Louis
I sat outside on the porch and could do absolutely nothing but stare out into the dark surroundings, waiting for the sun to finally rise, hoping the warmth would mean something… However, I knew it was going to be one of those days where no amount of coaxing or energy spent on me would help get me out of the state I was in. Over the century, it happened multiple times. Years would go by, where I moved around like the zombie I was, grasping aimlessly onto whatever beauty I could find. I could still remember very little of what happened during those spells.
The bug screen door behind me creaked to let me know Jacklin was coming out of the house. I read her to find out in what mood she was in with the baby due any day. It would help me—after she arrived, because, with every child, the first few years had been new and worth the trouble of getting up… While Jacklin took care of the baby, I had to make money to provide for my family, which always pushed me to move, but not today. Not for the last two weeks.
She struggled to sit down on the chair beside me and rubbed her extended belly. It was a miraculous sight to me, knowing a life would soon begin; the joy of a child lifted anyone's spirits. This time, I couldn't even muster up the fake enthusiasm, so I looked away out over the tiny green hills down toward the ocean. Distant, tiny waves jumbled in and out, lulling the quiet atmosphere. Jacklin reached out with an open hand, offering her comfort. I didn't take it. "Take my hand."
I ignored her; my mind completely quiet, shut off from any influence. She would have had to stab me to get a reaction out of me. I refused to think about anything that had happened before this life; my mind trained to stay where it was. Jacklin pushed her stomach out and groaned off the chair with a final grunt. She walked past me and towards the wall of the house. For some reason, she strained and jerked; wood tore and cracked, coming loose from where it was held in place. The familiar crinkle of plastic made me look up at her. She held out the packet, "It seems like an emergency."
I smiled and chuckled, taking it, "You have them hidden around the house? Now I'll have a mission to find all of them."
She laughed lightly, and the sound didn't grate on me anymore. Jacklin sat again, "I thought it would've been the first thing you did when we arrived in South America."
"What?"
"Plant tabaco… Become proficient in farming and making cigarettes… Even if it was only a hobby… It could keep you busy for many years…"
"Another hundred?"
She sighed heavily, "We have a lot of time left, Louis… You and I will be here for seven hundred years."
"Yeah." I lit the stick, however old it would be. I coughed, "This," I coughed some more, "Is ancient." Out of habit, I stared at the cigarette between finger and thumb, getting lost in the soft glow of the kindling paper, marveling at the instant comfort. "I never wanted to because if we put in all that work and had to run…" I sat back and sighed, "What would be the point?"
"I don't mind living in seclusion… We could live away from the town."
I lifted my eyes, and something caught them: a red blur hidden behind bushes. Focusing, I could make out the shape of a man hiding and watching us. My heart pounded against my chest, going from one frame of mind to another, alerting me that now I had to move... I looked at Jacklin to see if she noticed the intruder. Her eyes were closed, and her head was resting back against the chair. I tried to read whoever it was—they were too far. I couldn't manifest, and sometimes, it was only bored kids who were staring at the pretty lady. Maybe it was Lillian's new man in her life. The older guy wouldn't do something like this… On the other hand, perhaps he was a creep, hoping to peep into her window. I'd kill him like so many others who had given me the slightest reason, keeping them to feed on later. Pervert.
I pretended to stand and look out at the view for a moment, slowly walking down the steps out into the yard. Unperturbed, the red shirt turned and walked toward the beach. I kept moving closer to the little path he would've had to take to get to the beach; in the distance, he met a black woman, and the two kissed. I breathed a sigh of relief about the outcome… I could only barely make out the gesture in the dawn darkness. Weird. What was he doing staring at us? I hadn't seen the couple before. Maybe they were new to the area.
Jacklin stood up from her creaky chair and headed back inside. I finished my cigarette, a little more revived for the day. Protecting the occupants of the house was the only thing that could make me forget about myself. First, I walked the perimeter, checking for footprints in the soil around the windows. There were some, so I headed down the street to wave at all the early risers. A few of them were out in the gardens, tending to their patches of crops. Maybe I should plant only a few pots with some tobacco in them…
At the end of the road, the house I was aiming for had the family outside doing exercises together. Lucky. And Lillian's admirer was wearing a black vest, so it wasn't the young lover either. He waved for me to come over. I had a quick chat with him and his parents. "Are you excited about the little one?"
"Yes, any day now… Jacklin is very uncomfortable."
