Marker of Hope

by Nely Cab

  “Me, as well. So we should get going, then. I’ve got my overnight bag in the car.”

  “You’re sleeping over?” I asked, and she raised her brow at me. “Oh, right. The invisi-block.” I stared at David. “Galilea, I don’t want to leave him. What if he wakes up? I want to be here if he does.”

  “Isis…” She cocked her head. “His entire family is here. They’ll call if anything happens. Besides, your mom is right. You need to sleep. The baby needs it, too. And what have you eaten today—a bite of an apple?” She motioned to the fruit on the nightstand. “Do you think it’s enough?”

  “I know it’s not,” I said.

  “If you start getting strange cravings, my body is off limits, okay? Are we clear on that?” She studied me a second. “How’s that going by the way? You still hungry for it—human meat?”

  “I haven’t had much of an appetite for anything since he…” I glanced at David. “I can’t focus on anything, much less think of food.”

  “This sucks, Isis. I know. I can’t imagine how you must feel.” Galilea tugged at her earring. “I consider him family, and it hurts to see him like this. To see you hurting like this.” She stared at David for a moment, her eyes welling with tears. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her hands, and then put a hand on her hip. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and said, “So are we going over to Claire’s or not?”

  “I have to. It’ll ease her angst, and I don’t want her worrying,” I said. “But before we go, can you give me a minute alone with him?”

  “No.” She smiled a little. “I’ll give you five.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be down in a bit.

  Galilea walked out of the room. I closed the door behind her and locked it, and then turned my attention to David. My eyes focused on the curves and angles of his face. I tried to embed them all into my memory. I knew them all too well already, but I didn’t want to risk forgetting a single detail. In a few hours, I’d be back at his side. But the anxiety of leaving him defenseless and unaware would make it seem like an eternity. His body was present, peaceful, and glorious, but the part that lit him up was absent, lost within the confines of an abysmal slumber. If his flame wasn’t lit, how could mine continue to burn?

  I kissed David’s cheek.

  “David, I have to go spend some time with my mom. I’ll be back in a few hours,” I told him. “Galilea will be with me, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll try to be back early, but you know how my mom is.” I wondered if he could hear my voice. “I better get going.” I kissed his forehead. “Good night, dream boy.”

  I’d turned to leave, but stiffened when I heard a loud clatter. I felt my pulse quicken as the bathroom door opened. I reached for the dagger hanging from the holster at my hip—an accessory I wore daily now. A blond head of curls and silver-gray eyes peeked out from behind the door. The dagger shook in my hand, its sharp edge glinting as I pointed at him.

  “Are you planning to use that to eat cereal or stab me with it?” Eros asked. “Because you’re holding that weapon like a spoon.”

  “How do I know it’s really you?” I said, adjusting my grip on the dagger’s handle. He gave me a perplexed look. “How do I know you’re not…s-something else?”

  “Something like what—a bill collector?”

  “Are you a demon?”

  “Are you asking me this in earnest?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Oh… For a minute, I thought you were just being crass.” He reached behind his back, his hand bringing back a golden dagger. “I wouldn’t have one of these if I were a demon, would I?”

  “I—I don’t know. You might’ve stolen it.”

  “Then you’ll have to trust me when I say I’m not a demon.” He turned his attention to David. He walked to the bedside. Eros tucked the dagger back into the waistline of his pants. “How long has he been like this?”

  I glared at him.

  “It’s rude to ignore people.” He waited for an answer. “Isis, how long?”

  “Two months—and a week.”

  “Oh.” He frowned. “That’s… I’m sorry to hear it.” He glanced at the dagger in my hand. “You can put it away. If I were a Turpis, I’d already have killed you both.” He skimmed me for a moment. “Or rather, all three of you.”

  I touched my fifteen-week pregnant belly and lowered the dagger in my other hand. “What are you doing here—again?”

  “What else? Looking for you,” Eros said, as if the reason should have been so obvious. “The entire town disappeared for a good month. I suspect Galilea had something to do with it.”

  I shrugged. “She does what she has to.”

  “To keep me away from you.”

