Decay

by J. F. Jenkins

  “Assuming it ever did. Remember, everybody has them, but not everyone will be able to use them,” she pointed out.

  He nodded. “I remember, and you need to remember I didn't know I had any super powers until after I died. The great beyond teaches you a lot of things, let me tell you.”

  “So you've said.” She glanced over at him.

  Dallas already understood everything about the Alturans and why they were on Earth. That was all stuff he'd learned while in the grave. I sure wouldn't mind being a floating spirit some days. Learning all of the universe's secrets has to be pretty cool. It sure makes death a lot less scary. Some days, she wanted to join him, but her promise to bring him back to life kept her going. It was nice to have someone she could tell everything to.

  He sighed and frowned, his dark eyes softening as if he were sad. “I'm pretty sure I saw him here.”

  “Orlando?” Nia asked. He nodded.

  “He was with some girl.”

  “Blonde and obnoxious?” Nia couldn't stand Tait. The guy could definitely do better, but clearly he held onto some of his shallow nature. All Tait was good at was being pretty. The girl had her sweet moments, but intelligence and wit were lacking, unless she had a secret side to her outside of school. Nia did, so Tait could have one as well, but it was doubtful, based on the company she liked to keep.

  Dallas scoffed. “No, he wasn't with her. This girl had dark hair. I've seen her before too. She's better for him. Hopefully he'll see that and make a move.”

  Nia scowled. “Whatever.”

  “Jealous?” he asked.

  “Why would I be jealous?”

  “I know you two are getting closer.”

  “I'm doing it for you,” she said firmly. “It doesn't mean anything more than that.”

  He shrugged. “If you say so, because you two would make an interesting couple as well.”

  “We would,” she said.

  But what he had said was true. They'd make a rather gorgeous couple in fact, walking through the halls of Lunar Falls together. Both of them would wear their usual all black ensemble, and they'd dazzle the school with their sarcastic charms. Orlando still needed some rehabilitation from his former jock days, but he was almost to the point of being tolerable. Once he stopped clinging to the past, he could be worth her attraction. Something about him would always drive her up a wall, however, and she was pretty sure they'd never last. One of them would be dead within a week.

  Dallas laughed and shook his head. “You're a riot, Nia.”

  “I didn't realize I did something funny,” she said and turned into the drive for the cemetery. She parked in front of his mausoleum. “Gonna let me in on the joke?”

  “There's no joke. You just have an interesting way of viewing the world, and that's what I like about you,” he said and unbuckled his seatbelt.

  They both got out of the car, and she walked him up to the door. “You better like me after everything I've done for you.”

  “I liked you even before,” he said with a smile. “Thanks for indulging me and taking me out. A change of scenery is nice. And thanks for the new books. I'm guessing I'm not going to see you until Sunday?”

  “Probably not. Maybe late Saturday night, depending on how everything goes on my play date with Orly. Either way you'll have company, even if it's not me, don't worry.”

  “You going to tell him everything?”

  “That remains to be seen. Ideally, yes, I'll be spilling it all so he's not blindsided. I'd like to present it like an option, and we can see just how much he's really changed,” she said and tried to hide the bitterness in her heart. Orlando had betrayed Dallas, and the two were supposed to be best friends. She didn't understand how Dallas could so easily forgive it. It broke her heart, and she wasn't even involved.

  He grabbed her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Don't be so hard on him when you two hang out, okay? He is a good guy.”

  “When he wants to be.”

  “Always. We all make stupid mistakes. You should know that better than anyone else. All I'm saying, is save the judgment for after you've gained your own experiences to do it with. Okay?”

  She snorted. “Okay. I promise to try and cool it. I am nice to him when we're together, just so you know.”

  “Fake nice. He'll see through it eventually, probably why he hasn't agreed to hang out with you for the past two months.”

  “He's the one who's missing out,” she said confidently. “I need to get going. Curfew is coming up, and while I don't want to go just yet, I should. It might be one of those nights, if you catch my drift.”

  “I do, and I'm here if you need me.”

  Gently, she held onto his wrist, shivering as her skin made contact with his. He was still so cold to the touch. She closed her eyes, and focused on giving him more life. Every little bit helped. Even if it took her a million years to bring him back to life, she was going to make sure it happened.

  “Be safe,” he whispered. Nia pulled away from him and gazed up into his eyes.

  “I always am.”

  He walked into his mausoleum, and she put the lock back in place on the door. She'd purchased a new one that was much sturdier. If she could easily bust through the old one, then anyone could, and she didn't want to risk his safety. Grave robbing wasn't a common practice anymore, but bored teenagers looking for a good prank were always around. Plus, now she had a key. It made things a lot easier.

  With a sigh, she got back into her car and drove home. She made sure to pull into the garage as quietly as possible and then sneaked back into the house. Sure enough, her mother was on the couch in the living room with an open bottle of wine. Nia was almost able to get away to her room without being seen when her mother spoke.

  “And where were you?” she asked, voice slurred.

  “Out with a friend. I'm back an hour before curfew,” Nia said.

