A/N: Hey, guys! I know its been a while, but I have a new chapter for you. I just saw BD 2, and it was freaking awesome! It gave me more motivation for finish my stories! So, I hope you all enjoy this and pictures will be on my home page. The link for it is on my profile, and look for the pictures labeled Love us both.
Enjoy!
ZPOV
Turn…run…no…lee…
Okay…don't…try…under…
Smell…move…
I gasped as I sat up. Sighing, I turned on my bedside lamp and wiped the sweat the had accumulated on my forehead away.
This has been going on for a few weeks now, these voices in my head. Every time I lie down and fall asleep I hear voices in my dreams, and it feels like I'm running at an incredible speed through the forest. They weren't so bad the first couple times, but it has become increasingly worse. I haven't been able to sleep well in the last week and I feel like I'm going to die from exhaustion.
I laid down again and tried to fall asleep, but I knew I would be back up within the hour. It was ridiculous really. Turning over, I looked at the clock to see it was five in the morning. I had an hour and a half before I had to get up for school.
Sighing deeply, I closed my eyes once more and fell into another fitful sleep.
Beep…Beep…Beep
I slammed my hand on the off button and opened my eyes. It was six thirty on the dot. It felt like I had just closed my eyes only a minute ago.
Grunting, I heaved myself out of bed and went to take a hot shower to try and wake up. Afterwards, I couldn't be bothered to try and dress nicely, so I threw on a black tracksuit, my black Nikes, and threw my hair in a high pony tail.
After grabbing my bag and keys, I headed downstairs to grab some water, not really having an appetite to eat anything.
"Good morning, sweetheart." My father greeted me from his perch on the island stool.
"Hey." I said softly with a smile. My mother looked up from her coffee concerned as she looked me over.
"Honey, are you alright?" she asked.
Sighing, I shook my head. "I haven't been getting enough rest lately. I keep having these stupid dreams…" I stopped. In my exhaustion, I had forgotten to not mention why I wasn't getting enough sleep. I didn't want to tell my parents that I was hearing and seeing weird things that seem so real, just for them to ship me off to the farthest loony bin good money can find.
"Why? Are you feeling alright? Is it school? Does it have something to do with your friends? With Jacob?" my mother asked rapidly as she felt my forehead and cheeks.
"No! No, mom, I'm fine, I just haven't been sleeping well lately." I was desperate to say something. Anything! If I needed pills and a therapist, I'd take it, I just want my sleep back!
"Then what is it?" my father asked with a concerned look on his face.
Biting my lip, I took a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a sip.
"Honey, whatever it is, you can tell us. You know you can tell us anything." My mother rubbed my arm as she looked at my father before turning back to me.
I nodded my head. Sighing deeply, I stood at the island and stared at my bottle top.
"I've been having these weird dreams." I began hesitantly, "It's just the forest, but everything's going by me so fast that I can't see anything! And then, I hear these…" I stop and close my eyes.
"Go on, baby, you're doing fine." My father rested a hand on top of mine.
I took a deep breath and continued. "I hear these…voices. They're male, I can tell, but sometimes I'll hear a female voice too. I can't hear a full conversation…there's too much static, but the voices sound kind of familiar. I don't know! I'm going crazy probably. I just can't sleep with the voices and the running…I'm just so tired!" I could feel the tears pulling in my eyes as I looked at my parents.
They were looking at each other with astonished faces. They're lips weren't moving, but they would nod slightly as if they were speaking out loud. If I hadn't been watching them closely, I wouldn't have noticed. Finally, they turned back to me with sympathetic faces.
"Okay, sweetheart, you're not going to school today. You're going back up to your room, I'll make you some tea and go buy you some sleep medication to see if that will help and we'll figure this thing out, alright?" my mother rubbed my cheeks.
"You're going to be fine, sweetie. We'll figure this out." My father kissed my forehead as he stood.
"Am I going crazy?" I whispered as a tear streamed down my cheek.
"No, no, no, no, no, baby girl. It's probably a reoccurring dream. Maybe, it's trying to tell you something." My father winked, but in his eyes, I could tell there was a truth to that.
I was way too exhausted to explore right now though. I dragged myself back off to bed while my parents whispered to one another.
LPOV (Luca)
My heart clenched as I listened to my baby talk about something that I feared would happen to one of my children. I was hoping it would be my son, Teddy, at least he would be able to take care of himself a little better, but not my baby girl.
