Twilight Fan Fiction ❯ In The Shadow Of The Sun ❯ Driving Blindly ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

“Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeinaaaaaaaaaaah! What’s for breakfast?”

Luna pounded down the steps, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She looked at the couch. Leina wasn’t there. She plodded into the kitchen. “Leina?”

Leonna sat at the kitchen table, sipping some coffee and looking at the paper. She was already dressed, unlike Luna. Leonna was wearing a long-sleeved, white shirt with a curved v-neck, paired with dark green jeans.

Luna rubbed her eyes again and looked confused at Leonna. “Where’s the food...? Where’s Leina?”

Leonna looked up calmly, and smiled good-naturedly at Luna. "She's still sleeping. But we bought some cereal yesterday at the grocery store; you can eat that for breakfast."

Luna's lips came together into a pouty-face. “But I wanted Leina to make me something yummy for breakfast...” She reluctantly walked over to the pantry, scanning through the newly acquired food. She ended up pulling out a box of Rice Chex. She grabbed a bowl and dejectedly poured the cereal. She then went over to the pantry again, grabbing the bag of sugar.

“Oooooooooh, no you don’t!” cried Leonna, jumping up from her seat. She took the sugar out of Luna’s hands, gently placing it back into the pantry. “I really don’t think that that is the best thing for you... how about some type of fruit? We have bananas-”

“But I don’t want bananas! I want my sugar!!!” Luna shouted.

Leonna grinned. “I bought some strawberries... would you rather have those?”

Luna’s mood changed drastically, and she smiled widely at Leonna. “Yes!” she yelled, skipping a lap around the kitchen.

Leonna walked over to the fridge and pulled out the plastic container of strawberries. She took them over to the sink and started washing them, placing the finished ones on a paper towel to dry. “How about you go wake Leina up?”

Luna shot out of the kitchen.

“Wait, NICELY!!!!”

Luna jumped about five feet away from the couch, landing on Leina’s abdomen. Leina’s eyes shot open from the surprise of the sudden impact, then moaned at the pain.

“LEINA! WAKEY WAKEY!!!!!”

Luna looked down at her friend who had took it upon herself to attempt to shove Luna off, with no progress at such a feat in her weak and tired state. She then decided to shove the pillow over her head. “Noooooooo!” she moaned into the pillow. “I want to go to sleep...!”

Luna grinned at her amusing human friend. “Nope, too bad! It’s almost time for school!”

Leonna walked into the room. “Yes, and just think: we have to walk there. We don’t have any means of transportation, so that’s our only option.” Leina replied with a varying range of sighs and more moaning, fakely crying into her pillow. Leonna smiled. “Luna, please get off of her. Your breakfast is ready.”

Luna jumped off, causing Leina more discomfort. Leina then rolled off of the couch, sitting oddly on the floor, her legs sprawled out. She sat there for a moment then, stretching, managed to get up and onto her feet. She walked, zombie-like, into the kitchen. Grabbing the box of cereal, sugar, and milk, she dragged herself over to the table. She managed to get herself a bowl and a spoon. Leina poured the cereal into the bowl...

“Ugh... I’m so tired... and we have to walk to school, too! What kind of crap is this?! Well... I guess we didn’t exactly think our house would be this far away from the school-”

“LEINA!”

The shout from Leonna shot Leina back from her stupor. Looking down at her hands, she realized that, while running on auto-pilot, she had completely missed the bowl while trying to pour the milk!

“Aw... ARE YOU KIDDIN’ ME?!?!” she screamed while putting the milk jug down and going to get a towel.

Leonna and Luna looked at each other, then burst into laughter. Leonna doubled over, head on the table, trying to cover up the fact that she was laughing so hard. Luna, on the other hand, laughed completely out loud and fell out of her chair from loss of balance.

“It isn’t funny!” Leina yelled, trying to regain some order while mopping up the milk. But the effect was the absolute opposite; the two girls laughed all the harder.

“Oh, just be quiet, both of you!” she yelled, swiping the towel at them a couple of times in anger.

Leina’s yelling and the other two’s laughing was interrupted by the doorbell. Leina, frustrated that Luna and Leonna were too busy laughing to get the door--and the overall situation--, stomped through the house.

“It must be that Sheriff Swan coming to get us again... makin’ sure we’re good teenagers...”

Leina grabbed a hold of the doorknob as the bell rang again.

“I’m coming, all right? Just calm down, Sheri-”

Any sort of speech that had just been about to come out of Leina’s mouth just died. Standing on the front porch was none other than the golden-eyed, bronze-haired Edward Cullen. Edward was wearing a white sweater with a red, buttoned-down, collared shirt underneath. Pristine black pants and a long, tan coat completed his look.

“Um... Leina? Are you all right?”

She shook her head quickly, looking down, and she realized what she had done.

Leina had been flat-out staring, her surprise forcing her into a state of mental stupidity, wide-eyed and giving Edward a “deer-in-the-headlights” look. She hadn’t said anything to him, except for yelling at him and calling him the Sheriff. And the worst part of all of this?

Leina was still holding the dripping rag, filled with the substance she had spilt. Her hands were covered as well in milk... and she was still wearing her make-shift pajamas!!!

She looked down at her hands and then looked back up at Edward, mouth open and eyes wide in pure embarrassment.

Edward laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. “I’m sorry... I guess you all aren’t quite ready for school yet...?” he asked, more laughter following his question.

Leina tried to form a coherent sentence. “Y-yeah... not quite...”

“Leina, who is that at the door? Is it-?”

Leonna came into the foyer, and saw who was at the door. Trying to stay calm in front of Leina and their guest, Leonna smiled. “Oh, Edward! Nice to see you. I’m sorry, I thought you were Sheriff Swan-”

Edward laughed again. “Trust me, Leonna, you weren’t the only one,” he replied, pointing at Leina (who turned even more red from embarrassment).

Leonna looked over at Leina, understanding what had happened. “I see... well Edward, I don’t mean to be too blunt, but what exactly are you doing here?”

Edward’s expression went back into a business-like manner. “I figured that none of you had a car and none of the buses pick anyone up around here, so you three might need a ride to school. But I can wait outside until you all are finished getting ready.”

Leonna sighed. “No, it’s fine, Edward. You can wait inside if you want. We’re just finishing up breakfast...” Leonna stopped, then turned to Edward and smirked. “If you want anything to eat, I’m sure we can spare some of our cereal or strawberries or something. Just if you’re hungry...”

