Broken Glass: An Alicia Jacobs Novel (The Alicia Jacobs Chronicle Book 1)

by Amanda Thurston

  The man was lying through his teeth, even as tired and ill as I was still feeling I could tell. However, I was in no condition to argue with him right now. I needed to get something to eat, I was ravenous, and I also needed to use the restroom. How had I been going to the bathroom this entire time? I looked around the room and spied a small kidney shaped plastic container. I flushed pink and I had to look away from him in embarrassment, my face felt like it was on fire.

  Joseph followed the path of Alicia’s gaze, ah, the bedpan… he could see how that would make someone uncomfortable.

  He looked away from it and tried to brush it off with a little smile “Would you like something to eat? I know you are probably quite hungry.”

  In response to the question a loud rumbling erupted from Alicia’s direction, the mention of food had ignited the interest in her stomach.

  She clutched her stomach and looked at him, her face reddening further to the very tips of her ears. “Food sounds heavenly and perhaps something to drink besides water?” Joseph stood and gave a nod as he went to the bedroom door and stepped outside to get a maid. It was a small blessing, if he was in there he was sure that she would have more questions for him. He could only sidestep for so long.

  After the man left to get me some food, I laid back against the pillows and looked around. This was probably the most opulent room I had ever seen. The offices at the law firm had been pretty ritzy, but this was way more rich looking. Thick heavy embroidered drapes hung on the walls framing a large expansive windows. The carpet was a dark purple, nearly black in this light, and looked incredibly lush. Curious, I dropped my foot down and rubbed it over the carpet. It was soft and thick, I wiggled my toes in it and sighed. I could never dream of affording a room like this.

  The door opened and a woman walked in carrying a tray, wearing a knee length dress with frills on the base, a white apron covered the front of the dress. Wow- a real life maid, I had never seen one before. She walked over to the bed and gave me a smile while lowering the tray that she carried over my lap. On the tray, she lifted the covers from plates and the smells overwhelmed me. My mouth instantly started watering, but I managed to look up and give her a smile and a whispered thanks. As I picked up the fork to dig into the plate of food, I noticed that my hand was shaking. I concentrated on stilling it as I dug into the eggs, bacon, and home fries on the plate, taking gulps of fresh orange juice between bites.

  Joseph stepped back into the room shortly after the maid exited, and Alicia was already sitting up on the bed shoveling food into her mouth He walked over and sat back down in the chair.

  Reaching out to press his fingers on her wrist checking her pulse, he gave her a smile. “You should slow down and take your time eating, your stomach may still reject food. We do not want you to have a relapse.”

  She looked up and nodded, swallowing the bite that was in her mouth. “Sorry, I was a lot hungrier than I thought- and it tastes amazing.”

  He nodded and smiled, “Charlotte is a fantastic cook. She’s been cooking for my family for about twenty years and knows exactly what we all enjoy. I told her to make a healthy, nutritious breakfast… granted, bacon isn’t that healthy, but the toast is from her homemade wheat bread, and the vegetables and fruits are from our garden out back.”

  Alicia smiled “They put a lot of thought into their guests- they must enjoy working here.” She turned to her food once again and started eating more slowly, showing the meal and the hard work that went into its preparation the proper amount of appreciation.

  Kali opened an eye, glancing over to the bed where Alicia and Joseph sat talking. She had been awake for a while now, listening to them talk and how Joseph had dealt with the questions. He was smart to redirect Alicia’s attention to her, she herself, however, was still unsure what to tell the woman.

  You can’t really just walk up to someone and say “Hey you're a supernatural now! A dragon, and by the way you're hated and everyone wants to kill you.”

  She could see how well that would go over, the entire supernatural population would be up in arms. Having a dragon in their midst would cause issues, especially among those who actually remembered what dragons were capable of. Thankfully, there were not many who still could remember. It did not matter much though regardless, she would have crazy supernaturals all over, killing, maiming- pure mayhem. It was why they were usually trained after the change sickness passed.

  Kali pushed up off of the couch and stretched, alerting them to her presence. Ah well, time to face the music. She ruffled her hair, settling the errant locks back into some semblance of order. Alicia looked up, a piece of toast hanging from her mouth. Kali walked over and offered her hand with a smile.

  “Hey there, Alicia, pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Kali, I believe you know Bertha, and Joseph,” she indicated them both, “and the man asleep over there in the chair is Jared. Bertha, Jared and myself are all council members. Joseph is our resident doctor.”

  I looked up at the woman and swallowed the bite of toast, a bit of butter grease smearing my lips. Truthfully, right now at least, I didn’t want to stop eating. I was ravenous. I set the food aside reluctantly and took the woman’s hand, shaking once and releasing it.

  “Pleasure to meet you, mind telling me what I’ve missed? I gather I’ve been unconscious for a few days? I would love to hear what’s happened in that time.”

  I looked up to the woman expectantly and took a sip of my juice, wetting my throat. It was still unusually raw; I must have done either a lot of coughing or a lot of vomiting.

