Guidance
Chapter Three
The rest of the week went by the same. School was okay; the workload was light seeing as it was the end of the year. I'd spend class with the guys and Kim, then come home to Emily, Cali, and my cousin Sam. At first, it was really odd calling Emily's house my own home, but she made sure I got used to it. Sam was stoic at times, but sometimes he opened up to Cali and I. I just figured that he'd been without family for so long that it was hard to show how he felt and express warmth. I usually saw Quil and Embry after school, as well as Seth, but sometimes they had other things to do—things I never found out about. As the days went by, I was constantly reminded of my parents. Embry helped me forget—or, at least, cope. I thought Cali would be harder to help, but she seemed to have healed whenever she was with her new buddy, Seth. I couldn't help but watch in wonder at how close they'd gotten in such a short time—I usually wondered if it was because Seth always wanted a little sister or loved kids or something, and Quil was usually the same with Claire, whenever we saw her.
It was Saturday that something changed. I'd just woken up, and I had sat in my bed, staring at the wall as my sister slept. Mother and Father hadn't called by now, hadn't come to get us. They were most likely dead. That thought didn't break me—I had too much time to get used it, and my tears had run dry. It only numbed me, and I felt cold and distant when I thought about it. I decided to call my parents' cell phones again—just to make sure, just to see, just to have some means of closure.
I changed clothes, grabbed my cell phone, and walked to the living room. I'd woken up early in the morning, surprisingly, and I was sure Emily and Sam were asleep. I went out to the porch and sat down on the steps, like I had with Embry days ago. I clutched my phone tighter in my hand and watched the sky. It was peaceful. Quiet. I flipped my phone open and scrolled through the music section, looking for a song. 'I Hope You Dance' by Lee Ann Womack came on. I hummed along to it, trying to clear my mind. When it was around eight in the morning, I dialed Mother's number. It rang and rang, then went to voicemail. I called Father's number, and it rang and went to voicemail, too. I sighed, but I couldn't will myself not to call again.
Just one more time, I told myself. "Just once more," I muttered aloud. I dialed Father's number again. It rang once, twice, and three times. Voicemail. I sighed, clutching the phone in a vice grip. I wanted to call again—just once more. But then I'd want to call once more after that, then once more, and another 'once more' until my phone ran out of battery.
I stood up, about ready to chuck my phone far away into the forest and leave my past life behind. I held on to it, though, unwilling to let go of the last thing—the last connection I had to my parents. I jumped and almost tripped when I felt the phone buzz in my hand. I hesitated before looking down at the caller ID.
Father.
I flipped it open. "Hello? Father?" I said anxiously. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe their cell phones just ran out of battery, and maybe there was a big storm or something and they were held up. Maybe they were alive.
"Is this Janiya Caldwell?"
I felt as if I was sinking. That voice, male, was not my father's voice. "Yes," I croaked out, falling to my knees. I held onto the railing and tried to steady myself. I sat on the porch steps. "Who—who is this?"
There was a pause.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the stranger said in a solemn tone. "I'm Officer Stahl, and your parents have just been found dead in an alley."
That was it. My worst nightmare, confirmed. My throat went dry, and I had to swallow a couple of times before responding. "A-are you sure?" I asked.
"We found their Ids, as well as their cell phones and credit cards."
"I-in Seattle?"
"Yes," Officer Stahl said. "We also found their car nearby. It was smashed up pretty badly from the front, but we retrieved some things from the trunk and backseats—all that we could. It was mostly things like clothing and other items."
"What are you going to do with them?"
"If you can come down to a Seattle police office, we'll be sure to give you what's yours. We'll also have a lawyer ready with your parent's will, as I'm sure they have one."
"Alright, then, can you wait a moment? I-I have to wake up my cousin and ask when he can drive over."
"Of course." He gave me the directions and phone number I needed, after I had run inside to get a piece of paper and a pen. I was sitting at the kitchen counter after I'd hung up with the officer. I was shell-shocked. I really didn't know how to feel. But the first thing to do was tell Sam and Emily as soon as I could.
