Mundahlia (The Mundahlian Era, #1)

by RJ Gonzales

  “It sure is cold,” I said, staring out into the road. The headlights lit only a few feet of the dark street.

  “Yeah, it is.” He nodded, but there was a hidden invitation in his voice.

  “What?”

  “Nothin’.” I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder and pull me close to his chest. It happened in the matter of seconds. I couldn’t even, ugh!—again? Really?

  “Oh. I was fine,” I said, trying to break free from his arm.

  He shushed me. “It’s just for the warmth, Rini.” Why was this happening—again?! I had to give up the struggle, it was no use under his massive arm.

  We turned onto the dirt road and drove for what seemed like hours until the golden glow from Celeste house appeared. She and George were home—more than likely getting ready for bed.

  Jett parked in front of the house. Max’s heavy footsteps sounded as he hopped over the railing and hit the dirt, hard. Like a boulder slamming into the ground. From the side mirror, I saw him reach for Sarah and lower her off.

  Sarah sashayed her way to the truck window, spotting me under Jett’s arm. At first, she seemed puzzled, then it slowly faded into a look of I told you so nature. “All right Rini, I have to go home. My mom wants me to work the rest of Spring Break! Can you believe that?!—but I’ll text you later incase I get free so we can totally do this again.” I nodded and watched as she headed for her car—Max giving her a sweet goodnight kiss before. “Bye Jett,” she called, mid-entering her beat up ride.

  “Bye, Sarah” he nodded.

  I moved Jett’s hand from around me and leaned out of the window, suddenly remembering about Sarah’s belongings. “Wait! What about your clothes?”

  “I packed while you were in the shower, dude. I’m three steps ahead of you going on a fourth.”

  “Oh.” I waved her off as she drove away—headlights disappearing into the shadows.

  Jett cleared his throat from inside the truck. “Ahem!”

  “What?” I asked, leaning back in to face him.

  He lowered his eyes and curled his lips into a smile. I followed his gaze and found my hand on the space between his legs while I was leaning out of the window. It was inches away from his-

  “Oh my God, I am so sorry!” I gasped, retrieving my hand like I had just been hit. My elbow slammed against the center of the steering wheel and the horn sounded from under the hood. Beeeep!

  “It’s okay,” he smiled, laughing a little.

  Our faces were close. For a second, I felt anticipation—but I didn’t know what for? I was frozen. Just gazing into his eyes. Unable to move, or think. I could see that he too was caught—unaware of what to do next. Or even, what to feel.

  “I should probably get going too.” I inched to the passenger door and reached for the handle, but my hand was caught.

  I turned, finding Jett’s hand around my wrist. “Don’t go,” he pleaded softly. “I want to walk you home.”

  I bit my lip for a moment and contemplated. In these shoes? Hell no! The door flung open—ripping my grasp from the handle, and Max slid into the truck, pushing me back over to Jett.

  “Guess that’s my answer,” I told him with a tense laugh.

  He settled his arm back around me as we drove further down the road and turned down the eerie corner toward his family’s cabin. “And a damn good one,” he added.

  Max hopped out of the truck and dashed up the porch stairs once we’d arrived. I figured he either had to go to the bathroom really bad, or just fancied running inside like he were being chased by rabid dogs. The smack from the screen door seemed to upset a small group of shadows sitting in the darkness under the porch. Jett stepped down from the truck with ease and helped me off.

  I spotted Mark and Del sitting on white couches next to Ray on the porch. “Hey girl!” Del called sounding oddly cheery. “You guys need to come up here.”

  From beside me, Jett sniffed the air then sighed. He lowered his shoulders—disappointed in something. Had I done something wrong? He reached for my hand, leading me up the steps to meet them at the top.

  “Hey, Rini,” Del came over and hugged me, which sort of slightly scared me for the awkwardness of it. Almost like I was her best friend, and she hadn’t seen me in years. “How’ve you been?” She started swaying me in her arms. Like a super slow dance with no music. There was a sweet, strong mint-like scent on her clothes. I’ve smelt this before. It was the smell that burned in the back of my mind as I searched for what it was. Right on the tip of my tongue. Camp amistad...guy in the beanie...behind the cabins....in the little glass bong....Oh!