  Kali looked at me and gave a wry smile, she seemed hesitant to tell me what had occurred. I found this fascinating, she didn’t strike me as the type of person to mince words.

  “Well, how about I give you a bit of a summary while you finish your breakfast. Some of the details aren’t really that important, while others…” Kali looked at Alicia and gave a smile. “Where to even begin? I guess I’d like to ask you a question or two, first, if you don’t mind?” Alicia nodded and set aside her fork with a regretful, waiting for Kali to ask her the questions she needed to.

  Kali rubbed a hand over her shoulders. “” Can you tell me if you experienced anything unusual when you were at the police department your first night?”

  This question appeared to surprise Alicia and she shrugged, looking down at her plate. “I was a bit sick going down the hallway of doom... The sheriff was really surprised by it… said that it meant I might not be a complete “null”. I didn’t find it significant, why do you ask?”

  Kali lifted a hand in a wait a moment gesture. “Did anything else unusual occur that night? Or was it quiet until the Wight attacked your room?”

  Alicia looked at Kali, confusion dancing across her face. “Wight? you mean the man who broke into my room?”

  Kali nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Yes, that was a Wight. A Wight is a supernatural, kind of like an undead creature- like a zombie. They’re nasty buggers, hard to kill and carry loads of bacteria. They are controlled by whomever summoned them and will not stop until their command is fulfilled or until they die.”

  I stared at Kali, something seemed a bit odd about this whole situation.“What happened to the Wight then? I’m assuming it didn’t fulfill its command... it seemed to want to get at me... Bertha and Jared showed up before that happened, I think? I remember seeing them. “Alicia thought hard, filling in the side that they had not known, hers.

  Kali looked over to Bertha and Jared where they still slept in the chairs. “They took care of the Wight, as they are not really living, but more … zombies- Supernatural society doesn’t consider their death as murder.”

  Kali smiled as she continued looking on the sleeping pair. “Bertha and Jared saved you, Bertha transformed and kicked it out the window, then the two of them burned and scattered its ashes.”

  Kali turned looking back at Alicia her face solemn “You should be grateful, they saved your life.”

  Alicia look
ed to Bertha and Jared and gave a little smile “I guess I owe them a thank you when they wake up, for saving my life.”

  Kali nodded and rose, walking over to the table by the others, grabbing her cold coffee before returning to the bed to sit once again. She took a sip and continued explaining the past few days to Alicia.

  “After the Wight attack you passed out and got very sick. You had a very high fever and were vomiting. Bertha and Jared took care of you as best they could for the first couple of days. When your fever hadn’t broken and you were getting visibly worse, they contacted me and I instructed them to bring you to my house.” Kali paused and took a sip of her cold coffee, watching as Alicia thought over what she had been told thus far- and trying to plan the rest of her explanation.

  Alicia said nothing, simply looking to Kali and waiting for her to continue. She had known she had been sick, after all. Kali sighed and took another sip of her coffee, here is where the story got notably more complicated.

  Kali took a deep breath before continuing on.

  “Things got a bit more complicated at this point, I’m afraid. Bertha and Jared set out to bring you here and were chased by a strange car during the drive. They were able to stop the pursuers with a bullet to the tire, rendering the car useless and the pursuers weren’t able to give chase.”

  Alicia looked visibly startled, it was obvious she had no idea why someone was chasing her. Kali knew that the Sheriff had mentioned the danger of being a human here in Genesis, however she wasn’t sure to the extent of which he explained.

  Kali reached in her pocket and pulled out a small slender tube, popping it open and putting the cigar between her lips, chewing the end. “After Jared and Bertha got to my place, they brought you inside and Joseph showed up a bit later to treat you. We took turns keeping watch for a while, but Jared fell asleep. While he was out someone broke into the house and kidnapped you, me and Bertha. You were unconscious the entire time. Bertha and I escaped with you, with the help of our local Vampire, and Jared and Joseph. We came here and put you back in bed, and Joseph put in fresh IV.”

  Kali was giving the most basic of explanation as the more difficult topic was how to tell Alicia that she was no longer a human, but a dragon. Kali feared that when she brought this up, the dragon would rear its ugly head. So far Alicia seemed to be taking everything that Kali had told her in stride. Kali was impressed by the mental fortitude of this woman, granted she had been unconscious during the majority of it. That probably made it easier to deal with.

  “Then things got a bit... strange- even for us. You sat up in the bed and started screaming, so loudly you broke every window in this room… and… stopped time. You’re changing, Alicia. You are a very powerful supernatural, and a very dangerous one.”

  So far, Kali’s story had been pretty believable. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I held up a hand to stop Kali from speaking further.

  She opened her mouth as if to continue, then shut it abruptly.

  “Excuse my language, but what the fuck are you talking about! There is no way in hell I could be a supernatural!”

  I glanced toward them,” I’m changing? How am I a supernatural? I thought you were born one? What do you mean I broke windows?”

  I could not comprehend what I was being told, it just did not make any sense.

