My Forever Girl

Jayden’s P.O.V.

I put the car in park and turned it off. I could feel my eyes getting heavy. Hell, I don’t remember the last time I got a decent night sleep. I’ve been in this car for over 72 hours; only eating junk food and sipping on energy drinks. My body was ready to crash.

I struggled to stay awake; watching the sand swirl around this lone shack every time the wind would pick up. There was no doubt I was going in, it was just a matter of working up the courage to do so. With the rumors of him killing my grandmother circling around, this should be the last place I’d come to looking for help, but Elijah made it clear that without the help of my grandfather, I’d stand no chance against those people.

I will win her back….

“Are you going to come in or not,” my grandfather said; it was almost like he’d materialized out of thin air. I cautiously got out of the car and followed him the short distance to the house. The room was dimly lit, and there was a soft beating of a drum playing in the background. I suddenly began to wonder if he’d been expecting me. He let out a soft chuckle, “I told you before you left with your mother that I’d be seeing you again.”

“But how did you….”

“You’re here about Naira, am I correct?” He turned around and waited for my answer. There was a thin red circle that outlined the pupil of his eyes. It was almost unnoticeable, but at the right angle it glistened in the candle light.

He sat on the floor crossing his legs like you do in preschool. He motioned for me to do the same across from him; I did so cautiously. “The Quileutes are a powerful tribe. There is a pack of shapeshifter’s that protect their land, and this girl that you claim you love is the soul mate of one of them.”

The rage inside was beginning to surface. The thought of her being with anyone other than me.. My heart crumbled, again. “So basically you’re saying I have no fucking chance and should just go home with my tail tucked between my legs.”

“I did not say that,” his voice boomed. That thin, red glowing circle that outlined his pupils suddenly grew brighter, “I can give you the knowledge and power that you will need to get what you desire, but it will come with a pretty hefty price!”

“What kind of price?”

“Death,” he answered, flashing a sadistic grin. I waited nervously for him to elaborate. “To gain these powers needed, you will have to make a sacrifice. Before we continue I must ask you Jayden, is she worth it?”

Could I live a life without Naira in it? I thought about my life before I met her. I had no purpose in life, at least that’s what I thought. The only reason I went to school was to get away my poor excuse of a mother. Yup, my life pretty much sucked. With Naira it was different; as cliché as it sounds; she made me want to be a better person. Most importantly, she showed me how to love, something I thought would never happen to me. So I asked myself again, could I live a life without Naira in it? I did it before, and I could certainly do it again….. But I didn’t want to.

“She’s worth it,” I finally answered.

An evil grin swept across his face revealing his disgusting yellow jagged teeth. His eyes beamed with joy; I suddenly felt like I just sold my soul to the devil, “Perfect,” he replied.

He dangled a piece of black lace in front of me, much like the one he tried to wrap up and give me as a Christmas present. “First things first, it is time for you to meet your spirit animal.”

“Spirit animal?”

“Yes, now close your eyes.”

“What the hell is a spirit animal,” I asked, confused by how in the world this was supposed to help me get Naira back.

He huffed, clearly losing his patience with me already. “Your spirit animal is a real animal that at some point was once alive and most likely knew you in a past life.”

“And how will finding my “spirit animal” help me get Naira back,” I asked a bit annoyed. I was wasting precious time.

The old man smirked, “You have a lot to learn Jayden; be patient,” he paused, as if to gather his thoughts, and then continued telling his meaning of a spirit animal. “Spirit animals love you as a member of your family. If you are ever in any trouble, call upon your spirit animal and he will lend you his qualities such as strength and protection. Pay attention to him, he will always steer you down the path meant for you, it is ultimately your choice whether you choose to follow his guidance. I recommend you do.”

Right, follow advice from something I supposedly met in a past life… “So was it your spirit animal that guided down the path of killing your wife, or was that all you,” I asked sarcastically. I was not in the mood for this crazy bullshit.

His eyes were blazing; the candles around us began to flicker, “Do you want my help or not?”
His eyes bore into mine. They were tightening what felt like some kind of cord around me, but nothing was there. I felt like I was suffocating, on the brink of passing out from loss of oxygen. I nodded my head yes; unable to speak. Instantly the invisible force loosened its grip. I gulped in the air, trying to catch my breath. This man killed his wife for unknown reasons, why did I suddenly think I had the balls to stand up to him and question his ways?

“Close your eyes,” he spoke. I did as he said; afraid of what might happen if I refused. “Concentrate on the slow beating of the drum.

A few moments of silence passed before he spoke with another set of instructions, “I want you to breathe in and out. As you breathe out, release the tension in your body.”
As hard as that should have been after what just happened, it came relatively easy for me to do. It must have been because of the lack of sleep. It was nice being able to close my eyes. I felt calm; 20 years of misery just suddenly up and left with on deep exhale. My body felt weightless, as if I was floating in water.

“Nest, I want you to imagine you are in a forest. Pay attention to your surroundings; your spirit animal should reveal himself to you….”

His voice began to drift away the further I fell into a whole new world I had instantaneously created in my head. The forest was thick only allowing limited light through the canopies above. In front of me was a narrow path that I could only imagine would lead me further into the dimly lit forest. As much as I didn’t want to I began making my way down the path; paying attention to every crack of a twig, and leaves crunching.

After what seemed like hours of walking around and seeing nothing, I came to a fork in the path. To my left it was dark and there was fog beginning to move in making it absolutely difficult to see any further than a couple feet. To my right, it looked no different than the path that I was already on.
A soft cooing of an owl got closer. He swooped in over my head and began flying down the path to my right. Of course it would be an owl. I should have known. “Well Mr. Owl, I think I’ll follow you guidance and go down the less creepy path.”

Just as I began making my journey down the path after the owl I thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye to the left of me. I stopped in my tracks and looked in that direction; nothing. The owl circled around and swooped down even closer to my head, pushing me to move on. I shrugged my shoulders and continued the walk. This time after a few minutes of walking I heard a twig snap. A magnificent red fox walks out onto the path right in front on me. We stared at each other for the longest time. I had so much appreciation and respect for this creature; I’d never experienced anything like this before.

This magical moment was cut short when the owl cooed and swooped in once again, reminding me of the task in front of me. I cautiously began to walk, and as I did the fox stood and blocked my path. I shifted to the left to get past, but he’d do the same. If I went to the right, so would he. The owl flew in making a lot more noise this time. “I’m trying to go, but he won’t move.”

“GET OUT OF MY WAY,” I finally shouted; I had enough. The fox stared at me for a moment, and then disappeared into the forest.