Blood and Light

by Rue Volley

  “Well...we need a room.”

  I interjected... “Two rooms, please.”

  This goddess of prose popped her bubble gum and smiled at us.

  “What's wrong honey…? He piss you off or somethin?” She looked Josh up and down and sucked on her teeth.

  “Listen baby boy, if your woman won't let you stay tonight, I would love me some company.”

  Josh leaned over the counter, “I'm gonna have to take a rain check on that baby girl... You see my little fiancee here…she may be small, but she packs a hell of a punch.”

  Big hair looked past him and gave me a crooked smile.

  She opened her book…no computer…of course.

  “Well I only have one room...” She looked at me, “Sorry honey.”

  Josh reached into his pocket, “That's fine…we'll take it.”

  She handed him the key to our room and ran her press on nail across the top of his hand.

  Josh smiled and pulled the key out of her hand. We turned around and started walking out…

  We heard “mmm” as we opened the door.

  “You kids get in the mood for a party later...just let me know.”

  We looked at each other and then headed out.

  “Gross,” I muttered.

  Josh started to laugh, “Yeah…just a little.”

  “Did you see her hair...? We must be in a vortex here,” I said.

  He laughed and looked at the key, “Oooo…room 3, wow...wonder how many they have?”

  We both looked up and down the stretch.

  “Looks like 10... We're high rolling here,” I muttered.

  Josh ran to the car and grabbed his bag. We walked to the door. He smiled at me.

  “You want me to carry you in?”

  138

  “Shut up Josh.”

  We stepped in and it was old Vegas. Everything was draped in gold and red. I stood there and dropped my bag.

  “Yeah... Okay.?”

  The bed was heart shaped with cherubs on the back board, embossed in gold…

  of course.

  Josh looked at me.

  “I don't know about you, but this puts me in the mood...for love,” he said.

  He ran over to the bed.

  “No way...!” he yelled.

  “What?” I said.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter and put it in a small silver box... I heard a hum.

  “What are you doing?” I asked him.

  He jumped on the bed and crossed his legs.

  “Ittttt vibbbrattes,” he said.

  He rolled onto his back putting his arms behind his head.

  “Itttts awwesommee Rrrrue.”

  “Ummm, Okay…”

  “Trrry it reaaally.”

  I smiled at him…it was funny, I had to admit. I walked over and touched the bed with my hand…it tickled.

  “Yea...no,” I said.

  He reached up and knocked me down onto the bed and everything looked fuzzy…my teeth chattered.

  “IIIIII…thinkkk itts bbrokennn,” I tried to say.

  He started to laugh...his laughter sounded creepy from the crazy bed. I laughed too...why not.

  The bed started to stop, but it jerked like it was broken... I started to move, but it jolted me back and forth and I fell off the side of it.

  Josh leaned over the side and looked down at me.

  I looked up at him... “I think we killed it,” I said.

  He laughed and rolled away from me, out of sight... I laughed too...holding my side.

  ******

  We had to eat. Josh went out to kill something...he may have to here. I doubt he could find any take out. I flipped on the television. The reception was awful…only three channels worked. I can either buy something, watch an old black and white movie, or be saved by some preacher pushing the importance of abstinence. Good sermon...umm, yea. I sat there listening to him rant on about sin and consequences. Truth is I've never, ya know. I didn't even want too, until Johnathan…my face started to get red. I heard the key turn in the door... I reached for the remote and flipped it off. Josh came in with a brown bag in his hand. I looked at him and smiled.

  139

  “You saved us,” I said.

  He set the bag down on the table. “Yea…okay, so I found a diner.”

  He pulled out two Styrofoam boxes. I got up from the bed and came to the table for two.

  He looked at me, handing me plastic utensils.

  “I went for the burgers…figured we might be safe.”

  I popped it open looking at the grease. “Do you think it's cow?”

  He sat down and grinned shoving it in his mouth..

  He started to chew, “Don't care…so hungry.”

  I lifted the bun to inspect it... “It may be squirrel.”

  “Eat Rue,” he said, as he chewed and smiled.

  I lifted it to my mouth and took a bite…it surprised me. I shrugged my shoulders and chewed. It actually tasted delicious...so were my fries. Josh beat me to the finish...but I gave him a run for his money. I looked around the room...

  “Josh?”

  He looked at me.

  “I think this is one of those…you know…specialty places.”

  “What…this motel?” He grinned.

  “Yea…umm, I think this is where people come too...uhh.”

  He started to laugh, “That's awesome…some kinky stop and go, huh?”

  “Well.” I got up and went to the window looking out. “While you were gone I've seen three cars come and leave.” I looked to the wall behind the bed. “Also...

  people have been in the next room.”

  He stood up and walked to the wall… “Really...? Did you hear anything good?”

  I looked down at my hands…

  He walked up to me, “Did it start with „Oh baby." and end with „Oh my god!"?”

  My face started to get red. He lifted my chin.

  “Rue?” He stopped smiling. “Ohhhh...ummm, I'm sorry, I'm just kidding around.”

  I looked up at him, “I'm sorry…I've just never...”

