by K J Carr
Simple, but not a satisfying explanation.
“I recall someone saying something about a poison. Did he poison me?”
Enoch nodded, but it was Inias that supplied the answer this time.
“He had made a special dagger for you, Nica, that had small vials of poison embedded in it. These had broken as the dagger was thrust into you, releasing the liquid. We are not exactly sure what it was, though, since it was not distinguishable when we tested your blood after we had completed the transitioning tasks.”
Blood and Void. I am not sure why he thought this would have poisoned you, though.
I nodded, absently. I am sure the men thought I was nodding at what Inias had said.
“What about Marcus? And Kaitie?”
Malak answered, putting down his spoon.
“Both of them think you died, that you went over the cliff and for some reason, we couldn’t find your body. They had a memorial service for you two weeks into your transition out at your favorite spot. Once Marcus could come. Marcus…” Malak hesitated, but Inias picked up the tale.
“Marcus fell apart, Nica. I was glad he was in a wheelchair at the service or I swear he would have thrown himself over the cliff after you.” His voice was soft and deep. “Kaitie had to work hard to get him to mentally heal. He still hasn’t completely. If it wasn’t for Vern, I think he would have died of a broken heart.”
My own heart ached to hear this. This wasn’t what I wanted for my brother. “Now?”
Ridwan answered.
“He is getting better, slowly. We cannot say that he is over your death, though. His body has mostly healed from the accident and he goes into work about two or three days a week. But his spirit seems to be languishing.”
“Can I see him?” I thought I knew the answer to this, but I had to ask.
Enoch shook his head, his eyes sad. “No. You, for all intents and purposes, are dead, Nica. You cannot come back to life, even for him. Especially for him.”
Ridwan silently handed me a napkin. “For your face,” he quietly announced.
I then realized that I was crying, the tears falling down my cheeks to land on the table. I pushed the bowl away.
“Kaitie?” I choked out.
“She is doing as well as can be expected. I think taking care of Marcus has pushed her feelings to the side. Torry is watching her and he says she cries in her sleep. But he also says he thinks she is getting better.”
I put my head down on the table and sobbed. This was the part I had dreaded. I knew that I would cause my family pain, I just hadn’t realized how much. I also hadn’t realized how much my own heart would ache. It felt like it had been ripped from my chest. TK hugged my leg tightly. I almost thought he could feel my pain.
He can, Nica, as can I. El’s voice was quiet.
Well, then. There is not much I can do now. I sat up and wiped the tears from my face, hiccuping once or twice. I would continue to mourn the loss of my family later, away from these men, but not now. I wouldn’t cry again in front of them, at least not today.
I took a sip of water, clearing my throat. “What now?”
Enoch looked at me a moment, searching my face. He must have seen I had pushed my feelings to the side and decided to give me the distraction I was looking for.
“Now you learn what it means to be a Tennin. It has been decided that it would be best for you to continue training with Inias and Ridwan, given the unusualness of your transition. And the fact we are not sure exactly what you are. We will work with your powers. We are looking for a mentor for you, but that is not easy to do, since we don’t know anyone who has taken as long to transition.”
That did not sound satisfactory to me, but I didn’t say anything. I needed whatever the training they could provide, both in self-defense and in the use of my powers. But I had my own ideas of what I wanted to do next. There would be no set role for me, but I kept that to myself.
I will be your mentor, Nica. Do not worry about that.
“What happened to Achilah?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but I think they could tell how perturbed I was.
“He got away.” Malak didn’t look at me, just at his hands as he tore a piece of bread into pieces.
“He didn’t die?”
All of them shook their heads. Ridwan lifted his shoulders as well, indicating that he just wasn’t sure what happened.
“He needs to die, Enoch.” I stared at the general, my look determined.
“Perhaps, but not by your hand.” Enoch was just as resolute.
Bullshit. He was mine to destroy or not. And I would wait and then go after him. He had caused too much trouble, was way too evil, to continue to exist.
Then I remembered one of the dreams I had while in my coma. Achilah, as a young man. Achilah, in pain with his organs exposed. Perhaps he wasn’t too evil. Perhaps he was just confused about how the world worked.
I wondered if there was any way to save him at this point.
And this is part of your purpose, Nica. Your adventure. I took this as meaning she was just as confused with what to do with him as I was.
I will help you. T’Koran’s voice was almost a whisper in my mind. I reached down and put a hand on his shoulder in acknowledgement, before standing up. A large yawn cracked my jaw.
“I think I need some sleep, guys.”
They all nodded and watched me as I left the room.
As soon as I was outside of the bedroom they had given me, and I was sure they weren’t following me, I teleported.
Chapter 24
I appeared across the street from my house. This was still home base for me. I would always be able to come here without much thought. Or, at least, I could for now.
Somehow, TK had hitched a ride by grabbing my pants leg before I had left. He must have known I was leaving via the bond, because I hadn’t told him anything. El had no choice, being she was within me.
We stood and looked at the property.
It has been sold, Nica. His voice was sorrowful. Another family lives there now.
