“Sure.”
“Oh and Kacey? Good job.”
I beamed at the phone and drove off. I raced through the abandoned streets, and it took no time at all to cross the city. I stumbled through the door in time to see Laurie walking down the stairs. She carried an overflowing gray box in her hands.
“Hey,” I said, causing Laurie to freeze in her tracks.
“Hey,” she returned. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine. We beat the bad guys.”
“You are the bad guys,” she grumbled. “I’m glad you killed him, though.”
“Thanks. Do you need a hand?”
“No, this is the last of it. I have another box, but that’s for you and Aidan.”
“Thank you.” I ran my hand through my hair as I watched her put the box in the back of her car. Watching her hurt worse than anything Drake did to me. She was more than a friend; she was my sister. I walked over to the car as Laurie slammed the trunk closed.
“Is there anything I can say to…?”
“No,” she interrupted. “I have to do this.”
“I tried so hard to save you.”
“I know.” She sighed and put her hands in her pockets as she leaned back on the car. “For what it’s worth, I don’t hate you. I hate these people you hang around. They have power, and they’re going to use it despite what any of us wants.”
“Not everyone is as bad as Drake.”
“And not everyone is as good as you,” she returned. “I’m not going to take the time to figure out which of your kind is which.”
“So where will you go?”
“Ohio State’s not a bad school. I figure I’ll transfer there, get a job, and figure life out.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
Laurie stepped into the car. I watched as it drove away. I wanted to tell her how I cared about her. I wanted to say what she meant to me, how I’d miss her, and how empty life would be without her. I’d never get the chance to say any of that. All I could do is watch her drive away. I hated it.
I walked down the path, tossing the bloodstone in the air as I did. I heard a woman clearing her throat and glanced around to see Mab standing there. She curled her scarlet lips into a grin and clapped her hands together in a slow, regular rhythm.
“I was wondering when I’d see you again,” I said. “A deal’s a deal I guess.” I tossed the bloodstone to her, and she snatched it out of the air.
“Thank you,” she said, twirling it in her fingers. “I must confess; I was unsure if you could pull it off. You’ve saved me some hassle.”
“How?”
“I had a deal with Drake that I was…unwilling to complete. Your actions make fulfilling my end of the bargain unnecessary.”
“Yeah, whatever. We’re square.”
“Not yet, there’s still the second part of the deal.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “What do you want?”
“You, my dear. You might say I’m a talent scout. I’m always searching for the latest rising star and hoping to bend them to my purposes. I want you to serve me.”
“No way,” I said, sniffing as I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I thought you cared about Aidan. Pity.”
“You keep him out of this,” I snarled, marching until I was inches from her. “This is between you and me.”
“Oh, I’m afraid it is about him. You made the deal to save his life. If you refuse to pay me what I’m due, then he’ll die in the next ten minutes.”
“This is insane!” I screamed at her. “He’s your servant! Why would you kill him to spite me?”
“I didn’t kill him, my dear. You did. He was almost killed saving your life. I spared his life at your request. However, if you don’t care about him anymore, then I have no choice but to dispose of him. “Kneel,” she hissed. “Kneel or your beloved dies. Kneel and swear yourself to me until you’ve repaid your debt tenfold.”
I dropped to my knees, my eyes downcast as Mab howled in triumphant laughter. My skin grew ice-cold, and for a second, it felt like my blood was freezing. I grunted in pain as the cold ran from my temples to my toes. My hands jutted out against my will, and a pair of shackles appeared in midair. A steel collar slapped around my neck and chains bound my arms and legs. The chains vanished from sight, but I could still feel their chill and weight pressing down on me.
“The deal is done,” she said, her voice ringing with glee as she inspected me. “You’re mine.”
I went back inside and collapsed on the couch. I was exhausted. Every muscle in my body ached and emotions of the day’s event all swirled into one blob that I wasn’t able to sort out. I stared at the TV in the living room, willing it to turn on but too tired to reach for the remote. I leaned back on the couch and closed my eyes, letting sleep claim me.