Edward shot Leonna a look. “No, that’s fine. I already had my breakfast, Leonna, but thank you for the offer.”

Leina and Leonna stepped back, letting Edward into the house. He nodded to both of them in thanks. Leonna just blinked then turned and walked into the kitchen to finish her coffee.

"Whatever he is... he won't try anything... at least, for now..." she decided as she walked into the other room.

Leina stayed rooted to her spot in the foyer, closing the door behind Edward. She watched him, curious as to how he would react to their temporary house.

Edward looked around and then glanced over at the couch -- aka Leina's bed. He turned around, looking at her, those golden eyes containing a teasing demeanor, and smirked. "My goodness, Leina. You haven't even made your bed yet?"

Leina blushed again, completely frustrated with him. She ran into the kitchen, dumping the wet, milk-rag into the sink while running water over her hands. She quickly dried them on a towel and then ran into the room. Leina grabbed her sleeping bag with both hands and tossed it off of the sofa and onto the floor. She quickly folded it into a roll and then threw it and her pillow into a corner.

"There, is that better, Mr. Manners?"

He chuckled, the musical laughter as quiet as a small music box. The sound made Leina's heart leap up into her throat. "Yes, much better."

The pale boy gracefully glided over to the living room from the foyer. For a moment, he looked as if he was going to sit on the couch. But Edward suddenly averted his path of travel, finally sitting on the chair at the other end of the room.

Leina gave him an odd look. He answered that look by tilting his head to the side, as if he was confused. That incredibly adorable half-smile crept its way onto his face.

"What?" he asked.

Leina frowned. "He knows what I mean; he's not that dumb. He's just playing stupid..." she thought, referring to the avoidance of her temporary bed. "Whatever... I'm going to go get ready... I guess you can just wait here," she replied, turning to go.

Edward became serious again and straightened completely. Leina stopped, glancing at him. He sat immaculately still, just like a modern-version of a statuesque angel from a cathedral.

"It's amazing he can stay that still..." she thought in awe. "But he looks so out of place in this shabby house!"

Leina finally pulled her gaze away and went into the kitchen. She sat down and started scarfing down her breakfast.

Luna looked over at Leina. "Um... Leina? Aren't you going to pour the milk into your bowl...?"

Leina then realized that she had completely forgot about that. She glared at the milk jug. "No... it's a demon milk jug..."

"HAHAHAHA!" Leonna and Luna burst out laughing again.

Luna ate the last of her strawberries, then stood up. "I'm gonna go get dressed now! You better hurry, Leina!" she shouted as she shot out of the room.

Leina finally finished her breakfast. She gathered all of the dishes and started to wash them all out in the sink. Once she was done, she turned to Leonna. "Hey, I'm going to go get dressed in the bathroom downstairs..."

Leonna's green eyes sparked up to Leina. "All right. Just be quick, 'kay? You still have to give them your pass that all of the teachers signed, remember?"

Seconds seemed to tick by as Leina tried to remember. "Uh... OH, RIGHT! DAMMIT!" she yelled, kicking the wall. From the other side, she heard a low chuckle. "Don't even start with me, Cullen..." she mumbled.

"Excuse me," said the melodic voice, "I didn't quite hear you."

Leina gaped at the wall, the look directed at the person sitting on the other side. She shifted her head, looking at Leonna. "How did he hear that?" she mouthed.

Leonna looked uncomfortably at the entrance to the kitchen, into the room that Edward was sitting in, then turned back to Leina. "I honestly have no idea."

Leina shook her head. "Whatever... I'm gonna go change..." Leina then left the room.

Leonna shifted her view back to the paper, but wasn't reading the words printed. Instead, she thought about something very different.

"What is Edward playing at? Is he trying to get close to all of us because he suspects something? Or does he just honestly want to know us all better?"

Leonna knew --absolutely, without a doubt, knew --that Edward was different. She couldn't place her finger on how or what it was... she just knew that he was different.

"Whether he's dangerous or not is a different matter, as well... Neither Luna or Leina seem to know anything; Leina just sees that he acts weird..."

Leonna tried to figure it out, compiling all of the facts in her mind. Finally, she made her way into the other room, where the object of her thoughts was sitting utterly immobile.

He opened his eyes, which had been closed in an appearance of concentration. Edward looked up at the girl standing next to him. "Luna's almost done getting ready."

Leonna sighed. "Really? Now how would you know that?" she asked, testing him.

He just smiled slightly. "Even though you haven't figured it out yet... knowing you, it's probably inevitable.”

They stayed like that in silence for a few more minutes until Luna came bounding down the steps. She was dressed in a white, one-inch sleeved, tank top, and baggy, blue-gray pants with white arm warmers. A few bracelets and necklaces were layered on top of each other. Her backpack flopped around in back of her.

“Hey, all! I’m ready for school!”

Leonna looked skeptically at her. “Luna... is there anything at all in that backpack of yours?”

“Yep! All of my stuff’s in there!” she replied, grinning.

Leonna sighed. “All right; if you say so.”

Luna grinned, looking around. “Hey, where’d Leina go?”

The corner of Edward’s mouth went up. “She’s changing, but she’ll be out of there soon.”

Almost as if she had been summoned by their conversation, Leina walked out of the bathroom. She wore a black, double-sleeved tank top overlapping a purple, three-quarter length shirt. Leina also wore baggy, green-shaded cargo pants, held up by a black, studded belt. Her Converse barely peeked out from beneath the folds of the fabric of her pants. To complete her look, she wore a black wrist band on one arm and a white one on her other forearm.

She sighed, clearly tired, holding the bundle of clothes that were her make-shift pjs. Edward smiled as she looked up, making her heart jump up into her throat again.

“Why does it have to do that? It’s just a boy, Leina; you’ve met thousands in a bunch of different states! There’s nothing new about it; just chill out!” she yelled at herself.

She smirked at everyone. “What’re we all waiting for? Let’s go!”

Everyone paraded out of the house, Leina being the last. Luna and Leonna walked ahead to the Volvo, while Edward waited for Leina to finish locking up the house.

“We were waiting for you.”

Leina smirked. “Oh, you were? What a gentleman you are, Mr. Cullen,” she replied, mocking his usual polite tone.

He shook his head and opened the passenger door for her. She mumbled a thanks, and then turned to Leonna and Luna, who were squished with their school bags into the back seat.

“So you all have everything?”

The car door slammed shut.

“Yes.”

“YUP!”

