by Lola StVil
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“Tell me about her. Is she a demon, angel, Quo, or what?”
“I shouldn’t say anything.”
“You can tell me, it’s not like I know her.”
Uncle Rage turns his face away and gulps down the rest of his drink.
“I know her? Rage, who is she?”
“Winter.”
“You’re seeing Easton’s mom?”
“No! I mean, yeah. I guess. Kind of. We mess around and crap.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“Over a year. Off and on.”
“Wow…”
“C’mon, Guardian, say what’s on your mind.”
“I heard what happened between her and her husband, Frank. She doesn’t deserve to be with a guy like that. Did he really hurt Easton?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know that until it came out.”
“Why did she stay with him for so long?” Dad wonders.
“Frank was going to tell Easton that he’s really a Noru, and Winter was afraid it would place him in danger, so she did whatever Frank wanted so that she could keep her son safe. I respect that.”
“Rage, why didn’t she tell you what was going on?”
“I guess she wanted to keep Frank alive.”
“So what’s going on with you two now?”
“Frank fucked up her head. She needs someone to be there for her. And that guy can’t be me.”
“Why not?”
“I’m the guy she screws. I’m good with that. If we change things, then…”
“Rage, Ameana would want you to find someone else. She’s been gone a long time.”
“Not for me. For me it’s like I just lost her yesterday. It hurts like it was yesterday. I can’t feel that much for anyone else ever again.”
“Rage—”
“Marcus, I can’t.”
“So when she calls, you just don’t pick up?”
“Yeah.”
“That makes you a jerk.”
“Yeah.”
“You must have been the one who gave Aaden bad relationship advice. Is that why he broke up with Pryor?”
“The first time those two locked eyes, you and I promised we would not interfere like Emmy’s dad did with you two. So we need to leave it alone.”
“Fine, but I need to know. Did he use her?” Dad asks.
“Aaden would never do that to Pryor. He knows I’d kick his ass. And besides, he lives for that girl.”
“Then what the hell happened?”
“Sparks happened.”
“I went to see Diana when I first got here. She’s not doing too well,” Dad says.
“Yeah, Aaden is the same. He’s basically a shell. I can see why. Sparks was freaking amazing. You would have loved her.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet her. How’s Aaden? Have you talked to him?”
“When he cares to pick up his phone.”
“I’ve heard how helpful Diana has been to the team. I’m glad they have her,” Dad replies.
“Yeah, she’s come a long way, but losing a kid is hard, you know? Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean…I’m an asshole,” Uncle Rage says.
“It’s okay,” my dad lies.
“You haven’t really talked about Sam since you’ve been back. Are you all right?” the Akon says carefully.
“We had birds come to the light and tell us the news, but I held out hope that when I got here, I would somehow see him.”
“I’m sorry, Marcus.”
“One of his favorite games to play was hide-and-seek. He was so bad at it. It was ridiculously cute. I’d come into his room to find him and there would be this little lump under the covers. I could see the outline of his little body giggling and trying not to give himself away.
“I’d pretend to search high and low for him. And then finally I’d ‘find’ him. When I pulled the covers back, he’d look up at me with genuine shock and say, ‘How, Daddy? How did you know I was here?’ I would tell him that no matter where he was, I would find him. Because I was his dad and would never leave him.
“Then today I walked into the house, I went straight to his room, and there in the middle of the bed was a lump. I would have given my soul to see those eyes looking at me. And for a moment I really thought I’d see them. But when I pulled the covers back…Rage, he’s gone. My little boy is really gone. And my baby girl is lost, she’s just so lost…” My father moans.
Uncle Rage signals for the servant to bring another round of drinks. Dad gasps like he’s physically in pain and then leans forward and rests his head on the wooden frame of the bar. I can see his back jerking up and down slowly. He lets out a deep, low groan, the kind that comes from a wounded animal. Rage places his hand on my dad’s shoulder. The two of them remain silent for several moments as if speaking would be disrespectful to the dead.
The Shadow Servant comes by and places two mugs of Coy in front of them. My dad drinks the entire thing and manages to compose himself. Although when he speaks, the devastation in his voice is undeniable.
“The day we found out Sam died…Emmy knew. She knew even before the messenger bird came to us. The first thing she said to me that day was ‘something’s wrong.’ I thought she was just being her usual worried self. But she was right. Maybe it was mother’s intuition, I don’t know, but when the bird landed at her feet, she knew even before it began to sing the message.
“Rage, I’ve seen Emmy endure the most unthinkable torture and pain. I’ve watched as life left her body. She’s been tortured, beaten, and cut open. But when she found out our son was killed, she just collapsed to the floor and held her midsection as if someone had ripped her in two.”
“When Aaden was old enough to fly across the world by himself, he was about four years old. I waited at the designated spot like we arranged. He was late by three minutes. I convinced myself that my kid was gone. He ran into trouble and was on the ground somewhere, lifeless.
“I knew I would have to take my life too because there was no fucking way I could live without that kid. When he showed up, I hugged that pain-in-the-ass boy of mine for damn near an hour. He finally had to beg for me to get off of him. I don’t know how Emmy is still going after losing Sam.”
