by T. E. Joshua
She put away her pepper spray and glared at me. “Please,” Natalie begged. “You can trust me. I need to know what really happened.”
“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”
“No.”
I paused, trying to think of false ideas and words to make her believe that what she had seen was due to nothing other than the heat of the moment.
“Okay, I helped you because no one else would have. You’re my territory.”
“Territory, what do you mean? I saw a wave of fire burst from your hands as you … controlled it.”
“You wouldn’t understand. Can we drop the subject? Let’s start over,” I said, attempting to shake her hand. “Hi, my name is Tristan.”
“I know who you are. You’re the boy who ran away yesterday in Falls Coffee. Tristan, please, I need to know the truth.”
This girl was impossible. Maybe I should have quickly cut her throat, spilling her blood onto the concrete while I watched in satisfaction. That was an option; however, judging from my previous two attempts, failure was a surety. I could probably cause her Awakened powers to erupt. No! I had to wait till she was most vulnerable. Now wasn’t the time.
“Listen, cut me some slack here. I want to get to know you. Maybe we can be good friends—you never know. I mean, I did save you from those jerks,” I said, hoping she would drop the demanding questions.
“You want to be friends and you don’t even know my name?”
“I know its Natalie,” I said too quickly. Stupid, I thought, she doesn’t know that I know her name. Now she might be suspicious.
“How did you know my name?”
I had to think quickly. “I asked around on campus and someone told me.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know … one of your sorority friends.”
“How do you know that I am in a sorority?” Are you kidding me? This conversation was not going well. I was losing her interest and raising more suspicion by the second.
“I know because of the Greek symbols on your shirt.” There, I was safe. The letters of KW were printed on her yellow shirt.
“Well, it doesn’t matter, Tristan. You seem like a nice boy, but I don’t have any room for more friends in my life.” Then she got into the driver seat of her car and started up the engine. Her face had an aggressive expression. She was angry with me for not telling her the truth of that day.
“Wait, Natalie.”
“Don’t bother talking to me again. I hope you enjoy disappointment,” Natalie sassed back and drove away into the morning light.
There I was, alone and dazed. Natalie Schultz wanted nothing to do with me. She didn’t even give me a chance to have a decent conversation. Perhaps if I had lied about that day, then she would have been open for possible companionship. Liyah’s plan wasn’t working. The decision to befriending a Reborn, and an Awakened one at that, was always a far-fetched. No! I couldn’t and wouldn’t give up. I had to win her over.
8
The Common Bond
THE AWAKENED REBORN’S FRIENDSHIP WAS nearly impossible to obtain. The goal was like a ruby—so difficult to find. Her constant drive to keep me away worked. Maybe she knew who I was other than the boy with fire. She had mentioned that my eyes, demonic in nature, were very familiar. When I encountered her in her bedroom, she probably got a good look at the color and snakelike shape of the pupil. I can only hope my inner demon would be kept within its cage long enough for me to detach her head. If the demon were to be unleashed, I would lose total control of my mind, soul, and body.
Sitting on Uncle Eis’s couch, James ordered a meeting with the clan. We met in the backyard. The open field was covered in dew; it had rained the night before. I sat next to Alope on a soaked wooden bench. She rested her head on my shoulder and pressed her body into to mine. For a moment, we were close. Since the beginning of this hunt, Alope hadn’t been talking to me much. Usually, by now, we would have explored the town or city of where the Reborn lived. Because of the Awakened Reborn, our time together was limited. The hunt was more important than our feeblish feelings.
“So what’s the deal? Have we come up with a solution?” Aaron asked everyone.
“Well, I had an idea,” said Liyah, who was sitting next to Aaron. James was the only one standing up., having taken the position as our leader.
“What’s that?” Alope asked.
“I thought one of us could pretend to befriend Natalie, at least until she let her guard down and allowed us into her life as someone she trusted.”
“That’s as good of a plan as any,” Alope said and yawned. “Who would do it?”
“Tristan wanted to try,” James said.
At once, my fellow warriors turned their attention onto me. Alope released her head from my shoulder and glared at me with a surprised expression. I didn’t have an excuse; however, they didn’t know about my attempt a few days ago. My failure had shamed me. I had to run—for the good of the hunt. Natalie’s scent had irritated my dema. But would I be crazy enough to try it again?
“I tried. She doesn’t want to be friends, even after I saved her from those creeps at the mall.”
“Who could blame her? You displayed our abilities in open, and you probably freaked her out.”
“I could try. I mean, I can relate to her more. You know a nice girl friend relationship. She honestly wouldn’t suspect a thing,” Liyah offered. What she said made sense at first, but the Awakened Reborn wouldn’t be fooled that easily. This was my hunt, my territory, my problem. Father had given me the orders with my clan to assist me if need be. No one else could be involved.
“No, Liyah, that’s too dangerous. We don’t know what else she is capable of doing,” Aaron said.
There was a short moment when no one else spoke. Everyone looked lost.
