“What are you so happy about, Brynna?” Quinn asked me to purposely avoid the question he had just been asked by James.
“Oh, human tendencies, of course.” I replied as we descended the stairs, “Have either of you seen Violet?”
“Yeah. She and Nick were sneaking past our door about an hour ago.” Alice answered, “That was a good time last night, wasn't it?”
I stopped in my tracks, my laughter ceasing quickly as though it had never existed in the first place.
“I swear if my sister and that boy are having intercourse, I am going to castrate him with a dull sewing needle!”
The stifled laughter of Alice, Quinn and James told me that my outburst was a tad over the top.
“I choose to ignore your laughter at my emotional torment! She is seventeen and has only known him for a few weeks.” I scowled as James's thoughts entered my mind, “You know what, I am aware that that statement is hypocritical! Actually, it is not. You and I have known each other for several months and...”
More of his thoughts invaded my brain. I wondered briefly if he was assailing me with them purposely.
“I know that we had sex after only...” I stopped and threw up my hands in irritation, “You know what, I get enough of your sarcasm when you speak. I do not need to hear it telepathically, as well. So shut up, James!”
“And there it is!” James commentated happily, to the delight of Alice and Quinn.
That aforementioned vulgar hand gesture? James got two.
XXX
When I found Violet and Nick, they were lying in the dew-covered grass out in front of the house. They were on their sides facing each other and grasping hands. In the blue light of a new dawn, I could see the affection in their eyes. In my sister, I saw the same lightness of love that was present in my own eyes every time I looked at James.
I should have been happy for her. Instead, I lost my temper.
“Get up!” I snapped at her and several feet away, in the tree line, a trio of birds took flight. I kid you not, my anger even startled the still half-asleep wildlife.
Nick immediately jumped up, stammering as he attempted to explain exactly what he and my sister were doing lying side by side on the front lawn as the sun began to rise. After the night of indulgence, I dared not speculate how far their affection had carried them. I shuddered to imagine that Violet had moved from infatuation to a physical romance with the young man.
“Brynna, just don't, alright? You were actually cool last night. You were chilled out and having a good time. Why do you want to spoil it?” Violet asked as she slowly rose onto her feet. “More importantly, why do you want to ruin this for me?”
“If my one concern in life was to achieve a social status of 'coolness,' I would die miserably unfulfilled almost certainly.”
“Yes,” Violet nodded with her eyebrows raised, “you would.”
“Be quiet, for the sake of all deities and Gods!” I covered my face for a moment with a shaking hand. “I understand that he is quite handsome and...”
“...and he's a nice guy who protects me and likes me.” She added, “What more do you need to know? I don't ask questions about you and James. I trust your judgment.”
“I swear, it was a simple two-word command. Be quiet. I do not believe that is a difficult direction to follow. What occurred here last night is not to be repeated ever again. The consequences of such mindless frivolity will rear their ugly heads. That much is certain.”
“What do you mean?” Violet asked, and she was completely serious all of a sudden. “Did you see something? What is it, Brynn?”
“I did not see anything. But I feel trouble brewing and that is plenty. Now, if you two had... had...”
James had walked up beside me as I struggled to say the word. I was not a prude, as I am sure you have gathered, but when it came to my sister, I was simply not comfortable discussing carnal matters with her. The awkwardness would surely be the death of me.
“James, will you take her for a walk before her head explodes?” Violet asked him, “Seriously, man. Listen to her stammering. She's like a robot that just got water thrown on it. Help me out.”
James chuckled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
“Just for the record, Brynn, that didn't happen!” Violet called to me.
As enough distance was put between Violet and me, I looked up at James.
“She is being truthful, isn't she?”
James kissed my head and grinned.
“I don't know, baby. Is she?”
I scowled at him in fury. He was toying with my emotions and turning my concern into a joke. I certainly was not laughing.
“I am just ecstatic that my worrying over my sister's choices in life is entertaining you. Believe me when I say that I have yearned my entire life to amuse someone with my anxiety.”
“Let me assure you, my dear Brynna, that your anxiety neither amuses nor saddens me. Merely, I am befuddled by it, for the sake of all deities and Gods.” I glared at him even more scornfully, “See? That was another one of my attempts to talk like you.” His lips pressed to mine in an obnoxiously over-the-top kiss. “You are quite humorous.”
“You are quite aggravating.” I pulled away from him, “And the all-access pass you have been enjoying in regards to my body? Consider it expired.”
I walked ahead of him, smiling slightly to myself. I heard him chuckle but then, the sound slowly died away.
“Wait, are you being serious?”
“I do not know, baby.” I replied as Frank held the front door open for me. “Am I?”
All whimsy evaporated when my eyes met Frank's. A sudden wave of emotion came over me; in the depths of the tidal mass, I saw fear, grief and fury. James, seeing my body tense as though I had just received a physical blow, was at my side in a blink.
“What is it?” I asked Frank quietly.
Instinct was driving me forward before I could hear his answer. I was hurtling up the steps two at a time. My heart raced in frenzied terror, sensing that something terrible had just occurred. The Peace Fruit... It brought out the worst in those that succumbed to its twisting, smooth-as-silk vines...
