Firebird Alex (The Sedumen Chronicles Book 1)

by Orren Merton

  We ate leftovers from Sunday night for dinner, which were incredibly tasty, then Rabbi Norm and I had another conversation in his study. I realized that these were to be a nightly thing, but it was cool. He wanted to talk about how it felt to clean out my room, how it was to spend time with Rachel, all that. I told him how parts of it were hard, but that I felt like I accomplished something, which was nice, and I was actually looking forward to going through the entire condo that week. And I could tell the conversations were helping, because this time I wasn’t a weepy mess, which was nice.

  The next morning, before Rabbi Norm took Rachel to school, he wanted to chat for a moment about the afternoon.

  “I had a cancellation this afternoon,” the rabbi said, “and I’d like to join you. Perhaps I can help clean up your kitchen and living area, while you focus on the two bedrooms?”

  “Sure,” I agreed. “But you saw what a wreck the living room was, so don’t expect to finish it in a few hours.”

  “Actually,” I could see the beginnings of a wry smile appearing at the corner of Rabbi Norm’s mouth. “I was also going to ask if you’d mind if I brought over an assistant, if he was available….”

  “He?” I repeated.

  “You know who I mean,” he teased.

  “I don’t know Jake at all. Why would I let him into my condo?” I demanded.

  “Who’s Jake?” Rachel asked her father.

  “Josh Harman’s older brother,” Rabbi Norm said.

  “Oh,” Rachel nodded. “I know Josh.” She turned to me. “I don’t know Jake, but Josh is cool—he’s not a butthead.”

  I smiled a little. “Why?” I asked again.

  “Because college doesn’t start for him for a few weeks, and he has time. Because when I spoke to him at his brother’s Bar Mitzvah party, he admitted that he needed to get out of the house…for similar reasons for why you’re staying with me for a while. It would be good for both of you.”

  I curled my lips. Damnit, Rabbi Norm found my weak spot—if he was also suffering the loss of his mom, I felt compelled to help him.

  “But you just said what a mess my place is…I don’t want to invite a total stranger into that.”

  “Trust me, Alex—Jake is one of the least judgmental people you could meet. Besides, a college boy living in the dorms certainly knows what a messy place looks like,” the rabbi chuckled.

  I sighed heavily. I knew I wasn’t going to refuse but I wasn’t happy about it. “This isn’t just an attempt at matchmaking, is it?”

  “Alex, my dear, rabbis have been playing matchmaker for centuries. Why should I be any different?” he smiled with that huge grin of his I simply couldn’t be mad at. “But I assure you, what I told you about needing to get out of his house is the truth. If you said no, I’d still try to find something else to occupy his time.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Warn him I’m not feeling very social, though.”

  “Of course,” Rabbi Norm said. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  “Bye Alex!” Rachel waved, and the two left the house.

  When we arrived at my condo around three-thirty, Jake was sitting by the door, his head buried in his phone.

  “Hi Rabbi,” he smiled as we climbed out of the car. “Hi Alex, it’s great to see you again!”

  “Hi,” I said, trying not to be impolite. “I…it’s nice of you to help.”

  “Oh trust me, you’re doing me a favor,” he said as he stood up.

  “I’m Rachel. I know your brother from religious school.”

  “Hi Rachel, I’m Jake. Nice to meet you,” he said.

  I opened the door to my condo and let everyone in. “Rachel and I are going to start in the extra bedroom. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m going to close the door. If you need anything, go ahead and knock.”

  “Gotcha,” Jake said.

  Rabbi Norm sort of faintly twitched his upper lip at me. I knew he wasn’t happy that I was shutting myself away like that. I felt bad, like I was letting him down…but I just didn’t feel up to talking.

