Chapter 20 - Together
Ford jumped into the air kicking the giant sphinx like creature into a tree. The stones sat up and opened it’s mouth, a wail and screen filled the forest and a burst of light shot towards Ford. Jumping into the air Ford dodged the light, which left a singed tree behind him. He created a tornado and threw the stone creature into a rock. It looked dead to him, lying in the grass and Ford landed himself next to the beast.
“You dead?” Ford leaned forward and it swiped him catching his arm and ripping his shirt. Ford back flipped away. He looked above the sphinx at a boulder above it. Focusing his energy Ford created a tornado around the boulder dropping onto the cat. It instantly burst into a hundred gold pieces, dead.
Ford walked over to the pile of gold and picked up a piece. He looked at his ripped t-shirt, “this was vintage!” He shouted at the pile. His phone buzzed and he picked it up looking at it. “Shit, my Chemistry final!” Ford ran around a nearby tree and grabbed his backpack jumping into the air.
***
Ford leaned back in the seat feeling the warm summer sun. He had just finished his last final and was ready to just take the rest of the week easy. Most of this other finals were “class parties” or written essays that he had already turned in. He looked at the houses wiz by then over at Levi who drove. Levi was in a neon green tank and some Rayban aviators. He looked so handsome. The two had been hanging out non-stop the month since prom ended.
“So how was Nina when you saw her?” Levi questioned not taking his eyes off the road. The days had gotten longer with the summer and Ford loved just driving with Levi.
“Well, she is back to studying, she will have to take her finals over the summer – but she will be fine.” Ford mentioned and then looked at Levi, “I don’t think she remembers the notes, the affair. At least, she doesn’t act like she does. The doctors said there would be some amnesia.”
“That’s good – I think.” Levi nodded. He leaned back in his seat and turned onto Ford’s street. “I’ve actually…I’ve wanted to chat with you about something, babe.”
“Did you just call me babe?” Ford pointed out laughing and playfully punching Levi in the arm.
Levi pulled to a stop in front of Ford’s house his face red, “I just…when are, I mean…we have been dating for a little bit now, ya know?”
“Yeah,” Ford knew what was coming and his heart was about to jump out of his chest to say yes. He and Levi had been hinting about being boyfriends for a while now. For all intensive purposes, Ford already felt like they were but they had never made it official.
“I just wanted to ask if you,” Levi gulped and a vibration filled the car. Instantly both the boys reached for their phones and pulled them out. Levi’s screen was black but Ford’s was buzzing with a picture of a familiar friend.
“Audrey?” Ford answered. He heard heavy panting and worry in the girl’s voice.
“Ford, you need to come to Miami quick! There is trouble. I didn’t know who else to call,” Audrey shouted through the phone.
***
Ford burst into his house, followed by Levi, and spotted Nancy and Roger in the living room. Nancy stood up looking concerned. “Ford,” Nancy called him into the room.
Ford walked in and his mother instantly hurried over to him. “What happened to your shirt? It’s torn…were you a fight?”
“No, it’s nothing.” Ford replied.
“It’s not nothing Ford.” Nancy was quiet and looked her son in the eyes. “What happened, a few weeks ago, with that man, in the kitchen it’s not nothing.”
Ford smelt alcohol on his mother’s breath. She had been drinking again. Stepping away to leave the room he spotted Roger leaning in the doorway. Levi came up behind him. “What is this? Some sort of intervention?” Ford looked from his dad back to his mom.
“Ford, we are worried about you,” Roger’s voice was firm. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t feel like talking right now,” Ford replied not liking this sudden aggression from his parents.
“Ford, we should go,” Levi looked at his clock on his phone. “We don’t have much time.”
“Ford, we found a shirt with blood stains…are you in a gang?” Nancy shouted ignoring Levi’s comment.
“I’m not in a gang. You guys wouldn’t understand.” Ford started to head to his bedroom but Roger blocked him.
“We wouldn’t understand? Well help us understand.” Roger avoided eye contact with Levi, “does this have to do with that?” Roger motioned to Levi who rolled his eyes.
