by Lola St. Vil
Marcus glares at me. I look away from him and focus on Alex.
“Actually, it’s the opposite. It means the being is still weak. And anything can send them over the edge,” Alex responds.
“So how would you stop a Tic from getting back into the drugs?” I ask, as I feel Marcus’s heated stare on me.
“The only Tic we were ever successful with had to be taken out of her environment permanently. She couldn’t be around the same people, go to the same places as before. She needed to start fresh.”
“Fresh starts, huh?” I say, mostly to myself.
“Yeah, she needed to cut everything and everyone out of her life who had anything to do with her past.”
“I see…” I reply as my heart sinks.
“Emmy, outside. Now,” Marcus orders.
Jay and Alex exchange a confused look as I follow Marcus out into the hallway.
“What did you tell him?” Marcus snaps.
“Nothing.”
“Then why is he talking about Tics?” Marcus demands.
“Jay brought it up, and stop yelling at me,” I reply.
“You didn’t tell him my history?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“THEN WHY DOES HE KNOW IT?”
“Okay, first, you need to watch how you talk to me. And second, I would never tell anyone, unless I spoke to you first. Lastly, the only reason you are being so defensive is because you’re worried that he might be right.”
“He’s not right. I am not going to relapse. I’m in the middle of a mission and that’s where my focus is, right now. So I need you to let it go.”
“I want to, Marcus, but we can’t just act like CP isn’t a factor, here.”
“It’s not.”
“What if you relapse, especially with everything going on?” I push.
“You are making me so sorry I told you. Seriously, just let it go.”
“You almost went back to the drug that nearly killed you. This addiction is very much like the addiction your mother faced, remember?”
“No, I don’t remember. I’m clueless. Please remind me, Emmy, why did my mother kill me again?” He says sardonically.
“You can be as sarcastic as you want, but the truth is, addiction could be hereditary. You could be just as dependent on CP as your mom was to her drug.”
“Emmy, I told you I wouldn’t do CP again, ever.”
“How many times did your mom relapse? And how many times did she say she’d never do it again?”
“Emmy, let it go,” he warns me.
“How long did it take between relapses? Did she go months or days without—”
“DAMN IT, I SAID LET IT GO!”
Every one of the guests on our floor opens their door to see what all the noise is about, including Jay and Alex. Marcus tries to steady his voice as he assures everyone that things are fine and they can go back inside. We wait until we are alone again before we start speaking.
“I’m sorry I’m not handling the news of your near relapse as well as you think I should, Marcus,” I snap.
“I know you’re concerned and I know that it scares you to think I could go back to that life, but you’re going to have to trust me,” he replies in a softer tone.
“It’s not that simple. When it comes to CP, you’re not yourself.”
“I don’t know what else you want me to say. I almost went back. I didn’t. That has to be good enough for you, Emmy, because that’s all I have.”
Before I can replay, Rage exits the elevator and rushes over to us.
“I think I’ve got it!” he says excitedly.
“You know what the riddle means?” I ask.
“Yeah, at least part of it, I think.” He replies.
“Okay, what is it?” Marcus pushes.
“In the human world, another word for ‘Lucy’ is ‘devil’. We never call her that, but that’s what she is, right?” Rage asks.
“Yeah, so what?” Marcus says.
“So what if instead of looking for phrases that start with the world ‘Lucy’ we look for things that have the word ‘devil’ in them?” Rage suggests.
“Okay so the ‘Devil’s Ashes’. That doesn’t really change much.” Marcus replies.
“No, but it’s a new place to start,” Rage says.
“He’s right, let’s see what Jay can make of it,” I reply as we head back into the room.
Rage has Jay look up phrases that start with the word “devil.” We find a lot, but none of the phrases connect to our lives in any way.
“If we were wrong about the meaning of the word ‘Lucy,’ maybe we were wrong about what kind of ‘ash’ we’re looking for, too,” I suggest.
“What else makes ashes aside from a body that’s cremated?” Jay asks.
“Ashes can from burning wood, coal, volcanoes...” Marcus responds.
Jay enters Marcus’s suggestion into the search engine in hopes we find something worthwhile.
“Ashes also come from cigarettes. Maybe Lucy smokes,” I say, jokingly.
“That’s it!” Rage declares.
We look over at him and find a big grin on his face. We ask him what’s going on. He doesn’t answer. He just takes Jay’s place in front of the laptop and types in another phrase.
“YES!” He shouts.
“C’mon yo, what is it?” Jay asks.
“The devil probably has lung cancer!” He replies.
“Okay, we don’t get it,” I admit.
“Remember when Ameana sent me out to go get the flower for her? I had to go online so I’d know what it looked like. I found this site that lists a bunch of other flowers. They had stupid names like ‘morning glory’ and crap, but there was one that stuck with me, because of its name; it made me think how sick and twisted it would be if Lucy could actually get lung cancer,” Rage says,
“There’s a flower called devil’s cancer?” I ask.
“No, but there is a very rare fungus that comes close,” Rage says, signaling us to come closer.
