by C. S Luis
'Claudia! I have to talk to you. Where are you?'
Alex?
I stood in the desert, hot air blowing dirt all around. I saw distinct forms around me—cacti, shrubs, rolling dunes. There was a town ahead, and as I drew closer, the sun set, turning day into night. I saw a figure in the distance, digging into the ground, a cloth pinned up around his nose and mouth beneath a cowboy hat. I approached him, wondering where I was. Behind the town rose a glow of dozens of streetlamps, the homes lining them all colorful blocks of varies sizes.
Hello? The wind tossed my hair all over my face.
The stranger finally found what he was looking for and pulled out a large metal box. He fiddled with it, trying to get it open.
Hello? Excuse me…
The wind suddenly stopped, and the man looked up from what he was doing, finally realizing I was there. I caught sight of his clear blue eyes behind the folded fabric and beneath the tailored hat. They widened at the sight of me. The cloth dropped from around his face, and he lifted a gun at his hip to point it right at me.
Those blue eyes and the dark locks of hair falling beneath the hat, those lips parting as his jaw dropped…
A swirl of gold light danced from the center of his eyes. He dropped the gun, removed the kerchief from around his neck, and pulled off the hat. He looked just a little older than John, but maybe that came from the dirt and dust settled in layers on his tan skin.
'How did you…' He motioned for me to come closer, then glanced back at the town behind him. The gun went back into the holster at his hip. 'Who are you?'
When I opened my eyes, John was looking at me, still stroking my cheek. We were on the floor, John's back against the wall and my head in his lap.
“Jack?” The name of the man in the cowboy hat just popped into my mind. What had I seen that time? The future—or maybe the present? I didn't know. My visions could be anything, but more often than not, they were a puzzle I had to solve.
“What did you say?” John asked.
“I saw a man digging in the desert. I was dreaming, I guess. That… couldn't have been real.” He looked puzzled, but I still didn't quite understand why. “What happened?”
“You passed out.”
Why would I do that again? Then I realized how overwhelmingly drained I still felt, though now I could actually keep my eyes open. What was happening to me? I immediately sat up, leaned away, and stared at him. “I'm sorry.” My cheeks burned.
“I'm not,” he said. “Who's Alex?”
I frowned. Did he mean Alex Burton?
“You were talking in your sleep. 'Alex, where are you? I need to talk to you.' ” He smiled. “So, who is he? Should I be worried?”
“No,” I whispered. “She's a friend.”
“Ah. She.” He smiled and playfully wiped his brow in relief.
“I guess I was just thinking about her,” I said. “I haven't talked to her lately.”
“No need to explain,” he said.
I nodded. “What time is it?”
He glanced at that magical watch of his. “Late.”
“How late?”
“Bell rang two minutes ago.”
“Why didn't you wake me up?” I stood, and he followed right behind me.
“You looked so peaceful just lying in my arms. And beautiful.”
I blushed and moved to the door. Then I stopped, turned, and ran back to him before he embraced me again. He smiled as I rested my hands on his chest. “Sorry,” I whispered.
He smirked. “No worries.”
“Please don't tell Michael what happened. He'll freak. And I don't want to scare him any more with all this.” I released John and stepped back.
“I'm not saying anything to anyone, Miss Belle.”
“Thanks.” When I opened the door, I paused again to look back at him. “Thank you. For keeping me safe.”
“It was my pleasure.”
For a minute, I knew I really didn't want to leave him. Finally, John joined me, took my hand, and led me out into the hall. It was crowded with students, all of them ready to escape from teachers and assignments and schedules.
He walked me to my locker, where I grabbed a few things, shoved them into my bookbag, and closed the door again. “I need to meet Michael in his office before he starts looking for me,” I told him.
“I'll walk you there too, if you like.”
“Really?” I whispered, clutching at my bookbag.
“Of course.”
Michael's office as Assistant Principal was more personal and private up here on the second floor, just around the corner from the empty classroom. Mr. Claypool and Mr. Vasquez still shared theirs as the other two assistant principals, but Michael's office was now quite large. A few steps led up to the open office door.
I glanced inside and saw few students talking to him. Michael glanced up and saw me by the door, then help up a finger to tell me it would be just a few minutes longer. The students glanced at me as well, and I nodded before ducking back into the hall.
John still waited very quietly beside me. “Thank you for walking me,” I said, unsure what else to say. I owed him a lot more than a simple thank you.
The warmth of his emotions soared, washing over me, thought his thoughts were a little hazy. I guess it was better that way, and I really didn't want to pry into his mind. It was pretty rude, no matter whose thoughts I was reading.
“It was my pleasure,” he said again and glanced back down at his watch. “Shit.”
“Everything okay?”
“I hate to do this to you, but I have to go.”
“Joseph?”
“Yeah.” He stepped away from me down the hall, stopped, and turned immediately back around. That gorgeous smile resurface. “By the way.” He stepped toward me again. “I wanted to ask you something.” I swallowed my nerves, and he laughed. “I promise it's nothing… bad. I just wanted to ask if you…” He hesitated, smiling and frowning at me at the same time. “Sorry. This has never happened to me before.”
