by C. Elizabeth
The earlier lunch threat was returning.
He was dumbfounded, staring through her and shook his head hard, twice. “What?”
She took another step toward him with a big smile. “Yes, shouldn’t we let her know?”
With absolute scorn, I seethed, “Do you think you can let Todd go...?” Unable to look at him directly. “It must be distracting holding Todd in the air while you’re trying to have a conversation with your girlfriend!”
It took a second for Nathanael to register what I said. He threw a glance at me, then to Norma, then finally to Todd. He put Todd back on his feet, clenched his hands... I could hear a deep, dangerous snarl working its way up his throat. He exploded, throwing his arms up in the air, tilting his head back. “Someone please tell me what the hell is going on!”
I cringed, Norma practically ducked, and Todd leaned back on his car, rubbing his neck.
One of the Braxton boys tapped the other on the shoulder and said, “Well, I think it’s time we take our leave.”
Nathanael’s eyes narrowed, looking at them “Oh no, you don’t!” He pointed. “You stay right there!”
They stalled and swiveled around with the same cocky grins on their faces, and one said, “How was I supposed to know Saydi would see? No harm done.”
Nathanael looked like he was going to jump them, nearly crouching, anger evident. He thundered, “No harm done? Are you serious?”
Neither of them seemed threatened by his stance and only one did all the talking. “Sorry, Nat, you know how it is. It just happened sooner than expected, and besides, it wouldn’t have lasted long. Look, it took less than twenty-four hours to fix itself.” His brothers laughed.
Nathanael snorted, seeming to relax some, then moved his attention to Norma.
“Norma, I’m sorry for what happened. It might do you and Becky good...” He glanced up at Becky with sympathy, then back to Norma. “To maybe ask Joshua about his colored contacts and owning the same red Mercedes as I do...” Sneering back at his brothers. “The one he only uses when he goes to the city.”
Judging from the looks on his brothers’ faces, there was no doubt Nathanael had absolutely nothing to do with it and when my guard came down, the first feeling was a pinch of guilt for not giving him the benefit of the doubt—then came his pain, and it was real.
The emotional rollercoaster I had been on sent me reeling. My insides shook, while my breathing became sporadic. Todd put his arm around me in an attempt to comfort. It didn’t last long, because when Nathanael was able to feel me again, he wasn’t about to allow someone else to comfort me—in a split second he had me enclosed in his arms.
Todd mumbled some kind of profanity.
“Right back at you, Todd,” Nathanael said calmly.
All of a sudden, Becky screamed, “What are you doing with my boyfriend?”
I lifted my head in time to see Becky yank a handful of Norma’s hair.
Norma screeched, wrestling to get a hold of Becky’s arm.
I gasped and attempted to step away from the warmth of Nathanael to stop them—there was no need.
“Becky Meyers!” Mr. Gamble fumed. “Get to the office! You too, Ms. Pasely.” Then he eyed Angie. “I trust you have nothing to do with this?”
Angie shook her head innocently.
“Good.” He looked at Nathanael. “Off school grounds, gentleman, and the rest of you disperse, get home!” He spun around and pointed at Norma and Becky. “Onward!”
Though both Nathanael’s brothers looked amused again, something sad crossed the eyes of one, one that I could only assume was Joshua with how he looked at Becky as she walked away.
I found myself feeling horrible for my earlier conviction of Norma. We had all, including Becky, become a victim of the Braxtons’ power of suggestion. Maybe it was harsh of me to react the way I did toward her. After all, she didn’t know what she was doing and most of all didn’t deserve it, not one bit. Yet I knew it wouldn’t be easy to like her again, even if I still cared about her.
“Come on, Saydi, I’ll take you home,” Todd said, tugging on my knapsack. The boy wasn’t giving up on me, even if I was wrapped up in Nathanael’s arms.
Nathanael’s body stiffened. “Todd, I’ll be taking Saydi home.” Something in his voice—or maybe it was a suggestion—had Todd leave it alone.
