Warrior Saints - Destroyer

by Carla Thorne

  “Nah, they’ll be here.”

  “Dude, it feels great in here. Want to try?”

  “No, it’s much better out here on the bridge to Hades as I work up a wicked case of butt-sweats.”

  Deacon snorted. “Trust me. A good dip in your own pool will cure your butt-sweats. Also, don’t talk about butt-sweats in front of the ladies.” He stopped swimming and hugged the side. “Can you explain something to me?”

  “I’m sure I can. Eventually.”

  He smacked a splash of water my way. “That’s for your butt-sweats.”

  “What’s the question?”

  “I get how you’re afraid of the water. You earned that one fair and square, but don’t you take showers? And drink water? And you’re sitting right here.” He flicked water my way again.

  “Stop it.”

  “Fine, but I’m curious, that’s all.”

  “It’s not the water. It’s what the water can do. I have control of the shower, but I don’t have control of the ocean. It’s too big.”

  I wasn’t going to tell him I didn’t even have control of the pool. I thought of being alone and getting a cramp and not being able to swim and slipping under the water. And that led to thinking of others who’d become submerged and couldn’t get out.

  It was an anxiety thing. It was PTSD. I wasn’t going to let it play out by way of a panic attack in front of my friends.

  “I’m working on it,” I said. “It’s the rush of water over my head and that muffled sound. You know, that wave of water in your face when you can’t take a breath.”

  Deacon pushed away and floated back. “Brother, you know we’ve got your back. When you’re ready to try to get in here, you’ll be fine. Between the four of us, what could happen to you in your own pool?”

  And what could happen to a family trying to escape rising water? My dad thought he could see the road. I knew the hard way a car could be washed away in just three inches of water.

  “Dude. Sorry.” Deacon nudged my foot. “Didn’t mean to say it like that.”

  “Nah, you’re good. I’m going to text Ivy.” I tapped out the message and changed the subject. “Where are we on the ski trip?”

  “Yeah.” Deacon shook like a puppy and sprayed water my way again. “We need to talk about that.”

  “Then get out of the pool, will you?” I tossed him a towel and started to move chairs closer to the table. “Ivy says they’ll be here soon.”

  “All right. The latest is that all our parents say it’s fine to go, but we have to earn some money.”

  “Duh.”

  “The first payment is due after the informational meeting at the school in two weeks. Then we have the whole month of November and part of December to earn.”

  I swiped dust off the table. “How much money do you have so far?”

  “Not much. I’ve been selling things with a local app—old games, systems, tech, sports equipment, stuff I don’t use or wear anymore. My parents said they’d match what I make, but it’s going slow. I’m trying to get some jobs in the neighborhood. I washed out and sanitized trash cans all last weekend. What about you?”

  I shrugged. I wasn’t about to tell him I’d saved every penny I made over the summer and could pay for both mine and Ivy’s trips. She was the only reason I wanted to go, but I could never make that offer. “I’m doing OK. I think Mary’s parents offered the matching thing too. Ivy asked her Aunt Connie if she’d forget her birthday and Christmas and give her cash for the trip, and she’s selling all the clothes Aunt Connie gave her that she won’t wear. She’s also a dog-walker for all the people in her complex who work late. She makes good money, especially now that the word’s out and they text her when it’s an emergency. Like when they have to work late or there’s a traffic issue.”

  “Houston’s a big city. There’s always a traffic issue getting home at night.”

  “Yep. That’s what she’s counting on, but we also need pocket money. We have a ways to go.”

  Deacon paused as he held a chair and slipped into his flip-flops. “Any ideas what to do about that?”

  Grandpa walked by with a handful of tools on his way to the shed. “Pressure washer.”

  “Hey, Grandpa.”

  “Hi, Mr. White.”

  “You need money? I got a pressure washer.”

  That got my attention. “You’d let me sell your pressure washer? What else is in that shed we can get rid of?”

  “Take it easy, son, you’re not selling any of my tools.”