While I wanted to be angry about it, I couldn’t. As far as my family was concerned, I didn’t need the house anymore. Neither Marcus nor Kaitie needed two houses. I wondered where my stuff had gone, and then realized it really didn’t matter. That was my old life. The old Nica. I needed to recreate the new me.
You can become anyone you want to. Live any way you want. Become anyone.
El’s voice was faint in my mind.
I snorted. I doubted I would live long because I probably would die going after Achilah and his cronies. I couldn’t fool myself into believing I was anywhere near good enough to win in a fight against them. But I would rather die trying to rid the world of his evil than live with it still impacting people. I needed to remake myself into something much more lethal than I was before.
And I needed to give myself some time to mourn the loss of my humanity, even if being…whatever I now am…is an improvement in some eyes.
I stood in the shadows, watching the life move around in my house, that wasn’t my house anymore. And I grieved for that loss, for that time in my life, and then hid those feelings deep inside to deal with later.
I teleported next to the other side of the street, outside Kaitie’s house.
∞∞∞
I am changing how you look, Nica. She really cannot see you as you are right now. It will be harder for her if she recognizes you.
El had left me alone until now. She was right, but I wasn’t sure if I was happy about it. I felt myself changing, morphing – my body growing a little taller, my boobs shrinking and my hips expanding slightly. I glanced down, and my hair was blond, long and loose, straight as a board and it reached my butt. I wondered what color my eyes had turned.
Green. El was amused about that for some reason.
It was a weird feeling, though, changing. I wondered if I could do this myself.
Yes, you will be able to do this. You need to be able to because you will nee
d to change given you are immortal. Humans cannot know you are still alive, and they will, if you always stay the same.
Well, duh.
I didn’t really care how I looked, though, if I could get to watch over my best friend.
Glancing at Kaitie’s house, I saw her car pull up. Torry exited from the driver side and quickly moved to open the passage door and help Kaitie out. She made her way slowly inside, Torry holding her arm as if he was keeping her standing and moving.
I wanted to hurry over to help, taking a couple of steps, but I stopped before stepping into the road. Torry looked up, his eyes going wide after a moment. He shook his head and then continued to help Kaitie.
She looked sick. I was shocked and worried. Torry came out and went to close the car door, as I crossed the street to talk to him. He already had recognized me somehow, so there was no need to keep away from him.
“You shouldn’t be here, Nica.” He hissed, his tone anxious as he glanced at the front window of her house.
“I have to know, Torry. She doesn’t look well.”
“She had a relapse. They found a small tumor in her head, near the same place as before. The doctors think it was stress related. They did the surgery and now she is doing chemo. You know she doesn’t handle chemo well.” His words were hurried. “I need to go. You must leave.”
I touched his arm briefly. “Come by the house and give me updates, please. Also, take pictures. I need to know.” He flinched from the anguish in my voice.
He nodded before walking back towards her front door, turning and looking at me once.
“She will be okay. I will do everything in my power to make sure she will be okay. I promise.”
Torry then turned and ran up the steps, closing the door firmly.
I walked away, my head down. Kaitie. Again. It was all my fault. I had created the stress that caused the cancer to come back.
TK scampered out of the bushes when I was far enough away from the house.
It is not your fault, Nica. He urged, patting my leg. It is part of her life, her destiny.
It is her path. El agreed.
I shook my head. “I should be with her, helping her through this.”
Would, should, could. We all can say that.
I wanted to scream at El, but she was right. We all could say something like that.
It was time for the hardest visit for me to make. Marcus. I wondered if he was home or at the diner.
He is at the diner today, Nica.
TK grabbed my leg in anticipation of me teleporting. I wasn’t sure how he knew, but I just accepted it and went there. Since I was disguised, I decided I would just go in for a cup of coffee.
∞∞∞
I stood outside of the diner for a minute, looking up at the sign. Luther’s. A small smile crossed my face. So much of our lives were tied up in this diner. History I will always have and will take with me over the many years I will continue to live. This was Marcus, through and through.
TK ran off into the bushes that surrounded the building as I made my way to the door. Opening it, I took a deep breath. The smells of baked goods, meatloaf, bacon and coffee filled the air. I decided right then that if I could, I would visit this place often, at least once a month even if I had to evade the Drill Sargent angels that would be watching me.
Millie stopped in front of me, a little frown appearing as she studied my face. I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t recognize me. She shook her head after a minute and grabbed a menu.
“Welcome to Luther’s. Have you been here before, Miss?” She smiled at me over her shoulder as she led me to a booth in the front of the diner. It wasn’t my booth and I sure as hell couldn’t ask for that one. I was just happy she gave me a booth and not a table in the middle of the room. I hated those, since they always made me feel so exposed.
“No, I haven’t.”
I almost jumped. My voice came out husky and low-pitched, almost sexy. So not like my own. Internally, I kicked myself. Of course, I couldn’t sound like me – all of these people knew my voice. This disguise thing was going to take some getting used to. I supposed I had decades, even centuries potentially, to get it right.
