Two Ghosts {Leah Clearwater}

07: The Council Meeting

"Leah, this is beautiful." Pandora gasped as she stared out at the ocean. Leah had lead her through the woods and to a cliff. The two girls sat at the edge, shoulders brushing, as they stared out into the ocean. The waves crashing below made Pandora feel at peace, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I come here when I need to get away. The guys like to go cliff diving, but because of the rocks below this cliff they steer clear from it." Leah leaned back, laying on her back as she stared up at the sky. The sun was close to setting, and once it did Leah and Pandora had to leave their spot for a bonfire. Pandora wasn't sure what it was for, but Jacob told her she and Bella were going; no exceptions.

"Do you fight with them often?" Pandora asked, bringing her knees to her chest as she watched Leah. Pandora didn't want to stare, but she couldn't help herself. There was something about Leah that made Pandora want to look at her forever. Like Leah was a piece of art made to be seen.

"Yeah," Leah nodded. "We always loose our tempers at each other. I don't have the patience for them, and they don't want to deal with Sam's ex that they got stuck with. They don't understand anything."

"You're more than Sam's ex to them." Pandora said quietly, frowning when Leah scoffed.

"Don't try and tell me that Jacob says anything nice about me. I know he complains about me to you," Leah rolled her eyes. "We're telepathically linked; I can hear all of their thoughts about me."

Pandora didn't know what to say. She could see the hurt in Leah's eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to make it better for her. But she didn't know how.

"Then show them you're more than what they think," Pandora said quietly. "You shouldn't have to prove yourself to a bunch of boys, but if it really bothers you, which it obviously does, show them how wrong they are about you."

Leah stared at Pandora for a second, taking in the way her sun-kissed skin glowed under the setting sun. Her brown eyes were soft, a sense of understanding shimmering in her irises. Leah wondered why she was fated to imprint on Pandora, the girl seemingly wise beyond her years.

"It's not that easy," Leah sighed and sat up. She frowned, staring off into the sunset.

"Life isn't easy," Pandora said bitterly. "You and I both know that better than anyone."

The two sat in silence as the sun set. Pandora wanted to marvel at the beauty of the sunset, but Pandora couldn't help but let her mood ruin the sunset. She wasn't angry at Leah, she was angry with herself. She couldn't even have a proper conversation with a girl she liked without something bringing her down. She just wished they could have been two people, allowed to follow their feelings without anything in the way.

"We should get going," Leah said once the sun was down. "The bonfire is going to start soon."

Pandora nodded silently, cursing herself when she started to feel herself disconnect with the world around her. Disconnecting had been something that Pandora fell into when her dad died, and she struggled with it ever since. It had gotten better when she had Bella and Jacob, she felt more present than not. But she was never 100% present, feeling like her body was on autopilot when it was at its worse. She was getting close to autopilot, but couldn't pull herself out of the feeling.

The walk back was quiet, Pandora lost in her mind.

Pandora barely registered it when they arrived at Sam's, going to the backyard where a fire was already started and logs were placed around the fire. Emily told the two that there was food inside if they were hungry. Pandora just took a hot dog, opting to stay near the sidelines rather than try to interact with anyone. All she could handle was saying hi to everyone, already feeling mentally drained. Pandora noticed Jacob's dad stationed in what would have been the head of the circle. Leah's mom, Sue, and another older man stood beside Billy, engaged in conversation.

"Dora, are you okay?" Pandora blinked, looking to her side. She smiled tightly at Bella, wondering how long she'd been there.

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Bella seemed to understand what she meant, and nodded sadly.

"Did Leah tell you that this is a council meeting?" Bella asked, changing the subject knowing Pandora wasn't in the mood to talk about herself.

"No," Pandora frowned. "Maybe we should leave. Are we even allowed here?"

"Billy's about to start," Leah walked up to the two girls. She didn't acknowledge Bella, making Pandora frown. "Sit by me?"

Pandora glanced at Bella, who had already started making her way to where Jacob was seated. "Sure." Pandora followed Leah. Leah took the seat next to her mom, leaving Pandora to sit on the other side of her. Paul took the seat next to Pandora, nudging her playfully as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively while glancing at Leah and Pandora. Pandora shoved him, unamused.

"Billy's going to go over the legends," Leah told her, quietly. Her face was close to Pandora's as she whispered into her ear, making Pandora's heart flutter. She could feel the heat radiating off of Leah. "It's Seth, Quil and my first time hearing all of them like this. You and Bella are the first outsiders to hear them."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Pandora's face, "I'll be sure to pay extra attention to them, then."

Leah smiled back, turning to face Billy as he started speaking.

Pandora tried to pay attention. It wasn't that Billy's stories were boring, she was positive that if she heard them on a good day she'd be completely immersed in the stories like Leah was beside her. But no matter how hard Pandora tried to pay attention, she found herself spacing out. She hated it. She wanted to experience the legends. The elders had opened the council meeting to her, and she felt like she was disrespecting them for not being able to pay attention. She caught enough to understand the stories of the first shifter, imprinting, and the third wife.

She left with Bella, letting her fill in the missing pieces.

"It's not your fault, you know." Bella said, glancing at her cousin as she drove. "You can't control it. No one can blame you for not being mentally okay. No one would blame you if you couldn't write because your arm is broken. Mental health shouldn't be treated differently."

"They invited me to a closed meeting, Bella." Pandora sighed, "I get that I can't control it but I can't help but feel awful. I want to be okay. I want to be able to handle all of this and be able to play a role in whatever is coming. I want to be able to be with Leah without worrying about the repercussions. But I can't."

Bella put her hand on Pandora's, squeezing it gently. "It's okay to not be okay, Dora."

"It just sucks ass when you think you're doing better, only to have your brain kick you back down and say 'think again, bitch'."