by Bette Maybee
“Temeluch? You’re not Adrienne’s daughter, are you?” The woman slid her glasses down the bridge of her nose and blatantly gave Lucy the once over.
Lucy snatched the license back. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Now can you tell me if I have any relatives here?”
The woman leaned forward, her eyes wide. Lucy’s presence was obviously fodder for a new juicy round of gossip. “My God, I haven’t seen Adrienne since she ran off right after graduation back in ’78. How is she doing?”
Lucy swallowed. “She’s dead. Not that it’s any business of yours.” Lucy wanted to slam the woman’s head on the counter. Instead, she tapped her license on it. “Relatives?”
The woman took off her glasses. “Your mom didn’t tell you?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “For shit’s sake. I wouldn’t be asking if she had. I just found out about this place a week ago.”
The woman patted Lucy’s hand consolingly. “Oh, you poor dear! Your mom was adopted and raised by her spinster aunt, and she died just a few years after Adrienne took off. She was the last of the Temeluchs on the reservation.” Lucy couldn’t help but notice a smile sneaking through every now and then as the woman revealed the truth about her mother’s upbringing. She was getting some sadistic delight in sharing this information. Lucy fought the desire to jump over the counter and strangle her. Instead, she drew her hand away from the woman and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the answer she knew was coming in regards to her next question.
“So, I have no relatives left here?”
The woman turned her back and pulled open a drawer packed with cards. She withdrew one and turned to face Lucy. “You didn’t up until about a month ago. Then they came back.”
Lucy couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t alone. “Who? Who came back?”
The woman approached the counter and placed the card directly in front of Lucy. “Your grandparents. Adrienne’s mother and father.”
Lucy stared at the card in front of her, not daring to touch it. Instead, she memorized the name and address, then turned and left without saying another word.
****
Lucy stared at her feet as she walked. She had no idea where she was going in this town, but her feet seemed to know the way. It was like they were on autopilot. They had the urge ... the urge to find her mother’s family. But this urge, just like her urge to come to this place, was something she had no control over. For some reason, all of this—the nightmares, the visions, her mother’s death, her newfound identity as a Nephilim—all of this would be interwoven into something that would play itself out very soon, every piece of it playing an integral part in one thing. Her destiny.
Thirty minutes after leaving the Bishop Reservation headquarters, Lucy stopped walking. She looked at the street sign and the number of the house sitting in front of her. This was it. Lucy Temeluch was about to meet her grandparents.
As she took her first step onto the walk leading to the modest two-story home, her cell rang. Dan’s number. Shit. He was the last person she wanted to talk to. Lucy turned and walked away from the house. She flipped open her phone.
“What?”
“She’s not there.”
“Then wait until she gets there. You can’t be the one to discover that body.”
Silence. Silence was not good.
“No. That’s not what I mean. Ah, Christ! Yeah, Renatta’s not here, but she—the body, I mean—it’s not here! Doesn’t even look like anything happened in that place.”
Lucy crumpled to the curb as the realization of what that meant washed over her. “And there’s no crime scene tape, or anything indicating that something happened there?”
“Nothing. Nothing on the news and nothing here means one thing. No body was found.”
Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head. “It means more than that, you fucking idiot! It means that we took the wrong body! The Fire-Child got up and walked away while we were busy dumping that piece of trash in the woodshed.”
“But—but she was blonde! I mean ... I saw that she had green eyes, but her hair was definitely blonde!”
Lucy couldn’t believe she had to point out the obvious to her accomplice. “Have you ever heard of bleach?” She got up and started walking down the street. “Meet me at the corner of Sixth and Garcia. We need to get in that house and find out who she is.” Grandma and Grandpa would have to wait.
Dan cleared his trembling voice. “I already know. Renatta bitched about her every chance she got. Her name is Julie. Julie Mason.”
