by Rue Volley
We walked in and looked around. A huge fountain stood in the middle with silver metal flowing from the top and down into a pool around it. I stared at it for a moment, feeling the waves of energy coming off of it. I stepped up to it and saw my reflection then reached towards it. Josh flashed to me and grabbed my hand right before I stuck it into the metal.
“Don’t,” he muttered. I looked at him and pulled my hand to me, clinching my fist.
“Why can’t I touch it?” I asked him.
“It may drain your energy,” he said.
I straightened up and looked around. All of a sudden we heard noises. Sounded like moaning coming from the far end of the tent. I looked at Josh and flashed in that direction. I flashed up next to Elin, who was standing there watching something. I looked and I almost dropped.
“Johnathan?” I said, sounding like I was in shock.
Johnathan rose up and I looked as I lay under him, naked. Well… it looked like me… but it wasn’t not me, right? Johnathan pushed himself up quickly and the girl faded into mist. He grabbed at the silk sheet and wrapped it around himself.
Elin stood there grinning and Josh laughed. I did not. I placed my hands on my hips and stared at him. Johnathan had a look on his face like he just got caught stealing a cookie, when his Mom told him that he couldn’t have one. I shook my head.
“Were you just… with me?” I asked him.
Johnathan cleared his throat and tried to scoot towards the edge of the oversized bed towards me. He clinched at the sheet to cover the fact that he was naked.
“Rue... this is not what it looks like,” he said as he held his hand out to me. I rolled my eyes.
“Really? Well, what was it then?” I asked him. “Did she have a kink in her back?”
Elin giggled and Josh started to laugh. I shot a look at him and he stopped, biting his lip.
I looked back at Johnathan and dropped my hands at my sides.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered and then I turned around.
“Do you think that you could, oh I don’t know… put some clothes on?” I said.
Josh stepped towards him.
“Dude… she is like twelve,” he said. I turned back around and looked at Johnathan.
“That’s disgusting,” I said.
Elin sat down on the bed and ran her hand over the silk. I don’t think that Johnathan even realized that she was there until that moment.
“Geezus!” he yelled out as he pushed himself to the other side of the bed.
He rolled off and grabbed his white leather. He scrambled to put it on, gripping a blade in one hand. Josh flashed forward and held out his hand.
“She is here because we brought her with us,” he said.
Johnathan stood there looking at us with a look of shock on his face. He stared up at the ceiling.
“I am tired of playing your games!” he yelled out.
I looked at Josh as he looked back at me. We both wondered, ‘what the hell?’ at the same time. Johnathan lunged towards Elin and sliced his blade at her. Josh knocked her out of the way and I stepped forward and yelled at Johnathan.
“You are acting crazy!” I said to him. His eyes darted to me and he tilted his head down, keeping his eyes on me. He held his blade out at me.
“You… you need to set me free,” he said. I tilted my head.
“Listen to me… we came to get you out of here, stop acting like a tool,” I said.
“I don’t believe you, any of you. You would never be teamed up with Elin.” Johnathan looked at me. “You need to just stop messing with my head.”
I stood there and then I looked at the bed.
“How am I messing with your head? I walk in here and you’re humping me… well, it looked like me, what the hell was that?” I asked him.
He tilted his head and I felt a chill as I realized that he had the same look on his face as Caine did so many times in Valon. I crinkled my eyebrows and stared him down. I hated that look, hated it! He took a breath and Josh decided to take a crack at him.
“Listen to me, you have been trapped in memory for over a month. I am surprised that you are still sane, looks like you couldn’t resist the urge to get your freak on though.”
Johnathan looked at him and then at the bed.
“Oh god,” He muttered as he dropped his blade. He bent over and hurled. My face pulled up in a grimace and Josh started to laugh at him.
“Yea… remember… the Rue here is like twelve Johnathan. You just dove into creeper territory.”
Johnathan straightened up and had a pale look on his face, like the life just drained from him.
“Twelve… no it’s not that,” he muttered. Josh stepped up to him.
“Are you kidding me? I’m devious, but that is just wrong, man,” Josh said as he laughed.
Johnathan sat down and glanced back at me. “Something’s are much worse,” he whispered.
Josh must have shed his patience, in a flash he grabbed Johnathan’s head and then stumbled back from him. He looked back at me and then to him.
“You are kidding me,” he said as he held his hands out.
Elin stood up and looked at them both. Josh started to laugh so hard, I thought he’d fall down.
Johnathan looked up at him. “It is so not funny, you dick,” he yelled.
Elin stepped up to Josh. “What is the joke?” she asked him.
“Here,” Josh said as he held his side, still catching his breath from laughter.
He reached up and touched her head. She closed her eyes and then stumbled back. She looked at me and then at him. She busted out in laughter. I, on the other hand, was getting more pissed by the minute. I flashed up to Johnathan and reached out to his face. He stumbled away from me. I stood there wondering what the hell was going on. I looked at Josh and he straightened up.
“Why don’t you kiss him, tell me who kisses better now,” he said.
I tilted my head and looked at Johnathan.
“You want to tell me what the deal is?” I asked him.
