Chapter Six: Peas?
Time wasn't moving for them, it was relative. It was there, but it wasn't. However, for the other Clearwaters, it was there and it was very, very awkward.
The tension was thick and there was a lot of it. Harry knew what had happened and Leah had a clue but Sue was still oblivious to the matter, this causing her to speak up: "Seth, would you like some more peas?"
"Sue, lets give Seth a minute, I think he may have forgotten some homework. Let him go check." Harry lied smoothly, covering his son's actions whilst also sedating his wife's worries. "Seth, why don't you go and check."
"What? Homework. Yeah. Be right back." The young shifter practically sprinted out the room whilst muttering an apology. But, not going unnoticed to his sister, Seth shot Rea a small glance before bolting up the stairs.
He returned not five minutes later to a room that was stilled filled with awkward tension. Rea ha reverted to her old habit of refusing eye contact with anyone, opting to stare at her plate of food. Leah and Harry shared knowing looks whilst Sue was wondering what had happened to her usually talkative son.
Dinner wrapped up quickly and Rea's mind was still a mess. She couldn't waltz into Sam's house and tell him about what had happened as Seth's head would be on a stick by the morning (or Jared, Paul and Jacob for that matter as Seth would most likely suffer a similar fate.)
Muttering a 'thank you' and a 'see you soon,' Rea put her hood up to walk home in the rain again before she felt a hand on her shoulder that turned her around to face the person: Seth.
"I'll walk with you," He said, pulling on his own coat and opening the door. Rea didn't miss the face that the very same hand that was placed on her shoulder only a few moments ago had now drifted downwards and now it rested in her own, smaller, hand.
"But it's raining. You shouldn't get wet unnecessarily!" She exclaimed, pretending not to be flattered as she fiddled with her coat up, trying tog et it to work as she should on the Clearwater's porch.
"It's dark, you shouldn't walk in the dark unnecessarily!"
"Are you saying I can't protect myself?"
"Never. I was- I am just trying to.... Ugh. Nevermind."
"Trying to what? Talk about what happened in there because going by my guess, Sam's going to rip off your head next time either you or I shift."
Seth sighed as the downpour seemingly got worse as soon as the pair stepped into the road, "And I've got patrol tonight."
"We better tell him," Rea said softly, giving Seth's hand a squeeze in reassurance, "Don't worry about Sam. He's a twat but he is a big softie."
Seth laughed alongside Rea at he remark about her half-brother, "Yeah, I guess."