Chapter 32
The smell of frying bacon floated through the air, and the snaps and pops echoed, waking me up. I groaned as I stood, my muscles aching with a soreness I hadn’t felt in a long time. I glanced down at the table where I’d set the car keys. A post-it note was placed on top of them.
Kid,
Why don’t you go ahead and keep the car? Besides, it always pulled it to the right. Consider it payment in full for all the birthdays I missed.
Ripper
P.S. If you even think about making a big deal out of this, I will drive it into a river.
I beamed as I looked around. Ripper chatted with Aidan over a subject I couldn’t hear. Kat and Dad both hovered over the skillet in the kitchen, huddled close to each other as they worked to make breakfast. I cocked my head, and for a second, I could swear Kat kissed Dad on the cheek. I shook my head, dismissing the thought as I stood up on the couch. Frank grabbed a bag and set it near the door, a woman kissing him as a small child raced along his feet. He winced as he hauled the bag over his shoulder, smiling as he saw me wake up.
“Hey,” I said as I stood up, wincing as I walked over to him.
“Hey. You all right?”
“Every muscle in my body is sore,” I complained. “But other than that, I’m okay.”
“Considering a building fell on you, I’d say that’s a good way to feel.”
“The building didn’t fall on me. I bailed out before it fell. How are you?”
“I’ve been better, and I’ve been worse,” he said. “I wanted to say goodbye before I left.”
“You’re not sticking around?”
“This isn’t my idea of a fun job. I’ve done exciting and life-threatening; I’m searching for something less interesting.” He walked over and shook my hand, a warm grin on his face. “That said if you ever need anything…”
“We’ll give you a call,” I promised. The three walked out the door with Frank giving me one last wave. I groaned as I stood up, Aidan and Ripper inspecting me as I strolled over.
“How are you feeling?” Aidan asked, wrapping me in a hug.
“I'll be alright,” I assured him. He leaned down and kissed me, pressing me closing to him as he did. A fire burned through me at the touch, and I gave him a grin as I broke away.
“Thank you,” I said to Ripper, causing him to snort.
“Try not to wreck the damn thing,” he said.
“What’s the aftermath?” I asked Ripper as he glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck.
“The usual. Olympus declared they had always planned to demolish the building tonight. They just lost the paperwork,” Ripper replied.
“That’s weird. Why would they cover like that?”
“What are they supposed to say? That their CEO went mad, lost a duel, and sent the roof of the building crashing into his tower? Even if people bought that, it would be a nightmare and send stock prices plummeting.”
“And Drake?”
“Official word is he died, in his bed, of a heart attack. Other than that, the police attributed the shootout to a runaway fugitive. We were lucky.”
“Oh come on, people buy that?”
“Of course not,” Ripper scoffed. “You can’t keep a secret by lying to people, no matter how convincing the lie. You have to keep them asking questions and make it seem more believable than the truth. Still, we made one or two bloggers famous today,” he said, pulling out a photo. It showed me from the back, leaping away from the building. The tattoo I had of a raven was visible between the severed straps of my tank top. I groaned at the sight of it.
“What are they saying?”
“Nothing of value. They said Drake was responsible for everything that happened and you stopped him. They’re calling you The Raven.”
“That nickname sucks,” I grumbled. “How bad is it?”
“No one’s taking them seriously so far, but it could explode. How would you like to be famous?” Ripper asked, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smile.
“I wouldn’t.”
“Oh, the Council faxed this in today,” Ripper said, holding up a folder. “You’re a Sentinel. They want you to stay. Some higher up thinks this situation may cause problems in the future.”
“Awesome,” I said, grinning as I leafed through the folder and found a paycheck waiting for me. “So I guess it’s Kat and I.”
“And me,” Ripper grumbled. “You have no discipline, little talent, and not enough training. If you think I’m letting you loose on the streets like that, you’re crazy. What about you, kid?” he asked, turning toward Aidan. “Need a job?”
