Uprising

by Shelly Crane

  “You are pretty entertaining. Yes.”

  “Hmm. I’m not sure if you’re complimenting me or not.”

  “Well, I’ll leave that for your interpretation.” I rolled over to face him as he laughed. It felt amazing to have someone laugh at your jokes instead of laughing at you.

  “So, nothing exciting happened? You didn’t have to fight any Lighters. Didn’t meet this Daniel character?”

  “Nope. I passed Cain on the highway and we just followed them home. The fun stuff had already happened.”

  “Fun stuff,” I repeated and shook my head. “You think fighting Lighters is fun?”

  “Well, fun’s a strong word. Exciting?”

  “Exciting,” repeated flatly.

  “Well, I am a guy. It’s get the blood pumping. Male Keepers and humans both love to beat on things. It’s ingrained apparently.”

  I laughed and rolled my eyes.

  “Wow, you really are a guy,” I said and he grinned.

  “And I’m hungry.”

  “One more reason. Hungry for food?”

  He clucked his tongue at me.

  “Are you trying to seduce me?”

  “Never! I am a lady,” I said sweetly and twirled a curl around my finger.”

  “Oh. That I know for certain,” he murmured against my throat making me giggle.

  I heard a pound on the door.

  “Oh, come on you two. It’s the middle of the day for crying out loud!” Danny yelled and banged again. “Come on, Sherry. You said you would make spaghetti for lunch. Merrick can wait, I’m sure.”

  “Is that so? Can you wait?” I ask Merrick, lifting my eyebrows.

  “If I have to, but I am pretty hungry,” he said apologetically.

  “Fine,” I muttered and then yelled louder to Danny. “Fine! I’m coming!”

  “You better be. It’s not just me you’re starving you know.”

  “I said I’m coming, brat!”

  I turned to Merrick before he could get up and kissed his neck, the scratchy shadowed part under his chin. He let out a strangled breath and bunched my curls easily in his fist as I went lower to the hollow of his neck, then pulled his shirt collar down an inch. Then, I pulled back quickly.

  “Well, I guess I better go get some lunch ready,” I said chipper.

  He grunted, frustrated.

  “That’s not funny. You better be glad you’re cute. And a good cook.”

  “That’s all you keep me around for. Shock value to your human taste buds.”

  “Mmhmm. Among other things.”

  “What things?”

  “These,” he whispered and ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “These.” He picked up my hand and kissed my fingers. “These, your little elf ears.”

  “Hey!”

  “This,” he ran a finger down the length of my nose and then tapped the end. “And this, this is my favorite.” He made a little circle over my heart, on top of my t-shirt.

  “Merrick.” I sighed and bit my lip. “I’m never gonna leave with you talking like that.”

  “Well, now that I think about it, starving to death sounds easy in comparison. Starve with me, Sherry,” he whispered humorously in my ear and bit my earlobe.

  “You are gonna be in so much trouble with your Special.”

  “It’d be worth it.” He started to pull me on top of him but I held my hands out against his chest, like that could stop him. Willpower on his part is what stops him, not my brute strength. “I think you are seriously overestimating my self control,” he grunted.

  “I better go make lunch. For real. Come on, Keeper.”

  He growled and blurred to his feet. Then helped me up by pulling my hands.

  “If you’re doing this to me to keep me interested, trust me, it’s working,” he said sullenly.

  “Aww. I’m sorry. Poor Merrick.” I rubbed his chin with my knuckles. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

  “You better,” he commanded huskily and wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing his forehead to mine. He took a deep breath and let it out slow. “You know how happy I am?”

  “Do you know how happy I am?” I countered.

  “Oh come on, already!” Danny said from the other side of the door and banged his fist again. “Yes, yes, we’re all happy. Now let’s get cracking with some lunch. Pleeeease.”

  “I’m gonna kill your Special,” I told Merrick.

  “Not before I do,” he said and bent his head to kiss me.

  Then he opened the door behind him and grabbed Danny in a head lock. Noogie involved.

