by Bryan Cohen
"I'm sure you're right." Ted put his arms around Dhiraj and Erica, trying to hide his line of conversation from the samurai. "I've just got a bad feeling about him. Let's hope I'm wrong."
Chapter 12
Jennifer laid out her field hockey uniform on her bedspread. Unlike previous years, her top had a red C stitched on the front for captain. Natalie had quit the team to focus all her attention on basketball and recruiting. While Jennifer's skills paled in comparison to Natalie's, she was a senior, and Coach Fowler knew she'd do anything to win.
She looked down at the outfit and thought about how little the captainship meant. How little the team meant. A dark soul that could cross between worlds had attacked the Sheriff's Department and put both her father and Dhiraj at risk. She sighed.
And what was I doing? Running sprints?
Jennifer knew she couldn't have done anything to stop the gatekeeper or the giant lizard creatures, but she felt like she should have been there nonetheless. Field hockey was fun and she'd been playing it her whole life, but she had a new team now.
But what position should I be playing?
Jennifer felt empty. For the past decade, whenever she felt that way, she looked through her pictures. Lately, she'd shunned her collection of Polaroids and yearbooks for the Deputy Daly binder.
Jennifer flipped through the familiar pages detailing Daly's disappearance after he'd nearly killed Erica a second time. She recalled how her blood used to boil upon seeing his pearly whites in the article photos. The last few pages in the binder were the ones that made her smile. After she and Dhiraj had hunted Daly down, he'd been sent to prison on a host of charges. She regretted that he couldn't be tried for murder, since to most people's knowledge, Erica LaPlante was alive and well. But he'd still be locked up for over 20 years.
Jennifer had cut out and read the article from the local paper more than a dozen times. The black and white picture of Daly in his prison jumpsuit made her squeal with glee the first time she saw it. While it still made her feel warm to see his suffering, the joyful sensation diminished with each read. He'd been her obsession. Catching him had become her entire life. She'd been surprised to find that the realization of her revenge had failed to fully satisfy her for more than a couple of weeks.
Jennifer closed the binder, changed into her uniform, and drove her car a few blocks out of her way to pick up a teammate. Jeannie Moss was a hotshot freshman who would probably play varsity. She looked closer to 20 than her 14 years, and her skills spoke as loudly as her entitlement. Coach Fowler had told Jennifer to look after her. She reluctantly agreed.
Jeannie slammed her duffle bag on top of Jennifer's in the back and hopped into the front seat.
"Hey, Captain Norris. You still slow as hell?"
Throughout training camp, Jeannie had destroyed Jennifer in their three-mile runs. Jeannie had the delightful habit of gloating in the face of each captain she'd beaten.
Jennifer made a face at her passenger. "I don't know. Are you still terrible company?"
Jeannie crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. "You're just mad 'cuz your boyfriend cares more about money than you."
Jennifer glanced over at the hateful girl beside her. She could tell why Jeannie was one of the most popular girls in the freshman class. She was smoking hot with perfect proportions, and most of the guys she spent her time with didn't seem to care much about the bile that frequently spilled out of her mouth.
Jennifer smiled. "You've got me there, Jeannie. I'm sure your relationships are much more substantial."
Sometimes the subtle insults are the ones that cut the deepest, and Jeannie's lack of response showed it. There were a few minutes of silence before either of them piped back up again.
"You're pretty." Jeannie's eye twitched at the complement. "It's not like you couldn't do better than Mr. Moneybags."
Jennifer took in a deep breath. "Dhiraj is hot in his own way."
Jeannie smirked. "The kind of way that doesn't register on film?"
Jennifer ignored her. "I've dated some hot guys in my time." She glanced over at Jeannie. "Guys even you'd be jealous of. But it's totally different when a person likes you for something deeper. Dhiraj would like me even if I was as butt-ugly as you."
Jeannie's stink eye made Jennifer chuckle.
"You suck."
"I learn from the best." Jennifer pulled the car into the Treasure High backlot. "You ready?"
