Lilith’s eyes squinted. “You’re my father’s brother’s daughter. The relative of my sperm-donor. You’re technically related, but that hardly qualifies as being family.”
Ethan clenched his fists. “Would you two stop!” He breathed deep. “Sis, do you have to tell me something that Kayla can’t hear at all? Are you just … not allowed to tell her, or something?”
Lilith sighed, rolling her eyes, and taking one heavy step backward. “…Kayla can hear it. If she needs to.” She sighed again. “Aunt Nat home?” Ethan shook his head. “Okay, then. I don’t know how to start…”
“Just say it,” pushed Kayla.
“Apparently, the clan is dozens strong… and Bryan is one of them.”
Ethan felt a wave of heat surge throughout his body. That name triggered every memory attached to it, and every emotion with it as well. He inexplicably felt the need to hide his internal reaction. “Good,” he said, acting calm. “That means he’s about to die.”
“This is my opportunity to make my bones. You too. Who better to make your bones on than him?”
Maintaining composure required every ounce of strength he had. To keep up appearances, he thought of a legitimate question. “When will the families move against them?”
“Aunt Scarlet’s men will be leading the charge, and Carrie’s barely contributing forces. To answer your question, though, it will be soon.”
He couldn’t any longer. Ethan walked away without another word; his head down, eyes half-shut.
–––––––
When he walked up to her door, all she was doing was lying on her bed, already facing him. “You seem … perky,” she said.
Ethan smiled as he replied. “Is that your … deduction, Sherlock?”
“Why yes, my dear Watson. When you approached, you walked on your toes; your face was more relaxed than usual; and considering the fact you were in a very poor mood the last time I saw you, that’s saying something.”
Wow, thought Ethan. “You’re good. Very good.” Kayla smiled, shrugging shyly. “Well, yeah, I’m feeling a little better.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m just in a good mood. What are you up to?”
“Thinking.”
“About what?” asked Ethan, leaning against the doorframe.
Kayla tucked her hands under her head for support. “To be honest… You.”
His mind had a mixed response to that answer. Part of him felt nervous, another part confused. “Me?”
“Yeah, just wondering something. Remembering a few days ago when you told me to give my life purpose. I was just wondering, since you’re the one who suggested it… What purpose does your life have?”
“Umm… I’m not totally sure. I guess I just… I don’t know. I look after people?”
Kayla nodded. For a minute, she seemed to think about that. “I can see that,” she said, plainly. “Is that fulfilling?”
“What are you, my therapist? Last I checked, I’m the one taking care of you.” Kayla was silent. From her changed expression, she was clearly offended. Despite being unsure what ticked her off, he softly said, “Sorry…”
“You make it sound like I’m a burden.”
“I’m sorry, Kayla. I was just making a joke.” To put her mind off it, he answered her question. “Yes, it’s fulfilling. It’s always hard to help people, but it makes me happy.”
“Hmm.” She slowly sat up, leaning against the wall, wrapping herself neck-deep in the blanket. “There’s no end, though.”
“What?”
“There’s no end to helping people. Like, there’s no end to that goal. Like eating; you’ll always get hungry again. People are always going to need help again. So, why do it?”
“Because we all need help sometimes. Why does there have to be an end goal? Besides, sometimes there is. Like you, Kayla. I hope you don’t go back to drugs and prostitution.”
“Me too,” she said, her eyes drifting elsewhere. “If I relapsed, it’d be like giving you the finger.”
“Just don’t do it, then.”
“Ethan, you should know it’s not that easy.”
“I think it is.” He nervously smiled. “Just don’t give up again. Act like you know you have a future.” Kayla stared at him for a minute, then smiled back. Ethan interpreted the smile to mean gratitude, again, for not giving up on her. That was always accepted, and it made him feel happy. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere.”
“Go somewhere? Is it safe?” asked Kayla. Ethan didn’t answer; instead, just walked away, headed for the stairs.
