Naomi's pov

The days have been dragging by lately. I guess because Selene and I are still being treated like children. Surprisingly, Jeff has been getting more and more tolerable. In fact, there have been times when he's even been really... sweet to me.

I almost couldn't believe it. To top it off, part of me is really attracted to him. Maybe the spirits were right in choosing Jeff for me.

I once again flipped the channel to another nature documentary. Selene and I have actually been enjoying these things, especially when it's about predators catching prey. It's so bloody that I love it.

I had also introduced Selene to the Percy Jackson books I had back home. But after the first book, she quit reading them. Apparently, she couldn't understand a lot of it and it just confused her. But I still read them, of course, I love those books.

"This stuff again?" Jeff groaned at the TV. "Don't you girls ever get tired of this?"

I shook my head. "Nope, so deal with it."

Jeff and Jack were here with us, like usual. They still can't seem to leave us unsupervised. Yet they want to whine like babies, well, Jeff does anyway. Jack just stays quiet, kinda like Selene.

I watched in fascination as two wolves on TV were fighting, one easily beating the other and pinning it to the ground. Jeff let out a sigh of annoyance.

"I don't get it, why are they fighting? Aren't they in the same pack?"

"Yes, but that one is the alpha male," Selene explained. "The alpha is simply putting that lesser wolf in its place."

"That's kinda harsh," Jack said, finally joining the conversation.

Selene looked at him. "Not really. The alphas are the leaders of the pack, those who disobey are put in their place."

"Aren't the alphas in charge of, like, everything?" I asked her, knowing she had greater knowledge on animals than people.

Selene nodded. "Yes, everything. The alpha male and female establish territory, decide when to hunt, etcetera. They also get special privileges, like getting to eat first at a kill and being the only ones in the pack to mate and have pups."

"Damn, that sucks," Jeff commented. "I feel sorry for all those horny wolves that aren't alphas."

"It is the way of the wolf," Selene stated.

"What about lions?" Jack questioned. "Don't they do something similar?"

"No," Selene answered, "in a pride of lions, one male leads a group of females. That male can mate with as many females as he wants but has to keep his place in the pride. If another male comes along and defeats him, then the new leader will kill off any cubs born from the previous male."

"Whoa, that's even worse," Jack said.

I finally couldn't contain myself any longer and burst into laughter. "I can't believe we're having such a deep discussion about the sex life of animals!"

Jeff joined in, laughing his head off. "I didn't even realize it! What is wrong with us?!"

Once our laughter died down, Jack stood from his seat, stretching his arms. "We should get to bed."

I turned off the TV and said goodnight to Selene. Jeff then led me up to his room for the night.

Selene's pov

Despite sleeping on the floor, I'd actually grown accustomed to it. I quickly drifted off but quickly found myself in pitch black darkness. I didn't know what was going on until I heard a voice.

"Selene! Selene!"

I recognized the young, feminine voice. "Ophelia?" I called.

"Selene, it's me! You have to help me, please!"

"What's wrong?" I asked with worry.

"I'm trapped! If you can't find me soon, I will be erased!"

"Where?! Where are you?! Tell me where to go!"

"In the city!" she said. "There are people who do not understand us! Their reckless actions will erase me from existence! Please, Selene, you are my only hope!"

I jolted awake, gasping as I jumped to my feet. "Ophelia!"

Jack was up in an instant, startled by my sudden outburst. I quickly looked to the window and reached my hand out to it.

"Ophelia!" I cried, scared and worried.

"Selene, calm down," Jack said, getting up and approaching me. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

"It's my sister," I explained. "I heard her voice, she called out to me. She's in the city. I have to get to her."

"Right now?" he questioned.

"Please, Jack," I pleaded, "she's in trouble. If I don't help her, her crystal will be shattered."

He seemed to stare at me in thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, let's go then."

I smiled graciously. "Thank you. Naomi will definitely want to hear about this."

Jack and I rushed out and stopped before Jeff's room. I frantically knocked on the door. It quickly opened, revealing a very tired and grumpy looking Jeff.

"What do you want?" he asked with annoyance.

I looked past him to where Naomi sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Naomi, it's my sister, I know where she is."

The girl's blue eyes widened and she stood and rushed over to me. "Really? How?"

"She called to me," I answered. "She's in trouble. People have her crystal and she's in danger of being shattered."

"Well what are we waiting for, let's go!" she said, quickly grabbing and slipping on a jacket.

She practically forced Jeff to come too. He wasn't happy about it. We quietly hurried downstairs and outside. Fang and Saber were there, and with a whistle from Naomi, Latte, Bella, and Edward quickly joined us.

Naomi eagerly hopped on Latte and pulled Jeff on behind her. I climbed onto Fang's back, balancing my feet on his exposed ribs. I pointed Jack toward Saber. He nervously approached the beast that began to growl.

"Saber," I said in a warning tone.

Saber whined and allowed Jack to climb onto his back. We rode out toward the edge of the woods, stopping when we could see the city. We climbed off our beasts and approached the edge of the woods.

I began taking a step forward when memories flooded my mind. I quickly stepped back and stared out at the city. I clenched my fists at how weak I truly was.

"I... I can't do it," I muttered. "Even when my own sister needs me, I still can't leave the woods."

I was a bit surprised when Naomi came closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, that's why I'm here."

I smiled, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "Thank you, Naomi."

"No problem," she said with a grin. "Come on, Jeff, we'll go find the crystal."

Jeff groaned. "Fine, but we'd better get to kill someone."

"Look for a place where people study things," I instructed. "And please hurry."

Naomi nodded and she and Jeff left us, heading into the city. I stood quietly for awhile, gazing out at the large buildings. Jack, who stood at my side, finally took a seat on the ground.

"Have a seat, this could take a while," he said, tugging on my chain.

I complied and sat down next to him. "So, why exactly are you so afraid of leaving the woods?" he asked.

I sighed, hugging my knees. "It's kind of a long story."

"We have time."

"I've lived in the woods my whole life," I explained. "When I was young, I wandered out into the city out of curiosity. There was so much I didn't understand. I... lost my way. Instead of helping me, people only laughed and mocked me."

I stared down at my feet. "I was so scared, being lost in an unfamiliar place with strangers gawking at me at every turn. I was lucky the spirits pitied me, they led me back home. I never wanted to leave again, not after what had happened. So I didn't."

"I see, that's understandable." It grew quiet for a short while before Jack suddenly asked, "What's the spirit world like?"

I looked at him, a bit confused by his question. "Huh?"

"You've seen the spirit world, right? What's it like?"

"Well..." I began, thinking of how to explain it. "It's empty and cold and devoid of material things."

"Like outer space?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side.

I giggled slightly at his comparison. "Sort of, but instead of stars filling the infinite void, human souls do. It acts as a paradise for them, where they can rest for all eternity."

"But then what happens if one of your crystals are shattered?"

"Then the soul inside dies," I answered with worry and sadness in my tone. "It would be as if they never existed. They would be erased from reality. That's why they must find my sister before it's too late."

Panic began to take over my voice. I suddenly felt Jack's arm wrap around my shoulders. My eyes widened with surprise at the way his fingers caressed my skin.

"Don't worry," he said. "Your sister will be fine. Jeff and Naomi will make sure of that. Trust in them... trust in me."

A smile tugged at my lips. I scooted closer and rested my head against his shoulder. "I already do."