The Sin Collector

by Fortunato, Jessica

  As we walked to the docks, I could see Olexander on the main deck speaking with Thomas. A woman stood with them, her hair was the strangest color, and so light, it appeared silver. I felt certain it was Rebecca. She was the only Collector I had not met. I could feel the sins even at this distance. They weren’t painful or crippling, but they weren’t enjoyable. Olexander looked worried but broke into a wide smile as we boarded. Thomas walked up to Billy and slapped him on the back in a friendly way.

  “Welcome aboard mate. You need to teach me that right hook,” He said cheerily in what sounded like an Australian accent.

  He reminded me of one of those adventure seekers on TV. He hadn’t shaved in a few days at least, and his reddish hair was suffering from intense bed head. His Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts completed the look. I was inclined to ask him if he knew we were all marked for death or if he just thought he was taking a long cruise.

  Billy seemed slightly taken aback but shook Thomas’s hand nonetheless. Julia appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, bounding into me giving me a tight hug. Rebecca nodded in our direction and then retreated, presumably to her room. Olexander let out an audible sigh.

  “I guess it’s time we are off then.” With that, he too wandered away. A few minutes later, I could feel the boat moving. Off we went into nothing but ocean.

  Chapter 11

  We had only been on the water for four hours, and I was already anxious. We were sailing all the way to Madrid, which would take about three days. Olexander was sure there were more Collectors there who could give us information. I understood this was the easiest and most discreet way of traveling with a group like ours, but I still missed the immediacy of air travel. The massive boat had five bedrooms. The room most secluded belonged to Rebecca for obvious reasons. Billy and Thomas were staying in one of the larger rooms with two queen beds. I assumed I would be staying with Julia, but instead she and Olexander lead me to a room just below the deck. It had a large white bed in the center and the walls were a rich mahogany. It was very peaceful.

  “This was Lydia’s room. We thought you might want some privacy,” Olexander said.

  I didn’t want Julia to feel like I was replacing her Aunt so quickly. Before I could decline, Julia hurried in awkwardly holding a giant vase of sunflowers.

  “It was her idea.” Olexander said and gave me a wink.

  “I think it’s the most beautiful room I’ve ever had,” I said, “and I absolutely adore sunflowers.”

  Olexander ushered Julia out, on the basis that I needed some time to get unpacked. However, as soon as he was gone, she crept back and knocked lightly on my door. Truth was I didn’t mind her hanging around. She came in and sat quietly on the bed watching me put my clothes into drawers. I realized her startling red hair and beautiful eyes distracted me from grasping just how tiny she was. She was petite, even shorter than I was. She reminded me of the woodland fairies I used to read about when I was little. I pictured her suddenly broken winged and lifeless, the size of a grasshopper laid out on a leaf. It made me more confident I had made the right decision. I didn’t want her to live her life in fear like I had. I knew things. I could see that dark scum everywhere clearly. I could still feel Jimmy’s murder weighing on my bones, even now so far away. You could only gain this ability by seeing how the darkness swallows everything up. I shook my head as if that would push the past right out of my thoughts. Perhaps we could change things. Perhaps she could grow up like Billy, never really knowing how dark the world could get. If I’d learned anything since I’d left behind my crappy job, and my loyal cat it was that nothing was set in stone. No fate was permanent, and there was an exception to every rule.

  Billy knocked on my door and came in surprised to find I wasn’t alone. He eyed Julia as suspiciously as she eyed him. I formally introduced them but neither seemed very interested in the other. After standing awkwardly in my doorway for thirty seconds Billy decided to come back later when I was alone.

  “Is Billy your boyfriend?” Julia asked with a tone of disapproval.

  I didn’t think he was. I really had very little experience in this area, so I stuck with the simplest answer. “He and I were friends when we were little and so we are friends now.”

  “He reminds me of someone. I don’t like him.” She said the words quietly more as if she was talking to herself than to me.

