Messenger Boys

Messenger Boys
Two days had passed, and I hadn’t seen the man or Jackson around. He had missed class, and I hadn’t heard from Theo either, nor from the remaining two. Daniel wasn’t in class either. What was going on? Suddenly, my phone rang in the middle of my thoughts. I answered immediately, and Riley’s voice came through.

“I know you’re worried about us, but we’re fine. We have Jackson with us, and his person.”

“What?” That wasn’t the news I was expecting, and not this quickly. “How did you catch them?” I asked, whispering.

“Come to the community.” Why hadn’t I thought of that before?

“All right, I’ll be there.” I cut the call and focused on what the lecturer was teaching. I needed to check on Daniel after meeting with the hunters.

After class ended, I left immediately and notified Ava that I was at the community, instructing her not to show up.

When I arrived, the system recognized me and opened the door. I went to Theo’s room but couldn’t find him. I called him, and he told me where he was. I didn’t know the place, but the boy Riley liked took me to an underground location—a cell. I never expected such a place to exist; it was enormous. The boy entered a code when the system prompted for a password, and the gate opened. I followed him inside, and we made our way to where Theo was.

Jackson was tied up with strong chains—so strong that even if he tried to break free, it would be nearly impossible—and he was blindfolded. The same was true for the other man.

I heard Jackson laugh. “I knew you were involved,” he said. It looked like Theo had tortured him over the past two days I hadn’t seen him.

Theo bent toward him again. “I’ll ask you this once more. What is your master up to, and why does he want revenge?”

Jackson ignored him. Theo took a needle and pierced it into his skin. Jackson yelled but refused to speak.

“That won’t work,” I said. Theo looked at me. “Lycans can endure pain, and they’re loyal to their masters. We need Cleo,” I added.

“Are you sure she can get answers from him?” Riley asked.

I nodded. “She’s a powerful witch.”

“Cleo Lancaster.” Jackson started laughing again. When we heard him speak her name, we turned to look at him.

“You know her?” I asked.

“Daughter of a witch and a werewolf. I never thought I’d hear her name again,” he said. I was curious about their history, but my urge to find out what the dean was up to was overwhelming. I took out my phone and called Cleo, giving her the location of the community and asking the boy Riley liked to bring her to the dungeon when she arrived. 

“She’ll be here in a few minutes,” I said, slipping my phone into my pocket. I then walked over to Jackson’s bag, took out my necklace, and put it on.

I returned to the others, both hands on my hips. “You know your master isn’t up to any good, right?” I asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lilith, but I’d love to taste you again,” he said, and I slapped him.

“Ugh.” His face twisted with pain. “I’ll get you for what you did to me that night.”

He started laughing again.

A few moments later, I could smell Cleo’s presence. “She’s here,” I announced. Cleo and the boy entered the cell, and he unlocked the gate for her.

“That was quick,” I said.

“Jackson!” she called.

“Cleo Lancaster. Who would’ve thought we’d meet again?” he replied.

Cleo looked at me, but I wasn’t interested in their past stories—maybe later. It was a good decision not to let Ava come. “Do it,” I commanded.

Cleo removed her gloves and placed her hands on Jackson’s head. She began to chant, and Jackson started to scream. “I told you she could do it.” I turned to Theo. Cleo continued searching for answers, and we all watched as she tortured Jackson. It seemed she was in pain too, perhaps because she couldn’t stand the pain she was inflicting. Maybe they were former lovers, or perhaps since she was from a werewolf family, they had once been close.

“This is strange,” Cleo finally said, removing her hands. Jackson passed out. She had used too much magic for him to endure.

“What is it?” I asked.

“There’s nothing. He doesn’t know what his master is planning. I don’t see the cave you mentioned in his vision. I think he just works for him, but his master doesn’t take them inside the cave.”

“Messenger boys, you mean?” I asked.

“Could be,” she replied, moving to the other man and doing the same. Still no answers.

“What do we do now?” I sighed, glancing at Theo. “Should we release them?”

“No way. We can’t. If we do, they’ll go back to their master, and he’ll know we’re onto him. We have to keep them here until everything’s sorted.”

“But he’s already missed classes for two days. What if they start looking for him?” I asked.

“Don’t worry. We took care of that,” Riley said with a smile.

“What?” I was curious about what they’d done.

“His information is gone—for now—and we made some changes,” Ethan explained.

“Please be clearer. I don’t understand,” I said.

“We made it look like he transferred to another school,” Theo added.

“And what if they call the school? Did you think about that?” I asked.

