Of Royal Descent (30 page)

She covered a smile and said, "Well, there's no reason you can't do a shot of mouthwash."

I tossed the wrecked toothbrush into the trash and grabbed the Listerine from the counter.  I swished as I ran a brush through my damp hair.  When I was done, I turned to Jenny for approval.

She nodded.  "You still clean up nicer than most guys I know," she smiled.  "Now, as for your room..." she trailed off, letting her gaze wander.

I grunted.  What was she expecting?  I turned into a freaking zombie.  Maybe "Old Doyle" had been bordering on obsessive-compulsive, but "New Doyle" was slightly preoccupied by things other than a tidy prison.

"Fine," she said, gauging my reaction.  "I suppose it can wait.  Go lock up in your thing, or whatever it is that
you do so I can bring you some breakfast before Addy comes down."

Now we were talking. 
I hurried to my manacles and pressed into them.

Jenny brought down a plate of raw meat.
My eagerness dissipated.

"Yeah, sorr
y, but it was either bring down leftover steaks or handle a cage of rats.  So as you can see, I never really had a choice," she explained. 

She set the plate down and backed out of the cell.  Jenny released me and I slipped from the wall and approache
d my breakfast.

"Do try and keep yourself presentable.  You look like a respectable zombie now," she said with a serious expression.

I growled.

"Someone's a little grumpy," she replied. 

I hunched over the plate and ate my meal delicately, as if I were having tea and cakes with the Queen.  Jenny smiled as I stuck out my right pinky finger while nibbling the end of the steak. 

At least one of us is amused
, I grumbled to myself.

I stomached the rest of the meat and went to wash my hands.  When I returned, Jenny was staring at me earnestly.

"Would you really kill me if I let you out?"

I inhaled deeply and considered the question.  I didn't think I would, but how could I know for sure
?  The third shade was different than the second shade.  I did feel more like myself, more in control.  That is, until a live sheep was loosed into my pen.  Maybe if I were free to roam, it would be the same with humans.  Maybe I would be crazed with hunger for anyone within my grasp. 

The truth was, I wanted to say no, but I wasn't willing to bet on it.  Not yet.

"Open don't cage," I spat out.  Jenny looked at me with large eyes.

"I won't.  But I don't think you would hurt me.  Hurry up and learn it for yourself so we can let you
out, okay?"

I stared at her.  I missed my sister.  I missed my family.  I missed my old life. 
A sadness filled me as I remembered my last words to Chuck.  Maybe Kai was right about me too.  I certainly had been a jackass that day.  Maybe I could send an apology to Chuck through Addy when I figured out how to shade to human form again. 

I straightened my posture and ran a blue hand through my hair.  Addy's scent in the air alerted me to her presence on the stairs.  Jenny gave me a thumbs
-up as Addy, carrying a stack of books, came into view.

"Good morning," she smiled.

I smiled back, feeling my razor teeth fan out wide over my bottom lip.  I stopped smiling instantly and looked down, self-conscious. 

Both girls pretended not to notice.

"I've brought some books I thought we could use to help find your safe word," Addy said, getting comfortable on the couch that faced my room.  She placed the stack beside her.  "Which would you like to start with?  The dictionary, the baby name book, or the atlas of US cities?"

"I'll leave you guys to it," Jenny said with a wink at me and headed for the upstairs.

23

I
approached the bars slowly as not to startle Addy and sank down to the floor to sit across from her.

The baby name book seemed the least helpful option of the three.  I figured if my safe word had been a name, it surely had been a name I'd already considered.  The dictionary seemed daunting enough to make me choose the third option. 

"Map," I stammered. 

"Atlas it is," she said, letting her eyes roll over me slowly.  "You look cute, by the way," she added with a half-smile.

My heart skipped a beat, and I started to smile back until I remembered the effect it had on my teeth.

She pulled the atlas onto her lap and flipped to the back.  "An index has never been so handy. 
Abbeville?  Aberdeen?  Abilene?"  She looked up from the page, marking where she left off with her index finger.

I exhaled.  This was going to be a long day.  I concentrated, one at a time, on each of the names before shaking my head.

"Abingdon?  Abington?  Absecon?"

Again, I shook my head no.

She was relentless as we delved through the index.  It was quite some time later, and after lunch, that we found ourselves in the P's. 

"Pflugerville?
  Pharr?  Phelps?"

No, no, and no. 
I was trying not to get frustrated, but this was getting us nowhere.

"Philadelphia? 
Philipstown?"

I shook my head no.  I was thinking of suggesting another break when Addy
called out the next two cities.

"Phillipsburg?  Phoenix?"

