Dark Calling

by McIntyre, Cheryl

  She looks back to her eyes. They aren’t the green they should be. Instead they are black as pitch. She leans closer, inspecting, sees no other color to her eyes. Decides her pupils are merely dilated from the concussion.

  Keely dresses in thin cotton pajama shorts and an oversized tee shirt that used to be her dad’s. Her real dad, the one who raised her, not the sperm donor. She feels dizzy as she bends over to pick up her dirty clothes so she decides to leave them and wobbles out of the bathroom.

  “You look like crap,” Nick comments.

  “Thanks. You’re great at making a girl feel good about herself.” She sits on the floor—the futon is wet where Nick washed the spots of goo and vomit. “You need some furniture.”

  “I have noticed that. How’s your head?”

  “Dizzy and sore.”

  “How about the other thing? Your stomach?” He cringes as he says it. She shivers at the horrible memory.

  “Actually, as weird as it may sound, I’m really hungry.”

  Nick smiles at her. “I can’t imagine why. You haven’t eaten in what? Like twenty-four hours? Probably longer. I don’t have much.” He turns into the kitchen. “You want some eggs?”

  Keely misses fruits and vegetables. She shakes her head. “Can we go to the store?” She’s pretty sure she has some cash on her. She has a credit card for emergencies as well. This should qualify.

  Nick walks back to stand in front of her. He’s staring. “What?”

  Exhaling loudly, he says, “I just don’t know if you should be going out. You’ve been attacked three times in the past two days. You have a concussion and you look like hell. Your eyes even look funny. I think you should just rest.”

  “I want to go to the store,” Keely says slowly, enunciating every word carefully, coldly. She doesn’t understand why she’s getting so upset, but she doesn’t care. He will not tell her no.

  “Keely, calm down. I’ll just make you something. There has to be something in this apartment that you’ll eat.” Nick turns back to the kitchen and Keely is on her feet. She moves to the door quickly. Fumbles the lock. Gets it open. Nick is there, pushing it shut before she can leave.

  “What are you doing?” he hisses.

  Without consciously committing to it, Keely’s arms strike out at Nick. She punches him with shocking precision. Hits his mouth, then his nose. As she pulls back to deliver a third blow, he is pinning her arms down at her sides. Traps her against the door. She writhes, struggling against him.

  “What is wrong with you?” He is panting, out of breath from the unexpected altercation. Blood beads on his lip.

  Keely glares at him and tries again to get away. She wiggles her wrists attempting to free them, but to no avail. She kicks out at him, making contact, a shocking jolt to his leg. He presses his body harder against hers, his thighs pinning hers, trapping her from moving. Feeling confined and smothered, her mind whirls. Something takes over inside of Keely. Like a movie, images dance in front of her. Biting Nick hard enough to draw blood. Head butting Nick, possibly hitting his nose. She imagines the trail of warm thick blood that would trail down his face. Nick takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, his breath caressing the skin at her neck bringing her back to the here and now. His body still pressed to hers. His hands still gripping her wrists. Before she has time to understand what she is doing, she is kissing him. Her mouth moves roughly against his, tasting the blood she drew and she moans with pleasure. Nick is caught completely off guard. He loses his grip on her arms. She twines them around his neck, pulling his mouth firmly to hers. She parts his lips with her tongue and he is kissing her back. His hands find her waist. Slide behind her back. Keely moves her hands over his chest, down his stomach. Her fingers touch every muscle in his abdomen. Stop at his belt. She tugs at it, attempting to pull if from the loop.

  Nick pulls away from her suddenly, gasping. “Stop.”

  She breathes in and out quickly as if she’s been running. Staring at him, she murmurs, “Stop?”

  Nick is pulling her by her arm. Dragging her into the bathroom. He pushes her to the floor in front of the toilet. Keely is so dizzy. So confused. Nick pulls her hair off her shoulders and then he is shoving his fingers into her mouth. Nails scrape the back of her throat. She gags and vomits on his hand. It is black and thick, the consistency of Jell-O. She continues retching until it turns to blood. Then she throws that up too. Finally she is dry heaving. There is nothing left in her stomach.

