We Are Always Forever

by Campbell, Jamie

  His eyebrows arched in reply.

  “Go over to the stack of books on the counter and knock them onto the ground.”

  His eyebrows went even higher. I nodded, leaning back so that it was clear there was no further discussion on the matter. I started to pack up the table, acting as nonchalant as possible.

  Nothing to see here, right?

  Nothing going on, nobody stealing anything.

  “Are you going to tell me why?” he asked.

  I shook my head, no.

  Jet shot me one more look before rising to his feet slowly. He was probably remembering the last time he had messed with the books in the library. The librarian had viciously attacked him, taking a considerable chunk out of his forehead.

  Hopefully that wouldn’t happen again.

  But I wasn’t going to make any promises.

  He still had a scar.

  I watched him out of the corner of my eye, too afraid to pay as much attention as I needed to. I moved slowly, waiting for the crash that would give me a tiny window of opportunity.

  Jet’s footsteps echoed in the quiet library. It was an oasis in the center of the city, kept that way by the scary librarian. Right now, Jet would be feeling the effects of having her so near.

  He would be feeling the cold chill as it circled his spine. It would be oozing through his limbs and shadowing his thoughts. He wouldn’t understand why he was feeling such a sense of dread and horror, but his thoughts would all turn black without warning.

  Bang.

  The stack of books on the counter fell to the floor. One quick glance told me the librarian was about to teach him a lesson for disrespecting her books.

  My hand was around the ancient book as quickly as lightning struck. I slid it under my shirt and then tucked my shirt into my jeans. The old cover was freezing cold against my skin. Pulling my coat across my chest, the rectangle outline was barely visible.

  “You are so clumsy,” I said as I passed Jet, still scrambling to pick up the books. “You should apologize to the librarian.”

  “He is never allowed back in here again,” the librarian hissed, her bird-like features twisted. “You tell him that. He’s not welcome. If I see him in here again, there will be trouble. You understand? Tell him.”

  “It was just an accident.”

  “Tell him!”

  Jet picked up the last book, completely oblivious the woman’s words. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, staring at a spot where the librarian wasn’t hovering.

  “We need to go,” I said, grabbing his arm to guide him toward the door. The book was like a telltale heart, beating out a rhythm of its own under my shirt.

  Jet stumbled over his own feet while trying to keep up with me. He was still trying to shake off the chill lacing his veins. Even outside, I didn’t stop. We walked down one block, then two. Then another before I was satisfied the librarian hadn’t followed us.

  “Are you going to explain what that was all about?” Jet stared at me, intently awaiting an answer.

  “I needed a distraction.”

  “So you set the librarian onto me?”

  I shrugged, unable to keep the smirk from my lips. “It’s tough times, some people must make sacrifices for the masses.”

  Jet started to shake his head slowly in disbelief. “I guess I should be glad she didn’t strike me this time.”

  “Exactly. Oh, and you’re now banned from the library. I wouldn’t go back in there if I were you. Not if you value your life.”

  “Was that your plan? To keep me out of there?”

  He was only half-serious.

  I pulled open my coat and extracted the book from underneath my shirt. It was warmed now, acclimatized to the heat of my skin. I held it up like it was a prized possession. “You had to distract her so I could take this.”

  Jet laughed, finally getting it. He reached for the book, flipping through a few of the pages. “You could have just asked her.”

  “I already did, she said no.”

  “Stealing from the librarian.” He tsked like I was a naughty child and he was a school teacher. “What have you become, Everly Hilton?”

  I snatched the book back. “Clearly I’ve become a thief. Now, come on, we’re wasting time. Take me to your translator.”

  He insisted on taking the Crain.

  The half car, half train contraption was noisy and clunky as we drove along the old train tracks. It was the only one that existed in the city and Jet loved every minute of the ride.

  It had to be a boy thing.

  We stopped at a junction and Jet jumped out of the Crain to change the direction of the tracks. It should have only taken him less than a minute to haul the switch in the opposite direction.

  And it would have done, too.

  If we weren’t suddenly surrounded by a gang of boys.

  Chapter Seven

  Every nerve in my body was on high alert. Terror gripped my muscles. I screamed at them to be ready to move, to run when attacked, but I doubted they would listen to me.

  The boys – seven in total – wore nothing but contempt and danger on their faces. They stared without seeing human beings, they only registered enemies.

  I silently begged for Jet to return to the Crain. If he did, then maybe, just maybe, we would be able to get away from them. If any stood in our path, we would plow on through. We would injure before they could injure us.

  Jet was standing there, still mucking with the rails without seeing how much danger we were in. They would take their moment to strike any second now. Once started, they wouldn’t be able to stop. I wouldn’t be able to fight them and even Jet was far outnumbered by the seven of them.

  Two against seven.

  Those weren’t good odds by any standards.

  Their eyes were focused on me, their hands clenched, their legs ready to spring. They were nothing but wild animals, savage and feral with nothing to lose.

  And they were out for blood.

  One moved closer. One little foot in front of the other and it was enough to send a new rush of panic from my head right down to the tips of my toes.

