by Ashley Drake
“Why hasn’t he been adopted already? He’s gorgeous.”
“People are afraid of him. He weighs one-thirty and doesn’t have the best bedside manners.” He saw the worried look on my face and explained.
“No, nothing bad. He was just standoffish to strangers and never tried to make a good impression. He had given up on trying to fit in. Right Rex?”
“Okay first of all, he does not look like a Rex and second, I can relate to not fitting in.”
I knelt down on my knees to look him eye to eye. His head was so big, it looked as if it made two of mine. I could see why people were afraid of him. Except for those eyes. Eyes that were filled with such love and loyalty, just waiting to be given to someone willing to give him a chance.
“If you will have me, I will give you a good home and all the love you could ever ask for.”
I looked to Daniel for a response. “He chooses you. He feels the connection too.”
As if to confirm what Daniel said, Rex licked the side of my face and wagged his long slender tail in joy.
I couldn’t help but giggle. “We have to do something about your name. How about Mojo?”
“Mojo? Seriously?” Daniel snorted.
“Why not? He could be my magical charm.” I thought it was cleaver.
I was almost insulted when I thought of another name. “What about Blaze?”
Daniel smiled as Rex’s ears perked up at the sound of the name. “Hey, I think he likes it.”
“Well then, Blaze it is. You will be my light.” I gave him a tight hug and buried my face in his fur. “You will never have to worry about fitting in again.”
After Daniel paid the fee, and stopping for dog food and such, we went home to introduce Blaze to my parents. Blaze was on his best behavior and Dad instantly fell in love with him. Mom, on the other hand, needed convincing. After promising that Blaze would not mess up her O.C.D. life and house, (and signing it with my blood- kidding) she reluctantly was on board. It was Daniel telling her that Blaze would protect me that sealed the deal.
Daniel and I showed him around the house, starting with the back yard so he could do his business. I saved my room for last.
“And this is our room. You can sleep with me but if you hear Mom coming you better jump down so her head won’t burst. Deal?” I looked at Daniel to interpret.
“This is between you and Blaze. The two of you need to communicate and learn each others body language without my help. I won’t be here all the time to play go between. Besides, it’s not like he ‘talks’ to me. He give me images and feelings. The same feelings you have learned you can pick up on also.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“I know, but I just want Blaze to be happy.” Daniel pulled me closer to him and kissed my jaw line. “That makes me happy.”
He moved lower to place kisses on my neck. “How bout that?”
“Delighted.” I teased.
“And this?” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and made his way to my lips.
“Ecstatic.”
Daniel went in for another kiss when Blaze nuzzled his way between us. “Umm, excuse you.” He laughed. “It’s rude to interrupt. You and Jaycee are going to get along just fine.”
We spent the rest of the day working with Blaze on simple commands; sit, stay, lay, and to be easy when receiving a treat. Daniel came up with his own command- protect. He had to cheat a little bit to get Blaze to understand by getting into his mind and showing him examples of what the word meant. So, now if I feel threatened, all I have to say is protect, and Blaze will be on guard. I don’t much like the thoughts of Blaze getting in harms way by putting himself in front of me, but I do have to admit I feel safer for it.
By the end of the night Blaze and I both were ready for bed. Mom had put his oversized, pillow bed next to mine, but when she left my room, he jumped up next to me.
“Good night Blaze. I love you.”
He licked my face and made his way to the foot of my bed.
It was the best sleep I’ve had in weeks. Until the sounds of rocks hitting my window woke me at midnight.
Chapter 14
Blaze must have heard the sound before I did, because he was standing on the bed facing the window, hair raised and growling, when I woke. I got out of bed and tiptoed to the window and tried to peek out the side of my curtain. I was relieved to see it was Jaycee, but a whole new set of questions flooded my mind.
I pushed back the curtains and opened my window. “Jaycee, what are you doing here? Do you know what time it is, and why are you throwing rocks at my window?”
