“Max, where are you?” she mumbled to herself. From behind her Kai walked up with a smile.
“Still no Max huh?”
“Nope,” she said frustrated. “Do you know where he is Kai?”
“I haven’t heard a peep. I called him this morning but it went right to his voicemail,” he chuckled. “I don’t think he’s in the mood to talk.”
“Yeah, I’ve been calling his cell phone all morning,” she started to give up.
“We’re gonna be late…come on,” he tugged at her shirt. She resisted at first, glancing around one final time but found no sign of me. Her shoulders fell slightly in a hunch and she walked to her first class. Just before she reached the door of first period she was stopped by Lucy.
“Morning Samantha,” she said as politely as possible but Sam didn’t trust her.
“Morning Lucy…if you don’t mind, I’m going to be late if…”
“No Devon today?” Lucy watched with wide eyes. This caught Sam off guard.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a couple days,” Sam said annoyed. “What do you need Lucy?”
“Oh that is too bad,” Lucy said sarcastic. “And Max?” she asked as her purple eyelids slid together. That was enough for Sam.
“Goodbye.”
“No, no, no. I’m sorry. I was just being nosy.” Lucy quickly pulled a folded piece of paper from her belt and flapped it in front of Sam’s face.
“This is for you,” she smiled like an alligator.
“What’s this? Who?” Sam was confused. As she held the paper in her hands she realized that she didn’t recognize the hand writing on it. Two words were written in a beautiful handwriting…
“FOR SAMANTHA”
“I don’t know,” Lucy giggled. “I’m just the messenger,” she added with a bite. She let a sigh slide from her mouth and turned and disappeared down the hallway. Sam ignored her rude messenger and raced into her classroom and sat down. The teacher made sure that she knew that she was upset with her tardiness but Sam didn’t care. Her sweaty hand gripped the note tightly as she decided that she couldn’t wait any longer and opened it up.
It only took a moment to read what was written on it and when she was done she tucked it inside her school folder and sadness gripped her face.
Outside Lucy whistled as she walked to the parking lot. Her lips filled with a black lipstick pout as the air pushed itself out, louder with each breath. She walked up to a shiny new blue car, clicked her keyless entry button and slid in snug as a bug. She tossed her little black purse on the passenger’s seat, right next to an envelope with hundred dollar bills falling out from its belly. She quickly dialed out on her cell phone.
“It’s done,” she said with an evil smile and clicked her phone off. She inhaled the new car smell and caressed the curve of the steering wheel before racing out of the parking lot.
Falling_30
~Sign Your Name: Terence Trent D’Arby~
Monday night – 7:53 p.m.
Tiffany’s Bar and Grill is one of the local hangouts that has been around for years. It’s a little restaurant bar that features live bands and karaoke in a small comfy atmosphere. I had never heard of the place but my uncle filled me in on all of its history. This is where Asia had asked me to meet her tonight. This night would either be the beginning of our lives together or our last dance. Sitting quietly in Frank’s truck I stared at the bright colorful screen of my cell phone and read Asia’s text for the 100th time.
‘2NITE AT 8:00.
TIFF’S BAR & GRILL.
PLEASE COME.
XO....A.’
I sulked looking around the half full parking lot I rallied all the courage I could. I was parked right next to Asia’s Jeep and my hands warmed at the thought of walking in. When I heard the faint sounds of someone singing a pop hit from the eighties inside, I settled into a quiet calmness. I used the word singing loosely, the poor man sounded as if he were in pain.
I walked toward the entrance, watching the clouds above me. They were dark and still but they seemed safe and peaceful. As I prepared my restless nerves outside the front door I found myself singing along with the poor soul on stage. He was giving it his all but I was sure the owners had one of those giant canes at the ready, to yank him from the stage. The image brought a much needed smile to my lips. With a nervous fire in my throat, I walked inside.
