“Follow me!” I ordered the girls, and pulled them into the desert air. They followed hand in hand, locked together tightly. With a flip of my wrist a dozen strikes of lightning rained down behind us, setting fire to everything in an instant.
“Run!” I called out, with my hand pointing the girls up the sandy hill in front of us. The girls ran as hard and as fast as they could, crying as they pushed themselves. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled.
“Karma is a bitch, Avery…” I whispered, to the wind. “And so am I.”
Just as I made my way to all the girls, the ground rumbled and the unmistakable sound of a truck engine crawled up behind us. The little ones all screamed, reaching for me. When the dust finally settled, a familiar voice greeted us.
“Get in,” Sam said, panicking. I was happy to see her, but I’d never tell her that.
“Come on, girls…” I started nudging them through the doors of the SUV.
“Asia, you’ve brought some friends. Are they all going to fit?” Sam asked, nervously.
I shrugged. “We’ll make them fit.” Sam glared at me as I waited for the last two girls to squeeze into the back of the truck.
“And these little ladies are?” Sam playfully inquired. I rolled my eyes and attempted to climb in, but found my body wouldn’t move.
“They…are…” I tried to say, as my hands clutched at the warm pain along both sides of my stomach. “…my…friends.”
“Asia?” Sam jumped from the driver’s seat. Blood was pouring from just below my bellybutton and along the inner side of my left hip. I had been shot at least twice. I never even felt it.
“Don’t worry…about me…” I coughed.
“Damn it! What do I do? I don’t know what to do?” Sam cried out. The thunder disappeared above us, and the sun filled the sky again. Warm rays of light washed over me as I reached for Sam’s hands.
“Only…one person…” I choked down a thick patch of blood.
“What?” Sam begged. The world started to fade.
“Only…he…can…save…”
“Who?” she grabbed at my face.
“You…know…”
As I let the darkness finally wrestle me from the light, I could hear the cries of the young refugee’s in the distance, and Sam’s last painful word.
“Max.”
SEVEN: REQUIEM
~ I Don’t Care: Apocalyptica ~
Maui Community Correctional Center: Wailuku, Hawaii
Friday morning - 7:01 a.m. - December 31st
Max:
“Valentine!” the eager officer grunted. If I still had my fires I would have cooked him right then and there. I wasn’t in the mood this morning. His voice fell on me again, “It’s time.”
“For what?” I gagged on my morning breath. Another long night. Another never-ending nightmare. The usual.
“You don’t remember?” Officer Fitzgerald asked, worried. And with the power of a locomotive, it hit me.Oh no, not today.
“Uncle Frank,” I whispered, to my cell. His funeral.
“Time to say goodbye,” Officer Fitzgerald frowned. He slowly unlatched the cell door and held out his hands for me to place my wrists in his. I swallowed hard, barely able to move, let alone stand anymore. Just as my legs gave out, he caught me.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I whimpered.
“You have to, Max. For him.”
“But…” I staggered.
From the back of my cell came a whisper. A familiar whisper…
“Remember your light.”
Searching behind me, and then over each shoulder, I found no one. “Did you hear that?” I asked Officer Fitzgerald.
He looked down at me worried, “Umm…no.”
“Are you sure? You didn’t hear anything? Anyone?” I asked, blankly.
“No. Now, come on. We don’t want to be late.”
With a quick snap he had placed my wrists in cold steel handcuffs. Moments later we were driving down the road with the island air rushing through the windows. I loved the smell, but it was missing something…someone.
“Asia,” I mumbled, and leaned back in my seat. I hadn’t seen her since that horrible day when I lost control and hurt so many people. Though my fires were no longer there, I missed her down to my bones. Maybe our bond had grown past our elemental desires. Maybe not.
The last thing I had heard was she had found my mother and entrusted her with the well-being of my daughter, Madison. I missed her sweet face completely. My magical baby girl with the big green eyes just like her mother, Samantha. My possible soulmate. Last time I had seen Sam she was protecting Madi from the same kidnappers that I was in jail for killing. Unfortunately, I was arrested and she disappeared.
