138. Third Times The Charm

Juliet

I liked waking up the third time. Not alone and in Louis’s arms. I drew in his scent. Wanted his arms to wrap around me, and they did. I wanted him to kiss me and tell me everything was okay. He lifted my chin and kissed me. I felt there was a problem. There was a stiffness in his touch. No words of reassurance that everything went well. Could I really have thought it would be easy? Was I that lucky… No. He pulled me closer. That’s when I knew that it had to be terrible.

“Did it not work? That’s almost the worst thing you can tell me right now. It’s not been three days and Michael left. That either one of us didn’t love the other.” Louis’s shoulders shook. “That bad, huh? You seldom cry… The only time is when you did something wrong. Or you feel bad because it will hurt me.” I came up on my elbow, glancing over his shoulder. There was no one on the bed. I sat up and saw Marcus in his corner. “Marcus?! No! I thought we were past this.” He didn’t look up at me, just sitting there.

I walked down the stairs to check the rooms. All of them were empty. The house was quiet. I immediately heard the familiar buzzing. I ran up the stairs, wanting to ask Marcus to leave Louis and me alone, but I didn’t. I walked to the corner and pulled him up. I had to push him towards the bed. Made him lie down and wedged myself in between them. It was what I was used to. I pulled them onto my chest and told them everything would be okay. “What happened?”

“He didn’t pass out, Julie,” Marcus whispered.

“He didn’t? He’s awake…? But not here… That’s weird….” I asked, surprised.

“He… man…infested.”

I jumped up, kneeling in front of them. “Into what?”

“All… three… off the bat… then whatever he chose….”

My eyes grew to the size of saucers… I wanted to swear, but it felt redundant. There really wasn’t anything I could say to express my astonishment. Slowly, it sunk in…. “That’s why Ira is here. Is everyone okay? Did some… Where is Chris?”

“Chris is fine… He’s watching Ira.” Louis sat up quickly. “No one important died….”

“No one important. Who?

“Rodrigo.”

“What?” My voice was shaky from the shock.

I sat back down on my heels. It was hard to hear. I didn’t think I liked him so much… But I would be able to handle it. He did hurt Michael. If he wasn’t himself…. If he manifested like Chris on Earth the first time… He wouldn’t have had any control. “How the hell did he get there?”

“He teleported….” My gaze darted to Marcus. I fell on him and hugged him. “Is Ahasuerus dead?” He nodded. “I’m sorry, Marcus. I was actually starting to like the guy… All that knowledge between the two.”

Marcus didn’t want to let me go.

“Brylee?”

“We don’t really know, but I’m figuring she was too well guarded. He wouldn’t have been able to get close.”

“Did someone finally tell you guys what’s going on?”

“Yeah, when he disappeared the first time. Ira told us what would happen.”

“Well, now we know why they didn’t. We would never have, would we… I take it Michael didn’t like it? But he’s not against killing. He probably fed me since I was on the farm. He was a sniper… So he didn’t like the fact of being a creature? Did he leave?”

Louis told me what had happened. That he was unhinged and took me. Marcus felt horrible, but I didn’t blame him. How could he have known Michael would kill me… “I was so scared, baby. That he would hurt you. That little hut of yours is so close to that pink ocean. I didn’t want him to fight me. To manifest again. Scared that we would die...”

“But why are you guys so gloomy?”

“What do you mean, Juliet? He might never come back.”

I scoffed and jumped up, left them there, and walked downstairs to the bathroom. Absentmindedly got in the shower and stood there for a long time, thinking about all the implications. If he couldn’t get Brylee that night… He probably wouldn’t be able to get her at all. She would be more vigilant. The realization hit me, and I jumped out and ran to the mirror. I completely forgot about the tattoo. Hesitantly, I turned my body so I could see. I gasped and laughed a little. I was so happy, running my fingers over the tattoo. It was so pretty. I stood closer to see the little bumblebee on Louis’s flowers. It glowed a little, with sparkles coming from its flapping wings.

