by Jones, L. A.
"How many witches were you able to kill Rome?"
Rome smiled. "By my own hand, hundreds. Via my commands, millions probably."
"Many of them were powerful, yes?" The Sovereign asked Rome, who nodded.
"This witch, this one girl, managed to survive when the others did not. She’s faced new trials, and emerged victorious and relatively unscathed. That is more than enough reason."
Rome nodded. “Of course, sir. Please pardon my question.”
Rome turned again to leave before this time the Sovereign stopped him. "Do you believe in fate, Rome?"
Rome hesitated. "Well. I don't know, my Sovereign. I never thought about it much. I suppose not."
"Well, I have thought about it," the Sovereign replied smoothly. "And I do believe. But I also believe in something that is far more powerful than fate, something which with careful planning can not only change fate but bend and break it."
"And what it is that?" asked Rome.
The Sovereign’s smile was all that was visible of his face beneath his heavy cowl. He turned toward Rome, and replied with a single word, "Me!"
"We need to talk!" Roy shouted, stomping over to Dax.
Dax closed and locked his locker. Coolly, he turned to look at Roy and asked, "How can I help you?"
"What did you to do to Rai-Rai?" Roy demanded.
Dax sighed. "I have no idea what you’re talking about, and either way, it’s none of your business."
He turned to walk away.
Roy would have none of it; he grabbed Dax by the shirt collar, and slammed him against his own locker.
“I’m in a good mood, as it happens, so I can let that slide,” Dax said, “but I will ask you to release my shirt. I happen to like this shirt. It reminds me of one my mother once gave me.”
"Listen up, you pathetic excuse for Count Dracula! I know you don’t like me, and frankly, I don’t think much of you. However–”
“I don’t dislike you,” Dax interrupted. “Frankly, I thought we had a budding bromance going.”
“Shut up! However, I do like Aradia! I like her hell of a lot, and I don’t want to see her upset.”
“There’s something we have in common.”
“We’re nothing alike, you and me. For example, I’m not dead.”
“Dead’s a relative word,” Dax replied. So far, his voice had not risen any higher than it would have if he’d been discussing the weather or the merits of pancakes vs waffles or anything else equally mundane. “Do you really want this? We both know I would emerge victorious.”
“At night, maybe,” Roy admitted, “but even with your SPF 100, the sun still weakens you.”
“I’ll say it nicely one final time,” Dax stated. “Take your hands off my shirt, now.”
Roy obliged, though not in the manner Dax had intended. He slid his hands from Dax’s collar to his throat.
Dax didn’t seem to mind.
Through gritted teeth, Roy asked, "give me one good reason why I shouldn’t knock you out right here and now?"
Dax replied, "You would fail to knock me out. As for a reason why you shouldn’t try, right now we are in school, and if you punch me, I would punch you back, and we both might be late for class."
"Not good enough!"
Dax was prepared for such a response. He grabbed Roy by the wrist, twisted it, and pinned him against the lockers. Roy cried out in a little pain and a lot of anger.
Dax glanced up and down the hallway. Fortunately, Roy had chosen a time when they were alone to attack him. Leaning up against Roy’s ear, Dax whispered, “I might look like a teenager, but that doesn’t mean a bloody thing. I am ten times your age boy, and one hundred times the fighter you are. I have trained in styles of which you have never heard. I was more fighter than you when your great great grandparents were cleaning your great grandparents’ diapers. Now be a good little pup. Shove off with your tail between your legs. Health is more important than pride."
Roy grunted and struggled in vain to free himself. “You might say you care about her, but you did something to hurt her, she won’t talk about it, but it’s taken her weeks to get over it. Now you two are walking around holding hands again. My guess is it’s just a matter of time before you hurt her feelings again, and I won’t let that happen."
“You delusional child,” Dax said. He released Roy and took a step back, putting some space between them. “Aradia hasn’t been moping around Salem because I ‘hurt her feelings,’ as you put it. She’s been upset because she found out she was the last survivor of a murdered race.”