"I bet."
"Hey, I wanted to ask you if you've noticed new people around here? A white man and a black woman."
The older couple shared a glance. Both had the day before; the two seemed suspicious to them, and the children had seen them a week before and mentioned the new faces. They were all waiting for them to come into the village to introduce themselves because no one in the family recognized them. "We saw the two lurking around the house yesterday."
"Here?"
"Yes. When they realized we could see them, they wandered off."
"Same thing with us this morning, he was watching the house."
The man dragged his wife closer, "Do you think we have a vampire in our midst?"
I held back my laugh, "Maybe… We'll have to get the guys together and go looking for them."
"I'll call a meeting. We can hear who else has seen them and where they might be hiding." He wasn't wrong. Where were they hiding?
I turned to leave. If it were lonely vamps, I didn't want the townsfolk to take out their pitchforks. But how? I racked my brain to think if someone could've fallen through the cracks back in the day… Yes, I was in charge of the vamps' relocation to En-gannim, but perhaps someone on the outside had ignored Earth's summons to the compound… It didn't matter; whoever it was, I needed to find them before we went fake-hunting for them. Or before they killed someone… One of Ian's men could've run off when they were still in America… It could be a couple hiding because one of them was a vampire… I shook my head at this thought and at myself; they might just be two humans scared to integrate into a new community. I wanted it to be vampires; maybe Soren and Ian sent out some to populate other places. Any news from the outside world would mean something. Now the second thing I had to do was head back to the beach to follow their tracks before they washed away.
The pair was not in a hurry. Footprints were close together and all over the place; for a good stretch of the beach, they played around, running into the water and coming out again. After that, it was rather self-explanatory: they wrestled and landed on top of one another in the sand and rolled around for a bit. The woman got up and ran in enormous strides to be caught. I smiled despite myself because he did catch her and swept her into his arms. The rest of the way, she was carried. The man's large feet went back inland toward an obscured path leading into a thicket of brush.
On the rocky, hard-packed sand, I couldn't see where they went. I looked up; the little lane veered either left or right, running through high foliage and unkempt palm trees. Why was there even a path? At the T-junction ( in a manner of speaking), I was already about half an hour from the outskirts of town while the rest of us tended to stay within screaming distance. They had to be south if they were hiding, so I headed away from the village. The shrouded trail was barely visible or cleared in any way to have been used regularly… As if they thought it would be enough to hide their way home.
It led me through more overgrown greenery covered by thick treetops, and by now, I was heading into the jungle. For another half hour, I pushed aside plants before I heard a faint voice. Her accent was so strange, singing in English… Trying anyway… Where were they from? I thought I knew every underlying language out there. How did they get here without us noticing? Have they always been here? Why would they not introduce themselves to the people? I abruptly stopped walking, recognizing the next song. It was one of Juliet's favorites; a slow drum and a quiet guitar strumming the music along. The voice didn't have the instruments to accompany her, but with a lot of struggle, she kept going. So she was only learning English. It was a good way. Songs…
Hesitantly and as slowly as humanly possible, I moved forward. The woman came into view, hanging up laundry. She turned to pick up a shirt exposing a slight—barely pregnant—baby bump, dressed in a tank top a size too small for her. No wonder. Stunning; I smiled again; they were only cautious. I would have to watch them to see if they manifest. Where was the guy?
Her song changed; I tilted my head in response. Another one Juliet loved. I closed my eyes tightly and cursed myself. I knew what my problem was. Since Juliet's last painful connection, I asked her to let me go; she hadn't tried to contact me again. A piercing spoke drove through my heart after I said it. I knew the day would come when I pleaded and she would listen… Talking to her and having it taken away was so much worse; it always sent me spiraling. What if that was really the last time I ever heard from her?
"Boo!"
I shrieked like a little girl and spun around. For a second, I held my breath at the face in front of me, my eyes taking in every aspect—of myself. The air got sucked out of my soul as the realization dawned. My breathing increased, yet it was labored and slow. Too stunned to move. "Hi, Dad." With two hands, I gripped his shirt and shook him. "Mom said you might not be so happy." I pulled him into an embrace, and the tears of a hundred held-back years released in gentle streams. He closed his arms around me, "I'm sorry we're late." It hurt too much to speak. All I could muster was agonizing wails.
I struggled to catch my breath as the sobs racked through my body. I didn't want to let go of him; I pushed him away on the same thought, "What's your name?"
