***Author Note: Hey y'all. We are getting to the end of the Sage book... just a handful of chapters left. I would love if I could get some feedback of what you think thus far! Thank you thank you!!!
Chapter 21 – Under the Cover of Darkness
Ford slowly turned and spotted a boy, probably about his age, perched on the counter. The boy’s hair was a stark white, his eyes a golden hazel, and a smirk danced on his lips. He was handsome but on the skinner side. It wasn’t his features, which drew Ford’s attention, but the blood all over his tight pale blue shirt. Ford was almost positive that he had bought the same blue shirt at H&M a while back. He pictured it crumpled in a corner of his room – waiting to be ironed out
“Looks like you found me first.” Ford nodded placing his glass of water on the counter. He needed to keep his hand from shaking, and more importantly this Sage from seeing it. The kitchen was dark and only moonlight lit the area.
“Look what I did.” He held out his hands and the dried blood on them sent shivers down Ford’s spine. The Colorado teen could not put his finger on why the whole scene was so chilling. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” the boy said and then hit his head. “Bad Sid, bad,” he kept hitting himself causing his cheek to turn red. Ford couldn’t bear to watch it.
“Stop hurting yourself,” Ford stepped forward to intervene but the boy held out a hand and the kitchen grew darker. Ford felt a force pull him back onto the sink.
“Don’t. Touch. Me.” He, who Ford now knew to be Sid, spat out sternly. Standing up on the counter he looked around the apartment. “You’re friends are asleep…”
“Please don’t wake them,” Ford replied and the Sage’s head jolted back looking at him.
“I’m not rude. She was rude.” Sid gulped. “I told her to stop…but she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t so I had to…darkness beats light – who would have thought.”
“You didn’t have too…” Ford started but watched as the area grew darker still. He could not see outside and the living room, which was only feet away became drenched in darkness.
“Yes I did!” Sid shouted. “I’m sure you have the same dreams I do.”
“What do you mean?” Ford questioned looking at the boy for answered. He had no idea what dreams he was supposed to be having.
“You don’t have the dreams…they started months ago,” Sid’s eyes were wide and tired. “I’ve stopped going to sleep. I can still smell it, that smell. She had them too.”
“What happens in them?” Ford inquired more curious now than ever.
“Stop trying to detract me!” Sid held out his hand and a long scythe appeared giving off a purple glow he slowly held it out and hooked it around Ford’s neck. Sid held it perfectly still the metal just touching Ford’s skin. It felt warm.
“Stop, you don’t want to kill me and I don’t want to kill you!” Ford started.
“But we have too!” Sid screamed holding the scythe tightly. “We have too,” tears started to drip down Sid’s cheek smearing the blood. “She knew that. I know that.”
“Life is so precious Sid…I know, you know that.” Ford pleaded looking at the boy who he knew was struggling.
“Have you ever killed someone and felt the life slip away.”
“Ford?” Audrey shouted stepping into the area from the hallway. Quickly, Ford ducked as Sid spun around barely missing his head. Spinning around, Sid threw the scythe and it flew at Audrey. Ford swung out his hand and a gust of wind pulled on Audrey’s legs dropping her to the floor. The scythe stabbed into the wall then turned black and disappeared, reappearing in Sid’s hand.
Ford opened the living room double doors to the balcony and formed a tornado sucking Sid, he, a side table with lamp, and a dining room chair out with him. Instantly, Ford’s wings appeared and he rose up watching Sid drop towards the cement. Before he hit though, dark bat-like wings burst from his back and he shot forward, gliding then rising over the ocean.
“Shit,” escaped Ford’s mouth and he looked back at Audrey who stood on the balcony, the wind whipping at her hair. Ford flew after the Sage of darkness over the dark waters. It was hard to see him over the night. Ford stopped and held out his hand forming a tornado over the water. The ocean spun up into it and Sid stopped dodging it flying another direction.
Ford continued to summon tornados and one finally hit pulling Sid into it the water a spinning vortex around the boy. Suddenly a purple beam shot from the spinning tunnel and hit Ford sending him flying back into the sand of the beach. Ford created a small whirlwind to cushion his fall but he came in hard. Sitting up, he saw Sid racing towards him.
Ford leapt into the sky and flew low to the ground then shooting up in between the buildings of downtown Miami.
Landing on a rooftop Ford gasped for air. His powers had grown considerably but he was exhausted. He focused his energy and steadied his vision. Seeing shadows dancing in the rooftop across the street the lights in the building began to dim.