With my face hidden in Nathanael’s coat, I heard Todd’s car start and disappear.
Nathanael kissed my head just before he demanded, “Joshua! I have some things to attend to.” He paused. “Then you and me after that, at the mine! We’re going to settle this. That was stepping over the line, Joshua, even for you.”
One of them laughed. “This is going to be good. It’s been a while since we’ve had a brotherly fight.”
“You’re staying out of it, Job. This is between me and Joshua!”
“If you say so, Nat,” Job agreed.
I tucked my head off to the side so I could see their faces, quite enjoying where I was.
The sad look in Joshua’s eyes was long gone and he proceeded to get cocky. “All right, then let’s make this a good one. If you win, you’ve got your honor back. But if I win...” There was a hesitation, and from the way Nathanael’s muscles tightened it wasn’t a good one. “...I get the lady for one night.”
I fell forward with no more Nathanael holding me up, almost doing a face plant onto the cement! Nathanael was on top of, I assumed, Joshua.
Angie jumped back long after the fact and screamed.
A voice I didn’t recognize came from the mouth of the guy I loved. It was dark and raspy. “I’ll take you out, Joshua, if you even think about one hair on her head!”
Joshua put his hands up in submission. “Calm down, I was only screwing with you, bro. You got yourself a date later. Now let me up.”
Nathanael got to his feet and came to my side, wrapping his arm around me. He glared at his brothers while his lip curled up, bearing his teeth. “You will die!” he gnarled.
“Yeah, yeah, dead, got it,” Joshua appeased.
Angie looked back at me as Job half dragged her off, talking to Joshua. She looked worried.
The hurt and irritation that rolled around inside Nathanael was distinct, especially when it shifted from his brothers to me. I peeked up. His head was tipped a bit to the side, chin resting on his chest as he looked down at me from the corner of his eyes with a frown. “Now you!” I hid further into him. “You really thought I could do that to you?”
Being completely ashamed for the way I treated him, there wasn’t much of a defense on my part. “Sorry, but what was I supposed to think. I saw you kissing her.”
All you could hear was his breathing.
It was horrible the way it made me feel, not trusting him. “I’m sorry,” I repeated with less than a whisper.
And even though I apologized, he seemed to go off somewhere else and began to explain how it all happened. “I should have known he’d pull a stunt like that. Joshua can change the color of his eyes and hair along with some minor facial features. He’s been doing it to me since I can remember.”
Drawing my chin up, he looked in my eyes.
“When we were in high school, he always made sure his classes were exactly the same as mine, but always on different days and times.” He took my hand and led me to his car. “That way he could get hold of my completed exams before he was going to take the same one. He would change the color of his eyes, fooling my teachers into thinking it was me and give them some lame excuse as to why I needed my results early.” His voice softened so it sounded as if he was speaking more to himself than me. “You would have thought the teachers could have figured out something was up, especially when we had the exact same grades in those classes, but no one ever did.” Helping me in the car, he shook his head at the memory, then got in himself. “But for my brothers to pull this... That is almost lower than a Pyre.”
It was hard to believe someone so gorgeous and sweet could be what he was. “I’m
sorry.”
He kissed my hand. “It’s not your fault. My brothers are good at what they do.”
Another worry came about. “Nathanael, aren’t they going to know you haven’t turned after that episode back there?”
He smirked. “No, that’s an easy fix. When I see them, I’ll commend Joshua on a job well done pitting friend against friend, because that’s exactly what they were doing. It won’t take much to stroke their egos, and they’ll think I did it to make it look good for you...” His mood lightened with a chuckle. “Being your knight in shining armor.”
I giggled.
Glimpsing my way, he smiled. “I like hearing your little giggles.” Then he turned back to the road, adding, “Anyway, we’ll plan out the fight at the mine. Little does he know I meant every word...that if he so much as touched...” his knuckles turned white from the intensity of his grip on the steering wheel.
Rubbing the back of his hand, I soothed, “Nathanael, it’s okay.”