  “Is that any way to talk to your sister?” Merrick said as he rubbed his knuckles over Danny’s head.

  “Dude! I’m starving. You can violate my sister another time when it doesn’t mean that my stomach has to growl because of it.”

  “You have two hands,” I chimed coolly as I walked passed them in the hall, both of them still wrestling.

  I looked back and watched them for a second as they laughed and grunted, twisting each others arms and trying to knock their feet out from under the other. Calvin and Frank caught wind of the excitement and made a break for the fray.

  “Pile up!” Calvin yelled and jumped on top of Merrick’s back, who was over Danny and they all fell and in a heap. Then Franklin came running up behind Calvin.

  “Oh yeah! I’m the cherry on this loser sundae!” he screamed and then belly flopped on top of the pile.

  Poor Danny on the bottom was groaning and wiggling but it was no use. Eventually Merrick pried the two boys off and they were whole heartedly attacked by Merrick and Danny. Pay back.

  I smiled and giggled at them. I saw Ryan about to fall off his chair laughing and Jeff and Marissa were clapping and egging the boys on to keep on retaliating. Then I turned to go fix the all important lunch. Spaghetti and...Piper? Yikes.

  “Hey, Sherry. What are you up to?” she asked me with a big fake smile.

  “What do you want, Piper?”

  I was in no mood to play nice with her. I hadn’t spoken a word to her since the incident. When I take her and Cain drinks at the garden, I always talk to Cain. And she didn’t speak to me either, so I wonder what she’s up to.

  “A truce. I’m stuck down here with you it seems and as much as I hate you,” she practically spat out the words, “and I do, we might as well try to have some semblance of peace. For Merrick’s sake if nothing else,” she crooned sweetly.

  I rubbed my necklace charm, now even better with Merrick’s gift lovingly attached, in between my fingers to steel myself.

  “That was in no way an apology.”

  “Nope. It wasn’t and you’re not gonna get one from me, because I’m not sorry. It’s wrong for you two to play house. I know it, you know it and Merrick knows it. He just can’t let his pride go and say I was right.”

  “You are ridiculous. You know absolutely nothing about humans because you don’t want to. That’s fine. I’m all about a truce, ok. Great. The terms of the truce are this, you stay away from me and stay the farthest you can from Merrick. Other than that, I have no interest in talking to, seeing or even being in the same room as you,” I spouted as I felt that old fire rise up just thinking about what she did to us.

  I started chopping the onions, taking it out on them instead.

  “Harsh, Sherry. You haven’t got me fooled, you know. You are not sweet and innocent.”

  “I never said I was.” I stopped chopping and looked up at her. “I’m willing to coexist with you, like you said, we’re stuck together. But I’m not gonna do this with you everyday. Get over it, stay away from us. I mean it.”

  “Oooh. She’s got a knife,” she said feigning fright and putting her hand on her heart, then straightened up and took a step forward. “You don’t scare me, Sherry.”

  “Good. I don’t want to. I don’t need to. I got the guy, remember?”

  “Whatever. We’ll see how long it lasts. I live forever. How about you?”

  “Not in that body you
don’t,” I said it, kinda wanting to take it back, just a smidge, but figured she deserved it.

  She fumed, her eyes bugging, fist clenching and shaking and then she stomped out in her ridiculous half-calf leather boots that she insists on wearing around the bunker like she’s going somewhere. Even Celeste wasn’t that bad. Well, not anymore.

  I finished the lunch, with the help of Kay and Katie, and rang the dinner bell. i.e., the oven dinged, and everyone started piling in to fill their plates with pasta and sauce, no meat, but the homemade garlic bread was tasty.

  Merrick came to sit with me after he made a huge plate on the back wall.

  “I was going to come rescue you, but I figured you two needed to just hash it out.”

  “You heard?” I said turning sharply to him.

  “Yeah,” he said and smiled guiltily.