“Have you ever wondered what darkness is? True darkness….” Sid’s voice echoed off the building. Ford was trying to pinpoint him, focusing his energy and his eyes dodging around. Shadows were moving all around him an army along the walls.
“I used to be afraid of the dark,” Ford shouted back. The lights in the building across the street went out. Ford closed his eyes. He had to do this, He had to see past the illusions. “But then I realized it’s not that I should be afraid of the dark…it’s the dark that should be afraid of me!” Ford reached his arm out and a gust of wind raised a car right below him on the street up, flinging it into the wall. Nothing, The Sage of Darkness wasn’t there. Ford gulped.
“Nice speech,” The Sage jumped out of Ford’s shadow swinging his scythe and slashing Ford’s side. Ford yelped in pain falling off the edge of the building then flying off. He flew towards the beach; he had more of an advantage in the water. One of his arms gripping his side he felt blood oozing out.
Ford saw his reflection in the water then hovered for a minute by the southern point of the beach. A lighthouse flickered in the distance. Ford couldn’t heal and keep using this much energy. Gliding to the lighthouse Ford landed. The light was so bright, he didn’t create that big of a shadow, and the little shadow he did create – Ford kept an eye on. His wings disappeared and he sat down feeling the warm sticky blood drip onto the metal floor.
“How old are you?” Sid asked stepping out from behind a dark railing. His scythe was out.
“Life is precious Sid. You don’t have to do this.” Ford pleaded, he was a limping gazelle and Sid the lion. He knew what was coming.
“You’ve never killed someone! You don’t know what it’s like to see the light drain from her eyes.” Sid screamed.
“I have.” Ford answered breathing heavy. “And I hate myself for it. Every time I close my eyes I see his face, I think about his family….I will never forgive myself.”
“But it had to be done.” Sid answered solemnly. “It’s our destiny.”
“I don’t want it to be.” Ford replied standing up but slipping on his own blood. There was a lot now. He clutched the railing and looked Sid in the eye.
“I think I am crazy. I hear all these voices shouting at me from the dark. Sometimes it’s my little brother or my mom.” Sid looked around the lighthouse. “And now it is her, and then the dream too….I’m I even awake now.” Sid laughed and shook his head. “But it can’t be them right? They’re dead. The Forrest Sage killed them, but I got away.”
“Circle of life.” Ford nodded. “The Forest Sage is gone now.”
“Right, well, tell him I say hi!” Sid raised his scythe ready to attack.
“I’m 17…18 in December.” Ford shouted. It finally hit him. Every time the light from the lighthouse hit Sid, he grew weaker his wings smaller, the scythe duller. He couldn’t hide in the darkness here. He wasn’t focused on putting the light out like he was with the buildings.
“Heh, I’m 18 right now,” Sid answered and swung his scythe.
Ford swung his arm and the screeching of metal and wind flew buy. A huge gust of wind grabbed the scythe and flung it over the edge into the darkness. Sid grabbed the railing and wind continued to blow by. Suddenly a loud crack and the scream of metal filled the nights sky as the lighthouse central light burst through the glass into Sid.
The boy flew off the edge into the cement the light crushing and rolling over his body. Ford peered over the edge and say Sid lying dead on the ground. He started crying and more blood poured out of his wound. Propping himself up against a spider webbed, but still solid portion of the glass he looked out onto the dark ocean, a thin line of pale blue morning light filling the horizon.
Ford hated himself for what he’d just done but he closed his eyes and fell asleep. His dreams started to creep with nightmares but only for a moment before he was shaken awake. A police officer nudged him awake. “Son, what happened here?”
Ford leapt up and looked around. He had lost his bearings and the nightmares slowly slipped from his head. Touching the cut in his shirt his wound was still tender to the touch but had healed.
“Did you see what happened? You have blood all over you and there is a dead boy down there. Was he your friend?” The officer shot words at Ford but Ford could not find any of the answers.
He looked off the edge at flashing police lights and an ambulance that just arrived at the scene.
“Son, we are going to have to take you in for questioning.” The officer pulled out some handcuffs and gripped Ford’s shoulder turning him around. Ford looked up at the sky his mind racing. He knew he couldn’t get taken away like this. Spinning around he pushed the officer back against the railing. Quickly the officer pulled out his gun aiming it at Ford.
Falling backwards Ford fell off the edge of the lighthouse. The office ran to the edge but Ford had flown around behind him evading his sight. Ford stayed for a second then flew off.
