by Rue Volley
I felt the vibration in my arms, and then it happened… I started to move, like I always could… like the wind. I flashed to him, with my blades at my sides, pointed backwards. Then as I reached him, I brought them up, and Blue streaked the air behind them. I knew that I was moving through the air faster than I had ever experienced before. It wasn’t until I turned, and a water droplet looked like it was frozen midair, that I realized that I was moving faster than time itself.
Josh countered me, as I expected him to. The rain fell around us, but it looked like slow motion to me. I crouched down, as he sliced his blade over my head. I slammed my blades into the ground and flipped my legs out in front of me, as I gripped the hilts of my blades and kicked him in the stomach. He stumbled back and sliced his blades down, crisscrossing them.
I flipped over, backwards, and landed on my feet, pulling my blades up with me. The speed of it left two rings of Blue next to me at each side, and I jammed my blades into the ground. I grabbed both rings of Blue color out of the air and rolled one at him, flipping the other one above me. I rolled it around on my wrist, like I had been trained in a circus to do it. He came at me and rolled it on my wrists. I watched the metal of his blade spark, as it hit the ring over and over. I could feel the blows from his blades; with each strike I could gage his breathing… his heartbeat, his strength. He was amazingly strong… even and in complete control.
This was the first time that I had realized that during the battle, I could actually tell what was going on with my opponent. I had no idea that I could. What an awesome aspect to the fight. Now I understood, better at least, as to why protectors are what they are. Perfect killing machines, in tune with not only themselves, but having the advantage of being able to feel the weakness of whatever enemy they faced.
I rolled one ring on my arm, as the other one rolled back to me, and I used my foot to let it roll up. I popped it into the air and gripped it with my hand. I stopped, and the rain was coming down pretty hard. My hair instantly soaked. I shook my head, and it all flew out and hit my back with a slap. Josh sighed and looked at me, as I stood there, my skin on fire with a beautiful Blue. Two rings of glowing energy in my hands, and my posture perfect. I didn’t realize that I could look like a warrior. I had never felt like one… not until that moment.
Josh looked at Sam and Kai, and they rose up and started to flash from us. The lightning flashed in the sky, and he grinned as he took a step towards me. He looked at the purple mess of a dress on the ground and then looked back at me.
“It was something I picked up at a thrift store,” he said.
I glanced at it and back to him.
“What?” I said, as I lowered my hands and the blue rings started to fade.
“Like I would ever be with anyone with that bad of taste,” he said.
I let my hands fall at my sides, and the blue rings faded completely.
“So you lied,” I said.
He took a step towards me and placed his blades on his back.
“I wanted you to shed this weakness,” he said to me.
I looked at the dress on the ground and shook my head.
“What...? My hatred of ugly dresses...? Or purple?” I asked.
He laughed and looked at me all wet and half naked.
“Geezus Christ,” he said.
I tilted my head at him.
“What?”
“You… all wet and battling,” he said.
I bit my lip and looked down at my bra and panties.
I must look like a drowned rat.
“Oh shit,” I said, as I grabbed the purple mess and pulled it up, holding it in front of me like a wet pillow.
I pointed my finger at him, as he took another step towards me.
“That was ridiculous, Josh… If you want to train me, just say ‘Let’s go train’… don’t get all creative and make up shit to piss me off,” I said.
He held his hands out to me.
“Rue… you need to understand that anger is death. It will kill you, and in turn, it will kill me,” he said.
I stared at him and blew water from my mouth, as it rolled over my face.
“My temper makes me strong,” I said.
He shook his head at me.
“No… no it doesn’t. Regardless of the reason for the battle, you have to have a clear mind… no anger. It was a fatal mistake of my father’s, and it cost him his immortality,” he said.
I stood there, and the last of the vibration in my fingers left me. I was an angry person, and I suddenly realized that maybe that was my weakness. The anger thingy. I mean, I have had bursts of energy and small triumphs since I found out what I am, but never consistent… never.
I am angry that my Mom and Dad are gone.
I am angry that Caine is still breathing.
I am angry that Johnathan died…or kinda died…or whatever.
I am angry that I can’t find a medium ground with Josh.
I am angry at Sara.
I am angry at myself.
All because I cannot seem to control anything around me.
“It is not your fault,” Josh whispered.
I had closed my eyes, as the wave of reality rolled over me.
I opened my eyes, and he stood right in front of me.
“Yes it is… it is all me,” I said.
He touched my face and had a soft look on his face.
“You must accept the things that you cannot change, and change the things that you accept,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“That is crazy talk,” I said.
“No… it’s you,” he said.
“Me?” I asked him.
He gently kissed my mouth, and I let my hands dangle at my sides.
He pulled back from me and whispered in my ear.
“You created all this,” he said.
***
I woke up and fell from my chair in the kitchen, as I gasped for air. I hit the floor and caught myself with my hand. I stood up and swayed a little, as my head felt dizzy, and I looked around at the house. I could hear the T.V. on and people laughing in the living room. I walked slowly towards it, and there they all were.
