*1*
This wasn’t happening she couldn’t actually be standing here listening to this. Of all the crazy things, why on earth would they care? But here she was, in some strange parallel universe. There sat those voices, everything was white or crystal. They were sitting on thrones but the light coming from them made it impossible for her to see them. Shining purple was the female one, shining green the male. She had been zapped there the second she had entered her hotel room.
. . .and utter foolishness.
And for this simple fact you force our hand.
What we do now is not a punishment but a lesson.
You should not fear unless you fail. Then it shall remain.
You shall be stripped of your powers, lest three of your choosing.
You shall only tell three people of this task, choose wisely. All others who learn of this not uttered from your lips shall know until they, speak your name or see your face.
Do not attempt to tell more as this will result in failure of your task and removal of all your powers leaving you to live your days as purely mortal.
We know the dangers you face in your life and have no interest of you being left defenseless. No magic but our own can touch you until the allotted time passes.
As for the task in itself, do not let its simplicity fool you. Your task is to learn the orgies of the earth and in turn of us. Do not be distracted by science or what you have been taught to believe. The secret is there, waiting for you.
Your allotted time is until the new year. Once the ball of your city drops you will be brought back here, you will present your answer and if it is satisfactory you will be returned to you former self.
If you believe you find the answer before hand you may present it to us with no penalty upon yourself if you are wrong.
Please step forward onto the image of the sun.
How had she not noticed it before? There in front of her in all its golden glory was the sun. it looked like a glass mosaic merging different styles of drawing the sun. it had pointy edges, snake like tendrils, and straight lines representing beams of light. She stood and was washed in a golden glow. Every part of her body started to hurt, her legs felt like Jell-O. Even keeping her eyes open felt like too hard a task to accomplish.
She sank to her knees without even realizing it. And she saw it, the physical essence of her powers. Black and white swirly liquid. And there was something pulsing in the center red orange and yellow it looked like a tiny bird. She reached for her neck with a labored effort and saw that the Phoenix pendant was gone. In its pace she held an Amethyst and Emerald pendant designed in the Ying Yang pattern. The two smaller circles were some sort of capsule filled on one side with green liquid and purple on the other.
In your hand is your protection. No magic will touch you as long as you wear it and like your pendant it is irremovable.
To home we send you now. Returning Satana here. Know what she did there
Three to aid you, three to guide you, there to watch you.
Know you life you must live. A day is still a day, a night still a night. Time we won’t alter if you fail or get it right.
Foolish to get it right and lose what’s dear in your life. Foolhardy to get in wrong and have no one to hear your sorrowful song.
Believe in where you belong. Know that there will be test along the way. Boons gained for going the right way.
Challenges right and left. Fear not and know the power is not what gives you the strength to fight.
Failure is not defeat. The truth in the end, nothing can strip you of who you are and nothing can stop what you will be.
Pyra vanishes and Satana appears. She looks at Pyra’s powers and the three little stoppers that will vanish once she chooses a power to have. What if she doesn’t find the truth?
We are not infallible. We believe she is who she should be and that she will be the last hope for the world.
We see far but we do not see all. There are many roads which she may still take but all begin with this task and her seeing some truth of her fate.
Failure is a path we see, but we see success in three.
She has the power to win. A gift we did not give, she’ll see the truth and in hate the road to hope will begin. She has gifts she did not lose, images she can use.
In hate?
Pure love and pure hate, pure love will be the key pure hate will set it free. But all this at a later date. If she follows the successful road of her fate.
Satana nods and wonders if there was something above the elders. Close to 7,000 earth years old and she was but a child to them.
*2*
Pyra arrives in her room exhausted. She’s glad she’s on the bed because moving was not an option. Edge was walking past her in a towel. He was getting dressed rather nicely actually, where was he off to? What did she care really, he was being a total butt anyway. Edge turns and sees Pyra on the bed in a fetal position and is surprised.
“God! Well get up, you want to miss Jeff’s birthday?” Pyra closes her eyes when she realizes even talking is beyond her. “I don’t care if your talking to me or not. He’s your friend too. Get up!”
Pyra tries and gets the one word she needs to out in a whisper and closes her eyes again. “No.”
“No? I can’t believe you’re being this stupid.” As usual even without powers her rage gives her strength.
“Get out! And stay out! Bastard!”
“Fine! I don’t need this!” Edge says muttering bitch on his way out slamming the door. He meets JC in the hall and JC looks at the door.
“I’m guessing Pyra’s back,” He says.
“Yeah.”
“Is she coming?”
“No.” Edge says going downstairs. JC goes into Pyra’s room after a light knocking.
“Pyra? Hey I know you and Edge aren’t having the best of times right now but you’ve been gone almost two weeks. Everyone would like to see you.”
“Tired.” She whispers and closes her eyes.
“Well you do look a little beat. Okay I’ll tell everyone.”
“Coffin.” JC looks at the end of the bed and opens Pyra’s coffin and sees a large birthday bag with a card on top that says Jeff. JC pulls it out, and sees something underneath it also wrapped. He lifts it and sees a tag that says Nausi and puts it back.
“Okay I’ll give this to him. I’ll check on you later.”
Pyra finally falls asleep in her room to the hum of the air conditioner. She wakes the next morning exhausted. She’s still tired and sits up dizzy. So she lies back down and wakes again in the afternoon freezing. She coughs and sniffles and is shocked. Sniffling? Coughing? What the hell?
She looked at the other side of her 1:45pm she was still tired so she just went back to sleep after pulling her sheets over her. When she woke up it was 2:15 and she realizes it’s the morning. She’s surprised that no one woke her. She feels awake so she sits up and the entire room spins. Her stomach lurches and she runs into the bathroom. She’s throwing up for about five minutes when she hears someone behind her. She turns and sees a sleepy eyed JC. He says nothing and helps her stand. She splashes some water in her face and follows him downstairs. He makes her some tea and pours himself some also.
“You missed a good time, you know you’ve been asleep for two days?”
“I guess,” Pyra says wondering why it hurts so much to talk and swallow.
“You sound weird.” JC says.
“It hurts to swallow and I can’t breathe through my nose.”
“You mean you’re sick? What happened to you?”
“A whole lot. Well you’re the best secret keeper I know. Let’s go to your cave,” Pyra says talking into her cup.
They go down into the one place Mystic doesn’t have camera’s. Usually she doesn’t care but Mystic is the one person she didn’t need to know this. She already claims (key word claims) to be stronger than Pyra was. Now she actually was. Pyra was being a little paranoid and wondering if Mystic was just lying. She wouldn’t put it past her sinister friend to lie about that.
Josh must have sensed it he magnetized the room which meant all electrical devices were short circuited. Pyra still wondered if she had a magical backup, its what she would do but decides she’s being immensely paranoid, besides the elders had said anyone who didn’t hear it from her lips wouldn’t remember. But that was the problem she would hear it from her lips if she caught it on tape.
Pyra walks right back out of the cave and JC follows confused. She goes to the park and sits on a swing. She finally tells JC the whole story and he’s in shock. Glad he wasn’t one of those people who would say I told you so he instead gave her a hug. He is thinking about everything she said and then realizes something. Pyra wore sweaters and coats because that was what people expected. She loved winter and putting her air conditioner on super high and sleeping in a tank top. She was already sick.
She needed someone to watch her. Why did she have to be fighting with Edge now? She was shivering. He took off the top part of his Pajama’s. Leaving him freezing in his wife beater, Pyra gives it right back and he shakes his head. They finally end up sharing it on the walk back to their house (you know we skinny enough to do it). Their walk is captured by a raven swooping around the property. A small digital camera around its neck it does one more swoop then heads to its home, on the right side of here.
The next morning Mystic is eating breakfast right through her birds night vision. She’s fast forwarding through hoping to catch a glimpse of that hottie Fabian. He always seemed to go out at night if at all. She’s about to give up when she notices a glimpse of something strange. She rewinds and sees JC and Pyra walking sharing JC’s shirt. Pyra always said she was cold but never did anything about it. This was just another excuse to get close to her JC. On no she didn’t. Well that just didn’t work. She picked up the phone and dialed Pyra’s house. JC answered. “Hey Caterpillar, JC says smiling as he pours some Tylenol cold medicine. He puts it on a tray along with some tomato soup and starts climbing the stairs.
“Don’t hey me. What’s going on with you and Pyra.” JC almost drops the tray at her door.
“Nothing,” He stammers.
“Sure, I saw you two in the park at two in the morning!”
“It was. . .nothing . . .you’re over reacting.”
“Let me talk to Edge,” Mystic says annoyed.
“Okay,” JC goes to the guest room Edge used back for that one night or something when they weren’t sleeping together. After all this time he had taken the same one again. He knocked on the door floating the metal tray. Edge opens it and takes the phone which JC practically flings at him. He couldn’t help it he was biased, he was on Pyra’s side. And then there was the weird hold Mystic had over him. Spending two weeks at her house and going with her places all the time. He then goes to bring Pyra her breakfast and medication.
“Hello?” Edge says.
“Hello there Edge.”
“Oh hey Mystic,” Edge says lifelessly. Not that he would admit it but fighting with Pyra depressed him. If she wasn’t so damn stubborn he wouldn’t be in that stupid little room now. “What did you say?” “I said it’s that time of the year again. Its fortnight time.”
“Oh, right now?”
“Yea. Now you are so blond.”
“Whatever. That it?”
“Yeah.”
Edge hung up but wasn’t about to admit he was kinda glad to be going. He didn’t like hanging around and every time he and Pyra crossed paths it was time for another round. He was glad he had taken all hi clothes out while she was sleeping. At least he wouldn’t have to go back in there. And why was JC bringing her breakfast in bed. He was the one who had to pay for every weird thing that they did together. And JC shouldn’t be around his girlfriend like that anyway. Edge almost laughed for a second he had been jealous of JC. Of all the guys in Pyra’s life JC was about as dangerous as Lucky.
He packed a small over night bag with only the basics, under ware, toothbrush, comb, towel, and socks. According to Mystic the only time he dressed well (sometimes) was on air. He had to do what she said so he wore what she wanted. But he wondered if it wasn’t to torment Pyra more. She loved to see him in all black and leather. Well he was all for tormenting her. She deserved to feel bad, acting like a spoiled little princess wanting everyone to wait on her hand and foot? She could pull that stuff on JC and Lucky but not him he was gone.
He walked out not saying goodbye, not even to JC. He arrived at Mystic’s house and she was in duck pajamas and ushered him inside. He followed him and saw Dominic sitting on the couch watching TV. He gave Edge a weird look and walked over to his soon to be wife.
“I thought you didn’t like him that much or at all really.” Mystic shakes her head smiling and turns to Edge.
“Sit.”
“Wait, I want to ask you something.”
Edge goes on to sort of describe the current problem with Pyra leaving out everything switching related. And ends it by saying. “And what if the person you were with kept going to someone else to share everything with?”
