Shadow Seed 1: The Misbegotten (30 page)

She went on.  “But it’s illegal, so I will tell you this… tonight with my heart and soul, and with my body I will pledge myself to you to be true to my word and try everything in my power to make it, so I will never leave your side.”  She fingered bedspread for a few seconds, then peered at me through her fallen hair.  “Does it sound like I am ready for this?”

I knew she saw what the gravity of her words had done to me.  I was reduced to a pitiful husk before her.  I hadn’t believed, even in my wildest dreams, she would be thinking that far ahead.  I had no idea she would be willing to change her entire life, even her way of living it, for me.  But then again, what seventeen year old boy thinks of such things?  Only females think
that
far ahead at that age.  We guys are too busy trying to get something warm and wiggly in our beds. 
Pah, think ahead, my ass!

From another perspective though, I hadn’t known that things at my aunt’s house had deteriorated to such a degree.  I was unaware Katie had been pushed against a wall so ferociously.  If she hadn’t squirmed out of the way, she might’ve been crushed inside.  I hadn’t known how close she had come to losing herself.  The enormity of the choices she had been forced to make were astounding.  I was awed by the clarity and maturity of her decisions, even though, some of them, one the outsi
de, might’ve looked very bad.  Yet, they weren’t, once one delved below the surface and saw the icky muck her parents had dumped on her.  She was so much more of a woman than I was a man. 
Did she really want to marry me?

“You’re probably more ready than I am, ‘cuz, to tell you the truth,” I replied with a wry smile.

She made the bed shake with bubbling merriment, while she traced one of my knuckles with her finger…

