Demonspawn

by Glenn Bullion

  I looked at Cindy. The news anchor saved me from having to explain everything. Cindy looked back at me with her mouth open.

  “They thought I had the money, didn't they?”

  I nodded.

  “How did you know? How did you know where I was?”

  “I, uh, sensed it somehow. I saw visions of you in trouble.”

  I was quiet for a minute.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Amazing. Cindy was nearly kidnapped, and she was worried about me. She could tell I was upset. I tried to hide it, but obviously didn't do a good job.

  I was afraid. I was afraid of what I was gonna find out about myself next. Tony was absolutely terrified of me. That ate away at the back of my mind.

  “I'm fine. Are you okay?”

  “I think so. Can I use your shower?”

  “Yeah. Bottom shelf in the closet is clean towels.”

  She nodded. She was halfway down the hall when she turned around again.

  “You saved my life.”

  I nodded. “You'd do the same for me.”

  She didn't hesitate. “Yeah, I would. Well, except maybe for the turning invisible part.”

  She went into the bathroom. As I watched her I realized I had a small crush on her.

  And the guilt hit me harder than ever.

  Chapter 10

  Neither Cindy or I told Alicia or any of our other friends about what happened that day. Not exactly good memories you want to bring up. I didn't ask Cindy about any details of what happened in the police station. Did she report everything? Would she have to go to court? Did she just wait there?

  It took a week, but our somber moods slowly drifted back to us laughing and making fun of each other. Alicia actually thought we were fighting for a while.

  My crush on Cindy was just that, a crush. I was smart enough to know it was there, but I knew it would fade eventually. As soon as she got another boyfriend, I would get it through my head that there was no way in the world someone as incredible as her could care about someone like me that way, and the crush would fade.

  Then Alicia broke up with Shawn, hey boyfriend.

  She called me after work on a Monday. There was no drama, no cheating or anything crazy. Apparently he just wasn't happy, and he broke it off during the school day.

  She tried not to show it, but she was devastated, much more than I'd seen with any of her other guys. She came over the apartment nearly every night that week. She actually cried on my shoulder, which she had never done. We were close, but stuff like that always went Cindy's way.

  She was starting to seem a little better when I got that strange phone call at work. I was loading a truck when I heard my supervisor calling my name. I looked over to see him with a pinkie to his mouth and thumb to his ear. I went to his office and grabbed the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “When you gonna get a cell phone?” Alicia asked.

  “As soon as I become a movie star. What's happening?”

  “When you get out of work stop by the house.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “No.”

  “What's going on?”

  There was silence for a moment. “I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Just get over here after work. I have to show you something.”

  She hung up.

  As I walked back out to the dock I could only think of one thing.

  Alicia was pregnant.

  I tried to keep calm. I had no clue as to what was going on. But I knew it was bad. I'd never gotten a call like that from Alicia before. Nothing was ever important enough to call me at work.

  As soon as I punched out I drove straight to my old home. The house was completely quiet. No TV, no music, nothing. I went into the dining room to see Alicia sitting at the table, staring at the wall. She looked completely out of it.

  “Alicia?”

  She looked at me and smirked. Then she looked back at the wall.

  “What's wrong, sis?”

  She took a deep breath. I had to cut her off before she started.

  “Wait just a sec. I have to ask. You're not pregnant, are you?”

  “What? No! Damn, Alex, I'm not stupid.”

  “I know, I know.” Relief washed over me. “Okay then, I think I can handle anything else.”

  “Don't be too sure.”

  Now I was afraid. I sat across from her. “What's going on?”

  “I was looking through Mom's clothes. I wanted to borrow a dress for the next time we all went out. You know, gotta impress the guys now.”

  I nodded.

  “Well, I guess I'd better just show you.”

  I followed her upstairs to Mom's room. She opened the closet and grabbed a folder full of papers in the corner.

  “This is right where I found it.”

