by A. N. Sage
“Well, this is realistic...” Ruby huffed, but if she was being honest, it actually sounded like a pretty good story. Liam pretended not to hear her sarcasm and continued.
“Out of fear of being reprimanded by their creators, the four house elders decided to come together and end the war. In order to share their holdings on earth, they forged a sword from the four stones that housed each one of their powers—The Sword of Enuma. For many years, there was peace on the Elemental plane, until one day, the royal son of the house of Air stole the sword in order to gain its power.”
Something didn't sound right in this fable. “But why? Wasn’t it all working?”
“I guess the need for power always wins out. Anyway, the four house elders found out about his betrayal and decided that sharing power with four very different Elementals would always cause tribulations. After a long deliberation, they came up with a diplomatic plan for peace. Each house was to send forth their strongest warrior to represent them in a battle of strength, wit, and heart. The last two standing houses would unite to carry the burden of the sword’s power and have full control of the Elemental plane of existence. When Air and Water won the battle, they locked up the Sword of Enuma and have been ruling over us ever since.”
“So, what’s the problem, then? I mean, if it’s all peaceful, then what happened on the subway?” Ruby didn’t believe a word Liam was saying, and she wanted him to know that his facts didn’t add up.
“Would you like to live your life under someone else’s control? To have no say of what you do, who you can be, who you can love?” His hands formed into fists, and she could see the anger in his eyes. Ruby could swear she could see his eyes darken to a shade of crimson. Her gaze shifted quickly to his hands as he reached across the table and grabbed her arms. “My people will always be powerless against them. We are nothing without the sword.”
“Your people?”
“I am a descendant of the house of fire.”
“Right... and you’re what? Rebelling?”
“Not rebelling, Ruby. We’re revolutionizing. We’re going to get the sword back and take what is rightfully ours.”
Ruby’s phone vibrated. She looked down to see Shaylah’s picture pop up on the screen. Crap! I forgot to text her, again!
She started gathering her things. “Ok. Well, good luck with that. I hope it all works out. But I really have to run now.”
“Please, I know you think I'm nuts, but we could really use your help here.”
“What? Me? Why? I don’t have these powers or whatever you call them. How can I possibly help you and your, what was it, half-God friends?” She made sure the last part sounded as sarcastic as possible.
“You can see us, Ruby. All of us. I saw how you watched what happened on the subway. You knew those two weren't human, and if you can see them, that means you can maybe see others. If we know who Air and Water are, we can find out where the sword is kept. We can catch them off guard!”
“Listen, honestly, this is really weird. I told you I would hear you out and if I did, you’d leave me alone. Now, I heard your little story and I’m going to get out of here. I expect you not to follow me. We had a deal.”
“Will you at least take my card in case you change your mind?”
“Sure. Ok.”
Ruby reached across the table and grabbed his business card. Liam Nar. Westerlake Fire Department.
“Wait, you work at the Firehouse?” She looked at Liam, startled.
“Yes. Shocked they let crazies on the force?”
“No. Just... fire God fighting fire... It’s interesting.”
Liam smiled. This girl had a sense of humor after all.
“Oh, and Ruby, be careful please. If I could spot you, that means they could, too.”
“So, what if they can?” She had already put on her jacket and was beginning to make her way to the door.
“What happened on the subway wasn’t an accident. They know about the resistance, and they will stop at nothing to end it. Even murder. That was one of our main fighters they took down, and it only took seconds to kill him. If you see anything else please promise me, you’ll call.”
“Fine, I promise!” Ruby yelled out. She put his card in her backpack and disappeared down the street, shaking off an image of his eyes as she ran.
Chapter 9
Something is wrong
After her bizarre encounter, Ruby could not wait to get home. She called Shaylah as soon as she left the cafe and made up a story about working on a school project, leaving Liam and his deities out of it. She wouldn’t even know how to begin explaining the situation without sounding completely insane.
The narrow street leading to the back entrance of her building was darker than usual, and Ruby had just realized that it was already past six. The sun had started to disappear behind the skyscrapers in the distance. She’d better get a move on getting ready if she had any hope of looking decent for movie night with Jake.
“Hi, Ben!” She waved down the street to the owner of the convenience store on the corner. Ruby had spent many a late night running into his store for refills of chocolate milk and beef jerky. When Ben wasn’t yelling at his son on the phone, he could be found outside, chain smoking cheap cigars and complaining about the neighborhood. As it turns out, his family had owned the store for three generations, and ever since the big-box businesses moved in, the neighborhood had gone to pieces. At least, that’s what Ben made sure to tell people every chance he got.
“Hey,” he grunted under his breath and looked back across the street.
Ruby twisted the door handle and ran up the stairs, starting to take her shoes off before even reaching the main entrance. She couldn’t wait to spend some time alone with Jake.
A quick hour and half later, Jake was sitting on the couch, and she was in the kitchen trying to get tomato paste out of her shirt. The plan to look nice for Jake had been overshadowed by her innate clumsiness, and she managed to drop an entire slice of pizza on the brand-new button-down she’d picked up just for tonight.
