Vala Heritage

by J. F. Jenkins

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here,” Anj continued. “There are some things back at our dorm I need for him. I wanted to get them for a while, but I don’t want to leave him alone. The last thing I want is to be burdensome to you and ask you for an—”

  “Anj,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I will do whatever you want me to, whenever you want me to do it. Neither of you are ever a burden to me. Tell me what you need, what he needs, and I’ll get it. I won’t make you leave.”

  He nodded, offering up a small smile before reaching out toward a nearby nightstand. Feeling around for a moment, his fingers closed around a small notebook page with a list scribbled on it in his horrendous, and barely legible, handwriting. “Please, if you can. Here are our keys. And if you’re stopped by anyone you—”

  “I’ll figure something out.” He sounded so exhausted she didn’t want to make him communicate anymore than he had to. The sooner he could go back to resting, the better. “You should lie down in the cot.”

  “He can’t see me if I’m there. I don’t want him to think he’s alone.”

  “When I come back, will you? Just a little while?”

  Anj sighed and briefly used his sight spell so he could examine the visitor’s cot across the room tucked away in a corner. “I'll consider it.”

  Good enough. She glanced down at the list, checking it over: a fresh set of clothes, a couple of books, and a treasured childhood toy. She was familiar with all of them, and it wouldn’t take long for her to acquire them. It took her all of fifteen minutes.

  The way Anj’s face lit up the moment she came back into the door was well worth it. “All right, I got you something better to wear than those hospital clothes.” She handed off the pair of pajama pants and the clean t-shirt for him. “So you can sleep over there,” she said, pointing to the cot. “I’ll sit right over here next to Zes and I won’t move one muscle until you’re up.”

  “Fine. If he wakes up, you have to get me. I don’t care what he says,” he grumbled, taking the clothes into the bathroom.

  “I will, don’t worry.” She watched him disappear into the other room and shook her head with a small smile. He was usually more stubborn, which was evident any time they fought. There was rarely a time when things were not done his way. It was a good thing she was stubborn, too. Though she was thankful for his lack of fighting spirit at the moment. She was much too tired to argue with him. Maybe he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t want to fight anymore either.

  While Anj changed, she moved over to Zes and pulled up the nearest chair. She wanted to touch him, but was afraid of disturbing him and possibly disrupting any of the magic in his body. Then she remembered Buzz, Zes’s treasured stuffed black leopard he’d had since he was seven or eight, and put it in his arms.

  She couldn’t recall the whole story behind the toy, but it was one of the last things he'd been given by his father. There was more to it, but that was another of the boys’ well-kept secrets. There was so much she didn’t know about them. It made her angry. Anj gave her a hard enough time about keeping things from him. Didn’t he see the double standard?

  Anj snuck out of the bathroom and stared at her from the doorway. “This might seem like a bit of a silly request, but I don’t suppose you could read for us… for him.” He felt his way to the cot.

  “It’s fine. Like I said, whatever you need from me. All you have to do is ask.” She searched the books she had gathered and tried to find a light story.

  “I need…” he began, but waved a hand at her. “We won’t worry about my needs. I’m much more worried…” He yawned.

  Lying down on the cot, he tossed a blanket over his body then clutched the small hospital pillow tightly before closing his eyes. The blanket only made it half way over him, but he was soon fast asleep. As tempting as it was for her to go over and fix it, she knew he wouldn’t like it. Instead, she picked up the book and read to Zes.

  Chapter Three

  A week passed and everything seemed to go back to normal. The twins returned to their full energy with minimal signs they had ever been injured. Everyone was back in class, and anyone who didn’t know better would have assumed nothing was wrong to begin with. There was a bit of an emotional scarring still present in Zes and Cheyenne, but they down-played it well. Jewl could see the special looks and small touches despite how much the two tried hiding it from the rest of the world. They'd be bonded by their shared near-death experience. Eternally, no doubt. It was cute, in a gag-inducing sort of way.