Emily, Sam, and I were at a police station in Seattle. After the officers had spoken to Sam about something—they didn't want me to know, I think—a lawyer brought us to a room and took out a few documents from a briefcase.
"Now, Ms. Caldwell," said the lawyer, "my name is Mr. Palmer. I have here some documents—they're your parents' will."
All through the reading of the will, I was silent. Mother and Father had left us—Cali and I—money in a trust fund. They wrote that they wanted me to live with Sam, probably because he was the only relative I had left. The reading itself was short, and I found myself quiet afterwards, when the lawyer left. The policeman, Officer Stahl, was there, and he'd given me all the items he found in the car. Most things were salvageable. Apparently, my parents had picked up everything we'd packed up to move to a house in La Push. We'd sold all our furniture and things that we didn't really need, so there wasn't as much as you'd expect. I instructed Emily and Sam to sell, if not donate, some things I knew I wouldn't need. I kept other things like my mother's jewelry, photographs, and other personal items. The ride home was silent and somber.
At home, I took all the things to my room and left it in the corner to be organized later. We hadn't taken Cali to the police station—she was left here, with Seth babysitting her. I didn't really know what to feel at this point. I just felt numb, disoriented.
"Hey, Seth," I greeted quietly as I plopped down on the couch nearby. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
Seth looked at me like I was insane. "Are you kidding? Of course not," he replied. At the moment, Cali was napping in his arms.
"M'kay, sure, whatever," I mumbled absentmindedly. Today was, what? May twenty-sixth? That meant that tomorrow was… "Ugh! Why? Why?"
"Uh… Jani? You alright?" Seth asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," I muttered. "I'm fine. Just—er—forgot I had some homework to do." I stood and headed for my room, ignoring the confused look he sent me.
The next morning, I woke up late. It was nearly lunchtime when I got out of bed and got dressed. I didn't care. Today was supposed to be horrible—I didn't want to enjoy it at all. One week since my parents died. I felt cold and distant. I changed clothes slowly, sluggishly. I wore black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a white tank top. I tied my hair back in a ponytail and grabbed my book from the top of the dresser. I'd finished the one about vampires. Now I was reading Harry Potter. I was on the fifth book, which I'd just retrieved from my suitcase yesterday. I walked to the living room and plopped down on the far end of the couch, muttering a quiet greeting to Sam, Emily, and Cali. I was about to open my book when I noticed Cali in her bathing suit—a cute deep blue one-piece with yellow borders; it came with a blue skirt attached to the lower body. Emily was slathering sunblock on her arms, legs, and face while Cali squirmed in her hold.
"Uh…Emily?" She looked up at me. "Any reason why Cali's dressed to go to the beach?"
Emily smiled. "Well, I was wondering when you would wake up," she said, shaking her head. "Cali wanted to go to the beach, and Seth offered to take her. Embry was also going to tag along—if you wanted to go, that is."
I sighed and got up. "I'll go get ready…"
"Good!" Emily chirped. "They'll be here in twenty minutes!"
I frowned and trudged to my room to get dressed. I rummaged in my suitcase for my swimsuit. It was a black bikini—I remember what a pain it was looking for it in the store. Most swimsuits these days are bikinis that much more resemble pieces of string. This one had straps instead of strings—not too thick, but thicker than a piece of string, and much more reliable. It was like more bikinis are—like underwear and a bra, only a bit more covering. I wore jean shorts on top of that, as well as a black tank top and a white tank top over it. I slipped on tennis shoes, pulled my hair back in a ponytail again, a grabbed a bag to take some stuff in. I threw in items like sunblock, two beach towels I found, another pair of clothes for Cali and I each, and my book. I grabbed the bag and walked out to the living room, where Cali was bouncing in her seat on the couch. I almost laughed.
"There you are!" Emily said. "You must be hungry."
"I guess," I answered. "An apple and some toast would be good, please."
