by Rivi Jacks
“I’m living my third lifetime,” he confesses. “How long this will go on...” He shrugs. “I’ve spoken to other Reborns and—”
“Wait!” I interrupt. “There are others?”
“Yes, many of us.”
I guess I look shocked because he turns away. “Now, you think I’m a freak.” His voice is sharp.
“No! I-I don’t think you’re a freak. I’m just having a hard time here.” I look away.
He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “You’ve been given a lot to think on tonight.”
I give a short, harsh laugh. “That’s an understatement. Were you going to tell me? I mean, if I hadn’t asked you?”
“Yes, of course.” I face him, uncertain. “Sofie, we haven’t even had our first date yet,” he points out.
I give him a little smile before I think of something else. “Does Jake know?”
“Yes, for some time now.”
Wow. My mind is reeling. The whole world has changed. “When you’re... reborn... do you remember? I mean, obviously you remember...”
“Do I remember everything from my previous life?” I nod. “Yes... everything.” He shakes his head. “My parents always think I’m a genius.”
“I’m sure I’ll have more questions, but right now... I’m in overload,” I admit. And Jake knows?
He touches my cheek with his knuckles. “How about we save up for our date so we can discuss this some more?” he suggests. “It’s getting late, and the others are probably wondering what’s keeping us.”
“Okay.”
“One other thing, Sofie.” I look up at him. “I need you to promise me you won’t tell anyone about me.”
“I promise. They’d just think I was crazy, anyway.”
He laughs, but it doesn’t sound happy.
We’re both quiet driving back. I have a lot to think about, and I can’t even begin to grasp how this will work out. The whole world has changed, and most people don’t know it yet. There’s a tribe of... I don’t know what to call them. Nick didn’t call them human, so what are they? How will we defend ourselves?
Nick takes my hand. “Sofie, try not to worry too much.” I notice he doesn’t reassure me everything will be okay. But it won’t help to get all upset with worry. Yet.
As Nick opens the truck door for me, I think of something I want to ask. “The night we met, when we shook hands?” He takes my arm to help me out of the truck.
“Yes?”
“You admitted you weren’t sure why, but could it be because you’re...”
“I don’t think so. I’ve shaken many hands and never had that experience before. It’s not happened since between us. It may have been one of those strange things that can happen.” I don’t think he believes that, but I have no answer either. He wraps his arm around my waist as we move toward the house.
Sawyer opens the door. “Well, it’s about time. We were getting ready to come lookin’ for you.”
“How’s Jake?” I ask as I take off my coat.
“He’s good. Everyone’s back in the kitchen,” he answers.
I head right to Jake, sitting with his leg propped on a pillow across another chair. Diane stands behind him. Emma Rae is sitting at the table beside Sam, and Taylor’s leaning against the kitchen counter.
“How are you doing?” I ask Jake as I hug him. He hugs back with a firmness I think is a good sign. I stare into his hazel eyes, and they look clear and free from pain.
“I’m good, Sofe. Diane’s a good nurse.”
I glance at her and smile. “I know she is.” I give her a quick hug. Walking around the table, I lean down and give Emma Rae a hug.
“You want a cup of coffee, hon?” she asks.
“I would love a cup.” She moves to get up. “I’ll get it; you sit.” I know she’s worked all day. I ask Nick, “How about a cup of coffee—or a beer?”
“No, thanks, I’m fine.”
Taylor hands me a mug.
“Thanks, Taylor.”
“Any time,” he replies with a smile.
Have I said Taylor has a killer smile? Lethal. I’m already addicted to Jake’s coffeemaker. It makes a perfect cup of coffee, fresh brewed, any time of day. I place one of the little plastic, prefilled cups in the holder. Emma Rae gets out the cream while my cup fills. I sit in the chair Sam vacates, giving him a quick hug in exchange.
Nick and Taylor are by the back door talking in low voices.
“Did y’all run into trouble?” Sawyer asks. “Taylor thought you should have been here an hour ago.”
