Chapter Four: Fate's Choice
Selene opened her eyes when she heard the door above the stairs open and close. She lay back for a moment to get a sense of what time it was. Four in the morning. Who would come in at this hour? She sat up slowly so as not to wake Michael. Quietly she slipped from the room and headed toward the noise coming from the kitchen. "Hello?" she whispered as she rounded the corner.
Lily jumped and dropped the small red package she held in her hand. The sound of the refrigerator kicked on as she stared at Selene. "Holy mother. You scared the crap out of me." She knelt to pick up the bag.
Selene followed her movements and quickly recognized the contents of the object. "Is that..." She paused not sure what to say.
"Here." Lily tossed the one she had picked up to her. "It's the best I could do considering the circumstances."
Selene looked the package over. It was blood, donor's blood. Her stomach flipped as the insatiable hunger returned. "How did you get this?" She looked at the girl earnestly.
Lily smiled and continued to unload the rest of the box into the fridge. "I used to volunteer at a hospital near here. That's where I learned to bandage wounds and things. The nurses there took quite a liking to me and on occasion would show me more than was required." She dropped the empty box to the floor and looked at Selene. "I figured you guys might be hungry, so I went there and asked one of them if maybe they could ignore some disappearing supplies. I said I had two injured people who really needed it, but could never afford the hospital bills. She gave me this," and she pointed to the fridge. "Help yourself."
Selene looked at the girl in amazement. She couldn't believe that a mortal had accepted the truth of their species so quickly, and not only that but had gone out and sought food for them. A part of her was strangely touched. She studied Lily hard for a moment, trying to get a lock on her, but something caught her eye. A glint from the chain around the girl's neck caught the light and flashed in Selene's eyes. She followed it down to the barely visible black jewel that hung from the bottom. Then her heart stopped. The package of blood almost slipped from her fingers, but she caught herself in time to tighten her grip.
"Lily." She tried to calm herself. "Where did you get that necklace?"
"What?" Lily ran her hand down her neck to pick up the jewel and looked at it. "This?" She asked and held the trinket out for Selene to see.
Selene's eyes went wide and she pulled a chair from the kitchen table and sat down. "Yes, that. Where did you get it?" her tone was harsher than she wanted it to be, but her head was spinning.
"Well I..."
"Morning ladies." Michael strode from the room and took a seat next to Selene. He caught sight of the package still clenched in her hand and felt his mouth go dry. "Oh, Lily did you?" He looked at her pleadingly.
Without a word she walked over to the refrigerator, retrieved another bag, and two cups from the shelf. She set the bag and cup in front of him and the other cup in front of Selene who managed a "thank you" while Michael began to pour. For a second Lily thought she might be ill, but she shoved the thought aside and took a seat at the table with them. Looking directly at Selene, her eyes dark with memory, she asked, "You want to know where I got this?" and she held the trinket up once more.
Michael sensing he had come in on the middle of something decided to drink and be quiet. He made note that Selene had not even opened hers yet and took that to mean something important was happening, so he merely listened.
"I was eight when it happened, my brother was eighteen." She hesitated. "You have to understand first why we lived here. Our parents were useless drug addicts who somehow managed to clean themselves up for pregnancy, but not the follow up." There was a hint of an age-old anger in her voice. "They left soon after I was born and my brother had been taking care of me ever since. We had a lot of help from neighbors and shelters. His goal was to keep us out of foster. He had a job by the time he was twelve working under the table. No one could resist the opportunity for cheap labor." Lily took a breath and briefly wondered how much to tell. Her life had never been an open book, but something inside her wanted these people to know. She needed them to know.
"My brother worked very hard for us. He found this place and turned it into a home for us. It wasn't ever easy, but Christopher never complained. He just wanted the best for me." She fought the tears back. "So one night we were walking home from his work. It was late, like it always was. He worked graveyard at a local restaurant, but I wasn't afraid. I had complete faith in my brother. We were almost home when in the alley beside our house we stumbled across something bad." She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering.
"They were huge, enormous beasts. They were feeding on something or someone they had captured. I could smell the blood in the air." She opened her eyes and met them with Selene's. "Christopher told me to run home, but in doing so he caught the attention of the animals. One charged us and, shoving me aside, my brother picked up the nearest board and swung it hard. He caught the beast right in the jaw and it dropped. Again he shouted at me to run, but I was frozen. I'd be damned if I'd let my brother die, but that's exactly what happened. The second animal rose up from behind and was going to pounce my brother. I screamed, but as I did so I heard the gun shot. Chris turned at the wrong moment and the bullet went through him and the animal together. He collapsed on the pavement." Unable to suppress them any longer silent tears began to stream down her cheeks. She had never talked about this night with anyone for fear that she would finally have to admit her brother was gone. Her heart ached from missing him, but she suspected that would never change.
