by Rue Volley
“Come back to me,” she whispered.
Josh sighed and closed his eyes as he felt the ground coming up on him quickly. He hit the ground with such force, dust and dirt blew out in a circle around him. He rolled to his side in a fetal position and tried to catch his breath. He turned onto his back and watched as clouds floated over slowly. He tried to grin as he coughed and blood trickled from his mouth. Pain was nothing new, but this pain was new… His body felt weak, stripped of everything familiar to him.
He held his hands up and looked at the bruises on his wrists from the binding. He tried to sit up and felt a terrible pain in his shoulder; he pressed on it and cried out. It was dislocated, something that he had dealt with countless times before… but it never hurt this bad. He tried to move it and he hissed; the pain almost causing him to hurl. He sat there looking at the hole in the earth he had created from his fall. He shook his head and pushed himself up with his good arm, letting the other one dangle.
“Are you hurt?” he heard to his right.
Josh looked over and looked to see Caine standing there.
“Are you kidding me...? I just dug a hole with the impact of my fall,” he said.
Caine stepped forward and held his hand out to him.
Josh started to raise his good hand and Caine shook his head.
“Give me the other… the injured one,” he said.
Josh sighed and lifted his lifeless hand to Caine as he grimaced.
Caine grabbed his hand and with one jerk pulled him out of the hole. Josh screamed and fell to his knees as his shoulder slid back into place. He tried to catch his breath but he felt dizzy. He looked up as he grabbed his arm and winced.
“I would say thank you, but that sucked ass,” Josh said as he held his arm to his chest.
“Seems that you have angered Sophia,” Caine said as he started to walk.
Josh pushed himself up and found that not only his shoulder, but his entire body ached in waves of pain. He started to walk behind Caine, but he stumbled. Caine looked back at him and grinned.
“She is nothing to mess with,” he said.
Josh laughed and held his ribs. It felt as if at least four of them were broken.
“You think...? She got all girl on me,” Josh said as he rubbed his side.
Caine stopped and flashed to his face.
“She is more than that; she is a poison.” Caine said.
Josh shook his head at him.
“You have mommy issues that I have no time to mess with.”
Caine sighed and looked up at the sky.
“Do you realize what you are?” Caine said.
Josh looked at him and grinned.
“Fucked?” he asked.
“Oh, more than that… you are mortal now,” Caine said.
“No way,” Josh said as he raised his hand up and looked at his skin.
“Oh, but you should let me show you something.”
Caine walked up the grassy hill and Josh mumbled as he followed him. Caine reached the top and stared out across the countryside. Josh stepped up beside him and looked. He stopped breathing for a moment at the sight of hundreds of bodies, thrown everywhere in the field.
“What the hell is this?” Josh asked him.
Caine stared at all the bodies and then turned to him.
“Anyone who has ever crossed her,” he said.
“You are shitting me,” Josh muttered as he scanned the bodies.
“She intends for you and I to join the unfortunate here,” he said.
Josh turned and started to walk the other way.
Caine caught up to him and turned him to face him.
“Do not think that you have any power to leave… You will find no out; I have looked…there is nothing.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Josh said as he pulled from his grip.
“What is it that you seek?” Caine asked him. “There is nothing but death here… a black void created to strip compassion and create monsters.”
Josh continued to walk. He glanced back at Caine and shook his head.
“Shut up… We are going to the carnival,” Josh said to him.
Caine caught up to him and shook his head at him.
“The carnival...? Please, that is an end not a beginning. I have been there myself.”
“Did you watch the show?” Josh asked him.
“Will and Wonder...? No, I did not.”
“Well, we need that mirror,” Josh said.
Caine laughed.
“You cannot portal; you are mortal.”
Josh stopped and looked at him.
“You are gonna bite me,” Josh said as he grinned and started to walk away.
Chapter 13
Navigation
Troubling fact: Some boys act like girls. At times, that is exactly what a girl needs. In fact, I needed that. The problem was boys act like girls when we need them to act like boys and vice versa. We do most certainly return the favor, by causing confusion. No wonder relationships falter; we never align correctly. Johnathan stepping into my shower was so beyond bizarre that I was having a hard time mentally digesting it. He was my BFF, for all intents and purposes. He was the boy that I can fall asleep on, can tell anything to… not the one I kiss and get all flustered about. I don’t recall feeling differently about it; I don’t remember ever looking at him and wishing for more. Maybe I did it subconsciously and he somehow picked up on it. No… that’s crazy. Johnathan and I use our words; we don’t spend time guessing.
We sat there eating breakfast and I peeked at him a few times. I hoped I didn’t look weird, but I would bet that I did. That was the problem with BFF’s… they know you, every look, every reaction. He didn’t talk about it; I didn’t either. That was what I wanted, but then again I had this lurking suspicion that it would resurface, just like a snake. I hated snakes, and spiders, and being hungry all the time.
I chewed my bagel and grinned at him. He grinned back.
“So,” he said.
I looked at him and swallowed.
“What?” I said, hoping that this wasn’t the moment to discuss what went down in the shower.