  “To protect us.” I corrected him. “From demons.”

  “Is that who did this to him?” He studied David’s face. “Oh, my dear David, it was bound to happen.” Eros turned to me. “Did I not warn you he wouldn’t be able to protect you once he transformed?”

  “You’re wrong.” I stepped to the bed and took David’s limp hand. “He did protect me. It’s why I’m standing here now.”

  “Yet he’s lying here unconscious. How does it make your circumstances any better?” Eros’s voice was tinged with anger. “You could’ve avoided this if you’d just stayed with me. But now you’re bound to him by marriage, carrying his child, and here I am, stupidly in love with you still.” He took in a sharp breath. “Stupidly,” he repeated and chuckled. “I don’t know what my life’s become. Can you even grasp how hard this is for me—to be in love with my best friend’s wife?”

  “I wish you’d stop saying you’re in love with me. And David’s not your best friend anymore. He hates you.”

  “Understandable. I hate me even on good days.” Eros rubbed his chin. “Tell me something… What is it about him you couldn’t find in me?”

  “You know the answer as well as I do, Cupid.”

  “Humor me.”

  “Love,” I said. “I’m in love with him.”

  “Is that all?” Eros’s nose wrinkled. “Would you have truly been so miserable with me?”

  “Without a doubt,” I said. Eros gave me a pained look, and I turned away from him to look at David.

  “Even so,” he said, “it wouldn’t have stopped me from trying to make you happy every day you would’ve been mine.”

  “You’ve always been jealous of David. It’s the only reason you say you’re in love with me. It’s just a game to you.” I scowled at him. “But I’m not a prize to be won.”

  “I’m not going to stand here and lie; I admit I’m jealous of him.” He moved his view to David. “Even in this state. He’s got you without doing a damn thing to keep you. Look at him, just lying here. Being pretty.” He ran the back of his hand over David’s cheek. “But in spite of this, I want him to be happy.” He looked up at me. “I want you to be happy.”

  “Hard for me to believe,” I said, walking away from the bed. “Listen, for the last time, I don’t want to see you again, Eros. If you want me to be happy, don’t come back. Consider this a goodbye.”

  “Well, that’s the problem.” He stepped toward me. “I can’t say goodbye. I won’t make the same mistakes I made in the past. David might be number one in your heart right now, but I know for a fact I’m but a step below him. You may not want to admit it to yourself, but I know what you feel. If it weren’t so, if I knew I didn’t stand a chance, I wouldn’t be here.” He pulled me close to him.

  “Eros, no.” I pushed him away. “What’s wrong with you? I’m pregnant with David’s baby.”

  “So? I don’t feel any different about you.”

  “Unbelievable.” I huffed. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

  “Because you love me. Tell me I’m right.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You’re lying to yourself.” His eyes peered deep into mine. “You love me just as I love you.”

  A strong emotion stirred inside my chest. No! I reprimanded m
yself. You don’t have feelings for him. He’s manipulating you.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t feel it,” he said. “Your pulse tells me your secrets. Just tell me. What do you feel, Isis?”

  “Nothing. I feel nothing for you.”

  He hissed. “I can make you tell the truth, if I have to. I have the power. Don’t make me use it.”

  “Go ahead. Do it. I’m tired of playing cat-and-mouse games. Maybe you’ll finally accept I’m not lying to you. Then you can go back to your miserable, messed-up life, because I don’t have the time or patience for your shit.”

  His face hardened, but then something caught his attention, and he glanced at the door. “I have to go. If you need anything from me, my sweet… I’ll do anything for you. I swear it.”

  “Anything?” I asked. He nodded. “Heal David. Bring him back, and then I’ll know you meant every word you said to me.”

  He looked at me as if I’d robbed him of his dignity. For a second, I thought I saw his eyes redden, but he looked away too quickly for me to be sure. I must’ve imagined it, because when he turned to look at me again, the white of his eyes weren’t even pink.

  “It’s not within my power to do,” he told me.

  “See?” I seethed. “You’re a liar and a cheat. I could never love someone like you.”

