by Taryn Eason
He let out an uncomfortable noise and forcefully threw me on the ground, face first, knocking the breath out of me. “Who the hell are you?”
I began to cough. I felt blood trickling down my chin. I was too tired to even move. Lighting up my hands took my last ounce of strength, and even then, they were nowhere near as hot as they usually were.
Sirens began whirring and I knew where they were headed. Out of options, I had no other choice but to plead with my attacker. “They can’t… They can’t see me here.” I breathed.
He looked towards the direction of the sirens and seemed as nervous as I was about the presence of police. He nodded and scooped me off the ground. “I’m going to get answers from you, got it? I could have killed you, but I didn’t. Remember that.”
I let out a fragile nod as I slipped into unconsciousness.
Chapter 4
I awoke on an unfamiliar cloth couch. My entire body ached. I felt like I had the worst hangover of my life. My attacker was sitting in a recliner at the foot of the couch I was laying on staring at his cell phone. I pretended like I was still asleep so I had time to assess the situation. Was I violated in my sleep? I didn’t feel like it. So that was good. At least he valued the knowledge I had enough to save me. Well, perhaps “save” wouldn’t be the best word to describe it, but whatever. By squinting my eyes, I could see enough to get a good look at him without alerting him to my consciousness. I had my powers back again, but I’d admit I was still terrified of him. I felt that was understandable.
He had high cheekbones and a strong jawline. He still wore the beanie, but thick, shoulder length black hair peeked out from underneath it. Tattoos adorned most of the visible part of his body. He looked like a Lakinobe, if I had to guess. It would explain his protectiveness over my defacing of my aunt’s property. But he looked a lot younger than she was, about mid-to-late twenties. He was handsome, but I could still imagine the look he gave me as he slammed me against that wall. No doubt he was dangerous, so I knew I should have approached the situation with caution. I began by lifting my head, a benign gesture.
“Enjoy your nap?” He asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Yeah, it would have been so much better without all this pain. Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to hit girls?” My personality returned at the worst time.
“Yeah, but I don’t think the rules apply to arsonists.”
“Well,” I sat up, “I had my reasons.”
“I’m sure you did.” He turned towards me and folded his arms. “I’m listening.” He seemed so much calmer than he was before, but the danger was still there.
“First of all, I need answers too.” I replied.
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“If you’re so big and tough and mean, why did you give me a blanket?” It was irrelevant, but it also seemed like an action so far out of his personality range that I had to know. Any question could potentially be a key to understanding a way to snake my way out of this situation.
I swear I almost saw him smile. Almost. “You look like a minor and you’re dressed worse than a prostitute.”
I blushed. I totally forgot what I was wearing. “Well, my other clothes burned off. I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Yeah. Don’t avoid the subject anymore. Why did you burn down Winona’s greenhouse? And how were your eyes red back there?”
He addressed her by name. He must definitely be a Lakinobe. My aunt didn’t associate with just anyone. He also noticed my eyes, something I didn’t have a good alibi for. “Winona was my aunt. She told me to burn down her greenhouse when she died.”
“You’re her niece? So you’re Delilah?” His tone had changed. It still wasn’t warm, but it was getting better.
“No.” I glared. “I’m Maybelle, her sister.”
“Wait, did you get the Reeki?” He asked.
My eyebrow raised. “What’s that?”
“Never mind, its nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“No, tell me.” I said, my tone becoming more demanding. His secretive tone made me wonder if it had something to do with my powers. If he had any information, I wanted to know it.
“Look, no. It’s none of your business.” He responded as firmly as I spoke.
I stood up. “Really? Because I’ve been going through hell with what’s been happening to me for the past few days and if you know something, you’d better give me some information right now.” The blanket that had fallen at my feet started to smoke.
He got out of his chair in an instant, fearful of me burning his house down too. “Stop! Hold on, I’ll tell you.”
I sat back down, crossed my legs, and folded my arms, mimicking him. “I’m listening.”
“’Reeki’ is the name of the powers that have been passed through our tribe, which you clearly have. But you weren’t supposed to get them, were you?” He spoke in an accusatory tone.
I shook my head and clenched my jaw, still staring at him evenly. “Nope.”
“What did you do to get them? Where was Delilah?”
“In the same room. I guess they were just meant for me.” I shrugged.
“Don’t you dare say that. You’re the worst person to get it. ‘Fire’ is probably the worst power in history. You could destroy a city if you want to. Winona was good. Her power couldn’t hurt people. Yours is specifically designed for hurting people.”
His words cut like a knife. Of course, I already knew them, but it somehow hurt worse coming from someone else. “Yeah. Isn’t it just great having definite knowledge that you’re a terrible person?” I felt tears start to form. “I mean, it’s one thing to suspect it, and even have a reputation, but somehow it’s just so much harder to be constantly reminded of it every single day, wondering if it will ever be safe to be around anyone else ever again. It’s great, really. I totally asked for this.” I fumed.
