“Cool!”
“You think that’s neat, watch this,” Nolan’s voice bubbled up from the watery figure. A trace of a smile was barely visible on his watery face as he stepped back away from Caleo allowing his underwear to sink through his body. Excitement and embarrassment flooded through Caleo’s body and he couldn’t look away. Nolan stuck out his arms his palms facing up. The water around him seemed to ripple, then swirl forming a five foot ring. Nolan slowly raised his arms; the water in the circle rose up forming a curtain, six feet high.
“Wow!” Caleo said amazed as he walked towards the curtain and he reached out.
A liquid hand shot out of the curtain and grabbed Caleo by his underwear pulling him through the curtain of water.
Nolan’s voice vibrated all around Caleo. “You don’t have to hold your breath.”
Caleo opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by a wall of water, but Nolan was not in sight. He let out his breath and spun in place running his hand through the water as it was flowing up into the air seeming as naturally as flowing down stream.
Large drops of water rained down on Caleo’s head and he look up. The sky was clear and Caleo could see the stars, but the rain poured in from all sides. “Thought you might want a shower, sorry I can’t make it warmer.”
Caleo carefully wiped his hands over his chest and face scrubbing away the blood. The rain became a downpour helping to wash away all the dirt and blood from his body. Moments later the wall around Caleo fell with the last drops of rain leaving him dripping wet and shivering alone in the ankle deep water of the river.
“Nolan?” Caleo looked around for any sign of him but he was alone. A slight vibration in the water made Caleo look down just as Nolan’s watery form rose smoothly from the water as if he were riding on an elevator.
When he reached his full height Nolan smiled, turned and walked to the riverbank. The second his foot touched dry land Nolan was back to normal.
“We should get back to the cave so you can get some rest,” Nolan said, bringing reality back to Caleo like a ton of bricks falling from the sky. “We had a hell of a day and tomorrow, you're going to need your rest.” He got dressed and waited patiently as Caleo did the same, then they went back into the cave which was packed full of people all spread out on the floor.
“Go find your stuff. I'll wake you in the morning,” Nolan said, looking back at Caleo as he left the cave.
Caleo had to step over a few people to get to his blanket where Jillian sat with her back against the wall, Jack’s head rested in her lap as she gently played with his hair. A candle burned beside them. Both of them looked like they were zombies as they stared at nothing, lost in their own thoughts. It wasn’t until he sat down beside them that Jillian realized he had come back.
She embraced him in tightly. “You look clean.”
“Yeah,” Caleo replied, wanting to tell her about how cool his shower was but it was too personal.
“We found a few photos in the album that I think you should look at.” Jillian stuck her hand in front of Jack who handed her the photos.
Jack sat up beside her turning on a flashlight and pointing it over the first photo. Caleo smiled when he saw it.
“Our first Smear battle. I remember how mad Grandma was when we came in looking like that. She made us stand outside while she filled up the tub, we were so sticky … what were we seven?”
Jillian nodded, flipping the photo over so Caleo could read the back where Jack: seven Caleo: six was written in black ink. “You guy’s left a trail of apple sauce all the way to the bathroom.”
“Yeah, we got more than an ear full that day. I thought we would be grounded forever,” Jack laughed.
“You know she wasn’t really mad, we watched you guys the whole time from the upstairs window, laughing at you two making fools of yourselves.” Jillian flipped to the next photo.
Caleo had seen the photo before; it was of their first Christmas as a family, not just Jillian and Jack visiting on Christmas. It was just a few months after the death of their parents when Grandma had been given custody of the two of them just weeks before. “Isn’t that when you got your first Speedo?” Caleo asked.
“Yep, I was so mad. I thought she bought me girl’s underwear until Grandma told me it would make me a faster swimmer,” Jack said.
“If only it was that simple,” Jillian cut in laughing. “She made me make up a fake research paper to fool you into thinking they would make you faster before you would take them out of the package. Who knew you would become the swim team captain and let the Speedo look go to your head.”