  “Then what about the pressure washer?”

  “I’ll let you use it to make money.”

  “How?”

  “It’s not that difficult, son. You boys go door-to-door and see who needs their driveways and walkways done.”

  “Oohhhh. Good idea. You think people would want that?”

  “Well, we don’t have much winter and the holidays are comin’. People want their decks cleaned for company. Maybe even their gutters or the green stuff on their siding.”

  “Nice,” Deacon said. “And if a pressure washer is what I think it is, it’s like using a super-powerful squirt gun to knock dirt off stuff.”

  Grandpa scoffed. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but if you’re willing to work, I’m willing to teach you how to use the thing and not take out any windows or hurt yourself.”

  “How much can we charge?”

  “I’m already letting you use my pressure washer. Don’t you think the two of you could use those phones you always have your noses in to do some research?”

  “Yes, sir,” Deacon said. “Absolutely. We’re on it.”

  “Yeah, thanks Grandpa. We’ll talk to you later. Looking forward to it.”

  Ivy came around the house with Mary. “Whatcha’ all looking forward to?”

  “Finally,” Deacon grumped. “What’d you bring to eat?”

  “Sandwiches.”

  “There better be a full-sized, multi-level-meat-stacked Italian in there.”

  Mary pulled off her sunglasses. “Or what? You’re going to sit and watch while the rest of us eat because that was rude?”

  “Ouch,” I said. “Let me get you some cream for that burn.”

  “Don’t ever attempt to use that joke or one like it again, buddy.” Deacon held a chair out for Mary. “Sorry. May I please have the full-sized, multi-level-meat-stacked Italian I hope is in that bag?” He bowed and held out his hand. “Or anything else you would like to give me because I’m not picky and appreciate the effort.”

  She reached inside. “That’s better.”

  Ivy laughed. “Here’s the chips.”

  I grabbed a Dr Pepper from the cooler and opened it for Ivy. “Here you go.”

  She glanced up at me from under extra-long lashes. Those were new. With a hint of midnight blue. And a bit of sparkly something-or-other on her eyelids. And why did I know all that?

  She patted the chair next to her. “C’mon. I got that Philly cheesesteak sandwich you like.”

  She always said those things as if she hadn’t noticed my whole ribcage had collapsed inside my chest and crushed my vital organs. “Thanks,” I said on what I figured was my last breath.

  Ivy unwrapped her sandwich. “You didn’t answer my question. What are you guys looking forward to?”

  Deacon dumped a pile of chips on a napkin. “We have a new way to make money for the ski trip. We’re going to pressure wash stuff.”

  Mary shrugged. “Sure. Why not? You two with a high-powered machine—either powered by gas or electric, doesn’t matter—what could possibly go wrong?”

  “Hey now,” Deacon said. “We got this under control. But you might need to help us spread the word. We’ll make a flyer your parents can share online or text their friends. I’m thinking one subdivision at a time.”

  “That’ll work,” I said.

  Deacon dipped his head and glanced my way. “Psst.”

  I rubbed my mouth. “What? Something on my face?”

&
nbsp; “No. Something you said earlier. Are you going to be OK with this pressure-washing gig?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “It’s a lot of water and lot of power—and maybe not a lot of control. Depends on how well your grandpa can explain to us what to do.”

  “Thanks for asking, but I think I can handle a pressure washer. It’s not like we’re going to blast each other in the face with water.”

  Deacon laughed. “OK, yeah I hear it now. Just checking.”

  “We’ll be fine,” I said a little too loud. “I won’t point my nozzle in your face as long as you don’t point your nozzle in mine.”

  And then you could have heard a pin drop.

  Mary and Ivy blinked in cartoon-like unison.

  “Guys,” Mary said. “Is there something you want to share with us?”

  Chapter 15

  Mary

  I slipped into the pool and found a comfortable spot to lounge on the steps while Deacon tossed the last of our trash in the barrel beside the house. The near ninety-degree heat, even as the sun went down, made the pool the most comfortable place to be.