  Eros’s jaw tensed.

  “Isis?” Galilea said from the other side of the bedroom door. “You ready?”

  Eros motioned me to go. I turned and walked to the door, pausing for a moment to look over my shoulder at him. I watched as Eros kissed David’s forehead, and then he vanished into thin air.

  “Are you okay?” Galilea knocked urgently on the door. “Isis?”

  “Y-yeah,” I said. “I’ll be right out.”

  ***

  Claire and I sat on the couch, a warm cup of milk in our hands. I reached for the plate of homemade oatmeal cookies, but not because I was hungry. I felt guilty for arriving so late. She’d waited up for me. I took a cookie and placed the plate back on the coffee table.

  It was strange how now that I could hold food down, eat whatever I wanted, I had no desire to eat. It wasn’t to say the urge to take a mouthful off Claire’s arm wasn’t still there. I’d learned to ignore it. But lately, as worried as I was about David’s condition, it wasn’t too hard to do.

  “How’s he doing?” Claire asked, referring to David.

  “Same.”

  She sipped from her glass of milk. “What about you? Have you been sleeping, eating?”

  “Yes,” I said, and then felt a shove on the shoulder. I’d forgotten Galilea was on invisi-mode. Claire had specified she wanted alone time with me, so Galilea wasn’t invited to our sleepover. “But not as much as I should.” I received an invisible pat on the head.

  “Oh, Isis…” Claire gave me a pointed stare. “I hope you’re at least taking your vitamins. Good nutrition is important for both the baby and you.”

  I nodded. “I know, Mom. I know.”

  “You’re not in a talkative mood tonight.”

  “Sorry. I’m tired.” I squeezed the ache on the back of my neck. “Do you mind if I go to bed?”

  “Course not.” She rubbed my arm. “But before you do, tell me what’s on your mind. You look like you want to say something. Talk to me, Isis. You hardly do.”

  There were mountains of words stuck in my throat, but stringing them together was impossible. I’d set up a wall so no one would see my emotions—stopped talking to everyone. Now, however, I was ready to crumble. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I was afraid if I didn’t vent, I’d end up in a bed next to David. So I let out the foremost and worst thought of all.

  “Mom, What if… What if he never wakes up?” I cried into my hands. “I feel like I’m drowning over and over again.”

  Claire put her arms around me. I dug my face into her shoulder and sobbed.

  “What am I going to do? I don’t even feel alive anymore.” I pulled away from her. “Mom.” I hiccupped. “How do I make this horrible nightmare stop?” I whimpered. “Help me. Please! Wake me up.”

  “Isis,” she took my face in her hands, “you listen to me. No matter what happens, you will survive. For the tiny life living inside you, you will learn to be strong. And honey, I will be right next to you. I will always be here.”

  ***

  That night, I dreamed of David. In his sleeping state, black roses surrounded him. Dark petals fell around me as I watched him. Next to his bed, a little girl beckoned me to come nearer. I hesitated for a moment before I stepped forward. Dark thorny vines cut into my feet as I walked, then came to life under my feet. They slithered up the girl’s legs and around David’s body. Fighting against the pain of the thorns in my soles, I ran toward them. But the thorny tendrils wrapped tight around my legs, restricting me. Screams caught in my throat as I witnessed David and the girl being consumed. It’s a dream, I told myself. This isn’t real. I woke up.

  “Isis,” Galilea whispered. “Are you awake?”

  “Yes.” I wiped the sweat beads from my forehead.

  “Finally.” She walked to my bedroom window, stuck two fingers between the panels of the blinds, and peeked out. “There’s a car parked out front. It’s been there for the past hour and a half.”

  “So?” I kicked the covers off me.

  “It’s making me nervous.”

  I sat up on the bed. “Maybe the neighbors have company.” I rubbed my eyes. “The street is public property, you know? Anyone can park there.”

  “Who invites people over so early in the morning?” She looked at me through the corner of her eye. “Does Claire have a stalker?”

  “Not that I know of. What time is it?”

