by H. T. Night
“Have you stopped to listen?”
“Listen to whom?”
“I’m not going to pretend I know the answers, Josiah. But one thing is for sure, I’m listening.” Lena closed her eyes. She lay back down and wrapped herself up in the blanket.
She was quiet and I just listened to her breathe. I had never done that with anyone before. It was comforting.
I stood up and tucked her in, went to my room to grab a pillow and blanket and walked back to the living room. I made a little bed with my blanket on the carpet and lay on the floor next to Lena.
As I rested, I closed my eyes. I felt my body and mind drift off. I could feel my muscles rebuilding. I’d had an insane night and my body definitely needed to relax and recover. I concentrated on my muscles and tendons. It felt wonderful lying there. I was in harmony with my body.
Suddenly, I felt a jolt through my entire body. I opened my eyes instantly. I was in a dream; this was my first one since becoming a Mani. I was lying in a field on the side of what appeared to be a hill. I was in front of a gigantic, beautiful white castle. The castle was huge and majestic. It was something out of a fairy tale. I rose to my feet and walked toward this magnificent place. There was brush out front, and what appeared to be pine trees. At the front of the great white castle, I could see something moving. Whatever it was, it wasn’t that tall. I walked closer to this creature. It was a grayish-blue color. It almost looked like a gnome without the pointed hat. He was no taller than three feet.
A sudden burst of wind came over me and the air became smoky. The little blue man walked over to me.
“Come and see me,” he said.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“As of right now, that will not be important. But I do have a message for you.”
This was definitely a vision. My surroundings felt as real as day. “What is it, friend?”
The creature looked at me with disdain, as if to say, ‘We are not friends.’ He looked off to the side as if to purposely not look me in the eyes. Finally, he said, “Tame the wolf.”
“Huh?” I replied.
“If you tame the wolf, you will find yourself.”
I looked at the blue Smurf-like creature. “What wolf?” I asked.
“Tame the wolf and you will find yourself,” he repeated. He was obviously being cryptic on purpose.
“Will I see you again?” I asked.
“Most definitely,” the little man replied. “For now, you need to do what I’ve told you.”
With that, I woke up and was staring at the ceiling in my living room. I looked at the clock; it was 7:00 p.m. Man, I was out a long time. I could hear dishes being washed in the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” I called out to Lena.
“Cleaning up; you live like a pig.”
“I do the necessities.” I stood up, stretched my arms, and then made my way to the kitchen.
“There is a green fungus growing in your sink that I’m pretty sure would have killed you if you were mortal.”
I laughed, “You don’t have to clean, especially a life-threatening green fungus.”
“Trust me, if I’m going to be staying here, it’s the least I can do.”
“I have a guest room you can sleep in. You don’t have to sleep on the couch.”
“That will be fine. Thank you.” Lena put the last of the dishes away in the cupboard. I liked seeing Lena in my kitchen. It felt right, almost natural.
“So, you’re pretty domestic?” I asked.
“Not really. I just can’t stand filth.”
“I guess I’ve been living like a slob as of late. That’s what barricading yourself in a house will do to you. Why don’t you put your things in the guest room?”
Lena nodded and walked by me to go into the living room where her suitcase was still on the floor next to the T.V. I caught a whiff of her perfume or deodorant. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating.
“Wow, you smell good,” I said, a bit awkwardly.
“Do I?” Lena stopped and smelled her shirt. “I’m not wearing fragrance. It’s just little ol’ me.”
“Well, you smell great.” Now I had made things even more weird by piggybacking my original compliment. I tried to save myself, “I’ll go to the store later and grab some things for your room. Who knows, I might even decorate it.”
“You don’t have to do that, Josiah.”
“I would love to. How about a nice ballerina theme? We’ll do the whole thing in pink.” Lena socked me in the arm playfully.
“You’re right,” I said. “You have gotten stronger. I almost felt the punch.”
“Oh really, tough guy? Almost felt it? I’ll give you something to feel.” Lena began playfully punching me all over. “Chosen One or not, I’ll whip your ass.”
“Oh, you think.” I grabbed Lena’s arms after her last punch nearly hit me in the chin. I had a sister growing up, so I knew how to be physical with a girl without being rough. In one quick motion, I turned her body around, so her back was pressed against me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight in a bear hug. Not too hard, but I was definitely in control.
“Oh, big, bad Josiah has to prove his manhood.”
“I don’t need to prove anything. Don’t forget I’m kind of special.” I loosened my grip. As I did, Lena paused and then backed into me as if to say, ‘Don’t let go.’ That threw me off a little bit. But I definitely liked it. It was a subtle gesture. I leaned into her and my grip became a hug. I rested my head on the top of hers. She felt nice in my arms.
We stood there in my kitchen, just swaying almost as if we were slow dancing. Neither one of us said a word. We were two people, two new vampires, having a moment. One thing that hasn’t changed since becoming a Mani was my heart and my soul. I loved the same, maybe even more. It was like I could see truth in another light. Lena was my truth. She was my salvation in the midst of all this madness.
