After Forever (11 page)

“Let me have a look.” He says.

Before I can agree to this, he flips me
gently onto my stomach. I hear him suck in a breath. To his credit,
he doesn’t tell me how bad it is. He just goes to work. After a few
minutes I don’t feel much pain anymore, just some pressure and
aching.

“What did you do?” I ask quietly.

I can almost feel the nonchalant shrug I’m
given. “Got the bullet out. I don’t even know how Frisky hit you, I
was banking on him missing.”

“How did you know to make it stop hurting?”
I’m quite curious by this point.

Another phantom shrug. “I used to work in
Nine Lives Medical. It was a long time ago though. Once I had to
start stealing, I figured the knowledge would come in handy.”

“I see... Well thanks.”

Shadow refuses to leave. He insists that he
has to monitor my wound and make sure it heals properly. I think
it’s just an excuse.

We arrive back in Dog Walk City just as the
sun is starting to crest the skyline. I’m tired, cranky, and
whatever Shadow did to make the pain stop is wearing off.

When we get to Valdez’s warehouse I bang on
the door as if my balled up paw has the ability to go through the
solid oak.

Not surprisingly, Filipe steps out of the
doggy door and looks to me with those big watery mud colored
eyes.

“Where’s Valdez?” I demand in a harsh
tone.

Filipe shakes his head. “No…No... No Meester
Valdez. Meester Valdez no here.”

I growl low to the annoying dog and simply
punt him out of the way. He issues a surprised yelp.

I slip through the doggy door with Shadow
right behind me. Filipe brings up the rear.

It is just how Filipe said. Valdez isn’t
here. There’s splatters of red and patches of orange fur scattered
around though. I lower my head shaking it slowly. Damn mutt tricked
me.

My head still lowered, I ask Filipe in a
dangerous voice. “Where is your master Filipe?”

Filipe begins prancing in front of me like
he has eaten a bag of jumping beans. “Meester Valdez no say. He
only say for joo to gimme de bone.”

I snorted. Did he really think he was the
bone after all this crap?!

“You tell ‘Mister’ Valdez if he wants the
bone… He’ll have to come find me.” I say as I turn and slip through
the doggy door.

Outside the morning sun nearly blinds me. I
raise a paw to shield my eyes from the glare.

“Where to Boss?” Shadow asks.

I am unsure if I like this whole having a
side kick thing. Aren’t superheroes the only ones that have
sidekicks?

To answer Shadow, I shrug. “To find Valdez I
guess...”

Thus ends the story of how I acquired the
Bone of Riches. I have no idea what I will do with it. At the
moment it’s insurance that at some point I will see Valdez again
and settle the score…

Day and Night

By: Kim Stevens

©2013 by Kim Stevens

Leaning back on my hands, I close my eyes,
and enjoy the sun warming my bare skin. I was stretched out on a
beach towel, in the backyard, dressed in a pale blue bikini top and
cut-off denim shorts.

It was the weekend so I was spending every
minute working on my tan. My iPod was beside me blasting ‘
All
Around Me
’ by Flyleaf in my ears and a faint breeze made my
long, unusually-colored hair dance around my shoulders. Since
childhood, people had always commented on my hair color; even I
thought it was an odd shade. My hair is waist-length and three hues
of blond with a splash of primrose and a pinch of saffron.

Tilting my head back further I felt the
sun’s rays kissing my already freckled skin. I filled my lungs with
the scents of mown grass and crisp air when all of a sudden the sun
disappeared and a shadow lurked over me.

“Hey!” I opened my eyes to see a strong jaw
line, deep red lips, and dark teardrop eyes. His hair was chocolate
brown and fell over his brow, cascading over his ears in adorable
flicks and waves. It looked thick and brushed the collar of his
leather trench coat. “Get out of my sun!” I sat up, glaring.

“Hi, my name’s Orlie,” the boy said, a
bright grin spreading across his face like wildfire. The sun
illuminated his tall, lanky frame and it looked like he was
glowing. “You’re Calista, right?” I blinked a few times, opening
and closing my mouth like a fish. All words escaped me. “Are you
alright?” his grin twitched before falling from his crimson
lips.