  He grabbed the flipper and popped the T.V. on... “Well, we can just turn the volume up.”

  He pressed on the volume button and a voice came booming through the room.

  “Now I know you might feel the urge to fornicate, burning in your loins...a fire from the pit of hell it IS...! But don't give in to the temptation of flesh...sweating and writhing in ecstasy...but you should restrain...RESTRAIN!!! AMEN brothers and sisters!”

  Josh shut it off and threw the flipper on the bed...and we looked at each other...

  “Okay...what the hell kinda place is this,” I muttered. He started to laugh and so did I.

  Josh sat down on the bed. He looked up at me... “Well?”

  I looked at him confused.

  “We should practice,” he said.

  I stammered… “Practice WHAT?”

  “You need to start understanding how to control your energy.”

  “Ohhh…oh yea…okay.”

  140

  I walked to the bed and he backed up, crossing his legs. He took my hand and I sat down.

  “Face me Rue.”

  I crawled up and crossed my legs facing him.

  “When you closed your eyes in the car, did you see color?”

  I bit my lip.. “Like oil in water.”

  “Good...what color did you see?”

  “I saw different shades of blue traced with white,” I said.

  “Only blue and white?”

  I looked at him… “Yes.”

  “I want you to close your eyes.” He took both of my hands and flipped them over placing his thumbs in the middle of my palms.

  “As a protector Rue, you are in tune with colors… Each one represents different things... I want you to listen to my voice and I will help you visualize each one.”

  I took a breath, “Okay...but after what happened in the car…”

  “Don't worry
about that Rue…just control your breathing.”

  I tried to relax... Here I am sitting on a heart shaped bed, with a pretty boy...

  yea…gonna be easy.

  “Rue...your spirit is white... I want you to visualize it...feel it.”

  I started to visualize snow falling, so slowly…each small flake landing on my skin… I started to feel a tingle in my hands and in my head...felt Josh"s fingers move on my hands, his thumbs rubbed across my palms and I jerked involuntarily.

  “Open your eyes Rue,” he whispered.

  Small sparks were falling slowly in the room...almost looked like snow, I reached my hand out and let one land on me… I looked closely and it pulsated, then absorbed into me. I looked at Josh and he smiled.

  “It's so beautiful…” I said.

  “It is... I've never seen it materialize like this… It's stunning,” Josh looked at each spark... It illuminated his face and eyes... He looked like a kid at the circus, for the first time.

  “You are amazing Rue.”

  I looked at him and his hands started to shimmer red...

  “What is Red, Josh?”

  He looked down at his hands and back to me… “It's the heart.”

  “Ohhh…are you Okay?” I said.

  “Yes...I'm fine… The heart is emotion…”

  “Are you upset?”

  “No...no Rue, I'm fine... Okay listen, we all have one color we return to... I want you to focus and return to your color, close your eyes and relax.”

  I closed my eyes and stopped thinking about the spirit… I watched the white give way to blue... It swirled, mixing at first, and then blue became dominate.

  I opened my eyes and Josh was staring at me.

  “What Josh?”

  “It's Blue...your color is Blue.”

  I cleared my throat, “Okay… I like Blue.”

  141

  “Blue is not a color... It's a primary… Our power starts with blue…but it changes, we don't revert to blue.”

  I looked at him… “Ummm, Okay... I don't even know what that means.”

  Josh touched my face… “It means you are one of a kind...Rue... No protector has ever been blue… It is the creator's color... Where we draw our strength.”

  He traced his fingers across my skin and we watched as the blue rings came out from underneath them…rippling on my skin.

  “Sooo...am I sick or something?”

  “No...no, you just have something no one has ever seen before,” Josh said.

  He looked into my eyes. “Feeding on you would be like drawing power from the core itself.”

  I jerked my hands away from him. “Feeding on me?”

  Josh got off of the bed.

  “No…Oh god…no I would never feed on you Rue! It's just...Johnathan.”

  I looked at him and crossed my arms..

  “Johnathan doesn't feed on me... As far as I know, he doesn't even know who he is!”

  “Not yet…but it's coming, I don't like it,” Josh said forcefully.

  “You don't like Johnathan period.” I felt kinda like a kid rebelling against a parent.

  “Listen Rue, this isn't what your thinking... I have more to worry about then you and your hormones.”

  “Nice Josh.”

  I got up and grabbed my bag.

  “What are you doing?” He said.

  “I'm leaving... This was fun, but I'm done now,” I said.

  I reached the door, went to grab the handle and Josh flashed in front of me.

  “Get out of my way Josh.”

  He smiled at me…

  “I'm sorry Rue...don't be mad. I have this thing...I think out loud… I should be more careful, I should.”

  I scowled at him, “Ya know, this whole…„I'm sorry Rue" thing is getting old.”

  “Listen...just, please...sit down… I promise, I will take you to Barrington tomorrow…to see him.”

  He put his hands on my shoulders.

  I looked up at him.

  “You will?”

  “I will…promise,” he whispered.

  I dropped my bag.

  “You"re a dick.”

  He laughed... “Yea…I think you"re right.”

