by H. T. Night
“Maybe I want to do it alone,” I said defiantly.
“Then you’re going to get killed. You might have been Chosen, Josiah, but don’t forget we all were. We have been called to help you. Serve you.”
I looked down at Lena. I needed to tell her the real reason why I gave her the wrong time. “I told you the wrong time because I didn’t want you to get hurt.” Lena raised her head and gently looked up at me. I looked down at her and for the first time, showed how vulnerable I was in her presence. “I don’t care what I have to do; I’m always going to make sure you’re safe.”
Lena reached out her hand and rubbed my arm. “Please let me help you, it’s what I’ve been called to do.” The slightest touch from Lena made me melt. She looked at me lovingly. Dammit, I was falling hard for her. “There is just so much I don’t understand,” I said and took Lena’s hand in mine.
“That’s why you need all of us. We all need you, too.” Lena sat next to me on the couch. Her legs were now touching mine.
I turned to her and said, “It’s hard for me to trust a bunch of people who were trying to kill me a month ago.”
“I know it is. But, you need to remember, you’re one of them now. We both are and we’re all in this together. Wyatt and Hector have had amazing lives. They are good men. They have seen and done things that would blow your mind. You need to trust them. And I don’t have to tell you about Yari. All of them will lay down their lives for you, the same way they were prepared to do for Atticai.” After Lena said ‘Atticai’ she stopped and stared straight ahead.
“Do you still love him?” I asked.
“That kind of thing doesn’t just go away.” Lena let go of my hand.
“Look, I know that there is this beautiful romantic part of you that wanted to live forever by his side. But, you are aware that he was only using you?”
“I know.” Lena held back tears. “I’m just confused.”
“Why?”
“I had my own visions, Josiah. I had amazing dreams where I was this beautiful angel watching over The Chosen.”
“Was it visions? Or wishful thinking?”
“All I know is that I felt so much love when I was watching over him.” Lena shook her head with disgust. “You’re right. It was just some little girl fantasy that got into my subconscious.” Lena now looked defeated.
I couldn’t let her feel this way. “Lena, don’t be upset with yourself. You are this amazingly beautiful woman inside and out. Your heart and soul is why the Triat chose you for this venture. Just because the details weren’t what they seemed, doesn’t mean anything less. You’re a spectacular woman.”
“I guess I’m still that.” Lena looked at her body. “I may be a Mani, but I’m still a woman.”
I looked at Lena and she was as beautiful as ever. “That you are.”
“The sun is up,” she said.
“Yes, it is. We should probably get some rest.”
I got up and Lena laid her legs across the couch. She closed her eyes. I went to the closet and got out a blanket out for her. It was an orange and white cover; one that my grandmother had made for me when I was five years old. It was my favorite blanket. I walked over holding the blanket and looked down on this beautiful young woman lying on my couch. Why did I have such intense feelings for her?
Lena opened her eyes and looked up at me. She gave me a warm smile. “Do you need something, mister?” she asked in a very sweet, innocent voice.
“Do you want a blanket?” I asked.
“That would be nice.”
I laid the blanket gently on top of her. I then sat on the floor and leaned my back up against the couch. I closed my eyes and sighed aloud. I just wanted to be near her.
Lena said softly in my ear, “Before all this happened, Josiah. What did you believe in?”
I sighed again. “I don’t even know.”
“Really?” You didn’t believe in anything?”
“Do you mean like God, heaven, and hell?
“Yeah. Did you believe in any of that?”
“I remember going to a church youth group when I was a sophomore in high school with a girl I was dating at the time. The pastor guy asked if anyone wanted to come forward to be prayed for. I remember wanting to believe in what he was saying so badly. I even went forward and got prayed for. The guy prayed with me. I had to admit, it was intense.”
“So what happened?”
“Nothing happened. I started wondering if what I felt was more of a belief in a Creator or for something greater than myself.”
“What do you mean exactly?” Lena sat up again. She seemed very interested in what I thought.
“Maybe what I felt was a hope that a God could exist and that my life had a plan.”
“But it does have a plan,” Lena said with conviction.
“I know now that it does. I’m trying to figure out what my stake in this is. I guess I can accept that I am needed to help make a change. But I still need guidance. I feel like I’m dangling. I feel the Triat, or whoever is leading this life, has left me to figure it out on my own.”
“Have you stopped to listen?”
“Listen to whom?”
“I’m not going to pretend I know the answers, Josiah. But one thing is for sure, I’m listening.” Lena closed her eyes. She lay back down and wrapped herself up in the blanket.
She was quiet and I just listened to her breathe. I had never done that with anyone before. It was comforting.
I got up and tucked her in, went to my room to grab a pillow and blanket and walked back to the living room. I made a little bed with my blanket on the carpet and lay on the floor next to Lena.
As I rested, I closed my eyes. I felt my body and mind drift off. I could feel my muscles rebuilding. I’d had an insane night and my body definitely needed to relax and recover. I concentrated on my muscles and tendons. It felt wonderful lying there. I was in harmony with my body.