Whipping the tears aside she straightened in her chair. "The rest is all a blur really. I ran to him, but something stopped me, grabbed me and hugged me close. I could hear more gunshots, but couldn't see anything. I remember one of the beasts stood in front of us and then there was a loud hissing noise and it backed down. It left. Just like that. I don't remember anything after that. I think I passed out." She looked first at Michael, then at Selene. She wanted to see how they were taking her story, but their faces were emotionless. Shaking it off, she finished. "When I woke up I was in an orphanage and this was around my neck. I suspect that the person that saved me was the one who gave it to me, but I'll never really know will I?" She stared directly at Selene when she spoke the question. Her eyes bore within Selene and tried to get an expression, but there was nothing.
Michael looked hard at the eighteen year old before him. He couldn't believe what she had just told him. He knew the monsters she spoke of had been lycans, and he wondered if they were still alive, perhaps under his command? He glanced at Selene to see how she was taking all this in, but she sat motionless staring hard at the girl. He could tell she was thinking something, but what he wasn't sure. He turned to Lily. "I'm sorry about your brother." He said sympathetically.
Lily shrugged she was quick to hide her emotions now. "It's alright. It was a long time ago." She thought for a moment. "It is kind of funny though that the alley I found you both in is the same alley he died in." She lowered her head. "I guess that's part of the reason I brought you here in the first place. I couldn't stand the thought of another person dying in that alley, but whatever." She shrugged again, kept her head down, and waited for someone to say something.
Selene stared at the girl a moment longer in disbelief. She wasn't sure what she felt at the moment, but she knew what she had to do. "We'll leave first thing tomorrow night."
Lily looked up in surprise. "Why?"
"Because Michael needs to get back to the lycans. I'm sure they're in a complete uproar by now and he'll need to give them direction." She realized her tone was flat and unkind but it was her only defense. "Besides, we're almost healed now and we've put you in enough danger already. Thank you for your help."
Lily was confused. She hadn't wanted them to leave, in fact she wanted them to stay, but she was never one to beg. She wasn't sure what had caused Selene to become so cold, but she was sure that a part of her was hurt by it. She didn't understand that, seeing as she barely knew the woman, so she merely closed herself off as she had always done. "Fine. Whatever you need to do." She arose with a smooth fluid motion, moved to the kitchen where she opened the refrigerator, took a swig from the orange juice bottle, and then headed up and out the stairs. "See you later." She called over her shoulder as she shut the door behind her.
"What was that all about?" Michael whispered at Selene.
"Nothing." She gritted through her teeth. "Its just time to go. She's done enough for us already."
He could tell by her tone that he would risk sever punishment if he argued. She had a point about the lycans, but he saw no reason for her to be as callous as she was. There were many things about her he had yet to understand.
"I'm going to take a shower." Selene said and rose from the table. She said nothing else as she made her way to the bathroom. Once in the shower she hung her head beneath the water and let it wash over her. At least the water would hide her tears.
Once outside Lily took a deep breath and shoved her hands in her pockets. He nose had become instantly cold and she shivered against the wind. Closing her eyes and tilting her head up she breathed the night air and let it cleanse her. She had always preferred the night and pre dawn hours. There was something mystical about them, a quiet calm that seemed to be healing. She was confused about all that had just happened. The past twenty-four hours had been incredibly strange. It was as if her memories of the past were coming back to haunt her and her normal rhythm of life felt so out of sink. Releasing all her thoughts into the night sky she inhaled and exhaled deeply, bringing her head back down, and opening her eyes which fell directly upon Jacen's house. With a faint smile she walked across the street and knocked on the door.
A moment later Jacen answered wearing his sweats and sweatshirt. He hadn't been sleeping, despite the early hour. "Hey kid, can't sleep?" He questioned friendly and opened the door wider for her to come in.
Lily grinned at him. "Not really. Just felt up an about." She stepped inside a small hallway that was covered with pictures. She couldn't help but notice all the ones of Christopher Jace had kept up. A picture of their basement caught her eye. He couldn't have been more than fifteen. He stood in the center of a cement room covered in dust, and he held a box in his hands. He had the biggest smile on his face Lily had ever seen. She remembered the day he'd found the place. He had come back home, which for the past five years had been a spare bedroom in an old Hungarian ladies house. She wasn't the nicest of women, calling herself CG in place of her given name. Old and cranky, she moaned about the old days and how children of the present were so out of control, but even she couldn't turn out a ten year old kid with a baby in his arms. She had agreed to put them up in return for some manual labor from Chris. He kept the lawn mowed, the house cleaned, meals on the table, and CG was happy. She would help him to look after Lily and that was that. When Chris turned twelve he began working to save money. He had wanted to give them their own life, to make his sister a real home.