"Luca." I looked down at my wife's pain stricken face as the same fear reflected in her eyes that were in mine.
"I know sweetheart. Try and get her to go to sleep and then we'll go to Billy's to discuss this." I sighed. With Billy being the chief of the tribe, this had to be reported to him immediately, he would know what to do.
"Okay." Aoki muttered as tears gathered in her eyes. She shakily grabbed the tea pot and began to fill it with water. I placed my hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
"She will be fine." I said as reassuringly as I could, but I was fearful myself. This would be a cause for celebration had it been Teddy in Zakiya's place. But it wasn't, and I didn't know what would come of my young daughter.
My wife's head nodded as she placed the teapot on the stove and cut it on. I grabbed the phone and dialed Billy's house number, waiting pensively as it rang.
"Hello?" Billy's gruff voice answered.
"Billy, it's Luca, we must come over and talk. It's important." I said quickly.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.
"I…I don't know yet. May we come over in about an hour?" I asked.
"Yes, I'll be here waiting for you when you arrive." I thanked him before calling my Lodge to tell them I wouldn't be in today.
Afterwards, I grabbed the keys and drove to the nearest drug store to get my daughter some sleep medicine. Hopefully, she will find solace in a dreamless sleep until we figure out what to do.
It was around nine when we finally got Zakiya to sleep. Her face was scrunched and her eyebrows were narrowed. It wasn't the peaceful sleep that I was used to seeing when I opened the door to see if she was alright late at night. It was one of distress and it was breaking my heart.
Shango licked her cheek, causing her face to relax a little, but not much. I scratched his head before getting up to leave with Aoki. We rushed to the car and drove as quickly as we could to Billy's, coming to a halt when I pulled into his gravel driveway.
Billy was sitting on the porch in his wheelchair, a concerned smile crossing his face when we reached him.
"Luca, it's nice to see you again, though it seems in not so good circumstances." He shook my hand and hugged Aoki before wheeling inside.
"Billy, Zakiya is…" I shook my head as I sat on the couch in front of him. I grabbed my wife's hand and rubbed it when a strangled cry came from her throat.
"Is she alright?" his eyes became fearful and concerned for both Zakiya and I'm sure Jacob as well.
"Physically she is fine." I said.
"For now." Aoki whispered.
"But mentally…Billy it's happening. She is showing the signs." I sighed heavily.
Billy's eyes widened as he stared at us. "But…but I thought it was Teddy who was showing the signs. That's why you went to California."
"I thought so too. When he sent us a picture…he was much larger than how he was here, so I thought he could be changing, but when we saw him, he was exactly the same. No temperature, no mood swings…he was just larger. Now, I fear it's something else." I shook my head. I really hope my son hasn't gotten himself into anything dangerous.
"Hmm, maybe it's the genes that are helping him a little, don't come to those type of conclusions just yet." Billy smiled slightly, before it disappeared. "How do you know Zakiya is showing signs?"
"This morning, she came downstairs and she looked so tired." Aoki answered this time. "So, we asked her if she was alright and she finally told us. Billy, she's been hearing their voices for a few weeks now and she can see what they see. She said there's too much static to hear a full conversation, but she can tell they are male and a female."
Billy's eyes widened when he realized what we were implying, "But that means that she's not…she's not a wolf, but…"
I nodded my head.
Billy shook his head, "How? We haven't had one for so long…what does this mean?!" he scratched his head.
"I don't know." My voice croaked as I thought about it. What does this all mean?
Billy began to wheel himself out of the living room, "I'm going to call Sam and tell him that there is a mandatory pack meeting at five. Luca, could you please go to my room. In my closet to the left on the floor is a box of books, you'll know which to grab." He instructed.
I got up and did as asked. As soon as I look through the box of books, I knew which one he was talking about and grabbed it. I came back in to see Billy holding onto Aoki's hand as he rubbed it, trying to comfort her.
"Here you are." I handed him the book.
"Ah, thank you." He chuckled as he grabbed it, "Well, I definitely did not think I would ever need to use this book. You know, we do not have to look at this as a bad thing. Granted, we haven't experienced this ourselves, but we have something that can guide us. For all we know, this could mean something extraordinary." He said as he opened the book and began to read, hopefully looking for clues as to what to do. I know he has had read every book of our tribe, but that is one we haven't needed for…a while.
