Charade (Heven & Hell)

by Cambria Hebert

  My emotions must have been clear on my face because Logan said, “Don’t worry about it. I taught them a lesson.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  He smiled. It was a smile that reminded me he was only fourteen.

  “I flushed Brent’s head in the urinal.” He laughed.

  I grinned. “Awesome.” I held up my fist and he bumped his against mine.

  But then Logan’s face fell and he looked away.

  “Is there something else?” I pressed.

  He glanced up at the television which was playing the news. The woman on the screen was talking about the weather. “Think what happened downstairs will be on the news?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, watching him watch the news.

  “Sometimes, I hear voices,” Logan said, not looking at me.

  “Voices?” How many more surprises was this kid going to lay on me today?

  “Well, really only one. I used to pretend it was you.”

  “Used to?”

  “It started saying things that didn’t sound like things you would say…”

  “What kind of things?”

  “Forget it.”

  “No, Logan. What kind of things?”

  “Bad things,” he whispered.

  I stood up from the couch, not wanting him to see the horror on my face and not sure enough that I could hide it. Anger, rage, voices…

  What the hell was wrong with my little brother?

  “Listen to me,” I said, pushing his empty cereal bowl out of the way to sit on the coffee table in front of him. “You aren’t alone anymore, okay? We are going to figure this out. I’m going to help you.”

  He nodded, relief on his face.

  “I know I work a lot, and I have responsibilities and a girlfriend, but I want you to know that you are important to me, okay? Don’t doubt that.”

  He nodded again. “I know. Thanks, Sam.”

  I stood and went across the room to grab some clean clothes and set them in the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. I have somewhere to be in a bit. You can come with me.”

  “Cool.” All the intensity and fear from our conversation seemed to vanish and he looked like a normal kid on the couch, channel surfing.

  But he wasn’t normal.

  “Crap. I left something in the truck I need. I’m going to run down and get it and I will be right back.”

  He nodded, absorbed in whatever he found to watch. I slipped out the door, avoiding the police still in the store and went around the side of the building in the alley. My brother needed help. I needed help to help him. I only knew of one person that might be able to help me. I stared up at the sky and prayed that she would listen, that she would come to me.

  “Airis!” I said her name as loud as I dared, not wanting to draw attention.

  Nothing happened.

  “Airis!” I yelled louder this time, not caring who might hear.

  Still nothing.

  I began to pace. Why wouldn’t she come? Didn’t she care? Wasn’t it her job to care?

  I let out a frustrated growl when a white light appeared off to the side and Airis floated through. She was dressed all in white like always and her blond hair was around her shoulders.

  “You came,” I said, rushing toward her.

  “Technically, I shouldn’t be here. But your intentions are good.”

  “Why shouldn’t you be here?”

  “Because Heven isn’t here, so this obviously does not involve Heven—the Supernatural Treasure you are meant to protect.”

  “Heven is fine. I’m protecting her.”

  Airis inclined her head. “Yes, you have done well.”

  I didn’t say thank you because I got the feeling it wasn’t a compliment. “Look, you said to protect her at all costs. I’ve had to kill some demons—”

  She held up her hand. “This isn’t about you and the demons after Heven.”

  “Then what’s this about?”

  “You are getting caught up in your lies. Be careful, Sam. Do not stray from your path.”

  Lies? What lies? “If you mean what I told the police, I was protecting my brother. I think he’s sick, there’s something wrong with him. I need help to figure it out. You’re the only one that can help me.”

  “Perhaps a doctor would help?”

  I let out a frustrated growl. “You know I can’t take him to the doctor. He’s a hellhound. I think his body is rejecting the hellhound gene… it’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s supposed to be only one hound every other generation. I already turned; he wasn’t supposed to.”

  “You need to focus on your responsibilities, on the scroll. On Heven. You are getting distracted.”

  “Then help me!”

  “I am helping you. You aren’t listening.”

  “You’re telling me to forget about my brother—my only family, to just leave him alone when he is sick!”

  “I’m telling you that you are straying from your path—your job. Don’t let the darkness around you cloud the way you think—the way you behave.”

  “The darkness. You mean the hellhound in me. That’s why you won’t help Logan. Because he’s a hellhound and he hasn’t passed any of your ‘tests.’”

  “Not every hellhound has your ability for good.”

  Maybe they would if they weren’t treated like they were lepers. Like they were evil. It was obvious that Airis wasn’t going to help me and this was a waste of time.

  “Thanks for the help,” I said sarcastically and turned my back on her to walk away.

  “Remember what I said, Sam. Remember who your first priority is.”

  She made it sound like Heven was a job, an assignment. Like she forgot that the whole reason any of this happened was because I’m in love with Heven, that I would die for her… I didn’t like being made to feel like this was a job. It wasn’t. This was my life.

  And my brother was part of my life whether Airis liked it or not.

  If she wanted to spew her riddles and half-answers then she could, but I wasn’t going to listen. I was just about around the corner when Airis called out to me. I stopped and turned, hoping she changed her mind.

  “Remember if you or Heven need me just call.”

