And then it did. This boy, this Superman, did the unthinkable. He started walking towards the jaguar. Towards it.
I begged him not to, “Albert, don’t do it! Stay back, stay away from it! She’s going to rip you apart!”
“Just go!” he yelled back at me. “Don’t get in the way! If anyone needs to survive this it’s you!”
No. I was not letting this kid put himself in danger to protect me. Not by himself. “But you said you needed me!” I pleaded, “Tell me what to do! I’ll Track the shit out of her if I have to! Just tell me what you need from me!”
And then he turned around. And his dark eyes met mine in the afternoon light as the sun began to shine through the clouds painting my face, his face and the grassy field all a harsh orange hue. And I heard him whisper in my mind.
“I need you safe.”
He turned around and walked towards the jaguar. The cat’s chest sunk low to the ground as it stalked Albert, almost like prey. I sunk to my knees in fear of the inevitable. He clenched his fists and came closer and closer to her… whatever was left of her most certainly wasn’t human. Those eyes were glaring at Albert… and then her deadly look fell onto me.
And that’s when it hit me for real. Albert was just in her way. She wanted me. For some reason she wanted me. I don’t know how or why, but I felt it. And the implications weren’t pleasant.
So I slumped there on my knees in shock as this boy faced my demons for me. And I thought to myself; was I really this weak? Since when did hard-knocks and snarky Avalin Marsh let others fight her battles? Never. I don’t care if Albert Huntington is He-Man, which right now he very well could be but that wasn’t the point. Albert, He-Man nor any other hero was going to defend this girl. And as I stood to my feet with shaking balance I realized I was not a helpless princess waiting to be rescued. I was not a damsel despite the distress. I was Avalin Marsh. Right now, I was Avalin.
If we really were going to die, then damn it all, we were going to die together. And I was going to have at least a noteworthy chunk of that bitch’s hair, fur, whatever, in my hand by the end of this.
In school the hatred I had for Jessica was petty. She was a spoiled brat; we exchanged glares and awkward insults. Now the hate was real; we exchanged blows and deadly intentions. She was a threat. And she was threatening Albert. She was threatening me. Suddenly the fear of being considered insane was insignificant compared to what I faced now. She wanted me dead. She wanted me to lose.
I won’t lose. Not to her. I wasn’t going let her kill me. Plenty of other things in my life were already waiting to do that.
So I took one shaking step after the other. I felt the orange grass underneath my feet crunch as I progressed, as I willed my self to move. I commanded myself. And despite my fear, I was going to fight. I didn’t know what I could do… but I was going to make a stand.
And before I knew it I was standing right next to Albert. His head turned to see me swallow my spit nervously, body shaking with adrenaline and fear. But I was there. And I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I made that point impeccably clear.
“I told you to run,” he whispered to me, shock conveyed in his facial expression.
I looked straight ahead, right into Jessica’s eyes, “I never liked her anyway.” I shrugged, my right hand gripping my left arm tightly, “Besides… I’m a dog girl.”
Albert grinned at me slightly for the first time, “That was a little cheesy.”
“I know. Does wonders for the terror though.”
I was eleven years old when everything went to hell. On the day of the eleventh anniversary of my birth, my mother murdered a woman and changed my life forever… I was never the same again. But on a chilly, gray September day I met a boy named Albert, took my fate into my own hands…
And stared hell in the face.
CHAPTER 5: POWER LUST, WHO TO TRUST
“There isn’t going to be much time to act,” Albert whispered to me, “I’m going to explain to you what I’m about to do as best I can. For the most part I need you to take my actions on faith. Understand?”
I nodded to him. He was obviously the expert in these kinds of situations. And by the hungry look in Jessica’s eyes, she wasn’t going to turn around and walk away any time soon.
She stalked us as she moved slowly, circling us. Albert kept me behind him and we both made sure to face her. If either one of us turned our backs to her, we were doomed.
“All right…” I said quietly. “Just… do what you need to do.”
“What I need to do is send her flying half way across the field again. And with how powerful you’re making me right now, I can do it.” He clenched his fist. “That would buy us enough time.”
“Buy us enough time for what?”
Albert looked at me briefly from over his shoulder, “For the Joining.”
He lost me there. “For the what?”
“Taking my actions on faith, remember?”
“Right, right,” I said.
I found myself gripping the back of his sleeve. His body seemed to tense. The strange thing is while he was the one who tensed up… I felt it too. I felt it as if his emotions were carrying over to me.
“Don’t be scared,” he whispered.
“Reading my mind?”
“I feel you shaking.”
“Well it’s a little unreasonable to tell me not to be fearful of the deranged she-cat ready to tear my trachea out.”
“Good, good,” Albert said. “Keep doing that. You’re less terrified when you’re sarcastic.”
Suddenly Jessica made a quick move, crouching further into the grass. Albert and I flinched at her every step. This was going to get us nowhere. If we run, she catches us. If we fight, she kills us, unless maybe Albert can find a way to use that strong arm of his.
“Can’t you just do that special fisty thing to fight her off?”
“That what thing?”
