by H. D. Gordon
Ahead of me, Nelly’s smile faltered, and I knew what that meant. I swung around fast, and just barely managed to dodge a strike from my mother.
As I spun around, my hands went up and I met my mother’s eyes. The woman who had just led me through the forest was gone; now she was just a predator. I was used to this look on my mother, and it never failed to scare the shit out of me.
But, somehow, today was different. I was still scared, and my mother hadn’t changed any from yesterday or the day before that. It was me who seemed changed. I felt that maybe today, when my mother stood across from me on the beaten-down grass that served as our practice area, she might just feel that she, too, were staring down a predator.
She didn’t move again, and neither did I. We stood still for several seconds, watching each other. Looking for a weak point, an opening.
She broke first, rushing forward and swinging with power and skill. Seeing this made me think of Riley, and that seemed to release something in me. The world slowed. I dodged, moving with what felt like superhuman speed. And then I saw it.
My opening, her weak point.
Everything became a blur. Instead of slowing down, the world sped up, pulling me along with it. I remember moving as I had been trained, throwing all of my weight and strength behind my fist, the motion all too familiar. I remember it connecting, crashing hard into what seemed to be a solid surface. But I didn’t feel any pain. Not right at that moment. I didn’t feel anything.
Then my mother was on the ground, lying in much the same position as Riley had been just hours earlier. And I was standing over her, not quite sure I could get my muscles to move. Not really trusting myself to move.
So, I just stood there, until Nelly spoke from somewhere behind me. “Mom, are you okay?” Her voice was calm, maybe a little too calm.
My mother sat up and gave her head a sharp shake. A red welt was already swelling up on her face.
I finally found my voice. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she replied. “Well done. I can’t believe you inherited your strength.”
Beside me, Nelly nodded in agreement. My brow furrowed in confusion. What an odd choice of words. Inherited your strength.
“Although, I do have to say I feel sorry for that Brockman boy if he took a blow like that,” she continued, pulling herself unsteadily to her feet. “You need to be careful with whom you choose to fight. Not everyone is built as sturdily as we are.” She started heading back to the house. “And be careful who sees you fight, too. Your strength may seem…. unnatural to them.”
Chapter 7
Later that night, I was sitting back in my room, staring at the wall. I wasn’t sure what to think of all the events of the day. Or maybe I was just afraid to. It was all too strange. I felt like I was missing something big here. I didn’t like that feeling.
Nelly and my mother were keeping something from me. I wasn’t sure what, but I was sure it was something. What had my mother meant by inherited your strength? Even weirder than that was the secret spot in the forest where she’d taken me today. I was starting to worry about her. Maybe she was really losing it.
I’d sort of always assumed that she had some mild case of paranoid schizophrenia. Didn’t people with that condition tend to think someone was after them? I’m no doctor. I didn’t know.
But, even stronger than my worry for my mother was my worry for someone else. Me. I’d always known I was different from other people. I just tended to get angrier than most, thinking things that people probably shouldn’t be thinking—or at least would never admit to thinking. But, I’d always been able to control myself. I’d never considered myself a danger to others. I was starting to rethink that.
I glanced over at the clock sitting on my dresser. It was just past two in the morning. I wished I could get some sleep, but lately, I’d been feeling restless at night. Usually, I could read until I fell asleep. Somehow I knew that reading wasn’t going to stop my mind from turning over.
Lying back on my bed, I stared at the ceiling. At least it was a change in scenery from the wall. It was dark in my room, but I had always been able to see reasonably well in the dark. My mother said it was because she fed me lots of carrots when I was young. Knowing her, she probably had.
Just then, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye near the window. My senses went on high alert. I slipped off the bed and snuck over so I was standing beside the window, my back against the wall. My mother’s room and mine were on the first floor. Only Nelly had a bedroom upstairs. She never explained why, but I assumed it had something to do with keeping Nelly safe. I didn’t mind.
My window was open, and I immediately regretted this. My room tended to hold in heat, so I usually kept it open once the weather began to get warmer. Still, it was stupid. I doubted my mother slept with her window open.
A shadow moved across the floor. I stilled. It irritated me to think that someone might be sneaking around my house in the middle of the night. It made me nervous too, but my instincts overrode that. And, before I knew what I was doing, I’d swung around, grabbed the intruder by the front of his shirt, and hauled him through the window.
I knew it was a him because he was heavy, but the adrenaline that was coursing through me seemed to lend me super-strength, and I managed to throw him to the floor with impressive force. I drew my fist back to hit him, but he dodged the blow and grabbed my wrist. I drew my other hand back, intending to try again.
“Alexa! Alexa, it’s me,” he whispered fiercely.
I stopped mid-swing, recognizing the drawl of his voice. “Jackson? What the hell are you doing here? I almost punched you in the face!”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah, I noticed.”
I flopped back onto the bed and inhaled deeply. It seemed to take a minute for me to realize there was no longer a threat. Shoving my hair out of my face, I said, “I would have felt really bad if I had knocked you out, too.”
