“You want to what?” I still felt compassion for him. For three years, he had been my best friend. I couldn’t leave him alone at his lowest. It just didn’t feel right, but I had no other choice.
“Never mind. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Gabriel, don’t call me. I’m not going to answer.”
“Hello?”
“Did you hear what I just said?”
“What? I can’t hear you. They keep yelling your name,” he raised his voice.
I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at it. I couldn’t hear anyone besides him screaming on the line.
“Who’s yelling?” I asked confused.
“Bye, Isis.”
“Wait! Who’s—” I stopped talking because I heard the click where the call had ended.
I felt bad for Gabriel. I knew what it was like to feel alone and have no one understand you. I went through that when my dad died. I couldn’t talk to Claire because she was devastated, and none of my friends understood what it was like to lose a parent. My dad took a large part of me with him. These were different circumstances, however. I hoped deep in my heart that Gabriel sought out the help he needed.
***
March 15, 10:17 P.M.
The irony of life is to realize that you live only to die.
There I lay, deteriorating by the fault of my own hand. My unwillingness to listen placed me in that tomb.
Life is a gift that only the ones that have come to face the direst of situations can appreciate. Whether you live with honor, glory, or disgrace, Death will come without warning. She arrives at the hour that best suits her⎯wearing no cloak, carrying no weapon. She steals the breath and interrupts the beating of the pulse without prejudice.
Today, I’m alive, by the grace of God and the gods themselves because they had within their reach the power to negate her.
***
The rest of the week was nothing less than amazing. Gabriel stopped calling, and David and I couldn’t have been happier about it. But deep in that place where I shut out the unpleasant things in my life, there was something that tugged at me⎯worry for Gabriel.
***
“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” David said as we walked through the hallway on our way to the cafeteria. “You must be eager to see your friends.”
“Yup. I’m excited to catch up with them. I hope you’ll like them.”
“I’m sure I will. I have something to ask of you.”
I stopped in the middle of the hallway to listen.
“My father will be visiting, and I’d like you to meet him. He’ll be in town only for a couple of days. Do you think you can spare Monday afternoon?”
“Yeah… Of course.”
Though things were developing fast, I felt like our relationship was reaching another level of seriousness. Everything was happening at the right time. My worry about the dilemma with the Doctrinal Laws was still alive, however. I was afraid that David’s father would have a problem accepting our relationship.
“Does your father approve of us?” I asked.
“That’s something I wanted to mention. He doesn’t know.”
“What?” I felt my neck tense. “He’s going to kill you.”
“No, he won’t. I have my family’s support. He’ll listen to reason.”
***
School let out early for the Spring Festival Parade and the carnival. None of our entourage would be attending the parade.
Andy, Bill, David, and I decided to go to the movies.
I noticed David was more relaxed when his brothers weren’t around. I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t like feeling like I was being babysat either.
We watched a corny teen romance movie. Andy and I loved it. Bill fell asleep during the film. David said it lacked poetic intelligence and a lot of passion, but that overall it was okay. I disagreed and argued my point.
“The storyline was awesome,” I said.
“The dialogue was awful.”
“Not every line in a story has to be unforgettable, you know?”
“No, but the greatest stories have lines you can never forget. I bet you can’t quote a single line from that movie.”
I tried hard to think of a line. I wasn’t going to let him win an argument as simple as this one.
“I do remember one,” I said.
“Let’s hear it.”
“‘The End’.”
He laughed.
***
Claire’s Toyota was parked in the driveway when David and I reached the house. I invited him in, but he said he had some things to do before he was free for the weekend. It was always related to Somnium, so I didn’t bother to ask. I did, however, ask how he could be there and here at the same time. He compared it to multitasking. I’ll probably never understand that.
When I got inside, Claire was seated in the living room staring blankly at the television.
“Hi,” I said hugging her and kissing her cheek. “How’d your day go?”
“Fine.” Her face was deep in thought.
“You okay?”
She reached over, taking the TV remote and turning the television off. “Sit down.” She patted the sofa. “I went to visit my doctor today.”
“Are you sick?”
“No, I’m in tip-top shape, but we did have a talk.” She pressed her lips together.
“About what?”
“You.”
“But I’m not sick either.”
My mom reached for her purse and pulled out a case that looked like a cosmetic compact. She opened it. Inside was a circle made up of little pink pills with numbers on them.
“Mother, are those what I think they are?”
Claire nodded. “I asked her for some pills for you to consider taking, Isis.”
“What? I can’t believe you did that. We’ve talked about this, Mom. I don’t need those!”
“I said consider it. I’m not obligating you to take them. I just want you to be ready when that time comes, honey. Please don’t think I don’t trust you. I’m trying to protect you. I know how personal a topic this is to be discussing with your mother. I had to live through it with mine. I’m every bit as uncomfortable as you are.” She walked over to me and handed me the compact. “Keep it. Use it if and when you’re ready, and I’ll never ask you if you do or don’t take them.” She searched through her purse and pulled out a business card. “You can make an appointment if you need some more. I won’t bother you with the subject again. I’ve done all a mother can do, and I’ve been as nosey as I can, and I’m sorry about that.”