  Memories of being trapped and kidnapped before, beaten and bruised, damaged and near-death, flooded back through my thoughts. There was no telling what these seven could do to me. Maybe everything else I’d experienced was just a warm up.

  Finally, Jet looked around.

  He stopped, frozen mid-stride as he took in the ring of boys surrounding us. I waited for it to sink in, the dismal odds of getting away.

  One second.

  Two seconds.

  Three seconds.

  A huge grin spread over his lips as his shoulders relaxed.

  It took a moment for my brain to process what was happening. The boy closest to him shook his hand, slapping him on the back like they’d known each other forever.

  “Jet! It’s good to see you, buddy. What are you doing out here?” he asked jovially.

  What?!?

  All seven of the boys huddled around Jet like he was a rock star and they were his groupies. He greeted them all by name, making them burst with pride and happiness.

  At least I was forgotten.

  They talked amongst themselves, catching up on whatever it was they all did. I sat in the Crain, trying to find my shattered nerves that were surely spread out all over the floor.

  “Who’s the chick?” My ears pricked up.

  Jet moved to stand next to the Crain. “This is Everly.”

  One of the magnificent seven slapped Jet on the back. “Nicely done, dude.”

  He shook his head, brushing off whatever that comment meant. “We’re going to visit Kalinda. Have you guys seen her around lately?”

  “Kalinda? The mad Croatian chick? Dude, you’ve got to be crazy.”

  “She’s Romanian, not Croatian. And she’s not mad,” Jet corrected. “She’s just misunderstood. The Event messed with everyone’s minds.”

  “Man, she was messed up before the Event. Don’t make ex
cuses for her. Some chicks are just freaky.”

  Jet rolled his eyes, laughing with them. Although, I got the feeling it was more out of camaraderie than actually agreeing with them. “So have you seen her lately or not?”

  The one with his hand still haphazardly on his shoulder replied. He seemed to be the leader of the little group. “Last I seen Kalinda she was holed up in that shack she calls a house. Said she wouldn’t come out for nothing.”

  “Well, she should be easy to find then,” Jet replied. “We’d better keep going. Wouldn’t want to run into you lot after dark.”

  The comment earned him another round of back slapping and laughter.

  Boys.

  Seriously.

  After some more goading and teasing, Jet climbed into the Crain and we were on our way again. I didn’t even want to ask about the gang and how Jet knew them. I got the feeling I wouldn’t want to know the answer.

  My curiosity about Kalinda was heightened after hearing them talk about her, though. If she was a little on the nuts side, it was going to be difficult getting her to translate the book for me. I didn’t need any more road blocks.

  We pulled up in a neighborhood I wasn’t familiar with. The kids hanging out of the derelict buildings were all of different heritages. Italians mixed with Latinos, Greeks, Cubans, and every other nationality.

  I got the feeling the buildings were derelict long before the Event.

  “When we find Kalinda, just let me do the talking, okay?” Jet started, giving me a serious frown. “She’s not crazy like those guys said, but she is… different. I know how to handle her.”

  “Okay.”

  “Good, then.”

  He led the way through the ramshackle buildings that would collapse if I exhaled too strongly. I held my breath, hoping they would last for a just a little while longer, at least.

  The streets were all small laneways, a tunnel that only got thinner the further into the maze we delved. I wasn’t sure how people managed to breathe here. The smell lingering in the air was stale, full of smoke and a garbage stench that even the late winter’s wind couldn’t move on.

  I wanted to turn and run, get the hell away from here as quickly as possible. If I could be sure to find my way back, I might have done. But the fear of being forever lost in the lanes was a greater fear than following Jet.

  At least he seemed to know where we were going.

  Jet’s confident stride led the way, around corners and through doors that were barely visible to the naked eye. We ducked under pipes, stepped over piles of trash, and skirted around pools of acrid water.

  Finally, we stopped outside a door painted red. The color was flaking off, one good wind and it would all blow away to be lost forever.

  Jet knocked and we waited. The anticipation of what we would find on the other side built with every second that passed. I was nervous, even though there was nothing to be nervous about. I was scared, anxious, worried, and a plethora of other emotions that all resulted in the nauseous feeling making a home in my stomach.

  A miniature door within the door opened, a suspicious eye appearing in the middle.

  The miniature door closed again.

  And then the big door opened.

  “Jet!” the girl exclaimed, throwing her arms around Jet’s neck and holding on for dear life. Did every girl have to react the same way to his mere presence?

  “Kalinda, hi,” Jet replied, carefully extracting himself from her grip. “I was worried you might have moved or disappeared on me.”

  “I have to stay here. They won’t be able to find me otherwise.”

  Jet smiled kindly down at her. “This is Everly. We were hoping we might be able to talk to you about something. Can we come in?”

  Kalinda looked me up and down.

  Which was only fair, considering I was doing the same to her.

  With her hair almost as black as the midnight sky, and her short stature, she looked as harmless as a fly. If it wasn’t for her wide, intense, black eyes I might have underestimated her. Whatever was burning behind those peepers, it was capable of much more than people gave her credit for.