Chapter Eighteen
Julie had no idea the chemo was going to affect her as rapidly as it had. The massive doses she would be receiving over the next few days were so much more powerful than the doses she received during her induction five years earlier. She had gotten her first drip at eight a.m., and by 1:30, she was fighting wave after wave of nausea. Eight hours later, she woke from her drug-induced slumber when her cell vibrated in her hand. She forced her eyes open and looked at the display. Eli! She had to talk to him.
“Dad, could I have some privacy?” She waved her cell in the air and dropped her hand back to the bed as if she were holding a bowling ball. Along with the nausea, the chemo was already robbing her of every ounce of strength in her body.
Her father stood and stretched from his nest on the recliner. Julie hated the fact that he would have to put his life on hold while she went through this. She looked at the recliner. At least he would have something comfortable to sit in while he babysat.
“I’m heading back to the motel. You make sure you call me if you need anything.” He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, “Anything at all, Kiddo!”
Julie mustered a smile. “I’m doing fine, Dad. You just get some sleep. I’ll be here in the morning. I promise!”
As soon as the door shut behind him, Julie sat up and tried to adjust the pillows behind her back. A cold sweat broke out across her upper lip. Even that bit of movement was an extreme effort. She was not looking forward to the next few weeks. She hit the speed dial for Eli.
“Julie? How are you?”
Julie’s heart leapt in her chest at the sound of his voice. She wanted to cry and beg him to come be with her, but that could never be. She had to keep her mind focused.
“We’ll talk about that later. Did you find her?” Julie held the phone away from her mouth as she tried to catch her breath. He couldn’t know the shape she was already in.
“No. And Julie ... you know I won’t. We don’t have anything to go on. I kept an eye on the Penemues since I left your place Sunday night. The only time they left home was to go to school, and they came home straight after practice. I also ran over to your place tonight after it got dark. Someone’s been in your room, Julie, and they were there while I was tailing the Penemues.”
Julie sighed. “Renatta. I’m sure that witch picked through my things as well as ransacking the rest of the house.”
“No. I don’t think it was Renatta. There was only one thing missing.” Eli was silent for a moment.
“What? My earrings? Renatta always wanted those diamonds....”
“No.” Eli cut her short. “They were still in your jewelry box. It was your picture, Julie. The one of you a few years ago. When you had red hair.”
The room reeled as the significance of Eli’s words sunk in. “Oh, my God! They came back, didn’t they? And they think it’s me. They think I’m the Fire-Child.”
“It all makes sense, Julie. They thought you were dead, and now there’s no trace of you in that pool house. To them, you rose from the dead, which also leads to another obvious conclusion.”
Julie wiped the tears from her eyes. She’d already figured this part out herself. “Charsey really is dead, isn’t she?”
“I’m so sorry, Jules. If they dump her body before 3:00 Wednesday morning, then we’ll know they’re convinced you’re it ... me, I mean. In reality, I guess this is a good thing.”
Julie shook her head in disbelief. “How cou
ld that possibly be a good thing?”
“Think about it. The killings will stop. They won’t need to look anymore. They’ll just watch you, to see when you’re about to change. They won’t make their move until they’re sure of the time and place of The Rising. And I’ll be by your side that whole time, protecting you if needed. By the time they realize that you’re just a simple human, my time will be up, and their descendants will have to wait another 300 years for it to happen again.”
Julie choked out a small laugh. “Well, you won’t be by this simple human’s side for the next six weeks.”
Silence. He knew.
“It’s back, isn’t it?”
Julie could hear the anguish in Eli’s voice, and she wished to God that she could take away the pain she was causing.
“I’m getting a bone-marrow transplant, Eli. We’re telling the school I’m being home-schooled. No one will know where I am or what’s happening with me. No one ... except you.”
“I’m coming to see you.”
“They won’t let you in. I’m quarantined. In a couple days, I won’t have an immune system left.”
“I can’t carry disease, Julie. I’m a Phoenix.” Eli cleared his voice. “And for your information, I happen to have a perfect attendance record at every single school I’ve ever attended.”
Julie could tell by the change in his voice that he was kidding with her. Obviously trying to make her feel better.
