by Box Set
Chapter 38
Navi
Alec’s truck was, as usual, not there when I pulled in, and as usual my dumb heart was both relieved and devastated. "Heart, I think you’ve got issues," I muttered as I pulled into a parking space. Right then, I’d give my left arm for a chance to see Alec—even knowing that I would probably end up eaten by asuwangs with only one arm for fighting.
Yes, I was that desperate.
"It will get easier," Elizabeth said, sitting rigidly in the passenger seat next to me. I wasn’t sure if she just sensed my desperate need to keep her near, or if she was worried I might do something completely insane if she left me, but Elizabeth had become my constant companion, unless Bryson and Konstanz were around. And they were around a lot. Maybe a little more than I wanted, because a part of me needed time to mope and cry and heal, and I couldn’t do that with cheerleaders constantly at my side.
Thank goodness for Elizabeth, who let me cry and ghost-patted my head and gave up everything she usually did during the day to hang out with me. I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel and peeked at her out of the corner of my eye. "What would you be doing right now if you weren’t stuck with me?"
A ghost of a smile crossed her face (a ghost of… see what I did there?) "When I first regained my freedom from Death, I explored the world and saw all the things I didn’t get to while I was alive. I went to Egypt and Africa and Spain…all these beautiful places I’d always dreamed of. But it got old. I tried to make friends with the souls in limbo, but they, as you might imagine, aren’t the friendliest. They’re prone to violence and possession and screaming and wailing." She frowned. "Not enjoyable at all."
"I’m sorry." I hadn’t realized how lonely her afterlife must be, and I felt guilty wanting her to stay with me to fight. Guilt is not my favorite thing to feel.
She shrugged. "Now I watch the waves, waiting for demons. I make grand plots to defeat the asuwangs and their sea witch. I visit your parents, because they can see me—you’re supposed to call your mother, by the way."
I smiled. "Yes ma’am." We sat in silence until I spoke again. "They’re planning something."
"Your parents?" She tapped her translucent chin.
I half-heartedly giggled. "No, Elizabeth. The demons. Something is up."
She nodded. "I agree. But we’re doing everything we can. When they make their move, we will be ready."
I swallowed hard. I sure hoped we would. My grandmother had thought she was ready. She’d had a larger army than I did—because back then, more people were willing to fight for their salvation. And she’d still lost.
"Are you planning on staying here tonight?" She quirked an eyebrow, a very modern movement to go with her old-style clothing.
"Oh. Right. No." Since Alec wasn’t here, it was safe to go up. I slowly slid out of my jeep before I turned to Elizabeth. "See you in a bit?"
"Always." She shimmered and was gone and I felt like she’d taken all my strength with her. I trudged up the stairs to Alec’s—er, Bryson’s—apartment and knocked listlessly on the door.
He swung it open so fast, I had just a touch of a suspicion that he’d been watching me. Well… that didn’t make me look crazy at all, did it? Sitting in my jeep, talking to myself. And I wasn’t a calm talker, either. I liked to throw my arms around a lot. I cringed.
"Hey Navi. How are you today?" He tipped his head to the side.
Konstanz appeared behind him. I’d been watching for Alec’s truck and completely missed her little car parked nearby.
I waved and I smiled, like a friendly person would do. "I’m fine, Bryson. Ready to go to the museum?" He had made it his mission to reacquaint us with all the historic destinations in Astoria. I didn’t mind—they were beautiful, and I loved history. Even though I was sacrificing sleep for these little outings.
Hmm. Maybe I did mind.
He was answering me and I’d completely zoned out. "Yep. I haven’t had dinner yet. Wanna grab something on the way?" He snatched his keys off the cute little table by the door and locked up. I pitifully tried to see any trace of Alec behind him, and kept one eye on the parking lot, praying Alec would show up and then praying he wouldn’t.
I was a very confused girl.
"Yeah. But I have to work tonight, so we have to be fast."
He raised an eyebrow as he brushed past me to lead the way down the stairs. "Again? That’s like the fifteenth night in a row. Don’t you ever get a day off?"
