by Lola StVil
“It’s not that simple, Mel. Marcus tried to work things out with Malakaro. We read his journals from that time, and he visited him several times. And it was obvious to see he was a dark kid, and over time he got darker.”
“Shouldn’t that be the reason why his father should have held on tighter to him and not abandoned him?”
“You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” I shout as I run down the steps and march towards her.
“Pry! Are you spying on us?” East asks.
“No, I just happened to overhear, and your girlfriend has a lot of nerve.”
“I wasn’t trying to offend. It’s just my opinion,” Melody says.
“Well, thank you so much for that. But you can keep your thoughts to yourself,” I inform her.
“Pry!” East says, growing angry.
“Look, I’m sorry I upset you, but I’m not on your team. You can’t force me to stay quiet.”
“No, Melody, I can’t. But I can tell you to get the hell out of this house,” I demand, pointing the way to the door.
“Fine,” she says as she heads for the exit.
“Mel, wait!” East begs.
“No! I won’t stay here and be disrespected just because I have an opinion that runs contradictory to your leader,” she says.
“You can have all the opinions you want, but you will do it from the other side of this door,” I order as I open the door and wait for her to walk through it.
“I know that the New Order is out of line for causing harm, but they are not wrong in demanding justice. Your brother took a lot away from them. And you can try to spin it any way you want, but the reason Malakaro is running loose is because of your father. I’m sorry to say it, but…like your father, I don’t think you’re much of a leader.”
“Maybe I’m not being clear—GET THE FUCK OUT!” I yell.
She looks over at East with a mix of anger and sadness, then walks out. I slam the door behind her.
“She’s done. She’s not coming back here. Do you understand?” I ask.
“No, I don’t. How could you treat her like that?”
“East, did you hear what she said about my father? About me?”
“Yes, I did, and I disagree with her. But since when was it a crime to express your thoughts?”
“East, it’s obvious she is not the girl for you.”
“Who are you to decide that?”
“Melody is—”
“Melody is my business, not yours, not the team’s, mine. She’s in my life, and I get to say if she remains there or not.”
“East, you know that’s not how it works. If she’s in your life, she’s in all of ours. You can’t keep seeing her.”
“You have made some very questionable moves in the romance department. If your love life was a place, it would be Chernobyl. But I’ve never said, ‘Pry, don’t be with this guy or that guy,’ because I knew you needed to make your own decision. So for you to stand there and tell me who I can and can’t date…that’s just really low of you, Pry.”
“East, I’m sorry, but she thinks very little of us.”
“No, she thinks very little of you and the way you run this team. I stood up for you and defended you. But right now, I’m not sure why.” He grabs his jacket off the hook and slams the door behind him.
“Argh!” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. I take out my cell and call Bex as I head into the kitchen for a much-needed drink. It goes to voicemail. Perfect.
“Hey, it’s me. I’m having a spectacularly crappy day. I’ve pissed off nearly everyone in the house. Our unintentional sex tape has reached heights of fame that would rival Kim K’s sex tape. In fact, I’m pretty sure every being in existence has seen me naked…I can’t imagine the craziness you are dealing with in the Para world…I just called because…I don’t know…I guess I needed to hear a friendly voice…call me back. Bye.”
I pull out a bottle of Coy from the fridge just as Swoop enters the kitchen. She tells me to grab her one. She looks deep in thought and far from her usual energetic self. So as I hand her the bottle of Coy, I can’t help but be concerned.
“Swoop, is everything okay? Is it RJ? Is he alright?” I ask.
“Yes, he’s great. Noodles has grown so much in the past few months. He’s like twice his size. He barks at anyone who comes near RJ. He’s super protective and lets RJ put a cape on him.”
“A cape?”
“Yes. My son wants to be a superhero,” she says, smiling ironically.
“Which one?”
“Superman.”
“Good choice,” I reply.
“He refuses to sleep unless he has his red cape on and will only answer when you call him ‘Super.’”
“Well, if everything is okay with RJ, why do you look so sad? Is it Key? Are you missing her?” I ask.
“I do miss her. More than I thought I could miss anyone, but this isn’t about her.”
“Okay, what is it about?”
“Can we sit for a minute?”
“Sure,” I reply as I take a seat next to her at the table.
“I’ve been waiting for the right time to talk to you, and I realize that time may never come. There’s always something going on, so I think I should just come out with it.”
“Good idea,” I reply.
“I have done some crazy and really out-there things. I’ve partied my ass off and loved every minute of it. But all the while, I’ve never felt…at peace anywhere. I’ve always felt fractured in some way. I guess that explains my time as Raven.
“Anyway, the feeling of being uncertain and incomplete went away when I first held my son. Pry, his little toes and fingers…I’d been searching for a way to be happy for my entire life, and with just one little smile, RJ made me happy; I mean, blissfully content and utterly complete. RJ is the love of my life. And every day that goes by where I don’t get to be with him hurts. It hurts.”
