by Allison Rios
AJ”
He folded the paper in half twice, tucking the picture of him and Helen inside. She could put it in her album to look at when she needed to remember.
He heard a car pull up and slam on the brakes, skidding in the street. As he looked out the window, he saw Joseph’s truck with a clearly inebriated Joseph stumbling out of it. Max had been out of the yard and looked up at AJ’s window, willing him to stay put.
“Addie!” Joseph screamed, tripping himself on the curb as he struggled to get into the yard. “Addie, get your ass out here!” he yelled again.
AJ wanted to save her, wanted to run to her, and if Joseph touched her he would. He had to hope that she could save herself because running out there would give them away if Devin was snooping near.
“Addie, I’m telling you to get over here woman!”
He had made it as far as Addie’s truck and she stepped out from in front of the hood.
“Go home, Joseph!” she yelled. She was shaking. Everything about today felt wrong, felt off. She couldn’t place it, and she was scared. She felt her body begin to shake even more with every step Joseph took.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere. You owe me.”
“Owe you what?” she hollered back, ready to give him anything to make him leave. She couldn’t handle this today. It was all too much for her to handle.
“Everything! I took you in when no one wanted you. I bought your food and everything else you ever needed. You can’t get rid of me for some bum who thinks he’s so good-looking and smart, who slinks his way into town!”
“You’re drunk, Joe,” she argued, her voice changing to a pleading tone. “Please go. Please just go. I don’t want to do this today.”
He took another step towards her, placing him within reaching distance of her.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he said, taking a step as if he would go up into the house.
“Joseph!” she screamed, knowing she was no match for him. She wouldn’t be able to stop him. For a moment she thought about just letting him go in since she would be gone anyway. She was scared he would do something stupid to seek revenge.
He lifted his hand as if he were about to belt her and Addie turned her head and braced herself for the impact. Instead of the burning and crushing sensation she was used to, she instead felt an echoing in her eardrums as Matthew fired his shotgun into the air from his porch. It reverberated through the air, forcing all attention on Matthew.
Matthew stood still, as tall as he could, the gun pointing up in the air. He didn’t need to speak; the look on his face told Joseph that if he took another step towards Addie or her home, the bastard wouldn’t have the chance to again. And Joseph was smart enough to know that no one would give a second thought about him, because they all loved Matthew.
Joseph screamed and threw the keys to his truck as far as he could before realizing what he had just done. He stumbled back to his truck, slammed the door, and took off in a swerving walk as fast as he could back towards town. AJ made his way to the screen door and Matthew turned to look at him. He nodded, and AJ nodded back before looking back towards Addie. She was shaking, tears flowing from her eyes. She was trying to speak although no words came out. She was losing it quickly and AJ had had enough. He bolted through the door and over to her before she had a chance to object. Max followed after him, surveying the area for any signs or sense of Devin, feeling nothing.
AJ wrapped his arms around Addie and carried her into the barn. He set her down and rubbed his hands along her arms, trying to calm her down with the sound of his voice. If she was this upset over what had just happened with Joseph, he couldn’t imagine what she would be like while having to lure Devin into the woods. Or later that night when she learned that AJ had given his life. The guilt set in even stronger than before, reaching to the very bottom of his soul.
“Addie, Addie you’re not doing this,” he said as Max came in with a blanket.
It was ninety degrees outside and Addie was shivering. AJ wrapped it around her as Max went back to stand watch at the door.
“This is done, you can’t do this anymore,” he said, his voice more pleading than demanding. “You’re not going with us. You’re staying with Matthew.”
“I have to,” she cried between her sobs. She started to calm herself. “I want to do this.”
“Look at you!” he said. “This is too much for you. For anyone. I can do this without you, Addie. Stay here, stay with Matthew. Devin will follow me. He wants to hurt me. It will work.”
“It won’t work!” she shouted back. “I need to do this! I need to feel like what I do matters!”
He was starting to see that she needed to feel as if everything in her life had led up to this. By her helping defeat Devin, it all made sense. The reason Robert left, having to struggle alone – she needed to believe it had all happened so that she would end up in this moment at this time, performing a monumentally important task that would make a difference – even if it was a silent, unknown difference to the rest of the town.
He pulled her into a hug, her shivers fading and her breathing returning to normal. He rocked back and forth with her and because he couldn’t help himself, he lifted up her chin. He had nothing more to lose; today would be his only chance to kiss her, to love her. It would be his only opportunity to feel the love of another person wholly and completely.
He lowered his lips to hers, his hand moving behind her head. She took a deep breath and dropped the blanket as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They moved slowly, in unison, as if they’d been kissing each other for years. As soon as it had started it was over, and AJ stepped back. Addie was shocked, yet smiling.
“Remember that I love you Addie,” AJ said, heading back towards the B&B.
“I love you, too,” she whispered after him. Max looked back at her.
“See you in awhile. If things change Addie, you call me. Don’t get hurt.”
He followed after AJ.
