“Anyways, the hospital room filled with a rush of heat and I was better, good as new. Frank even regained consciousness after a few minutes. The nurses insisted it was a miracle, but I knew better,” she laughed lightly and caressed my warm cheek.
“Weeks later I talked to Frank about it and he understood too,” she finished with a small settled smile and waited for my response. Is that where my healing powers had gone, to my daughter? I was consumed with the possibilities.
“She can help Frank! I’ve seen it already, her touch helps him,” I almost popped.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Sam sighed still wearing a polite smile.
“But…”
“Max, how old were you before you could control your gifts?” The image of me accidentally setting the living room couch on fire when I was 7 engulfed me. She was right, how could a six month old know how to erase Frank’s cancer?
“I guess you’re right.” I sounded lost. There had to be a way to help my uncle. I had so many questions to ask her. So many things I wanted say but all I could think about was one single thought. One simple stream of truth.
“I love her Sam.” I thought I might tear up at the thought of Madi and her big green eyes. Sam choked up a little watching my honesty.
“She loves you Max.”
We both slid down on the blanket and tried to pretend that we wanted to watch the movie on my makeshift movie screen. Instead she filled me in on all my daughters little secrets. Everything about her exciting birthday. All her likes and dislikes. Apparently she had inherited my temper too. I guess she really was a Valentine.
I told Sam about how I had spent my little sisters birthday at her grave. She listened patiently to every detail. One day I would take Sam to see her…one day. The morning turned into the afternoon as we found ourselves lost in each other’s lives again. I didn’t want the day to end. Apparently neither did she.
“Max, can I ask you something?” her voice sounded playful.
“Anything.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?” Her eyes flickered under the rays of the fading sun.
“What about Kai?” I asked it without even thinking.
“What about Asia?” she scolded back.
“She’s gone,” I whispered, uneasy about the subject.
“So is Kai, but I’m here.” She leaned into me with a kiss. She made me feel so at ease.
“I’m here too. Finally.”
We fell into each other as the wind gently slid over us. As we locked our embrace and became lost with each other, the sun slowly began to set. The daylight gently faded, leaving us oblivious to the approaching truth. From the distance a familiar pair of eyes looked on, hidden by the shadows and a giant camera lens.
I was still being watched.
Sinner - 26
~What Do I Have To Do: Stabbing Westward~
Hong Kong, China.
Sunday - 12:01 a.m. - November 26th.
As Asia walked into the fancy underground nightclub her senses intensified with a razor like edge. It had only taken her about an hour to locate Lucy at her new business slash residence. This expensive but sleazy establishment named Heavens Opium was her newest business venture. Asia had no idea where her little Lucy could have possibly received the funding for such an endeavor. Her poor, broken hearted ex-girlfriend.
Lucy Zhang was once her best friend, her only friend. They were sisters in the closest possible ways. That was until Lucy crossed the line and endangered my life with her sisterly jealousness. Asia’s sources had confirmed that her long lost sister had been making more waves in our lives lately. Asia was here to fix that once and for all. She was not her friend tonight.
“May I be of assistance?” a young lady with purple and black hair asked in perfect English. Asia found that odd being smack dab in the middle of Hong Kong’s nightlife. Asia took a moment before answering and surveyed the club once more. Neon lighting flickered along the gyrating bodies in the room, coloring them in a glow. Blackness engulfed the corners of the place. The music was deafening making Asia speak with more urgency.
“Is Miss Zhang in?”
“Who?” The girl played dumb. Asia’s temper soared. She pushed past her with a strength that almost knocked the startled girl over. It quickly drew much of the clubs attention to her, but Asia didn’t care. She stomped through the rave on a mission. The music from the club speakers pounded throughout the room as Asia scoured the place. Her anger grew with every step. Finally her eyes locked onto a lone, dark, glass door at the back of the club. It was as black as onyx with only one symbol etched into its surface. The Chinese symbol for BLUE.
“Lucy,” she growled through tight teeth. As she pushed her tensed frame through the doorway she realized that she was being followed into the room by three of the clubs security men. All of them twice the size of her. Inside the room she ignored their unwanted presence as her eyes focused on her target.
“Lucy, I see you have been busy,” Asia gritted. Lucy smiled from behind her desk with her spiky blue hair shining in the light from the club. Asia found that she looked 10 years older than the last time they saw each other. Not a healthy sign for only being 16 months ago. Lucy straddled her chair like a dark queen high upon her throne. Sunken, withered, brown eyes surrounded by black make up with lips to match, she looked even paler than Asia remembered. Her black painted fingernails slid along the desk until her index finger found her silent security button.
“What took you so long?” Lucy giggled. Asia stepped closer, causing the security men to approach her from behind. Lucy waved for them to back off as the first rattle of thunder shook the club. The lights flickered on and off.
“Settle down my love,” Lucy teased. She lit a small cigarette and tossed her expensive designer boots up on her desk and winked at Asia. Asia drew a long breath in to calm her growing anger. Her skin had already begun to tingle with the building static electricity sliding along her skin.
“We need to talk,” Asia threatened, but Lucy only giggled more.