I wish. Fighting demons every freaking night was exhausting. Didn’t they realize I needed to sleep? They’d upped their attack frequency by about a thousand percent, and the sea witch was sending a whole lot more at once, too. This, of course, kept me fighting all night every night, and I was so stressed about it that I didn’t really sleep during the day, either.
It was awesome.
"Not lately. Things are intense." I yawned, nearly falling down the stairs while I wasn’t looking.
Bryson caught me, studying my zombie-like face. "You need to sleep."
"Right?" Konstanz nodded. "Tell that to our roommates. Reese is like a walking bull horn. Terrie sings like a strangled goose."
I snorted, very unladylike. "For some reason, they like to be awake during the day, which is all well and good for them. For me? Not so much."
We were stopped in the middle of the stairwell, and I was still praying Alec would show up. I just wanted to see him. Would that be so bad? Realizing belatedly again that Bryson was talking, I struggled to focus. Because that’s what good friends do, right? They listen when the other one talks. "You know, Alec and I work during the day. Our apartment is empty and silent. You could sleep here."
I shook my head, dodging around him and heading to my jeep. "Alec would throw a fit. He doesn’t want me anywhere near him."
Bryson shrugged, climbing in the passenger side. "I can ask him. The worst he can say is no. And you can sleep here all weekend, too. He goes… away… on the weekends."
"Away?" I asked, wincing at how my heart started to pound just talking at him. Hopeful and frightened, all at once.
"Yeah. I think… never mind." He looked out the window, refusing to meet my gaze, but I pounced on his words like an overly enthusiastic cat—and news of Alec was my red laser dot.
"What, Bryson?"
He turned toward me, pity in his eyes. "I didn’t want to tell you." He made a face, like he’d eaten something icky. "I think… I think he sort of has a new girlfriend. He stays at her house on the weekends." Seeing the distress his words caused, he rushed to continue, "But I’m sure you’re way prettier than she is."
"Oh," I said weakly. "Thanks."
"Hey." Bryson grabbed my chin and turned my head so I was facing him—a risky little move since I was driving us through traffic. "So he’s an idiot. But there are a billion guys who would give their right arm to be with you." His eyes darkened. "Trust me on that."
"If they gave their right arms, they couldn’t hug me." I pulled my chin away so I could focus on driving. And on not crying, but mostly the driving.
"I’d still find a way," he said quietly. I squirmed. It made me massively uncomfortable when he talked about feelings. Because while I enjoyed his company as a friend, and I appreciated the distraction he gave me as a friend, the more time I spent with him, the more I knew I’d never feel "that way" about him. When I tried to tell him that, he said he’d find a way. The boy was an unending well of determination, that’s for sure. "I’ll tell you what. I’ll even clean out a drawer, just for your stuff. Let’s go buy you some extra toiletries right now!" He sounded way excited about it—and who said the word toiletries anymore?
"What about the museum?" I asked dumbly.
He shrugged. "I’ve been to the museum lots of times. Let’s get you all set up at my place. We don’t want you collapsing from exhaustion or something."
I frowned. "You told me yesterday you’d never been." I distinctly recalled the conversation, because I’d been trying to escape to the beach
with Elizabeth and he’d kept up a constant chatter—like he knew I was trying to leave and thought he could stop me by not letting me get a word in.
He patted my cheek, reminding me of my aging aunt when I went to visit. "You’re so tired. I said I hadn’t been recently."
"Oh." I swear I could remember… but then again, he was right. I was so tired after all the fighting that I couldn’t think straight. I wasn’t even sure why I kept agreeing to Bryson’s outings when I knew with a ninety-eight percent certainty that I’d be fighting again that night. I guess… I guess I just needed the distraction, from Alec and from my Agent life. I needed something to remind me the world was okay, that things were still moving forward even when I felt like I was banging my head against a metaphorical brick wall.
Bryson was very caring and always around, which made me wonder if Bryson actually had a job. He was only gone a few hours a day. But he always had money and he took work calls all the time, so I guess he must have a job somewhere.