“That something so small could create such a stir.”

I heard Chris come in with Ira. They were arguing. I got dressed quickly and ran outside. I saw my dad first and ran into his arms. “Juliet, your hair is all wet.” He pushed me off. I bumped his nose with my finger. “Glad you are okay, though.” My mom didn’t want to hug me either. Caleb didn’t mind and picked me up and squeezed me, manifesting and coming back. “I’ve been practicing. Marcus is very demanding.” I bumped his nose, too, when he put me down.

Sammy and Miné were playing with Katty, releasing her from her cat carrier. The girls couldn’t care less about me. They loved Katty. Dolls in hand, the two girls followed her everywhere. Since Sammy was human, she was quiet and fun. Happy.

Marcus and Louis came downstairs. “Who is watching?”

“Warden,” Chris said from the lounge where he had flopped down on a couch, tired. I made my way over to him and kissed him. “You okay?”

“No!” Chris mumbled. I chuckled. “I’m angry at Ira for putting you in that much danger. Michael was huge and came after Ira. We needed to fight him. I don’t know what it is about the Earth that makes everybody act differently in their creature forms.”

Louis came over and held out his hand. “Can I talk to you, please?”

He pulled me back into the bathroom, closed the door, and gave me a towel. “Are you really okay?” I walked over to him and pulled his lips onto mine. He relaxed, holding me closer.

“You’re not going to tell me what you said to him.” He shook his head and took the towel from me, drying my hair. He pushed me down so he could use the dryer on me.

“Why are you not angry? You’re taking this really well. Better than any one of us.”

“Michael’s at the farm, Louis. Let's give him some time. Of course, I would love to go in there… Maybe put some Watcher tech on him… He did turn into all three… Probably freaking out. I remember how I felt… Perhaps regular police surveillance? A guy in a car. To tell us he is safe. Put some people in the barn. He will need to eat.”

Louis was already out the door. I shook my head, thinking back on what happened between Michael and me on the farm.

***

Many Years Ago

“Okay… We gotta talk.” Michael stomped into the room.

I was in a slum again, sitting on the floor. “About what?”

“The sleeping. I can’t take it anymore, Juliet... You wake me up every night. You sleep for three hours. I can’t anymore.”

Stolen story; please report.

“I’m not stopping you… Go sleep.” He seemed troubled. The dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. I hadn’t looked at him in a few days; I’d been staring out the window. “What is wrong with you… You take your job way too seriously.”

“You have no idea.” Michael sat down next to me on the floor.

That night, when I woke up. The door slammed open. The light in the corridor was on, so I could see his frame. Clothed and barefoot. He was angry, stomped over to the bed, and pulled me into his arms. “I’ve had enough… Scoot down.” He wrapped me up in a blanket. It wasn’t a minute before I fell asleep. That following morning, I felt better, and he smiled at me when I woke up. Obviously, I didn’t know that he was connected to me through thick and thin. A little naïve. All it meant to me was that I was comforted. It was the first taste of having a relationship and what it was all about. Someone else besides my parents and Marcus who cared about me.

For the next few weeks, it went on like that. Michael slept with me so that we could both have a good night’s rest. I liked the feeling. Slowly but surely, he became himself again. I liked that feeling, too. Helping someone and not being so difficult. Of course, it didn’t cure all my issues… I still needed to eat. But with that, brought back the servants and Samuel. After a few months of training and eating with my uncle, my ability surfaced for the first time.

Michael wasn’t sleeping with me anymore. I understood why. My uncle would probably have killed him… Or maybe not. But I was over the initial shock and didn’t need it anymore.

I woke up one morning with a stir in my room.

“Hey, be quiet.” But whoever was in there didn’t let up. Frustrated and in a huff, I sat up. Got out of the sheets and walked over to Michael, who was frantically searching my room. I tried to grab his shoulder to turn him around. I couldn’t touch him. My hand didn’t go through him but kinda bounced off.

“Michael!” I yelled. Nothing.

