Leah stared at the envelope containing her bid. She was officially a new member of Beta Iota Tau. She didn't expect the little piece of cardstock to mean anything to her, but she'd grown to appreciate the sorority. It had been a long time since she'd spent much time around female friends. It was refreshing after years of being the lone girl in the pack. She was a bit concerned she'd overcommitted, though. It seemed like the sorority was hosting some kind of event every day.

Leah usually didn't bother to check the purpose of the various events, she just looked at the schedule to see what time she needed to be at the house in the hopes of keeping Kat company. Fortunately, Kat was usually in attendance as well.

Today was game night. Various snack foods covered the buffet table along with an assortment of board games.

Leah and Kat partook in a very chaotic game of Uno with five other girls. Leah thought she understood the game, but every person at the table was playing by their own house rules. Sage stacked several cards on top of each other during her turn. Grace's version of Uno included excessive table talk as she attempted to read the other players to figure out what they had in their hands. Charlotte tried to form an alliance with Zoe against Sage. Leah failed to say "Uno" fast enough per Cynthia's verdict and was forced to draw a card. Nobody had any interest in reading the rules.

After Zoe won, Charlotte and Sage had no interest in playing for second so the game ended.

"We have a mixer with KEN this evening," Kat asked Leah. "Do you want to go?"

Leah nodded. "That sounds fun."

From what Leah had learned, a "mixer" was usually a party between a frat and a sorority. Leah didn't know what to expect of the event since the Kaps had been put on social probation after the carnival.

KEN was barred from serving alcohol at any event for the remainder of the school year. Normally, this would be considered a steep punishment, but the KENs had little regret as the event was sure to go down as the party of the century. The university preferred the terms "reckless negligence" and "a violation of multiple campus policies."

KEN was forced to part with the carnival rides, though most of the equipment would need expensive repairs to be functional again anyway. They convinced the university to allow them to keep the dunking booth under the condition that it would only be filled with water going forward.

"The theme was supposed to be Dinosaurs and Sluts, but they changed it to Camo at the last minute," Kat said. "If it were any other frat, I'd be pissed, but knowing the KENs, they probably have something wild planned. They told us to wear comfy shoes."

"What kind of a theme is that?" Leah asked.

"I'm not sure, I'm just going to stick with a green shirt and eyeshadow," Kat said.

"No, the other one," Leah said.

"Dinosaurs and Sluts?" Cynthia asked. "It's pretty straightforward. We dress like dinosaurs; they dress like sluts."

"Ian's going to be disappointed he won't have a chance to wear his booty shorts," Kat smiled. "To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he wears them anyway. He was really excited about his new fishnet leggings."

Leah wasn't sure if she was being serious or not.

After game night, Kat, Sabrina, Holly, and Leah all got ready together at Holly's house. They were hoping to catch a glimpse of Liam and Kyle's outfits to have an idea of the direction of the mixer. Both boys left for the house wearing fatigues.

The girls found Camo bandanas at the dollar store. Sabrina wore hers as a shirt while the others folded them into headbands. Holly wore an army green sports bra with a pair of camouflage cargo pants. Leah and Kat stuck with green shirts and jean shorts. They all took the boys' warning seriously and wore tennis shoes. They walked together to the sorority house.

About twenty girls were mingling in the living room, waiting for the event to begin.

"Why wasn't the event canceled?" Charlotte complained, judging by her attire, she was sitting this one out. "There's no point if there isn't alcohol."

"I don't know, I kinda want to see what they come up with," Sabrina said.

The doorbell rang and the girls crowded into the foyer. The KENs greeted the girls with a serenade then escorted the Betas to their fraternity house. Seth and Ian were quick to find them in the crowd.

"What are you guys up to?" Holly asked.

"You'll see," Ian smirked.

Seth pulled Leah to the side for a private conversation.

"According to the Cullens, the Volturi are gone for now," Seth whispered.

"Thank god," Leah breathed a sigh of relief. The local vampire population was now down to a mere two and a half. She had to admit, it was rather refreshing to be back in the majority, even if Jacob could hardly be counted on to take their side.

"After the mixer, I'm going to tell Kat," Seth said. Leah nodded. The sooner Kat knew the truth about them, the better. There was too much secrecy between them creating unnecessary danger.