“Sam…” I sighed.
Officer Fitzgerald looked over the front seat when I did, and shook his head. He had spent the last few weeks hearing nothing but Asia and Sam…Sam and Asia…
“We’re almost there.” He winked at me.
I took a giant breath and rubbed my hands together. I pushed at them with my mind trying to will my absent flames to come back. Nothing. Not even any heat in my hands.
“Okay,” I said, defeated. Minutes passed and I found myself walking like a zombie past a giant sign intertwined with big iron gates that read,Makawao Cemetery. My stomach rolled over and I started to shiver. It was close to 80 degrees outside and I was freezing. I never used to get cold.
I have experienced so many unbearable events in my life; my younger sister’s death, my father’s death, my death, but nothing seemed to hit me like the sight of my Uncle Frank’s coffin. There were so many people here to say goodbye. Half the island seemed to be here in this little cemetery plot. His strong spirit touched so many in his lifetime. Too many people. Too many faces. All of them watched me as I was escorted down the thin pathway by Officer Fitzgerald. Most of them with sad stares hidden behind dark glasses. Some of the mourners shook their head in disappointment as if I had personally wronged them or their families. I had done no such thing though. My captivity was because of the judgment I brought down on the dozen or so men who would have hurt their families. I actually made this island safer when I went supernova.
My sorrow began to turn into anger as I tried to ignore the disapproving stares. From the crowd came a familiar voice.
“Be strong, Brother.”
Snapping my head in his direction, I said, “Kai.”
Kai Kadooka, my best friend, my partner in musical mayhem, my fun loving, free-spirited, island brother. With a new shorter hairstyle, he smiled back at me. Once his head was covered with messy dreadlocks, but now, it was closely shaven. It made him look more mature. It was good to see him.
Kai had bore the weight of most of my mistakes since I moved to Maui. He was there to help me find my music when I had given up on it. He had supported me through the tragedy of dying and coming back to life. He forgave me for leaving him and everyone else when I needed to mutiny and flee Maui to find myself. He protected Sam when I couldn’t. He was there for my uncle when I was locked in my prison cell. Needless to say, he was my rock, my brother, but sadly, he was also my competition.
“Hey, Max, we’re so glad you made it,” Kai smiled, and walked from the crowd with Samantha’s parent’s behind him. They were not my biggest fans. They blamed me for Sam’s kidnapping. They were right, it was my fault. They hated that I had gotten Sam pregnant her Senior year of high school, and left her alone. I didn’t know at the time that she was carrying our child, but that didn’t matter to them. I changed their baby girl’s life forever. They would never forgive me for that. That’s where Kai came into play…my competition. While I was away, he and Sam had fallen in love. He had taken care of my daughter, he had kept Sam safe, and he did it as honestly and nobly as a man could. Kai was easily a better man than me.
Pulling him in for a light hug, I mumbled, “Any word from Asia on Sam’s whereabouts?”
He nodded no, and directed my eyes back toward the end of the
walkway. Gently, he said, “Not yet.” He placed a concerned hand on my shoulder, ignoring his own pain.
I knew he still loved Sam, even though she had moved on from him to be with me again.
“Oh,” I sighed.
“But Madison’s doing well.”
Instantly, a smile appeared across my lips, numbing the awkward pain I was in. “Where is she?” I asked, searching Sam’s parents, and then the crowd. “I’ve missed her sweet face…” And just then, I found her. My smile faded.
“She’s there…” Kai pointed to just before my uncle’s shiny black coffin. “She’s with your mom.”
My mother. The woman who abandoned me when I was ten. The woman who blamed me for my little sister’s death. The woman who left my father and broke his heart in the process. The woman who changed her last name so she wouldn’t have to be a Valentine anymore. The woman that Samantha had said I needed back in my life. The woman that Asia apparently located when all hell broke loose last month. The woman who was holding my daughter, her granddaughter, in her arms, too nervous to look me in the eyes.
Mommy Valentine.
