by Pearl Love
Jeremy took a deep breath and wrapped his trembling fingers around the dark blue stone. After a moment, he nodded. “Okay.” He pulled the chain over his head and dropped the pendant into his teacher’s hand.
Mr. Crabtree’s gaze warmed with pride. “Thank you, Jeremy, for trusting me. I promise I’ll return it to you as soon as we’re done for the day.” He slipped the pendant into his pocket.
Jeremy tried to ignore how lost he felt without the stone bumping against his sternum.
“Okay, let’s try that again. And, Tyrell, you don’t need to do that anymore.”
Tyrell tilted his head. “Do what?”
Mr. Crabtree glanced down at Tyrell’s hands. “You were miming playing the drums before.”
Tyrell blinked, but the surprise quickly faded from his features. “I guess you’re right. Now that I think about it, every time I’ve felt the aluuku, that’s what I’ve done.”
“Mmmm,” Mr. Crabtree hummed knowingly. “Similar to Jeremy, you were using your musical skills to draw on your power as a Singer, but that’s also a crutch. Granted, it isn’t artificial like the pendant, but you’d be a lot stronger if you channeled your abilities directly.” He looked from Tyrell to Jeremy. “Why don’t you both try it again? Concentrate on letting the music flow out of you.”
Jeremy closed his eyes. Without prompting, he began the slow breathing exercise, listening carefully for his inner music.
“Tyrell, stuff your hands in your pockets if you have to.”
Jeremy chuckled at Tyrell’s frustrated grumble. Unfortunately, the interruption required him to start all over. He slowed his breaths and concentrated, but unlike before, the sound remained elusive. Finally he gave up and stared sadly at his teacher.
“I can’t do it. Not without Chris’s help.”
Mr. Crabtree’s expression was compassionate yet grave. “That’s not true, Jeremy. I understand how difficult this must be, but I need you both to understand that your very lives may depend on you mastering your gifts. Not to mention the lives of everyone the aluuku might seek to destroy.” He glanced at Tyrell. “Are you willing to let innocent people die simply because you were too afraid to try?”
The muscles in Tyrell’s jaw bunched as he clenched his teeth, but he merely shook his head.
“No,” Jeremy mumbled, voicing what Tyrell didn’t say.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Mr. Crabtree said bluntly. “I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s crucial that you get this.” He looked at them for a moment in silence before nodding. “Okay, how about this? I want you to hold hands.”
Jeremy met Tyrell’s startled gaze. “What?” he said, speaking for both of them.
“Remember when I told you that you were stronger together?” Mr. Crabtree waited until they nodded. “Well, I was completely serious. Eventually, you’ll be able to act independently, but for now, you can draw on each other for support.”
“How is that different from Jeremy using his pendant or me pretending to play the drums?”
“Because, instead of employing artificial means to harness your gifts, you’re simply sharing resources, if you will.” Mr. Crabtree smiled sheepishly. “I’m afraid I can’t really explain it any better than that. What do you say? Give it a try?”
The thought of holding hands with Tyrell made Jeremy tremble down to his toes with excitement, but he was embarrassed to do so in front of Mr. Crabtree. Fortunately, Tyrell seemed to have no such qualms. He grabbed Jeremy’s hand and held it tight.
“Ready?” Tyrell smiled encouragingly.
Jeremy felt a blush take over his face, but he nodded. “Ready,” he replied before closing his eyes.
Even with Tyrell’s comforting presence next to him, it took longer this time to reach the necessary state of calm, making Jeremy realize just how much he’d been relying on his pendant. Eventually, however, he finally heard the music, and when he did, it was louder and clearer than ever before.
“Oh, wow,” Tyrell breathed.
A buzz of energy passed between their joined hands, Jeremy guessed Tyrell had also accessed the reservoir of song buried deep within. The sensation was both overwhelming and intoxicating. The notes filled his ears while, at the same time, the darkness behind his closed eyelids began to brighten. The intensity increased until he was bathed in a light more dazzling than the sun. The warmth he’d felt from his pendant was nothing compared to the heat that tingled against his skin, yet neither were uncomfortable. Instead, he was immersed in a soothing ocean of brilliance and sound that was eager to pour out of him and into the world.
