by Rue Volley
“For every end there is a beginning Rue Volley.”
I didn't even realize until I felt the warmth of her blood flowing on my hand, that she had thrust the knife into her chest.
I gasped. “Oh God Elin…! Why?”
I held her as she slipped to the floor. She didn't speak, but instead had a look of peace on her face. The cut in her chest was slowly pooling outward, turning her dress a crimson red. I stood up and she reached to me.
“Drink,” she whispered.
“Elin… no, please don't ask me to do that, please,” I muttered.
“Rue… you need me as I you, drink now.”
I got down on my knees, next to her and she placed her hand on my face. “Drink Rue, it is who you are… embrace it.”
I put my face down to her chest and started to take in the honey tasting blood, into my mouth. My whole body hummed, I could feel it from my head to my feet. I felt her heart stop beating and I backed away from her. Her eyes were closed and she had the most peaceful look on her face. I closed my eyes and started to cry. I felt a breeze blow through the room, carrying with it a whisper. I opened my eyes quickly and saw that she was gone. I stood up looking around the room and there she was, with her back to me in the same place she had been when I came into the room. She turned to me with the blade in her hand. I sucked in my breath… “Elin,” I whispered.
She smiled at me. I looked at her dress… no blood. She was as perfect as before.
“Elin I thought you had...”
“What died?” she said with a grin.
“Well… your heart stopped beating Elin!”
“You don't understand what death is yet, Rue.”
I stuttered. “Am I dead?”
She laughed and it echoed in the room.
“No, you are far from death… or what you think it is.”
I started to fidget with my hands.
She walked towards me, as if she floated across the floor. “Now it's your turn Rue.”
I looked up at her with confusion, “What am I…?”
She thrust the blade at me and I dodged out of the way.
“Oh my god! Did you just try to stab me?” I said, with anger in my voice.
She grinned and started to come at me. I turned and ran towards the door. I grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. I went to take a step out onto the branch and it was gone. I spun around just in time to see the blade coming at me. I lost my footing and fell out into darkness. I felt myself falling and falling. I tried to turn myself over and saw the ground coming at me fast.
I put my hands over my face and shot straight up in my bed, smacking my forehead against something hard as rock.
“Ohhh… Jeezus Christ!” Josh yelled out, as he jumped up grabbing at his head.
I sat there and grabbed my head too, I almost saw stars.
“Oh my god... OUCH Josh! What were you doing? Sitting on top of me?”
He staggered around my room, cussing for a moment and settled with a pissed off look on me.
“No, I was not! I just came up here to check on you and you decided to jump up, out of a dead sleep, and try to kill me!”
“My room Josh, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that!”
“Sorry… I just wanted to make sure.” He kept putting his fingers on his forehead, then bringing them back down, checking his hand for blood. “That you were okay… no fever or anything.”
“Oh... well. Thanks, I guess,” I said with a calmer voice.
He stopped walking around and looked at me. He shook his head, “I swear to god, you never cease to amaze me Rue…”
“What the hell made you sit up anyway?” He kept blinking, like he had just been hit in the jaw.
“I… I had a dream. I was falling out of this room.”
“Oh… some rabbit hole stuff, huh?”
I leaned back on my pillow. “Yea… weird stuff I guess.”
He came over and sat on my bed. “Doesn't surprise me… that was some wicked crap you had in you, really bad.”
“Yeah… who the hell was she anyway?” I asked him.
He looked down at his hands and started rubbing the side of his arm. That's new, some Josh fidgeting.
“That was Mikah. She was a protector from Valon, hell of a warrior, one of the best. I knew her a little too well, at one point.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Too well... as in Girlfriend?”
He pressed his lips together and looked like he was thinking. “Yea, I guess you could call her that... loosely.”
I lay down even further in my bed. I had adjusted my legs and I hissed when I felt a pain in my right thigh.
“Ouch… okay so,” I said.
Josh pulled my blanket down and I saw that I was in my jammy shorts... “Hey… who changed my clothes?”
He looked up. “Sam did… come on.”
He rolled his eyes and looked down at my leg. I looked too. I had a black scar across it, but no stitches, the cut was closed. He gently ran his fingers across the skin above it and I twitched a little.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked.
“No… I just” I grabbed my blanket and pulled it back up and he sat there running his hand through his hair.
“Well, it will probably be sore for a few days. Just don't be flashing around anywhere, okay?”
I gave him a “uh huh”.
“Where is Johnathan?” I asked.
“He went home... said he'd be back tomorrow… His family came home from London this evening. He's dealing with that stuff.”
“Oh,” I said. “I thought they would be gone all summer?”
“Summer is almost over Rue. Besides he shouldn't be staying here all the time, he doesn't live here.”
I crossed my arms. “You don't either.”
He stood up and went to walk out of my room. “You’re right; I don't… thanks for reminding me.”
Josh shut my door behind him and I felt like a turd for saying that to him, I really did. I mean he saved my life… didn't he?