  Her mother sat up on the couch and stared down the hallway at her. “You need to cut back on all the junk food. I know you were out sneaking around so you could eat. Probably with a boy too. I don't know how you have all these boyfriends when you're fat, but I guess some guys are into that.”

  “I'm going to bed,” Nia said stiffly.

  There was no point in trying to argue, especially when her mother was drunk. The woman believed whatever she wanted to. In her world, Nia slept around, and her husband was having an affair instead of working two jobs to support the family. Because her mother only ate organic food, that obviously meant that Nia stuffed her face with processed junk food. In all actuality, Nia was petrified of the stuff because if she did gain so much as a pound, her mother would notice. So she maintained her weight and worked hard at eating as healthy as possible.

  She was petite in size, just barely over five-feet-tall, and well-toned from all of her working out. Exercise she made sure to be diligent with, so she could be in shape for whatever her alien boss decided to throw her way. The physical activity also gave her a release from stress, and sometimes it was the only thing to keep her mother from screaming at her. If she was caught doing crunches instead of playing a video game, chances were she'd be left alone for a while.

  Shutting the door quietly, Nia leaned back against it and counted quietly to ten. Please stay on the couch. Please. She had more than enough to deal with without her mother getting up and causing problems for no reason. When a minute passed and nothing happened, she relaxed and lay on her bed. Closing her eyes, she took in a few deep breaths. Tomorrow is the day. If I can get Orlando to agree to help me, then soon everything will be perfect.

  As soon as Dallas was back to being alive, she was going to run away from home.

  Chapter Nine

  JD's heart broke as Cadence continued to huff angrily in the car. He'd gotten her to agree to let him give her a ride back home, but she didn't say anything. Not like he wanted to talk anyway. Everything he had to say, he'd already said, and if she didn't want to believe him, then that was her problem – not his.


  He parked in front of her apartment building. She silently unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

  “Cadence...” he said.

  “We'll talk at school on Monday. I have a lot to think about,” she said in barely more than a whisper.

  “Okay,” he mumbled. As much as he wanted to force her to talk things out with him, he knew he couldn't. If she needed time to think, he had to respect that. I'll make it up to her on Monday anyway. She'll see everything I feel then. He'd prove to her just how special she was to him.

  He waited until she was inside safely before pulling out of his parking spot and heading back out onto the street. I screwed up bad. But in his defense, he hadn't anticipated Cadence being so insecure. That wasn't like her at all, so he couldn't help but wonder what else was going through her head. She's bugging out over something else and not telling me what. Which is so immature of her. If she's not upfront with me, how am I going to know what I'm doing wrong?

  The last thing JD was, was perfect. He'd known as much for a long time. But he liked to think he was open to fixing his problems instead of shutting down. When it came to Cadence, he'd do anything for her. Changing would be difficult, but he'd do it if it meant her happiness. Of course, he also had to know what she wanted him to change.

  When he got back home, the whole family was there, being as loud as ever. His four-year-old twin siblings were running around the house yelling, his dad was searching through the job section in the newspaper, his twelve-year-old brother Lucas was playing a video game in the living room, Angela was on the couch painting her nails watching him, and his mother was nowhere to be found. Probably hiding. She has the right idea. JD went straight to his room for an attempt at some quiet, but the walls in the house were thin so it was done in vain. He was tempted to go back to The Apartment and sleep there for the night. There was no way he'd be able to keep his cool tonight in a house packed tighter than sardines.

  He lay down on his bed and grabbed his head phones to try and drown out the noise with music instead. Unfortunately for him, Angela opened the door to his room and sat on the end of the bed. Why won't Mom and Dad let me get a lock for my door? This is exactly why I need one. Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away. Three songs played on his MP3 player, and she was still there, sitting, waiting, for him to acknowledge her.

  “Yeah?” he asked and paused his music.

  She nodded towards his MP3 player. “That the one Orly gave you for Christmas?”

  “Hmm? Yeah,” he said. An expensive gift to get from someone he'd just recently gotten close to, but it would have been rude for JD to turn it down. Besides, it must have had some kind of sentimental value to Orlando because he had customized the contents just for JD. It kind of reminded him of a mixed CD. It was an unexpected gift, but JD appreciated it because through the music Orlando had chosen for him, he was finally able to understand how the guy viewed him. Everyone in the group had gotten one, so a lot of thought must have gone into the present.

  Angela leaned forward to try and read the track on the display screen. “What kind of dorky music did he put on yours?”

  “Mine isn't dorky. Why, is yours?”

  “Some of it. There's like thirty songs. Mixed genres.”

  “I only got ten.”

  “But I bet yours are a lot more meaningful,” she said with a shrug. “Still trouble in paradise?”

  JD groaned. “She wants to think about it, and we're going to talk Monday at school. I get I messed up, but she should know she's the only girl for me.” He'd been in love with her and petrified of saying anything about it for months. Losing her was the reason why he was petrified, and now he was positive he'd done just that.

  For a moment, all his sister did was watch him. Then she shook her head. “You know, you've almost ruined everything right?”

