Reeves

by Serena Valentine

  "Doing great, Reeves." Jackson patted his hands together. "Want to play?"

  "I need to take care of some business," Reeves said, "but afterwards I'd love to play." Reeves brought his attention back to the tempie he'd helped. "You'll be as good as new soon but remember what I said." The normie reached in his pocket and brought out a sucker to convey his thanks. Reeves plastered a smile on his face and merely waved it off. "Sweets aren't good for you. It's best to limit yourself to how many you have."

  “Sometimes sweets are the only thing you have."

  Reeves heard a strange new voice. The work commuters wouldn’t be on that side of sector. He turned around. "You're on the wrong side of the sector," he informed her. "Commuters should not be over here. This is where the residents live."

  "I am one."

  What? Now, his attention was focused. With luscious curves around the hips, legs that continued going, and stunning red hair. Her lips were tasty, her dress was sexy, and she was perfect. Please let this be no. Dreaming of course, but he’d ask anyhow. "Adult lifer, registering from another private Secret colony?"

  "No," she answered.

  Someone lived there, that wasn't an adult lifer moving in? Reeves dusted his hands off and pushed his tinted shades higher on his nose. Act casual This is normal. Your one chance to have a relationship, a wife, kids, and never to be lonely again. “Hello. Welcome to Hidden Secret. Name?” That is not casual with a girl, Reeves!

  "Seraphina Medina."

  Oh, even her name was sexy. As they shook hands, he noticed how loose the handshake had been. Her cherry red cane wobbled from his handshake; she wasn't strong at all. Definitely human. He had at least some human in him too, that was a good start to compatibility. “I’m Reeves, Hidden Secret's Champion Paladin.”

  “Yes, Mister Reeves, I've heard of you. I’m sure I'll see you around.” Seraphina ducked out of his way and seemed to make a passing glance to Jackson. “See you later, too. Hopefully not too early.”

  Not the friendliest, but he'd seen worse and he was not picky! Conversation, make conversation. It was one of the reasons he had wanted to be retrained. If he ever met another Hidden Secret resident that was not an adult lifer? He could be with someone. Someone who understood their Secret sector ways but still wanted to date. Kiss. Have a relationship. Kids? Even kids. He could have kids with her. Sex. Marriage. Kids.

  He kept moving after her to talk again when he saw Timothy Varmen wander over. Oh no. The less time Timothy spent with her, the better. Reeves had slid between Seraphina and Timothy before Timothy came to her side. He'd grown up right beside Timothy in Hidden Secret and had known him better than anyone. “Ah, ah, what are you doing, Timmers?”

  Seraphina gave Reeves a dirty look that said ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Reeves looked between Seraphina and Timothy. “You mean he is not after you to start trouble, Girl?”

  “No.” Timothy shoved him out of the way and marched over to the new resident. Reeves felt out of place as he watched Timothy place his arm around her shoulder in a proud stance. “She is my girlfriend. Not my friend who is a girl, but a genuine girlfriend. We are going to go on a first date soon.”

  His? He already made a move. Reeves felt his face cringe, but with a quick chuckle, hid it. He had to remember his manners. He was the role model of every adult and child in Hidden Secret. There were few around who ever picked up the slack. She could not have been here long. There’s no way I am losing this chance because of him. Marriage was the end of the draw, until then, she was still a fair deal to go after. For now, he slapped on a smile. “Oh. My mistake.”

  “So, Seraphina,” Timothy said in a powerful voice, wanting to rub in his mistake. “Want to come over tomorrow morning again?”

  “It’s nice to get away from all the noise,” Seraphina nodded, “sure.”

  Timmers jumped up and down as Seraphina left from view. That guy reveled in being taken as a normie.

  Reeves often dissuaded relationships there, but Timothy had gone through the retraining program, just like him. He had no choice. “Good for you,” Reeves said. “I guess everyone has someone."

  “Yes, and don’t get any ideas Reeves,” Timothy embellished as he poked his metallic Champion medallion. “Seraphina would never go for you. You have no chance, Stupid. Ha, Loser.” Timmer teased him as he held his two fingers up in a condescending peace sign. He headed back to his house.

