Kayin's Fire

by Alica Mckenna Johnson

  Once they let him go, Anali maneuvered him into a chair and brought him a plate filled with food and another cup of punch. “Using our gifts burns a lot of energy, and this will help the shock. If they had it, I would be giving you sweet tea. Don’t Americans understand the importance of a strong hot cup of tea?”

  Kayin laughed. His teacher at school always gave the kids hot sweet tea when they got hurt or upset. Someone screamed. Kayin jumped before realizing it was playful instead of fearful. Gavin sat close, draping his arm across the back of Kayin’s chair. Kayin sighed, feeling a bit safer and went back to eating in response to Anali’s look.

  * * *

  Kayin woke with the sun. They had come home late and he expected Gavin and Anali would still be sleeping. Turning on the radio, he began working on his math.

  “What people thought was a gruesome Halloween prank turned out to be a horrific murder,” the announcer on the radio said. “People walked by the bodies of two young men propped up at the top of the apartment stoop, thinking them nothing more than mannequins meant to scare people. At two am, when a group of nurses walked by, the gruesome truth was discovered. The nurses recognized real bodies and called the police. The neighbors were in shock. One said, and I quote, Their ribs looked like something had exploded inside of their chest, and their hearts were missing. Who does that to a person? Of course I thought it was a joke, it was too much like a horror movie for me to think it was real, end quote.”

  Kayin froze. No, oh please no.

  “The police aren’t releasing any information, but we have discovered that the security cameras malfunctioned before the young men were killed. The last image is of a dark skinned man wearing a partially burned denim jacket. If anyone knows anything, please call the police. I’ll be back in an hour for your next news update.”

  Should I have killed them? Kayin thought. If I had, those two men would still be alive, and who knows how many others they will kill during their lives? I just thought about getting away and keeping Selena safe, I didn’t even really want to hurt them, just stop them. Did I do the wrong thing?

  Kayin rubbed his aching chest.

  I wish my dad was here. Tears rolled down his cheeks. What am I supposed to do? Kayin stared out the window at the gray blustery November morning. It fit his mood.

  Running footsteps thundered down the hallway. “Kayin,” Gavin called as he knocked. “Can I come in?”

  “Okay,” Kayin said his voice soft.

  Gavin opened the door and froze. “You heard.”

  Kayin nodded. “I’m sorry. I should have killed them.”

  Gavin shook his head and knelt in front of him. “No, you did exactly the right thing. You kept yourself and Selena safe. No one wanted or expected more from you. You were attacked by adults, and it is up to adults to deal with them. Michael’s uncle is a police detective. They're sending a forensic artist to come and talk to you so they can get an image of the men who attacked you. They’ll talk to Selena, too.”

  Kayin nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”

  “I know you will and you can help, so long as you realize this wasn’t your fault,” Gavin said, his pale green eyes holding Kayin’s gaze as if trying to force the truth of his words into the young man’s heart.

  Kayin smiled. “Yes, Gavin.”

  Gavin nodded. “Come down for breakfast, Maggie is making pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs.”

  “I’ll get dressed and be down in a minute.” Kayin’s smile fell once Gavin left the room. It’s nice to know Gavin doesn’t blame me, but it doesn’t change the fact that if I had killed the witches, those people would still be alive. I bear some responsibility for every person they kill.

  Chapter Nine

  The weight of his breakfast turned from comfortably full to rocks in his stomach as Kayin walked to the living room. Gavin and the police were waiting for him.

  “Everything will be fine,” Gavin said. “Remember, you’re not in trouble.”

  Kayin nodded and stepped through the door. Two men stood by the window.

  “Good, morning I’m detective Cardenas,” said a short, solid man in a gray suit. “This is Dale Montgomery, a forensic artist.”

  Dale pushed his round wire rimmed glasses up his nose. His skin looked several shades lighter than Kayin’s deep brown-black, and his dark brown hair was done in six thick braids which started at his forehead and stayed tight to his scalp until they reached his neck and continued to the collar of his dark blue dress shirt.