“We did,” Theo said, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. “The owner of the school where he transferred is my mother’s sister. She’ll cooperate since she also hates werewolves.” He smirked. I immediately stepped back and went to Cleo. She seemed like she couldn’t help, but I think she did enough.

She put her gloves back on. “You did well today. Thank you for coming.”

She looked around. “How come Ava isn’t here? I thought she followed you everywhere.”

I shook my head. “I told her to stay out of this one. It could be dangerous with her here.” I trusted Theo’s judgment—he knew what was best. Things were safer with him.

I looked at everyone. “I’ll be leaving now. I need to check on a friend,” I said with a smile. They probably already knew who I meant. “Let’s go, Cleo.”

“Stay out of trouble,” Theo said, and I nodded before heading out.

Cleo and I walked away from the community. “Nice—you brought your car. I thought you flew here on a broom,” she joked.

“Haha, funny,” she laughed. “Let’s go.” We got into the car, and suddenly I could feel Daniel having another episode. “To your place?” she asked.

“No, to Daniel’s house,” I replied. My mind was unsettled. I just wanted to know he was okay. It hurt to think he was already forgetting me again after all the effort I’d put into helping him remember. If only I could hurt Beauty just once—that might make everything better, but I couldn’t. It would spark a war between witches and the council.

Cleo started the car after I gave her the address. Along the way, I asked her who Jackson was to her, and her answer didn’t surprise me.

He was her ex-lover, and they’d parted because Jackson suddenly changed—became distant and weird. She suspected he’d been manipulated by some spells.

“Wow. That’s really bad. Watching your lover change like that? So, you wanted to end up like your parents—married to a werewolf?” I asked.

She scoffed as she turned the car onto the road. We were on the move in seconds.

“Yeah. My parents had an understandable marriage—until my mom’s death. I find it hard to believe she was killed by one of us.”

“And why’s that?” I asked. “Don’t trust people. I didn’t think Beauty and I would stop being friends, but she betrayed me too. She started working with the enchantress.”

“Hm.”

“I know she was assigned by the council to get rid of Alaric, but she should understand I love the boy—and I’d do anything to get him back.”

“You’re in love with a human? That’s forbidden. You’re the chosen one,” she said.

“But it’s not forbidden for you to love a werewolf? Cute.”

“Look, Lilith, we’re creatures, and the prophecy doesn’t want us together. To us, humans are like water, and we’re fire. Fire and water don’t mix, and you know it. If they combine, fire will lose. You and that human boy are just like that.”

“No, you’re wrong. Alaric saved my life, and I’ll be forever grateful. I know my real parents were not compatible, but Alaric and I are meant to be,” I said and she stopped the car and looked at me..

“Your parents are Dhampir and human?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Bloodsucker and human—that’s why I’m a Dhampir. My father was King Cain.” 

She gasped. “The famous King Cain of the Shadow World? Wow. Who would’ve thought you were royalty?”

“You didn’t do your research on me? I thought, since you knew I was the Chosen One, you knew my background. Just to shock you: I am now the Queen.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

“Alaric helped me defeat my father. He died for me. I was supposed to be the one, but he sacrificed himself. I owe him everything, Cleo,” I said softly, feeling the sadness in my voice. “How could I not love someone who didn’t hesitate to put my needs before his? I would do the same for him. I need to show the council that Alaric is different—he’s a hero. People need to know he saved them, and I didn’t.”

She started the car again. “Hmm. I didn’t know you’d been through all that, but being a queen is amazing. When was the last time you visited your kingdom? Months ago?”

“A year ago, but my kingdom is doing well now. Ever since my father vanished, the creatures have been happy again. I know bloodsuckers usually only walk at night, but other creatures—elves, phoenixes, nymphs, fairies, and sprites—do their things during the day. They always praise my name wherever I go.”

“And how do you know that?” she asked.

“Instinct,” I replied with a laugh. “Really, instinct.” I looked at the road. “Now, turn left.” She followed my instructions.

“I see what this boy means to you, and I’m glad you stood up for yourself. I wish I could do the same—to break free and do what I want. Have you ever thought about being human, even just for a day?”

“I’ve thought about it, but my answer is no,” I said.

“Why? I’ve always wondered how I’d look if I were ordinary. Would I be pretty like this? Would I make lots of friends?”

“You’d be beautiful, and yes, you’d make friends. But I don’t want that. Humans age and die at a certain point, but bloodsuckers live and die on our own terms. That’s what I want—to move to a city, explore, and find peace. To go somewhere no one knows me.” I pointed ahead. “That’s the house.”

Cleo stopped the car, and we got out. I could still feel him having episodes.