The Road Not Taken

Untitled Part 1

Leah just couldn't take it anymore. She'd had enough of the near constant bullshit between the wolves and vampires along with the drama that came with the imprints. All her choices seemed to have been stripped from her at every turn and being forced to stick around to watch this soap opera her life had turned into was the straw that broke the camels back. She didn't bother saying anything to anyone, not wanting to give anyone the opportunity to rip away the possibility of a life away from it all.

Tonight was a counsel bonfire and Billy was going to be telling the tribal legends once again for the boys who had newly phased. She'd told her mom and Seth to go ahead, that she would be along a little later, but instead she was hurrying to pack anything she may need to get as far away from this hellhole as possible. She had enough clothes to last her a good two weeks and enough money to get her across the country, her car was gassed up, all that was left was to put the note she'd written on the table and leave this water logged reservation in the dust.

Leah knew that no one would be too upset if she didn't come to the bonfire; she was well aware that a few people would actually be happy that she wasn't there and that stung. These were all people she'd known, if not from her birth then since the day they were born. Many of them had once been friends and if not a friend, then at least an acquaintance. The close nit community that she had loved since she was old enough to walk had been torn to shreds the day Sam phased; ruining her life as she had known it and quickly flushing the happiness she had been familiar with.

She didn't know how it had happened or when, but somehow in all the drama, she had become the villain. She had become the psycho ex that Sam couldn't escape even if it wasn't her choice and a bitch that wouldn't let anyone forget what had happened to her, though what had been taken from her was constantly rubbed in her face. Her brother was as supportive as he could be, but Seth wasn't enough to make things better and her mother was little to no help as she was busy settling her father's affairs, taking over his position among the elders and growing closer with Charlie Swan everyday. She doubted that her mother had even noticed that Leah hadn't been around in the previous weeks, always too busy with something else to notice her daughter. Leah had made up her mind more than a month ago. Had finally decided that she was done with being the community punching bag and started working toward her escape from it all. She didn't have a job, but the tribe paid a stipend to all the pack members and since Leah was still living at home and her mother bought all the groceries, Leah had been saving up the money since she phased and had already been sitting on a nice nest egg. Initially she thought she would use it toward eventually going to college, but now she had better plans; freedom.

It was already dark when Leah left the house with her bags over her shoulder. The bonfire would just be getting started; no one would care too much about her absence for a couple hours and that was long enough to give her a head start that the pack wouldn't be able to track her down and drag her back. She threw the bags in the trunk and climbed in, as she drove past the 'Welcome to Forks' sign she allowed herself one last glimpse in the rear view mirror to look back at the place that had once been her home, the place she had grown up, where she'd found love, lost love, and it was where she'd lost her father. As the memories flinted through her mind it strengthened her resolve to leave. The bad memories had began to outnumber the good in recent years and that was exactly why she was determined to never come back here.

Once outside of Seattle she decided to head south. With Washington being so far north, south seemed to be the only way to get as far from Washington and La Push as possible. Leah drove for days, not really caring where she went as long as it was far, far away from her problems. After driving for a week she finally stopped in Dallas, Texas. The sun was high in the sky and it was much warmer than Leah was used to, but it was more than far enough away from La Push that Leah knew she could stay and no one would come this far to look for her. Neither Sam or Jacob would let one of the pack outside of Washington to look for her, she knew they didn't care enough about her to risk anyone else in the pack to bring her back. She would be surprised if they were even still looking. Her phone had rang what seemed like a million times during her drive, but after the first three days the ringing became less and less. Today she had received only one call from her mom and one from Seth, but no one else.