He insisted on buying me an extra toothbrush and a comb. He said I was free to sleep in his t-shirt, but that felt too intimate. So I grabbed some pajamas that covered me from feet to chin—to hide battle wounds, of course. The fact that it also hid me from Bryson’s ice blue eyes was just a bonus. And then, of course, I felt guilty for not being madly in love with him when he was so considerate and patient with me.
We grabbed muffins and went back to his house. "I’ve gotta run by work," Konstanz said, digging her keys out of her purse. "I’ll be back in a bit."
That left me and Bryson alone. I panicked, like a trapped rabbit, but there was no polite way out of it. She smiled and waved and disappeared and I wanted to smile and strangle her.
"You’re sure Alec won’t be here?" I asked Bryson, not sure whether I wanted to be wrong or right.
"No, he’s at work. And he never comes home before eight. You’ll be long gone by then." He sank on the couch with a frown. "I wish, just one night, I get to wake up with you." He looked up at me, blue eyes pleading. "Is that too much to ask?"
My heart hurt for him. "I’m sorry, Bryson. I can’t miss work. Things are too stressful right now. And then I have school…" School. Crap. I had a project due the next day. I ran a hand through my hair and glared at my muffin. I felt like I was juggling all these things, trying to keep all the balls in the air, and soon one would fall. Or they all would fall. Maybe they’d turn into giant boulders and crush me when they came down. Maybe they already were giant boulders and they were already coming down.
When I woke up, the sky was dark outside and Elizabeth was trying to shake me. "Oh crap!" I sat up so fast I toppled off the couch. Bryson was nowhere to be seen, but Elizabeth was pacing, back and forth so fast I could feel an icy breeze.
"I’ve been trying to wake you for almost an hour. The asuwangs have risen, and some have already made it into the city."
"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!! How could I sleep so long?" I was going to strangle Bryson. He knew how badly I needed to be at work and he’d let me sleep anyway. Because he thought he was helping. "Arrgh!" I growled, tugging on my tennis shoes and shoving my tangled hair out of my face. I followed Elizabeth out the door, leaping down the stairs three at a time. I hit the landing and took off running as the world blurred around me. I saw Alec’s truck out of the corner of my eye, just pulling in. The mere sight of him hit me so hard I stumbled and fell, skidding on my hands and knees. And let me tell you, when you’re moving that fast and fall, it’s more than a little asphalt burn. I felt the skin tear, then the muscle, and then I felt it clawing away at my bones.
I forced myself to my feet and tried to ignore the pain as I jogged after Elizabeth. Thankfully, by the time I caught up, I was almost completely healed. I risked one last glance over my shoulder, just catching a glimpse of him as he slowly climbed the stairs up to his door. I felt tears burning the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Elizabeth had a point—I couldn’t spend my whole life in love with him. I had to let him go so that I could give my whole heart to someone else and escape this hell I’d been living in the last four years. I needed to free my soul before I died and ended up fighting in someone else’s army.
I just wish letting him go was as easy as, say, cutting off an asuwang’s head. That, I could do with no problem.
"Do you feel them? They are near." Elizabeth stopped—since she merely floated and had no momentum to push her forward, she could stop instantly. Me, I went skidding past, arms cartwheeling and trying not to fall again.
I grabbed Golly and Kali and spun just as the asuwang flung itself off the roof of the shed we were standing near. I raised my swords just in time, cringing as black blood sprayed my face as it impaled itself. It screamed, but I mercilessly pushed my foot against its face and jerked my blades free. Its lifeless body fell to the ground as three more asuwangs barreled around the corner. "Holy crap. How many escaped?" I panted, swinging my swords up to fend off the claws. "And what time is it? How long until the sun rises?"
"It is past midnight. I do not know how many escaped. We have to"— Elizabeth brought her battle ax down with startling speed, neatly detaching the head of the demon—"find the rest of your army."