Lena turned around. “Josiah.” She cupped my face. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
“I don’t know.” I looked at her and stared into her eyes. I felt her love for me. My love for her was overwhelming. Why was I an open book to this woman? “This is hard,” I said. “I’m trying to be strong, but it’s damn hard.”
Lena turned around and now she was facing me. She was a foot shorter than me, so I crouched a little. She touched my face with the back of her right hand. I could feel tears burning my eyes.
“Sweet Josiah,” Lena whispered. “How did you, of all people, get caught up in this?”
“I’m a little more than just caught up in it. I’m being consumed by it.” I felt the warmth of Lena’s breath on my neck. She wrapped her arms around my waist.
“I’m not upset about Atticai. I need you to know that.” She looked up at me and tightened her grip around my waist. “I need you to know that I am very grateful that you saved my life.”
I looked down on this petite, delicate woman. She had my heart.
She said, “I’m glad you understand, because I would do it all over again.”
“I know you would.”
“Lena, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“A lot of weird stuff happened last night during my fight. I knocked the first guy out quickly, but the second guy was a beast. And I was using powers by accident.”
“What kind of powers?”
I stepped back and Lena let go of my waist. I went back into the kitchen to the sink. I grabbed a glass and poured myself some water. “Okay, last night... during the fight, I was able to move a 400-pound boulder using just my mind.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m not kidding. I was able to move this gigantic rock just using my thoughts.”
“How did that happen?”
“I really don’t know. I was getting the crap beat out of me by this gorilla.”
“You were?” Lena seemed concerned.
“Obviously, I’m okay. I’m here with you now.”
“Alright,” Lena hesitated. “Go on.”
“This 450-pound man was on top of me and I had my face in the dirt. He was beating on me something fierce and I was running out of options. I could see a giant white boulder about 20 feet away. I could also see to the left of me a group of Carni laughing and mocking me. I remember just wishing in my heart that somehow that boulder would lift off the ground and fly into the crowd to shut them up.”
“Did it?”
“Not at first. I stared at the boulder as a point of focus. That’s something you learn from fighting on the streets. Whenever you’re getting the crap beat out of you, the way you don’t pass out is by maintaining a point of focus.”
She became even paler than she was. “Okay, go on.” Lena did not like this story.
“I stared at the boulder and then wished in my heart this thing would lift up. I shot my eyes at the crowd. Then, as if the hand of God Himself picked up the boulder, it rose off the ground and catapulted 20 yards in the air and crashed into the crowd.”
Lena looked at me with absolute amazement. “I have never heard of that. That’s telekinesis. That is unprecedented! No Mani has ever been able to do that. At least it hasn’t been documented.”
“That wasn’t the only thing. Every time I jumped, I would float.”
“Float?”
“Yeah, float like a helium balloon.”
“Not fly, but float?” Lena was even more bewildered.
“No, I flew too, but at first, I floated. I floated a few times until I realized my body was trying to fly.”
“Josiah, do you understand what this means?”
“No, not really.”
“I think the Triat has given you all the Mani gifts and more.”
“What are the gifts?” I asked.
“Most Mani are given one. It is up to them to find out what it is.”
“Just one?”
“Some Mani’s only gift is transitioning. But transitioning is what makes Mani who we are, so it’s not really a gift. It’s a given.”
“So, what about the other stuff, Lena?”
“I have never heard of a Mani flying in their Mani form, nor being able to move things with their mind.”
“Never?” I asked.
“I have only been in the know for a couple of years. There are a lot of legends and rumors.”
I walked back into the living room and sat in the big chair. Lena looked at me and grinned at the satisfied look I had as I eased into the chair. “Men and their chairs. You all have your thrones, even if they are only in front of a big-screen TV.”
“Ahh. Yep.” I closed my eyes and enjoyed the comfort of the chair.
Lena smiled. “Did you try to do what I told you to do when you went to bed last night?”
“Which was what?” I asked.
“Did you listen? Did you open yourself up to all of this?”
I smiled at Lena. “Actually, I did.”
“You did?”
“Yep, I did. And you know what? I think I had my first vision.”
“Really?” Lena was surprised.
“Uh-huh.”
“Anything you’d like to share?”
I wasn’t ready to share my vision. I wasn’t even sure if I was supposed to. “I will at another time.”
“When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“Well, you do know, don’t you, the rest of us have had visions since that infamous night?”
“Everyone has?” I asked.
“Everyone has. Even Hector.”
“Well, what are they?”
Lena retracted in her body language.
“Is it bad?” I was now concerned.
“It’s not bad. I mean, it could be if we don’t succeed.”
“Succeed?”
“Surely, you didn’t think this was going to end the night you turned into a vampire. That’s when all of this began. Josiah, when you’re ready to share your vision, we will all share ours with you. Otherwise, I’m afraid we will overwhelm you.”