I slipped into the booth and smiled up at her. She quickly flipped over my coffee cup and raised an eyebrow.
“Please.” I nodded, breathing in the rich smell of the brew as it flowed into the cup in front of me.
Millie put the menu down on the table and waved towards the wall. “Cream and sugar are over there. Let me know what you want.”
I nodded, still smiling as she left to top off another customer’s cup and to take care of their order.
I lifted the cup to my nose and inhaled. This was home. Putting it down again, I glanced around before adding the cream the way I liked. I was cognizant that these people knew me well enough to wonder about my little quirks. Still, it had been a year. I both wished they hadn’t forgotten and hoped that they had.
Taking a sip, I held the cup in my hands, warming them as I watched the bustle in the room. Teresa was working the counter and there was a new girl working the other side of the room. Millie had the section I was sitting in totally under control. Even being in her seventies – wait, had she turned eighty? I swore that woman could work the younger servers under a table.
There was a noise coming from the hall near the kitchen, and then Vern escaped, running into the dining room. I heard a loud roar that sounded like “Vern” coming from the same direction. The young dog stopped suddenly, his nose in the air as he sniffed. I went still. I forgot that it was much harder to hide from animals.
A large man walked swiftly towards the dog, reaching for his collar. At the last minute, the dog turned towards me and barked happily, barreling over towards the booth and almost jumping up on the seat. He licked my face, his rear end wiggling in happiness.
Shit. But I couldn’t resist the pup. Wait, Vern was now over a year old, so I wasn’t even sure if he qualified as a puppy anymore. He was a handsome dog, his eyes bright and his coat soft and well-groomed. He pricked his ears forward as he gave me a doggy grin, his tongue hanging out.
I noticed he was still wearing his Void collar. Somehow, it must have expanded to fit the growing dog’s neck. That was a bit strange. I wonder how Marcus hadn’t noticed it.
Magic. El chortled, going silent once more.
“Hey there, puppy. How are you doing?”
My voice was soft as I smoothed down the fur on his head, watching as the man approached us, his hand on his forehead as he shook his head. Some of the regulars laughed and called out to the dog or towards him.
I noticed his slight limp, that must have been left over from his leg break, as well as the gray patch of hair where they had to drill to relieve pressure after his accident. He hadn’t gotten away unmarked by the incident, but he looked to be doing much better than the Tennins had implied. At least today. Today, he was smiling.
My brother towered over me when he reached the table. By this time, Vern was half in my lap.
“I am so sorry. Vern, that darn dog there, slipped out of my office when someone came in.”
I loved my brother’s voice. He had been parent, friend and sibling for my whole human life. I wished that he had also decided to Transition. I just couldn’t imagine going on without him.
“That’s okay. He is a very friendly dog.”
Okay, pretty lame, but I was a bit choked up right now, given I was talking to my brother and he didn’t appear to recognize me.
He went to grab Vern’s collar and I gave the dog one final pat and a kiss on his head before he was pulled away.
“Vern generally isn’t this friendly. He must really like you.” Marcus gave a little frown, his dark eyes studying me.
I shrugged. “Dogs seem to like me.”
I hoped no one else had a dog nearby, because that was such a lie. Vern loved me, but most other dogs? Not really riding the Nica-train.
“First time here at Luther’s?”
> Teresa appeared beside Marcus, clipping a leash on the dog’s collar. She started to pull him away, but he whined, looking at me. Startled, she looked up at Marcus. He looked down at the dog, confused.
“Go on, Vern. Go with Teresa.” He coaxed.
Teresa took another few steps, dragging the dog, before stopping.
“I am not going to drag your ass into the office, Vern. Marcus can carry you back.” She huffed, walking back to my brother and shoving the end of the leash into his hand. “You don’t pay me enough to carry him, Marcus.”
She smiled at me, indicating she really wasn’t annoyed with the dog, and went back to the counter.
Darn Vern. He was going to blow this!
Marcus just looked down at the pup and then shrugged. Vern sat at his feet, smiling his doggy smile at me.
“Huh. I don’t know what this is about. He generally is pretty obedient.” He looked back up at me and smiled apologetically. “I should get him back into my office and myself into the kitchen. I am Marcus Maykis and I am the owner of Luther’s. Welcome and I hope you enjoy your meal.”
He started to walk away before turning back around. “Were you going to order a meal?”
I shook my head. “No, I was just passing through and someone had told me that I could get a great cup of coffee here.” I lifted the cup in a salute to him.
“Then please, have a piece of pie on the house in our appreciation and to say sorry for Vern’s welcome.” Marcus made a small gesture towards Millie and then turned back around, walking towards his office. Vern went with him, his own head turning back every few steps, his eyes sad, wondering why he couldn’t just stay with me.
Millie stopped and asked me what kind of pie I wanted.
“Do you have an all-berry one?” That had been one of my favorites.
Millie smiled. “One slice of pie coming up.”
I ate the pie and enjoyed the coffee. I would miss this. I would make sure I got to enjoy it as often as I could, though. Neither Enoch nor Achilah would be able to stop me.