II. Evidence of the Occult

"Where are we going?" I demanded, when Isabella missed the exit to Forks.

"The Cullens don't live in town."

I blinked. "Huh…I guess that makes sense. Who wants an undead cannibal for a neighbor?"

Isabella snorted a small laugh. "Among other reasons."

"Like what?"

She glanced at me from her peripherals, briefly eyeing my intense gaze. "Their senses are heightened," she explained. "It's enough of a distance that they don't have to listen to the town's going-ons after they're done playing human. They can be themselves there, instead of continuing the pretense. Mainly, it's where an old settler's mansion was located, before Esme renovated it."

"Oh." The way she spoke about them…made them sound almost human. "Strange."

"Yes," she agreed. "Most of their kind thinks the same of their lifestyle."

"If you say so."

The truck wobbled unsteadily underneath us as she abandoned the highway and turned into an unpaved road hidden amongst the brush of the forest. We jerked and wound through the uneven terrain, until we finally broke through the treeline.

Isabella hadn't been exaggerating. It really was a whole fucking mansion. Its white overlay practically glowed as the gloom began to set in. It sat at about three stories high, with wrap-around balconies at every level, floor-to-ceiling length windows, and a peaked roof to add to its enormity.

And waiting under the porch light was a tiny girl with cropped hair and slender limbs.

I squinted. "Um. What the hell is she wearing?"

"She's just wearing pajamas, Leah." With her tone of voice came the implication that I was a moron of the highest degree.

Although, now probably wasn't the best time to insist that what Isabella called 'pajamas,' I called a hideous spew of fuchsia polka dots that could give Elle Woods a run for her money.

They really are monsters.

Instead I conceded defeat and grumbled, "Whatever you say."

I shoved open the passenger door, hopped out of the truck, and stalked across the lawn, falling to a stop just short of the porch steps.

"Hey, Alice!" Isabella called as she caught up to my side.

The girl, Alice, grinned an eerily perfect smile. "Isabella." And then she glanced towards me with a curious tilt of her head. "Who's your friend?"

Me? Friends with the chief's daughter? What is the world coming to? This is all your damn fault Emily.

"What? Aren't you supposed to be psychic or something?"

Despite her petite figure, the chill of her bone-white skin caused me to shudder even from a distance, goosebumps flaring and the hair along my neck and arms standing on end. My heart began to pick up speed and I could hear the roar of blood rushing against my ears as adrenaline pumped through my veins.

It was at that moment that I knew Isabella hadn't told me a single lie all night.

Appearing unimpressed by my question, the Cullen girl said, "Let's head inside." She then twirled and skipped into the house like a fucking ballerina.

For a split second, I hesitated, before ignoring the voice screaming at me to turn back as I stomped up the steps.

Inside was just as extravagant as the outside. A vast room characterized by a winding staircase, a grand piano on a dais, and a whole wall made up entirely of glass, with a cozy sitting area sprawled across a massive flat screen TV.

Despite their lavish lifestyle, someone must've gone ham on the fucking Febreeze. This is what unicorn shit must smell like.

"Isabella." I glanced back over to the pair of vampires standing by the staircase. Unlike Alice, blondie did a better job at projecting a threatening appearance as she hissed, "Mind informing us why this girl knows about Alice's abilities?"

Beside me, Isabella didn't appear phased. Idiot.

"Because of her current situation, I decided to let Leah in on the secret early. She's meant to become the first female wolf shifter in her tribe," she explained. Despite my annoyance that she would reveal my future so casually, I didn't protest. It was little compared to what she'd already revealed about the Cullens and I had a feeling she'd be willing to share more.

So, this is what you've been hiding from me, dad. The lies stop here.

If it were possible, I stiffened even more, tendons like tightly coiled springs when the brunette neared my other side. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm Esme," she said with a gentle smile. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your situation, Leah?"

She was sweet, like you'd expect a mother to be.

If I ever told my mom she could use some pointers from a Cold One, she'd fucking end me.

"My ex-fiancé started acting like a lunatic, dumped me, and has now moved on with my cousin," I bit out, nails biting into my palms.

Isabella shot me a look and elaborated, "In other words, Sam became the first wolf shifter in decades, which resulted in him imprinting on Emily, Leah's cousin."

Esme looked towards me with sympathy.

I shifted uncomfortably, once again ignoring the voice in my head demanding I get the fuck out of there.

Isabella continued, "You all already understand how the telepathic connection works within the pack. I figured I'd rather break the news now than have her find out when there's a bunch of guys in her head."

It was disturbing how much they already knew about the mechanics of my tribe's abilities when I was only just finding out now. Then again, if the legends were as accurate as Isabella painted them to be, they'd likely known long before I'd even been born.

"Huh. Good call," Alice said from Isabella's other side.

"…You guys are really vampires?" Despite what my instincts already told me, I wanted to hear it from them.

The moment I made eye-contact with Alice's strange yellow eyes, she blurred from existence.

And then, she reappeared on my other side, between Esme and I, holding up a parchment bag.

My heart fluttered madly. Son of a bitch.

"Yes," she winked at me (I refrained from decking her) and then shoved the bag into Isabella's arms. "This is for you and Rosalie!"

"Rosalie's joining us?" Isabella asked.

In the same instant, blondie snapped, "I am not wearing that ridiculous outfit, Alice!"

Blondie's got eyes. Good for her.

Alice appeared delighted, like a demon on your shoulder, knowing exactly what to whisper into your ear to get you to agree with her evil schemes. "She's only joining us if she agrees to the dress code!" she sang, and then turned to me with the same mischief in her eyes. "What about you, Leah?"

