by Kim Cormack
A male voice whispered, “My daughters will change everything. The Prophecy has begun.”
Kayn recognized the voice but she couldn’t place it. When she turned around to see who’d spoken, nobody was there. She was standing alone on a balcony in another world. The buzzer went off. She groaned and covered her face with her pillow. No, no, no. She wasn’t ready to get up. It felt like she’d just went to sleep. She opened her eyes and Lexy was racing towards the bathroom so she could be first. Kayn recalled every second of her dream. She sensed the voice she’d heard had been her father’s. Her soul and her twins had become one in every way. Chloe’s memory’s now felt like they were her own. Was that why she’d had that dream? She’d had dreams of being able to save the people they’d lost in the Testing before. Survivor’s guilt?
Lexy was already finished getting ready. She ran over and leapt onto Kayn’s bed, “Wake up! Wake up! There’s no time to waste. I’ll explain on the way to the truck.”
Kayn stretched and then launched herself into an upright position She yawned and stretched again. That had been a strange dream. She snatched her backpack off the chair as she sauntered past it on her way to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and applied a minimal amount of makeup so she didn’t appear half dead from lack of sleep. Kayn ran her uncoordinated fingers through her wavy mane and put her hair in a messy ponytail. There, she was ready for the day…sort of.
Never Mess with a Dragon
The two Dragons of Ankh ambled down the long emerald colored carpet in the hallway towards the elevator.
Lexy pressed the button as she started explaining what she’d insinuated back at the room, “Astrid, Melody and Haley are hiding with Molly. They’re in a small town in the desert. It’s only a few hours drive on the highway and then we’ll have to take the back roads for at least three more hours to make sure we’re not being followed. Apparently, the drive has some amazing scenery though. Jenna, Markus and Orin have the boy. Jenna’s premonition said we need to split them up for a while if we’re going to stand a chance of keeping them both. I guess Zach’s already gone to get the truck.”
The door opened revealing Frost, Grey and Lily with bags in tow. As Kayn stepped into the elevator, Frost teased in a flirtatious tone, “Going down?”
Kayn tried to give him absolutely no reaction to the naughty meaning behind his words as she responded with a straight face, “Yes, we’re quite obviously both going down.” Everyone’s cheeks burst into a smile and the immature giggling began.
Lexy elbowed her and sparred, “Speak for yourself.”
Kayn gave in and started to laugh. She was exhausted so everything was going to be hilarious for a while. Lily asked for their key cards. She strolled over and placed them on the empty front desk. In a moment, they were all standing outside waiting for Zach to show up with the truck. Everyone was in that same exhausted mentally vacant state. The morning air made her feel a bit better though. She really needed to go for a run. A good run was far past due. Kayn saw the truck coming down the street. There wasn’t a parking spot to pull over. Zach pulled up and they all quickly got in. Lexy traded places with Zach saying she wanted to drive first. He nodded and moved into the backseat. They were about to pull out when someone knocked on the window and startled them.
Lexy sighed as she rolled down the window a bit and said, “Is there a problem sir?”
The shady looking stranger replied, “Your back tires are almost flat and you have a broken tail light. I thought I’d warn you before you drove too far and bent the rim.”
“Oh, thank you for telling me,” Lexy replied. “I’ll be right out sweetie.” She rolled up the window.
Zach leaned over the front seat and whispered in her ear, “The tires are fine.” He sat back down.
She glanced back at him with an innocent smile and said, “Oh, I’m sure they are.”
Attempting to be the voice of reason Frost cautioned, “There’s cameras all over the place. You’re going to have to handle this tool carefully.”
Kayn clicked. This was a carjacking. This asshole sure picked the wrong driver.
Lexy stretched a few times. She yawned and said, “Lock it as soon as I get out. I’ll only be a second.” She opened the door and stepped out, appearing to be a naive southern belle in the big city.
Grey grinned and slowly shook his head. He locked the door behind her and sighed, “That poor unknowing dumbass.”