  Nick falls to the floor beside her. His hair is wet with sweat. “You should be o.k. now,” he sighs.

  Tears run down Keely’s hot cheeks. She lets her tired head drop, resting it on her arm. “I’m sorry Nick,” she croaks. “I’m so sorry.”

  He puts a hand on her back. “It’s o.k. now.”

  Ten:

  Keely wakes up on the bathroom floor, curled up on the rug in front of the toilet. Her head rests on the pile of her dirty clothes. Nick is asleep beside her, his face just inches from hers. His long lean frame stretches in the opposite direction, his legs out the door. He still has his shoes on.

  She stares at him. His mouth is open slightly. His eyes move beneath the lids. He’s dreaming. Looks peaceful.

  Keely sits up. Her mouth tastes awful. Her head aches. Body sore. It’s like she’s hung over. She frowns at the toilet. It doesn’t seem fair that she should have all the symptoms of a hangover without the fun of causing it. She clutches the edge of the tub and pulls herself up. She’s a mess. Her stomach groans loudly. Keely clamps a hand over it, willing it to be quiet. Nick stirs at her feet and looks up at her. Sits up quickly.

  “You o.k.?” The worry in his voice makes her feel… She doesn’t know. Good is the wrong word. She nods.

  “I think so. I feel gross though.”

  He smiles at that as he stands. Comes very close to her face, examining her, and she realizes he’s checking her eyes. Satisfied, he leans against the door. “I’ll give you some privacy to clean up. When you’re done we can go to the store.” He turns and leaves. Keely’s left standing alone, thinking of the night before. Heat floods her face as she recalls the way she kissed him. The way he kissed her back. She hadn’t been in control of herself. But he had.

  A series of thoughts and emotions dance around in her head during the shower. The steam and bubbles unable to clear her mind. She barely knows Nick. She supposes it may be a little different for him. He knows a lot more about her. But she feels some kind of connection to him. Maybe it’s because he’s saved her countless times. She isn’t sure. All she is sure of, is though she may not have initiated the kiss last night, it floods her stomach with excitement as she remembers every detail about it.

  ***

  Sitting on the couch, waiting for Nick to hurry with the shower, Keely stares at her reflection in her small compact mirror. She skips the eye liner today, but adds the mascara. She looks so strange anymore. Like she’s no longer her. Her eyes seem pale without the black around them. Her hair is pale now too. Her skin is even washed out. This reminds her of Apophis. She looks so much like him. The mirror shakes violently in her hand.

  Nick enters the room shirtless. She cannot help but look. “I’ll be ready in a minute. I promise,” he reassures her when he notices her watching him.

  Keely shrugs and puts her make-up away. Tries to appear unimpressed by him. Wonders if he sees right through her.

  Nick dresses and ties his shoes. Snatches up his car keys and stands by the door. “Ready.”

  Keely follows him out the door and up the steps to his car. The entire time feeling unbearably shy. She is never shy. She never cares enough about what people think to be shy. Nick opens the door for her. She slides in without a word. As they make their way to the store, she knows she should be asking him about the slimy thing from last night. Or any number of other questions. She can’t understand why she doesn’t.

  He pulls
into the parking lot of the store. “I like this place. They should have everything you need and it should be safe.” Should be. Hmm. It dawns on her that this is how Nick makes decisions. Everything he does, every place he goes, he first decides if it is safe.

  Keely’s stomach growls as she picks up a basket. She heads directly to the produce. It takes all of her self control to not pluck a handful of grapes and eat them. She does, however, place the grapes in her basket. Then adds apples, oranges, bananas, several kiwis. As she attempts a small watermelon, Nick takes it from her and carries it. She moves on, places tomatoes, carrots, green leaf lettuce, fresh spinach, a couple sweet potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower in the basket. It’s so heavy now, she carries it with both hands. As she heads down the bread aisle Nick tells her he’ll be right back. Moments later, he returns with a cart and empties the basket into it. Keely smiles up at him before gazing back at the bagels.