Roy pulled back as if he’d been struck physically.
“And if you ever challenge me like that again, day or night, you will regret the outcome, I assure you.” Dax the took off down the hallway, neither gloating nor waiting for Roy's retaliation. Roy glared after him, eyes positively glowing with hatred.
Chapter Four
"Aradia, do you like me?" Roy asked her bluntly the first moment they found themselves alone in gym glass.
They were doing seated pulls. They placed their feet against one another and pulled back and forth, stretching arms and hamstrings. Roy was pulling Aradia when he asked the question, but Aradia reckoned the tension she felt was not merely from the cool down.
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling him toward her.
"What do you think I mean, Rai-Rai?" he replied, pulling her back. "Do you like me?"
Aradia took a deep breath. "Of course I like you."
"Yeah?" Roy smiled, as cheerful as a spring break college kid on the Vegas Strip.
"Yeah, of course,” Aradia replied, feigning ignorance of his true meaning. “You’re, like, my best guy friend."
His shoulders slumped and his grip weakened.
"No, Rai-Rai,” Roy asked as he pulled her towards him, “I mean do you like me like somebody you’d date?"
Aradia hoped Roy might mistake her gulp as a crack from her back or knees.
"I don't know, Roy," Aradia answered honestly. "I really just don’t."
He sighed and asked, "So what about Dax then?"
"What about him?" asked Aradia, yanking Roy forward.
He grunted in surprise and expanded, "Do you know how you like him? As a boyfriend?"
Aradia looked at Roy. They both straightened up. The exercise was over, but they were still clasping hands.
She decided to go with the full truth. "Roy, I don’t know if I like him that way. In all honesty, I like you both as friends. As boyfriends, I just don’t know. Can’t that be enough, for now at least?"
“Aradia, I…” he trailed off, feeling empty inside. “I really don’t know if all that makes me feel better or worse.” Unfortunately he had no time figure it out, for the bell rang and Aradia took off to the girl's locker room like a shot.
By the end of the day, Aradia's mind and emotions felt like they had been through a high speed spin cycle. The only thing she was sure of was that she could not string them on forever.
"So what’s the deal?" Rhonda asked Aradia, who calmly replied, "What do you mean?"
The two traded off houses for homework parties. Tonight they were at Rhonda’s place working on their Latin translations. They cut the work in half, Rhonda translating the first bit, Aradia the second, then they each intentionally added a mistake or two to the other’s portion to make it look like they had both done the whole exercise.
"C'mon Aradia. You’ve been acting all emo and depressed for a while.”
“I’m neither emo nor depressed at the moment.”
“I know, that’s what’s weird! You being a little mopy, whatever. Bad days. I get that. But for weeks, then a sudden one eighty? What’s going on?”
Aradia looked at Rhonda’s eyes filled with concern and worry.
She sighed. "Well, it's a bunch of things. I just found out my entire biological family is dead. They were murdered, a long time ago. Dax was leading me on, but not really. I still don’t really know where I stand with Roy. Actually I haven’t ev
en talked to him in a while, I was so shut down over the whole bio fam thing. And... Well I guess that’s it. That’s what is bothering me."
"Your biological family?" Rhonda asked, looking confused. "But what about your parents?"
"I’m adopted," Aradia replied.
"Oh," said Rhonda. “I didn’t know.”
An awkward atmosphere started to descend upon the room, but Aradia was used to this kind of reaction. “Of course you didn’t. I didn’t tell you.”
"But," Rhonda said cautiously. "You seem so normal."
Aradia burst out laughing. It’s funny how wrong people can be about things, she thought ironically.
"That’s oh for two, then," said Aradia, "because I’m definitely not normal. But let me tell you something about being adopted. It has given me one heck of an advantage over kids who live with their birth parents."
"What advantage?" asked Rhonda, cocking her head, extremely curious.
"I know for a fact that my parents love me. If they didn’t, they would have given me up years ago, or they wouldn’t have fought to get me in the first place. I might not be their birth kid, yet here I am with them still."