Instantly, I felt a jolt.  There was a weird connection to the word Phoenix. 
Why?
  I'd never been there before, or any part of Arizona for that matter.  I had no relatives or friends there.  And yet something felt strangely familiar about the word. 

Addy looked hopeful as she registered my reaction.  I closed my eyes and concentrated. 
Phoenix.
  I willed my mind and body to relax. 
Phoenix.

"Doyle?"  Addy asked, disbelieving.  I opened my eyes and saw large crystal tears sliding down her cheeks.  I looked down and saw that I was human, at least in appearance, once more.

I smiled and took delight that my human teeth held their position. 

"Addy, it's me.  It's really me," I said, touching my chest.  I stared at my hands, once again flesh-colored with healthy nail beds. 

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I feel great.  Well, I me
an, I'm hungry, but I'm always hungry.  Otherwise, I feel really good."

She withdrew from the couch and made her way toward me.  I stood up and she stopped short.

"Can I - is it possible for me to touch you?" she asked, more hope than fear in her voice.

I shrunk away as if I'd been struck.  "No, don't."

Despite my rejection, Addy's smile remained plastered to her face.  "I'll get Stephen!" she shouted, turning and taking the stairs two at a time.

Instantly, I heard a commotion and several footsteps descending at once.  The basement filled with every household occupant, even Kai, which surprised me.  I had assumed she had left with Chuck, wherever he might have gone.

"This is great," Stephen said enthusiastically, "What was your word?"

"Phoenix," I replied.

More than one set of eyebrows furrowed. 

"I have no idea," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"As in the bird?" Gretchen asked.

"Oh, maybe, I don't know.  Neither city nor bird are meaningful at all to me," I answered.

"All that matters is that you found it," said Russell, nodding approvingly.

"Alright, everyone upstairs
.  I want to get started," said Stephen, ushering everyone back the way they'd came.  "Russell, bring the sheep."

My mouth watered instinctively, just as if he had rung Pavlov's bell.  My heartbeat sped up
, and I cracked my knuckles sharply.  I could feel the tips of my teeth just below the surface, ready to spring free at any moment.

"Doyle, this time, I want you to stay human for as long as possible.  The goal being five minutes," Stephen said
as my father vacated the room.

Five freaking minutes?!
 
"I can't," I sputtered, shaking my head.

"Yes, you can
, and you will because the alternative is spending forever in a cage, separated from those you love," he said firmly.

Russell returned with the animal and though hesitant, I took my place at the restraints.  The sheep was released into my cell
, and I was freed. 

Stephen had been right.  I could think more clearly in a human mind, but it still wasn't easy.  I ran to the furthest corner and tried breathing through my mouth, in hopes the delectable scent of fear and flesh would lessen.  No such luck.  I rubbed my forehead against the brick wall.

"Four more minutes," Stephen said.

The sheep began to bleat
, and I could feel my skin burning.  My body was trying to shade against my will.  As unpleasant a situation as I found myself in, it was nothing compared to restraining myself as a royal.  I gritted my teeth and fought the sensation to shade.  I pressed my forehead harder into the brick.

"Three more minutes."

Phoenix
.  I didn't know why that, above all other words, was my safe word, but I used it to my advantage.  I focused on the word itself, because visualizing a city in the dry desert did nothing to calm me. 
Phoenix.
  I annunciated each syllable, stressing the long e sound. 

"Two more minutes."

I could feel a trickle of blood run down my forehead as my flesh grated against the wall like sandpaper. 
Phoenix
.  It became my mantra, and by the smallest of fractions, my desire to slaughter lessened. 

Phoenix
.  I exhaled and dropped to a crouch.  Not because I was stalking, but because it took less energy and was more comfortable than standing erect.  I breathed small, shallow breaths against the brick.

"Doyle, that's time.  You're done," said Stephen, the pride evident in his voice.

"Take it out," I said, keeping my eyes closed and head facing the wall.

There was a pause while Stephen tried to make sense of my directions.

"Take it out!  Now!" I screamed. 

Footsteps were light and quick as they unlocked my cell.  For the first time since the day I died, a human entered my cell without shackling me to the wall first.  I
knew it was Russell, because I detected movement of his scent.  The animal was shepherded out, and the door was again locked.

"Are you alright?" asked Stephen as both Russell and sheep made their way safely upstairs.

I opened my eyes and sucked in air.  "Peachy."

After a moment to compose myself, I rose to face my doctor.  "Sorry.  I just wanted to know if I could do it...  Send it away."

Stephen sat on the arm of the couch.  "I get it," he nodded.  "And that's great.  But I don't want you to get cocky and think the worst is over.  Not tearing into a food source when you are prepared for the temptation is one thing.  But when you are no longer in a controlled environment, it will be the sudden and surprising availability that will be the hardest to dismiss."

