The Porter

by Ashley Dotson

  I wanted him to fight for us like that.

  He tried to pull my hands off Mr. Reese. He pushed at me trying to end the connection. An electrical charge surged through me and into him. It was just like the first moment we had touched so many months ago, only our roles were reversed- I wasn’t ignorant of my birthright. It was Heath who needed to be freed from blindness.

  “I’m not killing him,” I tried to reassure him, “I’m trying to save him.”

  We waited, both of us crying and touching Mr. Reese, the 911 Operator forgotten. We waited to see who would arrive first- life, death, or the ambulance.

  “Is he dead?” Heath whispered, staring at Mr. Reese. I searched Heath’s face. I must have looked similar, kneeling over Orrin’s body all those weeks ago. I knew what it was to lose love like this.

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. We both stared down at the lifeless body between us. “Maybe it didn’t work…I mean, I thought…that I...” I mumbled more to myself than to Heath.

  Mr. Reese’s intake of air was violent and loud. He sat up abruptly his body still in obvious pain from being smashed between his car and a heavy trailer. He coughed and winced with each movement.

  “Ho-lysh…”

  “Watch your mouth, son,” Were the first words out of his mouth. He looked at me and wiped the blood off the side of his mouth. “Give me a second.”

  “A second? No way! You are going to the hospital. Don’t move anymore. I already called 911.”

  Mr. Reese interrupted him, “Good. You needed to report the accident. It’s the right thing to do. Call them back and give them an update. You shouldn’t have hung up the phone.”

  “I…I just dropped it. Sorry, sir.” Heath answered nervously picking up the phone and dialing again.

  “What do I tell them?” he asked.

  “Just the facts, son.” Mr. Reese answered. “Nothing about what you just witnessed.”

  Heath looked confused but just nodded and walked away to make his phone call.

  “But what happens now?” I asked helping him lay back on the ground.

  “What happens with any kind of accident- we’ll go to the hospital, get checked out, and then they’ll probably send us home.” He pointed over my shoulder, “You should probably put those away before anyone else notices them. They’re a little too fancy for the day time, don’t you think? That’s definitely more of an evening look.”

  I pulled them back inside me, “Was that your attempt at a joke? Really?After what just happened?”

  “What did just happen?” He asked me.

  I wasn’t sure if he was testing me or if he was really confused about what just occurred.

  Heath was talking loudly to the operator a few feet from us and pacing back and forth, he didn’t want to lose sight of either one of us but he had too much nervous energy to sit still.

  “Heath’s trailer swerved and pinned you between it and your car.” I shuddered, thinking of the horrible moment that Mr. Reese’s bloody body slumped to the ground. “It moved on its own. Heath was driving straight and the trailer swerved like a giant toddler hitting his toy car. Heath didn’t do this. But I don’t know what did.”

  “Something like this was bound to happen with you here. Not on Neutral territory, I mean.”

  “I think I saved you too,” I added.

  “You think you saved me?”

  “Yeah. I think so. I laid my hands on you and…”

  “Did you pray, Layla?”

  I nodded, embarrassed to admit it. It seemed like I was revealing something very personal.

  “Good girl, I’m impressed. I’ve only known a few humans with that ability. Hopefully I’ll be okay.”

  “Just because she prayed?” Heath interrupted. He was incredulous, “Since when has it ever been that simple?”

  “She’s different, Heath. Haven’t you noticed that by now?” His eyes darted to the space above my shoulders where my wings were out moments ago.

  “You really are the Beacon, huh? You should have told me before now.” He said smiling and closing his eyes, “Wow.”

  Chapter 9

  The Easy Explanation

  Death didn’t come that day, but the Sherriff did.

  The patrol cars surrounded the area, two different uniformed individuals were taking statements from Heath and I, while another one was taking photos and writing down the full report. He kept glancing at me, making sure I didn’t fly away or disappear. I wasn’t sure if he was afraid of me, but he was in shock for sure. I answered all the officer’s questions leaving out the part where I saved Mr. Reese using my unearthly powers, and I hoped that my story matched the one that Heath gave as well.

