Broken (31 page)

"I won't. But what about
Luyu
?"

"I will swim out to get her. It's the only way.
Jaguars are excellent swimmers. But I want you to stay right here, okay? Keep
an eye on me. I will call Sarah and have her come here to get you home. I saw a
payphone by the restrooms and I think I can make it before I change completely.
If anything goes wrong. Anything at all then go to the parking lot where the
taxis are. Jump into a taxi and have them take you home, alright? Here," I
said and handed him my credit card. "Use this to get you home. Give this
to the driver. I will not be able to speak to you once I am the jaguar. Nor
will I be able to show myself to anyone. So you have to do this alone. Do you
think you can do that?"

"Of course I can. But you must hurry up now, Far,
your face is already all different. You have to hurry."

I kissed him on the forehead before I stormed to the
payphone. Sarah took much too long to pick up. I could hardly hold on to the
phone with my paws. I was about to run out of time.

"I need you to come to the marina by the Bridge
of Lions. William is there on the dock and he needs to be taken home. I have no
time to explain," I said.

Then I hung up and ran to the restroom and found a
booth big enough to fit me even as a jaguar. I ripped off my clothes and threw
them on the floor just in time for the change to be completed. I caught a
glimpse of myself in the mirror just as I started to walk out the restroom. I
could only hope that I wouldn't scare William or
Luyu
when they saw me.

When I came outside the sun had set completely.
William was waiting for me right where I had asked him to. He gasped again when
he saw me. Then he looked at me carefully, like was he trying to figure out
whether to fear me or pet me. I walked slowly closer. My eyes caught his and he
smiled by the recognition. He inhaled.

"Wow, Far. That is so cool," he exclaimed.

Cautiously he planted the palm of his hand in the fur
on my back. His voice was shaking. "Wow. Wow, Far," he kept
repeating.

I glanced at him one last time before I jumped into
the water.

Chapter 37

It was
a long
swim, longer than any I had tried before as a
jaguar. I wasn't sure I was even able to do it without taking any breaks. They
were at least two hundred yards out there I figured. Where my strength came
from that night in the warm dark water, I don't know, but it was hardly human.
Maybe it came from thinking about
Luyu
alone out
there on this boat desperately waiting for help, not knowing if she would ever
see the day of light or those she loved again. Starved, thirsty, weak from
banging and yelling. Maybe it was just part of the supernatural strength I had
received with the fountain that was now in my blood. Maybe it was a
combination. It didn't matter. What matters was that I managed to raise all
that strength inside of me, a combination of fury, anger, worry and
determination. Willpower. I was not going to let her die out there on that
boat.

Halfway there I turned my head to see if William was
still all right back at the dock and I saw him standing there looking all of a
sudden very grown up. I hated having to leave him there in that place all alone
and I worried that something would happen to him while I was gone, but there
was no turning back now. Sarah was on her way and I had to keep swimming
forward toward that empty boat. I had to save
Luyu
.

Soon I spotted the electricians who had been working
on the second boat starting to leave it. They climbed down the back and into a
small dinghy. Laughing and chatting they started the small engine attached and
motored back towards the marina. I dove under the surface and kept swimming as
they passed me. I wondered how Michael had been able to keep
Luyu
out there for this long without them noticing it. He
had to have brought her there at night. I shivered by the thought of him
forcing
Luyu
out on the boat. What could he possibly
have told her?

I swam faster, driven by the thought of Michael and
what he had done to his own family. It was a combination of anger and guilt. I
could have prevented this. If only I had not persuaded
Aiyana
to stay with me in the swamps that night. If I had protected her, if I hadn't
let her go in the first place ten years ago. But it really wasn't my choice was
it? She had chosen to marry this man. But maybe ... maybe if I had fought
harder for her. The anger grew inside of me. The regret was eating me up. Those
choices that were so important early in our lives, why didn't we make them more
carefully? Well I could hardly have known that it would have gone so bad with
me and Heather and with
Aiyana
and Michael. How could
I? I suddenly understood
Wyanet's
statement ten years
ago when she told me to listen to my heart. The heart always knew what was
best, she said. But it wasn't too late, I thought as I came closer to the boat.
I could still make up for all this and make new choices for myself. And this
time I knew what it was going to be.

Panting with exhaustion I threw the upper part of my
body on the small landing behind the boat. Slowly I managed to pull myself out
of the water. My entire body was aching, my wounds were hurting badly and I had
to lie on the deck to catch my breath again.

A sound caught my attention and made me stand on my
feet again. It wasn't like a loud sound, more a steady, rhythmic banging. It
was knocking! I forgot about my hurting leg and fatigue. I was filled with new
hope. The boat was big, much bigger than it seemed from a distance. It was more
of a yacht.

I started searching. There were many rooms and
cabinets. I began my search downstairs, went inside the lower deck, trying to
listen and find the small knocking sound. I searched the first room with the
bar and leather sofas and dining room table that seated ten people. There was a
kitchen in the back with many closets and cabinets. I opened them by lashing my
paw at them or using my snout. Pots, pans, tablecloths, but no
Luyu
. I listened again. The knocking was weak still but at
least it was there. She had to be alive. I found a bathroom bigger than my own
at the house. More closets to open, but still nothing. I found a bedroom with
carpets and closets and a king-size bed. Sparkling beautiful dresses like the
ones Heather used to wear, but no
Luyu
. I ran outside
on the balcony and then jumped to the upper level. More rooms with beds and
closets, more tables to sit at and enjoy the view, but still no
Luyu
. I stopped and listened again. The knocking was closer
now. She had to be here on the upper deck somewhere. I ran desperately through
all the rooms again and searched everywhere that could be without light and had
wooden panels and floors.

