by Tiya Rayne
* * *
Sitting in the living room of the ranch style home, I look around at the peach colored walls and the floral furniture and think to myself, I’m so fucking glad I’m not domesticated. That shit is for the birds.
I take out the dossier I have on the Walker kid. The phone on the wall rings and I stand. Tugging at my black suit, I go and answer it.
“Let me do my fucking job,” I say to the person I know is on the other end of the phone.
“What if I was someone calling for the Walker residence? You are in their home,” Fox says.
Fox and I came into the Church together. So far, we’ve been on the same track for promotions, although I was promoted first. This will be both of our first year as Priests and our first time at recruiting.
“What do you want?” I don’t answer his question. I knew he would be the only one to call right now because I have the phone system disrupted so no one can call in and no one can call out. Only people with certain skills can get past the block.
“I’m picking up my new recruit. That makes six for me.”
I run a hand through my hair. “You still think this is a competition?”
“Of course not, Bandit.” I tighten my fist when he makes use of my code name. The moment I was promoted to a Priest, I dropped the name. For him to call me it now, shows how much of a prick he is. “I’m simply telling a dear friend of my success.”
“Quantity over quality doesn’t do you any favors, Fox,” I say, returning the favor.
His laughter pours through the phone. “One psychopath, a contortionist, and whatever the hell the twins are doesn’t add up to quality.”
A smile spreads over my face. He’s jealous and nervous. Fox was always considered the cleverest out of our group. He’s manipulative and a forward thinker, hence the name Fox.
Yet, I’ve always been able to see through him, maybe that’s why our Priest often pitted us against each other. Something I vowed not to do with my recruits.
“You worry about your six and I’ll worry about mine.”
“So, what’s the new kid?”
I smile. “You’ll see.” I hang the phone back on the wall and return to my seat.
Right as I get comfortable, light floods the living room. They’re home. I wait patiently as I hear the key enter the lock, I made sure to sit where they can’t see me as soon as they walk in.
The door opens and a blonde-haired woman walks in. She holds the door open and turns back to wait for the other person to come in. The tightness around her mouth and the level look she gives the young boy proves the things I know about her.
“Put your things away, Kilian, I’ll come get you when it’s time for dinner.”
“I thought you said I could help you tonight,” the child says hopefully.
He doesn’t see the way his mother rolls her eyes. “I don’t feel like it tonight. You’ll only slow me down.”
His stick appears in the doorway first, then he steps inside. That’s the first thing that has to go, in addition to those dumbass shades.
The moment the kid enters, the woman shuts the door behind him and he turns his head straight to me. I smile showing off my teeth.
The little boy with the dark brown hair tilts his head to the side. I wait for him to acknowledge what I know he already realizes.
“Who’s that?”
The woman finally puts her attention on me. She screams and clutches her chest.
“Who are you?”
I don’t pay attention to her, but I watch as the boy takes a step closer to her. He places his body slightly in front of her.
“Relax, Mrs. Walker, or should I say Ms. Walker. You are a widow now.” I pause, allowing her to calm down.
“How did you get in here?” she asks.
I shrug. “That doesn’t really matter.” I could have told her that cheap piece of shit lock she has on her door couldn’t keep a damn fly out.
“Did you fix a sandwich?” The kid asks. His head is turned to me, but despite him wearing shades, I know he’s studying me.
“I did. It was good too,” I say to answer him.
I then turn to his mother who keeps edging closer to the door. I wonder if she makes it in time, will she rush out, leaving the kid behind even after he attempted to protect her.
“You need to make a grocery store run. You’re out of ham and mayonnaise. Yeah, I saw that Miracle Whip bullshit at the bottom of the fridge, but I refused to defile my sandwich with that abomination.”
She gasps and the kid laughs.
“I don’t like it either,” he says.
“What do you want?” the mother finally says, growing tired of my back and forth. I knew she would soon.
“Well,” I say, leaning back on the couch. “To keep it short and simple, I want him.”
She turns to look at the kid in question, her eyes narrowing.
“Are you insane?” she screeches toward me. “You need to get out right now. I’m calling the cops.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Sandra. I can call you Sandra, right?” I don’t give her time to answer because I really don’t care. “Let’s not pretend like you give a shit about this kid.”
“How dare you?”
I roll my eyes. She really wants to play this game with me. “You can’t stand to look at him.” That comment shuts her mouth. “You blame him for your marriage declining and the loss of your husband, even though we both know it was his wondering cock that cost him his life.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I turn to the kid. “Go into your mother’s bedroom. Look into the top drawer of her nightstand and bring me those pamphlets.”
When I turn back to the woman her eyes are wide and her mouth is open. The boy doesn’t hesitate as he follows my directions.
“Why are you doing this?” Her voice isn’t as bitchy as before.
I smile. “Because you don’t deserve him.”
“You have no idea what I’ve gone through these last few years.”
“And yet, you still have your sight.”
At that moment, Kilian comes back with a handful of pamphlets.
