by Sean Hayden
The song ended and we kept dancing. When the DJ started pumping electronica, I looked up and saw Clarisse standing there holding three glasses of punch and wearing the saddest smile I'd ever seen.
* * *
My feet hurt.
The thought kind of surprised me. I'd battled Clarisse using trees as weapons, walked miles and miles my whole life, and could leap twenty feet into the air. I couldn’t believe dancing for a couple of hours caused my feet to scream in agony.
“You want to take a break? I’m getting tired,” Jess said with her face against my chest.
“I’d love to, but only if you’re tired.”
“Ha! I can feel you slowing down, too, Mr. Macho.”
I laughed and led her over to where Clarisse sat. “How come you’re sitting down? I thought you had a date tonight?” I looked around for Matt Briarson, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
“He never showed up. Oh, well. He’s kind of an asshat. I don’t feel like dancing anyway.”
I heard Jess give a little gasp next to me. “Bull crap. Come on, Claire. Come dance with me.” She reached down and grabbed Clarisse’s hand and pulled her to her feet.
Clarisse laughed and said, “Okay, but I’m leading.”
Jess started laughing uncontrollably as the two of them headed out to the dance floor. Oh, sure. Clarisse can make blind jokes, but I can’t.
“Ha! Connor’s girlfriend left him for another girl!” I could tell it was Brian Anderson’s voice behind me. I didn’t care. I was good at ignoring assholes.
Clarisse must have heard him, too. I saw a flash of red in her eyes. She'd been holding Jess’ hands in both of hers as they danced. She dropped one of them and held it out to me from across the dance floor. Jess tilted her head, a frown on her face. She must have heard, too. They both motioned me to come join them. I didn’t need to be asked twice. I shot Brian a cocky grin over my shoulder and went to join the two women in my life. One my girlfriend, and the other my best friend. The thought of that made me stop in my tracks. Even with as much crap as she gave me on a daily basis, Clarisse really was my best friend.
I smiled when I heard the cries of dismay from the group of jock-straps hanging around Brian.
The three of us danced and laughed. I spotted my sister entering the gym dressed as a fairy princess. She stuck her tongue out at me and walked to where the cheerleaders congregated to make fun of everybody’s dresses. I ignored her and concentrated on having fun.
Which we did.
The distinct bang of the gymnasium doors being kicked open rang over the loud music. A hundred pairs of eyes shifted their focus to the source of the noise. Because of the crowd, I couldn’t see much, but I spotted Jeremy's floppy mop of hair. I'd recognize that anywhere. The kids closest to him gasped and backed up, giving me a little better view. He was pale white and had streaks of red all over his face. That must be one hell of a coustume.
I gave a smile and walked toward him to get a better view. That's when the screaming started.
The others around him ran, screamed, or doubled over losing the contents of their stomachs onto the hardwood floor. My smile faded as I started running instead of walking. I dodged the crowd and stopped in my tracks. Confusion was replaced with horror.
From the neck down he was completely covered in blood. In his arms he held the limp body of Kelly Richards. Her neck had a gaping wound in it and the front of her chest looked like she'd lost a fight with a bear. Blood and bone glistened grotesquely under the dimly lit stage lights set up for the dance.
Jeremy tore his eyes from Kelly's gaping wound, looked up at me and started crying. “In…in…the park…parking lot. We were…attacked,” he said and fainted.
The teachers rushed forward and pushed the students back. One of them pulled out a cell phone and frantically started dialing 911. I looked back at Jess and Clarisse. I nodded at Jess, but didn't take my eyes off Clarisse.
She knew what I meant. Take care of her. She nodded back and held Jess’ shoulders as she strained to hear what was going on.
“I’ll be back,” I said, knowing Claire would be able to hear me even over the screaming and yelling.
“Be careful,” I heard as I ran through the double doors.
