Splinter Skill

by A C Bell

  I threw my knee into his groin. His eyes bulged. He released me and backed up and doubled over breathless, his face reddening in pain. I wheezed as air flooded roughly down my greedy esophagus but I ignored the oxygen deprivation and advanced on him. He glanced sidelong down the next aisle and quickly backpedaled, but someone barreled into him. Peter slammed him into one of the coolers and the door shattered under the force of Peter’s strength. Peter lifted a hand to punch him and I moved to help. Ian threw his hand out, gripping Peter with his telekinesis and threw him at me.

  Peter’s elbow jabbed into my ribs when his mass collided into me. We landed in a mess on the floor but I managed to brace myself enough to keep my head from smacking too hard against the tile. My shoulder screamed from the impact, though. Ian was bolting out the door as we recovered.

  I fumbled to my hands and knees and crawled over to Nikki. Her trembling hands still clasped her head and her brows and mouth were clenched into a grimace. Sirens sounded outside and Peter knelt to scoop Nikki up. I found my pocket knife and trotted after him.

  ✽✽✽

  I sat on Farrah's trunk staring at my sneakers, Peter at my side. The police wanted us to stick around for a while before they got our statements for some reason, so we couldn't follow Nikki to the hospital. She had to be checked for a concussion. Rachel misinterpreted the spell Ian cast on her and thought she had just fainted. Either way, she didn’t know anything, so the police had let her go. People were watching the police work from a distance with confused and concerned expressions while Peter and I sat idle.

  “Why do they want us to wait?” I asked irritably. Sitting on standby outside the crime scene seemed pointless. “I want to go.”

  Peter clasped my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “She'll be okay.”

  “She saw what he did. She'll want answers.”

  “I know.”

  “Adeline, Peter!” Slade and Raiden approached from the neighboring parking lot where they’d had to park. Their expressions were contorted with concern. “Are you okay?” Slade asked. Peter and I nodded.

  “Mostly, at least. Nikki has a concussion, so they took her to the hospital,” Peter explained.

  “They don't want us to leave yet.”

  Peter nudged me with his knee to suggest I stop complaining and I rolled my eyes bitterly. “I'll go get you some water,” he said as he slid from Farrah's hood. His figure turned into a silhouette against the bright lights of the store as he sauntered back toward the police.

  “Do you know anything about this guy?” Slade asked.

  I had my elbows propped on my knees and absently fidgeted with my fingers. “He said his name is Ian, but until tonight I thought he was Officer Hanlen. He's been posing as a campus security guard for a while. Remember the cop who interrupted us after you guys tried to catch Gabriel?” I looked at Raiden and he tensed as he recalled the memory with a stiff nod. “Apparently he's also been flirting with Nikki using my dad's name and some sort of glimmer spell. I think he’s also the guy who attacked me in the alley at work a few weeks ago. He didn’t say what he wants, but he did say that it was a promise he made to his dad.”

  Slade grumbled deep in his throat and pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’m calling the SAU. See if they’ve figured anything out.”

  “You really think they’ll do anything? It’s the word of a dhampir against a sorcerer. Accusing this guy of racism is probably something akin to crying wolf.” I said skeptically.

  Slade frowned. “They know about the attack at the bookstore. This proves that it’s you he was after. They can’t ignore that.” He turned away as he dialed.

  Peter strolled back over with the bottle of water he’d fetched for me and Raiden watched him expectantly. I realized getting water for me had been a ruse to eavesdrop with his heightened canisi hearing.

  “The camera inside broke before Ian arrived. They’re having a field day trying to find out how it happened. Ian must have interfered with the machine with a spell. Once they secure the scene, they’ll come talk to us.”

  Sure enough, Officer Clayton strode over a few minutes later and smiled grimly at me. “I've been seeing a lot of you, Miss Parker. There's evidence that this was a premeditated attack. Do you and your friends come here on a regular basis?”