“I already have one. I won’t be far if you guys need help, though,” Aidan replied.
“You better. I need to keep you around, see if you’re good enough for our girl.”
“I’m two feet from you,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I saw you,” Ripper said, walking off. I walked into the kitchen and saw Kat and my dad separated in a flash, each one glancing around.
“How’s it going, kiddo?” Dad asked, taking a long drink of coffee. He grabbed a pair of crutches and limped over to me. He pulled me in for a hug, kissing the top of my head as we separated.
“Fine. How are you?” I asked, staring at his leg.
“I’m fine. It was a clean break. A few months and I’ll be right as rain. Did Ripper give you the good news?”
“Yeah, he did. It seems like I’m going to be working with my old man.” He choked on his coffee as I beamed up at him.
“I’m afraid not. This was a one-time show, no encores. I’m too old for this crap; I want to go back to my old job. I want to watch reality TV with my daughter and complain that no one listens anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” Dad said, giving me a smile as he hobbled along, setting the table. “If I tried to help, you’d spend all your time trying to make sure I didn’t get hurt.”
“Alright.” I’d had a mental picture of my dad and I, driving across the country, taking down evil and hunting monsters. Dad must have sensed this, and he limped over, setting his hand on my shoulder.
“You don’t need me, Kacey. My best days are behind me. You have done so well, and I am so proud of you. You have abilities I could never even dream of. Besides,” he said, setting down the dishes and pointing toward Kat, “you’ll have one of the best partners I’ve ever seen.” Kat blushed and stared at the pan of bacon.
I grinned. “Yeah, I guess you don’t suck,” I said, causing Kat to let out a bark of laughter.
“Well thanks for the vote of confidence,” she replied, crinkling her nose as she glanced at me. She filled plates with heaping piles of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. I grabbed the plates, setting them in the middle of the table as I shooed Dad away. I motioned Dad to a seat, fixing the rest of the table despite his protests.
“So is this a thing?” I asked Kat, raising an eyebrow. “We save the world, and we get eggs?”
“No, you save the city, and you get eggs. Saving the world comes with cake.”
“Damn, I better get to work then,” I said as Ripper and Aidan walked over. “No sausage? Dad used to make this maple syrup flavored sausages that were amazing.”
“We were out.”
“Okay, we have to keep a better-stocked kitchen if I’m going to be working at The Mansion.”
“I could always fire you,” Ripper quipped, sitting down and reaching for the plate of bacon. Dad smacked his hand as he reached for them, an annoyed glance toward his friend as he gestured to the rest of us. Ripper chuckled as I carried the last remaining trays of food to the middle of the table. As Kat, Aidan and I joined them he held out his hands, stopping everyone as they reached for food.
“You know, we did the impossible last night,” he said, smiling at us. “There were times I didn’t think any of us were going to make it out alive. Every time I believed that your bravery, skill and tenacity astonished me. I am…not an emotional person, as many of you know. But I would like you all to know I am blessed to work with you. If it weren't for you, any of you, we wouldn’t have been able to succeed. So, I want to say,” he fell into a series of mumbles, and I grinned.
“What was that? You kind of stopped talking,” I teased, causing him to glare at me.
“Thank you. Eat before I start beating the lot of you.”
We all laughed as we piled on food. I glanced around, my heart swelling as I beamed at everyone. For once, I started looking forward to the future. I had a job I enjoyed, friends I loved, and family I couldn’t live without. The future wasn’t some vague torment I had to endure. I still missed my mom, but I felt free of the guilt over her death. She freed me for something greater. I was meant to save people, track down monsters and hold the line against the creatures that prey during the night. I wasn’t a broken teenager anymore. I wasn’t a grieving child.
I was a Sentinel.
About the Author
Thomas Atwood grew up on the classics. His father would give him books every Easter about King Arthur, Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. He would write stories about the continuing adventures of the characters so that he would be able to experience those adventures again and again. Those stories became short stories and novels about his own characters. He can be found behind his computer, imagining new worlds and new heroes to delight readers.
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