CHAPTER 26: MY NEW LIFE
A hush spills over me as my brain registers the information my ears just received. My words and thoughts become delayed for a few quiet and uncomfortable seconds. I then slowly take a couple of steps backward, unsure what to think about everything that I've experienced today. This was just the icing on the cake.
I feel like I’ve officially lost my mind.
"This is obviously a mistake," I tell her with alarm in my voice. "I can't do this. I won’t," the panic in my voice is amplifying. "Take it out of me, today. I want it out. Do you understand?"
"We can’t," she informs me.
"Sorry, you have the wrong person," my body is beginning to tremor. “I’m just a normal person living a normal life. This is not happening. I refuse to go through with this.”
“Not anymore. You’re one of us now.”
I grasp my chest to stop myself from having a panic-attack.
“This is a mistake. I can’t do this…” I can’t finish the sentence because my lungs are having a meltdown.
Kenya rushes to me and grips the sides of my arms softly.
“Come and sit before you faint,” she informs me.
She escorts me over to the couch and sits by my side.
"I’m not the right person for this," my voice is regaining stability. “And how will I ever explain this to my mom?”
A terrifying thought hits me. I bolt upright on the couch and become stiff like a board.
"My mom…What about my mom?" the panic in my voice is returning with a vengeance. "What if they have her? What if she’s hurt?"
"Calm down Iva, breathe, breathe," she whispers to me.
I take her advice, but it doesn’t stop my heart from pounding.
"Athena," she calls urgently to Maria. "Bring me those herbs.”
"Okay," Maria replies before rushing out of the living room and running upstairs.
"Listen Iva, you must act quickly. I’m going to give you a jar. Inside are highly potent herbs. It will keep the wolves from tracking her scent home. Do you understand?”
I stare at her with confusion.
“I’m still trying to register the dragon and the monkey part,” I reply. “I really don't understand anything you’re at this point.”
Kenya sighs and stands to her feet, pulling me up with her.
"Just follow my instructions. You will go home and get some of your belongings. You will spend the weekend here. I’ll call your mom when you get back. Understand?"
“I understand that part,” I reply. “I just don’t understand anything else.”
Maria hurries down the steps with a clear jar in her hands. She passes it to Kenya, and then Kenya places the jar against my chest and folds my arms over it.
"Guard this with your life. These are the herbs. Get it home, get your things, and come right back.”
I take Kenya’s advice way to seriously. I can feel myself squeezing the jar so tightly that my blood circulation is being cut off in my arms. She looks behind me at Maria and gives her a nod.
“Athena, take her,” Kenya orders her.
"Come on," Maria says while escorting me outside.
"Stick together," Kenya yells as we exit through the front door. “And be discreet.”
"I’m drivin," Eric declares.
Jessica tosses a set of keys into the air and Eric catches them. We pile into the SUV in our previous order.
"So, where do you stay at?" Eric asks.
"I live in Rochester,” I reply.
“Damn fam, you live in the hood-hood.”
“Less talking, more driving,” Maria orders.
He reverses out of the driveway in a hasty fashion. Then my back hits the leather hard as the SUV shoots up the road. Soon, we make it out of Glenworth and onto the highway. We fly pass cars as we duck in and out of traffic. We have to be going at least eighty-five miles an hour.
Shortly after, Eric hits the breaks on my street. The vehicle skids loudly and halts in front of my house.
“She said discreet, you idiot,” Jessica fires at her brother.
“Get off my back woman,” he replies.
“Guys, it’s not the time for this shit,” Maria replies.
“She stay sayin somethin,” Eric defends himself.
I get out carefully while keeping a tight hug on the jar of herbs. Maria comes to me with her hands presented.
"I'll take care of those," she says to me.
I pass the jar to her like a newborn baby. She digs her hand inside of the jar and tosses the herbs onto the lawn. The rest of us march up the steps and onto the porch. I kneel down, lift the doormat, grab the spare key, and unlock the door.
"Okay, get what you need," Eric says while he takes a defensive stance on the porch.
Jessica follows me into my room. I open the closet and snag a couple of everything and place them onto my bed.
"Do you have a suitcase?" Jessica asks.
"Yes, over there in the corner,” I respond.
She walks over then grabs the suitcase and tosses it onto my bed. She then quickly stuffs the suitcase with my personal belongings and zips it up.
"Is that everything?" Jessica asks.
I give it a brief thought then rush back into the closet for a second helping. I toss some more clothes onto the bed.
"That should be it," I inform her.