Rhonda smiled at Aradia's speech. Aradia just grinned in return.
“So, the other part,” Rhonda asked tentatively, “about the murders? What happened.”
Aradia thought for a moment. According to Mr. Dayton, she could spill the beans to a few humans without violating the hidden law. It would be nice, not having to lie all the time, Aradia thought. No. Rhonda has a right to live her life her way. If I told her the truth… the possibility of her life going back to normal would be basically nonexistent.
“Earth to Aradia!” Rhonda called. “You got all far away on me.”
“Oh, sorry,” Aradia said, realizing she needed to respond. “I don’t know, really. All I can be sure about is that they’re long gone. I’m the last of my… birth family.”
“If you just found this out, why are you acting all happy again? Shouldn’t you be even more depressed?”
“Nice, Rhonda,” Aradia replied.
Rhonda blushed. “That was insensitive. I’m sorry. I’m not wrong though! What gives?”
Aradia chewed on it for a moment, then replied, “I guess I just decided that although I was saddened by the truth, I shouldn’t let it consume my life. It’s hard and terrible, considering the circumstances, but what choice do I have?”
“None, nope, none at all,” Rhonda said.
Aradia's laugh was brittle. “I found out a couple weeks ago, about my old family. I guess it’s been hanging over my head. Yesterday I got confirmation.”
“Some government records or something like that?” Rhonda asked.
“Something like that,” Aradia confirmed. “I guess it’s just like this. No sorrow I feel for my relatives will bring them back. I used to be pissed, you know? That these people had given me away. If they hadn’t, though, I wouldn’t have had all the happy memories I do now. In fact, I’d probably be dead with them. Still, for the longest time, I would have given anything to have a chance to yell at them, tell them I hated them. Now I’d give anything for them to be alive and okay, even if I never saw them, just so I wouldn’t be alone in the world.”
“You know,” Rhonda said, “you might be alone in the world, but you’re not alone in this room. Want some ice cream?”
“No shit Sherlock,” Aradia replied cheerfully.
They raced to the kitchen where Rhonda pulled out a tub of Neapolitan and two spoons. Rhonda sampled from all three flavors. Aradia annihilated the strawberry section.
Suddenly, Rhonda's face turned serious.
Aradia noticed and asked, "what’s wrong?"
"Well," Rhonda began, "it seems like the biological family thing is pretty much resolved. That still leaves the Dax and Roy thing."
Aradia's face fell, and she slammed her forehead onto the table.
“It’s rough,” Rhonda said in a deadpan tone, “having two of the cutest guys in school vying for your affections. I’m sure glad it’s not me.”
“I know,” Aradia grumbled, face still pressed against the table's surface.
“Okay,” Rhonda said, “since this is so hard for you, I’m going to help. Lay it all out, pros and cons of each.”
“Well. Con, Dax lied to me.”
“Trust is important,” Rhonda replied.
“So important! But other than that, it’s like... mmm. He gets me. And I like his view of the world.”
“Sure,” Rhonda replied. “He’s got your heart, but not your head. What about Roy?”
“Pro, Roy and I get along almost as well as you and I,” Aradia replied. “I feel so comfortable with him, and he’s really hot.”
“Okay then. Where’s the problem?”
“I don’t know if I really have romantic feelings for him, or if it’s just physical attraction.”
“He’s the safe choice, then. You can talk yourself into it, but it doesn’t feel quite right.”
"So what should I do?"
Rhonda shrugged. “I’d go with Roy.”
“Really?” Aradia replied. “I felt like you were steering me towards Dax.”
Rhonda shrugged again. “Roy seems a lot more solid than Dax. Dax is all cocky one minute, then creepy and broody the next. Neither of them’s really my type.”
Aradia began a reply when Rhonda held up a hand to silence her arguments. “I’m not you, though, and this is your problem. A good problem, relative to most problems. There’s really only one thing you can do.”