The place was bigger than it looked from the outside. There was a small bar to the left with only a couple people sitting along its counter. A dozen small tables scattered throughout but most of them were empty. That was probably normal for a Monday night. A small stage with a DJ close by filled the back of the place. The smell of fresh food filled the place as my feet fumbled through the door.
Asia spotted me from the front of the stage as the tone deaf patron finished his song and quickly rushed back to his table. She watched me with a delicate smile and wide eyes. She was wearing a white tank top with jeans and sandals. It was the most relaxed I had ever seen her. Her intoxicating scent only took a moment to reach me and overpowered the smells from the kitchen.
“Aloha,” she quickly motioned with her mouth. Her hand waved to me but I was instantly distracted by what she was holding in her opposite hand. A shiny black microphone.
Before my mind had time to process the information my eyes were pulled away toward the side of the restaurant. Sam’s nervous eyes called to me, watching every little move I made. Her hair was pulled up in a tight pony tail, exposing the lines of her neck. She sat fidgeting in a white summer dress with her hands stirring a drink with one of those tiny umbrellas. She waved at me and then glanced toward Asia and back at me. I froze in confusion of what my next move should be. What was going on? Why was Sam here too? Why didn’t Asia seem upset by this?
I slowly stepped forward, not sure of where exactly I was heading and my palms flared with hot anxiety. Asia never took her gaze off of my face, even when Sam rose from her seat and started walking my way. She just casually walked forward in my direction. All three of us met in the middle of the room and there we stood for what seemed like an eternity, saying nothing. The thunder woke from its slumber and rolled softly outside. A small family gathered their things and ran out the front door, leaving the place looking almost empty now. My hand ran itself along the back of my neck nervously as I decided to break the ice.
“The gangs all here,” I joked. I sounded absolutely desperate when I said it but neither one of the girls seemed to care.
“Thank you for coming Max,” Asia said sweetly. Something was different with her but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it yet.
“Aloha,” I returned.
“It’s nice to see you too Sam,” she said softly. Now I was really worried. Asia sounded almost like she was glad Sam was here. She seemed…happy. My shirt filled with heat as my chest heated up.
“I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Sam said protective. Her body leaned into mine, sending me into complete confusion. Asia stepped in closer, ignoring Sam’s advances.
“I need to tell you something,” she grinned. Her eyes were alive and Sam pushed in closer again. I just stood there waiting for the first shot. Surely this was some sort of elaborate charade to get me back for my indecision with them.
“But first…” Asia nodded to the DJ and he pointed a finger back her way. “Tonight I sing for you Max.”
She turned and walked back to the tiny stage, never even giving Sam a second glance. The DJ started the music and I knew the song instantly. My scattered thoughts settled themselves and I realized that this was her way of telling me how she felt about me…about us. Asia Lyn Michaels really did love me. Sam’s hand found mine and grasped down tightly.
“And tonight, I am here for you,” Sam said with the confidence that I had grown to adore. I had no idea what to say and stared at her beautiful face. We both grabbed a couple chairs at the nearest table and sat down. She slid her chair as close to mine as possible, never surrendering my han
d. Asia began to sing and everyone left in the room stopped.
“…Fortunately you – have got someone who relies on you…We started out as friends but the thought of you just caves me in…” Asia sang sweetly. To my surprise her voice was quite lovely. It was sultry with a hint of sweetness that was totally unexpected. My hands burned hot causing Sam’s hand to squeeze even harder.
Asia’s eyes watched me like laser beams as she sang and strutted around the stage. Her stare was so powerful and captivating. Sam’s glare was now filling with tears.
“…Stranger blue – leave us alone…We don’t want to deal with you…We’ll shed our stains – showering…In the room that makes the rain…” she sang with all her heart. My chest pounded and the room began to spin. Sam’s sad eyes saved me from complete shut-down. I focused on her hurt face. Why would she put herself through this? I gripped her hand tighter not sure what to do and finally gave in to her suffering.
“Sam…why would you come here tonight?”