“Show-off. You still wouldn’t make it past the nurses. They’re like prison guards here.”
“We’ll see about that. You being gone from school for the next six weeks could also be a good thing. If no one knows where you are, then you should be safe for this time.”
Julie’s heart began to thrum. “What if I die before your rising, Eli?” Julie knew her death was inevitable, and that it could happen at any time, but that wasn’t what frightened her.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“But what if I do? They’ll start killing again, won’t they?”
“I’m pretty sure we’ll figure out who the Nephilim are before that time. And if we do, I’ll take care of them.”
“You’ll kill them?”
“Only if I have to. To defend others. I’d never kill them just to get rid of them. They’re mostly human. They have families. I’m not a murderer, Jules. Not like them.”
The memory of Charsey’s lifeless green eyes ripped a whole into her thoughts. Julie could feel the blood draining from her face. “I have to go, Eli. I’m not feeling too....”
Chapter Nineteen
Dumping the redhead’s body had been ridiculously easy. That was one of the perks of living in an area so sparsely populated. Lucy didn’t even bother to pull off to the side of the road they chose. Driving on the dirt shoulder would definitely have left a set of tire tracks that could possibly have been linked back to Dan’s truck. Dan simply hopped out, grabbed the body, then tossed it onto the shoulder like a bag of yesterday’s garbage. By the time they were back on the road with Dan taking over the driving duties, she figured the whole process took no more than fifteen seconds. Working out a plan to keep an eye on the Fire-Child would take a bit longer.
Lucy held the picture of the creature on her lap, studying its face. Wondering what it was like to live a new life every three hundred years. Imagining what it felt like to leave the humans it had grown to love, if that was even possible. Lucy stared out at the houses flying by as they drove back to Bishop. She only had one human she had ever really been close to, and that woman tried to smother her. Tried to snatch the very life from her because of who she was and who she was about to become. When she claimed her birthright, she made a promise to herself that she would never shed a tear over another human again. They weren’t worth it.
As they pulled up to the one story ranch, Lucy could hear multiple sirens off in the distance. She looked at her cell. It had only been fifteen minutes, but fifteen minutes was enough.
“They found her, didn’t they?”
Dan turned his brown eyes towards her. Lucy thought she saw a flash of excitement in them.
She sighed. “Either that or there’s a major fire, and I don’t smell any smoke.”
Dan punctuated her statement with a blast of his horn. She watched as the front door opened and the two massive brothers Dan had told her about trotted out to the pick-up. Kas, the long-haired one, leaned his elbows on the edge of the driver’s side window, and Remy, the short-haired one, hopped in on the passenger side, forcing Lucy to slide over next to Dan. Thank God the other one didn’t try to get in. The bench seat could barely hold three Nephilim, let alone four, and she didn’t relish the thought of sitting in such close proximity to any of them.
Lucy looked from one brother to the other. Besides the obvious difference in their hairstyle, they looked exactly alike, even down to the tattoo that all four of them had in common. Dan finally broke the news.
“We did it. We identified the Phoenix.”
Remy whooped and drummed the dash in celebration. Kas’s reaction was a little more subdued. He laid his head on his arm for a moment and then looked back up at Dan. “I can’t believe it. Charsey Winters is the fucking Fire-Child. She was right there at my fingertips for the last two—”
“No.” Lucy interrupted. Now it was her turn to get some satisfaction out of revealing their new information. “It wasn’t your mutual little fuck-buddy. It was the other one. Julie Mason.”
“Wait.” Remy turned to Lucy. “How can that be? Dan killed Charsey.”
Lucy sighed. “And I slit Mason’s throat. Quite a bloody mess. Guess which one rose from the dead? I’ll give you a hint. One of them is now debuting as road kill on Warm Springs Road.” Lucy couldn’t help but giggle. She pressed her fingers to her lips. “Oops, sorry! That was rather insensitive of me, wasn’t it?”
