The Nycren

A flash of anger forms on the Para’s face. Normally Raphael is pretty easy going especially for an Original. You sit him in front of a video game console and he’s happy.

  But apparently having his king insulted does not sit well with him. Having no desire to take on a Para before we absolutely have to, I apologize for Jay.

  “I suspect everyone’s emotions are running high,” the Para replies.

  “No shit,” Rage adds.

  “I suppose we can credit you with burning down half of Italy?” Raphael says.

  “What can I say, I don’t like pasta,” Rage replies.

  “No one was hurt in the fire. It was an accident. And we took care of it,” Miku counters, growing angry.

  “Just so we are clear, Marcus, Wolf has been counseled not to do as he has done but…he is following his own path,” the Para informs us.

  “That’s just a nice way of saying your boy’s too weak to accept the truth: Ameana doesn’t want him. He’s willing to kill a kid because of that. Real talk, your king is whack,” Jay says as Miku nudges him.

  “Be that as it may, he is our king and you better be sure you want to challenge him.”

  “We’re sure. Now, where is the first clue to the next Alpha?” Ameana snaps.

  Raphael takes out a small wooden box the size of a softball and holds it in the palm of his hand. The box has a symbol of the Council on it. He lifts up the lip and three glass vials slowly rise up from the box and hover in midair. One vial is red, the other is black and the last one is green.

  “What is that?” Emmy asks.

  “The Shoma is far more sophisticated with the second Alpha. It sent me instructions to give to you. One of the vials holds the key to the next clue. The being associated with the vial is to drink it and he or she will see flashes that will lead your team to the next clue.”

  “What about the other two vials?” Miku asks.

  “They are poisonous,” he replies.

  “Naturally,” Rage says.

  “How do we know which vial is which?” Jay asks.

  “You won’t know until you read the first clue,” Raphael says handing me a Plate; a flat round crystal the size of a quarter.

  “As usual the clue will only reveal itself in your hands,” he reminds me.

  Everyone waits for me to look in to the Plate and announce what the first clue says. I look inside and am certain I’m mistaken; I look again.

  “Marcus, what’s the first clue?” Miku asks.

  “Did you know about this, Raphael?” I ask.

  “Know about what?” he says.

  “Did you know about this clue?”

  “I told you the clue will only reveal itself to the First Guardian.”

  “So this is not some kind of joke?” I ask.

  “Marcus, what does the clue say?” Ameana pushes.

  “I’m so sick of this crap,” I reply shaking my head.

  “C’mon, yo. What’s the deal?” Jay asks.

  “Tell us already, what does the Plate reveal? What’s the first clue?” Miku says.

  “Nothing,” I reply.

  “What do you mean ‘nothing?’” Ameana says.

  “I mean, there are no words written on the Plate,” I reply.

  I hold it up so they can see and sure enough where there should have been words or numbers, there was nothing.

  “Are we supposed to flip it around or something?” Emmy asks.

  I move the Plate around, shake it, throw it in the air; you name it, I did it. And still, not one word appears.

  “Hold up, let me get this right. We need to drink one of these vials to get to the second clue. Two of the vials are poisonous so we have to drink the right one. Now, the clue to which one is the right one is written on this Plate. And the Plate reveals nothing?” Jay says.

  “Yes, there is nothing written on here,” I reply.

  “Why are we always being done dirty?” Jay says.

  “Are you sure you this is the Plate?” Emmy asks.

  “I only received one Plate. I don’t know what it means but it is the right clue,” Raphael remarks.

  “So that’s it? The clue is nothing?” I ask.

  “Yes,” the Para replies.

  Like I said, this will be anything but easy…

  Raphael leaves a short while later and we go over the clue for hours. We can’t figure out why there are no letters or symbols on it. The more we debate the more frustrated we get.

  Since we won’t know which vial to drink without solving the clue, it’s pointless to keep the vials out. So, I place them back in the box and order the team to go and Recharge.

  “I’ll take the first watch and make sure we are demon free for the night,” I tell them.

  “I can take the first watch, I haven’t been able to Recharge lately,” Miku says.

  “What’s up lil’ mama, why can’t you Recharge? Is it because you’re lay’n next to the finest angel that ever lived?” Jay jokes shaking his head.

  “We might need a bigger townhouse to hold Speedy’s ego,” Rage replies.

  “It’s not ego if it’s true, baby,” Jay replies with a broad grin.

  Then he looks at Miku and sees she is distant. She looks dejected and worn out. Jay lovingly goes up to her and kneels in front of her.

  “Miku, what is it, what’s wrong?” he asks her now genuinely concerned.

  “Nothing, I’m fine,” she lies.

  “Pretty, you know you can talk to us,” I encourage.

  “I’m okay for the most part. I can go days where I don’t think about my brother. But then I will hear a song or see a color in the sky and then he’s all I can think about. It doesn’t hurt every day. But when it hurts, it’s like it’s for the first time. It’s like I’m losing him all over again.”

  Jay holds her hand in his and kisses them tenderly. He repeatedly tells her that it’s going to be okay but she keeps shaking her head that it won’t be. And she tells us how much she misses Rio.