He'd come home that day, three years later, swept a four-year-old Lily into his arms, and whispered into her ear. "I've found us a home." Then he'd looked directly at her face. "Well, at least it will be." Then he smiled wide and curled his finger under her chin causing her to laugh out loud. Then he chased her around the room. Two weeks later they moved in. The place was the basement of an abandoned schoolroom. It was in a small, deteriorating town outside of Budapest. Not the best neighborhood for a kid, but Christopher had seen possibilities. Because of its dilapidated state there would be no rent, and besides he wasn't interested in the wide- open room that had once held academic court. He had his eye on the basement. All the wires for the building were there, there was a water heater, and a small room and bathroom for what had once been a janitor's quarters. It had possibilities, and Lily had known even back then that he would make them real. She never doubted her brother.
"Hey! Lily." Jacen waved his fingers in front of her. "Hello?"
Lily blinked and slapped his hand away. "Stop that." Then she smiled. "Sorry."
He laughed. "So ok kid. Come on," and he motioned her to follow.
Walking through she was led into the small, yet comfortable living room whose contents consisted of a 3-seat couch covered in the old sixties green and an old brown recliner. The television sat on the far wall, while the furniture served to close off the room. Directly to the right of the hall way was the kitchen, small and cozy, and directly to the left were the stairs, which led to the only bathroom and bedroom. It was a small compact little apartment, but it had suited Jacen and his mother just fine. That was before she died. Jace lived there alone now.
Jacen moved to sit on the couch followed by Lily who took the recliner chair. "Well I can't imagine you sleeping well with those people in your house. Speaking of which, when are they leaving?" He raised an eyebrow to her, but his tone showed no signs of anger.
She sighed. "Tomorrow man, don't worry. You'll have me all to yourself after that." She snickered.
"Hey, you know it's not about that. I was just worried that's all." He tried his best to sound convincing.
Lily smiled. "Sure Jace." Then she laid her head back against the chair. "It's been a long day."
Jacen watched her for a moment. She looked tired, more so than he'd ever seen her. It was in stark contrast to how she had behaved when he'd come by to see her earlier today. When he'd dropped in after work around five she had been light and airy. She had been excited about something, but he hadn't discerned what exactly. He had even panicked and thought she might have met somebody, but now there were dark circles under her eyes, her makeup was smeared, and she appeared drained.
"You can crash here tonight if you like Lil's. You can take my bed."
She looked up and smiled for real this time. "Thanks Jace, but it's alright. I just wanted to come over and see what you've been up to. I think I missed your nagging today."
He laughed at that. "Hey, comes with the territory." He pursed his lips wondering about his next question. "Let me make it up to you. Lets go do something fun tomorrow. We haven't had one of our days in a long time."
"That would be fun. What you want to do?"
"Your choice."
"Alright, I'll think about it." She heaved herself out of the chair and stuck her hands back in her pockets. "Well I'm going to bed."
"Lemme walk you."
"It's alright Jace, I can..."
He had already pulled on his shoes. "Shut up Lils."
She chuckled. "Alright man."
He made his way back down the small hallway and opened the door for her. "Ladies first," and he motioned for her to go.
As he closed the door Lily turned to him and said, "Jacen, do you think that things happen for a reason?"
"What?" He was a little caught off guard by her question. "You mean like destiny or something?"
She shrugged. "I guess, but that sounds so cliché. I don't know, just that, I was thinking that maybe all the bad things that happen, although they really suck and life is never the same, well perhaps there is a reason for them. Sort of like maybe if the bad thing had never happened you wouldn't be where you are today." She hung her head. "I have no idea. You know me my thoughts are like lotto balls, one drops and I just have to call it out."
He chuckled a bit at her analogy. She had been saying that since she was 15. He took her hand and began to walk her across the street. "I think I know what you mean Lily. If Christopher hadn't died things would be a lot different now."
"Yeah, they would be." She lowered her eyes to the ground.
Jacen nodded. "We'll never know I guess." They had reached her door now. He looked her in the eyes. "I miss him too Lils. A lot."
A bittersweet smile played about her face. "I know you do Jace. Thanks for sticking around."
"No problem." He hugged her softly and kissed her cheek. "Get some sleep kid." He marched down the stairs and turned to watch her go in.
"Goodnight Jace." And she was gone.
Jacen lifted his eyes skyward. He stared at the stars a moment, imagining Christopher staring back at him. "You'd be proud of her man. I know I am." He whispered softly into the night, and then headed back towards his apartment.
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Merion: Wow! I got another "Very, Very" how exciting. I'm glad you are enjoying this so much. Thank you for the glowing review! And yes, I do remember that Markus is a hybrid. SHHHH!! I promise not to forget that, but I've chosen to ignore it for the time being. You'll find out why I promise. Thanks for the heads up though!