“Michael!” Again. Nothing.

My uncle came in and out of the room, hollering orders and making the servants run around. Another two joined Michael in tearing the room apart. I headed for the door when no one saw me. I thought I had died. Maybe eating a person… I was allergic. I laughed lightly at my own joke.

The doorbell rang, and my mom and dad walked over the threshold. “How long has she been gone, Sam?” My dad asked in a panic.

“We don’t know? The maid told us she wasn’t in her bed, and we all jumped up looking. She had never done this… Or showed any signs. You know I have been here for months.”

“It’s okay. Maybe… she’s acting out. Let’s fan out. No point in searching the house anymore.”

My eyes kept darting to Michael. His hand was nervously running through his hair. After they left, he checked all the places I usually hid to read. “How do you know where I go?” I asked as I followed him all over the house. I stayed with him because I didn’t want to be with my mom and dad. Glad that they were back only after I died. I couldn’t even glance at Liam. I would block it out anyway, and my mind would drift to the people searching.

“If you guys only knew… I’M DEAD!! I’M A GHOST.”

I wondered how long they would keep it up. It wasn’t like they could call the police. I laughed again.

Michael did talk to some people on the phone. But I didn’t understand their lingo, and I got distracted by the barn cats. Michael was hiding, making his phone calls. He relieved himself behind the wall, and I’m sad to say that I watched. Got so shy that I ran away, blushed, and fell down on my bed. I couldn’t face him for the rest of the day until that night when I was tired and scared and didn’t want to sleep alone. I went into his room. Michael was beside himself, distraught one moment and eager the next. I watched him looking at photos he had of me on his phone. Ones I didn’t know he took. There were a lot of pictures as he scrolled through. It felt weird, but… That night when I fell asleep exhausted. It was the first time I saw him calm down. A smile on his face. His eyes slowly closed with mine…

After that, he searched with meaning. Like he knew I was somewhere. The only one who wasn’t balling up was Michael. I found it very suspicious. He didn’t give up. He walked around the town where I liked to go sit and watch the people. He walked up the mountain where we went hunting and walked for hours. But it did seem he could sleep. When I fell on his bed at night, he lay there. And as he fell asleep, he had a stupid smile on his face.

My parents were another case altogether. My mom cried uncontrollably. My dad had gone to drinking. It was the three days after the auction all over again. They fought like they had never fought before… Samuel joined my father in drinking, which left Mom so angry with them for not doing anything to find me.

On the fourth morning, I was hungry, knew I was probably not dead, and sat at the breakfast table. My dad was passed out, lying on his arms. My mom and my uncle were trying to eat a piece of toast, and occasionally, a tear would run down her cheek. I was at the head of the table opposite my uncle, gaping at the eggs on a plate. “I’m so hungry.”

My uncle jumped up at the sound of my voice. Even Liam woke up hearing me. My arms wrapped around my uncle. “I’m back.” My mom jumped and came around the table to hug me. My uncle held both of us, crying. Liam wanted to come closer, but I disappeared again. An uncontrollable sob escaped him.

“Where is she now?”

“She is probably still right here in our arms….”

“What do you mean, Sam?” My mom asked.

“She has an ability.”

“What? We haven’t seen one….”

“In… centuries. Since that mind reader.” My uncle finished my mom’s sentence. “I always said she wasn’t that special for nothing.”

But my dad knew what was going on. He moved away, and I came back. Our eyes locked in mutual understanding. His shoulders shook as he held back tears. But Liam didn’t leave. Defeated, he sat down again.

We all heard the running down the stairs. The heavy treads of someone coming towards us. The door flung open, and Michael pushed everyone out of the way, grabbed my upper arms, and kissed me. My eyes were closed for a second and slowly opened to meet his when he finished locking lips with me. I licked mine, remembering our first kiss. “Uncle Sam… I think another boy likes me.” Samuel cleared his throat. Michael let go of my arms and stood back. He put his hand over his mouth, staring at me. He turned around and walked away. I sighed dramatically. “Will I have this effect on all the boys?”