  Scout found a seat on the edge. “You gonna swim, Mary?”

  “I don’t think so. I’m pretty much healed, but I don’t feel like letting water rush up my nose yet. It’s hot, but I’ll probably sit here and watch you guys.”

  The last of the fading green and yellow bruises of my once black-and-blue face had disappeared in the last week.

  “You look great,” Scout said. “You can’t tell anything happened.”

  “Thanks. I feel like it took forever to clear up.”

  “It has been a while,” Ivy said. “But I’m glad you’re better and that we finally managed to make this time to talk—just the four of us.”

  Deacon joined us in the pool. “So, where do we start?”

  I knew they were looking at me. “Let’s start with Gavin. I know we’ve been texting, but let’s get it all out there.”

  “No one’s here to judge you or cause you pain, Mary,” Ivy said. “We don’t have to talk about Gavin.”

  “Yes, we do,” I insisted. “He’s not who I thought he was and it’s weird. Between the pool party and what Jacob said, I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  Deacon stopped swirling water with his hands. “Is he still trying to get back with you?”

  “Yeah. He leaves me little gifts. He taped a rose to my locker. He came to talk to my parents. I wasn’t there, but he talked to them like we were still a thing. So strange.”

  “You mean so much like a stalker,” Deacon said. “Did you ever find out if he was the one who was creepin’ behind you late that night after you had to work concessions at the football game?”

  “I don’t know what that was about. All I know is that someone was following me to my ride.”

  Ivy’s eyes widened. “And you weren’t scared? How do you do that? I would have run back to the stadium or fell in with the first group of people I saw.”

  “I wasn’t worried, that’s all. There were people around.”

  “About Corey,” Ivy said. “We all agree she was the girl who Jacob saw with Gavin at the pool party, but we don’t know why, right?”

  “Right,” Scout said. “But I think that was a coincidence. She came by late and Gavin was trying to stay close—”

  “But not close enough to actually help,” Deacon said.

  “In his defense,” I said. “I didn’t want him close.”

  “I know,” Scout continued. “What I’m trying to say is I think they just ran into each other around the side of the house.

  “Right. I see how the timing lines up, but I don’t understand what Jacob said happened on the walk. What he said was like full-blown Warrior stuff that even we don’t understand. I told you about my nighttime stuff and my drowning story. What Jacob described is like those fights I have. What triggered that response from Sebastian and our supernatural help?”

  Everyone stayed quiet.

  No one wanted to admit what we all thought.

  “Can I ask a logical question?” Scout asked.

  Deacon smirked his way. “Have we ever been able to stop you?”

  “Let him talk,” I said.

  “All right, listen. We now know Gavin’s got some issues. And we thought Corey was getting well, but all she’s done is become what tormented her. Sebastian warned us about enemies. Could Corey and Gavin be on the same side?”

  “If they are,” I said. “It’s not ours.”

  Even after what I’d been through with him, it was so hard to look at Gavin as not really being on my side. I thought all our assignments and battles would be with real bad guys, not the people I’d known my whole life. Not the people I loved.

  “I think the supernatural thing with Jacob might have been a fluke,” Deacon said. “An accident. You can’t help what you are, Mary. Jacob just happened to be the one helping you at the time. We don’t know much about the realm we’re spinning in and out of. It may have been something that will never happen again.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But there is something about him.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like he’s familiar. Like Sebastian was the first time I saw him in the garden. Jacob and I had a connection the first time we met. I can’t explain it.”

  Ivy pushed off the stairs and took a cooling loop in front of us. Water rippled across my body as she came to rest again nearby. “Maybe it can’t be explained. We’ve all been overthinking everything since we met Sebastian, and there’s been very little action. I think we’ll know an issue when we see it.”

  “But how do you do that? I spent almost a year with a guy who clearly has problems. He hid his aggression very well for a long time.”