  Mr. Reese had be put into an ambulance and rushed to San Angelo about sixty miles away to be checked out thoroughly. Heath called Daisy and she was driving straight to San Angelo, which meant I could either get a ride from Heath or the tow-truck driver who wore a wife-beater t-shirt and stared at my chest.

  Easy choice.

  We walked up to each other at the same time and he spoke first, “I’m going over to the hospital. Daisy asked me to give you a lift, so let’s go.”

  “Well, if Daisy said so...” I added sarcastically.

  “And that’s the only reason,” Heath said, daring to put his finger in my face. “I don’t know what you did, but you better be straight with me or I’ll end your little visit in this town real quick.”

  “Oh, I’ll gladly be straight with you. Let’s go.” I walked around him and got in his truck.

  He had unhooked the trailer and his dad was hooking it up to his own old Chevy. They exchanged words and then Mr. Darringer grabbed Heath in a severe hug for several long moments. They weren’t even related by blood. Their connection was created in their minds. Their shared history was a complete lie. And I had come to here to destroy it. Watching them, I felt shame for the first time.

  I’m about to dismantle his life. Is this really what I’m supposed to do?

  The silence in the truck was as thick as taffy. I hadn’t begun to explain anything yet- I couldn’t break through the quiet. I was having a tough time finding the right words even though I planned out this conversation many times in my mind. It was supposed to happen like this: I talk and explain, his memory would return like a flood, I would see the recognition in his eyes, and then we would kiss and everything would be fine. It would be effortless, just like our love. But on that drive with him shooting daggers at me from his hooded gaze, and I was really just pissed off.

  “So you know this needs to stay between us, right?” I asked.

  “You think I’d say anything? You think people would believe me if I told them you have wings?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So what are you, like some kind of angel?” He asked.

  “Kind of,” I loved that he thought I was inherently good, “and kind of not. Like all people I’ve got some good parts and some not-so-good parts. You saw one of the good parts, I guess. I didn’t even know I could do that until that moment.”

  “Did you heal him or did you bring him back from the dead?” He asked.

  “Well I could hear his heart beating, so I think I healed him. I hadn’t thought of that. I felt like I did.” But I answered him honestly, “When I figure that one out, I’ll let you know.”

  In our Nightwalking experience my dad said I an instrument of healing. But seeing the set of Heath’s jaw, I felt more like a villain, like maybe if I hadn’t showed up, everything in his world would still be perfect.

  And he would have been right too- but for how long?

  “Why are you here? Why are you living at my girlfriend’s house?” He asked.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt your precious Daisy.”

  “Good,” He said, but he didn’t sound relieved.

  It was time to make my move. Both of his hands gripped the steering wheel firmly and his black shiny tattoo crawled up his arm from his wrist to his elbow. It wasn’t moving or fad
ing. I hoped it was there to stay. It was a relief to think that it was a step in the right direction.

  I gathered my courage, “Can I tell you why I am here, Heath? Are you sure you want to know?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He heard me but he refused to look at me, “Maybe.”

  I wasn’t having any of that, “Oh, come on! I showed you mine, now you get to do the same. I asked you a question. I’ve been pretty straight with you, now I asked you a question. Do you really want to know?”

  “I’m freaked out right now? Is that what you want to hear?” He yelled back at me.

  “Yeah.Honesty. That’s what I want to hear!”

  “Well, I’ve never been afraid of anything! I’m the strong one! I’m the person my friends look to for help. I don’t fall apart, I don’t make mistakes, and I don’t…I’m not…”

  “What?” I prodded.

  “I don’t want to be afraid of a girl, okay? I’ve been having these dreams…about you. They feel so real and I see you do things in them like you did today. I see you throwing fire. Your face is dark, shadowed, and evil. I feel different too- I can’t explain it, but I know there was more, but when I wake up I can never remember.”

