Chapter 10-Garbage
After a few very long kisses goodnight, I headed straight for the shower and then put on the comfiest pajamas I could find. I plopped down on the bed and turned on the TiVo to distract myself. I scrolled down, landing on an old rerun of South Park and hit play. Garbage jumped up onto the bed and sprawled out next to me purring like a jet engine. I ruffled his fur and scratched behind his ears attentively while I waited for Draven to show. At the hour mark there was still no sign of him or my parents for that matter. They’ve been consistently missing these past couple weeks.
I tried to watch the show, even laughing at Cartman in his coon suit, but kept getting distracted. My life was so complex now and I didn’t know what I was going to do about it, if anything. A scratching sound at my window interrupted my thoughts. I walked over slowly, gently peeled back the curtains and gasped. A bird the size of what I imagine Tinkerbell looked like sat on the ledge. It was white, but shimmered and shined with such radiance that it rendered me speechless. I just knew I had to open the window and let this beautiful creature in, so I did. It eyed me carefully and when I put my hand down for it to sit on me, it hopped right up.
The instant its soft wedged toes made contact with my skin, I felt a rush of energy and a tingly sensation seep into my brain. I realized it was trying to speak at the same time that a light and airy female voice began whispering to me. “Draven sends his regrets that he will not be able to meet you until a later time. He wishes you to stay inside and be careful. That is all.”
It was like her message went right through me, I couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that this inhuman being spoke to me without moving a muscle. “What are you?” I asked it, curiosity getting the better of me. “Can you even hear me?”
I suppose on some level I hadn’t exactly expected it to respond and so I wasn’t surprised when it cocked its head to the side, jumped in the air, spread its miniature gossamer wings and disappeared.
I closed and latched the window, my mind still reeling from the encounter and barely making it back to the bed, when I heard a noise down the hall. Garbage jumped up from his comfortable position and arched his spine. His ears went back and his tail began lashing from side to side. When he started hissing, a chill ran through me and I reached down to pat him on the head. “It’s okay fatty, it’s probably just mom and dad,” I said making my way to the window again. I pulled the curtain’s aside and stuck my nose to the glass scoping out the driveway for vehicles. Nothing. “Okay well maybe its Draven then, just a bit sooner than our feathered friend indicated.”
I tiptoed to the door and opened it just far enough for me to able to stick my head out and listen. Silence. I was about to shut the door again when a loud crash echoed through the house. I jumped back and sprinted for my phone, hoping that I would be able to get ahold of someone before I was attacked again. Garbage took the open door as his cue, leaping off the bed and bolting out in the direction of the racket.
I was calling Zilla when I heard fighting break out downstairs. There was hissing, meowing and even a roar that set my nerves on edge. What if a wild animal had made its way into the house? I knew my cat could definitely hold his own, but would he be able to take on something like that? I doubted it. And then I heard it, the sickening crunch of bones along with the terrifying cry of a wounded animal. It was torturous and cruel, and I will never forget how it made my stomach roil.
My still ringing phone hit the floor with a loud crack as I bolted down to rescue my feline companion. Nothing out there could stop the anger welling up inside of me and with my newly discovered power I hoped I’d be able to chase away whatever it was. I was going so fast that my feet got tangled up in one of Garbage’s cat toys near the top stair and I went tumbling down. A searing pain shot through my left ankle and another through my chest, but with all of the adrenaline I was able to push through and round the corner into the living room.
The sight of what lay before me had me instantaneously hunched over and dry heaving. Spatters of blood coated the walls and furniture making it look like the set of a slasher movie. I knew I had to find my cat anyway, so I forced myself upright and ventured a step further into the disaster zone. At the sight of Garbage lying in the middle of the room on his side I froze up. One paw was twisted at a gruesome angle and blood was seeping from him in several different places.
I raced to his side and checked for a pulse, which I wasn’t even sure how to do on a cat. After that failed I pressed my head to his tummy to check for breathing, but still got nothing. I shook him a few times in disbelief, but I knew it was too late. He was gone and so was whatever had attacked him. I collapsed hopelessly next to him on the floor and cried hysterically.
