Anti-Hero || Leah Clearwater

26 - For the last time

"It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me (I'm the problem, it's me)

At tea time, everybody agrees

I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero"

Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift, ILLENIUM Remix

Leah tried to say goodbye to her cousin as quickly as possible, but Emily stopped her before she could leave the diner.

"Wait, Leah!"

Leah turned to her and saw that Emily was standing up, ready to follow her, "Emily, I really need to go."

"I'm coming with you," she said, before leaving a few bills next to the ones she had already left.

Leah sighed, "Really, I don't-"

"I don't care," Emily interrupted her, her gaze firm, "I'm not letting you go anywhere alone in this condition. It's obvious that this information has shaken you, so I'm not leaving you."

Leah walked out of the diner, a light snow was falling and had already wet the street in front of her.

"Where do you have to go? I'll take you," Emily said.

Great question. She had no idea. She was supposed to go to the meeting that was happening right now, but she didn't think she could handle it. Not yet.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Absentmindedly, she thought that it had been days since she had last shifted and that maybe it was time to break that pause, because she could feel the agitation building up inside her, along with the usual itching under her skin that accompanied the start of each shift.

"I don't know," she replied honestly, "I don't really know."

Emily didn't say anything, so they stood in silence for a few minutes, watching the night fall and the snow wetting their cars on the parking lot.

"You know... You can tell me anything. I don't have to report to Sam, I'm not a wolf in his pack," Emily said, her voice low, almost a murmur.

"It's something... something I should have reported to the tribe already. It's just that I can't..." she sighed, her voice almost breaking with tears, "Emily, I can't relive what I went through just to be told that I was stupid."

Her cousin didn't respond immediately, obviously trying to understand what Leah was referring to. The truth was probably far beyond her wildest dreams.

"I want to help you, really. Trust me. If what you're going to say is something you'll have to report to the tribe, I'll go with you. You won't do it alone," she finally said.

Leah had spoken looking straight ahead, so she turned to Emily and after a few seconds asked her, "Will you, really?"

Emily smiled at her and put her arm around her shoulders, "Yes. I'll always be on your side, Lee. Always."

§

They agreed that they would both return to their homes and then Leah, once transformed, would meet Emily at her house.

The packs were both at the meeting with the other tribe members and Emily had told her that it would last for a couple more hours, as they had two new members in Jacob's pack who needed to be instructed on the various rules to follow.