"Basaam… Are you disappointed?"
I shook my head, holding back the tears, moaning. I turned away from him to clean myself up and pulled out a handkerchief. Shakely, I tried to wipe and gather myself. I looked up; the woman was staring at us from the washing line. Basaam walked past me, "Come, meet my wife."
More tears threatened to overpower me. He was a hundred years old. I missed it all. I was so disappointed, but not in never meeting him, but in myself. Juliet got pregnant the last night we were together. A sick, hurt filled my stomach—for all of it. How he was conceived. How I was with her that night. Every word I said.
"Nami," he held out a hand to her. She was dressed in the shortest shorts you could imagine, beginning right under her ass. Flipflops. Had Juliet written all over her. I should've known… Who else would still know songs from way back when?
Cautiously, she stepped forward and took his hand. He spoke to her in a foreign tongue. Of course, they met on Mirach. "Louis," Basaam introduced us.
"Louis," she repeated.
I smiled and opened my arms to her. She stepped forward and let me hug her. "Is he good to you?" Basaam chuckled. She looked to him for translation. He did and spoke fluently in the strange tongue. She smiled, nodding. "Good."
"Hey, Dad, come, let's go sit down." The mention of me as a father filled my heart to overflowing. He didn't hate me. Not yet… "I have a gift for you." His tone when he spoke to her was kind, almost a request. Nami headed into the house.
Four lawn chairs were arranged around a small metal table on the grass. I sat down, unable to stop looking at him; my chest still shaking as I tried to keep it together. He had a little of Juliet in him. "You were with her the whole time."
"Every time she contacted you, too," he scoffed-laughed. "I was pretty upset about it after a while… But mom had that silly smile on her face every time," he laughed genuinely, "The one I have now… I can't blame her anymore… Or you."
I had so much pride for the man I didn't even know, what he had been through. Juliet did a great job raising him all by herself. "Hey, who was with you?"
"Caleb."
"No! All this time?"
"The three of us… The two raised me." Basaam's smile fell, and emotions twisted his mouth. "It wasn't easy."
"No… I am so sorry I wasn't there."
"Yeah, I don't know how you miss someone you've never met, but I did."
Nami came out with three stacked cartons under her arm. I chuckled, "My gift?"
"Hmm."
"Do you smoke?"
"I've never tried."
Nami dropped them on the table. Before we could do anything, she opened a box and took out a pack; with swift precision, she pulled the little strip and separated the plastic. The remnants were tossed on the table. With long nails, she dragged out a cigarette and placed it between her lips. With one hand, she dug in a tiny pocket of her pants, lifted a lighter, and blocked the stick behind her other hand to ward off the constant ocean breeze. Nami took a serious, long drag and exhaled the smoke. A contented sigh escaped her lips as she looked down. She shrugged at our astonished faces and held out the packet to me, saying something I couldn't understand. Basaam laughed lightly, "She says mom taught her to do it in a cool way." My hand jumped to my lips, rubbing away a tearful chuckle. What happened the last time she jolted me into submission? Juliet had to have been overcome in some situation. "Are you going to ask about her?"
My smile fell, and I hurriedly dug out my own stick and lit it. I took two drags before I sat forward and rested my elbows on my knees, staring out at the ocean. I took too long to say something.
"She sent me first… She didn't want to know if you—" I nodded my head and took another deep drag. "I couldn't really tell. We've been here for a few weeks—" I suddenly looked at him, "No, I needed time… She said I could take as much as I needed… I… also wanted to know."
"I didn't. Not once." It hit me. Juliet was here, at the beach two weeks ago, and saw us. I did catch a glimpse of her thoughts… "You're lying, but it's okay… She made an assumption." Basaam took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I guess your allegiance is with your mother. If I had, what would you have done?"
"Honestly…" He took a deep breath, "I don't know… Jacklin is pregnant, and the other two kids…" Basaam laughed sheepishly, "I felt like we would be part of a broken home. I didn't know if I could do it." I laughed with him. "You have a bigger problem than me if you're not lying."
"I'm not… The baby is from a human father who died on the way here… The vamp was, I guess, a happy coincidence from another human father too long ago… Lillian… a one-night stand." Jacklin had had so many dalliances and had only gotten pregnant three times. "Hey, what do you mean, if not your mother?"
"Sammy. She doesn't want to see you or ever talk to you again."