"More than you'll ever be."
For all her terribleness, Jeannie was right about the last point. About halfway through the exhibition, Treasure High was up by two goals. Jeannie had scored one and assisted on the other. Jennifer couldn't believe how fast the girl could move. The only person she'd seen run that quickly on the field was Natalie. Maybe Jeannie would be the former captain's heir apparent.
Jennifer was playing on the opposite side as Jeannie when the freshman got another breakaway. Her ponytail oscillated back and forth as she ran, with Jennifer doing her best to catch up to the action. Jennifer could feel her heart pounding. Jeannie had just one defender to beat and was about to juke her out. The defender took a frustrated swipe, slamming her stick directly into Jeannie's knee. The hotshot freshman fell face-first into the ground, a scream of pain filling the field. As the girl lifted her head, the onlookers could see a mouthful of blood from where her teeth had clamped down on her lip.
Jennifer continued running despite dimly hearing the whistle blow. Even though she saw Jeannie writhing in pain before her, her mind had gone elsewhere.
Natalie was on the ground in the middle of the caves. Jennifer could see her and Dhiraj beside the former team captain as blood poured out from her stab wound. She remembered Mr. Faraday with his arm around her neck, threatening to kill her and bring her back as a dark soul. Then Jennifer pictured herself pointing a gun at Daly just after she'd fired a round into his ear, the blood pooling on the off-white carpet.
When she reached the spot of the foul, there was nothing left inside her but rage. Jennifer leapt off the ground and tackled the offending opponent to the ground. Amid the cries of pain from Jeannie to her left, the team captain took a swing and connected with the defender's cheek. She slammed a second fist into the girl's nose, causing a steady drip of blood to seep out. Jennifer felt nothing as she let a third and final blow rip, connecting with the girl's eye socket. She wasn't sure if the referee or a coach pulled her away, and she didn't know the source of the primal yell she let out, either. All she knew was that nobody was going to hurt her or her team ever again.
Chapter 13
A few days after Ted's return, Natalie dribbled a basketball between her legs on the edge of her bed. A year earlier, she would've been nursing the pain of a long day of field hockey camp. After a recommendation from Coach Fowler, she opted to quit her secondary sport to focus on training and recruitment. The latter had taken up way more time than she'd expected.
Natalie palmed the ball and looked at the overflowing box of letters. Dhiraj and Jennifer had helped her sift out all the Division II and III offers, but the number of letters from Division I alone was staggering. She let the ball roll into her closet and dumped the envelopes on her bed. All the big schools were there, and many of the teams were the ones she'd followed growing up. She'd done her best to avoid thinking about where she'd visit or commit.
Earlier that summer, Dhiraj held a get-together at his house to discuss the next step for Ted Finley LLC. Natalie didn't give two craps about the company, but she'd been isolated ever since Ted hopped a plane to DC. When Dhiraj left the room to get snacks, she, Jennifer and Erica changed the conversation quickly.
Natalie leaned her head back and sighed. "Do any of you actually care about Dhiraj's enterprise?"
Erica shook her head and laughed. "If I hear the word synergy one more time, I'm going to throw Dhiraj through a wall."
The two of them looked at Jennifer.
She forced a smile. "I want Dhiraj to be happy, but I don't care either."
&
nbsp; Natalie smiled. "Good. Ugh, my social life this summer is gonna be nonexistent."
Erica groaned. "I know, right? The whole reason I'm here is in a government straight jacket."
An idea formed in Natalie's head. "Wait. You're supposed to be training him, right?"
Erica nodded.
Natalie leaned forward in her chair. "Train me instead." Her smile grew wide. "I'm gonna be training anyway. The lovebirds are gonna be off talking dividends."
Jennifer suppressed a giggle. "You're probably right."
"So, you can train me. Get me a leg up before I get recruited."
Erica's eyes changed. She'd gone from bored to purposeful in a hurry. "I like it. Besides, I'd like to see how far I can push a human body."
Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Good. I think."
