Among You (27 page)

“
Babbette did say the only way this thing would come off was by my will. I suppose I have to trust that. I can’t let this run and ruin my life.”

Sally hugged me. “You’re right, Scott. We can make this work.”

We
. She used the word
we
. The word filled me with peace and excitement. I was part of something bigger than just myself now. For the first time in my teens I felt like a normal kid.

The irony of the situation did not escape me.

Out of nowhere, a weight fell upon my heart. I looked deep into Sally’s eyes. “Do you think this is a mistake?”

For some reason, I expected a laugh to explode from Sally’s mouth. Instead, she returned my gaze and sighed.

“
For this to have been a mistake, you would have had to choose it. It choose you. This was as much fate as it was anything. Scott, you almost died. This,” Sally traced her fingers around my face, “saved you. Had it not been for this mask, you and I wouldn’t be together – as a couple, as friends, as anything. I would probably be spending the day at a funeral home wailing over your coffin.”

I wrapped my arms around Sally and pulled her in so tight I thought our bodies would merge. I held the precious moment as if my life depended upon it. Finally, I eased up and said, “You have always known just what to say to make everything right.”

Sally smiled. “What can I say? I knows me some Scott.”

“
Dinner,” Mom bellowed from below.

Sally glanced at the watch she always wore around her ankle. “Wow, did time really move that fast?”

It did. We were always taught time was a constant. I had a feeling that when love found its way into the mix, time became a relative parallel to the exchange of joy.

I hopped up and held my hand out for Sally. “This will be the first time you and I are actually doing something with my parents as a couple.”

“
What’s the call on making out in front of them?”

I raised an eyebrow to Sally who then burst out into a windstorm of laughter.

“
I’m so kidding. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself. At least I’ll try. I have a lot of years to make up for.”

“
What do you mean?”

Sally bit her lip and said, “Scott, I’ve had it bad for you since middle school! That first kiss was an explosion of relief.”

“
Would you believe me if I told you there were many times I nearly…” I stopped myself short.

“
Oh no,” Sally stomped her foot. “No way. You can’t leave me hanging there.”

I scooped her off her feet. She laughed. I kissed her quickly on the lips.

“
Come on. It’s time to eat.”

“
You suck,” Sally laughed. “And not in the good way.”

Today, this moment, reminded me that I had a long way to go before I fully accepted my own personal reality. There was so much strength and love surrounding me, I didn’t see how I could possibly fail.

twenty-five | scores and lies

Skorsdan sat, cross-legged, on top of a picnic table in the middle of Kinder Shade Park. A cold wind blew through the leafless trees and chilled the tips of his fingers as he tapped out a text on his phone.

“
Who you texting, dude?” asked Skorsdan’s best friend, Valiskil.

Skorsdan looked to his friend and slowly blinked.

“
Does it matter?”

Valiskil shrugged and went back to rolling a cigarette. “Whatever.”

Skorsdan pocketed his phone as he saw the other member of their trio, Comnical, rushing toward them.

“
What’s up, bitches?” Comnical shouted, his high-pitched voice cutting the borrowed slang through the blustery wind. When he reached the table, Skorsdan slapped him on the cheek.

“
What’s up is…shut your mouth, idiot. The last thing we need is to draw attention to us.”

Comnical rubbed his reddening cheek. “Ya, it might help if you’d at least let us know what in the name of names we are doing.”

Skorsdan stared at his partners and grinned. “Boys, I still have a score to settle.”

Valiskil and Comnical groaned.

“
Not that again,” Valiskil mumbled.

Skorsdan sat up straight and stared down the other ‘Kind. “What was that?”

Valiskil shot a cold, deadly stare at Skorsdan. “You need to let that go, Skorsdan. Seriously. Gorman already warned you what would happen if you sought vengeance on that halfling.”

“
I don’t give a damn what that blow hard says. No one makes a fool of me and survives.”

“
That human saved your life,” Comnical added.

“
After he took it,” shouted Skorsdan.

An all too familiar glow burned from Skorsdans fists. The other boys slowly stood and backed away. Valiskil held up his hands, palms forward, in an offer of peace.

“
Come on Skor…there’s no need for this.”

“
What there is no need for is cowardice,” Skorsdan growled. “I will not be oppressed by a fear mongering dictator. Gorman single-handedly re-invented our race to silence our power. Why? To blend in with the humans? We hide behind masks in fear of subjugation by lesser creatures. We should be the ones reigning over the kingdom of Earth.”

Comnical continued backing away. “Skorsdan, aren’t you taking this a bit far? Maybe we should bring this to Gorman and…”

A violent arc of blue light erupted from Skorsdan’s palms and shot across the space between he and Comnical. When the light crashed into the ‘Kind boy, he rose from the ground and convulsed like a rag doll shaken by an angry child.

“
Skorsdan,” shouted Valiskil. “You’re going to kill him.”

“
And I’ll kill you as well, should you go against me.”

Valiskil fell silent and slowly made his way back to Skorsdan’s side.

“
Please, Skorsdan, do not end his life?”

“
His life is already over, Valiskil. It was the second the light touched down on his flesh.”

Skorsdan released his hold on Comnical. The pulsing beam of light turned to phosphorescent dust in the darkness. Comnical dropped, lifeless, to the ground.

“
Follow me.”

Valiskil hesitated. “Where are we going?”

Skorsdan turned, his eyes now glowing blue. “Does it matter? Follow me immediately or meet the same fate as Comnical.”

