Chapter Twenty

Leech

Paul

Kelsey's face radiates anger as she talks to them. I can't see who they are from this angle, but I can clearly see how quickly Kelsey's hands move as she talks, how furious she seems to be. She's pissed.

As hard as it is, I tear my eyes away from her and continue with my patrol. I'm supposed to stick relatively close to the boundary line, just in case the leech does decide to show up. Vanessa, they said her name was. Or maybe Violet? Something with a V, anyway. And I don't want Kelsey to be caught anywhere near this.

I enter my patrol zone, eyes flicking around, trying to find any trace of a leech. How do we even know the information from the mind-reading leech is accurate? It could just be fake.

I mean, he did go out of his way to get Bella out of town, so... Jacob thinks back to me. Damn! I didn't mean to broadcast my thoughts. Especially not to him.

Some people mature when they phase. Not Jacob; if anything, it seems to only have made him more moody and fixated on Bella. I know he's trying to imprint on her, but that's just not how that works. And even if it were, it'd be Bella's choice, too. She wouldn't just fall in love with him just because he imprinted on her. But try explaining that to Jacob.

We patrol that night, but nothing happens. Mind-reader Leech told us to be on the lookout for the weekend, so that could mean any time. Apparently, they care too much about their psychic Leech to dispose of any more sensitive information.

I find Paige putting on eyeliner the next morning. It's kind of entertaining to watch, seeing as she applies it, messes it up, wipes it off, and starts back over. And with each repetition of this, she's muttering some rather creative cuss words.

"Having trouble?" I ask, lifting a hand to stifle my laughter.

"Fuck you." Paige answers, sticking her tongue out.

"That's not nice. I'm hurt." I clutch my heart in mock pain.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure my words fatally wounded you." But she's smiling slightly now, and she's finally capped the eyeliner tube. "Do you think Leah or Emily would know how to do this right?"

I haven't seen Emily wear eyeliner. To my knowledge, she doesn't wear any makeup, aside from the basics, unless it's a special occasion. And Leah? Definitely not. But Kelsey might.

"I don't think so. But Kelsey might. Why don't you ask her?"

Since Paige is friendly with Leah, she's hung out with Kelsey a couple of times, and she likes her. She nods and pulls out her phone to FaceTime Kelsey.

"Hello?" Kelsey mumbles, awkwardly holding the phone up. Her face slowly swims into view. She looks tired. Extremely so.

"Did I wake you up?" Paige asks.

"Yeah. It's okay, though. What's up?" Kelsey waves to me and sits up, scooting back against her headboard. "Hi, Paul."

"Hi, Kelsey."

"Do you know how put on eyeliner? I keep screwing it up." Paige looks very hopeful.

"I do, actually. I hardly ever use it, though. Gimme a second and I'll see if I can remember how."

I leave Paige and Kelsey to talk about girly things and head downstairs. The whole time, my mind is racing.

Kelsey looked beautiful, even having just woken up. Even with the purple bags under her eyes. Although I am a little concerned about those. What happened to keep her up so late? Did she have a paper due? Did she have a problem with her asthma? Or something else?

"Thanks, Kelsey. You're a lifesaver." Paige's voice echoes from the staircase. I'm currently rummaging for food in the kitchen.

"No problem." Kelsey answers as Paige enters the kitchen as well.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Paige asks.

"Shoot."

"Why do you look like you haven't slept all night?" Damn. Tactful much? Although that's Paige; tactless but still managing to avoid to piss most people off.

"My diabetes was giving me shit last night." Kelsey answers.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll let you get some more sleep. Thanks, Kels."

"No problem."

I find myself Googling Type 1 Diabetes and reading basically until it's time for patrol. Damn. Type 1 is serious, and it's not at all what you'd think. By that, I mean Shelby from Steel Magnolias, or the no-sugar diet. It's more like walking a tightrope, trying to keep your readings in a specific range. And If the numbers get too low, you can pass out and have a seizure. But if they get too high, you could go into ketoacidosis have to go to the hospital. My earlier research didn't do the thing justice; I only watched a few videos and read a couple articles.

I'm thinking about this as I patrol. My respect for Kelsey goes up even more when I realize what also she has to go through, but it continued to climb when I saw how she posted videos about her life with diabetes. It can't be easy to share your life like that; so openly. I subscribed to her YouTube channel, of course.

That's what I'm thinking about when I pick up the scent of a leech. And then said leech crosses the territory line. It's Hulking Leech. I don't even hesitate; he should not have crossed the territory line, and all I can see is red.

We fight for close to five minutes before Hulking Leech gets a good swing in. I go flying backwards, landing on my back. The world spins above me, and I only have to think, "shit, I've got a concussion," before my world goes black.

I have a few disjointed memories from right after that. Being picked up, Sam Uley's concerned voice,, another voice. Being laid on a bed. Paige's scream. Bright light. Paige threatening to cut the dick off whoever hurt her brother.

And then Kelsey. Just Kelsey. Her scent spreading around me. Her cool hands. Her gentle voice, though I'm far too gone to hear what she's saying. Her gentle hands brushing through my hair. and then I'm gone.

A/n: Hi, y'all! OMG, y'all blow me away! I have some of the most supportive readers out there. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. So, here's the deal: if we can get to 74 reviews, I'll update on Wednesday. If not, it'll be sometime over the weekend. Later!

Lauren.

Replies to Reviews

FlowerChild23: Agree 100 percent! I hope you like this chapter, please review and let me know.

WarriorofMyth: Great username! The main love triangle is so toxic. You're rant about it was totally on point. I don't mind a good imprint story, myself. I'm glad you like this chapter; please review and let me know if you like this one, too. BTW, if you wanna keep the rant session up, feel free to PM me.

LuanaMariaSwan: Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it. That chapter was very fun to write. LOL. I hope you like this chapter too; please review and let me know.

mkhdhdidhdhkjdse: I'm all up for a Volvo destroying party! Also, a quick disclaimer from Dr. Cullen, please be careful when punching vampire skin; you don't want a boxer fracture. (A boxer fracture is a fracture in the bone right above your pinky knuckle. You commonly get them when you punch something extremely hard.) I hope you like this chapter too; please review and let me know.

twilightfanjm: See disclaimer from Dr. Cullen above. Although, just in case, I'll get the splints ready. LOL. Edward is a piece of shit. I'm not very selective of who I tell about my OCD; it's a part of my life. I see it as an opportunity to educate others on an often completely misunderstood illness. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too; please review and let me know.

Twilight Lover: Thanks for the compliment! I agree about Edward. His character always just turns out to be a dick when I write him in this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too; please review and let me know.

Guest: Thanks! Here's the update, I hope it is good as well. Please review and let me know.

Loves to read books: I'm so happy you enjoyed the last update! I hope you enjoyed this one too; please let me know.