Jaden's Heart

by Melanie Jackson

  He touched the tip of his nose with his tongue then smiled brightly at her. “Hi! I'm Bobby!” he said.

  “Hi, I'm Alexis and this is Jaden,” she said.

  Talking on her cellphone, the boy's mother paid him little mind. “You're scary!” Bobby said, his large eyes on me.

  “Thank you,” I replied, giving him a full-toothed smile.

  He cringed and buried his face into his mother's skirt. “Please Bobby, stop it mommies busy,” she scolded and unwrapped him from around her legs.

  Alexis elbowed me in the ribs hard and I flinched. “Be nice,” she mouthed.

  I shrugged. “Sorry.”

  She slipped her warm hand into mine and leaned against me. From the corner of my eye, I saw two men in stiff, black business suits and shiny shoes enter the cafe. They approached us from both sides.

  I guessed they were the FBI agents Mr. Whitmore had spoken about. They must have obtained special permission to conduct an investigation outside of U.S. boundaries.

  “Why don't you order. I'll get us a table and some napkins. Can you get me hot jasmine tea?” I asked, handing her my credit card.

  She eyed me suspiciously. “Okay.”

  “Thanks.”

  I wandered over to the condiment counter and began pulling several napkins from the holder. They approached from behind and I couldn’t help wrinkling my nose at their Calvin Klein cologne, which hardly masked the heavy stench of cigarettes and garlic.

  “Jaden Hawk?” a deep, commanding man asked.

  I gathered my most mundane human smile and turned to face them. “Yes?”

  “I'm Special Agent Grimes and this is my partner, Agent Finn. We are part of the FBI's international operations unit,” he said, flashing his badge.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Oh. Yes, the agents my business partner mentioned. You’re a long way from the embassy, aren’t you? Is there something I can help you with?”

  “We would like to discuss your recent activities as of late,” Agent Grimes said as his partner flipped open an iPad.

  “Which activities are you referring to?” I asked, turning to collect napkins and creamers.

  “Mainly your recent trip to L.A. and your activities during your stay there,” he replied.

  “You want to know about my vacation?” I asked, feigning confusion.

  “Yes.” His lips formed a thin line.

  “Doesn't the FBI have more important things to do than inquire about people's vacations?” I asked, moving to allow a large woman access to the counter. “You could just check Yelp, you know.”

  “This is our job. So if you could just answer a few questions, we'll be on our way,” Agent Grimes replied, annoyed.

  “Very well. What did you want to know?” I asked, walking to an empty table.

  They followed closely behind me. “Our report states you stayed in an apartment building recently acquired by your company, on Seventh and South Spring Street. Are you aware a murder and kidnapping has recently taken place at this building?” Agent Finn asked.

  “Yes, I was made aware of the recent activities involving the property,” I replied, keeping an eye on Alexis as she innocently chatted up a smitten barista while she waited in line. “If you are suggesting I had something to do with this, you are mistaken. I was in France at the time visiting a friend.”

  “We are aware that you left for France prior to the incident. We were hoping you could identify the young lady you let live in the apartment—or perhaps this man?” Agent Grimes asked his partner who handed him the iPad.

  He turned it so I could see the photo: Alexis's face, three years younger, posing next to her father at an outside barbecue. “I don't know much about her. I met her on the metro. She was homeless and looking for a job. I was paying her to look after my cat, Sophia,” I said, sadness welling within me for the small animal. “Which is now dead and the girl is missing.”

  “Yes, a tragedy.” Agent Finn's tone was unfeeling. “Are you accustomed to hiring random homeless people and allowing them live in your apartment buildings?”

  I crossed my arms. “My father was a humanitarian and I like to think at least some of his good nature rubbed off on me,” I said as Alexis stepped up to order our food. “So yes, if the mood strikes me, I can be very generous.”

  “And you are sure you know nothing about this girl?” Agent Finn asked.

  “Is there some reason you think I would lie to you?” I asked, annoyed.

  “You purchased a prepaid cell phone the week before your trip to France. Your phone records indicate you placed multiple calls to the same cell phone during your time in France. Some of the calls lasted several hours. Would this young lady be the recipient of these calls?” Agent Grimes asked.

  Whoever these men are, they are not shy about using illegal means to obtain private information. I gritted my teeth as I peered again over at Alexis. I need to end this conversation quickly. Even with her new look her resemblance to the photo is unmistakable.

  “I do believe you need a warrant to go through my personal phone records, which you clearly did not obtain, because if you did have a warrant I would have been served. Now if there is nothing else, I have somewhere to be,” I said, turning from them.

  “Just one more thing,” Agent Grimes said, swiping the photo with his finger.

  Uncrossing my arms, I turned and sighed impatiently. “Do you recognize these men?” he asked, showing me a picture of the three men I had killed at the Metro Station.

  Maybe Alexis was right to worry. It’s not like the cleaners to leave evidence behind. My lips formed a thin line. Is someone trying to expose me—my people?

  Smiling, Alexis handed the woman at the counter the credit card. “No. Should I?” I asked.

