by Alisha Basso
“Then what do you propose we do?” I asked, feeling defeated.
“We call the cops, just like you said, and then come back later, after we’ve had time to prepare. We need to consider every possible eventuality.”
I knew he was right. It sucked, but he was right. I couldn’t go charging in blind. I had no idea what was waiting for me. I had to think and plan. I never did very well in the preparation area. I was glad I had his help.
TWELVE
The wail of sirens sounded ominous in the distance. We were sitting on the curb in front of Ann’s house waiting for the cavalry to arrive. I hated this feeling. Here I was, the reincarnation of a mystical species, capable of infinite powers, rendered helpless. I didn’t know enough about my abilities to use them in any major way. Lucian made me realize that I could cause more harm than good. I still hadn’t acquired the necessary control, so here we sat, letting things happen naturally.
I was seething.
The flashing lights sped closer. We stood. I held my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun. It was a cop car. It screeched wildly to a halt in front of us, followed closely by several more police cars, a fire truck and an ambulance.
The person in the screeching car was Jared Monroe.
Shit.
“Oh, God Jared.” Seeing him started a fresh flow of tears running down my face. I ran, throwing my arms around him in a sobbing hug, which caused him to stumble back a step.
“Grace, are you alright? Jesus, what the hell happened?” He looked sick. I was sure when the address came over the radio, he was the first to respond. He sure was driving like a bat out of hell when he pulled up. I hadn’t thought about Ann’s new boyfriend when I called the cops. Not that I could have done anything about it. At least I didn’t think I could have.
“I don’t know,” I sobbed. “It’s a mess and I don’t think you should go in there.” I sniffed and wiped my nose on the only surface available, which just happened to be my sleeve. He let me go then glanced over my shoulder and he pushed me behind him.
He glared at Lucian. “And who are you?” he asked in his cop voice.
“I’m here with Grace,” Lucian replied, unmoved. “We came here to visit her friend.”
They eyed each other. Lucian was about five inches taller than Jared who was handsome but had nothing on Lucian. Jared’s red hair was cut military short. He had a slim, runner’s build and looked commanding in his uniform. Lucian was unfazed. He regarded Jared with nothing more than aloof indifference. Before I could mediate between the two of them, the yard around us erupted into chaos. Lights continued to flash and people seemed to be everywhere.
I was pulled aside by an officer who was young and pretty. Her voice was deep; I guess you would describe it as husky. She began shooting questions at me. I answered them as best I could. It was tricky though, to keep the real story from slipping out. Somehow, I knew the authorities wouldn’t fully appreciate it.
With endless questions being fired at me, I finally realized we could be held up for quite some time. Being tied to a potential homicide scene did not bode well for our rescue attempts.
I signaled Lucian, who was still speaking to Jared. He nodded. Hopefully, he understood my intent, or he was about to get the surprise of his life.
I closed my eyes and began sorting it out. I tried to catch every detail. I could hear the female cop repeating, “Miss Allen, Miss Allen…Please answer the question.” She was miles away. I was concentrating hard. Holding my breath I crossed my fingers for luck. I opened my eyes and suddenly Lucian and I were back in his car, parked and at a nice, safe distance from the madness.
“Holy shit!” He jerked his head back and forth, staring wide-eyed at me. “What did you do? he asked frantically. “Won’t they wonder where we went?” His voice shook as he tried to get it together.
“Not if I got it right,” I replied, trying to sound confident. “What they’ll think is that an anonymous person placed that call. We were never there. I think I got every detail covered. I made sure our prints were gone. I left the room exactly how we found it, everything. Kind of like editing a tape. I pushed ‘rewind,’ cleaned it all up and then pushed ‘play,’ only this time, we aren’t there.” I shifted in the seat to face the yard better. “Now all we do is watch them for a few minutes to see if they look freaked out or confused about our little disappearing act. If they all act pretty normal, then we know it worked.”