I didn’t give him a chance to respond as I turned around and headed for the nearest door so that I didn't burst into tears in front of him. Thankfully, it was a bathroom. I looked in the mirror and was alarmed at my face. My eyes were bloodshot from the tears, there was dirt still on my face and in my hair, and dried blood on my face coming from my cheek and my lip. I looked horrible. I searched his cabinets and found a rag that I used to wash my face, knowing bloody-ing one of his rags was only payback for what he had done to me. I winced when the body wash I took from the shower burned the scrape on my cheek. Even clean, my face was still terrible, but at least it distracted me from the mixture of sadness and anger I felt.
With one last look in the mirror, I headed back into the stranger’s living room. He was sitting in his recliner, but he stood up when I walked in.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t have said any of that.” He said in a surprisingly sympathetic tone.
“Are you going to apologize for attacking me too, now? Or are you just going to pretend like that never happened?” I said coldly.
He sighed. “I’m sorry for that too. I shouldn’t have done that. I wasn’t very rational. Is there anything I can do to help you? I see you cleaned your face, now would you like some clothes?”
He was giving up so easily. Maybe he really did feel bad for it. I mean, it’s not hard to when you’re looking into the face of a pretty blonde with a bloody cheek and a fat lip. He was a man, after all. “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks,” I replied warily.
He left and returned with a white t-shirt and basketball shorts. “I think this is all I have that would fit you.”
I thanked him and began slipping them on over my underwear, somehow feeling more awkward over getting dressed in front of this guy than I was at actually being almost naked.
“My name’s Lye, by the way.”
I scoffed. “Lie? Is that your gang name or something?” I immediately felt terrible after I spoke. I realized I was judging him based on the neighborhood he lived in.
Thankfully, he ignored my remark. “It’s actually short for Lysander, but e
veryone just calls me Lye. It’s less of a mouthful.”
“Oh, cool.” I replied, disinterested. I still didn’t understand why he had suddenly changed character.
“I just, I want to start over. I used to visit with your aunt all the time. She was pretty much my only friend here, and I was the only one around who knew about her powers. She was a great woman, and I feel like you could be too, potentially, maybe.” He noticed the look I was giving him. “Since you have the Reeki now, it’s almost as if a part of her is still alive in you.”
“It was worth a shot, but I’m nothing like Winona. I don’t care about flowers, or trees, or really anything else like that. I’m sorry. You can still go to her funeral tomorrow though. I promise she’ll be there for you. But I’m not going to be your replacement.”
“Hey, you don’t have to be so rude. I’m trying to be nice to the person who burned down Winona’s greenhouse and then lied to me about it. Do you have any idea how disrespectful you are? You burned down the only place that your aunt ever cared about. If she had known that you would have gotten her powers, she would have gone to the hospital and got cured instead of dying at fifty one from a preventable disease so that her perfect little niece got her chance to change the world.”
“At least I don’t attack random girls in alleyways. Oh, and I sure as hell don’t get my rocks off by being nice to someone just because they have some sort of supernatural powers that I idolize.” I was angry, but I was congratulating myself on not lighting up, though I was pretty sure my pupils were red again.
“Are you sure you’re even Winona’s niece? You look a little pale to me.” He replied.
I was offended. He had enough ammo against me already, why would he bring that into the mix? “Yeah, I know I’m white. You keep talking about how terrible a person I am. Have you even looked at yourself? I don’t want anything from you.” I said, removing the shirt and pants. I held them out in front of me and lit them on fire, dropping them when they were just ashes. “I’m leaving.”
As I approached the door, there was a knock on the other side.
“Shit. Maybelle, go hide in another room.”
“Why can’t I leave? Where’s the back door?”
“Not now. Just hide.”
I did the opposite. I answered the door.
Three guys were on the other side. Two were black, and the other looked Asian. The guy in front had a cigarette in his hand. He wore a green bandana on his head and smiled with yellow teeth. “Who are you, little girl? It seems Lye was having a little fun before we came.” The two guys behind him chuckled.
“Another time, Colt.” Lye spoke in a stern voice.
“But I need my money noooowww.” He stretched out the word in a cocky tone.
I had a terrible feeling about this. “I’ll give you your money tomorrow; I’m kind of busy right now.”
Colt sucked his teeth. “I don’t think I can do that, man. How about I take your pretty little toy and call it even?” He said as he slowly stepped forward and ran his hand down my arm.
I snapped. “Don’t you dare touch me.” I shouted as I lit up my hand and slapped him as hard as I could. I made sure to let my hand linger so that he could feel the burn.
I didn’t anticipate how horrific it would feel to burn through someone’s skin. In that short moment, I felt everything as it melted away, straight down to the bone. He fell onto the floor screaming, holding his face. I could only stare back in frozen, wide-eyed horror.
“Get him in the car!” One of the guys shouted as the mood in the room suddenly shifted. The other retained a calm anger as he looked at Lye. “We’ll be back for you. Don’t try to hide. We’ll find you both.” He and the other man picked up the screaming Colt and left, slamming the door behind them.
Lye turned around to find me hyperventilating, with tears streaming down my cheeks. “I… I did that. I felt it. I felt everything.”