“What are these?” he asks his mother.
Before she can open her mouth with some made up version of how she was only thinking about it or it was for his own good, I chime in.
“Brochures for schools across the world for kids like you.”
“You’re going to send me away?”
“Kilian, sweetheart. It’s better for you. Those places are good for people with your disability.”
“That’s bullshit, kid,” I say, standing up. “She doesn’t give a shit about what they teach you. She wants you out of her way.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Then why isn’t there a brochure in there for the Reynolds Center. The place is twenty minutes away and he would be allowed to come home every day?”
Once again, I leave her speechless.
“So why are you here?” Kilian asks.
I turn to the kid before me. His arms are down at his sides and the brochures are clutched tight in his fist. I rub at the hair on my chin. It isn’t a lot yet, but it’s coming through.
“Because I need you. Unlike your parents, I see your vision issues as a unique ability. I want to teach you how to own it. To not allow anyone to see you as disabled ever again. I want you to take full control of your life and not be dependent on others. I want you to feel normal.”
“You’re feeding him dreams,” his mother argues. “Kilian needs to be in a home. He needs to be around people who can help him navigate the world. He will never be normal.”
Her shouted words settle in the room like a bomb. Even aside from this job, I wouldn’t want this kid to be anywhere near this woman. She is a hindrance to him. She will never allow him to achieve all his capabilities, even after witnessing what he did to put her husband’s killer away.
There were other kids who matched his ability, some wh
o were further along than he is, but unlike Fox, I can look further than a dossier. Where those other kids had support systems at home and were comfortable with their diagnosis and where it would take them, I knew this kid would be different. He’s a fighter.
His desire to concur this disability will always be his superpower. It’s why I chose him. I want that dog I saw hidden behind his eyes during the trial.
“Kilian, you can stay here and allow your mother to turn you into a burden of the state, or you can come with me and learn to be something else.”
I watch him, that determination coating his soft features. He’s a smart kid. His test scores proved that. I know he will make the right decision.
“If I go,” he starts and his mouther opens her mouth to say something, but I shoot my hand up to stop her. “What can I expect?”
Told you he was smart. “I won’t bullshit you. This is hard. I will break you before I make you stronger. If you can’t handle it, then stay here.”
“This is insane.” His mother tosses her hands into the air. “He’s not going away with you. How do I know you’re not some pervert, trying to take my son off to be some disgusting sex slave?”
My fingers twitch, I’ve killed people for saying less. “You think I would drive all the way down here to bumfuck Oklahoma to play in your son’s asshole? I’m from New York, there are plenty of little boys running around the damn city, if that’s what I wanted I’d be there.”
The kid chuckles, but of course mom doesn’t think I’m funny.
“He’s not going with you so you can leave.” She goes to the door and opens it, turning back to me.
I watch her closely. “This goes either one or two ways, Sandra. Either you sign the papers, allowing the Church full custody of your son or I show you why they call me Priest.”
She swallows, still standing at the doorway.
“Oh, might I add, only with the first option do you get compensated for your troubles.”
Her eyes widen. “Compensated?”
Now that I have her attention, it’s time to end this visit.
“Shut the door, Ms. Walker.”
She closes the door and like that, I have my Hawk Eyes.
Chapter 2
My Boys
Priest
* * *
I step into the arena, my kids are already in training. Before the first day started, I took all the boys on a camping trip. There isn’t a law that the recruits needed to bond. Hell, they don’t even care if they get along. All they cared about is if they can follow orders.
I want different. I want to see if building their bond will make them stronger.
“You guys ready?”
“We would like to know what to expect today?” Milo says in his nasally voice. I’m learning which voice represents what part of him.
“Today we will start the process of breaking you, Many.”
“That doesn’t sound appealing at all,” Hiroshi adds in that sly way of his. His jet-black hair falling over his eyes like bangs.
“Zel, pull your fucking hair out of your eyes.”
He grins. No matter what I say to this kid, it never seems to faze him. He rakes his hands through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes.
I look down the row of my guys. The twins are watching the room cautiously. Gabriel as usual, remains silent staring off with that blank look in his eyes. Not for a moment, will I doubt he’s paying attention. Kilian looks fearful. I worry about him the most in today’s drill.
“Listen up, this is where the work comes in. Today we test your strengths and weaknesses. I need you to stay strong and remember, you’re not in competition with each other. As I said last night, you’re brothers. If one fails, you all fail. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Priest,” they say in unison.
“Get to the simulator,” I say to all of them. I stop Hawk as he passes by. He turns to look at me. “Tune it out.”
“It’s a lot of noise. I don’t think I can.”
“You can and you will. Focus on the things that talk to you like smell, sound, and touch. Those are your resources. Use them.”
He nods, blinking his amber colored eyes before he goes to join the group.
“That’s cute,” Fox says, coming up behind me. “You have a real fatherly touch with the boys.” I don’t miss his mocking tone.