“Oh, Swoop, I’m sorry. We can try to see if we can get the two of you some more time together. Maybe a few hours on the weekends?” I offer.
“You don’t get it. Pry, I am watching my child grow up without me. I don’t know what his first word was. I don’t know what cry means he’s hungry and what cry means he’s hurt. I wasn’t there when he first used his powers. I missed all of that. And every day, I miss out on even more.”
“I thought you were watching him on video. You know so much about him, Swoop. You are a part of his life.”
“No, Pry. I’m watching his life; there’s a difference.”
“Swoop, there’s more you’re not telling me. Before, you were okay with the way things were. What brought this on?”
“A few weeks ago, I looked on the monitor and watched as my son reached out from his crib and called another woman mom.”
“Oh, Swoop, I’m so sorry.”
“Pry, it nearly ripped my damn heart out. And today, just hearing how much Randy hates his mom…I can’t let my absence scar my kid like that.”
“I get it, Swoop. I really do. But we’ve talked about this before, and you know how much danger comes with this life of yours. If we let RJ live with us, he will always be a target. You are staying away from RJ because you love him and want him to be safe.”
“That’s not what he will see. That’s not the way he will view things years from now.”
“RJ will know that you love him and acted accordingly.”
“Pry, can you guarantee me that?”
“No, but, Swoop, what else is there to do?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about; I want to be with RJ. And like you said, it’s dangerous to bring him into the angel world. So, instead of him coming to me, I want to go to him.”
“Meaning?”
“I found a mixture called Whim. It takes away any and all powers. But it requires blood from my leader—as a sign of consent.”
“Swoop, what are you asking?”
“I want to give up the angel world and raise my
son as a human. I can’t do that without your consent. Will you help me be with my son? Will you let me stop being Noru?”
Chapter Eleven:
Malko
She looks over at me and waits with bated breath. I’ve known Swoop all my life, and I’ve never seen her so desperate. It feels like whatever comes out of my mouth will send her to her own personal heaven or hell. So I do my best to tread lightly.
“Swoop, it’s not that simple. There’s no guarantee that demons wouldn’t come after you. That would stay the same. The only difference would be this time you would have no power to fend them off.”
“Both RJ and I would have no powers. We would be of no use to them,” she insists.
“You know that’s not true. Your father is a Guardian. Your mom’s alter ego, Redd, has powers that are unmatched by any being in the world. You are of value to evil whether you have powers or not,” I remind her.
“They won’t be able to find us. I will take my baby as far away as I can. Please, you have to let me do this. It’s my only chance.”
“Even if you could live a life without demons, the fact is we need you. You know how important you are to the team.”
“Pry, I love you. You know that. I also love this team. But we have been fighting evil forever, and I am good with losing my life in the name of the team. I have always been okay with that. But this is no longer about me. It’s about RJ. I’m not good with losing him. Please don’t ask me to be.”
“I’m not asking that of you. But you know that RJ is fine where he is, and you coming into his life can hurt him more than it helps him.”
“How does staying away from my son help him?”
“You’re keeping him safe,” I remind her yet again.
“I’m keeping his body safe. But what is my absence doing to his heart? His soul? Did you see Randy when he found out his mom was back in town? That boy was shattered. He’s seething with rage and will probably never forgive his mother.”
“You and Randy’s mom are two completely different beings. You gave your son up so he could be safe. She gave him up to sing in a series of dive bars.”
“Do you think that will make a difference to a kid?”
“Swoop—”
“Pry, I know that I’m asking for a lot. And it kills me to even think of walking away from my team, my family. If I didn’t have RJ, I would never want to leave you guys. East is the only family I have left on Earth. Silver is basically my big brother; Diana and I have just started to really become friends. And you and I…Pry, I hate not being here for you and having your back. But losing my family, my team, and the way of life I was brought up in is a sacrifice I’m willing to make if it means getting to raise my son.”
“Swoop, I know how much you love RJ. I do. I’ve watched him change for the better. And I don’t have any kids and I have no right to act like I know how hard it is to be away from your child. But what you’re asking of me, of all of us…”
“I know, it’s a lot. And to make matters worse, my timing sucks. But I need this. I need this chance.”
“Swoop—”
“Kiana. Swoop is the girl who partied every chance she got and didn’t have a care in the world. This is me, Kiana. Swoop’s gone. Not to say I can’t party with the best of them, but all of that is second to taking care of RJ.”
“Diana didn’t want to be called Ruin anymore, so I guess I can see why you don’t want to be Swoop,” I reply.
“It’s just a name, Pry. You can call me anything you want. Just let me go so I can be with my son and experience what it’s like to be called mom.”
“Wow, so what did you say to her?” Randy asks a few hours later as we sit in his room.
“She wouldn’t let me say yes or no. She begged me to think about it for a while,” I reply.
“But you’re going to have to say no, right?”
“Maybe I don’t. Maybe we can figure things out minus one team member,” I lie.
