by C T Scribe
“What happened last night?”
“What do you remember,” she questioned. Her voice giving away nothing.
She reminded him of his therapist in that way. How could she be so unshaken? His voice and body trembled in reply. “Everything. James and the way you saved me. It’s crazy, but I remember it all. She studied me. She paused before answering. Was she thinking of a lie? Maybe, but she seemed more shocked that I remembered. Was that not the answer she expected? She cleared her throat.
“Can you accept the fact that I can’t explain it all? What I can say that regards you I will.” Tye nods for her to continue. “Ok well for starters your something special. I don’t know what, but a normal person wouldn’t have seen or remembered any of what happened last night.” Special. Tye hadn’t considered witnessing last night special. Almost dying felt anything but special to him. Mari gave him no time to question this as she rambled on. “You might call it supernatural phenomenon, but when things like that happen regular people can’t see them or process them. Their brains distort the event into something possible. I’m not regular either, and for some reason I’ve been pulled to you since we first met.” Mari blushed at that last bit of truth. She hadn’t meant to let that slip. Never in a hundred years had she meant to tell him shes been into him since the first day they met. She decided to keep rambling, and pray to the Seven he didn’t catch it. “This may explain it better for you. I come from a family that fights things like James.”
“What was he?” Tye’s lips asking the question absent of his approval.
Mari found herself shocked again. She expected his first question to be about her family. For him to call her Blade or Van Helsing or some other pop culture reference to monster hunters, but he skipped right past that part. He was much more than human, but he was still fragile. She shouldn’t tell him too much too soon. “Hard to say, but my guess is Lichen. Werewolf is probably what you’d call it, but they’re not at all like the movies. They’re dangerous. The fact that your alive is a miracle.
“Your the reason I’m alive.” He knew that as an absolute truth. She had saved him.
Mari blushed. Her cheeks turning a deeper red than before. She sat on his bed as he sat up. Tye felt his palms sweating. After all that happened last night, Mari in his bed has him the most rattled. “You really fight that stuff? That’s insane. I know your a badass, but James was, was a monster.”
“I don’t fight that stuff, not anymore.” Tye saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes. He wanted to question her about it, but she gave him no time as she continued her words. “My family does. They fight. For generations they’ve done all that mortals can do against monsters like that. I’m here in school now, because that isn’t the life for me.” She touched his ribs and Tye let out a high pitched yelp. His ribs, surely broken from catching her, ached in a way he’d never felt before. She felt guilty for not protecting him. She still had no idea how he broke her spell to move either. This boy was something special she thought again. He must have noticed her eyes lingering on his body as he half tilted his head. She blushed again before continuing her story. “Fighting that stuff is insane. Much of my family has died trying. If you see anything unnatural again promise me you’ll ignore it. They can’t tell who sees them, so just keep moving like you don’t.”
“But I can’t just..”
Cutting Tye off with that stern look he learned to obey from their study lessons, she interrupted him. “You will promise me.” This was not a discussion he realized. He had to accept this or she wouldn’t allow him to leave this room. He was not ready for the darkness, but the darkness was calling to him. She held his gaze for what felt like the longest moment of her life until he agreed.
“I Promise. I’ll look away from anything supernatural.” Tye said the words. He wanted to mean them. He wanted to obey Mari. She saved his life after all. He wanted to live a normal human life, but how could he not look into the abyss? How could he not stare as the darkness destroyed life all around him? Tye had no idea how he could keep this promise.
