✓ | PRIMAL, jacob black ²

chapter seventeen

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

For hours, well into the early morning, Aniya, Aaron, and Anthea sat huddled on the floor of the living room. The faint glow of the rising sun filtered through the curtains as they pored over the old and new drawings scattered around them. Their legs were crossed, and their laps were filled with sketchbooks and loose sheets of paper, each image unlocking stories long forgotten.

"What did I say about Sam and Emily?" Aniya asked, pointing to the drawing of the first couple.

Aaron leaned forward, tapping the image thoughtfully. "You said Sam was engaged to someone else before he ended up with Emily. You always sounded a little bitter about it, even as a kid. Apparently, Sam left his fiancée—Emily's cousin—for her."

Aniya blinked in surprise. "He left his fiancée for her cousin? That's... complicated."

"Yeah," Aaron said with a shrug. "But according to five-year-old you, it was meant to happen. Something about Emily being his 'true match.'"

Anthea chimed in, pulling out another drawing. "What about Juliet and Embry?" Aniya asked, pointing to a familiar sketch.

Anthea grinned as she studied the image. "That one was like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, with a dash of Grease. You said they met during a summer romance—one of those whirlwind, unforgettable kinds of things. But Juliet had to leave because it was just a summer stay. It ended on a sad note."

Aniya's lips curled into a bittersweet smile. "But they met again years later."

Aaron's eyes widened with delight. "Wait, really? So they got their happy ending? Because let me tell you, kid-you were all about the tragedy in their story."

"They did," Aniya confirmed softly. "They started dating a few months ago. I just know they'll be together for a long time." Her smile faltered slightly as thoughts of Juliet flooded her mind, the recent tension between them weighing heavily on her heart.

One by one, Aniya asked about the other couples, and her siblings recounted the tales she'd spun so long ago. Each story brought more clarity and more questions. Finally, Aniya reached for a drawing that had been haunting her since she saw it—the one of her and Jacob. She clutched the paper tightly and glanced between her siblings.

"What did I say about me and him?" she asked, her voice barely steady.

Aaron frowned, his expression darkening. "That story was... different. It always changed, depending on when you told it. But no matter how it started, it always ended the same way."

Anthea looked down, her face clouded with sadness. Aniya's chest tightened as she watched them share a silent, sombre look. "How did it end?" she pressed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Anthea's lips trembled as she spoke. "One of you... dying," she admitted, her voice cracking with the weight of the words.

Aniya froze. Her stomach dropped, and a cold chill ran down her spine. She glanced back at the drawing, unable to tear her eyes away. Her own siblings had unknowingly been listening to stories of her death.

"It was just a story back then," Aaron said quickly, trying to lighten the mood, though his voice lacked conviction. "We didn't know it would mean anything..."

Aniya barely heard him as she muttered under her breath, "Just like my dreams." The words escaped unnoticed by her siblings, but they echoed loudly in her own mind.

Breaking the tension, Aaron picked up one of her newer sketchbooks and flipped through it. A chuckle broke the silence as he held it up. "You know," he said, gesturing to a page filled with wolves. "These wolves look just like the ones Mom and Dad used to talk about in their stories. Remember, Thea?"

Anthea's face softened, her lips curling into a nostalgic smile. "Oh, yeah. Those stories they told us when we were kids, back when we lived on the Rez."

"Wait," Aniya interjected, her eyes widening. "We lived here? On the reservation? Before?"

Aaron and Anthea exchanged a glance before nodding. Anthea answered, "Of course. Why do you think we're allowed to live here now? Outsiders can't just move to the Rez. Dad was born here. This is where we're from."

Aniya stared at them in disbelief. "Why didn't I know that? I thought... I mean, I never..."

"You were so young when we moved," Aaron explained gently. "You probably don't remember much from back then."

Aniya's mind reeled with this revelation. The pieces of her life that had always felt disjointed were starting to form a clearer picture. She hesitated for a moment, then looked up at her siblings, a question burning in her eyes. "Can you tell me about Mom and Dad?"

Both Aaron and Anthea seemed taken aback by the request, their surprise quickly softening into warmth.

"Of course," Anthea said, her smile gentle and reassuring. "I've always been waiting for you to ask."

Aaron nodded in agreement. "Anything you want to know, Ani. We're here to tell you everything."

As they began sharing memories of their parents, Aniya felt a strange mix of emotions—hope, curiosity, and a deep, yearning need for answers. Whatever this journey was leading her toward, she wasn't alone. Her siblings were here, ready to uncover the truth alongside her.