I swallowed. “I-I’m Cali,” I stammered. My
cheeks were burning and it wasn’t from the sun. I closed my eyes
and took a shaky breath. “Orlie?” I met his dark gaze. Orlie knelt
down beside me, his boots touching the edge of the beach towel. I
noticed that his eyes were black-blue, reminding me of the midnight
sky.

“My mother had a thing for
Orlando
Bloom
.” He rolled his eyes while resting his arms on his knees.
The grin returned while his hand reached out towards me; thin long
fingers picked up a piece of my wavy hair. “What an unusual color,”
he mused.

I batted his hand away then leaned back on
my arms, the sun bathing me in its warmth once again. Orlie brushed
a hand through his chocolate locks and I saw a flash of silver
before the hair settled on his brow again.

“Why are you here in my yard?” I squinted up
at him.

“I moved in next door. I saw you out here
and I thought I’d come and say hi,” he said, sitting on the grass.
He stretched out his long legs, crossing his ankles.

“Where are you from?” I lied on my back
while Orlie picked at blades of grass.

“We’re from out of town.” He glanced at me
and I saw silver specks peeking from under his dark hair. “I didn’t
mean to offend you before when I made the comment about your hair.”
his eyes flicked to my loose hair. “I’ve never see hair the color
of the sun.”

I abruptly sat up before climbing to my
feet. “Did I say something wrong?” Orlie asked, frowning, and
watching as I shook grass off the towel.

“I-I have to go,” I said, turning and making
my escape into my mum’s house.

Slamming the door behind me, I peeked
through the window, expecting to see Orlie still sitting in the
yard. Instead, there was no sign of him and where he had been
sprawled out; a silver glow was now glittering brighter than the
sun.

As the sun melted into the horizon, I hugged
my knees, sitting on the window seat, and keeping my gaze on the
two-story brick house sitting on the other side of the chain-link
fence. Curtains covered all of the windows except for the window
opposite mine which was uncovered, and dimly lit.

From where I sat I could see a queen-bed
with a dark comforter, a massive dark wood cupboard, and a desk. A
closed door across the room, I guessed, led to a bathroom and the
door leading into the bedroom was out of sight.

I was replaying my encounter with Orlie, my
chin resting on my knees, when I was snapped out of the memory by
the creaking of my bedroom door opening. When I turned my head I
saw mum’s head poke around the door.

“There you are!” she said coming into the
room. “How was your day?” Mum was still dressed in her waitress
uniform as she perched on the bed, crossing her legs. Her
dark-blond hair was free from its ponytail and she was yawning.

“It was okay.” I turned my back on the
neighboring house. “I worked on my tan…” I rubbed a hand over my
brown arm then turned it over exposing the lily-white underside of
my forearm. I frowned at the birthmark that looked like it was
glowing on my wrist.

“I see the new neighbors have moved in,” mum
was saying while running her fingers though her hair.

“Really? I didn’t notice.” I rubbed a finger
over my birthmark which always felt cooler than my actual body
temperature. The birthmark was a jagged circle and in the middle
was the shape of the crescent moon. The colors ranged from rosy
red, pale orange, and a silvery-blue.

“Earth to Cali,” mum said, poking my arm.
“Hey! Calista!”

“Sorry, what?” my cheeks grew warm while mum
grinned.

“What were you thinking about just then?”
she asked, leaning her elbows on her knees. “Spill girlie!”

I rolled my eyes making her giggle. “I was
thinking of…” before I could finish my sentence I was silenced by
an intense gaze boring into my back. Slowly turning, I looked over
at the neighboring house, into the room opposite mine, which was
now in complete darkness.

“Cali?” Mum asked. When I didn’t answer she
stood, sitting beside me. “Are you okay, darl?”

I forced myself to look away from the
window. “Yeah, I’m okay,” I mumble, keeping my eyes on my
hands.

“Are you sure?” she played a hand on my
forearm. “You aren’t getting sick, are you?”

“No, Mum, I’m fine.” I plastered a smile on
my face as the intense staring grew stronger. Even though I
couldn’t see anyone in the room I knew it wasn’t empty.

When mum finally left to prepare dinner (her
language for picking up the phone and ordering take-out) I swiveled
around and gazed at the dark room in the neighboring house. The
curtains slowly danced in the warm summer breeze as the full moon
appeared in the dark sky, bathing everything in a silvery glow.