The sinister wheels are spinning in Mystic’s head before she answers. Because she knows what she’d do and she knows Edge is talking about him and Pyra. What fun was a fortnight if they were fighting? But maybe she could show Edge a few sinister tricks. He could be evil when you pissed him off. This fortnight could be very fun indeed.
*3*
As Mystic is plotting against her friend, she is again having her hair held behind her as she throws up again. He steps out to let her wash her face and brush. When she walks back into her room JC is packing up the remnants of the meal.
“Okay, you’re really sick. What did you do besides place your air conditioner on below freezing?”
“I don’t know, go away.”
“Get dressed I’ll be back in twenty minutes. Twenty!” JC says and walks out to change also.
Pyra slowly wiggles out of her PJ bottoms then pulls open her closet and pulls on some sweat pants. She looks at her black tank top. Thank God it had a built in bra, any more movement right now was not needed. The door opened, JC was back already? It didn’t seem like twenty minutes. She looked up.
“Lucky?”
“Hey,” he says sitting down on the floor next to her. He puts his head in her lap and she plays with his short hair. “Been back long?”
“Couple days. And where were you?”
“I met another girl but I got bored. So I left,” Lucky says.
“Yeah, don’t tell me these things anymore.”
“She liked whipped cream,” Lucky says.
“Cat!”
“On her ice cream that’s how we met. Do I look like you and your blond freak?”
“Shut up, Lucky.” He sniffs the air then Pyra.
“Why are you smelling me?”
“Um . . .I’m not sure. Aw forget it.”
Pyra just didn’t understand her cat sometimes. The best she could figure was that when he was a boy he had boy feelings and as a cat, cat ones and everything else just got weirdly smushed together. A little like Shannon and his super nose and hearing no matter what. And if that was true it kinda explained his hoe ways as a boy and his slight obsession with Princess as a cat. Some things just got a little mixed up. Pyra leaned down and kisses his pink cheek. Unbelievable he had just fallen asleep in her lap. Now if he was a cat she could just lift him up but he was in a boy phase. She had about as much hope of lifting him as she did big show.
She was still twirling his hair as JC walked in. “So he’s back? What does he do?”
“You really don’t want to know, could you just put him in my bed?” JC easily lifts the boy easily and drops him on the bed. Pyra looked at the two of them, they looked nothing alike, if it was possible Lucky was smaller then JC and white as snow. Why her cat’s boy form was so pale she wasn’t sure, throw in the dark hair and the green eyes and it was an interesting combo. Then there was JC light but not ghastly pale like Lucky. And she really wanted to do something about his starved look. Why wouldn’t his cheeks fill out?
“You ready? You don’t have any metal weighing you down.” JC says.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Doctor, duh you can’t just throw up all day. Hey could you be pregnant? Don’t girls throw up a lot during that?”
“Josh!”
“What? You don’t soundproof! And you and Edge aren’t exactly chaste.”
“We believe in brownies!”
A spy is watching this as it happens, Mystic looked at it again. Pyra Cordy? Well they were both freaks.
Edge walked in looking evil. All black, leather pants and a black sleeveless shirt. Unlike Pyra, she liked him in clothes, he looked okay dressed, none of those veins. He took off the sunglasses and Mystic shook her head. He put them back on and sat down. Glad that she didn’t have him in the jacket or tights, he waited. He started thinking about Pyra and what Mystic had said. He wondered what her plan would do besides tick Pyra off.
*3*
Over in California Evan was reading a letter it had come attached to a large manila envelop. Sitting in his hotel room sipping tea. In only one of the best hotels, on the shore, only the best for the Talamasca. He had ripped open the letter he still hadn’t opened the envelope.
Evan,
As you know Alan Whitman was on this case until his death from unrelated causes. He also had made a request to contact Pyra. While we are cautionary on this notion, Pyra, while an extremely powerful witch she does not seem to pose a danger to anyone who doesn’t threaten her. She lives her life constantly in the public eye. It is still undetermined if she used her powers to gain her fame but it is obvious no normal person could do so many things so well. But we have evidence of her learning each skill. So it is left as one of her many mysteries, like her British origins. Enclosed is the transcribed file on Pyra from the miracle of her birth up to and including your last entries. We shall leave the decision of contact up to you but make well to inform us before hand.
Always Yours in the
Talamasca,
Marie Claire
He finally decided to open the envelope after re reading the letter. According to the Talamasca his powers of empathy were unparallel. He was also one of the youngest field members and the main reason he was chosen, Pyra didn’t fair well with those older than her. Also his appearance may have helped, blond hair that fell into his eyes, Grey blue eyes, 150 pounds of book worm on 6’2” and a newly acquired tan. He fit the description of Pyra’s preferred man and believed that could have been the final straw in his going. He started reading from the first page though he had read this article before.
Transcribed from: The New York Post August 11, 1976 (note this article was on the reverse of an article sent to us for another case)
Miracle mom survives hell to give birth to angel
An unidentified woman, one of the many fatalities of the British Airways crash survived by clinging to a piece of wreckage in the throws of labor. She was rushed to the hospital where the doctors performed an emergency C-section. She gave birth to a baby girl of 8 pounds 13 ounces and remarkably healthy. The mother survived long enough to entrust an heirloom for her daughter to the staff begging it be placed on the child. This was done to calm the irate woman. But sadly she perished shortly after never having the chance to even name her child. Contact is being made to see if her family can be found via the heirloom, which had been impossible to remove from the child but as of yet no one has come forward.
Transcribed From: The New York Post, August 13, 1976
Miracle birth or hell spawn?
The baby that miraculously survived the trauma of a plane crash maybe more then the staff at Mercy Hospital bargained for. It is rumored that fires have started around the crib of the baby when it was hungry or needed changing. At first the fires would burst in random places, but it is said now it constantly appears under the baby (which we have nicked named Carrie) causing nurses to fear little Carrie. They want it gone and it has already been placed to be adopted. at this point Evan was wondering how Pyra had shed these binds and they had never been dug up fame was a double edged sword. The baby is fair skinned with black hair and brown eyes. Fair skinned? He knew Pyra was in appearance African American, something had changed he turned the pages and read an adoption report that described Pyra’s being moved so to some sort of orphanage for a night and having the fastest adoption in the places history. The note makes him wonder, (The care taker at the agency retired the same day Pyra was adopted claiming she didn’t want to deal with any more demons) Following is an interview with the newly retired caretaker.
Approached by an investigator posing as a reporter who wanted to speak about her career and after a few drinks.
“I tell you that child was the devil.”
“How so?”
“The things that happened. Her bottle floating through the air, floating!”
“You actually saw this?”
“Twice! And that wasn’t the worst of it. The fires all the fires. The devil is in that child and I was glad to be rid of her. To the first set I found a brute of a man and such a Strong woman. I almost felt bad for them. But I couldn’t take it anymore. She had to go and you know what?”
“What?
“She wanted to go. The moment she saw him she started screaming. The fire started again and he lifted her and poof it was gone just like that and she was laughing in his arms.”
“I see.”
“Mark my words that child will return to haunt the world.”
Most of Pyra’s early life was bland and nothing of magical note happened. At least not seen by any member of the Talamasca or its affiliates. It was starting to be believed that the mother’s spirit had caused the disturbances. Some spirits can be quite powerful and once adopted she felt her job was done. But when she was 12 a series of events proved us wrong. We had nearly closed the file on her, leaving her only as a possible member of the Talamasca once she was of age.
That summer she visited family in Canada, at her arrival a large portion of the lake evaporated, causing it to pour. Anywhere she went was cloudy. Then there was a raging storm that stopped when approached by her father what started it is still unclear. Later on there were explosions in her high school when fighting with a friend’s boyfriend. Glass shattered and exploded in every direction, but that was the last know uncontrolled outburst.
It should be stated that Pyra was never suspected for these outbursts herself. Always describe as sweet and quiet even by the boy she had been fighting with. With fear of this gift coming out there we approached her father finally. The man was adamant and refused to cooperate. Banning us from contacting his daughter or ever approaching him again.
Pyra continued her education, having a love of archeology, myth and history. Strangely enough she studied Psychology but declined the extra year it would take moving at her accelerated speed to earn a doctorate. She had a difficulty with language but that was typical with most Americans. Her choice in career was shocking to say the least and the fact that she has branched off into so may other fields shows something of the natural skills she has.
Evan glad that it’s a summary of the file to refresh his memory wants to remember to thank Marie. the next few pages were his full report on what he saw and interviews from the, officers, even the alleged thief who would tell anyone who would listen what he saw that night. Even those last speedily copied pages, when that strange fear of being watched overcame him. Well reading this just convinced him all the more. He pulls out a sheet of the hotel stationary and starts writing.
Marie, I have re read the file on Pyra (thank you) and it has reinforced my decision to approach her. I will be flying out to New York today and approaching her in a public place first. As she has partaken in the production of ‘Anne Rice’ novels the name Talamasca will not be new to her. She will know and I hope this knowledge will let her open up to us. Fill in the holes in her life and let us learn more. Maybe she cam explain how it is she is the way she is.
Yours In the Talamasca,
Evan Potter
Pyra and JC return from the doctor to hear screaming. Pyra recognizes Lucky’s shrieks instantly and is running up the stairs. At the top of the stairs Pyra is joined by two familiar sights, Nausi and Mystic had also just arrives apparently Lucky’s cries for help had been loud enough to bring them also.
“Wait!” JC yells going after them thoughts of killers in his head.
She enters her room to see Edge standing over Lucky who’s covering his head, as Edge raises his arm for what Pyra can guess is another blow. “Shut up!” Edge is yelling as he brings his arm hard across Lucky’s face. He actually falls out of the bed from the blow and starts sobbing on the floor.
“Stop it!” Pyra shrieks as she starts to feel dizzy and leans against the wall. Edge turns as Lucky’s screams turn into sobs. “Haven’t you done enough damage?”
Edge turns surprised to see Pyra standing there. She looks a little out of breath from running up the stairs to protect her precious cat. He was actually second to a stupid cat! Yeah he didn’t feel bad about hitting him, the stupid cat deserved it. There she was standing between the two of them, yelling at him.
“Well if the stupid cat would just shut up!” Edge roars and Lucky’s sobs get louder.
“Why the hell are you here? Did you come just to finish off a defenseless cat? What kind of monster are you?”
“Monster?! I didn’t come here to attack your fucking cat!”
“So Lucky is just screaming help for the hell of it? I imagined you hitting him so hard he fell off the bed?”
“Look that cat is just a retard! Its not even a real person!” Edge says starting to walk out over to where Lucky is. An energy ball streaks past him clearly a warning shot but he continues to advance and receives a crippling blow to the knee. Nausi seems to be contemplating kicking him again.
“Get out! Just go you disgusting piece of scum!” Edge looks about ready to smack Pyra and she steps closer to him as he stepped to his feet.
