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Guilt followed Sage around for the next couple of days. It weighed heavily on her chest like an anchor slowly dragging her to the bottom of the ocean's floor. Because she didn't know where it came from, it stewed, and she was none the better for it.
The last few days had been wonderful; Masika, Emmett, and Rosalie came to visit; Sage was able to gain clarity on Aro and his abuse. While she was not able to fully let him go--Sage had no clue how long that was going to take if she ever did--she was able to understand that he was supposed to die. He was not meant for this world for all he brought was chaos and destruction.
But something bothered her. It wasn't Aro. Nor the Cullens, Allison or Seth. Certainly not Sam, who was currently running his fingers up and down her arms in a soothing manner. He had been doing it for some time now as they laid in his bed, the morning light barely visible through his darkening curtains.
The action would be soothing, but Sage couldn't stop thinking about Leah.
Though Leah hadn't been there to see Sage, Sage did not fault her. Elis had left--had rejected an imprint--and she was probably still recuperating from it. If Leah had come to see her, Sage knew it would have been a feat for Leah. Seeing resemblances in a person who you had once loved with every fiber in your body could not have been enjoyable; Sage was not going to put her through something like that.
But Seth had been talking about Leah when he came over, conversations of terror nonchalantly told over a game of cards.
"Yeah, Leah seems really depressed these days, but somehow, it's not as bad as when she was with Elis," Seth had said as though it didn't change the trajectory of the entire conversation. He had shrugged, his eyes averted, and said, "But Masika seems to really help."
Except that's not what Sage wanted to hear and nor did it add up in the slightest. Masika had come over for tea yesterday, her eyes clouded and her smile grim. She talked about Leah and only Leah, but the conversations were stilted and awkward and she left as soon as she came with Emmett and Rosalie.
So, Seth's words were concerning, Masika's actions even more so. Sage hadn't know the vampire long, but there was an intensity regarding her when she spoke of Leah; it didn't take a fool to know that Masika already cared for Leah and that this was bothering her. (And it once again made Sage wonder what had happened during the two and a half months that she was gone.)
Sam's hand stopped and that was the only reason Sage was able to leave her head for the moment. When she glanced up, he was already looking down at her. His hair was disheveled, longer as it curled over his shoulders. His torso bare for her, Sage pressed a hand into where his ribs were, caressing the sensitive spot.
"Sorry?" she asked. If he halted, it meant that he had tried speaking with her.
"I asked what you wanted for breakfast," he said, a hint of a smile on his face. His eyebrows tilted down in concern, however, his eyes narrowing. "I've been talking for a while now. Are you okay?"
