by A. M. Hodges
He tilts his head to the ceiling and covers his face with his hands. After letting out a long-exaggerated sigh, he concedes, "Fine, go then. But you are taking Lucah with you. He can blend in better."
I roll my eyes and lower into a bow, "As you wish, my liege."
I close my eyes and search for her, like I have done countless times over the last five years. I find her waiting in a forest clearing, looking as stunning as always. My glamour reaches for her, telling her to come to me, and I watch as she obeys without hesitation. She kneels at my feet.
Then, after five years of waiting, I finally reach out my hand, place it on her head. It takes all my effort to keep from trembling. For the first time since our bond opened, I speak to her.
"I'm coming."
Reyna
I awake the next morning hoping yesterday’s events were just a bad, insanely weird dream. Jumping out of bed, I rush to the mirror and pull my shirt up around my shoulders. Shit. Still there. I guess it was real then.
The two marks remain on my back, confirming that yesterday did in fact happen. Throwing on a pair of black leggings with my red chiffon tank and some knee-high riding boots, I grab my backpack and run downstairs. Thankfully, my tank is a racerback, so it hides the peculiar marks. There is nothing I can do about the new one on my arm though.
I rush to the kitchen and grab a pop tart and a bottle of water. Not the healthiest breakfast, but I am already late and will barely make it before the morning bell. Days like this I really wish I had a car. Looks like I will be jogging to school.
Running back up the stairs, I throw my deodorant and body spray into my bag so that I don't smell too horrible after my run and take off for school.
The morning bell sounds as my foot hits the first step to the school's front entrance. Not even having time to stop at my locker, I book it to Lit class and manage to get to my seat before the tardy bell. I lean down to get my pen and notes from my bag as I hear,
"Class, we have a new student today. Everyone, say Hello to Lucah
St. James."
My head snaps up to see who is standing at the front of the classroom. Two new students in one semester? That must be a new record.
With an awkward smile and an even more awkward wave the new kid starts walking down my aisle. Jesus he is beautiful.
He stands at about six foot two, if I had to guess, and has onyx hair. He has a wide set but chiseled jaw, accented by a proud nose and a thick, muscular neck. What's even more entrancing though, is the ice blue eyes that peak out from under his shaggy hair cut. He is wearing a simple black t-shirt with a pair of faded jeans and red Chuck Taylors.
The t-shirt seems to hug every single muscle the boy has, and let me tell you, he has a lot of them. As I sit here ogling him, it takes me a solid thirty seconds to realize that he is speaking to me.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
A devilish grin appears on his face as he repeats, probably significantly slower than the first time, "Are you saving this for someone?" he motions to the desk in front of me.
Looking around the room I realize that it is the only empty seat.
"Oh, n-no of course not. Go for it." Smooth Mathers. Real freaking smooth.
I try so hard to concentrate, I really do, but holy shit that boy smells good. Seriously, it should be illegal to look that good and smell the way that he does. He smells like pin trees and citrus with a splash of cologne. I've even caught myself subconsciously leaning forward to get a better whiff at least three times. What are you, a dog? No, not a dog. Dogs don't have wings. Get your shit together Reyna.
I shake it off and try to pay attention to what Mr. Baker is saying. We are discussing Zeus today, him and all his douche bag shenanigans. Honestly, I think all the Greek gods are shit heads, but he is just the star on top of the douche bag tree.
After what seems to be the longest Lit class in history, the bell rings and I stop by my locker to ditch my bag, grab a notebook and head to the library for free period. Most students leave campus and go grab a coffee or whatever else they can accomplish in an hour and forty-five minutes, but I never could pass up a library, especially not today.
Something about the smell and the quiet. How the only thing that can be heard is the occasional turning of a page in a book.
If I could bottle up that smell, I would bathe in it...and then dump it all over everything that I own.
Entering the wooden double doors, I beeline straight for the computer lab in the back. No getting lost in a fantasy world today, today I have my own crazy to deal with.
I pull up the search engine and start looking through folklore, hoping to find some clue as to what or who I might me. Valkyries have wings. Pixies and faeries sometimes have colorful hair and wings but considering that I am WAY bigger than Tinker Bell, I rule them out. I can find absolutely nothing to explain my eyes or marks, and nothing that has any kind of combination of my characteristics.
Useless. I slam my finger down on the escape button and go to look in the folklore section in the library. I spend a lot of time here for Mr. Baker's projects, but today I pull out some of the more unusual tombs and take them to an empty table. Spending another thirty minutes searching through various books, I slam the one in my hands shut and slouch back into my chair rubbing my temples.
Still nothing. There is nothing here that gives me a clue as to what is happening to me. As I'm sitting there feeling utterly hopeless, the bell rings. I replace the books on their shelves and head to my next class.
I really don't feel like practice today, and since I don't even get to swim in the meet this weekend, I don't feel the least bit guilty when I walk out the front doors of the school after the final bell and walk home. There is a fall breeze coming in that makes my walk pleasant, and just enough that I decide to stop in and grab a coffee.
