by Rue Volley
Josh stared out at the forest and then leaned down and placed his hand on the ground. Elin stepped up to him and stared out towards the trees.
“Do you see her?” she asked him. Josh looked up at her and back out into the forest.
“Why do you care?” he asked her. Elin lowered her hands.
“I am not a monster Josh.”
Josh laughed. “Yea, sure,”
Johnathan had returned to his senses. He looked at Elin.
“Why would you make her believe that Caine was her Dad?” he asked her. Elin turned to him.
“I didn’t do that. I just put in the ‘brother/sister’ thing.” She said.
Josh stood up and looked at Johnathan. “Rue probably made that up in her mind. Caine is all over that place to her,” he said. Johnathan rubbed his hand through her hair.
“We have to find her Josh,” he said.
“I have to find her; you are staying here,” Josh said. Johnathan sighed.
“Fine… you find her then,” he said as he turned and ran into the house.
Josh stood there and turned to Elin. “You leave him alone for a little while… got me?” he said to her. Elin tilted her head.
“Was that compassion coming out of you Josh?” she asked him.
“No, I just don’t want to return with more shit I have to deal with Elin,” Josh said, without looking at her. Elin laughed.
“Okay, whatever Josh,” she said as she turned and walked towards the house. She turned back and looked at his back.
“Try to not hump her,” she said.
Josh mumbled something as he flashed into the forest, out of site.
***
I had flashed across the forest for a while. My thoughts raced. I couldn’t believe that Johnathan would do that, just couldn’t. I lost my concentration and hit something. I tumbled forward and rolled across the leaves. I thought I saw a white flash as I fell. My heartbeat fluttered. I pressed my hand into the ground and didn’t feel anything unusual. It wasn’t another protector. I pushed myself up and looked around.
A small vibration in my fingertips pulled me to the left. I started to walk, wondering what the hell could be causing me to feel a pain in my stomach. I smelled the blood, it inched its way into my mouth and I grabbed my stomach as it grumbled at me. I was so hungry. Maybe I should have grabbed food from the house before I ran away. Well, I didn’t… so I can’t think about that now. I kept walking forward until I heard a faint heartbeat. It was erratic in my ears. I started to scan the ground, trying to find its source. Then I saw it. A large white rabbit lay on its side. I watched as its chest rose and fell slowly. I leaned down and its eyes were closed, a little blood on its white fur… around its mouth.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
I touched it and it trembled. I must have kicked it while I flashed through the woods. I reached down and scooped it up. It made little noises. It was dying. I sat down and held him in my lap. I looked down at him and just started to cry. I rubbed my hand across him, crying harder.
“Please don’t die,” I whispered to him.
His heartbeat kept slowing in my ears. I closed my eyes and tried to focus. It was so hard because all these flashes of memory kept welling up in me, everything that I had been through so far. Flashes of light kept pulsating behind my eyes.
“Please,” I whispered.
He started to relax in my hands. I just knew that he was dying right then. I cried harder. Suddenly I felt a hand placed on mine. I opened my eyes up and Josh was leaning down in front of me. He looked at me and then a glow started to pulsate under his hand. I felt the rabbit’s heart getting stronger. I continued to cry. Josh lifted him from my lap and I watched him close his eyes. His whole body swirled in black and white light. He lowered the rabbit to the ground and he hopped away from us. I sat there and wiped my cheek. I felt like I was on fire.
Josh leaned down and touched my face. I tried to grin. He had just given life back the rabbit and I was thankful. I really was. He sat down in front of me and took my hands in his. He tilted his head. I looked down at his hands and then back up into his eyes.
“Why are you here?” I whispered. He grinned.
“Saving all the forest creatures, I guess,” he said.
I looked at him. I don’t know what came over me, I really don’t. I moved forward and pushed him onto his back. I lay down on top of him and touched his face. He looked at me, a little confused.
“What are you doing?” he whispered.
I pressed my lips against his and he tried to stop me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he tried to say something. I kept kissing him though. He pulled me away from him.
“I have to tell you something, something you need to know,” he said.
I looked at him and pushed myself up. I started to take my leather off, as his eyes got wider. He held his hands up.
“I have to talk to you Rue!” he said.
I jumped on top of him and leaned forward. I kissed him harder and grabbed at his leather. I started to pull it off of him. I leaned forward and bit his shoulder. I tasted the blood in my mouth. I felt his body tense up and he moaned. I sat up and the blood was on my lips. He looked at me and sat up with me on his lap. He grabbed my hair and kissed me rolling me onto my back. He leaned in and bit my neck. I felt his teeth break my skin and I cried out as my legs pulled up. He pulled away from my neck and gently kissed my lips. He suddenly stopped and pulled himself away from me. He stood up and cleared his throat as he paced back and forth. I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked at him.
“Why did you stop?” I said. Josh looked at me, lying there with my shirt off and shook his head.
“You have no idea what I would love to do to you right now. I swear to god,” he said.
I tilted my head. “Do what you want with me Josh, I want you,” I whispered.
He stopped pacing and stared at me. He pulled his hair and yelled out. I flinched.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked him.
