by Taryn Eason
I raised my eyebrows at her. “What? No way!”
“Belle, please. I’m scared.” Her eyes were swimming and I could sense that she was on the verge of passing out like I had. Healing me took the last bit of strength that she didn't have.
I contemplated it for a second. Who knows how long it would take an ambulance to arrive? I didn't go through all of that just to lose Delilah like this. Besides, surgeons cauterize wounds when they open them so that they don't bleed, so this was a tested method. Granted, this environment was anything but sterile, but my hands were hot enough to kill any bacteria that would grow.
I sighed as I made my decision. “Just don't blame me if I screw something up.”
She closed her eyes and winced at the pain. She had removed her shirt to allow me easier access and I put it into her mouth to muffle her screams. I hated that she didn't have any anesthetic or anything for her pain. I shoved my finger inside the bullet wound and felt around, burning her. There was a gentle flowing from an artery that pulsed with every heartbeat. I reached my thumb inside to pinch and sear it together. The blood began to stop right as I felt the metal inside of her. It wasn't as bad of a wound as I'd expected. It was lodged into her tissue, narrowly missing some sort of organ that I felt in there. I knew next to nothing about biology, but I might could actually fix this one.
“Just a bit longer, Delly. I'm going to get the bullet out.” I said before looking up and discovering that she had already passed out.
I hid my disgust and went back in for it, warming myself just enough to remove the bullet without melting it. I pulled it out and threw it as far as I could to hide the evidence just as the ambulance arrived.
The scene was hard to explain to the first responders, but I played the part of a victim who had accidentally stumbled upon the wrong street thugs and watched her sister become a casualty after resisting their kidnapping attempt. Thankfully, some kind strangers saved us, but, afraid of the police, they fled afterwards too. They didn't question me too much. After all, why would they have a reason? I was Delilah’s sister, so I was surely not up to anything bad.
I rode in the ambulance with her back to the last place that I wanted to see again. I stared at the cream colored walls and shuddered at the memories from earlier today. It felt like it happened already weeks ago, but the thought of never seeing Lye again still made me want to rip my heart out.
I still hated Delilah for not saving him, but I needed her companionship right now far more than I needed my revenge. Somehow through all of this, I had learned to pick my battles, and choosing one against the person I could relate to the most just wasn't worth it.
The doctor was assessing her bullet hole, amazed at the lack of blood. He misdiagnosed it and said that she must have been stabbed with a hot iron of some sort. He wasn't really wrong though. Without the bullet or the bleeding, there was nothing there that pinned it to being a gunshot wound.
He ran her through all sorts of tests, astounded at her blood loss, and unable to determine the cause of it. So he put some burn cream on her and admitted her overnight until she finished her blood transfusion.
I knew I should probably call my parents. But there were crowds already beginning to gather outside and the top story on every news station was that Delilah had been injured. One even reported that she had died. I was amazed at how fast news could spread. If my parents couldn't figure it out on their own by now, that was their own problem.
I was beside the bed when she opened her eyes. A bruise was forming on her cheek from where I had hit her earlier and her tan skin had turned a slight peach from being so close to me while I was on fire.
“I'm alive?” She asked hoarsely. She had lost so much blood that she most likely had no memory of even healing me. Hopefully she didn't remember too much of anything before it, either.
I nodded.
She lifted her hospital gown and examined her cauterized bullet hole. “You saved me.” She said incredulously. Then she looked back at me. “Why did you save me?”
“You're my sister. I'm sorry for being angry with you, but you're all I have. I couldn't just let you die.”
“You should have. I deserve it.” She said, wincing at the pain in her side. “I've hurt you so much, I don't know how I can ever fix this.”
“It’ll take time, but we’ll be okay.” I put a hand on her wrist, careful to avoid her IV. She had been forced to be perfect for so long. She had even been forced into a career path that she didn't want all out of fear that our father would hurt her. Now she had the same powers that I did, and because of that, was forced down yet another life path that she hated. She was just as damaged as I was, even though she didn't show it in the same way.
“How can you just stand there?” She asked after a moment of silence.
“What do you mean?”
“You've been through hell in the past twenty-four hours and you're just standing here beside me like this is the only thing bothering you.”
I began to reply, but she cut me off.
“You were in a car crash and your boyfriend died in front of you. You came after me for letting him die, then I watched you kill the people who were trying to hurt me. What is going on inside your head and how are you able to stand there so calmly like none of that even happened?” She asked, visibly upset.
“What would it accomplish for me to lay down and cry while I still have something to do? I still have to make sure you're alright.” I responded clearly, surprising myself.
She laid her head down on the pillow, lacking the strength to stay up. “You shouldn't act like this. I deserve for you to treat me like Dad does to you. I've always deserved that and I knew it. You beared the brunt of everything in our lives and I got off too easily. You should have made me hurt tonight for all the pain you've endured. It's only right.”
“Delly, don't talk like that. You lost a lot of blood and you're not thinking straight.” I watched her eyes swim as she struggled to keep them open. “Just go to sleep and we’ll talk later, alright?”