“That’s why it has to be me. I am the strongest. She doesn’t know that you guys exist. I have a better chance now. I believe I can get her to open up to me. I just have to be persistent,” I said, trying to sound convincing. “She’s my territory, my hunt, my kill.”
“We have less than two weeks to execute. You think you can do it before then?” James questioned. His confidence in me had nearly died. This was my chance to prove him wrong and regain his trust. Although he would never lose total confidence in my abilities, I knew he didn’t quite look up to me as before.
“Yeah, I will, even if it kills me. I’ll track her down again and try something different—a new angle, so to speak. Regardless, we are running out of time.”
“If you say so,” he said. Then we closed the meeting.
The next day, Alope and I staked out the campus for any sign of Natalie. We sat on a bench near the Manchester Library, facing the west end. The others walked along the west end with backpacks, posing as students. If they spotted her, they would have to signal us by raising their dark energy enough for us to sense the rise in their dema.
As moments passed, my clan became impatient. The afternoon sun began to hide behind the massive university buildings. The population of students slowly decreased with each hour. It didn’t take long before I smelt the scent of Natalie. Once again, I fought the urge to unleash my inner beast.
“I smell it,” I said hatefully.
“I smell it as well. She is close.”
Immediately, we both stood and searched the area. We didn’t see her, but we could easily smell the aroma.
“It’s getting stronger,” Alope said.
Then, as quickly as I had caught the scent, I saw her. She was walking out of the Manchester Library with her older sister, Nicchole. They were giggling about something; perhaps it had to do with a boy, though that was just speculation.
“Are you sure can do this? I think I can do it. It wouldn’t take me long to warm up to her,” Alope said. I sincerely believed she could. But it had to be me. It would mea
n a lot if I deceived an Awakened Reborn and killed her when she least expected it.
“Yeah, I am sure. We have to do something. The Covenant is a priority to us all.”
Then I began to walk toward her. I checked my breath; I couldn’t talk to a girl with bad breath. “Here I go again.” Alope stayed behind as I marched behind Natalie and Nicchole. I overheard them conversing about vacationing in Utah, which wasn’t far from Red Valley. I assumed they must have family out there.
Nicchole then came to a halt and hugged Natalie. They said bye to each other and spoke about meeting up later to go shopping. Nicchole disappeared into one of the classroom buildings while Natalie walked behind the Manchester Library and toward the east end, near the university union.
I followed. Alope followed both of us, but she stayed within sight.
Before she could walk down the path to the student union, I made my move. “So what’s in Utah?”
Natalie twisted around and glared at me in shock. Her nostrils moved as if she smelt something unpleasant. Her body language told me that she was annoyed to see me walking closely behind her. She probably thought that I was stalking her.
“Why do you care? And why are you following me?”
“Well because … I’m curious. And I wasn’t following you; I just happened to pass by your sister and you, and I overheard y’all talking about vacationing.”
“Well, that’s none of your business,” she sassed back. There was no chance of befriending this girl. It seemed hopeless.
“Listen, I don’t understand why you’re so mean to me. I’m trying to get to know you,” I said.
Natalie dropped her pink backpack, moved her hair from her face, and asked me in a stern tone, “Why do you want to be my friend? Friendship should naturally happen, not be forced. I’m sorry I’m acting a bit rude, but I don’t see us as friends. We’re completely different from each other. I’m a book lover, love to study and a girl who wants a great future. You don’t seem like anyone I would associate myself with.”
“So regardless if I’m the type or not you sound like you’re not thankful that I helped you out the other day?”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she crossed her arms and continued to uphold her snobbish demeanor. I did see her in the bookstore before, which would explain her love for books.
“Never mind, Tristan,” she grabbed her backpack and prepared to leave in a hurry. “You just don’t get it.”
“Get what?” I hollered as I followed her. She began to pick up speed. “What if I told you that …” I said as she was about to walk into the student union. She swung open the double doors. I followed closely.
“Come on tell me.”
“That … I liked you,” I uttered awkwardly. I didn’t know what else to say to get her attention. At this moment, I would have said “I loved you” if it got her to show me some kind of affection—just a means to an end, an end with a beheading.
“You like me? You don’t even know me. You know nothing about me,” she argued.
“I might know more than you realize.”
Natalie stood in the coffee line with her arms crossed. The aroma crawled into my nose and irradiated my senses; however, I endured the lust to kill. It was as if my inner demon were poking me with a stick to grab Natalie’s neck and make one swift cut into her pale skin, beheading her in a matter of seconds. Thoughts of death played over and over in my mind. I suppressed them.
“If you know me so well, you’ve got to give me some answers,” Natalie said.
“What do you want to know?” I questioned as I squeezed my fists tightly.
“Tell me, how did you control the fire coming from your hands?”
“It was magic.”
“Magic isn’t real. It looked like some kind of witchcraft.”
“You could say that,” I muttered and snickered a bit. Witchcraft was an element of what we were capable of doing. The Covenant was much darker and more demonic.
“So you can manipulate fire? That’s … strange,” she said sarcastically. Well, it was a start. I’d take it, for now.