I pressed my fingers into my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and my shoulders shook all over. I lost everyone. I did this. I left. Why did I leave? Could I please go back in time? I was where Juliet and Marcus were a hundred years ago. No one was going to help me fix this. How did I fix it all?
A hand landed on my shoulder, and my pain drifted off. I could think. My inner strength came back. My monster contained. She held her hand there and pushed against my body, releasing more energy. I went over into sweet oblivion. "Better?" she asked. "Many times. Juliet." I patted her hand. I wasn't the only one suffering. Everyone else had their own story.
"Did she?"
"Sleep with anyone? No! Oh, no… None of us did. I only met Nami a year ago." He chuckled. "Caleb and his wife want to do the dark city trail, but can't…" I laughed with him. "Four weeks ago, we finally found Michael… She would've been here the first chance she had… It is my fault. I'm sorry. Did I make a mistake?"
"No, Basaam. You have done nothing wrong."
"Do you want to see her? Michael checks up on us every three days… The teleporters don't work yet… So that was another factor, and we had to get Marcus to figure out where Chris was. It had been a rough few weeks—"
He was rambling, so I rested a hand on his arm, "First, tell me who died?"
He shook his head slowly, "No one of significance."
"What?" I sat up and turned to him. "How?"
"Well, all the kids were with Silvanus, Agatha, Cindy, and Ira on Marcus's island… They miraculously found Zoreah's waterstone and lived there and had… well, lives, I guess… I don't think anyone was happy, really… Anyway, Sammy, Naji, Miné, Jaali, Fia, Mael… All alive… The only one who died was Aries about ten years ago at the ripe age of ninety… Fahan and Jade, too… A lot of years ago." Basaam looked at the cigarette he'd been playing with and put it between his lips. Nami held out the lighter. He coughed a little and went on, "Liam and Cindy were apart for all this time."
"No! Where was Liam?"
"He and Sam were stuck in Nahrima."
"How did they survive?!"
"They were in the tower on their way to Mirach… There were a few vamps and the scientists with them when the teleporters stopped working."
"Sam went to the origin city immediately?"
He nodded, "Chris looked a little worse for wear when Michael found him and Marcus together… It took him two weeks to get his manifestation back… Caleb and Sammy were happy to see him again... Ira and Silvanus too…. Let me see, Charlene, Romero, and Carl—
"Carl? Still alive?"
"Ittoqure."
"No! I'm so happy."
"I don't know… Romero is nowhere near the end of the war… Before Juliet left us here, they were planning something with him… They all said he lost the way, and he needed to be brought down a peg… We're all worried that by the end of this war… there will be no wolves left. The only vamps who survived are living on the colony planet… Palmyra is ruled by Dimitrios's son. He died a long time ago from some disease. Zoreah didn't even notice we were gone."
[ Louis! Louis! Louis! ]
"Stop that!"
"Stop what?" Basaam asked.
I stood to my feet. Juliet appeared right in front of me, so happy to see me, she wanted to jump and wrap her legs around my body. I grabbed her waist before she did and pushed her away so I could stare at her. "Okay. This is not the reception I was hoping for… Were you lying?" I smiled and stroked over her hair and tucked some behind an ear so I could see her face. "Are you checking to see if I aged?" She pushed her face closer to mine, "See no wrinkles yet." I flicked her against her forehead. Her hand came up to rub at the spot, "Ow."
"Pregnant already? Who's the father?"
Juliet looked down and rubbed over her belly, "Michael," she laughed and looked at Nami. The two grabbed hands and hugged for a moment. Juliet spoke to her fluently, as if she were a native. All I understood was ittoqure, and I glanced at Basaam, who met my eye. For the first time, I read his thoughts: An ittoqure baby and either a dheka or vampire growing up together. He was as happy as the women and still amazed at how the whole family had come together in this strange way after so long apart. Relieved because Jacklin and I weren't together. I placed my hand on his shoulder. Juliet turned to me. "I see you've met your son."
"Juliet…"
"Yes, Louis."
"Can I kiss you?"