While I was finishing the rest of my apple, Seth burst into the house. Almost immediately, Cali jumped off the couch and ran to him, arms open. Seth picked up the seven-year-old, twirled her around, and laughed. Embry came in a little afterwards, followed by Quil, who was carrying Claire. I finished off the apple and tossed the remains into the garbage.
"Hey, Jani," Embry greeted with a wide grin. His smile was contagious, unfortunately. I rolled my eyes.
"Hello, Embry," I greeted jovially.
"Hey, Jani," said Quil, ruffling my hair.
"Hey, Quilt," I teased.
"Still?"
"You bet." Quil went to give me a hug, but someone wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back against their chest.
"I didn't get a hug, and you certainly don't get a hug before I do," Embry taunted Quil, who rolled his eyes.
"Uh, I kinda can't hug backwards," I pointed out. Embry laughed and turned me around. "There you go." I gave him a tight hug, which he reciprocated. "Now it's Quil's and Seth's turn." I went to move away, but he didn't let go. "Uh…Embry? Release!" He laughed and did as I said.
"Sethy, Sethy, Sethy," I heard Cali call while I was giving Quil and Seth a group hug. "What day is it?" I stiffened and pulled away from them.
"It's Sunday," Seth said, a little confused as he picked up the little girl. "Why?"
"No, what day is it? Number?"
"It's—"
"Hey, are we just gonna stand here all day?" I interrupted. "Let's go!"
Embry glanced at me suspiciously, as did Seth. We went bade temporary goodbyes to Emily and headed outside. There was a silver truck parked. I grinned and hopped into the bed of the truck.
"Awesome," I said. "I've always wanted to ride in the back of one of these things." Embry hopped in, too, and Cali climbed into my lap. Seth, Quil, and Claire were up front. I think Quil was driving—at least, I hope he was the one driving. "Whose truck is this, anyway?"
"Quil's parents," Embry replied.
"Jani, what day is it?" Cali asked.
"Sunday," I replied. Cali pouted, not happy with my answer.
"Embry, what day is it?"
"It's May twenty-seventh," Embry replied, to my horror.
"I knew it!" Cali squealed. She wrapped her arms around me and nuzzled her cheek into my neck. "Happy birthday, sissy!"
"Cali," I groaned.
"It's your birthday?" Embry asked. I nodded glumly. "Why didn't you tell me?" He looked a bit hurt.
"It's not exactly supposed to be happy," I muttered. "Only seven days since…you know. I didn't really want anyone to know."
"You do realize that we have to celebrate, anyway, right?"
"No," I told him. "Embry, you will not tell anyone, understand?"
"I can't promise anything," he said with a smug grin.
"Well, just for that, you are promising me, now," I said, my voice lowering as I sent him an intimidating look. "Promise me. Promise me you won't tell anyone it's my birthday."
"…I can't pr—"
"…please? …Em?"
"…I—"
"…please? Just for me?" I made sure to give him the puppy dog eyes, looking up at him innocently. Embry inhaled deeply. His brown eyes watched mine carefully.
"…fine," he agreed reluctantly. I beamed and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you so much," I said happily. He wrapped an arm around my waist in a hug. Embry was, I noticed, very warm—his temperature must have been at least ten degrees higher than mine.
"Jani! Why don't you want anyone to know?" Cali asked, interrupting the moment.
"Because, Cali," I said. "Don't you go telling anyone, you hear me?"
"But—"
"Not even Sethy."
"Okay, sissy," she said, pouting. I ruffled her sandy brown hair, at which she wrinkled her nose. I smiled.
"Sissy, eh?" Embry commented. I looked at him. He was leaning against the side of the truck, arms behind his head. He was wearing a green t-shirt and green swim trunks that had a vertical black rectangle on the outward sides. I stuck my tongue out at him. He grinned. Abruptly, the truck stopped. When had we gotten to the beach? The journey was so short, yet so many things happened.
"You gonna sit there all day, Jani?" Quil taunted, carrying Claire.