  “Watch your language!” Reeves called out to him. Honestly, stupid? What a horrible word. No chance, no way. I’m not losing to you.

  Chapter 3

  Seraphina yawned as she continued her shopping. Hidden Secret shopping mall wasn’t the most exciting place in the world, but it was the only thing the sector had. Groceries, supplies, post office, everything was in the mall. The people who ran it were definitely from different sectors or colonies. Every one of the residents played. All day. How could they afford to live in their homes when they only played? She shrugged and looked at her list. “Let’s see, oops!”

  “Oops! I’m sorry.” A girl apologized. She had a small basket of groceries that dumped everywhere. Honestly, the girl couldn’t have been much older than ten years old, and she had to shop for herself. Seraphina bent down and put her cane on the side of her to help the girl with her groceries. “Thanks for the help, that’s surprising coming from you,” the girl said as she gathered up her groceries once again. “I’m glad the eggs didn’t break; Marcus would have been upset.” Seraphina helped pick up groceries while looking at the girl. There were at least a hundred children running around the sector, and at least twenty adults, but she had seen this girl more than once. “I’m Rebecca,” The girl said as she picked her basket back up.

  “Oh yes, Rebecca.” Seraphina gestured with her finger. “I remember now, you loved playing early in the morning by my house. Oh, Timothy lets me stay with him during early lights now.”

  “We already knew that. Nothing happens in Hidden Secret in secret.” Rebecca raised her eyes up to her slowly. “Why do you want to be with Timothy all day in a house though? Don’t you want to get up as the lights come on?” Rebecca grinned widely. “Get up and go play?”

  Seraphina picked up her cane and steadily pushed herself back up. She couldn’t help but chuckle at Rebecca. She had once been the same as her, oh how lovely life used to be.

  “I spilled my groceries and you helped me. I can’t figure you out,” Rebecca said as she seemed to study Seraphina. “Timothy Varmen would have laughed if I spilled groceries in front of him. He'd probably even grab something and take off with it, making me run off after him. You got down and helped, and you didn’t have to, but you’re dating Timothy. One of the worst people in the area.”

  Seraphina shrugged at Rebecca. Timothy wasn’t completely human either. Hardly anyone is, which was the reason the horrendous Secrets existed in the first place. It was supposed to be ‘a way of life of the Mondal race’ or the ‘religion of the Spectre species never to outgrow dependence’. They were only convenient excuses though. Most of the people there were human or bipedal at least. Not Spectres or Mondals or anything like that. Which meant it really was just an expensive place to store children away, and to not assume responsibility for them.

  Still, Seraphina didn’t speak of her opinion out loud. Best to be plain, simple, and out of the way. She was there for cover, she didn’t need to be making waves.

  “Are you going to bring trouble into our sector?” Rebecca had to ask. “Sorry to blurt it out, I know Reeves would say it’s rude, but I want to know. Everyone saw the way you were with Reeves. Are you going to take out the fun?”

  “No,” Seraphina said, “I’m not going to stir up anything in this sector.” She grabbed a box of gelatin and looked at it. Sugar free? She decided to put it back. She needed spice in her life. Salt, cinnamon, sugar, sweets, it was about all she had at times.

  “But it’s what Timothy lives for,” Rebecca complained, "he's always being mean. Reeves has to get on him const
antly."

  “He hasn’t been that bad lately.” Seraphina put regular gelatin in her cart as she heard the belly ache continue.

  “That’s only because he’s trying to get you to be with him for good before he tries something,” Rebecca accused him. “He’s bad news.”

  Seraphina pedaled the cart with the girl trailing behind. “Timothy is condescending because he believes the way this area runs is not right. Timothy will never do anything too bad, trust me." She grabbed a piece of already made pie from the freezer section. On the cover was a key lime pie with a fancy top with holes that made it appear more delicious. She plopped it in her cart delicately and noticed the look Rebecca was giving her. “Are you trying to figure me out still?”

  Rebecca nodded. “You shouldn’t eat too many sweets, Reeves says so. Hidden Secret doesn’t have a dentist, and you must go to a public area of the colony for dentistry. It’s annoying, and you don’t want to do it more than you must, and if you keep eating stuff like that, you’ll have to go three or four times. Reeves says so. He has to make Timmers go five times a year.” She touched her chin and tapped it three times. “You’re not normal.”