Josh looked at Johnathan. “Yea… `tell her what you found out before you crawled into the bed, you ass,” he said to him.
Johnathan lowered his head. He muttered something so low I couldn’t hear him. I leaned forward and looked down at him.
“What?” I said.
He looked up at me and he had a look of fear on his face. He tried to smile, but it looked fake.
“You are my sister,” he said.
I stumbled backward and stared at him. I looked at Josh and the smile faded from his face. I guess I looked crazy. I turned and started to walk towards the open end of the white tent. I kept clinching and releasing my hands, light kept hitting the ground with every step I took. Josh flashed up beside me and I knocked him down with just a wave of my hand.
I stepped out into the sand and the wind picked up. I stood there with my hair blowing around on my head and sand started to tornado in front of me. I looked up at the sky and the clouds started to swirl together. I closed my eyes and saw churning colors, every one twisting and turning violently. I bit my lip and the blood ran down my chin. I raised my hands out in front of me and an orb formed. It swirled and lightning flashed inside of it.
Josh flashed up in front of me.
“Okay… it’s not so funny, I’m sorry,” he said.
I opened my eyes and I could feel them swirling. He looked at me and stepped backward.
“Your eyes are black,” he yelled.
I looked at him and he stepped up to me in a flash and kissed me. I fought him at first and then I felt the energy subsiding in my body. I finally relaxed and his lips left mine. He looked pale and sweaty.
“What did you do?” I asked him.
“Oh you know… just took all that negative energy and absorbed it.”
He stumbled backward and fell down. I looked at him in a panic. I reached down and grabbed his arm. Elin flashed up with Johnathan and I looked up at them.
“Help me get him to the l
ake,” I yelled at them.
I stared at Johnathan for a moment and then shook off the urge to throw up. I swallowed and it tasted bitter. Johnathan reached down and grabbed his arm and we started to walk across the sand. Suddenly twelve-year-old Rue stood at the top of the sand hill. She waved her arm and the ground vibrated. We all fell down. Grass started to sprout up and the earth evened out. I pushed myself up and stared at her. She walked towards us as she grinned. I recognized myself in her. That awkward age where you want to be older, but you are trapped in a tiny body. She looked up at me and then to Johnathan.
“Did he tell you?” she asked me.
I nodded and placed a hand over my mouth. I turned and hurled into the grass.
She tilted her head. “I don’t know why it upsets you, you knew,” she said.
I looked at her as I wiped my hand on my mouth. “I did not,” I said to her.
“You found out the truth when you were twelve, Rue. You gave it to memory then,” she said calmly.
“I don’t believe you,” I said.
“Well, believe what you want then,” she said as she turned to walk away. I ran to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face me.
“You need to stop lying,” I said to her. She smiled.
“You’ll never know will you?” she said as she got this wicked grin on her face. She pulled her watch and looked at it.
“Time that you all leave now,” she said.
The ground started to shake under our feet and the grass started to ripple, suddenly we all dropped, as it turned to water. I felt myself get sucked under. I watched bubbles roll upward and I saw light. I reached up and felt a hand grab at mine. Theodore pulled me from the mirror and I flew out of it, rolling to the side. I coughed out water and blinked my eyes. One by one Josh, Elin, and Johnathan reached through and Theodore pulled them out also. We all lay around the mirror, coughing and catching our breath. I pushed myself up and looked at Johnathan as he sat there breathing hard.
“You are disgusting,” I muttered to him.
I turned and flashed towards the house, leaving everyone else behind me.
***
I sat at my vanity for a while before I pulled out some paper. I put my pen to it and started to write.
Johnathan,
I think that you are an ass.
I looked at it and shook my head. Okay, how do I say this, where it really tells him what I am feeling right now? I crumpled up the paper and threw it on the floor.
Johnathan,
You can kiss my ass.
Okay, that’s just not where I wanted to go. I needed to get away from the ‘ass’ theme.
I decided to try one more time and then leave for a little while. I had to get away from all the madness. I had to. I crumpled that one up too and threw it down.
Johnathan,
I never want to see you again. Don’t try to find me. I’m going to normal, you are not welcome there.
Rue.
P.S. Tell Josh to buy me a new bed.
Okay. That’s all I guess. I grabbed my backpack and stuffed what I could into it. I didn’t know where I was going… or for how long, but I couldn’t be in that house. Just couldn’t do it anymore. I threw my backpack over my shoulder and looked around at my room then flashed downstairs. I placed the note, like an eviction notice, on the front door. I stabbed one of my blades into it. I looked at it and then flashed into the forest.
For the first time, in my entire life, I didn’t want to deal with anything. I think that my mind shut down, I really do. I couldn’t feel anything at all. I didn’t care about my feelings for Josh. I didn’t care about Johnathan being my brother. I didn’t even care that I kissed my Dad. Well, who knows, little Rue could’ve been a liar. I hoped to god that she was. I remember lying at that age… I do.
