Garrett Mathias Whelan
May 12th 1968 — January 3rd 1992
Rest in Peace
I knelt down and cleared some of the brush away, then arranged the flowers in a circle to look like a fairy ring. “Here you go, Uncle G. I hope you like them.”
Elyse, who had been watching me from a distance, smiled slightly. Kevin wrapped his arms around her and led her off towards their car, past the growing crowd of our congregation that lingered in the parking lot. She slid into the passenger seat and disappeared from my view while her fiancé and Dad idled in the parking lot to discuss the upcoming game. They were both alumni of Alabama's Crimson Tide and it was one of the few topics for them to bond over. Nate stood next to them, looking bored as usual, waiting for me to join them.
Dad gave me a beckoning wave and called out, “Hey Wynn, are you coming?”
I nodded, dusting off my hands on the hem of my skirt and standing up in the midst of the damp undergrowth. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”
As I stepped over the gravel parking lot, Dad opened the door for me and ushered me to get inside. “We’ll see you guys at the house,” Kevin told us with a wave, walking back to the driver’s seat of his car.
Dad shut the door behind me as I buckled myself in and Nate took a seat beside me. A few minutes later we were on the road, driving past the small country town that we called home. It was the beginning of spring and the Magnolia trees were all in bloom, large white flowers adorning the low hanging branches that lined the country road. Most of the houses were richly influenced by antebellum architecture and had wrap-around porches where the wives would sit and drink sweet tea when they had nothing better to do.
I sighed to myself as we drove by them, fogging up the window. Soon, we had made it to the house and Dad pulled up to park on the stony driveway. Kevin and Elyse were right behind us and collected their things as we got out of the car. We were greeted by a familiar fuzzy head poking its way out from beneath one of the azalea bushes. “Cleo?” I called in surprise. “Get out here, you little rascal!”
She chirped a little meow when I came up to her and looked up at me with large, intelligent eyes. I beckoned for her to come and the cat mewed affectionately while stumbling across the ground to rub up against my leg. Everyone else was going inside, so I quickly scooped her up into my arms and brought her with me without giving it another thought.
Dad raised an eyebrow as I approached and crossed his arms disapprovingly. I smiled at him meekly, offering him the squirming kitten. “Hey, look who I found!”
“Wynn…”
“Please? She's got nowhere else to go.”
He sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, and nodded. “It's kind of like trying to control the weather, telling you what to do. I expect you to be responsible for it!”
I nodded vigorously as she climbed up underneath my chin and started purring wildly. “Yeah, of course!”
Dad sighed and gave me one last warning glance to let me know he meant business. “Come on, get in and clean her up. Welcome to the family, Cleo.”
~ * ~
A few hours later, Nate was sitting on my bedroom floor, looking at me like I was some kind of diabolical genius. “Dad's actually going to let you keep her?”
“Yup.”
“Wow. I mean, you've always been great at manipulating the 'rents, but now I feel comfortable saying that it is seriously an art form.”
I rolled my eyes and held the kitten tightly in my lap. “Are you going to help me put this collar on her, or what?”
Nathan snorted at my request and said, “I don't think it’s going to fit.”
“It was the smallest one they had,” I told him sympathetically, distracting her with a catnip mouse. “Come on, Cleo, behave.”
Once it was securely fastened and our fingers severely nipped, I let her have a treat and scratched her head until she was purring in my arms.
“Are you sure about the name?” he asked me curiously. “I’m sure we could come up with something better.”
“What did you have in mind?”
Nate yawned, laying back on the floor with his hands behind his head. “I dunno, Lord Alfonzo Rodriguez the Third?”
I laughed at him and waved it off dismissively. “Nope, I think we'll stick with Cleo. That's what I've been calling her this whole time, and it seems to fit. Besides, the cat is obviously female.”
“Have you checked?”
“I don’t have to, all calicos are predominantly female. The different patches of fur are literally seeing the gene sequence in her body.”
“Whatever. Can I hold her at least?”
“Sure,” I agreed happily, reaching over to place her in his outstretched arms. Cleo started writhing the minute I let her go and hissed angrily at him before crawling back into my lap.
Nate jumped back in surprise and then scoffed at her reaction. “Gaah, what was that for?”
I laughed, “Sorry, dude. I don't think she likes you.”
“Whatever, cats are stupid anyways,” he huffed in disappointment. “Are you going to tell me what you were looking for the other day?”
“Oh, it’s nothing really.”
He eyed me skeptically and questioned further, “Why do I get feeling you’re hiding something from me?”
I shrugged, hoping he couldn’t see the beads of sweat rising on my forehead. “Beats me.”
His jaw tensed slightly as he looked away in anger. “Fine, keep your secret. You know I’m just trying to help.”
“I know.”
I didn’t like keeping secrets from him, we’d always been open with each other in the past, but I didn’t know what else to do. Aidan would kill him if he knew the truth, so it was for his own protection that I kept him in the dark.
He sighed, ruffled his hair, then decided to change the subject, “Have you put out any more applications? Dad’s gonna freak if you don’t hear back soon.”
