by R. J. Ladon
Kevin smiled. “Right, okay.” He opened the car door and went into the school. He looked over his shoulder to see Johnny drive away.
Chapter 43
M egan grabbed her lunch from her locker and headed to the cafeteria. Lunch hour was so much better when Bonnie ate with her. She hoped Bonnie was healing; she frowned, wishing her father would let her go to the hospital.
Megan watched Kevin go through the lunch line. He seemed smaller and weaker than before. But that’s probably because Kragnor was so huge. She tilted her head. How can a creature so large fit inside a scrawny teen boy? Kevin looked in her direction, grinned, and walked over.
“Can I sit with you?” Kevin stood at the edge of the table.
“Sure,” Megan said, waving to the empty chairs. “Pick a spot.”
Kevin settled next to Megan. “Thank you for staying last night. It meant a lot to me.”
Megan leaned into Kevin. “Kragnor is a gargoyle,” she said in low tones.
Kevin poked at the food on his tray while he thought. “You know, that makes sense. He told me an akitu looks like Batman.”
“Batman?” Megan laughed. “How did he tell you that?”
“We write back and forth in a notebook. Kragnor tore the Batman picture out of a comic and said it was what akitu look like.” Kevin tapped on the tabletop with his fork, glancing around the room. “Do you suppose there are others of his kind out there?”
“After what he said about Boniface and the genocide he escaped from, I doubt there are very many.” Megan shrugged. “If they’re anything like dodos, Tasmanian tigers, and elephant birds, humans probably killed them off.” She bit into her protein bar. “Humans kill all the cool creatures. Kragnor is pretty damn cool.”
Kevin stared at her. “You’re right. Humans are jerks.”
“I’ve been thinking about the stone. Kragnor said that his soul was inside for seven hundred years. My father borrowed stones from China that look identical to his bloodstone.”
Kevin nodded as he ate. “Yea, I remember you saying something about that.”
“What if those have gargoyle souls too?”
“Do you think it’s possible?”
“Sure, from what Kragnor said, it’s possible. But how would we know?” Megan ripped open another protein bar and took a bite. “And,” she pointed the bar at him, “what if other gemstone books have more boxes hidden inside?”
“That’s possible.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and searched for the book title. “It says here that it’s out of print.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want a new copy anyway.” Megan rolled her eyes at him. “Maybe we need to check out an antique bookstore.”
“Do stores like that exist?”
“I don’t know. Probably.” She shrugged. “Check with your phone.”
“Later.” Kevin put his phone away and looked around the cafeteria. “Have you noticed how many guys are missing?”
Megan nodded. “It seems like they are all Annie’s.”
“Annie’s?”
“Yea, her old boyfriends.”
“Are you serious? She’s been with that many guys? Including Mr. Olsterholtz?” Kevin shuddered, setting down his fork. “Suddenly, I don’t feel so good.”
“I should say not. You were almost one of them.” Megan covered her mouth. “Was that rude?”
“No, it’s not rude,” Kevin said. “It puts everything in perspective. And well, it makes me sick to my stomach.” He looked down at his hands. “It also explains the hate stares.”
“The what?” Megan took another bite of her bar.
Kevin continued to look down. “If you look, you’ll see a couple guys staring in this direction, and they look furious.”
Megan casually looked around the room, munching on her bar, covering her mouth with her hand. “I count three.”
“It’s not just students. Some of the teachers are angry too.” Kevin stroked the palm of his hand. “I wonder if Kragnor saved me from that fate. I see everything differently since he came into my life. It made Annie appear like she had a cloud over her, and her touch was disgusting.” He shrugged. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Does everyone look different?’
He nodded. “You too.”
Megan was curious. “How?”
Keven twisted in his chair like he didn’t want to say or was embarrassed to answer. “You look clearer, um fresher. Damn, that sounds stupid.”
She laughed then finished her protein bar. “I promised Kragnor that I would talk with him tonight.”
“Does that mean you’re coming over?”