  I tensed. The thought of lying to him made me sick, but I was worried about him and other officers getting hurt if they caught up to Ian. They wouldn’t know what to expect. I shook my head. “No. This was a last-minute decision.”

  Clayton's lips pursed. “Normally, that would suggest the store was his target.”

  “Maybe he was getting ready to rob the place but Adeline just spooked him,” Peter offered.

  “Perhaps. What made you think he was suspicious?”

  “He...” I couldn’t think of a more believable lie to cover where I’d seen him. “I think he's been impersonating a security guard at my school. I recognized him as Officer Hanlen and he freaked.” It was enough of the truth, but not too much.

  “Impersonating an officer? That's a serious allegation,” Clayton warned. “And I don’t see a connection between robbing a convenience store and pretending to be a cop on a college campus.”

  “I know. All I can tell you is, when I realized who he was he attacked us.”

  “Hm... I'll definitely look into it. Thank you for being patient.” He bid us a safe goodnight and finally let us leave. Slade was on the phone arguing with someone from Supernatural Affairs the whole way to the hospital. He must have reached a protocol block of some sort because he was starting to get frustrated.

  “If you’re ‘not qualified’ to give me information on the case, then transfer me to someone who can and stop wasting my time,” he barked.

  We piled out of the car in the hospital lot and Slade waved Raiden, Peter, and I on and remained outside to continue his call. I was practically hopping with anticipation while the security guard at the front entrance went through the process of giving us visitor badges. Since I’d been here recently, it was easy to navigate the maze of hallways and rooms to reach the information desk we needed. The woman behind the counter offered a friendly smile in greeting, her remarkably white teeth contrasting her mocha skin.

  “Hi.” I offered a terse smile through my anxiety. “My friend Nikki Ware was brought in a few minutes ago. Do you know if we’re able to see her?”

  “Let me see...” she mused as she browsed her computer. After a moment she pointed to a hallway to our right. “She’s over in 114 through that hallway. Her discharge was just finalized. The doctor is speaking with her real quick but you can go ahead and head back, just wait for the doctor to finish.”

  I mumbled my gratitude and hurried for Nikki’s room. I could see them through the window on the door. Nikki was counting on her fingers as she went through one of the strange counting exercises they have you do when you have a concussion. I remembered that one of my nurses had me to count up to 40 in even numbers and back down in odd numbers before my discharge. Nikki’s doctor seemed pleased with the results and after a short conversation, he turned toward the door. We moved out of the way as he came out.

  “She’s okay, then?” I asked.

  “Yes, she’ll be fine. Go on in,” he nodded with a grin.

  His white coat billowed at his sides as he hurried down the hall. Through the window on the door I saw Nikki staring forward with unblinking eyes, chewing anxiously on her thumb nail. My hand hesitated on the cold stainless steel of the door handle. A warm hand touched my shoulder and I almost felt the encouragement Peter was trying to give me, but my fear seemed to stamp it out. I glanced between him and Raiden and both gave small nods.

  “Do you want me to wait out here?” Raiden asked softly.

  I shook my head and forced myself to open the door. Nikki looked up and her features grew sorrowful. Her fingers clung to her knees so tightly that all the color drained from them.

  “It’s happening, isn’t it? I’m losing it, aren’t I?”
She whispered. Her tear-filled eyes were wide with the fear that she was inheriting her mother’s mental illness. Nikki’s eyes had seen a man push us around with his mind but her brain told her it wasn’t possible, so the logical explanation was that something was wrong with her. I sat beside her and placed my hand on hers to stop her from gripping her knees so tightly.

  “You’re not crazy. What happened tonight...” I paused, unsure of how to start. “Do you remember that journal I told you about? The one with the lousy ending?”

  “Yeah. What’s that got to do with it?”

  “The man who wrote it was a relative of mine. But it wasn’t just a cult. They were vampires of a sort. And that man tonight, Ian, was a sorcerer.”

