Lucy Kelly

by HeVans to Becky

  “Remember, Addie, everyone is fine. Do you want me to get someone?” asked Becky.

  “No, you’re right. It’s just hormones. Usually I’d be holding it together better than this. I spoke to Grace on the phone and she said she was about to move to a safe house and it would be too difficult to arrange a meeting.

  “I’m going to stay here for the day and maybe spend the night here with the guys. We couldn’t be safer, really.

  “Now tell me what you found out in all your hours on the computer last night. Rune said it was something about tracking the money.”

  “Yeah,” said Becky. “I tracked down all of the assailants. From them, I tracked their payments to a source. Then I really started digging.

  “I found three more accounts belonging to the Kadyrovs. I also found a Power of Attorney on the account for most of the payments. So his lawyer is now implicated. If I give this to the cops in the right way, then Edward Crunch is going to find himself in jail, right alongside his client.”

  “That’s great. But why can’t you just turn over what you found?” asked Addie.

  “Because I didn’t have duly executed warrants on some of the searches I did. I hacked into several banks in foreign countries. Therefore, I have to make it look like I found the accounts first and then tracked the spending to implicate the lawyer. Give me a couple of hours at the computer and I’ll be able to do it,” said Becky.

  Just then, Kai walked by to get some food. With so many Nephilim around, Arjun had released him from standing guard next to Addie. He’d spent the last hour saying hello to friends and catching up.

  He took one look at Becky and was pole axed. He shouted, “Assat!” and ran over, picked her up and swung her around. He then leaned his head down to give her a kiss.

  Becky put her hand in front of his mouth. “Whoa, there! Put me down, you big lug.” She waited for him to comply and then put her hands on her hips.

  “Where did you learn your manners, the back side of a barn?” she huffed out. Then she got a good look at the man and wondered if she were insane for yelling instead of kissing him back.

  Ishme stepped in front of her and pushed Kai back.

  “The female is mine, Kai. You will not touch her again or face the consequences,” he said.

  Becky and Addie looked on, amazed. They gave each other a look. They knew each other well enough to have an entirely silent conversation.

  “Oh, wow! They’re fighting over me!” Becky was grinning.

  “You lucky dog!” Addie grinned back.

  “I know. How cool is that?” Becky winked.

  “You gonna break it up or what?” Addie raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah, I guess I’ll have to,” Becky nodded with a shrug.

  “Okay, guys. Let’s break it up. Let’s be civilized here,” Becky said, as she stepped between the two men and placed a hand on each of their chests.

  They instantly stopped glaring at each other to look down at her.

  “Now…one at a time…you,” she said, pointing to Kai, “You start off. Why did you shout ‘Assat’ and pick me up that way?”

  “You are the woman I’ve been dreaming about for the last two nights. My brother Ari has also had these dreams. This is how I know you are our female Join,” he stated, crossing his arms over a massive chest.

  Becky was stunned but she turned back to Ishme, “Okay, big guy. It’s your turn.”

  “After we spoke during one of last night’s checkins, I began to feel an overwhelming need to keep you safe and see to your well-being,” answered Ishme.

  “Also, my wings have begun to emerge. So I know that you are my and my brother’s female Join,” Ishme concluded.

  Becky looked over at Addie, who just shrugged. She turned back to the men.

  “As I understand it,” Becky said, “when the wings come out, that’s it. However, Miranda is flying in from Florida Saturday morning, and she can use her vision-match power to decide what’s what here.

  “I propose that between now and then, we just take the time to get to know each other and your brothers. In addition, I want you both to know that – wings or no wings - I decide with whom to spend time. I drive the train here, not some fickle fate.”

  She turned to Kai, “How is Ari?”

  “Ari is resting at your house, Becky. He will be ready for duty tomorrow,” said Kai.

  “I’m glad he’s feeling better.”

  She turned back to Ishme, “And what about your brother?”

  “Nyal is also at your house. He is aiding Rapha in caring for Ari. He has had medical training,” Ishme answered.