R 20;... Luna, are you sure?”

Luna gave Leina a dirty look. “Yes, ‘Mom’!” she said with playful attitude.

Leina turned to see Edward all ready to go. He had the keys in the ignition, turning them as she gaped at him.

Edward looked at her as he drove out of their driveway. “What’s wrong?”

“How’d you-? ... I mean, you didn’t have time-... never mind...” she finally said, giving up and sitting back for the ride. Her knees slowly worked their way up until they were a few mere inches away from her chin. Leina wrapped her arms tightly around herself, wanting him to go a little slower. She still wasn’t that much awake and the rate the car was going wasn’t helping.

Edward laughed as they shot down the highway. “Are you always going to assume that position in my car?”

Leina turned and looked at him, trying to push past the golden eyes to get her meaning across. Those eyes were powerful enough to make you loose any resolve you had. “Are you going to going to be the one driving?”

“Um... yes...?”

Leina turned back to looking out the window. “Then yes, I most likely will.”

He laughed again. It wasn’t a mocking-laugh, but a pleasant one. Leina was starting to love that sound, wanting to record it play it over and over again.

The rest of the ride to school was pretty uneventful. Edward seemed to be concentrating on his driving and Leina was content to stare out of her window. Luna and Leonna chatted some in the back seats.


Once they arrived at the Kiss N Go, Edward stopped the car to let the girls out at the front door. “Ooo, just like a chauffeur!” Luna exclaimed while jumping out of the car. Leina smiled at Edward with a very polite “Thank you” and closed the car door. “Aren’t you getting out, Leonna?” Edward looked at her through his rear-view mirror. “I still have to put my jacket on, you can go ahead and park.” Edward obeyed as she fussed in the back seat. Once the car was at a full stop, she opened the door and headed to a bench off to the side of the school building. “Edward!” she called once he closed the car door. “Walk with me, talk with me.” she motioned for him to join her and he did so, taking one look back at Leina. He was there with lightning speed, a slight gust of wind blowing behind him. “Is there a problem?” “Of sorts.” Leonna replied softly, looking straight ahead. “Is it about my visit last night?” “Yup, both of them.” Edward took in a breath of surprise at the word ‘both’. The response brought a smirk to Leonna’s face as she headed for the woods, away from all the people.
“So it WAS you!” she glanced once at Edward and continued her steps. “How did you know?” he asked calmly. “Your heavy disturbance woke me up.” Leonna started to step into the forest. Edward followed with a besought look on his face. “You don’t have to give me that look, you know what I am.” He relaxed his face into a neutral expression. Once Leonna thought they were far enough away, she leaned against a thick tree. “But I don’t know what you are. You’re one of three things, I know that, but I’d like to find out which by myself, and you’re laying out the clues one by one. Such as...” she held out her index finger as if to count. Edward, by this time, was picking at a tree trunk though giving Leonna his full attention. “You’re attracted to Leina’s scent.” he stopped fidgeting and faced Leonna.
“This is why you led me to the forest.” he assumed “Exactly, To escape from prying human ears... and pixie ears for that matter.” she said, referring to Luna. “A wise idea.” Edward nodded, then switched his gaze to Leonna “I’ve never encountered your kind before. I’ve certainly read about them but never met one.” “We could easily labeled as a rare species. I’ve only met one other like me.” she bit her lower lip, staring at the depths of the forest. “And he died by one of those three mentioned.” Edward gazed into her thoughts and drew that out. “Which is why I’m skeptical.” “So you don’t trust me...” “Your trust has yet to be built. I’ve been protecting Leina since the first day we met from people like you who are intoxicated by her scent. “And you’re not?” Edward asked surprised Leonna pulled her hair back so he could see a white patch that stuck to her right behind her ear. “That’s what this is for.” she released her hair to disguise the patch.
“That neutralizes your abilities.” Edward concluded “A good majority of them.” Edward smiled, fascinated “So which ones were left behind?” Leonna bit her lower lip again as she felt Edward bustling around in her mind. “This conversation has gone on for far too long...” she started heading back to the school and, as she passed Edward, she reached to casually kiss him on the cheek. He flinched away slightly but she kissed him before he had a chance to move. As she walked back, he started to realize her full speed which was overall faster than his. His train of thought was broken when Leonna announced, “Don’t think you’ve gotten my seal of approval yet.” Edward then ran full speed to catch up with her and make it to his first block class.
As Edward and Leonna were getting to the main entrance-part of the school, a thin sheet of rain started to pour down on them. Leonna sprinted even faster, not wanting to get totally soaked before school had actually started.

She glanced down at her watch. “Only seven minutes until the bell rings!”

Leonna’s ever-sensitive eyes saw movement out of the corner of their vision. Another sprinting figure emerged from one of the buildings, making a sad attempt at covering themselves with their own backpack.

Leonna, even in the rain, caught the faint, yet familiar, scent.

Leina was sprinting towards them. She lifted her head for a moment, having heard a crunch of gravel. “Hey, Leonna; Edward!” The girl smiled at them, her brown hair already dripping wet. The natural color streaks had dimmed down in color from the water as well. She came to a halt, waving at the two.

Leonna and Edward, from running so fast, blew right past her, halting about ten meters away from Leina. They both turned around and walked back to Leina.

"Hey, guys! Man, not having a jacket was a dumb idea..." she said, shaking her head in regret, causing both Leonna and Edward to chuckle.

"We'll get you a coat after school, if we can, 'kay, Leina? But for now, let's all get to class!"

Leina and Edward started walking away when Leonna realized that she hadn't given the office her teacher-signed slip either. She immediately sprinted in the direction of the office when she realized that Leina hadn't returned them either! She halted and re-wound back to where Leina and Edward were walking to their classes together. Leonna grabbed Leina's elbow and started dragging her to the office.

"Whoa! What are you doing, Leonna?!?"

"We haven't returned our slips!" Leonna answered.

"Oh..." Leina's face drooped as her feet were dragged to the office.

The slips were easily set into their files with no trouble and both were given a pass to their class.

"Which building are you going to?" Leonna asked, re-checking her schedule.

"Um... I think it's building 4..." Leina replied, thinking hard about where she went yesterday.

"I'm at the gym; I think they're close by." Leonna started walking in the direction of the gym. Leina followed close behind, squinting through the rain, which had progressed into a torrential downpour. Leonna, on the other hand, had no problem seeing where she was going.

After a moment of silence, Leina asked, “So... what took you so long?”