"Sethy!" Cali called. Seth grinned and went to go carry her. Embry hopped off the truck first and held a hand out to me. I gave him a strange look, but took his hand and jumped down, after which he helped me steady myself. As if I needed help.
"Qwil! Qwil! Down, down!" I heard Claire complain. She squirmed in Quil's arms until he set her down, then took her hand. "Qwil! Cwaire wanna pway in water!" Quil laughed and allowed her to lead him over to the water.
"Okay, Claire, we'll go to the water…" His voice trailed off as they went further away. When Quil was with Claire, he seemed a lot more mature, and lot more peaceful… That was odd.
"Sethy! Sethy!" Cali was tugging on Seth's long hair. "I wanna go play in the water, too!"
"Okay, okay, we're going," Seth said. Then he looked as if he'd remembered something, and he glanced at me. "That is, if your sister's okay with it."
"Sure," I said. "Just watch after her, don't let her down. She doesn't know how to swim. Take care."
"Will do!" I watched as he ran to the water, Cali giggling in his arms the entire way. Something seemed really odd about that…just like Quil and Claire…
"So?" I almost jumped at the sound of Embry's voice. He was smiling smugly. I rolled my eyes, a ghost of a smile on my face.
"Come on, let's find someplace with shade," I muttered, grabbing his wrist and leading him down the beach. He freed his wrist from my grasp and took my hand instead. I blushed lightly, but he was behind me, so he didn't see it. I found a few trees not far from the shore, near the cliff. I dropped my bag and sat down against the tree.
"Aren't you going in the water?" Embry asked. I looked up at him just in time to see him pull his shirt over his head and toss it behind him. I looked down at my lap, feeling warmth creep up my neck.
"Maybe later," I replied quietly. I reached for my bag and took out my book, flipping open to the page I'd bookmarked. "You can go ahead, though."
Embry rolled his eyes with a smile and sat down beside me. He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossed his arms behind his head, leaned against the tree, and closed his eyes. "Nah. Maybe later," he quoted, a grin on his face. "Besides, I can't leave you alone to fend for yourself—what if something happens to you?" There was a hint of concern and seriousness behind the tease. Still, I blushed lightly.
"I'm sure you just feel better having me around," I teased.
His eyes opened. "There's that, too." I tensed. Did I hear right? Embry closed his eyes again, a soft smile on his face.
I looked back down at my book, no longer having any desire to read about wizards and witches and Sirius Black. Although, maybe, I could spare some interest for the last of those three… I shook my head and scoffed. The world of Harry Potter is too interesting to pass up. Still, I didn't feel like reading anymore.
"Care to share the joke?" Embry asked. I spared him a glance and closed the book, marking the page. I smiled wistfully.
"No joke," I said. "Just fantasizing about fictional characters."
"Ah." Embry snickered. "Vampires again?"
I hit his leg with the book. "No!" I huffed. "Wizards, witches, werewolves, and so many other creatures. Though I'm fantasizing about…hmm…four wizards and a werewolf who's a wizard."
Embry opened his eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" I nodded. "Do tell," he said sarcastically, wrinkling his nose. I grinned.
"If you insist," I said dramatically. Embry smiled. "Well, there's the twins—Fred and George Weasley—whom I absolutely adore! Redheads, twins—and then their personalities!" I placed a hand to my heart, looking up and sighing. Embry sniggered, and my lips twitched. The show will go on. "Then there's Sirius Black—convicted murderer who's actually innocent! Heartthrob extraordinaire! Especially when you think of his youthful days. Then there's—"
"Wait, youthful days? How old is he?"
"Around mid-thirties, I guess," I replied. Embry shook his head in disgust. "Then there's James Potter, late father of Harry Potter, same age as Sirius. He was best friends with Sirius. Think of him in his youth! So cute!"
"I think I'm gonna throw up if I have to listen to more of this," Embry muttered dryly.