9
Chapter 9
The next semester had been agonizingly boring for Tye. Finally caught up and on pace with my classmates, I’ve had extra time to enjoy the illustrious campus of Highbrow U. The campus was filled with activities and groups to keep me busy. The football coaches had finally noticed me in the gym. I’m still not sure if they know me as a top recruit from last year, or just an athletically built freshman. Mentioning to the coach I only play one position, quarterback, gave him a good laugh. The campus has been everything I could expect from the college experience. There was only one problem, the campus felt quiet. The quiet is what bothered me most. Since that night I’ve been waiting for James to return for his revenge, but everyday I’m thankfully disappointed. Marie says he’s moved on. That such a minor altercation would mean very little to a lichen. So instead I focus on the campus life. The open air and finely kept foliage of the campus renews me daily. I feel strong. My leg feels completely healed. Everyday when I walk to class, well I don’t walk but briskly jog, I take it all in. Life is funny. This school wasn’t even on my list as an athlete, yet here I am in love with this place. Halfway through my daily jog I bump into Marie. I swear it doesn’t matter how early I leave she’s always to the halfway point before me. I stop and greet her in a mixture of half pant and half grumble. She however is completely composed. No sign of running at all. Ever. It still amazes me. It’s like watching a gazelle run. When I was hurt I spent a lot of time watching TV. Mostly porn, but in between or when my mom was lurking I watched animal planet. For some reason watching animals simply be, provided the distraction I most needed. It’s like that with Mari. She’s a being all her own. Watching her in motion is mesmerizing. Beside us in the brush I hear a rustling noise and tense up. Fear snaps me from my Mari gazing. My eyes dart around us. My chest now tight, and my breathing now heavy. That fast my body has begun to panic. That fast the fear of that night floods my mind. Mari grabs my hand and smiles saying, “relax big guy.” A rabbit emerges from the brush, and then quickly darts off in the opposite direction. Despite being on edge, I haven’t seen anything supernatural since that night. I asked Marie so many questions. Most of which she gave a shortened version of the truth to answer, but since the morning after the attack we haven’t spoken about those events. There were no new events to speak of either. We were just two ordinary highly athletic students busting our ass to get a degree, and make the world a better place. Oh, and we are in love. I don’t know when it happened. Between the long study sessions, the frequent post workout swims, or the near death supernatural experience we shared, our “like” of each other grew exponentially fast. I’ve never felt like this, and I honestly never imagined I could. I trust Marie completely. She saved me. She gets me. She’s beautiful, and stern. She’s so many things I can’t put into words. She’s water. Violent and calm. Raging and soothing. We’ve spent our extra study time on nature walks, and going on actual dates. There’s a few bars around here that don’t mind us college kids. There’s a small theater right off campus as well. I prefer the theater, but Marie likes to dance. Watching her move to the music is pure intoxication. She pulls me in as a snake charmer would a serpent. Without a word she calls to me, and I find myself stumbling over my two left feet again. You would think the great ex athlete could dance right? Football is great at teaching me specific motions and all, but free movement like this is different. I often feel clumsy, but Marie touches gently to guide me without emasculating me. She’s aware of the eyes on us, and she always finds a way to make me feel and appear to others in control. It’s one of the many qualities I love about her. I find myself lost in these thoughts on my morning run. We separate at this part of the path. It’s almost customary by now. We race to see who gets to the next intersection first. I know how fast she is, but I can’t resist the little daily challenge. She doesn’t think I know her side of the divide is a bit longer than my own. Even still I’ve yet to beat her. Today
I feel quick. My leg feels strong. Honestly it feels stronger than it’s ever been. My entire body does. My senses seem more keen. Last week I threw a few passes when no one was using the indoor football complex. There was a locked fence, but it was easy enough to scale. The QB targets were out so I decided to use them. My first pass was a bit wobbly. So I threw another. It was also wobbly so I threw another. This went on for longer than I remember until my spirals were tight and smooth. The ball felt like an extension of myself. I missed that feeling. I rolled right to throw a few balls on the move. I rolled left doing the same drill. I practiced three step drops and five step drops. I let the imaginary defenders force me to scramble. I threw ball after ball until I grew bored of it. Hours passed. Just me and the field, with no scouts or reporters to corrupt the moment. My arm never grew tired. I didn’t realize at first, but no matter how hard, fast, or deep I threw the ball my arm remained fresh. The other strange thing was my accuracy. I hit every target I aimed for dead center. Even the wobbly balls hit their mark. I threw further than I remember throwing. It was nice, but odd to not be out of practice after all this time. I noticed my senses in other ways too. Since that night food tasted better. I could taste more in every bite. I told Mari about it once, but she shrugged it off in her of course it’s like that now way. She did that with any and everything supernatural. The air was warm today, and dry. Not that i wanted it to rain again, ever. The path was clear. Most of the students here didn’t do the five a.m. jogs for fun like me and Mari. Most days I would see a few early risers on the path. Not today. My legs took the emptiness of the path as permission to push harder. There were no eyes on me. No one to hold back for. No one to try and recruit me once they saw my true speed. It was just me, the path, and a freakishly fast amazingly hot girlfriend sprinting her own path to kick my ass. Today might just be the day I beat her. The happy thoughts flood my mind. My legs bulge as I push harder into the path with each bounding leap. I was making good time on our race until I see something ahead. Noticing something out of place on the path startles me a bit. Up ahead there’s a spark of green light. It’s hard to see with the rising sun shining in my face, but it’s there. I feel my stomach knot as my pace slows. I think one thought before I stop my run completely, where is Marie?