“I live here too.”
“Wrong! My house! You’re here under my good will! Consider your invitation revoked! And stay the hell away from Lucky!”
“You can’t just throw me out!”
“I can’t?” Pyra walks to his closet and pulls open the doors. The only thing in there are two shirts. She blinks but takes them anyway and throws them at him. “Out! Before I do something you’ll regret!” Edge storms out his shirts in his hands, even if she was enraged, nothing had even blown up. Last thing he needed was his girlfriend turning him into a toad or something. But he was still pissed off why the hell did she choose that cat over him?
With Edge gone Pyra crumpled as the others also left. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it and feel it clearly. She was dizzy and felt like she was going to vomit. She climbs onto the bed and gives Lucky a hug. After twenty minutes his sobs die down. He sits up wiping his green eyes.
“Wanna talk about it?” Lucky shakes his head no. Pyra goes into her bathroom and chooses her first power, healing. She fixes the bruises on his face and the bump he got on his head from falling.
Pyra sits there speechless and seethes. Edge doesn’t know how lucky he is she doesn’t have powers. Her powers on the other hand are still linked to her and are glowing blood red up with the elders. They are shaking violently and look about ready to explode out of their container. How could a person be so vicious? How could she possible love such a person? She really could choose them couldn’t she?
“He’s never coming near you again.”
“But, he’s your boyfriend, you said you wanted to marry him.”
“I say a lot of things, Lucky.” Pyra says closing her eyes.
There it went again, all those precious illusions in her head. Why did she keep picking up guys that had mental deficienes? Edge was some kind of crazy psycho that beats people. What the hell was she going to go out with next the reincarnation of Hitler?
“So what do you think of me being an old lady and her cat?”
“You’re not gonna get old.”
Pyra picked up the cordless in her room and heard voices. Oops JC was talking to someone. She hung up and picked up her cell. She calls Mystic.
“Pyra what the hell? I’m on the phone with JC.”
“Oh okay never mind.” She hangs up. Nausi wasn’t home, well maybe she was. She dials that number then hangs up she didn’t want to talk about this, she would just lie here and wallow in her misery with Lucky. She went to the bathroom popped two pills of some kind of medication and climbed into bed. Her fever was getting the better of her again.
“Lucky could you kitty out for me?”
“Why?” He asks with some fear in his voice.
“I want to hold something soft and fuzzy, you’re the best candidate.”
Lucky climbs out of the bed and pulls out a stuffed Garfield Pyra’s had for years from the back of her closet. He smiles as Pyra’s eyes widen in surprise.
“That’s right, I am king,” Lucky says and hands Pyra the teddy bear. This time he’s the one to give her a kiss on the cheek as she falls asleep. He was never becoming a cat again. No one could make him. Edge could come back anytime like he did today to hurt him. As a cat it would be too easy for him, JC taps him on the shoulder and his heart jumps into his throat.
“JC!” He exclaims startled.
“Yeah calm down, is Pyra sleeping?”
“Yeah and I gave her a teddy bear.”
“Ok.”
Two days Later a Saturday, Josh is going into the wine cellar to bring up a new crate of wine. Lucky having no idea that anything is wrong walks with him. He’s finally decided on a thank you gift for Mystic and Nausi protecting him from Edge. Girls except for Pyra liked flowers, so he would get Mystic’s favorite from Josh.
“What is Mystic’s favorite flower?”
“Why?”
“Oh you don’t know, its okay.”
“What?! Of course I know! Its black and blue roses.”
“Thanks.” Lucky says quietly going back into Pyra’s room and re emerging with a kitty bank. He goes down stairs and sits at the counter and turns the tail as the entire bottom fades away and tons of money falls out. Pyra put in pocket change all the time and that was anything from a few pennies to fifty dollar bills. He started separating everything into piles to count it.
Lucky finished in about twenty minutes. He had a stack of 112 ones, 76 fives, 32 twenties and one fifty. Lucky poured back in the 86 dollars in quarters dimes and nickels into the cat stuffed in the ones and fives took two twenties and the fifty. JC had just stared at the entire scene in disbelief.
“Pyra just gives you all that?”
“No if she needs some she’ll take it out. But for the most part I guess yeah.” Lucky picks up the phone and walks into the den. JC follows and Lucky pulls out the yellow pages and flips to f.
“I always wondered when did you learn to read?”
“Nowhere special.” Lucky say dialing a number. “Yeah, I want a dozen yellow roses and six blue and six black roses. Yeah you deliver right? Ok cool.” He hangs up and dials another number. “Hey. Yeah oh its Lucky a delivery guy with lots of roses will come soon. I’ll come and get the stuff in a little bit. Huh? Oh yeah she’s fine, sleeping now. Who? Oh okay I’ll come get them when the flowers come.”
“Who’s here?”
“Crack eyes.” JC rolls his eyes and pulls Lucky to the door. They walk to the gate and open it to let in Lance. Lucky’s whining gets them to stay until the flowers arrive. He gets JC to knock on the door. Dominic takes one look at the flowers in his hand and shakes his head.
“Its just Dominic,” JC says and Lucky steps in front of the door.
“ Give these to Mystic, they’re from me. Not JC so you don’t have to be all weird and jealous, you know Joshua is a nice person right? That he’s not all weird like those people on Passions, with the scheming and crap!”
“Lucky . . .” JC starts.
“Shh. I’m talking, you know even Paige is starting not to like Josh? What is wrong with you people?” Lucky says and storms off with the yellow roses.
“What was that?” Lance asks.
“I think he’s having more problems dealing with what happened then he wants to admit,” JC says talking more to Dominic.
“What happened to him?”
“Um . . . He was uh . . .”
Mystic walks to the door and takes the flowers. “How sweet. They’re my favorite too. Aw Lucky, where’d he go?” Mystic says sticking her head outside. “Hey there Lance.”
“Hey Mystic.”
“Back on Earth?”
“I haven’t been in space in years, I just work for NASA now. Not even I do commercials for their space camp. And those crappy video’s they show in schools. I feel like that guy from the Simpsons. Hi I’m Lance Bass you may remember me from such things as *Nsync, On The Line . . .”
“Then why do you do it,” Dominic asks.
“Oh it is really fun to do its just you know its cheesy. I think those actors who are the power rangers must feel like this. At least I’m gonna do a real movie.”
“About what?”
“Teen movie, type thing.”
“Well I’m gonna go now, bye guys,” JC says and Lance follows. JC stumbles a little.
“You okay?”
“Just tired,” JC says.
Over at Nausi’s Orlando had let in the cat boy and he had went straight into the kitchen where Nausi was making dinner. He hid the flowers behind his back and Nausi looked at him. “Surprise.” Her look of doubt is replaced by a smile. “Thank you Lucky.”
“You welcome.”
“Want some milk?” Lucky’s eyes light up as he nods. Nausi pours him a tall glass of milk and hands him a crazy straw. He’s almost as interested in watching the milk go round the straw as in drinking it.
“So where’s Pyra?”
“Sleeping, she’s sick.”
“Really? Maybe I’ll go see her.” Nausi says patting Lucky’s head. A shuffling is heard behind them, and Nausi looks up and stands between Lucky and Edge. “What the fudge do you want retard?”
“Him, Mys . . .” Nausi punches him in the eye. “Ow!”
“Get out! Are you out your fudging mind?” He takes a step forward and Nausi blows up an apple behind him. “Next is you!”
Edge not being a complete idiot leaves and goes back to Mystic’s. “I couldn’t get him.”
“Get who? What happened to your eye?”
“Lucky, Nausi punched me.”
“Why the Hell are you going near Lucky? Don’t be going near him, or I’ll kick your ass. You know what I’m not so sure about . . .” Mystic fades out and Edge shrugs as she is pulled up to the elders. “What the . . .”
*4*
Pyra comes down the stairs still in her pajama’s holding the Garfield. Lance and Lucky are sitting in the living room watching Scary Movie 3 on pay- per-view. JC had opted to go to bed early which meant he was drowning his sorrows as he thought about his life and went for the hard liquor, he felt worthless. Lance and Lucky both look over at her, and Lance thinks it’s the most adorable thing in the world.
“Want to join us?” Lance asks smiling. Lance makes room for her on the couch so she is between him and Lucky.
”Where’s Josh?” Pyra asks leaning on Lance.
“Sleeping,” Lucky says lifting her legs onto his lap. Pyra’s fever had already begun to break and she was actually up to seeing this movie again. The Garfield was dropped on the floor as she wrapped her arm tightly around Lance. They watched the movie laughing and all three of them stay up late into the night.
Pyra is the first to fall asleep. Lance carries her to bed with Lucky following. He remembers how JC usually does this so he walks back downstairs to the laundry room takes blankets and sheets and carries them back upstairs. He opens the door to an empty guest room and puts the stuff down. Lance had just finished tucking Pyra in and giving her a kiss on the cheek when Lucky approaches in his pajamas.
“I put sheets and stuff in a room, for you. The door is open,” Lucky says.
“Thanks, um where is he?”
“He who?”
“Her boyfriend. You know Edge.”
“She threw him out, today.” Lucky says.
“Really?” He asks a lot more interested.
“Yeah, you don’t have a chance, I’m going to sleep.” Lucky steps into Pyra’s room.
“Wait in there?”
“No on the window, yes in there.”
“But . . .”
“She doesn’t care. It’s a big bed and she really will sleep. I don’t want to . . .” Lucky was starting to sniffle and Lance remembered Pyra saying no matter how rude he was he was over sensitive. Then Lance realized he was afraid, to be alone.
“No, I was just wondering, Goodnight Lucky.”
“Goodnight.”
Mystic, who used the very angels to get her way.
Who’s power rivals that of hope.
A task, a favor we ask of you.
Too simple a task we gave Pyra to do.
Complications, stand in her way.
Keep her from the answers, powers can’t be won back that way.
Told for a lesson to be learned. For in truth lesson would be unearned.
Mystic stares, she can do little else. So these were the Elders Pyra was always answering to. Man she was glad she didn’t have to deal with this. They made no sense. Could they stop speaking in rhyme and just explain it in English.
As you wish. First you must know Pyra was stripped of her powers.
“What?!”
Second, she’s been given a task to find our identities. In a hope it will lead her to her real task.
Which is to learn the true nature of herself. A bargain she struck and the importance of her powers. And why they must never be taken for granted.
Not child’s toys, but hers to bring the light.
“But, what do you want from me?” Mystic asks trying to get a better view of the two voices.
You are to be a barrier. Two things can not allowed to happen.
She can not forfeit her powers for normalcy.
And she can not find the answer too soon.
“How am I going to do this?”
Do as you will, distract her, anger her, bring out her fear, but do not let her have a moments peace.
Please go stand over there behind the pillar. And silence is golden.
“What? What the hell do you . . .” Mystic keeps forming words but her voice is gone. She goes to stand behind the pillar annoyed.