Dhiraj returned to the conversation with a plateful of cookies. Natalie couldn't believe the way they were shaped.
"Um, did you seriously make cookies with an 'LLC' cookie cutter?"
Dhiraj looked at Jennifer and smiled. "I did."
Jennifer cleared her throat. "It was a three-month-iversary present."
Natalie and Erica groaned in unison.
The last three months had been grueling. Five-mile runs and weightlifting followed by hand-to-hand combat and time on the court. Even though Erica was stuck in a cheerleader body, her enhanced strength and speed made her an incredible basketball defender. Natalie developed some new low-post moves and increased her vertical three inches during her intense training with her unlikely friend. Now that bad guys were back in the picture and Ted was in need of Erica's full attention, Natalie would have to take the training baton from here.
Natalie organized the letters into her top 68 picks and seeded them based on stats like climate, academic reputation and number of NCAA championships. Over the next couple of hours, she held a tournament among the different schools to come up with her own "excellent eight" of places to visit. It took longer than she expected, but after debating the merits of all the universities, she was able to narrow them down. It took her a moment to realize that one of the schools, Southern Ohio, was where Ted's sister Christina had a scholarship to play softball. She made a mental note to room with her when she made her visit. After admiring her choices and tacking the letters to the wall, an alarm on Natalie's phone went off. A smile crept over her face as she silenced the ringer and threw on a hoodie.
A light breeze brushed against her face as she snuck out the back door of the house and eased herself through the gap in the fence. She looked across the street to see a pair of unlit but familiar headlights. Natalie had told him to keep his lights off because it would attract less attention. She looked both ways before crossing and walked around to the passenger side. Natalie entered and plopped down on the leather seat.
"You're sure you weren't followed?"
The driver was tall and muscular like Natalie. He gave his passenger a disapproving look. "Have I ever been?"
Natalie ignored the insolence and leaned over to his seat. He met her halfway and they kissed deeply. Natalie took in his grungy aroma, which smelled like he'd been working on an engine all day. At first, it was a turnoff, but now it was all tied into the experience of being with him – an experience she found herself having more and more often. Natalie wanted to kiss every part of his body from head to toe.
He pulled away from her kiss and put his hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to ask you something."
She tried to move back toward him for a second round, but he kept her back with his hand. She grumbled. "Fine."
He mimicked her grumble. "I know that telling people I'm dating you will kill my reputation."
Natalie folded her arms. "Uh-huh."
"But school's coming. It's gonna be tough seeing you unless this thing goes public."
Natalie leaned back and opened the car door.
He reached across the console and put his hand on her leg. When she turned back toward him, he had a massive grin on his face.
"Come on. Do you really hate me that much?"
Natalie moved her tongue around in her mouth. She wanted to taste his lips again, but she knew he'd be resistant unless she responded.
"It's complicated."
"It's complicated for me, too." He sighed and looked around as if someone was watching him. "I just want this, okay?"
As much as it pained her, she wanted it, too.
"Fine."
He raised one eyebrow. "Really?"
She rolled her eyes. "Really. Now shut up and kiss me."
Natalie allowed him to do all the work reaching her this time.
He smiled as he kissed her before resting his head on hers. "I think your friends'll be happy for you. Even Dhiraj."
Natalie gave him a playful slap in the head. "Don't be an idiot, Travis. You tried to punch him in the face."
Chapter 14
Kikuchiyo's body was in the midst of a ritual funeral when Erica had crossed over into it. The Academy understood the meaning of the young boy's resurrection immediately. It meant that something was coming and the boy was there to save their lives.
The beauty of the small, isolated school amazed the new Kikuchiyo. Cherry blossom trees and buildings that had stood for hundreds of years dotted the mountainside. The protector felt like he'd been transported far into the past, and his heart ached for time gone by.
After experiencing his vision and acclimating to his new body, Kikuchiyo failed in his first efforts to connect with Yoshi, the boy's best friend before Kikuchiyo's untimely passing. Yoshi cursed the light souls and said the one who died should have been him. It took weeks for Kikuchiyo to convince Yoshi that the boy's memories would always be a part of the protector for generations to come. As a result, Kikuchiyo would live longer than most of humanity.