I scissored my swords to take off the other one’s head, dancing away from the blood that sought to ruin my shoes. I dove after the third one, which had finally realized what I was and decided to escape. I landed on its back, cringing at its scaly, furry, slimy back. I wasn’t even sure how it could have so many icky things at once, but somehow it managed. I plunged my swords into its sides, seeking the heart, riding it like a very fat horse. It screamed and bucked, throwing me in the air, but I held tight to Golly and Kali. They twisted and dragged upward and the demon finally collapsed, sawed almost in half.
I rolled away, coming up on my feet. "It will be a long night." Elizabeth was staring down toward the beach, toward battle, toward hell. More demons waited for us there, I knew. I wiped my blades on the grass and sheathed them.
Closing my eyes, praying for strength, I nodded. "It always is."
Chapter 39
Alec
Weekends at my parents’ are what saved me. Without them, I would have worked myself to death. Instead, I ate my mom's cooking. I helped my dad build a deck. I coached Jack’s baseball team and played football on the lawn with all the neighbor kids. I exhausted myself to the point that when I fell asleep, I was too tired to dream about anything but Navi's death.
Over and over and over.
I was so tired, that sometimes when I’d come home late at night from work, I’d think I could see her. She was like a ghost, barely more than a blur, but I’d catch a just a whiff of her lilac lotion in the air and I’d look up, praying she’d be there. She never was. There was nothing but my desperate desire to see her again slowly driving me absolutely insane.
"Hey." Josh nudged me. I wasn't even sure when he'd shown up, I was so tired. "You're still alive, right?"
I blinked at him and waved my newly-freed-from-the-cast hand around. "I'm peachy."
"It's for the best, anyway."
I did not want to have this conversation again. So I ignored him.
"I mean, Navi... she would have tied you down. You're only twenty-two, bro. You don't want a girlfriend who—"
"Knock it off, Josh." I hadn't had a reason to growl at anyone for a while, with Bryson gone all the time. It was somewhat refreshing.
"I'm serious. I mean, yeah, she's hot, right? But what else? She's got zero personality."
No personality? Was he serious? She had more personality in her pinky than most girls did in an entire clique. I stood up abruptly, glaring at him. "Knock. It. Off."
He held up his hands, "I'm just saying"—he stuttered for a second before he regained his footing —"she's not worth this, Alec."
"You don't know a damn thing, Josh. Shut the hell up."
"I'm just trying to help."
You can't help me. She was the only one who could. And that wasn't going to happen.
Chapter 40
Navi
"It’s been two months, Elizabeth. I’ve done everything humanly possible to forget him. I’ve been so busy fighting demons that I barely have enough energy to brush my teeth, but I always have plenty of energy to miss him." I flopped back into the soft grass, my feet still dangling in the river, and stared at the rising sun. "I can’t love anyone else."
She nodded sadly, her eyes telling me she completely understood.
"So… maybe I’ll become a nun. Nuns don’t go to hell. I’ve never had a nun in my army. If I can’t get over Alec, maybe I’ll just be in love him from a convent, and never hurt another guy with my traitorous heart."
She rolled her eyes, which was both alarming and slightly amusing from a ghost with translucent skin. "I think quitting school was unwise. It provided a much needed distraction. Perhaps enough that you wouldn’t have had to spend time with Bryson to find relief."
I cocked my head to the side to see her. There was still the outline of tears in her soul from the battle the night before, or the night before that… we’d been fighting every single night for so long that I couldn’t keep track anymore. "You’re probably right. But I can’t keep up. I was failing two classes and mid-terms were coming up. There was no way I could study for them."
"When the sea witch rises, we will kill her and then you can finish school." Elizabeth nodded like she was so positive that’s what would happen.
"She’s killing off all my army. I’m not going to have one to fight with by the time she rises." I traced a dandelion, wondering why I was here at the river where I’d come with Alec so often instead of home sleeping. "That’s probably her plan, huh?"
Elizabeth nodded slowly, her ghostly fingers trailing in the water as she lay on her stomach, one hand propped under her chin. "She’s sending her demons every night to diminish our forces, and when she’s confident she can overtake us, she will rise."