  “We have recovered camera footage of them entering the Metro Station at Seventh Street around nine fifty-eight PM. You enter, then a few minutes after, the men can be seen leaving the station at a run.” He said.

  I shrugged. “So?”

  “So, it happens that several minutes after you appear leaving the metro station, the same unidentified young homeless woman appears. The one who was kidnapped from your apartment building. Care to explain?” Agent Grimes asked.

  “You believe I had something to do with these people because I entered a metro station?” I raised my eyebrows. “It must be a slow day at the office.”

  “The woman is still missing,” Agent Finn stated. “And these three men were found dead last week in an alleyway.”

  Agent Grimes stepped closer to me, a disingenuous smile on his face. “But, you wouldn't know anything about this, would you?”

  I scowled. “Why would I know anything about some random murder?”

  Agent Finn became rigid, his eyes narrowed and his jaw locked. “This wasn't a random murder. These men were found completely drained of blood,” Agent Grimes continued.

  “And?”

  Agent Finn sneered. “And I think you know more than you're saying.”

  How much do they know? I sighed. The brothers understand far more than they should. This is not going to make the council happy.

  “I think it's you who knows far more than you're supposed to,” I replied cryptically.

  “What do you mean by that?” Agent Grimes demanded.

  I stepped closer to them, my eyes cold and hostile. “I mean, you should return to America, before what you're looking for finds you,” I warned.

  “Is that a threat?” Agent Grimes asked.

  “Consider it friendly advice from a concerned citizen,” I replied.

  The woman handed Alexis our order. “In time, we will have enough evidence to bring your kind out into the open,” Agent Finn said, smiling.

  “My kind?” I hissed.

  The two Agents stepped back. “You and all your demon friends will pay for all the people you've murdered,” Agent Grimes threatened, his voice a decibel too loud for the cozy cafe.

  I scowled. If knowledge of us ever became mainstream to humans, it
could be the end of our world, and possibly theirs too. “I think you should leave.”

  “We will find what we need. You will be the first to answer for your crimes,” Agent Grimes spat.

  They turned and walked out of the café. I watched them drive off in a plain car. Just great! The council is going to have a field day with this.

  “Who were they?” Alexis asked, interrupting my thoughts as she set the drinks and food onto the table.

  “The FBI.”

  She stared after them, worried. “What did they want?”

  “To question me about your kidnapping. Nothing I haven't handled before.”

  She slid into a wooden chair. “They didn't look too happy.”

  “Of course they weren't. They didn't get the answers they were seeking. I will inform the council and they will deal with them.” I grinned as I took a seat across from her.

  “They're not going to kill them, right?” Alexis asked.

  “Of course not. They’ll have a talk with their superiors and put an end to their meddling.”

  “The council has the power to stop an investigation?” she asked.

  “No, but we can force them to leave us out of it or transfer the case to a sympathizer,” I replied.

  She picked up the cream. “A sympathizer?” Alexis asked, opening it and dumping it into her coffee.

  “The council has a list of humans who are called sympathizers because they're sympathetic to our kind. If there ever is a joining, the council selects from this list and grants them immortality. Until they’re chosen, their skills are used to protect our way of life.”

  “Are there a lot of them?” she asked, stirring her coffee.

  Lifting the hot jasmine tea to my nose, I breathed deeply. “A few thousand. Do you remember Sam from Desiree's cub?” I asked, enjoying the soft scent.

  She nodded.

  “He is one,” I said.

  “Oh,” she replied, her mouth full of muffin.

  I giggled. “After we are done here, would you like to go shopping?”

  She nodded, her mouth still full.

  Thirty-Two

  we arrived back at my estate just before sunset. I led her through the manor with a particular destination in mind. Swinging open the double doors to the atrium, I revealed a lush garden thriving even in the midst of winter.

  A steel frame supported the seventeen-foot reinforced glass windows that stretched from the ground to the ceiling, which in itself was glass. Flowers and other plants bloomed everywhere; a giant oak tree with draping branches stood in the center with a strong wooden tower standing in the branches.

  The air in the atrium was warm and thick with the fragrance of flowers. I guided her along the white stone path that circled a small stream with a flowing waterfall. We walked past a group of red and white rose bushes before coming to the wooden stairs encircling the large tree trunk.

  A brown body scampered out from under the bushes and plopped down at Alexis's feet. “Mr. Valentine's dog,” she exclaimed.

  She threw her arms around him and ruffled his ears. He sniffed her all over and planted a wet lick on her cheek. She looked up at me and said, “Poor Mr. Valentine. He tried to save me, when...”

  I took Alexis into my arms and hushed her as her eyes filled up with tears. “I thought you might want to take care of him now. Does he have a name?”

  “I never got his name.” She pondered for a moment and said, “I'll call him Valentine. So I never forget what a hero Mr. Valentine was. Do you like that, boy?”

  The dog nuzzled her hand then dashed away to nose around in the bushes. She smiled and I continued showing her the atrium.