Somewhere in the blur of everything I managed to call my parents and while I was waiting for them to arrive, Zilla showed up. When I opened the door covered in blood she let out a strangled cry. “What happened?”
I beckoned her forward feeling numb, but managed to mumble between ragged breaths, “Garbage is dead.” She scooped my hand into hers and followed me into the next room, proceeding to sit down cross legged with me on the floor next to him. When tears started spilling out again, she reached over and gathered me into her arms.
“How’d it happen?” she asked hoarsely, which I knew indicated she was on the verge of breaking down as well.
I felt a wave of emotion roll through me, making me want to run from this place and curl up somewhere quiet to wallow in my grief. It was my fault this all happened. If I had just come down here instead of chickening out, he would still be alive. I could have saved him.
“Callie?” she asked uncertainly.
“I’m not sure exactly. I heard noises coming from down the hall and that’s when I noticed he had gotten agitated. I was calling you when he took off and before you could answer I heard him wailing. I rushed in here to rescue him, but found him like this instead. It all happened so fast.” I sobbed louder than I had intended and buried my head in my hands.
We sat there silent for a long time before she said, “What’s this?” I looked up to where she was pointing at one of the wounds on Garbage. “It looks like two puncture holes,” she said. “Do you know of anything that could have caused it?”
“No. I mean it could have been another animal or something.”
I thought about it a little longer, running through a mental list of animals that are wild in our area of town, but there weren’t many. And then the realization of what it probably was hit me like a baseball bat to the gut. These markings looked identical to the teeth of that asema who tried to hurt me. I shuddered at the memory of his sharp fangs and piercing eyes bearing down on me. “Wait. You don’t think it could be that creature do you?” I asked feeling as though I already knew the answer in my heart.
“That’s definitely a plausible possibility,” she said sadly, “but why would it go after your cat when it could have just come for you?”
“I don’t know.” I said glancing around the room uneasily. I cringed at the sight of blood all over my mother’s favorite white wool shag rug. She got it as a gift from one of her friends back when I was just a kid and she’s cherished it ever since. We aren’t allowed to walk on it let alone spill something. We would never be able to get the blood out and my dad would probably have to buy her a new one.
I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that grabbed my attention. Near the edge of the rug and leading out towards the back door were slightly large somewhat human footprints. “Look,” I said pointing the trail out and getting up to my feet. I held out my hand to Zilla and said, “Come on.”
We followed the tracks to the back door, which was ajar. There were bloody hand prints on the sliding glass doors and it looked like the lock had been broken open.
“It had to have been the creature,” I said softly.
“Sure seems like it,” she replied. “Shall we?” she asked nudging me f
orward.
“I guess so,” I said unsure. I wanted to stay focused, but I also knew I might start crying again if I didn’t change the subject. “I still need to tell you the juicy details from my date.”
“I didn’t forget,” she said laughing, “I just didn’t want to start in on you when you were clearly still upset.”
“Well, thanks for that. I think,” I said smirking.
We continued on in silence down the wooden steps and out onto the deck. The path wound its way around the pool, continued on through the cobblestone steps in my mother’s garden, and then into green grass until it disappeared into a thicket of bushes. We pried open the thorny branches trying to peek around various sections, but it was useless. Whatever had been in the house was gone now. “Don’t worry,” she said reassuringly, “we will figure this out.”
I shook my head. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I doubt it’s going to be that easy.” She was about to protest my negativity when we heard my mom calling from the back door. “Callie?”
“Coming,” we replied in unison. We ran back the way we came, but something told me to look one last time and as I glanced over my shoulder I saw a pair of purple eyes watching us. I shuddered and ran faster, pulling Zilla along behind me. I was still looking back when we collided with my dad who was standing in the doorway. He enfolded me in his arms and kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry sweetheart.”
In the comfort of my father’s arms I started crying again. When he proceeded to ask me what happened I told him the whole story through sniffles. Eventually he led me up to my bed and had me lie down. He sat down in a chair next to me and Zilla laid down beside me, snuggling in close. I decided to just let myself go. The sooner I began the healing process the better, so I continued to cry until I feel asleep.