  “What?” He blinked, not expecting her to be so callous. They'd been getting along so well lately, he almost considered her a friend as well as his sister. I guess it was too good to last. I should have known her ugly side would come out again sooner or later. If there was one person he could count on to be honest with him, Angela was definitely it.

  She twirled a strand of her dark, curled hair, around her finger. “Alan's stressing out enough already, and you've basically made him have to alter all of his plans. He's pretty upset. I am too. I'd expect you to be like this with anyone else, but Cadence? She deserves a lot better.”

  “Thank you for stating the obvious. As for Alan, he doesn't need to change anything. I'm not going to let my personal life impact what needs to be done. He should know I take this all seriously.”

  “I think he's more concerned about her. Just think before you do anything else to screw things up more, okay?” She paused. “For what it's worth, I hope you two can work something out. I've always believed your soul mate should be your best friend.”

  JD waved a hand at her dismissively. He did not want to talk about his love life with her. Who is she to judge me anyway? It's not like she's ever had a successful relationship. She's never even been kissed. What does she know about love for that matter? Nothing! Telling me I've ruined everything, she doesn't even know what she's talking about.

  He picked up his phone and briefly contemplated sending Cadence a text to tell her...something, anything, about how deeply he cared for her. The right words weren't coming to his head though. “I love you” would have been the most simple, but it didn't seem to convey everything he wanted to say. Besides, those three words had been the kiss of death to all of his other relationships. He'd already said the wrong words before. Making things right needed to be his new priority.

  “You're still here?” he asked Angela with a groan, when he noticed she hadn't left his room yet. “Don't you need to wash your hair or update your status on your web page or something dumb like that?”

  She stood up, rolled her eyes, and stomped out of his bedroom without a word. JD cranked up his music, grabbed his extra pillow and covered his face with it. This weekend was going to be a long one.

  Chapter Ten

  Time to take one for the team, Orlando thought as he strolled up to the front door of Nia's house. Okay, that might be a little harsh. She can be okay when she wants to be. But the only reason he was going over to bond with her was because Alan insisted he find out if she had powers. Orlando doubted he'd be getting that close to her, but at least he could say he tried. It was Saturday night, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. He didn't feel much like training anymore, and the last thing he wanted to do was stay home alone while his sister had her boyfriend over. Awkward socializing was never something he sought out, and he figured she'd appreciate his effort at giving her some time alone.

  Nia answered and waved him inside without a word. She had a sucker in her mouth, and she actually looked a lot more normal than usual. At school she liked to overdo the Goth style more than him. Black pants and matching peasant blouses tended to be her everyday attire. Not on Saturday's apparently. She had on dark, navy jeans, and a black T-shirt with a yellow happy face that had a bullet hole through the head. The morbidity fit her personality, but she was still wearing something with yellow on it.

  “We'll play up in my room,” she said in a rather sultry voice. He didn't much like the implications of her tone.

  She'd better be joking. He would proceed with caution all the same. “You were serious about the gaming thing?”

  “What else were you thinking was going to happen on a Saturday night?”

  “No clue to be honest.”

  She nodded. “Exactly. I mean, my parents may be gone, but I'd rather not have you steal my innocence.”

  “Ditto,” he mumbled. Nia was the furthest thing from being his type than any other girl he'd ever met. Not because of appearance, but because of personality. They were too alike in ways that grossed him out.

  When they got up to her room, she shut the door. He took a good look around and suppressed a shudder. On the walls were a number of p
aintings of skulls. One had a snake slithering through an eye-socket, and another reminded him of a zombie movie he'd seen once with Dallas. Gore and darkness decorated her room along with posters of dragons devouring villagers, and sexy looking witches casting dark magical spells. Uncomfortable didn't even begin to describe how he felt in there.

  She bounced over to her bed and sat on the end of it. “Why do you look so weird?”

  “Why do I look so...what?” he asked and snapped his gaze onto her.

  “Weird,” she said and made her eyes wide as if in shock and her mouth hung open stupidly. “This face.”

  “Just wondering how you don't suffer from nightmares all of the time,” he said honestly and sat down in her desk chair.

  She shrugged. “The scary monsters keep the boogie man away for me, so I can dream about unicorns and rainbows. Don't tell me they're freaking you out, Mr. Tough Guy.”

  “Freaked out? No. Weirded out? Definitely. But I'll respect your obscure taste in interior design. So long as you like it, right?”

  “This is why I like you! You're so tolerable of people being 'different' instead of focusing on being cool. More people need to be like that.”

  He gave her a weak smile, trying to not bristle at her compliment. Kind of funny she'd say that about him, given the fact that two years ago he'd been nothing of the sort. He didn't even know what to say, so all he did was offer a slight nod as his gaze went down to his hands.

  A smirk appeared on Nia's lips, and she leaned forward. “Don't be so bashful. I understand you're ashamed Lanny, but the past is the past right?”

  “What?” he asked, brow furrowing. Shock jolted his body causing his heart to beat faster, and breathing became harder as his chest tightened, and his stomach turned itself into knots. What did she know about his past, and who did she hear it from?

  Nia's gaze never left him, and her smirk widened as if she were enjoying his tortured reaction. “I said the past is the past.”