Chapter 4
The next morning I got up a minute before the alarm went off. My room was dark as usual and the futon was still in couch mode; I got up, folded the blanket, and hung it over the back of the futon. I brushed my teeth and my hair and then went upstairs. Cyrus wasn't up yet, the coffee wasn't made and the lights- still off. Something was wrong.
I knocked on his door tap- tap, "Cyrus? Dad are you alright?" he moaned something but I didn't hear it right. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do: if you're not wearing anything- put something on or stay covered up. However if you have a woman in there- congrats with your moving on and I'm coming in ten seconds, I suggest you hurry." He groaned and I opened the door eight seconds early.
He was practically falling off the bed and his face was light green; his hair was gross looking and his clothes were wrinkly and smelled of beer and liquor. I knew what he did: he was drinking. His body rejects the stuff, he'd never been drunk before, he barely drank campaign at his own wedding. I went over to him and felt his forehead, it was burning and yet he was freezing. I left the room, keeping the door open and I called my school. The woman with the slight German accent answered, it reminded her who I was and she was happy to hear my voice.
"Um, I can't come in today." I told her truthfully.
She probably frowned, "Why not Lilith?"
"It's my dad, Cyrus- he's sick and he can't be home alone." I told her.
I was sure she nodded, she sighed into the phone. "Oh, okay, I'll take care of it."
"Really? Thank you so very much."
"Just help your dad get better okay Lilith?"
"Yes ma'am I will," I promised her. I hung up the house phone and went back to my father….
Arubey and his siblings arrived at the school parking lot and right away, he looked for the KIA Spectra, but couldn't find it. He was sure Lilith would be in class, she wasn't the type to skip or miss school. All during Civics he told himself that she would walk through the door any second; he asked his brothers and sister to keep an eye out for her through the day when he didn't have a class with her. In French, Risika heard Andy telling Macbeth that Lilith was home sick with something terrible. Arubey heard that too and worried if it was something that happened last night.
At Lunch, the worry came to Don Cross. "Where is that bastard, I'm surprised he isn't beating us up to tell us where Lily is." Andy never called her that before, it felt strange. He stared at his reflection on the table and shook his head.
Macbeth came running over and nearly ran into Daryl and David; after a quick hurried apology, he reached Andy. "Don's been found, he's unconscious in Santa Ana." He gasped for air and took a drink of Andy's water. "They brought him back here to LA, for treatment, real bad bump on the head and his fingers were broken. He was shot too-just in the leg," he added quickly. He fell into a chair and rested for a moment, Andy ordered that he finish telling them everything he knows. Macbeth nodded and continued, "He had trauma to his temple and his left shoulder blade in pieces; the shock put him in unconsciousness Andy-."
"So, he deserved it probably. I mean we've all seen his work here at school. If he's hurt anyone, I'll kill him." Andy added, Devin took his hand and held it tightly. He smiled at hugged her for her sake. She became fragile whenever someone threatened to do something like that. "After eighth we'll go our house and we'll call Lilith. Give her time first, okay?" they nodded and for the rest of the day the Class Protectors were in pieces.
Arubey spent the rest of his day restless; he did a lab alone in Chemistry and still hoped that she'd walk through the doors. For Mythology, the discussed the Lock Ness Monster; they debated if he was real or not, Nickolas and Chris knew it was: they saw it years ago. When the day was over with, Arubey waited at his car for Edam. When he arrived, they went to Lilith's house.
Cyrus was walking around in the yard soaking up the sun, Lilith followed talking about nothing; he seemed very happy when Edam and Arubey pulled into the driveway. Lilith stopped talking and watched as they got out of the LTX.
"Why are they here?" Cyrus asked she shrugged. "Hello, Arubey! Hello Edam!" Cyrus called.
"Why weren't at school today?" Arubey hurried over to Lilith, she seemed fine. Unaware that her cousin was hurt and in a coma at a LA hospital. He pulled her away from Cyrus as Edam went over to him to keep him occupied…
I let Arubey pull me, I smiled at him. "I stayed home today because Cyrus was sick this morning; he's better now if you're interested- wait." I paused suddenly; he stepped back away from me. "You thought something happened to me! See you care-."
