Kyla and I walked back to the party, which had devolved into something that looked straight out of Lord of the Flies. Shirts off and barefoot, people were dancing around fires in a ritualistic way that raised my eyebrows and sent a chill down my spine. Either that or they were drunk out of their gourds. Also, there seemed to be a lot of birds flying overhead. I hadn't noticed that before. The birds were large and black, and they appeared to be ravens. Maybe they were attracted to the fires? I didn't know, and I honestly didn't care-especially after that amazing kiss. Hell, it was all I could do just to keep my feet planted on the ground.
Still, in a daze, we walked together to the same log, I had previously sat on.
Kyla saw us and came over.
"Hey, Ben," he said, "Let's have a little chat."
Was Kyla part of his harem? Did I just make a monumental blunder that would probably get me killed? Kyla patted my hand reassuringly. I wasn't scared of Randy. Hell, I wasn't scared of anyone. If that weird bastard attacked me, I knew I was in for the fight of my life, especially with all of his friends around.
I reluctantly parted from Kyla and followed Randy over to his van. He got into the driver's side, and I got into the passenger's side. He turned the key in the ignition just enough to power up. He turned the radio on. "What's your music of choice?" he asked.
"I don't care. Choose whatever you want."
"I like classical. But the stations out here on the West Coast would rather go under financially with some God-awful hip-hop station than give Mozart and Bach a chance."
"I love classical." And I did, too. I had a music appreciation class back in
high school and had been introduced to all the greats in classical and jazz.
Randy said, "You don't strike me as the classical music type."
"You'd be surprised what I like. Now about the real part of the chat you
requested. Let's get to it," I said.
Randy looked directly at me. I found his stare slightly unnerving. After a
second or two, he said, "I see Kyla's made your list."
Oh great, now he was going to give me the low-down. "Look, Randy, I meant
no disrespect. She wanted to walk, and quite frankly, I needed to clear my head.
If you're seeing her-"
"Relax my friend, it's not like that. I'm just letting you know that you might
not want to get too close to her."
"Let me guess: for my good?"
His lips peeled back into a dark grin. "Yeah, something like that."
"Thanks, but I'm a big boy. I can handle myself."
"Consider yourself warned."
"Like I said, 'thanks.'"
He nodded and put his seat back, and waved his hands in the air like a
maestro. He rolled his head in my direction. "So what's your story, Ben?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I've seen a lot of stuff in my time. But I can only count on one hand how many times I've seen someone like you."
"There can be only one," I joked, wondering if he would get the cultural reference to Highlander. He didn't.
He paused and I wondered just how old he was. He made it sound as if he
was ancient. He couldn't have been more than a few years older than me. He went on, "When we arrived to get Dera, there were five guys sprawled on the ground, all beat to a pulp by you."
I shrugged. "It doesn't take much skill to beat up a few drunk, horny
assholes."
He was staring at me again. Someday I was going to wipe that weird stare off
his face but now was not the time. "Maybe," he said. "But you also took care of Otello, too. Do you know how tough Otilo is? He's no pushover."
"I can fight. I don't know what else to say. That is the one thing I do know
how to do and do well. It's my greatest passion, my lifework, my pulse. I live to fight. I fight to live."
"I like that. I like that a lot." Randy got quiet. "Hey, check it out." He
finally found a classical music station. He cranked up the volume loud. I
didn't recognize the piece, but it was classical, and that seemed to be all that was vital to Randy. Presently, the long-limbed creature of the night seemed to be in a trance. He clenched his fists and raised them to his forehead. With his eyes closed, he tilted his head back and seemed to be experiencing each note individually. The music was doing something to him. It was ministering to his soul. For a brief moment, I envied him. I envied anyone that could be moved in this way over anything. The song ended, and Randy opened his eyes. He looked at me. "That was pretty intense."
"No kidding," I said. "I guess you have a passion, too. I fight. You feel the
music."
He was staring at me again. Amazingly, I was getting used to it. "I like you, Ben," he said. He nodded and then opened the driver's side door. "Let's head back so no one thinks anything homoerotic is going on."
"I would hope not."
"Oh, you have no idea around here, Ben. You have no idea. Just remember
what I told you about Kyla."
"As I said, I'm a big boy; I can handle Kyla."
Randy laughed. "Famous last words."
