Chasing Forever: Jacob's Story

Mail Day.

 I do crunches on the floor by my bed, listening to the other guys as they continue their conversation about how blood is just as nutritious as food.

 "Will you all just shut up?" Bryan mutters from under his covers. Its almost midnight, and he'd been hit in the head pretty hard during his training fight with Marc. I've been keeping an eye on him all afternoon and so far he hasn't gotten any better, which worries me. We've lost 23 guys since winter started, not including Anthony which makes it 24. We can't afford to lose another.

 "Hey there, grumpy face." Xavier says, glancing over from where he's doing pushups. "How do you feel?"

 "Like shit." Bryan mutters, throwing his arm over his eyes again.

 "But any better?" I ask, sitting up and turning so I'm completely facing him.

 "No."

 I sigh and exchange looks with Xavier and Ezekiel, who have become my closest friends in the past few weeks. "Alright well, try and get some sleep buddy, alright?"

 "I will if everyone will just be quiet already." He mutters back, his voice betraying how much pain he's really in.

 Xavier turns to everybody else. "Well you heard him, everyone keep quiet."

 I reach over, putting out the candle closest to Bryan's bed, and then stand and walk over to where Ezekiel stands with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. "I'm worried about him." I whisper, stopping in front of him.

 He nods. "Me too," Xavier walks over, leaning against the wall next to us and Ezekiel nods at him in acknowledgement before continuing. "He should've healed by now."

 Xavier stares at me. "Do you think he's gonna die..?"

 "Honestly..?" I say, glancing over my shoulder at where Bryan lays still in bed, silent except for his labored breathing. "I think its a very real possibility.."

 Xavier grits his teeth and stares at the wall behind me. "I hate this. I hate that they're just gonna sit back and let him die. They won't help. And we aren't even allowed to bury them respectfully. We just have them all in a row in the woods like they're an offering to a god."

 I reach over and touch his shoulder. "Breathe, Xavier. We all know they don't care about us. That's why we have to care about us." I say looking at him and trying to make him calm down. "If Bryan dies we stick together. Just like we planned. Got it?"

 He keeps staring at the wall and after a second his eyes glow amber, a sign he's losing control to his wolf. I shake him. "Hey, Xavier. We stick together and we keep our heads down. Got it?"

 His eyes shift to me and he growls. "Get off me."

 I'm getting annoyed now and I growl back, flashing my eyes back at him. "I said 'got it'." I don't take my eyes off him and after a second his eyes return to their normal color and he relaxes.

 "Yes, sir."

 I nod and he backs away a step. "Now, go bring him some water. Try to make him drink a little. And when you're done find an extra blanket or two, put them on him. He's gonna need the warmth."

 He nods and takes off toward Bryan and I turn back to Zekiel, who's staring at me in shock. "What?" I say after a second.

 "How did you do that?"

 I'm confused. "Do what?"

 "How did you make him listen to you like that?" He says. "He was on the verge of a shift."

 I shrug, not completely sure how I did it myself. "I don't know." I say. "I just told him to stop being mad."

 Ezekiel stares at me and for a few seconds he looks as though he's going to call bullshit on my explanation but a knock on the door makes everyone jump.

 I frown and walk over as everyone scrambles into their beds before the Kings men can notice that they were up after curfew. I open the door and two walk in, stomping snow off their shoes before turning to me.

 "Jacob." The one in front, Jones, says courteously. "How are you?"

 "Fine." I say curtly. I realized after a week in the Legion that being polite to the Kings men does nothing for you, it just makes you a target. Being rude or at least detachedly civil is the best way to talk with them. "What do you want? We're all obeying curfew."

 "Don't worry, none of you children are in trouble." The second says, throwing a sack of letters on the ground at my feet. "We were sent to bring you these."

 "It's a little late to be bringing the mail." I say, suspiciously.

 Jones grins. "We're just following orders, oh leader of the poor." My blood boils at his words but I don't say anything back. "Make sure the sacks hung outside by morning."

 I nod and they leave. Immediately after the door closes everyone falls onto the sack, pulling out a months worth of letters from our loved ones. I stand to the side, smiling lightly as I see the tears of joy coming down the faces of those who needed this the most. Ezekiel walks over and hands me a stack.

 "Most are from your mate." He says.

 I nod and open the one dated the latest, reading Chyenne's words greedily. I smile at the news of Alison's first morning lesson with mum and after a second I turn to Ezekiel. "She's not pregnant. It was a false alarm."

 He grins. "Too bad. I was looking forward to being an uncle."

 I smile and look back down till my eyes fall on a letter with the Kings seal. "What the.."

 After a moment I look up, locking eyes with Ezekiel. "I've been invited to the castle for dinner with the king." I say quietly.

 "Me too."