{ ¹Heavy Metal: a genre of
rock music
developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s; with roots in
blues rock
and
psychedelic rock
, the bands
creating heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified
distortion
, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness.
}

~~~~~~~~~~~~♦~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Summer – 2018)

Rollercoaster

It was a quarter passed ten when the movie finished.  Johan and Flavia said their good nights and left.  Not without Flavia giving me another of her level stares as she walked through the doorway, closing it behind her. 
She knows something is up
, I thought to myself for the second time that night. 
And, if she doesn’t know, she suspects there is something happening between Katie and me
.  Flavia was smart and knew about people.  It was one of her strong suits.

I walked over to the multimedia center, switched the output to my MP3 player, found my slow jam p
laylist, set it to “Random All” and let the music play.  I adjusted the volume lower since all of my younger siblings were either getting ready for bed or were already asleep.  I smiled at Katie who hadn’t left the bed and was messing around with her cell phone.  Oddly, there were footsteps on the stairs outside the door, followed by a quiet knocking.  This never happened, especially this late.

“Come in,” I said at once, which brought up Katie’s head.

The door opened and my mother poked her head into the large room.  “I was just coming up for the both of us to say good night.  I’m going to bed, but your dad is still up watching the tube (an expression from before my youth, since there were already no CRT monitors anywhere in the modern world by then).  If you hear any bumps in the night, it’s most likely him looking for another beer or stumbling to bed.  Ok?”

“Ok, ma, good night,” I said with a nod.

“Good night, son.  Good night Katie… I hope your first full day here was a good one.   We will talk tomorrow, ok, honey?”  My mother’s smile was soft and comforting.

“Ok, Auntie,” sparkled Katie, nodding four or five times, “It was a good day, very relaxing and quiet – no yelling…”  She seemed to catch herself, because her eyes shot wide, then, “Good night!”  She recovered by standing there
, waving somewhat lamely.

My mother’s smile broadened
, but her eyes betrayed sorrow.  She knew some of what Katie and her siblings were going through at the hands of her sister and her wanna-be actor, husband.  She backed out of the doorway, so Katie couldn’t see her as she mouthed to me, “take care of her!”  Her face melted into frown wrought of concern and worry.

I inclined my head, but said nothing, feeling a stab of
guilt at the nasty, carnal thoughts I’d been having all night and day about Katie.  My mother was counting on me to keep her safe and sound, and here I was chomping at the bit to get into her tiny, lace panties. 
I’m gonna burn for this!

My mother closed the door and was gone.

I went to my dresser and pulled out something to sleep in, though I doubted there would be much sleeping tonight, if everything went as planned.  I’m not quite sure what I wore exactly, although I remember it was another warm night, only a few degrees cooler than the night before.  I am guestimating I grabbed shorts and a t-shirt. 
Hey, it’s been a few centuries, give me a freakin’ break, alright?

I walked around the eight-foot section of wall that stuck out into the Loft to accommodate the bathroom.  I saw that Katie was back on her cell, talking.  I waved to get her attention.  She stopped her conversation, tilting her chin at me.

“I gonna shower and change, ok?  You know pass the time and make sure I am clean for…”  I shrugged, covering my embarrassment with a snicker.

She became instantly illuminant and gave me the thumbs up sign, before she went back to whoever she had on the phone.

I came out fifteen minutes later to find her off the phone, reading a magazine on her bed with her nightclothes piled up next to her, her sexy feet dangling.  She saw me and immediately got up, tucking her garments under her arm.  “One of these days, we won’t be taking turns, we’ll be showering together.  What do you think of that?” she asked as she brushed passed me a wicked grin etched on her face.  She blew me a kiss before she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

If I had been feeling any tinge of guilt befor
e, it vanished in that instant.  Katie was just too damned titillating.  She was like chocolate or a cold beer or a warm cup of coffee.  She was one of those things, in the right place at the right time, entirely irresistible.  She as my ambrosia and I was going to devour her tonight!

*****

It was nearly eleven thirty when my phone chirped and, from the sound, I knew it was a text from Ramona.  I flipped over on my bed and snatched the phone form the nightstand.  Katie, who was lying next to me, continued to watch the TV.  We had turned it on in anticipation of watching some late night comedy.  I read the message, I felt my heart sink.

“
Change of plans, call me ASAP!” 

I quickly voice-dialed her phone number
, saying her name, and waited anxiously for her to pick up.  I didn’t have to wait long.  On the second ring, she answered, speaking in low tones. 
“Eff?”

I replied in the affirmative.

“I’m not sure I can make it down there tonight. Lucy, my friend who was going to give me a ride, had an emergency in her family and has to be elsewhere.  She was my only hope, the only person my mom would let me spend the night with.” 
She breathed exasperated.
  “I told you, remember, the moment she found out Selena was fucking her boyfriend, she was going to get all suspicious about you and me.”
Selena was her older, eighteen year old sister. 
“She been trying to act all concerned like she cares.  You know that bitch only cares about getting some from her man and her fucking welfare check, because of me.  Who the fuck is she trying to fool?”

“Shit, Ramona, you don’t have any other way?” I asked trying to keep my voice level.

“Unless, I sneak out and walk…?”
she offered, but I was having none of it.  She lived nearly a mile and a quarter from my house - to walk in this part of Los Angeles, this late as night was asking for it.  Even I myself wouldn’t dare to run that gauntlet.  Add the
snitches
to the mix and I knew I would never see her again.

“Hell no, Ramona!”
I spoke forcefully into the phone.  “I’m not going to risk you getting raped or worse just so Katie and I can be together.  We can wait, it’s not worth the risk.”

That got Katie’s attention and she lowered the volume on the TV.  She gave me a questioning look, which I returned with a roll of my eyes.  She slumped in frustration.

“