“Yes.” Mr. Crabtree’s voice was full of wonder. “That’s it, boys. Keep it going!”
Jeremy opened his mouth and the song issued forth effortlessly. He barely recognized his own voice. Normally he sounded like a strangled chicken whenever he tried to sing, but now his vocal chords were producing harmonies far beyond normal human capacity. He wasn’t alone. Tyrell’s baritone joined with his own tenor, and together the music they created filled the air around them.
The song was like nothing Jeremy had ever heard before. There was no melody and no chorus. Instead the harmonies melded into something completely unique. He could have listened to it for hours, even for days. Entranced, he struggled to maintain the sound, but he eventually ran out of breath, his body having sustained the note without a break. He gasped, filling his starved lungs reflexively. Panting, he opened his eyes, amazed to see that nothing had changed. The park was as quiet and peaceful as it had been before, and yet, everything seemed profoundly different. The grass was greener, the sky bluer, and when he glanced over at Tyrell, Jeremy was amazed to discover how he seemed even more beautiful to his eyes.
Tyrell looked equally out of breath. He was sweating, bending over so he could support his hands on his knees. He glanced up at Jeremy and grinned. “That was wild.”
Jeremy could only nod, too winded to speak.
Mr. Crabtree clapped his hands and smiled at them with utter delight. “Wonderful! I’m so proud of you two to have progressed so far so quickly. But believe it or not, you haven’t begun to reach your full potential.”
Jeremy stared at him in disbelief. “You’re kidding. You mean we can do even more than that?”
“Absolutely. The song you produced just then would probably kill two or even three aluuku, but that’s all. You need to reach the point where you can destroy hundreds at a time.”
Tyrell went ashen beneath his dark complexion. “Hundreds?” he repeated weakly. “You weren’t exaggerating before? There are really that many of those things out there?”
Mr. Crabtree’s glee dimmed abruptly. “I’m afraid so. I was being completely serious when I told you this is a war we’re fighting.”
“How do you know so much about this?” Jeremy asked suspiciously. “I mean, you’re just a high school teacher… aren’t you?”
Mr. Crabtree smiled cryptically. “A tale for another time. For now, let’s just say I was tasked to find powerful Singers, which I have.” He held up a hand, forestalling whatever Tyrell was about to ask. “Later I’ll explain everything, I swear. Now, it’s getting late, so I think we’ll call it a day.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Jeremy’s pendant. “Here you go. Didn’t I tell you you’d be fine without this?”
Jeremy caught it when his teacher tossed it to him. “Yeah. You were right.”
“Your confidence is overwhelming.” Mr. Crabtree smirked. “I want you both to keep practicing on your own whenever possible.”
“I can’t practice at home,” Tyrell said. “My family and neighbors would kill me if I made that sort of racket in my apartment.”
“Don’t worry. Only you can hear your song.”
Jeremy looked at the teacher skeptically. “Seriously? But it was so loud!”
“Only to you. Even I couldn’t hear it. I could merely sense your power. Remember, the song is just a manifestation of your psychic abilities.”
Tyrell grunted, his expression skeptica
l. “If you say so.”
Mr. Crabtree winked. “I do. Now, go on. I’ll see you both on Monday.”
Jeremy watched as he turned and walked off without saying anything more. “What’s his deal? Tasked to find Singers? By whom?”
“No idea, but I guess he’ll tell us when he’s ready,” Tyrell said. “Are you headed home?”
“Yeah, I need to finish up my homework,” Jeremy explained. “I don’t like leaving it until Sunday.”
Tyrell nodded. “Same here, especially since I spend so much of Sunday at church with my mom. Which route did you take to get here?”
“The #152 Addison.”
“Walk you to the bus stop?”
“Sure, if it’s not out of your way.” Jeremy tried not to feel like he was being escorted by his boyfriend, even though he sincerely wished that were the case.
