Twilight De Lune

Chapter 2: Sam and Jade

Later that same night...

Jade sat in the darkness of the living room. The solid color was disrupted by the low-illumination of street lights. Off in the distance the sky began to lighten, the sun was slowly coming back into the world. Today she would be teaching on the reservation.

She huddled on the couch; knees drawn up. She kept rocking back and forth and trying to tell herself it was okay. But it wasn't okay. She knew it wasn't.

It didn't matter how many years she had lived. On nights like this she felt like an infant. An orphaned infant at that. Alone, afraid and very vulnerable to the bad things in the world.

Her mind kept tripping over her nightmares. The dreams had started a week after she got back into town. They were getting worse too. But they weren't normal nightmares. They were visions. Pre-cognitive visions of the future. It was no secret that her mother had been talented. Though her mother had never talked about what she saw. Her mother never said a word to anyone. She had never talked to her daughter about it. Never warned her that it might happen to her. Perhaps, if she had, Jade would have learned how to cope better. But she hadn't. And Jade struggled to accept what she saw.

It was only years later that she learned her father too was gifted. Though his gifts weren't in visions. They were more abstract. There was no real word for what her father could do. He could feel things. He could tell when someone was lying. He could feel the shift in the weather and to a point manipulate it. He could walk the land and feel the past that had happened on it. To her father's credit, he had learned to harness his abilities, to use them. Rather than ignore them. When it had become obvious that Jade had inherited both sets of talents from her parents, he had been anxious to talk to her. TO explain and to help. Her mother had refused. It was the reason they had divorced. It was the reason Jade had gone with her father. She couldn't shut out what she saw or sensed. And it seemed, her father was the only one willing to help her.

But on nights like this, when there is no one around to hold. When there is no one around to sooth. These were bad nights. She felt adrift and lost in a great ocean that was raging inside her. Jade had stopped wiping at her tears; they just kept falling. So she rocked, back and forth, and silently told herself it was okay. Other's couldn't lie to her, but she could lie to herself.

**

The Quileute reservation was a large expanse of land. It included La Push beach, countless miles of forest and mountain range. Jade let herself relax during the drive. She was almost zen-like when she parked in front of the main office of the reservation school.

There were a few buildings clustered together; it wasn't a huge school. But it did the job and it was enough for the tribe.

Jade stepped out of her car; pausing for a moment. The air tasted of rain. She glanced up and could feel the promise in the clouds above her. She hunched up in her jacket. Opening the rear driver's side door she collected her box of supplies for today.

Slamming the door shut she turned.

"Shit!" She screamed.

Fire-hot hands grab hers. The hands stabilized her and kept her from falling. Jade blinked several times and stared into Sam's face.

"Sam!" She didn't pull away from his grip, but she was mad.

"Sorry, Jade. I had hoped you would sense my presence." He muttered gently. He stared at her really hard for a long time. "You didn't sleep last night."

Jade pulled away now. Her skin felt cold without his hands. She wanted to cross her arms. Instead she gripped the box tighter.

"What are you doing here?" She asked sharply.

He smiled gently, "This is my res."

"You know what I mean." She snapped. "You've been tracking me, why?"

Sam sighed, he leaned one large shoulder against her car. "You've been having visions. I need to know what they are about."

Jade frowned at him. "No, you don't."

Sam stared into her eyes. Jade stared right back. In her mind she could see his wolf; resting within him. For a moment it opened its eyes and stared at her just like the man before her. Jade sighed as she looked away.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked. Her tone softer.

"I can smell the vampires near my lands, Jade. But they won't come any closer. I need to know what's happening." Sam told her calmly.

"Maybe they are afraid of you." She snapped.

He shook his head. "No, something is coming. I can feel it. But you can see it."

Jade sighed, the box was heavy. She either had to walk away from him or put it down. Walking away from Sam would be an insult to him. She didn't want to upset him.

Sam reached out and took the box without a word.

Jade felt naked suddenly and crossed her arms. Her left side ached from yesterday and she was tired. She sighed again. "The images aren't clear, Sam. They're disjointed, blurry."

"Just tell me." He insisted.

The images came back to her mind. Even in the daylight she was afraid. "They are vampires, but they aren't like the Cullens. They are something else." Jade could see the vibrant red of their eyes. "Older, the blood in them is powerful."

Sam frowned hard. "So the legends are true."

Jade shrugged, "I don't know."

"What are they here for?"

She drew in a breath, "Blood, all I see is blood. I see a battle and I feel pain. The images are shattered, like falling shards of glass. I can't get a clear picture."

Sam looked at the box in his arm. "Perhaps you need to spend some time here."

She glared at him. "What?"

"You've been out of sync with this place since you left. Perhaps you need to spend some time aligning yourself with the energy here."

Jade shook her head. "It's not the land I am out of sync with, Sam. It's myself. The meds I use to get through a day mess up my focus. They numb everything, including my mind. I'm not clear enough to see anything fully."

Sam watched her for a moment. His eyes said something but he couldn't speak it. He opened his mouth, shut it and tried again. "The car crash." He paused, "I felt you tap into me that day." He stopped and stared hard at the box in his arms. "I felt you reach into me and pull on my wolf. You somehow used my....other half to survive."

Jade pursed her lips; shuffled her feet. "I am sorry about that." The words came out as a whisper. "Really I am. I didn't mean to. But it was the only way to get the strength I needed to escape."

He stared at her again; she glanced up quickly. His eyes held such pain, such....sorrow. She frowned and looked away.

"Jade, I never understood your powers. Not even when I saw you use them. Even when you told me what I'd...What I am, I never understood. I can't figure out how you did it. How you tapped into me and channelled it. And I know it's never really left you."

