Conquering America

Jacob cautiously drove Netanya’s station wagon over to Carl’s house and parked it near the side yard. Jacob knocked on the door; Netanya opened it almost automatically. She locked eyes with him and said, “Thanks.”

Jacob handed Netanya her keys then wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his right hand. “I uhm... I noticed that your car has some other problems--”

“I know,” Netanya sighed and leaned against the door frame.

“I could fix it up. I have most of the parts in the shed from scavenged vehicles.”

“I couldn’t pay you.”

“You don’t need to,” Jacob stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans; his palms rubbed against the front of his upper thighs as he continued, “Just stop by every once and a while.”

Netanya nodded. “Okay. Thanks.” Netanya offered her keys to Jacob.

He nodded his head a little too quickly, too nervously. “Not right now. I need to get to a meeting--?”

“A meeting?” Netanya cut him off, her voice soaked in a playful sneer.

Jacob pursed his lips together and quickly ran his tongue against the front of his upper teeth. “A tribal meeting.”

Netanya nodded again. “Okay. Come by whenever. Thanks again.”

“Yeah... no problem.”

Netanya smiled weakly and handed Jacob twenty bucks, which she tugged out of a small pocket in the front of her jeans.

Jacob mumbled a thanks, stuffed the twenty in a back pocket, and walked back to his house. Seth ran up to him, in his wolf form, as Jacob reached his porch. Seth leaped over him and transformed back to his regular human state as he reached the soppy grass on the other side of small porch. “Oh God.” Jacob sighed and strictly looked at Seth’s face. “Why can’t you phase back at your house?”

“Why?” Seth cracked a smile, “Not in tune with your natural self?”

Jacob rolled his eyes and walked into his home. “I don’t have clothes for you. Go get dressed and come back.”

Seth followed Jacob in regardless. “Your Dad has clothing to spare. He always tosses a pair of--”

A pair of worn jeans hit Seth in the head. Billy rolled past them and into the kitchen. “I heard you outside and knew you’d need those. Why don’t you ever get dressed at your own home?”

Jacob laughed.

Seth smiled, “Sorry.”

Jacob left the two to talk while he found jeans to replace his grime-stained shorts and a long sleeve shirt with a thinly lined hoodie to guard his neck from the whip-like night winds. When Jacob walked to the kitchen to run out the back door, Seth asked him, “Can’t I go with you?”

“Ask my Dad.”

Billy answered before he could be actually asked, “No. Sorry Seth.”

Seth sighed quietly with disappointment. “Alright. See you guys later then.”

Billy and Jacob waved Seth off as they left their home and made their way to the meeting. Jacob helped his father through the grass then took a seat next to his great uncle. The meeting started the usual way; Jacob didn’t listen much to the same old news, but the talk of Calvin made him look up into the fire and start listening.

“Nuhad tried to tell us--?”

“Who?” Jacob spoke up, “Telling what?”

Billy cleared his throat and said, “Netanya is the middle child of three. Natasha is the last.”

“So...why don’t they go live with Nujai--”

“Nuhad,” Billy cut him off. “Nuhad is twenty-two.”

“So, they could live with her? Obviously they don’t like it here.”

Billy shook his head. “Son. They can’t. Nuhad is dead.”

Jacob continued to be seated, only now he was confused. “From what?”

“I don’t know if this is something you should know--”

Jacob’s Great Uncle cut in, “Tell him. He’s an Alpha now.”

Billy breathed out heavily and rubbed his temples. “Nuhad killed herself.”

“Over what?” Jacob yelled; whether he should be worried or curious, well, he didn’t know.

“Calvin was molesting her.”

“What.”

“You’re not ready--”

“He needs to know!”

Jacob looked around at the older men in the circle, “How could that have happened and you do nothing?”

“We didn’t know until it was too late. That’s when his wife left with the other two--”

“It got that far!” Jacob shouted. “That was happening here! Here! In La Push? And no one had even a bit of suspicion?”

