by A. M. Miller
Amber shook her head. Her nose crinkled. “Nah, I’m good. That turkey use to have a family, you know.”
Dion’s little sister had declared herself a vegetarian over a week ago. He and his father had already started a bet to see how long it would last. Dion had given her a month but his father doubted she’d last past the end of this week.
“And now his come to feed our family.” Dion took a bite from his sandwich. “It’s the circle of life.”
“So?” Amber said staring at her brother.
“So what?”
“Did something happen with Raven and Tiffany?”
Dion stared at his little sister. If he didn’t tell her the truth now she’d probably keep asking until he did. Even though Amber was five years younger than him, she was still a smart girl.
Dion shrugged his shoulders. “Tiffany texted me and told me that they weren’t coming back to school today.”
“Did she say why?”
“Nope.”
Dion began to put the stuff back into the refrigerator. He didn’t want his little sister to see how worried he was. Both Tiffany and Raven had been acting strange recently. He got the feeling there was something they weren’t telling him. Tiffany seemed to pull away whenever he talked about their future plans. Raven had always been aloof, but with recent events, she seemed to be pulling back even more. Dion worried that he was losing them.
“Have you heard from her since then,” Amber asked.
“Nope, I tried to call but she didn’t pick up.”
Dion’s tone was casual but it bothered him. Unlike Raven who always seemed to be losing her phone, Tiffany’s phone was always on hand. Even if she wasn’t able to answer she would have texted him.
“Why don’t you stop by Raven’s and see if they’re there? She’s only a few blocks down,” Amber said.
“Because someone has to watch you.” Dion poked his little sister's arm.
Amber pushed his hand away. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I think mama would disagree.”
Dion walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. He pulled out his phone to see if Tiffany had texted him. There was still no message. He slid it open; his thumbs hovered over the keyboard a moment before closing his phone.
“You could always drop me off at Madison’s house. We have a class project to work on anyway.”
“Who’s Madison?”
“She’s this girl in my class, one of the scholarship students. Mrs. Domrma loves to put us colored folk together. The girl’s a little weird but pretty harmless. I think her older brother plays basketball at your school.”
Dion thought about it for a moment. Dropping off Amber would give him a chance to check in on his friends. There was probably a logical reason for Tiffany not answering but he just wanted to make sure.
“You don’t even know if she’s home,” Dion said.
“Well if you let me use your phone, instead of staring at it like a rejected boyfriend, I can call and ask.”
“Smart mouth.”
Amber flashed a smile. Dion shook his head and handed his sister his phone. After a ten minute conversation, Amber hung up the phone and gave Dion the address.
“Don’t forget your coat and hat,” Dion said as he grabbed his from the hall rack. The temperature had dropped again last night.
“Okay, mom.” Amber followed Dion to his truck. His father had bought it with him on his sixteenth birthday. They split the price halfway. Dion had poured all his savings from tutoring into the truck. Amber climbed into the passenger seat and he made sure she was buckled in before pulling off. In less than thirty minutes they pulled up in front of a small restaurant. Dion looked at the sign.
“Bobby’s BBQ?” Dion looked back at Amber.
“It’s her granddad’s place. They live above it.”
Amber opened the door. She was halfway out the door when Dion stopped her.
“Call me if you need me, okay,” Dion said.
Amber nodded and got out the car. She waved to her brother and walked into the restaurant. Dion waited for a moment. He had to make sure she got in before pulling off. An older man opened the door to let Amber in. He waved at Dion and Dion waved back. After watching Amber disappear behind the door Dion started his truck up again.
Raven’s driveway was empty. Her father was probably still at work. Dion pulled in. He hardly ever saw Raven’s father and often forgot he lived in the house. Dion knew her father worked on the police force but questioned if it was safe to always be leaving his daughter alone.
Dion knocked on Raven’s door. When no one answered he tried opening the door. It was unlocked which made Dion uneasy. Raven’s neighborhood wasn’t the safest. His mother was always going on about the rise in crime around the area. Earlier he’d heard a report of a double homicide a few blocks down.
Dion pushed the door open. The lights were on but the house was quiet. He stepped inside. “Rae. Tiffany,” Dion called out. No one was on the first floor but he figured they might be upstairs.
Raven jumped at the sound of her name being called.
“Dion?” Raven asked.
“Yeah, it’s me. Is Tiffany up there with you?”
Raven looked back at her friend. Tiffany still sat mumbling on the floor. Raven had been trying to talk to her but nothing she did seemed to help.
“Come upstairs. We’re in the bathroom,” Raven yelled to Dion, knowing it would be better for him to see than for her to try to explain.
“What’s going on Rae?” Dion asked as he made his way up the stairs. He stood in the bathroom doorway, taking in the scene. His eyes landed on Raven, who sat on the edge of the bathtub. Her hair was the first thing that caught his eyes, a bright red that was hard to ignore. His eyes shifted down to her face and saw the worry in her eyes. When he looked down he saw Tiffany balled up on the floor.
As he looked at his friends his face became a mixture of worry and confusion. His eyes returned to Raven.
“What’s going on?” Dion asked.