Mari-When I see him running towards our usual meeting spot my body warms. Something about Tye makes me feel, normal. Getting lost in him keeps my days warm. Watching him gasping for air from trying outrun me, is cute in a mortal way. I’ve never lost in a race or a game. Even my older brothers couldn’t beat me in training exercises. They never seemed to mind losing to me. They called me Prodigy, a nickname filled with love. They were proud of me. When I competed against the townsfolk it wasn’t the same. They resented my skill. They accused me of cheating in town. They refused to race me after awhile. The kids would gang up on me when I went to market. As a group they would fight me. I looked down on them before. They were all so weak. More than weak they were all so petty. They had pointless lives. My brothers, papa, and I weren’t like those ordinary people. Growing up with my family of hunters made me see the world differently. But that, that isn’t the life I want. I never expected to find someone here as strong or fast as Tye. I never expected to find someone like him at all. He is the first normal human to impress me. He’s the first one to not feel threatened by my gifts. I can be myself around him, and that’s something i never thought would happen here. Even at home I could only be myself with Roman, my dearest brother. Tye is different.
He’s been supernaturally growing since that night. I try to shrug it off, but I notice every change in him. I told momma about him. I asked her if she knew a way to take away his sight. I don’t want this life for him either. She is looking into something, but for now she says to keep him away from the supernatural. Hopefully the window he glimpsed through will close itself naturally. I barely notice the rustle of noise. Honestly I completely tune out my surroundings when he’s near me. The world goes still. I see the fear in his eyes grow. At that I listen harder to make sure everything’s okay. A rabbit is causing the commotion. I gently grab his hand as I say, “calm down big guy.” That’s all it takes. A touch and a few words, and he’s back with me. He’s back to being the smart ass I love. Love! My body gets hot at the word. My face feels flush. I look away before he notices. “Sure you wanna race today?” The question is more a distraction for me, but he’s so damn competitive. I can see why he was good at football. He’s grown much stronger this year. I wonder if he’s noticed yet. He had his usual reply about beating me this time. I gave my usual smirk before darting off to the path on the left. This path is a bit longer. Makes it a little more challenging. I also sit on the bench for exactly one minute. After the brief stop, I have to run hard to beat him. I can move faster during fights, but that speed can’t be kept for longer distances. This is as much training for him as it is for me. And I admit he makes it harder each day. He really is something special. As I sit on the bench counting aloud, “35, 34, 33…” I notice a plant shimmering beside my foot. It’s beautiful. The glittering leaves reflecting in the sunlight. The yellow flower smells so sweet at its center. I lower my head closer to the beautiful flower. Still counting in my head as I take in the nature around me. My count reaches, “15, 14, 13…” when a small puff of mist sprays from the plant. My body loses strength immediately. I slump from the bench to the ground. My legs go numb first, followed by my arm. I can feel the paralysis affecting my face as the drool drips from my chin. It was too beautiful. Damn. I know better than this. With my face pressed hard into the dirt path I see the underside of the flower. I see the face it was hiding under its flower hat. I see the razor sharp teeth. It won’t be the one to hurt me, but if it’s here then there must be another monster close. The first supernatural attack since that night, and I let myself get paralyzed by a damn flower. Roman would kick my ass if he was here. My heart stops. Roman, the brother taken from me. The reason I quit being Prodigy, and decided to just be Mari. For the first time I feel panic. Not from the monster inches from my face, but from fear for Tye. These flowers are but small traps for a much deadlier monster. A Glimmer is somewhere close. I have to get up. I have to move. My body remains limp. I scream in my head, but my body doesn’t respond. Fuck. My last thought before my eyelids close, and I completely succumb to the paralysis. I decide not to fight the effects. I’m still Prodigy whether I want to be or not. The mist won’t affect me as long as this flower is accustomed to. So I let sleep find me, but I know shortly I’ll awaken and show these monsters a side of me I keep hidden. My last conscious thoughts are of Tye. Don’t look Tye. Keep your promise. Unease washing over me as consciousness slips away.