  “No, he really didn’t,” Ivy whispered as she leaned in. “You knew something was wrong.”

  “And I chose to ignore it,” I whispered back. “And now I see that control he had over me kept me from seeing and doing other things and meeting new people.”

  “Well, it’s over now.”

  Scout tilted his head our way. “Anything you need to share? This is supposed to be a meeting of our great minds to catch up on Warrior business.”

  “No, nothing that will help,” I said. “My mind isn’t so great right now. I’m still confused and angry about Gavin, but I have to forgive him and move on. That door is closed.”

  “What about Jacob?” Deacon asked. “Even if he’s a coincidence in all this, I’m with Mary. There’s something there. He keeps turning up.”

  “Then what do we do about him?” I asked.

  “We watch him,” Deacon replied. “Or more like you watch him. You’re the one he’s connected to.”

  “Great. I get to keep an eye on two guys who are a part of one of the worse nights of my life.”

  Ivy bumped my shoulder. “At least you know which one isn’t going to hurt you.”

  “Do I know that? Just because Gavin’s the one who hit me and Jacob’s the one who helped me? Jacob might be a fake, and Gavin might be truly sorry and worthy of a second chance.”

  The look of horror on Ivy’s face was almost funny.

  “No wait, I don’t mean I’m taking him back. I’m only saying… I don’t know what I’m saying. Again.” I pointed at my head. “My mind isn’t so great right now.”

  “No worries,” Deacon said. “Give yourself time.”

  “Forget those two,” Scout said. “On to Corey. Do we know anything about the new Arrows?”

  Ivy’s expression changed to visibly agitated. “Can you believe that? After everything she’s been through. It’s like she went to the psych hospital and they took out the real Corey and replaced it was a vengeful and angry Corey. I get that she has to take her life back and find a safe place to cope, but really, the Arrows?”

  Scout changed positions and used a towel to make a pillow to rest his elbow on the concrete. “Maybe she wants to make it different. Maybe it’s her way of making things right in
that group.”

  “Um… No. Not a chance,” Ivy said. “It was like talking to Paige herself that day in the hall, and I was clearly dissed in her little declaration about me not being an Arrow, and therefore, not being her friend.”

  “Sorry that happened to you,” I said. “You had so much invested in her and the friendship.”

  “Totally. I thought we were friends, but let’s remember something we talked about before. Corey was my assignment. I completed my part. Something’s gone wrong there, but I don’t feel any obligation to step in, you know? I’m sad, and I feel like I must have done something wrong, but—”

  “You did nothing wrong,” Scout said. “She’s alive. You did everything right.”

  “Yes, I know she’s alive and got help, but do you really think the Creator’s plan was to use us to help, and then for Corey to end up an Arrow? What are we missing here? I feel like my assignment ended, and I miss my friend, but if this was the ultimate ending, I don’t think Corey’s OK.”

  Deacon did a somersault and ended up floating on his back. “What I’m hearing is we have more questions than answers.”

  “Yep,” Ivy said. “And nothing’s happening. We waited weeks to get together and talk and we have nothing new to add.”

  “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

  “Or maybe,” Scout said. “It’s the calm before the storm.”

  Ivy shivered. “Don’t say that. We’re not looking for a storm. Let’s maybe hit the hot tub and talk about something else.”

  Deacon flopped out of the pool close enough to Scout to irritate him.

  “Really? You’ve got this whole area to do your Deacon the Dolphin thing and you have to do it at the same spot I’m in?”

  “Ooops.”

  Ivy laughed at them. “I guess we all missed a heck of a homecoming game last night.”

  Everything about homecoming reminded me of the year before. It was all just sad.

  Deacon held out his hand as I stepped into the warm water. “Yeah, Mary, your boy Jacob is every bit the beast I said he was. We wouldn’t be winning anything if not for him.”

  “Yeah. I’m glad he’s doing well. He’s working for a college scholarship. Not that we talk much, but he did tell me that.”