"I wanted to kiss you!" I took a step toward her. "You pushed me away." I took her face in my hands and dragged her lips onto mine. I stayed there, and Juliet thought about how we had met in a bar. I frowned at first, but these were real memories; I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on hers. We slept together after she asked me to kiss her a bunch of times. And then I didn't kill her. "I would never." I closed my fingers around her neck, stroking my thumb over her cheeks as she thought of our life. Basaam's birth and the ten years I had with him. His actual birth and how she cried out for me. It was the first time she nearly killed me. I kissed her quickly, begging her to go on. It was easy for her and Caleb to travel with him and be a family. She showed me images of him as a baby, a toddler, a child, and then a teenager. My lips quivered against hers… Everywhere they went, the dheka helped them raise him and heal him when he was sick or hurt… How she and Caleb began fighting at one point about how to raise him. I laughed and dragged her mouth onto mine. Their mother-son relationship changed, and how very close the three of them were. Tears rolled over my cheeks. I could've been there. Juliet and me together, the way I promised. Juliet thought about Basaam and how many times he asked about me. Wanted to hear stories. Complained about all my notes.
She wiped away my tears. "I was dead for the last hundred years, baby. Without you, I'm nothing. My life was nothing before I met you, and when I lost you, I died… Take me home. Please. I want to go home."
"What about Jacklin, Louis?"
"I didn't, I swear! This time, I'm not lying… I didn't touch anyone."
She laughed lightly against my lips, "I meant, do you want to leave them, or are they family?"
"I can't ask that of you."
"You don't have to… If you didn't touch her, I won't either… That's the rule, right?"
I tilted her head a little and kissed her properly. Juliet took a step closer and slid her hands around my waist and under my shirt. I got pulled closer, and her lips moved with meaning. I lifted my head, "F— I can't."
"Why? What's going on?" I gave her a few moments to figure it out, kissing her with deliberate meaning. She pulled away, "Is this about—"
"Yes, of course it is! That's all I had. I thought I was going to die… You were going to die, and that's all you'll remember."
"Louis."
"No, baby. We go back to En-gannim. I get this demon exorcised and then and only then."
"Louis, no? More years? We can't with the teleporters not working? We have a war to fight."
"Yes, Juliet. More years… You have three husbands who can take over from me… I'll do it while we fight and go through life together."
"You're saying no! To me? The last time didn't go so well."
I laughed, deepening the kiss and keeping her quiet. I read her jealous thoughts. "Seriously! No, that's not why I didn't sleep with Jacklin." I flicked her on the head—again. "Why? Because I got to know her and she is so… boring… She couldn't even tempt my demon… Lyla? NO!"
Juliet stepped back away from me, leaving me hanging, "Once you're on Mirach, they can dull you whenever you feel like losing control, but this," she gestured between us, "Will happen long before we can figure out how to get rid of it." She turned and spoke to them, and the three went into a lengthy discussion. I gently tugged on her shirt. She slapped my hand away. I did it again. Juliet took her shirt and yanked it out of my hand, "You can be glad you're so pretty. Remember when it was me playing coy, and all you said was how childish I was."
"What are you talking about?"
"You go sort out your new family. I'll be here waiting."
"Come with me."
"No! Are you insane as well? Jacklin is officially in the Selena camp."
"Fine!" I spun around, irritated, walking away. Sheesh! Now I knew how Michael felt the day he found out about Stevie. Juliet didn't even ask, think, or consider… She took Caleb and went to kill her. I spent a hundred years with a woman. One I slept with, and she's okay with it! Where was her— No jealousy whatsoever? Couldn't be. Only two weeks ago, we were both about to die.
Images of Jacklin—swelled belly and all—dead and bleeding on the floor popped into my brain; Lillian and Leo crying about their mother and sibling. My feet hit the ground running. Juliet was controlling her thoughts. I didn't even know she was there… I sprinted the rest of the way home… No, not home.
I crossed the beach and took the small path up to the house. Our yard was filled with people. I read all of them, relieved—the baby was coming. The crowd dispersed when they saw me. A woman emerged from the house, holding the door open. "Is it over?" I asked as I passed her.
"No. You're just in time."
My pace slowed, and I got my heart under control. Jacklin was going through a contraction. I stood outside the door, "Do you need anything? Lillian, is everything okay?"
"I don't know? She's complaining, and there's a lot of blood. I don't know what to do."
"What did the midwife say?"
"She went to get a tool. Said the baby's head is too big."
I closed my eyes and nudged on Michael. I opened them, and he stood bent at the waist, staring down at me. F— I completely forgot how impressive he was. "What do you want?" he growled.
"Help, please."
