Eventide

Chapter 8. Breakdown

CHAPTER 8

Breakdown

(Your Secrets Keep You Sick, by The Fold)

     What are you doing on patrol so late?  You have school tomorrow.  

     Jacob would get an earful about this, definitely.  I had thought we had an agreement.  Seth would patrol early evening shifts so he could get enough sleep for school.  He was going to graduate and go on to college.  His destiny was so much bigger than hanging around La Push for the rest of his life.

     I’m off for the week.  I asked to take the late patrol so the others could sleep at night, for a change.

     Off?

     Spring Break.

     My stomach twisted as something kicked the back of my mind.

     I could feel him switching gears, trying very hard to think of something else, anything else.  His thoughts locked onto Bella.  She had been over at the house earlier to see Charlie.  Seth had noticed that Mom no longer seemed nervous around her.  He was happy about that because…

     Family?  What was with this family crap?

     Damn it, Seth.  That cold, dead thing is not your sister.  I am.

     Both of you are, now that Mom and Charlie are married.  You  know, Bella asks about you a lot, even though you don’t like her.  You could be nicer.

     The Cullens are not a part of our family.  This ridiculous alliance is only temporary.

     It didn’t matter that, technically, Bella was our step sister.  That didn’t make those cold, dead things family.  Not in my book.

     I don’t know, Leah, it doesn‘t feel so temporary.  Seems like we all might need each other for a long time to come.

     A depressing thought if ever there was one.

     Seth perused my day at the ranch, specifically, my time with Brogan.

     Oh, man.  I told you!  Admiration and surprise were the tenor of his thoughts.  We all thought he’d come at you head on, but he snuck around your defenses and came in from the side.  It’s just like how we take down newborns.

     Great, now he was comparing me to one of those wild and inexperienced newborn vampires.

     You know what I mean.  I’m just saying Brogan‘s got serious game.

     I would have to quit the team soon, break all contact with Brogan.  It was one thing to drive myself nuts over him, but it was another thing entirely for him to be so involved in my craziness.

     Promise me something, Seth said.  Don’t do anything for a few weeks, after March is over.

     It had to be done, and done soon.  Putting it off wouldn’t help anything.

     Not until April, he insisted.  Now is no time to be making big decisions.  Trust me on this.

     Though he was trying not to think of anything that might upset me, this was related, somehow, and he was having a more difficult time keeping his thoughts from it.

     I cringed from what wasn’t being said.  Fine.

     Seth’s thoughts drifted to more mundane topics as we patrolled.  He thought about school and an upcoming test when he returned next week.