  Anger creased Nikki’s brows and she pulled her hand away to stand. “This isn’t a good time to tease me, Adeline.”

  “I’m not, I swear. He’s targeting me because I’m a dhampir.”

  Nikki drew back uncomfortably, sliding off the bed. “I… What?”

  “I…” Fear seemed to clench my throat shut. The look she was giving me, the incredulity and the apprehension made it impossible to squeeze any more words out.

  “Being related to Xavier Cahn makes Adeline a dhampir; a human with some vampire DNA. She’s not really a vampire, she’s just…a little different.” Raiden said.

  Nikki swiveled to face him as if she hadn’t noticed him there. “What are you doing here?”

  Raiden, Peter, and I exchanged looks. “He’s here to help. He, uh, he actually is a vampire...” Peter said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Nikki glanced between the three of us, her expression sinking. Finally, she settled on me.

  “You’re all serious.”

  I stood and took a tentative step closer to her. “I know it’s a lot to take. I only found out a few weeks ago.”

  “I need to go.” Nikki pushed past us into the hall. I started to follow but decided against it. She needed time to herself and I didn’t want to push. Instead, I looked to Peter.

  “Can you make sure she’s okay and make sure Ian doesn’t come back?”

  He nodded, but before he left he wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a comforting hug. “It’ll be okay. She’ll come around.”

  “It’s not like I told her I’d decided to drop out of school to start a career as a street performer or flip signs. I told her I’m not human.”

  Peter pulled back and clapped his hands onto my shoulders. “You’re not completely human, but you are human. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

  He sprinted after Nikki and then it was just Raiden and me. I just stood there in the middle of the room, unable to bring myself to move anywhere.

  “Adeline?” Raiden moved to my side, confusion and concern causing his brow to wrinkle at my immobility.

  “How did this happen?” I asked helplessly. “How did things get so screwed up? Just a few months ago, my biggest concern was trying to get into the academy.”

  His warm fingers touched my arm. “They won’t want us to stay in here.” Raiden lead me back out to the waiting room and we found a secluded corner where we could talk. I lowered myself to one of the plastic chairs and rested my elbows on my knees, letting my hair form a curtain around my face as I dipped my head forward to stare at the floor. Raiden sat beside me but seemed unsure of what to say to help.

  My forehead was warm from stress when I pressed my hand to it. “He walked me home one night. We talked about my dad. I told him he’d been shot when I was young, but I’m sure he already knew.” I looked over. Raiden was nodding morosely at his shoes. “You don’t seem surprised, either, actually.”

  “Slade did a background check when he found you.”

  “Then you also know that I was...” I couldn’t finish the thought aloud. Not without my mind taking me back to that night.

  “Yeah,” Raiden whispered, catching my meaning anyway.

  I sat back in my chair and let my head thump lightly against the wall. “I wonder how Ian’s father fits into all of this. I suppose Dad could have arrested him or something, but why wait so long to do anything about it?”

  Raiden sighed pensively. “Your dad is clearly where a lot of this guy’s focus is so there’s a connection between them somewhere. We’ll find it.”

  “There’s something else I’d like your help with.” Anxiety twisted my insides and I stood, biting the tip of my thumb nervously as I folded my other arm around my middle. “I think I need to tell my mom about all of this.”

  “What? I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Raiden grimaced and hesitated before continuing. “What if she takes it the way Nikki did?”

  I pushed the mental image of the distress on Nikki’s face from my mind. “I know, but if this really has something to do with Dad, then she might be in danger, too.”

  Raiden growled at the situation. “Yeah, alright.”

  ✽✽✽

  "Nikki, wait," Peter pleaded. The brisk autumn air prickled his skin and the scent of rain told him it would begin soon. "I'll drive you home."

  Nikki continued to march down the sidewalk, arms crossed tight around her midriff for warmth. "Go away."

