Part 15 (1/2)
”I'm not doing anything. Kyle, come on. Where's Caleb? I need him, he's the one. This isn't right,” I yanked from him and pleaded.
Even I heard the hysteria in my voice and I turned away from his betrayed expression.
Kyle pressed his mouth to my ear.
”Caleb can't come out and play right now,” the voice said but it was no longer Kyle's voice. It was deeper, more menacing and definitely not nice. ”Neither can Kyle. Sorry.”
I turned, looking around but saw no one.
”Who are you?”
”You don't remember? I'm hurt, Maggie, really,” the voice sang with sarcasm.
He appeared in front of me from the shadows off the porch and smiled as he saw recognition flash in my face.
”Marcus,” I gasped. I backed into the wall. ”You scared me. What are you doing here?”
”Oh, I scared you? Well, you're scaring me. You see, you're special. Not like in a get-a-big-head special, but special enough for us to be p.i.s.sed about it. It's not fair that the Jacobson clan gets to start getting their ascensions back when we've been just as patient as they have. They will have the upper hand now, you see? We've have had many a discussion about you in my clan. There is a reason for you, there has to be. There's something special about you and we can't let it come to pa.s.s.”
”What? You can't let what come to pa.s.s?” I asked but was afraid of the answer.
”Your ascension. If we take you away from Caleb, you won't ascend and neither will he.”
I gasped with pain at the thought.
”You can't do that! I'll die.”
He laughed manically.
”You won't die, silly human!” He laughed again. ”You'll be in agony, but you won't die. Well not at first, anyway. That's a sacrifice we're willing to make.”
”No, please,” I whispered my plea.
There was nothing else to do. He pointed outside. I saw a black car waiting on the curb for us.
”Get in.”
”No! No! Please!”
”Too late for that. If only you hadn't saved him. This is your fault, I want to make sure that you see that. He will be in just as much pain as you, you know. He'll writhe in wanting and agony just as you will, with no cure. Now, how's your conscience?”
”What did Caleb ever do to you to make you hate him so much?” I ground out.
”He was born,” he growled and then we were standing beside the car and I had no idea how we got there.
He grabbed me around my arm and threw me into the darkness of the open car door.
I screamed and scrambled to get a footing but there was none. I fell farther and farther into a dark place of nothing. I felt nothing, I heard, smelled, nor saw anything. Except the burning black handprint on my arm and when I finally hit the bottom, a loud boom.
I was jolted awake in my bed like I'd been dropped. I was sweating and crying. I reached up to my cheeks and felt the wetness and then the aches in my body pounded into me. It was almost too much. Even though I knew what was happening, I wanted to freak out and cry more from the pain.
I heard the doorbell in the back of my mind, heard voices. I laid on my bed and tried to catch my breath but it felt like I was suffocating as the stars danced in my vision.
Then I felt a hand on my forehead and wanted to sigh until I realized it wasn't the hand I needed. It wasn't Caleb. I opened my eyes to see dad looking at me with clear worry, the stars bouncing in my vision behind him.
”Honey, Caleb's downstairs but I'm gonna go tell him you're sick. You're burning up.”
”No, dad! I need him!” I yelled and kicked off the covers.
”Maggie.” He scoffed and held me down. ”Look. I know you like this boy, but he can wait a day to see you if you're sick.”
”No. Please. Caleb,” I breathed painfully.
”I'm right here.”
He actually pushed my father aside to get to me. Pushed!
His hands were on either side of my face and I almost cried with relief. Everything felt normal and right and I could breath again. Except for when I opened my eyes and saw how p.i.s.sed my father was.
”Excuse me, son. But I think you need to leave, right now,” he boomed.
”Dad, wait. Listen-”
”You be quiet. No boy is coming into my home and pus.h.i.+ng me around while he jumps into my daughter's bed in the morning like it was completely normal. What have you done, Maggie?”
”Nothing-”
”Sir,” Caleb b.u.t.ted in as he set me and him up on the bed beside each other. He kept his arm around me, for contact and I felt his protection seeping out. Even though this was my dad, my dad was pretty red faced. ”I'm really sorry. I just heard Maggie so upset and I panicked. I shouldn't have pushed you.”
”You're da- darn right you shouldn't have! I don't know who you think you are but-”
”Dad. He said he was sorry,” I said and he looked at me finally.
Then he c.o.c.ked his head and pressed the backs of his fingers to my forehead and then down my cheek.
”What happened to your fever? You looked like death warmed over when I came in here.”
”I feel fine,” I said and shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.
”Hmmm.” He looked between us. ”You can go with Caleb today but he is not to come over so early in the morning like this anymore. Understand?”
”Dad-” I started to argue but Caleb squeezed me and interrupted me.
”That's fine, sir. Thank you for understanding. I am sorry.”
”Fine. Whatever. You be careful with her on that deathtrap of yours.” He turned to go but then pointed his finger at him. ”And if I ever catch her on it without a helmet, so help me-”
”No, sir. Never. I promise you that.”
”Fine,” he said and huffed out of the room.