  Hmph. Reeves fit into the classical Paladin role. “I’ll see you later, Rebecca, I need to pick up my prescription.” Seraphina walked over to the pharmacy and knocked on the window. “Hello? I’m here to pick up my prescription."

  Timothy held a candy bar up to her mouth. Oh, how she wished she could bite into the swirls of caramel and chocolate. “No. I can’t,” Seraphina said as she munched on a carrot. Carrots. Disgusting orange things coming out of the dirty ground. The top was all leafy and dry, the same as her taste buds right now. He asked what was wrong, knowing she never turned down any sweet. Seraphina told him how they couldn't fill her prescription as she stared at the nasty distasteful carrot. “The medicine is too dangerous for Hidden Secret,” she said as she twiddled with her fingers. She didn't know how to say what she had to next, so she blurted out the truth. “I can’t stay in Hidden Secret anymore, Timothy. I have to go back to my original colony, Calibri.”

  She watched as Timothy stood up, his candy bar left on the side of the couch. “Impossible," he said, "I will get whatever it is you need. I am your boyfriend after all.”

  “Not this, we’ve dated once and I come stay with you sometimes in the morning,” she corrected him. Boyfriend was not the term. “Sorry. Just? It’s not worth it for you to get this involved after one date,” Seraphina said. “They won’t accept my public insurance, only private insurance. Public is the only way I can pay.”

  “Well I'll figure out something, we should be able to get proper paperwork filled out.” Timothy grabbed his bar again and held it out to her. “Don’t worry about a thing. You are my girlfriend, and I will take care of you, like it or not. So, would you like a bite?”

  Like it or not? “Timothy, you aren’t some Sugar Daddy. I am stressed enough already.” Seraphina curled up her legs on the couch. “I can’t eat that, it's too much. The sugar alone could kill me.”

  “Sugar, what?” Timothy looked stunned. “The little white powder in packets? Are you sure?”

  “Without the medication, I’ll die. If I push myself too hard, I’ll die. If I get stressed out, I’ll die.” Seraphina hated this part, explaining her condition. Most people thought it was fake, and even Timothy had doubts. “I have JNSQ and only the medication can save me. I have to leave before I run out.” She held up one finger. “I only have one week’s worth left, and I'm not wasting one pill while I'm in Hidden Secret.”

  “What’s JNSQ?” Timothy asked. “Never heard of it.”

  “Je Ne Sais Quois. It’s French for the expression, ‘I don’t know what’. It’s the scientific community’s nice way of saying nobody knows or understands it. It’s a malformed hero gene. Only those with superpowers are susceptible to contracting it. Most say it's a myth, but the danger of regular food is enhanced many times over for me. A third of a grilled cheeseburger could give me a heart attack. Sugar becomes like hydrochloric acid to my body. You get the gist? If I don't take my medication and eat pretty much anything, I will die,” Seraphina answered back. “I’m sorry, Timothy, even this carrot.” She looked at it with distaste. "If I ate it all, I might change color from the beta carotene. There's no way around it."

  “Okay,” Timothy said as he took another bite of his candy bar. “I was left this house and a small fortune, so I can just-"

  "No, don't!" Seraphina insisted for the third time. “I’ve called my sister Tracy. She’s coming to get me, and then I’m out of here for a couple of months." Maybe for good. She didn’t like Timothy acting like that. She oversaw her own life. One date did not equal boyfriend, nor would she let him pay for everything like that.

  "Wait! Will you come back to me?" Timothy's voice was soft as he said those words.

  “Maybe with an attitude adjustment,” she warned him. He gave her his biggest, saddest eyes. It wouldn’t be right to just oust him out that fast for stepping over the line. He wasn’t exactly good at knowing relationship lines. “I get little independence from Tracy. She’s the one who takes care of me. I don’t want anyone else doing that.” Seraphina got so little. “We’ll talk when I come back.”

