Burning Hearts

by Melanie Matthews

  “It’s actually perfect. No one will be peering over my shoulder, wanting to know what I’m reading when I should be watching the game.”

  “WHOO-HOO!” Kylie shouted, holding up her yellow poster, decorated in red glitter with the mascot scorpion next to the words:

  YOU’RE GONNA GET STUNG!

  “I think some of that Pierce blood is flowing through her veins,” Riddick commented, nodding over to the cheerleaders.

  Sadie was the star of the squad. Daniela and Emma were always at the bottom of the pyramid, but that didn’t dampen their school spirit, glad to be part of an exclusive club. Decked out in yellow and red uniforms with skirts way too short and tops way too low, they jumped up and down, waving their similar-colored pom-poms to the delight of all the guys in attendance.

  Jenna’s cheerleading days were over. When she’d been with the Stuck-Ups, she’d loved going to games, cheering for Val, and having fun with her friends. That seemed like a million years ago.

  “I still got my uniform,” she informed Riddick.

  He smiled. “I’m the last person to endorse school spirit, but I’d love to see you in it.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “You still got your pom-poms?” he continued.

  “Yes.”

  He grinned. “Even better.”

  She shook her head. “Not gonna happen. Brings up bad memories.”

  “Then why do you still have it?”

  She shrugged. “Just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it.”

  A loud curse rang out from afar. Everyone turned to see Val, who was benched, standing in Malcolm’s face. The roles were reversed. Val was wearing plain clothes, and Malcolm was in uniform.

  “Uh-oh,” said Kylie. “Looks like a fight.”

  “Malcolm could take him,” Jenna said with confidence.

  Riddick gave her a look, but didn’t comment.

  Malcolm spoke very softly to Val, much less than he deserved. Surprisingly, Val shut his mouth and sat down, defeated by a few words. Kit was sitting behind him on the bleachers, silent. He did nothing to defend his friend, possibly defeated too by Malcolm’s unrivaled authority.

  “See?” Jenna smiled. “Guy’s got skills.”

  “He’s walking this way,” said Kylie.

  This was Jenna’s chance.

  “Hey, Malcolm, we need to talk.”

  Malcolm waved to her friends. “Sure, okay.”

  Jenna left her bewildered Misfits and walked a few feet away with Malcolm.

  “What’s up?” he asked. “The game starts soon. I wanted to talk afterwards.”

  “I know, I know, it’s just that well…the thing is…”

  He smiled. “Yes?”

  She turned back to her friends. Everyone snapped their heads forward, toward the field, but Riddick kept his eyes focused on the couple.

  She faced Malcolm. “Okay, well, you know Riddick?”

  His fiery blue eyes swiveled to find Riddick, and then came back to hers. “A little.”

  “Well, he kinda…loves me.”

  His face contorted, seemingly upset by this news. “Do you love him?”

  “No, but we’re very good friends and well, I think he’ll be upset if we, you know…”

  He smiled. “If we were to become a couple?”

  She blushed and nodded.

  “What do you want, Jenna? Or better yet, who do you want?”

  “I, uh, well…I’m not really looking for a boyfriend. My life’s a bit…complicated right now.”

  “This is why I wanted to talk to you. Afterwards. I think that we have more in common than you know.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “And I’d love to go into greater detail, but”—he put on his helmet—“I have to get out on the field.”

  “Oh, okay, sure, right, but…”

  “But what?”

  Now that the lower half of his face was partially hidden, his fiery blue eyes were even more distracting.

  “I don’t wanna upset Riddick. He really, really loves me. If he sees us together…I’m sure right now he’s watching us.”

  He gave a knowing smile. “He’s been watching us the entire time.” He glanced up at Riddick in the bleachers, and then back down at Jenna. “I’m sure he wants to kill me right now,” he observed amusingly.

  “You see? I don’t wanna lose a friend.”

  “How about gaining a friend?”

  She furrowed her brow, noticeably upset. “You just wanna be friends?”

  He shook his head in a don’t-be-silly kind of way. Then he brought his hand up and brushed her hair with his fingertips from root to tip.

  “I like you, Jenna, and I think you feel the same way about me.”