“I'm thinking how I've always thought. I'm only saying it out loud this time.” She spoke before nodding off.
I stood beside her, perplexed by her words, before I noticed my stomach growling. I didn't feel hungry, but I hadn't eaten all day and I knew I should. The cafeteria was closed, but thankfully, the vending machine took debit cards.
I gathered my stack of snacks and ate them on the couch beside Delilah’s bed. I washed them down with a soft drink before taking a sleeping pill one of the nurses had graciously given me. I didn't even want to risk giving myself enough time to lay down and dwell on everything. I didn't want to give myself enough time to miss Lye, hate myself for taking another life, relive the trauma of the crash, or discern my true feelings for Delilah.
I just wanted to sleep to get at least a few hours of respite from the stress of my life. I had been through Hell, but it seemed to be finally over. I needed to focus on repairing my relationship with Delilah to fill the awful void Lye had left in me.
Tonight would be my first night without him in the world. I thought of his parents. They were probably at a hotel in town. How were they doing? I had freaked out and left in such a hurry. I knew I should probably visit them tomorrow.
Then I remembered that they would most likely be making funeral arrangements and that changed my mind. I couldn't face seeing Lye in a casket. All of those people crying over him would set me off faster than anything else. I wanted to be far away from anything that reminded me of him, which, unfortunately, was nearly everything.
I stared at Delilah from my chair. The IV hooked into her arm dripped slowly and her bedsheets moved up and down with every sleeping breath. I was so thankful that she had survived. We were so mean to each other for so long, but now we actually had a chance to be friends and I wanted it more than anything.
I yawned as the sleeping pill began to kick in and I drifted out of consciousness.
I dreamed wistfully of swimming with Lye in our
pool. It was summertime and the smell of sunscreen and chlorine hung in the air. We were smiling and laughing, playing with an inflatable inner tube. Things were going great until reality creeped in and booming footsteps began echoing all around the pool. The sky turned a deep orange, pulsating with the footsteps. I looked up in fear when I heard a splash as Lye was pulled underwater by some unseen monster. His panicked face was reaching desperately for me before submitting to the abyss, leaving a weak trail of bubbles where he was.
I gasped and opened my eyes in time to see the door to the hospital room shut, Delilah missing from her bed. I struggled to lift my head and yell at her to lay back down before she hurt herself further, but the drugs pulled me back under into my dream before I could move.
I looked around my backyard again, fearful of the orange tinted sky and swirling black whirlpool in its center. A strange noise was coming from inside my house. I sensed something else in danger inside, so I beat at the back door with the metal leg from Lye’s grill. Then I heard the sound of a gun cocking from inside and I sat up from my couch, suddenly regaining lucidity.
“Delilah, what are you doing?” I called, throwing my blanket off and standing quickly, struggling to catch my balance, my head spinning from still fighting the sleeping pill.
She turned around, tears streaming down her face. A cocked pistol hung in her right hand, looking so foreign on her. She held it up to her temple and sobbed. “I can't do this anymore.”
The door to the room was shut and locked. I looked at her disheveled bed, noticing that she had ripped her IV out just like I had. I was surprised that she was even standing in her condition, much less that she had actually left and gotten dressed somehow. “Calm down. Where did you even get that thing from? Go lay down and we can talk about this.”
“No. I have to do this tonight before it's too late. I love you Belle, but things are about to get really bad for me. I have to go out like a hero while I still can.”
I stared at the gun, remembering how I had just killed Colt a few hours ago. I swallowed the thought. There was nothing I could do to take the pistol away from Delilah that wouldn't risk her panicking and pulling the trigger. So I stayed still. “What did you do that was so bad? Sure, you stopped healing every single person you saw, but everyone still sees you as an angel. With your powers, nothing you could do could possibly screw that up.”
She sobbed, setting the gun back to her side. “I did though. I totally screwed it up. You don't even know half of the things I've done. I stopped helping the public and I started going to the people who would offer me the most money to heal them. That ended up being a lot of dictators and terrorist groups. I healed the prime minister of North Korea of cancer a while back. I just helped the president of Syria fake his death a week ago. I'm actually wanted in a lot of countries. How long until that gets leaked to the public? How long until I'm a target for even more people?”
I stared at her incredulously. She was so different from the sister I had grown up with. My powers had taken away my innocence and matured me in so many ways, I guess I hadn't realize that hers had done the same.
“Delilah, I've killed people. I have burned people to death. I was a target for the largest gang in Chicago. And I got through it. It wasn't pretty, but I made it. I can help you with anything you've gotten yourself into because I know you'd do the same if I asked.” The corner of my mouth twitched upwards remembering how many times she had helped me out in our childhood. She had done everything in her power to keep me on the right track, no matter how much I rebelled.
“But I'm not like you, Maybelle. Do you know how awesome you were tonight? You were so calm and level-headed. I have never met a single person who could stand as strong as you did. You're not normal. You can do all of that and you never sought revenge on Dad or me or anyone else. You are such a better person than I am.” She sobbed, staring down at the gun. “I can't tell you how many nights I've lay awake wishing I could take back that time I healed Dad. I had no idea that I would save him that night.”