  The extra bedroom was like a storage room, filled with junk that my mom and I accumulated over the years—some of my mom’s old medical supplies we never threw away, some files from Mom’s various transcription jobs, old furniture that we just never got rid of for one reason or another, and a tiny bed, although we never had any guests over. Rachel and I followed the same pattern we did yesterday—Rachel would find something, ask about it, and we’d talk, then put stuff into piles. This time, though, I was better at participating, and holding myself together. I have to give Rachel a lot of the credit. For a twelve-year-old, she was a fantastic listener.

  I tried to be a good listener too, when she’d talk about her mom, or how some of the pill containers reminded her of her mom’s stuff. So when she delicately suggested that maybe we should check on Rabbi Norm and Jake, I got over my standoffish attitude and agreed.

  “Oh my God! The kitchen hasn’t looked this good in a long time,” I marveled as I walked out into the main area. The rabbi had the sink running and was sponging down the cupboards, while Jake had thrown out all the boxes and wrappers laying around and cleaned out the refrigerator, which probably had some moldy crap in there as old as Rachel.

  Jake finished cinching up a bag of trash and smiled. “Glad to be of service,” he said. “How are things going?”

  “Good,” I said. “We’re making piles of stuff to keep and stuff to throw out. Mostly, everything in there can go.”

  “You know, I’m happy to load all the stuff you want to give to charity, and drive it to the Salvation Army tomorrow or whatever,” Jake offered.

  “That sounds like a great idea, Jake,” Rabbi Norm added, then turned back to his scrubbing. “But of course, it’s up to Alex.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “You’ve already done a lot, and it’s not like this can be any fun for you.”

  “You’d be surprised,” Jake laughed. “It’s nice to have something to do, you know?” The smile on his face faded slightly when he said that, but I caught it.

  “Yeah…I know. Okay. That would be great.”

  “Okay, cool,” Jake said. “I parked my car out on the street, so I’ll just bring it in and load it up.”

  I nodded.

  “Back in a sec,” he said, as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and walked out the front door.

  “Why is he doing this?” I asked Rabbi Norm. “There’s got to be easier ways to just get out of the house.”

  “Some people are just warm, helpful people by nature,” the rabbi shrugged as he rinsed off the counters. “They have to help…it’s in their very DNA.”

  “And maybe he thinks you’re hot!” Rachel teased.

  I tried to curl my face in disapproval fast enough to hide my amused grin. “Well, he’s cute, in a geeky way.”

  “He is,” Rachel agreed. “Tall, too.”

  I thought about helping Jake carry stuff to his car, but Rabbi Norm said he’d do that, and suggested we continue going through stuff in the extra bedroom. By the time we decided to leave, Rachel and I had sorted through all the stuff in that extra room and Jake and the rabbi had filled his little car.

  “I’m sorry that I haven’t been very social,” I said to Jake as we were leaving the condo for the evening. “But I want you to know that I really appreciate all you’ve done. And are still doing, I guess.”

  “Really, it’s cool. I liked helping. Seriously,” he said, as he opened his car door. “And if you need anymore help, just let me know.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  The three of us climbed into the rabbi’s sedan and waited for Jake to leave.

  “That was really nice of him,” Rachel said.

  “Yeah, it was,” I agreed.

  Rachel attended religious school after regular school on Wednesdays, so we didn’t do anything in my condo. But Thursday and Friday afternoons we did. It took us two days to get through my mom’s bedroom. It was really hard for me to throw
out her clothes—it felt like I was throwing out my mom. And of course I cried. Sometimes, Rachel cried with me.

  By now, there was no hiding the fact that Rachel and I had become extremely close. Almost more like sisters than friends. I wanted to know all about her life, her friends, how she was doing in school, what it was like studying for her Bat Mitzvah next year when her teacher was her dad. And she was thrilled to tell me, to include me in her life, as well as help me with mine.She helped me divide out my mom’s stuff, and what I decided to keep—mostly her exercise and workout clothes, since I hardly had any of my own. Rachel helped me throw what I was keeping into the washer and dryer, then squirt flame retardant fabric spray on all those tops like I did all of my shirts and blouses so that stray flames from my hair wouldn’t burn them.