"If she can confirm Kevin was the werewolf, then we can tell the bloodsuckers they don't need to come back," Leah said hopefully. As far as she knew, the Cullens and the Denalis were all still planning to return to the area for a werewolf hunt in less than two weeks.

The conversation ended as they entered the fraternity house.

When everyone was inside the party room, the boys immediately got down to business.

"Alright ladies," Kyle announced. "Here's how tonight is going to go down."

He dramatically snapped his fingers. On his cue, two other men standing behind him swung open the doors to a cabinet behind him, revealing an arsenal of Nerf rifles.

"Each of you will arm yourself with a weapon." Kyle directed. "We will divide into two teams. If you are shot, you must return to your team's base before you can rejoin the battle. The goal is to locate the opposing team's flag and return it to your own base.

"Why do guys have so many Nerf guns?" Holly asked.

"Ma'am, that is a fraternity matter," Liam said in a serious tone—as if Holly had requested access to their social security numbers.

The girls giggled in excitement as they selected their weapons and loaded them with darts. Leah chose a small revolver.

Ian selected Leah to join his team, while Kat and Seth both ended up on the opposing side. When the game began, twenty years of sibling rivalries took precedence over any planned rules. Both Clearwater siblings spent the majority of the night gunning each other down rather than making any serious attempts to capture the opposing team's flag.

Leah crept up the stairs onto enemy territory. Most of the other players were downstairs, but she snuck onto the second floor so she could loop around and ambush Seth from behind.

She was distracted from her plan when she noticed the door to Ian's temporary room was slightly ajar. As far as she knew, Ian was still downstairs, guarding the flag with his life. She could hear the sounds from the street below. She peeked inside and saw Kat sitting on the roof.

Leah crossed the room. It was surreal to think about how much had changed in the mere ten days since she ran out of this room.

She stuck her head out the window.

"What are you doing out here?" Leah asked.

Kat stared out at the SAE house across the street. "Just thinking," she said.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Leah asked.

"Don't worry about me. You should go enjoy the mixer," Kat said.

"It's alright, I'm starting to get tired anyways," Leah lied as she started to climb out the window. She could not in good conscious leave Kat sitting less than a foot away from a large drop to the ground.

They sat in silence for several moments before Kat finally spoke. "I lied to him."

Leah waited for her to continue. The dim light of the street lights cast a soft glow across her face. Her makeup was still perfect, unblemished by sweat despite the exercise.

"I told him I loved him," Kat said. "Before he was hurt… I told him what he needed to hear. I didn't think anything of it, but now that he's gone… I know it was a lie."

"I'm sorry," Leah said, uncertain how to respond. "How are you doing?"

"At first, his death was a huge shock," Kat shrugged, "but now that the shock has worn off, I'm… fine. I have no idea what I'm going to do without him. How can I be fine?"

"Grief is complicated," Leah said. "Everybody processes differently. Don't beat yourself for not reacting the way you'd expect."

She reached out and put her arm around Kat.

Kat pulled her eyes away from SAE and stared intently at Leah. There was a fierce determination behind her eye that Leah couldn't quite understand. Kat looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it.

Leah heard the creak of the door as someone entered. A well-aimed Nerf dart flew through the window and hit her in the back of the head. She turned to see her little brother with a mischievous grin. She responded with a rude gesture as he approached.

He squeezed out the window and joined them on the roof. "What's up?" he asked. He seemed to sense Kat needed a friend rather than sympathy right now.

"Just chatting," Kat said.

"The Nerf wars are over," Seth said. "Most of the girls have left and the rest are in the basement playing board games. Liam brought Cards Against Humanity."

"Kevin loved that game," Kat said without any emotion. She shook her head and changed the subject. "If I asked you a weird question, would you answer?"

"That depends," Leah said nervously.

"How do you decide who to trust?" Kat said.

"You can trust us," Seth assured her.

"Can I?" she challenged. "You've been afraid to talk to me all week."

"You're right," Seth admitted. "I'm sorry. I owe you an explanation."

Leah and Seth exchanged a knowing look. He wanted to speak with Kat privately.