“This isn’t coming out. I’m just going to change really quick!” she yelled and ran past him to her room. Leggings and a tank top it was.
Jake smiled when she came back to join him on the couch. “Well, that’s more a movie outfit anyways.” He ran the fingers of both his hands through his full, blond hair to brush it back and looked at Ruby. He liked her best when she wasn’t trying so hard, when she was just the girl from down the street whom he had known for most of his life. He reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the remote, “So, what are you in the mood for?”
“Uhm, I don’t care. Whatever you want,” and she meant it. It didn’t matter what Jake picked, she’d be spending the night studying his every move more than watching the movie. “What about that horror movie you were telling me about last time? I forgot the name.”
“Oh, yeah! Stairway to Hell! It looks pretty terrible, let’s do it!”
The two of them had been watching bad movies together as long as Ruby could remember. Long before Ruby’s parents moved her to a different suburb, before the tedious senior year of high school they’d spent apart, and well before Ruby realized that Jake was more than just a friend. Or at least she wanted him to be.
Forty minutes into the film and Ruby was getting agitated. She shifted her weight to lean on Jake’s shoulder. “Ugh! This is bad, even for us.”
Jake’s laugh resonated through the living room. He had the octaves of a performer and ever since he chose to follow in his dad’s business, Ruby started to realize how energetic he was. His stage-worthy presence was enough to make everyone notice when the two of them entered a room, so there was no shortage of competition for his attention. His trendy fashion sense and slim but muscular build made him look like he’d just stepped out of a magazine. The bright blue eyes didn’t hurt either. A long time ago, Ruby used to be bothered by girls throwing themselves at him when they were out together. Now, she took it as a compliment, whateve
r girlfriends came and went, they had a bond that was unbreakable.
She had always thought that following his brother’s death, Jake would be less outgoing. After all, being the eldest, it was Evan who was supposed to take over the family business. He was perfectly cut out for it, Ruby always thought. Almost an identical replica of their father. His death hit the family hard, but she knew it affected Jake the most. He was supposed to go sailing with Evan that day. If he hadn’t stood him up to spend time with Ruby, they would have both drowned. The accident always seemed odd to her. The entire Okenos family had always been excellent sailors, so it was strange to hear that the boat hit a rock and sank with Evan trapped inside. She wanted answers for Jake but knew not to press on. Being an only child, Ruby could never understand the sibling bond they must have had. She was certain of one thing, she would always make sure that Jake knew how important he was to her, even if it was as just a friend.
Kicking off his moccasins, Jake reached for Ruby’s camera on the seat next to him and shoved it in her hands. “Movie selfie time!”
They had been following this foolish little tradition since grade school. Ruby could not remember why it started but she had no complaints. It gave her a chance to not feel like a complete creep when Shaylah asked her about all the photos of Jake on her laptop.
She grabbed the camera and leaned into Jake. She could feel his heartbeat through his shirt. I’ll definitely need to photoshop out my blushing, after, she thought. Trying to keep the camera steady, Ruby made a funny face and pressed the shutter. She could stay in this moment for the rest of her life.
Sitting in her pajamas on the edge of the sofa, Ruby was watching the light from the cars outside zoom past her apartment windows. Shaylah was taking her sweet time getting home, her date must have gone well tonight. No point waiting up for her.
Jake had left right after the movie ended, and while she had hoped he would stay longer, she was pretty tired from the day and was happy to have a few quiet moments alone before her roommate came barging in excitedly with details from her night. She glanced at the camera on the coffee table and smiled. Making an eager grab for it, Ruby began flipping through the photos from her evening with Jake.
She rolled her eyes at the first few, where her hair was in her face and she was mid talking, quickly pressing delete to remove the evidence. It’s funny, but when she met Jake all those years ago, she never would have guessed how handsome he would grow up to be. He sure came a long way from that stout little boy with glasses she used to play ball with. Unlike Ruby, who stayed small and slightly awkward, Jake grew into his glasses and developed into the tall hipster she was now so taken with.
As she studied his face in the photo, she could feel her palms get hotter. Her fingers were clammy and there was a sense of vertigo that began to overcome her thoughts.
Something is wrong, she thought. This was how she felt right before she saw the glowing marks on the subway attacker.
Ruby skipped through the photos trying to find some semblance of marks. There was nothing. As she rolled the wheel to move to the next image, she saw the photo start to move. It was as though the image itself was becoming fluid, and movement began to appear in the background. The wall behind her and Jake was dripping with water, slow drips at first and then pouring on their heads. She could see Jake having trouble breathing, struggling to escape the heavy downpour surrounding him. His body was solid, and she could see in his face that he was trying to move but couldn’t. He couldn’t escape.
The heat in her hands was so intense that steam started to form on them. The steam covered the camera screen as if a ball of fire had been dropped into the water flowing in the photo. Ruby threw the camera away from her and tried to stand up. She made it about an inch off the couch before the room spun out of control. Falling back down, her eyes heavy, she fell asleep.