She flipped to the next photo. This was a photo taken right before the winter dance last year. Jack and Caleo were dressed in full tuxedoes standing back to back and holding their hands in the shape of guns in front of their faces, pointing to the roof. Jillian, who sat in front of the boys, was dressed in an all-white, full length dress with a silver snow flake necklace around her neck.
“Didn’t you take Marcy Cobben to that dance?” Caleo looked over at Jack.
“Yep,” Jack said and snapped the photo out of Jillian’s hands.
“You never told me why you broke up with her?” Caleo asked and noticed Jillian poke Jack in the ribs with her elbow.
Jack glared at Jillian for moment. “She found out I was in love with a friend.” He shoved the photo under his pillow.
“What friend? I haven’t seen you do anything but swim training for the last few months. Oh are they on the swim team?” Caleo asked, and noticed Jack rolling his eyes.
“We've been talking and we think that when we reach the graveyard tomorrow this photo should be buried with her.” Jillian handed Caleo a photo of Grandma sitting on a porch swing with the three of them no older than six. Jillian was sitting on her lap, Jack and Caleo were sitting on either side of her dressed in their church clothes.
“So you're coming?” Caleo asked, trying to confirm what she had just said.
“Yeah. We figure we owe her that. Besides, we don’t want to break up our little family. You’re all we have left,” Jack said, his voice cracked as if he was trying not to cry. Jillian took both of their hands and squeezed them. “I’ve got one more photo.” Jack held out a photo face down to Caleo.
Jillian snatched the photo out of Jack’s hands and hid it behind her back. “I told you, no,” she said, but Jack started to tickle her.
People started to wake up all around them but no one said a word their way. As Jillian fought off Jack’s attacks Caleo snatched the photo from her hand.
“Cheater!” Jillian laughed
Caleo shined a light on the photo and immediately started to laugh. It was an old Halloween photo from about five years before.
“I thought you might find it kind of ironic,” Jack said, smiling. “You know, because I’m the one dressed like Mr. Freeze and you were Batman.”
Caleo stared at the photo for a long moment, his mind replaying the look Jack gave him at the lake when he found out Caleo was a Leech. “So you’re not mad at me?”
“No. I wasn’t mad. I just needed time to think. You surprised me, that’s all. It’s like the time I found your Playboy under your bed and after I got past the cover I noticed it was really a—”
“Okay, okay!” Caleo quickly interrupted Jack in a hushed tone. “There are people sleeping.”
“The point is maybe you should trust me a little more. It might surprise you how accepting I could be. We've been through a lot together,” Jack said softly. Caleo could feel Jillian squeezing his hand in reassurance.
“Okay boys, let’s all get some sleep.” Jillian turned off the flashlight, blew out the candle, and scooted down into her blankets. Caleo and Jack followed suit. Once situated, Caleo lay staring at the blackness of the cave roof unable to sleep as he thought back. Reminiscing on the past, tears were streaming down his face. Jillian grabbed his hand intertwining their fingers.
“I love you guys, good night,” she said, bouncing both Caleo’s and Ja
ck’s hands with hers three times on the ground softly. The three of them slowly drifted off to sleep.
Caleo awoke to a slap on the face by Jillian, who was tossing and turning in her sleep all night. After a few minutes of trying to fall back to sleep, Caleo decided to get up and check on Nolan. Navigating around the maze of people, he emerged out of the mouth of the cave and found Nolan sitting on a rock down by the river. As Caleo approached, Nolan turned his head to acknowledge his presence.
“Everything okay?”
Caleo nodded. “Just couldn’t sleep anymore.”
“You got about an hour or so till sun up.”
“Jack and Jillian said that they are coming with us.” Caleo nudged a rock into the water with the tip of shoe.
Nolan patted the rock next to him indicating for Caleo to sit. “Okay, we'll get their bags packed in the morning.”
Caleo went over and sat down. After a moment of silence he asked, “So what do we do after we get back?”
“Well that’s up to you. We can’t start our lives over here. They know where we are. So we’ll relocate, live the simple life until things settle down or we fight to get our lives back. I, for one, have never been the simple life kind of guy.” Nolan smiled down at the water.