  I felt a flush coming. I disliked having to be anything but nice to people. It just wasn’t natural to me. But I hated that Merrick had witnessed me taking her bait and giving it back to her.

  “Well, I’m sorry. I know I was harsh to her, but I just-”

  “Hey. No. She needs to know she can’t push you around. I’m proud of you.”

  “Really?” I said stunned, thinking surely he was trying to softly reprimand me for bickering with her.

  “Really.”

  “Ok. But I still kinda feel bad. I hate confrontation.” “I know you do, honey,” he said sweetly and pulled me to him to kiss my temple. “Just one more thing I love about you. But, you did good. You were truthful, not hateful. That’s the difference between you two.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  I smiled.

  “I saw you get you butt kicked.”

  “You did? And you didn’t come save me? Those boys are vicious. All elbows and knees.”

  I laughed and took a bite of my noodles, muffling my next words.

  “I remember Danny that way. He always fought dirty.”

  “I remember.” He smiled and took his thumb, wiped at he corner of my mouth, then stuck it in his mouth and sucked the red off. “You and your extra sauce.”

  He leaned down to kiss me and he tasted like sweet tea and basil. And Merrick.

  Do You Speak English?

  Chapter 36 - The Taker

  “I know what I told you, but you have to understand, I’ve not been in this world for many years. Ok? I don’t understand all these gadgets. The last Taker had no interest in television.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand and apologize, but they are ready and waiting. And I know you are wary of the makeup but they assure me it’s necessary,” one of the minions said.

  I don’t bother to learn their names. No attachments, no endearments, no niceties. That is the only way to rule.

  “Makeup is for sissies. This isn’t my first broadcast you know. Now leave me.”

  “Yes sir,” he said and walked out, leaving me to my thoughts, which at the moment were irritated.

  I never knew being the leader was so tedious. I don’t remember it being this not fun before. Course, we didn’t have all this technology then. A nuisance, really. What’s it good for but to zone yourself out from your life? If your life is so dull you must escape it and pretend to be someone else vicariously through a group of characters in a box on a table, you should do something about that.

  I mean theater, which we always had, was entertaining somewhat, but I would never had traded my life for someone else’s in it.

  Ah, this in the second television appearance and I’m already so done with it. But, I agree. For my plan to work I need the humans to understand the ramifications of siding with them. Not with me is against me. There is no neutral anymore. No stand bys, no sit-this-one-outs. It’s all or nothing. Live or die.

  Everything is moving along rather nicely. The enforcement brigade is shaping up in numbers. Laughable effort but numbers none the less. Humans are pitiful. They let their eyes judge and rule their bodies and actions.

  Who cares if there were a hundred humans to one Lighter. It’s all about presentation. Skill. Usefulness and craftiness. All of those things humans seem to lack. Except gullibility. They have that in droves.

  But the human girls...are everything I remember and more. The girls of this century are incredibly easy and willing. I rarely even have to use my compulsion on any of them. It’s entertaining how easy it is this time around. How utterly devastatingly quick this all will be.

  The current girl is slipping her fingers in my collar as we speak. She has no idea what I am and doesn’t care. Only that I’m in a position of power and girls want to be in her place. That’s all it takes.

  I hear them knocking once more and I swat her hand away. She sulks off to sit on the settee by the mirror. She knows the drill.

  “Come in,” I bark.

  Waiting was never my strong suit. But I must play my part for the humans.

  “Ok. Everything is squared away. The newscasters have been given a list of the questions to ask you. This taping will be forwarded to all broadcast networks all over the united states within the week.”

  “Excellent. Water?”

  “Certainly, sir.” He picked up a bottle from the little refrigerator box under the counter and handed it to me. “Any thing else, sir, before you go on?”

  “Just get me in front of the camera. I’ll do the rest.”

  Something’s Just Not Right

  Chapter 37 - Lillian

  I wake. I feel a bit weird. Something...there’s a button in my mouth. I pull back and realize- oh. Cain’s button. His shirt button, because my face is pressed to his shirt front. I pull back further to look at him. I can barely see him with the sliver of light from the crack in the door. But it’s enough.

