~4~

The blazing sun cut through the canopy of forest trees as I hiked my way up the hills resting on Isle Esme. My breaths were coming heavy now from the combination of heat, humidity, and tiredness. I heard the tropical birds chirp in the trees I passed by as the branches and twigs below me made a crunching sound as I stepped over them.

Behind me, I heard the crunching of more twigs and the thumping of big feet on the forest ground.

"You don't have to follow me," I called behind me. I looked back to see the gigantic figure of Jacob making his way up the path, only ten feet behind me. His hair was starting to grow longer again and he was only wearing a pair of brown shorts.

"I'm just making sure you don't do anything stupid," he called back, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I rolled my eyes and kept going as he still kept up with me. I didn't even turn around as I yelled back at him frustrated, "I know they asked you to keep an eye on me, otherwise you wouldn't follow me."

"Maybe they did ask me to check on you, but maybe I also followed you because I'm worried about you too," he said back sternly. I just rolled my eyes and almost wanted to scream. He was getting to be just as bad as them.

I kept on trudging through the forest, daring myself to make it to the top as the heat poured on and the sweat came down. I didn't bother trying to shake Jacob off anymore, I knew he wouldn't leave. I touched my hand up to my half-heart necklace, trying to give myself strength to keep going on.

I was beginning to get dizzy from dehydration and heat when I tripped on a stump sticking up in the ground. The stump caught me by surprise, and as I went down to the ground, my hand, still around the necklace, fell forward, yanking the necklace off my neck with it. I opened my eyes after the shock to see my body lying face forward on the ground and my necklace, glinting in the sunlight, lying feet away with a broken silver chain.

I reached out and scooped up my necklace, as Jacob rushed over to me. I looked down at the broken necklace, and felt my tears beginning to fall. I knew it was pathetic, because the chain could be easily replaced, but it still upset me to have it gone from the safety of me like that, just like Aiden.

Jacob was crouched on the ground next to me, trying to pull me up by arms, but I resisted.

"Leave me alone," I yelled through my tears at me, still staring down at my broken necklace.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in his concerned voice.

"No," I said to him sharply.

He then saw what I was staring at and what I was upset about. "Shh," he cooed, "Don't worry, it can be easily fixed."

"That's not what I'm upset about," I yelled, tears still rolling off my face.

He seemed to sense that it wasn't the fact that the necklace was broken; rather, that I was missing Aiden was what I was upset about. He scooped me up into his arms, and held me like a baby on his lap, just as my father used to always do to comfort me.

He rocked me back in forth on his lap, and whispered, "Do you mind telling me about your friend? About why you miss him so much?"

I shut my eyes and sniffled. I had never told anyone about the history of Aiden and I, not even my parents. They only knew because my father had seen it all in my mind, but I never had to explain anything to them. I didn't know if I could talk about him, if I could do it without collapsing onto the ground.

The heat was doubled on me from that coming down from the sun and from that radiating from Jacob as he pressed against me, but it didn't bother me anymore.

"Please," Jacob whispered and I suddenly remembered the recent conversation with my mother. Jacob was there for her in her time of loneliness and grief, maybe he could be there for me too?

I took a deep breath and began to tell Jacob about my angel, "Aiden was my only friend when we first moved to Buffalo. I didn't have anyone in school who would look at me without a nasty glance or someone who could say something to me without it being a joke about me. I mean I had Alice, but once everyone went back out to Forks, she didn't come to school anymore and all I had was Aiden." I felt Jacob nod his head above me, and I continued still trying to keep myself together. "Aiden and I became a lot closer after that. We had a special bond that I've never had with anyone before. He always sensed when something was bothering me and it was so easy to just let him comfort me. He told me about his dad who walked out on his family and I told him about my family and you leaving and the hole that you all left in me. He understood that and was able to make me feel better and always brightened up my day."

"I will never forgive myself for leaving you like I did," Jacob muttered under his breath.

I looked up and met his dark eyes. "It's okay, I forgive you," I whispered patting his hand that held me. I cleared my throat and went on, "When Aiden's dad died, he was broken. I had never seen something like that happen to anyone and I saw how much pain he went through. I also saw how much he tried to move on and keep going with life, and it made me feel pathetic to be so upset about you and my family gone when his dad had just died. He was truly an angel sent from heaven, made to make me see life in a new light; the human life I've always longed for but never have been a part of. And then…" I knew I would start to lose control on myself soon. I couldn't tell what happened next as shuddered at the thought and more tears surfaced. Jacob pulled me in closer to him, giving me the strength to go on. "And then she came. She was beautiful and seemed so sweet and innocent and acted like Aiden was her long lost twin brother. And he fell for her. He fell for her bright orange hair and her emerald eyes. He told me she understood him in a different way than I did, and I became jealous. I didn't want him to pay attention to her, and it made me mad and lost again in life."

"I should have come home then and dealt with it for you," Jacob said, anger running through his deep voice.

I cleared my throat, "It's alright." I knew what was coming up in my story and I knew I had to keep going, to help myself regain strength. "Anyways, Aiden finally sensed what was wrong with me and ended up asking me to this stupid school dance." I shuddered at the thought of the dance and kept going, "I didn't know what to say and I was confused. I didn't know he thought of me as more than a friend so I ran away home without saying a word to him. He came to my house the next day and I blew up at him for treating me like trash while he ignored me for Marney. I screamed at him and wouldn't listen when he defended himself. I brought him to tears and as he walked off the porch, I realized how much I needed him. I ran after him and pleaded with him to not leave me and he didn't. I told him how much I loved him and how much I needed him."

My tears overflowed my eyes as I thought of that moment when everything felt so sure with Aiden. "We went to the dance." I sobbed, my vision becoming blurry by my tears, "and he gave me this necklace. He has the other half of the heart and it says friends on it because we were always best friends. We danced under the moonlight on a little bridge in the park and he kissed me and told me how much he loved me." I felt Jacob's body tense and looked up to see his face covered with anger, but at what I didn't know. I knew I hadn't gotten to the worst part yet, and I put my necklace up to my heart as I began to tell him the horror, "I left him alone to go back and get my purse. I never should have left him alone," I sobbed.

"Shh, don't blame yourself," Jacob muttered, the tension gone from his body and voice.

I gulped and went on, "I was coming down the path and I heard screaming and her laugh. I ran and saw Aiden crumpled to the ground bleeding and he called out to me to leave. I watched as she flung him into a tree, her eyes dancing from the smell of his blood and his body going limp. I should have known all along she was a vampire." The disgust at myself rose in my voice as I hated myself for letting this all happen to Aiden. "The rest is all a blur, but I remember looking up from a pile of stones she flung me into and seeing her bite into his neck. I ran, but Emmett and Jasper yanked her off of him, and I looked down at Aiden screaming in agony on the ground as his body writhed in pain. And I did nothing. I let him change into a vampire, as he thought he was dying, and I just stood by and watched." I sobbed harder and Jacob pulled me into his side tighter and I rested my head against his huge chest, feeling the warmth there. "And now he's gone," I whispered.

I heard Jacob's sobs from above me as I sat pressed against him. I clutched onto his bare chest, never wanting to let go. I felt the grief inside me, but somewhere, I felt relief from letting out everything that I had bottled up inside me. I sat holding on to Jacob as the night fell, letting him comfort me. I finally was close to Jacob again and I suddenly felt a deep connection in my heart to him that I didn't want to lose. My angel might be gone, but my salvation was back. Jacob was back in my life again, ready to be my sanctuary and save me again.