We all take a look at the screen. Before us is the picture of a rust colored flower. It’s split in the center and spreads out into six long petals. We look at the name under the flower.
The Devils Cigar.
“I was curious, so I clicked,” Rage says as he clicks the link for us to see.
The link takes us to a site of the same name. There are several pictures of the elusive flower and the site talks in detail about its history and origins.
“I think this is it. It has to do with ‘Lucy,’ who, to humans, would be called the devil. And cigars produce ashes…” Rage says.
“Yeah, but what’s the connection? I don’t think the Shoma would pick this site just because it was the one you landed on when you were looking to get Ameana a flower,” Marcus replies.
“That’s not the reason why the site matters to me,” he says, not wanting to say any more.
“This is not the time to clam up. Tell us why this site matters to you. If the reason is personal and dear to you, then this might just be what we are looking for,” I insist.
We all wait with bated breath for Rage to explain his attachment to the site. He looks around at us and I can tell he really does not want to share the information, but thankfully, he gets past it and opens up.
“Ameana and I have kept in contact with the Healer/doctor chick, to make sure we were doing everything right. She said the Sib might try to connect with me just like he connects to his mother. And if so, Ameana’s markings would glow. I whispered in Ameana’s ears for days, but nothing happened. I thought the Sib just couldn’t connect to me, because I’m a…you know.”
“So, what happened that night to make the site so special?” Marcus asks.
“I was holding Ameana’s hand and jokingly whispered to the Sib ‘you better love me more than you love your mother, because I’m the one who had to go to the four corners of the Earth to get what you crave.’”
“And?”
“And it responded. Her mar
kers began to glow; this is the site I was on when my son recognized my voice.”
I didn’t realize I was hugging Rage until I had my arms around his chest. I had to embrace him. There was so much pride and love in his voice; it was impossible not to be happy for him. All the guys in the room get choked up too, but they do what guys do when that happens; they look away.
“I guess this site is really important to you, so that fits. Now what?” Marcus asks.
“Now, we go to Texas,” Jay says.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because the Devil’s Cigar is one of the rarest flowers in the world. According to Wikipedia, it only grows in two places: Japan and Texas.”
“So why not Japan?” Marcus asks.
“Because Texas is having an exhibition of rare flowers and their main attraction is the ‘Devils Cigar.’”
“Perfect, get everyone back here. We need to—”
Marcus never gets to finish his sentence. The room explodes into a white ball of heat. The searing blaze rips through the room. We are all catapulted into the air among the debris of what was once the Plaza Hotel.
The Guardians are able to gain their balance in time, but Alex and I plummet toward the ground with nothing to break our fall…
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
WORRY
If anyone stands a chance of catching us, it’s Marcus. Unfortunately we are too far apart for him to save us both. He can only grab hold of one of us, me or Alex, but at the last second, he chooses not to rescue either of us. Instead he pushes me so that I collide into Alex midair. Ameana calls for a nearby dumpster to open up. We land inside it, just seconds later.
My body is used to landing atop random hard surfaces. I’m even used to the rancid smell of refuse and having trash in my hair. Alex, on the other hand, is shocked at the events that have occurred in the past few minutes. His eyes are wide in terror. All around us, humans are screaming and running for cover, while power balls are whizzing above our heads.
“What’s going on?” He asks as he pokes his head out of the dumpster.
“I’m not sure, but keep your head down,” I reply.
“Emerson, we have to get out of here.”
“It’s better if we stay.”
But Alex isn’t listening to me. The adrenaline from free falling has him on high alert. He searches frantically for a place for us to run to. He starts climbing out of the dumpster.
“Alex, no!” I shout.
I am too late. Once Alex sticks his head out, he’s seen by one of the attackers, who then flings a power ball straight at him. Alex is frozen in fear and can’t bring himself to do anything, but watch as death comes for him.
I yank him back down toward me. I manage to stop the power ball from taking his head off, but it makes contact with the rim of the dumpster and blows up. We are once again airborne. We are about to smash through a plate glass window when a firm wind picks us up and carries us over to the alley. I breathlessly thank Jay for his last minute rescue.
“You know how I do, baby girl,” Jay says with a sly grin.
“It’s the Believers attacking us?” I ask.
“Yeah, looks like it.”
“How did they know where we were?”
“No idea, I gotta get back,” Jay says.
“I can help,” I offer.
“No, there are already too many humans around. You good, man?” Jay says, turning his attention to Alex.
Alex shakes his head to indicate that he’s fine. Jay and I exchange a look of disbelief.
Alex isn’t fine. I signal to Jay that I will look after him. Jay takes off and joins the battle once again.
Alex and I have a perfect view from the alley. We are out of sight, but we can see everything that’s happening. We watch as a Believer throws power balls into the crowd of humans in order to slow down the team.
Marcus signals for Jay to take out the Believer, but before Jay can Glide over to help, a female Believer tackles him. She crawls on top of him, opens her mouth and inhales deeply. I can see grey fumes coming off Jay’s body.
“She’s sucking his soul out,” I tell Alex.