  He murmurs my name in his sleep and my breath catches. I panic, just a little bit. He’s dreaming about me? Already? Is that bad? Good? Weird? I don’t know.

  He feels me pulling away from his arms a bit and tightens them around me, murmuring my name again. He kisses my forehead, still asleep. I delight at the novelty of it.

  I have always loved that. The forehead kiss is a telltale kiss, I’ve always thought. I mean, there’s no tongue involved. It doesn’t get you hot and bothered. It’s just sweet. When a guy starts to give you forehead kisses, that’s when you know things have gone past his initial physical attraction to you. There’s more there to ponder. Chaste kisses are the foundation for sweet and lovely things to come. And he just did it. Granted, he was asleep but on some subconscious level...right?

  I maneuver out of his arms finally and leave him to finish his nap. He was up longer than me. Plus he’s a guy. Unspoken rule. Guys sleep anywhere, anytime, under any circumstances and will gladly do so. So, being sleep deprived must be doubly bad for them.

  I inch out into the hall and straighten my clothes from being sleep bunched to find Miguel in the hall, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, whittling of all things.

  “Hello there,” he said easily.

  “Hey, Miguel.”

  “Better?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Nap. Do you feel better now? You kinda passed out earlier.”

  “Yeah... I do, thank you. Long night.”

  “I heard.”

  I looked at him curiously.

  “You whittle?”

  “Is that what this is called? Then, no. Absolutely not. But I pretend.”

  I laughed and he got up, folding his knife in his pocket and holding the somewhat carved wooden piece in his hand.

  “So, you and Cain?” He nodded to my door, knowing he was still in there, in my room.

  “Um.” I thought what would Cain say. Would he want everyone to know we’re official. Are we official? I am so bad at judging these things. So I just answer, what I hope is the truth. “Yeah.”

  He nodded like he once again already knew the answer. He looks a little disappointed.

  “He’s a good guy.”

  “Yeah, he is.”

&nb
sp; Awkward silence follows.

  “You don’t happen to have a hot sister stashed in there somewhere, do you?”

  I laughed at him, thankful for his break in the silence and his humor.

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “You’ve been through hell. You deserve a break from all this. And I don’t just mean just today.” He looked at me poignantly. “You’ve had it rough for while. I hope you’re happy, with him. Cain deserves a little bit of happy too. We all do.”

  “Yeah.”

  I knew Miguel had had a little crush, or something on me. I felt bad now.

  “Well, I’m gonna grab a cup of coffee. Want to come with?”

  “Sure. I could use it. In an I.V. preferably.”

  He chuckled as he swung his arm for me to lead the way.

  “I’ll see if I can rig that up.”

  We walked down the hall and I could see people eating and some sitting. There were hardly any people in the commons room, things were relatively quiet. It smelled like pasta and my stomach growled, loudly.

  “Let’s get you some spaghetti to go with that coffee,” Miguel said laughing.

  “Thanks,” I said and ducked my head, embarrassed by my bodies inability to control it’s functions. “I only ate a couple hours ago, but I’m starving.”

  “Sherry’s cooking will do that. That girl can sure whip it up for someone so young. But she learned from the best, I guess,” he said sadly and smiled like he was remembering something.

  “Trudy? I’ve heard Sherry talk about her.”

  “Yep. Mrs. Trudy was fierce.”

  “Hey!” Sherry yelled over the table in the kitchen and came to hug me. “Are you doing ok? Hungry?”

  “Starved.” I looked knowingly at Miguel and he winked at me. “Don’t, Sherry, I’ll get it.” I grabbed her arm to keep her from heading toward the stove. “Everybody worries just a little bit too much about me around here. Why is that?”

  “We love you,” Sherry said sweetly.

  She meant it. I felt a pang in my ribs. My heart clenched.

  “Thanks, Sherry. I love you too.”

  “And I’m outta her,” Miguel said raising his arms, backing away like we were dangerous.