“Do you have another suitcase because this one is full?”
I glance around my room and grab a book-bag near the closet door. I quickly stuff my belongings into the bag and seal it.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I inform her.
Jessica lifts the suitcase and hurries out. I lock up the front door and speed down the porch steps with the book-bag in my hands. Soon, we're back in our seats. My body slams against the leather seat when Eric hits the gas. In no time, we’re on the highway. I tense up as we whip left and right through the busy evening commute.
Just like the ride to Rochester, the ride back is extremely fast. The entire time my back was glued to my seat because Eric drives with a heavy foot. The car tires slides to a halt in front of the brick mansion. We empty the vehicle and enter the house. I see Daniel, fully clothed, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, pondering.
I then see Jason on the couch with his hands pressed tighter, also in deep thought. Kenya is pacing back and forth in the living room with a worried look. They all snap alert as we enter the house.
“How did it go?” Kenya asks.
“Fine,” Maria responds.
“Did you track them down?” Eric asks Daniel.
“No, they got away,” he answers with regret.
Jason stands up and approaches me with a weak smile.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I think I am,” I reply.
Kenya walks over to me.
"I called your mother. She's fine and was at work. Everything has been arranged. I told her that you and Maria had made plans to go to the mall and you’ll be spending the weekend.”
“But how…?” I ask.
“You dropped your cell in the woods,” Daniel says to me.
Kenya maneuvers her eyes behind me, looking at Jessica and Maria.
"Athena and Raven go upstairs and show Iva to her new room. Help her unpack.”
“New room? I'm staying here now?” I ask Kenya/Professor Cruz with a confused expression.
"Come on," Maria says while grasping my hand.
Maria and Jessica escort me out of the living room, up the flight of steps, into a hallway with many doors, and into the second room on the left. The room consists of a queen-sized bed, a nightstand, and a lamp. Jessica places my suitcase on the bed and empties its contents. I sink down on the bed as they start to fold my clothes.
"So, what happens next? Do I stay here?"
"Yes, for now," Maria responds.
"It'll be fine Iva. Your mother will be safe," Jessica says.
Maria and Jessica pauses to eye one another. They then continue folding the clothes. I noticed the concern in their eyes as Jessica mentioned my mother. The look of worry in their eyes only makes my concern for my mother grow even more so. They neatly put my belongings into the closet for me.
The room stays silent as they finish folding the remaining shirts and tuck them away. Kenya walks into my room, carrying a humble expression.
"How are you feeling?” she asks with gentle eyes.
“I’m scared. What if something happens…?” I take a pause to swallow. “…can you protect her?”
I wait for Kenya to respond to my question. She's having a difficult time putting her words together.
“Unfortunately, you’re our main priority right now. For now, we'll keep her unaware. She will be safe not knowing anything.”
“There must be another option.”
“Don’t worry, we're making phone calls to all of our allies. More of us will arrive in the next week. They will protect her. But as of right now, we can’t. You are our main priority.”
I sigh again before speaking.
“Those herbs…will they work?"
"Yes, they naturally grow here. They work wonders at masking scents. I mixed seeds with them. They will mature very quickly.”
She looks behind me at Maria and Jessica.
"Come you two. Let’s give her time to herself.”
Jessica and Maria exit the room together.
“You should give your mother a call. She seems a little concerned about you. Here’s your phone back.”
I retrieve the phone with a nervous hand.
“I just don’t want anything to happen to her. She means a lot to me.”
“Iva, nothing will happen to her,” she assures me.
I would feel a whole lot better if I didn’t notice the worry on her face.
“She seems like a good person,” Kenya smiles mildly. “I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her. That’s why it’s best that you stay away from her. The Blaires wouldn’t hesitate to use her to lure you in.”
I can’t respond. My burning throat won’t allow me to speak another word. I just nod at her understandingly. She leaves and closes the door behind herself. A second later, I feel my hand vibrating. I look down at my phone and see my mom’s picture. I take some time to recover before answering her call. I press my tears back into my eyes with my fingers as I prepare the phone next to my ear. I press the accept icon and answer the phone.
“Hey mom…” the words come out a bit weak; therefore, I pause to collect my emotions and clear my throat. “…what’s up?”
I’m trying to sound as normal as possible.
“Hey, I heard you’re hanging out at a friend’s house.”
“Yes, I’m at Maria’s.”
“That’s strange, you never told me about her,” she says suspiciously.
“I brought her up before, you probably forgot about it.”
A pause lingers between us two. I know she feels something strange is going on. The pause continues longer than expected.
