Icefire

by Alessandra Jay

  “Yes, sir?”

  Juliet ate her heavenly froyo as she watched Nik’s eyes change from calm to alert within seconds. Without a second thought, he threw his cup in the garbage and grabbed Juliet’s arm as she tried to hold her dessert in order.

  “Excuse me! I am not giving this up. It’s cookie butter. They never have this flavor. I don’t care what’s happening, I wanna finish my…”

  Nik gently placed his hand over Juliet’s sticky lips to stop her from finishing her sentence.

  Quickly hanging up his phone, Nik continued to move in silence as he stuck his back to the wall. Juliet knew it was important to follow his command. And she would, but she would do it with her frozen yogurt in her hands. Juliet followed his lead and walked with her back to the wall.

  They continued down the street that way until they came to a bar. Juliet was quick to know it wasn’t the same bar from her last fiasco outside of the Dome. That didn’t mean it wasn’t just as triggering, even if she was distracted with yogurt.

  Nik placed an earpiece into his ear, then peeked through the foggy window and began to whisper. Juliet knew he wasn’t speaking to her, but she still listened. The last thing he would want to do was repeat himself if they were in a dire situation.

  “Yes, I’m here. There are at least six inside. Yes, we're safe.” Juliet finished her cup, but held onto it as Nik waited for his next order.

  “No, sir, I do not agree with that. That’s too dangerous. I know, but she’s not trained for a recon mission, sir. Okay.” Nik removed the earpiece and turned to Juliet, placing both of his hands on her shoulders.

  “Jay, I need you to focus. That was your dad. He said there were vampire sightings, and he was correct. We have been tracking them for a while, and protocol states that I have to trail them safely. Normally I would already be in there. Since you’re here, it has to change. Your dad says to bring you with me, but I don’t know how good of an idea that is.” Nik broke eye contact for just a moment. Enough time for Juliet to get offended.

  “Excuse me? Why don’t you think it’s a good idea?” Juliet tried to keep her cool because of the vampires sitting inside the bar, just on the other side of the wall they were on.

  “You don’t know the signals and you haven’t been trained in anything that has to do with this kind of situation. If you blow our cover, we'll be in a lot of trouble.” Nik tried to keep his voice down and calm as he explained to her that it wasn’t personal. But Juliet was still not happy.

  “I’ll be just fine. I know it, my dad knows it, and I know you know it. So let’s go.” Juliet threw her empty cup in the trash can outside of the bar and stomped her way back over to her nervous boyfriend.

  “We don’t have any other choice, Juliet. Please listen to me. This is serious. You have to keep your cool. Don’t let them know we’re shifters. That’s the number one rule. Next--” Nik was cut off as the door to the bar opened.

  Thinking quick, Nik threw himself against Juliet, pinning her to the wall, and placing his lips on hers. The group of vampires walked right by them without so much of a chuckle. Nik pulled away, leaving Juliet breathless and tingly all over.

  As she cleared her throat, Nik smirked down at her with the same hungry craze in his eyes. The last of the vampires turned the corner and it snapped Nik back into soldier mode. He grabbed her hand and took big strides to catch up to the bloodsuckers. They were lucky the streets were filled. They could use it as a cover to walk beside the vampires.

  Nik and Juliet acted like they were in their own conversation when they were both trying to overhear what the vampires were saying. The streets were too noisy and it frustrated Juliet. She closed her eyes and tuned into her phoenix’s sense of hearing. Within seconds, she could hear everyone around her much louder and with an echo.

  It took her a moment to hone in on their group. When she did, she closed her fist tighter around Nik’s. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing and she couldn’t wait to relay the message. When she heard enough, she was the one to lead them in the opposite direction. Looking back and making sure they weren’t being followed, she finally stopped.

  “They broke off from the other vampires that attacked us. They went rogue.” She tried to catch her breath as Nik placed his hands on his head upon hearing the bad news.

  “That’s not even the worst part, Nik. They're formulating a plan to attack again. But they want to start with the teachers.” It was all she heard before she had to get away. Being that close to them brought her anxiety like no other and she wanted to avoid having another episode.

  “No, no, no. We have to get back to the Dome. We have to tell your dad so he can tell the teachers. I have to warn my mom.”

  It was Nik’s turn to panic and he didn’t hide it one bit which was understandable since his mother was a teacher at the school. Rushing through the streets, they got to the train station in record time. With one more cautious look back, Juliet made sure there were no vampires in sight. Nik was afraid of Juliet’s ability to handle the situation, but he seemed to be having a hard time, himself.

  Juliet vowed to keep her head on straight because she wanted to help. And for her to do that, she had to prove to her father that she was ready.

  Chapter 13

  Militia Meeting

  Nik went straight to see his mother the moment they returned to the Dome. He thought it would be better for her to hear the warning from him before she had to hear it publicly. Juliet went straight to her dad. Which wasn’t hard, since he was there waiting for them upon their return.

  Nik seemed more flustered than Juliet, which was something her father took notice of. Because the moment Nik was out of sight, Malachai threw his arm around his daughter.