Despite my convincing argument, behind my back, my fingers were still crossed; a little extra luck couldn’t hurt.
We watched everyone on the lawn, as well as people coming in and out of her house. No one looked frantic or disoriented. They were milling around in groups. More cars were arriving and the crime scene tape was being wrapped around anything standing still.
Lucian looked satisfied, although somewhat startled. He started the engine and we drove away. We were diverted to a side road, as Ann’s street was being quickly blocked off.
“Where to?” he asked. “Your place?”
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, I think that would be best. Your place is too far away and we need to get back to Ann’s before dark.”
He drove to my house without a single wrong turn. The fact that he drove straight to it, without a single direction was a little unnerving.
“I see you’ve been here before,” I murmured accusingly.
He ignored my tone. “A few times, but only in a protective capacity, I assure you.”
I wasn’t too sure about that. I wondered if it was time to take a stroll in Lucian’s mind, only in a protective capacity.
He pulled into my drive and parked in my spot. My poor Nova was probably in an impound lot by now. Old Norris hates that car. I’m sure he didn’t waste any time having it towed.
I jumped out and walked to my door. The curtain covering the back window hung at an odd angle and I was instantly on guard. Lucian came up next to me. Noticing the same thing, he tried to push me behind him. The look on his face was frightening. It almost made me question which was scarier, the daunting man beside me or the horror that loomed inside.
“Stay here, I’ll go in first.” He didn’t wait for my reply. He took the steps in a blur, and in moments, he was in my house. I followed instantly, noticing the door hadn’t given him any trouble, so the lock must have been busted.
When I entered, the first thing I noticed was my furniture. It was in shreds. The cushions were gutted, their fluffy down and feathers, strewn everywhere, along with the contents of every drawer in my house. My walls were dotted with large holes. It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to them. My TV was unrecognizable; I only knew that it was my television by its location. My movie collection was nothing more than silver confetti.
I felt the tears burning.
Lucian came out of my bedroom, shaking his head. “It looks like a tornado ripped through here.”
I was struck dumb. My mouth hung open as I gazed around the room. Then my eyes met with the empty fish bowl on the counter. “Nooo!” I screamed and ran to the bowl, looking around the floor to see if my poor fish was poured out onto the linoleum.
He was nowhere. I walked around the counter to the sink, shaking and holding my breath. The small pink gravel that decorated the bowl, now decorated the white basin. It was scattered around the opening to the garbage disposal. I quickly pulled the plastic drain shield.
“Those mother fuckers murdered my fish!” I sank to the floor. I was lost. I cried. I cried for my friend. I cried for my fish. I cried for my trashed house and my unbelievable life.
Lucian crossed the room, gathering me into the warmth of his strong arms.
“Grace,” his voice was a soft purr, “we’ll fix it, honey. I’ll help you. We will save Ann, and I’ll get some people in here to repair your home. It’ll be okay.”
He was trying so hard to be sympathetic and understanding, but it was just too much. I pulled away and stood.
I could feel my anger quickly boiling
over to rage. I tensed up, something was happening. Energy began to fill my cells. My body hummed with it. Whoever was responsible would pay. My fury built along with an unnerving energy I had never felt before. It tingled along my flesh, spreading out into every part of my being. Energy so powerful, I felt I couldn’t contain it. Like white hot electricity, it danced through my veins. My open eyes went blind. I felt a whisper of wind flow from my head through my fingertips. It tingled as it grew.
“Get out!” I cried to Lucian as a low rumbling began. I opened my hands. I could feel the vibration. The knowledge that it was coming from my body exhilarated me. I felt the power that the ring held, and at that moment, I felt like pure energy. The sound grew, thundering in my ears like an internal freight train. Wind blew from my fingertips, spreading along my body it grew stronger until it was a fierce gale. It was as if my body were the center of a tornado.