He walked over to me and made an awkward attempt to put his hand on my arm to comfort me, but at his touch, all I could feel was his hands on my shoulders, beating me into a wall. “Don’t touch me, let me go!”
He instantly pulled back, holding his hands up in an effort to show me he meant no harm. I ran for the door because I knew what was happening. I collapsed under his carport, face down. I glowed a bright red-white enough to light the ground. My sobs were quiet compared to what I felt.
I had just ruined a man’s life. He would never be normal again. Everywhere he went, he would have to answer questions about what happened to his face. I could have killed him. As of tonight, I was an arsonist, and I could be a murderer. I would never be normal again. I cried until my throat hurt and my eyes went dry.
When I had cooled down and was ready to move, I looked up. Lye was standing in the doorway with his arms folded. “You okay?” He asked.
“Not really,” I replied.
He walked over and held his hand out to help me up. I took it and went inside, feeling embarrassed about crying in this stranger’s yard.
“I made some green tea to calm you down. Want some?”
I was wary of taking any drink from any guy. I had trusted Lye enough already, but I was so tired. That anxiety attack had burned off all of the energy that I had regained by my short nap. I was more mentally and physically exhausted than I had ever been in my life. I took the mug of tea, almost wishing that it was drugged so that I could get some sleep.
“Lye, what time is it?” I asked while yawning.
“It’s almost 1 am. Do you want me to take you home?”
“No, can you take me to my car? I left it at the high school.” My eyes blurred as they struggled to stay open.
He noticed my unnatural tiredness. “You look way too sleepy to drive tonight. I’m going to take you to your house.”
“Please just take me to my car.”
“No. I’m not risking you falling asleep while driving and crashing and some crazy paramedic getting the Reeki. This isn’t just about you anymore.”
“Then who is it about?” I replied. I was too tired for an argument, but that has never stopped me from trying.
“Our entire tribe.”
“Do you even care about the Lakinobes? You know they’re against tattoos. You also live 100 miles away from them, as do I. I don’t even know much about them, but I know that there has to be a reason you left.”
He looked down and sighed. “Fine, you know what? I’ll take you to your car in the morning. You can stay here. I’m going to bed.”
“What? No. I don’t even know you.”
He walked away nonchalantly as he talked. “The guest room locks from the inside. I’ll put some clean clothes by the shower for you in the bathroom. Night.” He waved as he walked into a room and shut the door.
I could have walked the two miles it would take to get home, but the thought of a warm shower and a bed nearby was too tempting. I went towards the only other room in the house and tested the doorknob a few times, making sure it definitely locked. When I was assured of my safety, I went into the bathroom and removed my clothes. I tried not to look in the mirror. I knew I would just be disappointed. I stepped into the shower and washed my hair as I saw the water turn brown from the dirt. I felt even worse after the shower. I put on the clothes that Lye laid out for me and fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.
Chapter 5
I awoke to a pounding at the door.
“Maybelle, get up! I have to get to work!”
I opened my eyes and stretched. The bed sheets felt old and stale. I was probably the first to sleep in them in a while. I stood up and walked to the door to open it.
“Okay, I’m up.” I said, rubbing my eyes.
As soon as he saw me, he avoided my eyes.
I looked down at myself, trying to see what was wrong with me. After finding nothing, I asked “What’s wrong?”
“Your face just looks awful. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” I had forgotten what my face look
ed like. Judging by his expression, it had probably gotten worse overnight.
“No problem.” He replied in the same sarcastic tone I had used. “Anyway, I forgot to wake you up earlier, but we leave in ten minutes. Is that okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
I pulled myself upright and moaned from the pain in my shoulder joints.
“Do you need something for that?”
“Probably,” I replied in a squeaky voice.
He left and returned, holding out a white pill.
“What is it?” I asked warily.
“It’s a Norco. It’s a painkiller.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t know you well enough to trust this. Can I see the bottle?” I actually felt terrible for asking. I definitely needed a painkiller, but there was no way I was trusting a random pill from some guy I had just met yesterday.
He tossed me an orange prescription bottle, unoffended. “Whatever you need to do.”
I looked at the bottle. “LYSANDER ADAIR” was written across the side. The pill description matched up, so I trusted it enough to take it. I thanked him and handed the bottle back.
He left to finish getting ready, so I headed to the bathroom to do so myself. My muscles ached like crazy. I pulled my shirt down and noticed the bruises starting to form on my shoulders. I looked up at my reflection and swallowed the lump in my throat. Bruises surrounded the cut in my cheek and swelling had set in on the outer edge of my right eye. It was going to be horrible to explain this to my parents.
I had no motivation to fix my hair or anything. I left it in the frizzy blonde mess that it had dried in and left, following Lye to his car.
“So where am I taking you?” He asked.
“Just take me to the high school. It’s where my car is.”
“You’re not going to school today, are you?”
“Yeah, right. Like I’d let anyone see me like this.”
He bit his lip. “I’m still sorry about that.”
“Oh well.”
Then there was an uncomfortable silence between us. I struggled to break it.