“If it’s okay with you.”
“Expect Grandma Ruby to give you crap.”
“I think I can take her.” Megan cracked her knuckles.
They laughed.
“Um, speaking of Ruby, you ought to know, she’s acting weird. Even for her.”
“What do you mean?” Kevin raised one eyebrow.
“When we first came down the stairs, she was acting like Ruby. But when she saw Kragnor, something inside her snapped. Her voice and demeanor changed. Kragnor called her Sorceress. Then he said, Benny the gnome, told him that Kragnor’s presence is breaking spells and curses.”
“Ruby knows Kragnor? Well, I guess I’m not surprised. I thought he put a mark on her cast.” He leaned in toward Megan. “What did he mean breaking spells and curses?”
“I don’t know. Kragnor said something about the girls.”
“What girls?”
Megan shrugged.
Kevin frowned. “I’m sorry, I’ve gotten you into all this voodoo crap. If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to come over.”
“No, I want to. I made Kragnor a promise. Besides, I must get out of my house before I go nuts. My father won’t let me go anywhere. He thinks I am going to be hurt or killed. I’ll have to sneak out tonight.”
“Is that because of the attack on Bonnie?”
“Exactly.” Megan slapped him on the arm. “I need to visit Bonnie, but, again, my father won’t let me.” She rolled her eyes. “I know this is a weird request, but can you visit her?”
“Me?” Kevin looked at Megan like that was a ludicrous idea.
“She’s had a crush on you for some time. She would love it if you appeared to see how she is doing.” Megan held up her hands. “You don’t have to. It’s a request. I’ll still be there tonight for you and Kragnor. I might be late, though.” Megan frowned.
“Try not to be too late.” Kevin looked down. “Kragnor seems to come earlier and earlier and leaves later. Almost like my body will someday be his alone. And I’ll no longer exist.”
Megan put her hand on his. “The unknown is always scary. I’ll talk to him.” She squeezed his hand.
Artem was in the kitchen preparing dinner, spaghetti. A two-quart pot of sauce bubbled and burped on the stovetop. She set her book bag on the chair in the breakfast nook. “Good afternoon, Dad. I’m surprised to see you so early after school.”
Her father danced around the kitchen, adding oregano and other spices to the sauce. “A good meal starts with a good sauce. It all takes time.” He bopped her nose like he used to when she was a child. “Besides, I was worried about you. You don’t still feel ill, do you?” He raised one eyebrow.
“No, I felt much better after vomiting and resting last night.” She kept her gaze steady and stared into his eyes. “What about work? You were home yesterday early too.”
“I’m staying on top of things remotely. Besides, I really don’t do much at work other than shuffle papers, and I can do that here.”
“How long till dinner?”
“I’ve got a new recipe for meatballs that I want to try out; it might be a while.”
“Okay. I’ll work on homework in my bedroom. Watching you create a new recipe will be too distracting.”
Artem smiled. He swayed around the kitchen, singing a Russian ballad.
Megan picked up her book bag and went into her room.
Spaghetti reminded her of a movie. What was it called? It didn’t matter. The wife in the story tried to kill her cheating husband by putting sleeping pills in the spaghetti. I don’t want to kill dad. In the movie, it didn’t work. But that’s a movie.
Megan went into her bathroom and opened her medicine cabinet. She had a bottle of prescription sleeping pills, she used them a couple times, but they never worked. Even if she took double the amount. The container said two pills for a restful sleep.
She imagined the servings of sauce in the pot and figured four, maybe six. Megan dumped twelve pills into her hand, then shook out four more, to be sure. She slipped them into her pocket and went back into her room.
Megan finished her math homework, and for a few minutes, she listened to Artem walk around the house. Every so often, he would go to the den, where Megan assumed he did some work for the museum. She went into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast nook, watching and waiting.
Artem was rolling meat into balls. Every few rolls, he would stir the sauce.
“I can stir if it’ll help,” Megan offered.