  She handed me the folder. I skimmed through it, not quite knowing what I was looking at. A lot of legal documents, it looked like. Not exactly surprising, since Mom's a lawyer.

  “Look at the last thing in there.”

  I flipped to the end. The last document was a little easier to follow. It was a certificate of adoption from the state of Pennsylvania. It had my name on it, along with Gary and Joan Teague, who I thought were my parents.

  I was wrong.

  I was adopted.

  I stood there staring at it for a minute. Alicia was quiet. I looked up, and my eyes fell on a picture of Alicia, Mom, and me, when I graduated high school, sitting on the dresser. It was so obvious that it hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn't look like Mom. I didn't look like Alicia. I always guessed I looked like my father, who I didn't remember.

  “Alex, what does all this mean?”

  “Well, I guess there's only one way to find out.”

  I reached for the phone on the dresser and did a very stupid thing.

  “Who are you calling?”

  I didn't answer. The phone rang seven times.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Alex? Hey honey, how's it going? I can't talk long. I'm having lunch with the team right now.”

  “Mom, am I adopted?”

  There was a long silence that seemed to stretch forever.

  “Ah, okay. I guess that's my answer,” I said.

  “Listen, honey-”

  “Nah, Mom. It's cool. I gotta run.”

  I hung the phone up. A harsh thing to do, and I regret it.

  “She said yes,” I told Alicia.

  We were quiet for a minute.

  “This doesn't change anything,” Alicia said.

  “This changes everything, Alicia. I mean, who the hell am I?”

  “You're my brother.”

  I closed my eyes. That suddenly sounded so alien to me.

  “I'm gonna go. I'm gonna borrow this folder. I'll call later.”

  I left the house without saying another word. I drove around for a while before heading back to the apartment. I didn't bother eating. I unplugged my phone and sat on the patio outside my living room.

  I had a sister that I was very close to. I had a best friend that looked out for me ever since grade school. I had a mother that had raised me to be the person I was, despite all the obstacles she faced. With all that, I'd never felt so alone.

  The sun was nearly gone. I still leafed through the folder from Mom's closet. I couldn't make any sense of the legal jargon. All I knew was the name of the adoption agency, Heavenly Heart, and their address in Blossom, Pennsylvania.

  I heard the sliding glass door move behind me. I turned to see Cindy standing there, looking hot in her business clothes.

  “Hi.”

  I smiled, but didn't say anything. I honestly wasn't sure whether I wanted her company or not, but I didn't object when she sat in the chair next to me.

  “Alicia's been trying to call you.”

  “I unplugged the phone. Not really in the mood to talk. I guess you've talked to her?”

  “Yeah. She told me what was going on. She wanted
me to check on you.”

  “I'm okay.”

  “Liar.”

  I didn't say anything.

  “I guess it should have been obvious. You're ugly. Alicia's cute.”

  Not the best timed joke, but I smiled. “Yeah. I should have known.”

  “My parents used to joke about it whenever we talked about you at the house. About you probably being adopted. I never thought they would be right.”

  “What do you and your parents say about me?”

  That caught her off guard, and she changed the subject. “Don't worry about it. But tell me what's up.”

  “I'm freaked out. I can walk through walls, talk to ghosts. Now I find out I'm adopted. I...who am I, really? I think it's just everything happening at once, you know?”

  That's all I could say. My thoughts were so jumbled. But I think that about summed it up. There was also the fact that my sister wasn't really my sister. My mother wasn't really my mother.

  “Alex, is there anything I can do for you?”

  I shook my head. “Nah. I'll be okay, really. I just have to soak all this in.”

  “Okay. I'll leave you alone. But if you need me, you come get me. I'll do anything for you. You know that, right?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, Cindy. I know. Thanks.”

  She slapped me on the back and left.

  I didn't sleep at all that night. I had so many crazy thoughts. What if I was some kind of government experiment that they let loose? What if I was part alien?

