GIA
It was Jake–Jake Wyatt. I wasn't dreaming, it wasn't an apparition. I touched him, I grabbed his wrist, his warmth seep through me he was much real as I was. My heart was thumbing at 90miles/hr, I couldn't believe someone from my other life was standing there in flesh looking at me. It didn't matter that it was a person that I barely talked to, it didn't matter that I hated his girlfriend, it didn't matter that I never cared about his presence but now it did. It mattered a whole lot more that I had ever cared about anything since after I lost my mom. I had never felt that happiness in so long, tears were irritating the back of my throat as I tried not to hug him or cry out then I remembered almost immediately what Maya told me, humans that ends up here mistakenly gets to be a meal for the blood suckers.
I had to get him out of there immediately
"Gia"
I turned around slowly to look at his face, I tried to pull him away but he was rooted to his spot but it wasn't out of fear or shock that he saw me after a long time, I might even have been reported dead. He wasn't stunned, he had the a quiet expression of his face of mostly pain. It felt like he was acquainted to all of what I thought he witnessed for the first time.
"What are you?" he didn't attempt to reply, he was just looking at me like he was framed there. My hand slowly leaving his wrist
"It was you I saw in the village but you got away. I thought I was just seeing stuff but it was really you?"
He was still quiet, he wasn't trying to object. Although he didn't answer to it too, his eyes did. Not just his inability to deny the truth but I saw thesame red orbs that I stared into at the castle, it was those eyes that have been my guardian angel. Although they were deeply masked inside the orb of his light eyes, it flashed in my vision. I saw them
"You are the wolf" I said word by word my breath and voice dropping by each breath. My mind was trying to shut down as I process that fact that Jake Wyatt was a werewolf. My knees growing cold I scrambled back a bit, losing balance
Automatically it had to be a two way lane. It was either he was lost or he knew, he was one of them but I didn't think he was my wolf friend.
"Wait. I can explain" he pleaded in fear reaching to grab me so I couldn't fall but I had already regained my balance. The werewolves have been living between us, maybe even the vampires.
"You are a werewolf" I nearly screamed it out "Is Sam too?" I questioned
"No she's not. Just me" he stated in defence
I fell quiet, I just realized I have never known Jake even back then when I thought he was human–When I thought I was human. Seeing that he was also in thesame position to ask me such related questions, I started moving backwards away from him. As soon as he noticed I was getting away, he made one giant step towards me.
"Gianna please let me explain" He pleaded
"No Jake! You cannot just stand there and act like you ever cared" I said quickly turning around
"Yes I cared. I had always cared and I still care" He declared making me turn back around quickly. He looked confused out of words and disoriented
"Yes I did, I wish I could have been there for you each step of the way but I never expected you here after what happened" I simply stared at him, he stepped forward again but again I couldn't stand there, a flare of emotions where striking through me. I was going to have an emotional breakdown. I turned around quickly on my feet intending to get away from him but I halted to his next words
"In the castle, you—"
"I said I don't want to talk" I growled in a hoarse tone just to escape getting caught out but my eyes were also in tears.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your mom Gia. Back then I thought you were gone too until I saw you there" His voice broke at the end. Still with my back turned on him I felt him got closer, he must have heard my quiet sobs. While I was in a situation more deadlier, lonely and depressed he should have had the decency to show his face to me, to give a shoulder but now that I was facing a giant storm coming. I wanted to face it alone, I didn't need him in human or wolf form.
In rage and pain I marched forward, not bothering to look behind me or watch till the funeral pyres burn out like I promised myself. All I wanted was to be away from there, from everything that is to remind me of my other life, it was only making me weak. Suddenly I stopped along the way.
I felt that, the need to go and express what's on my mind and I felt high of being inconsiderate. Jake only wanted to help–he did helped. I rushed back, jogged to running towards him. I over reacted, he has been there even now when I felt down, when I was in pain for losing all that I held dear. He was standing where I left him, he didn't move an inch.