  “That was really good quick thinking out there, using your phoenix ears for recon. That’s exactly what I would've done. And Nik was worried that you couldn’t handle it.” He nudged his elbow into her arm as he looked over the report.

  “He’s just worried about his mom. He wants to warn her so she doesn’t leave.” It was the truth and she knew it had nothing to do with his trauma from the ambush, or so she hoped.

  “Well, what you heard calls for an emergency meeting with the rest of the militia. Why don’t you go get cleaned up and ready for bed? We can talk tomorrow about what’s to change.” Even with pride bursting out of him, he still looked out for her. Only it rubbed her the wrong way. She was tired of them making decisions for her and telling her she wasn’t ready for certain things.

  “I’d actually like to stay for the meeting. Can students sit in on them?” The second she asked the question, she knew it had made her father's night. His eyes lit up and he couldn’t fight the smile from spreading across his face.

  “Not normally, but you’ll be there with me, so you’ll be fine. Are you sure you want to?” It was as if he couldn’t believe her.

  “Yes. I’d like to know what the plans are and how we're going to secure the safety of the teachers.” She could swear that at any moment a tear would roll down his cheek.

  “I couldn’t be more proud.” Malachai made sure no one could see how sentimental he was getting and turned to walk toward the military quarters. Juliet followed behind him without another word, knowing she’d already said enough.

  It took a total of twenty minutes to get the message out to the soldiers and to rally them up in one place. Juliet knew how important that job was to him and it brought her a sense of pride. He held such high respect from the other soldiers. It was a nice change from Dracul’s soldiers from before the major vampire attack the year prior.

  Juliet sat in the front row, next to higher ranking soldiers who kept their composure very sternly. They were all like miniature versions of her father. Even some of the women were intimidating. She tried to keep her back straight and her head forward so that they wouldn’t think of her as an unkempt teen.

  “Thank you all for coming. We have word that could potentially be dangerous for the residents of the Dome. After one
of our own trailed a group of vampires tonight, it was discovered that they are planning an attack.” Soft mutters from soldiers in the back began to stir up the room.

  “As highly trained soldiers, I expect you all to be on high alert.” That got them all to stop talking.

  “This isn’t the same group of vampires from the attack last year. This is a new group that decided to go rogue and start up their own army. It's confirmed to be the same group that we have spotted more recently in the area and we have tried to keep tabs on them. We're unsure of their size and there is no sure timeline as to when they will attack. What we do know is that they're targeting the professors first. And so, because of that threat, they have to be our top priority.”

  Her dad sounded like a brave and confident warrior as he updated his army and it made Juliet feel warm inside. She was proud to call him her father. The glistening tears in her eyes were proof of that. In a room full of valiant soldiers, she was sure to keep her sentiments in check. The last thing she needed was gossip amongst the soldiers on top of the students.

  “There will be teams set up that will guard the Dome, the teachers, and the students for extra measure. There will be an announcement about the threats so nobody feels blindsided if anything were to happen. We will continue with our precautionary system before anyone leaves the Dome. Meet with your commanding officer in approximately one hour to get your new postings and orders. Thank you.”

  Instinctively, Juliet clapped her hands. But she was the only person to do so. Every head turned in her direction with smirks on their faces. She braved an embarrassed look at her dad and wanted to bury herself in her hands when she saw him trying to hide his own smile. She looked down as the army saluted their chief.

  When they started to disperse, Juliet walked awkwardly to her father, who was talking to the other lieutenants that would be giving the soldiers their orders. Malachai patted her back as he tightened his lips into a smile, making her laugh at herself. It was a moment they shared silently and it was one she would remember forever.

  Juliet left her dad to take care of his duty, but was pumped with so much adrenaline from his speech that she went straight to her room to change. All she wanted to do was train. She wasn’t part of the shifter military, but she wanted to be able to help in any way that she could.

  She knew how much peace the training room brought her, so she put her headphones on and turned on a playlist that played rock music throughout the ages. It wasn’t her usual choice, but she liked the variety it gave her and it pumped her up just to the point she needed to be. If she were any more charged up, she would get unwanted looks from the other students that were there, and she didn’t need any more attention.

  She didn’t know how much time had passed when she finally decided to call it quits. Sweat dripped off her as her body throbbed with an addicting soreness that proved just how hard she worked. She knew she would feel it more the moment she laid in bed. But if she took a cold shower, it wouldn’t hurt as bad the next day.

  Numbly, Juliet showered then got back to her room without speaking to a single person. There was a note from Nik taped to her door, but she was too tired to read it so she took it off and placed it on her phone so she would remember the next morning. There wasn’t a thing she wanted more than a good night's sleep.

  ***

  The moment Juliet’s alarm went off, it shattered her reality. It crushed her deeply to know she would never see the dream again. What it really did was surprise her. The thought never crossed her mind before and it came out of left field.

  Juliet was a soldier in her father’s military. She fought in battles beside Nik and Malachai, and she fought well. She was highly skilled in combat and her shifting had been nearly perfected. Just by that, she knew it was just a dream. Unsure if she yearned for the success of her abilities or the fact that she was actually part of something bigger confused her to the extent that she got up feeling disoriented. Her entire body felt detached, as if she were in a lucid dream.