I stopped as I emerged from under the covered entrance and into the parking lot. The moon was full overhead and filled the lot with brilliant light. Unfortunately, moonlight casts shadows. The area between the parked cars was completely black. I focused my eyes and everything became clearer.
Over by Jeremy’s beat up pickup truck I could see a pool of blood by the passenger’s side door. I ran over and bent down to get a closer view. I could see it already drying in the night air, but no bloody footprints could be seen anywhere. I sighed. The problem with movies and television is they make everything seem so easy.
There was no trail of blood, the killer didn’t leave a card to taunt the authorities, and I didn’t have a magic ring that would lead me to his secret lair. I was screwed.
Or at least so I thought, until the clawed hand raked across my face. Blood filled my eyes and I couldn’t see. I heard laughter fill the night air around me. Last time I checked, bears didn’t laugh. There goes that theory.
I spun in circles trying to figure out where the laughter came from. As far as I could tell, the killer was running around me in circles. Very fast circles. At least I knew it was a he.
“Silly demon. You can’t hurt me! You shouldn’t have come out here,” he said in a sing song voice. He struck me again, this time in the back, right along my wing joint.
I hissed in pain. I'd never felt anything like it. I’ll admit it, I wanted to cry.
“Who are you?”
“I’m your worst nightmare,” he replied in a very, very bad Stallone impersonation. Very bad.
I heard him behind me again and I spun, swinging my fist. He laughed as he ducked under it to slice open my side. I could feel his talons hitting my ribs.
I breathed in pain as the sting from the wound took my mind off the slice on my back and my facial wounds. I wiped the blood off my eyes and tried to blink the red cloud filling my vision. It didn’t help. He must have caught my eyes with his talons. Maybe Jessie and I can start a club.
I immediately felt ashamed for thinking it. At least I wasn’t panicking. I blinked a few more times and began to see blurry images of dimly lit surfaces. The cars were coming into view.
The strike to my left leg slightly diminished the joy from my returning vision. His insane cackling filled my ears.
Personally, I wanted to rip his head off just to get him to shut up. If I could just get away for a few seconds, maybe my eyes could heal.
Wings. Duh.
Without another thought I jumped into the air. As I brought my wings down in a powerful stroke, the wound along my joint started screaming. Or maybe it was me. Either way it hurt like a sumbitch.
“Where you going, little demon?”
Oh, great. He does Russian impersonations, too.
I hovered twenty feet above the parking lot. I figured that would put enough distance between us for my wing to heal.
What they don’t teach you in Fallen school is that sometimes the bad guys can jump. Really high.
He grabbed my legs in a crushing grip and I struggled to keep both of us in the air. I probably could have done it until he let go with one arm and started punching me in the gut. Hard. A lot. The air escaped my lungs as I took the beating of my life.
I kicked him as hard as I could. With my returning vision, I almost saw him arc in the night sky and crash into a tree on the outskirts of the parking lot. Almost. Mostly I just saw a blur I hoped to be him crashing into the tree.
“Very good, demon! Don’t worry, we’ll meet again!”
He took off in a blur. This time I did see him. He was just that fast. I tried to fly after him, but it wasn’t any use. I was in too much pain. I crashed into the top of a 1969 blue Mustang.
Brian is going to be pissed. Black
ness overcame everything else, even the pain.
Chapter 25
I opened my eyes and saw futuristic running lights above my head. Oh, good. The mothership came to get me. I blinked a few times and realized I was staring at the interior roof of the limousine. At least it’s not an ambulance. Hey! I can see!
Clarisse’s face filled my vision. “Are you okay?”
I sat up and realized my head had been in her lap. Jessie sat across from us and looked like she was sleeping. “I’m fine. Jessie!” I slid across the limo floor and gently shook her.
“Don’t bother. As soon as we left the dance I told her to go to sleep. She’ll be fine until we get her home. What the hell happened?”
“I saw him. Well, I didn’t really see him, he clawed my eyes out, but I heard him. He’s not human. And it’s not a bear.”