“Edward had trouble finding a parking spot,” Leonna said bluntly, just as she stepped to another pathway that would lead her to the gym. She waved to Leina, saying a quick “Be safe!”, and sprinted to her class.

Leina waved as well, giving her a skeptical look at Leonna’s response.

“’Edward had trouble finding a parking spot’?” Edward mimicked, materializing out of no where. “You couldn’t think of anything better than that? i don’t have to read her mind to know that she didn’t believe that at all...”

Leonna side-glanced at him. “I was under a bit of pressure, okay?!”

Edward sighed. “Fine... we better hurry; class is about to start.”

Both sprinted at top-speed to their respective classes.

Edward walked quickly over to his seat in the Art room. He pulled it out and sat down with, seemingly, one gesture. He looked out the window, watching the rain pelt itself against the glass as the final bell rang.

“So Leonna suspects me --well, all of us, I suppose...” he thought, cupping his right hand under his chin, his fingers over his mouth. “And she knew about me following Leina’s scent. Leonna’s nose is sharp! I made sure not to disturb the house at all... Which means I have to be careful next time, or else she’ll be sleepless forever; paranoid about me coming inside...” he thought to himself. Edward continued thinking about what had happened over the past two nights.

He had first sensed the extraordinary, combination scent (what he figured had been) a few hours after the trio had arrived in Forks. He couldn’t place it right away, but he knew there was something different about Luna and Leonna. Luna easily fit the description of the ancient pixies, but Leonna’s scent was harder to place. The one that he couldn’t understand at all was Leina. He figured that she was human enough, but that scent... it was intoxicating, leaving him without any reason or the restraint that he had built up over the many years. He also took into consideration as to why she was with these two extraordinary... humanoids (to best place them into a category). But now, his conversation with Leonna answered this question; the two humanoids were protecting her from, dare he say, his own kind.

Edward had been curious about that strange aura that moved across Forks that day, so he had gone to merely investigate that first night. When he looked through the glass of the window of that small house, he had seen Leina laying there in bed, covered up by her sleeping bag (which she pathetically used in place of actual covers). He immediately realized that she was that other scent that he just couldn’t place. The next night, he was roaming around the forest and thinking about Leonna yelling at him after finding him apologizing to Leina. He found himself going back to that same house, drawn by the scent. Edward found himself inside the house when he had come back to reason, looking at Leina again. The scent of her was even more compelling when he was in a closed room, and even more so than when he was in school.

While staring out the window, he started thinking up a mental essay of questions for the newcomers, which he could hopefully ask during his classes with them or after school.

“And I guess I’ll be taking them to and from school for a while as well...”


“Agh, I need a car,” Leonna said aloud, standing on the sidelines in the gym.

“But we have Edward!” Luna contradicted, thinking of his shiny Volvo.

“I’d rather not be indebted to him for as long as we live here,” Leonna replied calmly.

Leonna looked around while she thought. The class had split into four total teams for basketball: two teams of boys who versed each other, and two teams of girls who played each other. They switched after every five to ten minutes. The guys were playing now; meaning the girls were all standing on the sidelines. None of the girls were standing by Luna or Leonna, giving them the classic “avoid-the-new-kids” approach.

Luna saw Emmett sprint by. “YEAH, GO EMMETT!” Emmett grinned as he passed by, giving both a small wave. Leonna saw Rosalie give Luna a horrible look as she watched from the opposite side, where the opposing team of girls stood.

“She’s definitely the jealous type...” Leonna thought to herself.

"WHOA, Emmett's amazing!" Luna said to Leonna as Emmett stole the ball from the opposing team and performed a perfect lay-up.

The final whistle blew and the teacher signaled for the girls to come onto the court. Emmett's team ran over to Leonna's side of the room. Emmett grinned and gave Luna and Leonna a high-five while passing both.

"Go get 'em, girls!"

Leonna and Luna grinned back, and took their positions on the court.

Leonna looked over at the rest of the girls. "Who wants to play forward?" None of the girls responded. They were all complaining about having to play. Leonna chose not to even try and got into the forward position. Luna took a defensive position.

A tall, gorgeous, blond was standing in front of Leonna in the opposing forward position. It was Rosalie, glaring at Luna (who was bouncing happily a few meters back of Leonna). Rosalie's attention then turned to Leonna, who was in a classic ready position, and copied her. Telepathic waves of competition seemed to fly through the air between the two girls.

The teacher walked in between the girls, ball in hand. "All right, ladies..." he said, sensing the tension, "let's play fair, all right?"

He tossed the ball up; both girls jumped. Rosalie had jumped too soon, so the ball barely brushed her finger tips as she came back down. Leonna seized the opportunity and smacked the ball over Rosalie's head. She dodged around her, grabbed the ball and proceeded to blow right past the other defensive girls, earning herself a three-pointer.

The boys clapped, enthusiastic about seeing a girl actually try in P.E. And earning a three-pointer, at that!

"Nice one, Leonna!"

"Almost there, Rosalie!"

The coach grabbed the ball and waited for the two girls to get into position again. He tossed it up. This time, Rosalie (the taller of the two) jumped up even higher, more of catching the ball in mid-air. She tossed it to one teammate, who immediately passed back to Rosalie, who hadn't moved. Rosalie grabbed the ball and made the shot. The whole room burst into applause at seeing Rosalie make that amazing shot.

Rosalie went back to her position, smirking with a belittling air. "Nice try, Leonna... you almost had it."

"Oh... it is SO on..." Leonna thought.

Leina walked from building 4 to building 3. It was a short trek, so she liked to take her time. She swung her legs while walking, looking around at the other kids who were running about in the rain in an attempt to get to their classes. Leina had given up on trying to keep dry. The rain was still pounding down on the pavement.

A flash of bright color in the middle of the drab downpour caught Leina's eye. She turned to see none other than Rosalie Hale striding to her science class with a scowl on her face, hair whipping behind her. Emmett was running behind her, trying to catch up.

"Rosalie, wait up! It's not that big of a deal!"

"I wonder what happened there... A lovers quarrel?!?" Leina thought excitedly. "That should be interesting..."

She turned, hearing the warning bell, and sprinted into the building. She skidded into the room, causing a few of her classmates to chuckle. She blushed, looking down at the floor. She raised her eyes slightly, looking for an empty chair from underneath the curtain of her dripping hair. She noticed a boy with extremely white-blond hair sitting in a seat, all by himself, staring out the window.