It’s amazing how well Lena already knew me. “Okay,” I said. She was right. I wasn’t ready for her to dump a bunch of visions on me.
“So, what are you going to do right now?” she asked.
“I need some fresh air. I was thinking about going for a light jog.”
“Don’t go to any more frat parties.”
“Oh, I won’t.” I stood up from the chair and walked down the hallway into my bedroom. I went into my closet and pulled out my running shoes. I sat on my bed and took off my jeans. My back was sore from sleeping on the floor. I decided to jump in the shower before my run to and allow the hot water to loosen up my back. It was a little trick I learned in MMA to shower before and after a workout. I removed the rest of my clothes. I stood in my bedroom looking at my naked body in the mirror. I stared at my skin. It was so pale. I used to be pinkish tan, and now I looked like someone had dusted me all over with baby powder. I grabbed a towel from my laundry basket and wrapped it around my pale body. I stepped out of my room and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. Lena was in there.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I’m going to take a shower.” Lena was embarrassed that I was standing there in just a towel.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just freshening up.” Lena walked by me and I could feel her eyes scanning my body from head to toe. I hoped she liked what she saw. She shut the door and I turned on the shower. I stepped in and let the hot water just run down my body. It felt so good, as if the water pressure was massaging my skin. Ever since I had transformed, I had a heightened sense of touch, as if new nerve endings had grown on the surface of my skin. I was hypersensitive to pleasure as well as pain. I cleaned off all the key areas of my body with soap and I turned off the water and stepped out. I dried off, and once again wrapped myself up in the towel.
I stepped outside and went into my bedroom. I put on a pair of sweats and a white T-shirt. I put on my socks and running shoes. When I walked into the living room, Lena was sitting on the couch watching TV.
“I’ll be back in an hour.” I opened the front door.
“No saving damsels in distress.”
“Oh, you will always be my first damsel.” I stepped out of my house onto the front porch. This was when I used to see my old friend, Daphne. The red hawk. She was always there. I missed that. I missed Yari, her Mani counterpart.
I stretched on my porch. Every joint in my body crackled as if I was setting off fireworks. I stepped onto the sidewalk and began my jog. It felt great to run. I could feel my body loosening up. I headed down toward Cal State San Bernardino. I passed the infamous frat house where this whole mess started. There was no party tonight. Not a single car was parked outside the house.
When I made it to the San Bernardino campus, I made my way to the running track. I looked at my watch and decided to time myself running the 440, which is one full lap around the track. My best time in high school had been 58 seconds.
I started my way around the track. I decided to pick up speed. I began running as hard as I could. Then, something strange started to happen to my body. I was running at an accelerated speed. It felt like I was running downhill. I zipped around the track like I was going fast forward. I looked down at my time: 33 seconds. Holy shit! That would be the world record if I were human. I was floored by my time. Not only could I fly, but I had super speed. I just might be Superman after all.
I decided to run up to the stadium. I ran up and down the stadium stairs. As I ran down the steps, my body seemed to glide, as if it was trying to fly. But I wasn’t allowing it to happen. I ran up the steps again. When I reached the top of the stadium, I looked down at the track. I could see a woman down at the bottom on the field. I recognized her. It wasn’t just any woman; it was Yari.
Chapter Eight
It took a few minutes for my heart to slow down.
She was stunning as ever. I walked down the stairs toward her, watching her
red hair blow in the wind. Not to mention her body was still in immaculate shape, which I couldn’t help but notice since she was wearing the cat woman body suit.
“So, this is what it’s going to take to see you?” she said. “I have to stalk you?”
“How are you, Yari?”
“Do you hate me?”
“Of course not,” I said.
“Then why haven’t you seen me?”
“I needed some space. I needed time to think.”
“Josiah, that night was intense for all of us. For you to cut me off and refuse to speak to me was awful.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
She reached out her arms to hug me, but I pulled back.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing, I’ve been in a hundred fights this past month...” I stopped explaining when I saw her step closer to me.
“Come here, I won’t hurt you.”
I leaned in when I felt her arms wrap around me. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I feel good. I feel strong.”
“That’s good.” Yari was trying hard to connect with me and I wasn’t sure how to respond. I cared about Lena and was not willing to jeopardize that any further by being physical with Yari.
“It’s nice to see you,” I said honestly.
“Well, I was always a phone call away.”
“I know. I just needed to figure a couple things out.”
“You said that already. Josiah, I care about you. Do you have any idea what I have seen in the last 400 years? I’ve had every kind of relationship. I have met the most powerful men in history.”
I looked at her, wondering where she was going with this.
“I want you to understand this: No one, Josiah, ever made me feel the way you did!”
“Did?” I asked.
“Yes, did. You are a fantastic person, and I am touched to have been the one to lead you to become who you are for the Mani people. But your purpose is for greater than a schoolgirl crush. You’re The Chosen, and all I want to do is help you achieve your destiny. Help us achieve the destiny for the Mani people.”