  “Almost seven.” She bit her bottom lip as she paced the room with her hands on her hips. “You know, I think we should leave.” She nodded to herself. “Yeah. We’re leaving. And we’re taking Claire with us.”

  “Calm down. It’s too early for this,” I said. “Why are you always so paranoid? Aren’t we invisible?”

  “Yes, but…” She shoved her toiletries into her backpack. “I-I fell asleep for about two hours. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.” She slipped a shirt on over her pajama top. “We have to go.”

  “So you fell asleep; nothing happened. We’re still here.” I waved a hand over the length of my body. “Intact.”

  “Yeah, for now.” She punched her robe into her backpack. “I’m so stupid.” She fidgeted with the zipper. “My block went down when I fell asleep. I don’t know who’s in the car. What if it’s Turpis first order, staking you out?”

  “Demons waiting patiently in a car? Right.” I walked to the bathroom, and Galilea followed.

  “You don’t know how they operate. I’m the one with the experience.” She walked out of the bathroom when she noticed I was ignoring her attention-demanding stare. I proceeded to brush my teeth. A moment later, she came back to inform me. “The car’s still there. Hurry up. We have to get out of here.”

  “Galilea, if it were Turpis, don’t you think they’d be in here by now?” I rinsed my mouth out, and then splashed water on my face. “And anyone else—not of the demon kind—would’ve rang the doorbell.”

  And as if on cue, the doorbell rang. Galilea ran to bedroom window, and I walked back into the bedroom, patting my face dry with a towel.

  “There’s no one in the car.” Galilea’s eyes were wide with panic. “Stay here.” Galilea raised a finger at me. “I mean it. Stay. Here.”

  Before she turned the doorknob, I heard the sound of footsteps descending on the stairs. Claire.

  “Your mom’s up,” Galilea said in a hushed voice. “Let her get it.”

  I dropped the towel in my hand and tiptoed into the hallway. Galilea followed my lead. I listened closely to see if I could identify the person at the door by their voice. Instead of a voice, however, I heard a loud thump.

  I didn’t know if Claire was in danger, but I wasn’t going to stand there, wondering if she was
. I pushed Galilea aside and raced down the stairs. I felt her hand grab my arm, trying to hold me back, but I shoved it away. As I reached the last steps, I saw Claire lying on the floor, a man’s burly silhouette hunched over her.

  CHAPTER 20

  I knew I’d grown stronger with the change, but I didn’t know I was faster. I kicked the man in the head, and he soared back, landing back first against the front door, and then dropping face down on the floor. He lifted himself to his knees and held his hand out, signaling me to stop. That was when I saw his face.

  “I’m sorry—for showing up like this—unannounced,” Samuel, my biological father, said panting.

  “What did you do to her?” I asked accusingly.

  “Nothing. She fainted when she saw me.”

  I kneeled beside Claire and lifted her head onto my lap.

  “You shouldn’t have come,” Galilea said. “You’re putting Claire and Isis in more danger than they already are.”

  “That’s why I’m here,” Samuel said, standing now. “To protect my family.”

  Galilea rolled her eyes at him. “If you think you can come here and—”

  “Wait a minute. I got this one.” I cut into Galilea’s rant. “First of all, ‘your family’? I don’t recall you being around for the past eighteen years. Secondly, exactly what do you think you can you do for us now? Do you know what I’m up against? I’m half your size, and I just took you out. And I don’t even know how to fight. How can your presence possibly benefit us?”

  “Yeah.” Galilea crossed her arms. “What she said.”

  “You caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting my daughter to round kick me in the face.”

  “Your pregnant daughter, might I add,” Galilea said. “Whom I don’t think should be putting herself in any kind of violent predicament in her condition.”

  “I know about the pregnancy,” Samuel said.

  “How?” I asked. There was no way he could know I was pregnant. Unless… Was he was empathic like Nyx? I hadn’t stuck around long enough when I met him in Greece to find out.

  “It’s why I’m here. Among other things.” Samuel lowered himself to the floor, next to Claire. He touched Claire’s neck with two fingers. “Do you have a kitchen towel and ice? A cold compress will help her feel better as she comes to.”