Leina walked over to him and sat in the empty seat next to him. "Hey, Jasper! How're you?"

Jasper turned, utterly surprised at having someone sit next to him. Leina watched as his eyes squinted slightly in confusion, then grow wide, as if he was frightened. He seemed to be holding his breath as he grabbed his book bag and re-located himself to a desk on the opposite side of the room.

Leina watched him, a good bit offended. "It's not like I smell bad or anything..." she thought to herself. "I shower like a normal person!! ... and I didn't say much to him, really... what's his deal?!" she kept asking herself as she sat throughout the rest of English.

Meanwhile, Alice, Edward, and Leonna were together in a math classroom, the class seats divided in the center, facing each other. Alice and Edward on one side, Leonna on the other. During the lecture, Leonna glared at Edward, out-trance-ing him from his daydream. Every once in a while, she would say his name in her mind to catch his attention as she watched his behavior. She figured he would give out a few hints to his true form but she had to pay attention. This went on for the entire class period and once the bell rang, Leonna quickly headed to her cooking class without even a slight glance in Edward direction.

"What's with you today?" Alice asked concerned for Edward.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You kept spacing out then randomly coming back. And whenever you did, you stared at Leonna... are you thinking of transforming her? Alice raised an eyebrow with scared eyes.

"No. I don't think it's possible anyway."

"Woah, back up." Alice stopped walking. Edward licked his lips and looked around to make sure there were no possible eavesdroppers.

"She knows who we are. Well, she knows we're different, anyway..."

"So what does that make her?"

"Have you read the books in our library?"

"Most of them, yea."

"The ones mentioning the cat-humanoids from the late 1700's-"

"She's one of them?!?" Alice's eyes widened as she glanced back to Leonna. Edward nodded. "It makes sense, though"

"But she's not exactly in favor of me being near her friend, Leina."

"The girl with the lilac scent?" Edward nodded again.

"Ah... I see... is she, like, her protector or something?"

Edward chuckled. "I think she's taken that duty upon herself, but yes."

"The other girl too? Long blonde, hair?"

"Most likely. A good choice of friends for her situation."

"Oh, there's Leina now!" Alice pointed to the lilac-scented girl as she met up with Leonna. The two headed for the cooking studio. Leina looked upset about something was yelling to Leonna about something. Leonna turned quickly to Edward for one last glare and put a finger to her mouth so tell him not to eavesdrop. Edward looked away and dragged Alice to a different path to his classroom. Leina was ranting about Edward's sudden change of attitude the day before along with an apology of his coming the night before.

"I just can't believe him!" Leina shouted.

Leonna sighed, putting her head in her hands. Leina had been ranting over Jasper Hale's odd response to her sitting by him.

"I mean, I haven't said anything mean to him... I've barely even said a word to him! ... What could I have done that made him not even want to sit by me? Can you think of anything? Man, I think it's just all of the Hales and Cullens...that whole family acts weird whenever I'm around-"

"Leina, that's all very good; I understand your point of view perfectly... but you've been ranting over this for the past three periods!!"

The bell had just rang, signaling the end of fifth period. The two girls were on their way to lunch, and Leina had been wondering aloud/ranting the whole time. No one else was in the hallway anymore.

"Sorry, Leonna... I just can't figure out what I did to make him just go and snub me like that..."

Leonna put an arm over Leina's depressingly hunched shoulders. "Just don't worry about it, 'kay? All of those guys act weird..." she said, mumbling the last part.

“Who acts weird?”

“AHHH!” Leina jumped, turned around, and shot her arms up into a karate-like pose.

Edward stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Leonna stared at the beautiful boy, doubled over in laughter. “I’ve never seen him laugh that hard... Leina,” she said, turning to her friend, “I think we’ve found a new talent of yours.”

Leina turned around, resuming a normal position. “...what...?’ she asked, warily.

“Freaking out and making Edward laugh his ass off.”

Leina’s eyes grew.

“It’s certainly a talent... not many people have that ability...” Edward said, trying to compose himself (but not completely working). “Now what were you two talking about before I came?”

Leonna shot Edward another glare. “Nothing, Edward...”

Edward took the hint and stayed quiet.

The trio walked into the cafeteria. The line was already down quite a bit; most of the kids had finished getting their lunch and were sitting, eating, and chatting with their friends about the latest Forks drama.

Leonna, Leina, and Edward got into the line. Leonna grabbed a tuna fish sandwich, a package of potato chips, a bottle of green tea, and a strawberry ice cream bar. Edward obtained a square of lasagna, an apple, a bottle of water, and a chocolate brownie. Leina, too, got the lasagna, corn, carrot sticks, strawberry lemonade, and a chocolate chip cookie. All three paid for their meals and then followed Edward to the usual Cullen/Hale table. Leina noticed that Jasper shifted in his seat then moved to the other side of Alice, closer to the window and away from where the other three were going to sit.

“Man... there he goes again...”

“Hey, Leonna! Leina!” called Alice, waving and smiling. “How are you both?”

Leonna grinned. “Hey, Alice; I’m doing fine. Leina’s been talking by ear off, but I’m good!”

Leina shot Leonna a dirty look, and quietly sat down across from Edward.

Emmett laughed. “Seems she’s all talked out, now!”

Leina glared. “I-... I’m just hungry, that’s all!” she said, grabbing her fork, stabbing the chunk of lasagna, and shoving it into her mouth. This caused the whole table to chuckle.

“So, what kind of plans do you guys have for after school?” Emmett asked.

“I’m gonna go play pixie tag!” Luna announced happily.

Leina choked on her lasagna, causing Edward to shoot her a concerned look. She embarrassedly raised one hand, showing that she was all right.

Leonna laughed. “It’s just a pretend game of hers. She goes and hides in the trees, like a fairy or something, and we play a tag version of hide-and-seek. But what we need to do is go shopping --we need some more clothes or groceries and such,” she explained, mumbling her last sentence. “And maybe a car, if I’m lucky...”

Jasper turned to Leonna. “Did you just say something about getting a car?”

Leonna’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Um... yeah, but it doesn’t really matter...”

A perfect, yet crooked, smile appeared on Edward’s face. “If you’re looking for cars, I know a place.”

Alice’s hand shot upwards. “Oh oh, me, too!”

Leina shot them a side-ways glance. “Is it expensive?”

All of the Cullens were rendered speechless. They all looked back and forth at each other, as if asking the other’s opinion. They all then turned to the three girls.