Jackson made a show of dusting himself off, then walked over and sat down next to me on the bed. It dipped with his weight. “I know, I heard about that. Wish I had been there to see it. Good thing I’m not such a weak opponent.”
I didn’t really want to get into that, so I ignored that comment. “Why are you here? How did you know where I live?”
“I wanted to come and check on you. I was worried after I’d heard what happened. I really should’ve been there for you.” His green eyes fixed on me. He looked like he was serious, and my agitation faded a little, but I didn’t miss the fact that he’d ignored my second question.
“Well, thanks, but I’m fine… Did you hear anything about how Riley is doing?”
“Yeah, I heard he’s got a broken nose and a concussion.” He shrugged like this was no big deal.
Noticing what must have been my horrified face, he said, “He’ll be fine, though. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Besides, I heard he swung at you first. He deserves what he got.”
I wasn’t sure I agreed. “What else did you hear?”
He flashed an easy smile. “That you were amazing… and fast. Some of the kids are even afraid of you. Well, more afraid of you than they were before.”
I scoffed. “People aren’t afraid of me.” Who was I kidding? I was starting to be afraid of me.
Jack stood up and walked over to the window. “’Course they are. It’s in their nature.”
My brow furrowed at that. Had everyone taken a crazy pill today?
“Well, darling,” he said. “I gotta go, but I’m glad you’re okay. He turned to the window to leave, and then stopped and turned back to me. “Don’t worry, Lexie. You did the right thing. You did what you had to.”
I sighed as I watched him slip out and disappear into the night. He was starting to sound like my mother.
Chapter 8
At some point I must have drifted off to sleep, because when I woke up, it was morning. I squinted at the sun shining brightly through my window. What time was it? By the way the sun seemed t
o be up and in full force, I would have guessed it was about noon.
Oh shit. I was really late for school. Why hadn’t anyone woken me up? I jumped out of bed and rushed out of my room. And nearly collided with Nelly.
She giggled. “Morning, sleepy head.”
I rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”
Nelly checked her watch. “Oh, almost noon.” I gaped at her, and she continued, “Don’t worry, Mom said it was cool. We needed a day off.”
I stared at her, trying pick my jaw up from the floor. “What?”
She laughed again and continued down the hall, calling back over her shoulder, “Get dressed. Lunch is ready downstairs.”
I showered, brushed my teeth, then stumbled back into my room and got dressed. Our mother didn’t give us days off. Something was up, and I was going to find out what.
Before I left my room, I stopped to look at myself in the mirror. My black eye was getting better. Today it was just a yellowish color and the swelling was almost completely gone. It always amazed me how quickly I seemed to heal from my injuries. I shrugged this off, preparing myself to find out what was going on. Even if I had to demand answers, which was never easy with my mother.
I walked into the kitchen to find Nelly and my mother sitting at the table, eating sandwiches. Nelly smiled and handed me a plate loaded with sandwiches and fresh fruit. My mother glanced up and then turned her attention back to her food. I sat down at the table.
We ate in silence for a few moments, me chewing with just a little too much vigor, before I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. “Does someone want to explain what’s going on?” I asked, clenching and unclenching my teeth.
The two exchanged a look that once again gave me the feeling that they were hiding something from me. Understandably, my irritation grew.
Nelly spoke first. “I just had a feeling we should stay home today.” When I just stared at her, she added, “I just… I just felt like it was important for us to stay home today.”
I struggled to maintain my cool. “Okay…”
This got no response from either of them. I hated being left out, and I felt my mood growing darker and darker. Clenching my jaws, I forcibly brought my attention back to my food. Then, rather abruptly, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. They were going to start explaining. I was going to see to that. Consequences be damned. Anger surged through me, and I swear I could feel the strength of it in my bones.
“All right,” I said, as calmly as I could manage. “What the hell is going on? What aren’t you telling me?” I switched my gaze slowly back and forth between them. They flinched every time I met their eyes. I didn’t blame them. I was starting to scare myself.
Seeing them cringe diffused my temper a little, though. I didn’t ever want them to be afraid of me. Especially not Nelly, though I doubted my mother was afraid, I’d probably just surprised her.
I looked down to see that my fists were clenched. What was wrong with me? Why was I so angry lately? I lowered my voice and looked at Nelly. “Look, I’m sorry. I… I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. But I do know that there’s something you’re not telling me. What is such a big secret that you can’t trust me with it?”
Again, Nelly and my mother exchanged a look that seemed to speak volumes. Again, I got no response.
I threw my hands up, all the anger rushing back into me. “Fine,” I said, shoving my chair back and standing to leave the kitchen. I had to get away from them before I really lost it.
I took two steps before my mother stopped me. “Alexa,” she said. Her voice was surprisingly gentle.
I turned back to face her, not caring that I was openly scowling. Like I said, consequences be damned.
“It’s for the best, I promise you,” my mother continued. I opened my mouth to protest. She held up a hand. “No, I know you don’t believe me, but I swear to you that it’s better this way. Even if you don’t trust me, I know you trust her.” She nodded toward Nelly. “Please, sit down. I have something for you.”