–––––––
Unbeknownst to Kayla, Ethan had asked Andrew to drop off his car at the house to use for the night. Kayla didn’t ask about it, she only asked, repeatedly, where they were going. Ethan figured that if she trusted him enough to get in the car, she’d trust him enough to not be answered. Perhaps invoking a little fear could add to the surprise.
Half an hour later, having driven from West Linn to Portland, the forbidden territory, Ethan parked the car on some hill Kayla verbally expressed she didn’t recognize. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “You’ll love this.”
They left the car. Chilling already, Kayla hid her hands inside the sleeves of her sweater, and crossed her arms. Ethan led her to a strange brick staircase leading to the hill’s summit a couple dozen feet up. At the top, he and Kayla saw for the first time the surrounding castle-like walls half as tall as they. Kayla was awe-struck. All around them was Portland – neighborhoods, downtown, and the airport, if one looked closely.
“Oh my god!” gasped Kayla. “This is so awesome!” She ran to the perimeter, jumping onto the wall. “I feel like a satellite, floating high in the sky.”
Ethan was touched by her momentous innocence. Envied it, even. I knew this was a good pick, he thought, recalling the occasions he had heard of the place while growing up, but had never once gone to. He approached Kayla, who looked down at him with a wide smile. “I’m glad you like it. Always kinda heard this place was awesome.”
“How’d you know I’d like it?”
“It kinda hit me the other day,” he said, putting his weight on one foot, slowly swaying the other with his hands behind his back. “You sit on the back porch so much. You know… You obviously like views, so…”
She embraced him tight, and quickly. Then, she stood again, rising all the way on to her tiptoes. Several minutes passed.
Ethan watched her blonde hair blowing in the wind, her chest expand as she breathed in deep the fresh, cold air, and the peace he felt looking into her eyes as she stared at the vast landscape. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, even for a moment. She was a painting, a sketch … a transcendent work of art on a five-and-a-half-foot canvas. The most mesmerizing sight he had ever seen; one he couldn’t deny the beauty of for one more minute. He was powerless to ignore his feelings any longer.
“Kayla…” he said softly, almost whispering. Kayla sat down, facing him with her feet dangling over the wall. “I think I’m in love with you.” He dared to look into her eyes, and she looked into his with an expression he couldn’t decipher. “I think I’ve always been in love with you.”
Kayla stepped down to ground level, keeping her eyes on him, never blinking. She leaned forward, balancing her weight against him, and kissed him passionately. His first kiss. It was wet, but delicious. His body, as if it had been asleep for 17 years, awakened. His heart raced, his arms burned. By the time they had finished, he was dizzy; virtually drunk.
“It took me a while,” began Kayla, “but I realized I’m in love with you too.”
Ethan smiled. “You were waiting for me to make a move?”
“Maybe,” laughed Kayla, and they kissed again.
One A.M., intoxicated with love, and after nearly crashing the car on the way home from focusing more on his girl than the road, Ethan carried Kayla from the front door to her bed. Without wasting one second, they went for each other’s faces again. Before he knew it, Kayla
was naked and so was he. When she reached for him down below, he froze and his muscles clenched. “You okay?” asked Kayla.
“I think… I’m just nervous.”
What he saw, what he felt… It reminded him of what he had experienced with his sister; not enough to ruin the moment, though. From an early age, he knew what there was to see beneath a girl’s clothes, and even after passing through puberty, he still failed to comprehend the appeal of sex. With Kayla, it was different, but still difficult. As they continued rubbing their bare bodies together, Kayla using her hand to stimulate him some, Ethan remained limp.
“You don’t want to have sex?” whispered Kayla. Much to Ethan’s surprise, she didn’t sound offended in her tone.
“It’s hard…”
“No, it isn’t…”
Ethan laughed quietly. “No, I mean it’s … difficult. I never really ever think about sex. Please don’t take it personally.”
She held his face in her hands. “I believe you. Just take your time. Or, we can stop.”