“Yeah...”

Leonna and Luna laughed as Leina smirked, nodding her head as she went back to her lunch.

“Hey, Edward... are you going to eat any of that?” she asked, pointing to his tray.

“No, now that I think about it, I’m not that hungry...” He noticed Luna eyeing the food hungrily. “Um... would you like to eat it?”

“Sure!” she said, grabbing the tray and transferring the lasagna, water and brownie over to her tray.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Emmett grabbed the brownie, putting it back onto Edward’s tray with a chuckle. “We don’t need you bouncing off the walls again!”

Edward turned to Leonna. “So, Leonna, what kind of car would you want?”

Leonna thought for a moment. “Well, I was thinking about a Porsche...”

Alice’s eyes shot open even wider. “Oh, what kind? I’ve heard the Boxster S was a really good one!”

“Yes, that’s the one,” Leonna said, nodding. “The color I wouldn’t mind of too much...”

Edward nodded, then turned to Luna. “Luna, what kind of car would you want?”

“A Bugatti Veyron!” she yelled, saying one of the fastest cars.

“NO!” Leina and Leonna shouted in unison, causing most of the Cullens and Hales to laugh.

“What about you, Leina?”

Leina looked up from her last bit of chocolate chip cookie. Edward was looking up at her, his fair eyes glowing against his pale skin, and a half smile on his face. Leina was having some problems getting the words out.

“I-... I’m not... en-... entirely sure yet...” she said, her eyes shooting back down to her tray. She had finished all of her food, but she was still hungry.

Everyone else started talking about different cars for everyone, and the prices of competitors and such. All of a sudden, an apple appeared in front of her nose. She re-focused and realized that there was a very pale hand holding it out to her. Leina looked up, realizing that Edward was giving her the apple that Luna had abandoned.

“Here... you’re still hungry, aren’t you?” he asked quietly, making her shiver.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t need to-”

His eyes sparkled. “Are you sure?”

Leina looked at his face. He seemed to be concerned about her, like an older brother wanting to make sure his younger sister was eating right. The look was so innocent and pure; it practically blinded her. She averted her eyes from his dazzling face and took the apple. “Fine... I’ll take it.”

He grinned and set the brownie on her tray as well. Then, seemingly satisfied, he turned back to the conversation, leaving Leina to think in silence about the type of car she wanted, Jasper’s odd behavior, and Edward’s behavior in general.

PHWEEEEEEEEET!

“All right, everyone, you’re dismissed! Go get changed!”

Everyone skidded to a stop on the gym floor. The basketball game was finally over. The students all moved in packs towards the locker rooms, ready to finally go home.

Leina bent over, hands supporting her on her knees. Breathing heavily, she attempted to bring her heart and breathing rates back to normal. She had been running the whole time, one of the offensive players.

“Leina, are you all right?”

Leina saw pale, muscular legs out of the corner of her eye. She looked up. Edward Cullen stood over her, looking very concerned, but still seemed to be trying to be careful.

Leina shot him a quick grin. “Y-yeah... I’m... fine...” she said, breathing heavily between words.

“Right, sure you are,” Edward scoffed, “Your face is a brilliant shade of scarlet. Go get some water, all right?”

Leina nodded, still feeling overheated.

Edward sighed and gripped her shoulders in his hands, making her stand up. He guided her down towards the girls’ locker room and in front of the water fountains at arms length. “Now drink.”

Leina nodded, shooting him a quick glare, and pressed the button and stuck her head under the spring of water. She drank as much as she could (considering she was still breathing heavily), and then moved her head down to let the water splash onto her head. It ran down her neck and forehead, cooling her down some.

Leina flung her head back, her ponytail flicking water behind her. She turned around to see Edward, grinning, wiping something off of his face. Leina’s eyes widened.

“Oh man, I did that, didn’t I?”

He laughed, the musical sound pleasing to Leina. He flicked the water off of his hands.

Suddenly, he was right in front of her, a few mere inches away. The movement was so quick her eyes hadn’t even had time to adjust. Leina looked up, his eyes seeming to see right through her. Edward’s eyes looked slightly darker than usual, now that she noticed.

He reached up, laying his hand on her forehead. It seemed to send a shock through her at first contact. Then it ceased, and she realized how nice his cold hand felt on her forehead. She closed her eyes and stayed completely still, enjoying the role his hand was playing as a cold pack.

“You’re still kind of warm. Just take it easy for a while, okay? Now I’d go get dressed.. and fast if I were you, ‘kay?”

Leina’s eyes shot open as she nodded. He gave her one of his classic crooked smiles, then disappeared around the corner to go change. She turned and ran into the dressing room, only to be forced back out by the wave of girls in their attempt to leave the dressing room. Once the majority of the girls had gone by, Leina fought her way through the rest of the pack. She got to her locker, quickly did the combination, and grabbed her clothes. Tossing off the gray uniform shirt and pants, she shoved them into her locker and put her normal clothes back on. She shut her locker, grabbed her bag, and sprinted out of the room.

Leina turned right to see Edward leaning against the wall, sort of spacing out. He looked very peaceful, just standing there.

She jumped over by him, landing a few inches next to him. “Gosh, you’re fast... Were you waiting for me?” she asked.

Edward turned, surprised to see her. Then he grinned. “Yes, I was. You take a long time.”

Leina shrugged. “Sure, in comparison to you, maybe... But, believe me, when you have about twenty other girls in there? It’s like a freakin’ jungle! I should have had a machete or something to hack my way through there!”

Edward burst into laughter as they started walking out of the building, causing Leina to laugh as well.

As soon as they got to the parking lot, they saw the Cullens, Hales, Leonna, and Luna all standing together. Alice, Emmett, Leonna and Luna were all talking animatedly while Jasper and Rosalie stood a bit farther back and away from the group.

Leina waved as the group noticed the two approaching. “Hey, guys, what are you all doing?”

“Waiting for you two!” Luna yelled happily, bouncing up and down.

Edward smiled at Luna. “Are you ready to go car shopping?”

Luna gasped in delight. “Of course!!! Let’s GO!!!”

Rosalie stepped closer to Emmett, barely touching him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned, looking at her, questioningly. “Come on, Emmett, let’s go.”

“Wait, Rosalie. I wanted to go with Edward and the L’s to go pick out their cars,” Emmett answered, taking her face in both of his hands.

Rosalie nodded. “All right... I’ll see you at home, then?”