I sighed in exasperation and grabbed a pillow from behind me. “Shut up!” I commanded while chucking it at him from across the room.
He caught the pillow mid-air and threw it back onto the bed without even touching me. “All right, well I should go. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
On his way out the door he stuck his head back in and said, “Love you.”
Smiling at his sentiment, I said, “You too, bud.”
He disappeared outside and I exhaled a sigh of relief. Crap, I thought to myself nervously. He’s more intuitive than I thought.
I had to work hard fast to figure this out, the next clue was Nadia. Starting tomorrow, she would be my primary objective and I wouldn’t rest until I found her and unlocked the secrets to Mother’s history and the bargain that had brought me to this point.
~ * ~
The next day Ryan and I joined a group of our friends for lunch in the cafeteria.
I was still getting used to the changes in my vision and being surrounded by hundreds of other students was giving me a headache.
Humans, I had noticed, usually fell within a narrow spectrum of color, ranging from orange, to yellow, and green. Similar colors tended to stay together and behaved in similar ways, which made it interesting when I saw one step out of the norm and mingle with opposing ones. That said more about their relationship than a novel explaining it to me.
I waited in line to get my food behind what seemed like the entire Latin Club. My stomach growled with hunger, but fate seemed determined to hold me hostage for as long as possible. I sighed, checking my watch for the time.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally got my food and made my way through the cafeteria, dodging large upper classmen along the way when one suddenly sneered, “You like that crap, Wynn? It’s kinda like your mom’s food.”
I didn’t even look up when I responded, without even missing a beat, “No, it’s not.”
“You calling me a liar?” the girl asked angrily.
I snickered to myself while walking past
her and said, “Yes, I am. She has a Michelin Star restaurant, you stupid cow. Obviously you have no concept of the prestige and recognition that goes into that. Her food is some of the best in the state, so go back to your happy meal and shut up about things you couldn’t possibly understand.”
“OH SNAP!” the kid next to her laughed. “You weren’t expecting that were ya, Jess?”
She scowled at me as I walked away, positively seething with anger. It was one thing when people were rude to me, but it was something else entirely when they brought my family into it. My defensive side rose to the surface and I ripped them down from their high horse with pleasure.
My friends were talking animatedly when I showed up at their table, but no one except Ryan even noticed my approach. He winked at me as I set down my food and took a seat beside him.
Courtney from my French class was leaning against her boyfriend, Travis, at the far corner of the table. I started picking lazily at my pizza, doing my best impression of a wallflower and hoping none of them would notice me.
They were discussing what to do for spring break in a couple weeks, which had apparently become a heated topic. Ryan was intent on making use of his parent’s lake house, but no one except Courtney seemed open to the idea.
Occasionally, I would make a suggestion or two, but most of the time I wasn't really listening. It seemed painfully trivial when there were much bigger things going on in my life.
I needed to act normal even if I wasn't. Because I wasn’t.
As the conversation got more heated, I decided to tune them out. I was about to steal the last of Ryan's pizza when I noticed a handsome addition to the regular grey drab of the cafeteria.
Caleb was waiting for me.
I felt the gaze of his blue eyes staring at me from across the room. He was leaning against a vending machine with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans and a crooked smile on his face. How does he keep doing that?
I set the pizza down and addressed the table politely while getting my things, “Excuse me.”
Ryan’s smile faded as stared at me in confusion, “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, something just came up.”
“What’s going on?”
I smirked and my bag off the ground, “Well, can you keep a secret?”
“Sure.”
“Good, because so can I.”
My deadpan delivery wasn’t lost on him and his jaw dropped slightly while I winked and made my retreat.
He called out after me, “You’re still going to be at rehearsal later, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
I threaded my way through the rows of tables and gestured for Caleb to follow me while heading out into the hallway to a quiet place where the two of us could talk. “Hey there, stranger.”
“Hey,” he greeted softly.
“Still trying to figure out whether or not I’m dangerous?”
He smiled back at me and leaned back against the wall. “Something like that, but you’re safe for now at least.”
I chuckled and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. We looked around as the silence between us grew, until I finally blurted, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. The Council said I might have powers … what does that even mean?”
“Honestly I'm not sure,” Caleb responded, “everyone manifests them differently.”
“Can you teach me what to do?”
“It doesn't work like that. Angelic and demonic powers come from completely different sources. Not only that, teaching you would kind of be against the law … you’re technically a demon and the celestial secrets aren't mine to share.”
“O-kay, then what do I do about them? If you can’t teach me, then what about another demon? Aidan offered to train me.”
“No!” he cut me off immediately, looking alarmed. “I can’t let you get caught up with him. Once Aidan gets his claws on you there’s no telling how far he’ll go.”
“But the Council thinks I’m some kind of time bomb! The only way for me to save myself in these trials is to figure out how to control it. You said so yourself in the Grove.”
“Yeah, by suppressing it, not walking towards that dark power with open arms!” he argued.