"I don't know what it means, it just shouldn't have to be my daughter." I mumbled.
"This runs in your family the most, Luca, you know that." Billy said as he continued to read.
"Yes, but I'd much rather have Teddy go through this than Zakiya. I don't know if she can handle it."
Billy chuckled, "In all honesty, Luca, I think Zakiya is a better pick than Teddy. He has too big a desire for fame to be bothered with this. Plus, I wouldn't test Leah for all the money in the world. If Zakiya really is changing then she will be ten times worse." His body shook with silent laughter.
I cracked a small smile thinking about it. Zakiya is a spitfire, with her mother's wit and short temper, while Teddy has my calm demeanor. It takes a little more to rile him up then it does his sister. That may be helpful in her case, but I still didn't like this one bit.
Five o'clock rolled around slowly, with Aoki making us a quick lunch and us watching a little TV as we waited. I had driven back to check up on Zakiya and to leave a note saying we would be back in a little while, since thankfully, she was still sleeping.
Sam arrived at five on the dot with Emily, who had a large basket full of cookies, no doubt for the pack. Aoki immediately went to help and talk, while we waited.
I greeted Sam as he looked at Billy and I questionably.
"What's this all about?" he asked as he took a seat on the couch.
"We will explain when everyone gets here." Billy assured him. Soon, the pack began to come one after the other along with Sue and Quil senior, the other tribal leaders. Jacob walked in with Embry and Quil, but as soon as he saw me, he hurried on with a worried expression.
"Is Kiya okay? She wasn't at school and I tried to call her, but she didn't answer and her friends didn't know why she wasn't there?" he asked as he looked from me to my wife and back again.
"Jacob, calm down son. We are here for a reason and it has something to do with your imprint. Now, if you would sit, we can begin." Billy spoke up.
Jacob sat on the floor immediately, keeping silent and looking at his father worriedly. If it weren't for the situation, I would have chuckled at how similar to a puppy he was acting.
Everyone quieted down and looked at Billy curiously.
"This morning, I got a call from Luca and Aoki Umo regarding their daughter, Zakiya. They noticed that she was looking extremely tired and asked if she was okay. She had explained to them that she hasn't been sleeping well at night. For the last few weeks, she has been having reoccurring dreams of a vision of running through the forest at an unnatural speed. She has also been hearing voices and snippets of conversation from males and a female, though she could not hear much, because there was too much static."
Quil senior and Sue gasped when they realized what he was describing, while the rest of the pack had tensed when Billy began to explain.
"You mean…" Quil senior spoke, his gruff voice weary with age. Billy nodded. "But it can't be! We haven't had one in ages!"
"Haven't had what?" Paul asked. Obviously, he had become frustrated with his confusion.
Billy held up the book I had gotten for him. "There is a tale that I have not explained to you yet, along with others, because I thought that they would not happen again…at least not in my life time. I was going to pass down the books of these tales to Jacob, and he to pass down to his children and so on until they were once again needed." Billy sighed as he opened it.
"Long ago, before Chief Taha Aki, there was another Chief. He was not as well known as Taha Aki, because he could not change into a spirit warrior, but he had great wisdom, courage, and a love for his people so deep that he fought against other spirit warriors in his human form, not caring about the disadvantage. He was called Chief Dyami Bidziil. His wife, Tala, was pregnant with his child, but had become very sick and was dying. Chief Dyami prayed over his unborn child and wife every day, giving offerings, and begging for them to be spared. He had given his child over to the spirits, hoping that they would take care of them and would spare him his wife and child. Every night, a fierce wind would blow when his wife would cry out from the pain she was feeling and would stop when she did. Dyami thought this strange, but did not question it for he was too worried about the survival of his family."
"When his wife went into labor, the winds blew furiously and howled every time she cried out, the earth shook, the ocean's tides began to crash against the rocks feverishly, and the fire of the bonfire raised high and burned so hot that it set the nearby huts aflame. Finally, when the baby was born, the wind, earth, water, and fire calmed. The baby was alive and so was his wife. Chief Dyami cried with happiness, but stopped when he noticed something strange was on his child. Imprinted over his son's right eyebrow was a diamond. Within the diamond was a circle and in the middle of that circle was a smaller circle. This was 'The Great Spirit Symbol'. The baby began to fuss more, causing the wind to begin to blow again, the water to crash, the earth to shake and the fire to grow. What was even more astonishing was the symbol on the baby's head began to glow white. His mother began to feed him, calming him and the elements down, and causing the symbol to stop glowing. Astonished, Chief Dyami and Tala named their baby Wanageeska, meaning 'White Spirit'.