Leah excused herself and climbed back inside.

"From here on out, I promise I'll tell you everything. I don't want there to be any secrets between us," Seth started to explain.

Leah hung out in the hallway, far enough away to give them privacy, but close enough to keep watch. She heard a thunk. She looked back into the room and saw that they were gone. Seth must've jumped to the ground carrying Kat. Leah figured he was taking her to the woods to show her what he was.

Leah left her post to head downstairs.

"Hey, we were just about to come find you," Sabrina said. "We're about to head out. Where's Kat?"

"She left with Seth," Leah told them.

Sabrina and Holly exchanged a concerned look.

"She's fine, I promise," Leah insisted.

They seemed quite annoyed that she'd left without telling them, but there wasn't much they could do about it. Kat was long gone.

Leah felt a shimmer as Seth phased.

She went back to her house and waited for Seth to get back. After what felt like an eternity, he returned. He barely noticed her as he entered the house. His brow furrowed as he was deep in thought.

"Hey," Leah greeted. "How'd it go?"

"Huh?" Seth said. "Oh, it was fine. We told each other everything."

The last word hung in the air, carrying a weight far greater than Leah expected.

"Did she say anything about the Child of the Moon?" Leah asked. She followed Seth as he headed up the stairs.

"No," Seth said quickly. His eyes snapped up to hers. "I mean, yes, but it's not what we thought. There is no Child of the Moon."

Leah looked at Seth in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, it turns out it was all just a prank," Seth said as he reached his room. "Like Ian said."

"But what about the binder?" Leah said. Seth's eyes darted to a corner of his room. She spotted a corner of the binder peeking out from under his dresser.

"Kevin took the prank too far, I guess." Seth shrugged. "Everything is fine. I promise."

"Uhm, okay," Leah was caught off guard.

"It's been a long night, I'm going to get some sleep," Seth said. "Good night, Leah."

He shut the door in her face. What the hell was that?

"Good night," Leah muttered into the door.

She went to bed too, but she could not sleep soundly. The interaction with Seth bothered her too much. There was something he wasn't telling her, but she wasn't sure what. Why would he lie to her the Child of the Moon? How could he claim it didn't exist? But then again, she had never seen the beast for herself. Was she going to take a bloodsucker's word over her own brother?

Endless thoughts swirled through her head as she dozed off. She jolted awake as she felt the shimmer as somebody phased.

She listened carefully, she could hear Jacob alone in his room, but not Seth. What was he up to now?

Leah decided to get answers to at least one of her questions. If it was a part of some prank, surely, it'd be obvious if she took a good look at the binder. Plus, now that the Volturi child was gone, her actions wouldn't be spied on.

Leah snuck into Seth's room. She checked the corner where she'd spotted the binder, but it was gone. She looked around a little, to see if it had been kicked further under the dresser or knocked under another item, but it wasn't there. It was clear that it had deliberately moved. It wasn't left out anywhere obvious, nor had it been thrown in the trash.

Leah let out a frustrated sigh. There was no denying it now, Seth was keeping something from her.

There was no point in trying to tear his room apart looking for it. If he'd phased, his thoughts would expose everything he was trying to hide.

She headed out into the woods. She folded her pajamas into a tight square before phasing. She was prepared for the onslaught of busy thoughts, which left her caught off guard when she was met with silence.

Her confusion only grew. She felt someone phase, didn't she? Could she have dreamt it? She didn't think so, but what explanation was there?

As she jogged through the woods, she found Seth's scent trail. It was recent. She spotted a paw print in the mud.

So it was Seth who'd phased. Where were his thoughts? Maybe she'd been sleeping more soundly than she realized and she'd been woken by him phasing back to his human form. But why? Where was he now?

Leah started following the trail north.

Before she could solve the mystery, Jacob's thoughts flooded hers as he unexpectedly exploded into a wolf in a fit of hysteria.

Leah didn't need to ask him what was wrong. The news that had set him off echoed in his head.

Renesmee was gone.

Physically, Jacob was still in his bedroom. His phone lay broken at his paws. He'd been reading a lengthy text from Renesmee when emotion overwhelmed him.

The Volturi took her! Jacob snarled.