“Because she told me to,” her voice broke. Why would Asia want her here? It didn’t make any sense.
“She said tonight would be the end of all this. We would all have closure.” She wiped her eyes as I sat in silence.
“…Sign your name across my heart…I want you to be my baby…” Asia sang to me. I felt far away inside…I felt lost.
“She wrote me a note,” Sam said handing me the piece of paper from her shaking hand.
“See,” she scolded. I felt panic rush through me as I opened it. Asia noticed my discomfort and the rain started to fall outside.
“Sam, who gave this to you?” I asked in a panic. My anger welled up inside of me and she looked at me confused.
“Why?”
“Because this isn’t Asia’s hand writing,” I warned. My eyes caught Asia’s as I quickly scanned the room and she knew something was wrong. The ends of the paper caught fire in my hand and I let it fall to the table. My search continued until I reached the corridor to the entrance. There I found a curious shadow watching us. My hands grew tighter with fury and I accidentally burned Sam’s hand in the process. She pulled it away in pain as I jumped to my feet and ran for the entrance.
“Max!” she shouted holding her hand. Her eyes then saw who I had seen.
“Lucy?”
Asia rushed to our table in a rage.
“What did you do? What did you say to him?” she accused. Sam stood up and shoved the note in Asia’s face, still caressing her tender hand. It only took a moment for Asia to read the message and fill with confusion. Her hands crumbled the paper into a ball as her eyes filled with ice.
“Lucy,” she gritted through her teeth.
“What’s going on?” Sam demanded. Asia sucked in a deep breath as the thunder crashed outside. A single bolt of lightning flashed and forced the power to blink off and on for a second.
“I don’t know…” Asia said looking at Sam scared. “But this is bad. I can feel it.” Asia’s hands began to shake. Sam pulled her own hands to her chest, rubbing softly the one I had burned. A few seconds later both girls jumped at the sound of the first gunshot.
They ran for the door.
OUTSIDE…
As I ran outside chasing Lucy, I was taken off guard at how dark it had already become. The rain wasn’t helping the visibility much either. Lucy was in a full sprint now and if she hadn’t fumbled to get her keys out of her pocket, I might not have caught her.
“Lucy!” My hands caught her by the wrist. She screamed in surprise.
“Leave me alone!” she hollered.
“Why did you write that note?” I said holding her wrist tighter. I didn’t care if I burned her, I just wanted an answer.
“Let me go!” she struggled in my grasp.
“Not until you tell me what this is about. Why did you write it Lucy?” I demanded.
“Because he paid me to!” she cursed. My hand let go of her arm as the rain fell heavy.
“What?” I said dazed. She opened her car door and jumped in quickly.
Crying now she whispered, “I’m sorry.” She slammed her door and drove off in a fury. I was so confused now. My eyes whipped around my surroundings, circling my position. Finally I saw him standing not twenty feet from me and it was too late to react.
Devon stood hunched slightly with the rain pouring off his grimacing face. The lightning flickered and exposed how bad he really looked. He was very pale and hadn’t shaven in a while. His burn scars looked horrible. They surrounded his neck like a withered serpent. His eyes were pools of liquid hate, burning against my stare. My instincts kicked in and my body began to steam in the rain. Devon’s motionless shadow came alive and his arm rose with a shiny gun as he screamed through his clenched mouth.
“Not this time Valentine!”
BANG!
The sound of the bullet sliced through the air and the fire in my chest seemed to fade, leaving only pain. I fell backwards still in shock from watching the bullet tear into my chest. I managed to only fall to one knee as I gripped the open wound with my hand. I could barely feel my chest and the pain was radiating everywhere. I tried to focus and let my fire heal me but the wound was massive. At the range he had fired, the bullet went right through me and I couldn’t ignite now, no matter how hard I pushed. Devon laughed wickedly and stormed toward me with the gun pointed straight at me.