  She swallowed, nervous, speechless.

  “I could talk to him,” he continued.

  She found her voice. “What would you say?”

  But he didn’t answer, already walking toward the bleachers.

  She was nervous as she jogged behind him, wondering what was going to happen. She knew that if challenged, Malcolm could take down Riddick, no question. But would he really beat her friend to a bloody pulp to claim her?

  Malcolm approached the bleachers and took off his helmet, holding it in his right hand. “Riddick, can I talk to you for a sec?”

  Riddick looked hesitant, but eventually stepped down from his seat and went off with Malcolm. Jenna watched from afar as the two contenders for her heart were having what seemed to be a friendly chat.

  The sky got darker, signaling twilight, and the conversation was over. Malcolm smiled, giving Riddick a friendly slap on his back. Riddick smiled at Jenna, acting as if nothing was wrong, and returned to the bleachers.

  Malcolm walked back to Jenna. “He’s fine with it.”

  She held out her hands, confused. “What did you tell him?”

  He smiled. “That we’re boyfriend-girlfriend.”

  Her mouth fell open, astonished and excited. “Boyfriend?”

  “I don’t believe in taking things slow. Not when you know the person standing before you is special.” He grinned. “Now kiss me for good luck.”

  As much as she wanted to kiss him, she took a step back. “I dunno what you are, but you’re not like other people. You…sway others…get them to do what you want.”

  He smiled as if her accusation didn’t sting. “Being persuasive is a valuable trait in society. You’re right. I’m not like other people.” He tilted his head down, focusing on her eyes for effect. “But neither are you.” Then he lifted his head, smiling. “Now how about that kiss?”

  She turned to see that her friends were not even paying a bit of attention to her, chatting lively with Riddick, who was uncharacteristically bubbly in demeanor at a game he never wanted to attend.

  When she turned back to face Malcolm, his lips were inches from hers.

  She showed him her cheek. “I’m not that easy.”

  He brushed a soft warm kiss against her skin, making her want more. “See you afterwards, I hope.”

  “Maybe.” She acted unfazed, not wanting to be one of those girls who squeal every time a hot guy gives them attention.

  Obviously seeing through her falsehood, he gave her a parting smile, and jogged out on the field, putting his helmet on as he went. Barrie and Aidan each gave him an enthusiastic slap on his back. Apparently, Malcolm had swayed them too.

  When she went to walk back to the bleachers, a voice called out to her.

  She turned to see the nurse that used to live with her grandpa, Ms. Daphne, who was in her early forties with auburn hair and a few freckles dotted on either side of her nose. She was dressed casual, wearing khaki pants and a white tee.

  Jenna waved. “Hey, Ms. Daphne, how’re you?”

  “Good.” Ms. Daphne was sitting on a higher bleacher where Jenna joined her. “But I don’t have to ask how you are.” She nodded to the field. “I saw you talking to my nephew.”

  Jenna almost cursed. “Malcolm
? Malcolm’s your nephew?”

  Ms. Daphne nodded. “He lived with his late father’s side of the family for awhile in Egypt before deciding he’d like to move to here, where his mom, my late sister, Antonia was born.”

  “Wait. Malcolm’s American side of the family is from Oasis?”

  Ms. Daphne nodded again. “The Kings have been here for quite some time.”

  “Why didn’t Malcolm take his dad’s last name?”

  “I’m not one to spread gossip.” She leaned in closer. “Actually, I dunno that much. Antonia met Malcolm’s father in Egypt and well, the relationship was frowned upon.”

  “Why?”

  She frowned. “His father’s side of the family disapproved. I dunno all the details, perhaps because she was American. But anyway, Antonia got pregnant with Malcolm and raised him until she died. His father was long dead. I couldn’t get custody. He was raised by God knows who in that country.” She finally smiled. “Well, Malcolm contacted me not too long ago, said he’d like to come to Oasis, live with me and go to school here. I was nervous to take on the responsibilities of a caretaker,” she confided, “a parent really, having never met him, but he’s such a gentleman.” She frowned again, sad. “I never had the opportunity to have children.” The frown flipped to a wide smile. “It’s like I have a son now—a wonderful son.”