  Becky turned to Addie, “If you have everything under control here, then I’d like to head back home. And I’d better stop at the grocery store along the way,” she added with a grin. “It looks like I’ve got extra mouths to feed.”

  She looked over to where Natalie and Jennifer were standing with their mouths open. Ignoring them, she turned back to Addie.

  Becky pointed her thumb in their direction. “Looks like you got some ‘splaining’ to do, Lucy,” she said in a bad Spanish accent. “I’ll leave you to it,” she said, as she started walking away.

  “Come on, guys, we’re heading back to my place. Just let me grab one of these breakfast burritos and I’ll eat it along the way.”

  Ishme spoke up, “It is dangerous to distract yourself when operating the vehicle. Either you eat here and then we leave, or you let one of us drive.”

  Becky stopped walking and turned back. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked over at Ishme. She tapped her foot while she decided whether to be angry with his laying down the law like that.

  She had been heading over to Food Service. The tables were loaded down with warming pans and the food was being kept hot with Sterno cans. Becky was starving and the smell of food was making her stomach growl.

  Addie looked at her very independent friend and wondered what she was going to say.

  Can’t fight fate, girlfriend, she thought.

  “Because I know you only have my safety in mind, I’m going to let that one pass. For the future, you should understand that I don’t take orders very well and suggestions go over a lot better than commands. It’s that whole ‘honey-vinegar’ thing,” she said, waving one arm in the air. “So get over your bad self.”

  With that, she turned back to the food table and began to make herself a breakfast burrito with eggs, onions, chorizo, and a dash of hot sauce.

  On second thought, that guy Markus said something about ulcers; better skip the hot sauce and add mild salsa instead, she thought.

  Grabbing a bottle of water, she made her way over to a table where she spotted Markus sitting alone.

  Behind her, Kai and Ishme were confused. They turned to Addie for an explanation of Becky’s words.

  While Addie was explaining the difference between honey and vinegar and the metaphor of asking for something sweetly or caustically, Becky was talking to Markus.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, why have you decided not to live longer, just when the possibility of meeting your Join has become a reality? Don’t you and your brothers want to make a match?” she asked before taking a bite of her food. Mmm – delicious.

  “That’s just it. My brothers are gone. They died fifty rotations ago when their shuttle was attacked. We lost thirty-two crewmembers in a battle during our trip here. We had to pass through an unknown and unmapped sector and weren’t aware of some of the dangers. Now I am alone,” answered Markus. “We eventually made peace with that species, but it was too late for those we lost.”

  “So, you honor their memory by dying for them? Is that what they would want for you?” Becky asked.

  “You don’t understand,” replied Markus. “We went through the bonding ceremony so we could share our Assat. We became one unit. It is almost like joining our souls. I feel as if part of me is missing all the time,” he said with a sad look.

  “Yeah, I’ve been alone for a long time, too. My mom
dumped me on Social Services when I was a baby. I grew up in foster homes, never being adopted. I’ve been an outcast and a rebel for most of my life.

  “So what did I do? I made a family - that’s what I did. Addie and Grace, Valerie, Miranda and a few others - they’re my family now.

  “I see the laugh lines on your face. They look good on you, by the way,” she added with a smile. “So obviously, the past fifty years haven’t been a total pile of misery and woe-is-me. I think you’ve locked yourself into this position and convinced yourself it’s the only way.”

  She paused to take a few bites of food and another drink of water. She was hungry because she’d fallen asleep earlier before she could eat.

  She saw Addie and Valerie walking over to where Natalie and Jennifer were now standing with their arms around each other’s waists, frightened looks on their faces.

  Ishme and Kai had stopped staring at her and were over at the food line getting something to eat.

  They’ll probably be over here in another minute or two, she thought.

  She turned back to Markus, who was looking at her strangely.