Michael looked around to see what he had to help with when Jacklin cried out. Wide-eyed, he dropped his manifestation and stepped past me. I couldn't follow him… It was his choice whether he would save her. I rested my head against the wall.
"Bamf."
Lillian screamed bloody murder. I rounded the corner and swore at the empty, red-drenched sheet. "Where is she?" Lillian sobbed.
Human people burst through the back door, filling the house. "Is everything okay?"
"Louis."
I slammed the room door for effect, "That was Michael. He'll take her to Mirach. We can't help her here… Look at the bed." Lillian did and stepped into my arms. "You have to cry louder."
"What?"
An urgent knock at the door slammed. "Louis! What's going on?" It was Leo. Thank heavens… I opened and pushed my head out, seeing the hall filled with faces. Lillian piled it on inside. I leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Tell them they both died. It's not true but lie… convincingly." I closed the door and sank down against it.
"Boo!"
I shrieked again. "F— now is not the time, woman."
"You're not going to kill my mom, are you?"
"What have you been telling them about me?"
I shrugged, "Leo is like seventy years old. He and Lyla talked a lot about you and what happened… Guess your reputation precedes you." Juliet shrugged.
The people outside gave condolences through the door. Women sniffled, and Leo struggled to get them to leave. I read all their minds; the men were sad but had the two strangers to think about. They were going—from there—to search for them along the beach. F—. F—. F—. I looked up, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of drama. "The townsfolk are taking their pitchforks to go find our son and his wife."
Juliet pouted her lips to the side. I loved the gesture and missed it so much. I was glad she hadn't unlearned it. She closed her eyes. I don't know how she did it, but a second later, Chris stood in the room, bent down at the waist, looking down at her. "I need a ride."
"Your carriage awaits… Where are we going?" Chris scanned the room. "Louis! Hey man! Long time no see… I heard you have a new family. I told you, you'd leave some or other time."
"How's Selena, Chris?"
"Alive."
"You're doing this on purpose. You want drama!"
"Wait till I show you what I've been doing while you were playing house."
"My child, please," Juliet complained. "We got to go."
"Are they at the house?"
"Yes."
It was suddenly deadly quiet in the room and behind the door. The surrounding ambiance slowly came back to life. Insects. Birds. The lilt of the ocean in the distance. Lillian moved around, cleaning and stripping the bed. I couldn't move seated on the floor. A laugh bubbled up in my chest. It had been a whole lot to happen in one morning, but it was such a relief to have people again. A village to help at a moment's notice. No more fear, no more running for our lives. I could breathe and let go of all my repressed emotions. I laughed again, reminded of how Chris and I met, having the same type of conversation. Nothing had changed, and everything was different.
"How long do you think?" Lillian asked.
Leo pushed on the door, and I had to get up. "What is going on?" He looked about the room. "Where is she?"
"Juliet is back." Lillian's voice was flat.
I tried not to read her thoughts. It felt wrong in a way to read your child's innermost feelings, especially after the twelve-year-old mark, and she was my daughter for all intents and purposes. I covered the floor and grabbed her arm to drag her into an embrace. "You should be happy."
Lillian relaxed against me, "You'll take us with you?" her voice broke.
"Of course… I love you." She nodded against me, unable to speak. "Question is, do you want to take that young man with you? Where we're going, the chances you'll find anyone—are nil."
"I just want Mom to be okay."
Michael appeared again, this time human, in an instant. He had some blood stains on his arms. "She's fine. A baby girl, also perfect… The midwife numbed her and spread her without any tearing." He shook his head, "Never seen anything like it." He smiled, marveling at how easy it was. Michael didn't know Juliet was pregnant.
Once his thoughts were ordered, he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed, "What happened? Is it yours?"
I shook my head and threw my arms around his neck. "None of them is you, idiot. How could you do it to her? You could've come to talk to me any second." I kissed his cheek.
Michael hugged me back, and we let go, "Your son is a very serious guy… And mother and sons are this trio no one wants to mess with." He chuckled, "No one wants to rock the boat… Too much to consider."
Michael's thoughts jumped around. Romero had been a challenge the last two weeks. Juliet's been in a drug-induced state to get over what she saw in the cove. Cindy slept with Ira. "What!"
"Oh, f—. You're going to be all up in everyone's brains again… But I can't say I didn't miss you… Liam will have to make some choices… Will help to have you there… You do want to leave, don't you? Or should I bring—."
"No!" I yelled. "Take me away!"