***
I lay in my bed for two hours. I heard laughter and talk coming from downstairs periodically, but I just didn't feel up to going down there. That is until my stomach started to ache. It growled and I knew it was a need, not a want that forced me to get up and stand. I gently placed my foot on the floor and started to put pressure on it. A pain shot through my leg and I winced. God, I hated Mikah… wait, she's dead. I didn't need to be hating her; she was worse off than I was.
I hobbled to my door and made it to the hallway. I had to inch my way along it, until I made it to the top of the stairs. I had jumped up and down these stairs so many times, but they looked so daunting now. God, if I fall I'm going to be pissed, I swear. I went to take a step, using my left leg to take the weight and I “OUCHED” out loud. Josh flashed to me. I sighed.
“What are you doing Rue?” He asked.
“I want to go to the kitchen and get something to eat,” I said irritated.
Truth was, I really wanted to grab a blade and cut him for food, but something in that refrigerator was going to do. I am not sucking on anyone.
“Let me carry you,” he said grinning.
I waved him off and went to take a step out of anger and started to fall. Josh scooped me up, like I weighed nothing and carried me down the stairs.
“There she is!” Theodore called out.
Josh gently placed me on the couch. I looked up at him. “Thanks Josh.”
“Well, well... you are looking quite good, all things considered!” I looked at Theodore and tried to manage a smile.
“Yea... sure, minus the crazy girl in the woods, and oh yea… all of you holding me down, while you spike my leg on the kitchen table!”
“Oh my god Rue, I swear that was the craziest shit I have ever seen. When that blade went through your leg and came out the bottom of the table… Shit, that was the best!” Kai said, with way too much excitement.
I rolled my eyes.
Sa
m hit him in the arm. “Yeah… I am sure she just loved that!” She put her arm around me. “Listen, I want you to know that we would have never done that if there had been any other option, but time wasn't on our side and you couldn't be asleep for it, or it might not have worked.”
I looked at Theodore. “That was a GUESS?”
“Oh… point is, it did work Rue and I assure you, I took no pleasure in jamming that blade through you.”
He winked… didn't convince me.
“Well… even though it sucked unbelievably hard on every level. Thank you, all of you, for well… saving my life. ” Josh had gone into the kitchen. He froze waiting with his back to me. “Especially you Josh. You really did save me today.”
He turned in a spin, on one foot.
“Ohhhh... I did, didn't I?”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Here we go,” she muttered.
He came back in with a plate full of everything for me.
“I think I am due a favor then.”
I looked up at him… gratitude turning to irritation.
“A favor… what kind of favor?” I asked.
“Oh… I don't know yet but when it hits me… you will be the first to know.”
Sam leaned over to me. “You don't want to owe him anything Rue,” she whispered.
Josh pointed to her. “I heard that and I resent it all at the same time. You still owe me Sam.”
She stood up. “Oh I know… and I will hear about it for the next fifty years, until you decide you want to collect on that ridiculous bet.”
“What bet?” I asked her.
They looked at each other.
Theodore broke the silence.
“Oh Rue… messy business really. You don't want to know.”
I shoved some fruit in my mouth. “No… I think I do.”
Sam moved over to the chair, across from us.
“It was Hitler,” she said with a huff.
I stopped chewing. “What about Hitler?”
Josh smiled. “He was a dick… you know that. Well hell, everyone knew that.”
I sat back and grabbed a pillow. I swung my legs up slowly and placed them on it. I winced a little and Theodore rubbed my foot, smiling at me.
Josh sat on the chair arm and looked down at Sam, who had a bored look on her face. She waved her arm. “Go ahead Josh.”
He smiled. “Well… Sam and I decided to kill him.”
“What?” I asked.
Sam interjected, “Yes… we knew what a bastard he was. The war that the humans had going on was coming to an end and Josh and I decided that he should die so…”
Josh interrupted her, “So… Sam here wanted to go in and take him out in that stupid bunker he built. I told her she probably wouldn't be able to do it alone and she got all, to borrow your word Rue, ‘Pissy’ about it so I bet her, who would be able to get to him first and stab him in the heart.”
I know I looked like a kid seeing Santa Claus for the first time, but I urged him on… “And?” I asked.
“Well, Sam here, went in all ninja like. She had fifteen killed before I even got in there. You know you would think that those Nazis would have been a bit more trouble than they were, but anyway… She's all creeping around, going for numbers and I, on the other hand, wanted the prize. So I went straight at him. I could feel the nasty energy coming off of that piece of crap as soon as I got in that rat hole. He was hiding out in his room.” Josh stopped for a moment like he was remembering. “I walked in and looked him in the eye. He started talking to me in German.”
I had to ask. “Well what did he say to you Josh…? I mean do you even know German?”
Theodore laughed… “Josh here knows seven languages Rue.”
I got a wow look down. “Geez Josh, well what did he say?”
“Ich warte seit mein kind.” Josh said, in a perfect German accent. I have to admit, it was hot.
“Translated for the language impaired, he said, ‘I've been waiting my child’.”
“Why would he say that?” I asked.