  I knew he dreamed, but to hear it from his lips that he dreamed of me. I couldn’t help but smile at his torment.

  “I…I worry that you’re here for me.” He finally admitted.

  “Tell me about the dreams,” I said letting him worry a little longer.

  “It’s just flashes, like scenes from a movie, except I was in the middle of them. First there were images of people on fire all around me. I was fighting, and I was good. I killed all these crazy huge beasts, I can’t even begin to describe them, they were so gruesome. It looks like something out of a video game. And then I started seeing you, well it looked like you, but you had long pointed teeth and you kept trying to kill me.”

  I rolled me eyes, “Ugh, that’s not me, that’s my mother. I don’t think we look alike that much, but everyone else seems to think otherwise.”

  “Your mom?”Heath repeated aghast.

  “Yeah, that’s a story for later, I promise.” When he stayed silent, I prodded, “Go on. I know there’s more.”

  “We’re being straight here, so- okay. It’s you. It’s always about you. You are everywherefor me. When I close my eyes, I see you. When I wake up you’re always watching me. You’re all I seem to think about. It’s like I can feel my heart breaking through my chest to get to you. I see you with glowing eyes, glowing hands. I see you using fire like arrows for target practice. And there’s a lighthouse…”

  “Really,” I say almost jumping in his lap.

  “Does that mean something?” He asks angrily.

  “Yes,” I urged, “Tell me. Tell me what happens when you’re there.”

  He finally looked at me, our eyes locked.

  “I…I can do things too,” He stammered. “You ever had one of those dreams where you can fly or your some kind of Marvel superhero?”

  “Uh, yeah. I have wings, remember?”

  “I won’t be forgetting that any time soon,” he stated.

  “I don’t know where it is- definitely not in Texas. I’ve never been anywhere besides Texas and Oklahoma, so I know it’s not a place I’ve been before. It’s cold, there’s snow on the ground. I’m looking out into the water and there is this lighthouse on a island in the middle of a river.”

  “It’s a real place,” I added.

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s called Pohman Rocks,” You helped build it over one hundred years ago. I wanted to tell him.

  “Well, when I’m there, by this lighthouse, you’re there too. Like I said, I feel different. I feel powerful. And sometimes I’m fighting someone, moving crazy fast, but I always feel like I’m losing.” He stopped to calm himself, “My heart races, I feel like if I lose, I’m gonna die. But I’m not afraid for myself.”

  “No?” I ask.

  “No, I feel like I’m fighting for a purpose, like to protect someone. That’s what made me think of a superhero- and you’re there too fighting with me. I know it’s stupid, absurd, but then again, I just saw wings sprout out of your back,” he furrowed his brow a little more, “Did you move that trailer too?”

  “Yes.” I was sticking to my one-word answers. I wanted him to talk. I was waiting to hear something more.

  The lighthouse. I wondered if he remembered us at Pomham Rocks, or was he remembering a century before when he and so many men helped build the lighthouse in Providence.

  “I always wake up feeling invincible, so full of energy. But my chest hurts, like something is trying to break outta my ribs. It feels like I’m being pulled apart, like my body is going to split in two.”

  “It just might,” I smiled but then looked at Heath who didn’t think any of this was at all amusing. He was pale and sweaty. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me or really scared. “I’m sorry, that was a bad joke.”

  We sat in silence for a bit. The road in front of us was only visible in the low beams of Heath’s old truck. I could see the lights of San Angelo ahead of us. I knew we had a few more miles until Heath was glued to Daisy’s side.

  It’s now or never.

  “Thank you for telling me that, Heath. I know what you must be feeling. I’ve been through something very similar. And I’m know today has been crazy for you too. But I need to tell you something else- about you. It may be difficult to hear, but I need you to have an open mind.”

  He sighed, “I can try.”