  “Who?” I asked. She looked at me puzzled.

  “Who does he remind you of?” I repeated.

  “That’s just the thing” Julia said, “I don’t know.”

  I decided not to push the issue any further tonight. Soon it was bedtime, at least for Julia anyway who yawned loudly and asked if I’d tuck her in. She didn’t even put up a fuss until Olexander came to her room to say goodnight and read her a story.

  “Could Lily read to me tonight?” She said in a pleading tone, as if anyone else even dared read to her she would simply die. Olexander smiled and handed me the book, To Kill A Mockingbird. I gave him an exasperated look. “Intense bedtime reading don’t you think?”

  “It’s called an education. That book teaches her about life and the complexity of relationships and society.”

  He suddenly stopped his explanation after seeing the look on my face, sighed heavily and kissed us both on the cheek before stepping out. Julia got comfortable holding onto a stuffed pink teddy bear but she looked anything but interested in social politics.

  “Wait right here” I told her “I will be back in a flash.” I went to my room to the smaller duffel I had not yet unpacked and tossing its contents onto the bed found the old book I was looking for. Julia looked excited as I hopped onto the bed next to her and she read the title.

  “Fairytales?” She said sadly. “I’m not supposed to read them. Lydia and Ollie say they teach archaic ideas about being rescued and promote unrealistic goals.”

  “Well I’m the one reading the story tonight” I said “and tonight we read about all the things that matter most. All the things that make life worth living.”

  She looked at me excitedly, waiting for me to start reading.

  “Once Upon A Time” I began. We made it through three stories before she was in a deep sleep. In the end, she probably didn’t have a better grasp on our legal system, racism, or social complexity. However, she now knew that sometimes the most loyal friend you could have was a mouse. That sometimes people weren’t always who they seemed, even if their eyes were allegedly only bigger to see you with, and that everyone had the capacity to live happily ever after. It wasn’t in her lesson plan, and maybe it wasn’t all true, but it was important.

  I walked back to my room and took a very long shower until the whole world felt slightly less overwhelming. I put on my comfy pajamas and crawled into bed with a book. I couldn’t concentrate and soon I was staring at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the water rocking us. I yearned to escape into sleep, to be carried away from this sad and disappointing world into my dreams if only for a little while. Dreams where evil was easily distinguished by horns or a black cape. Good never failed you. No one was ever lost along the way and everyone lived happily ever after.

  The soft knocking on the door startled me. Billy peeked his head in cautiously.

  “Is little sister gone to bed?” He asked with a bit too much acid in his voice.

  I sat up, wary of all the hostility my new life had come with.

  “Julia is in bed. Why don’t you come in instead of blocking an exit?”

  The tension seemed to leave his body and he came and plopped down with me on the bed. I tried to remember this was new to both of us. Traveling together, running from something, it could bond people just as easy as it could breed resentment. He stared at me playing idly with a piece of my hair.

  “Do you regret coming with us Billy? If you do, we can get you back to Dublin. All you have to do is say so.”

  He looked at me, and I realized he appeared just as weary as I had.

  “I don’t want to leave LiLi. I just wan
t to be sure we are doing the right thing. Rebecca is a hermit in her room. Olexander hates me. Thomas is somewhat kind but I have no doubt where his allegiances lie, and then there is the girl.”

  “What is your problem with Julia?” I couldn’t place where his negativity was coming from. To me it made no sense.

  “She shouldn’t be here Lily. It’s an abomination. These people are stealing her life away from her. You can pretend to be a big sister all you want, but do you really think this is how it should be. Would you raise a child like this?”

  I felt the heat behind my eyes, threatening a torrent of tears. Billy sighed heavily.

  “I didn’t mean to attack you LiLi, it is just frustrating for me to be around her. The way she worships the monster that raised you.”

  “Olexander is not a monster. He only ever did what he thought was best.”