“But who do we fight?” Caleo slid out of his shoes and slipped his feet in the water.
“What do you mean?”
“Well I feel like I’ve been given pieces to the puzzle that don’t fit together. There's your brother who is out to destroy the Blessed.” Caleo tried to make it sound more like a question than a statement.
Nolan laughed. “My brother is psychotic. He isn't just out to destroy the Blessed and be the ruler of the Leeches, he wants the world, humans and Leeches, and he'll do anything to do it. I believe that he's to blame for the attacks on the president and cities.”
“And the Blessed?”
“They are just doing what they can to keep their world under control so that normal people don’t start another witch hunt. But their methods, as you can tell, are a little harsh. I call it ‘the kill all who might have witnessed anything and take what power you can’ method. They have lost their initial path of protecting innocent life from Leeches.”
“And Thorn, what’s in it for him?”
“Well, I believe he has personal reasons, being he knew your grandfather before he was killed. I think he wants you to take your place as Angel and get the Blessed back on track.”
“It feels like I've fallen into the middle of a stirred up hornets’ nest.”
“You haven’t seen nothing yet. I’m sure the witch hunt will start soon, then we'll be screwed.” Nolan picked up a nearby rock and tossed it into the water.
Frustrated, Caleo lay back looking up at the sky. “And where do you stand?”
“I stand beside you.” Nolan leaned back facing the stars with Caleo.
“I know that, but you agree with Thorn? He's the reason you’re here,” Caleo accused.
“That’s not entirely true,” Nolan stated. “I was sent here to protect you as a favor. That does not mean I agree with him. I'm staying with you because you are one of the most selfless, honorable, people that I have ever met. You have saved a whole cave load of people more than once. You rescued your family’s stuff without grabbing a single thing for yourself. Then, when I think I’ve seen it all, I find you picking up dresses for a little girl you just met a few days ago before you even look for a pair of underwear for yourself. So you, my friend, are the reason I stay. Whether you decide to join the Blessed and fight the rebels or join forces with my crack head brother and help him rule the world, I'll be right by your side. Trying to protect you.” When Nolan finished, he was looking Caleo in the eyes. “Of course I apparently suck at keeping you safe and if we join my brother you'll have to convince him not to kill me.”
Baffled by what Nolan had just said, Caleo laid there staring into Nolan’s eyes, which seemed to be staring back until Nolan said, “You’re making me nervous, say something.”
“I don’t know—” Caleo fumbled out as Nolan’s face inched closer. Caleo closed his eyes, anticipating the kiss, but Nolan made a low growling noise.
“Caleo, you okay?” Jack yelled.
Caleo’s eyes snapped open as he turned to see Jack approaching from the cave. He turned back to Nolan, who had climbed to his feet and was dusting himself off.
“We better get ready to go.” Nolan turned to face Jack. “Caleo, go wake your sister and pack your stuff, we won’t be coming back. Only take what we can carry comfortably, one pack each.” Nolan turned his head to face Caleo before adding, “And your clothes better be in one of those packs,” he said, putting emphasis on the word “your”.
Caleo was climbing up to the cave when he looked over his shoulder and saw Nolan and Jack talking in harsh whispers to each other. Jack looked pissed. I wonder what they are talking about. Caleo strained to hear, but couldn’t pick out any words. Shrugging he walked into the cave.
Jillian was still sleeping soundly when Caleo shook her gently. “Wake up, your highness. Nolan says we need to get our stuff together. I’m sorry, but we’ve got to limit it to one bag each.”
Jillian rolled over and opened her eyes. “I packed our bags last night when you were getting cleaned up. I’ve got them right here.” She patted one of four large plastic bags that were originally the casing to a comforter. “And I got food packed in that one, I figured that the canned goods would be too heavy so I packed it full of the freeze dried meals, beef jerky, instant mashed potatoes, and cup-o-noodles. All we got to do is shove our blankets in that empty one and we'll be ready.”
“That’s five bags, we were told one bag each,” Caleo said.
“Says who?” Jillian demanded. “We'll be taking these bags, all of them. No one is going to tell me what I can or cannot do.” Jillian stuffed all the blankets into the extra bag and threw it at Caleo.
