The First Male (14 page)

“Eli, let me spend some time with Adelaide, alone. We have much to discuss, she and I, woman to woman,” Rebecca said in a singsong voice.

“But, Mother—”

“Do as you're told,” she snapped. This was the first time Addie heard Rebecca raise her voice in anger.

“My sweet son, you should take a walk outside—get some air.” She walked over to Eli, linked arms with him and escorted him to the door. “You're such a wonderful son,” she said as she kissed him on the lips. Begrudgingly, Eli smiled, glared at Addie one last time and exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

C
HAPTER
9

E
li marched down the empty hallway furiously, his heels clunking loudly against the hard floor. The gait of his stride was long and sleek, fueled by his rising anger. His emotions were a violent whirlwind that caused trash cans and plants to topple over as he passed by; lights flickered and closed doors suddenly flung open. Each step he took sounded like the beating of a mighty war drum, alerting his enemies of his imminent approach. His scowled face showed the effort he exerted to keep the fire that was shut up in his bones from shooting forth like a bomb.

As he rounded the corridor toward the nurse's station, he increased his pace, blowing by the nurses in a quick flash; so fast that they didn't even see him, only felt his wind as papers blew off the counter at their station. He burst through the front doors and into the night, stopping in front of the building. The night felt good. He savored it. He wrapped himself in it, pulling its power into his body and enjoying the perfect fit. The sky rumbled loudly with thunder, signaling an arriving storm. The winds hissed through the trees, rustling the remaining leaves that clung to branches. He blinked and lightning bolts scattered across the dark clouds. He blinked again and several lightning bolts hit a large tree towering above everything else in the field across the two-lane road in front of the convalescent center. The tree instantly split with a loud crack and burst into flames.

Eli turned around and eyed the building. He tried hard to keep himself from making the entire building implode, collapse in on itself, killing every patient and employee on site. He wanted to do it so badly that his fingers trembled. He needed to calm himself. If he destroyed the building, his mother and Eetwidomayloh wouldn't be pleased.

In his heart, he had long since grown tired of following the dictates of his mother and Eetwidomayloh. He was the special one, the one they all should fear. He and Simon. They were kings. He couldn't wait until their birthday so that he and his brother could rule. Then, he wouldn't have to bend to their will. He could remake the world in his own image.

Eli was tired of waiting. Most of his life had been about waiting. He waited for his mother and Eetwidomayloh to show him his power. He waited for them to give him permission to torture Addie. He waited for them to find Simon. He waited for his birthday. Waiting, waiting and more waiting. He didn't want to wait anymore. He was a king and he was tired of playing this waiting game with Addie. He had always wanted to rip her to shreds, to lay her low and fill the mouth of her corpse with his feces, but he couldn't kill her. At least not now. His mother and Eetwidomayloh said wait and he choked back his disgust.

Now was his time to reign. With Simon.
With Simon
. All the years of his life, it had been so much about him, but now the time was near for it to be about him and Simon. He wasn't used to sharing attention, even though there had been much talk about Simon in the Shadowland since their birth. Eli already had an envious relationship with the brother he had never met. When they spoke of one, they spoke of the other, as if they were already joined at the hip. They were twins, but he was used to being alone; now, he had to learn to share the glory, even though he
was sick and tired of hearing his dear brother's name. Simon. Simon this. Simon that. His name spilled so often from Rebecca's mouth that Eli could hardly stand it. He felt her intense longing to be reunited with her child, and it wasn't so he and Eli could rule as intended. She longed to be with him in the way she had been with Eli. He could feel her despicable desire in every syllable she uttered about Simon and jealousy cut at Eli deeply. He feared losing his mother and not being the man in her life.

He took a deep breath and refocused his thoughts on the task at hand. As much as it scratched at his soul, he wanted to be the one to find Simon, to claim the glory. He had to find a way to break Addie down. If his mother did it, she would look down on him, never letting him forget his failure. Eli could do it; he could find Simon. He knew he could. They were from the same womb and his connection to Simon should be greater than anyone's, but jealousy got in the way, blocking the connection. He angered himself sometimes for being so jealous of Simon, but he could not let it go. He didn't know how. Over the years, he labored hard to keep his jealousy hidden. No one could know.

Addie. I need to get into her head
, he thought.
I need to find my brother
. Addie was strong indeed, but he believed he was stronger. Her powers were impressive, sometimes intimidating, but he'd never admit that to anyone. He had tortured her with almost the full brunt of his power, but still she resisted. He wondered how powerful she would be if she had all her strength. He needed his full power to deal with her. When the universe blessed him, he'd make sure he'd be the one to kill Addie. Slowly. Painfully.

“Eli, is that you?” He turned around and saw Andrea standing behind him, dressed in her white nurse's uniform. “What are you doing out here? It's about to storm,” she said, looking at the night sky and the lightning that flashed across it. “I was on the road
and saw lightning hit that tree across the street. I called 9-1-1. Is everything okay inside?” She touched his arm and smiled.

“Everything is good; better, now that you have arrived.” He let go of all the anger he felt and let lust rule his body. He needed a distraction and she'd do as well as any other woman. She smiled and rubbed her hands over her hair in an attempt to straighten her tangled locks.

“I called you the other day,” she said, smiling.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, and you didn't call me back.” She playfully hit him in the chest, letting her hand linger longer than necessary.