I study him while he leans against the kitchen doorframe. He will probably love all of this, knowing him. “No, our trip just required some time.”
I give him a cryptic look. He raises his eyebrows. What, he mouths. I shake my head and see Jake watching me. His expression alerts me to something, but I’m not sure what. I give him a questioning look, but he only smiles, which puzzles me more. I guess I’m just tired. I have yet to get a good eight hours of sleep, which reminds me of something.
“Diane, maybe we should postpone our shopping trip.” I glance at the clock above the refrigerator. It’s a little past eleven, and it looks as if we’ll be up a while longer.
At the same time, she and Jake announce, “No!” I turn toward them, surprised.
“Maybe you could leave a little later in the morning?” Emma Rae suggests.
“Yes! We can do that.” Diane smiles at her.
“I’m not sure.” I frown, glancing from Diane to Jake. Something is going on. “We’ve got the poker game here tomorrow night.”
“We’ve been talking about that,” Jake informs me. “We kinda decided to use the Shotgun Shack.” I glance at Sam; he shrugs. Okay, why do I feel a conspiracy going on here?
“Sofie, with everything that’s happening and things likely to get worse, you girls need to go and have some fun,” Jake says.
I open my mouth and close it. I know what I saw on his face earlier. He’s aware of—everything. I narrow my eyes at him.
Nick takes that moment to speak. “Before it gets any later, Taylor and I have some things to tell you.” He scans the room. “I ask that you hear us out before you ask questions. Also—anything we speak of here tonight cannot leave this room.”
He then relates what he told me in Estella and Lucian’s kitchen. I glance around the room. The varying expressions on the faces of some of the most important people in my life lay testament to the incredible tale placed before them.
If I had any doubt about Jake’s knowledge of it all, that doubt vanishes. No look of surprise or alarm shows on his face. Diane, on the other hand… I scoot my chair next to Jake’s, breaking into Nick’s conversation as the chair legs screech across the floor. I touch Diane’s arm and slide to the far side of the chair, patting the empty spot between Jake and me. She smiles gratefully as Jake pulls her close and I hold her hand.
Nick finishes speaking, and no one says a word. “Questions?”
The others are obviously in shock, and I can relate since I was the same way earlier. Hearing about the Kihn a second time, I can think about what more I want to ask. I raise my hand tentatively.
Nick smiles. “Sofie?”
“You stated they come in advance to prepare for their people to move into the area. How do they do that?”
“Good question.” He smiles again. “The last time the gate opened, in 1909, it was in the Grand Canyon—”
Sam interrupts, “I read something about an underground citadel found in the Grand Canyon around that time.”
“Yes,” Nick says. “An explorer stated he stumbled upon an opening in the canyon wall and discovered a large cavern.”
“So, the story published in the Arizona newspaper, was it connected to these... things?” Sam asks, sounding surprised.
“Yes,” Nick says quietly. “What the explorer said was accurate.” Nick glances toward Taylor. “We now know he was in league with the Kihn. When the authorities checked out his story, t
hey discovered the openings to the cavern were sealed shut. Later, drilling exposed what the Kihn had hoped to hide. They’d built their fortress underground.”
“They had a fortress?” Sawyer asks.
“Yes. They knew they were being hunted. No one knows for sure when they first moved into the area or how long it took them to dig out the passageways leading from the mammoth cavern they’d discovered.” I assume when he says “no one,” he means no supernatural. “The passageways led to many rooms.” He pauses for effect. “They stocked provisions—and weapons.”
“Guns?” Sawyer asks.
Nick glances at Taylor, who answers Sawyer. “The Kihn are a little more—primitive in their weapons of choice.” What? “They mostly rely on their strength and speed to get what they need done.”
Everyone reacts in some way, but I have to ask, “How do we stop them?”
“We are in touch with a group of… people who keep watch over the Kihn. This… special task force will arrive soon to assist your community with the crisis going on with the cattle,” Taylor says.
