Among You (24 page)

“
This violence…it isn’t you.”

Skorsdan was on his knees, rivulets of blood racing down his cheeks. The image promised to lay my soul to waste. Every ounce of my conscience begged me to comply with Sally and Gorman before it was too late.

Sally was right, this is not me. Scott Maskey is not a killer.

I dropped my arms. The orange glow faded and Skorsdan fell, limp, to the ground. Immediately, Gorman had his phone in hand and was dialing what could only be the ‘Kind version of 911. He rushed to Skorsdan’s side. I watched, my breath on hold. Guilt quickly did its number on me and I nearly dropped. There’d be no way for me to handle the blow to my conscience if Skorsdan didn’t make it.

Gorman turned to me and nodded. “He’s alive…but just barely. If we don’t get him help immediately, I cannot say if he’ll survive.”

“
What do we do?” I asked.

Gorman stared at me, his eyes still riddled with anger.

“
If we get him back to the mansion immediately, I could stop the downward spiral.”

Something in the back of my mind begged for my attention. A tickle of power hinted at a source of salvation. Power still surged through my body; it begged to leap out and connect with the prone body of Skorsdan.

“
I can help him,” I whispered.

Gorman turned to me. “How?”

“
It all lies within a single word,” I replied.

Before Gorman had the chance to accept or deny my offer, I knelt next to Skorsdan’s body and placed a hand on his chest.

Live
, I thought.

The orange glow returned, only this time with a calm intensity. I focused down on Skorsdan’s body and felt a tremendous drain on my energy. Something was passing between us – from me to him – some energy or life force. The drain grew exponentially until I felt a weakness start to crash my system. Surrounding voices muted and skewed; my vision blurred and my head grew leaden.

The energy released me and I fell back. Everything fell into a slow motion dive to the concrete below. Just before my head met sidewalk, a pair of hands rescued me from concussion-ville.

“
I’ve got you, Scott.”

I looked up to see Sally’s eyes beaming down at me. In a breath, my heart melted and swelled. Tears rained down from above.

“
Shhhhh,” I hushed Sally, weakly. “It’s going to be okay. Now my nickname actually fits.”

My attempt at humor worked. I could feel Sally shudder with a slight laugh.

My vision blurred and refocused. I dove deep into the pool of Sally’s eyes. My voice was a mere whisper. “As long as you are by my side and in my heart, we can make this work.”

Sally pulled me into an embrace and unleashed a body-wracking sob. Between the sobs and gasps, she communicated perfectly with silence.

“
Scott,” Sally’s whisper reached my ears. “What are you saying?”

“
I’m saying…” my voice faded along with consciousness.

twenty-two | grace

I awoke in an unfamiliar room. My eyelids heavy, my tongue thick.

“
Scott.” Sally’s comforting voice found me. “Welcome back.” Her smile pulled me from the blackness that held me captive.

“
What happened?” I tried to sit up.

“
No, no, no. Just lay there for a bit. I want Gorman to see you before you try to move. I’ll be right back.”

Sally stepped out of the room. Alone, I forced my mind back into the recesses of thought. A floodgate opened and drowned me in memory. The shock of the images jerked me up. I sat in the bed, instantly covered in a cold sweat. Slowly my body returned to the bed, sheets and blankets comforting my shuddering body.

“
How is the youngest of the ‘Kinds new generation? Feel like you’ve been crushed by Shao’li’s Hammer?” It was Gorman, with an oddly out of place smile stretched across his lips. “Can you sit up for me?”

I did. Without the rush of madness inspiring my muscles, the task of sitting up was slow…and a bit painful.

Gorman proceeded to poke and prod me in places that didn’t fall into any awkward-zone categories. He was gentle, fatherly.

“
Scott, I want you to know Skorsdan is alive. He is in custody and will be tried and punished for using forbidden powers on you.”

It felt wrong. No matter what Skorsdan did, something in me changed…wanted nothing to do with seeing him suffer. I couldn’t exactly trace the shift in opinion, but somewhere near its core lay Sally.

“
No,” I said. My voice was ragged and dry. I coughed and gagged. Sally was immediately at my side with a glass of water. After a long drink, I continued. “It was all a mistake. Skorsdan was only acting to defend his pride.”

Gorman looked down at me with sullen eyes. “Skorsdan used forbidden powers. That alone carries enough weight to send him to a solitary confinement for decades.”

“
But I did the same thing. Why am I not being punished?”

“
You were unaware of the law at the time.”

“
That’s no excuse, Mr. Gaultier. Was Skorsdan aware of this law? Could it be possible this law was so ancient it’s no longer a part of common knowledge? Please, Gorman, give Skorsdan another chance. I am the one he nearly killed and yet I decided to give back his life. Can’t you do the same?”

Gorman bowed his head.

“
I can’t believe I’m about to say this…but…he did this all out of love for your daughter. When I was…dying…I saw visions, some of which I can’t explain. But I know this, you’ve been in love before, and you’ve done things for love that you wouldn’t have done otherwise…haven’t you?”

“
One time and one time only I fell deeply and madly in love. She didn’t love me at first – no matter what I did to impress her. So, yes, I did things…things I wouldn’t have done, had I not been so desperate for her to love me.”

Slowly, the realization dawned on Gorman and his eyes lit up. “Son, you are wise beyond your years.” Gorman nodded and smiled.

“
Sir,”

“
Yes, Scott?”

I wasn’t exactly sure what was about to happen…I was just letting the moment flow.

