Days of Fury

by B. J. Castillo

  Caleb sighed.

  His notorious relief caused Evelyn's grace. The memories of the previous day, in Caleb's room, were still fresh in her head. Bring them, fanning a strange and pleasant tingling in her chest. She smiled

  Caleb's gray eyes had been fixed on her for a long time, she could not help but blush at the warning.

  “It what happened last night...” Eve began.

  “I know.” Caleb smiled thinly, and extended his hand to caress Evelyn's cheek with the back. “It was wonderful.”

  Evelyn's heart began to tumble in her chest. A laugh bloomed on her lips, inevitable. A lovely tension ran between them, in that room where they were. Caleb continued to look at her, admiring her, like a painter contemplating his masterpiece. Finding the path that led her to her lips was dizzying for Evelyn's current state, and she was grateful that Caleb took the first step: he approached her, put his arms around her, grabbed her firmly, and planted a passionate kiss. Caleb's lips, moving placidly over hers, were warm and moist, comforting.

  “Evelyn,” Caleb sighed, brushing his mouth with hers. “I have to tell you something.”

  “What?” She sighed in the same way.

  “Kerr,” he said slowly, “he asked me to tell you to go to the lab.”

  Another kiss.

  “Why?” Actually the question was another one: Why had to interrupt abruptly that moment? Another kiss. “What does Professor Kerr want?” As if she did not already know.

  Caleb moved a little away from her and stroked her lower lip with the tip of his thumb, following the path with his gaze.

  “He said, expressly, that you shouldn’t lose your lesson today with him," he said. “Make sure it is important.”

  “It's better to be,” Evelyn said, and reluctantly pulled away from Caleb.

  * * *

  In fact, Professor Kerr was waiting for her in the laboratory as she did every day. He was sitting in the swivel chair, in a position as carefree as Evelyn had ever seen him. Noticing the presence of the girl, the professor straightened up and raised his thick gray brows behind his glasses. His smile was bright.

  That afternoon they talked about many things; Kerr commented his concern for her, given what happened that day. Evelyn reassured him and said he felt better. The professor did not ask her about the discomfort that had befallen her, for Evelyn, intentionally, had hinted that Becca's suggestions at lunch contained a little truth.

  Although it might not be worth hiding what had actually happened, in the end, as Tadhg had told her, Kerr already knew all about the origin of the agents and what Evelyn represented, especially, for two of them.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Caleb's training as agent of the future officially began the next day, while Evelyn would continue with hers as she had left it the last time. In the training room were the agents of the future, the shelters and the marriage formed by Professor Kerr and Dr. Claire.

  They were all watching the two combatants, fighting hand to hand in the center of the room on thin gummy polyethylene mats. Evelyn was one of the contenders. In the conditions Rhys was, Juno had had to take her place, so she was the one facing her at that moment. The fight had lasted longer than anyone had expected it to last.

  Evelyn was exhausted, and she was sweating in places where it was better not to think. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing ragged, though she still had a little energy to continue. She hoped that energy would be enough, since Juno looked almost impeccable compared to Eve's: only a few hairs covered her face, a hint of sweat on her forehead, and her chest, a little accelerated. She threw herself forward and kicked Evelyn knee-high. She failed. Evelyn was faster and took Juno's foot doing a tricky turn with her own leg, an improvised and foolish move, from the expert perspective; she even won the laughter of some of those present.

  Tadhg smiled with his head tilted so that Eve did not see him, but she saw him. Dawit also smiled. Rhys applauded as if she had seen a master tactical move.

  However, Evelyn's stark stance failed in her favor: when projecting the turn, she staggered forward and fell face down. Juno also rushed. Although it was the most awkward, at least that showed that Juno was more exhausted than it appeared. Her fall was equal or more awkward than Evelyn's.

  Both stood up late. Rhys's applause faded. Out of the corner, Evelyn noticed that Becca had a satirical smile sketched on her lips. If she lost to Juno she would give her the satisfaction of seeing her at that moment, and that was the real reason for Eve's integrity. Although her legs were weakening, Evelyn took the defensive posture that Tadhg had taught her: one foot forward, one back and arms slightly raised with hands clenched like fists.