  Jenna remembered that Ms. Daphne King lived on the other side of the Rojo River. She’d be interested in seeing Malcolm’s room, if it wasn’t for the nauseating knowledge that she’d be in the same neighborhood as the Stuck-Ups.

  She looked out on the field and saw him laughing with his teammates. “Yeah, he’s something all right.”

  “HEY, JENNA!” Kylie yelled from below, waving.

  “Well, I’d better get back to my friends. It was nice talking to you, Ms. Daphne.”

  “You too, Jenna, and I know I’ve said it a million times, but I’ll say it again: I’m so sorry about your grandpa. He was the nicest man I’ve ever known. It’s sad when the good ones leave us before their time.”

  Jenna fought back tears. “Thank you. See you around.”

  “Take care.”

  Jenna left Ms. Daphne and went back to her friends.

  Riddick smiled when she sat next to him. “So let’s see what’s in that journal.”

  “Are you okay? What did Malcolm talk to you about?”

  He shrugged. “You two are together. It’s no big deal.”

  Kylie playfully pinched Jenna’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell us you were dating him?”

  Jenna scrambled her mind for a good answer. “Well, it was sorta…sudden.” It was lame, but at least she didn’t freeze up, inviting suspicion.

  “And are you sure you’re completely fine with it?” Kylie asked Riddick.

  “Yeah, I am,” he said. “Really.” He smiled at Jenna, obviously swayed by Malcolm. “Are we gonna find out about your destiny, or cross our fingers and toes that the Scorpions beat the Vultures tonight?”

  “What do y’all wanna do?”

  “Let’s get started,” said Kylie, “before the game starts.”

  But it was too late. The players were already assembled on the field. The mascots were spreading school spirit. The cheerleaders were spreading…well, they were doing their routines.

  “I know what,” said Jenna. “Y’all enjoy the game while I read the journal. I’ll just give y’all the Cliff Notes when I’m done.”

  “Sounds good,” said Kylie, who went back to cheering with the rest of the crowd.

  Pru joined in, shouting louder than Jenna thought was possible for someone so typically quiet. Caleb got interested in the game too. Riddick tried to ignore it all, but his eyes got glued to Sadie’s pom-poms.

  Jenna flipped to the first page. “Okay,” she began speaking to herself, “let’s find out why I’ve turned into a freak.”

  Her grandpa wasn’t joking; he could’ve won the gold medal in “Digressing.” There was a recipe to prepare an everlasting ointment against sunburn using bat guano as the main ingredient; how to use snake venom as an aphrodisiac; and the words of a nomad chant to bid scorpions to harm your enemies. Most of it was written in chicken-scratch, so Jenna might’ve been wrong about the lyric: I call upon thee, disco lovers. Finally, she found the good stuff. Or the bad stuff, depending on your point of view. She read those pages of life-changing information over and over again until it all sunk in. Then she gathered her friends for the press conference.

  “Okay, don’t interrupt.”

  Everyone was silent amongst the loud cheering of the crowd. Malcolm had just made a spectacular pass to Aidan, who scored the first touchdown for the Scorpions.

  “Go ahead,” said Caleb.

  “Jinn are demons. They’re known primarily from Islamic culture and live in the Middle East, but can be found around the world. They’re not immortal, but they can live a long time. A male is called a Jinni; a female, a Jinniyah. They look like us, but as a destined Mage, from a long line of Magi, only I can see their demonic nature, visible by their fiery red eyes.” She held out her hands briefly. “Apparently, it skips a generation, so my dad was never in line to be a slayer.”

  She widened her eyes for emphasis. “These Jinn are beyond bad. They can talk people into doing bad things…to themselves or others. They can cause natural disasters like tornadoes or earthquakes. They can travel far distances at will. They’re super strong.” She flexed the barely-there muscles of her upper arm. “I am too. That helps me match them in a fight with the added bonus of healing quickly if I get knocked about.

