by Rue Volley
He picked up his blade and put it in the holder on his back. He started to walk out the door. He did not turn back to me when he muttered, “I know what love is Rue…I'm not a total ass.”
I started to follow him and we heard voices downstairs. “Oh shit,” Josh muttered. He turned back to me and grabbed my arm. He headed down the hallway and ducked into Elie's room. He shut the door behind us. He scanned the room, his eyes locked onto the window, and he headed for it as he tried to raise it up. We heard the voices getting closer. He pulled out his blade and flipped it in his hand, pointing the butt of it towards the glass. I shook my head “no”. He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a “why?” look. I scanned the room and waved him too me. I opened the door to the closet and stepped into it, waving him in with me. He looked at the window and then back to me, he sighed and ran over... We closed the door just as the door opened to the bedroom.
The closet was dark, very little light poured in. I slowed my breathing down and Josh pressed against me on the front. We were so close, I could feel his heart beating through my shirt. His breathing had increased and I put my finger up to my lips...giving him a “shoosh”. We could hear the voices in the room. Josh started to feel my shoulders.
I squirmed. “What the hell are you doing?” I whispered so light, I was surprised he could hear me.
“Checking you out…you hit the door hard… You okay?” I looked up at him. “Are you kidding?” I asked with my eyes big…really big.
He shrugged his shoulders and let his hands wander to my sides. “I swear to god I'll drop you right here, Josh,” I whispered, with as much anger as I could muster up.
He grinned… “You seem to be okay,” he said. I hit him and he grunted.
“As you can see…this is the master bedroom...just as beautiful as the rest of the house.”
It was a woman's voice, a little nasally.
“Yes, this is a wonderful bedroom, so big...oh honey, I just love it!” I peeked through the crack in the door and could see a young couple looking around the room, with a short woman in a dress suit.
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“I know, with the baby on the way, this is quite the size, but I assume you will be adding on to your family.”
Josh snorted. “She's a whore…” he said. I poked him in the ribs.
The girl giggled and I could hear her husband speak up.
“Yes…we plan on three...but my wife has always wanted a castle and this is as close to one as I can get, without taking her overseas.”
“Ohhh…high maintenance too, just a castle?” I looked at him and pointed to my eyes with the side ways peace sign, and flipped it toward him. He put his hand over his mouth.
“Yes...yes, wonderful…! Well, Mrs. Graph would like to sell as quickly as possible, after the loss of her husband. She and her two children moved, poor thing...she may just want a new start. They have lived here their whole lives, in fact I was shocked when it came up on the market, it has been in her family forever.”
The man spoke up again, “Yes, very sad...but we would like to make an offer…
We have been here three times and that is our lucky number.” His wife giggled. I don't know why. The thought of someone running around here giggling gave me the creeps.
Josh nudged me and held up his hand, showing me “three” fingers…he mouthed the word “whore”.
“Well...that is great news! We can go downstairs and sign some paperwork then…! She will be so pleased… I will contact her right away.”
I pressed against the door, hoping she would give me a place to find her and more importantly, Johnathan.
“What about all these things?” the girl asked.
“Oh…yes, well...there will be an auction. Mrs. Graph said they would be fully furnished where they were going, so all this stuff will be moved out of here this weekend…some will go to auction and some will ship to her.”
“What about this mirror?” the girl said, as she peeked behind the sheet.
“Oh, yes…Mrs. Graph was very specific on the mirrors, they will all go to them…the rest will auction.”
The young girl sighed, “Such a pity, it is so pretty.”
Josh held in a laugh… “Yea, she would love the bed next door I bet.”
“Oh my god,” I mouthed at him.
They all headed towards the door and we heard it close behind them.
I had been so busy listening, that I didn't realize that Josh was still breathing heavy on me.
“Do you mind?” I said.
“Oh...yea, sorry…” He pushed on the door and we piled out.
“Did you hear that…? She wants all the mirrors Josh.”
He was staring around the room. “Josh?” I said.
“Yea...I heard… Listen, we need to follow the mirrors. You don't have to try to find him at all Rue.”
“Oh my god, you"re right… She said they are being shipped this weekend...
Awesome,” I said.
“Yep.” He pulled out his blades.
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“What are you doing?” I asked.
“We are leaving... I may have to bust a window.”
He walked over to the window and we heard a doorbell go off. We both looked at each other. Josh ran to the door and cracked it open. We could hear voices downstairs. Suddenly we both smiled when we recognized Theodore's voice in the entry way.
“Oh…it is unbelievable… Is it not...honey?” Theodore said.
The short lady broke in. “I'm sorry sir, but we have already started the paperwork here… This nice couple are the new owners.”
Theodore's voice went up an octave. “Oh my god…you are kidding me…! I am going to kill our realtor… She said this place was still on the market...! I talked to Elie myself… She and I go way back… In fact, she introduced me to my love here...”
Josh and I quietly moved to the top of the stairs to spy. I had to put my hand over my mouth, to stop from laughing… Kai stood there, looking completely bewildered. “Oh my god,” I whispered. Josh winked at me.
