Rising Shadows

Percy had become the newest addition to the bums at Luke’s bar. Luke didn’t like serving Percy one drink after another, but what choice did he have? He avoided Percy as much as he could, talking to him only when Percy talked to him first. Percy didn’t care so much. He was at peace. Until Cat showed up. She snatched the drink right out of Percy’s hand, glaring at him.

“What?” he frowned.

“I’ve just spoken with Emily,” she said. “What do you think you’re doing to that poor girl?”

“I’m not doing anything,” Percy argued. “I’m the same man she married. She’s just been difficult, and refuses to accept that.”

“Same man she married?” Cat scoffed. “Go home, because you’re officially banned from this building. Go home, and take a look at yourself in the mirror.”

“Banned?” Percy smirked. “You can’t ban me. You may be sleeping with the owner like the slut you’ve always been, but that doesn’t give you any power here.”

“Actually,.. she’s right,” Luke said hesitantly. “We discussed it last night. We don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here anymore. You’ve started too many fights.”

Percy looked between the two of them, then glared at them and stood up.

“Fine. Betrayed by the few people I decided to keep close. I understand.”

Luke avoided eye contact, but Cat firmly stood her ground, arms crossed over her chest. She waved goodbye to make her point, waiting impatiently for Percy to leave. He marched out the door and slammed it hard behind him, making everyone inside jump. He started home, where he felt even less welcome. Was he welcome anywhere?

When he got home, Emily wasn’t there. She’d gotten home from the dinner late the night before, and Percy assumed she’d gone back to that lab again to work on her silly, pointless projects. He decided against going after her. Cat had told him to look in the mirror. When he did, Nathaniel Everett looked back at him.

Percy knew he’d always resembled his father, but he never looked more like Nathaniel than he did now. His hair was a shaggy mess and his face hadn’t been shaved in several days. He stopped caring about his clothes, which were crumpled. He stepped back, shaking his head. Then his expression twisted into a glare and he grabbed the object nearest him, using Emily’s hair brush to shatter the mirror.

He winced at the shards cut his hand, and blood startled trickling down his arm, staining his sleeve. Footsteps started rushing up the stairs, and Percy knew Emily must have gotten home. How long had he been staring at himself in the mirror?

Percy noticed that Emily didn’t quite look like herself, either. In a way, she looked like she had stopped caring, too. She stared at him with wide eyes when she saw the shattered mirror and the blood on his arm. At first, she didn’t move, looking as if she was about to walk away from him. Then she shook her head and dug through a drawer for a washcloth, hesitantly trying to touch his arm. Percy jerked away from her, like there was a force coming from her that pushed him away. He snatched the washcloth from her and wrapped it around his arm, without a word. Emily didn’t ask why, either.

A sudden knock on the door startled her, and she quickly turned on her heel without another word to get the door. Percy followed her, keeping a distance behind her so he could see and hear who it was. Scarlett was standing at the door with a smile on her face, which disappeared when she saw the slightly distressed look on Emily’s face.

“Scarlett!” Emily said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, you said Percy wasn’t feeling well, so we wanted to come see him,” she explained. “Well, I came to see him. It’s so strange. As soon as we got here, Gigi started to cry. She does it to whine, sometimes, but she was truly upset. She wouldn’t let neither me nor Ben hold her, because we wanted to come inside. I’ve never seen her try and run away from Ben, unless it was a game. Anyways, I think she might have caught a little something, too. Ben took her home, and he’s going to have Henry check her and make sure she’s not ill.”

“Poor thing,” Emily frowned. “Well, I’d love to let you in, but it’s a bit of a bad time-”

“You told them I was sick?” Percy said, wiping the blood off his hand as he stepped forward.

“What was I supposed to say?” Emily sighed.

“The truth. That I didn’t want to go.”

Scarlett frowned and looked between Percy and Emily, noticing that Emily was staring down at her feet like she’d done something wrong.

“What’s gotten into you?” Scarlett asked Percy, letting herself into the house.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Percy scowled.

“You’re acting like a little- Hey! Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Scarlett snapped.

“You know, you really are starting to sound like a mother,” Percy smirked. “The annoying kind that are constantly meddling into everything.”

“Excuse me?” Scarlett said in disbelief. “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”

“No, I’m well aware of who I’m talking to,” Percy said firmly. “And you’re intruding into my home right now. Emily told you it was a bad time. What are you still doing here?”

“I am your captain, and you will treat me with respect,” Scarlett reminded him.

“You were my captain,” Percy corrected. “You gave up for this confusing, complicated, and unexciting life you’re living now. I don’t owe anything to you.”

“Is that a challenge, Everett?” Scarlett asked, eyes hardening.

Percy made a move a little suddenly, as if he was going to reach for a knife in his boot, but Scarlett effortlessly blocked the move and shoved him away from her, glaring at him.

“You dare try and pull something on me?” Scarlett laughed in disbelief. “Have you forgotten? I taught you everything you know. You are nothing. Don’t you forget that.”

Percy pursed his lips and balled his hands into fists to keep from trying to hit her again. Scarlett took Emily’s hand and started towards the door.

“Come along,” she grumbled. “You’re not staying here with him.”

“Scarlett, I’m fine,” Emily protested, pulling her hand away. “He’s fine, he’s just a little out of line right now. He’ll be back to himself tomorrow.”

“Emily-”

“Really, Scarlett, I’m fine,” Emily promised, giving her a weak smile.

Scarlett glared at Percy once more, then huffed and stepped back outside. Percy was about to shut the door in her face, but she caught it before he could, pointing a finger at him and lowering her voice.

“Don’t forget where you came from,” she warned, looking at Emily.

“Don’t tell Ben… or anyone else,” Emily said quickly. “They’ll jump to conclusions. Please just trust me.”

Scarlett reluctantly nodded, then finally left. Emily stayed silent and stared at her feet, a hand still on the door handle. Percy stared at her, unsure of how to feel.

“Out of line?” he asked quietly. “You think I’m stepping out of line?”

“What I meant was-”

Percy didn’t let her finish. He drew his hand back and gave her a backhand across the face. The sound of the slap echoed in the foyer of the house, and Emily stumbled back a few steps before falling, because of the force of the hit. Percy had never been physically rough with her in any sense, but he’d now given a good idea of exactly what a man of his size was capable of.

Emily looked like she was choking back tears, holding her cheek and hanging her head so she wouldn’t have to look at him. There was a little bit of his blood on her, since he’d used his cut hand, but he ignored the throbbing pain in his hand. He knelt down in front of Emily, tilting her head up so he could lock eyes with her, speaking slowly and quietly.

“You’re completely out of line, Emily,” he told her. “Deep down, I think you know you deserved that. And there is much more where it came from, if you don’t learn your place. Learn it, and things will be much easier for both of us.”

He let go of her and stood up, straightening out his clothes and brushing his hair back before starting up the stairs. Emily didn’t move from her spot, but Percy could hear muffled crying coming from where she was sitting.