We Shall Rise

by J. E. Hopkins

  Ibrahim held Sybilla’s lifeless body for days until the local clansmen convinced him to bury her respectfully. He finally agreed. The midwife stayed to take care of the baby. He allowed her to be named Reysa, the name his wife had chosen, but that was the only interest he showed in the child. He refused to touch or hold the squirming infant who had killed his mate.

  “He wanted me to go away, but he also wanted me to stay because I was all that was left of her. He couldn’t help but hate me. I felt it as a child. I didn’t understand his coldness. There were moments where he seemed to care and others where he would totally shut me out. I tried so hard to win his love, but it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t what he wanted and he despised me for taking away the one person who mattered most. He deteriorated before my eyes. He rarely ate or spoke. He was just empty. One day he decided that he didn’t want to live in Rwanda. The memories were too strong, too raw for his fragile emotions. I was devastated. I begged him to let me stay even without him, but he refused. He told me that if he couldn’t be happy, neither could I. I knew at that moment he would always hate me. Yet despite all of that, I still loved him and I still wanted him to love me.”

  Kaden wiped the tears that had escaped. The desire to kill her father was even stronger than the desire he had to kill his own. “It wasn’t your fault your mother died.”

  “It doesn’t matter. In his mind it was and that’s why he couldn’t love me. I always felt bad for causing him such pain. To see the loss on his face every day broke me.”

  Ibrahim moved Reysa across the world to Rio de Janiero. He wanted a fresh start far away from the painful memories of Africa. But there was no escaping the loss of his mate or the child who reminded him of that loss daily.

  “He sank into this depression of sorts. He would just sit there and stare into space for days, completely unresponsive to anyone. He would come out of it briefly and for a moment he would be my father, but then he would be lost to me again. I hated his silence. I would rather have him yell at me than be so silent. The days of silence lasted longer and longer until there was nothing but silence. I was so desperate for his attention that I thought if I did something dramatic he would snap out of it. On the day of my birthday, or more importantly the date my mother died, I went to his room and I gave him a choice, come back to me or I’ll leave.”

  Reysa approached her father, his dark skin so disturbingly pale from hunger. She climbed into his lap and touched his cheek. “Papa, I’m sorry I took her away. I’m sorry you’re unhappy cause of me. I’m sorry I can’t bring her back.” She kissed him on the cheek but no response. Her green eyes watered. “Please talk to me, Papa. Don’t be quiet anymore. I don’t want the quiet anymore.”

  Ibrahim sat there in silence, never acknowledging his daughter’s plea. Reysa wrapped her tiny arms around him and then jumped off his lap. She went towards the window of his bedroom and sat on the frame for what felt like hours hoping that the silent stalemate would end, but Ibrahim never acknowledged her. “Do you want me to leave Papa?” she asked as she peered out the seventh floor window. “Tell me you want me to stay Papa.” Reysa wept pleading and begging her father just to see her, one time. She would have welcomed his anger, in exchange for some sign of life—some recognition that she existed.

  No response. Reysa looked down one last time. “I’m sorry, Papa. I love you.” And with those final words she jumped.

  “I still can’t believe I did it. I don’t know what possessed me to do it. I didn’t want to die, but I wanted to know he cared. I wanted him to care, but you know what, he didn’t. I hit my head on the ground and I felt the blood draining from my skull. People started to surround me and tell me I would be ok, but I wanted to see him. I looked up to that window hoping to see him, but all I saw was a curtain blowing from the light breeze of that autumn day.

  “My nurse found me and patched me up, but she didn’t bring me back to the apartment. She told me that I needed to get away from here. There was a better place for me. A few days later she gave me some money and put me on a boat headed towards Caracas. That’s where I met Christian, or rather, Cristiano.”

  One of the crewmen was the cousin of Reysa’s nurse so he had agreed to look out for the child making sure she was safe.

  “I had food, water and all the basics, but I felt so excruciatingly alone.”

  Several weeks later they ended up in La Guaira Port. Reysa’s was dropped off and left standing there with no place to go and no home.

