by Rani Clark
“Nope. Not unless you get him to release you which I doubt he will. Once Vladimir makes up his mind about something he doesn’t often change it.” He turned his eyes to Ty, “You have not stopped staring at me. Something wrong?”
“No, I was just . . . no.”
Mr. Kircher raised an eyebrow and turned his attention back to Jaska, “I know this is hard to get used to, but get used to it. He has you and he’ll keep you. Things could be worse.”
“I don’t see how.”
He shrugged, “Just trying to help.” He looked back at the clock he was working on, “You’ll be seeing more of me.”
“Yipee.” He turned, “Thank you for answering my questions, Mr. Kircher.”
“No problem. Come back anytime! I like seeing you.”
Ty glanced back as they walked out, “He seems . . . unpleasant.”
“Yeah, he’s a werewolf.”
“Werewolf? Those exist?”
“Yes, because that psycho is one. He’s polite at least.” Jaska looked down at his hand, “What am I going to do? My mom is going to freak out.”
“Probably. Your grandpa was pretty calm.”
“He’s like that anyway. Ty, what am I going to do? If my dad finds out about this . . .” He shuddered to think what his father would do if he ever found out about any of this. Lilly Ann would have to tell him at some point he supposed. Especially since his father had visiting rights.
“Don’t worry about that now. Just take this day by day and it’ll be alright.”
He had very little faith that it would be alright. They walked around the town until they didn’t want to anymore. Jaska didn’t look at any of his family when they went back to the house. Ty left him alone as he skulked back into his room, flopping down on the bed with a frown. He sobbed into the pillow until he fell into a painful sleep only to be woken up for a quiet dinner.
“Your mother is flying down,” Byron told him. “She’ll be here in the morning.”
“Oh good.” Jaska moved his food around his plate with the fork, “Did you call my dad?”
“I left that up to her. I never liked him, I don’t like him, and I don’t like him around you.”
“Byron!” Mina hissed.
“Sorry. Anyway, it’s her decision.”
Margo sipped her milk, “I don’t want him to do this.”
“There isn’t a way out of it,” Jaska told her. “Besides, it isn’t up to you.”
“Do you want to do this?”
“It doesn’t matter what I want to do. It’s happening.” He set his fork down, “Nana, do you know Mr. Ragnar? I mean, you weren’t all that surprised to see him and you accepted it pretty fast.”
“It isn’t that we specifically know, Mr. Ragnar. We know of him and we know what he is. This sort of thing . . . it happens,” Mina explained. “The fact is, this isn’t the first time it’s happened here.”
Jaska looked up from the plate, “What?”
“There used to be a couple that lived here. They were murdered and their son disappeared. Word got out that they had been killed by a monster. Their son disappeared, but we all know what happened. His parents were involved in that kind of thing.”
“Great.” He leaned back in his chair, “Do I have to abandon everybody?”
“Mr. Ragnar wasn’t clear on that. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
He couldn’t think about this anymore. He couldn’t breathe evenly and he wanted to throw up. Lilly Ann would be disappointed and for that he was sorry.
6
His mother was in hysterics. She held him tightly, asking him inane questions that wouldn’t make anyone feel better nor give anyone answers. Jaska wished she would calm down, but he couldn’t say it. Saying something like that would make her even more distraught than she already was. Her parents ushered her into the house and gave her a stiff drink to calm her down. Jaska had never seen his mother drink a glass of bourbon in one gulp. It was impressive. Margo sat beside her mother as she had a second drink. Lilly Ann’s hands stopped shaking and she was able to control her breathing.
“Honey, what happened?”
“I told you, I saw him murder someone. He’s going to be here to talk to you.”
“I’m going to rip him a new one.” She began to go off in German, something she didn’t do often.
Margo flinched; she understood what her mother was saying and Jaska could guess it wasn’t anything good. “Mom, he’s a pretty scary guy.”
“I don’t care. I’m giving him a crack in the mouth! He will not take my son away!”
Jaska had a feeling Mr. Ragnar wouldn’t take her words kindly. He couldn’t defend what the man had done and wasn’t going to, but he didn’t want his mother getting hurt. As he stood, wondering what to say, he heard the doorbell.
“I’ll get it,” he muttered.
Mr. Ragnar was at the door dressed differently than yesterday. Rather than the suit, the man was dressed in dark jeans with a black shirt and jacket. He looked much younger than he had the day before. “Good morning, Jaska. How are you today?” he asked with a slight smile.
“Sick. My mom’s here.”
“Yes, your grandparents told me she was on her way.” Mr. Ragnar stepped in, “Lead the way, Master Byrne.”
Jaska glared at him for a moment before showing him into the living room. “Mom, this is Mr. Vladimir Ragnar. Mr. Ragnar, this is my mother Lilly Ann Byrne.”