  "No." Peter reached out and held her arm, but the gesture made her jump so badly when she spun around that he jumped as well and drew his hand back. A reflex after Justin?

  Nikki's lip wobbled and she covered her eyes with her hand. "I'm sorry…”

  Peter stepped forward, cautiously in case she flinched, and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t be.” He felt her arms wrap around his waist and his face heated.

  She took a few slow deep breaths and then stepped back. “I’m gonna walk back to the dorm, okay? Clear my head.”

  Peter slipped his hands in his pockets and nodded down at the sidewalk. “Okay. At least take my jacket.”

  He shrugged it off and slung it around her shoulders. She put her arms in the sleeves as she turned away. It wasn’t a terribly far walk, but he wasn’t going to let her do it by herself. He ventured off the path behind a closed dog grooming place, ignoring the coincidence, and stripped down to change. The cold was a lot less bitter with a coat of fur. Peter carefully trailed after Nikki’s scent, keeping to shadows to avoid drawing attention. Some people could be cruel to stray dogs.

  For a while, she seemed fine. She strolled down the street hugging his jacket to herself and her features were calm whenever he caught a glimpse of her face. When she came to a grassy bike trail, however, she sat at a bench and put her forehead in her hands. After a minute, she started to shake with sobs. Every part of Peter ached at the sight and his feet drove him to her. She must have heard his feet in the grass and looked up. He froze. A startled squeak escaped her and she slid further away on the bench, but she stopped abruptly as she studied him. Her eyes widened and the corners of her mouth tugged down.

  “Peter?”

  ✽✽✽

  Slade had left his inquiry with someone from the SAU and expected to hear back from them sometime in the next few days. With that, he decided to join Raiden and me in talking to Mom. Given that it was nearing ten o’clock by the time we got there, it was surprising to find lamplight illuminating the cream-colored curtains of her living room. She was waiting for us to come over for the movie night, I realized. She answered the door almost instantly, looking frazzled and a bit frantic. She nearly tackled me off the stoop when she lunged forward to hug me, but Raiden and Slade helped keep us upright.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t call.” My breath wisped some of her dark hair around. She pulled back and gripped my shoulders. Her eyes were red as if she’d been trying not to cry for a while.

  “It’s not that. I called your phone earlier and Officer Clayton answered. At first I thought…” She pressed a hand to her forehead and didn’t finish. She didn’t need to.

  I patted the pockets of my jackets as if I might actually find my phone there, but of course there was nothing. It must have slipped out of my pocket sometime during the struggle and skipped my notice. “I�
��m okay. We all are, but we need to talk.”

  “Of course,” she said. She held the door open, glancing curiously at my unexpected company as we passed her into the living room.

  I gestured between them in turn. “Mom, this is Raiden and Slade. Guys, this is my mom, Donia. Nikki and Peter went back to the dorm.”

  “Hi,” Slade greeted as he shook her hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Raiden said formally as he did the same.

  “You, too. What’s going on?”

  “I was actually about to ask that myself,” I said as I gaped around the living room. Light blue streamers—my favorite color—were hung about, along with a dozen balloons of various shades of blue. It suddenly made sense why Nikki had been so insistent that we come over tonight. “You threw me a surprise party?”

  “We can have the party tomorrow, I suppose. I put the cake away earlier. Would you like a piece?”

  I sat on the couch, not comforted by its plush surface. My nerves ran high, making my stomach roll with nausea. “Thanks, but maybe tomorrow.”

  Slade and Raiden turned down the offer as well. All that was left now was to tell her why we’d come, but I tried to think of another way to procrastinate. What if she did take it the way Nikki had? I couldn’t lose them both in one day. When I struggled to find the words to start, she perched on the coffee table in front of me and waited patiently. Slade and Raiden stood back, Slade’s hands stuffed into his pockets and Raiden’s arms crossed stiffly. Finally, I decided to just get it over with.