Still nothing. I was frantic now, on the verge of
panicking. I scratched the nice surfaces with my claws not caring about leaving
any trace of me being there. I knocked over small tables and lamps with my
body, I searched high and low and everywhere I could, but I could not find
Luyu
.

Weary and almost hysterical I sat down and tried to
think. I used to sail as a child. Not speedboats and yachts like this, but
sailboats. We used to go on long vacations to Sweden in our family boat. Those
were some of the best times of my life. I had the most wonderful memories from
those trips. What was it I used to do? I used to hide from my mother so she
couldn't find me. I was an expert at finding small spots to hide on our boat.
When you are small you can hide in very small places. So small that grown
people would never even think of looking for you there.

I jumped back to the upper deck and started searching
across the wood with my snout for a crack, a small handle. Suddenly I felt one.
I grabbed it with my teeth and pulled the small golden ring. A storage room
appeared. It was filled with ropes and lifejackets. I closed it and continued
on. I searched across the wooden deck until I caught a scent. It was human. I
found another small handle, another golden ring. I opened it but found only
ropes. I searched again. The scent grew stronger. As I grabbed another small
handle with my teeth and started pulling the hatch open I heard a noise from
underneath. It was someone moaning, a weak weeping.

It was her. It was
Luyu
.

With all my strength powers I pulled the ring and
opened the hatch. There, down in that dark hole with wooden walls around her,
lay
Luyu
. The room was so small, so narrow that it
was impossible for her to move much. I gasped when I saw her. She looked up at
me with weary eyes caused by the dehydration. She wasn't afraid of me and I saw
a fatigued smile on her lips as I reached down and grabbed her blouse between
my teeth and pulled her up. She grabbed on to my neck with her hands as I
lifted her out. Then she fell onto the deck with a soft groan.

I had to move quickly now. I jumped downstairs to the
kitchen and found a refrigerator. I opened it by pushing it with my snout,
hoping it was not empty. Luckily it wasn't. I grabbed a bottle of water in my
mouth and ran upstairs.
Luyu
had her eyes closed but
was still breathing. I woke her by pushing her gently with my snout letting the
water bottle fall onto the deck next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at
me with a smile. I believe at that moment she knew perfectly well who I was.
She touched my face gently and stroked me on the head. I pushed her again,
urging her to get up and grab the bottle. Then she drank. She emptied the
bottle and left it on the wooden deck. I pushed her again with my snout then
turned my back at her.

"What?" she mumbled with a faint voice.
"You want me to jump on your back?"

Smart girl, I thought as she with much difficulty
climbed my back and held her arms tightly around my neck. Then I jumped with
her, first downstairs, then into the water.

I swam with her on my back all the way. When we
approached the dock in the marina I spotted William who was still waiting for
me there, along with Sarah standing next to him. When he spotted me in the
distance fighting in the water to keep
Luyu's
head
above the surface he started yelling.

"
Luyu
!!! You found her!
Luyu
!"

I swam towards the shore next to all the docks while
William ran on the wooden dock next to me yelling and crying for
Luyu
. Sarah came trotting after him in a much slower pace
staring at me with a mixture of disbelief and marvel. I climbed onto the shore
still with
Luyu
on my back and then I collapsed.
William threw himself at
Luyu
and held her tight in a
long hug. Then they laughed. The sound of their laughter made me rise to my
feet again. I was hurting, limping and sore all over but none of that mattered
at that very moment.
Luyu
was safe.

Sarah had stopped a few feet away but dared slowly to
come closer. She helped
Luyu
get on her feet, and
then stared at me with great wonder.

I snarled at them and urged them to leave me there. To
go home and take care of
Luyu
. They understood
immediately.
Luyu
held on to William while they
walked. Before they left me Sarah turned and looked at me with a gentle smile.

"See you at home, doctor," she said.

Chapter 38

I
never made it
to
the swamps that night even if everything inside of me craved it, even if I
longed for the hunt. Hard as it was to ignore the nature of my instincts, I
managed this time to stay in the nearby area. I hunted small animals, like
armadillos, turtles and rabbits and caught a bunch of fish. I was terrified of
being seen and it took hours for me to find enough food to satisfy my hunger,
but eventually I succeeded and as the sun started to rise I turned towards
home.

Sitting in the yard as I waited to transform back I
suddenly realized that I wasn't alone.
Aiyana
in her
spotted fur sneaked up behind me and sat next to me. She had been out too, I
was pleased to see. That meant she was feeling better. She turned her head and
rubbed her face into mine. I closed my eyes and enjoyed it.

We sat in silence as we slowly transformed back to our
human bodies and soon lay naked in the grass looking at each other. She was a
stunning sight in the dim sunlight.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I looked into her eyes.

"For bringing my baby back to me," she
continued. "She came to my room when she got to the house with
William.
 
She saw me. I was sitting
on the floor glaring out the window missing her, worrying about her and not
wanting to go out to hunt. Not wanting to leave the house. That was when she
came in."