  “Are you guys smoking pot?” I asked. Ray passed something resembling a rolled up wrinkly overstuffed cigarette to Mark.

  “I’m not!” Del said as though I’d accused her. “They are, but just being around them sort of gives you a contract high.”

  “Contact high, babe,” Mark corrected.

  “Psh! Whatever! Same shit.”

  “Isn’t it illegal?”

  Mark passed the joint back to Ray, who took a long drag, but coughed most of it out, “Shieet!” Ray derided, “Who the hell is gonna come all the way out here?” He took another hit and held it in for about five-seconds before releasing a thick white fog of smoke. I couldn’t even wonder what damage that was doing to his lungs. Slowly charring them dark as coal with each inhale. He looked up, squinting his eyes, and held it out to me. “You want a hit of this?”

  “Me?” I said. Jett tugged my hand, making for me to take the seat beside him.

  Ray huffed, “No, the other motherfuckers that are on this fucking porch!”

  “Hey!” Jett growled “Don’t talk to her like that!”

  Ray slouched back into the couch, unamused and unaffected by Jett’s warning. Instead, he shifted the joint in his hand to Jett. “Sorry bro, take a hit. Don’t act like you’ve never done it.”

  Jett hesitated at first, but took it to his lips and sucked on the end. Bright embers lit at the other side and turned into ash as the paper burned farther down. “What the hell is this?” he asked Ray, letting the smoke out. A look of disgust plastered on his face. Jett reached for an unopened can of beer on the table to wash his mouth out.

  “Dro and some other shit.”

  “What’s that?” I asked, suddenly amused. There was more of the green leaves that looked like oregano in a plastic bag by Ray’s foot. I’d never seen marijuana in real life before, it was weird. Like seeing something uncommon in public and not knowing how to act.

  “It’s the homegrown shit,” Ray said, taking the joint back almost selfishly. “And some other shit. Good shit. Man! Why’m I even talkin’ to you! You don’t know shit!” Apparently he had a fascination with the word shit.

  Martin appeared standing by the open lighted doorway. He sniffed the air, then stared directly at Ray, shaking his head. “What the hell did I say about scaring drug dealers and stealing their drugs?”

  “Hey, they shouldn’t be selling this shit anyways, Martin. Haven’t you heard? It’s illegal.” Ray smiled the way a child smiles when they know what their doing is bad, but they do it anyway. I’d imagined he was a very deviant child, and never grew out of it. Never grew up, nonetheless.

  Martin’s face was unmoved. “What did I say about trying not to draw attention to yourself, let alone, the rest of this family?”

  “Oh, come on, Martin!” Ray snorted, “What the hell are they gonna do anyways, go to the cops?” He shifted to a fake mocked voice, “Oh hi, I need to file a report on my stolen drugs!”

  “That’s not funny,” Martin added. “Don’t test me boy!”

  “Here,” Ray held out the joint to him as well. “Don’t act like you’ve never done it either like this bitch over here,” he veered towards me. Judging me with his sharp words and icy stare. Ouch. I hid my discomfort with a faint smile. That was me, smiling or laughing in awkward or serious situations.

  “Watch your mouth asshole!” Jett warned again, “or I’ll kick your ass!” />
  “Do it, puto.”

  Jett flew to his feet, ready to throw a punch.

  “Boys, both of you calm the hell down and shut up!” Del stood from the couch. She pulled limp Mark up. “We’re going inside.”

  Ray shrugged when Martin declined the joint, and instead took another drag himself.

  “Ah, nice of you to join us, Rini,” Martin said taking Mark’s spot. He must of barely noticed me. “So I assume that your date went well?” There was a complete change of tone in his voice from serious to welcoming, as though he’d never even had the tiff with Ray just seconds before.

  “Yes, sir,” I smiled. “Yes, it did.”

  “Martin,” he corrected, taking the joint aggressively from Ray’s hand.

  “Hey what the-” Ray was cut short.

  “Get inside,” Martin demanded, with a hidden angered voice and pursed lips. The kind parents use on their children in public. The child knows that when they are alone, he or she is going to get it. “Move—now. Don’t make me tell you again.”