“Um, I figured it out,” Mystic looks from behind the pillar Pyra was standing there looking crappy, her pajama’s were mad crappy looking. Her hair wasn’t combed and she was in socks. She was yawning while talking so Mystic figured she was mad sleep deprived.You could not have . . .
“You’re the Greek gods, Apollo and Athena, I think but definitely two of the Greek gods.” Pyra says.
Legna and Bob are quite stunned. Not only had Pyra figured it out impossibly fast, she had discovered their exact identities. Identities they hadn’t acknowledged in thousands of years, that had slipped off into common lore. They had underestimated her greatly, they had never thought she would find the answer and in living powerless for months she would learn respect for her powers. Their back up plan was too late.
“Am I right?”
Yes but . . .
“But what? I’m right its over I’m done. I’d like my powers back now.”
Its not that simple, you haven’t gone far enough. We have an incarnation before the Greek gods and that is the one which you must find. You have only begun to touch the surface.
Pyra says nothing, she just kinda stares. Before the Greek gods, man she was screwed now. What the hell religion was that Hinduism? Where on earth was she going to find this out? When on earth was she going to find this out? She had and Album to put out a band to form and actual work. This wasn’t fair. She looked up at the elders well could they send her back now? She had a lot of work to do apparently.
As you wish . . . Good Luck. Are there any powers you want before we sent you back?
“I’d like to flame and speak, read, and understand, every language, code, and form of communication dead and living for the past, present and future. “ Two corks vanish from Pyra’s powers and she’s surrounded by a familiar warmth. Pyra fades away and reappears in the playground area in the property. She should be happy. It’s the dead of the night and she did make some progress. It has been a toss up for a while between the Greek and Egyptian gods. Then she had finally remembered the rage Satana had gone into about Grecian gods. Once she had settled that it had just been a matter of what two represented light and good and had enough brains to pull it off.
Pyra stands on the swing and screams her tension away. She screams laughs and screams some more. She doesn’t notice when Lucky comes and sees her and curls on the floor and just start sobbing. She does notice when, Louis shows up and stops the swing almost sending her flying.
“Try to kill me why don’t you,” Pyra says jumping off the swing.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Screaming, what did it sound like?”
“Are you mad?!”
“I think so, no most likely.”
“Will you not even tend to your boy?”
“Boy what boy?” Pyra turns to where he is pointing. “Lucky?”
“Where were you?” He asks sniffling.
“I had to go, you don’t have to be scared. What’s wrong?” Pyra asks petting his hair.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was bad? That it would make him sick? Make him want to die? Did I do something to him? is it because I don’t cen-sore my self?”
“Lucky, I don’t understand.
“They took him away, loud and bright, he’s not coming back.” Pyra hated this whenever Lucky really freaked out he started sounding like a four year old. It was like half his vocabulary went out the window. She couldn’t calm him down without knowing the problem. Fabian was still standing behind her, she turn to him wondering if he knew what happened.
“Less than an hour ago, JC attempted suicide. I’m not sure on all the details but Mystic found him, something about pills and alcohol, I believe.” Louis says as kindly as he can.
Pyra stood and everything started to spin. When everything settled she realized she was holding on to Fabian for support. She let go abruptly. “Suicide?” He nodded. Booze and pills? Severe depression and she had been blind the whole time. Without her powers she really was worthless. She would have never missed something like this before. She had to get her powers back if nothing else for Josh. She hadn’t been there when he needed her. All because she was with the elders, she hoped he wouldn’t die. If she had her powers she could fix this . . . That there is the very problem, there was a time when Pyra would have known that he needs a friend not magic. . . Legna said to Bob who in turn says to Mystic who had come out from hiding behind the pillar.
Pyra has lost the person she was. There was a time she could forget she had powers.
In youth she was deprived of using her gifts now she is a glutton for them.
She needs to be brought back to herself and learn her lesson.
Because your society is so jaded she could not be told this. She would have claimed to know her powers were important just to receive them again.
Now we ask you to help her. She has to find the way back to her destiny. It was a heavy burden she choose to bare and maybe its wasn’t all fair. Mystic groaned inwardly at the reappearance of rhyme.
But we know all service comes with a price. We’ll grant you a wish of your choosing within our power once this mission concludes.
“Anything I want?”
Anything.
“Okay, I’ll do it. So do I tell you the wish now?”
When it is done and we evaluate your work.
“And if Pyra fails?”
Dark skies will rain blood.
Black night will replace the sun.
Demons will rule everyone.
And one wish will mean nothing to no one.
“What exactly is Pyra’s mission?”
The pieces are in play
The pawn ready to be claimed
The Queen has fallen
Never once was a king
The scales are tipped
They will be weighed
Light shall topple them all
Mystic wonders why she bothered as they zap her back and she orbs her self to the exact spot that she left a second later instead of Pyra’s two week time distortion . . .
Part II There and Back again
*5*
What the . . .” Edge stammers as Mystic orbs right back in.
“So about Pyra . . .”
“Okay, I get it you’re her friend you don’t want to do it.”
“No, I can’t wait to get started.”
“Um, so you want white or ivory table cloths?” Dominic asks walking by with swatches of fabric.
“What?” Mystic asks already leading Edge away.
“Our wedding,” he mutters and throws the swatches to the floor and a tiny hand picks them up.
“Paige,” Dominic says lifting the little girl in the air as she laughs in delight. She had gotten out of her chair and was dragging her Tigger around. He walks her back the few feet to the kitchen and is astounded at the mess she made with the cookie he gave her right before he ran out to Mystic. How did you do that with one cookie? “Someone’s been busy.” He says as he grabs something to rub down the table.
“Okay,” Mystic says walking into the surveillance room. Edge takes a seat in the only chair. “Why you sitting in my chair?” Edge stands. “Better.” He leans on the back of the chair looking over her shoulder.
She turns on one of the monitors and switches to Pyra’s room and sees her sound asleep holding a Garfield. She wakes up a few minutes later and rubs her eyes. She gets up the Garfield still in her hands and walks out. Mystic switches camera’s to follow her. Edge grimaces when he sees Lance and Mystic remembers how he freaked out when he found about Pyra’s first kiss and many more afterward. She thought he was being silly it wasn’t like they fudged or something. Mystic doesn’t have to turn around to know that vein on his head was popping out all nasty like.
“That . . .” Edge starts as Pyra wraps her arms around Lance.
“Hey, hey, I have a kid living here!” Mystic says smacking Edge.
“Sorry, I didn’t even say anything,” Edge says as Mystic turns it off. “Why are you turning it off?”
“You’re not attacking Lance, and we don’t do magic in front of him. Okay.”
“What makes you think I would attack him?” Mystic makes a punching motion and he gets quiet. Should he tell her he wasn’t sure why he did it? Yeah Lucky was extremely annoying, a major pain, who never knew when to shut up, but mostly he was like a little kid. Edge hated to admit it but he liked the hair ball. Why he liked him was a mystery but he did.
Mystic stared at him, his mind was so easy to read she hadn’t noticed she had done it. He wasn’t sure? That made her wonder, but maybe he was just being a dumb blond again.
“Hey I have an idea but, I don’t know its very mean,” Edge says.
“Do tell,” Mystic says turning to face him.
“Well, um its Maniac, we could just put it in her room on her bed tomorrow morning.”
“That is quite evil,” Mystic says.
“Then again she might just blow him up, or something crazy like that.”
“She won’t.”
“If you say so but if your dog is a pile of ash don’t blame me.”
Sunday morning Pyra opens her eyes and feels much better. She’s a little tired and she leans back into Edge. After a few seconds she sits up shocked wondering who the hell is in her bed. She turns and looks into a happy set of green eyes.
“Man you scared me.”
“Who’d you think it was?”
“That was the problem, I didn’t know. Dude you have your own room and why are you in my bed as a dude to top it off?”
“I felt like it.” Lucky says standing. Pyra notices they are wearing matching pajama’s black silk except his shirt was half buttoned and he was wearing a wife beater not a tank top. “Tooth brush time, your breath is bad.” Pyra throws a pillow at him. He catches it and hits her in one stride.
“How dare you!” Pyra says grabbing a pillow. Lucky jumps on the bed in a squatting position and grabs another pillow. The pillow fight ensues and it is the first thing Mystic and Edge see.
“Look at that, how cute,” Mystic says munching on her Lucky Charms.
“What the hell? She’d slap me if I woke her up this early.” Edge says annoyed. Mystic shoves a spoonful of cereal in her mouth to keep from exclaiming Edge is Pyra’s bitch. She didn’t need him going all Scorpio on her and leaving once the fortnight was over.
“Whatever Edgy boy, when we gonna do this?”
“When she goes to take her shower.”
“I see.”
“So I’m going to get Maniac, I’ll be right back.” Mystic looks at him and orbs the dog to her side. She pats his head as he licks her hand. Maniac was a huge sheep dog, but she would think Pyra would be more afraid of Hades but go figure she was a crazy girl.
“Loser.”
“Okay so we wait.”
“Boring,” Mystic says rolling her eyes. She switches on another monitor and plays back outside near her neighbors’ house. She sees Quinn leave and rewinds to get a better look at the hottie and also sees Endora. She rolls her eyes and looks to see if anything interesting happened at Pyra’s after she turned off the monitor. She turns on a third screen and purposely plays Lance carrying Pyra up to bed and kissing her until Edge notices and curses. Boy it was easy to make him jealous of some people. Lance, Jacob, Lucky, Kevin, but she didn’t get the whole Noah thing. Then again two dumb blonds must understand each other. He actually liked Noah, the retard. Mystic took a second to decide which blond she was calling a retard and decided it was both of them.
“Okay she went in.”
“Okay I’ll orb you guys in, in a few more minutes, I don’t want Maniac to just fall asleep.
“Okay, she usually takes about 15 minutes.”
Mystic orbs them into her room and Edge lifts the mammoth dog onto Pyra’s bed. Mystic then orbs him out. A few minutes later Pyra walks out toweling her hair. She throws the towel on her bed and Maniac barks. She freezes, and turns slowly. The dog starts panting and moving towards her, in his over friendly manner. She looks at the dog and blinks.
“Isn’t she usually screaming by now?” Mystic asks watching.
“Screaming? She’d be on the floor practically having convulsions.”
“Pyra I thought . . . “ Lucky sees the dog. “Its okay I’ll take it away.”
“One second,” Pyra says moving closer to the dog. She takes its leash as she slips on her slippers. “Stupid retards.”
“What the hell?!” Lucky exclaims as Pyra leads the dog out. Mystic just points at the screen in open mouth shock as Edge stares. She starts smacking him on the arm as she continues pointing to the empty screen making gasping noises. “What?!”
There door bell rings and Dominic is the only one around to open the door. He’s standing there in a stained white t-shirt that looks like it went through a food war and he’s holding a toddler dribble cup.