"Not wanting anyone to see the symbol, Chief Dyami crafted a headband and tied it to his son's head in order to keep him safe. He didn't know what was to come of his son, but he did know that if word spread, he would be in grave danger, and he did not want that for him. Years passed and the child grew from a baby to a young boy. He noticed that his son would talk to what seemed like no one, but was sure that his son could probably see whomever it was he was talking to. When asked, he son told him that he was talking to the spirits that stayed around their tribe. His son grew from a young boy to a young man, showing great leadership, wisdom, and courage like his father. One peaceful day, while the sun shined and the wind blew lazily, a loud scream filled the air with collective others joining after. Chief Dyami ran out to see the problem. There was a young pale man who was biting one of the females from his tribe. Chief Dyami didn't understand what he was doing as he dropped her to the ground and caught another young female, one that his son had taken a liking to and began to bite that one as well, but he could not let that go on. He grabbed a nearby spear and ran at the man, but was thrown back and into a tree with a great force. He could feel that he wouldn't be able to get up again, his body was too broken. His son ran out of the hut and stopped when he saw the pale man drop the girl that had caught his heart. He became so angered when he saw that she was not moving or breathing that his eyes glowed white, and if he had removed the headband, you would see that his symbol too began to glow."
"The wind started to blow furiously once more, like the night he was born. The earth shook violently, and the waves of the ocean crashed frantically once again. There was no fire lit, but if there was, Chief Dyami knew it would be as high as the clouds and burning so hot that the trees and huts would have caught on fire. Wanageeska ran faster than any human could and grabbed the pale man, lifting him off the ground by his throat and growling at him. He noticed then that his son's features had changed, taking on a more animalistic look to them. He watched as the pale man tried to break from his son's grasp, but it was of no use. His red eyes were wide with fear as his son lowered the man's face close to his and whispered 'you're dead' in their native tongue. He doubted the pale man understood him, but from the fear in his eyes he knew that this was his last moment to live. With force he had never seen before, his son slammed the pale male repeatedly into the ground, ignoring his screams of pain and agony and creating a hole that only seemed to grow as he pounded him further and further into the ground. Finally, he tore the man apart before lighting a stick on fire and setting the ripped pieces aflame. The body set fire immediately and burned, creating a sweet stench in the air as dark smoke began to rise from it."
"Chief Dyami watched as his son looked at him and began to walk towards him. He did not feel any fear; he knew his son would not hurt him. Tentatively, Wanageeska picked his father up as softly as he could and laid him down on his bedding in their hut. Tala ran into the hut just as his son's eyes and symbol ceased to glow and returned to its normal russett color. Wanageeska began to sway and fell to the ground unconscious, his mother catching his head just before it hit the earth. For days, his son remained in his sleep while the shaman looked over the Chief's body, trying to help heal him. Finally, after five days, his son awakened, confused, but remembering what had happened. Chief Dyami questioned his son on what happened, why he tore the man to pieces and set him on fire, and if he knew what he was doing. His son replied that it was the spirits that told him what to do; that it was the only way the man could not hurt them anymore. He didn't understand what he was doing, but he had a feeling that he could trust them, so he followed what they told him to do."
Billy looked around and smiled at the astonished faces of the pack members.
"From then on, his son had his own family and passed down the ability to his son, who passed the ability down to his granddaughter, who passed it to her son, who passed it to his granddaughter. She was Luca's great-great-great grandmother. It was not until Chief Taha Aki's time when they deemed them the name, Spirit Protector."
"It has been a hundred and twenty years since there has been a spirit protector in the tribe." Quil senior said as he stared out the window.
"Okay, now connect it to why we are here, please." Sam said.
"You are here, because Zakiya is showing signs of being the next spirit protector." Billy answered. I winced as I thought of this.
"What?! How do you even know?" Jacob asked as he began to tremble slightly.
"Calm down, Jake." Sam said. Jacob began to take deep breathes to stop his quivers before looking at his father once more.
"As time passed, more and more information was collected and kept about spirit protectors, such as how you can tell they will be one…"
"Yeah! You said that they have a symbol. Well, Zakiya doesn't!" Jake interrupted.