I hesitated before moving. This had to be some kind of trick. My mother never had something for me. Unless you counted a punch to the face.
Noticing my delay, she stood up. Subconsciously, I shifted my right leg back, so that I was standing in a fighting position. She chuckled. “Fine. Just stay there. I’ll be right back.”
She left the kitchen, and I looked over at Nelly. She was staring down at her hands, avoiding my gaze. I sighed and relaxed my stance. “Nell, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just frustrated, and I can’t help but feel like there’s something—”
My mother walked back into the kitchen and held out something wrapped in cloth. “Here.”
Warily, I took the gift and ran my fingers over the velvet encasing it. It was a deep crimson and held something heavy. “What is it?”
“Open it.”
I slowly unwrapped the cloth, revealing a silver, oval, handle-thingy. It looked like the grip of a sword. It shone brilliantly and had some sort of floral design wrapping all the way around it. It was beautiful. I ran my fingers along the design, all earlier thoughts of anger forgotten.
“Um, thank you.”
She just nodded. I looked back over at Nelly to see that she was staring wide-eyed at my strange gift. I gripped it in my hand and felt a certain peace wash over me. The vines and flowers carved into it seemed to wrap around my fingers in an embrace, leaving a smooth, cool surface for a grip. I wasn’t sure what the thing was, but I felt as though I had just been handed something very important.
Wrapping it back up in the velvet cloth, I took my seat at the table. I decided to put off my questions for later. Suddenly, everything felt like it would be okay.
Or so I’d thought.
Chapter 9
I spent the rest of the day doing nothing. Well, not nothing, but pretty close. My mother said we didn’t need to practice today. She didn’t even make Nelly and me go on a run.
We watched a couple of movies, I did a little reading, and just enjoyed their company, even my mother’s. I put away my worries over returning to school and everything else that seemed to be happening to me lately.
Nelly and I were sitting in my room after dinner. I spent most of my time at home alone or with Nelly—or “practicing” with my mother—plus she was the only person I really had to talk to.
Nelly said, “I never got a chance to thank you for what you did with Riley.”
I gave a half smile. I hadn’t expected her to thank me for that. In fact, I’d thought she might be mad at me for hurting someone so badly, because Nelly was a gentle person. I should’ve known she’d understand, even if I didn’t understand it myself.
There was a sincere look in her hazel eyes. “So, thank you. I appreciate what you did.”
I gave another halfhearted smile. “What else would I have done?”
She started to say something else, but I held up my hand, cutting her short. “Shh,” I whispered.
I had heard something outside the open window near my bed. I hadn’t closed it because I wasn’t going to sleep just yet. Maybe it was just Jackson again, coming over to “check on” me. Still, I had to be sure. For whatever reason, my hackles had gone up as soon as I’d heard that indistinguishable noise outside my window.
I stood up slowly, pulling Nelly along with me. “Go to the living room with Mom,” I whispered.
I’m not sure what my face looked like, but it must have looked serious because she immediately obeyed. I walked over to my dresser, keeping my gaze locked on the window. Picking up the gift from my mother, I removed its velvet cloth. I wasn’t sure why, but I was just suddenly drawn to it… like I needed to pick it up.
I stared down at it and was momentarily distracted from the window. When I looked back up I saw that someone—or rather something had entered while I’d been distracted.
It resembled a woman, except it wasn’t a woman at all. As soon as I set eyes on her, I knew something was very wrong. Alarm bells sounde
d off inside my head, and it took me a minute to interpret the message. This thing standing in front of me was here to kill. Not sure how I knew, but I did. The look in her almost-human eyes was one I knew all too well. A predator’s regard. I recognized it undoubtedly. It was there every time I looked in the mirror.
There were no whites to her eyes, just a deep, gleaming black, like polished marble. Her skin was a translucent white, and what looked like red veins webbed her hands and her neck. Other than that, she looked like any other woman, save for the fact that she had an extraordinarily beautiful face. I felt like I could get lost in her black eyes and fall out in a different universe.
I shook my head hard, trying to clear what suddenly felt like muddled thoughts, and dragged my eyes from the woman’s face. This took more effort than it should have. I don’t remember doing it, but I was already in a fighter’s stance, and I clenched my fists tight in anticipation.
I felt a cold and tingling sensation rush up my arm, and that’s when she opened her mouth and hissed. It was a vile sound, the same sound I’d heard earlier, just before I’d sent Nelly from the room. Goose bumps broke out across my skin, and my chest constricted slightly. I hated that sound. I wanted to stop it.
But something other than that unbearable noise had caught my attention. In opening her mouth, lips pulling back in a manner too wide to be human, she’d revealed multiple rows of razor sharp teeth.
A hissing shark, I thought. What does that make me?
She lunged for me before I could process anything else. I tried to duck out of her way, but she was fast, and I ended up getting slammed against the wall, nearly causing me to drop what was in my hand. The wind was knocked out of me, but it was a feeling I was accustomed to, and I brought my knee up hard and slammed it into her stomach.
She didn’t even flinch.
