Chasing Forever: Jacob's Story

Pop Comes Home

 Chyenne and I lay on the bank of the lake, watching my sister and Mike swim and joke around in the water. "J, Chy come swim with us!" Nich yells for the third time.

 "We're okay for now, sis." I say back. "We just wanna relax for a few minutes."

 "Relaxing is boring, J." Mike says, shaking his head before slipping under the water.

 I turn to Chyenne. "Are you sleeping over tonight?"

 She nods, her eyes closed, soaking in the warm April sun. It's unnaturally warm for April and most of the pack is taking advantage of it, training was cancelled for the day and most of us are with family and friends. "Yes," She says.

 I look around when I notice that Rose never returned from the village where she went to go find her brother and invite him to come swimming with us. "Where's Rose?"

 Chyenne opens her eyes, sitting up, evidently just as confused as I am. "I don't know. Maybe her mum is having her do chores."

 "No, she didn't," Rose says, walking up from behind us.

"Where were you?" Chy asks, running her hands through her hair.

 "Getting changed," Rose says. "But Jacob I have to tell you something."

 "What?" I say, looking back out at the lake.

 "Your grandfather is in town."

 Impossible. I jump up then and Nichola starts swimming towards the shore. "What?"

 Rose looks confused. "There's a guy walking through the village looking for you." She says, looking between all of us. "He says he's your grandfather."

 I turn immediately, walking quickly toward my house, my heart beating in my chest painfully. Nichola, soaking wet, follows close behind me.

 "What did I say?" Rose says quietly to Chyenne.

 "Nothing," Chy whispers back. "Their grandfather hasn't been here since Nich was a baby."

 Yeah, because of my fathers affair. I think sourly before breaking into a run and racing toward my home.

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 Nichola and I run quickly through the trees, neither of us saying anything. I glance at my sister. She was three the last time our grandfather came from Spain to visit us. Judging by the look of cautious nervousness on her face I can tell that she doesn't remember him.

 Without a word I slow down slightly and take her hand. She looks at me gratefully and I just smile lightly in encouragement. Turning to look straight ahead I think about the last time Pop was in town. Him and my father had had a huge argument in the trees close to the old human church at the edge of territory. My grandfather had told my father that taking on two mates was wrong and my father had told him that if he didn't approve he could leave. So he did.

 We slow down outside our house and Nichola starts to breathe fast so I turn to her. "Hey, sissy, relax." I say. "It's Pop."

 "I've never met him, J." She says, her eyes on the house. "What if he hates me?"

 "Pop doesn't hate anybody, sissy." I say, reassuringly. "Trust me, okay? Everything will be okay. I'll be right there."

 She looks at me now, her eyes pleading. "Promise?"

 "I swear."

 She nods, taking my hand, and together we start up the walk and into the house. "Mum?" I call when we get inside and Nich closes the door behind us. "We're home."