  “I didn’t speak the language and I knew no one. I wanted to jump in the sea and swim away. I ended up walking and walking and walking until my legs gave out. I collapsed in a deserted alley. I woke up to a pair of beautiful golden eyes and a heartbreaking smile. I didn’t know this child who looked no older than I, but for some reason I felt safe with him. I’ve always felt safe with him.”

  “Habla espanol?” the boy asked.

  No response.

  “Habla ingles?”

  Again nothing.

  “Habla?

  Reysa couldn’t understand a word he said, but she hoped he could understand her. “Do you speak English or French or Kinyarwanda?”

  “English, no French and I can’t pronounce the last thing you said.”

  Reysa smiled for the first time in weeks. “My name is Reysa.”

  “My name is Cristiano or Christian in English.”

  “Which do you prefer?”

  “Christian.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll call you. You will be my Christian.”

  “As long as you’ll be my Reysa.”

  Reysa and Christian sat in the alley talking for hours about how they both ended up abandoned. Christian explained that he was born in Peru and had lived there with his mother until a few months prior. He never knew his father, but he was told he was from New Zealand. His mother woke him up one day and told him they were taking a trip to Venezuela. He was so excited, but Leila Castillo didn’t share the enthusiasm. Once they arrived in Caracas, they visited a beautiful cathedral. Christian was fascinated and wanted to go inside. His mother encouraged him to go explore. When he turned around to point something out to her, she was gone. He looked everywhere for her, but she vanished without a trace.

  All he had was the small bag she packed for him. He opened it up and found eighty-five Peruvian Nuevo Sol and a note explaining that she was sorry.

  “He had such an amazing positive spirit. After what he had been through, he could have and should have been a mess, but he was so calm. He later told me that he was glad she left him; otherwise he would never have found me.” Reysa turned to Kaden imploring him to understand. “He saved me, Kaden. I was afraid and lost and confused, but he took care of me and the fear went away. He turned every day into an adventure for us. We jumped on boats and travelled anywhere and everywhere. He always made sure we had plenty to eat and drink. He made sure we survived. If anyone tried to hurt me, he attacked them. Even at six years old, he possessed an uncanny strength. I watched him easily take down three boys twice his size. I knew he had to be different. He didn’t know what he was. His mother was a vampire, but his father was unknown. As you know, vampire abilities take longer to develop. He shouldn’t have been that powerful at five. I was part vampire and I had a fraction of his strength. I didn’t see much vampire in him. One day we ran into a seer. She took one look at Christian and said that he was the child of the wolf and that one day he would be the most powerful of lycans.”

  They hitched several ships until they eventually ended up in New Orleans. It was there that an eight-year-old Reysa and ten-year-old Christian met Savannah. Reysa wanted to go to the travelling circus. Christian was reluctant. He hated seeing animals caged, but Reysa felt like she needed to be there. Christian agreed to go with her.

  “When I saw Savannah, I knew that’s why I needed to be there. I needed to set her free.”

  Later that night long after the show ended. Reysa and Christian snuck back into the circus and set Savannah and well as most o
f the wild animals free. Savannah became the mother that neither of them had but both needed. Their small family grew. Broderick joined them several years later then Alejandro. It had been the five of them against the world for years. Their family has continued to grow and now it includes hundreds of other Misfits, abandoned creatures of the night who needed a home just as Reysa and Christian had.

  “Can you understand, Kaden? Can you understand how important Christian is to me? Why I need him in my life always?”

  Kaden knew he was being unreasonable, but he hated feeling like the third wheel when Christian was around. He had to accept that she couldn’t abandon the mutt. Hell, he owed him so much for taking care of her all those years. Kaden bristled at the thought of all the horrible things that could have happened to her had Christian not been there to protect her. If not for Christian, he would probably have never had this chance to be with her.

  “I can’t help but understand,” he conceded. “It’s just hard knowing how much he means to you. How important he is in your life. I can’t compete with that.”

