Caleb
I was so irritated with my father that morning. I had turned fifteen a while ago, and he still wouldn't let me go hunting or protecting the city with him and Jamal… My grandfather was on my side… Hell, even Silvanus told my dad he was crazy. And Silvanus was my protector. All Chris would say was, "You're just like your mother." And, of course, that would be the end of the discussion. Because he still doted on her. I was his love child. And she would literally kill him if she sent us there, and then I died.
I chuckled, walking out of my room. To supplement, I had joined the guards. To train and to fight and to grow. With that… my father had no issues. "Go at it all day long. Keep yourself busy, Caleb." I shook my head as I mimicked his voice.
I hadn't manifested yet, and the worst was that all Ira and Silvanus wanted was for me to find someone and start having sex so I could relax... Chris was such a conundrum for me. For fifteen years, he hadn't slept with anyone, whereas the other Riphaths had someone different whenever they wanted. I was conflicted between the way my dad was raised and how my grandfather wanted me to live.
"What are you thinking about?" Chris asked when I joined them at the table.
"Mom. Tell me something about her." My dad would get a look on his face when I wanted to ask about her.
"What do you want to know?"
"When did she lose her virginity?" My dad sprayed all the water he had in his mouth over the table. My grandfather snorted and handed him a cloth.
"So you've decided? Who? That little girl with the dark hair?" Chris asked.
"Nah! She… "
"Smiles too easily." Chris finished my sentence.
"Yeah, that's it… too preppy." That got a chortle out of them.
"I remember your wet nurse was like that. Maybe that's why you don't want to associate with her in that way."
"Ewe."
"Why ewe, you could go sleep with your wetnurse right now." My grandfather stated.
Chris rolled his eyes. "Okay, so if not her, who?"
"I don't know. I'll tell you when I meet her."
My grandfather scoffed and got up, "I can't stand this anymore… "I'll know when I meet her," makes me nauseous."
My dad and I shared a look. "Where I come from, you would need serious counseling, Ira. For being addicted to sex." Chris mocked.
"Where I come from…." Ira couldn't finish the sentence. He really had nothing left to say. My father was right. That was all they did to let off steam.
"Caleb!" My dad stood and said loudly… "Today, you will come with me for the first time on patrols." Out of sheer bundled-up anticipation and getting what I wanted. My hands flew around Chris's neck. He held me and patted my back. "Be ready in ten," Chris said and got up to walk outside.
We laughed lightly at him. There were no clocks on Zoreah. And it didn't really mean anything because it was just that laid-back around there. We moved at a slow pace, and everything happened when it happened, not for Chris. He had always been edgy. Could never really let go of where he came from.
I didn't even go to my room. I followed him outside. My dad and my grandpa greeted each other. They gripped the others' arms at the elbow and pulled close, foreheads touching, staring into each other's eyes. I was happy when things between them were okay. "Be safe. Bring my boys home." Chris nodded and turned away.
There was a time when their relationship wasn't so solid. I didn't like it, and my father tried his best to put all his issues behind him. He made up with Ira, even if it was for me. I greeted my grandfather. "Stay with someone."
"I will," I yelled, running to meet up with Chris down the road.
My father sometimes talked about the outside worlds… but not too much. Ira didn't like it. Neither of them wanted me to long for another life, like Chris was, waiting for my mom to come back. It was stupid of them because I longed to know more and see more. I couldn't remember much of what happened five years ago, but since Rodrigo threw that book at us, I had learned to write. I read so many books that I knew more than Ira would've wanted.
"Today, we will be walking to the outskirts of Shumaan."
A few months ago, we traveled back from Yaroon. But we'd only been back a week or so. Everyone was still getting settled. We were walking down the road lined with houses on either side. It had us stopping every few minutes to greet and talk to almost everybody.
"Your mom would love it here. If they had alcohol and cigarettes. But the people… she would like." It was going to be a good day if he talked about her.
"Chris!" Jamal called out to us, and our heads turned upwards to see him jumping off his balcony. He landed behind us and put his arms around Chris's shoulders and mine, pushing himself in the middle of us. Further down the road, Selena came walking out of her house. All-clad in warrior armor and ready for hunting. The two men were happy to see her. I didn't really have friends. Not like Chris did. Just some kids I hung out with. My grandfather had Silvanus. My dad said I would know when I had a real connection with someone. I wondered when that would happen and what it would even look like or mean.
That day, we had the northern border. It had the most activity at that stage. All the beasts migrated south for the summer; couldn't let them get too close to the city. Most days were dull… That's what Chris said. They encountered a monster a few times, which wasn't fun and games. It was life and death. He had been lecturing me for days, and I couldn't understand why until I came out from behind a bush. I went to pee. The thing was staring down at me, three times as tall and massive, high on its hind legs. My heart went into overdrive. The big flaring nostrils sprayed snot all over me. Two very muscled legs, full of scales. The body of a fat red ball with four arms swinging at me. I fell backward, hands in the dirt.
My eyes glanced over to my spear that was leaning against the tree. It wasn't that I was careless. It came out of nowhere. I had never seen any of the monsters there were on Zoreah. I had been too protected by the constant surveillance of four adults. It lasted till we were thirteen and never allowed out of the city center.