  “With that knife I showed you, I have to stab them in their hearts. This causes their bodies to catch on fire and turn into ashes.” She paused to quickly reread a section from the middle of the journal that she’d been keeping bookmarked with her finger. “The best way to explain what they go through is like a trial by fire. I’m their judge; it’s their Judgment Day. They’re guilty and I’m their executioner. It’s not gonna be easy; the Jinn aren’t gonna stand there and lemme kill them.” She flipped to another page, showing them a crude pencil-sketch illustration of the necklace. “If I wanna go into stealth mode, this amulet lets me stay invisible.

  “Now none of this weird stuff these past few days would’ve happened without a catalyst, so to speak. My powers were awakened when a Jinni came to Oasis; his touch sparked a revelation of sorts.” She showed them the back of her hand and raised three fingers. “Any guesses who this Jinni is?”

  Everyone furrowed their brows, refusing to guess.

  She did a countdown of three-two-one on her fingers anyway. “Malcolm.”

  Kylie gasped. “Your boyfriend’s a demon?”

  This was no doubt a shocker to her friends, but Jenna had already accepted who he was.

  Maybe she knew all along…

  “A part of him is,” Jenna made sure to defend, albeit gently to her startled friends, and then flipped to a page near the end of the journal. “There’s a section here on ‘Blue-Eyed Jinn.’ Apparently, they’re rare. Malcolm is half-Jinni, half-human. He has powers like the Jinn, but limited. He has a soul that borders on doing good or doing evil. He chooses who he wants to be. Right now he seems to be good, although he told me he was bad.” She shook her head. “I think it was his way of warning me to stay away, even though he wants to be with me.” She allowed herself to smile. “I can’t explain it, but it’s like we have this connection.”

  “Yeah, like your knife to his heart,” said Riddick in a caustic tone. “Look, before when I talked to him, I…well, I liked him. I was happy that y’all were together, but now…I dunno.” He shook his head. “Malcolm’s a demon. They’re bad. And what’re you gonna do? You’re supposed to kill demons.”

  Pru clasped Jenna’s hand. “Can you kill your boyfriend?”

  Jenna squeezed Pru’s hand, and then retreated from her concern. “I don’t wanna kill anyone—demon or no.” She paused, and then confided, “But when I held the knife, it felt…good. And I felt
ready, eager, but…is that my future, my fate? To kill?”

  “Well, they’re bad,” Caleb reasoned. “And you’re the only one who can see them for who they truly are. Are you gonna be able to see a fiery-eyed demon and let him go when you know he can talk someone into hurting themselves, or I dunno, make it rain hail, or bring down the ten plagues of Egypt or something?”

  “I agree with Caleb,” said Kylie.

  Jenna chuckled, but felt far from happy. “Of course, it’s easy for y’all to agree. Y’all won’t be the ones out there, killing. Not to mention my boyfriend’s the very thing I’m destined to destroy,” she noted sourly.

  “Do you think he’d catch on fire?” Riddick inquired. “Or just like die from blood loss ’cause he’s half-human?”

  Jenna’s face contorted in disgust. “Ugh! Gory-much?!” It upset her to think about Malcolm, bleeding out, dying.

  Riddick held out his hands. “Hey, you’re gonna be the murderer!”

  A few people turned in their direction.

  “Shut up!” she warned him.

  “And besides, it’s not murder,” said Pru in her quiet voice. “It’s…justice, right?”

  Caleb nodded. “Yeah, justice. It’s just that Jenna’s way will be quicker than the courts…if there were courts to try demons…”

  “But what’re you supposed to do?” asked Kylie. “Go out there and find these Jinn? And kill them?”

  Jenna held up the journal. “Well, that’s what my grandpa did—sorta like a bounty hunter—except that he didn’t get paid—and he didn’t capture, but kill…my point is: he made a life for himself that didn’t involve killing demons. He was married to my Grandma Dottie. He had a son, my dad, Jacob. When I was little, I remember my grandpa leaving unexpectedly, but I never asked, and he never said where he was going, or what he was gonna do once he got there.”

  “Do you think your parents know?” asked Riddick.

  Jenna shook her head. “Nah, no way! They’d freak if they knew what my grandpa had left me. Even the tunics and caftans are weird.”

  The ground shook beneath their feet, lasting only a few seconds.