“I’m a Sage, I have to save the world and fight…dragons and cat-things….” Ford blurted out. He needed to grab some clothes and get out of the house, but his parents were making it very difficult.
“This needs to stop.” Roger shouted, Ford had never seen his dad so angry, but at that moment he couldn’t tell if Roger was talking about his relationship with Levi or the fact that he revealed he was a Sage.
“Come on, all the times I have missed school, snuck out at night, the blood on my clothes.” Ford looked from his father to his mother. “How dumb can you guys be? I am a Sage, I need….to fight so you all can live.” Ford was on the verge of tears. He was not expecting this at all.
“Well this stops now,” Nancy said.
“No, it never stops. It never stops until I save the world or whatever is coming next kills me.” Ford was so angry and sad at the same time. He didn’t know how to feel.
“No Ford, we are done with this craziness.” Roger balled his fist and hit the wall. Ford looked at the aggression then to Levi and motioned to leave. Ignoring his father, Levi walked out the door and Ford followed but Roger grabbed his son’s arm.
“I’m leaving.” Ford stared his dad in the eyes. Roger shook his head no. Ford moved his hand sending a gust around the room pushing his father back into the wall. Nancy ran to catch Roger as Ford reached the front open doorway.
“If you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back!” Roger shouted, “Don’t you come back.”
Ford stepped outside and shut the door behind him.
***
Still in his ripped t-shirt, Ford sat down in one of the chairs at the Denver airport. Levi and he were going to grab the very last flight out to Miami, the red-eye that would get them there. They were able to pawn the gold piece for enough cash for the tickets. Ford slumped in an uncomfortable fake leather airport-waiting chair by the gate. He had borrowed Levi’s sunglasses to cover up his eyes and his tears.
“Hey,” Levi sat down and dropped a bag of fast food in Ford’s lap. “I got you something.”
Ford sat up and looked at a bag from the Colorado Gift Shop. Levi pulled out a new shirt, some touristy thing, for Ford to wear. “I also got Audrey something, dunno thought it would be nice.”
“This isn’t a vacation.” Ford replied, his tone harsh. Levi looked dejected for a moment but brushed it off. Ford spotted this and tried to redeem himself taking the shirt and looking at it, “thanks for the shirt. What are you telling your parents?”
Levi opened his bag of McDonalds’ and popped a few fries into his mouth. “Well, I was going on a camping trip with Carter and some of the guys. Just texted my pop and said we finished everything and we went early.”
“Nice,” Ford wasn’t hungry so he let his bag sit. “You don’t have to come if you would rather go camping.”
“We may even get back before it happens. I will just have to shoot an email to my English teacher.” Levi reached deeper into his bag and pulled out a burger.
“I don’t know.” Ford leaned back in his seat. A father ran after his small son, trying to tire the baby out before the flight took off. The little boy ran away laughing and smiling. His father, purposefully moving slowly, chased him around the chairs. They would begin boarding soon.
***
Exiting the Miami airport the air was more humid than Ford thought it would be. Yellow taxi whizzed by, cars honked, and security guards whistled to keep the whole chain of cars moving through the airport. Levi and Ford stood on the corner not really sure where to go next. Suddenly, a red VW convertible Beetle pulled up in front of them. A beautiful girl spun her head, Audrey had bleached her hair and got a tan, something unfamiliar to the mile high city of Denver. Her face still looked the same and her smile warmed Ford’s heart.
Audrey leapt out of the car, ignoring the security guard whistling at her. She jumped into Ford’s arms hugging him. She smelled the same; Ford forgot the subtle hint of perfume mixed with warmth that only his best friend could put off. She stepped back giving Ford a once over. “God I’ve missed you!” She shouted then her head slowly turned to Levi, “are you and Levi boyfriends!” Audrey gave Levi a hug as well.
“Well, I mean,” Ford started looking at Levi, “we are seeing each other.”
“Yeah, still dating.” Levi replied. “Taking it slow.”
“Well come on,” Audrey got her car. The two teens followed and Levi took the back seat, leaving shotgun for Ford.
