by J. E Hanson
“But, I love him though, and how will I ever stop loving him?”
She wraps an arm around my shoulders, and she pulls me close to her, “I love you, Rosalie. I consider you a sister now. I will never hurt you intentionally, but I firmly believe that he’s just not that ‘in’ to you as you believe he is. If he truly loves you, he would be here.”
The Enforcers nod their head in agreement with her.
“How do I stop loving him though? I guess it might have been about lust after all. I just picture us being together after all these years.”
“Didn’t he date someone else, and cheat on her too?”
Oberon hands us strawberry milkshakes with no lemon. We are both equally allergic to lemon and lead.
Oberon smiles fondly at my cousin, “Ember you’re so grown up with your thinking, and I fully agree with you also.”
She raises her hand, and she flashes two fingers at me, “That makes two of us, who believe that you were with a douche nozzle. Why don’t you date that Joey from your hometown? You rattle on and on about him all the time. I believe you show even more interest in him than Jesse.”
The Enforcers never heard me talk about him to anyone. They lean in closer to hear our conversation. My uncle smiles big and even he leans in to listen to our conversation.
“Do I talk about him that much? It is just a stupid crush. Where we are from, you have these dance competitions. Joey is supposed to be the best dancer from all the guys here. He had his heart broken from a cheating girlfriend. They were supposed to marry, but she ditched him at the altar instead. Joey left home never to return from a broken heart. She married the other guy, and had his child.”
“That sounds incredibly sad! Have you ever met him in person?”
I think about him fondly, “I would love to meet him one day. He ran away from our town though. He’s supposed to be an incredibly hard man to find.”
She sprays her Mustang down again, “Where did he go?”
“I have no earthly idea, but his mom wants me to find him. I have no clue where to start searching for him.”
“Why would he not at least call his mom? I have to talk to mine all the time. I couldn’t imagine not speaking to her at least once a day. He must have really had his heart broken. I really hate women who do that cheating shit! At least have the decency to end the relationship, before you do that crap to hurt someone!”
I also help her scrub the hood, “Those are exactly my thoughts. She must have broken his heart badly.”
“I guess we better enjoy our teen years, because we will never get these years back! On another note, we have Junior Proms to think about this year!” she changed the subject.
I remove the dirt spots, “Before you even ask me, I will join the dance team this year.”
She play punches me hard on my arm, “That’s the spirit! I want to see you try out for the dance team this year, since everyone around here says that you can dance. You should participate in other sports too.”
I wash the other side of her Mustang, and concede to her wishes, “Okay, I promise to show more involvement, when school starts up again. You are so pushy, but you are right. I guess I better show my team spirit for a change.”
Chapter 5
To give a quick recap of the last two years of high school, I managed to try out for the dance team during my junior year of high school. To my surprise, I actually not only won a spot on our dance team, but I’m the captain of the dance team. It’s not as if they had a chance without me anyway. While I’m the dance captain, we actually won two dance team championships. I set the standard for their dance team now.
Ember’s wardrobe receives a complete facelift. I won’t allow her to wear those distasteful ugly ass floral prints anyway. Since her wardrobe improves, she’s actually not only the junior class president, but also the senior class president.
For our junior year, Ember wins homecoming queen and prom queen. I also serve on their stupid royal court. For our senior year, the favor returns. I was stuck being their stupid homecoming queen and prom queen. Ice Winters was my date for my junior year. Snow Winters was my date for my senior year of high school. I didn’t enjoy either dates. Snow tried to kiss me, but I moved away from him quickly. He’s practically an older brother to me, and it just feels completely gross.
She starts to date more, but I also join her on her dates just to make sure none of those high school boys gets fresh with her. For those dates, I take Terrance and Alston Wind with me. I make sure that I’m fair to all the single Enforcers. Terrance actually left me to score another date with another woman at a diner.
One day, we made the biggest mistake ever. We managed to escape our perspective houses to join a field party. Unfortunately, the field party turns into a disgusting make out party. We were bored after a few minutes of watching everyone turn into frisky horny teens.
To our stupidity, we chose to drive while drunk. A mortal police officer arrests us for trespassing, driving while intoxicated, breaking the city curfew, and public intoxication. Apparently, it’s not cool to hang off a bulletin board while drunk.
Ember’s parents bailed her out right away. Oberon waited until the next day to bail me out. He threatened to make me serve time in the Pits. The Pits take care of all wastes from all creatures that require the light in order to survive. Big Bertha runs the Pits, and it’s not a place for anyone to visit, let alone a fairy.
Oberon wasn’t even finished with his punishment either. The next morning, after suffering a major migraine, he chose to take a steel pot with a steel spoon, and bang it over my head with malicious intent. The rest of the Enforcers chose to put on the worst thrash metal music they could find. They let this go on for twenty-four hours straight. I tap out, and cry to Oberon. Needless, to say I finally learned my lesson. Oberon even plays a tape and he makes us watch it. It is a tape that explains why driving under the influence could hurt people. We are the lucky ones, because we could have hurt someone else. Both of us were crying, after watching that movie. We gave up on underage drinking from here on out.
