Number of the Beast (Paladin Cycle, Book One) (13 page)

“
No ma’am. You two just
earned an all-expense paid night in the drunk tank.”

“
We’re not even
drunk!”

“
I missed the last
half-hour of American Idol ‘cause of you two, so if my night’s
ruined, so is yours.”

Carmen plucked her phone from her
purse and dialed Mike. Hopefully he could keep an eye on Amy and
maybe even give her a ride home.

# # #

Mike wrapped his long arms around Amy
as he led the way from his truck to the trailer’s front door. She
stumbled on the first step and giggled.

“
If you know what’s good
for you, you’ll go straight to bed and sleep this off,” Mike said
as he opened her front door. The television in the living room
blared.

Amy threw her arms around
Mike. “I love you. I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t
brought you home tonight.” She nestled her face into his shoulder.
Then she burst into laughter. “I mean brought me home
today.”

Mike said goodbye and
hurried off the wooden deck. From the front door, Amy waved him
farewell. “Thanks Mike! Love you!” After the taillights vanished
she stumbled into the living room.

Shane’s brother Scooter was sprawled
on the couch watching an animated show.

She wobbled toward the
edge of the sofa cushion.

“
Futurama.” The gangly
teen peered at her. “How was your night?”

She plopped beside him. “I
can honestly tell you that it was perfectly and absolutely out of
this world.” Covering her mouth with her fist, she quietly burped.
“Should you be up this late?”

“
For God’s sake, I’m
seventeen. According to the experts I only need five hours of sleep
to be functional as long as I sleep in on the weekend to
recharge.”

“
Is it wise to stay up
late on a school night?”

With a scoff, he eyed her.
“Is it wise to be drunk on a work night?”

Giggling, she swatted his leg. The room suddenly spun.
Crap.
“You can put all
the blame for that on Aunt Carmen.”

“
Aunt
Carmen?”

“
You know what I mean.
Don’t be giving me so much sassafras.” The room tilted sideways and
she gripped the cushion. At least her right hand gripped the couch,
her left hand accidently clasped Scooter’s thigh. When the room
leveled she snatched her hand back, but already a gleam filled
Scooter’s eyes.

His hand covered hers. Scooter sat up,
positioning himself closer to her. Too close.

Amy cleared her throat.
She pulled her hand from beneath his and stood. “I need
sleep.”

He
jumped to his feet and caught her wrist. Yanking, he twirled her to
face him. Now the room was
really
spinning.
Crap. Crap.
Crap.

“
What do you see in him?”
he asked.

This conversation had been a long time
coming, Amy knew. And it was a conversation that desperately needed
to be had, but not while she was drunk as hell.

“
I love him,” she simply
said. “And that’s all you need to know.”

“
Well, he doesn’t love
you. Shane’s too stupid to know what love is.”

Amy shook her head. “And I
suppose you know what love is?”

“
Yes. I do. Because I love
you. Want to know why I love you?”

Amy swallowed a bitter
bubble of whiskey. “No.”

Like every other
seventeen-year-old boy, he was confusing love with lust. He didn’t
love her. He wanted to have sex with her.

If she didn’t love the kid so much,
she’d have lost it on him long ago and told him off, called him out
for his wildly inappropriate advances. Called him a
snake!

But he was like a brother
to her. She’d raised him for the past five years.

Besides, it wasn’t all his
fault. If grown men couldn’t help but let hormones rule their
brains, what chance did a hormonal teenager have at
controlling their primal urges?

What Scooter felt for her would pass
with time and life experience. And if it didn’t, God help him.
Because she couldn’t keep his advances on her a secret from Shane
much longer. Eventually, no matter how careful she or Scooter was,
Shane was bound to eventually clue in.

Then he’d beat Scooter
unconscious.

A wave
of nausea made her blink. She palmed her rumbling stomach.
Crap.

“
Because you’re smart and
sexy,” Scooter said. “And loyal to your friends. A heart of gold,
even good to animals. You appreciate good hygiene...”

“
Love isn’t something you
can define. It’s not something you can make a bulleted list of; if
you can name it then that’s not love. And that’s what you don’t
get. And that’s why you’ll never get…” She thumbed herself, jabbing
at her chest. “Me.” With those final words Amy turned and hurried
down the hall.

“
At least I’ve always been
here for you!” Scooter called out.

Inside the master bedroom,
she locked the door before entering the adjacent bathroom. She
closed the door. Hung over the shower rod was her flimsy cheetah
night gown, but the pair of matching panties were
missing.

“
Dammit, Scooter,” she
mumbled. She stripped her liquor-and-smoke infused clothes off and
slipped the nightie on.

Amy copped a squat on the
porcelain throne, as Shane would have put it. Her mind reeled and
yo-yoed from the alcoholic stupor. She was already regretting the
night. She fished through her purse on the counter and found the
vial. Desperate to ward off what was sure to be a hell of hangover,
she drained the tube nearly empty. The syrupy potion didn’t taste
half bad after...however many drinks she’d consumed.

Female! You must cease
this drunkenness at once!

Amy jumped to her feet,
ignoring the pee trickling down her legs. Stumbling to the sink,
she wagged a finger at her reflection. “We gotta set up some ground
rules.”

A deafening roar erupted
inside her foggy head. She covered her ears, and winced at the
return of the excruciating throbbing from the manhandling she’d
received earlier thanks to that Neanderthal Chris.

He dare touch the Beloved
mother!”

A malevolent growl hissed inside of
her mind, slithering wickedly through her body like an invading
serpentine spirit, leaving chills in its wake.

I will kill
him!