Kai walked me up to her slowly, and scooped up Madi in his arms. He kissed her head and looked at Officer Fitzgerald for permission to hand her to me. Officer Fitzgerald nodded yes, and then excused himself before shrinking into the crowd just far enough to give me a moment. Ignoring my mother’s stare, I reached for Madi with my hands shaking a little. I hadn’t held her in over a month. I hadn’t seen her since my mother had returned to the island with her. From what I had been told, she was splitting the duties of taking care of her with Kai and Samantha’s parents.
As little Madi slid into my arms my world made sense again. She felt twice as heavy as I remembered, and she smelled as amazing as she did in my dreams. Her ten months on this planet had been surrounded by people who loved her, and she seemed happy and content. Her hands reached for my face, filling my pores with soothing heat as she squeezed me. Madison Lee Valentine was special. She shared my elemental gift of healing. Well, the gift I used to have. My ability to heal someone by just a touch seemed to be gone now. She, on the other hand, seemed to have it tenfold.
“Madi…” I sighed, and let her warmth hide me from the world. “I missed you so much.” She cooed and kicked her feet in my grip. My heart skipped a beat, and for a moment I had forgotten where I was.
“Max, how are you, baby boy?” my delusional mother asked.
My temper flared. I hoped it would bring with it my familiar heat, my fires, but it didn’t. It only brought a bad taste to my mouth.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, as if it was a curse word. She reached for me but I took a small step backward. Holding Madi tighter to my chest, I warned, “Don’t.”
“Max…” she tried to say.
She looked like how I remembered her, just with a few more creases along her eyes and lips. Her hair was still deep brown, but obviously dyed to keep the grays at bay. If I squinted my eyes enough, she looked just like the last time I had seen her. The morning she walked out on me and my father. It was a Sunday.
“Please don’t hate me,” she continued.
Erupting with anger, I snapped, “Are you freakin’ kidding me? Here? You want to do this, here?”
“Calm down, Max,” Officer Fitzgerald said, rejoining our small family reunion. His hands locked onto my shoulders. I pulled from them in a fit. His eyes filled with concern, as I grew unmanageable. He solemnly reached for Madison in my clenched arms. It made me even angrier, there was no way I would ever physically hurt her.
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” I cursed, under my breath. He winced knowing that he may be returning me to my cage sooner than later, but I slowly settled a bit. With a quick look at my mother, and then another glance at Madi’s beautiful face, I stepped back. Just beyond our circle was Sam’s parents. They both stood worried, yet quiet. I stepped up to them and handed over Madi with a broken smile on my face. Sam’s mother, Rebecca, took her from my arms and tried to return my smile.
“Thank you for coming today, Mr. and Mrs. Summers. I’m so sorry for any pain I may have caused you. I’ll find Madison’s mother. I’ll get your daughter back. I’ll find Sam,” I said, in a desperate promise. Rebecca leaned into me and kissed me on my cheek, and said nothing. I nodded toward her before returning to my mother. Kai watched me carefully and then quickly joined the Summers’ at their side.
I tried my best to ignore him and walked up to my mom and sighed, “I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see you. But, because of a promise I made to Sam, I will.” I looked back at Madi and Kai for strength, before turning back to her. “Just not now. Not here. This is Frank’s moment. You remember him?” I asked, as if it were some kind of threat.
“Of course I remember him…” she began.
“Frank was the only one who stayed. The only one who wanted me. The only one who understood!”
“Max…”
“Mia died. You left. Dad’s unexpected heart attack,” I almost coughed on the words. “I had no one.” I looked over her shoulder at Uncle Frank’s coffin. “Except you, Uncle.” With tears, I pushed past my mother who was also crying now, and placed my trembling hands along the edge of the case. As I spied his lifeless body, painted and still, I lost it.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. This is my fault. You’re dead because of me, and I hate myself for it. I’m a curse…a mistake. I should be in that casket, not you.” Tears rolled from my eyes and I fell against the casket. People gasped from behind me, but I couldn’t hear them anymore. The world began to spin, and my eyes fell black. I squeezed my eyelids tightly together and held my breath. When I opened them, I was alone. Well, almost alone.