"Jacob." Billy said and leveled him with a look, "If you had let me finish, you would have heard me say that Wanageeska was the only one born with the symbol. The other spirit protects got their symbols when the gene was…activated, if you will. Kind of like your wolf gene, except there was a pattern that was noticed. Spirit protectors appeared when something was going to happen, whether it was bad or good, though there was only one time that it was good and that was when the spirit protector sent the wolf to Chief Taha Aki."
"What!?" the entire pack said at once.
"I altered the story a little bit to keep from having to explain about spirit protectors, because I saw no reason to. I truly thought that there would be none during my time. Before I passed, I would have told Jacob to read these books, because there was information that he needed to know, just in case. But it seems that I will have the pleasure in meeting a spirit protector now." Billy smiled.
"She hasn't fully changed yet, Billy. She may have the gene and it's showing up, but it doesn't mean it will fully activate." I said hopefully. Billy's look of remorse and doubt crushed my hopes, even though I didn't even believe what I was saying.
"I'm sorry, Luca, but it's only a matter of time." Billy whispered.
"If we want to wait." Quil senior spoke up. I was already shaking my head when he said that.
"There is no way in hell we are speeding up the process of her becoming a spirit protector!" I said angrily.
"I only said it, because we know what is going to happen. The voices are going to get louder and the dreams or visions of what the pack is doing will become clearer and more incessant. Until something sets her off or her gene activates, she will continue to lose sleep, until there is no point in her lying down for bed at all."
I looked away, knowing what he said was true, but not wanting to listen.
"Luca, I can't watch that." I looked to see my wife staring at me with tear filled eyes. "Did you see how she looked at us when she said she was just so tired? She was suffering, and it's only going to get worse. Maybe…maybe we should think about it, and possibly talk to her and tell her what's happening to her."
"No!" All three tribal elders said at once. I looked at them astonished.
"We all know Zakiya well enough to know that she will fight this and it will only drag on the process. If she fights what happening to her then it will take longer for the gene to activate. We must not forget that there is a reason why she is becoming the spirit protector." Quil senior exclaimed.
"I don't give a damn about why the gene is starting to activate, what I care about is my daughter and her wellbeing!" I spit as I glared at the old man.
"Okay, let's calm down." Sue's soft voice broke in. I looked from him to Sue, my eyes losing its hardness but remained wary. "I believe that we should keep this a secret from everyone that's not in this room at the moment, but leave the decision of how long we wait for the gene to activate to Luca and Aoki. After all, they are her parents." She smiled softly. I nodded my thanks to her in gratitude.
"I agree. It will be your decision on how long to wait, but remember that you have no control over how long this will last, so I urge you to make your decision quickly." Billy spoke up.
"What about Zakiya!" Jacob stood up and began to tremble again, "You don't think she should be able to know what's going on with her body and what will happen to her?!" he glared at the elders.
"Jacob, this is far more complex than you understand…" his farther began before Jacob interrupted.
"Oh, I understand plenty. I wouldn't want anything to come between you and your prize!" he spat.
"Jacob!" Sam yelled as he stood as well, only a couple inches taller than Jacob. "Calm down. We don't understand all of it, we don't even know half of it, so sit down and listen!" he ordered, but it wasn't an alpha command. If it were, Jacob would have immediately sat down without a word, instead of staring Sam down challengingly.
"Son, just listen." Billy begged. Jacob returned to his seat once again, but I could tell he was itching to leave and release his wolf to protect Zakiya.
Sighing, Billy sat back in his set and rubbed his forehead.
"I will not deny that it is a treat to have a spirit protector in your tribe. It was found long ago that there are more out there in their own tribes, but it's not without great sacrifice to have one, for they are a delicacy, few and far in between. But it can also be looked at as a beautiful thing to be a spirit protector. You may not have noticed, but every living thing has its own spirit. The elements all have their own spirit, nature has its own, animals have their own, and of course humans do as well. So, to be one in the less than a handful hat exists with the ability to communicate with the spirits is extraordinary. You are one with them and you create a bond of trust. Not even spirit warriors can do that. Spirit Protectors also have a great responsibility; to protect not only their tribe and innocent humans as well, but also the spirit warriors themselves."