  I had a past of some kind, before my adoption. According to the paperwork, I was adopted a few days after I was born. Why did my birth parents give me up? What happened to them? Why was I able to do the things I could do?

  There had to be answers for me. But I wouldn't find them moping in my apartment.

  I had to go to Pennsylvania.

  Chapter 11

  I put in for a week's vacation the next day at work. It was short notice, but my supervisor was okay with it. When I got home I packed up a suitcase of clothes. I printed some directions to the adoption center from the computer. It was a very quick decision to make, but I knew I had to do it. It wasn't like me at all to do something completely spontaneous, like leaving the state. I just needed to know more about who I was.

  I drove over to Alicia's to let her know what was going on. I hadn't talked to her since the previous day. I wanted to let her know I was okay, that she was still my sister.

  When I opened the front door I heard Alicia talking to someone in the dining room. I walked in and saw another blond head at the table. Totally a surprise.

  “Mom.”

  “Hi, Alex.”

  I was speechless for a moment. “When did you get home?”

  “A few hours ago. Alicia picked me up at the airport.”

  “But your case in California?”

  “They can live without me for one day. I fly back out tomorrow morning. But I had to talk to you.” She looked at Alicia. “To you both.”

  I looked at Alicia. She looked worried for me.

  I sat at the table. Mom looked down for a second. I saw her hands were actually shaking. I reached out and grabbed them. That seemed to calm her.

  She pulled a picture out from inside her jacket.

  “That's my ex-husband, Gary. Alicia's father. A year after we got married, we decided we wanted a child. But the doctors told me that wasn't possible. There was a problem with my eggs, and I couldn't have children.”

  I looked at the picture. I had never seen who I thought was my father before. That didn't seem odd to me until that moment. Sure enough, I didn't look like him either.

  “So, we adopted you. And things were okay. But then it turns out the doctors were wrong. I could have children, and I became pregnant with Alicia. About a month after that, Gary left. He said he didn't want two children. He even thought I went as far as getting the doctors to lie when they said I'd never have any. He really lost it.”

  “What an asshole,” Alicia said.

  I knew then for a fact what I always believed. My mother was the strongest woman on the planet. To go through what she did, succeed at her job, and raise two children. She was amazing.

  “Why didn't you tell me, Mom?”

  I could tell the fact that I continued to call her Mom relaxed her. She would always be Mom.

  “Because it doesn't matter,” she said. “You're still my son. You're still Alicia's brother. None of that will ever change.”

  She was right, and I knew it. But there was another thing to consider.

  I could do things that people shouldn't be able to do. Maybe my birth parents knew why.

  If I couldn't walk through walls, or turn invisible, or talk to ghosts, I don't think I would have cared to find my birth parents. But that wasn't the case. I had to find out why I was different.

  I didn't say anything. I got up from the table and circled around to Mom. She stood up and I gave her a strong hug. Alicia joined us for a nice family hug. In fact, I think it was our first one.

  Alicia looked at me, and I could tell what she was thinking. She was wondering if we should tell Mom about what I could do. My eyes told her No. Sibling communication.

  “You two are my family. Simple as that. But I need to know where I came from.”

  Mom nodded. She was trying to hold back tears. “I understand.”

  “Is there anything else I should know, Mom?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. We adopted you from Heavenly Heart, you never stayed there. It's a shelter for children. They just handled all the paperwork. We took you right from the hospital.”

  “And you never met my biological parents?”

  “No. Nowhere to be seen. And to be honest, we didn't ask any questions. We didn't want to talk to them, and have them end up changing their minds.”

  I nodded. “I'm going to Blossom. I want to see the place.”

  “How long?”

  “I took a week off. But I won't be that long. I want to find my biological parents. Then I'm coming right back.”

  Alicia looked at Mom without missing a beat. “Can I go with him, Mom?”