The two boys disappeared into the darkness of night.

*

Babbette slept soundly, tucked tight against Timely’s back. It had been such a long day for two girls deeply entrenched in tradition: A new school, interacting with so many humans, meeting Scott’s parents. Sleep tugged them gently into the world of dreams with ease.

Skorsdan knew the Gaultier House as if it were his own. Navigating the corridors and secreted passageways to the bedroom shared by Babbette and Timely was effortless. The door to the room swung open on perfectly silent hinges.

Valiskil and Skorsdan stood in the doorway, staring down at the sleeping girls. Skorsdan’s glowing blue eyes were the only feature visible within the black silhouette of their shadowed outline. The boys entered the room and shut the door behind them.

A brilliant blue ball of liquid light formed in Skorsdan’s upturned palm.

“
Babbette,” Skorsdan whispered.

There was no reaction from the bed.

Skorsdan funneled more energy into his palm. The blue orb splashed fingers of light toward the bed. Instead of speaking with his mouth, Skorsdan sent his whisper of words through the energy.

Babbette. Timely. Awake.

The hiss caressed the sleepers into waking.

“
Who is it?” The groggy voice of Timely broke the silence within the room. When her eyes finally cracked open, the dance of brilliant blue fluorescence shocked her into full coherence.

“
Babbette,” Timely said in a panic. “Wake up.”

“
What’s going on Timely? Let me sleep.”

Babbette finally opened her eyes and instantly recognized the color. Her hand shot to the nightstand and her fingers fumbled for the lamp. As soon as the warm glow of the lamp spilled about the room, Skorsdan allowed the fingers of energy to dissolve into dust.

“
Get out,” Babbette spat. “Now.”

Skorsdan shook his head.

“
If my father catches you here, he’ll…”

Skorsdan sat on the bed next to Babbette.

“
He’ll what? Your father thinks we’ve made nicey-nice. He might assume we’re about to, I don’t know, engage in a coital foursome. Although that sounds rather appealing, it’s not what we’re here for.”

“
Leave, Skorsdan,” Timely barked. “And take your lap donkey with you.”

“
Not until I get what I want.”

Babbette pulled the covers up to her chin.

“
Don’t worry. The sanctity of your treasure is safe…for now. What I want is even more precious than what’s between your legs.”

Timely grabbed Babbette and pulled her in close.

“
Oh…that just breaks my heart.” Skorsdan turned to Valiskil. “Doesn’t that pluck at the heat and meat of your heart?”

Valiskil placed his hands over his heart and nodded.

“
Sorry girls. Again, not what I wanted. You’re actually going to get off easy tonight. You see, what I want is to settle a score. To do that, I need to find your cherished halfling. You are going to lead me to him.”

“
Get out,” Babbette hissed. “If you don’t, so help me I will have Father here faster than you can leave this room.”

Skorsdan laughed and shot out a single tendril of blue energy to wrap around the neck of Babbette.

“
You know, it was fun playing friendly with you for that brief moment. In the end, though, my pride is so much more important than a companionship that offers me nothing outside of a few touchy feeling moments. And, by touchy feely…I don’t mean the good kind. Now…give me his location or I’ll end your life.”

Babbette’s hands scrambled madly about her neck to gain some purchase on the energy preventing her lungs from doing their job.

“
Please understand, I will kill you. Call me crazy, but…”

Before Skorsdan could continue his threats, Timely unleashed a banshee’s wail of a scream. Valiskil rushed to Timely and placed a hand over her mouth. Timely managed to clamp her teeth over the meat of his palm and bite down. Eventually, Valiskil’s pain threshold was exceeded and he released his hold. Timely jumped out of the bed, to the doorway, and released another cry for help.

The first roar echoed off the walls of the Gaultier House. The words were indecipherable, but the voice could not be mistaken.

Gorman Gaultier.

“
Skor, we better run,” Valiskil whispered.

“
I’m not going anywhere without the location of the halfling.”

“
Babbette,” Gorman shouted loud enough to shake paintings from their mounts.

“
Sorry, Skorsdan,” Valiskil mumbled just before he rushed out of the room and disappeared.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Skorsdan released Babbette. Better he escape with his life and live to eventually exact his revenge, than be stripped of life should Gorman catch him strangling Babbette. He ran to the door and turned back.

“
This isn’t over, Babbette. One day I will find Scott. When I do, his life is mine to take.” With that, Skorsdan fled into the darkness.

Seconds later, Gorman entered the room.

“
What is going on in here? Are you two okay? Babbette, my dear? Timely?”

It was Babbette who answered.

“
We’re fine, Pappa. But you’re going to want to locate Skorsdan. He is planning to finish what he started with Scott. Valiskil was with him.”

A low, rumbling growl poured from the throat of Gorman. When he finally spoke, his voice was almost too deep to discern. “I will find that boy and, for the first time in my life, kill one of my own kind. He has become too dangerous for our people. Go back to bed, girls. I will post a watch outside your door.”

Gorman reached down and gave each girl a gentle kiss on the forehead. He then stood, turned, and sped out of the room. The second the door closed behind him, he raced to his sleeping quarters, grabbed his phone, and dialed a special number for the Tyler’s End Sheriff – a number only Gorman Gaultier possessed.

“
Skorsdan. Yes, again. Find him and lock him away. When he’s in custody, call me immediately. I want every resource you have on this. Yes, now.”