“I know. I heard him, too. Just as we were walking outside, you kicked him off of you. Nice move.”
“Learned from the best. It didn’t stop him from kicking my ass though.”
“I’m sure it would have been a little different if you weren’t blind when you fought him. You don’t have to worry about it anymore. He’s a problem for the Reapers. I talked to Darius. He’s well aware of the situation and knows whatever is attacking and killing people, it isn’t one of ours and we’re the only two Seekers in the area.”
“How long was I out?”
“Long enough. We’re pulling up to Jessica’s house. I’ll wake her.”
I watched Clarisse close her eyes and focus. A moment later, Jessie’s eyes fluttered open. She smiled sweetly at me. “Hey, handsome. Did I fall asleep?”
“Yes, you did. You sort of blacked out after Kelly Richards was attacked. I let you sleep. I hope you don’t mind.”
She sat straight up with a horrific look on her face. “I remember that. And you running out of the gym to see what had attacked her! Stupid!” She slapped me in the arm for good measure.
“Sorry, I just wanted to see what it was. Jeremy didn’t see what attacked her. I wanted to help.”
“Next time just stay with me.”
“I will, I promise.”
That seemed to settle her a little. She hugged me for good measure. I didn’t want it to stop.
The driver got out of the front and walked around. He opened the passenger door and stood there. I got out first and helped Jess outside. I looked up at the driver and saw the blank look on his face. Seriously blank. Like nobody home, blank. Creepy.
“Come on, Jess. I’ll walk you to your door.”
Instead of holding my hand, she wrapped her arms around mine and leaned on me. I didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, I walked slowly and enjoyed every moment of it. “What are we doing this weekend?”
I looked down at the top of her head and kissed it gently. “Whatever you want.”
“Let’s go to the park. I want to swing on the swings with you and do stupid things like that.”
I laughed. “Anything you want.”
“Sweet. Pick me up at noon. Don’t be late,” she said as we reached the stairs to her front porch. Her dad had put one single solitary pumpkin by the front door. It had a simple face carved into it, nothing ornate. It was still the scariest pumpkin I'd ever seen.
“Here you go,” I said and helped her up the steps. We paused at the front door and she leaned in for a kiss. I didn’t want to disappoint her…so I gave her one. It started slowly and built, but before I could really enjoy it, the front porch light flicked on. I gently pulled away.
“Dad,” I whispered.
The door opened and Mr. James stood there. I looked over at him and had every intention of being nice to him…
He stood there, framed by the door, the vastness of his feathered, white wings filled every available inch. His eyes shined blue with inner fire. His normally brown hair, kept in a ponytail, flew free and was eerily white. He stared into the depths of my soul. His mouth opened to speak, but a screeching noise erupted like the cry of a hawk.
“Hi, Daddy. I’m home.”
“Hi, pumpkin. Come on inside before you catch a cold,” he said in his normal voice.
What the hell? There’s no way she didn’t hear him…
“Night, Jess,” I said, playing along.
“Good night, Conrad.”
“Good night, sir.”
I turned and walked back to the limo. Slowly. If her dad was a Chosen…
Clarisse’s explanation of the Cursed came flying back into my brain. Offspring of a human and either a Chosen or a Fallen are doomed to suffering from the time they are born. They shall either pass on or inherit their parent’s form at their death.
The knowledge was a blow to my heart. Jessie’s life flashed before my eyes. Her blindness, the death of her mother, the death of her grandparents…it all made sense. She'd suffered more than anybody I'd ever met. Hot tears started to roll down my cheeks. I entered the back of the limo without even looking at the driver.
“I see you figured it out. I’m sorry, Connor.”
I looked up at Clarisse. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I wanted to. I just couldn’t catch you alone long enough. It sucks, I know.”
“So what happens now?”
“Enjoy spending time with her while you can. The Cursed never live past their second decade. I think her father knows that. It's probably why he’s letting her spend time with you. If she weren’t a Nephalim, you can bet your sweet butt he’d have kicked your ass to the curb by now.”