“We thought--”

Jacob sprung up, “And did nothing. This is why the wolf skipped your generation.” Jacob ran away from the circle of elders. If there was ever a moment to phase, it would be now, but to run in wolf form is to run mindlessly; it only burns - he only really feels it - if he stays human. The wolf form is amazing; the wolf form transcends human experience, but the wolf form can make one an animal in its attempt to enlighten its humanity.

A car whizzed by, almost knocking Jacob off the side of the cliff, which was his only reason to know to where he brought himself. Jacob strained his eyes to see who was the reckless driver, but could only recognize the car--Netanya’s. “What could Netanya be doing at this hour?” Jacob asked and started to walk on the slippery dividing line of the road, humoring the idea of walking down to town. “But that might be Calvin or Carl.” Jacob thought, then laughed at himself aloud, “As if Netanya would let Calvin drive her car. I see why she hates him so much now.”

Jacob turned around, spinning on his heels, and walked over to Carl’s house. Jacob waited on the porch steps - eventually fell asleep on them - until Netanya arrived back at the house. She gently shook his shoulder to wake him up, then said, “I need to get inside.”
“Oh...oh sorry,” Jacob yawned and scooted over, “I was just waiting around for you.”

“Uhm...” Netanya rolled her lips into her mouth, back out and then to the side, “Okay. That’s...acceptable? Whatever. I need to get inside.”

Jacob laughed and stood up. He moved to the side, but locked eyes with her as she walked up the steps. “I was waiting around to ask you if you’d like to see Radios with me tomorrow, at the movies?”

“What the hell is that about?” Netanya laughed and subconsciously nodded her head with confusion.

Jacob laughed, too. “It’s a horror movie--”

Netanya cut him off with a sigh. “I don’t need to watch what I already live.”

They stood there, eye to eye, in an uncomfortable silence--at least, uncomfortable for Jacob -- until Jacob asked her, “Well, would you like to go down to the beach?”

“I don’t really have enough gas--”

“We could walk--”

“It’s miles away from here--”

“We’re basically on a cliff. The ocean is every where--”

“But that doesn’t guarantee a beach.”

Jacob laughed, and, for the first time, it wasn’t from being nervous.

Netanya cracked a smile. “Let’s go.”

And so they walked. Their conversations were surface level, but the fact that Jacob could get Netanya to walk to the beach is enough of an accomplishment for one day. The sun was flickering in the distance by the time they got to the beach. Netanya yawned while Jacob watched as the sun teased the sky; he looked at Netanya and said, “You’re too tired. Let’s go back to the house--”

“No, no.” She yawned. “I can’t make it. I’ll sleep here.”

“No,” Jacob persisted, “That’s not safe. I’ll carry you. We’ll be back in minutes.”

“And how do you plan to pull that off?”

Jacob started to run away, causing Netanya to instantly become angry, but her mood changed quickly as he jumped into the air and transform into a giant wolf. He trotted back to her and nudged his front right paw under her arms; a silly signal to climb aboard.

Netanya was too tired to either argue or demand an explanation, so she climbed on and held onto him as tightly as she could. Jacob took off running as fast as a speeding car; they were home in minutes, just as he promised, but Netanya wasn’t sure she was overwhelmed with being impressed or nausea. So she climbed off him; she was going to hold his giant head for support, but he backed up and phased back.

“Oh goodness,” she sighed, “Couldn’t you do that at your house? I don’t have clothes for you.”

Jacob laughed almost uncontrollably. “Funny, I tell Seth the same thing.”

Netanya cracked a sleepy smile. “Well, this was kind of you. Thanks.”

Jacob shrugged. “Well, that’s the point of a pack--a tribe. Do each other favors. Look out for one another.”

Netanya’s smile disappeared, but her skin started to feel a bit warmer, so she pressed her cold hands under her shirt and against her belly. “That’s a nice idea.”

Jacob nodded and watched as she entered the house. He phased back into being a wolf, as the Res was beginning to start their day, and, unlike his thoughts, he couldn’t have his physical self flapping away in the wind.