“It’s not. I can take the same bus to get to the Blue Line.”
They were closest to the park exit that let out onto Long Avenue. The neighborhood was residential and lined with trees at the height of their autumnal splendor. Jeremy was content to walk in silence as they headed north, and Tyrell seemed to share his mood. Jeremy suspected that Tyrell was also struggling to come to terms with what they had learned about themselves. His entire life, he’d thought the only thing remotely special about him was his ability to play the clarinet. Finding out how very wrong he’d been shifted his worldview, and he was having trouble reconciling this new reality with his expectations.
“Are you going to Homecoming?” Tyrell asked suddenly. “The game, I mean.”
It took Jeremy a moment to catch up to the abrupt change in topic. “Uh, I hadn’t planned to. Sports aren’t really my thing. Why?”
Tyrell shrugged. “No reason. Ryan is starting, and I know he’d love it if his friends were there to support him.”
Jeremy smiled teasingly. “Ryan considers me a friend?”
“Of course,” Tyrell said, shooting him a surprised glance. “What, you didn’t know that?”
Jeremy sobered. “Well, I guess I never really thought about it. But after what he did for me, telling his coach about his teammates….” He paused and looked down at his feet. “That really was nice of him.”
“Nothing anyone wouldn’t do for a friend.” Tyrell bumped against Jeremy’s shoulder playfully. “So, will you go?”
“Yeah, I guess. Who are we playing?”
“River Vista.”
Jeremy stumbled, and although he quickly regained his footing, his misstep hadn’t escaped Tyrell’s notice.
“You okay?” Tyrell asked.
Jeremy nodded, not trusting himself to speak through the lump of tension blocking his throat.
“Bullshit.” Tyrell stopped and grabbed his arm, forcing him to do likewise. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Jeremy insisted. His history at River Vista wasn’t something he wanted to share, particularly not with Tyrell. “I just tripped on the sidewalk.” The tree roots had pushed through the concrete in places, lending credence to the excuse.
Tyrell raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. “Uh-huh, sure. Try another one. I can feel that you’re lying.”
Jeremy glanced at him in surprise. “What?”
“Ever since what we just did in the park, it’s like I can, I don’t know, sense your emotions or something.” Tyrell cocked his head. “You can’t feel me?”
Jeremy concentrated for a moment and then blinked. “You’re right. Whoa.” He knew the concern he was sensing wasn’t coming from him but from Tyrell. “That’s really weird.”
“Yeah. So why are you lying? What has you so freaked out?”
Crap, Jeremy thought. This unexpected side effect of them melding their powers was proving inconvenient to say the least. He exhaled gustily. “Really, it’s nothing. Just… remember I told you I went to River Vista before transferring to Winton Yowell?”
Tyrell’s eyes widened in recollection. “Oh, right.” He narrowed his gaze in suspicion. “Something happened to you there. That’s why you transferred.” It wasn’t a question.
Jeremy shuffled his feet, wishing he weren’t having this conversation. Since Tyrell seemed disinclined to move until they had, he finally relented. “It really wasn’t that much different than what happened at Nicole’s party. Basically, I got into it with some of the football players.”
“Got into it or was harassed?” Tyrell dropped his voice to a low growl.
“Harassed,” Jeremy admitted. “I had a crush on one of the players, and he found out about it.” He tried to keep his tone even, but he couldn’t keep the slight waver out of his voice. “He and some of his friends ganged up on me. He pushed me to the ground, and I ended up having to get stitches in my hand and spraining my elbow.”
“Son of a bitch,” Tyrell said through clenched teeth. “Does that guy still go to River Vista? You’re worried you might run into him at the game?” He sighed when Jeremy nodded. “What if I promised not to let anything happen to you?”
Jeremy gazed up at him, his eyes stinging as though he were about to cry. He felt like a wimp, but that didn’t stop the surge of gratitude that went through him at Tyrell’s words. “You do?”
“Yeah.”
Tyrell’s face softened with an expression Jeremy had never seen from him before. It made his heart beat faster, and he wondered if Tyrell would mind if he kissed him right there on the street.