Even that made sense. If Jess had so little time left…he wouldn’t want to do anything to make her sad. He was probably going crazy wondering when. I know it’s all I could think about now.
“It’s just not fair,” I whimpered and started crying. Clarisse actually moved across the limo and wrapped me in her arms.
“I know, Connor. It’s why they’re called the Cursed. We were never meant to breed with humans. Only the most selfish of us would put our needs and wants over the lives of our children. If anybody is to blame, it’s Jessie’s father. Hate him.”
“If I feel anything for him, it’s pity. I really like, maybe even love Jess, but I can only imagine what he’s going through.”
Clarisse opened her mouth to say something else but ended up snapping it shut. She did say, “Well, you’re almost home. You can think about it all night if you want. If you need me, call me.”
I looked her in the eye. She might be brutal to me most of the time, but I could see she really cared I was hurting. I leaned over and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Thanks, Clarisse.”
She reached up and touched the spot I kissed. “Yeah, well. You’re just lucky things suck right now, or I’d a punched you for kissing me.” She blushed.
“I didn’t punch you when you kissed me. That’s not fair,” I said with a wink. She blushed even more.
The limo pulled over in front of my house. Most of the lights were on. Mom and Dad must have waited up for me. “Goodnight, Connor,” Clarisse said with a tiny little smile.
“Night, my friend. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I didn’t wait for the driver. I just opened the door and stepped out into the night. I put my hands in my pockets and walked to my front door thinking mostly about Jess. I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know what. I really didn’t want to go up to my room and pout or play video games. I should go look for the bad guy. He has to be around somewhere.
The front door opened before I could turn around. A very worried looking female parental unit stood in the door looking like she would start crying any second. “Oh, thank God you’re okay. Get in here. Your sister told us what happened at the dance.”
She threw her arms around me and yanked me inside. I looked at the couch and Dad was holding a very red nosed, crying Caelyn. I almost did a double take. When did she get emotions. Other than hate. And snottyness.
“I’m fine. Why were you guys worried?”
“Because you ran after that thing, you moron!”
<
br /> I nearly fainted. Caelyn was worried? About me?
“Uh, I just ran to see what it was…I wasn’t going to fight it. I swear. I’m not stupid.”
“If you ran out of the safe gymnasium, I’m going to have to agree with your sister, Connor. That was monumentally stupid.”
I looked at my father in shock. He rarely called his kids stupid. He must have been pissed. “Sorry, Dad. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re right. You’re grounded.”
I almost started stamping my feet. I don’t need this right now. “Dad–“
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me. I mean it, Connor. You could have been killed. Your sister and mother have been worried sick. I’ve been worried sick. You’re done,” he said and stood up. He crossed his arms which told me the discussion was over.
Or was it?
My rents really liked Jess. I knew I could play the blind card. Especially if I explained it would only be for our date at the park tomorrow. “Dad, Jess and I–
“Have all the time in the world to spend together. This isn’t open for discussion. I’m sure Jessie would agree with me. This is for your own good. How else are you supposed to learn from your mistakes if you don’t have time to reflect upon them?”
Oh, no, he didn’t. He went there.
“I promise I’ll think about it at the park tomorrow–"
“End. Of. Discussion. You’re in your room for the night. Don’t even think about turning the PlayStation on. Tomorrow you’re helping me clean the garage and the cars.”
I growled in frustration. My parents looked at me funny. I opened my eyes really wide. I really did growl. Oops. The growl made me realize one thing. I was one of the Fallen. I had a few tricks up my sleeve. I didn’t look my father in the eye. I stared at his forehead. “Dad, I’ve learned my lesson. I promise I won’t do anything stupid again as long as I live.”
“If you’re sure, I’m good with that.”
“What?” My sister sounded outraged.
“What?” My mother sounded confused.
Dad just smiled like a kid who got a puppy at Christmas.