“She knows Pryor needs her. It’s the only thing keeping her from going over the edge,” my father replies.
“Yet she let you come down and not her. Why?”
“It’s complicated.”
“The hell it is. Cut the crap, Marcus. What’s going on with Emmy?”
“I promised her that I wouldn’t tell you.”
“You have to tell me. Emmy has tried to kill me and I have tried to kill her. That means we’re family. What’s going on? Why did Emmy stay in the light instead of coming down to check on her daughter?”
“Emmy isn’t strong enough to travel.”
“Emmy is Death. She is among the strongest motherfuckers I know.”
“She was, but Sam’s death has taken a toll on her.”
“Marcus, stop dicking around and tell me what’s going on.”
“Emmy’s dying.”
Chapter Six:
What Makes You Evil
I rip the watch from my hand and fling it across the room. I can’t bear the thought of continuing to listen to their conversation. I feel weak and light-headed. I sit on the edge of my bed and push back the questions.
How sick is my mom? Is she really going to die? What if I never see her again? How can I live without her? How could Omnis take everything I love away from me?
No! I can’t think about this. This is not taking place right now. My dad did not just say what he said. It was all a big mistake. My mom is strong. She saved the entire human race and she will be fine. It’s all a mistake; she will be just fine. I pick up the phone and call the only person I can think of at a time like this.
“Randy…um…I was tracking my dad’s movements…he is talking to Uncle Rage and I heard him…I heard him say
my mom’s gonna die. I know you’re mad at me, but can you please come? I need you,” I blurt out.
Randy hangs up on me.
What am I going to do?
I look over at my watch, but I’m too scared to look inside it. I can’t deal with what my dad has to say, I just can’t. It’s too much. It’s just…too much. I lower my head into my hands and try to calm myself; it doesn’t work.
“Okay, start from the top!” someone says.
I look up and nearly fall out of my bed when I see Randy standing in front of me on a Port, holding Mr. Frog.
“Randy? What the hell?”
“Easton gave me his Port now that he has wings. As soon as you said your mom was sick, I hopped on,” Randy says as he jumps off the Port. I reach out and hold him tightly—too tight. He groans as my arms start to crush him.
“Sorry,” I say as I back away.
“It’s okay. Pry, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“Okay, I—”
“Wait! Take this,” Randy says as he hands Mr. Frog over to me.
We sit down on my bed and I explain everything. Randy is trying his best not to look freaked out. I’m trying not to cry, and we’re both holding on to Mr. Frog’s hand.
“Okay, I know this is hard, but, Pry, you have to keep watching. You have to know what’s wrong with your mom,” Randy says.
“I can’t. What if it’s something they can’t fix? What if she is really going to die? Randy, I can’t survive that. I can’t.” I burst into tears and wrap my arms around him.
“Pry, I know your mom. She is a fighter. She would not want you to give up on her. You are her child and you need to show as much courage as she does. You are the child of Death; suck it up. You can do this. Pick up your watch and find out what’s going on.”
“Randy…”
“I’m right here. We will watch this together,” he vows.
“What if…”
“We can’t just stand here and ‘what if’ all day. Pick up the watch and be the daughter your mother raised.”
“Okay,” I reply.
Randy goes over to the watch and picks it up off the floor. From the looks of it, my dad has had to calm Uncle Rage down, just like Randy did for me.
“Rage, I need you to stop shouting and listen.”
“No! This is bullshit! They can’t just let her die. You get me up there and I’ll talk to the Healer sons of bitches! They will start thinking of ways to cure her when I set their asses on fire!”
“Rage, the Healers have done everything they can, okay?” my dad replies as he gestures for Uncle Rage to sit down on the barstool.
“If they have done everything, then why is she dying? Really, what the fuck?”
“I need you to sit and not go into ‘Akon’ mode on me.”
“Fine, but start from the top and don’t leave anything out. What the hell happened to Emmy?” the Akon demands as he sits back down at the bar.
“The day Sam died, she fell ill, which is rare in the light. We thought it was the shock of hearing the news. But it was more than that. Soon her eyes started to hollow out, she couldn’t stand on her own, and her powers started to fade. We took her to the Healers. They examined her and found out her soul was shredding itself.”
“What the hell can make a soul do that?” the Akon asks.
“All we can do is guess that the news of Sam’s death triggered something inside her. We have tried everything and now…she looks so small, Rage. She’s barely able to talk. And when she can, the first thing she does is call out for Pryor or me.”
“What about Jay and Miku? Are they able to help at all?”
“The other members of the team have been at her side, but they also have the twins to worry about. And even if they were there every moment of the day, it wouldn’t stop Emmy from deteriorating.”
“Then what the hell will?” the Akon demands.
“I don’t know. We don’t even have a name for her illness, let alone a cure.”
“Marcus, we can’t sit here and let this happen. This is Emmy we’re talking about.”
“DON’T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?” Dad barks.
My father is taken aback by his own reaction. He rakes his hands through his hair and lowers his head in his hands.
“Sorry, I just get all crazy when it comes to Emmy. I don’t know when I started to care so much for her,” Uncle Rage admits.