Every dark desire of man could be achieved while one was intoxicated by its juices. Conscience disappeared and the most vulgar, despicable acts could be carried out without fear of guilt. I had known that to be true even as I allowed myself to lapse deeply into the blissful hypnosis. Even as I did not fear the crash on hard earth that would surely result from the high, I could not avoid the trepidation felt when imagining what might await me as I fell. Now, I would see it firsthand.
She had awoken just after James and I had crept from the room. She had been rubbing her still-heavy eyes as her little feet pattered against the cold hardwood floor of the hallway. The white curtains billowed in the early morning breeze but she walked through with ease, paying them no mind. It had been the smell of blood that had jolted her to full alertness. A door had been left ajar just beside where she was standing. Her childish curiosity had pulled her forward. Her hand had pushed open the door. The man was still in there, standing over the two bodies, his eyes still as blue as blindness...
“Brynna...” Frank's voice said behind me, “James, stop her!”
“Where is she?” I was muttering, unable to raise my voice above a crackling whisper. People gaped at me as I walked by and whispered behind their hands.
“That's her sister...”
“She's more like her mother than anything...”
“God, poor girl...”
“Where is she?!” I was able to speak loudly now as my eyes darted wildly around the hallway. I clawed and pushed my way through the gawking crowd of spectators. Up ahead, I heard her animal grunts, hisses and even a feeble roar.
“Brynna, it was not his fault. It was the Peace Fruit...” Don was beginning to say, “Listen, we cannot judge him for what he did. That's not what we're about here...”
I pushed Don Abba with so much force that he wa
s thrown several feet away. The door to that same room Penny had walked into was closed. Scratches ran down the length of the wood on the other side.
“Don't go in there!” Don exclaimed, “They're not supposed to change this young! We don't know what's wrong with her!”
I threw open the door to reveal the dimly lit, blood-splattered room. Inconveniently, the sun rose on the other side of the house. Its light had not yet reached the dark space before my eyes. The effect of such darkness was eerie, especially given the circumstances.
“Penny?” I whispered and my eyes changed over to white. Even with my enhanced vision, I could not see her. A man was breathing laboriously on the floor, barely alive but still so far from death. He was the same man I had seen through Penny's terrified eyes. The claw marks on his body were neatly cut from his forehead to his chin but as they moved down his torso, they sunk deeper and as a result, his flesh was torn sloppily.
“Penny?” I looked around frantically for her. In the corner of my eye, I saw a blur of movement dart under the bed. Outside, the onlookers gasped and grabbed onto one another in horror and also, perverted, voyeuristic excitement.
“Come on, baby. That's enough.” I forced the eruption of fear inside of my chest to calm. I needed to emanate warmth and serenity for her. Her killer instincts were switched on and she would not come to me while I was afraid. The animal inside of her would only be soothed by the maternity I carried for her. Only through my motherly affection would she be soothed.
“James, mellow out.” I hissed at him over my shoulder.
“What?” James whispered back, “What the hell are you talking about right now? I'm just going to reach under and grab her!”
“No! She's not herself. Calm yourself down.”
“Are you still high?!”
I scowled at him and barked in a furious whisper when I spoke:
“Shut up and do what I say!”
“Well, shit, you asked me so nicely, why would I not do that?” He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, standing perfectly still. He opened one eye to look at me. “I can't do it when you're staring at me like that!”
“Fine, I will look away.”
I did. A long moment of silence.
“This is stupid.”
“Goddamn it, James!” I exclaimed loudly.
There was another loud flutter of movement under the bed and a roar that was a little stronger.
“Alright, I'm doing it.” James told me, “ I'm calming down. You win.”
I felt the peace wash over him. It was natural, another positive perk of our evolution. That serenity radiated through the air and wrapped tightly around Penny like a soft baby blanket. Together, our combined tranquility coaxed her from her hiding place.
Consider it Pangean parenting.
Her huge brown eyes met ours as she scampered to us. Her tiny arms wrapped around my neck as my own grasped her tightly. James encased us in his strong embrace. Outside in the hallway, I heard some of the onlookers clapping. I could have lit them all on fire with the look I cast their way.
Penny moved so that she could hold onto James. Her soft whimpers began as she buried her face in his neck.
“Shh...” James whispered. He kissed her head as we moved through the crowd. I kept my hand on her back as I scowled at Don.
“Come on. Everything's okay, baby.” James was telling her softly, “Brynn and I are right here.”
I did not need an expert on forensics to explain to me what had occurred. The man had killed two women while under the influence of the Peace Fruit. Penny had stumbled upon him as he stood over their mutilated bodies. In a quick move to eradicate all witnesses, he had attacked her, thinking that she would be easily dispatched. Unfortunately for him, he had not realized that the same powers that we were slowly grasping had begun to take hold of my sister, as well. She had killed him to defend herself.