“I must've missed your call. I haven't checked my messages in a while.”

“Well, how are we supposed to talk, get to know each other, if you don't check messages?”

He smiled. “You're so very right. Can I make it up to you?” She shifted her weight coyly. “Do you have time to get a cup of coffee right now?” She looked at her watch and then back at the building. “It won't take long and my car is right over there.”

“Well, I guess I could call and tell Sheila I'll be about fifteen minutes late.”

“Great.” He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the parking lot. As they walked across the parking lot, a car door opened and another nurse stepped out.

“Hey, Andrea,” the lady said with a puzzled look on her face. “Are you leaving? I thought we were on the night shift together?” She smiled oddly and eyed Eli. “Excuse me,” she said to him, “have we met?”

“Hey, Courtney, this is Eli. He's Ms. Thibodeaux's grandson. You've probably seen him around, in her room. We were just gonna get some coffee.” Courtney smiled faintly.

“Nice to meet you, Courtney,” Eli said in a smooth baritone voice as he extended his hand. Cautiously, she met his grip with her hand and quickly took it back from him. Eli sensed that Courtney was nervous, her intuition probably warning her of danger. “We'll be right back. I won't keep her long.”

“Are you sure, Andrea? I'm sure Sheila's waiting on you to relieve her. She's been here for twelve hours. I'm sure she's ready to go home.”

“Another fifteen minutes won't hurt her. Can you tell her I'll be right back?”

“Sure, I guess.”

“Thanks, Court. I'll see you in a few.” They turned around and moved down the quiet parking lot as Eli put his hand around Andrea's shoulder. He could now smell her womanly scent tickling his nose and his genitals. Tonight would be one that she'd never forget, if she survived. Eli looked back at Courtney who was still watching them as they walked. He smiled at her and blinked his eyes. Suddenly, lightning flashed rapidly across the sky and thunder boomed so loudly that Courtney jumped, startled. She looked up into the sky as if she half-expected to see something falling from the heavens. By the time she looked back into the parking lot for Eli and Andrea, they were gone.

Addie's conversation with Rebecca yielded no results for The Dark Mother. Even in her present state, Addie was strong enough to resist her efforts at trickery, deception, and force. Rebecca had grown frustrated, but tried hard to prevent the frown that made her thin lips quiver from overtaking her face.

For the last ten minutes, she and Addie sat in silence. Rebecca
faced the window and stared into the night sky. Addie wasn't sure what she was doing or what they'd do to her body when Eli returned. As that thought flashed in her head, she felt a coolness seep into the room and watched Eli step into the room from the shadows of her bathroom.

“Mother,” he said as he approached her. When he was near, she hugged him as if he had just returned from a long trip.

She sniffed him and then looked at his face. “You have been with a woman.” Her eyes displayed her displeasure, but she didn't press the issue.

“Never mind that, Mother. Is everything okay?” He quickly shifted his eyes toward Addie. “Did this old bitch do something to you?”

“I am fine, darling. I have a headache.”

“You sure?” His voice was full of doubt.

“Yes, I am sure.”

“Were you able to get anything from her?” Rebecca's silence answered him. He then turned his attention to Addie.

“Let me handle this,” he said as he moved around her and faced Addie. “Grandmother, I have some awful, awful news to share with you.” The word
grandmother
sounded like a curse word in her ears, the ultimate disrespect. It was her own grandson who had inflicted the worst torment upon her for days and he did it without so much as blinking an eye. If he could do this to her, she imagined what he would do to the world, if he were allowed to reign.

“I didn't want to be the one who had to tell you this,” he continued, “but your sister Bertice is dead.” Eli spoke with feigned sympathy. A wry smiled formed in the corners of his mouth. “Now, there are only two sisters left, two of four. No doubt, we will find the other and when we do, she will burn. Your powers are fading. Your time is over.”

His words felt like a punch to the face to Addie. Not her sister. Not Bertice. Next to her, Bertice was the strongest. The sister-clan had always been composed of four. Addie thought they had been protected, hidden from the evil. To ensure the propagation of the clan, Addie ordered her sisters to put aside their powers and erase their own memories of their heritage until such time that she came for them. She knew the dark would hunt them mercilessly and they would be vulnerable, especially without the protection of the High Priestess. Their powers would leave footprints in the spirit world that the dark would trace. Addie forced them to create new identities in other parts of the world, separated by vast distances. She told them she'd come for them when she broke free from her fleshly sarcophagus and when it was safe. At the time, she could not have imagined that she would be locked away for twenty years. She had underestimated the power of the dark.

Addie felt shame, along with tremendous grief. She had not even felt Bertice's death; she had been stretched too thin in trying to find Simon and hold her spells together. From each of her eyes, heavy tears fell. Rebecca moved over to the dresser, grabbed a tissue and wiped Addie's weeping eyes.

On the night of the birth of the twins, when Addie attempted to disappear after she cast Simon away, Eetwidomayloh angrily reached into the darkness and entombed her within her own body, but aged it considerably. She had been found days later, almost catatonic in a park downtown. Bertice found her days later, in a hospital, after she had been picked up by emergency personnel, unable to speak. She and the other sisters tried to free her, but they were not strong enough. That's when Addie issued her commands to them, to protect them.