  Saturday morning, I went to services like I normally did. Rachel didn’t go—which I totally understood: she’d already attended a ton of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs as part of training for her own, so she had her fill of sitting in on the ceremony of strangers. With her dad’s permission, she spent the day with a friend of hers, Emma or something. This time, however, I didn’t have to walk to Congregation B’nai David—I rode with Rabbi Norm. And this time, I did feel more connected—not just to my mom, but to the rabbi, and I felt way better than I did last week.

  Afterward, Rabbi Norm and I drove to my condo to take the final piles of stuff that I wanted to donate to charity down to the Salvation Army.

  “Your condo is looking much better, Alex, don’t you think?” Rabbi Norm said as we drove away with a carful of clothes in trash bags.

  “It does. It still feels…”

  “Lonely?” he prodded.

  “Yeah. Cold,” I answered.

  He nodded thoughtfully. “It will for some time, I imagine. Why don’t you continue staying at our place for a while, and just visiting your condo? You can decide if you want to sell it, remodel it, whatever you want. But these decisions don’t have to be made today.”

  “But…I don’t want to keep imposing,” I said.

  “Nonsense. We love having you. You’re nearly a sister to Rachel. I knew that you two would find common ground—and I’m sure you’ll find more as you become even better friends.”

  “Yeah, she’s great,” I agreed. “And thanks, I’d love to stay. So about Rachel…you said before that her mom asked you to take care of her?”

  “Yes,” Rabbi Norm said. “She and I had become close, and I had become especially fond of her daughter. I became the only person that her mother would trust with Rachel. Much the way your mother trusted me with you.”

  “When you said you became close to Rachel’s mom…you mean like…romantic close?” I asked hesitantly. “If that was too personal—”

  “Not at all, Alex,” Rabbi Norm said. “A fair question. As I said before, I have honestly not been focused on finding another, so it didn’t occur to me. Also, she was busy fighting her own health struggles, and a relationship would have only taxed her further.”

  We dropped off all the extra clothes and things at the Salvation Army in Tustin Ranch, and headed back to the rabbi’s house. While I had him alone, I wanted to ask something that had been on my mind for a while.

  “Rabbi…I’ve been thinking a lot about when I told you…about what I am.”

  He nodded. “What about?”

  “About how easily you accepted it. I know my mom already told you, but still…you didn’t think she was crazy or anything? You just believed her?”

  “No, I never thought your mother was crazy,” Rabbi Norm said. “I believed her.”

  “But…” I sighed, trying to put my thoughts into words.

  “Is there something else you want to ask?” he prodded. “Don’t worry, you can ask anything.”

  “Have you…do you know others like me?”

  This time, it was the rabbi who paused. “As I told you, Alex, you’re the first person that I’ve ever met who has manifested your abilities. But I do know for certain there are those who are, or in time will become, what you are. I’m confident that given time, you’ll meet another.”

  I nodded. I had to admit, I was a little disappointed. I was kinda hoping that maybe he knew a bunch of half-demons that he could introduce me to, like some secret club of people like me. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so alone.

  “So how do you know about…about people like me?”

  “Many years ago, when I was young, a very good friend who came from a family with one like you as a distant relative, confided in me. Since then, he has called on me numerous times relating to people like you, or your mother. It is a special interest of mine, you could say.”

  “Your friend; was the half-demon in his family evil? How about the demon father? Did your friend have any information about him?”

  Rabbi Norm turned to me. “His distant relative was not evil. And my friend was told that his distant relative’s father…was not a kind being. But he never told me any more than that.”

  I got a sick feeling inside. Not much information, but enough to make me worry about what my dad would be like if I ever met him. Terrific. I sighed.

  “Okay, well, did your friend have any special powers?” I asked.

  “Well, he used to always beat me at chess,” he grinned. “Does that count?”

  “I guess it depends how good you are at chess,” I shot back.