  I’d bet my life on it.

  “Can I trust her?” she asked, addressing Jet while still staring at me.

  “You can.”

  “You’d better come in then. Excuse the mess.” She disappeared into the darkness behind the door. Jet followed without hesitation, it took me a moment longer.

  She wasn’t kidding about the mess.

  There was stuff everywhere.

  From floor to ceiling, Kalinda had stocked the small room with newspapers, magazines, any shred of paper she could get her hands on. It was a fire hazard just waiting for a chance to burn.

  It would illuminate the entire city.

  We weren’t alone, either. Two spirits had been huddled in the corner since we stepped into the place. They stood once they noticed Kalinda had company.

  One man and one woman.

  Her parents? They all shared the same dark hair and stood close enough together to be familiar. It was possible. I purposefully ignored their presence.

  The only light was coming from a small lantern set in the middle of the room – battery operated, thankfully. There was no other furniture apart from four stools set around the lantern.

  Kalinda sat, so did Jet. I wasn’t entirely convinced we were safe but I took the stool next to him anyway. My feet stayed ready to run.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” Kalinda asked, her bright eyes darted between us. They lingered on Jet as he opened his mouth to speak.

  “We’ve got a book and we need to know what it says,” he started. “But it’s in Romanian.”

  She laughed, a giggle that did nothing to appease her insane reputation. Her body rocked back and forth, letting out the amusement like it had been trapped inside her for two years. Maybe more.

  If Jet thought her behavior was strange, he didn’t let on. He sat there, a pleasant smile fixed on his face and his hands resting neatly on his lap. He was a picture of politeness.

  The ghost couple hovered over, their attention caught by the noise. They stood on either side of the girl, looking over her shoulder.

  Kalinda’s breaths started coming in gasps as she settled down. One single hiccup and her attention was back to the present. “Why are you trying to read a book in another language? Nobody reads books anymore. They burn them.”

  Sadly, she was right.

  “We’re doing some research, trying to work out how to grow more food.” He was lying his pants off now. I wondered if he had already planned what he was going to tell her or whether he was making it up as he went along.

  Knowing Jet, every word was probably carefully formulated.

  “We could do with more food,” Kalinda agreed. “Show me the book. It won’t hurt me if I just take a look at it, will it?”

  “No, it won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  Jet looked toward me expectantly. I handed Kalinda the book, praying she wouldn’t insist on adding it to her pile of mess as a capstone.

  I channeled the librarian as I cringed when her fingers flipped the pages with no regard for the book’s safety.

  She chose a page, holding the book only inches away from her face to study it in greater detail. I was worried of spooking her, doing anything that would make her change her mind from helping us, so I sat as still as a statue and waited.

  And waited.

  Jet’s hands rubbed along his knees while he grew impatient. He shot me a look, I had no idea what he was trying to say. For all intents and purposes, Kalinda was living up to her reputation and I didn’t know what more to do.

  He took a breath. “So, what do you think?”

  The girl startled, like she had completely forgotten we were still there. She rested the book on her lap, leaving it open at the page she was studying so intently.

  It took another few moments for her to remember to speak and formulate a sentence. “It’s not Romanian.�
�

  “It’s not?” The question was out of my mouth before I could remember to stay silent.

  Her gaze never left Jet’s face. “No, it’s not. Well, it is. But it’s not.”

  Jet leaned over and clasped his fingers around her hands. It stopped her mid-ramble. “What language is it, Kalinda? Can you read it?”

  “It’s an ancient form of Romanian called Roumanian. Some of the words are messed up, the sentences aren’t right. They don’t sit together like they’re supposed to,” she replied, focused only when he was touching her and keeping her grounded.

  It was official.

  Kalinda was nuts.

  Jet continued. “So you can understand what the book says?”

  Her head started nodding and it was enough to make me forget about the way he was still holding her hands. “Mostly. It’s not talking about food. It’s talking about things much, much worse. Like what happens when the stars all fall from the sky. Terrible, terrible things.”

  “Kalinda, if I tell you what we’re looking for, will you be able to handle it? It’s not very nice.”

  “Not very nice. Not very nice.”

  “Kalinda,” Jet repeated, trying to keep her on point. It was a hard task. “Will you help us? It’s very important.”

  “I like helping,” she replied.

  “We’re looking for instructions on how to kill a demon. We don’t want to vanquish one, we want to kill one. Do you think you could remember that and read the book?” He spoke slowly, softly, like he was speaking with a two year old child.

  “Demons are evil.”

  “Yes, they are.”

  “They’re not real.”

  “No, they’re not.”

  My head was starting to spin just trying to keep up with them. The flicker of hope I’d felt on the way to meet Kalinda was starting to shrink down to a mere ember.

  When I looked up, I caught the eye of the male spirit. It was too late to look away and pretend I didn’t see him.

  But maybe I didn’t want to.

  I raised one eyebrow, silently questioning them. I didn’t know what I was asking, but I was curious about what the couple were thinking. They were interested in the book, even when Kalinda had lost her interest.