Kai, my Mom, and Dad… all sitting on the couch watching something.
I stood there, looking like I just had been in the worst car wreck of my life.
“WTF?” I muttered, as I looked at my hands and they shook uncontrollably.
My Mom looked up at me and grinned.
I dropped like a rock and hit the floor… everything fading to black.
Chapter 13
Acceptance
There are moments in time that we commit to memory and those that we involuntarily choose (with a little help from our subconscious) to omit, out of self-preservation. It is a mode that we all go into when things are too crazy to figure out or too painful to handle properly. I have read about it in books, and I always wondered what it would take for the mind to twist and turn from reality to create a new world, one that we could accept and be happy in… Pieces of memory, friends, family, holidays…first kisses. These all seem to fall under the category of “happy”. Then there are tragedies, things that we cannot control. Sadness, accidents, death. These seem to overwhelm us, making it possible to function. We tend to push it towards the back of the mind, to allow all the normal stuff to dull the shock of it. I have never been an overly happy person, but I never found myself pushed either. It is then, that we find out who we truly are and how much is just too much.
***
I woke up, in my bed. I blinked a few times and rolled over, yawning. Sleep was never enough for me. The endless feeling of being tired is something that I had accepted early on, in my earliest memories really. I have always battled insomnia, and on top of that, I am a sleepwalker, which is enough to make you feel as if sleeping is just a ticking time bomb. Not knowing where you will wake up ever… is not cool.
I sat up to the smell of food, knowing that I might be walking into something that wa
s so far into left field… I may crack. The last thing that I remembered was looking at my Mom, and feeling happy and sad all at the same time. I had missed her so much, and yet, all with all that had happened I felt I had not really been allowed to. There were so many things that I wanted to say, so many questions, and yet, it had all been taken from me, too early. Reminding me to always ask and always say what you wanted to, because you never knew when the opportunity would become obsolete.
I heard a tap on my door, and my heart thudded in my chest. Who will it be now? I thought to myself. The door cracked open, and there she was… my Mom, as beautiful as I remembered her. Her hair long and shining and her skin healthy with a glow to it, like a porcelain doll. I always thought she was the most beautiful creature in the world, and she is… or was. I didn’t know. Kai is pretty as well, as my Dad is. I never felt that way though. I had always felt like I just lucked into a family of pretty people, not knowing how that happened.
She stepped in and grinned at me. I tried to grin back, holding in the overwhelming feeling that I had to jump up and hug her… the big nasty bear hug that you give someone that you have missed so much that it makes you sick inside.
I adjusted myself on the bed and looked at my hands; then realized that I had no time to waste on staring off. I only want to look at her… at her face and that gleam that she has in her eyes… the one that I wished that I had inherited, but did not… or so I thought.
“Well, you gave us a scare,” she said.
I looked at her and tilted my head.
“Oh… oh, the passing out bit,” I said, as I tried to keep my cool, knowing that I felt like I could just do it again, at the drop of a hat.
“Yea… your Father and I think that it would be a good idea if you spoke to someone,” she said.
I crinkled my eyebrows and kept my eyes on hers.
“I… I don’t know,” I said.
She smiled, and I looked at her teeth, all straight and pretty. My front two teeth are just slightly crooked, because my mouth wasn’t big enough to allow my wisdom teeth to start growing. Kai had his taken out, and I still remember how much he complained about it… like it was the end of the world. He whined for days, and my Mom doted over him. At the time, I hated him for it, but now it was so unimportant considering all that had happened… or didn’t happen… or whatever. I thought to myself.
My Mom sat down, and I felt the bed move a little. Holy crap, is she really sitting next to me? I cannot believe it. She tapped my leg, and I jumped. She raised her hand up and looked at me like I was being weird. Yea, me being weird… wow. She tilted her head, and I crossed my arms on my chest and stared at her hand. She placed her hand on her lap and cleared her throat.
“Don’t be angry; we love you and only want you to be okay,” she said.
I shook my head slowly and thought about how ridiculous that really sounded. I mean if this is truly reality, then I have lost my freakin’ mind, and I don’t need to just talk to someone… I need a brain transplant. She grinned at me, and for a moment, I worried about whether I said that out loud. I mean, I don’t think that I did. I hope.
“Well, you know what today is… it is your favorite holiday! And mine… so get up, eat, and we will go and find some goodies,” she said.
I looked at her like a deer in headlights.
She leaned forward and touched my face.
“Halloween… remember?” she asked me.
“Yea… oh yea!” I said.
I pushed myself up and walked to my window.
My tree looked all pretty with the leaves intermixed with orange and red.
It was October… my favorite month, Halloween… my favorite holiday.
My Mom stood up and stared at me, as I leaned on my windowsill and stared out as the leaves moved on the trees from a slight breeze and the blue sky made a perfect backdrop. I let my eyes wander to the forest and narrowed my eyes, as I looked at the trees, and felt a slight vibration in my fingertips. I blinked and felt her hand on my shoulder.