  “Sadly, not good enough to require super-human abilities to defeat me, I’m afraid. Look, Alex, I understand that you’re extremely curious about your father, especially after finding that blade. I’m sorry all your internet searching has been fruitless. Maybe books of folklore, mythology, and demonology will be more productive?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. But how much…how much do you know?” I asked.

  “Not as much as you wish I did, I’m afraid,” he apologized. “But I very likely can help you make sense of what you find out. I will help you do your research, and we can discuss everything you discover. Who knows, I might have more insight after all.”

  “Thanks Rabbi. And I mean for everything—for taking me in, helping me with the condo, as well as this.”

  “It is more than my pleasure, Alex. It is my joy,” he said.

  “So where do I start?”

  6

  Rabbi Norm suggested that the best place to start doing research on demons in folklore would be the main library of the University of California in Irvine. That sounded good to me, so he said that he’d drop me off at UCI the next morning after dropping Rachel off at Tustin Middle School and before he went into work.

  We had a leisurely Sunday, just hanging out and relaxing. Then on Monday, Rabbi Norm dropped me off at UCI just before nine. I’d only been to UCI once before, early in my senior year of high school when I was thinking about possibly going to college. Honestly, I kinda liked the idea; I liked learning and reading, and it seemed like a really large and clean school. But Mom got sicker than she’d ever been, and being around to take care of her became the only thing that mattered to me; even going to a university twenty minutes away seemed too far. Of course, I didn’t think she’d die before my first year of college would have started. As sick as she was, until the very end I never really thought she would actually die. I guess I just didn’t want to face being without her.

  I remember seeing Langson Library as part of my tour, but I’d long since forgotten where it was. Luckily, there were maps right by the main parking lot where I was dropped off. Turns out it wasn’t very far at all, and since it was a huge five-story building with arch-like projections sticking outward, it was impossible to miss.

  I searched for mythology, demonology, and folklore books using one of the student computers on the first floor. My results included a couple of titles in each category that sounded like they might be promising. I wrote those results down and walked up to the reference desk. The librarian was really nice; she was a UCI graduate student herself. Once she found the books I was looking for, rather than charge me eighty
dollars right away for a one-year non-student library card, she suggested I take a seat and look through them to see if I wanted to check any of them out. I thanked her and found a seat at a small round table with three chairs and enough room to spread out and started flipping through them.

  I didn’t think I’d actually spend that much time looking through books, but boy was I wrong. I got sucked in. There were African demons, European demons, Asian demons. Every culture had a different take on them. They all looked different, like some were combinations of different animals parts and others just straight up monsters, and they all had different abilities. Some demons weren’t really all that “demonic” in the way I’d grown up to think of demons, they were more just, well, free spirits. Not evil monsters so much as tricksters. I hoped my dad was one of those. I really didn’t want to turn out to be the daughter of some evil people-eating beast.

  My mom had told me about how my dad looked in demon form—red, huge, two large horns, and some sort of hybrid between a human and animal head—and Rabbi Norm suggested that the head on my dagger-pen might be a picture of my dad’s face. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the head. It didn’t look like it was supposed to be photo-accurate or anything, but it did look close enough to my mom’s description that I could use it as a guide. So I started with the books on Christian and European mythology and searched for anything that might help.

  “Hi again, Alex!”

  I immediately recognized the voice. What was he doing here?

  “I go here, by the way. I’m not stalking you, I promise,” Jake smiled. “I’m staying in the dorms.”

  I tried to smile back, but I think I only succeeded in wiping the near-scowl off my face. I really didn’t mean to be rude to Jake. He didn’t deserve it.

  “Hi Jake…it’s nice to see you again,” I said, trying to be polite. “Aren’t you a bit early for moving into the dorms? The signs say classes don’t start until—”

  “Yeah…” Jake sighed, the smile evaporating from his face. “Since this is my sophomore year, I don’t really have to show up early at all, I don’t need orientation for new students. But…”