**************************************************
AJ didn’t believe that today would become a war. He knew it would be a battle and that Devin would lose, although as far as he could tell, Devin was a loner that no one cared about. He would destroy him and the Healers throughout the world would continue with their jobs to keep the world revolving.
He also knew that if he had chosen to survive today, the tribunal of elders that oversaw the Healers would arrive sooner rather than later to revoke from him his powers, having undoubtedly heard by now that a human had seen him heal another. He wouldn’t have been scared to lose his gift; he deserved it for breaking the rules. And he would have Addie to love. Yet he knew he would feel scared throughout any life he had with Addie, not being able to heal her if she were sick or hurt. He didn’t think he could bear ever having to watch her go through what his mother did.
He returned to his room, packing up his belongings and tucking them gently into his duffle bag. Everything was folded neatly, less for the reason of needing to be folded and more because it took up time and focus for AJ. It would be easier this way for Helen, not having to clean up a room. She’d be able to simply remove his duffle bag and carry on. Or so he hoped. He placed the letter to her on top and stepped out into the hallway.
“You ready?” Max asked, meeting him there. He saw the duffle sitting on the middle of the bed, the note on top, and looked back at his friend. His heart was heavy about the next steps they would be taking.
AJ nodded, taking a deep breath and moving down the steps to the car. They’d be driving about an hour out of town to pick up an elder who would be able to shield them, enabling them to stay close to Addie as she led Devin into the woods and away from gossiping eyes. The others would follow soon after, the elders shielding them as well.
The men pulled out of the driveway and AJ looked at Addie’s house for what he knew would be the last time.
**************************************************
In the car, AJ flipped through one of the many books Max
had detailing their ancient history. He was searching for something, perhaps a clue as to what he could do to defeat Devin. He again studied the history, realizing he’d be taking another life. He wanted to know what had happened so long ago to make Devin the Grim he had become. Maybe knowing what trauma Devin might have suffered would allay some of the guilt AJ felt in taking a life.
The Great War between the Healers and Grims had brought a new focus on the rules and guidelines of the two groups. While the clan of Grims that had staged the revolution went into hiding, the others were forced to pay for the mistakes of the others.
As a result, the two groups were no longer allowed to associate. Healers would remain skeptical throughout time that the Grims always had ulterior motives. It wasn’t merely for the protection of the Healers. It was for the balance of the world.
There was also a time of fear, as the Healers were faced with two choices – watch the human population dwindle and die out as the Grims had killed so many people, or give up their powers and join the human race to repopulate the world. In the beginning of time, Healers lived centuries, with very few giving up their powers to continue the race. One Healer letting go of their gift could create an eternal bloodline of Healers, keeping their race alive.
As these Healers let go of their powers to repopulate, to their amazement, some of the Grims who had disagreed with the revolution did the same. It was an attempt to restore trust in their kind. It solidified a bond between the two groups, and also created a bloodline of Grims. With the gift they held in their grasp, it was a recipe for disaster in that eventually, there were bound to be Grims built partly of human genes and born into chaotic situations. These Grims would be more easily swayed to the dark side as they arose from frenzied social situations of neglect and disdain and realized they could obtain retribution on mankind with their hands.
The world rebuilt and the two groups continued to be leery of each other as they continued with their missions in life. As the world experienced catastrophes like wars and famine, it was evident that the disowned group of Grims had arisen from hiding for a time to inflict such things; the Healers let it go as long as it was contained to prevent another war.
20 A WORLD OF SACRIFICE
Addie was pacing the floors of her living room, the harrowing grandfather clock in the corner ticking away the seconds until she was to head into town to meet Devin. She pondered what had happened an hour ago with AJ when he had kissed her. Sure, she had been shaken and scared by Joseph. AJ had gone this far without kissing her - and had always made it quite clear that he had no intentions of giving up his gift to be together. She couldn’t fathom why, at the last minute, he would change his mind and give in to what he was feeling.
Then it hit her. Just as she had realized why his wounds were healed a couple days ago, she understood what the moment in the barn was.
A goodbye.
She realized that he had no intention of giving up his gift; he had no intention of coming back at all. He had told her to remember he loved her. It was the only reason she could think of that he would have kissed her after everything that had happened. She grabbed the picnic basket off of the bench in the kitchen and ran to the door, more determined than ever to ensure that AJ’s life was not lost.
She sped into town. Devin made his way there, arriving just before her.
He had been momentarily leery about the picnic the day before, questioning Addie’s sudden change of heart. However, he weighed it against the interactions he’d seen between her and AJ over the weeks and figured he’d seen her temper run hot and cold at the drop of a hat. She could just as easily be angry and happy with him on a daily basis, too. And if she was only using him to get back at AJ, well that worked just fine for him as well because their goal would be the same.
As he arrived in town, he tried to block out the sounds and sense if AJ were near. He felt nothing other than the faint sense AJ put out, which was normal. Devin knew AJ was weaker and didn’t have the same control over his powers that the Grim did.