"Aw, come on! There's only one more!" I complained. Embry gestured for me to continue my nonsensical rambling. "Then there's Remus Lupin, who was also best friends with Sirius and James. They were troublemakers in their day! So cute! He was the reserved one—he was also a werewolf! Poor guy—he was so sweet! But the whole werewolf aspect makes him a much deeper character." I sighed dreamily, just for show. "I love them all! Woe is me!"
"Are you done?" I glanced at Embry, who was looking tortured.
"Men," I muttered under my breath. I could swear Embry's lips twitched. "Yup, I'm done."
"Then are you going to go in the water now?"
"Sure, sure. Whatever floats your boat, hun," I joked. "Alright, alright, I'm going." I stood up, dusting myself off. "You go. I'll get to the water in a sec, okay?"
"Alright," he said reluctantly. Embry gave a small smile and headed to the shore. I saw, nearby, Quil, Seth, Claire, and Cali building a sand castle that kept falling apart in some places.
I shrugged my shorts off, then pulled my tank tops over my head. I grabbed a bottle of spray-on sunscreen and sprayed all over me. I took my hair out of its ponytail—it would only get even more tangled if I didn't. I walked towards the water where I saw Embry standing. The water reached his waist. I grinned, almost evilly. I tried to walk as silently as I could towards him, trying to stay out of sight. I think he knew I was there, but he didn't give any indication that he did. I inhaled deeply—without making a sound. Then, I sprang.
I leapt onto his back, piggy-back mode. "Giddy-up, Embry!" I taunted. Embry looked over his shoulder at me, rolling his eyes.
"I knew you were there," he said.
"Yeah, I figured. But you didn't do anything to stop me, did you? Now, onwards, pony!"
"Pony?"
"Yes. Pony." Embry waded into the water until it came up to my chest. I rested my chin on his shoulder. "Meh."
"Meh?"
"Meh."
Embry let out a short snort of amusement. I let go of him, dropping into the water. I pulled my hair back into order underwater, then surfaced. I tried to get all the water off of my face before I opened my eyes. Embry was lying on his back, floating, eyes closed. I bit my lip. Stupid fifteen-year-old mind! I scolded myself. I could see his muscles and well-defined washboard abs, glistening, wet from the ocean water. I tore my gaze from him, looking back at the beach where Quil, Seth, and the little girls were. Quil and Seth wore swimming trunks and were bare-chested, just like Embry. I could see their washboard abs from here. Yet, this didn't make me blush, not like Embry had. Then again, Embry's, like, a foot away! They were a good several yards away, dry, and building sandcastles with two children. The presentation, hence the effect, was totally different.
"Aren't you cold?" Embry asked. I looked over my shoulder, then looked back to shore when I knew I was going to blush. I shrugged.
"I was, at first. It's warm-ish today—something that seldom happens, I'm told. Although it's not that sunny, it's not freezing, cloudy, or raining."
"Jani…"
"Yes?"
"Look at me." I tensed, and my eyes widened a fraction. "What's wrong? I'm your friend, aren't I?" I didn't say anything. "Whatever I did to make you mad, I'm sor—"
"Embry," I interrupted, turning a little to glance at him. "Why do you think I'm mad at you?"
He looked slightly abashed. "Well—you wouldn't look at me, and you—I just—"
"I'm not mad at you…" I turned even further, facing him. "I wasn't mad at you."
Embry, somehow, looked like a dog when he perked up. "Good," was all he said. Then he put on a puppy pout, at which I almost laughed. "Then, huggie for making me worry?" he said in the most ridiculously childish voice I've ever heard. I burst out laughing, my hands covering my face. I felt myself being pulled, vaguely, and I felt Embry's arms around me in a hug. I stopped laughing, but kept my face buried in my hands. I could feel his abs against my bare back, could feel his muscled arms around my body. It did not help me at all. I felt something akin to a tornado stirring in the pit of my stomach.
When it was time to head back to Emily's, I hopped into the bed of the truck, my skin feeling salty and sticky—a side effect from the saltwater. I felt too uncomfortable to pull on the tank tops, so I just wore my bathing suit and the shorts, and even those were uncomfortable to tug on over the bikini bottom. Almost as soon as I settled against the side of the truck, Quil handed Claire to me, almost reluctantly.