“The punching thing. The…” I reached my arm out in a swinging motion and he nodded, realizing what I meant.
“No. It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “You don’t understand. She’s part of a Joined Pair. That means she’s bonded with a human and reached her full potential. Unless her Marker is destroyed, she’s untouchable, especially for a Twined like me.” I saw his jaw tighten in frustration. “We’re on two completely different levels.”
Albert sighed and clenched his fists. I knew he was going to try to attack her again. I could feel it.
“Whatever you do, don’t make any sudden moves.”
“But what if she-”
“She’ll be focusing on me. She won’t get to you. I won’t let that happen.” He looked at me, “Trust me. Please.”
I bit my lip. But I did as he asked. I would remain still if he wanted me to. I trusted him. For now.
“Thank you.”
He walked a few paces forward, the orange grass crunching underneath his step. It was dry and tall, coming up to about his kneecap. He walked with confidence over to Jessica as she growled lowly, neither of them backing down. They eyed each other like duelists. As if the first one to blink would be the first one to die.
And then it happened. She sprang forward with such blazing speed that the grass hissed as her body flew across the field. I resisted the urge to physically uproot myself from my position and run towards him. But I stopped at the first step. I had to do what he asked. I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that the one idiot to go against the wise words of a mysterious stranger was the first one to end up dead.
And Albert yelled out, reeling his fist back. The cat seemed to almost smile as she dashed to the left of Albert, targeting his throat.
But he had expected that. I saw him raise his right foot and his leg swung across Jessica’s face. That distorted ripple pulsed through the air again, but this time
his foot made full contact. And it paid off. Jessica flew across the field as she bounced along the ground. She finally came to a skidding halt at least a quarter mile away from us.
I finally began breathing again as Albert seemed to have dodged death once more. But there was no time to wait. He came sprinting back to me. I just looked at him as his eyes roved around my body. He seemed to be searching for something. It was a little much to take in.
“What are you-”
“Faith, remember? Faith,” he said as he pulled at my red ruby necklace. He fingered it gently as a smile came across his lips. I, however, was not fascinated in the least with my freaking jewelry.
“Is this really the best time to-”
He put a finger to my mouth and cut me off. My eyes stared into the blackness of his pupils that seemed to turn a little gray in the orange light. He put his hand around my neck and my skin seemed to jump, littered with goosebumps. My eyes darted around his face. I think I was looking for an answer.
He sighed, “This isn’t what you think it is.”
I shrugged, “What-”
He pulled my head forward, leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.
Holy crap.
There are three typical reactions that can be expected from me when a total stranger locks lips with mine. All of them result in haymakers to the groin. But this time, as it was just plain random, was different. We were in the middle of a crisis. I didn’t know what to think for the first five seconds, which spelled doom for me because after that initial shock elapsed I began to… enjoy it. My body seemed to light up and a wave of sensual pleasure rippled up my spine and made me shiver. I half expected my hair to stand so on end that I’d look like I stuck my tongue in an electrical socket. But the sensation of his lips on mine and feeling of hot and cold erupting through my pores, it… it was something I can’t describe. It was something that I’ve never felt before in my life.
This was not a normal kiss.
He pressed his hand on my necklace and wrapped his lips tighter around mine. My eyeballs were fluttering under my eyelids. Whatever the hell he just did to me was both unwelcome and regrettably, shamefully welcome at the same time. But he pulled away as I was still in my sensational trance. My eyes finally opened and he stared at me. But his expression was one of concern… and disappointment.
He shook his head, “I don’t… I don’t understand.”
“Understand? Why understand? Under… wait,” I furrowed my brow as my babbling stopped and my right frame of mind returned. “You just kissed me. Did you just kiss me? You just freaking kissed me!”
“I told you it’s not what you think. I needed-”
“Are you out of your damn mind?” I yelled in rage, but noticed that I wasn’t pulling away from him. “We’re about to be murdered viciously and you want to suck out my tongue at a time like this?”
“Avalin!” I finally pushed my way out of his arms but he grabbed my wrist, firmly but not fiercely. “I just finished explaining it’s not what you think! It… it didn’t… I don’t understand. We should have Joined by now!”
“I’m not joining anything with you! I-” Suddenly the grass behind Albert flew into the air. I saw a red blur come towards us. “Albert!” I screamed.
Albert gasped and grabbed me by the shoulders. He rammed into me and we both flipped to the ground, rolling into the grass and down a hilled section of the field we were in. Jessica had swiped right past us, but missed by barely an inch with her razor sharp claws. I pushed my face into Albert’s chest as the rolling finally stopped. I ended up on top of him as he spread eagle under me, arms out wide.
I sighed and pulled my hair back. “Get up, get up!” I yelled as I tried to stand. But he was faster than me and was already up, running and dragging me along with him. I staggered and ran clumsily, trying to keep my balance.
“What exactly were you trying to prove?” I yelled, finally catching up to him. “You’re a damn idiot, you know that? You almost got us killed!”
“God you’re the most frustrating woman to deal with!” he shouted back. “I was trying to form a Joined Pair with you! I can’t kill her otherwise! But your necklace didn’t turn into a Marker… it won’t let us Join!”