“Help me move her. Maybe moving her out of this bathroom will help.” Raven stood and tried to take hold of one of Tiffany’s arms.
“What happened to her, Rae? Why is she sitting there like that?”
“I’ll explain everything once we move her. She’s been like this for the past two hours.”
“Two hours? Raven-“
“Dion, please, ” Raven begged. The sadness and frustration Raven had been feeling seeped into her voice. She’d been stressing over her friend and had yet to come up with any answers. An overwhelming sense of guilt hung over her head. If Tiffany had never come to check on Raven she wouldn’t be in this situation.
Dion wanted to say more but the distressed look on Raven's face stopped him. The questions were put aside but not forgotten. He walked over to Tiffany. Raven grabbed her right arm and Dion took the left. They hoisted Tiffany’s body up. Her limp body was heavy. Dion took on most of her weight. He listed as she mumbled two words again and again.
“What’s she saying?” Dion asked.
Raven ignored him. She knew there would be no easy way to explain what was going on. She wasn’t exactly sure herself. Putting it into words right now would be too hard.
“We should take her to my room,” Raven said.
They walked Tiffany to Raven’s room, struggling and stumbling the whole way there. Once inside, Dion helped Raven get Tiffany to the bed. Tiffany pulled herself back into a ball lying on her side. Her eyes were open but she didn’t seem to be looking at anything.
“Okay, now can I get that explanation?” Dion asked.
Raven sat down on the bed next to Tiffany. She brushed Tiffany’s hair away from her face. “I’ve tried everything I can think of to get her back. Nothing seems to work,” Raven said.
“What happened Raven?”
Raven turned back toward Dion. His hazel eyes stared back at her. She tried her best to think of a way to explain what had happened to her within th
e past two days. Everything she thought to say made her sound insane. The words clung in her throat like paste. She wasn’t even sure what parts were real or fake.
“I think I did this to her.”
“What did you do?” Dion asked.
Raven pushed back her hair. “I don’t know.”
“I told you, you broke her.”
Raven’s head turned toward the sound of the voice. The girl leaned against Raven’s dresser. Her arms were crossed and she was staring at Raven.
Raven glared back at the girl. “What did you do to her?”
“What? Raven, what are you talking about?” Dion followed Raven’s gaze but saw nothing.
“I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who doesn’t know control. Did you honestly think you could go stomping around in your friend's mind and not break anything,” the girl said.
“I didn’t want to go inside her mind. I didn’t even know where I was. She just touched me and suddenly I was there.”
“Raven?” Dion asked. His tone sounded fearful but Raven paid him no attention.
The girl crossed her arms over her chest. “I tried to warn you that your third eye was opening, but you didn’t listen.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have a third eye or anything like that. All I know is you better start making some sense.”
“You didn’t but now you do. Opening it is what allowed you to enter your friend's mind. You used my power. You want to save her, you’re going to have to use it again.”
“You can bring her back?”
The girl sighed. “You really haven’t been paying any attention have you?”
“Tell me how.”
“Raven you’re really starting to weird me out,” Dion said.
The girl folded her arms. “Why should I? So you can go back inside your friend's mind and forget who you are? You have no control. If you go back into her mind you’ll end up just as broken as she is.”
Raven looked down at Tiffany. She didn’t want to end up like her, but how could she live with herself if she left Tiffany like this?
“Then tell me how to control it,” Raven said.
“Silly chicken, control isn’t something you can be told how to do. You have to train and practice. I spent years before I was blessed meditating and preparing for that responsibility. You weren’t ready then and you aren’t ready now.”
That was not what Raven wanted to hear. She didn’t have years. She needed to be able to do this now. “So you’re telling me I’m just suppose to leave her here until I what? Master the force? No, that’s not going to happen. I’ll do it myself if you won't help me.”
The girl chuckled. “That threat might have worked if I actually believed you could do it by yourself?”
Raven gritted her teeth. She didn’t want to waste any more time talking to the girl. It was clear she wasn’t going to be any help.
Raven turned back to Tiffany. Her friend’s state remained unchanged. She may not have been sure what to do but she new she had to try something. She placed her hands against Tiffany’s temples. The girl told her that opening her third eye was what had allowed her to enter Tiffany’s mind. Raven cleared her mind, focusing only on Tiffany.
“Do you honestly think it’ll be that easy?” The girl asked.
Raven didn’t respond; it wasn’t working no matter how hard she tried and the girl was only making it worse.
Raven closed her eyes. She imagined all the walls she’d placed around herself opening up. There was an overwhelming sense of vulnerability but she forced herself to push it aside. At first she felt nothing. Raven began to pull back but something grabbed hold of her. It wrapped itself around her and tugged.
“You idiot,” the girl yelled but Raven could barely hear her. She was dragged back into the dark abyss.
34
The Heart Queensland
Sweat dripped from Lu’s brow. Her teeth clenched and muscles ached but she forced herself to hold the handstand. She lowered herself to the floor, bending at the elbows, before pushing back up.
She’d started training in the middle of the night. Nightmares kept her from sleeping.
