by H. T. Night
I flipped off the TV and looked at Tommy. “Did you sleep with her?”
“Of course not.”
“Did you kiss her more than the one time at the beach?”
“No, it never happened again. We just talked, mainly about you.”
I looked at Tommy and felt the history that he and I had shared over the years, and in the end, Lena was a woman that never owed me anything.
“I forgive you, Tom.” I said.
“You do?”
“Yeah, I can forgive, but I can't forget. Maybe over time I’ll be able to, but for now, I'm going to have a hard time fully trusting you.
“That's fair and I hope someday that changes.”
“Was there anything else?” I asked, wanting this conversation to just end.
“For now, I just wanted to make sure we were straight.”
“We’re good,” I confirmed.
Tommy nodded. “Hey, can I sleep in here with you?”
“Really dude?” Now he was pushing it.
“You don't expect me to sleep out there with a vampire who was trying to kill me an hour ago?”
I looked at Tommy and couldn’t help but laugh. “Ok, but we sleep opposite of each other and absolutely no talk about ‘morning hard-ons’.”
“You know, there’s nothing I like more than my wood pressed up against your back, Josiah.”
“That's what I'm talking about. Zip it.” I made a zip motion with my hand over my lips.
Tommy laughed, and said, “Hey, put on America's Got Talent. I heard there’s a guy and his dog that can do every kind of dance imaginable. I heard they do a mean Salsa.”
“It's no American Idol,” I said.
“I haven't like that show since Taylor Hicks.”
“I'm a Clay Aiken fan myself.”
“I knew you were a Claymate!”
“Shut up.”
Chapter Seventeen
Tommy and I bunked like a couple of sixth graders having a sleepover. It was hard for me to stay mad at him. He and I had been through so much in the last five years. I still don't understand what he was thinking or what his intentions were with Lena, but I felt like I needed to turn the page.
Did he seriously fall in love with Lena or was he just being competitive?
It was the middle of the day and I woke up hearing a knock at the door. “Hey boys!” Yari was knocking at the door.
“Yeah?” I called out, groggily.
“Open the door,” she said.
Tommy was out like a light so I got myself up and went to the door. I made sure I wasn’t slipping out of my shorts and then I opened the door.
“What are you two doing?” Yari said, walking into the room.
“We’re sleeping.”
“Well, get up! It's the middle of the day!” She laughed.
“Very funny. What do you want, Yari?”
“Well, if you two are done having your makeup sex, I have a proposition for you guys.”
“Okay,” I said, ignoring the gay joke.
“Remember that gorgeous white house I took you to, a couple months back, when we went to that crazy house party?”
“The one in Victorville?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“What about it?” I asked.
“Well, as you remember, the place is freaking huge. The guy who owned it isn’t exactly with us, if you know what I'm mean. And the guy who is now looking after it said all of us could stay there as long as we like. It has nine rooms, a Jacuzzi and a pool.”
“I remember it well,” I said. “I had a pretty memorable night. How soon can we move in?”
“We can leave right now if you like. The place is completely furnished and just waiting for us to move in.”
“Did you tell everyone else?”
“Yeah, they have already transitioned and left. Everyone decide that they were going to go live there regardless of what you decided to do.”
“That's good, “I laughed. “I'm not running a cult here. I’m glad people are making their own decisions.”
“Why don't you and Tommy gather your stuff and drive out.”
“Drive?”
“Oh, I forgot you only fly now, Josiah. Forgive me, oh great one.” Yari smirked at me and left the room.
I shut the door and turned around and faced Tommy. “Hey, Wolfboy, wake up!”
Tommy looked up at me half dead. “What the hell are you yelling about?”
“Get up and gather your things, we’re moving.”
“We’re moving? What the hell?”
“That’s what I said. Get up, sleepyhead, rise and shine.”
“Where are we moving to?”
“Trust me, you’ll love it. It’s a freaking palace.”
“Wow, a palace!” Tommy stretched his arms. “That’s cool. This place was getting a little cramped. Where is it? Beverly Hills?”
“Not quite,” I laughed. “Try a location that is a lot dryer and hotter.”
“Where?”
“Victorville.”
“Victorville? You mean that desert town on the way to Las Vegas?”
“That would be the one.”
“That place is a 100 degrees, 365 days a year.”
“Well, thank God our house will have air conditioning and a pool, so you won’t have to worry about it getting too hot.”
“You know that for sure?”
“Yes, I’ve been there. Get up and quit complaining. You’re going to have your own room, and that will be a very good thing because I don’t want to look at your junk.”
“Hey, Josiah. My eyes are up here,” Tommy said, jokingly pointing at his eyes.
“It’s kind of hard to miss when you wear basketball shorts three sizes too small.”
“I thought we weren’t going to call attention to our junk.”
“Sorry, it’s hard to miss.”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
I shook my head and walked out of the room. The house was empty except for Yari, everyone had gone up to Victorville. I went over and sat on the easy chair. Yari came out of her bedroom with a bag full of stuff. “Hey, will you and Tommy take this bag with you?”