  I snorted. She meant if Heven needed help because, just now when I asked, things went so well. I walked around the corner without another glance. She made it clear where I stood with her but it didn’t matter. I would find a way to help Logan without her.

  Chapter Ten

  Heven

  It seemed a little strange to have a quiet, uneventful morning in the middle of an extremely unpredictable summer. It almost made me wary to relax so much.

  Everything okay where you are? I asked Sam.

  Yes, everything is fine.

  I sighed and concentrated on my cereal bowl. I wished Sam were here instead of spending the morning with Logan at his apartment. A few moments later, there was a loud clatter and a bang. I leapt from my chair, sending it crashing to the floor, and looked for the demon that probably just broke in.

  “My goodness!” Gran said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. You’re about as jumpy as a cat this morning, Heven.”

  I took in the tray at her feet and the upset tin of coffee on the counter and felt like a complete idiot. “Sorry, Gran,” I muttered, righting my chair and sinking back into it.

  “It’s all right.” She began to clean up and bent to pick up what she dropped. “I know the last few days have been very stressful.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course, finding out you have a brother isn’t something that happens every day.”

  She thought all of this was about Cole. I nodded and allowed her to think that, even though Cole was about the only thing that seemed to be going right these days.

  “Did he find you yesterday morning?”

  I nodded. “Sam and I were in the orchard.” And Cole got quite an eyeful. After Gemma left Sam and I sat Cole down and did our best to explain everything
to him. It took a while because we had to go all the way back to last year when I was injured (I didn’t think of it as disfigured anymore because I wasn’t disfigured. There had been nothing wrong with the way I looked. The problem had been with the way I felt.) It was such an unbelievable tale I thought for sure he would think I was crazy and declare he didn’t want anything to do with me ever again. But he surprised us by believing everything we confessed. Thinking about it now, I guess it isn’t so hard to understand why he accepted everything. Cole had seen too much to discount everything we told him. The abrupt disappearance of my scar, the demon attacking me added to what he witnessed with Sam and Gemma made a very impressive case.

  “I thought that’s where you might be,” Gran said while she finished cleaning up the spilled coffee grounds.

  I made a noise of agreement while I wondered if the orchard was the best place for the boys to be training. What would happen if someone saw us like Cole did?

  “He seems to be accepting everything fairly easily,” Gran said, drying her hands on a towel and coming to sit across the table from me.

  Embarrassment heated my cheeks. We had been so busy explaining all the supernatural aspects of our lives that I completely forgot to ask Cole how he was doing. “Did he say how his mother was handling things?”

  Gran grimaced. “I don’t think she’s very happy with me right now.”

  “I met her once. She wasn’t very happy with me, either.” At least I finally understood why she seemed to hate me so much that day at the ice cream shop. She knew who my father was. Of course she felt angry and hurt that he essentially chose me and my mom over her and Cole.

  “It’s been hard on her. Jason could have handled the situation better.”

  “Why do you think he did it, Gran?”

  Gran sighed. “I don’t know. I think he wanted to be part of Cole’s life, but his mother wouldn’t allow it after he chose your mother. I think Jason decided not to fight her and keep Cole a secret like she wanted, so he didn’t upset your mother too.”

  I shook my head, trying to imagine what the situation would have been like and what I would have done in my dad’s shoes. But it was no use. I had no clue what I would have done and I can’t imagine having to choose between your children. Looking at it that way made me wonder why Cole wasn’t angry.

  “Do you think Cole is angry?” I asked quietly.

  “I asked him, told him it was okay if he was,” Gran said, taking a sip of coffee. “He said he wasn’t angry because he already had a father who loved him and he never felt abandoned.”

  I nodded.

  “I think he’s upset that his mother is so hurt by all this, but I think he is glad to know.”

  I thought of how relieved I felt when I found out. It made sense of so many feelings that I didn’t understand. “Thank you for telling us.”

  “It was a hard decision, but in the end I thought you had the right to know and… with Jason being gone…” Her eyes turned sad, but then cleared and she smiled. “I really wanted to know my grandson.”

  I reached out and grasped Gran’s hand. We sat quietly for a while, Gran drinking her coffee and me drinking my orange juice until Gran cleared her throat and said, “It’s been really wonderful having you here.”

  “I love it here too.”

  “You and your mother are really getting along these days.”

  My eyes went up to Gran’s face. What was she trying to say? Did she want me to leave? I didn’t want to leave. I liked it here. “She did agree to let me go to Italy,” I said, glancing at the clock, making sure I wasn’t running late for our meeting at school.

  “She stops more often to see you,” Gran pointed out, like she was trying to remind me of the other good things Mom was doing of late.

  I nodded. “I like spending time with her, but I’d really like to stay here, if that’s okay?” What would I do if she didn’t want me here any longer?

  Gran smiled and her shoulders seemed to relax. “As long as that’s what you want.”

  “It is,” I confirmed.

  “I don’t want you to feel like you can’t go home when you want.”

  “I am home.”