“Well, it’s good to hear that you made friends. It’ll help you get your mind off of things. Hey, there’s no school Monday, right?”
“Right,” I reply.
“Your Uncle wants to hangout. We should all go out together on your day off.”
“Okay, that sounds like a date,” I continue with my poor acting skills.
“I won’t hold you up any longer. Have fun with your friends. And tell Kenya to call me in the morning. And stay safe.”
“I will.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, I love you mom.”
“I love you too.”
The connection dies, yet the phone remains at my ear. I lower the phone and break back into distress mode. I blow out slowly and bury my face into my hands. For about two hours, I stay in this exact position, bathing in total silence. My brain is going crazy with thoughts.
So many questions have finally been answered, yet all I want now is to forget the truth. I also ponder about my mom and her safety, constantly. I can't help but feel worried about her, especially with these memories of Hellhound’s incredible strength and speed. She wouldn't stand a chance against him.
I can see her in my head, over and over like a movie on repeat, calling for help but no one is there to aid her. I fight hard to oppose those kind of thoughts. I sigh for the thousandth time. Controlling my breathing helps me keep those bad thoughts at bay.
Shade blankets my window, yet I don’t feel a bit tired. I never moved from this position. I’m now sitting in the dark, looking down at the obscure carpet below my feet, thinking about a million things at once.
Way pass midnight, I finally go to sleep, only to wake up an hour later. For obvious reasons, I can’t sleep well. The tension I felt during my dreadful encounter with Hellhound never went away.
It’s morning now. Someone knocking at my bedroom door disturbs me from my sleep. I sit up in bed and massage my eyes.
“You can come in,” I say in a weak voice.
The door swings open and Kenya walks in smiling at me.
“Hello dear, how did you sleep?”
“Okay, I guess,” I reply modestly.
“I just wanted to check up on you,” she tells me.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“It’s a little pass noon. You must be hungry.”
“No, I’m fine.”
A moment of uninterrupted silence spreads throughout the room.
“I know you’re having a hard time understanding things. We’re having a hard time recovering from recent events as well.”
Her eyes fall down onto the carpet for a moment and then back on me. She must be referring to Professor Grant.
"I’m preparing a nice dinner for us later. You’re not a prisoner here. You are welcomed to join us if you want to..,” she bows her head slightly. "...princess.”
After inviting me to dinner, she leaves and shuts the door behind herself.
I spend hours staring up at the ceiling and sleeping in small increments. Before long, night comes over the house once again. As I stare up at the white ceiling, I catch a scent of food. I’m too sick to my stomach to eat anything; however, it’ll be rude if I don’t go down and show some form of appreciation for their hospitality.
I somehow gather enough motivation to leave my new room. I walk down the hallway with the perfect blend of food and seasonings at my nose. One shy foot after another, I make my way down the steps. I spot all of them setting at table that's covered with food.
Suddenly, they stop what they’re doing to stare at me.
"You finally decided to join us," Kenya says with a welcoming smile. "Make yourself at home.”
I walk over to the table, feeling a bit bashful and awkward. Jason walks over to me and grabs my hand.
"Sit next to me,” he says in his smooth voice.
He does a great job making me smile, even in the worst of times. He pulls a chair back for me and I sink into the soft cushion.
"Are you hungry?" Kenya asks.
"Not really. I just want to sit, if you don’t mind.”
"I completely understand,” she replies.
"Thank you for offering,” I add.
"You don’t have to thank me.”
Everyone finds a spot at the table and begin to pass around the food. I sit silently with a clean plate in front of me. Soon, I begin to hear the scrapping of forks and chewing. I look around at everyone. They are all eating sluggishly and staring back at me. Now I definitely feel awkward.
"So, Iva, can you tell us a little about yourself?" Kenya asks, breaking the awkward silence.
"What is there to tell?”
She shrugs her shoulders.
"Tell us about your life. Anything you wish to share with us.”
"Well, I, um..,” I look around the table. "...I was sick my whole life,” I’m starting to feel extremely awkward. “I’m an on and off writer. And um,” I take a slight break to think. "That’s about it. That was my life until recently. I haven’t accomplished anything with my life. I’ve haven’t done anything really. I never had a childhood. I never been on roller coasters or seen fireworks or anything. I read a lot.”
"Okay,” Kenya says in a low voice.
I can see her eyes regretting asking me that question.
"So, uh, I guess I’m going spend a lot of time over here, right?" I ask her.
"Yes, it’s for your own good.”
"What about school?" I ask.
