The Jaguar Versus the Wolf

Chapter 28 - Dying Dreams Resurrected

Orbiting Satellites Book Two, Chapter 28 - Sunrise companion


It started off innocent enough. There had to be some way to get back at the dog for that evil Christmas present he gave me. But a gift designed to set lonely people up with other lonely people got me thinking about my predicament. The more I thought about how I was going to be alone for all of eternity the more depressed I got. So much for my resolution to life the second 150 years of my life to the fullest.

Rolling over in bed, I tried tuning out the little pixie, as best I could. "Alice how many times do I need to tell you? I'm NOT interested in shopping, or having a fashion show to parade around in whatever new outfit you bought me, or whatever new fashion emergency you need to tell me about. I just want to sleep." Yikes! She was annoying.

"This has nothing to do with clothes Nahuel," she said while tugging on my arm. But I refused to budge. "Esme has enough to do, and it is not right that you just dumped all this work on her."

Huh?

"Nahuel, she's not from the Amazon. She grew up in Ohio in the beginning of the twentieth century. She doesn't know anything about these things," Alice rambled on, as she pointed toward the other side of the house. "Esme is worried sick that she is going to kill them. She knows how important they are to you, and she doesn't want to hurt you, or them. You need to help her."

"With what?"

"Your greenhouse" she said exasperated.

What was she talking about? I was sure Esme was going great. Deciding this wasn't worth my time to even respond to her, I faked snoring until she left in a huff.

For two days I remained in bed. If I wasn't so depressed I would have been enjoying my isolation. But it didn't matter. Sleeping day and night didn't take away my pain, or despair, or depression. It only prolonged it somewhat until I re-awoke and busied my thoughts with impending doom and/or eternal loneliness until I eventually lost consciousness again.

My isolation was short lived. Eventually (I had lost track of the day) maybe the fourth or fifth, possibly the seventh (I wasn't sure) Esme's voice woke me up. "Oh no, oh I think, oh... I don't think this is right."

Last time I had awakened I thought the door had been closed, blocking out all sound. Who had opened it?

"He's sleeping darling. You know Edward said how he's going through a lot right now. Just let's let him work thought things in his own way."

Thank you Carlisle, I thought to myself, while rolling over and attempting to go back to sleep. I doubted it would happen though since the door was still ajar and their voices continued to invade my slumber.

"But he's going to sleep through lunch, when was the last time he ate?"

"Hasn't he been eating the trays of food you bring him?" I heard Carlisle ask.

"He didn't yesterday," she told her mate. She was completely overreacting. Skipping a few meals wasn't going to kill me. When I lived on blood I only fed every week or two. I knew I needed to eat more regularly on a diet of human food, but felt I would be fine going another few days. "And look at his beautiful flowers," Esme continued. "I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Last week they were wilting but I gave them more water and plant food. The temperature and sunlight is right where it's supposed to be, I think. But they're getting worse. If something is not done soon they're all going to die."

"They're just flowers, Esme. We'll buy more if you want."

"It's not what I want sweetheart," Esme replied. "They're Nahuel's flowers. He grew them because they remind him of home. He's already so upset over the loss of Nessie, think of what will happen if he loses these too." If only that were it. "I just can't let him get more depressed, I need to do something."

Hearing footsteps heading my way, I pulled the covers over my head before Esme reached the door. Thankfully she left without coming in and soon I drifted back to sleep.

It was dark the next time I woke. If I wasn't so hungry I probably would have gone back to sleep. Instead I begrudgingly got up and stumbled to the kitchen. Bosta! There was nothing to eat. All the food was still kept at the other house. Now that I was back living here, and not dating Renesmee, I would really have to talk to someone about stocking the kitchen in this house.

Checking all the cabinets I scrounged up a half empty box of crackers, an old candy bar, and a couple bananas that looked to be a few days past their prime, judging by the more brown than yellow spots on them. Good enough. There's no way I was going over to Renesmee's house.

Esme suddenly appeared, just as I finished the crackers. "Nahuel I thought I heard you."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." I didn't think they would be able to hear me eating. The crackers were so stale they barely made a noise when I chewed, and if they closed their door… I knew what she and Carlisle did with their nights; they were mated Vampires after all. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt them.

"Nonsense," she waved her hand, dismissing my apology. "I see you're finally hungry. I'll run to the market tomorrow and stock the kitchen here. But would you like me to run next door and get you something proper to eat for tonight?"

I wanted to say yes, this was not anywhere near what I was in the mood for, but I couldn't, so I didn't. "No thanks," I simply replied.

She didn't look like she believed me any more than I believed myself but she didn't push it and instead asked if she could talk to me about something important in the morning.

"If you must," I half-heartedly agreed, knowing she would probably wake me up before I was ready.

And I was right. The next morning I was once again woken up bright and early. Argh! Part of me wished she had dragged me over here earlier.