Devin figured the newbie didn’t know how to shield his powers either, as was evident from their past interactions. The Grim let his guard down, fully convinced that AJ was nowhere to be found and he could use Addie to enact his vengeance.
He watched as her truck pulled up. She spent the drive repeating over and over that she could do this and everything would be just fine. She wasn’t as scared as she was; she had found a new purpose in keeping AJ alive. It wasn’t fear for her life anymore. She pulled up to the café and parked, getting out and leaning against the battered side of her dusty old truck. She waved Devin over and pointed in the window to the basket.
“You ready for a picnic?” she smiled, using every ounce of strength she had to continue smiling and flirting. She needed to keep him distracted and it was working.
“Sure am,” he replied, his black t-shirt absorbing the heat of the summer day. His hair was slicked back and still seemed scraggly and creepy; perhaps Addie just couldn’t stand the thought of who he was, because days ago when he’d just been Devin she hadn’t been bothered by him.
He opened her door for her and she was careful to keep distance between them without being blatantly obvious she was avoiding his touch. She looked around carefully and watched as he walked around the truck to the passenger seat. She kept the picnic basket in between their seats as a barrier. She had made sure it was the largest picnic basket she could find in town.
“You mind if I run an errand first?” she asked, heading over to the shop. Bob was there and gave Devin a menacing stare. Bob hadn’t trusted the guy since Devin had touched him because it just felt off. He got a bad feeling every time he saw the newest stranger to town and only rented the house to him to keep him on the outskirts of where everyone else lived. There were plenty of houses closer that Devin could move into, and Bob wanted to avoid that.
“Hi Bob!” Addie said, popping out of the truck after popping the hood. “How are ya?”
She continued in her usual chipper mood, performing like she was a Hollywood starlet. She liked Bob. He was one of the few that had ever been nice to her.
“Hey Addie, what can I do for you darlin’?”
“I need you to check my oil real quick. Truck’s been making a crazy sound and while I would never admit it out loud if someone asked me, I haven’t had the oil changed in about 15,000 miles.”
“Tell me you’re kidding,” Bob replied. “There’s no way even a girl as ditzy at times as you would let that be true.”
She smiled coyly. “Ya can’t spend money you don’t have, right?”
He shook his head, laughing. That is, until he remembered she’d just been in last month.
“Addie, wait a minute – you were just here last month,” he said, completely assured now that she really was loopy.
“No, I wasn’t,” she said, shaking her head for being so stupid. Of course Bob would remember. There weren’t that many vehicles to service around here. And if there was one thing Addie did well, it was stand out.
“Yes, you were.” He wasn’t backing down.
Addie felt stuck. She had been trying to buy time, ensuring the Healers were set before she brought Devin to the spot. She miscalculated Bob’s memory. Trying to salvage her lie before Devin grew suspicious, she played the part Bob was alluding to.
“Aw, shit, you’re right Bob!” she said. “Don’t worry about the oil. Can you just check and make sure everything’s tight in there? I have a guest, and I don’t want the damn thing to break when we’re out on our picnic. Be awfully rude to make my guest – my date – walk all the way back from where we’re going!”
Bob shrugged his shoulders and bent over the front of the truck, pushing and pulling on wires and hoses. When he was satisfied it was all running perfectly, he closed the hood. Devin raised an eyebrow, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up. A lurking feeling crept up on him, signaling that something wasn’t quite right.
“It all looks fine. Bring it
back next week and we can have AJ look at it. That kid’s a mechanical genius,” Bob retorted.
“Yeah, he’s something all right,” Addie said, looking at Devin and rolling her eyes as if to suggest her complete dislike for AJ. “Can you put it on my tab?”
“Pretty ladies don’t get a tab around here. They only owe me some veggies when their crops come in.”
“Sounds like a fair trade,” she said with a wink, walking back to the driver’s side. She could see Devin was growing impatient, which was her intention. She wanted to give AJ a fair fight and any amount of distraction she could rile up in Devin’s head she would use to their advantage.
“Alright, you ready?” she asked with a smile.
Inside, her stomach turned with anxiety. She wanted him out of her truck and as far away as possible. His very existence made her skin crawl and she was thankful to only have today to deal with him.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he said, his arm against the window frame as the truck started to roll away. He looked at the shops and buildings as they drove past on their way out of town. He could get used to this.
**************************************************
They pulled onto a dirt road that twisted through the trees and into the forest that surrounded the town. About a mile down the road they came to a field that exposed the afternoon sun in all its glory. Bright orange, it cast a light over the grass that seemed to make the blades glittery. It was one of her favorite spots growing up, and one of her favorite places to sit with Robert and relax. They’d come and have a picnic, taking turns reading a book out loud or discussing their plans for the future. It was where Addie went into labor; where Robert had picked her up and carried her a quarter mile to the truck before speeding her off to the hospital.
She looked around as she opened her door and got out. Devin noticed her look as the memories flowed through her. She had obviously taken him somewhere special.