Suddenly, I felt a jolt through my entire body. I opened my eyes instantly. I was in a dream; this was my first one since becoming a Mani. I was lying in a field on the side of what appeared to be a hill. I was in front of a gigantic beautiful white castle. The castle was huge and majestic. It was something out of a fairy tale. I got to my feet and walked toward this magnificent place. There was brush out front, and what appeared to be pine trees. At the front of the great white castle, I could see something moving. Whatever it was, it wasn’t that tall. I walked closer to this creature. It was a grayish-blue color. It almost looked like a gnome without the pointed hat. He was no taller than three feet.
A sudden burst of wind came over me. And the air became smoky. The little blue man walked over to me.
“Come and see me,” he said.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“As of right now, that will not be important. But I do have a message for you.”
This was definitely a vision. My surroundings felt as real as day. “What is it, friend?”
The creature looked at me with disdain, as if to say, “We are not friends.” He looked off to the side as if to purposely not look me in the eyes. Finally, he said, “Tame the wolf.”
“Huh?” I replied.
“If you tame the wolf, you will find yourself.”
I looked at the blue Smurf-like creature. “What wolf?” I asked.
“Tame the wolf and you will find yourself,” he repeated. He was obviously being cryptic on purpose.
“Will I see you again?” I asked.
“Most definitely,” the little man replied. “For now, you need to do what I’ve told you.”
With that I woke up and was staring at the ceiling in my living room. I looked at the clock, it was 7:00 p.m. Man I was out a long time. I could hear dishes being washed in the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” I called out to Lena.
“Cleaning up; you live like a pig.”
“I do the necessities.” I got up, stretched my arms, and then made my way to the kitchen.
“There is a green fungus growing in your sink that I’m pretty sure would have killed you if you were mortal.”
I laughed, “You don’t have to clean, especially a life-threatening green fungus.”
“Trust me, if I’m going to be staying here, it’s the least I can do.”
“I have a guest room you can sleep in. You don’t have to sleep on the couch.”
“That will be fine. Thank you.” Lena put the last of the dishes away in the cupboard. I liked seeing Lena in my kitchen. It felt right, almost natural.
“So, you’re pretty domestic?” I asked.
“Not really. I just can’t stand filth.”
“I guess I’ve been living like a slob as of late. That’s what barricading yourself in a house will do to you. Why don’t you put your things in the guest room?”
Lena nodded and walked by me to get to the living room where her suitcase was still on the floor next to the T.V. I caught a whiff of her perfume or deodorant. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating.
“Wow, you smell good,” I said, a bit awkwardly.
“Do I?” Lena stopped and smelled her shirt. “I’m not wearing fragrance. It’s just little ol’ me.”
“Well, you smell great.” Now I had made things even more weird by piggy-backing my original compliment. I tried to save myself, “I’ll go to the store later and get some things for your room. Who knows, I might even decorate it.”
“You don’t have to do that, Josiah.”
“I would love to. How about a nice ballerina theme? We’ll do the whole thing in pink.” Lena socked me in the arm playfully.
“You’re right.” I said. “You have gotten stronger. I almost felt the punch.”
“Oh really, tough guy? Almost felt it? I’ll give you something to feel.” Lena began playfully punching me all over. “Chosen One or not, I’ll whip your ass.”
“Oh, you think.” I grabbed Lena’s arms after her last punch nearly got me in the chin. I had a sister growing up so I knew how to be physical with a girl without being rough. In one quick motion, I turned her body around so her back was pressed against me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight in a bear hug. Not too hard, but I was definitely in control.
“Oh, big, bad, Josiah has to prove his manhood.”
“I don’t need to prove anything. Don’t forget I’m kind of special.” I loosened my grip. As I did, Lena paused and then backed into me as if to say, “Don’t let go.” That threw me off a little bit. But I definitely liked it. It was a subtle gesture. I leaned into her and my grip became a hug. I rested my head on the top of hers. She felt nice in my arms.
We stood there in my kitchen, just swaying almost as if we were slow dancing. Neither one of us said a word. We were two people, two new vampires, having a moment. One thing that hasn’t changed since becoming a Mani was my heart and my soul. I loved the same, maybe even more. It was like I could see truth in another light. Lena was my truth. She was my salvation in the midst of all this madness.
Lena turned around. “Josiah.” She cupped my face. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
“I don’t know.” I looked at her and stared into her eyes. I felt her love toward me. My love for her was overwhelming. Why was I an open book to this woman? “This is hard,” I said. “I’m trying to be strong, but it’s damn hard.”
Lena turned around and now she was facing me. She was a foot shorter than me so I crouched a little. She touched my face with the back of her right hand. I could feel tears burning my eyes.
“Sweet, Josiah,” Lena whispered. “How did you, of all people, get caught up in this?”
“I’m a little more than just caught up in it. I’m being consumed by it.” I felt the warmth of Lena’s breath on my neck. She wrapped her arms around my waist.
“I’m not upset about Atticai. I need you to know that.” She looked up at me and tightened her grip around my waist. “I need you to know that I am very grateful that you saved my life.”