My greenhouse was in worse shape than Alice has led me to believe. The flowers from my homeland were beyond wilting; they were almost dead. "What the hell happened here? All you had to do was water them in the mornings and feed them once every two weeks, according to the schedule I left you. How did you screw it up?"

Bosta! I shouldn't have been so rude, and chosen my words more carefully, Esme was nothing but nice to me, but I was in shock.

My heart sank deeper and deeper, looking at the half dead remains of the last vestiges of my homeland.

My Aunt, who felt like she stopped being my family as soon as she found Roberto, and my last visit, all as much confirmed it; she was no longer the same woman who raised me. She'd been like a mother to me, but now I barely recognized her.

The one comfort I had, coming back here, was my flowers. Except it wasn't. I hadn't been in this room since I had returned, two weeks ago.

It was the beginning of January. When I left Renesmee, and this house, at the end of October my flowers were thriving. I returned just before Christmas and they seem to be doing just as well, but I no longer had found enjoyment and that meant that I stopped paying them regular visits, other than to water and feed them. Over the weeks I even stopped that, showing Esme exactly what to do instead. I periodically would go in to check on them, but not often, and the intervals which I did grew longer and longer. Yet everything seemed fine. Esme was following the directions I gave her perfectly; at least she had been, until two weeks ago.

How could things have gone so wrong, so fast?

After apologizing to Esme I called Carlisle. He was a doctor and though the patients weren't human they were alive, at least barely. I was going to need his help.

Together over the next several hours he helped me check the pH levels in the soil. They checked out all right so then we turned to the water in the kitchen, looking for traces of bacteria, viruses, contaminants, lead levels, and a host of other things he theorized could have done this. Nothing. The only thing left it could possibly be was the plant food. But I had made that myself, composting leftover food, lawn clippings, fallen leaves, wildflowers, and various other roughage. Esme assured me she had been deluding a spoonful of it in the water every two weeks like she was instructed.

Carlisle ran every test he knew of but found nothing. I could only draw one conclusion… sabotage. But who would do that?

My first thought was that it was another one of my father's games, but now instead of dead bodies he'd decided to kill my plants. No, this was beneath him. And there was no way he could get in here, not with all the Cullens.

My next suspect was the dog. Would he stoop to something like this? Based on his Christmas gift I knew the answer was yes.

This was it, the last straw. I growled as I made up my mind. The dog and I were going to have it out and only one of us was going to be walking away when it was through.

"Where are you going?" Carlisle called after me as I ran out the back door.

I ignored him, but was intercepted by Edward before I even got halfway to the garage.

"Nahuel think about what you are about to do," he said, as Carlisle appeared behind me.

"I'm done thinking. That mutt has ruined my life."

"No he hasn't. Jacob hasn't done anything to you, at least not intentionally."

"What have I done?" Speak of the devil. The dog had heard us and came out.

"Nahuel thinks you're trying to kill his plants," Edward told him.

The dog started laughing.

"It's not funny," I growled. "Why do you have to ruin everything in my life?"

"Don't blame me just because you're pathetic. Why would I want to kill some stupid plants?"

"I don't know. Why did you get me that subscription?"

He started laughing again. "Thought you could use it. I was trying to be nice," he snorted through his lie.

"I can get my own women!"

"But can you keep them… alive, I mean?" he snarled with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Jacob there is no need to be gruff," Edward scolded, yet it didn't escape my notice that he didn't also deny the dogs remark.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes at Edward. It looked like they were having a staring contest, but I assumed were actually having a silent conversation based on Edward's almost non-existent head nods and shakes. Then the dog huffed and turned to me. "Sorry I hurt your feelings." His lip curled up at one end in a slight smirk. "Didn't realize you were so delicate. I'll try to be more sensitive in the future." "Happy?" he added, after turning back to Edward.

When he started walking back to the garage I screamed, "Get back here you filthy dog and face me!"

The dog didn't stop until Carlisle spoke, his words clearly shocking us both, "Perhaps we should just let both of them get it out of their systems."

"They could get hurt," Edward cautioned.

The dog snorted, but then came at me. Yes! Finally. I was going to end him.

Faintly I heard Carlisle mention something about stopping us if things got too out of hand, but I didn't intend on this lasting long enough for them to intervene.

As I assumed he would, the dog was in his hairier form before he even got to me. But I was ready. I learned a lot from our last encounter. Right before he pounced I jumped in the air, three times as high as him, flipping around midway and landed on the dog's back. He couldn't get to me here, and as much as he struggled, I was free to pummel him in the head as much as I pleased.

It looked like Edward was moving toward us. I'd wanted to give him more of a beating before ending the dog's life, but didn't want to get stopped before my goal was completed, so I wrapped my arms around the dog's neck and squeezed. Necks weren't exceptionally hard to break if you knew what you were doing… which I did.

But the dog did too and he flung himself onto his back, squishing me between his huge form and the ground. He stayed like that until I all but passed out. Then he was off of me, a few feet away crouched down and growling… waiting for me to get up.

"Are you two about done?" Huh? That was Renesmee's voice. How long had she been here?