“Someone needs to inform this special task force that somebody let the dogs out,” I snap. Nick and Taylor turn startled eyes on me. Then Taylor laughs out loud while Nick tries to hide his amusement. I glance at Sam and he nods.
“We have to keep this from the media,” Nick continues. “I’m sure you can understand why. That’s where all of you come in. You’ll need to recruit people you know who will believe this is a legitimate threat and will do anything to protect their community.”
“Protect... how?” Sawyer asks.
“We’ll have patrols around the town and surrounding areas to monitor the Kihn’s movements. These patrols will consist of members of the task force and people from the community,” Taylor answers, still grinning at me. “We’ll need to do anything the task force asks, and the majority of it will be at night, when the Kihn are most active.”
“So, we’re to enlist help from people even in the surrounding communities,” Sawyer states.
“Only if you know and trust them beyond any doubt.” Nick further enforces his words, “This is serious, guys.”
“Areas farther out will need to be patrolled as the gate opening draws nearer,” Taylor says.
“You haven’t told us when you think this’ll happen,” Sam inquires.
“We’re not sure of the exact time any more than we are the exact location, but right now we’re thinking it could be as early as late next year,” Nick answers.
The reality of how long we’ll be dealing with this is overwhelming.
“One more thing.” Taylor stands with his arms crossed, his expression serious and somewhat stern. “This may be the most important thing we convey to you tonight. You must be careful of everything you say and do. We cannot panic people by telling them monsters are here in Sweetwater. Because that’s what they are; they’re monsters.”
I feel Diane’s shudder. When I glance at her, Jake makes eye contact with me.
“The Kihn are elusive and live in secrecy,” Taylor continues. “But they have adapted to the modern world. They alter their appearances to blend in better—to tone down their strangeness. A century ago, if you saw one, you would recognize it for what it was. Today, they fit right in with all the other oddities out there.” The guys all laugh.
“How have they changed their appearances?” Emma Rae asks.
Taylor sobers and glances at Nick. “The Kihn are very good at camouflaging how they truly look. They usually dress in clothes that cover their bodies. High collars, long sleeves, that kind of thing. With the aid of contacts and dentistry, they look more human, and they’ve learned to sound human. As I said, if you passed one on the street, you’d not give them a second look.”
I have an odd sensation run down my spine. Something about what he says...
“Sofie.” I look at Taylor when he says my name. “You asked how we stop them.” I nod.
“The task force will be in charge of stopping the Kihn, but they will train individuals of the community. To facilitate this, they’ll bring archery supplies, among other items, for training.” Taylor glances around the room. “I know you all have hunted for years with a bow and arrow, but Santiago and his men will show you some new tricks.”
“A bow and arrow?” Sawyer asks, puzzled. I was wondering that myself.
“Guns make too much noise. Remember, we stay under the radar on this. We can’t have the law alerted to shoot-outs in the woods.” Taylor glances around the room. “Also, wood has a more—instantaneous killing effect on the Kihn.”
“Like a vampire or werewolf?” Emma Rae asks. Everyone laughs.
“That’s silver for werewolves, and everything you’ve ever been told is a myth,” Taylor shoots back.
What?
“You can shoot them, but if it’s not a kill, they won’t stay down. They heal at an amazing rate. That’s the reason, for the most part, you’ll use arrows. For some reason, their bodies don’t tolerate wood,” he says with one of his killer smiles.
“What type of weapons will they be using?” Sawyer asks.
“Mostly—they have no need for weapons,” Taylor states. Why does hearing they don’t need weapons make me nervous? Beside me, Diane squirms and scoots closer to Jake. Taylor glances around the room. “As I said, they are unbelievably fast, and incredibly strong.”
“How do we stand a chance then?” I ask.
“Modern weapons. One reason they’ve learned to hide as well as they have.”
“But you just said we’d be using a bow and arrow; that’s not modern.”