“I have to get clothes,” Johnathan said as I watched him look out the window.
“Yea… you do.”
Johnathan looked at his shirt and then pulled it up to smell it.
I grimaced and took another bite.
“Stink?” I asked him.
“Not so much.”
“Well, when does the train stop?” I asked.
It was one of those questions, used to push a conversation along.
Johnathan picked up the itinerary and stared at it.
“Looks like one o’clock,” he said.
“Perfect,” I said.
He looked at me as he tilted the paper in his hand.
“Why?” he asked.
“Because you can get clothing and I can find more food. I would love to eat at a table that doesn’t vibrate,” I said.
He placed his hand on the table and spread his fingers.
“I don’t feel anything,” he said.
I tilted my head at him.
“You are kidding me? I have felt the movement on this train since yesterday.”
He looked at his hand and back to me.
“Huh, maybe I just don’t notice. You know they say that people get used to stuff; like if you are on a boat, your body becomes accustomed to the movement and then you don’t notice it after a while.”
I looked at him and smiled. That was so a metaphor for him and I. I didn’t want to say it but it was so true. I had been with him for so long; I didn’t notice any movement… or feeling, I guess. He leaned down and looked at me.
“Are you daydreaming?” he asked me.
I looked at him and smiled again as I tore into more of my bagel.
“Just listening,” I said.
“Well, I’m gonna take a shower then,” He said.
Now in a normal moment, I would be like ‘You want company?�
�� But we already had a moment and it went south. Not north, not towards school. He stood up and grinned at me.
“I love the way you look in the morning,” he said to me as he turned and walked to the bathroom.
I stopped chewing and got a blank look on my face. He turned back and I grinned and saluted him Navy-style. He went in and closed the door behind him. I sighed and leaned back on the cushion. I stared out the window and watched the scenery go by. WTF?
I sat there getting so caught up in thoughts of weirdness that my heart skipped a beat when I heard a knock on our cabin door. I looked at it and decided to answer it. I walked to the door and hesitated for a moment when I heard Johnathan start to sing in the shower. He hit the same old sour note, from some crappy song he always sings, in there and I laughed as I opened the door up. Sam stood there smiling at me. My eyes got wide and I hugged her.
“What… how… why are you here?” I said a little too loud.
She smiled and Theodore stepped into view.
“OMG!” I said.
I stood there waiting for anything, as I tilted my head.
Sam held onto my hands and grinned.
“Well, how… the train stopped. Why… is because we realized that we wanted to see your school,” Sam said.
I looked at Theodore and then into the hallway.
“Did Kai come too?” I asked them.
“He is going to meet us there,” Sam said as she glanced at Theo.
Theodore held out his arms and I hugged him too. For some strange reason, when we left yesterday, I just didn’t want to say goodbye to them yet. I had this feeling like time had been stolen from us anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I so wanted to go to school… but I loved my family. I so loved my family. I held out my arms and stepped back into the cabin and they stepped in. Theo looked around and then at Sam.
“You got one cabin,” Theo said, more as a statement and not a question.
I looked at Sam and shook my head.
“It was Johnathan; he got one cabin. I would of preferred two, but no,” I said.
Theo placed his hand on my face and looked into my eyes.
“I have this,” he said to me as he pulled my pills out and placed them in my hand.
I smiled at him. Of course, they got Johnathan’s message. The one that proclaimed him King of Stupid. I smiled and looked at the box in my hands. I heard the water shut off and then Johnathan stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel on. Theodore crossed his arms on his chest and Sam bit her lip. Johnathan looked at the two of them and rubbed his neck.
“Oh. Hi,” he said as he waved his hand awkwardly.
Sam laughed.
“So, no pills… one cabin, and here you are half naked. Doing an excellent job so far, Johnathan; I gotta tell ya,” Sam said as she stared at him.
Johnathan looked at me and I kept my mouth shut.
He did get in the shower with me, so maybe it’s time he gets a little nervousness in return.
“How did you guys get on the train?” he asked them.
Theo looked at me and then at him.
“It stopped, last night… middle of the night, really. We raced to meet up with it, since you left her medication behind,” Theo said.
“I so didn’t mean to,” Johnathan said, completely honest.
I suddenly felt a pain of guilt for not stepping up and at least giving him a hand.
I looked at Sam and smiled.
“It was my fault too. We were just so excited about school and this trip. We both forget them,” I said, trying to dig him out at least a little.
I mean, he is still Johnathan, my best friend and all.
“Mmm,” Theo said as he walked to the bed and placed his hand on it.
I waited. I hoped he was not going to assume that anything crazy happened.
Theo lifted his hand and turned to us.
“Well, no need for worry. The pills have been delivered and we are all here now,” he said.
Johnathan half smiled. I swear he looked like it was the last thing that he wanted to happen. I didn’t know what he expected. I mean he called; they came… big freakin surprise. It was my family we were talking about. I would assume that they would drop anything, do anything… I would to, to make sure that anyone of us was okay. That was why I loved them. They protected at any cost.