  “What gave him the right to decide? Come on Lil, you’ve been alive long enough to know that some of the most terrible things in the world started out with the best of intentions. I know you like her but one day she will wake up alone, just as you did. We can stop this if we can stop Collecting, stop running from the Castus, and live life like normal people.”

  I had to admit the thought sounded nice, living in one place, making friends, going to boring block parties and watching Julia act in a school play. I knew I looked as bewildered as I felt, which is probably why he eased off the bed standing awkwardly next to me.

  His voice softened, and he suddenly was speaking very gently.

  “Just think about it LiLi, this doesn’t have to be our lives. I know you love Olexander. He was your Mentor, your friend, but that might not be all he is. He could be involved in things we don’t know about. One-hundred years is a long time. Just think about it ok?”

  With that he kissed the top of my head and headed for the door.

  “Wait.” I called after him, and he stopped with his hand on the doorknob. I wasn’t sure why I felt the sudden urge to concentrate, to see his aura. Billy was being calm and unbelievably understanding, but I focused all my energy on him. Slowly the air around him took on a very distinct color, light at first and growing more intense by the instant. A bright pulsating crimson red with the faintest black outline oozed from his body.

  “Was there something else you needed LiLi?”

  “I just wanted to say thank you, and have a good night.” I gave him a reassuring smile and he let himself out. There was one thing I needed to know, above all else. An aura with that color did not come from simple jealousy and pure intentions. Something else was going on. I just needed to figure out what.

  Chapter 12

  I sat anxiously at the massive table waiting for everyone to gather for our meeting. I had declared myself officially paranoid and was watching both Billy and Olexander as a hawk studies its prey. Olexander had gone to tuck Julia in and Billy was leisurely walking the deck talking to Clara on his cell phone. Thomas was waiting patiently across from me doing a crossword puzzle. I studied him as well. It was hard not to feel relaxed around him. He always seemed to be comfortable no matter the situation. He looked up and gave me a warm smile before idly returning to his puzzle. The sudden movement to my left startled me, and I was even more surprised to see Rebecca take a seat next to me. I had barely ever spoken to her, but I had always taken note that she was never physically close to anyone, human or Collector alike. Now she was very close to me, almost uncomfortably close. I gave her a quick smile and returned my hawk-vision to Billy.

  “Do you watch him because he is handsome, or because he cannot be trusted?” Rebecca asked, staring into my eyes, impatiently waiting for an answer. It was amazing how despite her look of youth, Rebecca seemed quite old. Her voice for instance came out coarse and gravelly. She had the remnants of an accent I couldn’t place. Probably the accent of a culture long since died out. She wore very modest clothing, high necks and long skirts, in dull muted colors. The color of her hair, almost white, hinted at her true age as well. I looked at her confused by her sudden interest.

  “Why would you think Billy cannot be trusted?” I asked. I could feel my heart racing.

  “You are not the only one who sees the true color of people my darling.”

  Her tone was harsh, almost, chiding. She got up and moved across the table a few seats down from Thomas. I wanted to ask her more. I wanted to drag her inside and make her tell me exactly what that particularly cryptic comment meant, and why she thought Billy could not be trusted. However, Olexander took her place in the chair to my left. Billy took note that we were all waiting and clicked his cell phone shut, before he quickly took the seat to my right. Both of them inched their chairs closer to mine. I felt like the baby in the Judgment of Solomon. I wondered who would have me cut in half.