  “Thank you for coming here, I think it will be easier on Kayin than going down to the precinct,” Gavin said.

  “We always try and make things as easy on kids as possible,” Cardenas said.

  Kayin frowned. He was fifteen—he wasn’t a kid.

  Dale laughed. “I think young man is a better description. Shall we get started Kayin?”

  “Sure.”

  “Great. Let’s sit in those chairs over there, so we can have a bit of space to work.” Dale moved to two blue arm chairs.

  Kayin looked at Gavin and, getting a nod and a smiled, followed.

  Dale opened his laptop. “Okay, so what I want you to do is describe to me what the men looked like, as best as you can remember. Which of the four do you want to start with?”

  Letting Dale’s calm voice guide him, Kayin described each man. Dale’s questions brought up details Kayin was surprised he could remember.

  “Okay,” Dale said smiling. “Let’s see how we did. I can change anything, so let me know what differences you see.”

  Kayin nodded, then gasped as Dale showed him an image of the old man. “That’s him, that’s him almost exactly.”

  “What’s different?” Dale asked.

  “His right eye, droops a bit more, they’re not even. And his skin, I don’t know, looks tougher.”

  Dale’s fingers clicked on the keys, as he altered the image. “Like this?”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “Thank you, let’s see how well we do on the others.”

  Kayin found tiny details in each one that enhanced the accuracy of the picture: a scar he had forgotten, an earring, and the exact shape of a mouth.

  “Mark,” Dale said. “We’re finished.”

  Detective Cardenas came over. “Wonderful, good job. Email those to my phone and the station. Kayin, how about we take a bit of a break, and then I’ll need you to tell me everything that happened.”

  Dale gathered his things. “It was nice to meet you, Kayin.”

  “Thank you. I’m glad I remembered so much detail. I hope the pictures help.”

  “They will, and you’ve helped us a lot.”

  Kayin exhaled, letting some tension go. Maybe I can set things right.

  * * *

  “What am I supposed to tell the police officer?” Kayin whispered.

  Gavin ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not sure. I know he’s Michael’s uncle by marriage, so I don’t think he knows about Children of Fire or anything supernatural.”

  “I can’t lie,” Kayin said. “Not well, not to an elder, and not to a police detective.”

  “Okay, how about you focus on what the witches said, how they acted, and say you and Selena threw stuff at them and ran into the street?”

  “I think I can do that.”

  “Gavin,” Anali said opening the door. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes. How was yoga this morning?”

  She smiled. “Good.”

  “Did you get some breakfast?”

  “I will once I find out why the police are here.”

  Kayin left the room while Gavin explained about the murders. After using the bathroom, he stood in the hallway not ready to go back to the living room, but not sure what else to do.

  “Kayin,” detective Cardenas said. “Can you come back in here for a minute please?”

  “Of course.” How am I going to lie?

  The detective held out his phone. “Would you look at this picture
for me?”

  Kayin held his breath. There they were, the four men who attacked him and Selena and killed those two people. “How?”

  “I’ve never had this happen so fast. I sent out the APB. A state trooper had pulled these guys over early this morning for drunk driving, saw blood on their clothes and nails and they are currently in jail in Steuben County.”

  “Oh, that’s amazing,” Anali said.

  “That’s a fu …” Cardenas cleared his throat, “a miracle. In twenty-seven years I’ve never seen a suspect caught this quickly. I’ll drive over there this afternoon and let you know if I need anything else. If the miracles continue, maybe we can get a positive match on the blood today or tomorrow.”

  “Thanks,” Gavin said shaking the detective’s hand.

  “Thank you for your time, without the sketches we wouldn’t be able to hold them longer than twenty-four hours and there is no way we could get a DNA test back on the blood that quickly.”

  Cardenas squeezed Kayin’s shoulder as he left.