“I know.” Lucy stood up and three more hired thugs walked into the room from the back door. Asia didn’t even acknowledge them and focused her violent stare on Lucy.
“Alone,” Asia warned. Lucy laughed out loud.
“Sorry my love but I don’t think so,” Lucy said, as her security guards tensed around the room. Thunder crashed at the windows of the club. A low vibration crawled along the room as Asia began to power up.
“Lucy…”
“Wow…you have really grown scary powerful!” Lucy sounded excited. Asia began to tremble softly. Her eyes looked through Lucy.
“Lucy I'm warning you!”
“Settle down. I know why you’ve come here.” She flipped her dirty blue bangs from her face. Asia took a careful step forward and Lucy smiled.
“They finally found Max,” she bragged. Asia’s eyes flickered with nervous hate.
“Who’s after Max?” Asia demanded with fists clenched.
“This is kind of your fault sis.”
“Make sense! Who’s they?” Asia simmered, and the outside air swelled with moisture and rain fell like a blanket.
“When you killed Devon, you set in motion all of this unwanted attention.” Lucy threw down her cigarette and stomped her feet. She was no longer laughing.
“Lucy!” Asia screamed, and the outside window to her office shattered into a million pieces. The six men surrounding them jumped in a staggered unison just like human dominoes. Lucy however, did not even flinch.
“Wow! I have missed that temper. You probably haven't thought about me once since you’ve been country hopping with Max.” The first sign of hurt made its way into Lucy’s throat.
“Tell me what you know Lucy!”
“In Paris you two looked simply adorable dressed like Satan and his bitch!” Lucy pushed at Asia’s sanity.
“It was you!” Asia screamed. “You were the girl in the red hood!” White light flashed inside the club, filling the speaker
s with heavy fuzz.
“And in Vegas his big brown eyes were in agony as I drove him to the airport. He was so devastated he didn’t even notice I was there,” Lucy revealed.
“You were following us?” Asia spoke hard. Her voice barely above a whisper.
“Calm down sis! You want answers? I’ll give you answers, but you’re not going to want to hear them,” she warned.
“I’m not kidding! Tell me what’s going on!” Asia grumbled through her teeth. Her tone was lethal but under control again. Lucy motioned for her security to ease themselves, but they did not follow her orders. They all clutched their various weapons tightly in hand ready for the worse. Lucy walked slowly up to Asia and looked deep into her eyes.
“Devon’s family and friends have become quite close with certain people…”
“What kind of people?” Asia asked, she could not hide her worried tone.
“The worst kind. Well funded and with no conscience. You know the kind, ones who want to make things even. Eye for an eye.” Lucy grinned.
“What did you do?” Asia became infuriated.
“The kind of people that would pay any amount and do anything to get their hands on Max and his unique abilities…” she continued blankly.
“Lucy, what did you do?” Asia screamed again. Electricity flickered over all the electronics in the room, popping and snapping along in a sick crawl.
“And your abilities too…” Lucy trailed off as she watched the hair on her arms stand up. Wind came swirling through the broken window and her front door began to shake, causing the black glass to hum with its vibration.
“Lucy!” Asia called out begging for her to understand that she would not be able to hold back her anger much longer. Last time she let go like this she killed someone. Asia’s blue eyes washed over in a glowing, silvery-blue hue. The room became ice cold.
“I told them everything. Everything I knew about you. Everything we both knew about Max.” Lucy stared at Asia with fresh tears streaming down her face. Asia could not breathe as the breaking storm within her pounded to escape.
“And they paid me quite well for my information!” Lucy laughed out nervously. She sounded as if she were half crazy.
“How could you? How dare you!” Asia screamed, as her muscles tightened and bones cracked. Finally Lucy broke down and lost her cool too.
“You broke a part of me that I can never fix! A part of me that left everything else numb! Now you will know that kind of hurt! They’re going to destroy your precious Max! Burn him! Crush him! End him and anyone who stands in their way!” Lucy cursed.
“No!” Asia moaned.
“End you.” Lucy giggled sickly.
Asia snapped and slammed Lucy against the wall with her bare hands. Lucy fell away grabbing for her balance as the lights began to flicker on and off. The security team attacked Asia from all directions. One of them smacked her in the back of the head with the handle of his gun as the others grabbed at her arms. Her body tightened before the smell of the outside storm came rushing into the room. It swirled around twisting like a dragon. Her eyes pulsed with vengeance and her skin filled with the white-hot fire of a lightning bolt.
“Let go!” Asia wailed and pushed with her powers. The men easily flew from her in all directions. Four of them slammed against the walls. They were already unconscious from the burst of lightning she had sent through them before they even connected with the wall. The other two fell to their knees, shaking uncontrollably. One passed out within seconds but the last one tried with his last bit of strength to reach for her.
“You’ll all pay!” Asia cursed and slammed her arms out in front of her. The living wall of wind and debris from the office swirled around the last thug and smashed into him like a freight train. His lungs crushed under the weight of her attack in a matter of seconds. The power gave way and the emergency lightning powered on, followed by the fire sprinklers. Electricity danced from wall to wall and desk to chair, from computer screen to file cabinet as the water began to drench everything.