"The abilities the protectors have are enhanced beyond that of spirit warriors and vampires. Essentially, they have a duty to always be on the lookout for trouble that comes towards their home as well as a duty to make sure that the spirit warriors are safe and content. The spirit protector is connected to all of you. He or she will feel what you feel, see what you see, and hear what you hear. You will all be one with Zakiya when her gene is activated. It cannot be stopped, just slowed or quickened, but either way she will continue to lose sleep."
Silence filled the room as the magnitude of what is about to happen sank in.
"We will be making our decision soon about how to proceed with this. We would just like to ask you Sam, if you could have an allotted time where she can get a little bit of sleep in before you have to patrol?" Aoki requested.
Sam nodded his head, "That will be fine." He turned and addressed his pack, "We will continue with our planned schedule and we will continue to patrol, but only in human form. If you happen to be in the slot from ten to two in the morning, then you stay in your human form. After that, you will return to your wolf form and continue to patrol, but try and keep the talking to a minimum. Also, we will watch Zakiya during the hours of school to make sure that nothing happens in front of the humans. I trust that when we and her parents aren't around, you will be keeping watch, Jacob. Understood?" the pack nodded their heads, Jacob more reluctant than the others.
"I'll also trust that you won't say anything to Zakiya, Jacob. We're her parents and we'll decide when she knows." I looked at him. Again, Jacob nodded his head reluctantly.
"Well, if this meeting is over then I'll go pick up Claire from Ms. Dill's house." Quil said as he got up with a big smile on his face and left. The rest followed his lead and began to trickle out, asking a quick question or two before disappearing.
Aoki and I stood and shook the elder's hands as we readied ourselves to leave.
"Good luck, Luca. I can't imagine how I would deal with this if I were in your position." Sue said as she gave me a hug.
"Thank you." We left soon after to check on Zakiya. It was seven thirty, the meeting taking much longer than I had anticipated. As soon as I turned off the car, Aoki was out and running into the house. I rushed in after her and to Zakiya's room, opening it to see that she was still asleep with Shango lying asleep next to her.
"Should we wake her to eat dinner?" Aoki whispered.
I shook my head, "No, let her sleep. She can find something in there when she wakes up if she's hungry." I pulled her back out and closed the door before walking to our bedroom.
I sat heavily on the bed and rested my elbows on my knees as I rubbed eyes.
"They're right, you know. This can't be stopped, so there is no point in waiting. We can't tell Zakiya, because she'll fight it, and it will only make her sleep less and make this go on for even longer. But I feel like if we don't then we are forcing this life on her. I mean, we are her parents, Luca! We should protect her, not throw her right in the middle of the danger!" my wife cried as she gestured sporadically and paced around the room.
"We're not forcing anything on her. If we did speed up the process, then she can start working on developing and controlling her abilities, and she'd be able to block out their voices. The only reason she can hear them now is because it's like her abilities are trying to wake up the spirit protector within her. It's like a sleeping animal that needs to be reminded that it has a job to do." I repeated the explanation that my father before me said as he explained what happens when a spirit protector is starting to awaken.
Aoki ceased pacing and looked at me with desperation and unanswered questions in her eyes.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered. I stood up and pulled her into my arms.
"We are going to wait a couple of days and see how Sam's new plan works out. If it doesn't get any better than we'll take the next step." I decided as I rubbed her back.
"Okay."
ZPOV
The last couple of days, the dreams have been a little better. I can still see the running, but the talking has gone down. I still wake up when a voice goes through my head, but at least I get a couple hours sleep in between then.
I decided to put on my black wide leg jumper, with black gladiator wedges, two thin light brown and tan belts around my waist, and a long necklace with a feather at the end. I left my hair wavy, and did my business in the bathroom before putting on a little make-up. I grabbed my book bag and keys and went downstairs to grab a granola bar.
"Hey rents." I greeted with a small smile. I may be getting a little more sleep, but it wasn't much.
"Hey, baby. How are you feeling?" the way my father looked at me was a little off putting. As if my answer would somehow impact something else.
"Um, I'm still tired, but what can you do." I shrugged. "How about you guys? You seem a little tired too." I said as I observed the slight bags under their eyes.
"No, we're fine." My mother smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Are you still hearing the voices?" she asked that as if she asked me if I had brushed my teeth this morning. It was a little too easy…maybe that's just them being supportive. I'd rather have that than parents who send me away.
"Not that much anymore. They come here and there now." I smiled, but shook my head, "Though I'd just wish they would go away." I grabbed a bottle of water and kissed their cheeks as I left to pick up my friends.