  “Anyway, Markus, that’s all bullshit,” said Becky. “Where there is life, there is hope. I’m not suggesting you don’t grieve. Grief is something we all go through because it’s part of life.

  “I’m saying that giving up doesn’t seem to be the way the Nephilim deal with things. That’s what you did, you gave up. Yeah, you got dealt a sucky hand. But you aren’t dead.

  “Don’t you think fifty years is long enough to wear a hair-shirt because you didn’t die with them? Anyway, that’s my two cents,” she said, waving a hand in the air between them and went back to eating her burrito.

  Markus leaned back in his chair and looked at the female enjoying her meal with such relish. She had been very blunt with him. More so than any other, even Arjun.

  Janus and Korus would have liked her immensely. He still felt a twinge of sadness when he thought of them, but he realized the feeling wasn’t as strong or as sharp as it had been.

  She was right. The grief was easing. He would give her words additional thought. He had plenty of time to make a decision. Even without life-extending therapy, he would still live for another hundred years - easily.

  Markus got up and went to speak with Arjun. He thought it would be a good idea to keep his eye on Becky and learn more about her.

  Becky was almost done with her burrito when Ishme and Kai walked over and joined her at the table. Becky was idly watching Addie and Valerie talk to Natalie and Jennifer while debating the wisdom of eating any more. She had inhaled that burrito and still felt vaguely hungry, but in another minute, her brain would get the message that she was full and she didn’t want to make herself sick.

  “Come and get me when you’re ready to leave, guys. I’m going to see how Addie and Valerie are doing with the newbies.”

  With that, she got up and tossed her paper plate in the garbage and her plastic bottle in the recycle bin. Taking a new water bottle, she walked over to where the ladies had gathered.

  “…aren’t here to take over the Earth,” Becky heard Valerie say as she stepped into their little circle.

  “So, the new girls think you’re going to hand them over to the big bad aliens? Nah, they’re just in shock. They saw how I stopped those two big guys. They’ve read all your books, right?” at Valerie’s nod, she continued, “Yeah, they probably know more about these guys than I do.”

  She pointed her thumb at Valerie with a smirk. “Valerie here wrote about her psychic visions, not realizing that what she was dreaming really happened. She didn’t figure that part out until recently. I haven’t had time to actually read the books…”

  Becky figuratively crossed her fingers behind her back, looked over at Valerie again and said, “Sorry, Val, no offence meant. I’m not much of a reader.”

  She turned back to the girls and took another long drink of water. “Excuse me - pushing the fluids, due to prior fainting like a girl. Anyway, you saw what I’m up against over there. Any advice?” she asked the two girls and then stepped on Addie’s foot when it appeared as if she were going to start talking.

  “Well, in the books…” began Natalie,

  “Let’s call them history books, or historical documents, okay? Who knew studying history could be so much fun - or have so much sex in it? Your books do have lots of sex in them, don’t they, Val? Yes, they do, Johanna told me.

  “Where is Johanna, by the way? Never mind, we’ll get back to that later. Natalie and Jennifer have to give me some helpful hints first,” she said, smiling and nodding at them with encouragement.

  Natalie and Jennifer both smiled at her. She could tell they were relaxing at her silly, lighthearted approach.

  “Just remember that to the Nephilim, women are important. They’ll listen to you,” said Jennifer.

  Natalie nodded - then added, “That’s right; the society is matriarchal, so you’re the boss. Moreover, they won’t ever fool around on you, so you don’t have to worry about that. Once you figure out which set of brothers are yours and you Join, they will only want you and they’ll want to please you all the time.”

  “But they’re not doormats,” said Jennifer. “They’ll have opinions and desires, too. And since you’re their Join, you’ll want to please them and make them happy, too.”

  “Just one big pile of happy? No fighting or misunderstandings? No - I’m from Venus - you’re from Mars stuff?” asked Becky.

  That really got them going. Very soon, both girls were pouring out advice based on knowledge they’d gleaned from reading Valerie’s books. Becky listened.