  “Some of those scenes from your dreamsarenothing more than scary dreams. Some you and I have shared. Those are called nightwalks actually. And some, like the scene of the lighthouse are actual flashbacks. The scenes, places, the people- me, are from your real life. The life you gave up.”

  “What?” he scoffed. He couldn’t understand this. The wings- that was easy, he could see those, but asking him to believe he had another life up until a few weeks ago was going to take some convincing.

  “You had another life, Heath.”

  “I died? Like I’ve been reincarnated? I don’t know if I believe that one.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that.” I stopped, “Okay, something like that…”

  “Did I have super powers? Is that where you’re going with this?” His voice was shaky as he grabbed at my backpack sitting near my feet, “Do you have some kind of camera rolling in there? You planning on making me some kind of pathetic YouTube sensation?”

  “Nope. No plans for that,” I grabbed my bag back. “You taught me to keep a low profile.”

  His face twisted, “Lemme just say you have done a bad job of that so far. I knew something about you was off the moment I first saw you.”

  “Awww, you’re such a charmer,” I replied, “but then again, you could always be a real ass when you put your mind to it.”

  “Look! I don’t believe you,” Heath yelled. “Everything you are spouting right now is pure bullshit! There has got to be a rational, simpler explanation.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Heath.” I took a deep breath ready to lay everything on the table, “The flashbacks are to a life that you lived until very recently. You died, stupidly, defending me. We love each other, so much, we have spent this past year together, and from the moment we laid eyes on one another we have always been together.” My words were tripping out of my mouth. I wanted to get all of them out before he could interrupt. “You helped me with my birthright when I thought I was going insane. You told me you loved me,” my voice shook. “That feeling in your chest? It’s a clawing, gnawing, burning feeling that won’t go away. It’s a daemon inside of you, Heath. It’s a part of you that has recently awakened. Your father is a daemon and he passed that on to you. Your daemon recognizes me, just like mine does when I look at you.”

  Heath sat there, his lips pursed, his eyes darting from mine and then back to the road. He didn’t’ respond immed
iately, which I took to be a good sign. It meant he was mulling it over and then he could ask me more questions. I should have known better. Nothing was ever easy with this guy.

  “You know,” he paused, his face expressionless, “you probably should have gone with vampire or werewolf, or something like cancer, don’t you think?”

  I just gawked at him. He was making jokes. Mean jokes.

  “Well then, by all means,” I put my hands out. I couldn’t hide the fire that ignited them from within. It looked like I held two hot coals in the palms of my hands, “you explain it then.”

  “I can’t do this now,” he said again stubbornly, inching closer to his door, “I am headed to a hospital now to see my future father-in-law. Daisy is the only girl I have ever loved. I’m going to marry her someday!”

  His words felt like a fist slamming into my stomach. He looked me up and down then said angrily, “Here’s my truth. I only care about the life I am living right now. I know who I am and I know who I want- and it’s not you. I don’t care why you’re here- I just want you gone. All this crap started when you got here. Maybe if you left it would all go away. I want you out of my head and out of Daisy’s house.”

  Chapter 10

  Prom Night

  Saturday night. It had been a whole week and not a word spoken to me by Heath.

  I had the unofficial job of sitting up with Mr. Reese and watching bad Reality TV, while everyone else went to the Prom. I made plans with Ava to ditch the dance with her, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were surrounded somehow. I could sense the evil on my skin like the damp cold from a cloudy morning.

  The car crash was major news in the classrooms for the next few days. I worried what Heath told everyone. No one came to me for information. It was as if I hadn’t been there, and I didn’t mind it staying that way. Heath had become edgy and short with everyone around him, including Daisy. I hadn’t realized that saving him and restoring his memories would tear him apart so thoroughly. He seemed tormented, at war with himself. I could see the barrage of emotions rolling over him all day long. His peace only came at night when we held each other. As Orrin, he had years of experiencehandling his birthright, but as Heath, he hadn’t learned the depth of it and strength of his own spirit.