James laid Penny down on the bed and muttered to me that he was going to run her a bath. He kissed my forehead before he walked away. Furiously, I began to wipe the blood from Penny's face, cringing as several drops came close to rolling into her eyes. Her soft cries of terror clawed my heart viciously. Only rage could bandage those wounds. I was far beyond angry. My rage extended to so many different people, I could barely keep their faces straight. James's handsome face dissolved into Don's and then to Adam's. I saw my mother, who would have such cutting words to say about the incident; I saw Maura, who was not there... I rubbed my temples as my head pounded.
When James reappeared to tell me the bath was ready, I scooped Penny up and pushed past him furiously. When he attempted to follow me in to the bathroom, I slammed the door in his face and turned the lock. I listened as he rattled the doorknob.
Penny had suffered minimal physical wounds. A few scratches on her skin were the worst of the damage. A small raised bump on her forehead was little cause for concern. The man's blood swirled around her in the steaming bathwater. Even the lavender and wildflower infused soap could not erase his smell. I hummed softly to her, attempting to soothe her with my voice. The song and the soap were lulling her to sleep. By the time I wrapped a towel around her, her cries had stopped and her eyes were drooping. Her head nestled under mine as I carried her back out into the bedroom.
“Vamoose.” I muttered to James after I had moved to the dresser beside the window.
“I know you're pissed off but for the life of me, Brynna, I cannot decipher exactly what I did to you this time.” He whispered back angrily.
“Take your self-righteous indignation out into the hallway.” I raised my voice to a conversational volume but did not betray my disgust and rage to him just then. I would not show my anger in front of Penny. I would not argue with James in front of her the way my mother and father had fought viciously in front of Elijah, Violet and me.
“Don't even start this shit with me. After what happened...”
I sat down on the bed and looked over my shoulder at him.
“Go.” I ordered firmly. My eyes were set in steely resolve.
“I am getting really sick of your bullshit. Just so you know.”
The door slammed behind me. I wanted to follow him, screaming until my lungs were devoid of air about showing his childish anger in front of my sister while she was so upset. However, if I were to do that, it would be quite hypocritical. The whole statement would be rendered moot by my own immature show of rage. I dressed Penny quietly, shushing her when her cries began again.
“What happened?!” Violet and Elijah had come running in.
“Be quiet!” I snapped at them before looking back at Penny. She was looking at me with big, terrified eyes. Tears streamed from them down her round cheeks again. I pressed my lips to her forehead and continued stroking her hair. I held my hand out behind me and mimed silently for Elijah and Violet to stay away until she was asleep. They obeyed.
The terrible events of the early morning had taken their toll on her. The physical exertion of what she had done had exhausted her body. The terror of killing a living being had wrung her young mind dry. What she needed more than anything was a long sleep. When she awoke, we would deal with the after-effects of such a terrifying occurrence.
My sister was five years old when she killed a man. It had been in self-defense and because she was changing early. I would remind her of that everyday. Everyday, her mind would find that evil man and she would succumb to a guilt far beyond her years. I prayed to a God I did not believe in every night that she would forget his face. But every morning that followed, I would realize, begrudgingly and with fury in my heart, that my prayers had gone unanswered.
Don and James were talking furiously at the top of the stairs that led to our floor. I approached them, honing in on the conversation before they noticed my presence.
“Things got out of control and for that, I do apologize.” Don was saying quickly, “Those two women will be buried but Donovan must be saved.”
“He tried to kill her! He tried to kill a five year old
girl!”
“We cannot hold him accountable for what he did.”
“He wasn't even high, Don! Where is your head at right now?!”
“I do not judge people for what they do. I can't, James. That would go against everything I believe in! When I brought people here, I promised them a place to live where they would not be judged.”
“You can't be serious! He raped and killed two women! He tried to kill Penny! What kind of message is this going to send to your people? You're going to let them believe that you tolerate rape and murder?!”
“Precisely. Humans are inbred with dark desires. We all have them, James. You can't deny that. I cannot hold Donovan responsible for doing exactly what I said I would allow.”
“You said you would allow assault and...”
“No. I said that there would be no rules. This is a consequence of that notion but every great society has moments of downfall.”
“So, this is a great society now? That's what this is about?”
I had approached them. Don's expression soured upon seeing my face. I scowled at him darkly, my heart racing in rage at all he had said.
“This is not a great society, Don. This is a circus.” I spat at him, “You will hold that abhorrent pig responsible for what he did to my sister. If he had killed her, I would have destroyed him. In fact, I will still kill him for what he did!”
“You most certainly will not!” Don shot at me, “Two wrongs do not make a right, Brynna, and I will thank you to remember that!”
“I will rip his body apart. If I could also consume his despicable soul, you can bet your life that I would! If I could steal from him whatever eternal salvation awaits us when we depart this world, I would!”
“I might not have any rules for you to follow, Brynna, but you will not touch him.” Don ordered in fury, “I might not like order but as long as we are all living here, we will not harm each other.”
“He killed two women! He tried to kill my sister! That is harming people, is it not? Where do those events fit in your idealistic world of bullshit?!”
The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) Page 57