“If you want to believe that I can control fire from my hands, then go ahead.”
“The boy with fire, I like the sound of that,” she said and then turned around to order a caramel latte with whipped cream. As she paid, I moved beside her and noticed the letters KW on her pink shirt. “So if you want to become friends, tell me about yourself.”
“I don’t get you. You were mean to me outside, but now you’re acting as if you’re embracing my company.”
“Well, I was mean to you to push you away, but you refuse, so I figured why not? You seem somewhat harmless.”
“Harmless?” I snickered again. “You must have a poor sense of judgment. But there isn’t much to tell. I’m just … normal.”
“Why do you say that as if you weren’t normal? Is there something I should know?”
“That depends.” No, don’t be obvious! “Well, I may not be the best kind of a human being.”
“Well, at least I know you’re human, which is a start. If you can move faster than normal people then I shouldn’t be that worried.”
“Are you suggesting I’m something not of this world? Like an alien or some kind of demon?”
“No,” Natalie uttered calmly. Then she stared me down and added, “There is more to you. I can see it in your eyes. Your body is burning hot and your eyes shift colors when you’re near me. I don’t know what it is, but you’re different from the other boys. I want to know what it is about you.”
“There is nothing to talk about. I am normal. I eat. I sleep. I have things to do, just like you. You still don’t trust me, Natalie?”
“Should I? You appear from nowhere and take on five guys who are physically bigger than you are—not to mention that fire came from your hands.”
“Those mall jerks weren’t anything. They deserved it, end of story,” I said vehemently.
“It’s just … you look very familiar. More so now than before the first time I saw you appear behind that guy Jake.”
Then one of the employees gave her her vanilla latte with whipped cream. She took a quick sip and seemed to be thinking. I remained claim, thinking of the warm dirt of Arizona and the honor I would receive once I brought her head back to my father, delivered on a silver plate. I would be known as the Naiche warrior who killed an Awakened Reborn—not that I cared much about the opinions of the other ranked warriors. Regardless, the feeling would be strong and satisfying.
“Well, don’t be … freaked out by me. I just want the pleasure of your company, that’s all,” I expressed calmly. She smiled back, lowered her head, and took another sip.
A moment passed while she pondered. This was it. Natalie Schultz, the one who seemed impossible to kill, would be eating candy from my devilish hands. Another part of me wanted to take out my knife and risk cutting her throat, but I resisted the temptation. Even if I did, there was no telling how she would react with her Awakened powers. I couldn’t risk it.
“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you?”
“I have been known for it.”
“What if I told you that I feared you?” she uttered, hoping no one else would hear.
“You shouldn’t fear me. There is nothing to fear. I’m just a boy looking for a new friend. Nothing more.”
“I will find out about what really happened at the mall, just so you know.”
“There is nothing to investigate, Natalie.”
“I still find it weird that you want to be my friend. Usually it’s a natural process, as I explained earlier. You can’t force that upon anyone.”
“Sometimes you have to pursue something if you want it bad enough. That’s what my father taught me.”
“He sounds like a smart man,” she commented.
“Yeah, if one believes so.”
She sipped again and zeroed in on my eyes. “You don’t think so?”
I stalled and thought, Chief Torah—how I longed for his fatherly affection. I couldn’t even remember the last time we had a father-son talk or even spent a little time together other than when he gave me orders. He was the bravest and strongest of all the tribe. Perhaps her question meant more to me than I had thought.
As I zoned out, my control of the inner demon began to slip to my dema. I could feel the dark spirit whispering into my ear in a raspy tone, “Before long, Bodaway. She will be yours.”
“No!” I shouted. The entire area of students heard me shout. “Let’s sit.” She sat down first and then me.
Natalie scooted back in her seat. I squeezed my eyes shut, tightened my fists, and felt the dark spirits swarming me. There was more than one—I counted at least three. They hovered above me, feeding me more dema. They wanted me to keep luring her deeper and deeper into my arms. I refused. I needed to get out, to escape. If I stayed then I might destroy what little progress I had made today.
“Tristan, what’s wrong?” she asked fearfully.
“Nothing,” I voiced, breathing slowly.
Then the dark spirits whispered again, “The Awakened Reborn is a threat.”
I opened my eyes and felt them slightly burning. I knew I had entered into phrase one of possession—the phrase where a Naiche warrior’s eyes become bloody red and the pupils shape-shift into those of a snake.
“Tristan, your eyes—they look.… ” Then she stopped speaking, looking terrified. If I stayed longer, then I would enter phrase two. My skin would start to burn and my veins would become swollen as the lust for bloodshed would increase at a rapid rate. The chances of me reverting back to normality would decrease if I didn’t leave.
“Sorry, I have a high fever,” I blurted out.
“Your eyes—they’re snakelike.”
“Sometimes that happens,” I sneered. I couldn’t stay here. Perhaps the aroma was more than I could handle. “I, uh—I.…” Then I scooted back in my seat and looked at her. Her expression was puzzled and full of wonder.