"You're wish is my command."
I was still protesting when I was dropped in front of the little bungalow, but the lawn was empty. I turned toward Juliet's loud thoughts. The four appeared out of the blue. With ragged breaths, I opened my arms. She was in them, and I had her again. "I'm so happy to see you."
Lillian dropped down, and Leo.
"You guys will have to work fast," Juliet suggested.
"Right, let's go, Chris."
The two approached Nami; she knew what to do and went into Chris's arms. Michael clutched the two, and poof. Basaam held a nervous breath, hoping nothing went wrong. Every time they had to teleport, he was still anxious and reluctant. The corner of my mouth lifted. "Tell me," Juliet whispered.
"He loves her."
Juliet's own emotions recoiled when the two took him away—as if she wanted to reach out for him. Stop them. "Ah, oh. How will you manage helicopter mom?"
"I don't know?" she laughed. "We've been together every day, every minute."
"Thank you. For raising him, keeping him safe. I can't think of a better welcome home present."
Lillian left, and then Leo.
"You go first," she said.
"If you're sure."
"Yes."
"I love you."
"Are you guys still okay to take us both?"
"Stop!" Chris complained, "We're fine."
"I love you too. Wait for me."
"Oh, I did. Knew you would come." The two man-handled me, jokingly, until I was in between them.
Where were we going? Michael and Chris picked me up, and in a flash and a blur, I was off the planet I hated at that moment. Where we landed was not what I was expecting. So many faces looked our way. Michael didn't put me down and hoisted me onto his shoulder. "Do you see them?" he asked Chris.
They looked all around the white sandy deserts. What were they looking for? A riphath appeared next to us, head-to-head with Michael. My smile broadened. The guy picked me up off his shoulder like I was a toddler and pressed me against his chest. "I hope you learnt your lesson," he growled.
"I have… Look at you."
"I like it."
I giggled, "You look good, man. How's married life?"
"Tricky… but fun."
"I'm so happy you're alive."
"Wait till you see how large our family's gotten… Two clicks North over the ridge." Carl traveled again, dropping me next to Liam and Cindy.
"Louis!" They both threw their arms around me. "The prodigal son has returned." In the embrace, they kinda pushed me forward so we would be walking with the crowd.
Someone else picked me up. I felt like a child so high off the ground. He hugged me tightly. I got tossed around to face him. "Caleb!"
"Hi, Dad."
I threw my arms around his neck, and more tears spilled over. "I'm so glad you were with her…"
"Me too. We had a very long adventure… Come, there are a lot of people to see."
"Where is she?"
He pointed. Her head was turned away from me in her riphath manifestation. How did I fix this? I could use my strength… Caleb weaved through the people to walk toward her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw us coming and disappeared. I sighed heavily. "Marcus?"
"I'm here." I looked over Caleb's shoulder and met his eye. "Don't start with me," he said off the bat.
"I wasn't going to. Can't blame you without criticizing myself." I wriggled off Caleb and threw my arm around Marcus's shoulder. "Are you okay?" I shook him a little while we walked.
"Not really, but you know life goes on."
"Story of our lives… How is our girl? Really."
"Happy with all the attention she's been getting."
"I can imagine… Point out the kids." A man next to us stretched out his hand. I shook it and stared at his face. My gaze flickered between the two men. "He's yours… Nice to meet you… You almost died…"
"So they tell me."
Another man pushed out his hand. "I'm sorry, you don't… look like anyone."
"Jaali."
Kubra placed a hand on Jaali's shoulder, claiming his son. Around his body, he stretched out to shake mine, "Hey, Louis!" It was hard meeting everyone like this; Kubra held my eyes knowingly, dumping a few things on me. Mael. Miné. Before I could ask. The fight and how they were.
"Fia?"
Naji pointed quickly to a woman walking in front of him. Out of habit, I read his thoughts. He always knew where she was. Ready to protect her with his life. "You guys? No way?" She glanced over her shoulder and lifted a hand. She was happy to see me for everyone's sake. Next to her walked a woman who also waved. Nami was next to her. Three dheka together. "Kaia? Caleb's wife?"
"Nice to meet you."
"You too." Kaia's thoughts were more pictures than words, floating around. She put me and Basaam together. Where was my son? He was in conversation with Caleb, who had come out of his manifestation. It was so weird to remember him as a sixteen-year-old boy. They were all adults.