“You know, they made a movie about a girl having to suppress her powers out of fear and guess what? It didn't turn out so well!” I spat sarcastically. “Besides, I'm going to have to fight seven Demon Lords! How am I supposed to do that without any defense? I won't stand a chance!”
“Wynn, demonic energy is powerful, but it's also very easy to get addicted. It’s not like slowly working out to strengthen muscles over time. It’s more like using PCP, a burst of intense chaos that leaves you a wreck. Every time you tap into that power it’ll change you — you’ll lose part of yourself. You can't use it unless you absolutely have to.”
“Fine, whatever. It was just an idea.”
The bell rang, distracting me momentarily and I turned back to him with a sigh. “I have to go. My teacher will kill me if I'm late again.”
He nodded, but didn't move an inch from where he stood.
“I guess I’ll see you later.”
“Wynn, I don’t want to fight with you, I just know Aidan and his tactics, it wouldn’t be safe. Please don’t be angry.”
“I’m not,” I told him honestly. “I just have to go.”
“Okay. I’ll come by later, if you want?” The question in his voice showed he was leaving it up to me.
Maybe we weren’t friends yet, but I wanted to be. I nodded and he smiled before disappearing with a flutter of wings. The tardy bell started to ring and I turned and broke into a run.
Late again. Damn.
~ * ~
After my final class got out, I headed off to the auditorium. When I finally made it to the massive, red brick building I found a back door propped open with a stage weight, so I let myself inside and took a look around. On either side of me were some dressing rooms and stairs leading to the orchestra pit. I'd never been backstage before and was surprised to find it bigger than I expected. A couple other students came strolling in behind me and when Ryan finally got there, his face lit up into a fantastic smile and he came over to give me a hug. “Hey there, kid! You ready to rock this joint?”
I chuckled at his enthusiasm. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Lacey Dunaway, the stage manager, was busy talking to the director. She glanced over at my arrival and broke free from her conversation to come and greet me properly. Her silken black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she had a binder tucked authoritatively beneath one arm. “Ryan, go get dressed,” she ordered simply, dismissing him with a smile.
He bowed to her dramatically and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before running off towards the dressing rooms. As he left, she turned her attention back to me and said, “Wynn, I’m so glad you’re here! Your piece at the showcase last year was astounding, we’re lucky to have you! Do you want me to show you around?”
“Sure.”
“Awesome! I know it’s your first day, so why don't you take it easy and just watch the way things are happening. Feel free to pitch in if you see someone needing help, but I'll assign things specifically later on in the week. Otherwise, just have fun!”
“Cool. I'll keep that in mind.”
Lacey was one of those people who was just excited about life, but rather than finding it annoying as I usually did, she managed to make that enthusiasm infectious. I’d been somewhat anxious about working with them backstage, but something about her was so familiar it put my nerves at ease. I couldn't put my finger on it, maybe it was the eyes — she had pale, blue eyes like Caleb.
I smiled to myself at the thought of my secret friend, if I could even call him that.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked me curiously.
“Oh, you just remind me of someone, that's all.”
She laughed. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Um… a good thing, I think.”
&n
bsp; “Well, then I am very flattered. Maybe one day you can introduce us.”
“I doubt it, he's kind of a recluse.”
“Mmmmm,” she hummed knowingly, as she opened the door to the lighting booth and turned her attention back towards the tour. “This is where I’ll be for the majority of the performances, so you’ll have to call me over the headset if you need anything.”
“Cool.”
“Come on, let me show you the dressing rooms!”
We completed a circuit around the auditorium, making sure to note all the sightlines and safety precautions along the way.
When we made it back towards the dressing rooms, there was a cool breeze of air behind me as the stage door opened and Monica Nichols came whirling in from outside. Her sickly green aura revealed her true, petty nature and I groaned internally, knowing that I’d have to work with her for the next few weeks as well. “Look who's here,” she sneered. “I thought you wouldn't show.”
I frowned, turning to face her with my arms crossed against my chest. “Why? It’s fifteen percent of our grade, of course I’m going to be here. Besides, I thought you guys wanted me.”
“Not all of us,” she answered coolly, popping the “t” on “not”.
I rolled my eyes and shifted my weight uncomfortably as Lacey took a step in front of me. “Is there a problem here?”
“Not if the Gyp will stay out of my way,” Monica told her brusquely, as Lacey and I both watched her disappear into the dressing room.
“Sorry about that,” Lacey whispered. “She can be a jerk.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay, well if anyone gives you trouble, just let me know — I'll take care of it.”
I exhaled slightly and gave a wry smile. “Thanks, but I can take care of myself.”
“Fair enough.” Lacey grinned at me appraisingly and turned around to knock on the dressing room door. “Ten minutes everybody!”
They all responded with a customary “thank you ten” before she did the same thing to the other door.
“Ten minutes, ladies! Then I want you all on stage.”
Once the cast and crew had assembled, the director gave a motivational speech and sent us to our stations. I made myself comfortable in the left wing as the lights in the house went down and Brigadoon picked up from the beginning of act one.
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 10
