by J. M. Pierce
As the images passed by, Destin shot to his knees and changed the channel back one.
“Hey look!” he exclaimed, pointing at the screen. “Isn’t that the man we just went to see yesterday?”
Both Ashley and Casper’s attention was immediately focused on the image of Christopher Dawson.
Not sure how to approach the situation, Ashley was definitely not ready to explain the hard facts to the boy. Though she wanted him to grow in her image, one Isaac would have been proud of, she realized some time ago that Destin had an inherent “goodness” about him; a fact that she’d been trying to ignore. Unfortunately, it was rapidly becoming an issue. She knew she’d have to squelch it sooner than later.
“Yes, it is,” she replied matter-of-factly.
Destin listened to the reporter and spun on his knees to face her. “He’s dead.” His voice was hollow and full of disbelief.
“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” replied Casper with a Cheshire grin.
With his eyes squinted, Destin looked at Casper, his face wrinkled in confusion. “Why are you smiling?” he asked. “Isn’t someone dying a bad thing?”
“That all depends on who’s doing the dying,” Casper replied arrogantly.
Destin looked to Ashley as she rolled her eyes at her brother.
“Do you know what happened to him?” asked Destin.
Leaning forward on the couch, Ashley replied as she laced her fingers together in front of her. “Destin, sometimes our kind has to take matters into our own hands,” she said with an icy touch. “Sometimes those that pose a threat to us have to be eliminated.”
Destin’s eyes grew wide as he swallowed forcefully. “Did you kill him?”
With a quick exhale and a slumping of her shoulders, Ashley replied as if the question was a bother. “Yes.” She watched as Destin slowly turned back to the television.
Though the image of Dawson was no longer there, he stared at the screen with his back to them. It wasn’t until a few moments had past that she noticed the pulses of light beginning to flash down his arms. She looked down to his hands and saw his fists clenched tightly; a subtle blue glow beginning to radiate over his knuckles. Seconds passed as she watched with a mixture of intrigue and hesitation, waiting to see what he’d do next. Slowly she watched the intensity of his power grow to the point the floor began to vibrate. Only then did she decide it was enough.
“Settle down, Dest,” she said in a tone that struck her as being entirely too motherly. “What had to be done is done.” She waited for him to answer, to turn, to do anything, but instead watched as he opened and closed his fists repeatedly.
From the reclined comfort of his chair, Casper shouted to the boy. “Cool it, small fry! Or I’ll cool it for you!”
Casper watched as Destin placed a hand on the floor and brought himself to his feet. Slowly the boy turned toward him, the lights now blazing down his arms; his core glowing brilliantly through his Boardwalk t-shirt. Casper reached down and lowered the leg rest on the chair and ignited his own power. “Go ahead, little man,” he said. “It’ll be the worst mistake you’ll ever make.”
Ashley watched from the sidelines as Destin and Casper squared off. Part of her wanted to stop it, but part of her thought this was just what Destin needed. After all, Isaac had issued the same punishment to them long ago. She sat nervously on the edge of her seat as Casper stood, squaring off with the boy whose eyes were now wild with anger. She glanced to his chest and noticed something strange, something she’d never seen before. The pulses of energy that were running down Destin’s arms had reversed direction. She marveled as the boy held his arms up, palms facing forward toward Casper.
She turned to look at her brother as he thrust his right arm forward, sending a shock wave of energy straight at Destin who stood merely feet away. She braced herself for what the impact would do, expecting the boy to be launched backwards into the hallway. Instead, she watched in amazement as his hands erupted with a ferocious blue light as they swallowed the energy thrown by Casper. She watched in amazement as the boy stepped closer to Casper, his wild eyes looking as though they would burst from their sockets. Once again, Casper reached out his right hand, only this time he was attempting to take Destin into his grasp. Expecting to see the boy fold, she was instead surprised once again as she watched the reversed-flow of pulsing energy within Destin’s arms become a single beam of ferocious red light. She turned to her brother, who only moments before displayed a fair amount of power throughout his core. She watched as Casper continued to reach out, but slowly, the light from his core began to fade. While the pulses running the length of his arms didn’t decrease in frequency, the intensity of the light faded in the same manner as that of his core. As Destin took another step forward, Casper’s knees buckled and he dropped to the floor.