Silvanus and Agatha were kissing. "F—!"The two laughed, their lips mingling. "What were you guys doing?!" Their thoughts were very vivid. "Ah! No, my uncorrupted mind… I did not need to see that or feel it or hear both you'all's thoughts." Agatha was so happy. My laughter bubbled up. Silvanus loved her. "You guys gave us so much grief!"
"What do they say? Never judge someone, or else you'll go through it yourself."
"Heaven help us," Juliet joked.
I had to look up to see her; my arms stretched out, asking her to come down to me. She fell from her heights into my embrace. This time, she put her legs around my waist. I held her close, raking my fingers through her hair, "I missed you so much, but you could've warned me."
"No time, your—"
"Don't say it… I've only ever had one wife! Take it back…" Juliet did, and I asked, "Where is she anyway?"
Juliet pointed to two beasts walking behind us. Between them, the dheka had constructed a makeshift carrier lined with furs and cushions where Jacklin lay comfortably asleep. The baby fussed in Lillian's arms, seated on one of the animals, smiling brightly down at her new sister; behind her, Leo and I made contact.
"Can someone pass me that baby!" In a blink, four riphaths were beside Lillian. She handed the bundle to Ira, who was in line first. He cradled the baby as if she were his own and made his way to us. Juliet jumped down, and I took her from Ira. All the girls drummed around us. She got passed from one to the other, fussing about her red hair. If she so much as complained, Nami pressed a finger to her head, and the baby quieted down. "That's useful," I said to Juliet.
"It's not the way," A familiar voice from the crowd spoke, "Nami is cheating." I spun around and threw my arms around Charlene. She and Nami fell into a heated discussion; I guessed about 'the way' even before we had a chance to say hi. The rest of the crowd threw sentences around, and I felt so left out. The baby came back to me. "Did she give her a name?"
"Natalia."
"Pretty."
Juliet rested her head on my shoulder and pulled the blanket away from her face. "She is cute."
"Are you okay with this?"
"Yeah…"
Someone caught my eye staring at us. A frown formed on my brow. When the man looked back completely, my mouth hung open, "Will? Emily? Okay… What are they doing here? How are they here?"
"You didn't know?"
"Know what?"
"Emily is Chris's mother—Satya; she's still deciding what we should call her."
I giggled and pressed my lips onto her hair, kissing her, "I should've known right."
"Didn't you read them?"
"No baby, I thought I lost you that day… My thoughts were only on you and my sorrows. And the only other night I met them, I was angry when you got into Chris's car and didn't ask me for a ride!"
"So if Chris didn't sleep with me… You would've figured it out eventually."
"If Chris didn't sleep with you, our lives would've been a whole lot different."
"Yeah, it's all Chris's fault."
"I think Chris should've known better! He was the adult in the relationship," Charlene joked. Chris began chasing her around. "No, brother!"
Three more white human faces in the sea of black ones looked our way. Jack and I met, and suddenly my accountability was real. How he had urged me to go home. What I had lost… "Hey," I mouthed, and he lifted his chin. Not a day older. "Who?" Jack nudged toward the group of demons walking in a crowd next to us. All of Juliet's girls were there. Warden and James lifted a hand in my direction.
Was there anyone I was missing? Romero? I glanced around… Iku and his wife, I remembered. The three were discussing something important… Romero was conflicted. Another man was part of the discussions. "Can you translate for me?"
"They are talking about the raiders," Michael said behind us. "Where we're headed… Iku doesn't think he should kill them but rather give them the opportunity to choose their own honor."
"How many are there?"
"Millions," Juliet whispered.
Selena and Jamal appeared with a woman dangling by the arms and feet from their grasp. They roughly dumped her in the sand. The train of people had to split up and funnel past us because Juliet had stopped, turned toward her, and held out a hand. She got to her feet. "Sammy!" She ignored me. "Why did you guys do it?" I looked at Jamal for an answer.
"General's orders."
"Silvanus raised her," Marcus said.
"Oh damn."
The crowd laughed. "And she drinks like a fish," Silvanus joked.
Sammy's chin was almost on the floor, avoiding me. She refused to think about me. I felt only anger. The once little girl walked off and threw her arms around Michael's waist. His giant paw rubbed over her hair. I sighed and met up with Juliet, waiting for me. "The many miles we walked."
"The many things we learned."
The dheka slowly hummed the song to life; some instruments joined in... Nami sang the next line.