She hugged herself tighter. Damn, the man was in tune with himself. "I'm sorry."

Sam shook his head. "No, don't be. Some part of you is still with me too. I can glimpse things." He paused, looking up into the sky. "Feel things that others can't. My power..." He sighed, "I am stronger now than I was before."

Jade drew in a breath, "You were born to be Alpha, Sam. I didn't make you that way."

He shook his head again, "No, you didn't make me Alpha. But you've definitely changed me somehow." He fell quiet and they stared at anything other then each other. "Jacob...." Sam paused and tried again, "He's a natural."

Jade nodded. "Yes, he is. His family line has always been incredibly strong."

Sam chuckled, "Do you see his future?"

She shrugged, "It's changed a lot over the years. He's suffering with something. It's interfering with his...potential."

There was silence. Jade glanced up. Sam was frowning at the box again. As if what he was seeing wasn't the cardboard but something or someone else. "It's a girl."

Jade bit her lip to keep from sighing. "Oh."

Sam shook himself. "We should get these inside."

It was a short walk to the main building. Sam carried the box and kept his pace slow. Jade didn't say anything; she stared at the ground as she walked.

"Sam, I can't help you with what's coming." She muttered.

He glanced at her, "You don't know that. You've stifled yourself for years, Jade. I remember the day you made it snow because Kyle teased you about your dad."

Jade smiled at the memory. "That was a..." She paused, sighing. "I haven't summoned like that in years."

Sam looked up at the sky, "You still can."

Jade held the door aside for him and they walked into the building. There was a narrow hallway in front of them; four doors into total. Two on either side announced classrooms. Jade was the last door on the left. Sam and she walked silently to the room.

"Why are you asking me to help you?" She asked, stepping into the room. It was empty; it was still early.

Sam set the box on her desk; opened it and started taking out supplies. Coloured paper, safety scissors, markers, glue and crayons.

He started to set out the supplies on the desks. Jade watched him. Sam didn't pay any attention to her as he set up the desks. It was obvious he had done this before.

"Sam? Why come to me? You are far stronger then I am."

Sam glanced up at her. His dark eyes were careful, thoughtful. "You need this, Jade. Whatever happened during the accident shook your confidence in yourself. You need to help us to prove to yourself you still can protect those you love."

She wanted to argue. "I don't love anyone."

He gave her a look that said he knew she was lying. "Yes you do. You love Jacob, you love your homeland. Let yourself feel with your heart for a change. Stop being so logical and..." he paused, a smile touched his lips, "Stop being such a head case."

Jade made a face at him which made him chuckle. She found herself smiling. "Sam, i know you are asking me to use my powers. Not just the foresight, but the whole package."

He shrugged, "I am not asking you to make it snow or cause a tsunami. I'm asking you for help. The wolves need help on this one."

"I can't call tsunami's." She grumped. The wolves needed help. These guys didn't ask for help. Jade sighed, she stared at the desk for a moment. She shrugged, "I could try to help out."

Sam finished laying out the supplies and brought the empty box to her desk. He set it down, catching her eyes. She stared at him. "One of these days Jade, you'll realize that what you are isn't such a bad thing."

She frowned, "It's not that."

"You don't like what or who you are." Sam tipped his head. "You can't let Sky's death continue to haunt you."

Jade glared at him, "Sky's death has nothing to do with anything."

"Yes it does. We were both there when she died in your arms. It haunts you do this day. Your father's death eats at you. You blame yourself. You think that your powers should help you save people." He looked at his hands as he spoke, "Sometimes, though, they hurt those we love."

Jade remembered the day he had come to her, crying. Sam had lost his control for a split second and Emily would always carry the scars of that day. Her heart ached for him. She reached out and touched his upper arm. His skin was hot to the touch; the muscles flexed under his skin. Sam lifted his head; for a moment his eyes showed pain.

"Sam, I already agreed to help you. I can't guarantee any answers or miracles. But I can help."

He nodded. Sam took a step back; her hand fell away from him. "Just don't tell anyone I asked you to do this."

She shook her head, "I never would."

Sam headed to the door and left the school room. Jade sighed and looked outside. Rain pelted the ground; tapping nosily against the windows. Jade drew in a breath; reaching beyond herself with her focus. She hadn't manipulated the weather for a long time. But today, she tried. She stretched herself up to the sky. Projecting her astral, psychic self toward the clouds. She could feel the cool touch of wet from rain against her skin. Her face was numbed by the bitter cold of wind. With her focus securely on the sky and the winds; she pushed against them. Redirecting the atmospheric pressure toward Seattle.

It was like trying to move wet cement with your bare hands. It was sticky, wet, and threatened to consume you. The winds shifted direction and shoved against her. If only she could hold her focus; she could do this.

Her focus slipped and she tumbled back into her body. Jade had to grab the desk to stay upright. Her vision swam and warped around her. The room swirled around her in watery colors and no sense of space. Jade breathed slowly and deeply ;trying to quell the nausea in her stomach. She'd forgotten how draining it was to do that.

Rain fell harder now. Darker clouds rolled in. Thunder rumbled in the mountains. She'd made the weather worse, not better.

Jade shook her head; forcing her senses to focus. The nausea faded gently and she stood straight. Beyond the building she heard the first car arrive. It was time to focus on teaching.

A few minutes later the first parent and child arrived. Jade greeted them with a smile.

"Crazy weather, huh?" The mother asked as she shook off her rain jacket. "It wasn't raining this hard a few minutes ago."

Jade shrugged, "Let's hope it breaks before class ends."

She made herself stay on track with the teaching and tried not to think of Sam again.