  At least from jail they can’t hurt anybody else.

  * * *

  After all the drama from the morning, Gavin declared they should have a classic movie day. The last time he had said this, they watched the original Star Wars trilogy. Today, he chose old black and white movies: Dracula, Frankenstein, Casablanca (once Anali said no more monster movies), and now Arsenic and Old Lace. Kayin wasn’t sure how to feel about the two sweet little old ladies who killed lonely old men. The movie was funny, but weird.

  Gavin’s phone rang. “Hello, Detective Cardenas.”

  Anali paused the movie.

  “What? Are you kidding?” Gavin left the room.

  Kayin stared at the door. He could hear Gavin’s voice, but couldn’t understand the words.

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Anali said, a frown on her face.

  Kayin munched on popcorn. The butter Maggie coated the fluffy white kernels with made his fingers shiny.

  Gavin opened the door, his face hard and blank.

  My dad always had bad news when his face looked like that, Kayin thought.

  “Detective Cardenas said the four men confessed to killing the two guys and using magic to do it. So they think that they're high or crazy. Anyway, he was doing paperwork to transfer the men back to New York, and when he went to check on them, they were gone. The cameras stopped working just like at the murder site. The last thing the security camera picked up was a man in a long dark wool coat,” Gavin said.

  “What happens now?” Anali asked.

  “Cardenas said he’d have some extra patrols drive by the house and keep an eye out, but since the men didn’t know Kayin or Selena he doubted there was any real threat.”

  “That’s good news, don’t you think, Kayin?” Anali asked.

  “Do you think they will kill again?” Kayin asked.

  Gavin knelt in front of Kayin. “Whatever they do, it’ll be their choice. You're not responsible for what they do.”

  “Choosing to avoid killing isn’t a bad thing,” Anali said. “They could have taken your mercy and compassion and learned from it. Instead, they choose to stay on a path of fear and suffering.”

  Kayin sighed. “My father told me that a strong man acts with compassion.”

  “Your father is a wise man,” Anali said. “I hope someday I get to meet him.”

  Rubbing his chest, Kayin grinned. “Well, weirder things have happened lately.”

  * * *

  Kayin’s body hummed with power. Tonight he would end these crazy dreams. Closing his eyes, Kayin focused on the sharp tugging ache in his heart. The n’anga had placed a psychic hook in him that tethered him to Zimbabwe and his family. Drifting into sleep, he saw the deep green cord connecting him to the n’anga. Pulling hot red Phoenix energy around himself Kayin followed the cord through a deep blackness until he appeared in the n’anga’s hut. The power from Akasha surrounded him, its warmth keeping him safe and connected to his body.

  “He’s here,” the old man whispered.

  “Kayin,” his amai said tears filling her eyes.

  “I’m here, Amai, don’t cry.”

  “Kayin, you must banish the demon from you,” the old man said. “I’m surprised it hasn’t already consumed your soul.”

  “I’m not a demon. What happened to me, it’s a gift, a blessing. I saved a friend with my new powers,” Kayin said.

  The n’anga threw herbs onto the fire, and a thick plume of smoke rose. “Lies, the demon lies, he has stolen your son’s voice and image. He must be banished.”

  “Amai, I’m not a demon. I’m safe and happy. I miss all of you so much that some nights my heart aches with pain. Please let me explain.” Kayin’s eyes filled with tears.

  Shaking a gourd rattle the old man chanted, calling out to the ancestors to help him.

  Kayin felt himself being pushed out of the hut. “Amai.”

  “I love my son, but you aren’t him. Kayin is dead, killed by you.” She spat at him. “Be gone, demon.”

  Tears filled his eyes as his amai recited the Lord’s Prayer. Wrapping the Phoenix energy around the n’anga’s hook he pulled it out of his heart, screaming as he flew out of the hut and slammed back into his body.