Caleo went to grab another bag when he noticed Nolan walking in. “Everyone listen up. You have two choices. First you can stay here, but those men yesterday know where we are and they will be back.”
People started talking amongst themselves and Nolan waited silently for them to settle down. “I recommend you pack everything up you can carry and leave, I'm heading out in twenty minutes, and anyone wanting to come with me is welcome. I'm going to head up the mountain, it will make it less likely that we'll be followed, and there are no roads up there so it will make it harder to find us.” Nolan turned and left the cave, leaving everyone to discuss what they were doing.
“What’s he talking about? The gravesite is down the hill, not up the mountain,” Jillian whispered.
“I know,” Caleo growled, tucking the bag with a blanket under one arm and grabbing two of the other bags in each hand. But as he turned to leave he saw a grim faced Jack walking into the cave. “What the hell is going on?” Caleo yelled as he approached. “I thought we were heading to bury Grandma.”
“Go talk to your friend. He has other plans; he's burying her right now in the spot they dug yesterday,” Jack said, sounding on the verge of tears.
Caleo dropped the bags and ran out of the cave, stopping only for a brief moment to locate Nolan shoving dirt into the grave. “What the hell do you think you're doing?” Caleo screamed, running at Nolan. Nolan ignored him and continued to shovel dirt. “What the hell are you doing?” Caleo yelled again, grabbing the shovel and struggling to free it from Nolan’s hands.
“We don’t have time, they will be right on our heels and she'll only slow us down, we have to get moving,” Nolan said flatly, shoving Caleo to the ground.
“No, you can’t, we have to take her to the gravesite!” Caleo yelled up from the ground, tears streaming down his face.
“No, we have to make sure you don’t end up in the same condition she is,” Nolan said coldly.
“No, no, no!” Caleo cried. As he tried to get to his feet he was stopped by Jillian wrapping her arms around him.
“It’s oka
y, Caleo, it’s okay. We'll come back for her once things calm down,” she murmured and pulled Caleo tighter to her body. “This is the only way to make sure we're all safe.”
Caleo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Everyone has turned against me. Why? No not everyone … Where is Jack? Caleo looked around but couldn’t see him through his tears. “No, she wanted to be—” Jillian interrupted him placing a finger over his mouth.
“And she will, just not today. We need to make sure we're safe, she would want that over anything else in the world,” Jillian pleaded, tears streaking down her face as she bit her bottom lip. Caleo slumped to the ground defeated. Where was Jack? He should have been there fighting beside him. He was barely aware that Jillian had helped him up and was leading him away from the gravesite.
Nolan’s voice called over the crowd, “What the hell are all of you looking at, I’m leaving in five minutes with or without you, so get your asses in gear! Anyone coming better be at the tree line by then!”
Caleo glared back over his shoulder and muttered, “Just shut up.”
Jillian rubbed his back as she led a zombie like Caleo towards the tree line. “Jack is there waiting for us with our stuff.”
Caleo looked up at Jack just standing there next to the bags. Couldn’t even back me up. He's over here hiding. Caleo snapped, charging at Jack full force and tackling him to the ground.
“Why didn’t you help me?” Caleo yelled, he slugged Jack across the face, but Jack offered no resistance. “You could have stopped him!” He punched Jack again.
“Caleo, stop! Please stop,” Jillian pleaded, pulling at Caleo’s arm. He pushed her off and turned his attention back to Jack.
Caleo drew his arm back to strike, when he noticed Jack’s eyes looked as sad as he felt. No, not sad, Caleo thought. Hopeless. All the rage melted away and he collapsed on top of Jack, his body giving out with his grief.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Caleo said, rolling off of Jack just as Nolan walked by not even slowing down as he picked up his bag and the food bag, then walked into the woods.
Without a word the group of people followed right on his heels. Everyone looked down at Caleo, their eyes apologizing as they went. Soon the camp was empty, only Caleo, Jack, and Jillian remained staring at the abandoned campsites.
Leech 01 Caleo Page 23