It doesn't look like Rex is here today, so I walk up to the girl reading a magazine behind the counter and order a small mocha latte. Taking a seat at a small window table, I stare out into the street and watch the towns people stroll in and out of the shops across the way. A familiar boy with shiny black hair ducks into the used bookstore across from the coffee shop. Hmm. It looks like he likes to read. A billion more points for him.
I watch the store intently and wait for him to come back out. Beginning to feel a little stalkerish, I move my gaze to the old photos of famous jazz players lining the walls above the counter. I jump a little when the barista clears her throat to get my attention. "Miss, your drink is ready."
I swing my head to the girl waiting at the register and walk over to pay for my coffee. Giving her a friendly smile, I say thank you and continue my walk home.
The old man isn't home yet, so I decide to do my homework in the kitchen while snacking on a bowl of pretzels and some apple juice. Once again, I am so thankful for Heidi's note taking skills. Even missing an entire day's worth of lessons, I have no problems completing the homework for tomorrow.
Around eight o'clock I give up on waiting up for Jackson to get home and decide to just head upstairs. I have this disturbing feeling that I am being watched as I get ready for bed, so I go to the window, drop the blinds and then close the curtains for good measure. It does nothing to tame the unsettling feeling in my gut.
I walk into the bathroom to brush my hair and wash my face, and I start thinking about Paisley's voicemail again. How could Coach do this to me? AGAIN. I have never missed a practice. Never missed a meet. We have come in first place at every competition because of me. What could possibly be so great about Paisley Prince? With me beating my record time on Monday and more than proving my worth to the team, I can't believe that he is-
Crack. Crack. Whoosh.
I yelp and grab onto the counter to keep from falling. Looking up into the mirror I see that those beautiful, stupid wings have made their appearance again. Anger seems to be their trigger. Sweet. So, I just have to avoid getting angry anytime that I am not alone in my room. Easy peasy.
Not. My temper
has been on a hair trigger since the day I was born.
The pain isn't so bad this time. Still enough to almost bring me to my knees, but I think that has more to do with the weight of these things rather than the actual pain. That's a plus, I guess. I don't know if I could go through that first round of pain every time I got angry. I might just become the happiest person on earth if that were the case.
I do my breathing exercises to get my wings- my wings.
That's not weird at all- to retract. Once I finally feel the weight lift,
I turn out the bathroom light and crawl into my bed. After turning out the lights in my room, I hear the front door close as I turn on my sleep playlist. I drift off as The Cranberries' 'Just My Imagination' comes through the speakers. How fitting.
Jackson is home late tonight. That man is going to work himself to death if he doesn't slow down.
Chapter 5
Jebediah
"You need to stay out of sight for now"
"No, I need to go to her," I growl at Lucah. He does not know what I need. Everything I do, I do for her.
"I will go to her; I will protect her Jeb I promise. You don't exactly blend in with this world. Just please, please stay hidden. Just for now," he pleads from my bedroom doorway.
"Fine," I snap, standing up from the sitting chair, "you have one week," I jab my finger at him. "Just one Lucah. And if anything happens to her, I swear to you there isn't an army in this world or ours that can protect you from me."
He nods and turns to make his exit.
I return to the chair a retrieve my scotch from the table. The alcohol, or what the humans in this realm call alcohol, is disgusting, but I need something to take the edge off. The burn is slow as the liquid travels down my throat.
Now, I wait.
Reyna
I'm sitting in my spot on the mat doing my butterfly stretches when I feel someone sit down next to me. That's weird, considering everyone in this class knows how adamant I am about doing my warms ups alone to get in the right head space for our drills. Not that anyone other than Miles tries to acknowledge me anyways, and I know for a fact he isn’t coming today.
I look to my right and see Lucah, also in a butterfly stretch, grinning at me. His red Gi makes him stand out against our usual black ones. Wait, he's a black belt?
"It's Reyna, right?"
And just like that... my brain turns to mush, and all it can muster is inaudible sounds. I gape at him like a dead fish before finally mastering my composure.
"Um, yeah. Hi, Lucah? It's nice to formally meet you," I stick out my hand for him to shake.
He has a firm grasp but doesn't squeeze my hand to death like he is trying to assert dominance. Overall, a decent handshake, unlike most guys who do the pathetic grab of my fingers every time they "shake" my hand. I instantly respect him for that.
Lucah nods and returns to his stretches. Well alright then.
I finish just as Al steps into the front of the room and claps his hands to signal us to stand so that he can lead us through the warmups. Usually, I use this time to focus but having Lucah standing next to me is highly distracting. That annoys the piss outta me.
Our warmups always lean towards the karate side of martial arts, but Al says that it is a good way to teach us the discipline that we need. I keep watch on Lucah out of the corner of my eye and am fascinated by the way he moves. He has the grace of a dancer, yet the strength and discipline of a trained fighter. Every movement is fluid and done with such confidence. It is truly amazing to watch.