  Kayin arched up in bed, pain radiating from his chest. His power filled the wound, soothing it, cleansing it of the last tendrils of the n’anga’s power, but unable to fill in the hole left behind.

  Shaking, Kayin stumbled into the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face to get rid of the sweat and tears. After filling a cup with water, he curled up in the window seat. Closing his eyes, he let tears flow as he pulled up mental images of his home, village, and family. Would he ever see them again? Would he ever watch a storm build over the dry grass plains, animals nervously grazing as lightning and thunder built in the dark clouds, and his whole village praying rain would touch the parched ground before the lightning could lite the dry grass on fire? His throat thickened as images of his siblings floated through his mind.

  Taking a deep breath he let the images go, opened his eyes, and let the now-familiar city calm him. Buildings glowed, traffic hummed, and leaves from the park fluttered in the air. New York. His home, his choice, and now the start of his destiny. He’d only live here for another few weeks and then be off to San Francisco.

  Nervous excitement bubbled in his stomach. A whole new city. New people, new adventures, and then they would travel the world to save magical creatures. Maybe we can go to Zimbabwe. The image of his mother, her eyes hard as she cursed him, appeared. No, going home wouldn’t be a good idea.

  A siren screeched, blue and red lights reflected off the ceiling. Climbing back into bed, Kayin thought about all the other places he would like to see on all seven continents.

  Chapter Ten

  Was anything worth being this cold? Kayin took the steaming cup of cocoa Anali handed him. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, and don’t worry it should start soon.”

  “Why is seeing balloons so popular?”

  “Not just balloons,” Gavin said. “Huge balloons, floats, music, dancers . . . Anyway, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an American institution, and my family has been attending since the very first one in 1924.”

  “It’s starting.” Anali pointed to the end of the street.

  Kayin’s eyes widened. He looked down at his lap, then looked through his lashes. The dancing women linked arms and began to kick in unison. They wore the tiniest dresses Kayin had ever seen. Their dance looked interesting, but he wasn’t sure about staring at women who wore so little.

  “It’s okay, Kayin. You can look. They practice to be able to dance like this, and they want people to watch them,” Anali said. “Plus they are wearing tights, so you aren’t seeing as much skin as you think.”

  “Okay,” Kayin said, but felt glad when their dance was over and a fully clothed marching band took their place.

  “Look up,” Gavin said.

  K
ayin’s breath caught then exhaled, “Spiderman.” The balloon filled the sky, and a group of about forty people walked under the balloon holding onto ropes which kept it from flying away.

  For the next three hours, Kayin sat on the edge of the bleacher, ignoring the cold seeping into his body as he watched performers, magical floats, and slightly terrifying balloons pass in-front of him.

  “So, what did you think?” Gavin asked, his nose and cheeks pink from the cold.

  “The parade was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.” Kayin’s dark brown eyes sparkled. “I mean all the people, and the balloons—I was scared they were going to land on us! And the floats, how do people create them? And the performers, did you see the group with all the sequins? We saw their show last week at the theater.”

  Gavin and Anali smiled as Kayin spent the entire way home describing his favorite parts of the parade.

  * * *

  Kayin shifted several dishes to make room for a gravy boat filled with mushroom gravy. Does Maggie expect us to eat all this? Only five of us are eating dinner. I know Maggie will be gone for a week with her parents, and she wants us to have leftovers, but this is ridiculous.

  “Kayin,” Gavin called out after the doorbell rang. “Can you get the door?”

  “Sure.” Kayin rushed down the hallway. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Kayin, did you have fun at the parade?” Michael asked.

  “I can’t believe you sat out in the cold for three hours,” Philip said. “I like the parade, but I prefer to watch it under blankets in my comfy chair.”

  “I loved it. Cold but worth every moment.”

  “Ignore my brother,” Michael said. “Of course if he could wear a hat, it might help.”

  Philip grinned, patting his salt and pepper Mohawk. “One must suffer for beauty.”