“
I understand my life is no longer what it once was. I am a part of your world now. But I would ask that you allow me to return to my family and my life. I am certain I can live between both worlds. You have Ms. Middleton there to keep tabs on me.”

Gorman titled his head and smiled.

“
I know more than you think,” I winked.

“
I placed her in the school for educational purposes only. I wanted the best for our schools and thought we had a lot to learn in that arena.”

I laughed. “You picked the wrong school to spy on, sir.”

“
Be that as it may,” Gorman said with a smile. “She has brought a great deal of important and positive change to our educational system.”

Sally sat down next to me and ran her fingers through my hair. I looked at Gorman
.
“
I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t belong here. You’ve been very kind to me, but my life is elsewhere. If you would allow it, I would rather return to my family.”

Babbette stepped in and grabbed my hand. “Scott, that cannot be. You are now…”

“
My daughter is correct,” her father interrupted. “You cannot be seen in public without your mask. The only place you are truly safe is Tyler’s End.”

Sally looked between me and the other ‘Kind.

“
You can’t have him…at least not permanently. Scott’s right, he has a life; you can’t just take that away. Besides, if anyone could manage moving between two worlds, it’s him. He’s had to live with the persecution and scrutiny of others for as long as I’ve known him. He’s spent many years learning how to suppress and hide who he is. If you’re looking for the perfect secret agent to live among humans, you have him. But you can’t
have
him. I’m not through with him.”

Sally turned back to me and offered the slightest and warmest of smiles.

“
Pappa,” Babbette stole everyone’s attention. I was expecting her to argue my point and demand I remain in Tyler’s End. What she said, took me by surprise. “He’s right. And you know that Timely and I have always wanted to attend another school. This would be the perfect chance for ‘Kind to truly integrate with the humans. We cannot, nor we should not, hide
forever.”

Gorman stood, straightened his vest, and cleared his throat.

“
I’ve worked diligently through the years to keep our people safe from the influence and rash behavior of the human race. Scott has shown me how wrong it is to base and pass judgment on ignorance. There is certainly much more to the human race than we once assumed.”

Gorman nodded and grunted under his breath. “I will grant your wishes Scott. Skorsdan will be released – though scrutinized at every juncture. And I will allow you free passage between your world and ours, so long as your true nature remain secreted away from the humans. If you break that trust, you will be stripped of your freedom to remain among them and forced to stay within the boundaries of Tyler’s End. Or worse, you’ll be stripped of your mask and made to survive among the humans, no better than a leper. You will follow the laws of our people and your society to the letter, or else I cannot promise your safety.”

I nodded, a bit wary of the threats, but certain of the choices made.

“
Yes, sir.”

All of a sudden, my body insisted I fall back into the bed and out of consciousness. Everyone in the room understood and made their exit. As Sally reached the door, I called her back in. She returned to my side. The space between us was alive with energy. The nearer she came, the more powerful the connection. When her fingers reached out and graced the flesh of my hand, I thought for sure I would explode.

“
You okay?” Sally’s voice brought immediate relief to the whole of me.

“
I was wrong, Sally.”

Concern immediately drifted in and out of her eyes. “About what?”

“
When I was dying, it wasn’t Gorman that brought me back…it was you. You were there with me, in my past, my present…my future.”

The act of speaking was draining what little energy I had. This was too important. Sally needed to know the truth.

“
Sally, I was wrong that we could never…”

Tears welled up in Sally’s eyes.

“
…that we could never be together. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids. It’s time I finally accepted the fact that there is so much more than just friendship between us.”

My own tears mingled with Sally’s on the sheet. I swallowed a grapefruit-sized lump down and took in a deep breath.

“
I love you Sally.”

She nodded. “I know, Scott.”

“
No you don’t, Sally. What I mean is…I’m in love with you. I have been for the longest time; I just didn’t realize it.”

A smile, meant for angels, painted Sally’s lips. I melted into the world around me. Those same lips met my own and, for the first time in my life, I felt my existence stretch beyond the realm of flesh and bone.

I felt grace take hold of my heart.

I felt as if my very breath were alive.

No more words were exchanged. The kiss alone wrote the finale of the moment. Sally tucked me into bed, kissed me once more, turned out the light, and left me in the darkness.

Slowly, I drifted off into a dream world that was, for the first time in my life, overshadowed by reality.

twenty-three | twice busted

I awoke the next morning to a breakfast suited for a kingdom of kings. When I first laid eyes on the spread, I was certain Gorman had invited the whole of Tyler’s End to the feast. I was wrong. One of the first lessons I learned, on my first full day of ‘Kind-dom, was that of appetite. The ‘Kind ate…and ate…and yet again, ate some more. Sitting at a table of this magnitude and glory made me wonder how the entire town of Tyler’s End didn’t suffer from morbid obesity…or grocery-induced poverty.

Along with that appetite for delicious destruction, the ‘Kind had a ravenous appetite for discussion. Meal-time talk was practically a sport. Any and all subjects were fair game, and nothing was taboo.

I sat next to Sally, holding her hand under the table. Every once in a while, between shoveling great heaps of food into my mouth, I would glance at her, only to catch her already watching me. We’d smile at one another, not say a word, and go back to stuffing our faces. She finally let out a laugh and said, “I called your mom and dad last night. I told them we were in the middle of a
Twilight
marathon
and you fell asleep, so I figured you may as well stay over. She called you a Twi-hard and said it was fine.”