I frowned, wondering why this was so hard for him, but he closed his thoughts to me again. However, I could feel his emotions radiating from him, loud and clear.
“There's a party this weekend,” he said quickly. “Thought you might want to come with me.”
If it was the same party Alex and I planned to go to, she was supposed to pick me up. I hadn't even talked to her about it since Michael had tried to ground me. I hadn't talked to her about any of this.
“I can pick you up,” he offered.
The color return to my face. Great. John was asking to take me to a party I couldn't even go to anymore, and of course I didn't want to tell him I couldn't go. I didn't want him to think I was saying it as an excuse because I actually didn't want to. I definitely did.
“Are you asking me out?”
He grinned. “Yeah, I guess I am. So? I promise to be on my best behavior…” I laughed a little, and he added, “Give me your phone.” When I finally pulled it out of my bookbag and handed it over, he glanced at the picture on my home screen and just said, “Cute.” Then he sent himself a text and returned my phone. “Now we're connected digitally, too.” He winked.
“Is there a code or something I have to use when I call you?”
He chuckled. “No code, Miss Belle. Just call me.”
“Is Joseph going to have an issue with this?”
“He's my guardian, not my father. He can't keep me from seeing you if that's what I want.” I lowered my gaze, staring at his number on the screen. He glanced at his watch again. “I better go before he sends out a search party…” When I glanced up at him with wide eyes, he touched my shoulder and leaned forward. “I'm kidding. Maybe I'll call you.” Then he walked down the hall, looking back a few times before he dashed down the stairwell.
After Michael was finished with the students and locked up his office, we walked down the stairs together. I didn't know what I was going to say to John, and I really didn't want to miss going wit
h him to the party. Alex, being the way she was, would probably still try to come pick me up even if I'd told her I couldn't go. She was probably skipping class again today, too.
We turned the corner on the main floor, and I saw John down the hall. He smiled, and beside him, Joseph flashed me that eerie grin. I frowned and looked away. Did he seriously expect me to greet him with a pleasant smile after his little lecture in his office?
John's voice slithered into my head. 'Whatever you're doing, stop. Control your feelings.'
I turned to my breathing practice, trying to regain control. Joseph was staring at me, making it worse when I thought about the possibility that he might know something.
'There she goes again with that heavy breathing.' The man's thought were so easy to pick up. 'I probably scare her.'
“Hello, Michael,” Joseph said as we approached. Then he turned to me.
Control, I thought, feeling John lend me his energy to help me. It made me think of what my grandfather had said about helping each other. Could John do the same for me? Help me control my gift in some way?
“Miss Belle…”
I said nothing. Michael didn't seem pleased by my silence, but I didn't care.
“How are those evaluations coming along?”
“Well, just about got them down,” Michael replied.
“That's what I like to hear.”
“Hi, Claudia,” John said, trying to distract me from my anger toward Joseph. It was dangerous to provoke that anger—I already knew that—and he was determined to keep me from doing anything about it.
“Hi, John,” I whispered.
A wave of displeasure radiated from Joseph when he saw John giving me so much attention. Why did it bother him so much?
“On your way?” Michael asked.
John turned away.
“Trying to get there,” Joseph replied, still smiling at me.
I turned toward John instead. A tiny streak of energy shot out of me and reconnected with him. He smiled at me, the gold in his eyes still dancing but nearly as brightly.
I reminded myself to maintain control; Joseph had a watch too.
“Plans this evening?” Michael asked.
I caught a vision in Joseph's mind of a woman's face, but more distortions from the watch shut me out again.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” The man sounded way too proud.
I moved away, gazing back at John as he pulled away from them as well. He was busy watching me as I moved to the library window, just to remove myself from Joseph and to calm my nerves. Honestly, I wanted to be as far away from John right now as I could get so I didn't lose myself in front of both our guardians. He smiled at me, becoming a bigger part of me, the pull growing stronger. The tenderness, the devoted attraction, was still quickly growing between us.
Michael and Joseph finished their superficial conversation, and Michael waved me toward him. I lifted a hand to wave at John, then followed my guardian toward the school's front doors.
“Have a good night, Miss Belle,” Joseph called behind me.
I spun away and hurried down the hall. Michael could barely keep up with me. When I stepped outside, all I wanted to do was scream. Then I felt Michael behind me; he wasn't happy with the way I'd acted, but he didn't know half of what I did. And I couldn't tell him any of it.
“You don't have to be rude because you're mad about not going to the party.”
“I'm not—” I stopped myself and sighed. There was no point in arguing with Michael. We got into his car and drove in silence all the way home.
Chapter 27:
Memories
Alex sat in her rusted car. The parking lot was quiet. She waited patiently as the last bell rang; even now, the last of the buses were lining up one behind the other to shuttle students to their homes. Soon, it would be time for her to wander into hers as well.
She was afraid after everything that had happened and wondered why she had never noticed it before. It was always that way. Dr. Edwards had always given her a vibe, but she had never suspected anything else. Only after his death did it all make sense. She just hadn't made the connection before now; even visiting the grave was a hard thing to do.