  “Pretty, it’s okay to miss him. It’s okay to grieve for him,” I remind her.

  “I go over it in my head again and again. Is there a moment I could have saved him? Is there something I could have done?” Pretty says.

  “Miku you know you did everything you could; we all did. But Rio died doing what he loved: helping people,” Emmy replies.

  “I don’t care, I want him back. I want him back, please Omnis, bring him back,” she cries.

  Jay gently pulls her into his chest and strokes her hair.

  “I know it hurts, baby but no matter how hard it gets, I got you. I swear on my wings baby, I got you,” Jay assures her.

  We all silently agree to leave the couple alone in the living room so that they can talk.

  We exit and head into the hallway.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Emmy asks.

  “Eventually,” I reply.

  “Reese has been gone for over a year and I still miss him just as much as I did when he first died,” Ameana says.

  We all turn to her. Ameana would give her life for the team but she rarely showed affection. Yes, her pregnancy has her far more open but still, it surprises us that she can admit to missing Reese.

  “What? It’s true. Him and Jay would act silly and get on my nerves but…Reese had a gentleness about him that I always envied. I planned to tell him that but time got away from me,” she says bravely.

  “I think Reese and Rio would be proud of us, you know for getting this far,” Emmy replies.

  “Yeah, well we’re not there yet. We need to figure out this clue and quick,” I reply.

  “We will,” Emmy says smiling.

  Her smile resonates deep inside me. I long for her more now than I did before. Who knew that was even possible.

  Knowing that thinking about Emmy will lead to endless thoughts of regret, I order everyone to head to their rooms. Everyone expect for Ameana, who I ask to stay for few moments.

  “She needs to rest, Marcus,” Rage says.

  “I??
?ll be right in, Thomas,” she promises.

  He agrees and leaves Ameana and I alone in the living room. We know it’s not a good idea to talk where we are so we head outside.

  “Why didn’t you tell him?” I ask.

  “How could I? He just got around to forgiving me,” she replies in a whisper.

  “Ameana, you know the Shoma will find our secrets and use them on us. We cannot afford to hide this,” I urge her.

  “I’m not going to keep it from him forever, I just want a chance for us to get back to normal. I mean Omnis knows, he nearly lost his mind about the Wolf thing, what kind of bitch would I be to throw him another curve ball?”

  “You should have told him. For all we know the clue could be about you and me,” I plead.

  “There is nothing written on the Plate so, what could that have to do with us?”

  “I don’t know but I don’t want Rage finding out from the Shoma.”

  “I will tell him, I just need time.”

  “How much time?” I push.

  “A few days or weeks, I don’t know.”

  “Ameana, you are avoiding the issue.”

  “Yes, I am. And you are too. I noticed you haven’t even looked Emmy in the eye since we got back. And you know what? Maybe that’s for the best. Maybe we shouldn’t say anything.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Marcus, we are not on the front page of the Splash. No one saw us and Rage has forgiven me for marrying Wolf.”

  “So?”

  “So, maybe we’re being given a break. We have a chance to start clean and forget about last night. Why would we ruin that? What good could come from Emmy and Thomas ever knowing?”

  “I told you, the Shoma will do it if we don’t.”

  “You don’t know that for sure. Please, let’s just…forget about it.”

  “You think I want to tell them? I don’t think we have a choice,” I remind her.

  “Please Marcus, I need this,” she says resting her hand on mine.

  “Okay…but not forever; they will need to hear the truth.”

  “Thank you,” she says embracing me.

  This is so going to backfire on us…

  As I patrol for demons and rack my brains to figure out what the clue really means, I look out onto the New York City skyline. I envy the humans. Everything is so simple for them. What would it have been like if I could have lived a human life for a little while longer?

  If I were human, would she still be with me?

  I scold myself for allowing such a pointless question to enter my mind. It is a waste of time. I know I will never be human again so what’s the point in guessing? Every time I start to think this way, it’s followed by immeasurable sadness. Then I think about the woman who killed me.

  She’s in hell now…

  I sigh and get ready to take flight. That’s when he pops up in front of me with a Port and a car salesmen smile.

  “Tony, what are you doing here?” I ask.

  “Just once, I would like a warm welcome. It’s been like a million missions, Marcus.”

  “Yes and every time I see you, you bring bad news.”

  “Marcus, you may want to try therapy. You can be very…negative sometimes.”

  “Tony, what do you want?”

  “Well, you know how the Sapphire ball disaster was kind of…sort of…my fault?”

  “It was all your fault,” I correct him.

  “Well…let’s agree to disagree. Anyway, I thought I would keep an eye on that whole situation. You know to make up for…”

  “For finding Bianca’s ex and giving Emmy the ammo she needed to piss off Bianca?”

  “Yeah, for that.”

  “Tony, you should never have helped Emmy. Now Bianca’s more enraged than ever and Jackson keeps giving details of their love life just for a few seconds of fame.”

  “I know, I screwed up.”

  “You and Emmy did more than screw up. Jackson ripped that girl’s reputation apart and although she isn’t an angel by any means, it was wrong.”