Lexy strolled around to the back of the truck, looked at the tires and stated, “The tires are fine. Are you really sure you want to do this?”
Realizing she was on to him, the man yanked a gun out of his pocket and hissed, “That’s right bitch. The trucks fine, so fine it’s screaming my name. Tell those shits to get out. I’d hate to wreck your beautiful smile by forcing you to eat a bullet.”
Lexy took a good look around at where the cameras might be positioned as she dared, “Oh, would you like the keys? I have them in my hand. Tell you what. If you can take the keys from me. You can just have the truck.” She allowed him to press the gun into her shoulder and put one arm around her neck as he began to search through her pockets. She started to laugh.
Lexy’s assailant threatened, “Do you want me to shoot you? I told you to tell those assholes to get the hell out of the truck! What kind of sadistic friends do you have? They’re all smiling at me. I’m going to effing kill you.”
“No, you’re not. They know I’m allowing you to point your little gun at me and they also know I’m going to kick your ass as soon as I grow tired of playing along,” she countered. He tossed her up against the hood of the truck and she laughed harder.
Grey rolled the window down a little more and suggested, “Hey, honey. While you’re playing with this moron don’t let him accidentally shoot the engine or anything. That would be inconvenient. We have places to be. Can you wrap this up?”
Lexy sighed, “Alright, the game is over my friend. I’ll give you one more opportunity to walk away.” As she took a step towards him a shot rang out. Lexy barely flinched as the blood seeped through her shirt. He’d shot her in the shoulder. She moved aside her shirt to show him the wound as it closed and spit the bullet out. “Now, that wasn’t very nice.”
“What are you?” he stammered as he dropped the gun and ran away.
For a second Kayn thought Lexy was going to get into the truck. They’d drive away and that would be the end of it.
Lexy glanced down at the blood stain on her shirt and scowled. She hissed, “He wrecked my new shirt.” She sprinted after the man that shot her.
Grey yelped, “Oh, shit!” He scrambled out of the truck and gave chase.
Frost slid into the driver’s seat and chuckled, “Buckle up. We can’t park here. Kayn saw her opportunity to go for a run. She opened the door, winked at Zach and sprinted down the street after Greydon. She heard Frost say, “Well, go get her kid.”
Kayn was following Grey but she’d become side tracked by the knowledge that Zach was trying to catch up with her. She looked back and saw Zach giving chase. When she spun around she’d lost Grey. Shit! Time to use those predatory instincts Dragons were famous for. Lexy hadn’t been far behind the guy that shot her. She’d want to teach him a lesson and she would have caught him by now. They’d be somewhere without cameras. She sprinted down the first alley and ran into Lexy mid duct taping her now naked and tied up assailant to a ladder that lead to somebody’s fire escape. What in the hell was she doing? Where in the hell did she find duct tape? Grey was standing there shaking his head as Lexy duct taped the gun, sideways to his forehead. His shirt had been stuffed into his mouth to muffle his screaming.
Lexy smiled proudly at her incredibly twisted work of art and announced, “I’m willing to bet that this was not the first time you’ve used that weapon on someone. Don’t worry the police will be here soon to get you down. If you haven’t used that gun for any other crimes, you’ll probably be free to go.” The man started to squirm and wriggle around in his duc
t tape suit. She grinned, “That’s what I thought. Gee, I sure hope it’s not excruciatingly painful when they remove the duct tape from your butt crack. You know people pay big bucks for the Brazilian you’re about to get for free. No, need to thank me. Have a lovely morning.” She wandered away with a little skip in her step.
When Kayn was finally able to pry her eyes away from the evil genius of Lexy’s revenge scenario. She couldn’t stop smiling. Zach was standing there with his mouth agape and as she turned around the others pulled up in the truck. They all got out and stood there in awe of Lexy’s duct tape creation.
Frost stared up at the wriggling scum bag and questioned, “Why does the kid look so mortified.”
