisle, "I need to talk to you." One of my receptionist followers attempted to take my arm now that I was stationary, "Don't touch me." My voice held an underlying growl, warning her not to fuck with me. I wasn't having it today.
She released me like she'd been burned, nervously looking to Carlisle.
"It's alright, Brianna." He told the offending receptionist, "She's with me."
"Yeah." I told her, "I'm with him, so go do some paperwork or something. There's probably someone waiting on you." She gave me a dirty look, but the patient in the bed beside me started chuckling as she and her coworker turned around and left.
"Alex," Carlisle took my attention, "Can this not wait?"
"Not really." I shook my head.
"Is everything okay at home?" He obviously wasn't aware of where I was going this morning.
"I sure hope so." I replied, "I haven't been there. I just got back from Seattle." He finally seemed to understand.
"Up this hall, fourth door from the end is my office." He told me, "Wait in there, and I'll be there as soon as I can." That was better than nothing, so I nodded and started off.
I found it without an issue, sitting in one of the small chairs in front of the desk. Nervously tapping my hands on the hard plastic of the arms of the chair. My head spinning with all I'd learned today. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, and he always seemed to know what to do. So much for being independent.
I'd never felt this worked up before. This tense. This anxious. It was finally starting to hit me what I'd done. I'd essentially told them to tell my father that I was turning my back on him. Refusing to choose the ones he wanted me to choose, and choosing the ones he wouldn't stand for me to choose.
If they were right, he'd go ballistic. He'd be pissed. Probably more pissed than I'd ever seen him before, and I'd probably have a lot more to deal with than a bruise on the side of my face.
Nervousness pitted in my stomach, my entire body tense as I paced now. Thoughts of everything I'd learned about him this last week or so filled my head, and I wondered what exactly he'd be pissed enough to do to me when he found out I'd disobeyed him. Especially for something like this.
Thoughts of the pictures Carlisle showed me came to my mind, and I really, really didn't want to go through that. Panic clawed at me, threatening to shake me apart. I was denying him. Disobeying him. Now that it'd been confirmed, Omar confirming it, it made it real. Turning my back on him, and I wasn't even completely sure why.
Yeah, Carlisle and his coven were completely innocent in this, but were they really worth trading everything I'd known?
This had become much more than something to pass the time, and I hadn't even realized when that transition had taken place. I hadn't even realized when everything Darren had been telling me had happened.
I truly was in the middle now. One step either direction, and I'd be on one side or the other. Truly torn now. Omar showing up had been something I hadn't anticipated.
The biggest issue I had, however, was the fact that I knew Shawn was right. I was selfish. Putting Carlisle and his coven in danger because I wanted to choose for myself. Because I refused to take orders from a coven that I didn't know.
Because I wanted to defy my father, but mostly because I liked what Carlisle and his coven meant to me, and I wanted to keep them. I liked them. I liked learning and experiencing new things. I liked the options, the choice I had to stay there, and I liked that they treated me like a person. Someone worth knowing.
I was still pacing as Carlisle found me, and I looked to him as he closed the door.
"I am so screwed." I told him before he'd even had the door closed all the way, "I know you should know, so I came here first. I didn't know what else to do-"
"Slow down." He murmured, "What happened?"
What happened? How could a question be so simple, yet so complex at the same time? What happened? What hadn't happened? My entire fucking world was imploding, and I didn't know what to do about it. I had to choose, and I would force myself to stick to that choice.
"I went to Seattle, just to see if there was anything new." I explained as calmly as I could, "Leandra and Alice won't be able to see anything there anymore."
"Why not?"
"My dad found his old coven." I reported, and his gaze grew concerned, "He sent a few to Darren, and I met them today."
"Are you okay?" He asked, and that confirmed his concern.
"Me?" I frowned, "I'm fine. It's you guys I'm worried about."
"What happened?" He asked again, so I began.
I explained every single little detail I knew about the new ones. Keegan, Caleb, Omar. All of them. Their names, and what they could do, but there was one more thing I had to explain. That would be difficult, because I didn't want him to think I'd ever be up for doing something like that, so while he looked down, probably considering what I was saying, I spoke up again.
"Carlisle, I don't know what I'm doing." He looked back up at my tone. Probably hearing my fear for the first time, "I've never had to deal with anything like this before, and I swear I never meant to bring any of this on you. I never meant to get anyone in trouble, but I can't go back there again. I can't, but I have a feeling you're not gonna want me here."
"Not at all." He denied that instantly, "Relax, Alex."