  Not only had she accomplished her task of getting them to relax, but what they were saying gave her some good ideas. When they started winding down, she once again spoke up.

  “Cool. I’m definitely going to put your suggestions to use,” she said and both girls beamed at her.

  “So, can I see your birthmarks?” Becky asked. “You know - the ones that drew you to Valerie’s books and fan club?”

  “Oh, sure,” said Natalie. She turned around and lifted her shirt. Just at the small of her back was a green, brown, and black wing. She’d obviously gone to a tattoo artist and had it embellished.

  Looking at Jennifer, Becky raised her brow.

  “It’s on my boob,” Jennifer whispered. “It’s shaped like Natalie’s, only it’s black, dark blue and brown.”

  “Hey, Arjun,” called out Becky. They waited for Arjun, who was never too far away from Addie, to come running.

  “What lineages are black, brown and green, or black, brown and dark blue?” asked Becky. “The green is sort of a dark hunter green, too, like a forest.”

  Arjun decided to answer the question first and then find out why later. “The black, brown and green are the colors of the Empyrean lineage and the black, brown, and dark blue are of the Nirvanian lineage. Why do you need to know?”

  “Never mind that: are any of the guys here of those lineages?” Becky asked.

  “Of the Nirvanian, the answer is no. Their lands lie a distance from ours and we didn’t have time to recruit any before we left.

  “There are three sets of brothers, six men, of the Empyrean lineage here.”

  “Great. Would you find them and bring them over?” she asked.

  Arjun looked over at Addie, who just nodded. He left, returning in a little while with four men.

  “The other two are out hiking with Johanna, Kylan, and about twenty others. They’re learning the area. Many of the men are pleased to be on solid ground again. Especially wilderness areas like this.”

  He was now very curious as to what Becky had planned.

  “Hi, guys,” she said to them, “what are your names?”

  “I am called Jaron and this is my brother Zed. The others are Hakor and Makor,” spoke up one of the guys.

  None of them could stop staring at all of the women. Now that they had been allowed to approach, they were drinking them in
with their eyes.

  “Let me introduce you to Natalie,” she gestured to the woman standing on the left.

  “She is of your lineage, so you are distant cousins. I know you’re going to make sure she and her friend, Jennifer, are safe and protected. And that none of the guys here get out of hand after not having seen a female in nearly two hundred years.”

  All of the men instantly stood at attention and sobered their expressions.

  “It would be an honor to protect one who is of our lineage, as well as her friend. Thank you for introducing us, Beleti Becky. Are you feeling better?” asked Jaron, the talkative one of the group.

  “I’m fully recovered, thank you for asking. Now, my time here is done. I’m taking my guys and heading back to the house.”

  She hugged each of the women goodbye and shook hands with the men. At first, the men didn’t know what she was doing but quickly caught on.

  Becky started walking towards her Jeep. When she arrived there, Ishme and Kai behind her, she was surprised to find Markus standing beside one of the doors with a suitcase at his feet.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  It took Markus a second to recognize the idiom. “I have decided that you, Becky, are an interesting person. You see a problem or situation and you treat it as a puzzle. You look for a way to make the pieces fit, solve the equation, or manipulate the outcome. In a way, you are also a healer; I wish to learn more about you.

  “Left to your own devices, you’ll find a way to work yourself to an early grave. Therefore, I’ve decided that you need a personal medical advisor. Arjun agrees with me, as does the Nam-Nin. So you are, how do you say, ‘stuck’ with me,” he finished, with a smug look on his face.

  “And I bet that’s your, ‘I’m-going-to-get-my-own-way’ face, isn’t it? Okay, pile in, then. You’re taller than either of these guys, so you should ride shotgun.” Seeing the look on his face, she explained what ‘shotgun’ meant; she opened the driver’s door and got in.

  As soon as she started the engine, all the men jumped and ran to get seated so she wouldn’t leave without them.

  “Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride,” Becky said, laughing. She put her foot down on the gas pedal and took off.