To prove that we actually listened, we chose not to involve ourselves with the entire senior class drinking while we were in the Bahamas. We visited the sites, but we were in our hotel rooms for the whole night.
~~~***~~~
We asked Oberon if we could rent an RV to see the sites around the states. He said it would be okay, but only if he is able to hire personal bodyguards for us. We agree to his terms. He has to call in special favors from these bodyguards, because they come highly recommended. The Enforcers have to attend a convention during the summer months to study new tactics for their stupid group. They will join us at some point on our trip.
We carefully plot every single little coordinate on her map. We research the sites to receive the times and prices. We chose to dip into our college funds to pay for our trip across the United States. To my surprise, grandma and grandpa hands me their gold credit card as a graduation gift to both of us.
~~~***~~~
Oren Pines knocks on my bedroom door, “You two should be enjoying your high school graduation. I know you girls are excited, but you’re unable to leave until your bodyguards show up tomorrow morning anyway.”
We drove to the coliseum. The coliseum will hold our high school graduation this year. In the rearview mirror, there is a slate Mustang with indigo flames on either side of the car. In that same car, there are a few men with blonde hair following closely behind us. The car in front of us holds some of the Fairy Enforcers.
Our grandparents make it to our graduation. All of them sit right next to a ginger haired older couple with ivory suits on. These men are wearing cerulean shirts underneath their suits. Without a second thought, I realize instantly that they must be her grandparents from her biological mother. There are twelve Angel Enforcers surrounding her biological grandparents. We never even notice that they’re watching us. They call my name ahead of hers. She is a Tucker under mortal laws. The roll call of names li
ngers on forever. I never pay close attention to who else watches, because I no longer care. We can’t wait to go on our trip together tomorrow. I sure wish this night would end. Ember is the twentieth to the last name, after they call out of a thousand students. We somehow managed to have perfect attendance, and land on the honor roll.”
They tell our graduating class to stand, and to remove our caps. We chose to keep our caps. After that, we have to take pictures of Ember with her adoptive parents and grandparents. I managed to turn her just right, so that she can be in a picture with all her grandparents. She still has no idea that they are her biological grandparents. All of them keep mum about it, and they don’t even drop her one single hint. After our graduation, we return to the fairy mansion.
I wait until she uses the bathroom. It is time to confront, Oberon, “Who was in that car behind us? Who were all those people with the ivory suits and cerulean shirts?”
“That would be the AOM, or Angels of Mercy Enforcers. Some of them left for a rescue mission. Otherwise, they would have stuck around.”
“Why are they keeping quiet about who she is? Or does our team want to do that?”
“They want to wait it out a little longer. There are a few things that are supposed to happen in the near future, but only her biological grandfather on the angel side knows anything.”
“You guys will wind up getting us both killed! What rescue mission are they on?” I whisper to him.
“I’m very good friends with another group. This is the same group, who saved you as a young girl. I sent my best fairies to help them. They understand that I have to remain here for your graduation. The angels and half of my team left to save the vampire princess from Khan.”
“Who is Khan, and why does he have her?”
“He is a very dangerous vampire, Rosalie. His full name is Julius Khan, and he wants Bill 203 to pass. Julius wants all hybrids, and all full supernatural creatures, who aid hybrids to die too.”
He is starting to lose me, “What’s a hybrid? What is this Bill 203? I think you owe me an explanation.”
Oberon snaps his fingers to reveal a telecast of what Bill 203 will do to all hybrids. The woman explains what a hybrid is. It is any creature intermingling with either a mortal, or a different creature. For an example, Ember is half angel and half fairy. They consider her a hybrid. I am a full fairy, because both my parents are fairies. The vampire princess, on the other hand is half human and half vampire. A hybrid can be a mixture of anything that shouldn’t mate with one another. Bill 203 will automatically place all hybrids in concentration camps. This bill will allow all hybrids to be destroyed like rabid animals. Not only will they murder hybrids, but anyone aiding a hybrid, or creating a hybrid child. There are many hybrids running around the world. They probably don’t even realize that they are a hybrid either. All those people are at supreme risk.
“You have just signed my death certificate, Oberon! That means since...”
“Ember is your cousin, and yes Khan wants her dead, because she’s a hybrid. I thought you might want to stop thinking about yourself for a change, and help her for very good reasons.”
I stare at my cousin from a distance, “I will always protect Ember. So who is Khan anyway? He sounds so evil.”
“Khan is the second oldest vampire in the world. He is also second in line to the throne. If he takes over the throne, then Bill 203 will pass. We need to help our vampire friends as much as we can. Khan is the same vampire, who is responsible for murdering your parents. Your parents joined a cause to save as many hybrids as they could. Many hybrids went into hiding, because of Khan. He has murdered and butchered thousands of hybrid families. Your parents were slaughtered for saving them. I took a gamble that while you are still missing your powers to inform you of who is exactly responsible for the death of your parents.” He finally came out with the truth.