Jacob lunged for the door. He reached for the doorknob and his claws sliced through it. He shoved the door open and threw himself down the hall. In a single bound, leaped over the staircase, landing at the foot of the stairs. He twisted around and bounded towards the back door. The dining table and the kitchen island shoved aside as he plowed past. He put his head down and rammed through the back door, breaking it off its hinges.

Leah struggled to piece together what the text actually said from Jacob's erratic thoughts.

She gathered that Renesmee had waited until her flight had landed in Italy before texting Jacob to explain her decision.

A wave of frustration hit Leah as she realized the bloodsucker had left willingly, though she knew there was nothing she could do to get Jacob to see it that way.

Had he not been through enough? Jacob had given her everything. She used him when she was at her lowest, only to run off with a bloodsucker who'd left her behind.

Leah figured she shouldn't have been surprised to see the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree.

Jacob raced through the woods heading for the Cullens' house where only Bella and Edward still resided.

Leah spared a final glance at Seth's trail before switching directions to chase after Jacob.

She knew she wouldn't be able to calm him, but she couldn't let him be alone in such a catatonic state.

She pushed herself faster, but she couldn't catch him before he reached the house.

They heard the angry voices before they saw them. Both Bella and Edward were outside arguing. Bella's snarls carried into the woods.

Jacob burst into the yard. He acted without thinking, letting his anger propel him forward.

Edward whipped around and braced himself, but he didn't fight back as Jacob lunged at him.

Jacob pinned Edward to the ground under his large claw. Jacob snarled, his teeth were inches from Edward's face.

"Jacob, stop!" Bella shrieked. He ignored her.

You let this happen, Jacob snarled.

"There was nothing we could do, we were trapped by the sun," Edward tried to explain.

Bella appeared protectively beside her mate's head. She wedged herself in the space between Edward's face and Jacob's maw.

Jacob pulled back slightly, but he didn't move his paw.

You could've called me, Jacob said.

"Killing Nahuel would be a declaration of war against the Volturi," Edward responded.

I wouldn't have–

You wouldn't? Leah cut Jacob off.

Jacob seemed to partially come back to his senses. He knew Edward wasn't the one he wanted to fight. He let his lip fall, covering his teeth. He shifted his weight off of Edward.

In an instant, the vampire was back on his feet. He stayed in a crouch. He tried to pull his mate behind him, but Bella stubbornly refused to budge from her position between the two men. She clutched Renesmee's locket to her chest.

Leah listened as the three of them talked in circles. Jacob and Bella seemed convinced they could drag Renesmee back home. Edward was the voice of reason, explaining, once again, that trying to force Renesmee into doing what they want is what got them in this situation.

It was the exact same conversation they'd had over and over again over the past two weeks.

Bella seemed to accept reality as Jacob did.

She threw her icy arms around him as he slumped towards the ground. All his anger seemed to dissipate, taking with it everything that made Jacob who he was.

He'd gone through four stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression—now he'd reached an empty acceptance. Renesmee was gone. There was no moving forward.

She was his gravity, tethering him to the planet, without her, Jacob was drifting. Lost to space.

Jacob had a small tinder of hope that one day they'd be reunited, but how long would he have to wait? A decade? A century? Maybe longer. The hope was enough to keep him alive, but that was about it.

He didn't believe she was safe, but he knew there was little he could do without making the situation more dangerous for her.

Leah shuddered. Sharing his thoughts was unsettling. At least when he was angry, he was feeling something, now… there was nothing.

Leah felt the shimmer again as somebody phased. No one's mind joined their conversation.

Did you feel that? Leah asked.

Yeah, Jacob acknowledged. There was no curiosity in his statement, just observation. It was like his soul had been replaced by a computer. His mind was cold and analytical, reacting to what was in front of him with programmed responses without any investment in what happened.

Leah headed back towards their house to investigate. Since nobody's thoughts had joined or left, that meant it must have been caused by someone in the other pack. But what were they doing here? Nobody has informed them that they'd be visiting. Or was it possible that the Cullens' presence was causing one of their distant cousins to phase for the first time?

As she approached the house, a light was on in the kitchen and she saw Seth talking to someone on the phone.

"This is going to work, trust me. We'll take care of you," Seth said.