The creature fell forward, landing on the four arms, ready to jump on me. Someone touched my shoulder from the side, but I couldn't lift my head up to see who. I was scared, my breathing uneasy. The creature went from snarling, roaring, and raging to confused, glancing left and right in jerky movements. It turned in a circle all around itself.
"What the heck?" Finally, my gaze traveled up to see the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I think it was love at first sight. She smiled so mischievously at me, and a dimple appeared on her cheek. "Wow, you're really pretty." The words escaped my lips.
She flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Thank you. But don't get any ideas. Why are you alone outside of the city?"
"First day on the job."
"Maybe you should try something else." We both giggled.
"What did you do?"
"Oh… I have an ability. I can go invisible. No one can touch me, and everything I take hold of goes with me. So we're invisible now." She squeezed my shoulder.
"NO WAY?"
"Yeah. But I got to go. You think you'll manage. My daughter is waiting for me with a… friend. Or do you want to come with me?"
"Oh no, my dad would kill me."
"One of those, huh?"
"You have no idea? Why are you outside the city with a child? I have never seen you?"
She chuckled. "In a city that big? We might have missed each other."
"How old are you?" I asked, the Riphath child out of the city forgotten.
"Why do you care? Five thousand is a long time to worry about how old you are."
"You look older than me… Do you mind an age gap?" She laughed so loudly that I blushed bright red. I could feel it creep up into my cheeks. She stopped laughing, shocked by the redness, I supposed. I turned away from her, shy and feeling stupid. Her head tilted, and her eyes moved from my chest to my cheeks.
"Cute."
I turned back to her, smiling... Glad she said that. I heard Jamal coming toward us. The beast had walked off a while ago. "Your dad?" Both of us stared at Jamal walking right past us. She stood up straighter.
"Yeah..."
"Then you must know Caleb and Chris? Isn't it cool being so close to the king?"
I sighed. It had been like that for a while. People know who I am… But it didn't seem like she did. I chuckled. "No… Chris is a bit too much for me to handle… we don't get along if you know what I mean."
She giggled, putting some hair behind her ear. She was clothed from her neck to her feet… Weird coverings I had never seen.
"I got to go. Jamal will start worrying." I said at last.
"I'm going to let go of you. You will appear, but I won't."
She held out a pinky to me. I stared at it quizzically. She took my hand and let me do the same, and we did a pinky swear.
"You can't tell anyone about me… My ability especially… Like you… I don't like to be noticed… I am actually hiding… So don't tell anyone what you saw today. Word will spread, and they will know that I'm here. We can't have that. Can I trust you?"
I nodded eagerly and held out a fist to her. She seemed confused. I took her hand in mine and taught her how to do a fist pump. Chris showed me some of the things he missed. She was taken aback… "Cool… Bye. What's your name?"
"My dad calls me boy…." I wasn't going to tell her who I was. "But you can call me Elias." It was Ira's middle name.
She smiled and let go of me before I could ask her name. Jamal got the fright of his life when I appeared next to him. Startled, he lifted a leg and furiously slammed it down to the ground. His hands flung in the air. I laughed. "Sheesh! What the hell happened to you? I've been looking everywhere."
"Mmm… monster…" I looked up. "Got in the tree to hide. It left. I jumped out."
For the rest of that day, all I could think about was the girl I had met. I tried to focus on not spilling… I had to keep her secret… She already had a child, and I was not too fond of her being outside the city with one… It was weird. They were hiding. But from what.
***
Juliet
"Clever boy. Good at lying and blushing like me. I think I'm going to like him."
I couldn't believe it was Jamal. I had wondered if I would recognize him. It was so dark that night. But with those blue eyes and the blond hair. His son was rather nice… I wondered why he didn't like Chris. I chuckled, thinking about it. Chris was never the cool teacher at school. I got sidetracked when I saw the beast. The boy stood peeing into a bush, humming to himself… He was clueless. Head up his ass. At that moment, I had to turn and run. Michael and Sammy were waiting for me in a cave. No point in telling Jamal I was there.
***
Michael was pacing. Sammy was out sleeping because we drugged her again. We had to when she had her spells, especially during the day when the Riphaths were patrolling. It was difficult bonding with her on a human level… I wanted her to change so bad. To hold her and play with her.
Michael came over, threw his arm around me, and picked me up. I did the same and squeezed. He held me for a while. "Were you worried?"
"Yeah! Did you see those things?" My eyes were big, but I gave him a reassuring smile. Michael let me go and pushed me this way and that way, checking me over. Since the Riphaths came into the city, more and more beasts came over our path.
"I had to save a boy."
"Oh well… what can I say. You did the right thing."
"And I brought food… that I had to steal, but anyway." Michael almost grabbed it out of my hand. "I'm sorry. I can see I was wrong bringing you… Marcus was right."
Michael watched me and smirked. "I won't tell him that… Can you imagine if you start listening to him…" I laughed, shaking my head. "But not bad. What is this?"
"Bread? I don't know… Who would have thought it would take them weeks to just enter the city and get settled."
Michael sat down, resting back against the rock wall. We had been sleeping on the ground with Sammy. He opened the bag and took out water. I had to go into the city often to steal things. I had not seen Chris once. Although I knew where to go and where his room was… But I didn't want to leave Michael for so long that I couldn't really sit around and wait. Or go that deep into the city. We had been there for five weeks already... Louis and Marcus thought we were taking our two weeks… In hindsight… Stupid Juliet!