With her mouth hanging open, Ashley stared in wonder at the boy now standing over her brother’s limp body. Slowly she stood from the couch and, as Destin turned his attention on her, she found herself cowering slightly.
“Whoa there, Dest,” she said with her palms up. “Look, no power here. I don’t want to hurt you.” She stared into his eyes as they stared back, but it was almost as if his mind was disconnected and he was staring through her. Taking a slow and deliberate step towards him, she kept her hands up for him to see. “There, there, buddy. It’ll be okay. Calm down, alright?” Though normally she had to force herself to make her voice sound soothing, this time it came naturally with the fact was that she was legitimately fearful of the boy in this state.
Taking the last step that closed the distance between them, she reached out and touched Destin’s shoulder. With his eyes still locked on hers, she waited nervously for him to respond.
“I’m tired of him picking on me,” said Destin.
The sound of the child’s voice coming from such a powerful looking creature was striking to her.
“I don’t blame you,” she replied with a smile. She glanced down to Casper who had begun to show signs of coming to. “You fixed him good.”
As Destin looked down to Casper, a smile crept onto his face. “Yeah, I did; didn’t I?” He looked back to Ashley.
“You sure did,” replied Ashley as she played with a couple of renegade strands of hair on his forehead. With each touch of her fingertips on his brow, she watched as the light from within him began to fade. His breathing became slower and his eyes softened. “How did you do that?” she asked.
Destin looked back down to Casper who was stirring even more. “I don’t know,” he replied as he placed a hand on his chest while taking deep breaths. His body felt different; energized to the point that he could barely think clearly. “Are you mad at me?” he asked.
Throwing her head back and laughing, Ashley replied as if she were a proud parent. “Mad? Of course not! What you did was amazing!” She watched as he clenched his shirt into his fist while arching his back. “Are you okay?” she asked, the tone of pride quickly turning to concern.
“Yeah,” he replied, looking up to her. “I just feel funny. Is it okay if I go lay down?”
With pursed lips, Ashley wrapped her hand around Destin’s fist. “Yeah,” she answered. She glanced back down to Casper who had just lifted his head to look at the both of them. “You’ve earned it.”
Nodding to her, Destin turned and walked away towards his room. As he did, Ashley looked down to her brother.
“Have a nice nap?” she asked.
Casper looked up with his eyes obviously having trouble focusing. “What the hell happened?” he asked.
With a huff, Ashley replied. “You just got your ass kicked by the kid.”
“Huh?” asked Casper, sounding almost as if he were drunk.
“Yeah, and the best part is that he didn’t raise a finger to do it.”
Ashley ignored Casper’s confusion as she looked back towards the hallway. Though she didn’t understand Destin’s newly discovered gift, a million different scenarios ran through her mind; each of them l
eading to the realization of their mission. Revenge for Isaac—death to Davis.
Chapter 23
The three of them walked back inside the house with a mixture of emotions keeping them silent. Aiden’s “goodbye” went as well as it could have. It was difficult for Test and Alyssa to watch the actual moment when the time had come to go.
As Test closed the door behind him, Lauren’s voice echoed through the hallway from the living room.
“Where have you guys been?” she shouted sternly. “Shit’s hitting the fan and you’re out for a midnight stroll?”
Exhausted, both emotionally and physically from helping Aiden, Test dropped his head and closed his eyes, unsure of how he was going to deal with Lauren’s attitude. Before he could respond, he felt Alyssa’s finger lifting his chin.
“Take it easy on her,” she whispered, careful not to reveal what she knew. “She’s dealing with a lot right now.”
In a voice just over a whisper, he replied defensively. “Take it easy on her?” he replied. “I’m always nice to…”
Alyssa placed her finger on his lips to stifle his speech. Angling her head to the side, she opened her eyes wide trying to send her point home.