Taylor smiles at me. “I said we will mostly use a bow and arrow. We’ll still use guns, Sofie, and the Kihn are aware of this.” I nod, and he winks at me. I feel my face heat, and I think I hear him chuckle.
“Won’t the law question dead monster bodies lying about?” Everyone laughs again, and Sawyer grins at his funny remark.
“The Kihn will claim the bodies. They are fanatics about their death ceremonies,” Taylor explains.
“Wait a minute,” Sam interrupts. “There’s something you’re not telling us.” I always said you couldn’t get anything past Sam.
Taylor glances quickly at Nick. “We’ve asked you to listen and believe what we’ve told you tonight,” Taylor remarks. “We’ve told you fairy tales are based on fact, instead of stories made up to scare or delight small children. There is a race of monsters here in Sweetwater. They, along with every other monster, fairy, troll—werewolf,” he smiles at Emma Rae, “fall under the category of supernatural. I’m sure you know what supernatural means.” There’s general unease in the room.
“How can we prevail against something like that?” Sawyer asks.
“The task force is an elite group in the supernatural world, specially trained to deal with the Kihn. They can handle them. I might add, to appease your nervousness—the Kihn are no match for Santiago’s men,” Taylor says.
“And remember, not one word about the supernatural leaves this room,” Nick adds.
“When do we start?” I ask.
“You don’t!” Jake and Nick say in unison.
“What?” I look from one to the other. Taylor won’t meet my eyes. “Of course I am! This is my home, and I’m going to help defend it.” Are they kidding?
“Sofie, you and the other women will not be involved. It’s too dangerous!” Jake states firmly.
“Of course it’ll be dangerous. It’s war, Jake!” I say with conviction. Is he for real? Does he actually think I’ll sit idly by while our town, our lives are in danger? That’s not how he helped raise me.
“And we men will protect you!” he declares.
“Who are you?” I stand and glare down at him. How did this become a shouting match? Jake and I both have a bit of temper in us, but it seldom flares up at each other.
“I’m your uncle, and I say you’re out!”
My mouth drops open. “You big ass! You can’t tell me I’m out!”
“I can,” Nick says in a quiet voice.
“Y-You can’t—” I’m mad enough to spit!
“Hey, hey, everyone calm down.” Sawyer holds out his hand toward me. If he sides with Jake, if he thinks the same way... I honestly don’t know what I’ll do. He and Jake have shown me how to take care of myself, my entire life. They taught me how to handle a gun, how to hunt and track. They started taking me bow hunting when I was nine years old, for Pete’s sake! They dragged me through hills and hollers until I could have found my way blindfolded. They took me into situations Ben would have kicked their butts if he’d known. All because they wanted me able to defend myself, to take care of any situation. Now Jake’s saying I’m just a girl and not good enough? Not one of them. If Sawyer thinks the same way...
“I understand what Sofie must be thinking,” Sawyer says slowly. I think he sees the fear in my eyes. “Maybe that’s why this is so important to her. It’s what we taught her, Jake.”
“It’s not Jake’s call,” Nick reiterates.
“No,” I agree, “It’s our call. This is our home.” At least, no one was shouting anymore.
“I live here too,” he claims.
“Nick, do not think you can tell me I don’t have the right to defend myself or my family.” My eyes flash with anger. We glare at each other. “Emma Rae, Diane, what do you two think?” I finally break the stalemate, pretty sure of their answers.
Diane smiles at my uncle. “Jake, honey, she’s right. We’re involved in this too,” she reasons.
Taylor mumbles something sounding like, “You’re outnumbered.”
“At this point,” Nick snaps, “it’s my call.” I don’t know if he’s talking to Taylor or to the rest of us. I turn and smile at him.
It’s not a nice smile.
Emma Rae and Diane decide to spend the night. Diane and I will sleep until eight, call Jordanna, and tell her we need to leave for Springfield an hour later than planned.
“I wish you were going with us,” I say to Emma Rae.
“Me too.”