I felt a wave of dizziness hit me as that thought crossed my mind and I tilted. Theo caught my arm before I realized that the floor was coming up on me. I looked up at him and my vision blurred.
“Theo, I don’t feel…” I muttered.
He walked me to the booth and sat me down. He waved at Sam and she opened the fridge and grabbed what I should have drank last night… bottled water. She tossed it to him and he unscrewed the cap as he stared at me. I tried to smile, but I felt nauseous. He had the pills in hand, with a blurred flash. I looked at the water and the pills as he raised his hands to me.
“Drink and take these,” he said.
Johnathan had stood there watching us, not saying a word. I took the water and the pills and swallowed them no question. I closed my eyes as I chased them down with the cold water. A buzzing had started in my ears; it was something I was used to… although it didn’t mean I enjoyed it. I leaned against the booth and sighed.
“Better, love?” Theo said.
I opened my eyes and looked at him. He didn’t look all fuzzy, and the train’s movement wasn’t making me woozy.
I smiled and nodded my head at him.
“Excellent,” Theo said as he looked at Johnathan.
Johnathan raised his hands and his towel fell off. Sam cleared her throat and I did the last thing I should have, I looked. Wow. Okay, so I didn’t know that Johnathan had ummm, that going on. Theo glanced at him and back to me. He cleared his throat and I squeezed the water bottle and drank it as I looked out the window.
“Oh crap,” Johnathan muttered as he scrambled to cover himself up with the towel.
“Get dressed, you creeper,” Sam said as she laughed.
I choked on my water and covered my mouth up, to hide the fact that I was laughing.
Johnathan backed his way into the bathroom with a weird grin on his face, glancing at me right before he closed the door. I looked at Theo and bit my lip as I raised my eyebrows.
“So… did you guys get a cabin?” I asked him, like nothing had just happened.
“Indeed, we are three down from you… In fact, you will stay with Sam and I will stay here with Johnathan now,” he said.
I guess, if I was a normal nineteen year old, I would be irritated by his assumption that I would just accept staying with Sam. I am not though. I felt a sense of relief. I don’t have to worry about Sam slipping into my shower, and besides, we only have one more night on this train. Tomorrow, by four o’clock, we will arrive at school.
I stood up and held my hand on the table as I felt the train taking a corner.
Theo watched me. I smiled and let go of the table and shook my head.
“I am so okay now,” I said to him.
I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t totally believe me, but I wasn’t going to get in a bed and not get off the train today. I have to; I fought bouts with claustrophobia. One more full day on this train and I will probably freak, and not in a good way.
The bathroom door opened up and Johnathan stepped out all shiny and new. His amazing rebound from awkwardness is truly a skill I would love to master someday. Unfortunately, I have not yet.
He grinned at Sam and held his arms out to her.
“What?” she asked him.
“Hug,” Johnathan said.
Sam stood there and glanced at Theo. She looked back at him.
“Fine,” she said.
Johnathan stepped up to her and hugged her; he then looked at Theo. Theo stood up and walked to him. He opened his arms and Theo hugged him too. Johnathan backed away from him and looked at me.
“Thank you for bringing her stuff; I really appreciate it.”<
br />
“It was such a small task,” Theo said.
I looked at Theo and gave him the crinkly face. Theo looked back at him and sighed.
“You are welcome,” Theo said.
I half smiled. Theo sounded emotionless; I would have preferred him not. That’s him though, and truth is, I wouldn’t change him or Sam or even my annoying brother for anything in the world. I loved them just the way they were.
Sophia stood outside Evil’s door. She had thought of going in… but dismissed it a few times, so unlike her. Why she felt as if the situation at hand was uncomfortable was something that she was not accustomed to. Perhaps it was the loss of an heir, or her own struggle with conceiving that had haunted her forever. She had been successful, but in the end such a failure. Caine was simply a reminder of a love lost and she knew that she had tortured him relentlessly, not having an outlet to do it otherwise.
She finally decided that she would go in; her own demons should not hinder her from checking on Rue, although she was still disturbed at the fact that Rue was there in Valon. After Josh’s apparent loss of control, Rue would be protected by her peers…unfortunate for Sophia.
She opened the door and stepped in; she scanned the room. At least ten human girls were present, all quiet and waiting, each one with a job of sorts to do. Sophia waved her hand and the girls all stood up and headed for the door. Sophia waited until the last girl stepped out and closed the door behind her. She walked towards the bedroom and then opened the door slowly. Evil sat there in a chair by the window. Sophia stepped in and looked at her. She did not turn to greet her. Sophia took a step towards her and Evil spoke.
“You come to ask of my health; I will tell you that I feel broken,” Evil said.
Sophia stopped and looked at her, not expecting such a poignant declaration.
“I fear that I have not. I simply wanted to let you know that the heir has been returned to the black water,” Sophia said.
“Oh, I guess that I misconstrued you intentions,” Evil said as she grinned, facing away from her.
“You will learn that emotion is a weakness that we shed long ago, Rue Volley. We are stronger without it.”
Evil turned to her and looked completely healed. No signs of bruising.