His gripped relaxed. “I’m going to hurt him severely tonight.”
“Nathanael you’re not really going to fight Joshua, are you?” The whole idea terrified me. The fact that Half Night would be fighting Half Night meant they could really hurt each other.
“Yes, I am,” he said with conviction.
“You don’t need to prove anything.” I was sure my voice was as high as an opera singer, close to the shrill zone.
“Saydi, first of all, I have to. I’ve challenged him and if I don’t follow through, it will pique their interest as to why, which in turn, will have them watching me that much closer.” He took a quick look my way. “Besides, we may be Half Nights, but we’re also a family. We’ve never done anything against the other that personal. Sure we’ve had fights, but normal kid stuff. What he did was, well...for lack of a better word, unforgivable.”
There was no use trying to talk him out of it. When he spoke of it, the determination and pride was overwhelming. His passion and conviction was right out of the 1800s. However, I did attempt a lame intervention. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
He shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Besides, we have bigger things to worry about.”
“Like what?”
He quickly glanced out his side window, then back to me. “I’ve been strictly forbidden to see you.”
I gasped. “By whom?”
Kissing my hand, he sighed. “Your parents, and I’ll abide by their wishes.”
“No! You can’t! It’s not fair! I’ll talk to them and explain it all!”
A smile crossed his beautiful face. “I know you will, but after I drop you off, I won’t sneak around their backs. They’ll have to come to trust me.”
Pushing hard against the back of my seat, I crossed my arms. “That’s not fair!”
His chuckle was questionable. “I agree.”
Thirty
Even though he wouldn’t go against my parents, nothing said I couldn’t. After talking with Becky and Angie and coming to the conclusion none of us was ready to forgive Norma yet, I told Mom and Dad I was going for a walk. It was already dark by the time I got to the outskirts of town and when I was sure no one would see me, my feet found the wind. It took me like a surfboard across the waves, getting me to the mine in under a minute.
Ducking under the fence, I heard the growls and followed the light. A bonfire roared in the middle of the hole in the earth, while Nathanael and Joshua circled each other, crouched down, both ready to leap. On the sidelines was Job with Angie and Becky. It surprised me they were there, especially if the guys intended to use their donums.
They had their shirts off and I was bundled up in a winter coat, scarf and mitts. Mind you, it started getting a little warm when I saw Nathanael’s muscles, all toned and such, glowing against the fire. In fact, it made my heart race along with the grin on my face. He was my man. Yay, me!
Quit ogling. You shouldn’t be here.
How did you know I was ogling? I asked, even though he couldn’t hear me.
How do you think I knew you were here? The whole world would know you were ogling by the way your heart raced when you saw me half-naked.
You can hear me?
Since the other day.
Yay!
It’s only from a short distance.
That’s okay, I answered, unable to tear myself from him.
Stop it! Let me concentrate.
‘Kay. Be careful. I don’t know why you have to do this.
Shush! His emotions disappeared.
I could grow to love the new private little mind-chats with Nathanael. But soon my attention was drawn to the battle as it unfolded. I watched the brutality in both horror and amazement.
They both leapt at the same time and collided twenty feet in the air, viciously seizing each other. It was impossible to know how he did it, but Nathanael, with nothing for leverage, did a backward flip up and over, ending up facing Joshua’s back. Then he got him in a stranglehold and just as his feet touched the earth, he brought Joshua down backward, smashing his back across his knee, then threw him down.
“Get up, brother!” Nathanael coaxed, motioning with his hands.
It took a minute before Joshua rebounded, but when he did he charged and rammed his shoulder in the soft part of Nathanael’s stomach. They flew about ten feet in the air, landing in the side of the wall, leaving an impression in the rocks.
With no control, my hand slapped against my mouth, stifling a scream. Angie and Becky huddled against me, too.
They fell to the ground with a thud, grunting and holding each other in a grip no normal human could endure, rolling around. I winced, only peeking with one eye.