  I heard the slap of the screen door before I continued speaking, “Oh, um it was really good, Martin.”

  “That’s good.” He reached below to scoop up the bag of leaves and examined the rolled up cigarette in his hand for a moment, “I’d better go inside and have a talk with him.” Martin passed the now white, wrinkly, stub-looking joint to Jett, before entering the cabin. “Finish it and dispose of it. I will not have drugs in my home.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to try it?” Jett said, holding it out to me once we were alone, “It’s not entirely lethal.” I’m not sure if it was the way he was offering it that made it seem better, or the fact that he was offering it to me in a less offending way than Ray. Or even his soft stare. Something about it seemed safe, like I could trust him. “I mean, you might lose a few brain cells and your IQ may go down a few points, but you wont—die, per say.”

  “It’s tempting but,” I could smell the sweet scent still fresh in the air. It made my mouth water the slightest bit. Like spearmint, just ten times more potent. “Well, what am I supposed to do? Just put my lips on it and suck it?”

  Jett laughed, pretending to be taken aback. “Excuse me?”

  It took a while to realize that my word choice could easily be mistaken for something else. “Oh my god, I didn’t mean that, I swear!” I protested. “I just don’t know how to smoke. I’ve never done it before.”

  “I see,” Jett sounded intrigued, as though something sparked his interest. “Well, there is another alternative.”

  Again? “Like what?” I asked, biting my lip after I’d spoken the last word. Wanting to suck it back in and pretend I hadn’t said a thing at all.

  He took a long drag of the last bit of the joint left, and threw it under his shoe to crush it. “Come here!” he said retaining the smoke in his mouth, and motioning with his hands for me to get closer.

  “What? What am I supposed to-”

  He brushed a hand on the side of my face and pulled it into his. His soft and gentle lips met mine. Immediately, my body fluttered with a tingly sensation that traveled down my spine. Was this the anticipation I’d felt earlier? I didn’t know what to do, so I stayed still. Immobile like a statue. Jett’s warm, wet tongue entered my mouth to part my lips, and like a rush of air, I felt the smoke enter me, filling my cheeks and traveling down my throat. I felt muggy inside, utterly uncomfortable.

  Jett pulled away, but still kept his face against mine—foreheads touching. “Now, slowly let it out,” he instructed in a voice as quiet as a whisper. I did as told, feeling the thick air escape my body in the form of a white cloud. When I inhaled regular air again, he brushed his lips against mine for another gentle kiss. I could taste the alcohol in his breath. Strong and sour. The complete opposite of his sweet, supple lips that felt like heaven. Here it was, my first real kiss. Bittersweet. I really wished we’d both chewed gum before, just to have made it pleasant and sweet. He pulled away—just as I leaned in for more, and stood, clearing his throat.

  Oblivious to the sudden shift in positions, I stayed seated. “What was—that?” I said, too slowly than I should have. I was trying to savor every last bit of the tingling left on my lips, brushing them with my fingers to make sure they were still there and hadn’t melted off. A part of me surely hoped that the awkwardness of the kiss didn’t foreshadow the relationship I’d have with him. Relationship? Are we even dating? Oh my god?! Do I have a boyfriend? Oh my god! Do I really have a boyfriend now? I couldn’t keep my emotions balanced, my heart was thumping, and a swelling in the back of my throat formed. Did my wish finally come true?

  “Well, the first thing was called a shotgun. It’s when someone does the smoking for you, and all you have to do is inhale it from their mouth,” he stretched his back, revealing a small bit of his lower torso. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets right then, like in the cartoons I’d seen when I was younger. Given that I’d practically already seen him full-frontal nude. He tugged the shirt back down, and half of me was filled with disappointment. “And the second one,” he continued. “Well, that was just a kiss.” He smiled taking a sip from the can. “Now, let’s get you home.”

  I nodded, coming out of my trance. The bitter taste of the smoke stayed caked in the lining of my mouth. Eww. I wanted to spit for no reason, just to try and get it out. It only grew intenser as I inhaled. I needed it out!