“In English you vague jackass! What does that mean in English?!”
“We’re screwed, bent and backwards, that’s what this means!” Albert said, quite seriously. “We’re out of options! It should have worked! I did it exactly the way I did in training…” He shook his head, “Why didn’t it work?”
I tried to contemplate what Albert had meant when he said it hadn’t worked. But I didn’t have time before he quickly turned around and ran into me. His arms wrapped around my body and he hugged me tightly. I could feel us going down as a warm burst of air rushed past us. Suddenly I heard Albert scream out in pain as we both hit the ground. I landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me. We kind of just laid there for a minute before I got the strength to push myself up.
Albert was leaning limply on me. I looked at him and his body was shuddering. And then I saw that he had three huge gashes on his left side. His shirt was torn to pieces, the whole left side of it gone, and blood trickled down his waist and stained his pants an ominous maroon. My heart stopped beating when I saw it. I thought he was dead. Terror kept my thoughts from forming words. I hadn’t felt fear like this since my eleventh birthday, fear that made me almost physically ill.
But suddenly I heard him cussing. And the blood began to flow in me again as a tear welled at my eyes. He picked himself up with one hand, the other gripping his side, as he hovered over me and spoke through his gritted teeth, “Damn it… she’s a God damned Shadow Lynx!”
I just shook my head, wide eyed, “Oh my God, Albert, don’t move!” I positioned him upright and pressed my hand against his side. He flexed his entire body at the pain, but I needed to keep pressure on it. The gashes were deep.
I looked around, but Jessica was nowhere to be found. I took off my loose sweater and unbuttoned it, wrapping the arms around his waist and tying it at the wound. He grimaced, turning a bit pale, but I managed to at least constrict the injury to the point where he could take his hand away from it.
“I don’t see her,” I said as Albert’s breath became shallow. I looked into his droopy eyes and said, “Hey, Albert, come on stay awake.”
“I’m trying.”
He looked like he was going into shock. But instead he stared at me and touched the side of my shoulder, “You’re bleeding.”
I noticed a cut on my shoulder as soon as he said something. Two scratch marks. Not deep, but they started to hurt when he brought them to my attention.
“It’s just a scratch,” I confirmed, “Don’t worry about me. Just breathe, all right?” I stood to my feet and searched the field for Jessica, “We’ll get through this. Somehow.”
I helped Albert to his feet, I needed to. He’s not in a position where he can stand, more or less fight. But I couldn’t do this without him. I had no idea what to do. I was helpless. I hated it, but I was helpless.
“What is a Shadow Lynx?” I asked, my eyes still roaming.
Albert shook his head in anger, “I was stupid, so stupid. I assumed she was just a normal Lynx.”
“Normal is generous. What is a Lynx?”
“Lynxes are transforming Twined. They usually morph into something like Jessica, a jungle cat or something,” he grunted and bent over slightly. I put a hand on his back to try and comfort him through the pain. “But… Shadow Lynxes are different. They have all the physical attributes of their transformed halves, but they also phase through physical objects.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So she’s a cat… that can walk through walls?”
He nodded at me silently.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I cussed then sighed. I was a
bout to fight a demonic, spectral jaguar, hand to hand. I was out of my mind.
And then I saw her again. She was sitting upright, her eyes gazing into mine as she licked her lips in anticipation. I flinched and took a step back. Albert stood straight up, but did so a little too quickly and regretted it.
Suddenly Jessica’s form changed. Her joints shifted and she began to regain the stature of a human being. She stood up straight with her womanly curves back, yet her body was still fully covered in that dark red fur. Her head then morphed back to the beautiful yet deadly face of Jessica that I knew and loathed so well. Her lips curved into a smile. A smile I wanted to smack off her.
“Avalin,” she grinned with her teeth showing. All human… for the moment. “You know what’s going to happen.”
I gave her a stinging smile. “Yeah, I do. You’re going to monologue and I really don’t want to deal with it.”
Jessica laughed to herself. And it truthfully seemed genuine; like she thought what I said was actually humorous. That bothered me a lot. In fact, she looked at me with no animosity in her expression. She seemed more… excited.
“Always the funny one,” Jessica shrugged. “I guess this must be really… relieving for you.”
“Relieving?” I repeated.
“Oh yes,” she motioned outwards with her hand, “Relieving to know that you’re not the psycho everyone thinks you are. That everything you’ve been seeing, hearing, feeling… all of it is real,” she shrugged happily, “You don’t have to be a freak anymore.”
My back tingled at the way she spoke to me. And in a twisted sense she was right. I wasn’t relieved, but this did prove to me that everything I saw and heard today was… it was real. I wasn’t crazy, no… I was in danger.
I said, regaining my vigor, “Save your breath, Jessica. Don’t try to comfort your food before you gorge on it.”
Jessica laughed again. I cringed.
“I hate it when this bitch laughs,” I spat to Albert.
She put a hand to her mouth, “Oh God. Ave. You really think I’m trying to eat you? Seriously? Don’t be silly.”
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