  Juno was older than Evelyn; although not higher. Her short black hair stuck to her temples as if imitating a swimmer's cap. Her tanned skin prevented the blush of tiredness from appearing on her cheeks, the exact opposite of Evelyn, whose cheeks were so flushed that they looked like the curves of an apple.

  Eve said in Caleb, who was staring at her, with a neutral expression and a hint of a smile on his lips. Evelyn smiled thinly. She closed her eyes for a moment; inhaled, exhaled; she secured her feet to the ground and squared her position more. Then, Juno and she began to move in circles waiting for the attack of the other. Half a minute later, the fight was over and Evelyn came out triumphant as she surprised the other girl with a folding key that ended up causing Juno to moan in pain with her back arched inward and her face contracted.

  “You have done great, Eve,” Rhys said as Evelyn approached the benches and sat on it, leaning her back against the wall behind her. “I admit that at first I doubted, because Juno in an incredible adversary and has more time trained than you.” She handed the thermos of water to Evelyn, and Evelyn took it with an avid gesture to her mouth.

  She took a deep breath, and when she lowered the thermos, she released all the breath that was contained in her chest. She handed Rhys the empty thermos. Juno was also sitting next to her, stuffing her mouth with another thermos of water. Evelyn looked toward the center of the room, where Caleb was waiting for his opponent. Dawit was talking to him, apparently, showing him how to stand up so he would not stumble and how high he should raise his arms. Caleb listened intently and nodded several times.

  Then Dawit moved away from the center of the room, and Caleb turned from side to side; his bewilderment was more than evident. He had expected to face his first battle simulation against Dawit, but instead Tadhg made his way to him with short, carefree strides. As he approached Caleb, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw the garment at Rhys. At another time, that performance would have taken Evelyn's breath away.

  Tadhg was the most attractive man she had ever seen: he was tall, and muscled. He had thick arms like small trunks and an abdomen marked in several boxes that went from the prominent pectorals to the top line of his sweatpants. His face was atypical to that of a blue prince with whom all young girls dream; rather, his features had a hard character like that of a barbarian or a Viking. His scowl was ruthless, and Eve reminded him terribly of her father.

  “He's a boaster,” Rhys was saying as she removed Tadhg's shirt from her face, where it had fallen when Tadhg threw it at her. “I feel bad for Caleb.” She touched Evelyn's shoulder and she turned to look at her. “Tadhg will not harm him,” she added.

  Evelyn was not sure about it. Since its extraction, Tadhg had behaved particularly hostile to Caleb; he would press his lips and frown when they were close, or he would comment underneath, or simply leave the room where he entered. That morning, for example, when Caleb appeared in the dining room for breakfast and sat at the table shared between the agents and Evelyn, Tadhg slammed his fists on the table and left in fumes.

  On the way to the training room, Eve had tried to get Rhys right, but Rhys didn’t say a word and shrugged deliberately. Evelyn began to draw her own conclusions: perhaps father and son did not have the best relationship in the future, perhaps some action of adult Caleb had earn
ed the contempt of Tadhg. Whatever the reason, Evelyn had decided not to participate in matters of future interest, at least not for the time being.

  Tadhg raised an eyebrow, slyly, and adopted the same posture he had taught Evelyn days ago, but better. With strong arms raised slightly, he signaled Caleb to encourage his precipitation. Belatedly, Caleb reproduced Tadhg's posture almost perfectly. If Tadhg was surprised, he gave no sign of it. He made other signs.

  “Come on, Caleb —show me what you have,” Tadhg said in a voice that distilled acid. “Come on!”

  Caleb growled and threw the first punch. Tadhg leaned over and dodged, smiling like a laughing child. Evelyn hated him at that moment. Tadhg began to move in circles around Caleb like a predator cornering his prey. He made more signs.

  “Come on, boy,” said Tadhg, moving with fine agility.

  Caleb lashed out again. His arm went beyond Tadhg's cheek, who laughed and let his guard down.