  “And then.” Zes paused his story about his first day back in class to glance at the dining hall clock then scowled. “I’ll finish later. I have a make-up exam in about ten minutes so I should do some last minute cramming.”

  “Do you want some help? I’m not exactly a genius, but I could quiz you.” Cheyenne said, running a hand through her long, dark hair.

  “S-sure.” The two stood, cleaned up their lunches and were out the door before anyone else could say another word. Halyn shook her head with a smile, also making up an excuse to leave. Which was fine, because she had no place at their table to begin with. She was Cheyenne’s friend, not Jewl’s , and while the twins no doubt enjoyed her company, Halyn didn’t fit in without her roommate. It needed to stay that way.

  Jewl appreciated the respect Halyn showed for her relationship with Anj, though. She still didn’t like Cheyenne. The idea of her and Zes becoming even closer was not one Jewl approved of. However, she was fond of his extra confidence. Still, there were just too many factors to weigh in with the pairing. Factors that were clearly making the other half of the brotherly duo frustrated. Anj stabbed what remained of his potatoes while everyone left the two alone.

  “Ditched, again,” he said with a grunt.

  “You’re the one who said you wanted this,” Jewl pointed out before taking a large bite of her apple. She enjoyed the chance to finally get him alone, as well as watching him squirm in his chair while she munched on her food. It was the cutest thing when he was uncomfortable or feeling anything that wasn’t his usual cool and calm self. There was something humanizing and precious about it.

  He sighed, straightened out in his chair as though the tantrum had never happened. “I did, but I just almost lost him. I...” He stopped, staring in her general direction with a deep, furrowed brow. “You are crunching loudly. Is that necessary? I can barely think as it is and-.”

  “Barely think? You mean think period?”

  “That’s not what I…” He waved a hand at her. “The point I’m making is—”

  “You’re jealous you’re no longer the center of the universe. We should be taking advantage of his distraction,” she teased some more. She held off on the apple, however. He must have been having one of his more sensitive days. Due to his impaired vision, his other senses were more heightened. Uncomfortable was cute. Making him unbearably so was just heartless.

  “’We’?”

  “Did I stutter?” She looked at his face. Though he couldn’t see her sultry eyes, she knew he would still get the point. “Last I checked we had some unfinished business to attend to from the dance.” Her body was trembling as she spoke, still remembering the heat and passion from their time together in the hallway. She tried to remain as calm and casual as possible, but the memories of how he had touched her were almost too much to handle.

  He swallowed hard. “I suppose we do. I would ask my place or yours, but I’m pretty sure the evil warlock is at the dorms. He doesn’t seem to like, well, anything that moves or breathes or resembles fun.”

  “The attic is open I’m sure.”

  The attic was their code for the storage room above the library. It was filled with books and artifacts, and contained one single window overlooking the forest and lake. The room was musty, but cozy all the same. Few students knew of it. Hardly anyone spent time in the library for longer than they needed to. The staff didn’t pay much attention to it either. Everything kept up there was of no use to the school. There was no suspi
cion. Anj could spend all day in the school library and no one would think anything of it, and so could she by association.

  “Uh huh,” he squeaked out before swallowing again. Eventually he lowered his face, practicing one of his brother’s age-old techniques of keeping his attention on his food.

  “I’m sure it is,” he finally said. “I need to go there anyway for a book. I can pick it up and meet you there in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Fifteen? Sounds good.” That gave her just enough time to run down to the post office. Sure enough, she had a letter waiting for her.

  Chapter Four

  Jewl had a special pen pal. A secret one. Her father. As often as possible, she received letters from him. Sometimes, they came weekly and other times months apart. The further apart they arrived, the more she worried that one day, they would stop coming all together. Circumstances were not good for him. The more chipper the letter, the worse things were. That was their code.

  They never knew who read them. Jewl’s legal guardians were strict when it came to her talking with her father. He was supposed to have been disowned from her life entirely, but she loved him too much to stay away. If anyone knew they were communicating, it would be the end of everything.