"Not a chance."

If the pajama sets were anything like what Alice was currently wearing, I'd rather turn into a fucking werewolf here and now, before wearing that ugly get-up.

She looked ready to protest, but Isabella cut in. Thank fuck.

"Don't mind her, Alice. She shouldn't have come here to begin with. The longer she is around you guys, the closer the wolf surfaces. No sense in quickening the transformation."

"She's right," I said sharply. "I should go." I shot Isabella a pointed glare. "But this conversation isn't over, Swan."

"Sure," she agreed easily, as usual, not put off by my attitude.

I threw a hand up in time to catch her keys.

"What?" She arched an eyebrow. "You didn't think I'd actually drive you all the way back to La Push?"

I twirled the keychain around a finger and flipped back my hair. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later."

I didn't bother with pleasantries and shot everyone a quick wave, before darting out of the house.

The moment I stepped out, the uneasy feeling throughout my body dissipated, muscles relaxing and fists uncurling.

But my heart still beat painfully against my rib cage and my mind spun with the excess of adrenaline roaring in my veins. And then, I hesitated for another second, afraid to leave Isabella behind. But I forced myself to move forward, down the steps, and across the lawn, limbs stiff and teeth gritted.

Looking back, the mansion didn't appear so glamorous anymore. Its white gleaming paint reminded me of clean-picked bones cradled between the shadows of spindly branches.

I shook away the morbid thought and climbed into the truck.


I drove past the exit that would lead me into La Push and continued further and further, until I reached the coast by First Beach.

By now the temperatures had dropped low enough that no one was braving the black waters, although a couple of local teens were hanging near a bonfire.

I ignored them.

Although from this distance, I couldn't tell which classmates they were, I highly doubted it was anyone I would call a friend.

I abandoned the truck in one corner of the lot and stalked across the pebbled sand, until I reached the height of the tide and crouched down.

Even now, as I listened to the crashing waves, I could feel the taut line of my shoulders ease down.

The more I thought about the truth, the more the world began to make sense.

My dad's secret conversations with Sam, Jared, and Paul.

My mom's apathy towards his actions.

The up in council meetings and sequestered bonfires.

Sam's erratic behavior and Emily's betrayal.

It didn't ease the pain, but it lifted a weight off my shoulders from the part of me that'd never gotten the answers I'd deserved. And although my hatred didn't lessen, my fear did. If I knew what was to come, I wasn't powerless. I would make sure of that much.

The echoes of laughter from the locals suddenly grew louder and I jumped to my feet in time to catch the silhouette of three figures nearing my spot.

I squinted.

"What the fuck?" I said. "What are you three doing here?"

Once again, I was graced with the presence of the stooge brothers. How unfortunate.

"Told you it was her," Quil said gleefully and turned to me. "Where's Isabella?"

I rolled my eyes and jabbed a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the forest, "I just finished burying her body."

"Fucking hell, Leah!"

"That is not cool!"

"Yeah, well, she'd probably find that preferable to hanging out with any of you losers," I sneered.

Jacob scoffed. "Quit being a jealous cow."

I darted forward and seized him by his hoodie. "What did you call me?" I hissed.

Even in the dark, his sudden pallor was noticeable. But to my surprise, he didn't back off, "I said you're a jealo―"

Embry and Quil simultaneously clamped a palm over his mouth.

"What he meant to say―"

"―is that you're very nice―"

"―very pretty―"

"―and he is very sorry!"

I scoffed. "Idiots."

But instead of releasing my grip on him, I lifted my other hand, and ignoring his flinch, pressed it against his forehead. "You haven't had a fever lately, have you?"

It'd only been a couple weeks since Paul's own transition. Other than Embry, any of them could be next, and I recalled the signs all too well.

Abruptly, Jacob shoved all of our hands away and stumbled back. "What the hell?"

So instead, I turned to Quil and pressed a palm against his face. His cheeks turned pink, but his skin felt normal temperature-wise.

"Um, no, we haven't been sick. Why?" Embry asked.

I frowned, dropping my hand, but didn't answer.

"Seriously, where's Isabella?" Jacob asked again, eyes darting around. "We know she's here. We parked by her truck."

Parked? Whose car did they jack?

I smirked. "Don't tell me you guys drove around looking for us."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Quil, shut up!"

"She's not here," I repeated. "We were over by Forks and she decided to spend the night at a friend's house. I bailed, so she let me borrow the truck."

The disappointment on Jacob and Quil's faces was plain.

And suddenly, I had the urge to share every secret I'd learned tonight. Would they believe me? What would they think? They'd probably be stoked, knowing those idiots.

Whatever their reactions, it wasn't fair. We were all being fooled. But already, they were turning around and heading back.

"What?" I sneered, rushing forward and falling into step with them. "You don't want to hang out with me?"

Simultaneously, they all looked towards me in horror.

"Is this a trick question?" Quil squeaked.

"Of course not," I smiled wickedly. "You want to hang around Isabella? You'll have to go through me."

"Bullshit," Jacob scoffed, but the waver in his voice revealed his doubt.

I tossed an arm around Embry's shoulders. "Try me."

Idiots they were, but they deserved to know the truth. Unfortunately, I had to gain their trust first.


A/N: You don't need to read this to understand what's happening in ABoWaB, but if you want a better idea of what's happening at the rez, keep up! Isabella's limited view can't do Leah's story justice, which is the reason I started writing this.

Hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts! :)

In Reference to A Body of Water and Bones: Chapter 24.