“No,” he said, kissing her. “I want to be close to you.”
The following morning, Ethan was awakened by noise from upstairs. It was his Aunt Nat going to work as usual, and by the time she departed, Ethan realized he couldn’t go back to sleep. He looked at Kayla, who continued to sleep beside him. His arm was already wrapped around her, and just then, he squeezed it. Kayla moved her left hand downward, and held his, wiggling her fingers between his.
“Morning,” she half-whispered, half-groaned.
Ethan kissed her cheek. “Good morning.”
“Sorry about the mess, and the smell.”
Kayla smiled. “Oh, you know it’s perfectly normal. At least you finished at all. I like the smell of yours, and that’s saying something.” She rolled over, wrapping both her arms around his neck, and giving a passionate kiss. “So, where to go from here?”
“Down, I guess.”
“You think we’re doomed?”
Despite feeling they dug themselves into a deeper hole, Ethan was emotionally calm; even optimistic. He stroked Kayla’s hair with peace. “Yeah, probably,” he answered. “Pissing off the families, and now hooking up… Nobody accepts cousins sleeping together.”
“Well, we could move to the south. They’d accept us there,” joked Kayla.
“Har-har. I’m being serious here.”
“So am I,” she said smiling. She looks so cute when she smiles like that... thought Ethan. “If we have to move, we’ll move.”
Perhaps it had already been established, but Ethan needed to make sure he understood her implication. “So, we’re a thing now? You want to be together?”
Kayla’s smile widened. “I do.”
LILITH
Shortly following Colonel Corwin’s defeat, she had returned to her original home. She kept her prisoners in a basement several blocks away. Last she expected was for Ethan to abandon the family, and then for one of her most valuable hostages to disappear as well. Ethan covered his tracks well. No one had reported seeing him, but he was the only possible person who could have perpetrated Corwin’s escape.
Why…? Do I deserve this, Ethan?
She remained isolated in her room, with no lights and no company. Hunched over her desk, a serrated knife in hand, she contemplated her next move. Months of plotting… This was not the intended result. Order restored to the city, by a means she did not desire but deemed necessary – fear – with all the weeds removed from the city, and yet, her cause felt lost. No reward was to be found in this…
“Boss,” said Michael as he entered.
“Out!”
“It’s urgent. Kershaw’s people are leaving.”
Lilith looked at him, scowling. “Leaving? The fuck does that mean?”
“Kershaw’s denounced the Krohns. She’s calling for her people to move out of Portland and Gresham. We’ve also heard from all across the metro area… Thousands are fleeing.”
Lilith left her house with only Michael and Shane guarding her. Michael drove her to 148th and Burnside, only a few blocks away, where they found a crowd waiting outside Kershaw’s house. Michael showed his face to the guards, and was permitted through, with Lilith behind him.
“Does loyalty mean anything to you? We had a deal.”
“We’re not subjects, Krohn, we’re citizens. Our loyalty belongs to ideals, not people.”
Lilith laughed. “What are you, then? Whatever you tell your people, they obey. What does that make you?”
“To you, it’s ruling. To me, it’s leadership.”
“My ways are not fascist.”
Kershaw grinned. “Really? Let’s put that to the test. Let us leave, and maybe I’ll change my mind.”
A clever ploy? Perhaps it was a clever attempt at manipulation, perhaps Kershaw was testing her character. Regardless of the reason, Lilith felt she had no choice but to leave without another word of objection. More than half her forces, lost in an instant. What could she do? Wage war against them as well?
Against her own security protocol, Lilith exited the building and walked straight to her car through the crowd of Kershaw loyalists. Michael and Shane followed as quickly as they could.
The night only worsened from there. On the drive home, Lilith’s fear intensified as she realized she was now much weaker than before; now, with weak forces to defend her recent rash actions. With those numbers, the troops were matched, not weaker. Now, she was the lesser.
“Don’t go back to the house,” she instructed Michael, punching his seat in an impulsive rage. “Get lost.”