"Sleeping?" I asked. He nodded. "Where's Cali?"
"Riding up front with Seth," he answered. I adjusted Claire's position so she would rest her head on my shoulder. Quil, after a few moments, went up front to drive. Embry sat in front of me, leaning against the other side of the truck. He still wasn't wearing a shirt, and his hair was wet, looking perfectly spiky.
"See something you like?" Embry teased. My eyes snapped to his. Thankfully, I fought back the blush.
"Just wondering how your hair's so spiky," I said noncommittally. Embry's face was blank. Then the corner of his lips turned up as he looked away. I smiled smugly to myself and watched the trees pass by. It seemed to take less time getting to Emily's house from the beach than our first trip; we were soon there. I passed Claire off to Quil, who'd immediately gotten out of the truck and headed for her. I hopped off, taking hold of the side of the truck to steady myself as I landed on my feet. I grabbed my bag and headed inside, expecting the boys to follow.
"Jani," Embry called out. I turned as he lightly took my wrist. I felt a light blush on my cheeks and gave him a questioning look. He dropped my wrist. "I'll…see you later."
I frowned. "You guys aren't coming in for a while?"
"Sorry." He ran a hand through his hair. "We've got work to do…sorry." Embry's eyes locked with mine. "But we'll visit when we can, I promise."
I nodded curtly. My mouth was dry—the way he said that was so intense, it felt surreal. What was going on? I looked around for Seth, finding him being attacked by my sister in a choke hold. Seth waved to me and said something—but I couldn't hear. It felt like all the sounds around me were muffled. I shook my head, forcing myself to refocus.
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.
Seth shook his head. "Never mind, just get inside," he answered. "Take Cali." Cali attached herself to my leg, giggling in amusement. I grabbed her hand and turned for the house when I felt two very warm, muscled, and familiar arms wrap around my waist.
"Oh, and, happy birthday," Embry whispered into my ear. I felt my stomach flip and blood rush up to my face. He gave me a light squeeze, then released me. Cali was giggling, and Seth had an amused smirk on his face.
"Happy birthday, Jani!" Seth said. I glared at him. Apparently, Quil heard, because the next thing I knew, he was walking around the truck and over to give me a hug. Both he and Seth gave a bear hug, much to Embry's disdain, oddly enough. They left after Cali and I entered the house.
When Cali and I had had our baths and dressed in pajamas, it was five in the afternoon. Emily had given us dinner, and we sat around in the living room quietly. After a while, I noticed Cali was heading to our room. I was about to go follow her when Emily spoke.
"You know, Sam's been getting the other spare room ready." I looked over at her. There were a couple spare rooms in the house—there were about four bedrooms in the entire house—and Cali and I shared one of them. Another was a guest room where some of the guys would sleep overnight if they had to work—and I still didn't find out where they worked, but whatever. There was another room that was a guest room, but it wasn't exactly suitable for Cali on her own. Sam and some of the guys had been cleaning it and Emily had gotten some furniture and things. I would've seen it by now, but she didn't let me nor Cali see it until it was done.
"So Cali's going to have her own room soon?" I asked.
"Yep." I nodded at Emily and smiled gratefully, then excused myself. I headed to my room and entered quietly. Cali was seemingly asleep. I watched her, frozen to my spot. Something about this stirred another something in me. Why was she napping so much lately? There was something familiar about it, though. She looked almost dead, actually.
I felt a cold chill run up my spine as it hit me. I ran over to her side and took her hand. There was a pulse, but that wasn't what I was looking for. I shook her softly, trying to wake her up—if she was even asleep.
"Cali… Cali," I called. "Cali!" Still unconscious. I felt anger rise in me. She knew she wasn't allowed to do this! How long had she been doing this? Why didn't I notice? I trembled as tears slipped down my face. I had the urge to hit something. "Dammit, Calindra! I told you not to do this!"