The room became ice cold as my hair slapped furiously around my face. My breathing quickened. I was starting to hyperventilate. I knew Lucian was still standing next to me, I could feel his heat seeping through the cold.
More rumbling was followed by a high-pitched whirling and the crashing of objects being picked up and tossed. It grew louder and louder and I laughed as my body released even more energy.
I heard a man cry out in pain and I knew Lucian was hurt. That knowledge was like a jolt of reason and my mind snapped to attention. Instantly my concern for him took the place of my rage. I reined in the energy, like pulling on a rope and my mind opened. Simultaneously the wind and my body grew weak. I fisted my hands, my nails biting painfully into the sensitive flesh of my palms, and then spent, I fell to the floor in an exhausted heap.
My vision returned in small degrees. I looked up to see Lucian pressed against the wall. A large cut, high on his cheek dripped blood, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. I breathed a sigh of relief.
His mouth was curved into a smile, and his eyes were filled with wonder. “That was incredible!” he gushed, taking a step towards me. “I knew you were powerful, but I never realized!” He knelt beside me, placing his hands on my arms he helped me stand.
I buried my head against his strong chest. I was scared to look at my house. I was afraid I had damaged it even worse than my enemies. I was out of control. I was a menace to myself and everyone around me!
I felt Lucian shift. His hand came up and held my chin gently. “Grace? It’s okay, look.”
Was that excitement in his voice? He guided my face away from the comfort of his chest. I closed my eyes. I was not ready to inventory the damage I had done.
“Open your eyes.”
I tentatively squinted my eyes, allowing only a small amount of light to enter my vision, but my utter shock ripped them open. My house was not destroyed - it was perfect! The couches were back to normal, my walls smooth and clean!
I spun, my fish bowl was filled. Clean, clear water sparkled atop funky pink gravel. I smiled, excitement momentarily blinding me to the fact that Floyd was nowhere to be found. Then I frowned, he was gone for good. It was okay, I knew he had already moved on. I was glad I hadn’t been able to rip his tiny little soul out of his new home. I had no right to do that.
As powerful as I had become, I was not God.
But, damn!
“I don’t understand,” I breathed. “I heard the noise; it was deafening. How could this be?” I was puzzled beyond words.
Lucian didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be giving me time to soak everything in. I hadn’t done an evil, terrible thing. My mind was so furious, but somehow my subconscious took over and made something go right. For the first time today, I felt confident that I could help Ann. If I was this productive in the throes of an other-worldly temper tantrum, I could just imagine what I’d be able to do for her if I were really focused!
I stepped out of his arms and walked around my house. It was amazing. Even the dust was gone. It was like my hurricane was filled with a swarm of mini maids. I was impressed, even my TV was dust free and new looking.
I ran my hand over a smooth wall - not a scratch! The air even smelled sweet and clean. I was fairly certain that, had I wanted to, I could probably eat off the floor.
“Can you believe it?” I gasped. “Miraculous!” I was overwhelmed.
“You looked frightening and beautiful at the same time.” Lucian cut in, making me turn to meet his eyes. “You were all aglow. I wanted to touch you. I tried to reach out, but the air coming from you, created some sort of barrier. Things were being sucked into their places. I had to duck and dodge to keep from getting hit, and at the same time, objects were dodging you.” He put his hand to his injured cheek and came away with new blood.
I felt bad that he was hurt, though it didn’t seem serious. “I’m sorry you were hurt,” I said lamely. “But, I did tell you to get out, so it is sort of your fault.” As apologies went, that one pretty much sucked.
He came closer.
“You are remarkable, Grace, and I’m not sorry about it at all. Just being able to see something so incredible is an honor. I am in awe. You are a true Madea.”
My brows furrowed and I frowned. “Lucian, what do we do now?”
“You seem to have more control than I originally estimated.” Ignoring my question, he walked to my couch.