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  “Seraphina Medina!” Timothy ran toward her. Finally, she managed to come back. He watched her, not far away now. During the time she was gone, he called her almost every day. He got to learn about her sister too. He made sure her sister Tracy heard and saw the best qualities in him, so she would like him too. He made sure that whenever she needed to know someone was there, he was there. If he didn’t? He’d lose her, and his one chance at a normal relationship.

  Unfortunately, she also sensed that, and she agreed to friendship, but nothing else. With her back though, his chances to be a boyfriend again would surely increase. Seraphina took out her pill container and shook it at him as she continued to walk toward him too. Okay, be careful. Don’t assume she will come back to you. Don’t assume she wants taken care of. If he messed up, he’d never get another date.

  “I'm getting a little low, but I can get them filled here.” Seraphina stopped in her tracks and looked to the side. “Timothy, that boy’s in the street!”

  Timothy thought nothing of it. Only residential cars were allowed in Hidden Secret, and since most lived away, bringing a car all the way there wasn’t common. There was hardly ever traffic. Besides, if anything bad happened, Reeves would be responsible. Even if he was a Paladin, Timothy hated to admit, he did have- “Seraphina?” Everything happened in a blur for him, he barely caught what happened. The lightly tapping echo of the cane fell into a loud thunk as it hit the ground and he watched as she ran into the road where a limousine had been coming down the street.

  “Reeves!” Simps yelled as he closed his eyes. The limousine wheels screeched, but the driver wouldn't be able to stop. Seraphina ran at the boy and tackled him off the road in time to avoid the car.

  Rebecca ran up to the boy along with about fifty other kids. They all squandered along Simps, but Timothy ran past the brat to check on Seraphina. He knew her heart was no doubt racing after that performance. “Why did you do that?" He felt like stomping his foot at her incompetence, she could have been hurt. He patted her cheeks but there was no response. “Seraphina.” He felt a presence behind him, a late appearance no doubt by the Paladin himself. That babysitter had been on his way to help, of course, but Seraphina had taken the initiative first. “Come on, Seraphina, get up.”

  Everyone finally decided to check up on her after they had their little social pow-wow. “Seraphina.” Timothy patted her face harder and held her hand. “Come on, Seraphina, wake up. You knew you couldn’t do that, what am I supposed to do?” Timothy turned his attention toward Reeves, the infamous babysitter. Seraphina was down because of him. Everything was always his fault. The whole sector was his fault. "Where were you?”

  “On my way,” Reeves answered. Timothy felt like rolling his
eyes as he heard the predictable words of Reeves. “She doesn’t look too good.”

  “She didn’t get hit, she knocked Simps out of the way,” another mindless kid pointed out. “She has to be fine.”

  “She’s not fine.” Timothy scolded the tempie. “She can’t be active, especially running and pushing.” He tried to lift Seraphina, but he wasn't physically fit. His adrenaline began to pump, knowing she was in trouble, and lifted her anyway. Damn the repercussions, she needed help. As he managed to get her up into his arms, he saw Reeves standing in his way. “I need to get her to my place, get out of the way.”

  “What do you mean she can’t be active?” Rebecca asked.

  “She can’t be active; it could kill her.” Timothy gestured his head at her pill bottle that fell to the ground.

  Reeves looked at the bottle for only a second, before he scooped Seraphina from Timothy’s arms and stole her away.

  Chapter 4

  Reeves paced back and forth as he looked at the girl in his bed. Oh, woman, he corrected his thoughts. Got to stop that, she hated that. He stopped beside her and tapped his medallion against his chest as he looked at her. He'd worn the medallion since the first time he became a Champion. It was a tick he had in urgent situations. The gentle back and forth sound of the chain felt on the back of his neck while it moved was comforting. He bent over her, noticing her skin was still pale, but her eyelashes had begun to flutter. He tapped his foot, unable to keep still. She was safe now, but had she known how close she had come to death? Oh, if he hadn’t been there who knows what would have happened.

  That could have been bad, but at the same time? Reeves realized he was wrong. She wasn’t fit for the villain. She moved Simps out of the way, to save him. Not only did she have a beautiful body, she had a beautiful soul too. That just couldn’t end up with him. If that wasn’t bad enough?