“Come on.” Tyrell grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him along as he started walking again. “I’m starving. Maybe there’s somewhere up on Addison we can grab lunch.”
“Okay,” he replied happily. He didn’t particularly care where Tyrell took him so long as they were together.
Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT
TYRELL STARED at Mr. Crabtree curiously as he waited for him to close the door to his office. This wasn’t the first time Mr. Crabtree had asked him and Jeremy to stay behind after practice, but Tyrell had the feeling he was worried about something. Over two weeks had passed since they’d begun their training as Singers, and he thought things were going pretty well. Both he and Jeremy could draw upon their power at will now, and although they didn’t often get to practice together, merely sitting next to Jeremy, he could feel their shared powers merging, making the air around them shimmer imperceptibly.
“Sir, is something wrong?” Jeremy asked, apparently having likewise picked up on the teacher’s distress.
Mr. Crabtree’s face looked pale and pinched as he finally claimed the seat behind his desk. “The Homecoming game is Friday, and with after-school activities cancelled that day, I wasn’t sure I’d have time to speak with you before then.” He took a deep breath. “We think something’s going to happen at the game.”
“What?”
“We?”
Tyrell glanced over at Jeremy when they spoke at the same time. He was also curious about what had Mr. Crabtree so rattled, but right then he was more interested in who this mysterious “we” might be.
Mr. Crabtree looked from Tyrell to Jeremy and back again. His expression firmed as he sighed. “I’m not alone in this endeavor. Like I said, this struggle has been going on for a long time, even though, lately, it seems things are escalating. The aluuku have never been this active before, which brings me to the far more important point.” He had folded his hands together on top of his desk, and his knuckles stood out in white points as he squeezed them tightly. “We fear the aluuku might try something big at the game.”
Jeremy frowned. “At the game? You mean like what happened to that girl at Kendall?”
“No,” Mr. Crabtree replied. “Something much, much worse. Remember when I said the aluuku draw energy from the young?”
Tyrell gulped and nodded. The very thought of it made him sick to his stomach, especially since he was almost certain one of the demons had killed Kevin’s friend. He couldn’t bear to think about how terrified poor Jerome must have been in his last moments. He slumped in his chair. If only he’d b
een there, maybe he could have done something.
“Well, how many kids do you estimate will be at the game on Friday?”
“Holy crap,” Jeremy breathed. His horror flooded to Tyrell in violent waves.
Mr. Crabtree nodded. “Exactly. Most of the student body will likely be in attendance, not to mention siblings, cousins, you name it. It will be a veritable feast for the aluuku.”
“But they wouldn’t dare attack so openly, would they?” Tyrell tried to think positively. “They’ll probably only choose isolated targets like they did at Kendall, meaning Jeremy and I can take them, no problem.”
“I’m afraid not. The portents indicate that the aluuku plan to attack en masse, to siphon as much energy as possible.”
“Portents?” Jeremy’s confusion matched Tyrell’s as it reached him through their psychic link. “You mean like fortune-telling?”
Tyrell growled in irritation. “Come on, man. Don’t you think it’s past time you were straight with us?”
Mr. Crabtree smiled wryly. “Believe me, boys. I’m not being deliberately evasive. Well, okay, maybe a little,” he added hastily when Tyrell sat forward aggressively in his seat. “But I don’t want to distract you until you’re ready to hear the complete story. Suffice it to say, I work for an organization that has been tasked with defeating the aluuku and protecting the world from them. Honestly, that’s all I can tell you right now.”
“But you will enlighten us eventually, right?” Jeremy pressed.
Mr. Crabtree nodded. “Yes. I swear I will.”
Tyrell glared at him. “You’d better. So, what do you want us to do about the game?”
The tension in Mr. Crabtree’s expression eased. “Have you been practicing?” He had met with them at Chopin Park only once more, the Saturday following when they’d officially begun their training. The rest, he’d left them to do on their own time.
“Yes,” Jeremy said. “We’ve even worked together a few times after school.”