I look around desperately for someone who can help Jay. Marcus has his hands full. He is pulling humans out of the hotel as the flames intensify. The billowing smoke overwhelms many guests, and renders them unconscious. Marcus picks up as many of the victims as he can and carries them to safety.
I turn my attention to Rage. He sends fireballs into a crowd of Believers. At least six of them catch fire. He prepares to launch another attack, but he’s taken by surprise from behind. A Believer, with a tattoo of a lion on his face, blasts Rage and sends him careening through the air and into a nearby skyscraper.
Immediately, the glass shatters and starts to fall. Alex and I take cover under a cardboard box as the glass rains down on us. Rage manages to survive the attack, but he is now busy with a slew of Believers hell bent on killing him.
Miku sings softly to a group of Believers, but they are dying too slowly. She needs to sing louder, which she won’t do because there are too many humans around. She calls for Ameana to help her. The second in command uses her power to make a truck fall over onto the crowd of Believers.
Ameana is too busy to notice the daggers headed her way. Eta waves her hand in order to pause time, but nothing happens. Ameana is still in the line of fire. Marcus, having rescued all the guests, races to Ameana’s side, just in time to knock her out of the way.
Meanwhile the Believer woman is only moments away from sucking all the soul out of Jay. There’s no use waiting, every member of the team is busy and I will not let that succubus bitch kill my friend.
“I’m going to help Jay, stay here,” I order Alex.
“No, you’ll get hurt,” he protests.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I’m coming with you,” he insists.
“No,” I reply.
“We both go or we both stay,” he says, trying to steady the nerves in his voice.
Looking at him, it’s clear he’s petrified; yet he speaks bravely. And, even though I’m sure he’d rather be anywhere but here, he is sticking with me.
“Okay,” I agree, looking around for a weapon of some kind.
I find a broken table in a corner, with one leg. I break off the leg and make it into a makeshift bat. I hand it to Alex, who then asks what I will use for weapon. I look around and can’t find anything other than a beer bottle. So I grab one and smash the end of it.
“Let’s go,” I instruct.
We weave in and out of the battle madness and head straight for Jay. We are only a few yards away from him when a power ball cuts through the air and heads straight for Alex.
I leap up and pull him to the ground. The power ball misses him—mostly.
The blast managed to make contact with Alex’s head. It sears into the flesh on his forehead and splits it wide open. Blood runs from his open wound down the side of his face and he screams in agony.
“Take your shirt off and use it to stop the bleeding. You’re going to be okay,” I promise him.
He does as I say and we wait a few moments to see if the bleeding stops. While it doesn’t stop completely, it does slow down; Alex is able to catch his breath again. That’s when I turn my attention back to Jay.
The Guardian is now still and almost completely drained of soul. He is turning a sickly grey and his eyes are closed. I crawl on my hands and knees, so as to take the Believer by surprise.
It works. I stab her in the back with the jagged bottle and she sends a blood-curdling scream into the air. She’s in too much pain to focus on killing Jay, but as bad as the pain is, it’s not enough to kill her.
I can fix that…
I drive the bottle deeper into her body. She wails as I twist it inside her. I then mercilessly yank it out. The Believer’s guts ooze out of her body and spill onto the “teeth” of the bottle. She goes silent and falls face first onto Jay’s chest.
I call out Jay’s name a
nd am relieved when he moans and moves his head. He even manages to give me a smile, though it is a weak one. He whispers something, but I can’t hear it. I lean in closer and ask him to repeat what he said.
“Some girls can’t take no for an answer,” he jokes.
“You better get up before I tell Miku you had a girl all over you,” I reply as I lovingly take his hand in mine.
Thankfully, a short while later, the team manage to kill most of the Believers responsible for the blast. The others flee quickly, fearing for their lives. The team helps get the humans the medical attention they need and Marcus has Jay Convince the crowd of humans the whole thing never happened. It takes some time, but finally the situation is under control.
Half an hour later, I find Alex sitting on the steps of an apartment building, a few yards away from all the commotion, looking very much in shock. His forehead has been stitched but a few drops of blood trickle from other minor scrapes on his face. He only has one sneaker on. He isn’t searching for the other one. He isn’t doing anything, but looking out into space.
I spot the other sneaker not far from me. I pick it up and head over to him. I ask if he’s okay and he just nods. I sit down beside him as puts the sneaker on. Unfortunately, he can’t steady his hands long enough to tie the laces.
“Alex, it’s okay if you’re…”
“I’m not scared. I’m not,” he says firmly.
However steady his tone is, his hands betray him. They simply won’t stay still. I go to help him, but he pulls away.
“Look, it’s your first time being attacked so it’s okay to be…a little freaked out. But don’t worry, you get used to it. I did,” I assure him.
“Do you hear yourself, Emerson?” He asks, sounding heart broken.
“What?”
“You were just blown into the sky. You could have died. Why is that okay with you?”
“It’s a part of being on a mission. Like I said, you get used to it.”
“I don’t want to get used to it,” he snaps.
“Look, you need to stop trying to be brave and let me help you with your shoes. It’s no big deal.”
“You don’t have to help me.”