Joshua got hold of Nathanael around the waist, flipped him upside down and slammed Nathanael’s head into the ground. The sound of bones snapping echoed against the walls.
I screamed, running to get to him. “No!”
Job jumped in front of me. “Leave it alone, Saydi.” A flash of concern passed his face when he shook his head slightly.
Shoving against him, I yelled, “No!”
“Saydi!” It was a stern voice. “He’s okay.”
“There brother, I got up, back atcha! Let’s go,” Joshua prompted.
Nathanael looked broken, crumpled up. The tears were threatening, and I looked at Job. He smiled and nodded a reassurance.
“Joshua, you really hurt him,” Angie worried. “He’s not moving.” She darted her eyes at Joshua. “Joshua, he’s not moving!” Her voice moved up, frantic.
“He’s fine, Angie,” Job said.
“He doesn’t look fine!” She looked at me. “Saydi, Job, do something!”
Then slowly Nathanael sat up, holding his neck, and revolved his head around, like he had simply bumped it. Relief burst from my chest.
Job let me go. “There, see? I told you, ladies.”
Joshua continued to antagonize. “Come on, remember you’re fighting for your lady’s honor.”
A growl ricocheted against the air. “Oh, don’t you worry...”
No one saw Nathanael move—it all went in slow motion for me. Joshua was in the air, Nathanael right behind him, poised with his hands out, crouched. Joshua landed and frantically looked around for his brother. Nathanael grabbed his head while still in midair, then landed sideways on his feet against the wall, and using it for leverage, pushed himself away, twisting Joshua up in the air by his head, then brought his body down like he was swinging a sledge hammer.
“Awww!” Joshua bellowed, arching his back. Becky erupted forward with a scream, “Joshua!”
Job caught her by the waist and held her. “He’s fine, too. Brothers, next time let’s not allow spectators,” he teased nonchalantly.
Nathanael stood over him, holding his hand out. “Done, brother?”
“Aww! Done.” Joshua gave up, shaking his head. “Give me a minute.”
Job released Becky and moved to Nathanael’s side. “How’d you do that? That’s a first! When did you discover that?”
“Nat, you flew, literally flew, to the top of the mound and dove straight down at Joshua,” Job voiced.
Nathanael raised an eyebrow. “Job, we always do.”
Job shook his head. “No not that high, and never coming straight down like that. You did a nose dive, bro.”
“Hmm, interesting.” Nathanael reflected.
Angie and Becky were on the ground beside Joshua as he tried to reassure them he was okay.
Nathanael stood behind me while I knelt beside my friends and hugged them. “He’s okay.”
“Yes, I’m okay,” Joshua parroted, though the pain was written all over his face.
“I’ll see you guys later, okay?” I soothed. They both nodded.
When I stood, Nathanael wrapped me in his arms. Then I inspected him again and noted a few cuts and bruises, but as we walked away, they started to heal. He swiped his shirt and coat from the ground and took me home.
“Did I really fly?” Nathanael asked, speeding down the highway, taking my hand in his.
Nodding. “Mm-hm. You couldn’t tell?”
“No.”
“Well, I guess you have something to practice. So how come Joshua seemed to get hurt more easily?”
He chuckled. “Didn’t you see?”
I shook my head.
“He won’t be able to get up for probably forty-five minutes. When I kicked off the wall, I pounded the earth with my foot. The earth lifted just where I was going to throw him. There’s a very sharp rock lodged in his back, and it’ll take a while to heal around it. He most certainly couldn’t stand up with the audience.”
I squirmed in my seat wrinkling my nose. “Eww!”
We sat silent for a second.
“How come Angie and Becky were there? Aren’t you afraid they’ll talk?” I asked.
“No, you keep forgetting Saydi, the power of suggestion. Job and Joshua will make sure they saw the fight, but only a normal one.”
He snapped his head at me. “Now you!”
I winced.
He ignored my wincing. “We are not to see each other and I mean it, Saydi! It’s very important we don’t go against your parents’ wishes!”