  The whole thing was ironic, and downright hilarious, considering I slightly suspected each one could be a murderer. Of course, I wasn’t sure since the only evidence I had was an overactive imagination and office supplies. Olexander began the meeting by first explaining why exactly we had gone to Madrid. He had been in contact with his Mystic friend in Prague, Nela. Nela or as I liked to think of her, ‘the woman who predicted my untimely demise’. Nevertheless, I suppose Nela was shorter. She had seen a group of five Collectors hiding in the outskirts of Madrid. They were trying to blend in, but apparently failing miserably at it because three of the five had already been killed. His proposed plan was to find the remaining two, bring them to safety, and find out as much as we could about the Castus who had killed their kin. Rebecca was to stay behind with Julia so she didn’t accidently anesthetize the Collectors we would be bringing back with us. That meant Thomas, Billy, Olexander and I formed the search and rescue, try not to get dead, party. After laying out his plan, he sat quietly waiting for our responses. Rebecca simply shook her head before getting up and leaving the table. I took that as a no to the plan. Thomas was the first to speak up in his friendly calming voice.

  “What if this is a trap? I don’t distrust your friend Olexander, but Mystics are not as infallible as you would like to believe.” Thomas spoke with a genuine concern for everyone’s safety. Somehow, his sweet Australian accent calmed my nerves.

  Olexander seemed to consider his words before speaking again. “Of course I understand the threat Thomas, but those are our people out there. We cannot leave them to die. Also I believe the risk is outweighed by the reward if we can find out everything there is to know about those looking to harm us.”

  Suddenly Billy let out a long hard sigh, as if he was already exasperated with the topic at hand.

  “I agree with Olexander. We cannot hide like scared little mice.”

  We all turned to look at him, all three of us with the same confused expression. Billy was agreeing with Olexander now? Somehow, that fact made me feel loads worse instead of much better.

  “Let us take a vote,” Olexander said calmly. “Everyone in favor of going ahead with the original plan please raise your hand.”

  Olexander and Billy had their hands up instantly, Thomas raised his more hesitantly, and then they all turned their focus on me. Truth was, I didn’t really want to die today. I was in the middle of a really good book, and being alive had always worked out for me, not to mention I couldn’t imagine what it would do to Julia. Yes, dying wasn’t something I was in the mood for today, but I raised my hand nonetheless. I had a duty, no matter how obscure, and a loyalty, no matter how one sided, to the other Collectors. They were my people, and if there was one belief I held to be true, it was that you defend your people at all costs.

  “When do we leave?” Was all I could ask without annoyance coloring my voice. I found it funny that being the emotion I had settled on. I wasn’t scared, or even angry, I was simply annoyed with the inconvenient timing that might be my own death. I let out a small giggle despite myself, which made me look completely nuts. Olexander studied my face for a brief moment before answering me.

  “We will leave at midnight, and begin at the motel wh
ere Nela believes the survivors may still be hiding. Until then watch out for one another.” We all stared at Olexander as if we were all waiting to be dismissed from class.

  “Well I suppose I will see you all at midnight.” said Thomas, as he got up and leisurely walked off the dock toward the busy waterfront. Olexander coughed loudly and excused himself as well, leaving the dock headed toward town. For a group supposed to watch out for one another, everyone seemed to be wandering off. I looked at Billy, still seated.

  “How do you plan to pass the next four hours?” I asked.

  “Well I could think of a few things we could do together to pass the time,” He said with a smirk. I blushed and threw one of the throw pillows at him. He was suddenly very serious.

  “LiLi this could be our last night on earth. Don’t you think we should enjoy it?”

  I eyed him, trying to figure out if he was seriously suggesting a quick torrid night of passion before our possible demise. I didn’t have to think long before he yanked me out of my chair and on to his lap, kissing me wildly. We stumbled back to my room, making enough noise to wake the dead. I had never been happier that my room was somewhat secluded from the others. I didn’t need Olexander to get an eyeful, any more than I wanted to have to explain this to a twelve year old. We fumbled into the dark room unbuttoning each other’s shirts as quickly as possible when we both tripped backwards over the ottoman falling onto the bed. I wanted him, more than I thought I would. The intensity of him reminded me of the first time I saw him standing at the library door and how I’d imagined this exact moment before I even knew who he was. His chiseled chest pressed against me as he kissed me forcefully. I could feel his heart beating rhythmically with mine. He stopped just long enough to whisper in my ear.