  142

  Chapter 7

  Cherubs Suck

  143

  Grace walked into a large room…mirrors all around her. She heard whispers coming from all sides of her. She looked around and calmed her breathing.

  “What have you done here Caine?” she whispered.

  She walked along the mirrors, looking at each one. A table sat in the middle of the room, with a piece of chalk laying on it. She approached it and picked it up. She held it up and stared at it...threads of white light sparkled in it.

  Grace gripped it in her hand and walked towards the largest mirror. She reached out and drew a symbol on the mirrors surface and it started to liquify in front of her. She reached out to it and traced her fingers across it, causing it to ripple.

  “I don't know what kind of trick this is Caine...but I cannot stay here.”

  She drew in her breath and stepped through the mirror. Once she stepped over the threshold, she looked around and realized she was in her room, at the asylum.

  “What?” she whispered.

  She looked towards her bed and saw her body lying there, Rue was sitting on the edge, holding her hand. She reached out to Rue and her hand went through her. She stepped back and looked at her hands...

  “What is this...? An echo of memory?” she asked out loud.

  Grace stood there for a moment and looked at her daughter, with loving eyes and went back through the mirror. She was back in the large room. She looked back and a crack started forming up the mirror… She moved away from it and it shattered into pieces, onto the floor. Grace steadied herself...a voice came from the left...

  She looked and Caine was standing inside one of the mirrors.

  “Caine...what have you done?” she asked him.

  He smiled at her... Grace walked towards the mirror, she stopped not wanting to get to close to him.

  “Hello Grace,” Caine said to her.

  “What is this place Caine?”

  “Why, it's just a place I like to visit from time to time,” Caine waved a hand.

  “You have memories stored here...you"re spying?” Grace asked.

  “Now Grace…that sounds like I'm sneaking around... No, these are your memories… Some not all.”

  “How did you..?” she whispered, as she looked at the broken mirror at her feet.

  “Ohhh…Grace, while you slept… I was able to see things you let yourself see...”

  Grace crossed her arms...Volley trait... “What I have in my mind, is none of your business Caine.”

  “Ohhh, but you see it is…every protector"s business… You became a mother Grace...quite remarkable really...but I still do not know how it happened.”

  Grace lowered her arms, “My children are none of your concern.”

  “I don't agree...sorry,” Caine said, as he grinned at her.

  Caine looked her in the eye and leaned forward… Grace backed up, afraid he would come through the mirror, but he could not.

  “You see Gracie...I have a son.”

  “You...? You have a son? How...? How did you?” she stammered.

  144

  “Ohh…messy business really… Very unfortunate…I had some difficulty along the way.”

  Grace looked at him… “What do you mean by difficulty?” she asked.

  “Well you see…I couldn't find a match for me...frustrating…but anyway, I turned to these creatures, such as Elie Graph.”

  “You what?” Grace took another step backward.

  “Yes you see…well, I destroyed quite a few trying but finally I found one who was able to survive and she bore me a son... A most exciting experiment.”

  “A child is a gift Caine…not an experiment,” Grace said, with anger in her voice.

  “Ohhh…well gift or not, he has survived a
nd now...” He looked off in the distance,

  “A new age is coming for our race... Grace you should be so grateful to be at the beginning of this.”

  Grace dropped her chalk…

  “Beginning of what Caine?” she asked.

  “I told you Grace, we are a dying race... Eventually we will be dust… I am sure one by one, we will end… The creator reclaiming us, to become part of the order of things… We are not creating so…it is only a matter of time.”

  “Maybe that's the way it should be,” Grace whispered.

  “No, I do not agree… We can be more Grace, trust me, it disgusts me to think that I had to turn to these cattle to create the new beginning for our people, but in the end, they have always existed to make sure that we go on…forever.”

  “I've never believed that Caine...never.”

  Caine started to laugh.

  “You are sooo righteous Grace... You bent the rules yourself, and you think what...? You are better than me...? You know better than I do...? Ridiculous,”

  Caine said, as he laughed at her.

  “I wanted children Caine... I am guilty of it yes, but...I would never do it with ill will towards anyone...our people or humans!”

  “Well Grace…your will has helped me more than you know.”

  “I don't know what you mean,” Grace said, as she scanned the room.

  “Your creation…your little Rue...she will help set things in order for our people...

  beautiful really.”

  Grace ran towards the mirror... “You will not harm my child!”

  Caine started to laugh.

  “No...I will not, but my son…he will create with her and our race will be changed forever. Although I can't promise that she will survive, but it's of no interest to me.”

  “What...? No, Caine!” Grace yelled.

  The mirror, that Caine was standing in, started to crack and it shattered, throwing fragments around her feet…

  Grace fell to the floor.

  “Rue,” she whispered.

  ******

  145

  Josh and I had come to a truce, of sorts, I guess. We both decided that our best entertainment came from the old black and white movies running on channel two. He had brought the road snacks inbfrom the car and we settled on the bed, enjoying chips...three bags were gone before I even realized it.

  “God we are pigs,” I said.

  Josh smiled at me, “Yea, the metabolism thing is a bitch.”