High Tide

Can't Wait to Get This Stupid Scavenger Hunt Over

Jake POV

I caught Leah's scent quickly she was closer than I had imagined. It was right where Seth had described it would be. I was impressed. All this time he had hid his thoughts about Leah. He was very good at retaining information from others people's head. This was a skill I hoped he had't use on me but he probably did.

Speaking of minds, I decided it would be better if I kept my thoughts to a minimal so that Leah wouldn't hear me. I was silent. Was she out there? Was anyone out there? It was so silent. All I could hear were the trees flying past me and the faint sounds of animals here and there.

"Hello?" I asked. I must have sounded so stupid, like a scared little kid asking 'Is anyone there' after a door opens from wind on creaky hinges.

No one replied to my question. I was on my own then, at least until night fell. I was currently in my human form; I didn't wanna risk being in wolf form the same as Leah. Afterall, she might read my thoughts to easily, if she was anything like her brother Seth. But then again, if I could catch a glimpse of what she was thinking I would know where she was. Then I would have the upper hand. Was my strategy worth the risk? I would have to believe so. Anything that got me home sooner was the right choice.

Nessie. The thought of her alone made my whole body ache. I couldn't believe I had left her. If only she hadn't wanted me to stay. It would be a million times easier if I was the only one about to break into tears. I winced. The pain intensified immensely more the longer I thought about her. I tried to focus my attention onto something else but I failed. Images of her kept popping up into my head, despite my many efforts to stop them. All I could see was her dazzling perfect smile that always made me smile. I remembered the other morning when I had woken up and seen her glowing in the clearing. She was so amazing. She possessed the best qualities of the supernatural, but she still maintained the appearance of a human being. Another picture flashed before my eyes, it was one of her with teary eyes. Her head were sunken down allowing some of her bronze curls to fall in front of her face. Her chocolate brown eyes were like daggers, the pierced me as I relived the memory. Her eyes were welled up with tears though she didn't allow them to escape their sockets. Ow. The body pain was even more striking now but I deserved it. I deserved all the pain I received for causing Nessie's face to look like that. The physical pain, I could handle. The longing for Nessie, was becoming unbearable.

I changed to my wolf form because it was faster and less tedious. It was getting closer to night and the sky light was fading, not that I had trouble running in dark but I wanted to be in Canada by the time the moon was up. I ran up the besides the highway the entire time until I crossed the Canadian border. I had made it with minutes to spare. I came to the predicament of deciding whether I should phase back or not. If I did I would have no idea how much ahead of me Leah was. But if I didn't phase back I could risk her seeing me pursue her. Then if she saw, she would try to lose me and she would succeed. I had a difficult decision but before I could decide I felt another presence in my head. It was Leah, she was looking up at the night sky and then she felt felt my presence. Before she could interpret my thoughts, I phased.

"Damn!" I hadn't gotten any information from her. She was only gazing at the dumb stars. There was no sign no nothing that was a waste! I almost blew my cover and the whole ordeal. I would just have to stick to trail and see where it would lead. Although I probably did blow my cover and now she was making a run for it and trying to make trick tracks. "Damn Damn Damn!"

I started walking following her tracks when the idea struck me. Leah had been gazing up at the moon and the stars. I could pinpoint her location by matching the position of my sky with her sky. I looked up at the sky and thought. I slowly matched my constellations and her constellations in my head. She was northwest ahead of me. I started running in that direction. Her scent continued to flow up northward but not in the exact direction I was going. I could only hope that the route I was taking was a short cut. Running in my human from was not fast in comparison with my wolf body. Ugh. This was going to take longer than I would have hoped. I was glad I went to bed early the previous night. It looked like I was about to pull an all nighter. That shouldn't be so hard; when Bella was human I would stay up at night patrolling around her house. I hadn't done that in a while...I slept good for the past six years.

Running was such a drag in my human form, my strides were so short. Still, compared to the average human I was fast. I probably would win an Olympic Marathon not even breaking a sweat. The main reason I liked running in wolf form was because I was the fastest creature out there. No animal could compare to my speed. I was even faster than a bloodsucker. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. Oh thank God! I could see the sun rising and I was starving. I was hungry during the night but I couldn't risk going to a town after all I didn't have any pants. I could just imagine walking into a small Canadian town head to toe naked. I played the possible scenarios in head, they didn't end well. Most of them I ended up in cold jail cell or worse. Nighttime was a good camouflage, no one could see me running in the woods, but during the daytime it would be a lot easier to spot me.

The sun was pretty much up so I phased. " Anyone there?" I sounded once again like the little scared kid afraid out what they couldn't see.

Jake?

Shit! Leah hadn't phased back yet. I was so screwed.

No Jake wait! It's me Seth!

Relief washed over me. Hi Seth I'm so glad it's you.

Of course you are. You nearly pissed in your pants when you thought I was Leah.

Well I was glad it was you but now I'm not so sure.

Oh Jake come on now. He moved onto a different subject. You didn't say goodbye to me. I had no idea you left until last night. You left me out of the know bro.

That rhymed...know...bro. Did you develop into a poet since I saw you last saw you?

Ha ha ha very funny. I see you have lowered the quality of your humor.

Aw, buddy can't you take a little joke.

Yes I can. I just wanted to tell you first that I'm glad you decided to leave. I mean I'm glad you went to look for Leah. Thanks Jake. I owe you one.

Oh. You-uh I uh...there's, uh, no need to thank me. It had to be done.

Well no matter what...thank you.

No problem.

So why didn't you say bye to me this morning? He saw through my thoughts. Oh right, Nessie. I guess that's a pretty legit excuse, but still you couldn't call me or something? After all I am your favorite person in world. He paused and rethought his assumption. After Nessie that is. He had a smile on his face. I couldn't see it but I knew it was there.

Of course Seth you are my favorite person, besides Nessie. I assured him.It was all true what I told him. He was my favorite person beside the half-human - half vampire I had imprinted upon. Ouch. Again I winced in pain. I hadn't even mentioned her name this time yet I was in pain.

This scavenger hunt was going to be fun. Not.