When I woke up the next day, Zilla was snoring and my dad had already left the room. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, the horrible loss I felt settling deep within me. There was blood all over my hands and clothes making my chest tighten with remorse. I slid off the bed carefully and hurried to the shower. I peeled off my pajamas quickly which left me in nothing but my sea foam green lace panties. I brushed my teeth and splashed water on my face to try and wake me from the stupor I was in. I looked in the mirror and admired myself. I had red puffy bags from crying and my curly red hair bright as the sun was wound into a messy bun. I pulled it out and brushed a comb through it tugging gently at the knots I found.
I was about to take off the underwear when Draven appeared out of nowhere. I stifled a cry and ran to drape a robe around my exposed body. “I’m sorry,” he said turning around to give me some privacy. “What’s your problem? You can’t just pop up whenever and wherever you want like you own the place.” I whimpered on the verge of crying again.
He whirled around and started to walk towards me stopping midstride and dropping his arms to his sides. “I’m sorry for your loss.” I flopped down on the toilet seat and buried my face in my hands. “Thanks.”
I heard a knock on the bathroom door. It was Zilla. “Is everything okay in there? You didn’t get your foot stuck in the toilet again did you?” I shook my head and laughed. Leave it to her to be able to make me laugh at a time like this. “Nope, I just got a good look at myself in the mirror again. Everything else is all right though. Sorry if I woke you up.”
“Alright, I’m going to go downstairs and get us some breakfast. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay sounds good.” We waited in silence until I heard the bedroom door open and shut. I leaned carefully into the shower and turned the water on to drown out our conversation. “What happened to you last night? I got the message from that weird bird, but you never showed up. And make your answer fast because I am in dire need of a shower.”
“Did you like it?” he asked smiling.
“Who wouldn’t? It was beautiful. The fact that it can communicate with you through telepathy is beyond extraordinary.” This was a subject I could stomach right now. Everything else would have to wait. “Tell me more about it.”
He nodded. “First, let me just apologize for not being here. I had something I had to take care of. Second, that bird I sent to you is actually called a Moonbird. On my planet they are very common amongst the cities. They are used to carry messages, sort of like carrier pigeons from back in the human days, except these are better because they can speak to you through your mind and they’re very loyal.”
“Can they hear you if you talk to them?”
“Not out loud of course, but if you talk to them using your mind they can hear you.”
That explains why it wouldn’t answer me. I should’ve thought of that. “How were you able to come across one if you aren’t allowed to go back to Moonweald?”
“I called in a favor from someone in Sheol,” he said cryptically. “Listen, I have something I should probably tell you. After I overheard about the basement I snuck down there and found some things out. First, you should know that there is something very fishy about everything down there. If it were me, I would question your parents about it as soon as possible. Second, I got you this,” he said handing me a tall thick blue leather bound book that was titled “Fuoco Perenne”. “It’s Italian,” he said opening it up. “It means “Everlasting Fire”. I think this may be the key to some of the answers you’ve been looking for.”
I brushed my fingertips along the worn cover. “This is the same book I was drawn to before when I was down there. How’d you manage to snag it?”
“Well seeing as how I can pretty much turn invisible that should give you an idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “So why do you think this would contain answers for me? Considering I don’t know much Italian it probably won’t be that useful. Besides, I can catch myself on fire without using silly incantations,” I said handing it back to him.
He shook his head and pushed it back my direction. “Nope, I don’t want it. This book was made for you, not me. You’re just being stubborn. How do you know that these “silly incantations” won’t make you more powerful?”
He was right. I didn’t know whether this book would help or hinder my newly discovered talent. I wasn’t about to tell him that and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it anyway. “What do you mean by made for me?”
“I mean that this book was handmade and the writing is also original, carefully handwritten with a calligraphy pen. If I had to guess I would say that one of your parents made it. Which in turn means you’ll inherit it and therefore means it’s yours.”
“No way,” I said shaking my head, “my parents can barely even make spaghetti, there is no way either of them knows how to write using calligraphy, let alone Italian.”
“That part is debatable. However, this book could mean better protection for you and your family or friends.”
“Why? I can already control my fire,” I said rudely. To be fair, this wasn’t entirely true. Sometimes it just came to me and others I could conjure it on my own. It really just depended on the mood I was in.