I saw his long face turned stunned when he saw me running back, I didn't slow down and he got it too. I threw myself into his arms, I squeezed him tight. He held me back just as tight, I closed my eyes letting some of the weight on my chest flow.
After a second of heavy breathing and tearing over his shoulder, I could finally talk.
"So you thought I was dead?"
He chuckled briefly
"I'm glad you are ok"
I pulled out of the hug feeling a little burn on my cheeks.
"Tonight was rough, I pray they rest in peace"
He made a sound behind his throat
"That's how they say it around here right,"
He came closer with just a step, I found my throat clogging especially the say he was looking at me humorously. I forgot how charming he was
"It was just right" his voice sounded picked out of melodies harmony.
I tried to smile but it turned out as a grimace.
"After it burns out, what happens next?"
I quickly talk back to the pyre still burning on the other side. He glanced behind him for a while before looking back at me.
"We treasure the ashes"
I could feel them a whole lot more, each passing day comes to the pressured presence within my body breaking out, pushing the old Gia I knew into the shadows, she was becoming non existent. And my powers some of which broke through right after losing phoenix, sometimes I could hardly contain my angry to avoid an outburst. I could feel a foreign presence inside me, many hearts, many souls and thoughts that I could not distinguish which was getting me more exhausted.
The next day Jake came over, we had some tea and then went out. We walked quietly just musing into the forest around us. I had been consumed in morning lately, not just that just being with Jake made me feel uneasy. How I hugged him last night, it looked like I had been longing for it. It felt awkward with him, I didn't know him much before and now he's all I have got to talk to.
"How do you get around boredom here without a cell phone?" I asked killing the silence around us.
"I didn't used to have a phone before but I do have it on now" He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and showed it out. I nearly squealed, it's been a while
"You can use it whenever" he handed it over. As soon as I took it I noticed his wallpaper. I recognized the face there, I remembered the day we went to get ice-cream. It was me walking down the sidewalk in my district with Christine beside me but she was cropped out only her shoulder peeked in. I felt cold instantly
"This," I looked up staring into his face. He really had me in on his wallpaper. I suddenly just felt like I have no one to contact, my grandparents would freak if I called them and I don't want to get them in trouble.
"There's no cell service here"
"I know a place" he offered
"I don't have anyone to call" I bit down my bottom lip before handing him over the phone. He took it putting it away before I continued walking.
"There is alot of ways to get around boredom. We can hunt"
Jake got supplies, bow and arrow and we went deeper into Terent Mill, where there was very less population of werewolves but more forests and magnificent views. Right about now I had pull on the arrow to a target, a deer.
"You have to be stealth, don't scare it away. Keep your eye on the target"
Jake stood behind me as he taught me through it not knowing that I already knew a thing or two about Archery.
"Keep your left shoulder to the target since you're right eyed" He grabbed me by the shoulder and positioned me properly.
"Now" he whispered and I shot.
"What?" Jake came at front of me while the deer skipped away from us
How did you miss that?"
"I wasn't aiming for the deer, I felt like having a bird for lunch" I said putting the bow down. "Now let's go get it"
***
It's been four days after the passing of Phoenix and the village had started growing back in shape but the hearts were still yarning. I went over to help with the repairs although alot has been done majority was untouched. checking on the injured, majority were already on their feet.
Leo was still on bed rest, I went over with grandma Ruby to check on him meeting with Kia, Maya and Jake. They were being there usual cheerful self even Leo himself whose voice was heard from miles seeing the he was injured badly.
As soon as they noticed me and grandma Ruby by the door they fell silent for a while knowing that they were defying Ruby's strick warning that the patient should be left to rest. They all slowly backed away from the bed revealing the patient completely whom still had a gauge wrapping around his rib cage but his visible wounds were all healed.
She proceeded forward without a word and set her healer bag on the bed. The gauge was to be removed today, we let Ruby to it while I set out again. I needed to take care of something.