Claire walked up the stairs and left me holding the birth control pills in one hand and a doctor’s business card in the other. I didn’t know if I should be angry or embarrassed. Maybe both.
I climbed the stairs and went into my room. I shut the door and opened the compact to look at the round pastel colored pills. I snapped them shut and shoved the case to the back of my underwear drawer along with the doctor’s business card.
I wondered why Claire never tried to convince me to take those kinds of pills when I was with Gabriel. Maybe she thought I was too young then. Maybe she saw the way I looked at David as opposed to Gabriel. I had noticed it in myself.
***
The night had a bit of a chill to it. I was so excited to see Krystle and Patrick at the Spring Festival carnival. Andy, Krystle, Sheila, and I shrieked when we saw each other at the gate.
I introduced David to them. Patrick was shocked that I had a boyfriend already. He didn’t say it, but I could see it in his face.
“Where can I get one of those?” Sheila asked, nudging me. Krystle wanted to know that, too.
“Well, as a matter of fact,” I said in a loud voice. “I’m sure Andy can tell you.”
“Shush!” Krystle said. “I didn’t drive five hours to hear Billy goat have a bleating fit.”
We laughed.
“Well, if you know where to find more,” Sheila said, raising her hand, “I call dibs.
Sorry, Krystle.”
“You’re so selfish!” Krystle pushed Sheila playfully.
***
We had the best time on the carnival rides. The Ferris wheel was my favorite. I got to ride with David—alone.
“You know we’re supposed to make-out on this ride, right?” I said.
David chuckled. “We are?”
“Yes, all the cool kids are doing it.”
“You’re resorting to peer pressure?”
I nodded. “Is it working?”
“Yes,” he said, holding me tight against him. He gently took my lips in his. His breath was warm and steady. His sandalwood scent radiated from within him, and his sweet, tender kisses made me forget where I was.
“You’re a bad influence,” he said. “I think I like that.”
***
I spent Sunday helping Claire with the housework, and then took a long shower. David picked me up in the afternoon to accompany Nyx and him on a shopping excursion to an outlet mall in a nearby city.
That woman could shop! I thought I liked retail therapy, but she took the cake. I was so tired of walking in the heat that I finally sat on a bench and asked David if he thought Nyx would be much longer.
“We’ll have to drag her out by the hair,” he said.
“Ohmygosh,” I said, letting my head fall back. “I can’t take this anymore. I need air conditioning, a shower, and a diet soda.”
“I’ll let her know we’re leaving with or without her.”
***
As soon as I got home, I hit the shower. I wondered if David ever smelled bad. He always smelled so good to me.
I had a slight headache from being out in the sun all afternoon, and my feet were killing me. I massaged the soles of my feet and took a couple of pills to lessen the pain. I kicked the covers to the floor, popped in my earphones and scrolled through my iPod playlists. Classical genre was the proper choice for the evening.
As I lay in bed, I remembered that tomorrow I would meet David’s father. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I attributed it to nerves.
I listened to each piano note played in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. My eyes started closing, and my breathing became deep and steady. The melody carried me into a profound sleep.
My yellow spring dress was too wrinkled to wear, and the other two dresses I had contemplated wearing were at the cleaners. David, punctual as he was, would arrive in ten minutes, and I still hadn’t chosen an outfit to meet his dad. Not that I needed to look extraordinary, but making a good first impression wouldn’t hurt, considering the news he was about to receive.
I was starting to sweat just thinking about how David’s father would react. What if he didn’t accept our relationship? I’d be devastated if he asked David to remove himself from my life. I applied an extra layer of deodorant.
I glanced at my phone. There were only five minutes left until David would ring the doorbell. I looked over the outfits I thought were halfway decent and threw them on my bed. David was going to have to wait.
Seeing my options were limited, I decided to play the simple girl and threw on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. I accessorized with the first pair of earrings I found and slipped on a pair of my most fashionable wedge heels. I was ready to meet Mr. Chios, the shoe salesman/deity. I wondered if he’d check out my shoes.
When I glanced at the time, it was four o’clock on the dot; the doorbell rang. I was faster than I imagined.
David looked stressed when I answered the door. We both were.
“Do we have to tell him?” I asked, looking out the window as we drove past the last of the houses in town.
“It’s the responsible thing to do. I’ve gained his respect by being honest with him through the years.” He rubbed my arm with his hand in a comforting gesture. “Besides, it’s not like I can hide what I feel for you.”
***
Eryx swung the door open as David reached for the knob. His expression was uneasy.
“Has he arrived?” David asked Eryx.
“He has, and in good humor, might I add. Let’s see how long that lasts.”
David’s mouth tightened. “And Mother?”
“She’s with him. He’s asked about you, but we haven’t broached the subject, as you requested.” Eryx led the way out of the foyer and into the formal living room. “I’ll let them know you’ve arrived.”
I sighed.
“Are you nervous?” David squeezed my hand.
“Very,” I said. “He’s going to kill the both of us.”