  “From what Jen told me, supernatural abilities and change happen during puberty- when the body is going through hormonal changes. I think it’s pretty obvious I'm not going through puberty, been there, rode the ride, got the tee shirt.”

  I said all of this very fast, then looked at Kali and waited for her explanation. She twisted her fingers in her lap, looking uncomfortable. How was this even happening? There was no way that I could be a supernatural. My parents were human, as far as I knew, none of my family had ever told me otherwise- I realized then that I knew very little about my parents and extended family. It had never occurred to me to question anything.

  I could feel anger bubbling up in my stomach, I could not believe what I was hearing. If I really was a supernatural, my life would never change. I would forever have to be careful about what I do, what I share and tell people. I would have a secret for the rest of my life. I did not know if I could live with this. It was hard enough on me keeping Jen’s secret and that was not even my secret to keep. I was frustrated, angry, truthfully I just wanted to cry. I stared at Kali listlessly, I really did not know what to do.

  Kali spoke and I looked up, still lost in my train of thought. “Well, truthfully Alicia, we're not sure of much at this point. The race you are is supposed to be extinct. They were eradicated a few decades ago. The council- everyone- was under the impression they were all gone. Apparently your parents survived the cleansing and were raised in a small orphanage in Ireland. Other than that, we have very little information on your lineage.”

  I couldn’t help but stare at Kali, how did she even know? Blinking, I realized that was a stupid question, really, Jen had told me once that the council investigated everyone supernaturals got involved with. Not only was I in a relationship with Jen, but now I was her lawyer. It shouldn’t have surprised me that the council had investigated me.

  Kali looked at Alicia, so far so good. She seemed to be handling the news that she was a supernatural fairly well. Then again, it probably hadn’t set in yet. Alicia took a sip of her juice and sat back against the pillows, thinking. Kali watched wondering what the woman’s next question would be. She was a lawyer, so she had to be processing the information Kali had provided to come up with the right questions to ask. Kali was not going to volunteer information so easily, Alicia was going to have to work for it, to prove that the dragon had not taken over completely.

  “So, you said I was a supernatural… one of you guys, after all this. Well, what am I?” Alicia met Kali’s eyes and held her gaze pointedly.

  Kali was unsurprised at the question, but wasn’t looking forward to answering it. Most supernaturals are raised with the knowledge of their lineage and pride themselves on learning about their race and culture.

  Alicia had not been afforded that luxury.

  “You are a dragon, Alicia,” Kali said this followed by a sigh. Kali didn’t seemed pleased with my race. I had to ask the next question, it was pretty much a given based on her expression.

  “Why is most of my race is extinct?”

  Kali nodded and looked away. “To my knowledge, you are the only being left of your race. In the 60’s the dragons had grown too aggressive. There were many events leading up to the extinction of your race, and I assure you it was based on their actions- the chaos and upheaval caused by them. The council came to a decision that it was in the supernatural community’s best interest- all of the dragons were… exterminated.”

  I could feel it again, that burning pit of rage in my stomach. The anger that was not mine in any way, but I was incensed, anger beating its battle cry in my head- how dare they- how could they kill us all? The majestic, beautiful dragon I had seen in my dreams, flying through the sky… The burning rage in my stomach boiled upwards and bile filled my throat. I resisted the urge to spit it at Kali’s face, for some reason I knew that if I did Kali would be harmed. I didn’t want to harm the woman, sure she had been part of my races extermination but she and the council must have had their reasons. At the time they must have been justifiable.

  I took a deep breath and tried to temper the anger back down, I was not going to let it control me. “I see.” I stated, trying to keep the anger that still lingered under the surface from showing on my face.

  Kali studied me closely, she had been looking for something when she had told me that the council had exterminated the dragons. I took another deep breath, steadying myself, before speaking again.

  “You seem very interested in my reaction to telling me the news. Why? What is it that you are not being straight with me about?”

  Kali smiled, she was a sharp girl for sure. She had known instantly that her reaction to that statemen
t was important.

  It gave Kali a little more confidence, the dragon while it was there was not in control of Alicia. It had been obvious that the news of the eradication had angered the dragon inside of Alicia.

  However, Alicia had been able to temper that anger and bring herself back under control. Judging by the pursing of Alicia’s lips, at one point she had been considering spitting bile at Kali. The bile that came up from a dragon's gullet was pure acid, it would have done immense damage and potentially killed Kali, but Alicia had stopped herself. That was a feat that was quite impressive on its own, most young supernaturals were unable to resist such urges.

  Alicia was still looking at Kali, ever so patiently waiting for an answer. Part of Kali wanted to test her control and make her wait that much longer. One could say it was not wise to play with a predator that was bigger and badder than you were.

  Kali thought for a moment about the best way to answer the difficult question. “How to put this… I guess the best way to explain is to tell you a bit about why the dragons were exterminated in the first place.”

  She took a breath, “as far as we are aware, there have been dragons since the creation of the earth, before even humans.’