Defeated, Test slumped his shoulders as he turned into the living room where he saw Cliff sitting in the chair while Lauren was lying on her side on the couch. Before he could speak, Cliff beat him to it.
“Don’t mind her, son,” said the old man casting a scolding glare at Lauren. “I told her that you were probably taking the boy to his folks.” He glanced down to Aiden who hid behind Lauren. “Hey there little man,” he said. Watching as the little boy buried his face into Alyssa’s leg, he looked back to Test. “How’d it go?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Test shoved his hands into his pockets and replied. “As well as could have been expected.”
“Test was great,” interjected Alyssa.
“Did they recognize you?” asked Lauren with a groan as she swung her legs off the side of the couch to sit up.
Test rolled his eyes and turned to her. “It’s kind of hard to bring a spirit to the living, especially at night, without them seeing the light show.”
Her face contorting in disbelief, Lauren replied. “You showed them your powers?”
Feeling Alyssa’s hand on the small of his back, Test could feel the anxiety within him building, but managed to answer calmly. “Yes; yes I did.”
“And how’d that go?” Cliff asked as he pulled himself to the edge of his seat.
Test turned to him. He couldn’t tell if the twisted expression on his face was one of worry or of genuine curiosity. “It was a little shaky at first,” he replied. “But as soon as Aiden came through, everything changed.” He turned back to Lauren. “It was kind of amazing, actually. Aiden’s dad shook my hand.” As she slumped back on the couch, Lauren’s bad mood continued to push his patience.
“How’s that amazing?” she asked.
With a smile on his face, he remembered the moment and suddenly wished that Lauren could have experienced it with him. “It was amazing because my hand still looked like the top side of a police car.” He walked to the couch and sat beside her. “It was a pretty intense moment, Lauren. I wish you could’ve been there.”
He watched as she glanced up. He knew she was imagining the moment in her mind as she stared passed his left shoulder.
“Acceptance,” she said nearly in a whisper.
“What?” asked Test.
Shaking her head slightly and snapping out of the brief fog of thought, she replied. “I was just thinking of how acceptance seems to be a theme for this group lately.”
With a ‘humpf’, Cliff said with a hint of pride. “Indeed, Ms. Lauren. Indeed.”
Lauren looked to the old man as he winked and, though she hated herself for it, allowed a grin to appear on her lips.
“Hey, wait a minute!” exclaimed Test. “What are you two doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be out looking for Dawson?” He watched as Cliff and Lauren glanced at each other.
“Yep,” replied Cliff, turning his attention to Test. “But it didn’t take long. We stopped in Kansas City to see if Thad could help, but before we was even there for ten minutes, Dawson showed up on the television.”
Closing one eye and angling his head, Test wrinkled his nose as he muttered, “Huh?”
“Dawson’s dead,” said Lauren flatly. “Have you heard from Prim and Iku?”
From the doorway, Alyssa’s voice suddenly came into the conversation. “I think I’m going to take Aiden into the other room while you guys talk.”
Test turned to see her covering the boy’s ears. From beside him, he cringed as Lauren spoke.
“What, talking about death in front of a spirit isn’t appropriate?”
A rush of anger flashed through Test. The urge to protect both Alyssa and Aiden from Lauren’s bitterness was overwhelming. “That’s enough!” he shouted. Something in his expression must have conveyed the seriousness of his demand, because Lauren simply looked away from him. As he turned back to Alyssa, he spoke in a calm and controlled voice. “I think that’s a good idea.” He looked to Aiden. “You go have some fun, okay, buddy?”
Before Aiden could respond, Alyssa had him turned and leaving the room. Once they were gone, Test turned back to Lauren.
“What the hell is your problem?” he asked through clenched teeth while struggling to control his volume. She didn’t answer; instead she continued to look away from him in the direction of the wood stove. “You can be a bitch to me all you want,” he continued. “But when it comes to Alyssa and Aiden, that’s where I’m gonna draw the line.”