David grinned nervously. “I doubt that.”
We sat in silence in the living room where only a few days ago I had almost lost my life. My stomach started to churn as the images flashed through my head. I took deep breaths to settle myself.
The silence made the wait seem eternal.
David and I glanced at each other as we heard several footsteps on the staircase. I felt David’s hand tremble a little as he held mine.
Alezzander was a tall blond man, handsome and athletic. Galen looked a little like him. I could tell he wasn’t a man to be reckoned with. The way he looked at me scared me—as crude a word as it is—shitless.
“Father…” David rose to greet him. They shook hands and patted each other on the back.
“Dahveed, you’ve brought a guest.” Alezzander’s voice was deep with a strong accent. Latin, I presumed.
David took me by the hand and presented me to his father. “This is Isis Martin.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” I extended my sweaty hand.
Alezzander extended his hand as well, but instead of reaching for my hand, he took the Star Crest that hung over my chest and ripped the cord from my neck with one quick tug. His nostrils flared and his brow creased.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“I’ve gifted her, Father,” David said coolly.
Alezzander’s neck turned red. A thick vein that hadn’t been there before appeared on his forehead.
“It’s not as it seems.” Nyx took Alezzander by the arm. “She’s not as she appears. Look deeper, much deeper.”
Alezzander’s stare penetrated me. I felt chills as his green eyes met mine. He threw the star at David’s feet. David gave him an angry look as he bent to lift the Star Crest from the ground.
Without warning, Alezzander grabbed my throat. I gasped and fought to release his hands.
“Release her!” David tried to pry his father’s grip from my neck. “She’ll suffocate at your hand!”
Alezzander pushed him away.
“Father… Father, release her! She’s fragile!” Galen shouted from across the room.
“No, Alezzander!” Nyx cried. “Stop!”
Alezzander released his hold on me. I fell to the floor gasping and wheezing, my eyes watering. I didn’t understand his reaction or the significance of the charm that David had given me. I wanted to run out of there, but I couldn’t catch my breath.
“Tell me who this thing,” Alezzander pointed to me, “belongs to.”
“I only know her mother, but she’s human. Her father’s the mystery,” Nyx said, pulling Alezzander away from me by the arms.
Eryx and David helped me up, off the floor, and to the couch.
David’s hands were balled into white fists at his sides. “Apologize, Father. You have no right to treat her this way.”
Alezzander took a step toward David. “You should be apologizing to me. Don’t you know there’s no remedy to the consequences you’ve brought onto yourself or your family? You repay my efforts to educate you, to raise you, to lead you in the right direction with this?”
“It’s my life, not yours,” David said.
Alezzander stepped between David and me and grabbed me by the face. “Who are your parents?”
I squirmed, trying to free myself, but his grip was too tight, hurting when I moved.
“Leave her!” David said, slapping his father’s hand away.
Alezzande
r’s emitted a loud growl⎯an honest-to-God, beastly growl.
I whimpered.
“Please answer him,” Nyx urged me.
“My mother is Claire Martin, and my father was Hector Martin,” I cried. “Why are you doing this to me?”
“You know full well, you half breed. Did you think you’d go unnoticed? I spare you now only because this fool,” he pointed to David, “has given you his life. But we can easily change that. Can’t we, Dahveed?”
Nyx stood between Alezzander and me. “They don’t know. She’s not aware of anything. She shows no sign of it.”
“Why have you kept this to yourself, my wife? You know the penalty for conspiring.”
“I do, my husband… but it’s our son we’re speaking of.”
“What don’t we know?” David asked. His face was filled with anger. He held me in a protective embrace as Alezzander approached me.
“Have you taken her as your pet… this bastard mutt?” Alezzander asked.
“I won’t allow you to speak of her this way.” David’s hands were in tight fists at his sides.
“Your Creatura has no father. She’s a bastard little beast that I’ll put to sleep like a wretched dog, after you’ve retaken what’s yours.”
“What?” David gasped. “You’re wrong. She’s not. She can’t be Creatura.”
“She is Creatura, David,” Nyx said. “But she won’t be harmed.”
“Are you compromising yourself on this… this filthy animal’s behalf?” Alezzander asked Nyx.
David looked at me with astonishment and disbelief. I stared back at him in the same manner.
“I am,” Nyx said. “She’s different. She’s not like the others. She’s as normal as any human on this planet.”
“Isis?” David said.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” I told him.
“That explains the dimensional travel.” Galen glanced between David and me.
Alezzander gripped David’s arm. “Take back what’s yours, Dahveed. I won’t sit and watch as you transform into whatever this excrement of hell is.”
“I won’t take it from her, and stop addressing her in such an offensive manner. I don’t want to disrespect you.”
“I’m not giving you a choice, boy. I’m commanding you to do so. Then, I’ll deal with her, myself.” Alezzander’s eyes met mine.
“No,” David said firmly.
“I’m ordering you!”
“No!”
Alezzander raised his hand and swung it back.
“Alezzander!” Nyx called before he could strike David.
The twins moved between Alezzander and us.