“Sure, no problem. It will probably be just Tommy. I’m thinking about flying over. Otherwise I have to transition and sit in the back seat as the eagle. I don’t think I want to deal with how slow Tommy drives.”
“It’s nice having one of us grounded. It makes it easier to figure who will drive our shit places. No need to draw straws.”
I smiled in agreement and leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.
“What's on your mind, Josiah?”
“You were right about everything, Yari. I didn't want to believe you, but you called it. I won’t ever doubt you again.”
“I know it’s hard, but you need to turn the page.”
“How have you done it all these years? Aren’t you exhausted?” I looked over at Yari and she came over and sat on my lap.
“Josiah, you are too nice. It’s not exhausting if you don’t allow people to control how you feel.”
“I thought Lena and I had something special. I thought it was more. Obviously I’m an idiot.”
“Josiah, you’re not an idiot. For God’s sake, look at you! Your freaking gorgeous and you have a heart of gold. If Lena can’t see that you’re head and shoulders above any man, then it’s her loss.”
“You really think that?”
“Honestly, what is sexy as hell about you is your confidence. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and go out there and do you.”
Yari was right. I needed to let it go. “I’ll put your bag in the car.” I got up and picked Yari’s bag up.
“Josiah, I talked with Lena for about two hours right before she left. She loves you. She loves you more than you know. Give her time.”
“I don’t know why she had to leave the group.”
“She really didn’t want to leave, Josiah. But she didn't want to come in between you
and Tommy. She's confused about a lot of things. She feels guilty about the whole thing. The last thing she said to me was that she loved you with all her heart. She just needed to leave and figure some things out.”
“She didn’t have to leave the group. I would have given her space.”
“Josiah, she needed her own space. She needs to listen to her heart. She wants to love Josiah the man —not Josiah the Chosen Mani. She needs to figure out how she can separate the two.”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“No, but she promised she’d be safe. I texted her and told her that we were all moving to Victorville. Don't be surprised if one day she shows up.”
* * *
The house was even more spectacular in the daylight. I showed up around 6:00 pm. I didn't realize how windowless the house was the last time I was here. There were literally no windows in the entire house. But there were several trap doors that opened to the outside where Mani could easily fly in and out. It was as if the house was designed by a Mani.
Tommy showed up shortly after I did. He and I took rooms upstairs. We all had our own rooms, and there would be no more awkward sleeping arrangements. A part of me was saddened by the idea that Lena wasn't going to be a part of this. So Yari, Hector, Wyatt, Cyrus, Tommy and I were now housemates in a beautiful white mansion in the deep of Victorville. There wasn't a house or business within five miles of the property. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
The next three weeks were an adjustment period for everyone. It was like a bad episode of the Real World, where the houseguests argue about hygiene and dishes in the sink.
Cyrus and Yari seemed to have a connection. They had been spending a lot of time together. I guess it was a rite of passage to be in the group. All male members must go through Yari. Yari was like a mongoose, she devoured her prey. Tommy and I both gave Cyrus a heads up about her, but he seemed like a smart fellow. I don't see him falling for our red-headed vixen.
My birthday was coming up and it was going to be on Saturday. Yari was planning the biggest Mani party of all time. She claimed she threw one for Thomas Jefferson back in the day. Thomas Jefferson a vampire? Who knew?
Yari mentioned there was going to be over a hundred Mani and future Mani invited to the party. Future Mani, or FM, is a term that is used for teens that aren't fully developed yet, but have committed themselves to being a Mani when they reach 20 years of age. Most FM’s really don't have a choice, if they didn't choose to become a Mani; they would be killed because they knew too much. It's the Mani way; even I couldn't change the decree. I just know I won’t kill or order for someone to be killed unless they intend to harm a Mani that is loyal to our cause.
Yari was going ballistic putting together the party. I had one strong rule. No Tandra allowed at the party unless they were FM’s. I made the rule not because I hate humans. It was actually the opposite. I didn't want any of them to be in danger. A house full of feeding Mani was not a good place for any human being. To be honest, I wasn’t fully comfortable with a FM’s being there, but I could only throw my weight around so much.
Tommy and I have gotten really close again. Lena was becoming a distant memory; ok, not really, but as far as Tommy and I were concerned there was no mention of her or what had happened.
It was the day before my party and Tommy and I were having another epic Scrabble match on the dining room table. Tommy and I were extremely competitive. It didn’t matter what we we’re doing, we battled hard. He had my number, as of late, when it came to Scrabble. Today was no exception. Tommy laid down the tiles ‘xi’ on the board to close out the win.
“That's it Josiah. I win 342 to 321. You were once again owned by yours truly.”
“You're a stud at Scrabble, Tommy. What can I say?” I was bothered by the loss but was trying my best to be a good sport about it.
Tommy never makes that easy.
“You can say you are officially my ‘Scrabble bitch’. What does that make now, five straight times I beat you?”
Like I said, Tommy never makes it easy.
I tried to compose myself —but Dammit —he was making this hard. “Easy, Wolfie,” I said. “Don't make me go all white eagle on your canine ass.”
“Is that a threat?” Tommy said, laughing —almost daring me to do something.