  “My mom always says you shouldn’t shop when you’re hungry. I get it now.”

  “Hey, this isn’t a lot. It’s not my fault you apparently have never seen the midsection of a food pyramid before.” She tosses a package of raisin bagels at him. He catches it and drops it in the front of the cart.

  “That’s the gross part,” he says and smiles hugely at her.

  “It is not. That’s the best part. Especially now, when it’s hot like this. Fruit is so juicy and good. And cold vegetables…” She shakes her head. “You’ll see.”

  “Huh-uh. You can’t make me eat that crap.”

  She laughs. “It’s not crap. And we’ll see. Once I’m eating it and you see how much I’m enjoying it, you’ll be intrigued.”

  He says nothing to this. Just walks quietly beside her. Keely grabs some shrimp and chicken. She is ravenous. Everything looks delicious.

  “Are you buying the whole store? You are one tiny person. You don’t need all of this,” Nick says.

  Keely eyes him as she snatches up gallons of orange juice and milk. Places them gently in the cart.

  “I have milk. I just bought it. It’s still good.”

  “You have whole milk. This is skim.”

  “That’s disgusting.”

  “It is not. And it’s healthier than that fatty whole milk.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do. And I’m done. We can go now.”

  Nick places his hand over his heart as if he’s in shock. Keely rolls her eyes at him. “There’s still stuff left in the store though,” he teases. She ignores him. Notices hair dye. Slows to a stop, glancing over the bottles for her brand. “Don’t dye your hair.” Nick looks embarrassed as she looks up at him. “I just mean, your hair looks nice this way. Your real color. Not that it didn’t look nice before.” He sighs. Looks away. Keely continues down the aisle, leaving the dye and fighting the smile tugging her lips.

  They head back to Nick’s, her emergency credit card having had a good workout. With a gasp, Keely remembers Lively. “Oh, Nick, I need to let my dog out. He’s been there all alone. He needs food and water.”

  “Keely, did you really think I forgot about your dog? Lila’s been taking care of him. He’s fine.”

  Well, yeah, she did think that. After all, she forgot about him and he’s her dog. “Oh. Thanks.”

  They pull in front of the apartment and Nick loads his arms with the groceries. The wind blows his hair into his eyes. He tosses his head to the side, attempting to move it, but it stays put. Keely’s hand itches to brush it back, but she doesn’t. At the door, Nick pauses. Turns to face her. “Um, can you get the keys out of my pants?” He twists to indicate which pocket. Keely feels her cheeks warm. Knows she’s blushing as she digs her hand into the front pocket of his jeans. She dangles them in front of him. “It’s the gold one,” he instructs.

  This is what it would be like, Keely thinks. If she had a normal life and could form normal relationships. If Nick was just a guy. They could be boyfriend and girlfriend. They would go to the store together. They would argue playfully over what they were buying. They would come home together. They would cook a meal together and sit down and eat it while they talked about their normal day.

  But she is not normal. Neither is Nick. And they are not boyfriend and girlfriend. He is her Guardian because she is a Demon Princess.

  Keely pushes the door open. Feels as if she could burst into tears. Busies herself with putting the food away. Searches for a knife and cutting board. “Knife?”

  Nick flips on the tiny T.V. “Third drawer.” He sits on the futon, but doesn’t even look at the television. Instead watches Keely move in the kitchen.

  “What about a cutting board?”

  “I have a counter.” Keely hesitates as that sinks in. Grabs a plate instead and begins washing the fruit and vegetables under the faucet. Nick finds it captivating how her fingers work over them gently. She places each piece that she washes into a strainer he didn’t even know he had. With quick and precise movements, she cuts everything. Samples everything she cuts. Finds Tupperware bowls and places all the fruits in one, the vegetables in another.

  “Do you want a bagel?” she asks, turning to look at him.

  “Sure.” His voice comes out quiet. Her eyebrows scrunch before she turns back to put the bagel in the toaster. Nick tries to focus on the show. He doesn’t even know what he’s watching. It looks like an infomercial for some kind of air purifier. He flips through the channels.