I was still on the ground, weezing, but the dog had already returned to his human form and walked over to her.

"Oh, I think we are definitely done here." Stupid, smug idiot. "Ready to help me with that motor rebuild?" he asked her as they walked away.

Edward came over, offering me his hand, which I shoved away. I could get up on my own. "I trust only your pride was hurt."

"I'll survive."

"The two of you are going to have to figure out a way to get along. I know Jacob is not the easiest to get along with at times. Believe me, I've been where you are. And it was wrong of him to tease you like that with his choice of… gifts," he hesitantly said. "But you'll have to look elsewhere as to the cause of your flower issues."

He knew who was killing my plants? And had done nothing to stop them?

"She isn't trying to hurt you. In fact it's just the opposite," he told me. "Alice may not have gone about things in the right way, but I assure you her intentions are pure."

Alice?

She denied it, when I went to confront her, but the happy smirk, that appeared on her face, when I told her it would take me weeks to get the plants thriving again, confirmed everything Edward said. She, more than anyone, wanted to get to me out of bed; and it looked like she had done it. Now more than ever I understood where the sneaky little pixie got her nickname.

"Nahuel, there you are." Edward came into the greenhouse a week later to talk to me. I've been in here every day and my flowers were... not dying, but they still had a long way to go.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"No, but I needed to inform you of a few things. It's about your father. All of our efforts, so far, have not turned up anything and it doesn't look like we can do anything else from the house. We're going to go out to try to search for him and your sisters. We'll be splitting up to cover ground faster, but we need you to remain here."

Myself? Alone? That just means that another dead girl will show up, probably the day after they leave.

"You won't be alone," he answered my thoughts, looking apologetic for some reason. "Jacob and Renesmee will be staying here with you."

"No! No way. I'm not staying here alone with those two."

"I'm sorry but someone needs to stay here and... look after you," he reluctantly informed me. "Carlisle and Esme are going to Italy to speak with the Volturi. Carlisle has the best relationship with them. Alice will be using her gift to search for your sisters in South America, with Jasper, like she did with you and your Aunt. I will be taking my wife up and down the East coast where the women were from. If Joham and your sisters were there once, they may return, and if they do I'd hear them," he said pointing to his own head, indicating his mind reading gift. "And I doubt you'd want to stay here with Rosalie and Emmett. You know what she thinks of you, you'd be in just as much danger with her as you would if we dropped you on Joham's doorstop," he added, attempting to throw some humor into the situation. I didn't find it funny. "I'm afraid that only leaves Renesmee and Jacob."

"Fine," I huffed. If they stayed in their house, and I in this one, I wouldn't have to see them.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. We think it would be best if the three of you were all under the same roof. You could take Bella's and my room for the time being."

But if I ran into them… even if I mostly kept to the bedroom I would have to come out from time to time to eat… he may as well just leave me with Rosalie, because either way he would be returning to at least one dead body.

"Fine. If you really think the two of you confined to one house is too much then stay here. I'll talk to Jacob. It may not be as affective but I'll see about him patrolling around both houses in his wolf form."

Whatever. As long as I didn't have to see him.

The Cullens left the next day, but not before loading up all of the kitchens. At least I wouldn't starve.

I ended up throwing myself into the care of my greenhouse. While I wasn't sure exactly what Alice had done, or what Carlisle did to test the soil and water I'd watched. He'd explained where levels of different things were supposed to be and I was trying now, with my limited understanding to balance everything out. While I did lose a few of my babies most seemed to be doing better and better. The remaining plants were no longer wilted. Most were beginning to grow new leaves and some even had new flower buds.

"Hey jungle boy," I heard Rosalie's voice call as I was almost done watering the plants a few days later.

What was she doing back so soon? And why was she in this house?

I heard Emmett running in the house behind her. "Com'on babe, don't bother him. You promised you'd be good while Nessie and Jake went to the zoo. And I bet Jazz a thousand bucks that you wouldn't. Don't make me loose. Please," he pleaded to her.

"Guess this is your lucky day, Tarzan," she said as she left my greenhouse and plopped herself down on the couch in the living room, while Emmett turned on the television to a sporting game.

What is a Tarzan?

I didn't bother to ask though.

"So what was the actual bet? Is it an all or nothing kind of thing? What if I just rip off a finger or two?" I heard her ask him.

He didn't answer so maybe she wasn't serious. At least I hoped she wasn't.

I never thought I would actually be happy when Renesmee and her dog returned and told Rosalie and Emmett that they could go back to their house.

"Please, just let me get through the next couple of weeks, until the rest of the Cullens returned," I silently prayed to whatever god was willing to listen. I didn't believe in any but didn't think it could hurt.

My life was being threatened by Joham and my closest guardians were Rosalie and the dog. Bosta!

I kept to myself and didn't leave the house. Hell, I barely left the greenhouse.


A.N. I'm not too happy with the title for this chapter. Any idea for a better one?

Thanks for reading. Please review.