  “What a waste of time,” he said, laughing.

  Caleb raised his arms and pulled his shirt over his head. Evelyn felt her cheeks heat and her lips dry, both at the same time. He held his breath. Caleb wasn’t as muscular as Tadhg, but he did have long, strong arms. He was smaller than Tadhg, but he almost reached in size. His abdomen was as marched in boxes as Tadhg's, although not as pronounced.

  “I see why you like it,” Juno commented.

  When Eve looked over to see her, Juno shrugged and looked away.

  “He's hot,” she heard Rhys say.

  Eve went to her ear.

  “Remember he's your father,” she whispered.

  “I know.” Rhys smiled flatly and shrugged. “Who do you think Tadhg inherited that from?”

  Evelyn blushed and looked back to the center of the room, as both fighters circled the mattresses as Eve and Juno had done in the final round. Evelyn only hoped that Rhys was right and that Tadhg would not hurt Caleb. They two, there, half naked and face to face, gave a charming image.

  Then Caleb threw the first punch at Tadhg's cheek. “Never rush,” he had advised Evelyn in one of his previous lessons. Caleb had rushed, he had missed; Tadhg dodged him and took his arm to propel him forward and make him fall. Caleb stood up quickly, not daring to look to the sides. “Never let your guard down." Tadhg projected the next blow, and surprise covered his face when Caleb dodged it and responded suddenly with another punch. This time he did not fail.

  Tadhg stood still and with his face cocked. Slowly, he looked back at Caleb and glared at him with blue eyes like a hell of blue fire. “Oh, no,” she heard Rhys whisper, which was the proclamation of what happened next. Tadhg pummeled Caleb, so hard, that the boy arched back and fell several inches away from the place where he was motionless a moment ago.

  Chaos erupted. Dawit rushed towards Tadhg to stop him in his next burst of anger. Juno also appeared at her side to do the same. Rhys and Evelyn stood up and went to Caleb, who was already being examined by Dr. Claire. Caleb was bleeding from his bruised nose. Hailee started to howl like a scary baby, and Jim made a move to comfort her. Professor Kerr tried to calm the child as he led her out of the room with Jim.

  Becca, of course, was comforting Tadhg as if he had been affected, but Tadhg was reluctant. His angry gaze was like a drill that pierced Caleb's face. Juno and Dawit had taken him to the other extreme. Evelyn stood up and crossed the space toward him. Tadhg did not expect it; Eve gave him a setback equal or stronger than the one he had projected to Caleb. Tadhg reached for the place where he received the blow and turned to her, stunned.

  Evelyn, removing from her mind the burning pain in the knuckles of the hand that reached Tadhg's cheek, kept her looking so furious that the man cringed like a scolded child and left the room in a hurry. Nobody, not even Becca, bothered to follow him. Evelyn went back to where Caleb was standing, who was standing with Dawit's help. Concerned, she occupied the other place and took him to the clinic while scarlet tears were bleeding from his nose.

  “Never,” Tadhg had said in one of his lessons, “forget what your purpose is.”

  Evelyn wondered if he had forgotten hers.

  * * *

  "It's not serious," Claire said with two fingers on Caleb's forehead, whose head was tilted back, and examining his nose. “There is not fracture to regret, only a small detour. In some days everything will be in its place and it will have been as if nothing had happened.” She removed her fingers and smiled.

  “I wish it were that easy,” Evelyn thought “I wish it were as easy as healing a physical wound.”

  Caleb straightened his head. His nose was as red and swollen as a tomato. Claire handed him thin white gauze to keep out mucus or blood. Caleb divided it in two and put it carefully in the holes of the nose in little balls.

  “When I've stopped the bleeding, you can take it off,” the doctor said. She let out a sigh and frowned slightly before adding, “I can’t believe that Tadhg did this. He’s not usually as aggressive as he appears.” She looked at Evelyn. “How are your knuckles?”

  She looked at them. They were more red than normal, and they hurt much less than before. The doctor had given her a menthol ointment that had worked as it should. She looked up and smiled.