“No threat here,” I said. “As a matter of fact, I say we take it to the carpet.”
“Oh, Jo, you want none of me. Remember you’re a striker, and if we wrestle on the carpet, it's over. I will take you to task.”
We both went into the main living room area. There were three couches and a coffee table that were worth more than most people's cars in the center of the room. They were definitely in the way. We both turned over the sofas and pushed them aside. Tommy picked up the coffee table and put it on top of the couches.
“What the hell is going on down here?” Yari yelled from the stairway.
“I'm about to show Josiah that a grappler always beats a striker.”
“Are you two fighting for real?” Yari yelled.
“Not for real, we’re just having some fun,” I yelled back to her.”
Tommy made his way to the middle of the room and began stretching and hopping up and down as if he was about to have a real MMA fight. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. Tommy took off his shirt and threw it Yari.
We’re not doing this nude are we?” I asked, knowing full well we weren’t.
“Not this time,” Tommy answered. “The last time there was too much scrotum flying around.”
I was wearing black basketball shorts with Kobe Bryant, Lakers jersey. “If you don't mind, I prefer to keep number 24 on.”
“Whatever floats your boat, Vampy.”
“Vampy? Oh it's on, my little Chihuahua.”
“This little Chihuahua is going to show you how it's done!”
“What's going on down there?” Hector yelled from one of the rooms. Hector never says anything so we must have woken him up.
“I think we disturbed the Prince,” I said, laughing.
“I forgot he knew how to talk,” Tommy grinned.
“Tommy and Josiah are just flexing their muscles at each other,” Yari said. “It’s nothing to be worried about. They’re just seeing whose dick is bigger. I actually know the answer, but we’ll let them work it out. For the right price, I’ll tell anyone who wants to know.”
“It’s okay, Yari,” I said. “No one here wants to pay to know that kind of information.”
“Spoken by the man who obviously has the smaller wang!” Tommy laughed.
“Oh, it’s on, Chachi!” I circled Tommy. I looked up at the stairwell and now the whole house was watching. Hector, Wyatt and Cyrus had joined Yari on the stairwell. “I guess we have an audience.”
“I don't need an audience,” Tommy said. “As I recall the last time we did this, you saw stars.”
“Damn, those are fighting words,” I said back to Tommy. “Don’t forget I was still a Tandra when we fought that night. And remember, you were most definitely a Carni, so you had a slight advantage.”
“Doesn’t erase the fact that I beat you in front of the world on Pay-Per-View, does it?”
“It needs an asterisk.”
“The only asterisk is going to happen is me kicking your asterisk-ass.”
“All talk and no bite. Oh wait you do bite… and howl… and bark.”
“Cute Josiah, I see you can still talk some shit. Any rules, Golden Boy?”
“Rules, hell when did we ever have rules?”
“We don’t want to kill each other. Let’s say no punching above the neck, we both look too pretty.”
I felt my chiseled jaw. “Agreed,” I said.
“And you can't use any of your wizard shit,” Tommy added, staring me down.
“Wizard shit? Damn! Is that is what you think of me?”
“God knows what you can do now. You could probably say Hocus pocus and turn my penis into Chapstick.”
“I don't have to say Hocus Pocus to do that!” I said, with an exclamation point.
“That was too easy.”
“You’re the one lobbing me up softballs. Don’t get mad when I hit them out of the park.”
Tommy nodded and we continued to circle each other. “Anyway, no Mani bullshit,” Tommy stated, “Just straight MMA, with no punching in the face.”
“I guess there's only one thing to say, Tommy boy. ‘Let's get it on’!”
Tommy and I circled each other for about another minute, sizing each other up, both of us waiting for just the right opening.
“Please don't break anything!” Yari yelled.
As I circled, I looked Tommy in the eyes. I began thinking about how bad he messed things up with Lena and I. I felt a slow rage grow inside of me. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn’t. It was building to the point that it was boiling over. Eventually, I quit looking at Tommy as a friend I was having fun wrestling with in the living room. I was looking at him as the guy who gave me pain. He consciously put the moves on Lena knowing full well how I felt about her. It was time for him to pay.
I lowered my body level, and shot my body in between Tommy's legs and caught his right hamstring with both my hands and picked him up. I did this at a speed that I had never experienced while wrestling before. Within milliseconds, Tommy was being lifted off the ground and I was carrying him in my arms around the living room like a sack of potatoes. He was punching my shoulders and chest trying to break free. But I wasn’t letting go for anything. I jumped up and slammed Tommy to the carpet. I knocked the wind out of him. I could hear him gasping for air.
I was holding Tommy down with my body, and controlling him with my legs. Something had become quite apparent since the last time Tommy and I had fought, I had now become a lot stronger than him. A hell of a lot stronger and he knew it. He could feel my grip around his body. I could sense the uncertainty in the way he was breathing. I should have had empathy. I shouldn’t have felt the way I did. I was thriving off his misery.
While I was on top of him, I whispered in his ear, “This isn't a fair fight, Tom. You need to be a werewolf to even have a chance. I'm controlling you like an infant. Come on Tommy, Mr. Superstar Wrestler, get out of my hold.”