“Delilah, that's not your fault. You know it's not.”
“I hate myself for all the times I spent defending him because I was too afraid of him to do the right thing. I failed you. I ruined your life by not ever saying anything about it. But I'm trying, Maybelle. I'm trying to make things right.”
She lifted the gun again and my clothes began to smoke with my anxiety. “This won't solve anything! Please, just put that down and come here. We don't have to be afraid of Dad anymore. We can be friends now.” I was beginning to cry with her. “I don't blame you for not healing Lye. I didn't know you were just as screwed up as I am. I was so jealous of you when we were growing up, I had no idea you were just like me. Please don't do this. I love you, Delly, please don't leave me too.” I sobbed.
She stared at me, crying just as loudly. “I’m at the top of so many hit-lists because of the awful people I've helped. I know you would fight anyone for me, so I'm not even giving you the chance to defend me.” She sniffled, “You've been through too much already so I have to make sure the rest of your life is as stress-free as possible.”
I struggled through my tear-swollen face to speak, but I couldn't manage any words. None were as strong as I felt. I tensed as I watched her click the safety off.
She smiled at me, her soft brown eyes giving me the warm maternal look that they always have. “You can be happy now. And I love you too, Belle.”
I panicked and lunged forward to stop her at the exact moment she pulled the trigger.
I fell to the ground and screamed at the top of my lungs, blistering the floor and burning my clothes.
The medical personnel heard the shot and were inside in a flash, breaking down the door and making some futile attempt to save my headless sister. I knew it wouldn't work, because nothing they had done so far had.
I stood as the room began to flood with people. Everyone just wanted to see if Delilah was really dead, so I had no time to grieve. I was feeling suffocated and I knew I had to get out before I exploded. One of the nurses put her hand on my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me, but quickly pulled away when I burned her. She made eye contact with me and gasped when she saw my red eyes. I stepped back and ran.
I made it outside and continued running until my lungs gave out. I finally made it to an inner city playground, deserted in the early morning hours.
My vision blurred as my breaths only came out in stunted gasps. I was on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen. I leaned against a basketball goal and watched it bend around me.
I looked down at my glowing hands. I guess I really was the Angel of Death, because everyone I loved seemed to find it sooner than they should.
I burned hotter as I lost control of myself, but I was past the point of caring. There was an unnatural sound when I exploded, reaching my peak warmth. The playground warped around itself and the streetlights around me shattered, but I emitted so much light that the difference was negligent.
My heat surrounded me and ignited the air, wisping around me in tiny blue flames as I inhaled, breathing smoke. I was Death, and now that Life was gone. I was all that remained in the world. For better or for worse, I was truly alone.
Chapter 32/ Epilogue
It had been two weeks since Delilah and Lye had died. I was so afraid of reality that I had been actively avoiding it. I had no idea if I was wanted by the police for any of the things I had done, or if they even had figured me out yet. I picked up the first car I saw at a lot, which happened to be an inconspicuous Honda Civic, and left, going from city to city and staying in a different hotel every night.
During the days, I would visit malls and boutiques and see every movie the theaters had, just to keep my mind occupied and avoid any sort of habit that would give me enough time to dwell on things.
My mind was a wreck and I couldn't bring myself to go home alone, but I still forced myself to eat at least one meal a day, even though food seemed entirely unappealing to me as a whole. I h
ad lost all direction in my life, but there was still a drive inside me that urged me to go on. I didn't understand it, but I obliged.
I woke up in my hotel room in Miami and looked at the tv that I had left on all night, thankful for the distraction of the noise. There was another memorial of Delilah on the news. My parents were seated in the interview chairs giving a tearful elegy. I was so sick of seeing them everywhere. Even here, half a country away, I couldn't escape them.
I had run out of movies to see in theaters and I had enough new clothes and shoes to completely fill the trunk and back seat of my car, so I needed something new to do today. I decided to finally buy a cell phone to replace my last one. I had nobody to call and no one would know my number, but it just felt so weird to be without one, so I figured it would be a good idea.
I bought a prepaid smartphone and loaded it. It felt cheap and rickety compared to my last one, but it would suffice. I wasn't ready to deactivate my facebook yet, so I logged into my email and it was filled with messages from magazines, newspapers, news stations, and everything in between asking me to comment on Delilah’s death, since I was the sole witness.
The emails all followed the same sort of pattern in their requests, except for one. It was a message from a lawyer’s office in my hometown concerning Delilah’s final wishes. He said he needed to speak with me urgently. It piqued my interest. Maybe it was time to actually talk to another human and rejoin the world. It was dated a few days ago, so hopefully it wasn't too late to reply.
I dialed the number and listened anxiously as it rang. What did she want me to do? Did she have unfinished business for me with some of the shady people she dealt with?
A woman's voice answered, the secretary.
“Hi, could I speak with Oliver Jones?”
“He's very busy right now, could I take a message?”
“Yeah, just tell him Maybelle Lewis called.”