We stayed only for another few more months or so. I was starting school late that year, and we were leaving.

Those few months, Michael was a little quieter. I had to practice my new ability. I did follow him a bit. I didn’t really want to sleep anywhere else. He took me back to my own bed every morning before anyone woke up.

The last morning, my dad was packing the car. I had still not talked to Liam at all. But I could stand him, being in the same house. I was done packing and dressed. One last thing to do. Say goodbye to the butler… the barn cats, and my uncle.

When I got to Michael’s room, he was sitting on the bed, a little forlorn. Head slumped over his phone. “Are you perving at my photos again?” Nervously, he looked up and tossed the phone aside. I walked over. He was guilt-ridden and couldn’t look at me. “I don’t mind.” He smiled. I sat down on the work desk across from him. He stood up and opened the drawer next to me, taking out a parcel. It was wrapped in black paper with little skulls on it. I loved it immediately. It didn’t really matter what was going to be inside. It felt like a book anyway.

“Honey…” He ventured, peeking up at me to see if the endearment bothered me. I snorted. He relaxed a little. “Can you promise me a few things?”

“Like what?”

“You are going to be very popular at school… Just tell me you won’t let anyone be ugly with you… or fall for the bad boys… You shouldn’t be one of those Korean drama girls that run after the rich CEOs.”

I chuckled. “I can guarantee you that I will not be falling for anyone. Or running after another guy.”

“I’m afraid you will… So just promise me that you will love what is good for you and… turn away when someone is not. Don’t hang around… okay. Guys are bad news… Especially where you’re going.”

“Fine… but…” I smirked. He stood back and regarded me. I licked my lips.

He frowned. “I don’t like that look in your eyes….”

“You have to do something for me….”

“Out with it.”

“Kiss me again.”

He spun around. “No. That was… a lapse in concentration… Do what you want… I won’t again….” Michael walked out of the room. I got off the desk and watched him go down the stairs. He didn’t even glance back. Tears welled up, having to say goodbye to another person in my life. I walked to the edge of the stairs, willing him to look back at me… He didn’t. After that, I didn’t see Michael again. Ever…

I forgot about my first kiss after about a year into high school. After kissing so many boys, I thought I would get bored of it. I didn’t really say no. Wanted to irritate my dad. Wanting to rebel. Get the compound out of my system. And Michael was right. I was… popular. Charlene was even more. With her friendly, girly attitude… She went a little further with the guys than I would have at that stage. Well, for a while. Until she convinced me it wasn’t so bad. And that lasted for a few months. Me being looser… trying more things… We went out with older guys as the years passed... Our crowds changed, and I met Jerry around the time I figured out Chris could feel me in my invisible state... Found out what a good orgasm felt like.

I forgot about Chris, Marcus, and Michael for a whole year… Jerry and I were inseparable. We fit in every way. The fact that he was so stupid when he was drunk to me was the best. We had an incredible time together, and Carl was always watching us… Jerry never pushed, and I kinda initiated everything… He was never mean… Then, I guess Jerry had his first full moon. He was fighting it… Thinking back… I feel terrible that he couldn’t talk to me. We would’ve been the perfect couple. I never followed him... Kept that only for Chris. Jerry would’ve seen me, and that would have been it… Our babies would have died… but other than that… I actually missed Jerry sometimes. I guess he wasn’t evil at all or a jerk. He just didn’t like killing people or maybe didn’t want to tell me he could turn into a dog. He was scared that he would hurt me, and when he did. He ran like a coward. I always had a soft spot for the good guys… The cowards. The runners… Michaels’s words had more of an effect on me than I knew. Made sure to love what was good for me.

But they started coming back. Louis didn’t leave at all... He never has. Chris came to France. Marcus stayed after a lot of running away… Michael? I gazed out over the vista into the distance. Katty was on my lap… I smiled. It wouldn’t be long… He would come back.