  “There’s no competition. Christian and I have never been lovers. Once when we were kids we kissed because we both wanted to learn how to do it and we figured practicing on each other was safe. It was safe, but it was uncomfortable for both of us. Christian is too much like family. I can’t see him as a lover.” The thought causing Reysa to visibly shudder. “Kaden, if Christian and I wanted to be together we’ve had three quarters of a century to give it a shot. We never did because we never wanted to. Why are you worried about it happening now?”

  Good question, Kaden acknowledged. Reysa was right. She and Christian had every opportunity to take their relationship to another level and yet neither ever attempted it. Maybe it was time to acknowledge that their relationship was truly as innocent as she has been saying.

  “I’ve been a jealous fool. I’m sorry.”

  Reysa kissed him passionately on the lips. “I know that wasn’t easy for you to admit and I thank you for doing so. I also understand why my closeness to Christian could be upsetting. There was never much of a need for boundaries between us before, but now I think that needs to change. He and I will work on that, but you have to be patient with us. This is new to us as well.”

  “Agreed. Now let’s seal the deal.” Kaden flipped her on her back and braced himself on top of her. “Thank you for explaining all of this to me.”

  “Thank you for listening.”

  Kaden leaned in to kiss her when Reysa’s cell phone rang. “Ignore it,” he pleaded.

  “I can’t. It could be about Tatiana.” Reysa eased Kaden off of her and reached for her cellphone on the dresser. The number was unfamiliar, but she answered it anyway.”

  “Hello,” she asked, but there was no response. “Hello,” she asked again. She was about to hang up when she heard a familiar, unexpected, but welcomed voice.

  “Reysa, it’s Yasmine. Please help me.”

  III

  Hearing Yasmine’s voice was such a welcomed relief. After all this time with no leads and fearing the worst might have happened, to know that she was still alive gave them all much needed hope. Reysa would feel even better once they had her back home where she belonged.

  Yasmine didn’t know exactly where she was being held, but Reysa could dematerialize there now that she had heard her voice. She wanted to immediately go on her own, but Kaden would not allow it and Christian, Alejandro and Broderick agreed. Those frustrating men had ganged up on and were trying to bully her into playing it their way. She knew they were just looking out for her safety, but her only concern right now was saving Yasmine and she would gladly sacrifice herself to bring her friend back home.

  After some negotiation, they all agreed Reysa would travel with Kaden and Julian to recover Yasmine. Christian, Alejandro and Broderick would stay behind to protect Tatiana and the others. Christian wanted to go with her, but there was no one she could trust more with their child’s safety and with all the chaos and potential threats awaiting them, she needed to know that her baby girl was safe with her father.

  Reysa went into the living room where Julian and Kaden were already waiting. She redialed the number Yasmine had used and waited for her to answer. When she heard her voice, she held on to Kaden and Julian. As she was dematerializing, she heard the distinct sound of high heeled shoes accompanied by a plea “wait for me”.

  Reysa appeared in the middle of a forest somewhere in Vancouver. She looked around and saw Kaden and Julian, and to her surprise, their Aunt Corinne.

  “What are you doing here Aunt Cori?” Kaden didn’t bother hiding his displeasure at seeing Corinne. This was a potentially dangerous situation. They had no idea what they were walking into trying to get to Yasmine. For all they knew, it could be a trap. The last thing they needed was Corinne getting them into deeper trouble. It wasn’t like they could count on her combat skills. She never fought citing her concern she might break a claw. She was pretty useless in a battle and rather annoying in general.

  “Helping,” Corinne replied.

  Kaden looked at her platform gold heels and short tight vibrant red dress trying to figure out exactly what kind of help she was offering in that outfit.

  Sensing his frustration, Reysa urged them to proceed. The goal was to rescue Yasmine. Time was not a luxury they could afford to waste. Corinne’s presence shouldn’t make a difference, she hoped.

  They followed the path in the woods where they saw a small, but well-maintained shed. As they approached, Kaden sensed the presence of another, but this was no witch. Kaden jumped in front shielding Reysa with his body. A rather large menacing lion sprang from the trees. It crouched in front of them blocking their path.