  I shook my head before Mom could even answer. “No. Thanks, Alicia, really. But I don't want you missing that much school.”

  Mom smiled. “Well, the man of the house has spoken.”

  Alicia looked disappointed, but she smiled. “You'd better at least tell Cindy. She'll be pissed if you don't.”

  I didn't because she was at work when I got to the apartment. But Alicia was right. It wouldn't be right not to tell Cindy. I could see her whipping my ass when I got back.

  I gave Alicia and Mom one more hug goodbye before I left. They both made me promise to call them everyday till I got back. I drove back to the apartment. I saw Cindy's car parked outside, so I knew she was home.

  I slowly poked my head into her living room.

  “Yo Cindy! You in here?”

  “Yeah. Don't come in the bedroom. I'm getting dressed.”

  “Damn. Just one little peek?”

  “Eh, alright. Just one,” she joked.

  I closed the door behind me. Cindy popped out of the bedroom wearing jeans and a tight tee-shirt. Her hair flowed just a little behind her shoulders. I noticed what she was wearing quite often. She looked good in anything. It was scary.

  “Hey. I was gonna make a sandwich. You want one?”

  “Nah, thanks. Actually I can't stay long. I'm leaving for a few days.”

  “Really? Where to?”

  “Blossom, Pennsylvania.”

  She gave me a puzzled look.

  “Where I was born, apparently.”

  She nodded. “Ah. On that famous journey of self-discovery, like in the movies?”

  I laughed. “Not quite. I want to find my real parents, ask them how the hell did you make a kid who can walk through walls, and come back here to my dull life.”

  “It's not that dull. I'm in it.”

  “This is true.”

  She brought
a hand up to her chin, thinking about something. “How long will you be gone?”

  “The plan, seriously? I have a week off. I want to go there, get some answers, and get back as soon as possible. Then I want to lounge around in my underwear for the rest of my time off and have some fun.”

  “Boxers or briefs?”

  “Actually boxer-briefs.”

  “Nice mental picture. I could call my father right now and get a week off. Just give me a half hour to pack.”

  I was stunned. “Huh?”

  “We'll take my car, cause I can't drive a stick. That way we can take shifts.”

  “You're not coming, Cindy.”

  She looked hurt. “Why not? You don't want me to?”

  Just the opposite. I loved Cindy's company.

  “That's not it.”

  “Well, what is it then?”

  It took me a moment to find the words. “I feel like I'm leeching.”

  “Leeching?”

  “Yeah. You always look out for me. Makes me feel guilty.”

  She was quiet for a moment, just looking at me. “Are you joking?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Alex, you saved my life. Did you forget about that? I owe you a lot more than a car ride to Pennsylvania.”

  “You don't owe me anything.”

  She went quiet again. There was something in her eyes. I couldn't tell what it was. There was something going on in that head of hers.

  “Cindy? You okay?”

  She looked away, almost like she was embarrassed. “Yeah, I'm fine. Yes or no question. Do you want me to come with you?”

  I hesitated before finally giving in. “Yeah, I do.”

  “Was that so hard?” she said with a smile. “Give me thirty minutes.”

  “Thanks, Cindy.”

  “I watch out for you. You know that. Jesus, it's not like we've known each other eighteen years or something.”

  I laughed.

  We threw our bags in the back of her car. It was a three hour drive to Blossom. I could do a three hour drive easy, but Cindy's company was nice to have. She pulled her shoes off and hung her feet out the window. We didn't say much for about an hour. In fact, she fell asleep. Of course, that was the perfect time to steal looks at her. Since she was reclined back in the passenger's seat, her tee-shirt bunched up a little, and showed off that sexy stomach of hers. Her chest rose and fell as she slept. An absolutely gorgeous woman, and she never talked about it. She never said it out loud, never called someone else ugly. Well, except me, of course. Beautiful, intelligent, kind, and so humble. I wondered sometimes if she really knew how incredible she was.