“Because it is actually a spell book,” he said annoyed. “And I guarantee it has other ways to use fire that you never thought of before.” I frowned and fumbled with the belt of my robe. “You don’t believe me?” he asked outraged.
After a short pause I said “Of course I believe you. You haven’t been wrong about anything else, so why would I have reason to doubt you now?” I averted my gaze as the silence between us grew. “It’s just that so much is happening so fast that it’s hard for me not to wish I could just wake up from this nightmare that has become my life.”
“I know,” he said crossing his arms over his chest, “and I understand that things are a bit confusing for you right now. I feel for you, I really do, but doesn’t that make you want to learn to harness your gift that much more?”
He definitely had a point. If I could learn stronger versions of wielding fire the
n it might be possible to take on this asema that has been after me. And what about Thanatos, would I be able to defeat him as well?
“I think you should try out one of the spells,” he said hurriedly and breaking my thought process.
“You really think that’s a good idea? I’ve never done it before. What if something goes wrong or I mispronounce the words or something? Or what if I accidentally turn myself into a giant three-eyed toad?”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. I promise to kiss you and turn you back into a princess if it makes you feel better,” he said awkwardly aware of how intimate that had sounded.
I blushed. “Uhm, okay I’ll give it a try. But how am I going to translate all of this?”
He winked. “That’s where I come in. Let’s start with the first page and go from there. I can help you decode everything. It might take some time, but eventually we can get it all down.”
“And what about my parents whenever one of them go looking for the book again?”
“Also taken care of, I put a fake one that looks identical to it in its place. The only way they’ll even know is by opening it up to read what’s inside and I doubt that will happen considering how much dust is on this one,” he said blowing on it for emphasis.
“Alright, I get the idea,” I said flopping open the book in my lap. A hint of mold permeated the air as I scrutinized the thick, crisp pages that were faded to a deep golden cream color and rustled to the touch. There was line after line of curly q’s and spirals that all came together to form words. The first section I came across was titled “un vero volcano.”
“What’s it mean?” I asked pointing to the particular section I was on.
He read it carefully back to himself, his brows creasing together as he mentally translated it. “That one means ball of fire.”
My hands started shaking as my stomach tightened. “I’m nervous.”
“It will be worth it, trust me,” he nodded encouragingly. “Okay, so here’s the chant or spell we need to decipher for that one.”
“Fuoco e luce combinare come uno, invito thy energia, mi portano forza nelle tenebre vicino,” he said with a hypnotizing accent. “Write this down. It means, “fire and light combine as one, I call upon thy energy, bring me strength in darkness near.”
I scribbled as fast as I could and reviewed the words I had written, but frowned in response.
“Why do you look so disappointed?” he asked.
“Not disappointed per se. I guess I just expected something more magical like bibbitty bobbity boo or open sesame.” He laughed and I blushed again. “Uh, where were we? Oh right, now I have to actually say the words out loud.” My hands felt slick with tension as I twiddled my thumbs. “I really should take a shower first. Come back tonight and we can work on it.”
“Stop being a chicken. Do you want to be vulnerable the next time that asema attacks you or do you want to be able to fight back?”
I shuddered. “Okay just this one and the rest will have to wait until later.” He drifted over and sat next to me.
He smiled encouragingly. “You can do this.”
I tried to return the enthusiasm. “Sure.” I stood up and braced myself. “Here goes nothing.”
I held out my hands afraid they would burst into flames any second and began the chant. Slow at first and then faster until the words melded together and I didn’t even have to say it anymore, I just closed my eyes and imagined a ball of fire in my hands. I squinted out through my thick crimson lashes and gasped. A wad of flames the size of a softball was levitating an inch or so above my palm. The orange and yellow flickers of color were swirling in and around each other as if trapped in a tiny glass bubble. I lifted my hand and the ball followed like it was on an invisible string controlled by a master puppeteer. I looked over at Draven in awe and appreciation. It was because of his help that I was standing here now, dangling this radiant thing out in front of me. He wore a cocky expression as he said, “See, I told you.”
“Don’t make me hurl it at you,” I said elated.
He winked. “Is that a threat or a promise?”