"You still look tired, but you look much more rested, Zakiya." Mimi smiled gratefully as she observed me from the passenger seat on our way to school.
"Yeah, your nightmares stopped now?" Sai asked. I had told them I was tired, because I kept having this reoccurring nightmare. For some unknown reason, I just have a gut feeling that tells me that I can't tell them what's really going on with me.
"No, but they eased up some." I smiled as I pulled into the parking lot. I looked into the rearview mirror to see Bobby smiling as he texted his boyfriend.
I am so glad that he has finally found someone. I thought he'd have to leave to do that, and I'd never want to lose him.
As soon as I was out of my car door, I was being hugged by a hot body that belonged to Jacob Black. For some reason unbeknownst to me, he has been watching me like a hawk these last couple of days…it was weird, but I let it go.
"Hey Jake, how are you?" I smiled, waiting to see his huge smile that always brightened my day, but I didn't get it. Instead I got this half smile as he examined my face.
"You're so tired." He whispered as he ran a finger over the bags under my eyes that I thought I had concealed well with foundation.
"I'm fine." I smiled. "Come on, let's get inside."
Grabbing his arm, I pulled him behind me as he greeted my friends. We all went to our respective classes, though Jacob held me in a hug for longer than usual. English and Spanish class crept by as I tried my hardest to stay awake. The bell jolted me awake and I gathered my things to go to Math.
"Stop looking at me like that." I winked to Mimi and Bobby as I walked away from them, noticing how they stared at me with concern while we were gathering our things to leave.
I walked into Math and saw Jacob sitting all the way in the back. I sat in the seat next to him while I stared questionably at his choice of seats for today.
"Well, if we sit back here, the other kids will block the view of you and you can sleep." He smiled my smile and I couldn't help the skip in my heartbeat or the flutters in my tummy as I laughed quietly and rested my head on his shoulder. The moment was even too sweet for my lady bits, which seem to be in overdrive every time I'm around him.
"Thanks, Jake." I smiled. When the final bell rang, all the kids were in the room, and he was right, they did block the teacher from seeing me.
I felt myself doze off as the heat from Jacob's arm comforted me. Him moving it to write notes didn't even bother me, I was that tired.
Unfortunately, I was jolted awake by the loud freaking school bell sounding for lunch. I glared at the chuckling massive body that sat beside, as it gathered it's things and mine to leave.
"Don't laugh at me." I pouted.
"Aww, what's wrong with the wittle baby." Jacob cooed while he pinched my cheeks. I slapped his hand away quickly, causing me more pain than him, I bet, before sniffing and walking away with my dignity and my head held high.
I couldn't help the small smile playing on my lips, though, as I listened to Jacob try and hold in his laughter behind me. I abruptly turned around and scowled at him when we reached my locker as I grabbed my books and switched them out for my next couple of classes.
"Shut up." I smiled and began to walk to his locker.
"I'm just teasing you." He laughed.
"Yeah, well, tease me on another day. Right now, I'm trying my hardest not to push your head into your locker and slam the door repeatedly." I smiled angelically. It was an empty threat, he and I both knew it, but it never stops me from making them.
Rolling his eyes, Jacob grabbed my hand as we made our way to the lunch room.
"You're way to violent for a girl." He smirked. I just rolled my eyes.
"Shut up." I sighed, but I couldn't hide the smile that crept on my face. "Are you coming to the art room with me?" I asked as we grabbed our trays and started to fill them with the unhealthy slop the school passed for food.
He looked over at his table full of his gigantic friends and saw Emory was sitting there and not in the art room with Sai. By the way, they have been getting rather close these past few months. Sai hasn't fully put down all her walls, but I can tell that she is really starting to trust Emerson.
"No, I'll sit in here today." I nodded as I kissed his cheek and left for the art room.
I walked in to see my Aunt Jeanie lying on her back on a long sheet of construction paper as Billy traced her.
"Um…I don't…" I shook my head in confusion as I sat next to Mimi.
"Mrs. Littlebear asked Bobby to trace her body. It's an assignment you guys are starting today in class." She shrugged as she took a bite of her chicken sandwich. At least I hope its chicken.
I nodded and started to eat as we talked about nothing in particular. When the bell rang, my little group separated with Sai and I going to history.
As usually, it dragged on, but I was more awake than I was this morning, so I could take notes for this class. The students filed out at the chime of the bell, and Sai and I headed to art, where we could finally find out just why Aunt Jeanie had Bobby trace him.