  “Is that a lion-lion or a lion shifter?” Kaden asked.

  “I don’t know.” Reysa responded. If only Alejandro were here. He would be able to communicate with this lion even if it wasn’t a shifter.

  “If it’s a shifter it should be able to understand us,” Julian noted. “We should try talking to it.”

  As no one volunteered, Kaden stepped forward to get the lion’s attention “Yo lion, can you understand what I’m saying?” Kaden asked. Reysa elbowed him in the rib again giving him that you’re an idiot look she had mastered. “What was I supposed to say? I’m not good with small talk.”

  The lion showed no reaction. At least it wasn’t attacking although the potential threat was apparent with those sharp claws and equally sharp canines. No doubt this beat could shred their flesh with ease.

  “Let me try to talk to it,” Corinne mentioned as she moved in front of the group.

  “You speak lion?” Kaden questioned, the doubt reflecting in his tone.

  “A little.”

  Kaden eyed her dubiously, but at this point they were running out of options. He nodded for her to continue.

  Corinne stepped closer to the lion her arms stretched out in front of her in a gesture of peace. “Hey Mr. Lion. We don’t want to hurt you and we don’t want you to hurt us. We are your friends.” She bowed her head slightly and said, “Hakuna Matata.”

  Kaden growled in frustration as Julian and Reysa tried to mask their laughter. Kaden grabbed Corinne’s arm pulling her back to him and away from the lion. He was tempted to let the lion feast on her. “You don’t speak lion, Cori, you speak Lion King.”

  “Ah, but she speaks it so well.” Kaden looked up to see a six and a half foot man with long golden hair that reached his knees standing in front of them. He had been so focused on Cori, he hadn’t notice the lion shifting into a male.

  Corinne and Reysa gaped at the naked lion. Both of them stood there with their mouths wide open as they perused the shifter’s oversized anatomy. Frustrated, Kaden moved to stand in front of Reysa blocking her view. “Hey,” she growled as she elbowed him again.

  “You were staring at his package,” Kaden reprimanded.

  Reysa opened her mouth as if to deny the claim, but she quickly shut it. Better to stay quiet than to
deny the truth.

  Kaden turned back to face the shifter trying to keep his focus on the his face. “I am Kaden. This is Reysa, Julian, and our lion translator Corinne.”

  “I am Yanis,” his yellow eyes focused on Corinne, “but you can call me Mufasa,” he purred sending a shiver down Corinne’s spine.

  “You can just call me,” Corinne offered as she continued to stare unabashedly at his glorious body.

  Yanis smiled, flashing a set of perfectly shaped white teeth.

  “Stop flirting, Cori. There’s a certain pup who would not be amused,” Kaden reminded her.

  “It doesn’t matter. He already hates me.” Corinne turned away and walk towards Julian.

  Kaden wanted to do something to help her. This situation with the wolf was hurting Corinne too much. No matter how annoying she was, she was family. He would figure out a way to help her, but first they needed to rescue Yasmine. “We mean you no harm. We are here for our friend. She called us asking for us to help her.”

  “Yes. You are Yasmine’s friends. She is inside. I told her to say inside until I was certain you meant her no harm. You may follow me now.”

  The group followed Yanis to the shed which was barely large enough to house this giant lion nevermind all of them. He stopped up the door and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Julian sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. The guy was killing what was left of my self-esteem. I never felt so woefully inadequate in my entire life. Who can compete with that?”

  “An elephant,” Kaden teased.

  “Maybe a giraffe. You know what they say about animals with long necks,” Julian joked causing both brothers to laugh.

  Corinne and Reysa stared at each other with matching shocked faces. Kaden and Julian actually had a moment of levity. Neither woman wanted to get her hopes up, but even a brief moment of banter was a miracle between these two.

  Yanis paused at the door. He glanced over his shoulder at Julian and Kaden, “Why do you think lions are the kings of the jungle? No other animal, or immortal, could compete with us in any way.” He strolled inside.