Leah phased.

Seth stopped abruptly, "I gotta go, I'll talk to you later."

Leah put on her clothes and went inside. The broken door was leaning against the house, partially covering the gaping hole in the wall. She moved it aside to enter the house.

"Hey, did you feel that?" Leah asked.

"Feel what?" Seth asked. He leaned casually against the broken kitchen island.

"Somebody phased a few minutes ago, but I didn't hear anybody," Leah explained. "I think it was someone from Colin's pack."

Seth looked at her like a deer in the headlights. "I didn't feel anything."

"You didn't?" Leah asked. What was up with him tonight? Why was he being so weird?

"Nope, just you," Seth said. "What happened to the door?"

Leah sighed. "Jacob. He found out Renesmee moved to Italy with Nahuel."

"Are you serious?" Seth's jaw dropped.

Leah told Seth everything she knew.

"That's crazy," Seth said.

She hoped he would open up about whatever he was hiding, but he did not.

Leah saw very little of Jacob over the next few days. He had practically moved in with Bella while he researched visas to Italy.

Seth's odd behavior didn't let up. For the entire weekend, he and Kat seemed to be deliberately avoiding her.

She was getting frustrated, but she had a big project due on Monday and didn't have time to bully him. She spent most of her time at the library with Ian.

To make matters worse, Ian seemed to be in on something. He tried to reassure her, which was downright infuriating. There was no way normal human Ian could have any clue about the ongoing werewolf drama. Nonetheless, he was clearly trying to keep her distracted. He succeeded.

With both Jacob and Seth busy with their imprints, Leah and Ian had the house to themselves.

On Monday, she got a call from an unfamiliar number while she was in class. She didn't bother to answer. After class, she saw that the caller had left a voicemail.

Leah listened to the message.

"Your Big is looking forward to meeting you," the caller said in a funny voice. "Come over to the house to receive your first basket."

The message made no sense to Leah. She assumed the message was sorority-related, but what basket? She didn't think there were any sorority events today, but maybe she missed something.

She called the number back to get a better answer.

The person answered but didn't say anything.

"Hello?" Leah asked.

"Uh… Hi," she answered. Without the funny voice, Leah thought the voice sounded like Holly. "You weren't supposed to call me back."

"Sorry," Leah answered, more confused than before. "I was a bit confused by your call."

"Oh," Holly replied. "Right, you joined late, didn't you? Did anyone explain Big-Little pairing to you?"

"No," Leah said. If they did, she hadn't retained the information.

"Okay, so every new member is paired with somebody in the sorority. This person is your big and you're their little."

"Gotcha," Leah answered. "Who's my big?"

"You don't know that yet. On Friday, she found out you're her little, but you don't find out who she is until Big-Little reveal at the end of the week."

"Oh, okay," Leah said.

"This week, your big will be giving you gifts that you can pick up at the sorority house. I called you to let your basket is ready for you. You can pick it up anytime today."

"Alright, thanks, that clears everything up," Leah said.

"No problem," Holly said.

Leah decided to stop by the sorority house before her evening shift at the café. Ashley answered the door for her.

Leah saw two remaining baskets waiting in the foyer. They were labeled with the recipient's names, but it was unnecessary. She immediately knew which one was intended for her. It was just so… her. She spotted a CD from her favorite band—one she'd considered buying for herself but ultimately opted against the purchase.

"Thanks for this," Leah said to Ashley. She turned to leave with her basket.

"No!" interrupted Ashley. "You have to open it in front of everyone!"

"Oh, okay," Leah said. She was ushered into the living room where about a dozen girls were watching Grace open her basket. Lexi was nearby, packing up her basket that she'd already gone through. Sabrina and Kat were both amongst the crowd.

Leah stifled a groan. Was this necessary? She had no desire to be the center of attention.

"Pre-wrap," Grace announced as she pulled an item out of her basket. "Thanks, I'll definitely use this."

Leah spotted Ian and Seth in the dining room eating the sorority's food. She placed her basket on the coffee table and went to sit by the guys while she waited her turn.

"What are you guys, doing here?" she asked.

"We're house boys," Seth said.

"Should that mean something to me?" Leah asked.