Jaycee stumbled back a few feet. “I’ve seen it in movies. Shhhhhh.” She tried to put her finger to her lips, it took her three tries to accomplish it. “Come outside so I can talk to you.”
I put on the robe Mom got me, which I never used because, ya know, I’m not sixty. However, tonight I was glad to have it, being that it was like thirty three degrees outside. Blaze and I started out my bedroom door. I made my way through the living room, trying to be as quiet as possible, and grabbed the red blanket Mom leaves on the back of the couch just in case this was a long talk.
By the time I made it to the back yard, my best friend, for as long as I can remember, was sprawled out on a lounge chair, drunk.
“Jaycee, you are wasted! Where did you get alcohol?”
“Where’s there a will, well you know the rest.” She slurred as she stood up and walked, if that’s what you want to call it, toward me. Apparently, a drunk person doesn’t know the meaning of personal space, seeing as she stopped only inches from my face. When she spoke, her breath nearly knocked me over.
“I love you Hannah Banana.” She hugged me, either out of that love or just trying to stay upright. “Let’s turn lesbian and get married. We can have a sexless marriage, lots of people do.”
Before I had time to respond, Jaycee finally focused on Blaze. “Oh, shit, Hannah. Don’t turn around, but there is a hellhound following you!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, the look on her face was priceless. “Blaze is not a hellhound. He is my Christmas gift from Daniel. Blaze, come meet Jaycee.”
“Here kitty kitty kitty.” Jaycee snorted at her own self. “That’s not how to
call a dog. Here puppy puppy puppy.” She said all this while trying to snap her fingers together to get Blaze’s attention- trying being the key word.
Blaze obeyed, only after giving me a look that said he questioned my judgment in friends. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” Jaycee tried to squat down to pet Blaze but ended up on her butt. “That’s gonna hurt in the morning.”
“Along with your head. Did you drive over here in your condition?”
“No, I walked. I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever…… that doesn’t even sound like a word anymore.”
“What’s going on? This isn’t you, you don’t drink.”
“I do now. The new, single, me does now.”
“Oh no, what happened?”
“Don’t be sad, don’t, don’t, don’t be sad. I’m a strong independent woman, I don’t need Mike.” She proceeded to spell out the word ‘independent’ in a song, and ended up adding more letters than needed. “Why do I need him when I can do this?” She opened her hand a formed a tiny fireball, hovering above her palm, and started to chant. “On this night, in this hour…”
Without thinking, I quickly put my hand over hers to snuff it out. After realizing what I had done, I expected to feel pain, but I didn’t. Her magic couldn’t hurt me. Something to think about.
“No drunk rhyming or playing with fire! Come inside, we’re going to sober you up and then you can tell me what happened with Mike.” I wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and led her, which means I supported her weight, toward the house.
“Hey! Do you wanna go skinny dipping in your pool?” She asked as she tried to pull me back.
“No. It’s December.”
“Wellll, let’s dance!
I can teach you how to twerk.” She squatted and started shaking her hips.
Bless her, it looked less like dancing and more like seizures. And me without my camera.
“I’m really not feeling it.” I guided her to the door.
“You are no fun at all. You poop on all my ideas. Do you know how hard I try to make your life fun?” She tried to point at me as she spoke. But, I’m guessing by the way she aimed her finger to the left and right of me, she was seeing more than one of me.
“It sounds like such a burden.”
She grabbed my hand and started jumping up and down like a three year old. “Hey! I know, let’s…”
“Let’s go inside, Jaycee.”
She put her arms behind her back so I couldn’t hold onto her. “Can we make cookies?”
“We’ll see. We need to get you cleaned up first.” I felt like the mother of a toddler.
When we walked in the back door to the kitchen, I felt something. Someone. It didn’t take me long to process it. Mom had been there. She had woken up and heard us in the backyard, yet went back to bed to let me handle it. She trusted me. I don’t know if she meant to let that linger behind for me to get, or if it was by accident. Either way, it made me feel good.