  All thoughts of Anj were gone as she walked into the library. Her fingers fumbled over the envelope’s seal as she wondered, hoped and prayed that the contents would be good news. His last letter had been far too cryptic, even for him, to decipher what was going on. It had also been short. That had been over the summer break. It was now the beginning of November.

  Checking to make sure the coast was clear, she proceeded up the stairs to the attic. There were old, oriental rugs spread across the floor. They were soft and comfortable for her to rest upon. She waited a moment for her eyes to adjust to the hazy, dust filled lighting, then re-familiarized herself with the scent of old paper and decay.

  She breathed in deeply and checked one last time to make sure no one, not even Anj, was around. Then she pulled out her letter.

  Hey girl,

  Sorry it’s been so long. I’ve been having the time of my life in Texas! Can you believe it? I was finally able to get out of the cold and get someplace warm. I’m going to be there for a while working as an intern over at one of the local fashion magazines. It’s not the best mag, but you gotta make your start somewhere in the business, right? I’m not too far off from following my dream.

  On sadder news, my girlfriend broke up with me about a month ago. It was pretty ugly, and I don’t think we’ll be getting back together any time soon. If ever. I’m still trying to piece together how I feel about it all. I thought she was the one, ya know? Now, I don’t know what to do. So much happened between us. I know I can count on you for some great all-knowing wisdom. You managed to hang onto your boy for so long, right? You always seem to know what you’re talking about. Gosh, you’re so lucky.

  I want to write a lot more, but I can’t right now. But guess what? I’m flying up there in a couple of days to help assist for an article up in the cities over there! I don’t suppose we could meet up sometime? I can make it up there Friday night and stay until the end of the day Saturday. I’ll try calling to confirm it with you, but don’t be surprised if I just randomly show up at your door. I hope there’ll be open arms waiting for me. You love me too much to deny my pretty face. ;) :P

  Gotta go! I’ll see you soon, and I’m not taking no for an answer.

  XO,

  Be

  She read over the contents several times, trying to put together what it all meant. The first part was obvious. Things were not good back home, and he had to flee with her step-mother, Rachel. They had officially lost everything--their title, their land, and their way of life--and were running out of protection. But they were still in love and clinging to one another, using it to get by. It was definitely a relationship to admire. They had gone through everything together, surviving even the most horrendous of plots to destroy their marriage orchestrated by Jewl’s mother, Aphrodite.

  The last paragraph left her uncertain. Was he really coming to see her? Did this mean it was finally safe? Or was he desperate because he knew his time was coming to an end, and he only had one last chance to be with her again? She wanted it to be safe, but deep down in her gut she knew this meeting was one of risk. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry now. Not when she had a face to put on for her soon-to-be company, who had already arrived.

  Anj was playing with her hair. She hadn’t noticed him because she had been so engrossed with the letter. How long had he been by her side?

  “You feel troubled. I can tell you’re weepy. What’s wrong?” he said, running his fingers through her curls in soft and soothing strokes.

  “The dust,” she whispered. “It’s causing my allergies to act up. It’ll pass once I get used to it.” She moved to put a hand on his, but stopped when he pulled away. Disappointing, because she wanted the extra strength more than ever.

  She sighed. “What? Are you having a change of heart?”

  “No. I just know you better than this. And I know you’re not being honest with me. I’m sitting back and giving you space until you’ll talk to me. I have all day. Even if we get locked up here, I don’t mind. Whenever you’re ready.” He waved her away and leaned back onto his elbows to get comfortable on the rug.

  Her gray eyes narrowed. He was always so presumptuous. “And what if I don’t feel like talking about what’s wrong? What if I think it’s none of your business?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes, of course I do.”

  “Then I know you will tell me someday.” She was ready to contest him, but he was probably right. One day she would cave and tell him everything. She could feel it. But she had to stay strong until the timing was right.