“Hello, Son,” Uncle Frank said, from in front of me.
“Uncle?” I whispered. Quickly, I wiped the tears away from my face.
“You okay?” he asked, with a smile. I stared at him, stunned. He looked fine.
“Am I dreaming? Am I going crazy?” I asked the phantom.
With a hearty laugh, he said,“Probably a little of both.”
“Uncle Frank…”
He placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me deep in my eyes.“You’ll get through this, Son. I know it.”
“How are you here? Are you some kind of ghost?” I asked, in a panic. I searched the cemetery to find only he and I standing there.
“I don’t know. I suppose I’m here because you need me. You need some answers,” he said, softly.
“I do.”
“Well, first off, let me start by saying…you’ll be okay.”
“No, I won’t. I’m so lost,” I sulked.
“Why?” he inquired.
“Why? Because you’re dead. Sam’s still missing, and Asia won’t talk to me,” I sighed, before continuing. “Oh, and I lost my special abilities. No more healing, no more fires.”
“Really, no more fire-starting? Hmm…I wonder why?”he said, to himself.“You still have Madison.”
With an ache in my chest, I said, “She’s better off without me.”
“Why would you say that, Max?”
“I hurt everyone I love,” I said, as fact. Staring into my uncle’s ghostly face, I mumbled, “Or worse.”
“Max, I need you to listen to me now, I don’t have much more time.”
“Okay.”
“The answers are all around you, you just have to listen.”
“Huh,” I grunted.
“Trust the pain…”he said, with his voice fading.“…and wake up.”
“What? I don’t understand,” I said, bewildered. His body began to fade away, leaving only a soft silhouette.
“Wake up, Max.”
“Uncle? Uncle!” I screamed out. Nothing. I was alone again. I closed my eyes once more, giving up. When I opened them again, I was in my freezing cell, back at the correctional center. No Uncle Frank. No mother. No Madi. Just me and my uncomfortable pillow.
“Damn it,” I grumbled, si
tting up in my bunk.
“Ahh…he’s alive,” Officer Fitzgerald teased. “You gave us all a nice scare, Valentine.”
“I did?”
“Yup. One second you’re talking to your uncle’s casket, the next second you’re on your back screaming, TRUST THE PAIN,” he snickered.
“What?” I huffed.
“Thankfully you passed out after a few moments, cuz you were scaring the bejeezus out of that crowd. Especially your family.”
“Family? What family?” I asked, embarrassed.
“You mother.”
“Pfft. I don’t have a mother anymore,” I said.
“Is that so?” he asked, with an eyebrow raised.
“Not now, Fitz. It’s been a long day. Save the Oprah intervention for another time,” I kidded, but I wasn’t really joking. I missed my uncle something fierce and the last thing I wanted to think about was my mother.
“Valentine, has anyone ever told you that you have a bit of a temper? You’re like a hothead,” he laughed.
I let out a long sigh and rubbed my hands together. Staring down at them I wondered where my fires had gone. I worried where Asia and Sam were. I missed my daughter. Looking out my tiny window at the glowing moon, I whispered…
“Story of my life.”
EIGHT: NINE LIVES
~ Stars: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals ~
New Years Eve: Hidden apartment in Dubai
Saturday night - 11:57 p.m. - December 31st
Sam:
Asia was in bad shape. Actually, that was putting it optimistically. She was close to death. She had been shot twice during our escape. Thankfully the bullets had gone all the way through her body and not lodged themselves inside her stomach causing much more damage. She had lost too much blood, though. Asia needed help. She needed proper care from an emergency room staff, and she needed it now. But she wouldn't allow it. We were fugitives and needed to keep a low profile in this strange, foreign desert city. I had blown up our only cell phone during the escape, and amazingly there was no phone in this room. It was best to keep a low profile for now, but how long? I was lucky to retrieve enough info from Asia before she passed out completely, to find this secluded hotel sanctuary. If only I had little Madison here with her brilliant healing touch.