The rusted gates of the old cemetery had greeted her the very same day the old woman had told her of Quinn's return. She'd decided it was time to see his gravesite, but she didn't know why it had taken her so long to do this. Alex had kept her distance, even after discovering who he really was.
It was for the best. Of course, she'd intended to one day reveal herself, but then death had come. And Quinn returned.
She swallowed now in the school parking lot, watching her peers climbing into the yellow buses and waiting patiently for Claudia to come outside. Alex was about to get out of her car and wave until Michael descended the stairs behind Claudia. Alex immediately ducked down in her car. There was no way of reaching Claudia now, and Alex really needed to talk to her.
The crystal's light had warned her it was a bad idea, but Alex's conscience convinced her she needed to share it all with her new friend. If she didn't warn Claudia soon, it would be too late. She didn't want the same thing to happen to Claudia; the whole thing sounded crazy, even to her, and she had lived it.
Michael and Claudia climbed into his Honda SUV and drove out of the parking lot. When the coast was clear, Alex sat up and wondered what to do next. She could easily find Claudia later at night, or maybe she'd wait to drag her out of the house for the party. They had to talk.
She turned the key in the ignition, but the engine didn't turn over until she placed her palm gently on the dash. The engine roared to life, and she pushed down on the gas pedal, smiling at the memory of Claudia's confession.
Claudia was indeed naïve and such easy prey; she had no idea what was stalking her. It was time to tell her the truth about her grandfather, and that had to happen soon. First, Alex had to make one more stop. She'd go to see him again, maybe for the last time, and do what she should have done a long time ago. She sped out of the parking lot, startling a couple on the sidewalk.
When she arrived and turned off the car, she felt like fleeing; she hated cemeteries, always had. That was all thanks to the shadow man. He was called many things, even Death, at one point. The well-dressed blond man in the black suit; Quinn had frightened her with all his stories, and normally, she couldn't bear to step a foot into a cemetery. But today, she had to. There was no turning back.
She stepped out of her car, carrying a rose. Her hands trembled. Alex stepped through the open gates and saw the funeral service on the other side of the cemetery. So many black cars and people dressed in black. She'd fit right in. Most people just assumed she'd be into spending her time at a place like this. She wasn't.
This was where the shadow man lurked. He was always looking for them, the beings and their counterparts—those like her. And Alex still didn't know what he wanted.
She hurried on and found the grave easily enough. Standing in front of it, she was already crying as she knelt in front of the tombstone. She pulled out the black pouch she had taken from her locker, wiped her eyes, and set the rose in a vase sitting near the stone.
“I met her,” she began. “She's so beautiful and so much stronger than I expected.” Alex opened the pouch and pulled out a long, cylindrical crystal. “She's in danger. But I think you probably already knew that.”
Alex held the crystal; it had stopped glowing. “Why didn't you give her this? I'm sure you meant to. Don't worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to her. She won't suffer like we have.” She took a breath. ”I'm going to stop him.” Running her fingers over the words on the stone, Alex sighed, then put the crystal back into the pouch.
“I miss you so much… I never stopped hoping that one day, we'd find each other again. I should have come sooner. Forgive me…” A sob escaped her, the mascara smearing beneath her dark eyes. All her white makeup felt so hard on her face.
“Okay. I have to go now.” She leaned forward and placed
a kiss on the hard stone, once more time running her fingers over the words engraved there.
Neil Edwards
Beloved Grandfather and Devoted Educator
“I'm sorry I wasn't there, my son.”
She turned away and rushed through the cemetery toward the gates. Something caught her eye a few yards beside her, and she spun around.
From behind a tree among the headstones, bony fingers curved around the bark, followed by a darkened head peering out in greeting.
“Maya, come here!” the blond main hissed. He couldn't touch her; certain laws bound him against it. But he loved to toy with her.
Alex hurried away as his laughter filled the cemetery. She stumbled out into the parking lot as the funeralgoers lowered their deceased loved one into the ground. She climbed into the car and closed the door. The bracelet on her wrist was still a pale white, and she sighed in relief.
The car started at the first turn of the key, and she sped away. Night was falling now, and it was dark by the time she reached the old woman's house. She would have to leave soon, always running. Quinn was never far behind. She knew she was running out of time.
When she got home, she made sandwiches, served the old woman her tea, and joined her in watching The Bachelor. It was the old woman's favorite show. Alex's host talked on and on about the different women on the show, once mentioning that Alex herself should apply to be on the next season.
By 9:00 p.m, the old woman was falling asleep on the couch. It was time to take her to bed.
Alex helped her up the stairs and into the first bedroom. After tucking her into the large bed, she closed the door behind her and moved across the hallway. The floor creaked under her steps, and she stopped to hear the wind outside. The house almost sounded like a living thing.
She'd picked her bedroom in this house because it was the only one not painted in a nauseating pastel color or cluttered with things. But anything was better than sleeping an abandon building.
A shadow moved across the floor, and she froze just in front of the stairs. She wanted to run, but she couldn't leave the old woman alone. Instead, she stood at her bedroom doorway; the moonlight spilling through the open window cut a little of the darkness. She pushed the door farther open with a creak.