“What's that?” Aradia asked, eager for a possible resolution.
“Go out with both of them.”
Aradia's mouth dropped open at Rhonda's suggestion.
Rhonda held up both her hands and continued by saying, "Just hear me out. Don’t play them. Just, get to know each of them better. Go on separate dates with them, get to know them individually, and then when you feel ready you can make your decision."
Aradia opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it without speaking after taking in Rhonda's words.
"I’d have to tell Dax and Roy about this, you know," Aradia ventured cautiously
"Those two seem pretty oblivious. I bet you could get away with it on the sly for a while."
“Rhonda!”
“Fine, fine,” Rhonda said. “Be honest. Whatevs.”
"Be serious!" Aradia insisted. “This is a big deal for me. Don't you think they might be uncomfortable with this plan?"
"Maybe at first," Rhonda acknowledged. “That’s kind of like a test, though. This is for you. It’s you being honest and trying to be happy. If one of them has a problem with that, then he’s not the right guy for you. Problem solved.”
“That’s not bad,” Aradia admitted.
“And who knows!” Rhonda sped up, getting excited by her brilliant proposal. “They actually might like the competition. All guys like competition, right? Politics, sports, cars, girls. They always like an opportunity to outdo each other."
Aradia just gaped at Rhonda.
Finally, she asked, "Rhonda, this is a really good idea. How do you know so much about guys?"
Rhonda shrugged and said, "I watch a lot of TV."
“I’m not sure how comfortable I am with this idea, Rai-Rai.”
“If it’s unacceptable, I understand,” Aradia said. Roy seemed relieved, until Aradia continued, “I’ve already talked to Dax, though, and he’s willing to give it a try. If you’re not, I hope we can still be friends.”
Roy sputtered defensively, “I didn’t say I couldn’t give it a try!”
Aradia didn’t show it, but she found his reaction very amusing.
“Good! So, ground rules. First, if you find someone else you want to date, go for it. I won’t be jealous. Well, maybe I will. But it’s only fair that you can date other people, and I’ll try not to act jealous. Second, you two will trade off dates with me. If either of you can’t make a date, or have to cancel, you just lose that date. Third
, don’t sabotage each other! I know how you two can be.”
“Is that all?” Roy asked sarcastically.
“Probably not,” Aradia replied, either not noticing or not acknowledging the sarcasm. “But it’s all for now. You’re good with this?”
“I don’t have a lot of options,” he grumbled.
“Look, Roy, I’m uncomfortable too, but I don’t want to jump into anything too quickly, especially right now, and especially a relationship. Besides, even if I did just dump Dax and date you exclusively, you know I’d be wondering what could have been with him. That would be unfair to all three of us.”
“I guess I appreciate your honesty,” Roy admitted, “I don’t like it, but I understand why you came up with this plan.”
Aradia shrugged. “It’s Rhonda’s plan, actually."
“Hmph. So who gets the first date?”
“I proposed arm wrestling,” Dax said, appearing suddenly behind Roy, “but Aradia was afraid I’d break your arm.”
Roy growled softly. Aradia rolled her eyes at both of them and corrected Dax, “Actually I said I was afraid you’d break each others’ arms.”
“Really?” Dax said with a sly grin. “I must have forgotten. You know me and my memory.”
“I’m not surprised you said arm wrestling,” Roy challenged, “being too much a coward for a real fight.”
“Please,” Dax replied. “We both know how that would end.”
“Boys!” Aradia silenced them. “Coin toss. Roy, you can call it in the air. Nobody uses any powers or anything.”
“Wise for Roy to call it,” Dax commented, “werewolves not really having any special powers in their human form.”
“You really want to push me?” Roy asked, puffing his chest out.
“Am I wrong? Or might you sniff out whether it would land heads or tails?”
“Dax!” Aradia chided, no longer finding their competition amusing. “I expected more from you.”
“You’re right,” he replied. “Roy, I’m sorry. That was immature and juvenile. May the best man win.”