“Sure.” Artem handed her the wooden spoon. “I would appreciate it.”
Megan added one pill and stirred until it dissolved. She continued to add more when her father wasn’t looking. She tasted as she added but didn’t notice anything out of place.
“Megan,” Artem said, startling her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. “I love you. I don’t know what I would do if you were not in my life.”
“I love you too,” Megan said, suddenly feeling guilty. “Are you drunk?” Artem had never said he loved her before, and it concerned her. Why would he say it now?
He smiled at her and patted her shoulders. “Maybe a little.” He shrugged and dug into a cabinet to find a frying pan. Artem turned on another burner and added a small amount of oil. He waited for the oil to heat before adding the meatballs. They sizzled and snapped as they cooked. The smell was fabulous. “Can you get the water ready?”
“Sure.” She pulled out a large pot to boil the noodles.
Artem set the table for two, then went into the den. “I need to finish something,” he told Megan.
Megan wondered if the thing he had to finish was a cocktail. By the time he returned, the noodles were done and, on the table, along with the meatballs and sauce. Megan drank from her glass of milk, studying her father. His eyes were glazed from the alcohol. For the second time, she felt a twinge of guilt as he poured a large amount of sauce onto his noodles.
She dug into her serving of spaghetti and meatballs, lightly sauced.
After dinner and clean up, Megan suggested an old movie. They settled on the couch and watched a classic, Terminator. She loved watching the old movies, where the special effects were stop motion.
About halfway through the movie, Artem started snoring. Megan grabbed a pillow and blanket from his bed and made him as comfortable as possible.
She checked the time, a little past seven. Megan entered her bedroom, locked the door, and climbed out the window. She left her car in case her father woke up looking for her. He would assume she was sleeping in her room.
Megan broke into a jog.
Megan knocked on Kevin’s door. Ruby opened the curtain, looked out, grinned, and opened the door. “Couldn’t keep away from Kevin, could you?” Ruby went to her purse and pulled out another condom, holding it up.
Megan laughed. “That’s not why I’m here. I promised Kragnor I’d be here.”
Ruby gave her a quizzical look. “Kragnor?”
“He was with me last night, remember? He called you Sorceress.”
Ruby closed her eyes and slowly reopened them. “Good evening Megan. I’m sure Kragnor will be arriving soon.” She bowed her head and placed the condom in Megan’s hand.
Megan accepted the gift, walked upstairs, and knocked on the door. She heard a lot of fumbling, and Kevin said. “Uh, who is it?”
“Megan.”
There was more fumbling, and the door opened. Kevin stood naked with a towel around his waist. “I didn’t think you’d make it.” He hustled her inside. “Hurry, it’s almost time.”
“Nice towel.” Megan stepped into the room.
“It’s too expensive to have him rip up my stuff every time he appears.” He shrugged his apologies.
On Kevin’s desk was a laptop, open and displaying an old-time camera, used to take celluloid movies. “Do you have a phone I can use to video the change?”
“That’s a good idea. Over there.” Kevin sat on the floor with the towel over his lap. He pointed to the bedside table where a blue phone with a Celtic knot design on the back sat.
Megan grabbed the phone and got it ready. She focused the viewfinder on Kevin and hit record.
Chapter 44
M egan picked up clothing from the floor.
“Good evening, Megan.” Kragnor felt a warm flush.
Megan threw the clothing on the bed. “Kevin said you show up earlier and earlier every night, and you stay longer and longer. He’s afraid that you are going to take over his life, killing him.”
“I am a protector. I don’t harm others. I never kill. I have no need.” Kragnor huffed, putting his hands on his hips. She looked at him and covered her smile.
Megan approached the gargoyle, touching his arm. “His fear is valid. Even though I know you’d never do anything to hurt him.”
“Am I really born of his body every night?”
“Yes.” Megan held up Kevin’s phone. “I took a video.”
“What is a video?”
Megan smiled and shook her head. “It’s a record of events.”
“Like a manuscript?”