Ok, ok, I won’t walk, but crap! Estefan, I feel bad for you guys, because we made all those rules and now I’m the one fucking shit up
,” was her response.  She genuinely sounded bummed out.

“We can wait, don’t worry.  We have plenty of time.  The summer is coming and there will
be a whole bunch of opportunities for the three of us.  Don’t sweat it, alright?”  I was trying my best to cheer her up, but I knew it wasn’t working.  Then, I heard someone talking in the background as Ramona muffled the phone.

Then, “
– it, mom, since when do you care how late I talk on the phone.  It the last day of school tomorrow not the beginning of finals week, so no one is even going.  Why don’t you just go watch TV and leave me alone!
  I heard her mother tell her to get off the phone, angrily this time. 
Ok, ok, I’m getting off…”
  Then, to me,
“Eff, I gotta go, she’s acting like a bitch.  She’s drunk
and
acting like a drunken bitch.  You know how she gets.  I will call you when I can - probably first thing tomorrow - ok?  Then, we’ll make plans, sound good?”

“Yeah sure sounds good,” I began, but I wasn’t able to finish my thought.  I heard her mother scream at her and suddenly the connection broke.  The line went dead.

“What happened?” wondered Katie with a sad look on her face.

I shook my head again.  “Ramona’s ride cancelled on her, and her mom is acting like an ass, so… she won’t be coming over tonight.”

“So, that means, you and me…”  She stopped when I tilted my head, indicating she was on the right track.

“Yup, in lieu of our ground rules, we’re gonna have to postpone - ,” I attempted to clarify.

“Fuck!” Katie shouted through clenched teeth to muffle her frustration.  Her hands were clenched at either side of her hips.  “I really wanted this to be the night.  Damn it!”

“I know, I did too,” I agreed, flopping down on the bed, grabbing one of my pillows and tucking it under my chin.

Katie did the same only form the opposite direction, so that our heads were together, side by side, inches apart.

“This blows.”

“So now what?” she mused aloud.

“I don’t know about you, but I could sure use a few beers.  This whole day has been so full of shit, I am mentally exhausted.  Maybe I could use
more
than a few beers, now that I think about it,” I said thoughtfully, then caught Katie’s accusatory glare.  “What?” I asked.

“Beers, Estefan?”  Her tone was dry.

“Well, yeah,” I shrugged, thinking we had earned them after experiencing so many ups and downs in such a short period of time.

“After you gave me all that shit this morning about being under control.  What the fuck, dude, you’re confusing me?”  She swung at my head with her fist, though she really had no intention of hitting me.  I dodged it easily.

“My dear that was before we made out on the couch, before we both wanted to jump each other bones, and before my girlfriend decided it was ok.  This is despite the truth that we’re cousins and we still want to do each other.  This was also before Tirza’s news, before you asked my girlfriend if you could have me tonight, and before said girlfriend agreed that it would be ok, provided she was present.  AND, my sweet, this was also before we all made plans, cleaned up, and, a short time ago, found out that those very same plans had fallen through.”  I was breathing heavily by the time I was done.  “That constitutes a few cold beers for us suffering teens, don’t you think?”

“Good god, it sounds tiresome just listening to you spell it out like that,” she replied in a huff.  “Will your parents know if we took a few?”

“My dad usually lets me have one now and again, but he has so much stockpiled in his frig in the garage, he’ll never know we took some.  Plus, we can replace them in the morning with some of the beer he already has stored next to the frig.  You know, the stuff that has yet to be chilled.  He’s got so much of it, I doubt he even knows how many cases he’s storing.”

Katie understood and grinned.  “Well, what are you waiting for, go get some!”

A few minutes later, I was back with eight twelve-ounce cans of Budweiser and a thirty-two ounce Mickey’s Big Mouth¹ (back then we used to call it thirsty-two
ouncer
, because after one, “I’s still be thirsty for more”).  It was more than enough to get a good buzz going, but not too much to make my step-dad suspicious.

“Were they hard to get?” asked Katie wiggling her sweet ass on my bed.

“Naw,” I tittered with a grin, “my dad was fucking passed out in his BARCO-Lounger.  His beer was still in his hand, the TV was still on, so it was easy.  I brought the beer up to the middle of the second flight of stairs, so no one would see it.  Then I went back down and woke him up and walked him to bed.  He always knocks shit over when he’s drunk.  He gave me a big kiss on the head, saying I was a good son and asked to make sure the house was locked up.  I thanked him and did what he asked, turned everything off, and then came back for the beer and jola!  Not only am I a model son, I can now guarantee, we won’t be disturbed!”

“Oh my god,” she playfully accused, “a good son who just ripped his dad off for a whole bunch of beer!  Shit, Eff, you’re such an ass kisser.”

I was nodding like a bobble-head and passed a beer over to her, which she popped open like a pro.  I follower her lead and we made a toast….

“…
To being together like we were meant to be…!”

…And, we both took a long pulls of the chilled liquid, feeling the tension melt from our bodies.  We brought our cans down about the same time, eyes watering from the
alcohol as we tried to spy each other through the blur, sputtering and giggling all the while.

I smacked my lips.  “That was good, Kat, I really needed that,” I admitted wiping at my mouth.

Katie looked at me through her beer eyes, glittering in the lamplight.  “And you make yourself come across like this little goody two-shoes.  You’re just as bad as the rest of us.”  She chided me, as if I was some kind of poser bad kid or something.

I guffawed at her naiveté.  “Sweetie, you just gotta be smart when you do shit.  I think about it in advance.  How else could I cover my tracks so well?  How can I deflect or guide the way a person thinks about me?  So, they would never even imagine, I would do what I really intend to do.  It’s all basic shit, Kat, you just have to build a reputation, surround it with a good deed now and again, pepper it with decent grades, keep your parents radar clear, and you would be surprised how much shit you can get away with.”  She squinting at me, deep in thought, scratching her temple.  “Think about it,” I resumed, “a few months ago, my parents actually let Ramona spend the night with me, up her in the Loft.  That was before her mother found out that her older sister was getting t-bagged on a regular basis and before she started acting all stupid and stuff.”