Morning drifted into the Clearwater house like a soft tide—quiet, gentle, warm.
Luna woke to the sound of clattering bowls and Seth humming off-key in the kitchen.
For a fleeting, fragile moment, she forgot everything.
Forgot she'd died.
Forgot she'd been dropped into a world of wolves and vampires.
Forgot she wasn't really Leah Clearwater.
Just… warmth. Noise. Life.
Then Leah's memories slid into place—soft, familiar, and heartbreakingly kind—and her chest ached.
'I could get used to this… but that's dangerous, isn't it?'
---
When she stepped into the kitchen, Sue was chopping vegetables with surgical precision while Seth attempted—very badly—to crack eggs.
"Leah!" Seth waved, hand dripping yolk. "I'm making you celebratory graduation eggs!"
Most of the eggshell was on the counter.
A concerning amount of egg was on Seth.
Luna smiled before she could think better of it.
"This is the greatest honor of my life."
Seth lit up like she'd handed him a medal.
Harry chuckled from behind his newspaper—Leah's mental files labeled this his 'protective parent barrier device'.
"You feeling more like yourself today?" he asked.
Luna hesitated.
No. Not at all.
But she was trying.
"A bit," she answered softly. "Thanks to you all."
Sue's gaze softened—still assessing, always assessing, but now layered with warmth instead of only caution.
"Good," Sue said. "Stay close today. Rest. Be with family."
Family.
The word hit somewhere deep—Leah's heart warmed to it, Luna's flinched.
Maybe… both were healing.
---
The day stretched slow and gentle.
Seth dragged her into games.
She helped Harry with small chores.
Sue checked on her twice without pretending it was for anything other than concern.
Around midday, a familiar truck rumbled up.
"Billy!" Harry called, opening the door.
Billy Black entered—still mobile with a cane, not yet confined to a chair—his grin bright. Jacob Black darted in behind him, all limbs and enthusiasm.
The moment Billy saw her, something ancient flickered in his eyes.
"Leah Clearwater," he said, voice low. "You're shining."
Luna blinked. "Uh—thanks?"
Billy hummed. Not a casual sound—an 'I-know-something-you-don't' hum.
"Old spirits walk with you today."
Seth whispered loudly, "Does that mean she's magic?"
"No," Sue called. "It means Billy likes confusing children."
Billy smirked. "Only the gifted ones."
Luna's pulse jumped.
He wasn't looking at her.
He was looking through her.
And yet… she didn't feel exposed.
She felt seen.
---
Jacob marched up and grabbed her hand like a tiny general.
"You. Outside. We're doing forest rules."
"Oh," Luna said. "Okay?"
He hauled her out to the yard, where sticks were lined up in rows like little soldiers.
"My dad says Clearwaters know all the rules," he declared.
Luna knelt.
"Well, rule one: don't eat anything. Even if it looks like it's berry-flavored."
Jacob nodded gravely.
"Rule two: listen for birds. If they stop singing, something scared them."
Jacob's eyes widened. "Like a bear?"
Seth sprinted over and plopped down beside them.
Jacob pointed at her, solemn and dramatic.
"This Leah is the best Leah."
Luna froze.
Not out of fear.
Not shame.
Just… emotion.
A swell of warmth she didn't know where to put.
'These kids… these families… I want to keep them safe.'
And that wasn't Leah's instinct.
It was hers.
Later, while the boys chased each other, Luna stepped into the cool shade of a cedar tree.
Its bark was rough and grounding beneath her palm.
Billy watched her from the porch, his gaze heavy with knowing.
She looked at Seth. At Jacob.
At the house where laughter spilled through open windows.
'Twilight hurts these families. Kills some of them.
Not this time. Not if I can help it.'
She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the System hum faintly.
"I swear," she whispered to the wind. "I'll protect the Blacks. I'll protect the Clearwaters. Whatever it takes."
The breeze stirred.
The cedar branches rustled like an answer.
Billy murmured from the porch:
"Old spirits hear brave vows, Leah Clearwater."
She stiffened.
'He heard me?'
When she turned, he only winked.
---
That night, after dinner and Sue's gentle fussing and Seth's insistence she tuck him in "for recovery," Luna slipped into Leah's room.
It felt lived-in. Loved.
She found Leah's old spiral notebook and opened it to a blank page.
'Day 1 — New World. New Life.
If this is Twilight… I'm going off-script.'
She stared at the words a long time.
She wasn't a background tragedy.
She wasn't here to spiral and break.
She wasn't someone else's stepping stone.
'I choose the story.
I choose the family.
I choose the fight.'
The System chimed.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[Daily Quest Unlocked: "Survive Another Day"
• Cook a meal > +2 SC
• Train body> +3 SC
• Control meditation> +1 SC]
[Hidden Skill Progress Updated:
Spirit Resonance: 6%]
---
Luna closed the journal, letting the vow settle deep into her bones.
Outside, the cedar branches whispered in the night wind.
Whatever this world had planned—
she wasn't facing it alone.
And she wasn't fate's victim.
Not anymore.