Continuing to stare at nothing, Lauren asked quietly. “Is he going to stay?” She slowly turned back to Test. “Are you and Alyssa going to watch over him?”
Getting whiplash from her mood swings, Test let out a sigh and replied with his jaw still tensed. “Yes. That’s the plan.”
A sudden look of sadness appeared on her face. Her eyes glistened with tears and a crooked, half-pained smile formed on her lips. “I think that’s pretty awesome,” she said. “He’s a lucky boy.”
****
Prim sat at the end of a bar in a deli in Lynchburg, Virginia eating a sandwich with Iku sitting next to him. While his gift allowed him to sense the use of another Shadow’s power over great distances, it did require him to be present in the world of the living to do so. This meant that though he could span great distances in a short amount of time, it did him no good to race to a particular place. Instead, he and Iku sat quietly at the bar waiting patiently for any sign of the twins’ presence in the region. Lynchburg was the last place Iku had seen the twins so it seemed like the logical place to start their hunt.
Prim glanced to Iku who had proven to be the ideal traveling partner. He was quiet, alert, and always at the ready. He found himself musing at the fact that a relatively short time ago he hated Iku (actually holding him partially responsible for Jenz’s death) where now he found himself grateful for his presence.
“You not hungry?” asked Prim, motioning to the sandwich on the plate in front of Iku. Only a single bite had been taken.
With Prim sitting on his blind side, Iku turned in his seat to respond while shaking his head. “Not really. Besides,” he replied pointing to the sandwich, “this isn’t really my thing.”
With a grin and an unconscious glance to Iku’s dead eye, Prim asked, “What is your thing? What do you like?”
Iku grinned back. “Hot dogs,” he replied with the enthusiasm of a child. “I love hot dogs.”
With a chuckle, Prim lifted his sandwich and took a large bite. As he set the sandwich back down, he glanced to Iku’s eye once again.
“Does it bother you?” asked Iku.
Prim’s head recoiled and his brow wrinkled in confusion. “What, that you like hot dogs?”
“No,” replied Iku with a mild mannered laugh. He took a sip of his iced tea and continued. “My eye; does the look of it bother you?
”
Prim felt a warm rush of heat wash over his face. He hadn’t realized he was being so obvious. Clearing his throat, he replied. “No—absolutely not.” He glanced down to the bar and then back to Iku. “I’m sorry if I was making you uncomfortable. I didn’t mean…”
“It’s fine, my friend,” interrupted Iku as he slapped Prim’s back. “After two-hundred years, I’ve become used to it being the focal point.”
Prim’s head hung low. “It’s not,” he replied shamefully in answer to both it not being okay and it not being the focal point (though he knew it was).
Iku nodded his head with a grin and took another sip of tea.
“How did it happen?” asked Prim. “If you don’t mind me asking?”
Savoring the sip of tea, Iku closed his eyes and allowed the memory to return. “I was young, though old enough to think myself as a warrior; ten years old I believe.” he replied. “My power had not yet come to me. My people were struggling, fighting the Americans who continued to push west, taking our land. One night our camp was raided. Many were killed or wounded badly; men, women, and children. I watched as it all happened from the tall grass just outside of camp.” Iku stared blankly ahead; the pain of the memory had not touched him for some time. He turned to Prim. “I did nothing at first. I watched as my brothers and sisters were slaughtered and did nothing.” The tone of his voice became gritty and low. “And then I saw one of the men on horseback dismount a short distance away. I saw it as my chance. I crept low in the tall grass, circling to get a better angle on the soldier.” He paused to clear his throat and take another sip of tea. “I took too long.”
Prim watched with a heavy heart as Iku’s jaws clenched tightly. It was obvious that he was fighting with his demons.
“In the moment I began to stand and attack,” continued Iku, “I felt the blade of what I now know to have been a soldier’s sword striking my face.” He lowered his head, wishing he still had his long hair to hide his face from the world.