Kayn knew he was talking about Zach. She grinned as she replied, “He’s naked under that duct tape. He’s also wearing a duct tape G-string. Think about it for a second. Let it sink in.”
There was silence as the bad karma worthy man continued his valiant attempt to free himself.
Lexy and Grey were already sitting in the passenger seat. The light went off to signal the end of her call and Grey opened the door and hollered, “Let’s go. This guy has a date with a body cavity search.”
The man let out more muffled screams as they all climbed into the truck and sped away.
Grey explained Lexy’s call to the police, “She told them he was a drug smuggler. He just arrived on a flight and his car broke down. So, he tried to car jack us and we caught him.”
They’d been driving for many hours before the group managed to stop laughing every time somebody brought up duct tape guy.
Frost turned off the highway. He glanced into the rearview mirror and explained, “We need to drive the rest of the way on the back roads. We’re almost there. I need to see if we’re being followed. On the highway, it’s difficult to know for sure.”
Grey piped in, “Hey, when are we stopping to eat? My stomachs been singing for over an hour.”
“We can’t stop for longer than a few minutes but you can heat up something at the next convenience store we find. It’ll be a good opportunity to grab some drinks and snacks to have in our rooms for later,” Frost answered.
It took them a whole hour to find a convenience store while on the road less travelled. They raced inside, absolutely famished by then. As Kayn strolled down the aisles, she was reminded of the old saying. Never shop for food with an empty stomach. Everything was horrible for them but it all looked amazing. She grabbed Twinkies and chucked them into her basket, knowing that when Frost saw them he’d have a moment. She brought her stash of junk food along with her premade ham and cheese sub over to the counter. Kayn dropped it in front of Frost because he had the card out already.
Frost ran her stuff through the till and teased, “You’d better share those Twinkies with me.”
This was so much fun. He’d be thinking about the Twinkie thing all afternoon. Kayn smiled back at him and wandered over to wait for her turn at the microwave. There was a lineup, of course. After everyone had finished heating up everything that needed to be heated. They took one final bathroom break before they all trudged back out to the truck with their bags full of junk. Kayn was the first one into the back to the truck. She ate her sub lightning fast and chugged down a lemonade.
Zach teased, “I’m not sure you even had time to chew that.”
Kayn asked him if she had anything in her teeth. After finding out she was all good, she closed her eyes and dozed off to the repetitive sound of spinning tires.
Zach’s voice announced, “We’re here!”
Kayn opened her eyes and knit her brow when she saw the sketchy looking motel they were staying in. It looked like one of those motels that a serial killer would use to find his victims. She was the last one out of the truck.
Grey yelled, “Heads up!” as he tossed Kayn her backpack from the locked storage in the back.
She caught it, just before it hit her. In her partially awakened state it could have knocked her over. She wandered towards the voices. There was a bunch of people sitting around a large outdoor pool. She recognized her group and sped up her pace. Melody, Haley, Astrid and Molly were there. Everyone was laughing and embracing. It felt like it had been a long time since she’d seen them but it had only been three or four days.
Mel strode towards her and they joyously embraced. She said, “I’ve missed you guys.”
Kayn squeezed her tighter as she replied, “Ditto.” They helped them bring their stuff up to their rooms and then they went back down to lay around at the pool in the sunshine together. They appeared to be the only patrons staying at the hotel, so everyone was able to enjoy the escape from their reality. She didn’t have a bathing suit with her but she was wearing her bra and shorts. Her bra was quite passable for a bathing suit top and honestly nobody would even care. She laid there watching Frost swim back and forth down the length of the pool. Feeling the urge to join him she stepped down the few steps into the water and pushed off. Kayn swam the length of the pool. Frost had seen her coming and he stayed there holding on to the edge of the pool in the deep end.
She surfaced and grabbed onto the side of the pool beside him. It took her a moment to catch her breath.
“I was hoping we’d have a chance to spend some time together. After last night,” he whispered.