Amy cleared her throat.
She closed her eyes and burped, swallowing the last Cosmopolitan
she’d drank all over again. She shook a finger at her reflection.
“Ground rules...we w-were about to d-discuss ground rules. And stop
shouting!”

A deep
sigh echoed inside her head.
I am unclear
to your meaning of ‘ground rules’, Female.

She growled her
frustration. “Rule One. You are to respect my privacy during...”
She widened her eyes at her reflection. “You know.”

Speak not in rhyme. I lack
time and patience.

“
When I’m on the toilet I
don’t want to hear a strange man yelling at me.” Amy waited but the
voice remained silent. She let out a huff. “Okay?”

I am no
stranger.

“
Now who’s talking in
rhyme?” She glared. “Will you respect my privacy?”

I will abide by your
ground rule, as you call it, but I have a stipulation. I came to
protect you. If your safety is at risk, I will forsake your ground
rule.

“
Fair enough,” Amy said.
“Rule Two. No communicating with me when—”

Enough Female! I will
abide by no more of your absurd rules. Have you no idea of the
being that speaks to you now? If you knew of my powers, you would
not quote moronic rules. You would fear me, and you would be wise
to do so.

In the mirror, a ghostly image of a
young man’s face replaced her own: rugged tanned complexion framed
by wild coal colored hair, jawline lean, cheek bones strong. The
visage was familiar but also unknown.

Fear me, Female and heed
my warnings. The Beast will come. And thou cannot reckon with the
Beast without my protection.

Either she had lost her
ever loving mind or was really, really, really insanely drunk.
Perhaps both. Regardless, she refused to be bullied by her own
psyche. Straightening, Amy said, “Rule Three.” The room spun. She
gripped the rim of the sink, steadying herself before continuing.
“I would appreciate a little courtesy. Does your mother approve of
how you speak to women?”

I sense
not.
The voice hesitated.
What is this courtesy you speak
of?

“
Instead of barking
orders, I would appreciate a ‘thank you’ or a ‘please’. And you
will not address me as female. My name is Amy or you can simply
refer to me as ma’am.”

Silence.

“
Are we clear?”

Yes.

Amy cupped her ear. “I’m
sorry. What’d ya say?” She heard a sigh.

Thou are the most ornery
Fem-, Ma’am, I have encountered in all my seasons.

“
Rule Four. You will not
speak to me when I’m being...intimate with my boyfriend
Shane.”

It is grossly improper to
speak of such things! To say the least with your...this rule I will
certainly follow, as long as your safety is not at risk.

“
Good. We just might be
able to coexist. Now answer me just one dang question. Who the heck
are you?”

The
image in the mirror wavered like frail branches in the wind and an
animalistic mask covered the young boy’s rugged face.
Behold, I am the Dark Trinity!

Amy waited inside her
Escort outside Roxy’s until school bus number 71 pulled into the
parking lot. Scooter exited the bus. His brown hair was unkempt,
and his polo shirt wrinkled, not typical of Scooter’s usual neat
style. He climbed into the passenger side of her car, scowl on his
face.

“
How was
school?”

Scooter glanced at her, suspicion in
his eyes.

That
wasn’t really what she wanted to ask and he probably knew it. She
really wanted to ask:
Did anyone stuff you
in a locker or make you eat ABC gum. Or Heaven forbid, did anyone
put a cigarette out in your hair again?

“
I want my own car.” he
said.

“
Maybe you should think
about getting a job. I can talk to Carmen and see if they need a
workhand on the chicken farm.”

Scooter let out a huff.
“That’s disgusting. Those places stink worse than paper
mills.”

“
You have to start
somewhere.”

Scooter folded his arms
against his chest. “Shane could give me the Jalopy and buy himself
a new truck.”

Amy bit her lower lip.
Scooter was about to graduate high school and hadn’t worked a day
in his life. Part of her felt worried for him since he didn’t seem
worried for himself; but another part of her wanted to see him get
his hands dirty. She decided to change the topic. “Mrs. Wright came
into the diner today. You’re not being mean to her daughter, are
you?”

“
I’m usually the one
taking the beatings, I’d never bully anyone else.” He hesitated.
“But what does Joanne expect? I mean who’s dumb enough to get
pregnant at sixteen?”

“
Lots of kids make dumb
mistakes,” Amy said. “But you won’t be one of them. You’re too
smart for that. Right?”

“
I have a summer project,”
Scooter said abruptly. “It’s on the effects of animal behavior in
relation to moon phases. If I complete it before July then my
science teacher will write me a reference letter for
UCLA.”

“
Interesting,” Amy
said.

“
UCLA professors won’t
help but be impressed.”

“
Are you sure you won’t
miss Buckeye if you head out west?”

“
The only thing I’m gonna
miss about this place is you.”

“
Well isn’t that sweet.”
Amy smiled. “I bet Abe would be perfect for helping you out on that
project.”

Scooter’s eyes grew wide.
“Really? Isn’t he crazy and a drunk?”

“
I don’t think he’s a
drunk,” Amy said with certainty.

“
The guy’s kind of a
weirdo.”

“
People say that a lot
about me, too.” She patted his jean-clad thigh. “But you still like
me.”

He gave her a sidelong
glance, grinning. “That’s true.”

“
Come on, we’re gonna go
see Abe right now. I need some worms. Your brother’s coming home
early.”

“
They fire
him?”

She’d been wondering the
same thing but hadn’t the nerve to text Shane and find out. “I hope
not.”

Scooter said, “I got a new
board game called Knight City. You want to try it out
later?”

“
I would love
to.”