There was only one thing I could do. I had to find her, had to get her back to herself. I hated it—Mother and Father didn't want us to do things like this, they didn't want us to project. They said it was too dangerous, that, since Mother couldn't because it skipped a generation, there was no way to make sure we were safe or that we could come back. But I had to. Who knows where Cali could be?
I inhaled and exhaled shakily, trying to calm down. I lied down on the bed, facing the ceiling, my arms by my sides. I closed my eyes and tried to meditate. It'd been so long since I had done this…but it felt almost welcoming, almost routine…
I made my breaths come slower, heavier, until I was in a dreamlike state. My mind was blank. I focused on my center, the center of my mind. I focused on pulling free from the weights dragging me to the ground, I focused on releasing the chains that held me to the earth.
And soon, I felt light. I felt like a breeze. I opened my eyes, and looked around the room. I saw myself lying on the bed—I looked like a was sleeping. Technically, anywhere else, it'd look like I was dead. Unresponsive. I felt a tug behind my belly button, pulling me to myself. It was pulling me to my body, reminding me that I was a wandering spirit. I'd almost forgotten how free, how liberating it was to project. My father was Quileute, but Mother was Navajo. The Navajos had their own legends, and among them was astral projection. Only few Navajos can truly project nowadays…my sister and I being among the few.
I glanced at my sister's body, then back at mine. Both, empty husks. They were alive, yes, but the soul and spirit within them was missing. Sure, there was something like a rubber band holding us to our body, which stretched and stretched thinner the further we got from it, but limits could be pushed. I took a step, being reminded of the rubber band tugging behind my belly button.
Now how was I to look? I closed my eyes. I desired…I desired to go to where my sister was. Astral projection was not limited to walking, so to speak, to places, which was lucky. I felt something reminiscent of air rushing past my body—though, in reality, it wasn't my body but my spirit, or my astral body—and I opened my eyes when it stopped.
I was in the middle of a forest. I saw Cali—or, rather, the astral Cali—jumping from tree to tree ahead of me. I rushed to keep up with her, and sped up to catch up to her.
"Cali!" I shouted. She froze and looked back at me, a guilty expression adorning her features. I ran to her, not caring that we were standing in midair. "What do you think you're doing? Mother and Father told us not to!"
Cali winced. "Mom and Dad aren't here! Mom and Dad are dead! I saw it! I was there!" Her words hit me like a slap in the face. No wonder that dream seemed so weird. That dream she'd told me about nearly a week ago, about our parents, was no dream. She was projecting, even then.
"I told you not to project! You don't know what could happen!"
"Neither do you!" she retorted, crossing her arms. "I'm fine! I've been fine!"
I groaned in frustration. "That's not the point, Calindra!" She flinched. "The point is, Mother never had the ability for astral projection, and she didn't know what it was like! She wasn't able to teach us anything about it! And our grandparents were already dead, so we couldn't learn from them, either!"
"So why can't we learn now?" Cali demanded.
"It's too dangerous! You never know what could happen! We've never met oth—"
"So why can't we learn? Why can't we teach ourselves?" Cali looked angry, but she looked like she was about to cry, too. I sighed and took her into my arms, stroking her hair.
"Because I want to be safe, I don't want to take a risk that could cost us our lives…"
"Please, Jani?" Cali asked. "You never know till you try. And I remember you used to like to do this, before, when Mom and Dad didn't know." It was true. When I'd learned to astral project, I was eight. Cali learned this year, and Mother and Father had told her not to. Before this year, they didn't know I could, too. But that was in the past… Still. Part of me wanted to give in—what would it hurt?
I sighed. "Okay, Cali, we'll try." Her face lit up. "But you have to listen to me. You have to ask me before you go projecting anywhere, got it? And I have to come with you. No buts. You have to listen to me, no matter what, understand? If not, I'm not letting you come out here again."
"Okay, Jani." I sighed again. At least she'd listen to me. Then again, if I'd said no, there really wouldn't be any way to stop her. She pulled out of my grasp and turned around, looking off somewhere into the forest.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jani!" she said, turning back to me. "Come on! Let's go find the wolves!"