"No I don't, I just thought that Don hurt you and he made Cyrus call you in this morning." I snorted with discrepancy, "What?" he sounded pissed so I frowned.
I sighed, "You care and you don't want to and it makes you pissed off that you do. You know that I know, that you know that you care and that upsets you." I said with a smug look upon my face. It took a moment to work that out, "Did I say that right?" I stepped back so I could think, I muttered to myself seeing if I had said it wrong. "You know- I know that you know… or wait that sounds weird. Maybe it-."
"Does it matter? I don't care about you, I was… condemned with saving you last night- why in the hell would you try to fight them?" he was trying to me to say something that he could use against me. He sighed when I didn't answer and pulled me down to the door under the raised porch. I looked to see if Cyrus could ever see us and I concluded that he couldn't, I looked at him in a different way this time.
I sighed and leaned against the door, "I fight because I like too. My parents hate it of course, what parent wants their kid to fight? Last night…was nothing, I've taken on people much worse."
He groaned, "Lilith, they were going to kill you and do who knows what to you afterward."
"Oh, you mean with my corpse. Arubey I'm already dead if they do anything, as long as I-." He put his hand over my mouth so I wouldn't finish. He lowered his hand but I wanted him to come closer; he stepped back- of course he did. I went forward, I made it seem like, it was for me to leave and he did what I wanted him too.
Arubey Karew grabbed me and pulled me back and put me back up against the glass door, he told me. "I don't care about you Lilith, the only person I care about is myself and you will have to deal with that."
I nodded, but I smirking at him. "Then, why do you have hold on me?" he let me go and I looked at him one last time before we would be out in the open. "You don't scare me Arubey, nothing about you does- every family has secrets including mine. God knows that and I know you do," he looked away. "Be careful, Karew. I might be small and 'fragile' according to you, but I love riddles, because I usually solve them." I felt his eyes on me when I left to go back to my father.
Arubey was back to us as began telling Edam about this morning when I went into his room; Cyrus reddened. He wasn't used to being sick; let alone, being cared for, when he is. My father looked at me with honour and with agreement that I was something good to have around.
He suddenly said, "You mother is feeling better Lilith, would you like to go back to GB?" I frowned, so did Edam and Arubey although I acted as if I did not notice.
"Um, is Ellen still with her?"
"Yes, Miss. Ellen is in New York doing a column, but will swing by here to pick you up-."
"But she just got here Mr. Cross, settled in and everything." Edam muttered.
Cyrus shrugged, "It's just a suggestion."
"No dad, I'll stay, thing morning could happen again and Edam's right. I got everything the way I want to be. My… friends need me to keep Don in order." Arubey muttered something.
Edam said happily, "Didn't you know that Don-." Arubey cleared his throat and the subject was changed right away. A car right then pulled up and Andy got out; I waved when he said my name.
Arubey and Edam made an excuse and left in a hurry.
Over the next few weeks, I began training and working hard on my training. I ran into Arubey once after dark, he was with Risika and they looked like they were fighting. He tried to convince me to go home and I told him, that only people who cared would say something like that and he pulled Risika away. The Biography for Gloria wasn't done yet and I was getting upset that I couldn't get hold of Ellen anymore. Damn caller ID! I tried from Andy's phone and she picked up wondering who got her number.
"Ellen! It's finished!" I had stayed up late for the last week getting it ready for her, she laughed.
"It is really?" she didn't believe me.
"Of course, I don't lie to you Ellen. I'll get hold of one of the others and they'll ship to you in GB, to will you come down and get it yourself?" we were inside the café, it was too loud so I asked Andy if I give back his phone later and he said to take all the time I needed. I thanked him and went outside. "I have it with me now Ellen, so you want me to describe the cover page?"
She chuckled, "Where are you on school grounds." She sounded different when she asked me that.