I was rubbing my hands up and down my bare
legs when I saw a movement in the dark room. A figure emerged out
of the blackness, standing in the window, and being illuminated by
the moon…no, it was his own silvery glow.

“Orlie…” I breathed, focusing on the figure.
I edged closer to the window causing me to lose my balance. I gave
a small yelp, trying to grab onto something, but my hands flailed
in the air. I was toppling out of my two-story bedroom window when
strong hands suddenly gripped my arm.

I gasped in shock as I was gently pulled
back into the room. I ran a shaky hand over my hair while my
breathing and speeding heartbeat returned to normal. When I
remembered to check who my savior was I looked into my room and saw
that I was alone. Spinning around, I saw the figure still standing
in the window, watching me.

“You saved me,” I said in a whisper.

“I couldn’t let you fall.” His voice was
velvety soft. “May I come over?” he stepped closer to the window;
his face hidden in the shadows.

“Ah…sure, why not?” I went to stand up, but
stopped when his gentle voice suddenly sounded near my ear. “You
look fair against the moon’s glow.” I gasped, pirouetting on my
butt. There he stood, a tall, dark, and mysterious Orlie. “H-How
did you do that?” I stammered.

Orlie grinned while my bedroom light shone
on his trench coat. His dark teardrop eyes watched me and his hair
looked like melted chocolate. Without a sound he sat in front of me
on the window seat.

“Would you believe…magic?” he leaned into
me, his thin fingers resting on my legs; his breath cool on my
skin.

I went to make a smart-ass remark but all I
said was, “Yes.”

Orlie’s grin widened as he reached out,
touching a piece of hair resting on my shoulder. “Can I ask you
something?” his black-blue eyes met my gaze.

“Okay,” I said eager to get closer to
him.

“Why did you leave when I mentioned the
sun?”

I tried to look away, but he kept a hold on
me. “I-I’m a Daybreaker,” I answered. I braced myself for Orlie’s
questions, but all he did was twirl my hair around his finger.

“You’re a daughter of the sun?” he said. His
dark eyes stayed on my unusual hair.

“How did you know?” I asked slowly.

His free fingers found my arm and gently
turned it over. His eyes moved from my hair wrapped around his
finger to the birthmark on my left wrist. “You and I are
soulmates.” His fingers gently caressed my marked skin. “I also
have a birthmark.”

I watched, curiously, as he pushed up the
sleeve of his coat to reveal a birthmark in the same place as mine.
I leaned forward for a closer look. It was a perfectly round circle
the color of pale silvery-blue, and in the middle was a smaller
version of my jagged circle, the color of pastel pink and orange.
Without thinking I slid my fingers onto his skin and felt the
warmth coming from the birthmark.

“You’re the son of the moon…a Nightfaller.”
I looked up so he nodded. “You were out in the sunlight,” I said,
dumbfounded.

Orlie chuckled. “That is just a myth about
our kind. It was created in the early twelfth century to scare
children at night. The truth is Nightfallers can walk the day just
like Daybreakers can walk the night,” he told me. “What else do you
know?”

“Not much,” I admitted. “My mum isn’t one of
us, but my dad was.”

“Was?” Orlie asked, keeping his fingers on
my arm.

“He died when I was little. Mum doesn’t talk
about him much, but she said he had the same birthmark as me.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “What about your family?” I cast
a glance towards the dark room on the other side of the fence. When
my question went unanswered I look around to see that I’m suddenly
alone. I go to turn back to Orlie’s room, but my door opened and
mum came in.

“Hey, diner’s ready,” she said.

“Okay. I’ll be done in a sec.” I wait until
the door closes before looking back at the blackened window. A
tall, lanky figure is standing at the curtains, his face in the
shadows.

“Can I see you later?” I ask in a quiet
voice.

“I would like that,” Orlie replied,
disappearing into the blackness.

Entering the kitchen I smelt Chinese food.
“You’ve been busy,” I said, spying our local Chinese restaurant
containers in the trash. “You’ll have to give me the recipes.” I
slid onto a stool and grabbed the bowl of fried rice.

“I can do you one better,” mum said,
spearing a piece of sweet and sour pork with her fork, “I can give
you the number.” She popped the food into her mouth then
smiled.

“Very funny,” I said, grinning.