***
Ford landed on the balcony a few hours later to an empty apartment. He took off his clothes and walked naked down the hallway leaving the bloody shirts on the tile and wood floors. He stood in front of the mirror looking at his naked body. Dried blood was all over him, but it was his. He had come so close to death but had brought it to someone else. Stepping into the shower and feeling the short burst of cold water, cleaning himself Ford got out of the shower and pulled a towel around him. He slipped under the blankets of his bed dry and warm and fell asleep.
Waking up, it was dark outside but noise was coming from the living room. Ford put on some clothes and stepped out to see Levi and Audrey watching television. They both spotted him instantly. Ford could tell that they wanted to throw a hundred questions at him but resisted.
Levi finally came out with, “Are you okay?”
Ford nodded positioning himself in a corner of the couch. He pulled his legs up close and looked at both of them. A cool breeze came from the ocean through the open balcony window.
“What happened after you jumped off?” Audrey asked leaning forward.
“Well, I…we fought, I won.” Ford answered his voice trailing off and indifferent. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to feel it. It hurt too much.
“You killed him?” Audrey looked at the television and the three sat in awkward silence for a little while. “I thought you were saying how you…how you…cherished life or something like that.”
Levi looked from Ford to Audrey. Audrey glared at Ford. The tension was so thick in the room one could cut it with a knife. “Audrey, I don’t think it’s about that.” Levi voiced but Ford picked up for him.
“What are you trying to say Audrey,” Ford pressed.
Audrey kept staring at Ford, “I just-you seem so nonchalant about it. You have just changed a lot since I left Middleton.”
Each word struck Ford like a knife. He looked at his friend her bleached blond hair and tan skin. She looked different, and the friendship felt different. “I know you care about me Audrey, but it is time for me to go.”
“Ford,” Audrey stood up and walked to her room shutting the door. Ford and Levi sat quietly in the living room and Ford started to cry. Levi stood up and went to hug Ford but the boy shook his head and Levi backed off. Ford needed to cry alone, and he knew in his heart that’s what Audrey was doing too.
***
A red light blinked on the end of the wing and the hum of the airplane engine filled the cabin. Ford looked outside at the clouds and wasn’t sure exactly why he was going back to Denver. His parents kicked him out, Audrey and him didn’t really click, and he didn’t really get along with Nina anymore. Looking back at Levi, who was sleeping, Ford nudged him awake.
“Thanks,” Levi rubbed his eye and looked out the window then to the old woman asleep to his right. Levi got stuck with the middle seat this time around. Ford was grateful for the chance to look out the window. “What’s up?”
“Thanks,” Ford said then squeezed Levi’s hand. “For coming with me. For sticking by me.”
“I wanted to,” Levi leaned in and pursed his lips in a cute way Ford couldn’t resist but kiss him.
Breaking the kiss, Ford continued, “I’ve just been such an asshole to you this trip and you have been great and supportive.”
“You’re going through a lot,” Levi looked at Ford and squeezed the boy’s hand back, “but Audrey had a point when she said you are being nonchalant. I think you are still processing – which is fine but when you want to talk about it – I’m here.”
“All right,” Ford nodded. He looked out the window at the moon and then turned back to Levi. “When we were in the car – right before Audrey called. You wanted to ask me something. What was it?”
Levi suddenly turned red and shook his head, “don’t worry about it babe.”
“You did it again,” Ford chuckled. “You called me babe…just,”
“Okay I…” Levi blushed more and smirked. “Do you…”
“want to be boyfriends?” Ford looked into Levi’s eyes and saw the sparkle. Levi grabbed Ford’s head and pulled him in for a long deep kiss.
“Yes,” Levi grinned from ear to ear. He sat back in his airplane seat, “glad you woke me up for that.”
“We are now beginning our final decent into Denver, Colorado…” The pilot began and finished with. “For those of you who are visiting welcome and for those of you who are returning, welcome home.”
Ford looked at Levi who stared back at him. Ford wasn’t sure he had a home here in Denver anymore. Levi could see the worry in his eyes and put his arm around Ford pulling him in tight. “You can stay with me tonight, we will figure out what to do tomorrow.”
“Great,” Ford put his head into Levi chest and shrugged. “I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.” Ford said sarcastically. He felt the plane pressure change as it became to lower altitude. Then Ford remembered and it started to flood back into his mind – his nightmare. It was horrific. Suddenly, what Sid was talking about, the smell, the fear was all very real to Ford. It was only for a moment until he pushed the thoughts to the back of his head. Sid and he had the same nightmare; it was of the world ending.