“I hate you! I hate you Asia!” Lucy broke. Her small hands pulled a pair of tiny handguns from her skirt. She was shaking with rage and her make up slid down her face in chunks. Asia only had seconds to stop her but it was more than enough time. She lowered her head with her blue eyes glowing white.
A mini typhoon shredded the club from the inside out. Glass exploded everywhere. Chairs flipped and smashed into each other. All the customers panicked and ran out the doors into the dangerous streets. They trampled over each other just to get away. It was a lost cause though. The storm that waited on the outside of the club was just as deadly.
“Ahhhh!” Asia howled. The giant black glass door split down the middle in a spider web of slits before exploding outward. Asia’s devastation hit Lucy just below her center of gravity and she flew upward toward the ceiling. Asia smiled and pushed harder. The pain of her head smashing into the ceiling blinded Lucy, making her drop the guns. One landed in the rushing water along the floor while the other bounced off the edge of her desk. It clipped the trigger as it did and fired directly at one of her men. He fell over in an explosion of blood.
“I hate you!” Lucy slurred into a low scream. Her head was bleeding and she was having trouble breathing as the endless wind pinned her to the roof. Asia calmed her assault long enough for her to hear Lucy’s last warning.
“They’ll…come for…the…baby too…” she warned as her eyes rolled back in her head and her body fell limp. She dangled lifelessly in the air with water dripping from her limbs. Asia filled with fear and the storm quickly stopped inside the room but powered on everywhere else. Lucy fell to the ground, crashing onto piles of wet glass. Asia ignored the sound of Lucy’s broken body as she hit the devastated floor. Lucy’s last words haunted her too much. As she began to come out of her rage she made her way to Lucy on the floor, gently checking her pulse and found that Lucy was still alive. Her hands caressed the side of Lucy’s face and for a moment Asia could see the Lucy of old. The one she used to call her sister. Her heart ached a little as their past memories filled her head. She softly tried to wipe away the excess dirt and makeup that was smeared along her pale face. The grime was too thick though.
“I’m sorry Lucy,” Asia whispered and then rose to her feet. As she did her eyes caught something familiar from the ground. It was a picture floating along the water. Asia’s heart sank as she realized it was a snapshot of her and myself at the cherry blossom orchid, from her birthday.
“Max…” Asia gasped and ran out of the club. The first wave of sirens from the approaching authorities hit her as the rain started to fade. She ran down the darkened street in a staggered sprint. Flashing emergency lights grew closer, washing over the damaged buildings. Her unnatural powers destroyed every streetlight and window as she fled. The sounds of broken glass and people screaming echoed through the wet streets. Alarms rang like banshees in the night. Fire lit the thick shadows in the blackening city. Strangers cried out for relief from the storm, from her wrath.
Asia had found the truth and left Hong Kong in the dark.
Undertow - 27
~When It Rains: Paramore~
Sunday - 8:38 a.m. - November 26th.
I’ve never been the biggest fan of dreaming, having spent most of my life haunted by my sister’s death and the guilt I savored from it. My nights were usually filled with endless nightmares but last night was different. I dreamt of walking my daughter down the isle and becoming a grandfather. I lived to be old and happy. With each passing year Sam was by my side, just the two of us. So when I felt a tickling on my nose and awoke to her smiling face, I felt truly happy. A perfect moment.
“Morning,” she whispered above me.
“Morning.” I stared up at her in awe. Her soft blonde hair slid along her bare shoulders and teased my chest. Waking up in her bed after our amazing reunion felt right. I never wanted to leave. I had been very confused with my emotions lately but the simple truth was that I loved Sam
. Deep down though, I still worried that it may not be enough. I wouldn’t let myself entertain that thought right now though.
“I want to take you to the beach today,” she whispered and cozied up to me tighter. Lying naked with Sam made me powerless to her.
“I want to stay right here…with you.”
“Me too.”
“It’s a date then,” I said before kissing her slowly. We stayed like that for the rest of the morning enjoying each other’s outlines. Finally I dragged my weary body out of bed and stretched for the ceiling.
“Where are you going?” she asked softly.
“I need to clean up and get ready for the beach. You promised,” I smiled. She crawled from the sheets with one of them loosely tucked under her arms and ran her hand through her hair. I watched from the corner of my eye as the sun washed itself over her petite body.
“Save some hot water for me. I’ll be in after I call and check on Madi.” Her nose scrunched playfully as she noticed I was paying close attention to her curves rather than her words.
“Hot water is not gonna be a problem,” I bragged with a flex of my arms. My shoulders steamed over and she rolled her eyes. She kissed me once more and shoved me toward the bathroom.
“Tell Madi I said hello.” I let my hand heat up as it slid down the front of her stomach. It filled with goose bumps.
As I washed up I could hear music start playing through Sam’s apartment. Her sweet voice was in the background, talking to our daughter. I couldn’t hear what was being said but she sounded happy. Things were falling into place but something felt off. I wasn’t sure what, but the feeling was there.