Josh shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows.”
Theodore rose up. “Well I know… that pig was all about the occult. He probably thought you were the angel of death, which I might add, you were that night.”
Josh grinned, “Yea… I will say it felt too good to deliver some kick ass on him of all people.” He went on, “Well anyway, I didn't chat. I put a binding on him and I stabbed him in the heart… twisting it. Then I healed him and did it again.”
I looked at him, with a blank face. “What…? You killed him twice?”
Josh started to laugh,” OH I killed his ass twenty seven times that night Rue. Would of been twenty eight, but my stomach started to growl and I was not going to feed on him. No way.”
“Jeezus Josh… twenty seven, huh?” I shifted on the couch and hissed from my pain.
“Oh, I would have killed him for a century. Who wouldn't?”
“No, I totally agree… Just seems, I don't know, crazy I guess.”
“Well, to tell you the truth, he's lucky I got to him first. Samantha here is quite the torturer.”
Sam grinned big. I didn't want to know.
“You kick more ass than I thought existed dude. Twenty seven times…? That's awesome!” Kai jumped up and gave him the coveted fist bump.
“Yes... yes I do, and Sam here owes me, because I won. In fact I think it was a record.”
Sam shrugged her shoulders. “You know I don't mind owing you, as long as he died.”
Josh grinned at her, “I agree.”
Josh turned to me and took a piece of food off of my plate. Chewing with his mouth open at me.
“Gross,” I whispered.
Sam stood up. “I'm going to bed. Don't forget Josh… I killed Napoleon.”
Josh laughed. “True, you did… but mine was harder. He just laid there, Sam!”
We all heard a “Shut up,” faintly.
Kai followed after her. “You killed him…? Sweet!”
Josh started laughing. “The fact that, that little stub of a man, thought Sam was going to give him some… is just ridiculous.”
I had to ask… “She killed him in bed?”
Josh grinned, “Sure did.”
“Should somebody warn my brother?” I asked.
Josh grunted, “Sam likes him, he's safe. She likes to be aggravated and Kai’s got that mastered.”
I had to laugh, “Well, that's the truth.”
Theodore smiled. “I love my siblings… So feisty.”
I laughed too… and Theodore was right, they were.
***
I looked down at my plate, it was empty, but I didn't want to stay up any longer.
“I'm going to bed too. I need to get this day over with.” I pushed myself up and almost fell over. Josh flashed to me and grabbed my arm helping me up.
“You know there is no way you are climbing those stairs.”
I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. He grinned and picked me up. I said good night to Theodore who had a big smile on his face. I looked at Josh. “Thanks.” He had a crooked grin on his face.
He carried me upstairs and passed my bedroom.
“Ummm, my room on the left, you just missed it.”
“Oh, I'm collecting my favor,” he said.
“Oh my god, put me down now.”
“It’s not what you think Rue. You’re just dirty.”
“Me?” I asked, completely shocked.
“I just thought you could sleep in my room tonight… just sleep.”
I looked at him, wondering what the punch line was, but nothing came, he just stood there.
“Oh,” I said.
“Rue, come on. It's not a lot to ask, in trade... for saving your life right?”
I sighed, low blow.
“Okay…just one night… and…”
He carried me in and laid me on the bed.
“I know, that is your side and this is mine, line right down the middle,” he said
as he took off his shirt.
I pulled up the blanket and rolled over, away from him. He climbed into the bed.
“Rue?”
“What Josh?”
“You kicked all ass today, you really did.”
I rolled over and winced from my leg. “You think so?”
He reached out and brushed my hair behind my ear. “I do…”
I felt a little odd for not turning back over... away from him. “Can I ask you something Josh?”
“Sure… what?”
“Why have me sleep in here tonight? I mean you could have waited and had me do anything for you in the next hundred years.” He rolled onto his back.
“Because this is all I wanted, just to sleep next to you tonight.”
“Huh… okay,” I said.
“If you don't think it's enough, you can take off your clothes or something.”
I hit him in the stomach and he doubled up laughing. I laughed too.
“You’re an ass Josh.”
“Yeah I know Rue. Trust me… I know.”
I rolled over and I felt his arm wrap around me.
“What happened to ‘my side, your side’?” I asked.
“Come on Rue… just let me spoon you.”
“Oh for crap sake. Fine… goodnight,” I said in protest.
“Good night Rue,” he whispered.
Chapter 11
Moment of Clarity
Sleep… what a wonderful thing. I slept so sound, no dreams, no walking, no nothing. Maybe it was a good idea to sleep in Josh's bed. I didn't even feel guilty, as I drifted off. I just relaxed and let him lay against my back, his body so warm, felt like a cozy fireplace in winter. I woke up and slowly opened my eyes. Josh's face was right in front of mine. He snorted and I closed my eyes from the rush of air on my face. I opened my eyes back up and looked at his face. It was so peaceful and quiet, not like him. He aggravated the crap out of me most of the time, but for some reason I liked it, kinda looked forward to it… to him. He opened his eyes up and caught me looking at him.