  “Better,” she said.

  Claire nodded, pleased.

  “Very good.” She turned to Caleb. “As for you, boy, I suggest three things: do not go alone to your room; if you feel dizzy, let me know, and don’t approach Tadhg.” She left looking tired.

  Then Evelyn and Caleb were left alone in the only room in the clinic. He tilted his head back, his eyes contracting as if it hurt to look at the white ceiling light. Evelyn approached the edge of the stretcher and sat beside him. Caleb still had his chest open and his shirt, stained with blood, on his left shoulder. She took that moment to admire him. Maybe it was the most erotic moment of her young life.

  “I will do my best not to make you mad,” he said, his head still bowed and his eyes closed; his voice sounded like a broken bugle, sharp and out of tune. Evelyn did not understand him.

  “What do you say?” She asked, a little distracted.

  Caleb lowered his head and sighed through his mouth.

  “I'll do my best not to make you mad,” he repeated. “You have a good hook.” He smiled.

  “Thank you.” Evelyn also smiled, embarrassed.

  "Maybe you do not like Tadhg," Caleb went on. “But do you think he does feel something for you?”

  “Do not.” Eve hid her nervousness as much as she could. “Tadhg already has a relationship.”

  “Oh yeah?” Caleb raised an eyebrow. “In here, in the Agency?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who?” Then he answered himself: “Rebecca.”

  Eve nodded.

  Becca had shown her intense infatuation that afternoon in the training room. Evelyn almost felt bad for the girl as she remembered her conversation with Tadhg the other day; almost. However, even she had restrained herself from following Tadhg after he left the room fumbling from the training room. Maybe that was the only part of him that Becca really knew.

  “Do you want to go to your room now?” Eve asked Caleb.

  He closed his eyes and leaned back.

  “I think I'll be here another time,” he murmured. “Although I would appreciate it if you please, you will pass by me later. You already heard Dr. Claire: I must not walk alone, and neither should I meet Tadhg.” He frowned.

  Evelyn, smiling, nodded. She turned to leave the room when she heard her name.

  “Evelyn,” Caleb called.

  “Yes?” She turned halfway.

  “Evelyn.” His voice became a soft murmur. “Evelyn...”

  Caleb had his eyes closed. There was a moment of silence that went on. From her quiet breathing, Eve realized that Caleb had fallen asleep with her name on his lips.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The following weeks were as normal as they could be in the Agency.

  So
me days were sometimes so quiet that she felt drowned in silence as if she lacked air. Other days, the turmoil prevailed inside the facilities. Everyone was affected. It was those days, the agitated ones, which caused havoc and made Evelyn wish that the peaceful days returned. The pyxis had begun to cause damage in Chinatown and Tribeca. Soho had also been affected.

  The pyxis no longer looked for victims of specific character, they only broke into one house or another and attacked horrible acts of torture and even murders. Most were calm by the actions of the agents of the future. There could be up to two attacks per night in South Manhattan at the same time. The agents divided into groups and spent entire nights outside the premises.

  Eve was never among those groups, she never left the premises because it was dangerous, and she spent the days of annoying agitation and, at the same time, eating her nails. Every time the elevator doors closed between her and Tadhg and Rhys, she was beginning to feel a strange apprehension in her chest. As if it were the last time she went to see them. Caleb, however, remained by her side. That was her only consolation. Maybe if he knew that Tadhg and Rhys... Well, if he knew the truth, then he would also feel the same apprehension as she did.

  Eve wondered if her father felt the same when he left her alone at home once his duty was requested.

  Surely yes.

  When those hectic days began, Evelyn and Caleb began to have a more than significant approach. From time to time they met in his room, in secret, and talked about their lives, the moments of the past before the death of Caleb's father and the things they expected from the future. Of course, in the end they always ended up kissing and among other things, none of a sexual nature. No yet.

  When they were not scouring the city for pyxis and saving lives, Tadhg and Rhys, Dawit and Juno instructed Caleb and Evelyn in the training room and shooting room, where they handled less destructive prototypes that simulated the firing of weapons they used the agents.