Kas shook his head. Lucy could swear he was tearing up, but for whom?
“It can’t be. It can’t be Jules. I spoke with her Sunday morning, just like we planned.” There. She had her answer.
“Oh, but I assure you, it is.” Lucy shoved Julie’s picture in Kas’s hands. She saw his eyes widen at the sight of Julie’s red hair. “She was bleeding to death on the pool house floor last time I saw her, split from ear to ear, and now she’s gone, without a trace.” He threw the picture on the dash. Remy snatched it up and shook his head in shock at this new discovery.
“What’s the matter, Kas? Did I just blow your plans to sleep with the enemy?”
Kas’s eyes narrowed as he stared Lucy down. “You are a real bitch.”
Lucy laughed. “And you’re gonna need a bitch on your side to get the job done, boys. Now let’s get to work.”
Chapter Twenty
Maybe it was the muted lighting above her head that did it. Maybe it was the moonlight shining through her window. Or maybe it was the illness that was consuming her body. Julie lay silently, her skin swimming in a pale blue light, as if death had visited her and left its mark. If it weren’t for her slow, shallow breathing, Eli would have sworn she had died.
“Julie.” The name was just a whisper on his lips, but it was enough. Her eyelids fluttered and opened.
“Eli? Are you here?”
Eli could hear the hope in her voice, along with the exhaustion from the chemo she’d endured for the last two days. He stepped from the shadows near the door and sat down on the bed, careful not to touch her. At this point, his touch would only cause her more pain, especially since being around her always seemed to cause him to become fully charged.
“I told you I would come.”
Julie smiled. “Dad told me it was on the news this morning. That they found Charsey. You told me she was dead, but I really, really didn’t want to believe you. I feel so guilty.” Julie began to sob softly. All he wanted to do was to kiss away her tears, but he held back.
“Guilty? Why do you feel guilty?”
“Because I thought such bad things about her. I know she wasn’t th
e nicest person in the world, but she was the one person who wanted to be my friend. I hadn’t had a friend in so long.”
Eli forced a smile. “You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty. She died because they were looking for me. If anyone should feel guilty, I should.”
Julie shook her head just slightly. “No. Even you shouldn’t feel guilty. She’s dead because the Nephilim are murderers. This is their fault, not yours ... and not mine.”
A noise outside the door prompted Eli to place his finger across Julie’s mouth to quiet her. Instead, she moaned as Eli felt a zap of electricity pass between his finger and her tender lips. He snatched his hand away and leaned towards her, just inches away from her face.
“I am so sorry, Julie! I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He felt horrible for causing her any more pain. His touch had to be excruciating.
She blinked slowly. “It’s okay. I like it. Let’s me know that I’m still alive.” Eli saw a small smile erupt on her lips.
“What? Why are you smiling?” He met her smile with one of his own.
“It’s your breath. It makes me feel better. Like I’m floating. Always sooooo ... minty fresh.” She giggled as the door flew open.
“Young man, what are you doing here at this time of night? Don’t you know this girl is in quarantine?”
Eli stood and backed away. He couldn’t chance this woman touching him. Not in the state he was in right now.
“I’m sorry. I just had to see her.” He skirted his way around the room and out the door before she could lay a hand on him.
The nurse turned to Julie. She was smiling.
“Boyfriend?”
Julie thought for a moment. “No. Just a very good friend.”
The nurse rolled her eyes as she took Julie’s vitals. “Right. And I’m the Queen of England.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Wednesday morning, Lucy Temeluch stood at the door of 621 Garcia. She’d put off meeting her grandmother two days earlier, but now, claiming her place in the Temeluch clan was the only way she’d be able to enroll at White Mountain Consolidated, and the only way she’d be able to keep a close eye on the Fire-Child. According to Kas, Julie Mason had been a no-show at school for the last two days, but if the legend was correct, her injuries should be completely healed by today, and Lucy wanted to start tailing her as soon as possible. She lifted a hesitant finger and poked the doorbell. Then, she waited.