I looked down on this petite, delicate woman. She had my heart.
She said, “I’m glad you understand, because I would do it all over again.”
“I know you would.”
“Lena, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“A lot of weird stuff happened last night during my fight. I knocked the first guy out quickly, but the second guy was a beast. And I was using powers by accident.”
“What kind of powers?”
I stepped back and Lena let go of my waist. I went back into the kitchen to the sink. I grabbed a glass and poured myself some water. “Okay, last night… during the fight, I was able to move a 400-pound boulder using just my mind.”
“Are you kidding?”
“No, I’m not kidding. I was able to move this gigantic rock just using my thoughts.”
“How did that happen?”
“I really don’t know. I was getting the crap beat out of me by this gorilla.”
“You were?” Lena seemed concerned.
“Obviously, I’m okay. I’m here with you now.”
“Alright,” Lena hesitated. “Go on.”
“This 450-pound man was on top of me and I had my face in the dirt. He was beating on me something fierce and I was running out of options. I could see a giant white boulder about 20 feet away. I could also see to the left of me a group of Carni laughing and mocking me. I remember just wishing in my heart that somehow that boulder would lift off the ground and fly into the crowd to shut them up.”
“Did it?”
“Not at first. I stared at the boulder as a point of focus. That’s something you learn from fighting on the streets. Whenever you’re getting the crap beat out of you, the way you don’t pass out is maintaining a point of focus.”
She got even paler than she was. “Okay, go on.” Lena did not like this story.
“I stared at the boulder and then wished in my heart this thing would lift up. I shot my eyes at the crowd. Then, as if the hand of God himself picked up the boulder, it rose off the ground and catapulted 20 yards in the air and crashed into the crowd.”
Lena looked at me with absolute amazement. “I have never heard of that. That’s telekinesis. That is unprecedented! No Mani has ever been able to do that. At least it hasn’t been documented.”
“That wasn’t the only thing. Every time I jumped, I would float.”
“Float?”
“Yeah, float like a helium balloon.”
“Not fly, but float?” Lena was even more bewildered.
“No, I flew too, but at first, I floated. I floated a few times until I realized my body was trying to fly.”
“Josiah, do you understand what this means?”
“No, not really.”
“I think the Triat has given you all the Mani gifts and more.”
“What are the gifts?” I asked.
“Most Mani are given one. It is up to them to find out what it is.”
“Just one?”
“Some Mani’s only gift is transitioning. But transitioning is what makes Mani who we are, so it’s not really a gift. It’s a given.”
“So what about the other stuff, Lena?”
“I have never heard of a Mani flying in their Mani form, nor to being able to move things with their mind.”
“Never?” I asked.
“I have only been in the know for a couple of years. There are a lot of legends and rumors.”
I walked back into the living room and sat in the big chair. Lena looked at me and grinned at the satisfied look I had as I eased into the chair. “Men and their chairs. You all have your thrones, even if they are only in front of a big-screen TV.”
“Ahh. Yep.” I closed my eyes and enjoyed the comfort of the chair.
Lena smiled. “Did you try to do what I told you to do when you went to bed last night?”
“Which was what?” I asked.
“Did you listen? Did you open yourself up to all of this?”
I smiled at L
ena. “Actually, I did.”
“You did?”
“Yep, I did. And you know what? I think I had my first vision.”
“Really?” Lena was surprised.
“Uh-huh.”
“Anything you’d like to share?”
I wasn’t ready to share my vision. I wasn’t even sure if I was supposed to. “I will at another time.”
“When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
“I’m counting on it.”
“Well, you do know, don’t you, the rest of us have had visions since that infamous night?”
“Everyone has?” I asked.
“Everyone has. Even Hector.”
“Well, what are they?”
Lena retracted in her body language.
“Is it bad?” I was now concerned.
“It’s not bad. I mean it could be if we don’t succeed.”
“Succeed?”
“Surely, you didn’t think this was going to end the night you turned into a vampire. That’s when all of this began. Josiah, when you’re ready to share your vision, we will all share ours with you. Otherwise, I’m afraid we will overwhelm you.”
It’s amazing how well Lena already knew me. “Okay,” I said. She was right. I wasn’t ready for her to dump a bunch of visions on me.
“So, what are you going to do right now?” she asked.
“I need to get some fresh air. I was thinking about going for a light jog.”
“Don’t go to any more frat parties.”
“Oh, I won’t.” I got up from the chair and walked down the hallway into my bedroom. I went into my closet and pulled out my running shoes. I sat on my bed and took off my jeans. My back was sore from sleeping on the floor. I decided to jump in the shower before my run to and allow the hot water to loosen up my back. It was a little trick I learned in MMA to shower before and after a workout. I removed the rest of my clothes. I stood in my bedroom looking at my naked body in the mirror. I stared at my skin. It was so pale. I use to be pinkish tan, and now I looked like someone had dusted me all over in baby powder. I grabbed a towel from my laundry basket and wrapped it around my pale body. I stepped out of my room and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. Lena was in there .