Tye- An alarm goes off in my head, and my legs turn heavy. Each step becomes more labored until they no longer move. The green spark is still far in the distance. I throw my arms above my head and walk in small circles feigning fatigue as if I’m winded. An act, but hopefully enough to convince the spark I hadn’t noticed it. I shouldn’t be blessed to notice it. Marie had told me that night that these things typically don’t disturb humans, because humans don’t register there existence. She said it’d be like going out of your way to find an ant in a field and kill it. If the ant however is crawling on you or in this case staring at you in disbelief then you’ll swat at it. I keep the tired act up looking for signs of Marie. She’s not there. She always makes it to the path crossing first. My stomach tightens. The knot in my gut is enough to make me double over. I stay standing. I stay pretending to catch my breath, as I steal glances at the green spark in the distance. With trembling hands I find my phone inside my left pant pocket. I call her phone. Ring. Ring. Ring. Her voicemail picks up. I suddenly realize I’ve never heard her voicemail before. She always picks up. “Hey you’ve reached Marie, well you tried to. Guess I’m busy. Listen closely for the following options…” click. I hang up before the pre-recorded message finishes. More alarms are going off. Where is Marie? What if that thing killed her? What if she needs he
lp? More alarms go off. My hands aren’t on my head anymore. I’ve stopped walking in circles. I feel a gaze on me. How far can monsters see I wonder. I start my jog again remembering the rule, don’t look at it. Just keep running. My stomach knots, further twisting with each passing second. The sensation worsens with each step. As I’m running I notice the green spark in more detail. Shaped like a man with green skin. In the light it’s skin sparkles. I want to squint to avoid the glare, but that would give me away. Approximately 100 yards away it’s just standing there in the crossroads of the two paths. I hear a melody like a whistle. It’s a calming lulling tune. 70 yards away I feel the tune pulling me in. Everything in me focuses on keeping my face neutral. Don’t look. 50 yards the sparkle is so bright I’m positive I’ll be seeing spots for a week. Don’t blink. 30 yards a fiendish grin appears on its face. Razor sharp teeth baring at it’s next prey. Should I stop and turn around. It sees me. It wants to eat me. Or perhaps it’s just a test. To see if I recognized it earlier. I again wonder how far this monster can see. 10 yards away I decide to slow down and walk in circles. Throwing my arms over my head I pant wildly in exhaustion. This is not an act this time. Forcing myself to resist it’s lull took a toll on my body. Fatigued me. I easily run this stretch every day, but now I crave water. My sides go in and out with every labored breath. A sharpness accompanies every inhale. I look directly at the monster as if I’m looking past him. I check my phone. Mumble something about the time. It’s close. It’s face is mere inches from my own. We practiced this. Marie and I. After the incident we drilled scenarios like this where I’d have to avoid the monsters gaze. I roll my head back and take in a huge breath and jog past the monster. I feel it’s gaze. I feel it’s lull. I slow down for a few paces then grunt and speed back up. Perhaps it’s practicing that lull on passersby. Testing its strength for a bit of amusement. The alarms still ring in my head. The gaze has lifted however. I speed up even more. I’m a good 300 paces away when I hear the woman scream. Marie? It’s hard to tell. I’ve never heard her scream. I’ve never heard her in actual danger. My heart stops for a moment. I stop. Ignoring the shimmering spark stops. I skid to slow myself, turn, and then run back to the monster. I’m looking right at it, and it sees me. The grin returns. Each tooth jagged and deadly. What the hell am I doing?