I looked around, "Just walking past the sign that has the school name on it. By a big tree as of… now," she chuckled again at my description. She asked where the biography was, "In my bag, I have it in plastic. This thing will cost the people- I was thinking anyway, it shouldn't be any higher then..." I had been interrupted, when a loud screech of tires could be heard. Andy and the others were making their way outside and toward me outside. Ellen told me to stay put when she must have heard the car, I responded saying I was not going anywhere.
"Good." It was all she said and hung up; I stood and gave Andy back his cell phone.
"Thanks." I said again, he nodded
"So is this Elle, nice woman?"
"Very, she's taking care of my mother while I'm here-." The tires of the car squeaked again and we looked around. The car came our way from the end of the road, I saw the LTX as well. It was Arubey Karew's car so I knew he was in it, he'd been gone all day and was beginning school after his lunch hour. I wasn't surprised.
However, the car that came toward us was a black Saturn with round about headlights and sunroof. It veered toward us and I grabbed Devin and pulled her behind me. It stopped and two men got out.
"The Biography, now." I said nothing but I picked up the bag it was in and held it tightly. "We don't want to hurt you."
"Lilith, who are they and what are they talking about-." Devin looked at me and the taller of the two hit her in the back of the head. Andy yelled out something and I kicked the man who hurt her. They were wearing black clothes and sunglasses. He yelped and stumbled backward, when I turned my back to them the other man grabbed me and Andy tried to get him but he was kicked in the chest and the wind was knocked out of him. He fell back into the car and I snapped something at them asking if they knew who I was and they assured me they were well informed. The other man pulled out a gun and held it at Josh, I stayed quiet. He got into the car and we sped off. The man shot the gun but into the ground to show that, he'd use it if it came down to that.
The smaller guy sat on me so I couldn't do anything to him and the second man had a firm grip on my hands. I gasped and they glanced down at me, "Congratulations boys we have our pay day."
"It's a biography, not cash." I snapped, they chuckled.
"It's worth to us if the author is killed," I looked away from them. "Maybe we should ransom her, Gloria's biggest fan wrote a damn book on her." They obviously didn't know everything about Gloria and me, "Where do we go-."
"We have someone following us," I didn't even notice the driver until then, when he spoke about the stalker they now had.
"Can I have my hands back please?" I asked, the man holding them let them go and I grabbed the shoulder of the man sitting on me and I sat up. "You know, you guys should have your homework better: I'm Claustrophobic, like really bad. Can we have a window down and I insist I sit by it," they ignored me. I muttered something under my breath and I pushed the guy sitting on me, off of me and I sat up. They watched me carefully, I took the sunglasses off of on of the man's face and put them on then slid them back my hair didn't get in my eyes anymore. "So are you gonna kill me, rape me, abduct me and hold me for ransom?" I asked them, the driver chuckled.
I was able to see why he was the driver, even though one of the guys was small he was still strong. The driver was nothing but skin and bone, Devin could have snapped his femur in two. I slide over to sit behind the driver and rolled down the window.
"Drive faster," the strongest man ordered. The driver- I suspected, nodded since he didn't say anything back. I knew which direction we were headed and I knew the pier well enough now that we had to either turn right or left to avoid driving straight into the salty water.
"The Chevy is catching up." The driver whined. I tried to turn around to see Arubey Karew but the middle man grabbed me and pinned my arms to my side. I saw my book still in the plastic, I took it when he let me go when he was convinced I wouldn't try anything again. I held onto it.
"I love you mom," I whispered as I used all my lower body strength that I had and kicked the driver from behind. He fell forward and hit his head, even I could smell the blood as hit foot must have slipped on the pedal and thrusted us forward. I held the plastic covered book in both arms and took a deep breathe was as hit the water and it poured in through my open window. The remaining two men screamed and one fell forward and hit his head as well; the remaining man started crying a little as we sank deeper. He reached over and grabbed me, I tried to get away but that caused me to run low of my air three times as fast. I stopped and fell my lungs burn, it hurt a lot. I held onto the book even tighter but I felt the grip give way as I drifted off. I was sure I saw an angel just before my eyes closed.
Sorry it took me so long again, I lost all my info supplies and I found them finally after about a week I guess. Thanks for being patient in this next posting. Sorry again and thanks for reading. KG