Everything was about self-preservation. I didn’t know; I didn’t care. I just wanted to go away. Someplace that didn’t know me with people I didn’t know either. Anything would be better than having any more conversations about anything to do with my life. My illusion. I’m tired, so tired that I can’t be strong. Let someone else carry the weight. I gave in… I conceded, take it and do whatever. I’m not special. I’m not the reason for anything. I just want normal and I was going to find it, no matter what.
***
Josh made it to the house first. They were all held up because he pulled all that negative energy out of Rue. Theodore had to ‘suck’ it out of him and feed it to his imaginary little gnome who loved to fill his belly with it. You can’t just spit bad energy back into the world, it finds its way back to you or some innocent bystander and can cause havoc.
Josh stood on the porch with his head tilted, reading the vague note scribbled there. He pulled the blade out and muttered to himself, “God damn it” as he looked out into the forest. Johnathan flashed up to him and tried to pass him, to find Rue. Josh held out his hand and blocked his way. Johnathan looked at him and Josh hit him in the chest with the note. He looked at it and then sighed.
“Damn it,” he muttered. Josh jumped off the porch when Sam and Kai flashed up. Josh looked at Sam and then out to the forest.
“Rue has gone rogue,” he said. Johnathan jumped down and stepped up to his side. Josh lowered his head and didn’t look at him.
“Absolutely not,” Josh said. Johnathan looked at him.
“You can’t expect me to just sit here, Josh,” he said… catching onto Josh rejecting him.
“Yes… that is exactly what you will do… Creeper,” Josh said.
“Don’t do that, you ass,” Johnathan said. Josh turned to him and grinned.
“I have so much more waiting in here.” Josh tapped his head and grinned some more.
“You suck so much,” Johnathan said as he looked at Sam.
Sam held up her hands and walked towards the house.
“I am not even touching this,” she said, as she stepped inside the house and out of view. Theodore stood there staring at Johnathan for a moment. “You need to stay here. Rue would not want to see you right now anyway, it will impede Josh’s attempt to retrieve her.” Johnathan stared at Josh.
“Did you have to tell everyone?” he asked him. Josh shrugged his shoulders.
“Theodore had to touch me to draw out the negative energy, he saw everything.” Johnathan shook his head.
“Listen, she tricked me, when you stepped into the tent, I had no idea what was going on. I had flood of memory as soon as I saw you and Rue,” Johnathan said in desperation.
Josh looked at him and grinned.
“You are telling me that the fact that she was your sister ‘slipped’ your mind?” Josh said.
“Yes! That is exactly what I am saying Josh! I would never do that, knowing!” Johnathan said as his voice started to pitch higher.
Johnathan covered his mouth and bent over as he hurled at Josh’s feet. Josh jumped out of the way and stared at Theodore, with his hands raised up. Theodore flashed to Johnathan and grabbed his arm.
“You need to rest Johnathan, let Josh attend to the other business at hand.” Johnathan looked up, his eyes glossy, looking at Josh with a terrible look on his face. Josh sighed.
“Alright already, I believe you,” Josh muttered to him.
“What?” Johnathan said as he tried to straighten up.
Josh turned to him and yelled, “I believe you!”
Johnathan held his hand out to him and Josh looked at his hand and stepped away from him. Johnathan dropped his hand.
“Thank you Josh…” he said.
“Yea, whatever. Try not to drive around in a van while I’m gone,” Josh said with a grin on his face.
Johnathan looked at him, without smiling. “Is that another ‘creeper’ reference?”
Josh laughed. “Okay, last one,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.
Elin flashed up and looked at all three of them; she crossed her arms and sighed.
“Alright, it’s a lie,” she said.
They
all looked at her, Johnathan straightened up.
“What?” he asked her. Elin grinned.
“I put that into memory,” she said as she waved her hand. “You know, the ‘sister’ thing. I thought it would be funny.”
Johnathan put his hands on his head and screamed. Elin backed away from him as Josh grinned at her.
“Nice Elin,” Josh said.
Johnathan lunged at her and Josh grabbed him around the waist.
“Settle down,” Josh said as he held onto him.
Johnathan raised his finger and pointed at her. “I will kill you again,” he yelled at her.
Elin stood there and started to look at her nails. “Well, I never imagined that you’d sleep with her after she told you that.”
Johnathan struggled to get out of Josh’s grip. Josh spun him around and Johnathan fell to the ground. He looked up at her.
“I did not know she was my ‘sister’ when things happened,” Johnathan said as he stared up at Elin. Elin leaned over and looked into his face.
“You keep telling yourself that, creeper,” she whispered.
Theodore flashed to Johnathan and placed his hand on his head for a split second. Johnathan closed his eyes and almost fell over when Theodore pulled his hand away.
“He did not,” Theodore said. Johnathan sighed and lowered his head.
“Thank you!” he yelled out. “See...! I am not a creeper, you ass!” he screamed at Josh.
Josh looked down at him and grinned.
“Fine! It is a fact now… doesn’t change the fact that she was twelve.”
Johnathan pushed himself up and stood his ground.
“I did not know that either when I got into the bed,” he said. Josh looked at him.
“Well, I would hope not! The shit you did with her was ridiculous dude.”
Johnathan rubbed his neck. “Whatever,” he muttered to him.