He’d taken the words right out of her mouth. Kayn nodded as she confessed, “I was too.” The moment was wrecked by Grey’s ill-timed cannon ball. The cannon ball’s wake left them both disheveled, choking and sputtering as they clutched on to the side of the pool. They both started laughing as Grey surfaced.
He joined them clinging to the cement edge of the pool in the deep end. He spit the chlorinated water out of his mouth and chucked, “I thought you two looked like you needed a tension breaker.”
Frost pushed off the ledge and swam back to the other side of the pool without saying a word. Kayn was still clinging to the edge of the pool beside Grey as Frost climbed out of the pool on the far side and wandered away. What in the hell? Once again Frost had regained his title as the king of mixed messages. Grey remained there quietly holding onto the ledge beside her. Obviously knowing he’d interrupted them but something about his mannerisms suggested he felt justified in doing so.
Kayn decided to call him on it, “It would save time if you just told me what that was all about.”
The water lapped the sides of the pool in front of them as he replied, “Frost is one of my best friends. I love the guy to death but you are also my friend and the only thing you should be worrying about right now is learning how to use your ability. My brother from another mother over there, tends to be a bit relationship phobic. With good reason, some might say but why don’t you give yourself five minutes to regain your balance before you get on that roller-coaster ride.”
Kayn stared to giggle. Really? Frost was going to be the one with drama? He was the rollercoaster ride? She was sure she could hold her own in that department. She wasn’t blind. She’d always been able to see him coming from a mile away. She wanted him despite that. Kayn decided to explain, “Grey, I’ve already been on this rollercoaster and I remember everything about the ride. So, I happen to have firsthand knowledge that it’s going to be worth it, even if the ride only lasts for five minutes. This isn’t a normal situation. Thank you for your concern but I can handle Frost. I’ve already handled Frost...literally.” She watched as the little light bulb began to glow above his head.
“Oh, I see. The twin thing. Sometimes, I forget about that. You remember everything? How does that work? I mean, I know you were having the dreams about Chloe’s memories before the Testing,” he questioned.
She was beginning to prune. Kayn held one of her hands up and showed him. “Let’s get out of the water. We can talk about this in the sun while we’re drying off.” She grinned as she kicked off the ledge and said, “I’ll race you there.” He was right behind her as she swam for the other side of the pool. She climbed out first and began to raucously dance around t
he top of the steps while cheering.
Greydon was shaking his head but he didn’t utter a word as they strolled back to where the others were gathered to lounge in the sunshine. Kayn stretched out on one of the recliners. The warmth of the rays almost instantly removed the droplets of water from the surface of her skin.
Grey flipped on his stomach so he had a better vantage point to finish their conversation as he said, “Ultimately, I think you should do whatever makes you happy. It’s hard to see you as both. I get the concept but it’s a difficult thing to wrap your mind around and I’ve had to wrap my mind around some seriously crazy shit in my time.”
Kayn smiled as she made another attempt at explaining the impossible, “In my head and in my heart, all of her experiences are mine now. My experiences are also mine. It doesn’t even make sense when I try to rationalize it to myself. I don’t blame you for not understanding what I can’t even manage to explain.”
Molly was lying on the lounger next to Grey and she asked, “What are you guys talking about?”
The others were getting up and leaving. Molly was the only one they’d left behind. Grey nonchalantly shifted his tanned muscular torso around to face her and gave a short hilariously run down of Kayn’s back story, “This immortal friend of ours named Freja was pregnant. She gifted her baby’s soul to Kayn’s mortal mother but her egg split to create identical twins, each of them with half of the one soul. It was a bit of an immortal whoops. Chloe had abilities, Kayn didn’t. When they were corrected at sixteen Chloe died and Kayn survived. Now the twin’s souls had to rejoin because they were always meant to be one. Before that could happen, Frost had a thing with Chloe’s ghost. Kayn was in love with Kevin, her best friend since childhood, who turned out to be the leader of Triad’s grandson. Are you still following along?”