"No, I need to be honest with you." I insisted, "I don't want to wait around for a chance for you to hear this from someone else, and I don't want you to think that I had anything at all to do with it." He waited, so I gathered my thoughts the best I could.
"Omar wants me to work for them from here. Right in the middle of you all." I knew I had to explain further, "He wants me to take you all out." Surprised, he stood up, so I continued. Possibly quicker, just so he wouldn't have a chance to hate me just yet.
"I told him I wasn't going to have anything to do with it." I added, "He threatened to tell my father, but I don't care about that anymore. I'm not some double-crossing little weasel."
"Let me see if I understand you." He finally murmured, "Omar is wanting to place you in the middle?"
"Of you." I replied, "Your coven. It's no secret to them that I'm here, and they see that as an opportunity to, his words not mine, remove the threat from the inside out. Something Darren couldn't do before."
"They know we trust you." He muttered, and I nodded. Confirming as he continued, "But because you refuse to help them, they see that as you choosing a side."
"Unfortunately." I mumbled, "I'm not going to lie, Carlisle. They scare the shit out of me, but I won't do that to you. I don't care what they say." I sighed, "I guess what I'm saying is that if I had to choose a side, I want to choose yours."
His expression softened, "Thank you for your honesty, Alex. I deeply appreciate it."
I nodded, unsure what to say. He seemed to believe me, which was oddly very relieving.
"But I cannot ask you to choose." He continued, and I looked back up at him, "I know what your father means to you. I won't ask you to choose a side."
I smiled a little, shaking my head as I looked down.
"You're about the only one not telling me to choose." I replied, "And that's exactly why I want to." I looked to him once more, "I don't know how much help I'll be, but if it comes to it, I'll be with you. On your side."
"Are you positive this is what you want?" He had to make sure.
"Carlisle, let me try to explain something to you." I murmured, "I'm my father's daughter. I'm not the bravest or smartest, or the strongest, or even the fastest. Which means, I have to find the best situation for me. I've got two options. Darren, and all those dicks in Seattle who only want me to choose them to keep my father from ripping their heads off, or you.
"My second option is your coven, who've treated me better in this last week than I've ever been treated in my whole life. Who, even knowing who my father is, didn't immediately try to enslave me or set me on fire.
"I don't know about you, but that means a lot to someone like me, so yes. If you'll allow me to stay, when I really wouldn't blame you for casting me out, I'll choose your side because I'll be damned if I'm letting those idiots take my new friends from me without me doing something about it. I might not be the bravest or strongest, but I swear, I'm not anything if I'm not loyal, so when I make a promise, I keep it."
"And your father?"
"That's another point." I sighed, "Another subject for another time, but for right now, we should probably focus on what's going on now."
He sighed, giving me a nod as he pulled out his phone.
"Alright." He murmured, "Come with me."
I couldn't help smiling a little as I followed him from the room, keeping up easily. He spoke to the receptionists on his way out, telling them about a 'family emergency', and of course, they didn't complain. They wished him well, and we continued on.
Outside, across the nearly vacant parking lot, he came to his car.
"Nice car." I muttered, poking my own reflection in the flawless black paint.
"Please get in." He requested, "Appearances."
"Right." I muttered, opening the passenger door.
I'd never been in a car before, much less gone anywhere in one, so it was a pretty new experience, and I found myself holding onto the seat uncomfortably the second we started moving.
He called Esme, checking in with her before we even left the parking lot. Apparently, she was fine, which relieved me as well. Despite the discomfort of the car ride. He informed her that he was going to gather the others. Meaning, we had to get them out of class.
However, despite the panic and discomfort, this was pretty exciting, and I found I was more in my element. This whole time I'd been stuck making decisions for myself, and I thought I was okay with that, but now that I'd essentially told Carlisle to take the decisions, I could follow and let him lead. No longer considering myself on my own made it a whole lot easier on me in some ways, but a whole lot harder in other ways.
Our first stop, was the middle school. I almost eagerly jumped from the car, giving it a dirty look as I followed him into the building. Getting Leandra called out of class, we waited for her outside the office in the hallway.
I gave a look around the deserted hall. I could hear, further off in the building, someone approaching quickly. Walking fast, but a human-paced fast. That would bug the living hell out of me. It had to be Leandra, and sure enough, she rounded the corner up ahead.
"Hurry up." I called up the hall to her.
"What's going on?" She asked before she even reached us, "Are you okay?"
"Why is everyone so worried about me?" I wondered, frowning.