  “Here you go.” She hands him a plate. He frowns down at it. There is fruit beside the bagel. The bagel is plain. No butter or cream cheese.

  She sits beside him, crossing her legs under her and digs into her fruit. She was right, Nick realizes. He is definitely intrigued seeing how much she likes her fruit. She makes a hushed sound of enjoyment with every bite. He picks up a piece of kiwi. Places it on his tongue. Decides it’s not bad. It’s sweet and tangy at the same time. It reminds him of Keely. He picks up a piece of watermelon. He’s had watermelon plenty of times, but he thinks it tastes better today.

  Keely sneaks peeks at Nick as he eats the fruit on his plate and seems to like it. She smiles behind a chunk of banana. Juice runs down his chin as he takes another bite of watermelon. She wants to wipe it for him. It’s the second time today she has wanted to touch him.

  “This is actually pretty good, he says as he rubs the back of his wrist across his chin.

  Keely smirks. “Really? Hmm.”

  He raises his eyebrows. “I can admit when I’m wrong. Which I was. But not about the milk or vegetables. Just the fruit. And this bagel is awful.” He laughs, dropping it back to his plate.

  “And all this time you went through life thinking you didn’t like fruit. You had no idea what you were missing until you tried it. Don’t you feel so cheated?”

  She’s only talking about fruit, but Nick relates it to much more than that. Their kiss last night replays in his mind’s eye. A year he spent watching her. Never talking to her. Now, after only a few days with her, Nick knows he never wants to go back to that. “Yes. I really do.” They finish their breakfast and Nick decides it’s time. He needs to talk to her.

  “Keely, I have something I need to tell you.” Her body stiffens, but she nods. “I think somebody I trust may be a traitor. A spy for your father. I first suspected it when your house became tainted. Then again when the Susurro Demons showed up here immediately after. Then yesterday, when you were attacked at school, I confirmed it. Somebody let Apophis know you were in that bathroom at that exact moment.” His eyes brush over her face trying to read her expression.

  “I called him.”

  “I know. I saw the text. Keely, you can’t be that careless again. I know you thought it was your mom, but it was a really stupid move.”

  “I knew it wasn’t my mom. I called and left a message on her phone while you were sleeping yesterday. I was trying to set up a place to exchange myself for my parents.�
�� She stares at her hands.

  “No you didn’t.”

  She looks at him. “Yes, I did.”

  “No. You are not possibly that stupid. You could not be that big of an idiot to try and trade yourself to the people that want you dead! And behind my back. I am your Guardian. I am here to help you.”

  “I am not an idiot, you jerk. I didn’t know what else to do. And I planned on telling you. I was just trying to get it arranged first so you couldn’t tell me not to. Anyway, I learned my lesson.” She touches her neck. “And to think, my father claims he doesn’t want me dead.”

  “What? Did Apophis say that?”

  “No, my Demon dad did.” Her tone is still snippy though his has softened.

  “When did you talk to your dad?”

  “Last night. Right before that—thing—attacked me.”

  “Here?” Nick stands, startled.

  “In my dreams. I’ve seen him twice now when I sleep. Asmoday too.”

  Nick paces in front of her, his hands in his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He sits back down. “I need to know everything he said to you. Everything they both said to you,” he says before she has a chance to answer him.

  “The first time, he—my father—said that he would give me whatever I wanted, and that place was my real home.”

  “What place?”

  “I don’t know. It’s a house I think. Everything is really pretty and old, but it’s sparse. I’ve only seen the bedroom and dining room.” She closes her eyes as she tries to remember. “That could be all there is to it, but I had the feeling of it being much bigger. Like they were only allowing me to see a piece of it.”

  Nick nods. “What else did he say?”

  She tells him everything she can remember about both dreams, leaving out the part where she nearly kissed her brother. She’s too embarrassed about that. Doesn’t want Nick to find her appalling. “Oh, and Asmoday told me that the crawling sensation in my veins is because my Demon blood sings to his Demon blood. Is that true?”