Suddenly, I hear an eating utensil clatter against a plate.
"School…?" Daniel asks with frustration. "The last thing you should be worrying about is school.”
"Mane,” Kenya speaks to him with a hardened look.
"Grant sacrificed his life for her, and she only cares about school.”
"She’s been through a traumatic experience. Can you not see she's having a hard time?" His sister, Maria, tells him.
His mother eyes become so fierce that even Daniel has no choice but to turn away.
"Sorry about my son, Iva. I raised him better.”
"I didn't mean it like that..,” I try to explain.
"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong,” Kenya interrupts.
"I never knew he died because of me,” I say with guilt.
"Yes. Before they killed him, he called Mane and told him about you. The last time we heard from him was when he left his home. But he never showed up,” Kenya informs me.
I can hear the grief in her voice.
"So, do you have any other family members? Is there anyone else we should be aware of?” she asks.
"My Uncle Frank.”
"We know about him already. What about your father? Is he still around?"
I freeze all of a sudden. My eyes fall onto my empty plate. I open my mouth to speak, yet the words take forever to come out.
"He left a long time ago, so, um..,” somehow I can't continue.
A hush sweeps over the table.
"Well,” Kenya says in an uplifting tone. "We should all tell Iva a little about ourselves. If we want to survive we need to get along. Let’s start with me. I was born in Africa but raised in America. I’m the daughter of a teacher and a doctor. I’m a very spiritual person. The thing I love to do the most is simply enjoy life,” she says and then looks to her right at Jessica.
"It’s your turn, Raven,” she notifies her.
Jessica places her fork down before speaking.
"Hey, I’m Jessica,” she says with a cheek full of food.
She’s definitely not good with table manners, but it complements her tomboyish demeanor.
“My real name is Raven,” Jessica continues. "I like to play the drums and, um, I’m a big movie buff. I love action movies,” she takes a pause to think. "Um, I’m very easy to get along with.”
Eric snickers next to her.
"Just don't make her mad,” he says quietly out the side of his mouth.
"Why did you say that?" she says while looking at Eric with furious eyes.
"Huh, what, you say somethin?” he plays a fool while maintaining a straight face.
“I’m going to hurt you if you don’t quit it,” Jessica warns him.
Eric sucks his teeth and replies…
“Cash me ousside then, woman.”
Jason and Maria snickers at Eric’s comment.
"You two stop this nonsense,” Kenya says with seriousness.
Kenya takes a break to shake her head.
"I swear you two should've been named Cain and Able.”
"Who would be Cain?" Jessica asks Kenya.
"You would,” Eric adds confidently.
"Why am I Cain? You’re the annoying one,” Jessica fires back at him.
"Because you are always buggin out, that’s why,” Eric shoots back.
"Both of you would be Cain!" Kenya shouts at them, breaks for a sigh, and continues. "Next please,” she says while soothing her forehead.
Maria and Jason are snickering, uncontrollably. Daniel just shakes his head and continues eating. But a silence overcomes the entire room as we wait on the next person to share their interests. We all stare at Eric but he looks completely lost all of a sudden.
“Oh….I’m next?” Eric asks with a dumbfounded look. “I didn’t know, my bad.”
Kenya glares at him.
“Are you high at my table?” she asks.
“What?” he says with a confused expression. “No, I say no to drugs. Drug free is the thing to be.”
Maria, Jason, and Jessica start to giggle.
“Open your eyes,” she tells him.
“What?” Eric replies with a confused look.
“I want to see you open your eyes wider. Do it now,” Kenya orders him.
He tries to widen his eyelids but he seems to be struggling.
“Open them wide,” Kenya orders him again.
Again he tries to open his eyes wider but the task appears to be very challenging for him.
“Wider!” Kenya orders him.
Eric musters all of his strength and tries to open his eyes wider. He can barely catch his breath. His face is now turning red. The others start to giggle louder as they watch their friend fail Kenya’s drug test. Eric gives up and catches his breath.
“Fuck it. You got me. I’m high as a bitch right now. I don’t even know what day it is.”
Maria explodes with laughter.
“I have no idea why you tried to lie,” Jason says while laughing. “You’re eyes are red as hell.”
“I got to be honest. When I ate my third plate, I knew you were onto me,” Eric admits to Kenya.
“You are high alright because I counted five plates,” Kenya informs him.
“Well, I guess you rest your case,” Eric replies.
Maria is laughing so hard she’s almost crying.
“Hurry up and share something about yourself,” Kenya says to Eric in a frustrated tone.