"I'll explain at home." Carlisle told her, "Come on." She finally got to us, and all three of us left the building. I took a breath. I'd been starting to feel claustrophobic in that place.
She let me have the front seat again, and our next stop was the high school. This process took a little longer, naturally, as there were more we had to wait for. Rosalie reached us first, Alice next.
Both looked confused, but I couldn't blame them.
"We're going straight home. Stay together." He told them, and I remembered. They'd driven there that day. Everything was happening so fast, it was a little difficult to believe I'd only ran to Carlisle less than half an hour before.
Mikah and Emmett followed, Jasper last. Mikah chose to ride with us, climbing into the back seat with Leandra.
"What's going on?" Mikah asked, frowning as we left the parking lot.
"I fucked up." I admitted under my breath.
"I'll fill everyone in when we get home." He assured him, "But as it stands right now, we need to be careful."
"Is it bad that I think I feel sick?" I asked, continuing to cling to the seat as Carlisle glanced over at me.
"Are you going to puke?" Mikah found that amusing despite the situation.
"Let's hope not." I muttered, "Whatever that is, doesn't sound pleasant, but I'm suddenly deeply regretting eating that cookie this morning."
"Take deep breaths." Leandra leaned around the seat to look at me, "It'll pass."
We made it back to the house without an issue, thankfully. I managed not to puke. Pulling into the garage beside Alice's car as she and Rosalie climbed out, Carlisle wasted no time in getting out of the car. I followed just as quickly. Jasper and Emmett in the Jeep behind us.
"Next time," I murmured as we headed for the door, "I'm walking." Leandra laughed a little, following me through the door.
"What's going on?" Jasper asked this time as we stepped into the living room. This must not be a regular thing, being pulled out of school with no warning.
Esme must have gathered Edward and Bella from wherever they spent their time, because they stood there, waiting for our arrival. Edward already wore a frown, his eyes on Carlisle as we entered the room, but I wasn't sure what that meant.
I was slightly disappointed that Ness wasn't there also, but quickly got over that. She was probably safer staying away.
I took the spot to Leandra's right, beside the fireplace, waiting for Carlisle to answer. It was up to him to tell them the situation, but I would offer to answer any questions anyone had the best I could.
Leandra glanced to me, before returning her attention to Carlisle as he began to explain.
Just as I figured, they didn't take it well. I half worried they'd take it out or blame it on me, but thankfully, he left out the part about Omar's wanting to use me against them. That relieved me. I honestly wasn't trying to cause trouble, and I actually felt bad enough.
He explained what I told him, including the names of the gifted ones.
"There's got to be more to it." Jasper shook his head as he looked to me, "You said Omar wasn't very cooperative?"
"He wasn't." I replied
"Then how did you get so much information?"
"Conner took me somewhere else to talk to me." I answered, "I got all the information I have from Conner. Omar wasn't happy with me, and Conner and I both knew it wasn't safe to talk there."
"Why wasn't it?" Jasper asked, and I hesitated, looking down. That was exactly what I didn't want to have to answer myself.
"Omar wanted to use her to get to us." Edward spoke up, much to my surprise, "Because we trust her, and allow her in, he wanted to use her to take us out."
What the fuck?
Edward continued, "She refused, and promptly left the house. Conner caught her outside, and led her away so they could talk safely without Omar changing his mind about letting her leave. Immediately following the storage building where they had said discussion, she made her way here." He glanced to me, and I stared back, confused, "And if given the chance, I'll handle Shawn myself."
"Okay.." I muttered, "How the hell do you know that?"
"He hears thoughts." Leandra answered quietly.
"Oh." I fell quiet. That sure explained a lot. I gave it a brief consideration, before shrugging. That thought should have bothered me, but I found it really didn't. I didn't have anything to hide.
"I can confidently say that she has absolutely no plans to follow Omar." Edward spoke up again, probably to Carlisle, "Not once has betraying us ever crossed her mind." I had a feeling he was part of the reason they trusted me at all, and I was heavily grateful for that little bit of knowledge.
"And who's Shawn?" Emmett asked, confused as well.
"Part of Omar's coven." I answered before Edward could, "He's even less happy about my choice than Omar is, because it's his ass on the line too."
"He threatened her." Edward added, "Pretty thoroughly, against choosing us over them."
"And you still came here?" Esme asked, surprised. I sighed, nodding a little.
"I wanted to warn you guys." I replied, "I don't know what's going on over there, but I do remember you saying something about my dad's coven being more of a problem than Darren's. When Conner told me about Keegan's gift, I had to come back."