“Lost, boss?” he asked.
“Find a street you don’t know well or something. Anywhere even I wouldn’t expect to find me.”
Michael obeyed, and Shane followed their detour. When Michael found a random sidewalk deep within their territory, he parked and shut off all the car’s functions. “I’ll wait for your instruction,” he said.
Shane walked up to the car. “Anything you want me to do?” he asked Lilith.
“Go back home. You’re in charge until I get back.”
She remained for at least a half hour, with her head resting against the seat. Every instance that a car passed them, Michael prepared his gun, but no trouble arose. Shane returned eventually, reporting something even more troubling.
“Boss… We got a couple gangs that wanna speak to you.”
Lilith clenched her hands tightly. Through the rear-view mirror, she gestured for Michael to back home to deal with this. Pulling up to the property, they saw the place was nearly as crowded as Kershaw’s residence. The gatekeepers allowed Lilith through. She ordered Michael to gather everyone who lived on their secluded street. Some minutes later, when about thirty of her people showed, each armed with at least one gun, she sat on the brick steps in front of the house, then instructed Shane to allow only the heads of the gangs through the gate.
Four in total met with her. “Speak,” she ordered.
Respectfully, one stepped forward and said, “Seems my colleagues and I all agree. We were talkin’ while we were waitin’ for you.”
“Agreed to what?” asked Lilith.
“We didn’t sign up for no war,” said the same leader. “All we want is to survive. I mean, we got families. The war… It’s over. We won, it’s done.”
Lilith scowled at him. “You sure about that?” She received no answers. Turning to Shane, she said, “Bring in a few more. Tell the rest to get lost.” He obeyed. When about five others came in through the gate, Lilith asked, “So, are any of you second-in-command to these guys?” Nobody raised a hand. “Alright then. It doesn’t matter, because someone’s about to get a promotion anyway. You four, step forward, and the rest of you step back.” The bosses came closer, and their henchmen gained some distance. Their nervousness was apparent.
“Look, boss, we didn’t mean no disrespect, we just…”
“Waste ‘em!” she ordered her people, waving a hand. They opened fire on the four. Afterward, Lilith to
ok a moment to examine the corpses. Then, she looked at the others, studying their stature and reading their eyes, searching for confidence and perhaps a vibe of wit. The one who stood closest to her seemed the best choice. She pointed directly at him. “You. You’re in charge now. I lose track of all the gangs you guys represent… It is a lot to keep track of… But you’re in charge of them all now. Everyone you came with. First, I must ask you a question. Who is your boss?”
He swallowed. “You, miss.”
“And are you going anywhere?”
“No, miss. We’re staying right here. You give the word.”
“Good answer. Now, go back to your territories and let them know I’ve given them to you. If anyone objects, I’ll deal with them.” She addressed her guards. “Someone get me some info on this guy.” Before that got underway, she asked the newly promoted man, “What’s your name?”
“They call me Tank.”
“Well, Tank, after you’ve informed everyone of your new promotion, I want you to bring them all back here. Well, not here exactly. Bring them to Glisan and 148th. We have one final job for the night, and it’s a big one.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When they departed, the thirty-some men and women surrounding Lilith looked to her. She instructed them, “You do the same. Bring everyone here. Everyone you can. You have less than one hour.”
They obeyed without question. Shane went back into the white house, and she knew he was assuming the task of summoning her Brotherhood. Michael remained, though. “Lily…” he said with concern. “What is it you plan on doing? You’re not going to make a move on Kershaw, are you?”
“You’re smart, Michael. You already know the answer. I worked too hard to let half my forces just … walk away.”
“This isn’t wise. Both sides will eradicate each other.”
She shook her head, looking away from him. “No. Kershaw has no spine. She submitted once, she’ll submit again. If I’m wrong, then I’ll hit her with everything I’ve got.”
“Must hundreds of people die for –”
“Enough!”
Resurrection Page 37