  “Why do you have to know so badly?” she asked.

  “I love you. I want to know everything about you.” He flashed his gorgeous, contagious smile, the full one, not his usual subtle smirk. It lit up his entire face, even sparkling up in his otherwise dark and dull eyes.

  “And still have your own secrets from me?” She faced away so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

  “My secrets are different. I don’t have a choice.”

  She rolled her eyes. “And neither do I, so I guess we’re even.”

  They both sighed in unison. She looked back toward him. Anj lay on the carpet, fully stretched out on his back now with his hands resting underneath his head. The smile was gone and he was once more as expressionless as ever.

  “This was not how I wanted things to go,” he said.

  “Not exactly my perfect image either,” she admitted. All the same, she wasn’t surprised. Things hardly ever went the way they were supposed to. Every date they had ended with some kind of dysfunction. “Can we agree to disagree?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because if I’m going to commit to this relationship, again, then I need to not feel like I’m dating a stranger half of the time.”

  “You’re one to talk,” she snapped. “Don’t you get it? People don’t tell other people things when they’re constantly feeling like they’re being shut out and shut down. Blame it on me all you want. But when your own brother, your identical twin, doesn’t want to be close to you, maybe you should look at yourself and ask if you’re the innocent victim you’re making yourself out to be.”

  “Ow! That was a low kick in the pants,” he grumbled. “I’m completely turned off now.”

  She felt bad for saying it until he opened his mouth again. “Oh, I see,” Jewl said, narrowing her eyes. She hoped he was feeling the cold sting from it. “So that was what you were thinking this whole time.”

  If he noticed her rage, he didn’t act on it. He just continued in his usual dead pan. “When you’re coming off so strongly like the Queen of Skanks herself, it’s a bit hard to not interpret the purpose as such.”

  This felt like it was a personal att
ack to her heritage. Silly, because he didn’t know she was Divine or Aphrodite’s daughter. It hurt all the same. She was going to slap him for the comment, and came close to doing so, but she didn’t want to touch him. In the end, it wasn’t worth it.

  Instead she grabbed her backpack from the floor and hoisted it back over her shoulders so she could leave. “I wanted to try to work things out and maybe get back together for good, not get some action. Now I know it isn’t ever going to happen.”

  She was on the verge of screaming. She didn’t know what was holding her back. She felt it boiling up deep inside of her. Her entire body felt flushed with heat. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest to the point where her head was fuzzy from the rush of blood.

  Anj sat up. “Jewl, I didn’t mean it that way. I want that, too. What you said, I mean. I lo—”

  “Shut up!” Her heart still racing. She could hardly believe her outburst, but it felt good. She continued not to hold back. “You don’t love me and you never did! Find yourself another trophy girlfriend! I’m sure there are a lot of them who are perfectly fine with being nothing more than a toy!” She slammed the door to the attic on her way out, and made an awful lot of noise on her way down the small staircase. She wanted the attention. The spiteful side of her wanted it to be known they had been up there together breaking the rules.

  By some stroke of luck no one was around to see her tantrum, which was disappointing, but good for her as she stomped away. There were a few students curiously looking in the direction of the attic as she passed by them deeper in the library. Someone from the staff must have noticed as well, but she wouldn’t be the one caught. Further into the library she continued to venture, not ready to face the rest of the world. Hot tears streamed down her face. She hated to cry. Then she found a dark corner and curled up to cry alone.

  She did her best to keep her sobs as silent as possible. There was no need to disturb anyone else. What she would have given for her step-mother then. She would have known what to do. All Jewl felt was a great sense of loss and hopelessness. She couldn’t help but feel dirty as well. Being an object of lust was something she never wanted to be. But could she avoid it? How much of her mother’s abilities did she have inside of her? That made her wonder, again, if Anj had ever meant it when he said he loved her, or if she'd simply bewitched him into it. The Divine council would be proud to know their most reluctant member was filling her role perfectly.