"Okay.." Leandra frowned, "So what's Shawn's problem?"
"I'm still trying to figure that out myself." I admitted, "But the way he put it, is both Darren and Omar are loyal to my dad, and everyone else is loyal to one or the other, but my dad is very protective of me. If he finds out that I didn't listen to him, and none of them were able to keep me from here, he'll be so pissed. At them first, then probably you guys, then me. Shawn doesn't like the thought of my dad pissed at him, so he swore to take it out on me."
I took a breath, sighing it out.
"But I don't care." I muttered with a small shrug.
"Nobody threatens badger but me." Emmett frowned. I smirked, looking over at him. He wouldn't threaten me, so that was kind of funny.
"If there's a way to keep anything from happening," I muttered, "I'll do it, but they seem pretty set. Conner was right. There's a reason behind everything my dad is doing. Leaving me, running off, finding his coven, but.. I don't know what that reason is. If I knew, I'd definitely tell you."
"We know that." Esme assured me.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what that reason is, badger." Emmett told me quietly, and I looked down. I sighed heavily.
I was choosing to place myself between two covens, one of those covens aching for the destruction of the other, and I wasn't sure if there was a way to keep that from happening. No matter how hard I tried.
Being stuck in the middle was wearing me down.
"I don't think that would be a good idea." Edward murmured, his eyes on Emmett.
"What?" I asked.
"Omar wants you to play spy?" Emmett asked, "Why not do that?"
"Because I don't want to help that fuckwad." I replied incredulously.
"Not for him." He replied, "For us." I frowned in confusion, until I suddenly understood. Gather information from Omar and Darren, and somehow relay it back to Carlisle.
"Do you know what they'd do to me if they found out?" I asked, surprised, but I slowly smiled, "You're diabolical."
"I know." He replied, pleased with himself.
"And who says it has to stop at just information?" I asked, "I could always let slip that you'll be at some certain location at a certain time on a certain day.." I trailed off, and he grinned this time.
"You're planning too far into this." Jasper pointed out, "That's a last resort." I shrugged a little, looking down, "But it's brilliant."
"They want to rely fully on their gifted ones." I murmured, "Totally not expecting to not even have the chance to use them. Just have a couple of those furry shape-shifting wolf things waiting there to pounce, and run them straight into your friends. They'll shit themselves."
Emmett and I both laughed at that image.
"But you also have to consider what they'll do if they do find out." Leandra reminded me, and I looked to her, "I think it's too dangerous. Even as a last resort."
"As Conner put it, my dad runs that shit." I replied, "They're not gonna touch me."
"Tell that to Shawn." Edward muttered.
"He only threatened me, thinking he'll get into trouble with my dad." I countered, "If I seem like I'm going along with them, he won't have a problem, and besides. I got him back."
"But if he figures out they're being played?" Edward asked, and I looked down. He did have a point there.
"Shit." I sighed, "That might just be a risk I have to take."
"You don't have to take any risks." Carlisle spoke up, "Not at all."
"It's my fault you're in this mess." I replied, "I want to help."
"Wanting to live your own life and make your own choices does not make you guilty, Alex." Edward murmured.
"Tell that to Shawn." I repeated his earlier words, "Apparently, that makes me selfish, and by being selfish, I'm pretty much damning them to my father's temper."
"Shawn did have a point." Edward spoke up, and I waited, "Both Darren and Omar are loyal to him, and he'd kill anyone who looks at you wrong."
"Okay?" I asked, waiting for his point.
"You could be the only one able to persuade your father, Alex." He pointed out.
"That would be an awesome plan." I said, "If I knew where the hell he was."
"You may not like this.." He trailed off briefly, "Maybe the best way would be to go along with them."
"I won't." I shook my head instantly, "I'm not about to-"
"Just bide your time." He continued, "Grit your teeth, and go along until your father does show up. When he does, he'll find you there, and there won't be a problem."
"The whole point of this is me keeping my choice, Edward." I reasoned, "How is that fair?"
"Believe me, I understand." He sighed, "But it's the safest way I can think of."
He did have a point, though. It was the safest way for everyone involved if I just went back to them, and stopped insisting on making my own choices. Maybe if I chose them over Leandra, they'd see that as enough of a victory.
"Then everything she's fought for is for nothing." Leandra argued for me.
"No." I muttered, "He's right. All they want is for me to stay there."
"I know what it's like to be stuck under Jack's thumb." She replied, "And it's no small task to go against what he wants. He's telling you to stop trying."
"It's okay." I told her, "It sucks, sure, but he's got a point."