The castle was different without the goddess glow. Guards made their rotations and a few servants still busied about, but a hush blanketed everything. Lu found her way into the empty arena and worked until the screams from her muscles drowned out her thoughts.
She lowered herself again.
“You’re wasting energy.”
A foot came flying toward Lu’s right arm. She pulled her hand back but her left arm was not strong enough to support her. Lu fell to the ground, left half taking the blunt of the hit. She rolled over staring up at the face of her attacker.
Meshi squatted down next to Lu. “Your form is disappointing.”
“Blame my teacher.” Lu stood, brushing the sweat from her mouth with the back of her hand. “What are you doing here?”
“There are far too many answers to that question.” Meshi stood, hands folding behind her back. “What brings anyone out during the dark of nigh? Who can say what true purpose is?”
“The simplest answer?”
“You.” Meshi stepped forward. Her hand reached out for Lu’s pendant. She held it in her hand. “Your first mission was a success?”
Success was not the word Lu would have used. In her dreams, she saw the faces of the man and woman. Some nights they would just stare at her, eyes colorless and empty. She’d spend hours thinking of how things could have been different, but in the end, it was pointless. The hands of time could not be unwound and she could not undo what fate had decided. Her inner light worked overtime trying to counter the darker thoughts.
“A success,” Lu repeated.
Meshi grabbed her face, red claw nails pinching into the side of her jaw; she forced Lu to look at her. “Did you keep your blade clean?”
Lu nodded.
Meshi’s hand relaxed, but she did not let go. “You did good.”
Lu pulled away. She took a few steps back from Meshi, staring at her from across the distance. “It was easy, you know. Like killing a child.” Lu shook her head. “No, even that’s not right. A child may run or scream. He lay there, unmoving. I raised my blade against him and all he did was look at me. What could be easier than that?”
“You’re upset.”
“My entire life you trained me. I’ve broken almost every bone in my body. There isn’t a weapon I cannot wield or pain I cannot bare. All of that for this?”
Meshi tilted her head to the side eyes narrowing. “You think your talents are wasted helping the infected?”
“I think…” Lu’s voice raised but she found herself unable to go on. She looked away for a moment and then back at Meshi. “I think I don’t know what to think. You taught me everything I know about fighting, and I will never not be grateful for that, but there’s still so much I don’t know. Things I don’t understand. And the longer I am queen the less they make sense.”
Meshi stepped forward closing the space between them. She rested her hand on Lu’s shoulder. “Then find out.” Meshi’s voice was just above a whisper. “You’re right, there is still much you have to learn, but I can’t teach you and they won’t teach you either. There’s power in keeping you ignorant. You’ll have to learn for yourself.”
“Who are they? And what do you mean ignorant? Ignorant of what?”
Meshi glanced around the room, eyes focusing on the door. Lu followed her gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Meshi looked back at her. She leaned in close to Lu’s ear. ”I can’t answer that. I have to go soon. You’ve always been a smart girl. Ignoring your suspicions is doubting yourself. Do not doubt yourself.”
Meshi dropped her hand away. “Work on your form. I will not have you disgracing my name.”
Meshi turned to leave but stopped when Lu called out to her. She turned back around.
“Answer me one thing. Why did you train me so hard? Was it all for the sake of carry
ing out the Queen’s mercy or… is there something more?” Lu asked.
Something darker to come. Lu pushed the thought away. Paranoia and sleep deprivation had a tendency to go hand and hand.
“‘Strong enough to survive. No matter what. No matter who.’ That was my sole command when they gave me you. I hope I have done my job, but I can’t lie. Most nights I pray your talents go to waste; that nothing and no one will ever push you as far as I have.” Meshi turned and left the room without a single word more.
Lu stood there long after she was gone. Unsaid words hung in the air. She sensed that Meshi had given her as much as she could. Something was not right within her court, but if she wanted the truth, she’d have to find it for herself.
35
The darkness consumed Raven, but this time, she was ready. When Raven opened her eyes again she was sitting in a corner. Dark shadows stood all around her, blocking out the light. They loomed over her with hands reaching out to grab her. Raven tried to move back but she was already pressed into the wall. Her shoes squeaked against the floor as she tried to kick and push back. Her thoughts were already being overridden by Tiffany’s fear.
Dark Tiffany, the one from before, pushed her way in front of the dark shadows. She smiled down at Raven, white eyes focused on her.
“Aren’t you tired yet? Your entire life has been pointless. Why do you insist on clinging to it?” Dark Tiffany reached into her pocket and pulled something out. The metal shined in the darkness. She played with it in her hand. The sharp tip pressed into her thumb and twirled on its own.
“No one would shed a tear if you were gone. In fact, I’m almost sure it would be better for everyone,” Dark Tiffany said. The dark shadow on Raven’s right transformed into an older man. He had Tiffany’s brown eyes and high cheekbones. Raven had seen Tiffany’s father before but he looked weaker now. His eyes sunken and skin leathered.
“Tiffany, please, I can’t get better and continue to support you and your mother. The three of us can’t live off your mother’s paycheck alone. Please do this for me. Please.” His cries were full of agony. “If it’s not you then it will be me. I can’t keep living like this. Someone has to go. Please, don’t be selfish.”