Mr. Ragnar held out his hand, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Byrne.”
He wasn’t surprised when his mother stood, walked swiftly over, and slammed Mr. Ragnar in the mouth. “Get out. Leave my son alone or I will make you hurt.”
Mr. Ragnar raised his hand to the red mark on his cheek, “I am sorry, Ms. Byrne, but things are the way they are. He saw something he shouldn’t have and I had to do something. This protects him just as much as it protects me.”
“Bullshit you monster!”
“Calm down.” Byron rested his hand on her shoulder, “We explained to you on the phone what was going on. Mr. Ragnar can explain the rest of it.”
“This can’t be happening.”
“I’m sorry mom. I know that I made a huge mistake.”
“Oh honey, this wasn’t your fault.”
Mr. Ragnar cleared his throat, “May I make a pot of tea? We have a lot to talk about."
Jaska shifted uncomfortably as he sat next to his mother. Mr. Ragnar made the tea and served it with a tight smile. “Now, your son will have to live with me. I will allow him to continue to see his family, I’m not that kind of a monster. He will be training with me and helping me out, running errands and such.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“I will keep him as safe as I can, I swear it.” He crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat, “We will leave tomorrow when my watch is finished.”
Jaska glanced up at him, “But . . . I have to go home and get my things.”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that. Your mother may gather a few things and bring them to me. I can’t allow you back to your home town. I am sorry.”
“Why not?”
“It is a safety issue.” He looked to Lilly Ann, “You are free to ask me any questions since your son is living with me now.”
“Fine. How can you do this?” she demanded.
“I have to, I told you. Your son will die otherwise.”
“Why?”
“There are people who want me dead and I don’t wish to die. I also don’t want an innocent young man hurt simple because he decided to take a stroll through the forest. I’m not saying I’m a selfless wonder, I’m just saying I’m doing what’s best.”
Margo raised her hand, “Mr. Ragnar, will my brother be alright?”
He turned his cold eyes to her, “That is a difficult question. As I said, I will keep him as safe as I can.”
“That isn’t good enough!” She stood, knocking her tea to the carpet, “You’re taking him and you can’t even tell us if he’ll be o
k!”
Jaska had never heard his sister talk like this before. He was suddenly aware of how much she loved him and how much he loved her. He would really miss her. “Margo, I’ll be alright. I can take care of myself for the most part.”
“You shouldn’t have to go.”
“I know, but I do.” Jaska looked at her, “I’ll still be able to visit. Don’t worry.”
“This isn’t fair!”
Lilly Ann stood and went after her as she ran out of the room. Mr. Ragnar sipped his tea and moved his eyes to Jaska. “Your mother seems strong,” he said. “Very impressive.”
“She’s the strongest person I know.”
“Stop looking so unhappy. This won’t be that bad.”
“I’ll look however I want unless you want to control that about me too,” he snapped.
Mr. Ragnar shrugged and continued sipping his tea until Lilly Ann came back, “Is your daughter alright?”
“She’s upset about losing her brother.”
He nodded, “Understandable.”
“I want to speak to you outside.”
Jaska watched his mother and his master leave. He was aware of the threats she would be laying down, of the things she would tell him not to do. Telling her about Mr. Kircher was a bad idea. She would be worried he was around someone like that. Ty walked over and sat by him, taking his hand in an attempt to make him feel better. It was a comforting gesture that he would miss.
* * *
Lilly Ann shut the door behind her. Mr. Ragnar stood in front of her, waiting for her to speak. “I can’t even begin to tell you how angry I am,” she said, making an attempt to control her breathing.
“I can guess,” he remarked, putting his hand to his cheek. “Ms. Byrne, I’m not trying to be malicious. What Jaska saw was unfortunate. I didn’t think anyone would see me that far out in the forest.”
“That’s your excuse?”
“No, but I wanted to offer an explanation. I will protect him as best I can from anything. He’ll be safe with me.”
“I’m supposed to trust a murderer?”
“You don’t have to trust me.” Mr. Ragnar moved his jaw, “You hit very hard.”
“You’re about to take my only son and I want to make myself very clear: if you harm a single hair on his head I will make you pay. I fought tooth and nail to get my kids away from the asshole I married and will fight to get him away from you if you hurt him.”
“As touching as that is, there isn’t a way to revoke what I’ve just done unless I do it myself.” Mr. Ragnar leaned against the house, “Jaska comes from an abusive household?”
“Yes. When he was born, things were fine, but a few years later my husband started acting differently. I should have seen it coming, but I guess I was just an idiot and he ended up hitting Jaska and verbally abusing him.”
“What about your daughter?”
“He never touched her. His reasoning was that he wanted to make Jaska strong because Jaska is a boy and he should be able to handle that sort of thing.”