"It's not okay." She argued, "She risked her own safety to come back here and tell us what was going on there, and you want to just toss her back?" I definitely wasn't expecting her to get this pissed, "You want to just toss her under the bus? Are you crazy?"
I laughed a little, "Leandra-"
"If she goes back," She snapped, "I go with her." That took everyone's attention, given the murmur of surprise throughout the room, a wave of panic following instantly.
"What?" Alice demanded.
"Hell no." Emmett immediately barked.
"What?" That surprised the hell out of Mikah, as he looked to Edward as well, "No. Wait a second. If Leandra goes, I go."
"You'll stay here." I told Leandra, "It's where you belong."
"You won't face them alone." She replied, "I'll be going too."
"You don't belong there." I muttered.
"Neither do you." She countered, and I frowned.
"Nobody's going anywhere." Carlisle sighed, silencing the room, "We're not sacrificing anyone. We never have, and I'm not about to stand for starting now. You, out of all of us should understand that, Edward." He looked down.
"But he's right." I shook my head, confused.
"And the fact that you're willing to do that for us only proves that you deserve to be protected." Carlisle replied, "We'll figure out another way, but no."
"What if I choose to go back?" I asked. Leandra seemed pissed beyond words at Edward as he stared at the floor. Her glare on him. Probably cussing him out pretty relentlessly in her mind, given the look in her eyes.
"That's your choice." He answered quietly, "Of course you are free to come and go as you please, but there is no guarantee it would even make a difference."
"Good point." I mumbled.
"If anything, it'd probably make it worse." Mikah pointed out, "Because you won't be in the middle, they'd have no reason to be careful. With you here, they'd at least need to think of your safety."
"Another good point." I considered that closely, "I can play shield."
"That's my job." Bella replied, and I looked to her. She smiled a little.
"You never mentioned you had a shield." I muttered to Leandra, "Just keep her around, and you should be good."
"We're not worried about their gifts, so much as their numbers." Leandra explained, "Just as an estimate, it'd roughly take two of us to take out one of them. Strength wise."
"Unless you're me." Emmett commented from the side.
"It's about the same for me." I replied, "Even if I have hunted. I'm not near as strong as they are."
"You're pretty tough, though." Jasper spoke from experience, "As long as you stay focused, you'll be fine."
"Unless someone catches me off guard." I shook my head, "I forget everything for a second when I'm surprised. Training is one thing, but actually applying it to a situation where I'll need it, I'd be so screwed. I proved that earlier with Shawn."
"The training is there." He replied easily, "You'll know what to do if it came down to it." He seemed so confident.
"We'll go hunting tonight." Carlisle spoke up again, "I think it'll be best if we all go at once." I frowned, but stayed quiet. What would I be doing while they were gone?
"You're welcome to join us." Edward answered my unspoken question, and I looked over, "Even if you choose not to hunt, you'll still have company."
"What the hell." I muttered, "Why not? I'll tag along." Today couldn't get any weirder anyway.
It seemed with that instruction from Carlisle, the meeting was adjured, and the group seemed to disperse a little.
"What now?" I asked, looking to Leandra.
"We wait until tonight." She replied, "Then we'll hunt. It's safer to stay together. Carlisle will probably want to head north. We have close friends up there he'll want to talk to."
"I wish I could help more." I found myself admitting.
"Trust me." She shook her head, "You've helped plenty by giving us a heads up about Jack's coven. With Keegan there, we never would have seen them coming."
"Regardless." I murmured, "I hate not having a way to go." I sat down on the couch, running my fingers through my hair with a sigh. I had a lot on my mind.
I'd made my decision for now, but what would happen if my dad showed up here? Would my decision really stay the same, or would I be so happy to see him everything else just ceased to matter?
I jumped a little at a small square object being dropped in my lap. Looking down at it, I laughed, realizing what it was. The deck of cards.
"Rematch." Emmett told me, "Shuffle those."
While Emmett cleared the coffee table, Leandra disappeared only long enough to grab my plastic box filled with money, along with her own from her room.
Jasper declined to play, but Mikah accepted the invitation in his place. Instead, Jasper and Alice sat around to watch with Bella and Edward. We'd have an audience, but I didn't mind that. It was something to take my mind off of everything else.
However, it was that everything else that made it really hard to concentrate on the cards. Just an hour into the card game, I was losing horribly.
"God." I grumbled, "I'm sucking worse than Mikah."
"Hey." He frowned, "I'm not that bad."