  “Whoa.” Jett said as I reached for the can in his hands and chugged it back. “Smoking and drinking on the same night? Well aren’t you a little rebel tonight.”

  I didn’t know what in the hell possessed me to think that alcohol would make the taste go away when all it did was make it stronger. He gave a cunning smirk at my face of discomfort as I smacked my lips and puckered at the foul taste lingering in my mouth. “Ugh!” Immediately my heart sank as reality set in. I’d smoked something illegal and broken another law by consuming alcohol underage. My mother would kill me, then bring be back to life just to kill me again and clean up the mess from the first death, if she found out. Believe me when I say it wasn’t worth it. Drugs are bad. Drinking alcohol underage is bad. Besides it being illegal, the taste of both things is just—revolting. How in the hell do people enjoy this stuff? Bleh!

  We headed down the steps in unison and made our way through the forest that looked exactly the same as usual—eerie and equally as frightening. Jett let his tongue glide over his bottom lip. “Hmm,” he said intrigued.

  “What?”

  “Watermelon?” he referred to the taste of my lip balm.

  “Yep,” I said nonchalantly.

  He held a bushel of branches and leaves up so I could duck under them. “After you,” he said gentleman-like.

  I smiled and said, “Why, thank you.” Feeling my cheeks blush as I passed under his arm. Is this what it’s like to have a boyfriend? What the hell Rini?! He hasn’t even asked you yet! It’s true. Was it just a kiss? or a kiss? You know, just a goodnight, see-you-later kiss—or be-my-lover-and-let-me-shower-you-with-unconditional-love-until-the-end-of-time kiss. Girl, get your nose out of books! This is real life, it was just a kiss! Nothing special, it was probably just—

  Gasp! Once on the other side, I froze. Trying to distinguish what my eyes had just set on. A towering boar-like creature, hunched over a lifeless, bloodstained carcass that resembled that of a human. I almost would have missed it had I not heard the skin-curling slurping and snapping from the meat it was tearing off. It was scraping out the last of the insides with its massive human-like hands, like de-seeding a pumpkin on Halloween. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human—and it wasn’t an animal either.

  I felt a strong grip come over my mouth just as I was about to let out a scream. I could only feel the burning in my throat from the shriek that was kept within. Other than that, my whole body fell numb with fright. What was this creature? Where did it come from? I couldn’t even feel when Jett shoved me back into the bush and crou
ched down beside me.

  “Stay here, close your eyes, and don’t open them until I say so!” he ordered. I didn’t. Instead, I witnessed as he headed cautiously toward the monstrous creature that was caught between human and animal.

  Jett

  16

  After I made sure Rini was hidden, I snuck my way to the other side of the creature. Careful with each step I took. I needed to strike swiftly while its defenses were low. It was clearly a Mundahlian—like my family and I, only belonging to the boar clan. Why is it here? It was feasting upon the ruby chunks of flesh in its hands, and ripping more from the inside of the carcass. Human, I presumed. Female—young. Sloppy marks of blood were inked all over its snout and chest as it grunted with each wet chew. It had spilled the blood of a human and killed an innocent. This Mundahlian has violated the pact. I couldn’t risk the war starting again—the King would have no mercy, so I would have to destroy the evidence after I’d done it in. I wondered exactly how many humans had already seen it. Taken pictures, or filmed it, and are uploading it online this very moment to YouTube. It had to be stopped before someone found out.

  I crouched down and scooped up a rock by my foot, flinging it at the beast and watching it bounce off of its massive head with a thunk. It paused. Idiot, I scolded myself. What is a rock gonna do? It turned to spot the attacker—me. A bellowing bass-filled grunt echoed. The boar wiped its face clean, missing the lengthy scarlet stained tusks protruding from its snout, and like a bull, charged at me. It’s rage-filled eyes set to kill.

  I dashed to the side avoiding its grip and swept up another rock to heave. Thunk. A second headshot. The beast grew even more agitated, letting out a loud huff as it stomped its feet on the ground. It curled its splattered snout back and displayed a set of yellow crooked teeth. The wrinkles traveled up its face like cracks in a pavement. It lifted its head and let out another echoing set of grunts.