Kings and Queens of Promise

“Hey, Jare, it’s me again. I know that you’re probably not going to call me back, but I just wanted to say that we miss you. I talked to Pierre and we know it was an accident. No one’s mad at you or anything. Please, just call me back. I’m really worried about you.”

“Jared, hi, uh...It’s me, as you probably know. I wish you would come home. I miss you and I’m so worried. Please, please call me.”

“Come on, Jare. It’s been four weeks. This is insane. Just come home. No one’s mad and we really need to talk. Come home before I have to do something drastic.”

I sighed, dropping my phone on the floor as I laid on the couch, staring up at the plain ceiling. My hair was a mess and I hadn’t changed clothes in days. I had listened to each of Em’s voicemails at least six times each. They were the only things keeping me alive at this point. I wasn’t staying away because I was afraid they’d be mad at me, though. I was afraid that I might lose control again. I hadn’t just been mad at Pierre, I’d wanted him dead. I had never wished that upon anyone, but it killed me to see him so carelessly shove Em aside. What if she had fallen and gotten hurt? Or lost the baby? And how dare he tell her that I didn’t care about her. I fucking loved her! I would have proposed to her by now if the circumstances were different.

After what I had almost done...I couldn’t be around her. What if it was her that I hurt next time?

I held my head in my hands and sunk to the floor. Why me?

No less than an hour later, there was a knock on my hotel room door. Who could possibly know where I was? I answered it, being greeted by punch in the face.

“Fuck!” I shouted, grabbing my eye. When I quickly managed to compose myself, I was greeted by someone I hadn’t ever expected to search for me. “Syn?”

“I’m not going to apologize.”

“No, no, I deserved it, but what are you doing here?”

“Getting your stupid ass back to Huntington, that’s what,” Brian said, storming past me and into the hotel room. He grabbed my jacket and shoes and threw them at me.

“Brian, I can’t go. I could hurt-”

“That’s why you practice!” he exclaimed. “All these fucking years, we’ve all been practicing to keep our skills in check, but you’ve been too busy dicking around for a cure to do that. Now Em’s fucked up.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, face growing pale.

“She got stupid Frank to give her Zacky’s weird freak juice and now she’s-” I saw the image in his mind and instantly reacted, shoving Brian out the door and down the hall frantically.

“How long ago?”

“About midnight the night before last.”

“What exactly happened?”

“She snuck out there. Zacky had gone to visit someone and so Frank was alone out there. Somehow, she talked him into injecting her. I didn’t find out until last night. It was about one in the morning, and I heard her screaming and...and...”

“No more,” I said, struggling to block out Brian’s mental images. Brian stopped short and I tried to shove him out of the way. “What are you doing? We’ve got to get on the next plane.”

“Fuck planes,” Brian said, grabbing my arm. In the next instant, my entire body felt like it was being crushed. What was going on? Then my feet slammed into the ground and I was standing outside the mansion.

“What the-”

“While you were fighting it, some of us were discovering new powers,” Brian said before hurrying into the house. I followed him and could hear angry voices upstairs, Pierre and Frank. As I entered Em’s bedroom, I could hear her groans of discomfort. It broke my heart to see her sweaty face. Alex was by her side, holding her hand, and Jack was refilling a glass of water for her. “Has anything changed?” Brian asked, sitting down next to Alex.

“Yeah, and you’re not gonna like it,” Alex said. “Show ‘um, Jack.” Jack bit his lip and went around to Em’s back. Em, with what little strength she had, held the sheets to her bare chest as Jack pulled the sheet aside to reveal Em’s shoulders and back. I fought the urge to be sick. Her back was knotted and purple with bruises. Sprouting from her shoulders were two bloody...I don’t even know. My mind, advanced as it was, couldn’t begin to comprehend what I was seeing.

“Fuck,” Brian said, clenching his fists. “What the hell was Frank thinking? I should kick his fucking ass.”

“You already punched him out.”

“He deserves a lot more than that.” I personally agreed. “And Pierre needs to be fucking stabbed.”

“What’d Pierre do?”

“He won’t let us take her to a hospital.” I clenched my fists, trying not to let my emotions get out of hand. The last thing I needed was to almost kill Pierre again.

“I don’t think a doctor would be much help,” Alex said, holding Em’s hand tightly. He looked calm, but his thoughts were racing frantically.

“Maybe a vet,” Em said weakly.

“Em, why’d you do this?” I asked, crouching in front of her. She just smiled and whispered, “you’re not alone.” Suddenly, her body tensed and her face screwed up in pain. I could hear a terrible ripping sound.

“Jack, the rags!” Alex exclaimed, jumping up. Brian grabbed Em and pushed her onto her stomach, gently holding her shoulders as she writhed around. Jack knocked over a bowl of water in his haste and Alex snatched it up before too much water splashed out. Jack had a handful of rags and hurriedly held them to Em’s back. The instant he touched the bumps, she let out a terrible scream. I felt faint, but I gripped onto her hand tightly and touched her face.

“It’s gonna be okay, Em. You’re going to be okay,” I said in my most soothing voice, trying to project my thoughts to her. Where the hell was Pierre?! Right on cue, he and Frank rushed into the room.

“Pierre!” Brian shouted, “try to soothe her!” Pierre touched her face, and copied my example, whispering soothing words to her. Frank stood in the corner, looking guilty and helpless. I heard more ripping sounds and looked up in time to see the bumps ripping their way out of her back. They appeared to grow, first 2 inches, the 4, then 6. They finally stopped and Em relaxed, her eyes closed and her breathing labored.

Jack and Alex carefully began to dab blood from Em’s back, making her flinch at every touch.

“She needs help,” I said angrily.

“No doctors,” Pierre said firmly. “A doctor couldn’t help her anyway.”

“They could at least give her some painkillers!”

“I said no!” Pierre shouted. “I’m her fiancée!”

“Oh, really, then where’s Em’s engagement ring?” Brian demanded, grabbing Pierre’s shoulder. I looked and, sure enough, Em’s fingers were complete bare. “It’s in your room, isn’t it? She gave it back to you.” Pierre remained silent for a moment before dropping Em’s hand and storming out of the room. Brian took his place, holding Em’s hand and lightly stroking her sweaty skin.

I sighed as I could see, without reading his mind, how much he loved her. Was this a supernatural ability of hers, making all of us fall for her?

“Guys?” Alex’s choked up voice said. We all looked up to see him staring at Em. We all then looked at hers and something finally clicked in my brain.

“They’re wings.”