“Yeah, I know the feeling,” my dad replies.
“What I love about her is that she doesn’t know how to give up on things, even when she should. I remember her as a human, turning to face me head-on with no powers whatsoever.”
“Yeah, she did that a few times. It used to drive me nuts. But then there’s another side of her. She was an angel long before she had wings. The first night I had to watch Pryor all by myself, I was terrified that I would screw it up. I thought she would try to fly while I wasn’t looking and fall. Or she’d touch something and hurt herself. Emmy kept insisting I was ready to be a dad. She left me alone in the house with her. I did okay. Both Pry and I survived. And when I was turning out the lights for the night, I saw Emmy’s reflection in the window. She never left my side. She just gave me enough room to learn to trust myself,” Dad admits.
“I remember that night. It took hours for me to convince her to let you handle Pryor alone.”
“She’s the most amazing mom. I couldn’t have asked for a better mother for our kids. And when I think about all the things that have happened to her, all the times she could have welcomed evil into her heart but didn’t…she’s my heart, Rage. My very soul.”
“Yeah, that chick is something special.”
“Rage, I can’t remember what my life was like before my wife; she’s not a part of my world, she is my world.”
“I know, Marcus.”
“Sometimes I close my eyes and try to picture what it would be like if she were gone, and I can’t. I literally cannot bend my mind to conceive of her absence. She’s my wife. She’s mine to love, mine to protect. If she dies, it means…”
“It means you failed her,” Uncle Rage says.
“Yes,” Dad says, surprised by his friend’s reply.
“I know that feeling all too well. I replay Ameana’s death a million times. I look for ways I could have stopped it. I try to find the one moment I could have saved her. That shit haunts me in ways I can’t put into words.”
“Her death wasn’t your fault. Rage, you have to know that.”
“It doesn’t matter. Had I saved her, she would have been here for our son. She would have gotten to see what a great kid he turned out to be. He grew up without her and it’s hurt him in ways he’s yet to fully understand. I wonder endlessly if I could have spared my son that torment. But, Marcus, Pryor will never know the pain of not having her mother because we will find a way to help her.”
“That’s just it—we have the best Healers in the light and they have no idea how to help her. Emmy’s soul is splintering, and with every passing moment she grows weaker.”
“Then why did you leave her? Jay or Miku could have come from the light and looked in on Pryor while they checked in on their twins. Why did you leave her alone?”
“I tried to stay with her. I’ve been by her side every moment since Sam’s death. But she demanded I come because she wants me to check on Pryor so that she knows before she dies that her only child is okay. Rage, coming down here to see about Pryor is Emmy’s last request.”
“No! This can’t be Emmy’s ‘last’ anything. Emmy is stubborn, pigheaded, and she doesn’t know how to die. We didn’t make it through all that shit so she could die. Do you hear me? She cannot die!” Uncle Rage screams.
The wrath within him causes a burst of flames to leap from his hand and it spreads across the bar. Dad helps Uncle Rage smother the flames with some nearby rags.
“I didn’t know Akons had such emotional depth,” someone says. The two friends are on high alert as they approach the dark figure seated in the far
corner booth.
“Hello, Marcus,” Malakaro says.
The anger that flashes on my father’s face is absolute. He lunges at Malakaro, but Uncle Rage holds him back by restraining both of his arms. Shocked, Dad looks over at Uncle Rage, who continues to tighten his hold.
“Rage, you can’t let him into your mind,” Dad shouts.
“I think it’s a little late for that,” Malakaro replies.
Uncle Rage releases my father, then goes over to the nearest table, grabs a bottle of Coy, smashes it, and starts to slice his own throat open. My dad races over and desperately tries to pull the weapon out of the Akon’s hand.
“Rage, no!” Dad screams.
The more my dad tries to stop him, the more determined Uncle Rage is to end his life. Malakaro watches, but is ultimately indifferent as to whether or not the Akon lives or dies. In fact, he seems bored with the whole thing.
“What the hell do you want, Jason?” Dad says.
“Jason. I haven’t heard that name in a long time,” Malakaro says.
“You are Jason to me. You will always be Jason—a sick, sadistic kid with too much power,” Dad yells.
“I don’t believe there is ever such a thing as too much power,” he replies.
“And that’s what makes you evil. That’s what allows you to kill an innocent five-year-old boy,” Dad informs him.
“The death of your son Samuel has many layers. But yes, I am content with his demise. In fact, it rather thrills me.”
“You bastard!” Dad screams as he gets ready to attack.
“Step back or I will instruct the Akon to paint this questionable establishment with his blood. He will then sign his work with a bone from his wings,” Malakaro warns.
My dad glares at him but refuses to step back. Malakaro silently orders Uncle Rage to cut deeper into his neck. The blood gushes down the side of his neck and down to his shirt.
“Okay, I’ll step back now; make him stop hurting himself,” my dad snaps.
“I need your attention; I fear that I will only get it if your friend is in mortal danger.”
“You have my attention. If you continue to hurt him, that will change,” Dad warns him.
“So be it,” Malakaro says as he signals for Uncle Rage to put down the bottle.