  The garden’s beauty and birds singing above us engrossed her as we climbed the stairs to the tower. A canopy covered one side of the simple wood platform, a queen-size mattress lying underneath. Pillows of different sizes and throws lay on the mattress. Loose paper, books, and pencils were scattered about.

  “It looks like you spend a lot of time up here,” Alexis said.

  I picked up an overturned book and set it on the bookcase. “It is the only place the servants do not come.”

  “Why?” she asked, gazing over the green scene, breathing in the bright, spring-tinted air.

  “It's my sanctuary,” I replied.

  She smiled.

  “What?” I asked, feeling vulnerable.

  “I can see now why you went to L.A. It was not to run from responsibilities, but from the chains of servitude. This place, the servants, even your money—they are chains, binding you,” she said, smiling. “You were never meant to be bound. Your world needs to be filled with freedom, beauty, and peace. If you can't find these things, you create them.”

  She gestured to the atrium around us. “Like this place.”

  “Am I so transparent?” I asked, now studying the wood beneath me.

  Alexis walked over and gently touched my face; it was as if a butterfly had brushed me with its delicate wings. I looked up and found her perfect emeralds staring into the depths of my frozen heart with loving intensity.

  “I think our hearts have been tethered together by the wings of love. It's why I can see you so clearly. Even clearer than you see yourself,” she said softly.

  I pressed my lips to hers, unable to express my feelings. I wanted her to know I would die for her but more importantly, I would live for her. I would no longer walk through this life stagnant and bitter. I’m going to live.

  Our lips parted.

  “Did you grow this by yourself?” she asked, stepping from my embrace to walk over to the edge of the platform.

  “The tree was here when I bought the land. I built the arboretum around it after I noticed it was dying. Over the years, I have slowly added to the garden.” I joined her by the ledge.

  She gasped, “Is that a hawk?”

  I whistled and the great black hawk dropped from its perch and glided over to us. I held my arm out to him and he landed on my forearm, his long claws tearing my shirt and scraping my hard skin. He ruffled his black and gray wings.

  “Alexis, this is Gavin. I rescued him from a trapper's net. His right wing was hurt badly. It doesn't allow him to get enough wind to fly for long distances, or high enough to survive on his own,” I said and the hawk shrieked.

  “Hi!” She reached out to touch the bird.

  Gavin snapped at her fingers and she quickly pulled back.

  In fluent French, I scolded the large bird. “Elle est ma petite amie, se comportent.”

  He shook his head and ruffled his feathers.

  “You speak French?”

  I nodded. “He responds better in this language.”

  “What did you tell him?” Alexis asked.

  “I told him you're my girlfriend and he should behave,” I replied.

  “Oh,” she said, blushing.

  Gavin screeched. “Oui! Elle est très belle,” I said, softly brushing Alexis's reddened cheek with the back of my free hand.

  “What did you say?” she asked.

  “I told him that you are very beautiful.”

  “Not as beautiful as you,” she replied.

  I grinned. “There are some treats behind you. Try to feed him one. He should let you pet him then.”

  She took one from the bucket and held it out to him. Gavin seized the treat and flew off. “Gavin!” I called after the bird.

  Alexis giggled. “It's okay!”

  Turning, she began to examine the several large piles of scattered books. She reached down and retrieved an overturned book off the floor. Gently, she flipped through the wrinkled and torn pages. “This one is very old and doesn't have a title,” Alexis said, holding it out to me.

  I took it, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah... um... it's my journal.”

  She looked around. “Are all of these journals?”

  “Most of them. The others are sketchpads,” I said hesitantly.

  Her eyebrows rose. “You draw?”

  “Not well,” I replied.

>   “Can I see?” she asked. “Please?”

  “Okay, but they're not very good,” I warned.

  I crossed the platform and retrieved one of my sketchpads. Reluctantly, I handed it to her.

  She flipped through the pages. “Are these all Desiree?”

  “Yes, she wanted to be my model,” I replied.

  “Were you two...?”

  “What? No, never!” I said, raising my hands.

  Alexis laughed.

  I lifted her into my arms and laid her onto the bed. “I could draw you but first I'll have to remove all these pesky clothes.” I slipped my hand under her shirt, making her giggle.

  I left Alexis shortly after she had fallen asleep on the bed beneath the canopy and went in search of Desiree. She sat cross-legged in the library, a wine glass of blood in her right hand and a book in her left. As I entered, the frosty winter air blew in from the opened windows and eased some of my tension.

  “No,” she said before I even spoke.

  “But you don't even know what I was going to say!” I argued.

  “It doesn't matter, the answer is still no,” she said, and then sipped the wine glass of blood.

  “Dez!”

  Sighing, Desiree closed the book with a loud slap. “Fine! I'll listen, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it.”

  “The council is going to have me undergo the Seer’s test,” I said, crossing to sit by the open window.

  “No more funerals,” she said and I scowled at her.

  “I would like you to keep an eye on Alexis. If I...” I looked out the window, the word caught in my throat.

  “Become a crazy, blood-thirsty monster and the council has to put you down?” Desiree joked half-heartedly.

  I nodded somberly.

  “Jaden!”