"Gia" Jake called catching up to me
"Hey" I said continuing to walk not bothering to look towards him.
"You don't want to head over there, it's not safe"
"I know"
I answered plainly, he pulled me to a halt by the upper arm. He looked tense and serious
"What's wrong?"
"He mentioned you to me. Phoenix, he said you gave him a blossom. I didn't think it was you back then"
We continued walking again in silence with him walking by my side.
He spoke again "I'm sorry for ghosting on you"
I gave a faint smile as an acceptance. We reached the peace right after where the blossom he planted for his mother was growing considerably well, almost trice it's size.
I squatted, tracing my fingers over the petals of the flowers. The softness of it remembered me of the conversation we had the time he planted it. I gently placed the seedling that I have been holding. I pulled it out of it's temporary pot that I had it in a day after his death. I watched over it in my room giving it ample sunlight and water for it's survival until it was ready for the wild.
I parted the dirt close to the plant and nestled the seedling inside the hole. I covered it up and patted the dirt around it. I pulled the water bottle over my head and watered both plants carefully just like I saw Phoenix did. I wasn't just pouring out hydrogen and carbon molecules but my deepest apologies to both the mother and child. I was truely worthless, I had all the power to keep him alive but for the fear of my own existence I couldn't save her child–couldn't save a friend, a family, I was selfish and I was supposed to be their leader–The god.
That alone made me feel disgust, hurt and guilty. Not to trace back the whole other horrible events that unfolded because my mother choose to have me. Not to mention lives that were broken beyond repair littering the world as the frightening shadows and others hiding away from life in total.
Getting to my feet I thought of breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"His mother loved those flowers and so did he" Jake stated
"Why didn't you participate in the ritual? I thought all family members had to take part"
"Yeah but we are still not part of the clan. They are just kind enough to let us stay in their village"
"You haven't renounced being an Alpha?"
I said cleaning out my palms on my jean shorts.
He simply nodded, adding "I couldn't. It's my pride.... Our pride"
"I get it. I would do same"
We started our way out of the dangerous part going back on the trail that would lead us back to grandma Ruby's cabin easily.
"You haven't taken your wolf form yet?" he asked more like said because I was sure Maya must have told him. I looked to his face before nodding, slightly feeling my face twitch from the all the lies. I knew when the time comes to reveal me, it would all be different.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of. I haven't first shifted until I was thirteen while my friends did earlier and now I can change by will"
That explained the times I had seen him in his wolf form while it wasn't a full moon.
"That makes you roughly about three hundred years. More or less"
"Three hundred and Thirteen to be precise"
We both chuckled softly although not really funny but we just did
"That's a long time to be alive" I stated imagining how many terrible stuffs that must have happened to him and his pack–His family. Knowing I would be held responsible for it one way or the other, I decided to say at bay.
"Gia I,"
"Good I found you both" Maya came by heaving like she did run all the way to us and the worry bathed in her face got me nervous
"What's going on?" I asked quickly not letting her catch her breath
"The village head found something unusual with the attack two days ago" my heart immediately skipped a bit, we rushed back to the village with her upon reaching the village square where everybody was standing in clusters, Maya pushed us through the crowd
"Ruby what's going on?" I asked as soon as she came by my side pulling me away from the crowd, Jake wanted to follow by I assured everything was ok
"It is like I feared; they left a message behind carved in every tree near to the outs of the village. It has never happened so it will raise suspicion"
In the background I heard leader kiba address his people with caution and authority about the lost God baby being found and in desperation of hiding and the vampires were assuming they had her.
"What do we do?"
"You are the new face suspicions will be stronger towards both of us. You will have to stay away for a while"
"Isn't that going to make them more suspicious?"
"For now don't leave the cabin. We'll work this out later"
She disappeared into the crowd too seeing she's a great deal in the community she had to be there by leader kiba to enlighten the locals about their safety and that the war is neigh.