“Dominic I think its too late for the cup.”
“Funny this is Paige’s.”
“Well this is Mystic’s,” she says letting go of the leash as Manic starts to lick him. Dominic raises an eyebrow but says nothing about Pyra’s near paralyzing fear of dogs. He figures she got over it. “Tell the two retards, its not that easy, and next time the dog goes out the window. I don’t like dogs.”
“Um yeah.”
“Bye.” Pyra says and Dominic nods and goes back to the kitchen where Paige has started giving Maniac Cheerios.
“Daddy! Juice!” Paige says reaching for the cup in his hand. He hands it to her and she starts drinking as Elijah pours some dog food for Maniac.
*6*
Pyra walks back to her house and makes it to her couch when the door bell rings. She looks over at it and Lucky comes downstairs looks at her but answers it anyway.
“Nausi!” He exclaims smiling and hugging her.
“Hi Lucky, is Pyra awake?”
“Yeah, and guess what she’s not scared of dogs. Really she took Maniac and just brought him over to Mystic’s she didn’t scream once,” Lucky says.
“Uh huh,” Nausi says looking at Pyra who is sprawled on her couch.
“Hey dude,” Pyra says not moving from her seat. Nausi goes into the kitchen and takes out two Tupperware bowls. She hands one to Lucky who is standing right besides her.
“I heard you were sick, so I brought you soup.”
“Aww! You like me you really really like me,” Pyra says smiling.
“What the fudge Pyra? You’re gonna just sit there in your robe all day?” Pyra shuffles to her feet and walks to the counter, which separates her living room from her kitchen. She sits and then remembers a spoon, Nausi hands her one.
“Thanks.”
“So . . .”
“So . . . what?”
“Hi, I’m Pyra and I’m a retard. Are you going to tell me why you’re sick miss my body temperature is too high to get colds?”
“Long complicated sordid tale.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Nausi says as Pyra tells her with happened as Lucky watches TV not hearing the conversation too happy enjoying his food and shows.
“Well Pyra, I guess I could say I told you so . . .”
“Hush.” Lance comes down the stairs in one of Josh’s bathrobes and Nausi raises an eyebrow.
“Hey Lance,” Nausi says.
“Hello Nausikaa.” Pyra looks at him.
“Josh awake?”
“I’m not sure he just threw this at me and then slammed the door.”
“Not a morning person.”
“No this was weird he was just plain rude. I’ve shared enough tour buses with him is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Pyra says unsure but just figuring he’s in a bad mood.
“So are you feeling better?” Lance asks.
“A little tired, but I think so.”
“Well once I can get JC to lend me some clean clothes I’ll be on my way. I came to see him and he’s been locked up in his room all the time. Well it was nice to spend time with you guys at least.”
JC shambles down the stairs and walks into the kitchen pouring himself some coffee and taking at least five Aspirin and popping them in his mouth. “JC!” Nausi exclaims visibly disturbed.
“Why are you screaming? My head hurts.”
“Caffeine and Aspirin? You could kill yourself like that!”
“Oh um,” He pours it in the sink and fills the cup with tap water with no thought of NYC bacteria. Nausi wants to say something about the five aspirin but figure its just because he was one of those people who took that many with barely any effect.
“Chazie maybe you should lie down,” Nausi says speaking with a softer tone.
“No I have to get ready for church,” He says and Pyra looks up at him. She thought he was being silly when he had said she had been sleeping for two days. Sunday great, she had to get ready too.
A few hours later Pyra was trying to get Lucky to leave the church He had asked question after question during the mass and she tried to answer him as politely as she could. At the present moment he was entranced by the Stations of the Cross. He was slowly looking at every one. He of course wanted the explanations for them all. Pyra was trying for the third time without success to explain Veronica’s Veil. He was asking all the questions she was sure she had as a child. How did the picture come out? Was it sweat? Who told them? How did he do it?
“Maybe I can help,” a voice says from behind them. Pyra and Lucky both turn and come face to face with the priest who was done greeting people as they left.
“Okay, if she wiped his face why didn’t the picture get smudged at least?” Lucky asks.
“Son, it was a miracle sent by God. It wasn’t normal.”
“Wait like magic?”
“Something like that.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?” Lucky says turning to Pyra who throws her hands up in the air.
“Young man can you wait here for a moment you can continue looking around . . .”
“If you want to talk to Pyra alone, just say so. I’m gonna look at the rest of these.” He walks away.
“Perceptive isn’t he?”
“Yeah, about Lucky, he’s um . . .”
“As a member of the church I’ve met many special needs individuals. Some much older than, Lucky did you say?”
“Yeah, but . . .” Pyra stopped, what on earth could she say. Lucky looked around 21 and acted most of the time like a 6 year old. She guessed to anyone else it would seem like he had problems. Funny he acted more adult as a cat.
“It’s alright, we have some books on the Stations and the new testament that would be his speed.”
“Um thanks.”
Pyra leaves the Church with bags from the church book store. She had gotten Lucky three books two books about the stations of the cross which were full of illustrations and a children’s Bible, Lucky loved pictures so he would like it. She also brought herself a new rosary a pretty purple one with a silver crucifix. Once she got home Lucky sprawled out on the couch to read his books. Josh who was in a bad mood from Pyra figured being kept waiting went straight up to his room. She went into the den to start her research.
JC opened the door to his room and shut the door behind him. He reached under his bed and found what he was looking for through the trash and empty bottles. He popped the cork off the wine bottle and took a long swig. He was still in control, he had told himself he wouldn’t have anything before church and after just a little taste (1/3 of the bottle) to get him moving and another (1/3) when he was getting dressed he was fine. He kept his promise, he wasn’t addicted or something stupid like that he wasn’t a Backstreet Boy. He was fine in church and wondered why that usher gave him such a strange look during communion. He had only taken one sip, it wasn’t his fault the cup was almost empty when he got it.
Mystic had looked really nice in her church clothes, though he could have done with Dominic not being there and he wanted to pelt Edge with stones. They had had the decency to at least sit on the other side a few pews behind them. swig Mystic and Dominic sitting in a tree swig who cares about a washed up old JC swig not them and swig swig swig swig The rest of his self pity poem is washed away by his drinking and he vaguely wonders if that was a sign that meant his writers block was gone. He picked up a pen and an orange notepad (Pyra sometimes went overboard with the orange gifts) and tried to start writing but all he got was a few squiggly lines.
The phone rang and Josh didn’t even pretend he was going to answer it. Pyra picked it up it was Virgin, they wanted her there in the hour for some talks. Pyra came back home three hours later and found it quiet. she didn’t know what to make of it except that Lucky went to sleep. The meeting had gone from bad to worse.
They had introduced her to, Dale, Fish, and Chaz. Her band, over her dead body! She had told them she had an idea on a band and would let them know with the new single if the ‘boys’ would be needed. They made it very clear that it was in her best interest to attend the VMA’s later that week with someone on her arm. She wanted to kick those people in the head but she already had an idea for at least one member of her band. She went into the den to write him an e-mail and do some research.
As Pyra pounded the night away on the keys and Lucky learned about religion, JC drowned his sorrows in endless bottles of wine. He passed out in the early evening and woke up again on Monday and started the pattern again after going downstairs for more bottles from the wine cellar, and to make an appearance as Pyra got ready to leave for work. Again she noticed nothing, not his blood shot eyes, the smell of alcohol that screamed from his body or his weary and bleak demeanor too wrapped up in her own problems. She had just been practically ordered to make an appearance at the VMA’s, she was fully planning to skip it for the first time since she had started going. But no she had an album coming out soon. As soon as she wrote a first single, or the rest of it.
She went to her room and pulled out her poems/lyrics book and throws it in her bag with her laptop. She doubted she would do anything but research but it was worth a shot. She had two weeks to pull out a new song or send something old she had recorded.
”I wanna come,” Lucky says coming down the stairs..
“But . . .”
“Please!” Lucky wails and Pyra gives in instantly.
“Go tell Josh bye.”
“Okay!” He runs up the stairs and knocks on JC’s door. He pushes it open as JC raises the bottle to his lips. “Josh, I’m going with Pyra to work. Okay bye.” He pulls the door shut and runs down the stairs. “I told him!”
“Why do you want to go to work with me?”
“I wanna see it,” Lucky says.
“Okay, whatever, I have some stuff to type so we’re taking the train.”
“But it smells funny and people are always looking at you. Do we have too?”
“Yes.” Pyra says simply as Lucky follows her out.
On the train Pyra n empty notebook out and starts making lists. She starts with famous pairs from history and myth, human and non human alike. And along side that famous or magical individuals. Even if the stories were supposed fiction. By 42nd street her list looks like this:
Odin Friga Mother Nature Old man Winter
Zeus Hera Morgan le Fay Loki
Osiris Isis Demeter Thor
Sun Moon Baset Apollo
Rama Sita Hel Hades
Anthony Cleopatra Wicked Witch Seth
Prince Cinderella Athena Krishna
She took out another pen and crossed out the stupid or evil ones even though her list was really short as she eliminated she added to it:
Odin Friga Demeter Thor
Zeus Hera Athena Apollo
Osiris Isis Artemis Krishna
Aphrodite Poseidon
Lucky pulled on her arm as the doors opened on 34th street and they jumped off the train. They came out of the exit on the opposite side of the Garden and Pyra pulls Lucky towards the parking lot. They go down the ramp as a car enters from the other side. The noise from the fans lets her know its someone. She walks up the ramp holding Lucky’s hand and is instantly bombarded.
“Hey Pyra where’s Edge?”
“In the fiery pits of hell?” Pyra says signing the picture of the two of them directly over his face.
“Could you . . .” Another kid says holding up a camera. She takes it and gives it to Lucky and puts an arm around the kid despite his Y2J shirt.
“So who’s your friend?” An adult fan asks.
”Me? I’m Lucky hi,” he says waving and stepping in front of Pyra. All of a sudden, Lucky’s entire attitude changes. His body is suddenly stiff and he’s holding his breath. Lucky is taller then Pyra at the moment because he’s wearing heeled boots and normally he is about her height so she doesn’t see Mystic and Edge walking up. All of a sudden Lucky’s knees buckled as Edge and Mystic walked past him, he had passed out and he fell back onto Pyra. Completely surprised she goes down with him.
“Lucky?!” Pyra says pulling her self out from under him and placing his head in her lap. “Lucky? Wake up.” The fact that she’s on the floor in the middle of the parking lot is past her. She is more focused on her cat/boy. The fans block off the parking lot as Jerky tries to enter and he starts screaming at them to move. The person who arrived when Pyra and Lucky did and sees the scene. He scoops Lucky up as the driver keeps a steady hand on the horn. Pyra looks up at Christian and points to the top of the stairs and the strange little sitting area. She stands and turns to the driver and screams a stream of New York road rage obscenities complete with gestures to Jerky without even noticing it was him. She then runs up to Lucky.