The first thing I did was call Carol, Jaycee’s mom, and told her that Jaycee had stopped by to talk and that we fell asleep watching a movie. I said that I woke up and saw what time it was and wanted to let them know she was fine. Carol fused, but only a little. I assured her that I would have Jaycee home first thing in the morning. I hate lying, but I’m not going to snitch on my best friend. I know she would do the same for me.
I then put on a fresh pot of coffee, and while it brewed, I put Jaycee in the shower. It was a true testament of our friendship for me to undress her, put her in, and stand there to make sure she didn’t drown. To help clear her mind, and for my own enjoyment, I turned the water to cold. I laughed at her yelp, then shushed us both so we wouldn’t wake my parents.
I got her out and judged that she could dry her own self off. So, while she did that, I went and got her some warm pajamas and put her clothes in the washing machine. If she went home smelling like a brewery her parents would figure it out pretty quickly.
By half past one Jaycee was sitting on my bed with a cup of coffee in her hand looking, for the most part, like herself.
“How are you feeling?”
“A little loopy, still a little buzzed.” Blaze laid his head in her lap. I got a sense from him that he felt her pain and wanted to comfort her. I could relate, I felt it too. “This is really your gift from Daniel? I mean, Blaze is adorable and all, but hasn’t Daniel heard of jewelry? No offense, Blaze.” She absently stroked his back. “And where the hell did you get the name Blaze?”
“She’s back.” I giggled. “He’s fierce and my protector, my light, so I named him Blaze.”
“I guess it suits you.” She said as she studied him. “He has smart, soulful eyes. It was meant for you to have him, ya know?”
“I kinda figured that too.” I didn’t ask about Mike, wanting her to tell me in her own time and pace.
Tears filled her eyes. “Thank you for being here for me and taking care of me.”
“Always.” I took her cup and sat it down on the nightstand and put her hands in mine, and waited.
“I spent the day with Mike and we were having a great time. Romantic even. We stopped by my house to get my car, because his truck was leaking oil, and visited with my parents. Then we went out to eat for lunch, then to a matinee, then to the new coffee shop in Hudson for cappuccinos. That’s when it all went to shit.” She took the aspirins that I had laid out for her and chased them with the last of her coffee.
“We decided to take our drinks to go so we could sit outside for some privacy. Yes, it was cold, but I thought it would be fun to snuggle to keep warm. So, that’s what we did. We kissed a little bit and flirted a little bit. Then he saw my necklace. I keep it under my shirt, but it must have worked it’s way out. I told him it was a birthday gift from you. When he went to touch it, it shocked him. I made the excuse of static electricity and tried to put it back under my shirt, but he reached for it again. This time he held onto it and it burned him. I mean it really burned him, it left whelped up blisters and everything. He freaked out and wanted to know what was going on. I thought that maybe it was a sign to tell him the truth. To tell him what I really am. So, I did.”
Blood started pounding in my ears. This was it, we would all be committed, or worse- shunned. How would we be able to fight demons with everyone watching our every move?
“I didn’t tell him about you or Daniel, just about me.” I felt guilty for even thinking that she would have. “He didn’t say a word the entire time I told him the story, or for awhile after I was done. But when he finally did, he was so angry. He said I was crazy and that if I wanted to end it there were better ways of doing it. The last thing he said was to never talk to him again, then he left.
“I think my car is still parked somewhere over there. I just started walking and ended up running into Zach and his buddies. They were drinking in the woods behind the park. So, I offered Zach a twenty for the rest of the bottle of liquor in his hand, they had more so they took it. And you know the rest.”
I wanted to look, to see, so bad, but I wouldn’t ask. And I would never look without her permission. “Do you know what he meant when he said if you wanted to end it?”
“Who knows. Maybe he thinks I’m so crazy that I would try to end myself or something.”