Emmett grinned down at Rosalie. “Of course.” He quickly kissed her, then let her go.

“AWWW! Rosalie got kissed!” Luna said.

A corner of Rosalie’s mouth twitched; as if she was going to smile at Luna, then resumed its normal look.

Jasper looked to Rosalie. “I’ll go with you.”

Everyone else waved as the Hales walked away to Rosalie’s BMW.

Edward looked around. “So, do you all think that you all are really going to fit in my car?” he asked, counting the number of people. “The car has five seats, and there are six of us.”

Luna started lumping up and down, waving her arms. “Oh! Oh! Pick me!”

The Cullens laughed. “Yes... Luna!” said Edward, pointing to her, as if calling on her during class.

“You could always stick me in the trunk!”

Alice chuckled. “Luna, dear, I don’t think that’s the best idea...”

Leina snorted. “Actually, I think it’s fine. She’ll survive in there, right?”

Leonna shot her a warning look, even if she was just joking. Leina nodded; this whole scene causing Edward and Emmett to crack up.

“All right... how about the girls all pile into the back, I drive, and Emmett takes shot gun?” Edward said, trying to make it work.

“Wait, why does Emmett get shot gun?” Leina asked.

Edward pointed at Emmett. “No offense meant to you, Emmett... but, Leina, do you REALLY want to pile into the back of the Volvo with two other girls... and Emmett?”

Leina looked at Emmett. The guy was huge, muscular, and built like a football player. Leina turned back to Emmett. “On second thought, Emmett can have the front seat.”

Emmett laughed aloud while Edward chuckled beside him.

“Well, come on!” Luna shouted. “Let’s GOOO!!!”

The ride went smoothly. Luna, Alice, and Emmett talked animatedly; Edward and Leonna occasionally put in a comment, but mainly just listened to their conversation.

Leina, on the other hand, sat in her classic "driving-in-Edward's-car" fetal position. She had one hand curled up into a fist by her mouth as she stared out the window. A couple of times, she allowed herself to look into his rear-view mirror to watch him laugh or chuckle at a comment from Emmett and Luna's conversation, or to see his perfect face concentrating on the road ahead of him.

"And there we were, standing on top of a mountain in Montana... in the rain!" Luna said, causing Emmett to burst into laughter.

Leina's eyes flickered up to the mirror to see a pair of muted golden eyes staring back at me. A look of clear frustration was on his face, as if trying to figure out a problem that he knew that he knew the answer to. Leina's eyes shot back to the world shooting by as she heard a soft chuckle from the seat in front of her.

At last they came to the dealership that the Cullens had been talking about. Everyone got out of the car and Emmett guided the mob to a salesman.

“Hello, what can I do for you kids today?” the smiling salesman questioned.

“Definitely the over-helpful type...” Leina thought to herself, yet stayed quiet.

“We’re looking to buy three new cars for these ladies here,” Emmett explained, motioning to the three girls.

The man turned to face them. “Grand, grand! Do any of you ladies know what kind of car you would want?”

Leonna stepped forward. “I do, sir. I was wondering what kind of Porsches you might have in stock.”

“Oh, a Porsche! My goodness, that IS a good car... just follow me, please.” The man led them to a section of newer cars. “This here is the section where you’d find our stock of Porsches. Please, miss, feel free to look around.”

Leonna started roaming the aisles of cars, the other teens in tow. Emmett and Alice were giving her advice on choosing. Leina stayed back some from the rest of the group, staying fairly quiet. Edward noticed this, and dropped to the back of the gang.

“So, have you seen a car that you’d want yet?” he asked, grinning down at her.

Leina started kicking the gravel on the ground so she wouldn’t have to look up at his dazzling face. “Not yet... I have an idea of what I want... like the type of frame, but I don’t know exactly what kind of car.”

Edward nodded, showing that he understood her. He continued to walk with her, both keeping their silence.

“I found it!”

Leina and Edward’s eyes jumped up to see Leonna gazing over a dark green Porsche Boxster S. She called to the salesman (who hadn’t moved far) and starting questioning him about the car. She then signed the finalization papers and turned to Luna. “I think she’s up next.”

The man turned over to Luna. “Do you have an idea of what you want?”

Luna shook her head. “No, not really... I wanted a really fast car, but they say that isn’t a good idea for me...”

Leonna stepped up to the plate. “We need a smaller car for her. Maybe not as expensive as a Porsche, and maybe in a light blue color.”

The man scratched his head, mumbling to himself. “Well, we did just get a light blue car in... it’s used, though, unless that bothers you, miss.”

Luna shook her head again, and looked up at Leonna, who grinned down at her. “May we see it?”

The man led them to a light blue, Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet with the special sparkling paint. The car didn’t seem to have any sort of damage and the paint job and the interior were in good condition.

As Luna was looking (aka sitting in and pretending to drive it) at the “soon-to-be hers” Beetle, Leina started roaming up and down the aisles of used cars. She finally got down to the ones that were in need of a desperate fix up, brushing her hand down the body of the cars.

Finally, one caught her eye. The paint was chipping, and the interior wasn’t in the greatest condition. Some of the seats were ripped and torn, the insides no longer inside the chairs. She lifted up the hood and started expecting the engine, but she knew exactly what kind of car it was.

As soon as the man saw Leina looking into the engine, he shot over, a worried look on his face. “Ma’am, a lady like yourself really shouldn’t be looking at-”

“What year is this model?” Leina asked, totally ignoring him

The man looked bewildered. “Um... a, uh... 1968, I believe,” he answered, checking the tag.

“Does it still run?”

“I believe so... but she’s on her way to be scrapped, miss. No one has bought her in over-”

“I’ll take her.”

The rest of the group had migrated over, listening to Leina practically argue with the man.

“But, she’s due in a few minutes; the tow truck’s about to get here to take all of the-”

“I want this one.”

“But she’s not for-”

“How much do you want for her?”

The man said his price, causing Leina’s eyes to enlarge to an unnatural size. “I’ll take her!” she announced, shaking the flustered man’s hand. He then shot off to go get all of the paperwork for Luna and Leina.

Edward shot over. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked urgently.

Leina looked down at the 1968 Chevy Camaro, the light green paint chipping in a few places. She then looked back up at Edward’s face, an impish grin on hers. “Buying a car,” she said innocently.

Edward’s eyes flared. “That’s not what I mean; and you know it.”