“Well I am sorry Mr…I did not catch your name.”
Theodore laughed. “Oh please, call me Theo, all my friends do and this is Chester.” Kai half grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
Kai finally spoke up, “I told you we were going to get here too late...hon.”
“Ahhh...seems we are, tell me…could you give me an address to, oh you know…send a best wishes card to my dear Elie?”
The lady started to walk to her leather briefcase on the table. “Yes…yes, well…maybe. I thought I had her address with me. I will tell you what, give me your number and I will get it to you later today.”
Theodore smiled. “Oh you are a dear…well come on honey, we are not going to get lucky today it seems.” Theodore hooked his arm in Kai"s. He looked back to the couple and the lady at the table. “Maybe I will later,” he said, with a wink.
I could have died...but I could not believe how clever Theodore was...
Truth was, he probably could have just sucked it out of her, but he seemed to enjoy the game. I looked at Josh…
“Lets get out of here,” I said with a grin.
He backed up with me and we headed for the furthest room. We entered and looked around.
“All be damned,” he said.
“What?” I asked.
“Look!” he said, as he pointed to the corner of the room. There was a spiral staircase leading into the floor. “Sweet,” I muttered.
“Stay behind me…just in case,” he said.
He descended the stairs and I followed him, it led to a side hallway, by the kitchen. We looked around and saw a door leading outside.
“Awesome,” he whispered.
I had to agree. We opened the door and headed out, we flashed into the forest and away from the Graph house…leaving that crazy mirror in it.
******
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We reached the house before Theodore, Kai, and Sam did. I ran in and grabbed some food. I was s
hoving it in my mouth when Josh came through the door. I turned, food hanging out of mouth and he smiled.
“Let me tell you…there is nothing. I mean NOTHING that gets me off more then a girl with an appetite.”
I tried to say “shut up” but it came out more like “mut pup”.
He laughed and dropped down on the couch, popping his feet up on the coffee table. I swallowed and walked into the living room. I considered sitting in the chair, but I plopped down on the couch next to him, leaning back. I stared at the ceiling for a moment.
“So…who the hell is Elin anyway?” I said, as I inspected the ceiling for cracks in the plaster.
“A lot of trouble,” Josh said.
“I'm gonna need more than that, Josh.”
“Well…lets see…Elin is a host, with benefits.”
“By „benefits" I'm assuming you mean, she gets chummy.”
Josh started to laugh. I stopped looking at the ceiling and pulled my legs up on the couch to face him. He sat up too, it kinda surprised me that he did. I figured he'd just lean back and weave his tale without looking at me.
“Okay Rue…Elin is a human who wants to be immortal… In fact she'd damn near do anything, or anyone to get it. I met her about twenty five years ago. She showed up at my door, with some sob story about how she had escaped Valon, but her brother had not been so lucky… Tell you the truth, I didn't care…I don't live in Valon. I don't have any business with the deals that are done there between humans and protectors… I just stick to what I know.”
I interrupted him, “What"s that Josh...? Assassinating short dictators with Sam?”
He snorted and wiped at his ear. I had forgotten that he had probably punctured it.
“Oh god Josh…I forgot about your ear!” I said, as I reached for it. He pulled away from me.
“I'm fine...Theodore will fix it…no biggie,” he said without any care.
“Anyway, where was I…? Oh yea…so, she shows up at my door and I tried to tell her to leave, but she has this way about her, I don't know…just a calming factor, puts you at ease, I guess.”
“So...you let her in...I guess,” I said, as I pulled a pillow up in front of me.
“Yea…I let her in… She stayed with me for damn near a year.”
“What made her leave?” I said.
“Oh, I kicked her out… I woke up one night and she was trying to cut me… She wanted to drink my blood,” he had looked down at his hands.
“Why would a human want to drink blood Josh?” I asked, not worried about prying at all.
“Why else…? She wanted to have power… You see humans cannot be transformed into a protector, but if they drink our blood, they can have temporary power… It doesn't last very long though, a few hours at best. Elin is a junkie, she 269
wants what we have… Wouldn't surprise me if she didn't trade her family to some bastard, so she could get blood.”
I sat there just thinking it through. “So…Elin wants to be one of us...? Wait, what exactly can a human do if they drink our blood?” I asked, as I pushed the pillow away from me.
“Well…it all depends on how much and from who. A human that drinks it inherits the power of whoever they drink from.”
I sat there, my head started to sift through all the crazy.
“Oh my god…I know why she wants to be with Johnathan, Josh!” I said, as I stood up.
Josh leaned forward on the couch. “Of course…Johnathan has both protector and human blood in him. Elin wants to be what he is,” he said, almost like he was talking to himself.
“Well, you said it depends on how much she drinks… What if she drank it all, I mean all his blood, Josh?”
Josh looked at me… “I don't know, no human has ever done that before.”
“Well, I will tell you exactly what would happen.”
We both turned around and Theodore was standing behind us, with Sam and Kai at his side.
I looked at Theodore, who still had his arm intertwined in Kai's. Kai looked at his arm and pulled it out,
“Okay…we are home now,” Kai said, half laughing.