“Do you have some water?”
“Oh,” Pyra goes down the stairs and gets a water bottle from the vendor and splashes Lucky and he wakes up. Pyra hugs the boy and doesn’t notice Jason staring at her or sitting too close. Lucky looks at Pyra and then starts to sniffle.
“I don’t want to die,” he wails as Jason inches away the sound annoying him.
“Lucky, you just fainted, you’re not gonna die.” His wailing intensifies and Jason can’t take the noise so he leaves. “What’s going on?”
“He . . . with the knife . . . sob . . . dark. . . it hurt.”
“He who? What happened?”
“Pretty light . . . Mystic . . . strawberries . . . sob BURY ME!” Lucky suddenly screams startling Pyra.
“Bury you? Lucky I want you t breathe and know nothing will touch you as long as I’m here, I’ll kill them first.”
“You left,” Lucky say calming down.
“When?”
“Yesterday, when you went to meet your virgin, I was reading about that guy, he was cool, and then Edge came in and smacked me for no reason. I ran to get JC but he didn’t hear me or something, then Edge came back with . . . a knife. I ran back downstairs and outside and started screaming. He caught me and . . .” Lucky makes a stabbing motion.
“That sick jackass.”
“Then I guess Mystic came but I don’t know, I started smelling something pretty like fruits. She fixed me and then I saw the hole. He was going to bury me!”
“I’ll bury him.”
Up with the elders the unthinkable happens. Pyra’s rage is enormous and her powers shatter. Bob and Legna each capture something but Pyra’s dark magic escapes as Satana dives after it. Bob places the light magic in a separate container from the Phoenix.
Its too soon!
This path will lead to no good.
Pyra left Lucky with the fans for a few minutes as she walked into the arena. The dark magic was on a head on collision as she saw Edge talking to Mystic and Shane. She walks over to them and takes Edge’s hand. “Excuse us one second.” She takes him about three feet away and gets ready to slap him and move on. She starts to when the dark magic does its jumping act into her. The strange second of distraction is enough for Edge to stop her hand.
“What on earth are you doing?” He asks as she wrenches her arm away. She looks at him and a knife flames into her hand.
“You like stabbing people? Want to try it out?”
“Are you nuts?” Edge exclaims trying to walk away. Pyra pins him to the wall with one hand as he vamps out. That shocks him to the core. Pyra was a danger to him? Mystic sees Satana enter through a wall, and pull a black mass out of Pyra. The knife vanishes and Pyra drops Edge now not having enough strength to lift his arm against his will. Satana nods at Mystic as she puts the powers into a container and vanishes. Pyra blinks and looks at Edge. “What on earth is wrong with you?”
“I have bad taste in men,” Pyra says and walks away.
“That was professional,” Mystic says as Pyra leaves.
Edge is just stands there. He doesn’t hear Mystic or Shane or anything. He stares at the spot Pyra was standing and shakes his head. For a second there his heart had slowed, and everything had gotten brighter, he knew those were the first signs of his change. Pyra had done a lot of weird things with her powers but actually threaten his life? Not once in all these years no matter how mad, or crazed had she ever tried to hurt him. Maybe he was just being shallow but he was usually the one person who could bring her down, like a chill pill he could say. She had almost stabbed him. He didn’t know why she stopped and he didn’t want to know she would pay for this. All for a stupid cat.
Merrick looked at her shrine and said a prayer of thanks to Honey in the Sunshine and Papa Legba. She had done it, she had torn them to shreds and taught that cat a lesson in fear. Even as a vampire the effort it had taken drained her. She had spent the day on the floor her. She was glad she had closed the curtain before beginning everything. She had also shut the door; she needed no interruptions or lectures from David. Let’s see how powerful Pyra really.
“Please don’t cry,” Pyra says wrapping her arms around Lucky still in that sitting area. He hugs her tighter as the sky cracks open. The first drops are huge and Pyra pulls Lucky into the arena. He’s still clinging to her and crying as Trish walks over.
“Pyra? Is he okay? Who is he?”
“Um . . . Could you just watch him for a minute? Thanks,” Pyra says wrenching Lucky’s iron grip from her arm and walking into the locker room just for her and Edge. He’s in there lacing up his boots and the urge to rip out his throat is almost unbearable. She drops her clothes and takes her laptop bag and poem/song book and walks out. Edge lets out a little laugh, she’d be hiding in here soon enough.
Pyra goes to find Trish in the women’s locker room and doesn’t notice the look she gets from Torrie or Nidia. She looks around and realizes Lucky is a boy and despite the TV persona’s these women wouldn’t want a grown man watching them. She walks out, and sees Shane.
“Hey you seen Trish?”
“Yeah she was in the cafeteria with Lucky. Why is Lucky here?”
“Long story, Shane.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later, support your local hurricane,” he says smiling and she returns the smile and walks off. She enters the cafeteria and Lucky is being cheered on by a few of the guys as he drinks down carton after carton of milk. Trish is standing off to the side shaking her head but smiling. Lucky finishes off a carton and lets out a huge belch.
Pyra walks over and grins at her cat. He returns the grin and a few of the guys nudge each other smirking as they clear away from the bottomless pit that is Lucky. “How many did you drink?”
“13, cool huh?”
“As long as you don’t barf milk on me sure, thanks Trish,” Pyra says.
“I didn’t tell him to . . .” she stops realizing Pyra is being sincere. “It was nothing he was a sweet heart but . . .”
“But what?”
“What exactly is his relationship to you?” Pyra looks at Trish.
“Don’t freak and don’t you dare tell dad!” Trish nods surprised to be in Pyra’s confidence. “His name is Lucky.”
“Like your cat ok but . . .” Pyra looks at her as if saying I told you a lot more than you think. “Wait, he isn’t. . . he can’t be. . . you can do something like that?”
“Did,” Lucky says. “Nice to meet you, this way, and thank you for bringing me to milk.”
“Wow, I never knew you were so um . . . powerful.”
“Yeah well I don’t see it like that. Lucky right now is as much of a person as anyone else.” Lucky’s slight gasp catches Pyra’s attention. The color was draining from his face, and being that he had very little color he was starting to look like death. She follows his eyes and sees Edge walk into the cafeteria with a bunch of people Pyra was sure he rarely spoke to.
“Are you okay?” Trish asks as Lucky’s lip quivers.
“Lucky, Please don’t cry, we’ll get out of here,” Pyra says. “I won’t let him touch you again.” His eyes are filled to the brim with unshed tears as he nods. Pyra stands and looks at Edge walking to the food, she leads Lucky out without another look in his direction. Trish walks over to Edge to ask him what that was all about and gets an earful.
“ . . . little kid. Disgusting, its like I know I’m a lot to get over, but don’t start dragging around the first grade school kid you can find. And a retarded one to boot.” The guys all let out hoots and laughs at the last comment. “And I still get her, it’s like I just snap my fingers and she’s on her knees for me. Anyone can get a taste it’s so easy to wrap her around your finger. Just tell her she’s special and all that mush and . . .”
Trish walks away at the burst of laughter that follows. She had to tell Pyra, warn her, those guys were the biggest gossips. The news could be all over the place before Raw starts. She had to have a chance to prepare herself or at least understand what was going on. She rushed to Pyra’s usual hiding place. She was sitting in the ring rubbing Lucky’s back who was lying in a fetal position with what looked like shivers running through his entire body, with her other hand she was writing like a mad woman. One of the crew men who all adored Pyra for some unknown reason held open the ropes for her then when back to opening chairs.
“Pyra . . .”
“One sec,” Pyra continues writing for a few more minutes. “Okay.”
“Its about Edge,” Lucky stiffens, “he’s saying things, about you and Lucky. Horrible things and it’s to the biggest gossips. I just thought you should know.”
Pyra looks straight ahead for a second then turns to Trish, who was actually helping her. Trish, they had never been able to stand each other and now she was helping her. “Um . . . thanks.”
“I just wish I could do more to help.”
“Um could you watch Lucky when I go to my meeting and make sure Edge doesn’t come near him? Even if you have to scream bloody murder to do it?”
“Okay, what is going on does he know who Lucky is?”
“He took Lucky to his first hockey game he knows.”
“But why . . .”
“Could you just do it please? I’ll explain another time.”
“Alright, I will.” Pyra leaves Lucky with Trish.
*7*
Pyra walks to Beth’s office where Edge is already seated. He plasters the fakest grin on his face as Pyra walks in and pulls out a chair for her. Pyra gives him the finger and sits anyway. Beth who was busy rifling through four sets of mixed up scripts doesn’t notice the exchange.
“Got it!” She hands them each a script and Pyra wants to hurl. They were supposed to be making out in the background while Kurt is interviewed and then the cameras would move off of him to them and he would get all pissy and stomp over to them and challenge Edge to a match. After Edge won they would make out to Kurt’s music some more.
“Whoopie,” Pyra mutters as Beth raises an eyebrow.
“Wait you actually don’t want to do this?”
“Pyra was sick. She just doesn’t want me to get it too, she just got better,” Edge says before Pyra can answer.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Beth asks.
“Perfect,” Pyra mutters.
“Then stop muttering and stop using my chair. Next!” Pyra stands and is followed out by Edge. She’s a little startled when Kurt walks out she hadn’t even noticed him inside.
“Why’d you do that?”
“Hey we just got our own personal locker room and our storyline is perfect, I’m gonna be champion thanks to my sweetheart. Why would I want anything to change?” He says giving her a bear hug and a sloppy kiss on the lips holding her wrists when she tries to push him off her. “Besides you can’t change anything if you wanted to, Mystic is on my side.”
Pyra stomps off to get something to eat she was starving. She gets a sandwich and sits to eat and is joined almost instantly by Test. “Dipstick, you lost?”
“So what’s with the little retard?”
“You’re the one who sat down you tell me.” Jason sits down next to Test.
“What’s going on here?” Jason asks.
“Just talking man, I want to know why Pyra’s rocking the cradle.”
“Why don’t you go screw your lover boy, I hear Lance is lonely,” Jason says and surprises Pyra.
“Whatever man,” Test says but he stands and walks away.
”Why’d you do that?” Pyra asks.
“You deserve better than to be harassed,” Jason says and Pyra stands suddenly not hungry at all. She dumps her tray and takes her blue Pepsi to leave.
“Whatever,” is her response to Jason. She walks back to the ring and Trish is sitting in the seats with Lucky. He is talking at a mile an hour and Pyra knows the only reason has to be a girl.
“What’s her name?”
“Nona, she was outside. But she wouldn’t pay attention to me,” Lucky says like it’s the most unbelievable thing in the world. “What’s that?” He says pointing to the notebook.
“Song I wrote,” Lucky takes the book and starts reading aloud.