  With a foggy brain, Juliet made her way through the halls to get breakfast. She blamed it on the fact that she needed food after the way she trained the night before. But the dream stayed with her the entire morning.

  Normally dreams vanished from her mind almost immediately. If she were quick enough, she’d write them down. They usually didn’t make sense and she couldn’t remember them entirely, even with her notes. But her dream from last night stuck with her, and she welcomed it to stay.

  Juliet’s mind was on overload and began to pulse with a striking pain directly in her temples. The food she was chewing suddenly made her nauseous. She grabbed a tissue and spit it out, running to the trash to dump her tray.

  Walking through the halls, she made her way to Dr. Ember's office for their scheduled session. Her hands were glued to her temples, rubbing them in a circular motion. She was almost completely sure that she would have to reschedule their meeting and it brought sadness to her heart.

  Her eyes closed in a squint to block the light from piercing her eyes, making the headache worse. She desperately wanted to get to the doctor’s office just to have a chance to sit down. When she saw the door, she ran, regretting every step for bringing more pain to her head.

  Without knocking, Juliet entered and ran to the couch, throwing her shoes off and laying her legs on the pillows like Nik taught her. Dr. Ember rushed to her side, fumbling with the frozen coffee drink, and finally setting it down on the table beside the couch. The doctor looked flustered as she tucked her hair behind her ears to better assess the situation.

  “Are you okay? Does something hurt? What can I do?” She could tell how badly the doctor wanted to help.

  “My head is killing me, that’s all. I just needed to sit down ‘cause every step I took put pressure on my brain.” Juliet spoke the truth without caring how crazy she sounded. Although, with her feet off the ground, she already felt less dizzy.

  “Ah, migraine. Those are killers. You know, your drink should help a little. It's because of the caffeine. I might have some medicine here in my desk that’ll help, too. Maybe visit a harpy after you leave here for an extra touch.” As Dr. Ember ran to her desk, Juliet took a long sip of her drink. After she took the medicine, the doctor dimmed the lights and went to sit across from Juliet.

  “What do you say we rain check our session so you can get some rest?” Juliet knew she should agree with the doctor, but her drink was full. And if she wasn’t walking, it wasn’t as painful.

  “I think I’m okay enough to stay. At least to finish my drink and get my bearings.” Again, she spoke the truth because she looked forward to seeing Dr. Ember and finally letting her past out.

  “Alright. How about this, let’s keep it light. You can tell me about your time since I last saw you. We can dive into the hard stuff another day.”

  Juliet nodded, so the doctor joined Juliet on the couch.

  “I’ll put a movie on in the background in case you don’t feel well enough to continue.”

  As Dr. Ember found a musical, Juliet sipped her drink, smiling through the pain because she was happy with where she was and who she was with in that very moment.

  Chapter 14

  Support System

  “Although I’m extremely proud of how far you're getting with your progress and the journal, I know how unsafe it was for you to shift in your small room.” Dr. Ember looked at Juliet as she sipped on her own coffee drink.

  “You sound like Nik.” Juliet snickered.

  “That’s because we both care about you.”

  “I know, I know. I already promised him that I wouldn’t do it in my room anymore.” She gave the doctor a toothy smile and laid her head on the pillow next to her.

  “What about that dream--what do you think of it?”

  “I have no idea what to think. I love the way it made me feel, but it wasn’t real. Aren’t dreams supposed to make you feel that way?” Juliet didn’t want to believe that there was something more to her dream.

>   “Not when those dreams can become a reality.” The clever and intelligent doctor stumped Juliet, causing her to loudly sigh.

  “I might tell my dad about it to see how he reacts. He’s been so great lately, by the way. Thank you for helping him... all of us.”

  “I’m glad to. You know, I shouldn’t say this but I really look up to you for being so forgiving with him. I don’t know your past with your mother, but I know it rides heavily on his conscience and it really helps him knowing what a great heart you have.” Dr. Ember’s words hit a chord in Juliet and filled her with a warmth that covered her whole body.

  The mention of her mother put a thickness in the air that would only disappear if it was let out in the open. Juliet’s head still throbbed, but it was more of a pressure than a pain now that the medicine and caffeine ran through her. That kind of attentive affection was greatly appreciated by Juliet, and because of that, she was ready to open up.

  “How’s your head?” Dr. Ember asked, again proving Juliet’s point.

  “Better. Thank you for helping me.” Juliet looked down at her drink that was practically finished and set it down. She knew she wouldn’t be able to look the doctor in the eyes while she told her the story of the night her mom died.

  Reliving it brought the nausea back as her face became sweaty and flushed. When she spoke with Myreen about what occurred, it was easy because Myreen related with her, in a sense. Juliet knew the doctor wouldn’t judge her, just as Myreen didn’t. But the thought still crossed her mind, and it brought her anxiety back to the surface.

  Juliet picked up her drink again and played with the whip cream that rested on the bottom of the cup. Dr. Ember’s arms wrapped around her shoulders in a tight embrace, and Juliet instantly melted into it.

  But then the doctor pulled away, wearing that dreaded look of pity on her face. The one Juliet avoided with her life.