“Heal from that freak!” he spat. His eyes were possessed as his hand flexed around the handle of the gun. Its reflection blurred in the falling rain as I tried my hardest to focus. He was barely ten feet from me and I figured I had only enough energy for one shot at an attack. I concentrated every ounce of will I had left on my hands and they stuttered to ignite but they did. I lunged at him. His eyes grew big as he watched in shock as I came to my feet.
I had almost reached him with my hands sizzling in the fat drops of rain when he squeezed the trigger again. Two shots this time but I only felt the first one. Lightning curled itself along the nearest power lines, cutting the power out and leaving us in darkness. The girls screamed from the doorway and I tried to turn to them to show them that I was all right but I couldn’t. My legs gave out and I fell to both knees this time. I hunched over with both arms crossed over my chest, gasping for air. I waited for the heat to return to me and fill the nothing in my chest but it never came.
“Why aren’t I healing?” I gasped as blood filled my mouth. He was too close. Why can’t I feel my fire? The wounds were too big. I tried again in vain to heal but it was no use, I didn’t have the energy and the rain was falling much too cold now. Damn it Asia…please my beautiful rainmaker…turn off the waterworks.
“Don’t come any closer!” Devon warned the girls. They froze in shock trying not to scream. Sam reached for Asia’s hand but found a balled fist and the thunder shook the ground.
“This is what you get Valentine!” Devon screamed from above me. His shadow towered over me from the moonlight as my body began to shake uncontrollably. He spit on me and cracked the bones in his neck with a quick jerk of his head. He leaned down only inches from my face.
“This is what you get for mutilating me!” he growled. He rubbed the still warm barrel of the gun against my cheek.
“For destroying my reputation!” he smashed the gun into my eye and I fell back but he caught me by the neck and pulled me back toward his words.
“And for stealing my girl,” he said seething. My lips pulled apart to reveal a bloody grin that dripped down my chin. The sight made him shake with anger.
“You’re smiling?”
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha...” I laughed choking slightly.
“What?” he couldn’t believe his ears.
“This doesn’t change anything Dev…” I coughed up blood but the drenching rain washed it from my mouth as quickly as it came. “You’re still a spoiled brat…” my hands reached for his collar.
“…And…Sam…still…picked…me,” I cursed with a dizzy smile.
Devon’s mind snapped and he
broke my weak grasp from his neck, rising quickly above me again. With no hesitation he unloaded the rest of the clip into my body, screaming like a banshee with every bullet. The world stopped spinning and faded to black as my body fell backward into a puddle. The rain was still there but I could no longer feel it. I could no longer feel the coldness. I lied motionless.
Blackened_31
~Shame: Stabbing Westward~
It only took Devon a moment to come to his senses and realize what he had just done. Panic gripped him and he began to shake. The rain fell down on him as he quickly gave my broken body one final glance. Sam and Asia ran toward him but he turned and fled. He ran to his motorcycle that was parked against the back wall and mounted it, revving the engine. He disappeared into the darkness with the tail lights flickering in the falling raindrops.
Sam collapsed at my side and Asia slid herself under my head. The shock had melted away any strength they had left and they both cried out loud. Sam’s hand traced my wrist and neck looking for any sign of a pulse. Her head rested inches above what was left of my chest and she listened patiently for a heartbeat. Her golden ponytail fell to my bloody body and filled with red blotches that washed away in streaks just as quickly from the storm.
“I can’t find a pulse…” Sam said shaking. Asia ignored her words and continued wiping the blood from my head. “His heart isn’t beating either,” Sam continued. Asia kept up her invisible wall and rubbed my face even harder. She tried to look into my eyes but found them rolled back in my head and she screamed, making the thunder crack around us.
“Power up Max! Now!” she screamed holding my cold face tightly, but my color had faded to a ghost white.
“Max!” she screamed again, along with the fiery strips of lightning in the clouds. In the distance the sound of approaching sirens could now be heard.
Ember Page 26