“Pryor…”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that so much has already been taken from Swoop. She lost Key; she lost chunks of her memory, including the birth of her son; and although he was a demon, the Gentleman clearly loved her. And while he was a vicious bastard to most, he was good to her. She loved him. And he gets taken away too. Now, she just wants a chance to be a good mom. How can I tell her no?”
“Well, you have to give it to her, at least she’s fighting to be with her kid. Unlike my mother—she hopped on the first thing moving and took off,” he says bitterly.
“I have some news about that; East texted me, as did the Face and Uncle Rage. They were tasked to seek out any information on your mom that may connect her to a butterfly.”
“And?” he asks nervously.
“East followed her out of your house and used a device to scan her body for markings or tattoos of any kind. And she has none,” I inform him.
“So she’s not the butterfly?”
“No. That means you don’t have to stay away from her.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t on my long list of reasons why I don’t want to see her.”
“I know, but maybe you could give her a chance to tell you her side of the story.”
“Yeah, right. No, thanks.”
“How does your dad feel about you not seeing her?”
“He’s called and texted me a hundred times. He told me he forgives her and that he wants me to do the same. Screw that. She can give up on me, I can give up on her.”
“Randy, I know you’re hurting. I get it. But maybe—”
“I know you want to help. But you don’t get it because you had a mom that loved you. A mom who loved her kids so much that when her youngest died, she nearly flooded the world with her tears. You don’t know what it’s like to be abandoned, thrown away. To spend years wondering what you did to make your own mom stop loving you,” Randy says.
“Perhaps she doesn’t. But I assure you, I do,” a voice says.
And right before our eyes, a Noru appears in his standard long, all black, form-fitting garb; next to him stands his mammoth, bloodthirsty panther. I immediately stand in front of Randy, serving as a shield between him and Malakaro. I hold both hands out, and a stream of power leaps from my palm and aims for the center of Malakaro’s chest. He waves the attack off with his hand as if he’s waving away a bothersome housefly.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I demand.
“I came to see Randall,” he says.
“Get the hell away from me! I don’t want anything to do with you. You killed my girlfriend, you sick fuck!”
“I can see that my sister has allowed you to get into some bad habits. Cursing is very rude, Randall. It shows a lack of breeding and class.”
“You want Randy, you have to be ready to kill me first,” I rage.
“Yes, yes, I gathered that. But again, my only interest is in helping your friend realize his full potential,” Malakaro says.
“I don’t want your help,” Randy spits bitterly.
“You’re upset about Keyohmi. Perhaps I should have waited to kill her. Perhaps it was something you and I should have done together?”
Randy charges at him with all his might. It’s all I can do to stop him from tackling our uninvited guest.
“Randall, it is not my intention to anger you.”
“How did you know we were here? Who told you?” I demand.
“Makayla has tasted Randall’s blood. Therefore, they are linked. She will be able to track him wherever he is.”
“Good to know; get the hell out,” I shout.
“I am told that your mom has returned,” he says to Randy.
“Yeah, so what?” Randy replies.
“I’m guessing she now wants to meet. She now wants to be part of your life?”
“Yes,” Randy says hesitantly.
“As much as you hate her, part of you longs to see her again,” the psychopath says.
“How do you know that? Is it because of the panther? Do you n
ow know what I feel?” Randy asks.
“I do know how you feel, but that is not due to Makayla. I know how you feel because I faced similar issues when Marcus Cane left me. On one hand, I hated him with everything that I was. On the other hand, I sought him out often.”
“Why?” Randy asks.
“Because I needed to know why he stopped coming to see me. I needed to know how a father could cut off his own son.”
“My father did not cut you off. You were a raging ball of evil. You tried to kill Sam, and he had no choice but to stay away from you. He did what he did to keep his children safe,” I challenged angrily.
“I was Marcus’s child. I belonged to him. Yet there was no safety. There was no reassurance. No love. All that remained after Marcus abandoned me was a series of soul-crushing questions going around in my head in a loop. You know what questions, don’t you, Randy? The same questions you’re asking yourself now.”
“You don’t know what Randy is feeling or thinking. He’s not you. He’s a good person, and he will never relate to your sick and twisted thoughts,” I assure Malakaro.
Malakaro studies Randy as if he’s looking in a mirror. And when he speaks to Randy again, there’s something in his voice I have never heard before—sadness.
“I know the questions that haunt him. They are the questions the forgotten ones are cursed to ask themselves every day: Why did the one who says she loves me hurt me more than anyone else in the world? How could I be unwanted? Why does she not return my love?”
I look over at Randy and find him and Malakaro locked in a silent exchange. They aren’t talking, but their eye contact is intense.
“And then there’s the biggest, most difficult question of all, Randall: How can I make them feel the same pain I am feeling?”
“That’s crap. Randy isn’t thinking that,” I counter.
Randy doesn’t agree with him, but he also doesn’t deny it either. I take Randy’s hand and snap him back to reality.
“Randy, tell him he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Randy looks back at me with shame and regret in his eyes.