Leina looked defiantly up into his eyes, gathering all of her willpower to talk coherently. “It’s a good car, Edward,” she explained, a thrill that she immediately despised shooting through her as she said his name, “The interior and paint job could do with a bit of work, but I don’t mind fixing it up.”

“But what about the engine? And the other main parts... is it even worth fixing up?”

Leina nodded. “I checked the engine and the other parts. I don’t think I’d really have to replace much in there, unless I wanted to. Most of them are in good condition. Plus, the car is extremely inexpensive.”

Edward sighed, tilting his head. “Leina, if you’re thinking that money is an issue, I’m sure I could back you up-”

Leina stopped him by raising her hand. “No, it’s not the issue. I was just saying that it was a bargain.” She laughed, “And I don’t want to owe you even more.”

Edward finally smiled at her. “All right. But only if you’re sure.”

Leina grinned up at him.


The Cullens said their goodbyes, then sped off in the gleaming Volvo, water spraying behind them. The salesman had someone bring all three of the cars to the front of the dealership. He handed over the keys to each of the girls.

"Now, if you have any problems with the cars, don't be afraid to come back!" he said with an overly cheesy smile. "Have a good day!"

As the man walked back to his post, Leonna turned to the other two, her keys in hand. "So, I have to go get more groceries, so you both can go back to the house. Leina, would you want me to buy you a coat or jacket?"

Leina smiled, thankful. "Sure, that'd be great."

Luna hopped into her Volkswagen. "I'll see you at the house!" She put in the key and shot off.

Leina put her head in her hand. "I still can't believe we let her have a car..." She raised her head, shooting a side-ways glance at Leonna. "You realize she has no idea of what a speed limit is, right?"

Leonna chuckled. "Well, maybe the Cullens can teacher her."

Leina stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at her. "Are you kidding?"

Leonna laughed, patting a worried Leina on the back. "Yes, I'm kidding. I have to go now... I'll see you back at the house, all right?"

She jumped into her car, revving the engine as she rolled down the window. "And try to keep your cool with Luna, got it?"

Leina saluted, smirking, as Leonna pulled away. She strolled over to her new Camaro, the paint color fading. Getting into the car, she put in the key and turned, hearing the purr of the engine. She leaned her head back against the head rest, closing her eyes. A flood of memories swept through Leina's mind.

Images of sitting in the car with her dad and working with her brothers on the car swept and danced in her head. She remembered her mother coming out of the house with glass of water and wiping their faces of the black grease. Then a sudden image of flashing headlights, growing as they sped toward her-

Leina's eyes flashed open, a terrified look on her face. She looked at her hands, the white knuckles showing through her skin, which had gone pale (unlike their usual light tan). She released her death grip on the steering wheel, shook her hands, trying to restore her breathing back to normal. Then she replaced her grip on the steering wheel and drove home.

The rest of the day went pretty normally --at least for them. Leonna brought more groceries and a long, sleek, black coat with an attachable hood for Leina (which she loved). Leina, noting the abundance of fish in the plastic bags, chose to make grilled salmon with a lemon butter sauce and pearl pasta and cookies for dessert, which both Luna and Leonna enjoyed.

Leonna suggested that they watch a movie, which Luna readily agreed to. Leina agreed, but gave the condition that she had to do her homework while watching. Luna got popcorn and they watched The Invisible until it ended around ten.

Luna yawned as the credits rolled up the screen. "All right, I'm headin' up... I'm exhausted..."

Leina laughed. "Luna? Exhausted? Say it isn't so!"

Luna shot her a "haha-very-funny" look as she slumped off to bed.

Leonna turned to Leina, who was still working on the last piece of math homework. She looked worriedly down at her friend. "Will you be all right?"

Leina shrugged. "Yeah, I'm almost done with these dumb logarithms... they're making my brain hurt!"

Leonna chuckled wryly at her friend. "Ok... but go to sleep soon, okay?" she said, shooting her another concerned look before going up to bed.

Finally finishing her homework, Leina put her books back into the bag and gathered her night stuff. She crept upstairs (aware yet ignoring the fact that she knew Leonna could hear her), took a quick shower, and got into her plaid pants and tank top. She sleepily carried her bundle of clothes downstairs, shoving them into her hiking backpack. She fixed her bed, then got under the covers, curling up into a sideways ball.

Leina closed her eyes and soon fell into a half-sleep. Pictures of memories kept weaving in and out of her dreams. She would occasionally wake up, but not completely, staying in a half-sleep induced stupor.

Once, nearing two in the morning, in Leina’s dream, she saw her father. He was smiling down at her. Her father took her hand and led her to their old car, where her mother and brothers were laughing and joking around. She got into the car as her father got into the driver’s seat and started driving. She and her brothers were all laughing as they sped down the road. Their laughing grew louder and louder. Leina looked out the window. She couldn’t make anything out the window except flying, blurry colors. She tried to call out to her family, get their attention somehow. Yet the needle of the speedometer just kept rising.

Leina looked forward and noticed that it had turned black outside. A pair of gleaming yellow lights sped forward. Leina felt herself being lifted upward as she heard the honk of the other car.

She found herself on the road, looking around. Flames engulfed her car. Leina looked around to see the figures of her father, mother, and brothers laying, lifelessly on the road. She felt the wet tears falling down her face.

Leina looked over at the other car. It was a familiar... shiny... Volvo...

“Edward!”

She ran over to the car. She saw Edward, his perfect face scratched and bleeding. His usually bright, golden eyes were totally vacant.

Leina put her hands on his hard, muscular shoulders and shook him, trying to wake him up, as if he was merely asleep. She collapsed in grief over his unmoving body, her own body shaking in sobs.

Then she looked up and saw another figure by the Volvo. Leina slowly got up and moved over to the body. It was turned over on its side, its brown hair covering the face. Leina turned it over with a foot. Leina stared down at herself; the body was her! She sank next to the other Leina, staring appalled at her familiar, now pale, still face. Her own crystal blue eyes, usually so lively, were wide in absolute horror.

“No...!”

Leina was then aware that she was awake, back in her own bed. Her eyes stayed closed, but she could have sworn that she felt that presence of another person. She felt something cold in her hand.

“I’m sorry...”

Leina’s blue eyes flashed open, trying to find the source of the voice. She was fully awake now, eyes scanning the room. No one was in the room, except for herself.

“I must be delusional from that nightmare...” Lifting her hand, she pressed it to her cheek. It was still cold. “I wonder what-” She chose not to think about it, and covered her face with the sleeping bag, trying to get back to sleep.