He looked at me. “Oh my god, any other time, I swear to god...! I would mess you up,” he said.
I stood up and started to pull my pants off. He turned and watched me.
“Oh god, you have to stop, or I am going to lay you down right here Rue. I promise you,” he whispered.
“Then do it,” I said as I touched my stomach. He lunged forward and grabbed my hand.
He pulled me to him. “Don’t do that,” he whispered.
I took his hand and put his finger in my mouth. I bit it slightly and he made a strange noise as he moved back, away from me. He stood there looking at me.
“I want you so badly. I want to bite you in the worst places,” he said.
I flashed to him and placed my hand on his. I put it on my breast and he shuddered.
“He is not your brother,” he whispered to me.
I stopped and pulled his hand away from my chest.
“What?” I said as I tilted my head. He looked at me and grinned. I turned around and stared at the trees. Josh moved up behind me and I could feel his heart beating hard behind me.
“Are you sure?” I asked him. He kept breathing hard behind me.
“Yes… he is not,” he said.
I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. I turned back to him and looked into his eyes.
“I don’t care,” I whispered.
Josh tilted his head and then raised his hand, touching my face. I closed my eyes as I felt his color swirl onto my skin.
“You don’t?” he whispered. I shook my head.
“I love you,” I whispered.
Josh took a step back from me and looked at me. “You are in shock,” he said.
I shook my head again and stepped toward him. “No, I am not,” I said as calmly as I could.
He stared at me and went to reach for my face. Suddenly a flash came from the right and he was gone. I looked as he rolled… yards away from me. Johnathan stood over him with his blades glowing. My eyes got wide and I
screamed out. Johnathan looked at me and his image glitched. I sucked in my breath.
“Caine?” I screamed at him.
He grinned and looked down at Josh. Josh flashed up and pulled his blades from his back. Josh flashed to my side, quicker than I have ever seen him move. He stepped in front of me and turned his blades sideways in his hands. He pointed the blades at him.
“You die now,” Josh said in a tone I never heard from him either.
I grabbed at his sides and leaned around him to look at Caine. He looked just like Johnathan, except for the static, he glitched in and out from, Johnathan’s face to Caine’s. I stepped out from behind Josh and pulled my blades.
“I will kill you myself,” I said to him. His look flashed to me and he laughed.
“You?” he said to me.
“Yea, why not?” I said.
Josh pushed me back behind him. It was the first time I felt as if we were together. He had no intention of anything happening to me. My heart fluttered. Caine took one step forward and then stopped. He looked to his right and then flashed away from us. I looked up at Josh.
“Why the hell did he run?” I asked him.
Josh gripped his blades and growled. I gripped mine too. We started to see many protectors materializing from the trees. We turned to see that they were coming in a circle around us. I grabbed Josh’s arm and I could feel his body humming. They all looked at me and stood their ground. I waited, just wondering what was going to happen, and who would lunge at us first.
They started to back away from us, and then they were gone. I looked up at Josh and he kept looking into the forest. He spun around and grabbed my hand; he flashed forward dragging me with him. We flashed out of the forest and across the open field. I looked back, but saw nothing, no Protectors followed us. Josh kept pulling me along and my stomach growled. A sharp pain went through it and I doubled over.
My hand jerked from his and he skidded to a stop. I fell to the ground and looked up at him. He leaned down to me and touched my face. He lifted me up and flashed forward, carrying me. I leaned against him. I could hear his blood in my ears. For a moment I almost bit him I was so hungry. I needed to eat. I closed my eyes and once again I fell into a deep sleep that I didn’t want. Josh stumbled forward and his eyes rolled back in his head. He dropped to his knees and I fell out of his arms and rolled away from him. He swayed for a moment and then dropped to his side.
Chapter Four
Will and Wonder
I woke up in the grass. Damn it. I pushed myself up and looked out. I had been there a few times before. I didn’t want to be there again… I sooo didn’t. Every time I was there, I end up having more questions then I needed. I looked out and saw the house, the one that I had spent time with my parents in memory. I stood up and watched the birds fly overhead. I heard a whisper and looked out across the field. I saw a flash and I moved forward. Of course, I’m not alone. When am I?
I stepped forward, feeling more aggravation then wonder. I walked up to the top of the hill and looked down, expecting to see my parents. Instead I saw Josh. He stood there staring out across the field. I tilted my head and walked up behind him.
“Josh?” I said. It echoed in my ears. He turned to me and shook his head.
“How did you get us here?” he asked me. I shook my head.
“I have no idea, I don’t even know if you are real,” I said, as I looked at him.
“Oh I am real… you can bet on it,” he said.
I reached out to him and took his hand. He felt real, was he? I reached over and grabbed his ‘stuff and things’. He flinched and jumped back from me. I had to be sure, I’d never do that awake.
“What the hell?” he asked me. I smiled.
“Just checking,” I said as I grinned. He tilted his head and sighed.
“Don’t do that,” he said. I laughed.
“Now I know that you are not real,” I said. He flashed into my face.
“Listen, I would love to lay you down right here and cause all kinds of chaos, but we are in memory and we need to get out,” he said as he looked into my eyes.