“I think he thought you were trying to get him to break up with you by giving him a crazy story. You should talk to him.”
“I’m not talking to him. He has humiliated me and you know my rule- no second chances when it comes to guys.”
“He’s not just a guy, he’s Mike.”
“That makes it worse. I thought he was different. I put him on a freakin’ pedestal from other guys. But he’s right about one thing, I must be crazy to have ever loved him.”
“Don’t make that past tense, you still love him. And before you try to deny your feelings, remember who you are talking to.”
Jaycee’s phone started to vibrate and she picked it up to see who it was. “Mike’s calling me! Can you believe what balls he has? What, did he not finish stomping on my heart the first time and wants round two?”
“Maybe you should answer it.”
“Hell no.” Her phone started vibrating again. After the fourth time calling, her phone went silent.
“Jaycee, call him back.” This time my phone started ringing. I didn’t even have to check to see who it was. “I’m answering it.”
“Don’t you dare!”
“You know you want me to.”
“Whatever.” She tried to act mad, but she still sat there to listen.
“Hello?”
“Han, sorry I’m calling so late, but have you heard from Jaycee?” Mike sounded frantic.
“I’m looking at her right now.”
“Thank God! I went to her house to pick up my truck and saw she wasn’t home yet. So, I went back to the parking lot and her car was still there and I got worried. Then I ran into Zach and he told me about Jaycee buying his fifth of liquor and I really freaked out. Is she okay?
“Physically, yes. Emotionally, no.”
Jaycee flicked my leg. “Don’t tell him that.”
I waved her off with my hand and stood up so she couldn’t reach me or my phone. “You really hurt her, Mike.”
“Oh dear Lord, Hannah, have I taught you nothing? You don’t tell a guy that!” She tried to whisper, so Mike wouldn’t hear, and threw herself back onto my bed. I had a random thought of how perfect she would have been in the old black and white silent movies with her dramatic effects.
“Hannah, I need to talk to her.”
“I don’t think tonight is a good time. Maybe tomorrow, after you both have had time to sleep on it.”
“Or when hell freezes over.” That, M
ike heard.
“Well, at least I hear that she’s okay. Talk to ya later, Han.” He hung up before I could say anything else.
“Did you beat me in the head with a rock?” Jaycee rolled over and put a pillow over her face.
“No. That would be results of a drinking binge. It’s called a hangover.”
“I can’t go home like this. Heck, I can’t move like this. It hurts so bad I’m afraid I’m gonna puke.”
I had an idea. “Make it go away.”
She moved the pillow just enough to where she could look at me with one squinted eye. “Huh?”
“You’re a witch, move the pain out of your head. I don’t think that would be considered personal gain. You have to be on guard and ready at all times for an attack, and you can’t fight with a hangover.”
I pulled the covers back and helped her sit up. “Try to clear your mind. Take a cleansing deep breath in, hold it, and breath out. Picture the pain in your head. What color is it?”
Jaycee tried to focus. “Orange.”
“Contain the orange ball of pain, push it up and out of your head. Command it to leave you.” I placed my hand on her shoulder to connect, giving her powers a boost.
I felt it surge through her and saw her intense concentration. I’m so proud of how she has embraced her birthright, her legacy. Not too long ago she had described herself as my side kick. Yet now, only a few months later, she can manipulate the elements (well, most of them) and cast spells with little effort. And it will only continue to grow. That is, if I can keep her focused. I must walk the fine line of best friend and leader to help guide her, guide us all, on the right path toward winning this battle.
Whoa, that sounded really mature.
You too are embracing your calling, Seer.
I was about to respond to MacKenna’s voice inside my head when something caught my attention. I saw an orange mist float out of the top of Jaycee’s head, and evaporated in mid air.
“Hey, the pain’s gone!”
“I know, I saw it.” I laughed. “Very impressive. Feel better?”
“Much. I’m ready to face today and Mike, IF he contacts me first.”