Yoshi warmed up to Kikuchiyo just in the nick of time. An ancient spirit older than the light and dark souls had targeted the school and its students. The embodiment of the evil spirit was eight feet tall and covered from head to toe in flames. After it slaughtered several of the elders, Kikuchiyo told the students to stand back. Only Yoshi stayed by his side.
They flushed the spirit onto a narrow cliff, wielding weapons that had been charmed with an incantation that made the blades colder than ice. The creature swung for Kikuchiyo. Even though he evaded direct contact, his neck had been singed, exposing burned flesh to the heavy wind of the mountaintop. Before the spirit could strike Kikuchiyo again, Yoshi seemed to fly through the air, slicing off its arm. The sound that left the spirit's mouth made their ears bleed as the appendage disappeared in a puff of smoke on the rocks.
The creature became twice as determined and seemed to move faster despite the injury. A swift kick set Yoshi's clothing aflame while a painful slap left charred burns on Kikuchiyo's face. The creature laughed and seemed to grow taller and thicker with fire.
Kikuchiyo watched his friend. He knew Yoshi would be willing to give his life to save the school and his friend. But Kikuchiyo was the one with lives to spare.
He smiled. "Go for the head."
"What?! He's too fast."
"Goodbye, my friend."
With that, Kikuchiyo ran at full speed for the belly of the beast. He dodged the spirit's attempts to grab him and ran his sword through its stomach. The beast howled again and wrapped its flame-coated arms around the protector. Yoshi screamed as pain exploded in every cell in Kikuchiyo's body. He was halfway to death when Yoshi swung his blade into the neck of the occupied spirit. The head slid off its body and exploded on the rocks. The flames surrounding Kikuchiyo disappeared, along with the spirit itself.
Kikuchiyo crumpled to the ground, his body burned on every visible inch. He did his best to remain conscious as the agony coursed through him.
Yoshi seemed to be doing everything he could to remain stoic. He ran his hands through his friend's hair. "I don't want to lose you again. It's more painful the second time."
Kikuchiyo forced a smile through his charred face. "I'll
never be lost, my friend. I... I'll return in another form."
Despite the heat that had worked its way through his body, Kikuchiyo began to feel cold and weak.
Yoshi nodded. "I will find you. I will be chosen and together we'll save the world."
Kikuchiyo felt the life draining out of him. "We already have."
That was the last time Erica had seen Yoshi, until he tossed the gatekeeper back through the portal. She tapped a pencil absently on her new notebook for senior year. She was supposed to be taking notes on one of her summer reading books. After an hour passed with only a paragraph to show for it, she dialed up Ted.
"Hey."
Ted sounded groggy on the other end. "Hey. We still meeting at 7?"
Erica glanced at her bed. She pictured Ted lying between the ruffled sheets. It was a good distraction from her memories of battle and death.
"Wanna move it up two hours?"
Ted yawned. "More time with you? I knew I was having a lucky day."
Erica giggled. "See you soon."
Erica had her arm around Ted's waist as they walked by the pond. In the midst of the suburbs, the nature walk behind Ted's house was a microcosm of the seasons. They had trudged through ice and snow in the winter and lush, green grass in the spring. The summer brought dry, brown plants and a water level that was much lower than usual. No matter what the season, the connection to the earth made Erica feel energized. The trail went for several miles behind a few housing developments, and they'd already made a full loop of walking and talking.
After Ted launched into a conversation about Sophie Kent and Erica countered with her adventures in Japan, they both opted to discuss only positive things for the rest of the walk.
"So, you and Natalie are BFFs now?"
Erica could see through Ted's nonchalance. "Yes. And we talked about you the whole time."
Ted let out a grunt and kissed Erica on the neck. A faint hint of stubble tickled her skin and sent a shiver through her body. She let out a girlish yelp.