“Oh my love please don’t cry
I’ll wash my bloody hands and we’ll start a new life
I ripped out his throat and called you on the telephone
To take off my disguise just in time to hear you cry
When I morn the death of my bloody Valentine
The night he died
I morn the death of my bloody Valentine
One last time
Oh my love please don’t cry
I’ll wash my bloody hands and we’ll start a new life
I don’t know much at all
I don’t know wrong from right
All I know is that I love you tonight
There was police and Flashing lights
The rain came down so hard that night . . .
He begged me not to do it
But I knew I had to do it
Cause I’m so in love with you
Lucky puts the book down, “is that about me?”
“Yeah,” Pyra says.
“I’m your love?”
“Sort of, I guess. I don’t know, it’s just a song.”
“You killed Edge for me? Wow! Hey do you think I could write a song?”
“Yeah sure,” Pyra says taking out the other notebook she has. She turns to a blank page, “You can try.”
“What can I write about?”
“Anything you want, what are you thinking about now?”
“Nona, why did she want some wrestler tough guy?”
“Who knows, they’re all just thoughtless anyway.”
“Pyra I need a pen,” Lucky says looking at the notebook. Pyra hands him one and he starts writing right away. Pyra reaches for another pen and comes up empty handed. She looks around, Trish had vanished and Jeff was looking through a catalogue not that far away. She walks over and takes the catalogue from him with out a word.
“Not today Pyra,” Jeff says sighing but not trying to get the magazine back. She flips through the pages and sees it’s a clothes cataloge type of thing. She flips through the pages and stops on the dresses; there was this white dress that has her start thinking about all the weddings coming up and the sad chances she had. Jeff snaps his fingers to bring her out of her daze. “What was that?”
“Fantasy moment, sorry. So what do you think you’re doing?”
“Shopping.”
“Ah I see.”
“I heard that little song, someone’s venting,” Jeff says.
“Yeah well, I could have really ripped out his throat so I think I’m making progress.”
“Uh huh.” Jeff says.
“Pyra!” Lucky yells and they both turn to him. “What’s the stupidest thing you can drive and a dumber haircut than Jeff’s?”
“A mullet is the dumbest hair style you can have and I don’t know a scooter?”
“No a moped, it just screams 80’s and bad hair.”
“You should know, thanks Pyra,” Lucky says.
“Lucky,” Pyra says sounding like a parent.
“Fine, thank you Jeffery .”
“Why is he here?”
“Why not?” Pyra replies. “Dude all I came here for was a pen.” Jeff hands her a very familiar Scooby Doo one and she smiles. “So you liked your gift?”
“You know I did, how is it you always manage to sneak in something Scooby Doo or Tigger related?”
”It’s a gift, that and the WB and Disney stores are just a buck fifty away.”
“You know you could have come anyway,” Jeff says.
“Don’t make me smack you. I could barely move! I didn’t even get out of bed for two days don’t harass me,” Pyra says visibly ticked.
“Wow, sorry! Ok you were sick. Sore subject. So why are you guys fighting now?”
“What isn’t stabbing Lucky enough?”
“Stabbing?!”
“Don’t you talk to your roomie, Edge made with the killing yesterday and the beating Thursday. He should be happy he has all limbs and appendages attached,” Pyra says.
“I’m guessing you don’t really want that, so why did you show mercy?”
“Working on pushing all that mercy down . . . down, hmm,” Pyra starts writing as she talks. “He doesn’t know how lucky he is.”
“I have a feeling he’s about to find out,” Jeff says pointing to where Edge is making his way to Lucky who is too busy writing to notice.
“That . . . why doesn’t he just implode?!”
Pyra intercepts Edge three rows away from Lucky. He tries to step around her and she continues to block his way. He looks at her and grins. “Hey I’m done, this song writing stuff is . . .” The last word is caught in his throat as he sees Pyra blocking off Edge.
“Come here,” Jeff says hoping to save Lucky from more abuse if Pyra somehow let’s Edge pass. Lucky happily puts more distance between him and Edge as the blond lunges forward trying to surprise Pyra and she punches him right in his injured nose and he howls in pain and lifts an arm to strike Pyra.
“Try it, I’d like to see you dare,” Pyra says not backing off. “Apparently women and children are more your style? I can’t believe Mystic is letting you near Paige.”
“Why do you care so much about a dumb cat?”
“Cause on his worst day he is ten times better than you. Take your abuse elsewhere or else.” Pyra says hoping he falls for the empty threat.
“Don’t believe you, sorry I haven’t even seen a little fire ball. Not one explosion, nothing, you’re not going to hur . . .” Pyra knees him and he howls again.
“What was that? I’m not gonna what? You seem to forget there are a lot more fun ways for me to hurt you, bastard boy.” For a second there is a glimmer of hurt in Edge’s eyes. The real definition of Pyra’s choice of insults hit him then he retaliates.
“At least I didn’t kill my parents, your real ones that is.” Pyra doesn’t have a moment of pain, she lashes out punching him in the nose again and then kicking him in the side. She mentally wishes she was wearing something harder than a pair of Skechers. “You hit like a girl,” he coughs standing, Pyra swings at him and he catches her hand and twists her arm like a fifth grader trying to make your skin burn. Pyra shrieks then seems to realize she’s a karate expert from years of childhood training not a wave of her hand. She twists in a double jointed inhuman way and sends a mental thanks out to Tori for getting her hooked on Yoga, Edge looks lost on how his arm is now twisted behind him. Pyra kicks him in the ass for the hell of it then shoves him over a row of seats.
“Don’t come back now ya’ hear.” Pyra says as he shambles into the backstage area. “Smuck.”
“Why does he keep coming back?” Jeff mutters as Lucky shakes. He looks between the Pyra and Jeff and then runs out looking for the first exit sign in the opposite direction of Edge ignoring Pyra’s pleas for him to come back. She chases after him, but the boy is much faster and soon loses him in the rain. She sadly goes back into the arena and Jeff approaches her.
“You didn’t find him?”
“Even as a boy he’s quick,” Pyra says sniffling.
“I’m sorry,” Jeff says.
“You don’t look like a blond Canadian, you don’t even look blond.”
“Yeah, get out of those wet clothes before you get sick again,” Jeff says wondering how true this Pyra never gets sick thing is.
“Just what I need my death from cold.” Pyra mutters walking to her locker room. Jeff follows and hands her everything she left behind and the song Lucky wrote. Pyra glances at it,
8 o’clock, Monday night and I’m waitin’
To finally talk to a girl a little cooler than me.
Her name is Nona, she’s a rocker with a nose ring,
She wears a two way, but I’m not quite sure what that means.
And when she walks,
All the wind blows and the angels sing.
She doesn’t notice me!
Cause she is watchin’ wrestling
Creamin’ over tough guys
Listenin’ to rap metal
Turntables in her eyes
Pyra thought it was cute and fit perfectly with Lucky’s punk boy exterior. She wonders vaguely if he can sing as she walks into the locker room she shares with Edge. She looks around. There were two lockers a couch and a bench and everything had that just slapped together feel. There was no shower in there brilliant; though Pyra doubted she needed anymore water on her body. She peeled off the wet clothes and towels herself as dry as she can get and pulls on black leather pants and a black and red Edge baby-T. She’s lacing her combat boots when Edge walks in.
“Don’t need to protect your precious baby from the big bad wrestler?”
”I’ll let you know once I see a big bad wrestler.”
”Funny, you think what you did was cute? Domestic violence goes both ways.”
“Ha! That’s too funny, little ol’ me beat up the big bad wrestler? What’s next?” Pyra says sitting on the couch putting her feet up as she turns on her laptop. She puts headphones in the side and put them on.
“You know what . . .” Edge says as he yanks her laptop and pins her arms to her sides and sits on her leg so she can’t kick. “You forget, I am stronger than you and I didn’t like that little game. You won’t use magic on me so guess what. Don’t start things you can’t finish.”
Pyra just stares, if she opened her mouth she would shriek in pain. His hands were holding her arms way to tightly and he wasn’t light. He really was sitting on her legs. She couldn’t believe it he was smiling at her. He was having fun the bastard. Why wouldn’t he just let go he had stopped talking.
“You have nothing to say? So I am right, you’ll never hurt me.”
No You Fool she doesn’t have her Powers! A voice shrieks from the calmness of heaven. The second she did have them she almost killed you!
Edge lets go and stands and Pyra sits there shaking a little. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t be scared of him! Damn it this was not the time not to have her powers. She refused to let him know anything was up. She pulled the laptop back onto her lap and got online to do more myth research.
A few hours later the cameras are rolling and Pyra wonders why her life is so scream worthy. She was zoning out and Edge’s kisses felt like someone was licking her neck. So this was what kissing felt like when you had no interest in it. He was like slobbering on her. Pyra looked down he really was just licking her! The rat bastard, he was looking up at her and grinned. Pyra looked over to where Kurt was standing. He was bouncing up and down like he was getting ready for a match instead of an interview. She shoved him away and grabs a napkin from the snack table behind her and wipes her neck.
“Pig.” Edge replies by making kissing noises.
“Not that I really need to tell you guys this, but you should get um . . . “
“You mean making out? Yeah we have it covered,” Edge says leaning in towards Pyra. “Right Py?” She rolls her eyes as the intern walks away. “The things I do for money.” Edge says leaning towards Pyra again and locks lips with her.
“So Kurt how does it feel to be intercontinental champion?”
“Feel? It feels great, not as great as it was to win the Olympic gold with a broken neck but it feels good. Like having a tall glass of milk after a workout,” Terri keeps looking past him and giggling. “Is this how you treat an Olympic hero? What are you looking at?” Kurt asks turning and stomping off to Pyra and Edge when he sees them.
Pyra was wrong no matter how mad she was or how much she thought he was a sicko kissing him still turned her to jell-o. Why did her heart refuse to cooperate? Edge was scumy evil, that made her weak in the knees. This wasn’t happening all logic told her that she had to get him out of her system. Thank God he was pulling away. She opened her eyes okay Kurt was here she had to get these pokes right.
“Dude!” Pyra says looking a Kurt.
“Dude! Dude? Do you know who you’re talking to? I’m an Olympic gold medallist! And intercontinental Champion. Do you have gold medals?”
“Actually . . .”
“I was talking to Edge,” Kurt says cutting her off.
“Really?” Edge asks running a finger up and down Pyra’s arm looking at her profile. “I just thought you came for the milk.”
“Look you and your little woman need to know this is a place of business, you should take that, pardon my French, hanky panky elsewhere.”
“Hanky Panky? This coming from a virgin?” Edge says, never looking at Kurt.
“Look buddy, just because some people don’t parade around like cheap street walkers. . .” He says poking Edge.
“Listen buddy,” Pyra pokes Kurt as Edge continues to speak, “Your gold medal spiel is getting really old. Do you know how long ago ’96 was? Long.” Pyra gives him another poke.
“I am an American hero,” He says poking Edge.
“You are an American zero,” Edge says as Pyra pokes him again.
“You’re not even American what do you know?” Kurt says with a more violent poke.