"Mikah cheats." Leandra muttered, placing her bet in the small bucket in the center of the table.
"I do not." He laughed, watching. He'd already folded, so he didn't have to bet. I was about to call the bet, when Emmett stopped me. His hand covered both of mine, and I jumped, looking over at him.
"Straight beats three of a kind." He pointed out, and I looked again.
"I didn't even see that up there." I sighed, gesturing to the five cards face up on the table, "I'm all mixed up today." I frowned, "Hey, you can see my hand?"
"We're pretty used to them wanting to kill us." Mikah explained before I could hit Emmett, "This isn't our first time freaking out about it." I laid my cards face-down on the table. Folding. Taking Emmett's advice.
"I've never had to deal with anything like this before." I admitted, shaking my head, "It's like.. There are no right moves. What move do I make when there aren't any right ones?"
"The left one?" Mikah muttered, but I ignored his attempt at a joke.
"Then take it from someone with a lot of experience." Emmett said, "Freaking out about it doesn't help the situation any. Trust me. It doesn't change a damn thing about the outcome, so why bother letting it get to you?"
"I can't stop thinking about what I told Omar." I admitted, staring at my hands folded on the table.
"About?" He prompted, and Leandra looked up.
"About how my father is this close to losing me forever." I muttered, "I hate how true that is. I hate that I hate how true that is."
"Trust me, badger." He told me, "You're far better off without Jack-ass."
"He's the only one that's been there my entire life." I reminded him, "Before all this started, I never had to worry about covens, and feuds, and getting in the middle or being made to choose. He always kept me from those things. Now, I'm learning things about him that I never wanted to learn, and I have to turn my back on him because it's the right thing to do?"
"Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest." Mikah murmured, and I looked over at him.
"But just remember." Emmett added, "Keep in mind. All of this, all that's going on, is not your fault. I don't care what those dumb fucks in Seattle say. They're wrong for putting all that on you." Mikah nodded, agreeing easily.
"I know it's not my fault." I replied, "I've been saying that all along, but they do have a point."
"You can find a point in just about anything." Jasper muttered from the side.
"You're your own person, Alex." Mikah told me, "You don't live your life to please other people. That's what makes you, you."
"But what am I supposed to do if Shawn delivers on that threat?" I asked, "I can't fight all them alone. Shawn scares the fuck out of me by himself."
"Who in the hell said you'd be alone?" Leandra asked, frowning.
"I don't want to drag you into this." I repeated for the thousandth time, "This isn't your fight. Maybe they're right. I am selfish."
Oddly, that bothered me. I wasn't worried about being selfish toward the fuckers in Seattle. I didn't want to be selfish toward this coven, though.
"You're not selfish." She replied.
"I am." I argued, "I should have just listened to Darren from the beginning, but I wanted to keep coming here instead. Now look what I did."
"Does the badger feel guilty?" Emmett chuckled, and I glanced over. Not finding that funny. He sighed, laying his cards down on the table. Letting Leandra know she'd won that hand.
"I've had to say this to Shorty over and over and over again over the years, and I'll tell you the same thing just as long if I have to." He told me, all hint of joking gone, "You're never, ever responsible for someone else's actions. You're only responsible for your own actions, and it's up to you to decide what you're willing to live with."
"That's a really tough lesson to learn." Leandra commented.
"Listen here." I stayed quiet as Emmett continued, "You can tell me until you're blue in the face that you're just like your father, but I'll not once believe one word of that. You're better than that. You're better than him. Comparing yourself to him is like calling yourself garbage. I won't stand for that, and I'll whoop your ass every time, you hear me?"
I had to smile a little.
"Yeah." I replied, "Yeah, I hear you."
"I'll help him." Leandra added, and I looked to her, "He's right, Alex. You're better than him. You deserve better, and you're starting to see that. Which is why you're so confused. You're torn between everything you've known your entire life, and everything you're starting to learn now. Believe me, I've been there. Let me just say right now that there's no place better for you to figure out what you want than here."
"Alright." I sighed, "I'll.. I don't know. I'll figure it out."
"Good." Emmett said, "Now pay attention. I want to win back all my money fair and square."
A/N: I apologize in advance if this is a little fast-paced or confusing, and I sincerely hope this came out well. Lots of RL issues plaguing me these days makes for an iffy chapter, in my honest opinion.
So. Alex has made progress. It took a little while, but finally some progress.
THANK YOU to my reviewers of last chapter! We-e-e! You're all awesome! :D
Chapter six is still in the development stage, so it may take time. Just a heads up.
Until Six, my friends!