Chapter 7 - Breaking Good
I couldn’t believe who I was looking at. I’d seen those eyes my entire life. They comforted me when I slept, kept me warm when I was cold, sustained me when I was hungry, eased my pain when I hurt. Yes, I’d seen them many times. Always in the back of my mind, I’d seen those eyes. And at that very moment, the man attached to them was holding me.
“Are you okay, Key?” he asked.
It hit me all at once. This man that had been on my mind since I was a child, before I had ever even met him, was Jake. I’d seen him so many times in my visions, but I never connected him with Jake. How could I have been so blind?
I felt his discomfort while I searched for the right words, so I managed to stand on my own two feet before sitting back down on the bed. He sat RIGHT next to me, his hand on my knee just as he had always done when I needed consoling. He always knew when I was hurting even when I tried to hide it.
“What happened? I don’t remember the vision.” I said. It was odd because I always remembered my visions, but this felt different. It was a complete blank spot in my memory.
They gave me the short version of the story. An angel possessed my body and claimed that Melody and I were the keys to Rip’s and the Earth’s future. Rip was the son of Satan, who had possessed the body of Luc. Jake, Melody, and I had all died, but this angel that possessed me brought us back to life with new bodies. At least that explained my sister’s hair growth and our odd clothing change. The rest of the story went in one ear and out the other when I became aware of Jake’s lingering hand.
“Uhh, What about you, Jake?” I said, trying not to trip over my own words. “You’ve got a new life ahead of you. You’re so -”
“Sorry, guys, I have to go find Rip. He seemed pretty upset. Wrap things up here because we have to go.” Melody said, acting much more mature than I’d ever seen her. There was a focus and a soft heartedness in her that had been absent for many years. Was it possible that when we were brought back to life, our sins had been washed away? She seemed more...pure, if that was the right word.
She hurried out the door and left Jake and I alone. His hand was still there. “Jake...”
“Yes?” he responded, a little too excited and finally breaking his cool.
“You can let go of my knee now. I’m okay.” I didn’t dare look him in the face when I said the words. Somehow, they felt hollow as I said them. How could I ever look at those eyes that I had loved for so long in the same way when they belonged to Jake? I couldn’t ever possibly feel anything for this man.
I think he sensed the awkwardness, so he moved his hand and moved to the other bed. Still, he didn’t look away from me and I could feel his stare burning into my skin.
“So, what are you going to do?” I asked again.
He breathed heavily and said, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m sticking with you. It seems Rip’s destiny is tied to you and Melody, so I can’t just quit. Besides, I know where we have to go.”
“Where?”
He fell backwards, letting his legs hang off the bed as he stared at the ceiling. His well defined muscles pressed against his clothes, forcing me to turn my gaze aside.
“To where I learned how to fight. My old master should still be there, waiting for me to return. I believe that the three of you may learn a few new tricks. There are secrets to be learned that I was never strong enough receive. The techniques are said to be extremely dangerous.”