I grinned and bit his lip in a flash. He grabbed his mouth and cried out.
“Stop it Rue!” he said as he backed away from me. I tilted my head. He looked at me.
“I don’t know if you are real,” he said to me.
I blinked. Okay maybe he is real… oh crap.
I stepped forward and looked at him. “You are real?” I said. He sighed and shook his head.
“Yes… I am, stop biting me and grabbing my stuff Rue!” he said. I held out my hand.
“I am sorry Josh!” I said as I tried to sound convincing. He smiled.
“Listen, you can bite me all you want when we get out of here, I won’t complain,” he said. I stared at the house. He looked at it too.
“Okay, so have you been in there before?” he asked me. I looked at him.
“Yes it is my parent’s house. I met myself at age five there,” I said.
Josh looked at me and then started to move forward.
“Awesome… five huh?” he said.
“I was sweet at five, no problems,” I said, trying to help him understand that at five my memories were a lot better.
“Uh huh… okay then,” he said as he grabbed my hand and we started to walk to the house. I stopped at the door and looked up at him.
“Let me do the talking,” I said. He grinned.
“What...? You think that I can’t communicate with a five year old?” he said. I smiled.
“Well, you didn’t win me over at twelve,” I said.
“You were crazy at twelve… maybe still, I don’t know for sure,” he said as he grinned.
I nudged him and reached for the door. I turned it and slowly opened it up stepping in and looking around. The house looked the same, but it had a coldness to it. Like no one had been here for a while.
“Well?” Josh said behind me.
I scanned the room and walked to the chair. I looked down and saw a book lying open. I picked it up and flipped it over. It was a book on war. I crinkled my eyebrows and dropped it back into the chair. Dust poofed up around it, as it hit the chair. Josh ripped through the kitchen, looking for food. He found nothing. He dropped a pan and I flinched. He shrugged his shoulders, stepped out into the living room, and walked to the window.
“Oh shit,” he muttered as he looked out.
I walked up next to him and looked out as I held onto his arm. There I was… at twelve again. I looked up at him as I backed away from the window.
“Why is my twelve year old memory here?” I asked him. He closed the curtain.
“Wish I could answer that one for ya, but I don’t know.” He looked at me. “You are sure this is the same place you hung out before?” he asked me.
I looked around and everything looked the same… except for one thing. I walked to the fireplace and picked a picture up; I held it in my hands and then looked at Josh.
“This can’t be right,” I said.
He walked to me quickly and grabbed it from my hand. He looked at it and then lowered it.
“Why is Caine in this picture with you and your Mom, Rue?” he asked me.
I took it from him and stared at it. There we were, my Mom sitting in a chair, me on her lap, and Caine standing beside us. I set it back down on the mantle and looked at Josh.
“I couldn’t even begin to understand this one,” I muttered.
We both turned as the door opened and I walked in, looking all goofy and pre-teen… God, really? I looked at her and she smiled at me. She closed the door and stepped in. She stood there, all skinny and awkward. She opened her mouth and there were the braces that I hated. Josh rubbed his neck and glanced at me. I shrugged my shoulders. We all stood in silence for a moment and then she walked to the chair and picked up the book. She sat down and placed it on her lap. Josh cleared his throat.
“So… how’s it going?” he asked her. She looked up at him and then looked at me.
“I’m glad you came. I’ve wanted to meet you for a while,” she said.
Josh sighed and looked at me. He leaned over and whispered to me, “Not into me, I take it.”
I rolled my eyes. The thought of him being worried about whether I would have liked him at twelve was ridiculous. I stepped towards her and looked at the book on her lap.
“I loved that book. I haven’t read it in a long time, in fact… I kinda forgot about it,” I said to her.
She stood up and handed it to me. I sat down in the chair and she sat on my lap. It was awkward, but I figured that if I let her we might be able to avoid the earth shaking etc.
She obviously had a temper, I know, because it’s my temper, short and wicked. I opened it up and looked at the roman army. I had always been kind of obsessed with Rome, they spread out so quickly on this earth, conquering and dividing. I never understood why until I read all about them and realized how genius they were. I guess when you have great power, you are always busy. I looked at her and then flipped the page. She looked up at Josh.
“Who are you anyway?” she asked him. Josh tilted his head at her.
“I am Josh Barrington,” he said, sounding dignified… like she would know him or something.
“Huh… well, I don’t like your hair, it looks funny,” she said.
Josh fidgeted with his hair for a moment and looked at her.
“Well, I don’t like your braces,” he said to her.
She stopped smiling and put her hand up to her mouth. I leaned forward.
“He’s just kidding,” I said in a whisper.
She looked up at Josh and he shook his head ‘no’ slowly and pointed at his teeth. She frowned.
“You suck,” she said as she pushed herself up from my lap.
I stood up and placed my hands on my hips as I looked at Josh. I mouthed the word, ‘why?’ He shrugged his shoulders.
“She started it,” he said to me. I rolled my eyes and watched as she walked to the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob and then looked back at me.
“You want to see something cool?” she asked me. Josh stepped forward and she crossed her arms on her chest.