"Wolves? That's what you've been doing? Going out to chase wolves that can't even see you?" It was true, too. We had a strange, pale look about us. No one could see us. I remember, when I was younger, I used to be able to make myself visible. We'd look exactly like we did—it was like we were actually there, instead of just projecting. But I couldn't do that anymore, not without a lot of practice. It took a lot of energy to be able to hold yourself together—it took a lot just to walk away from your own body, and it took more to make yourself visible and permeable. It was like we were on a different plane…an astral plane, so to speak. We couldn't affect others very much—we were harshly limited in what we could do—but, once we became solid, we were able to be seen and to create change.
So why, then, did Cali want me to go chasing wolves? I was about to ask her, but she rocketed forward, searching for them. I had no choice but to trail behind, smiling a little at the rush of air I felt. It was cold, cool, but I had no sense of temperature here. It didn't make me feel cold, nor did I feel hot. It just was. It was hard to explain.
I followed her and sped up to reach her once I heard her giggling and laughing as she jumped from tree to tree. I didn't bother; I just ran through the air, swiftly, like I was flying. All the while, I was conscious of that rubber band stretching and stretching, but it wasn't too bad so I must not have been too far away from my body. I looked down, to the ground—I was near the canopy of the trees—and saw a couple of wolves run through the forest, looking as if they were searching for something. They were spread out. I saw about two, maybe three. One's fur was sandy-colored—this was the one Cali was following—and another had a chocolate brown fur. For a moment, I smiled wistfully. It is said that animals, dogs in particular, can see or sense ghosts and spirits… Would they sense my astral self? I lowered to the ground until I was above their heads, above the ground in between them. Then, on a whim, I rushed past them and ran ahead, looking back at them. They didn't seem to notice, although I could swear something changed.
It was nearing dark after a while of running around the wolves, and I caught up to Cali again and stopped her.
"We have to get back," I told her. "We need to sleep." I hadn't forgotten about how astral projection lies. I could run all day by astral projection—in fact, I could go for weeks, maybe—and never tire, but when I returned to my body I would probably slip into a coma. That's the funny thing about astral projection; you never knew how tired you were, so you had to be aware of all your limits and experiment very, very slowly. We might look like we're sleeping—or, more appropriately, dead—but we don't get any rest from it. That much, I remember.
"Okay," Cali relented, watching the wolves run until they were out of sight. She looked up at me. "Let's go back." I smiled at her.
"Do you usually go back from here, or do you return to our room?" I asked.
"I go back to the room. I tried it from here once. It kinda hurt." I chuckled softly at her innocent words. At first, it did hurt. It more of shocked you than anything else, though.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"If you want." She closed her eyes and soon disappeared in what seemed like a gust of wind—if wind normally reached a couple dozen miles per hour in a forest. I closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of the rubber band pulling behind my belly button. I went limp, so to speak, and felt that rubber band snap back.
I jolted up from the bed, almost falling in the process. My heart was beating erratically, and I felt like I'd been slammed into an empty casket—which is probably a very accurate description of what happened.
"Jani?" I heard Cali call out to me, peering over the edge of our bed. I stretched out on the floor and got back up and crawled into bed.
"Let's sleep, please," I told her, pulling her into a warm and tired embrace. "I am pooped." It's true—I was exhausted. I felt like I could fall asleep for days.
I heard Cali laugh. "Poop," she sang silently. I grinned and mussed her hair up.
"Oh, can it," I muttered. "Go to sleep."
Know what's funny? Officer Stahl happened because I had, for some odd reason, thought of Stalin. For those of you who don't know who Stalin is, he was a Russian leader who was pretty much evil. Well, that's MY opinion... Go to Wikipedia for a more official position on Stalin.
Anyways, tell me what you thought about this chapter! Review, please! :) I love reviews, and very much enjoy them. I get many ideas from reviews sometimes, and they definitely encourage me to keep writing.
-HunnyABee