He sat, his ankle resting on his knee. He looked relaxed, which was pretty off, considering what just happened. All of a sudden, I had to question what Lucian was. Was he a normal human? I wasn’t so sure. I mean, all the regular Joes I knew would have run screaming or wet themselves at all the strange things that have happened. Lucian looked like he might merely need a nap.
I eyed him. I knew he wasn’t a vamp. The church and daylight gave that one away. So, what else was there in this world? I had to find out, but I didn’t want to sound suspicious. After all, he was pretty much my right hand. It would be pretty shitty to come right out and accuse him of being just another monster.
“Are you positive Seth’s responsible for all of this?” I asked. “I mean, I was just guessing about him. Maybe he never even met Ann at all. It could be someone totally different, right? Don’t you think we should cover all our bases? I mean, what if it’s an entirely different group of monsters? Are vamps the only ones who know about the Madea, about me?”
I sat at the other end of the couch. The fabric was soft, the cushions worn. It distracted me a moment. I noticed that decades of wear and stains were still visible. I knew that it would be the same. The wear and tear contained too many memories. If it had been returned to brand new, I think it would have hurt my soul. I felt a rush of satisfaction. The power came from me: my mind and my soul. As strange and random as it was, this was my proof that I was meant to hold the ring.
Lucian continued speaking, despite my blank stare. I shook myself, listening again.
“No, I’m pretty sure Seth and his coven aren’t the only ones. We do need to try and discover if anyone else is involved, although I doubt it.”
I raised my head, looking him in the eyes. “Well? Do humans know about the Madea? I sure as hell never heard about them, and I know they weren’t teaching shit like this in history class. Even as much as I screwed around, I think I would have remembered that.”
“Yes, some humans know, and there are many things that do not belong in school. The stories that have made it are disguised as fairy tales, or ghost stories. Regular people don’t believe in our world. It would be too much for them.”
There, I had him! He said “our world.” He had just inadvertently admitted he was not a regular person. I just needed to delve a little deeper. “What is ‘our world’, Lucian?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. “I need to know.”
He smiled, shifting his position so he faced me. His leg was bent, resting on the couch, his arm stretched along the back. A small smile graced his full lips. “I thought you’d never ask.” The look he gave me said I was in for another mind boggling revelation. “There are many things that go bump in the night.
Not just vampires. Our world is filled with the stuff of nightmares, and the stuff of dreams. Pretty much anything you have ever read about has existed at one time or another, even things you haven’t heard about, the Madea, for instance. And they have a superior way of blending in with everyday folk, or hiding completely in a sort of altered universe, but that’s something we’ll have to get into when we can really talk.”
I was shocked. Then I remembered the CDs in Lucian’s car. There were some on witchcraft. “Are there witches and warlocks, Lucian?”
His eyes grew a bit larger, and for a split second I saw fear flash in their brown depths. Perhaps my White Knight had a secret after all?
“Yes, of course there are,” he harrumphed in his hand. “They are one of the most powerful groups of them all, aside from the Fae.” He scooted back on the couch, his posture rigid. Oh, I had to play poker with this guy.
“Well then, we need to assume that any of them could have her, correct? This is a big whopping deal! This ring has the potential to become very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.”
“Yes,” Lucian said becoming, if possible, more serious. “And that means you must fall into their hands as well.”
Yuck! No way was I letting some freak party abduct me, uh…again. “How can I protect myself? I mean, all they pretty much have to do is take the ring. It could be as easy as knocking me out, right?” My stomach churned, it was pretty easy to put me to sleep. I’d proven that to myself on two recent occasions. I was in big trouble.
“You can protect yourself, but you must be careful. You wouldn’t want to…say, wish for a stronger head so you won’t get hurt with a direct blow. Well then you could end up thickening your skull and killing yourself… Understand? It’s classic, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”
I understood. It was why it took me so long to work out the details at Ann’s house before erasing us. I was truly afraid I would actually erase us. I was careful to leave that part out, for Lucian’s peace of mind.