We step outside together, “What is happening with their princess? Why is she captured?”
“Her name is Princess Jeanne Justice-Denali. She is the great-granddaughter of Saber Denali. Saber is the oldest vampire in the world. They are called the Brotherhood In Blood, and they are Enforcers just like us,” he finally confesses the rest of the story to me.
“So there are more groups with twelve?”
“Yes, every group has twelve Enforcers. There are no more, and no less than that always. It is up to you, if you want to help their cause—or worry about yourself.”
“That is really rude, and you should have told me this sooner. Of course, I want to seek revenge for the death of my parents! Don't you dare use their deaths against me like that! I wish you would be honest with Ember! She deserves to know the fucking truth about who she really is, instead of covering this bullshit up!”
She found me, and she breaks up our conversation, “I know we should enjoy our graduation, but I’m so happy that we will be traveling tomorrow. We are going to have such a blast together! We are exactly like ‘Thelma and Louise.’ ”
We hug each other tightly, “I want you to always be happy, Ember. I love to see you this happy.”
My grandparents bought me a brand new yellow Mustang to load up behind our RV, since my last car was non-functional. The Enforcers chipped in together, and bought us a brand new RV to travel in. I’m surprised to see that there is another strange lift attached to it.
Our grandparents join us, “We are so proud of you both. Congratulations to both Ember and Rosalie.”
Luckily, I made up a bullshit story, about how my grandparents could no longer take care of me, and that is why Oberon has custody of me in advance. Seeing my grandparents wearing clothes is odd to all of us. They rarely ever leave Avalon, but they chose to see us graduate high school together.
We dance until the early morning light. When the sun starts to crest above the horizon that is when we chose to hit the hay. The time reads six o'clock in the morning. We always sleep in the same bed together, when she stays over.
Oberon wakes us up at precisely ten o'clock in the morning, “If you girls plan on leaving anytime soon, now is the time for you to wake up.”
I manage to grumble, and roll over on my stomach. Ember is the only one, who jumps out of bed to take a shower.
An hour later passes, and she wakes me up again, “Rosalie, it is time for you to take a shower. Come on! It is time to wake up sleepyhead!”
She kicks me out of the bed, and I hit the floor with a hard thud, “Thanks a lot Ember! I was just dreaming of my prince coming to save the day. Thanks for ruining my dream!” I snapped at her.
I stumble to the bathroom, and fumble to start the hot blast of water. Without my magic, I have to do everything manual. I shave my legs imperfectly, and I really loathe the lack of using my magic. I’m prone to make even more mistakes this way.
The shower ceases, and that is when the doorbell sounds. To my dismay, Oberon isn’t even answering the damn door fast enough. I rub in the rose scented lotion on my long legs. The doorbell sounds again, and I try to ignore it by changing quickly. I decide to wear another extremely short ivory miniskirt. This skirt goes an inch below my ass. A cute yellow top hangs in my closet that complements my skirt. My top exposes my tanned back. In my oak jewelry box, there are a couple of gold bangles. I pull those out, and snap them over my upper arms. The time that takes the longest is finding my matching heels. With exasperation, my heels hide in the very back of my closet. These heels are extremely cute. The straps wrap around my ankles and up my calves. Thirty minutes passes by, while I fix my hair and makeup. The obnoxious guest stops pushing the doorbell and they start to pound on the front door.
Ember yells, while she dances with her zipper, “I’m unable to get it! I’m having trouble squeezing into my shorts. You will have to answer the door, Rosalie.”
While she continues to grunt with her zipper, I raise my hand to her, “I will go ahead, and answer the damn door. Oberon owes me dearly for this. My hair isn’t even ready yet.”
I slowly descend the f
light of pearl with canary staircase in my six-inch heels. Believe me; this is not easy to look this good while doing it either. The door pounds start up again. I jerk the front door open, and the first words escape my mouth, “Oh, FUCK NO!”
Chapter 6
The door quickly slams right back in their faces. I casually stroll inside the kitchen.
Dain drops his newspaper, “I believe you better answer the front door again, Rosalie.”
I curse under my breath at Dain, and answer the loud pounds again. There are four guys standing at the front door. They smell like angels and fairies. The fairy scent turns my head to face two of them. These men are not even clean cut, but the angels are. I’m not really paying attention to the angels either.
For the fairies, there is a tall one with muscles ripping out of a blue jean jacket. He also has a yellow scarf around his neck. The odd man also has tattoos on his arms, and on his neck. His face resembles a pincushion. The rough fairy's hair is shaven on both sides, and jet-black. He has tattoos on his head. This is the oddest creature that has ever graced my front doorstep. I sniff him, and smell a hint of sunshine. He has to be a sky fairy of some sort. The other one could pass for his twin, except he is pudgier than what Skylar used to be.
The tall one with the yellow scarf turns his head towards me, “Can you move your ass any faster, honey? Is that a nice way to greet your guests? Why don't you run along, and fetch Oberon for me. Second, that thought, toots. Could you fetch me a cup of coffee?” he sarcastically orders me.