“So?” I said, obviously impatient.
“Well…it is a known fact that we possess magic, in many forms… I would say that a human who actually fed enough and for a long period of time, on any one of us, would not only appear to of not aged, but would start to show signs of our ability, but it would not be predictable. I would say that a human would eventually go mad...trying to become like us. They simply are not evolved enough to handle it.”
I stepped toward him. “But what if she drained someone…? Someone like Johnathan, for instance?”
“Oh, now to drain a protector of his blood would be a trick indeed Rue…! You see, we are never without it, in fact our blood is constantly renewing itself… That is one reason why I look so good at my age.” He smiled and walked across the room, as if to show off.
“Okay…yea, you look amazing for what? One thousand or something?”
“Oh you flatter me little one…” he smiled and put his hand to his chest.
“But Johnathan has human blood too, Theodore,” I said, I could tell that I was getting worked up, because I could feel a tingling in my fingers.
“Yes…that he does. I cannot say that he couldn't be totally drained.”
“Oh my god...that bitch is going to try and kill my boyfriend!” I said out loud. I meant for it to be my “inside” voice, but no, I shared it with the room.
Josh walked to the kitchen. “That's the second time you've used the word
„boyfriend" today Rue.”
I didn't even look at him, I kept my eyes fixed on Theodore, hoping he would have something to say.
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Theodore walked to me and placed his hand on my arm… “Listen to me, we will get Johnathan back here, and I will continue to strengthen the protection spell on this town. But you must understand that once we leave here...we are in danger, and we will have to be careful, not to get ourselves killed…you understand?”
I nodded my head. I looked over at Sam, who had a grin on her face. She was obviously up to the task of life or death, and I hoped I was too.
“Theodore…I want you look into my mind, so that you can see what Elin did each time I met her.”
“Well…! How many times have you had the pleasure of her company?”
“Three…once by the tree, then twice inside of it.”
“You have been in the tree?” Theodore asked,with a look of shock on his face.
“Yes I have…what?” I asked.
“The tree of life?” he asked me, still bewildered.
“Oh my god...YES, I ate an apple from it, then I went inside it a couple of times.”
Theodore took my hands and led me to the couch. He sat down and I sat next to him. I swear he was about to cry.
“What is wrong Theodore?” I asked him.
Josh and Sam came in and sat down… Sam in the chair and Josh on the floor near us. Theodore cleared his throat.
“The tree of life is home to the creator, our creator… It is from which we all came to be. It is said that it rose from the volcanic ash, two hundred and fifty thousand years ago...when the earth was unwilling to sustain life for any creature. There were fourteen people who stumbled upon it. Fourteen humans.”
“Okay Theodore…I've read a lot about history and there were no humans then,” I said
“Well…you might love to read Rue, but history does not always get recorded accurately. There were humans then, not many, but a few… They were on the verge of extinction, but the tree gave them shelter and they traded their humanity for life…they did it to survive. It is said that they ate from the tree and the life giving blood purged them of their weakness to the elements and made them slaves to the world.”
“Slaves?” I said. I couldn't understand why he would use that word.
“Yes…without the earth and the energy in everything, we simply would not be. In the beginning it was a beauti
ful thing. The first of us fed from the tree and the core of the earth, but as time went on, some strayed. Descendants, wanting more...wanting to be stronger. Caine was one who preached that we should feed on humans. He was a great divider, many followed his belief and when the first humans entered Valon and allowed protectors to feed upon them. The tree that had stood in the middle of the city for thousands of years...started to wilt, it's bark turned a ghostly white and the leaves began to brown and fall. Your mother and father protested the fact that humans had become host families to many of us…
They pointed to the waning health of the Tree and warned against the lack of loyalty to the giver of life. Caine claimed that they were ignorant and that any who followed their belief would be deemed traitors to their own kind, bent on the destruction of our people. That is when the great war broke out in Valon and many died, humans and protectors alike... I did not fight that war…but our father 271
did. He died at the hands of Caine that night. He was the first protector to die since the Tree had given us life. The Tree simply faded...returning to the earth and we have been feeding on the energy of humans ever since.”
I sat there staring at him. I had tears in my eyes at the thought of my parents being so noble and brave against so many. It takes someone very special to hold to a belief, even in the knowledge that they could be destroyed by it. I wiped the tears away and straightened up.
“So…you have seen the tree?” I asked him.
“No…it was in the tower, in the center of the council, a place that is now an energy void, that as a protector you never want to find yourself trapped, believe me. There is a black pool now, black as the darkest night…looks like a mirror. It is used to get information from any protector who crosses the council. It drains you of your energy slowly…very painful, I would imagine. When the humans who inhabit Valon come to the end…where they no longer have enough energy to sustain their master, they are placed in it, as an offering to the Tree of life. The creator.”
“That sucks…! Why are humans even there to begin with?” I said.
“Well, my dear, many humans become distraught. They even see to their own demise with war and murder, some are hopeless… They come of their own free will wanting to live in Valon.”