The three drove along down the Dolphin Expy Freeway towards the Atlantic Ocean, Audrey caught the two up on her school and her friends. Ford couldn’t get over how different Audrey looked. She looked skinner too. Then she turned to him and changed the conversation. “Ford, like I said on the phone. I saw someone get killed this afternoon.”
“A Sage, you were very specific. You think a Sage got killed.” Ford explained as Audrey turned off the freeway.
“Yeah, this girl, she was pretty, long black hair….nice eyes.” Audrey frowned as she sped down some side streets. “I never spoke to her alive, but I saw her body.”
“How did you know she was a Sage?” Levi looked at Audrey through the rearview mirror.
“I saw this lights and usually it is just a show – right, but…I dunno, I wanted to check it out. Then I saw this girl on the beach shoot a beam of light at a boy. He fell backwards then pulled out some sort of sword and – well he killed her.” Audrey’s voice was solemn “People came running but it got really dark and he – he disappeared.”
“Dark, like the sun went down?” Levi questioned.
“No,” Ford interjected and stared at Audrey. She had been around Sages, and he knew that she got that same feeling when one was around Lori, Landon, Ashton, Bastian, and Jana. “Dark like another power. I’m guessing the Sage you saw die was the Sage of Light.”
“What killed her?” Levi sat forward. “Sorry, is that a stupid question.
“Darkness killed her.” Ford answered still taking in his answer. He had fought elements, but never something as intangible as darkness.
“And it happened right on my doorstep.” Audrey turned onto a street; apartment buildings lined the beach and pitch-black ocean waters crashed into the white moonlit sand. Crowds walked buy along the strand and abandoned police caution tape getting tossed in an ocean breeze. Stopping the car at an empty parking meter the three got out and instantly felt the warm breeze.
“My apartment is over there,” Audrey pointed to a tall building. “I saw the body there.” She pointed to the sand.
Ford looked out at the spot and took a deep breath. He could feel the energy, something he had just started to get better at. His senses were heightened and he looked at the spot in the sand that seemed to be the center of the caution tape. “Do not cross.” Ford whispered reading the tape allowed. “I think the other Sage is still nearby. I need to go look for him.”
***
Ford’s eyes scanned the skyline; he had been out for about two hours and nothing. The sky was calm and other than the moonlight hitting the waves, the usual city sounds, he flew a bit south and spotted a lighthouse. Landing on top of it, Ford thought about the spot in the sand. It felt the same as the ash in the woods where Bastian died. Standing up he flew back to the balcony of Audrey’s apartment and landed. Her parents had just left for a cruise the night before so they were all able to stay without any questions.
Audrey was stirring a pot of macaroni and cheese on the stove and the small apartment, where the kitchen, dining, and living room and blended into one was warm. Attached was a long hallway with three bedrooms.
“Anything?” Audrey asked scooping some macaroni into purple bowls. Ford shook his head. Levi was watching the television news where they flashed a picture of the dead woman on the screen, Adia Bekele
Her hair was black and skin a beautiful coffee brown. She was older, probably in her mid-thirties. She was the mother of two, who were being taken care of by her husband in South Africa. Ford gulped. He never thought of Sages having kids before. The three had a solemn dinner then got into bed. It felt nice to have Levi’s warm arms wrap around him and to hear the sound of waves outside the window.
Ford jolted up, he had fallen asleep for a while and although he couldn’t remember what he was dreaming about it scared him enough to wake up. Shaking his head and moving his tongue around in his mouth Ford wanted water. Carefully sliding out of the sheets as to not wake Levi. Ford crept quietly down the hallway into the main area. He reached into one of the cabinets pulling out a cup and walking to the sink. As he filled the cup up he realized something, he wasn’t alone.
Fords heart started to race, he knew three things. One, he wasn’t alone; two, the other presence in the kitchen was too powerful to be Levi or Audrey; and three, he had found the murder Sage.
“Hello,” a deep male voice whispered in his ear, “You’ve been looking for me. Looks like I found you first.”