I felt rejuvenated and whole again, like a candle whose wick had just been lit after years of gathering dust. Maybe it was feistiness or maybe it was my being magick drunk but I said, “Both,” and tossed it to him. It landed with a hard thud in the center of his chest making his clothes instantly catching fire. I teetered backwards on the balls of my heels taken aback. What had I just done? I could have seriously hurt someone. “I’m so sorry,” I said biting the inside of my cheek. “I really didn’t think it would touch you since, you know, you’re a ghost and all. Get in the shower. The water should put it out,” I said grabbing him by the arm and shoving him in.
The weight of the push caused me to lose my balance and fall forward straight into his arms. We both stood there afraid to meet the other’s eyes with water drenching us, but neither of us saying a word or daring to move. He pulled me in a little closer and just held me, content with being able to touch something real. I leaned my head on his chest and closed my eyes. It felt amazing and right, like the whole world was a puzzle and he was the last piece missing. We stayed like that for some time before I remembered Cole and pulled away. He tried to hide the confusion on his face, but I could tell I had upset him.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m dating someone and…”
“It’s not a problem,” he said cutting me off. “I told you before that once I finish helping you I have to leave and I won’t be able to come back.”
The bitterness in his tone made me wince and sigh. No matter how frustrated he seemed right now I knew that after the moment we just shared, he didn’t want to leave. Nor did I want him to, which had me a little more than confused. “I know.”
I turned around to face the water full on, letting it crash over my head and drown out any room for talking. He must have taken that as a sign and stepped out of the tub to dry off. “Stay,” I said closing the shower door and pulling the curtain back. “We need to decipher some more of the book and I can’t do it alone.”
I slowly untied my now heavily saturated robe and rung it out as best I could, then I tossed it, along with my panties over the edge of the shower. I wondered if he might be picturing me in my birthday suit from the other side, but I locked those thoughts up tight and pushed on.
The next 20 minutes were a blur of soap and rough Italian words. When I finished I didn’t turn the water off for fear that Zilla might return and I needed to buy myself some more time. The shower thankfully had washed away large traces of the sadness I felt for being Garbage-less. I knew I’d miss the little guy, but it was time to start kicking ass and taking names. With my newfound power thrumming inside me, I was sure that I could fight back now and I liked that feeling.
I stepped out of the shower soaking wet and was met with Draven’s jaw practically touching the floor. He whipped around faster than I would have thought possible to stare at the wall. I smiled even though he couldn’t see it. “Towel please?” He handed me one without once glancing back my direction again so I spared him further embarrassment and got dressed.
“What did we figure out so far?” I asked.
“Well, we uncovered roughly five more new spells. There are plenty more, but we’ll need more time to get them all figured out.”
“Let’s go over them again, starting with the name and then what they are supposed to do.”
He nodded and glanced down at his notes. “There is one called barrieradi fuoco which means fire barrier. Basically if you wanted to stop someone or something from coming at you then you could put up something similar to a wall of fire. There is also anello di fuoco which means fire ring. Sort of the same scenario, except you are protected by a ring of fire. Fuoco bomba or fire bomb, a weapon of bombs you can throw. Stella brillante or blazing star, my guess is that this one is closely related to a meteor shower. The one that’s most in
teresting though is this one,” he said pointing to his notes. “Fuoco fenice or fire phoenix, I think it calls upon the great fire bird to help you in battle.”
Those all seemed so dramatic that I couldn’t picture a time when I would ever need to use them, or at least I hoped I never would anyway. I paced the room as I looked over his notes and practiced the incantations in my head. They were all simple enough. Another knock on the door grabbed our attention.
“Be there in a sec,” I called. I sat down next to Draven, leaned in and whispered, “Thanks for all of your help. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” I suddenly realized how close we were to each other and got nervous all over again, but I gently kissed him on the cheek anyway and averted his gaze. “Meet me back here tonight and we will go over the rest of the book.”
I got up and turned the water off. When I glanced back he was gone, but the book was sitting on the counter. I placed it securely in one of the drawers underneath a stack of hand towels and checked myself out in the mirror, making sure to take extra time to pretend I was dressing. Then I opened up the door and ran with head jolting force directly into Cole.
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