"We do the girls' chores and they give us food," Ian explained.

"That seems like a devastating financial decision," Leah joked as she glanced at Seth's plate.

"I'm filling in for Kyle," Seth said before taking another bite of lasagna.

"It's your turn, Leah!" Janis called her over.

All eyes were on her as she settled onto the floor with her basket. She pulled the items out one at a time. Aside from the CD, the basket contained a couple of sorority T-shirts and an overabundance of snacks.

"5-hour energy," Leah announced as she pulled a bottle out of the basket. "This is actually on my shopping list now. Thanks, this saves me a trip to the store."

Seth nonchalantly shoveled another bite of lasagna into his mouth while staring intently at his plate.

She couldn't help but compare her basket with Grace and Lexi's. She didn't say it out loud, but she was grateful her mystery Big primarily opted for edible items rather than waste money on useless knickknacks. Sure, Lexi's Angry Birds plushie was cute, but Leah had no use for it. At least she'd get some use out of the CD. Even Leah's basket itself was a popcorn bucket intended to be used and discarded. The t-shirts were clearly hand-me-downs so her bid didn't waste any money there either.

At the bottom of the basket, Leah found a card containing clues about her big. According to the note, her big was an arachnophobic Pisces who lived in the sorority house.

"Who do you think is your big?" Ashley asked.

"No idea," Leah said. She'd been too focused on everyone staring at her, she hadn't been paying attention to everyone's reactions as she opened the basket.

"You have to give us a guess!" Sage pushed. Leah shrugged.

"No clue, I guess I'll have to bring over my pet tarantula and see who screams," Leah bluffed.

Sabrina visibly shuddered at the suggestion.

"Sabrina," Leah pointed.

Kat snorted.

"Sabrina isn't one of the options," Lexi informed her.

Leah shrugged again, "Kat, then?"

"I'm an Aquarius," Kat answered innocently.

"The clues can be fake, too," Janis added. Kat glared at her.

"That's all I've got," Leah said.

The rest of the week followed the same format: a phone call followed by gifts, and clues. Erica seemed determined to figure out who everyone's Bigs were prior to reveal. She dug through old Facebook posts to try and figure out which of the clues were true.

The only mystery Leah cared about was Seth's secretive behavior.

He continued to avoid her, claiming Kat needed his help with sorority stuff. This irritated her more than anything. If he was the one helping her with sorority nonsense, why was she wasting her money on chapter dues?

Nonetheless, she put on a front and played along until it all came together at Big-Little reveal.

Leah ran down the sidewalk from the sorority house to the quad where her big would be waiting for her. As she rounded the corner, she heard the sorority erupt into cheers. They stood on either side of the sidewalk. At the end of the path, a large blanket was held high, blocking Leah's Big from view. Sabrina held one corner while Holly held up the other. Off to the side, she saw Sage excitedly posing for pictures with Erica.

As Leah reached the end of the path, the two women dropped the blanket, revealing Kat.

Kat screamed with delight and ran forward to wrap Leah in a hug.

"Chloe's coming next!" Someone announced.

Kat and Leah moved out of the way so Charlotte could take her turn hidden behind the blanket.

"Sorry for all the secrecy this past week," Kat apologized. "Seth has been helping me with the baskets."

A wave of relief and guilt washed over Leah. She never would've imagined Seth's odd behavior was because of something as trivial as sorority Big-Little week. She made a mental note to apologize to Seth.

"That explains a lot. I guess that means there're no more secrets between the two of us anymore, right?" Leah hinted at topics far bigger than sorority reveals. She knew Kat would know what she was referencing.

Kat's wide smile disappeared for a moment. She hesitated before responding. "Of course."

Leah's momentarily relief disappeared. The suspicion returned. This time, stronger than before.

Chapter Playlist:

Girls Like Us - Zoe Wees - Kat

Bleed it out - Linkin Park - Jacob

Just - Radiohead - Leah

This is What Losing Someone Feels Like - JVKE - Bella

Lucifer's Waltz - Secession Studios - Seth

I'll Be there for You - The Renbrandts - Sage

Best Friend - Conan Gray - Charlotte

Gotta Find You - Joe Jonas - Erica