“We have to find you the perfect outfit for the party,” she said.
I turned and looked at her in confusion.
“For what?” I asked.
She laughed and looked at my hair.
“The party, love… at Johnathan’s. You have been chattering about it for two weeks,” she said.
“Oh…Oh yea. The party, about that… I think that I would rather just sit on the porch and hand out candy again this year,” I said, as I looked down at my hands again.
“No,” she said, a little too loud, and I looked at her because she sounded irritated. She grinned, and her face relaxed.
“No… I was thrilled that you accepted the invitation, and I just know that you wanted to go. It will be a great opportunity for you to be social for once. I mean, Sara is a lovely girl… but it would make me happy to have you mingle with the other kids in town,” she said.
I listened to her voice, and it was like a siren song. Every word she said made me relax and want to do whatever she wanted. Maybe that was the true meaning of charm.
“I ah… I don’t…” I started to say.
She leaned in and smiled.
“Have a costume? Oh I know, that is why we are going out today to find you one,” she said.
“We are?” I asked.
“Yes… you asked me to help you, and Sara is waiting downstairs… She is barely able to contain her excitement,” she said.
I turned and looked back out the window and sighed.
This isn’t my life, is it? I thought to myself. I mean, where have I been?
My Mom walked to the door and stopped in the doorway.
“Get cleaned up. I am sure that we can entertain Sara until you get downstairs… just don’t linger… okay?” she asked me.
I turned and looked at her, expecting to see her fade or glitch or burst into flames… but nothing happened. She just stood there, all pretty and nice. I grinned and nodded to her. I had no choice.
She closed the door, and I stood there, scanning my room. I have to be crazy; I just have to be, right? I mean, this was my room. I woke up in my bed. I just had a normal conversation with my Mom. I mean come on! Where the hell is Josh?
I turned and walked to the bathroom and leaned in, hoping that a big swirling vortex didn’t lay in wait for me. I mean, I was totally expecting the floor the drop out and for a tornado to pick up the house and throw it across the earth with me in it.
I flipped on my light and nothing again. It was my bathroom, same old shower curtain… with black and white stripes… same red, black, and white theme. The one that I wanted when Mom asked me what I needed to make the bathroom cool to me. I looked at the walls, painted red, and at the old vintage pictures that I had found while thrifting.
I looked at the sink and grinned at the two cherubs, weathered and faded in gold, and thought about that hotel room. I picked one up and ran my finger across its face and laughed, as I thought about Josh lying in the bed with a rose in his teeth. I mean, he did that, right? I was there, right?
I looked up at the mirror, and there I was. Rue Volley, all pale with just a slight graying under both my eyes. I looked normal, at least for me. Too bad I think that I am crazy. I mean… I am. Oh god. I leaned in and stared at myself.
“What the hell are you doing?” I whispered.
I stood there waiting for something to happen.
“Josh?” I said.
Nothing again… I sighed and opened the cabinet under my sink, pulling out a towel. I stepped over to the shower and turned on the water. I sat down on the toilet seat, with a vintage picture on the cover of some flapper from the 20’s, and placed my hands on my face. I had to hold it together, I have to. If I walk downstairs, and my parents are there and Sara was waiting… I am going to accept it; I really am. I don’t want to pass out and keep waking up missing time, not knowing what the hell is going on. I can control this, I can.
***
Mia sat in her room, wondering w
hat the next move would be. They had left her alone, which is something that she was far from accustomed to. Since Bailey had stumbled across her and changed, her she never was alone or felt alone. On this train of unfamiliar rogues, she suddenly felt like her anger had led her to the wrong conclusion. She should have waited out Bailey’s lust and returned to him come morning.
Suddenly the door opened to her cabin, and a body was thrown in. It rolled and ended up face down in the middle of her floor. She sat there on the bed and watched, as the door closed, and her stomach clinched up. Was this dinner? Perhaps the rogues here decided that she should feast before becoming a full partner to their debauchery.
She leaned forward when she saw the body twitch, and then a strange feeling come over her… one that she had felt before. She heard a moan, and then the body tried to roll over. There he was… her Bailey, weak and bleeding. She jumped from the bed in a flash and fell to his side, grabbing his arm and staring him down. Bailey muttered something, and Mia leaned in to his mouth.
“Bailey?” she whispered.
Bailey opened his eyes quickly and cried out, as his face contorted, his fixed his eyes on hers. Mia stumbled back from him and slammed her back against the side of the bed. Bailey pushed himself up on his side and grabbed his stomach. He pressed on it and then pulled his hand out to look at the blood on it.
“Oh Bailey!” Mia cried out, as she scooted towards him and ended up on her knees.
Bailey looked down and then slowly raised his head to look at her.
“Mia… I am dying,” he said in a voice that was not familiar to her.
Mia looked at his stomach and back to his eyes.
They swirled in color… but it was faded, not the bright green that she was used to seeing.
“No… no, no,” she said to him.
He nodded and tried to lean up on his elbow and fell back as he groaned. Mia scrambled to his side and grabbed his hand.