“He sounds like a monster.”
Lilly Ann glared at him, “I still feel awful for what I did, for not getting them away from Evan sooner than I did.”
“I didn’t mean for it to sound like I was blaming you.”
“I’m sure.” Lilly Ann put her hand to her forehead and looked at the ground before speaking again, “Are you going to treat him anything like that?”
“Of course not. I’m not a complete asshole. I’ll treat Jaska like one of my own.”
“Fine. Is that the best I can expect from you?”
“At the moment.”
She nodded, “Alright.” She turned to open the door, “I hate you and I sincerely hope this doesn’t work out well for you.”
* * *
The room was silent until Lilly Ann came back. Mr. Ragnar was beside her, looking as docile as he had been before.
“Jaska, please come with me a moment. Then I will leave you to your goodbyes.”
Jaska stood and followed him, wishing with everything in him he hadn’t seen that murder. Mr. Ragnar shut the door behind him. “I will be here tomorrow morning at six to pick you up. Be outside by then please.”
“Fine.”
“Your mother threatened me. She said if I let any harm come to you she will kill me. I fully believe that.” Mr. Ragnar folded his arms across his chest, “I think you will like your new home.”
“Please go. I just . . . I want to say goodbye in peace.”
“Very well. Have a good day, Jaska.”
He watched Mr. Ragnar go before he turned and went back into the house. His mother hugged him tightly without a word. His last day was going to be depressing. Everyone hugged him and said goodbye, telling him to be careful. There was little to do beyond that. He had never seen Margo look so upset. When she hugged him she held him tightly, as if that would help the situation.
His grandparents made dinner at five, asking Lilly Ann to help as Ty and Jaska went out to sit on the porch. Jaska had his knees pulled up to his chest, staring out into the German night.
“I’m sorry about this trip. I thought it would be fun for you,” he said to his friend. “It kind of turned into a nightmare.”
Ty shrugged, “Not like you could have known this would happen.”
“I guess.” He wasn’t surprised when Ty leaned in and kissed him. This could very well be the last time he saw his friend and he knew what that meant. Jaska was the only person who knew his secret after all. “You’ll have to find another tutor,” he said when Ty pulled away.
“I doubt I could find one as good as you,” he said with a smile. “Sorry. I know that you don’t like that.”
“It’s alright.”
“Hey, on the plus side you won’t have to go back to school. Make the best of a bad situation, right?”
“I suppose,” Jaska said with a tight smile.
Margo’s voice made him look back. His sister was leaning against the door, “Can-can I have some time alone with him?” she asked Ty.
“Yes, of course.” Ty stood and left them alone on the porch.
Margo sat beside her brother, looking down at her shoes, “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, but it isn’t like I won’t come and visit. I got accepted into Cambridge anyway so I would have been going to England at the end of next year. Think of it as me going away to college.”
“This isn’t the same.” She reached over and took his hand, “Why did Ty kiss you?”
Jaska sighed; he had been hoping Margo hadn’t seen what Ty had done. “He’s having a hard time with who he is. He has kissed me before after I told him not to. I understand why he did it now, I don’t blame him. Be nice to him when I’m gone. He needs someone.”
“So, he likes boys?”
“Yes, very much so.” Jaska managed a small smile, “Still have a crush on him?”
Margo laughed, “A little.”
Jaska would miss talking to his sister like this. They were closer than they had been a few years ago. “Don’t say anything to him about what I just told you. He doesn’t need to be pushed about this.”
“Ok.”
They sat on the porch in silence until they were called for dinner. What followed was the most awkward family dinner he had ever been to. Second most awkward. The most awkward one had been after his father had hit him for the first time. No one knew what to say, they barely ate. Jaska didn’t want to try to make light of the situation; he didn’t think he could even if he attempted it. His mother helped him pack in preparation for him leaving the next morning.
“Mom, tomorrow I’m going to leave by myself. I don’t want to make this harder than it already is.”
“Honey-”
“Please. I want to make it easier on everybody.”
She nodded, “Write me if you can. Every day. Or call me. I just want to know you’re safe.”
“Ok. Don’t worry. I’ll be alright.” He hugged her, letting
her hold him in her arms for as long as she wanted. This was the last time they were going to see each other for a while.
7
The morning air was crisp as clouds covered what little sunlight was peeking over the horizon. Jaska sighed as he walked down the lane, not looking back at his grandparent’s house. Mr. Ragnar was standing at the end of the long driveway. Today, he was dressed in a suit and an overcoat. His gloves were pitch black to match his outfit and he was wearing a bowler hat. He had his suitcase with him. Mr. Ragnar looked at Jaska with a tight smile. It was obvious he wasn’t enjoying this. Either that or he was extremely good at faking things.