"Okay class, today we are going to learn about relief medium, because when you turned in your projects a couple months ago, some of you used it and it didn't capture how relief is supposed to look. Relief means that when you sculpt or paint something in this medium, you are giving the illusion that it's raising off of the background; kind of like pop up books. Now, in the back are five bins full of different types of things. I want you to pick a partner and get a sheet of construction paper, one of you is going to lay down on it while the other traces you. Now, you can erase and make the body be in whatever position you want it to be, but use the tracing as a scale. After that, collect four different items that are going to pop up from the page. You can paint whatever you want on the person, it doesn't have to be clothes, but it does have to flow with your items, meaning all together, the picture must make sense. Also, the items must be big enough that it completes a large section of your piece, meaning half the torso, a foot, the head, and a hand can be in relief, while the rest is painted, pastel, or drawn. The background on the paper must be filled in as well, and you can substitute parts of that to be in relief instead of parts of the person. We will be doing this for the next three days, so use your time wisely."
As soon as my aunt stopped working, Sai and I grabbed a construction sheet and laid it down on the ground.
"Do you want to be traced?" I asked as I grabbed a pencil.
"Sure." She laid down and spread her arms and legs open a little. I traced her as quickly as I could without messing up the lines.
"Okay, let's go look at the items and try and make a story out of it." I suggested as I helped Sai off the paper. We walked over to the bins and saw that they were filled with all types of junk, from different clothes, to wigs, wood, stuff you'd find around the house, fabric…it was just a bunch of things.
"Zakiya, look!" Sai said as she grabbed a tutu. "We do a Ballerina theme!"
"Good idea! We can draw a stage, and draw the ballerina in whatever position we want her in and go from there! Okay, lets grab more stuff." I said quietly, so no one else heard our theme.
I grabbed some wood, so half of the stage would be in relief. I saw Sai grab some pink fabric, so I guessed that it would be in relief to make the leotard. I dug through another bin and found some cool fake eyelashes, and that's when an idea hit me.
"Sai." I whispered to get her attention, "What if we make the entire face and hair relief?" I said as I grabbed a brown wig that we would do something with and some pink lace.
"How?"
I grabbed a few thick pieces of foam board and some more fabric before heading back to our table.
"Well, first we have to look up a position for the ballerina to be in. Then we draw that and start filling in from there. For the head, we are going to cut a couple of these foam boards in the shape of your head and glue them together. We'll use the sander to smooth it out some, then we glue the fabric to the head, so it will look like skin and tada!" I smiled.
"Sounds kind of hard." She frowned.
"Hmm, well, if it doesn't work out then we'll try something else, but I think it'll work."
Sai smiled, "Okay, let's do it!"
I looked up a ballerina on my phone, and found the perfect one. She was standing on point, leaning over as one leg was lifted behind her. The tutu fanned out around her body and her arms were spread out, as if she were trying to fly.
Sadly, the bell rang before we could start sketching. All we were able to do was erase the body off the paper.
"Okay, class, gather your materials and keep them in your locker. Put your name on your paper and lay them on top of each other on the back table. I'll see you tomorrow."
We gathered our things, deciding that we would keep whatever we picked out in our own locker, and put the sheet on the back table.
I stood by my car chatting with Sai as we waited for the rest of our friends, plus Jacob and Emilio.
I smiled when I saw Jake sauntering towards me. He knew that I knew that he knew that I thought he was good looking, but he didn't have to rub it in.
"Hey Jake, Emanuel." I nodded at his friend.
"Embry."
"God bless you." I said politely after he sneezed. "Where are you guys off to?"
"We're going to work, so I'll have to talk to you later." Jacob said, but I could see the distress in his eyes.
"Are you okay?" I asked concerned.
"Yeah, but you need to go home and rest, okay?" he said as he touched my cheek and kissed the top of my head. I nodded and watched as he walked away towards his friends.
A shiver ran down my spine with the way they were looking at me. It was as if…they were looking for something…waiting.
I shook off the feeling and got in my car with the rest of my friends. For whatever reason they were looking at me that way, it couldn't have anything to do with me. I don't even talk to them.
At least…I hope it has nothing to do with me.
A/N: So, what do you think? What are Zakiya's parents going to do? How will Zakiya feel about this? I really hope you liked it! Until next time!