Chapter 10
I think we need to talk
“Fish! Fish, you ok?” Ruby woke up to the sound of Shaylah calling her name. There was a look of sincere concern on her face. “I’ve been yelling your name for, like, five minutes, dude. What happened?”
“Oh. I think I just fell asleep.” She lifted herself up to sit and put her hand on her forehead. “Maybe I have a fever or something? I’m not feeling great.”
Ruby decided to keep the details of why she passed out to herself, for now. After freaking out about the photos the last time, she couldn’t very well tell Shaylah that there was another camera incident. Not without sounding like she needed to be committed.
“Ok... Jake left already?”
Oh my God! Jake! Ruby suddenly remembered what she saw in the photo.
“Uhm. Yeah. He left a while back.”
“Is everything ok with you two? You seem weird. Or, like, weirder than usual.” Shaylah laughed.
“Yeah, it’s fine. He has class early and I was pretty tired, anyways. It’s honestly fine.”
Because saying fine twice in a sentence makes it believable. Good going, Ruby. She grabbed her camera and pressed the play button.
“Oh, pics! Fun! Let me see!” Shaylah leapt on the couch next to her and reached to see the screen. “These are so cute! I swear, Fish, you guys are going to make such cute babies!”
“Geez, Shay. Creepy much? It’s not like that.” Ruby rolled her eyes. “We’re just friends.”
“For now. Hey, where are you going?” She shouted, as Ruby got up and headed to her bedroom. “Don’t you want to hear about my date?”
“Uh, sure. Yes, of course. I just have to make a quick phone call first.”
She could hear her friend making some sarcastic remark as she walked away but didn’t bother to stick around for it. What happened tonight was definitely not fine, no matter how much she tried to pretend it was. Something was very wrong and either she was crazy, or Jake was in danger. If something happened to him and she didn’t do everything she could to prevent it, she would never forgive herself. She didn’t know how to explain what she saw, why Jake was drowning in the photo, but she knew it had to have meant something. A warning of some sort.
She closed the door behind her and pulled Liam’s card out of her backpack.
“Hello?” His deep voice cut through the air. Ruby pressed the phone tighter to her ear, suddenly desperate to see him.
“Liam? It’s Ruby.”
“Well, hello again. I figured I might hear from you soon.”
Ruby pictured what he might look like on the other line. His self-assured grin and those emerald eyes. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he left an effect on her. A memory that clung like a loose dryer sheet. Whether he was telling the truth or not, she wanted to see him again.
“Do you know that bar near my school? The Library? Can you be there tomorrow after lunch? I think we need to talk.”
Chapter 11
Elemental Gods in Westerlake
Regardless of the name, The Library did not house any reading material for its visitors. It was a dingy, second floor pub that was located just outside of the Westerlake U campus. Those who frequented this place did not come here for the atmosphere. They came because the drinks were cheap, the pub was open pretty much twenty-four-seven, and the day-old fries came with free refills. In a nutshell, it was full of art school students, and Ruby’s favorite hangout.
Running up the wooden steps, she was starting to regret her decision to call for this meeting. What was she expecting to happen? The stories Liam had told her at the coffee shop were probably nothing compared to the fantastical details she was sure would come to light today. Though, despite her own feelings, Ruby knew she had to hear him out, for Jake’s sake.
She peered through the glass entrance. There were only a few people lingering, so they would have no problem finding a booth to sit in. The pub’s decor, if decor was a word to describe it, consisted of four booths, a pool table, and a central bar with ten high-top tables surrounding it. The walls were covered in faux wood grain and had a mishmash of crooked frames all around. No
matter the time of day, the lights in The Library were dim and there was always a flickering bulb in the hallway to the bathrooms. Ruby smiled as she peeled open the door, she felt safe here.
Despite being ten minutes early, she could see that Liam was already comfortably situated, in one of the booths, and looking at his phone. She dropped her bag on the table louder than was necessary to startle him to attention.
“Morning!” He looked up at her, beaming.
God, he’s cute, Ruby thought, then snapped herself back to the conversation, “It’s eleven-thirty.”
“I know. I had a late night, so it’s technically morning for me.”
She slid into the booth and dragged her bag from the table to rest in between them. She needed to keep a level head right now and putting some distance between her and Liam was bound to help.
“So, on the phone you said you figured I’d call, why?”
“Straight to business, I see. You mind if I get a drink first?” he was already sliding out of the booth. “You want anything?”
“Uhm. Just a coffee, I guess,” she paused, “and some fries!”
Ruby watched him as he walked towards the bar. If Shaylah was here, she would be all over him. He was exactly the type of guy most girls she knew would be drooling over, and as much as she hated to admit it, Ruby could not look away. Her eyes moved slowly across his broad shoulders and made their way down his back.
Keep it professional! Geez. She told herself and shifted her gaze to a random photo on the wall.