We stepped out of the van. I once again headed back to the clearing and planted myself on the same log next to the same bonfire. I looked around for Kyla, but she was nowhere to be found. Dera, however, walked over to me and sat next to me on the log.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
"With Randy? I have no freaking idea. I think he was just trying to feel me
out."
"Randy is like that. He doesn't trust anyone. He likes you, though. I can tell.
You have no idea how rare that is."
"Well, one thing at a time. I'm still having a hard time digesting this entire night."
"Why? Did Kyla freak you out? Don't let her do that."
Dera almost seemed a tad jealous. I looked at her. She was beautiful, too. No, not everyone was beautiful here. There were some creepy-looking guys and girls. Dera wasn't one of them. So, how the hell did she get caught up in this world?
I asked, "So, is this what you do? Hang out with these people in the woods?"
"You mean since Cambridge High?"
"Yeah, I guess."
She shrugged. "More or less. This lifestyle isn't the norm. I know that.
There's a lot about this you'll never fully understand."
"What does that mean?"
"Trust me when I tell you that it is best not to know."
Randy, who had been talking to some guys near the van, high-fived a couple
of them, and then headed over to us. No matter what, the man was a striking figure, and he seemed to command everyone's attention. He was the
King Goth in this party of Goths. Of course, that wasn't saying much. Still, as he headed over to us, just about everyone in the clan watched him at some point.
And as he approached, Dera got up immediately, and Randy slipped a long arm over her shoulders.
"I should probably get you two back home," Randy said. "It's going to be
sunrise in about two hours."
I shrugged. "Sounds reasonable to me. I was just going out for a jog and
seven hours later... here I am."
"You guys are going back?" a voice said, from behind me.
I turned around and saw Kyla standing there. I had no idea where she came from and why she would be behind me.
"We're leaving right now," I said.
She smiled warmly at me. "Then I guess I'm going with you since neither
Randy nor Dera can drive."
"Neither of you drives?" I blurted out, nearly laughing.
"Hey, I never got a license," Randy responded, shrugging.
Now, I did laugh. "Okay, now I've heard everything."
If Randy minded that I was laughing at him, he didn't show it. A moment
later, we all piled into the van, with Kyla getting in the driver's seat and me next to her in the front passenger's seat. Dera and Randy disappeared behind the back seats, in the space I had found myself in when I came to after passing out, post-blood-sucking. I took only an em, but they appeared to have disappeared under a blanket. What they were doing under the blanket, I didn't want to know, but I could probably guess.
Kyla reached out and touched my hand. "Put the seat back and get some
sleep."
I did as I was told since I was utterly exhausted. And as I settled into the
cushions, Kyla drove the van out of the flatland rocks and made for the highway.
As we drove, I found myself staring at her. She was acutely focused on the road.
No surprise there, since there was a light fog over the winding, mountainous highway. She was an extremely fascinating woman. She was amazingly complex. I closed my eyes. I listened to the sound of the motor. The thrum of the pistons under the hood, in the absence of talking or music, was hypnotic and soothing.
"Wake up, Sleepyhead. We're here." I had fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, we were in front of my house. I said goodbye to everyone and stumbled out of the van.
Randy called out, "Hey, Ben?"
"Yeah," I answered sleepily.
"When's your next fight?"
"Next month."
"Cool, I'll check it out."
I wasn't sure what to think about that. A part of me was hoping that this was
going to be the last I'd see any of these guys. That is everyone, but Kyla. And
maybe Dera.
I nodded at Randy and turned around and trudged off toward my front door.
The van drove away, and I could feel many sets of eyes on me. As I opened the door, something occurred to my sluggish, sleep-deprived brain.
How did they know where I lived? Okay, that's freaky. Then again, so was the entire night.
I shrugged. Maybe Dera knew someone from high school, who
knew where I lived. Or not. I was too tired to care, truth be known.
When I unlocked the door, I found Danny doing sit-ups in the living room.
Danny had an incredibly strict workout routine and this morning was no different.
Danny stopped in mid-crunch and looked up at me. "That was some run."
"You have no idea." I went to the fridge and grabbed the milk carton.
"You okay?" Danny seemed concerned.
"I'm okay. Why?"
"You've got a bandage on your wrist and a hickey on your neck the size of a basketball."
I had forgotten about my injuries. Danny got up from the floor and walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.
"What can I say? It was a night to remember."
"Jo, you need to take it easy on the partying. Don't forget, we find out who we're fighting today."
"This coming from the guy who partied away all his money," I said.