“More like a movie.” Megan cleared her throat. “You don’t know what a movie is. It doesn’t matter.” She waved her hands around. “It is a visual record. Like a manuscript, but with pictures and sound instead of words.”
“I see.” Kragnor sat back on his haunches, crossing his arms. Painting a picture took months. Many paintings took just as many canvases, not to mention the paint, the smell, and the mess. Multiply those together and you had a herculean feat. Kragnor looked around the room. No paint, no canvases, no artwork.
“What I’m about to show you will be surprising.” Megan pushed herself closer to Kragnor. “Please give me the space you reserve for students.” She smiled, waiting for him to adjust, then she sat on his knee. “Now, I am the teacher.” Megan tapped the phone. “Watch the screen.”
Kragnor craned his head, looking around the room. “A screen for a fireplace or dressing?” He raised his eyebrows.
Megan smiled. “No, no. This is a screen.” She tapped a rectangular picture in her hand. In the picture, a young man sat on the floor, with his back visible. He appeared to be naked. The man must be Kevin.
The gargoyle grunted. “I think I understand.”
Megan touched an arrow pointing to the right, and the picture came to life. The young man moved, looking over his shoulder. “Am I in the frame?” His voice sounded strained.
Kragnor jumped, startled by the magic. Megan pulled the rectangle to her chest. “I’m sorry.” She touched his arm. “I thought this might be hard to understand.”
“No, no.” Kragnor huffed. “I’ve seen magic portals before, but not from a sorceress so young, nor a portal so small. I was not prepared.”
“It’s not magic,” Megan said. “Anyone can do it.”
“Things have changed,” Kragnor stated. If anyone can use magic, then the world has become dangerous.
“Are you ready to see more?” Megan dragged her finger across a line on the bottom, reversing the movements of the young man.
The gargoyle nodded, determined to bite his tongue, and let the magic play out. Megan touched the arrow again and the images and sound played. Kragnor heard Megan’s voice in the display. He was confused. How could she be in two different places at one time? The young man in the series of images suddenly went rigid, and his flesh tore open. Blue-gre
y wings emerged first, followed by Kragnor’s head and shoulders. He watched himself be born, like every other mammal, blood, and pain. Where did Kevin go when Kragnor was in control? Was he inside, like I was inside him? The gargoyle touched his chest and belly, wondering.
“What happens when Kevin returns? Is he born of my flesh, like I am born of his?” Kragnor frowned, wanting to know the answer but afraid.
“I don’t know.” Megan shrugged, “I haven’t stayed long enough to see the method of his return, but I think it’s safe to assume so. If I’m around when you turn to Kevin, I’ll take a video.” She shook the small rectangle.
The small black shape intrigued him. “What is that if it is not magic?”
“It’s called a phone. It’s a small computer.”
Kragnor nodded. A computer was a person who helped solve complex equations, usually under the guidance of an astronomer. He studied the box, trying to understand what math had to do with portals and magic.
Megan stood away from the gargoyle and clicked a button, pointing the box around the room. She pointed the phone at the bed. “This is Kevin’s bed, his desk, and his dresser.” Megan moved back to the gargoyle. “This is a video.” She clicked the button again, and the video replayed.
Kragnor stared open-mouthed. “Are you sure you are not a witch?”
She laughed. “No. Anyone can take a video, even you. Touch the red dot on the screen.”
Kragnor touched the screen with his nail.
“Try your fingertip.”
Still, the phone didn’t respond.
“It is touch-sensitive, but maybe not rock sensitive.”
“I don’t understand.” Kragnor wondered if she was tricking him.
“Shhh. I’ll touch the dot, and you take the video.” After Megan set up the phone, she placed it in his hand. “Okay, now point it around the room. Look in this area and it’ll show what you are copying. And when you are done, it’ll replay that copy. Good. Let me turn it off and replay it for you.”
The video replayed. Kragnor watched, amazed. “Does that copy of reality exist inside the phone?”