I acknowledged him with a nod.

"Okay," he said, finding a renewed optimistic tone, "Next, I want you to shade on demand for me."

"Isn't the goal for me
not
to shade?" I asked.

Stephen peered at me through the bars.  "Your diet is totally consistent of meat.  In order to eat, you'll need your teeth, which means you'll need to learn to shade.  The more you practice shading back and forth, the more proficient at it you will become."

I shrugged.  "Okay," I said, not convinced.  It didn't seem to me that I had any problems turning into a monster, but I was determined to follow his instructions precisely.  After all, he knew my condition better than I did.

We stood staring at each other. 

"Anytime now," he said, smiling.

"I'm getting there," I scolded. 
Hmm
. 
Okay, NOW!
  I braced myself, but nothing happened.  I squeezed my eyes tight and concentrated. 
And... Zombify! 
I assessed my appearance.  My chest remained as apricot as the Crayola crayon likewise named.

I glanced up to find Stephen looking amused.  I rolled my eyes and switched mental gears.  I tried working myself up in a rage, but there wasn't anything at that moment I found particularly distressing. 

"If I may offer a suggestion?" Stephen posed.

"I'm listening."

"Think about me kissing Addy and how you felt being forced to watch."

Before I could even conjure the full memory, the warmth spread through my body, bringing with it the all too familiar blue shade of royalty.

"Good, now shade again," said Stephen, calmly, pulling an apple from out of nowhere and rubbing it on his sleeve.

Phoenix. 
Fee-nicks.
  I was in human form again before Stephen took the first bite from his apple.

"Again," he said, crunching into the fruit.

By the time Stephen had worked his snack to its core, I had lost count of how many shadings I had forced myself through.

We paused for an early dinner before continuing with training.  Stephen focused primarily on control, finding a way to infuse it into almost every drill he threw at me.  Even learning to walk the ceiling skillfully had the added distraction of rats
crawling the floor beneath me. 

"You will always be hungry.  Get used to it.  You're gonna need to learn how to concentrate on the task at hand," lectured Stephen after I failed my first two attempts and lunged to the floor to seek out the food.

"Again," he said.  After three successive successful attempts, we moved on.

Hour after hour, drill after drill, I could feel my confidence in control growing.  Stephen had me remain in human form despite severe hunger temptations and attempts on his part to induce rage.  He gave me pointers on stalking, how to interact with other royals, and how not to kill my partner during mating. 

When the day finally came to a close, I was exhausted.  I sat facing my cage bars, back to the wall.

"
Why can I feel all sensations except for pain?" I asked.

"It's a self-defense mechanism of the virus.  Without it, you would be in constant, horrific pain.  The
body isn't able to adapt, so the virus shuts off the sensory controls in the brain."  He sat across from me on the couch, the side of his foot resting on the knee of his other leg.

I thought for a moment before asking my next question.  I had been avoiding it for too long and couldn't put it off any longer.

"Where's Chuck?"  I eyed Stephen who returned my gaze.

"He went to the Oak Ridge clinic to receive the cure."  He answered.

"Oh, I wasn't aware it was fully developed yet."

He closed his eyes and settled back into the couch cushion.  The long day had also taken its toll on him. 

"It's in the testing stages.  As you can imagine, there aren't a whole lot of dormant virus recipients running around.  Chuck offered to be their first trial."

It was Stephen's countenance, more than his
words, that left me with a feeling of uneasiness.  My mind's eye searched the recesses of my zombie knowledge to find a reason for the feeling of impending doom.  But finding none, I judged it to be directly correlated to the feeling of guilt I harbored from our last meeting.

I mentally dusted the apprehension from my palms and let relief take its place. 
This was good news, right?
  Chuck would be returning, no harm, no foul.  I could apologize to him directly, and a sliver of my old life could settle back into place. 

"I suppose we're through for today," Stephen said, rising from his seat.  He flashed me a small grin.  "You did well. 
Tomorrow, same time."

I nodded
, and he disappeared around the corner.  I sat in silence for a moment before I realized no one was coming down to keep watch on the night shift.  Settling into bed, I reached for the portable CD player and let Addy's choice of music lull me to sleep.

The CD had played out when I was awoken by a frantic Addy at my cell door.  It was dark, but even through my half-asleep state of
mind, I could recognize her by scent.  I rushed the door. 

"What is it?  What's wrong?"  I could just make out her form a few feet in front of me.

"Shh, we have to be quiet.  Your parents don't want you to know," she sobbed in a quiet whisper.

My sixth sense was now officially sounding the alarm
, and I fought the urge to shade.