Eric straightens his slouched posture before speaking…
"Hey, I’m Eric and I’m a pothead.”
Jason, Maria, and Jessica start to clap as if he is in a group counseling session.
“Hi, Eric,” the three of them reply and then start giggling again.
I can’t help but giggle myself.
“My real name is Aero,” Eric continues. “I love doing fun stuff, you know, like jumping out of planes. I’m a hardcore adrenaline-junkie. But I’m also raised from the streets…”
Suddenly, almost everyone at the table sighs when he mentions his street credibility.
“Hey, don’t get mad at me because I’m hard and yall not. Stop hatin.”
“Starting trouble doesn’t make you tough,” Kenya says while looking into his eyes fatally.
Eric looks away. She slowly shifts away from Eric and looks at Maria, who is giggling. She eventually stops snickering and joins the conversation.
"I’m Maria. My real name is Athena and," she ponders for a moment. "I like shopping. I like to go out to the movies and eat. Of course, I need to stop by the nail salon, weekly; that’s a must. I'm just a simple girly-girl. I just like to wear dark clothing. And I'm named after the Greek goddess.”
Kenya smiles and almost laughs. She nods at Jason and says…
"You’re next.”
He straightens his posture and smirks.
"I’m Jason. My real name is Courage and,” his thought lingers for a moment. "I love cars and baseball, you know, regular guy stuff. That’s pretty much it,” he says in a smooth voice.
Everyone focuses their attention onto Daniel. He looks around at everyone and puffs out air.
"I’m Daniel. My real name is Mane. And…I don't know what else to say.”
It’s clear he’s not in the mood for a conversation. He pauses for a lingering amount of time before sliding his chair back.
"Thanks for dinner mom,” he says to Kenya before he walks upstairs.
A couple of seconds after, I hear a door slam close in the distance.
"Don't worry about that,” Kenya tells me. "My son can be odd sometimes. Just ignore him. He likes to be alone.”
“A lot,” Maria adds. “He’s an introvert.”
“He’s a big ass emo,” Eric replies.
"All geniuses are,” Kenya adds. "He’s very intelligent. He locks himself in his room for hours at a time, solving his puzzles. Ironic, isn't it? He can solve anything but himself.”
“You haven’t eaten all day. You’re not hungry at all?” Maria asks me while looking down at my empty plate.
“No, I just can’t stomach food right now.”
“She's not hungry. Just let her be,” Kenya tells Maria.
“Not even for peach-cobbler?” Jessica asks. “Shiva makes the best desserts.”
I smile modestly at the thought of a nice plate of warm peach-cobbler.
“If you want some, it’ll be done in five-minutes,” Kenya informs me.
I consider their offer.
“Okay,” I reply.
Soon, Kenya is placing a small plate of peach-cobbler in front of me. I grab the fork and look around at all of the eyes staring back at me, waiting. I lift the silver fork off the plate and adjust it in-between my fingers. You can hear a faint crunching sound as I sever through the crispy layers. I poke into the small portion with my fork and mix it into the peach syrup before putting it inside my mouth.
I smile at everyone as I swallow down. I felt the taste run through my entire body.
“So, what do you think?” Kenya asks me.
“This is…” I take a break to gather my thoughts. “…the best peach-cobbler I’ve ever tasted. My toes started wiggling by itself.”
Everyone laughs.
“Thank you. It’s always good to hear a compliment now and then.”
“I wish my mom could cook hers like this,” Eric says as he takes a bite of his.
“That’s because your mom’s taste more like wood,” Maria makes fun of Eric.
“I can’t argue about that one,” Eric agrees.
“Hell no, I’ll choose wood any day over your mom’s food bro,” Jason adds.
“Hey, remember that time your mom invited us over for dinner and she made that stuff,” Maria asks Eric.
“I’m trying to forget,” Eric replies.
“What was that stuff anyways?” Jason asks.
“If the struggle had a taste, that would be it,” Maria adds.
“We’ve made many predictions over the years. We still don’t know what it is,” Jessica joins the conversation.
“And we all feed it to the dog, remember?” Jason says with a snicker.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Eric says with regret. “Poor Fluffy, may he rest in peace.”
Everyone chuckles.
“Seriously, did her cooking really kill your dog?” I ask Eric.
“Yeah, but don’t ever mention that to her,” Jessica informs me. “She blames it on natural causes. The dog was only a year-old for crying-out-loud.”
“Oh no. That is funny but fucked up at the same time,” I admit. “I will make sure to never eat at your house.”…