  “I know.”

  “Now Jackson keeps milking the situation by taking interviews left and right.”

  “He’s not doing interviews anymore; he’s not doing anything anymore. He’s dead.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN:

  THE ONLY WAY

  Tony tells me the gruesome details of Jackson’s death. His soul was sucked clean from its body by a soul chaser sent by an anonymous source. He was found in an alley with his mouth frozen in horror along with the empty shell of a body that once housed his soul.

  According to Tony, news of Jackson’s demise will hit the Splash in a matter of hours.

  “You think Bianca had him killed?” I ask.

  “I think your wife is not a woman you want to play around with,” he says carefully.

  “No one was there when it happened?” I ask.

  “No, the chaser cornered him and there was no escape.”

  “Jackson was an asshole but he was still an angel and whoever killed him will have to pay.”

  “It’s not like she’s going to come forward and admit it.”

  “There’s a chance it’s not her?”

  Tony-Tone looks at me as if to say, “Are you joking?”

  “Yeah, I guess it’s right up her alley,” I admit.

  “That’s why I came to warn you: Jackson may have gone after Bianca but the being orchestrating her takedown...that’s who she will seek out.”

  “You think she’ll come after Emmy?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “That’s some girl you married,” he replies.

  “Okay, I’ll take care of it.”

  “I told you I’m a Seller who cares,” he reminds me as he smiles and gets back on the Port.

  “Do you know what other stories the Splash will be reporting on?” I ask, casually.

  “Yeah, I got a guy who works for IM Trouble. He usually gives me the details before they come out. Nice guy but he’s got this gig on the side selling insurance. Every time I see him he’s trying to get me to buy a policy and--”

  “--Anything about me or…the team?” I inquire.

  “There’s always something about you guys. But as of now, nothing big.”

  “Okay, if something major is about to come out, give me a heads up,” I tell him.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Thanks, Tony.”

  “Marcus, how bad is it?” he asks.

  “How bad is what?”

  “Whatever you did; you have that look.”

  “What look?”

  “Like a guy who messed up with a girl, I should know. I’m a Seller who’s single: my whole life is made up of that look. So what’d you do?’”

  “Look, I--”

  “—Wait, I got it. You called out the wrong name. Man, the girls hate that. I was killed once by a lady Seller just because I mentioned the wrong name during... you know. I mean yeah, it was her sister’s name but still…”

  “I didn’t do that,” I reply.

  “Oh, well did you forget her birthday?”

  “No.”

  “Did she find your internet search history?”

  “No! I’m not seeing anyone right now, Tony.”

  “But you did mess up, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “How bad?”

  “Bad…”

  Honestly I don’t have any remorse over Jackson’s death. That’s rare for me but again he wasn’t really worth lamenting over. However, him getting killed and most certainly by Bianca means she is very hurt and literally out for blood. I have Rage take the next watch and head over to Bianca’s apartment in London.

  I walk in a short while later to find her over by the bay window looking out at the skyline. Her figure is exquisite as always. She wore a form fitting dark colored dress that complimented her curves. When she hears me enter, she does not turn to face me.

  “Did you kill him?” I ask.

  “It worries me that
I actually married someone who cares about trivial things like the demise of one little rat.”

  “Bianca, answer the question.”

  “That’s not what you came to ask me now was it?” she says, finally tuning to face me.

  Her beautiful green eyes sparkle with malice and her lips form a perfect smile.

  It’s a shame someone so gorgeous can be so ugly…

  “I know what happened to you at the ball was awful. And yes, Jackson and Emmy were out of line. But you had no right to take him out. And if anyone can link you to his murder, the Paras will come for you.”

  “Do I look worried?”

  “You need to let this go,” I advise her.

  “You have been here for ten minutes now and you have yet to ask what you came to ask. C’mon Marcus, let’s not waste each other’s time.”

  “Are you planning on going after Emmy?”

  “There it is,” she says with a satisfied grin.

  “Well?”

  “You were kind to me when my father passed away. I feel that I owe you some honesty. If you don’t give me what I want, I will dismantle her life piece by piece. I mean it. I will tug at all the right places to ensure she comes apart at the seams like a cheap dress.”

  “And what is it that you want?”

  “I want you to sign off on this,” she says handing me what looks like a contract. I read over it quickly and toss it on the table that stands between us.

  “I am not signing anything that says I am behind the Quos getting into the light. I told you that.”

  “And I told you the Quos are done being held prisoners,” she counters.

  “I am not going to back your organization. Especially knowing you’re at the head of it. For all I know you could be plotting to take over the light. You’re just that delusional and power hungry.”

  “We have been denied access to what is rightly ours for too long. It’s time we share in the light just like all of you. Sign that and the Paras will see that the Quo have backing. They will have no choice but to bend to the will of my people. Marcus, you sign the papers and I promise you, I will leave her alone,” she promises.

  I lean in so close to her, our faces practically touch. I look deep into her eyes and speak in an icy, firm tone.

  “If Emmy gets so much as a paper cut, I will reach inside your body, pull your guts out and spread them all over the earth. Do you hear me?”