  “It’s settled then.” Gran smiled and grabbed up her mug and took it to the sink. She seemed lighter than before. Had she really been worried that I would want to go back home? Sure, things were going great with my mother lately, but only for like a week. Then, there was Henry. How much time was he spending around Mom’s house? I suppressed a shudder. For whatever reason, the thought of seeing him anymore than I had to was more than I could handle.

  * * *

  Sam was leaning against the side of his pickup when I pulled into the school parking lot. My heart lifted at the sight of him. He had my door opened and was reaching in to grab me before I even had the engine of Gran’s car turned off.

  He hugged me tightly, his nose pressing into the side of my neck. Something was wrong; he was upset about something, sad. What’s the matter? I spoke with my mind because when I tried with my mouth his lips covered mine. I didn’t have much (okay, practically none) experience in the kissing department, but even with my lack of knowledge, I knew that Sam was an expert kisser. But even with his expert kissing, I couldn’t forget that something was bothering him. Sam, what happened?

  He pulled away, reluctantly, with a sigh and leaned his forehead against mine. His whiskey-colored eyes were heavy-lidded, but they were also clouded. Behind him the door to the truck opened and I glanced over Sam’s shoulder to see Logan jumping down from the cab of the truck.

  My eyes flashed back to Sam, searching for an answer, searching for something because I knew this was why he seemed upset.

  “Hey, Heven,” Logan said as Sam pulled back from me.

  We’ll talk later.

  “Hey, Logan! I didn’t know you were coming to the meeting.”

  He seemed a little self-conscious like he didn’t know what to say, so instead of pressing for an answer, I hooked my arm through his and pointed us in the direction of the school. “I’m glad you came. You can sit next to me.”

  Sam shot me a grateful look and I smiled. “I told Logan that he and I could go out for pizza after the meeting. You know, have some guy time and I figured there was no harm in him coming to the meeting.”

  “The teachers won’t even notice.” I laughed as we approached the doors. Sam stepped ahead of us and held open the door and we stepped inside. The meeting was being held in the gymnasium and Mrs. Britt was already seated on the bottom bleacher of the room with a stack of papers beside her. Students talked in low tones around her, all clustered into several small groups. Kimber was sitting a few rows up by herself and she glanced at me, but her eyes strayed to Logan who was walking beside me. I stepped toward her and she glared at me, but I ignored it and sat next to her anyway with Sam taking up the space on my right and Logan right next to him.

  “Hey,” I said, trying to sound like nothing was wrong between us.

  “Come to gloat?” Kimber sniffed.

  “Gloat?”

  I guess my confused tone sounded true because it got her to turn and look at me. “Like you don’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  Her eyes narrowed on my face as she studied me, but she found nothing because I really had no idea what she was talking about. After a few minutes of her scrutinizing me she gave up and looked at her feet. “I figured the first place he’d go was to you.”

  “What are you talking about, Kimber?”

  “Cole dumped me.”

  My breath caught. Why would he do that? Now, it would absolutely look like he was interested in me—at least to Kimber anyway. “I had no idea.”

  She laughed. It sounded hollow and bitter at the same time. “Right.”

  I caught her wrist and squeezed. “Really. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” But I can’t say that I wasn’t surprised.

  She looked down where I grasped her and then back up at me. For a minute, I thought I caught a gl
impse of the friend I used to have. Her aura seemed to shift, ready to change but then the same old colors bloomed back around her. They were the same colors that filled the space around her every time we saw each other anymore: red, brown and some orange. I sighed and released her at the same time that Mrs. Britt stood up and called the meeting to order. The bench we were sitting on vibrated as Cole walked across to slide in next to Logan. He offered his fist to Logan who smiled and bumped his against Cole’s. I smiled. Guys were so strange sometimes.

  He gave me a little wave, which I returned and then scowled, motioning at Kimber with my head. He grimaced and turned his attention up front. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Kimber who was glaring straight ahead. If she believed me at all before, she didn’t now.

  The meeting seemed to drag on forever with Mrs. Britt going on about what time to be at the airport and how important it was to be on time. She went over all the airline regulations on security and packing and passports. She handed out info sheets for our parents and packing lists for us along with an itinerary and hotel information. I didn’t care about any of this. I only cared about returning the scroll, everything going back to normal, and the chance for Sam and me to be alone.

  Sam nudged me in the ribs. You aren’t paying attention.

  It’s boring and Kimber’s aura is attacking me.

  Sam’s shoulders shook with his silent laughter and I felt my lips crack into a smile. Logan looked between us, trying to figure out what we were laughing about. When Sam caught him looking, his smile fell away to be replaced with a pensive frown.

  What’s going on, Sam?

  What am I going to do with Logan when we leave for Italy? How can I just leave him alone?

  I didn’t have a response for that. I hadn’t really thought about it, but it was a long time to leave Logan all by himself. Don’t worry. We’ll think of something.

  Sam nodded, but I don’t think my lame response made him feel any better.

  I did my best to pay attention, I really did, but the closer we got to Italy, the more nervous I became. What if something went wrong? What if we got caught trying to sneak away from the class and were unable to return the scroll? From what little research I did online about the Catacombs, they were pretty big with different sections… What if we got lost?