I turn to him and tug at the sleeve of my suit, unfazed by his taunt. His jaw tenses, sending the vein in his neck dancing. It always amazed me people think he’s so hard to read.
“Can I assist you with something, Young Priest?” I tease, just to watch that vein dance even more. He’s still a bit touchy because I got promoted to Priest before him.
Fox finally gets his shit together. He schools his features, planting a fake smile on his face.
“I hear Stone has a deaf kid, maybe your boy and his can start a club.”
I tilt my chin to the left, cracking my neck.
“I’ll worry about my crew and you worry about yours. Besides, anyone can bring a kid in, but can your kids survive to be a Deacon?”
His nostrils flair. “My eight recruits will run circles around your little misfits.”
I grin and wink. “We’ll see.”
I turn away from Fox and walk off. We sit in the glass room we use for observation whenever our boys are in the simulator. This year only twenty Priests from the New York branch were allowed to recruit.
I take my seat and find my boys easily. Zel is laughing at something Many has said. The twins are still watching everything cautiously. I keep my eyes on Hawk. I can still see his fear by the way he’s looking around the room.
“Come on, kid. Block it out.”
The buzzer goes off and the stimulator starts. The boys have to make it from one end of the football field size training facility to the other. It may seem easy, but it isn’t.
Shit is coming at them from all angles. This task is meant to break the boys mentally and physically. No one has ever actually made it to the other end on the first try.
Well, I did. I’d be proud of my boys if when the timer goes off, they’re still fighting and not crying in the middle of the floor.
The loud sound of gunshots goes off over the speaker. It’s meant to discombobulate them. Hawk immediately covers his ears.
I figured the loud noise would be an issue for him and Beast. Seth says something to Zel who approaches Hawk. The other boys on the field are already running toward the end.
“Hey, Bandit. You sure your boys are up for this? I think the blind one is already about to call it quits,” Fox taunts and a few of the other Priests laugh with him.
I place one hand inside my pants pocket, hiding the shake of my clutched fist.
“Keep your eyes open, Fox.”
I turn back to my boys and it seems Zel must have said the right thing to Hawk. All the boys are moving toward the goal now. They come to the first barrier.
A wall pops up from the ground, nearly slicing Many in half. He jumps back. I watch him as he cautiously looks up and down the wall.
He seems to be coming to the same conclusion as the others. At the top of the wall is a lever. All it takes is one person to climb it and pull the lever.
Many takes a few paces back. With a run, he leaps up on the wall and climbs that bitch like he has glue attached to his fingertips. A proud smile lifts my lips.
“What the fuck is that kid?” I hear one of the Priests say behind me.
Many reaches the top of the wall in no time. After pulling the lever, he jumps down. His brothers pat him on the back. The wall drops back to the place in the ground it’s hidden beneath.
“That was luck,” Fox says.
“Release the next phase,” the Bishop running the simulator says.
Hawk stops. He turns his head to the side of the room where I know the doors will slide open to release the Deacons. Hawk turns back and says something to the others right as the first Deacon comes barreling out onto the field.
The Deacons are new graduates, they are trained to fight the new recruits and hold them down, but not kill.
My boys are targeted. The twins handle their own like I knew they would. There is no better fighter than Seth. He’s untrained and wild, but he can handle staying on his feet.
Zel is doing well with avoiding getting hit. His Deacon will tire out long before he will. Many has flipped around his guy so much the Deacon doesn’t know what to do next.
Beast stands in the center, arms across his chest, waiting for someone to approach him. They won’t. I made that request before it started. He isn’t ready yet.
My eyes fall to Hawk next. He is struggling. The Deacon has him pinned down, his arm in an arm bar hold. Though the Deacons can’t kill the boys, if Hawk doesn’t submit, he will break his arm.
“Looks like your blind kid is about to tap out.” I don’t have to turn to look at where the words come from.
I twist my chin, popping my neck again. “Come on, Hawk. Get out of it,” I mumble to myself.
I watch as his face turns brighter and brighter red. He’s about to give up. I can feel it coming.
“It’s all right, Bandit. Not everyone is cut out for this,” Fox says, patting my back.
My attention is drawn back to the arena when a loud cry is heard. Hawk is standing over the Deacon who is clutching his face. His little chest rising up and down. His fist clenched at his side and his brothers surround him.
He turns to Seth, who nods and they take off again.
“Why don’t they divide and concur?” Sandman, another Priest, says beside me. “They will never get anywhere near the end if they don’t separate. This is how you determine your weakest link.”
I turn to the man with the sandy hair and dark eyes. “There is no weak link on my team.”
“That’s absurd,” another Priest adds, but I don’t determine who it came from. I really don’t care.
The simulator goes on for another twenty minutes. The boys are shot with bean bags, they are chased by dogs, and sprayed with hosepipes, but not one of my boys stops. Not once do they leave each other.
When the timer goes off, I’m the first one at the door. I walk into the arena and search for the boys. I find them hovering together out of breath.