I don't get to do many of the Saturday classes at the gym because of my swim meets. On the days that I am free, I usually don't come anyways because Miles works on Saturdays and I don't like running drills with anyone else, and the gym is closed on
Sundays. Since Sunday is "God's day", the town would riot is Al kept it open. I needed this today though. If I have to keep myself calm and avoid getting angry, I am going to have to start doing a lot more classes.
"Alright," Al commands, "Y’all partner up and start running some drills. I'll be coming around to assess your techniques and give some pointers."
I move to my usual place on the mat and start my solo drills. Or at least, that is what I intended on doing. As I get into position, Lucah steps in front of me with a smirk on his face.
"You think you can take the heat princess?" he taunts.
I return his smirk, "Oh you have no idea."
Within fifteen seconds he has me flat on my back, arms spread out beside me with a knee on my chest pinning me to the floor. He chuckles as I glare up at him and tap his leg to get up and reset.
After another fifteen seconds, I am on the ground again.
This time in a choke hold.
"If you can't take the heat princess," he whispers into my ear, "then get out of the kitchen."
He releases me, and I get up and reset once again.
I go to sweep his leg, but he dodges me, grabbing my leg and flipping me onto my stomach. Holy shit he's fast. He then grabs my arms and yanks them behind my back, shoving his knee into the middle of my shoulder blades. Who the fuck is this guy? Superman?
He released me yet again. Seething, I get up and shoot him my best death glare.
Crack.
At the sound of the first crack, my face shifts from rage to panic as I shoot towards the locker room. I make it through the door just in time for the second crack and the whoosh of my wings appearing. So much for keeping my anger in check. Thank God no one was in here. This would have been hard to explain.
I turn around to see Lucah leaning against the doorway, arms crossed with a smirk still plastered on his face.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I panic, "and why don't you look completely freaked out right now?"
He saunters over to me and grabs my face with both hands,
"Breathe," he whispers as he begins rubbing his thumbs over my cheeks. I narrow my eyes at him but start my breathing exercises anyway. Slowly, I feel my wings retract.
"We need to talk," he states.
"What-"
"Not now, but soon."
"When," I ask softly.
"I will come to you. Until then," that stupid smirk is back, "try and control that temper of yours."
I'll show you a temper- Crack. Crack Whoosh.
He is all out laughing now, "See? Point proven. Now put them away. I will find you soon."
I once again calm myself down and retract my wings. Taking the back exit, I decide it is better to go home than to go back out and finish. Apparently, this class is only soothing when I'm beating on Miles. Who knew?
Back at the house, I make myself a sandwich and decide on tuna casserole for dinner. It is one of Jackson's favorites, and I'm hoping I can talk to him into having one of our nights. I know I can't tell him what is going on, but I just need the calm and normalcy that he provides right now. More than anything I wish he could just hug me and tell me that everything is going to be okay.
But how can this be okay? How can any of this be okay? Not a single part of this is normal and the world as I know it feels like it just shattered around me. I suddenly miss being the misunderstood rebel. At least that was something that I could justify. Something that I could explain.
Needing to get my mind off, well life at the moment, I go up to my room and change into my running gear. Taking my usual route, I find myself stopping in front of the town chapel that sits in our town square. Yes, our town literally revolves around Jesus.
Not giving myself a chance to over think it, I walk through the old, rusted gate and climb the stairs into the chapel. It's empty today, the pastor probably in his office writing tomorrow’s sermon. It's been a while since I have been here. Not knowing what else to do, I walk to the front and kneel at the altar.
"God," I utter, "I don't know if you can hear me. Or if you even listen to the prayers of, whatever I am. I know you probably think that I am an abomination, but I really need your help. I don't know who to go to. My worl
d just got flipped upside down and I don't know where else to turn. I feel so confused, so lost. I just need some guidance. Anything that you can give me. I don't know if you care about a freak like me, but I would really appreciate it if you could give me something. Even if it's something small. Amen."
I don't get up right away. I don't really know what I am waiting for, I know his answers don't come that fast. If they even come at all.
I see someone kneel next to me and catch a glimpse of black hair out of the corner of my eye. I continue to stare up at the stained-glass window above the altar, doing my best to fight back tears.
Lucah reaches over and starts stroking my back, "You aren't an abomination Reyna. You are a miracle."
A tear slips free and falls down my cheek before I can stop it.
"Look at me," he whispers, taking my chin in his hand and turning my face towards him, "dry your eyes," he reaches up to wipe away the stray tears that are now freely falling.
"Go home Reyna. Cook your dinner and watch your favorite show. Be at peace. You will have answers soon enough, I promise."
With his promise, he stands up and leaves. After I've collected myself, I stand and exit the church and begin my walk home.
Before cooking dinner, I go upstairs and shower, changing into some fuzzy pajama pants and a tank top with my favorite lime green monster feet slippers. I eat my dinner lounging on the chaise watching Gilmore Girls reruns. After about the fifth episode, I give up on my hopes that Jackson will come home and turn off the TV before starting my nightly routine and climbing the stairs to my room.