“Actually . . .” Pyra starts.
“Look Kurt,” Edge says taking up the poking and finally looking at Kurt, “I was having a good time here and you came and ruined it.”
“Little kids, tune in every week to see their Olympic hero, they shouldn’t have to be subjected to you two. As their hero I will defend their right to watch decent TV. I’m challenging you tonight.” “Dude, you want to defend something how about your title, it would look so much better on Edge.”
“Fine! Its on the line,” Kurt says staring down Edge until the scene ends.
“Okay we’re clear,” The camera guy says and Edge crosses his eyes and sticks out his tongue making Kurt laugh. “I like to know you twos secret is, you’re like the indestructible couple. You guys are such love birds its crazy. Don’t you ever fight?”
“Well, yeah its so much fun to kiss and make up.”
“What is your obsession . . .” Pyra says as Edge kisses her.
“Its magnetic I swear,” Edge says moving away and holding both her hands.
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Kurt says.
“Bye,” Edge says smiling. Pyra wishes she could kick him when her cell phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Thank God. Is there someone I can call for Mr. Lucky? He’ll catch his death in this rain but he’s ignoring me.”
It takes a second for Pyra to recognize the security guard, “Try Nausikaa she might be home.”
“All right thank you, he worries me sometimes. If she’s not there?”
“Fabian is usually home if nothing else he will drag him inside. Though Lucky really doesn’t need that.”
“I’ll try,” The security guard hangs up and dials up Nausi. “Hello, ah Mr. Bloom, do you think it would be too much trouble for you and Miss Nausikaa to come and pick up Lucky? Sitting in this rain can’t be good for him.”
”Okay we’re coming,” Orlando says hanging up and explaining to Nausi as they grab umbrellas and go out for the cat.
He’s sitting staring straight ahead as the rain plasters his clothes and hair to him. They both kneel in front of him and he does nothing to indicate that he sees them.
“Lucky, you have to get out of the rain,” Nausi says placing her umbrella over both their heads. After a few seconds he blinks.
“Why does he keep trying to hurt me? I didn’t do anything,” He whispers.
“Cause Edge is a punk ass mofo, if you want me to kick his ass again I will.”
“Pyra did that, she kicked him and stuff,” Lucky says taking Orlando’s hand as he pulls the cat to his feet. They walk back to Nausi’s house and Orlando brings two large fluffy blue towels and hands one to Lucky who starts to dry himself off. The other he puts down as Nausi returns with an old pair of her sweat pants. Lucky peels off his black shirt and starts drying himself off. He looks at the small puddle forming on the floor sadly.
“I’m sorry I wet your floor,” Lucky says wiggling out of his pants and boots. Standing there barefoot he takes the sweats from Nausi, he looks at them in his hands and frowns.
“Are these girl pants?”
“Yes, Lucky.”
“But I don’t want to wear girl pants. The elf wears pants can’t I have some of them,” Lucky whines.
“Lucky its just so you don’t have to walk around naked. Besides I’m not giving you Landie’s pants.”
“Oh Fine!” Lucky says pulling on the sweats, which are a light blue with a white stripe.
“I think I should go home now. Okay bye.” He says as he carefully picks up his wet clothes and shoes and with the quickness of a cat runs to his house.
“Wow, I don’t understand how someone could be so cruel to him,” Orlando says as Nausi pulls a mop out of the kitchen and starts to clean up and is stopped by her hubby who takes the mop instead.
“Maybe a little, at least now he’ll be with Chazie,” Nausi says.
Lucky walks into the house and finds Josh shambling in the kitchen. He puts his clothes down by the door and watches slightly frightened by the way he is acting. He has a bottle in one hand and is eating some cold leftovers straight out of the bowl. The bowl falls and Josh curses and slams the bottle down and Lucky runs up to Pyra’s room and hides under the bed like he is still a cat. He starts to cry softly and ends up crying himself to sleep under the bed.
Pyra returns home tired and in a bad mood. She looks into JC’s room and sees him asleep, goes to Lucky’s room and sees it spotless and untouched. She’s not too worried since Lucky seems to have set up permanent residence in her bed. She opens the door to her room and doesn’t see the boy. The gatekeeper had sworn Nausi and Orlando had taken him and they told her he ran home. Then she thinks about what he does as a cat and looks under the bed. And he’s there sleeping, she tugs on his arm and he wakes up and hits his head.
“Ow!” He crawls out from under the bed and looks at Pyra.
“What were you doing under there?”
“Sleeping,” He says yawing, he walks out and returns a few minutes later in his pajamas. “I’m going back to sleep now.”
“Lucky why did you run out like that?”
“Tired now,” he says and climbs into her bed. Pyra shakes her head as she goes into the bathroom to change. She returns and climbs into bed with Lucky.
Five Guardian angels two of Pyra’s and all three of Edge’s were having a serious talk about the road their charges were taking. Especially Edge who was exposing a darker and crueler side of himself. Being guardian angels they knew the real reason that he had stabbed Lucky but could not find an outside influence for the way he was acting towards Pyra. It was almost like he wanted her to blow him up. Satana finally arrives in a shower of red glitter. She sits between Aidan and James Pyra’s two guardians and nods a hello to Shyamalan, Ivy and Rama, Edge’s guardians
Sorry, keeping track of time traveling dimensions is hard. And it was quite a feat wrestling Pyra’s dark magic into a holding orb.
We saw,
Aidan says to the honorary Guardian. Since Satana wasn’t a real angel she traversed to the realm of the elders, the earth and Heaven quite often and a few other realms best left unmentioned. And it was also the only reason Pyra knew she existed, once she had gotten the go ahead to be reborn the elders had chosen her to be the last hope. The unlucky person they felt had to deal with the last of the evil and destruction left by the Greek Gods. She had know what she was getting into and being one of those people always willing to help she accepted. Or maybe it had been the prospect of unimaginable power. So what do we deal with first?
The Voodoo spell, Edge’s sensitivity to magic has made it run more than its expected course.
What can we do?
Aidan holds up his hand for silence and he waves a younger angel over. It was easy to tell he was a young angel because he was still dressed in white. In appearance angels could look any age with the purest angels looking like children. Guardians were usually adults but they could be younger. The rest of the angels gathered were dressed in colors to match their energies. Aidan was a sky blue, James a soft yellow, Ivy a darkish pink, Rama a dark royal blue, Shyamalan was in shining silver and Satana had on her robes of the night sky but would otherwise be dressed in red.
This is Zane, he has been added on as Pyra’s Guardian since there is a chance she will remain a full human and Satana will no longer be needed as an intermediary. He will sit in with us and be in training for full guardianship.
Welcome Kid,
James says extending a hand, to the teenage looking angel. He takes it and smiles shyly as he sits down.
Well well its about time Pyra got herself a real third guardian. Though you may soon have your hands full kid.
I feel I’ve done a wonderful job in this position.
No one is saying you haven’t but there have been times when it would have been best if . . .
It is not the time to discuss such trivial matters. First there is the matter of Edge’s turn in personality.
He’s being lead on by Mystic and his own dark feelings. His love is clouded by hate.
After all he did to have her. All the time he waited, the mistakes of their last life. To just throw it all away like this.
James we were all there. But a lot more changed than we expected. Mystic got a hold of magics, Pyra was summoned to be hope, and all of them were born slightly different.
Half the time our charge is a Vampire and you call that slightly different?
I meant his natural sensitivity to magic. The main reason we’re here. Right now they are the only set of soul mates which were moving so easily in the right direction. Neither Mystic or Nausi had made it this far look.
Shyamalan waves his hand and the center of the cloud they were sitting at clears and shows a scene from Pyra’s Birthday. Edge was talking to a sleeping Pyra knowing she wasn’t hearing a word he said.
“You know its weird, I had another gift for you but something stopped me. Well not something really, maybe I was just scared you’d say no. And even though I know you love me and have your crazy reasons I wouldn’t be able to take it. Do you know why I started playing the Backstreet Boys? I remember you telling me it was too bad engagements didn’t have songs. I was going to give ours a song. When you started singing along and walking over to me I almost did it. Who knew it be so hard to propose, when we are like a married couple already, its like I’ve known you for a million years, inside and out. And everyday you still surprise me. Pyra, I love you with more love than I think is possible to have, marry me.”
“She has to be awake for it to work,” Lucky says standing at the door with JC.
“Really now Edge,” JC says yawning. “Do it trust me it’ll work out.”
“I guess its just hard ok.”
“What’s hard?” Pyra’s groggy voice replies and Edge whispers me. “Dork,” is her sleepy response as she is already almost back to sleep. The guys pull the door shut as Edge climbs out of the bed and looks at the ring in its box in his pants pocket. He shoves it into the bottom of his nearby overnight bag then climbs back into bed.
We all saw but how easily you forget. Ivy says and replays the fight that started them down this road.
I feel we should clear Edge’s head of that intent to do harm to Lucky. That has to be the first step.
I shall do that, simple enough ah he’s sleeping now. Satana clears Edge’s head of the residue of Merrick’s voodoo and throws in a dream about him hanging out with Lucky.
That is a start . . . what else we can do is a mystery.
Keeping them from killing each other seems like a good start . . .
Tuesday Pyra is driving to Nassau Coliseum. Her stereo is blasting KoRn as she thinks about Lucky. He had opted to stay home after she had sworn to him Mystic and Edge had left for work finally he had gone over to Nausi’s house right as she pulled out of the driveway. At least he would be safer there then with her. She pulled into the parking area and was so out there that when a young British man approached her she was too busy thinking about her obsession with blue eyes to actually hear a word he said. She shoved the card into her back pocket as she was approached by the typical fan shoving pictures, CDs and cameras in her face. She completely forgot about the man and his card by the time she entered the building.
Tuesday went along much like Monday and Pyra was happy to get in her car and be on her way home at the end of the night. She still couldn’t figure out the real reason Edge refused to let her tell anyone they were fighting and he had become an annoying shadow. Their story line wouldn’t change because of their personal lives and then there were all the strange looks everyone was giving her. Trish had never told her exactly what the rumors were but they had to be pretty stupid to reduce adults to junior high snickers.
Once home she didn’t even bother to tell Lucky to go to his room. She pulls on her pajama’s and falls asleep in a few minutes. Lucky sat up and stared at her in the darkness, his eyes seeing much more than any person ever would. He walks over to the window and stares at the sky but it doesn’t hold the same fascination that it did as a cat. He pulled the curtain shut and climbs back into the bed as Pyra turned, her hand touched where he was and she seemed to be searching for him in her half sleep. He took her hand and put it on his head and she pets it.
On Thursday she opened her closest and decided she had to be the most insane person for leaving this to the last minute. Well it was breakfast time so technically she had a whole day ahead of her. Lucky was still asleep and she thought he looked adorable. She opened one of her draws and found a fun saver and took a picture of the sleeping boy wondering if he knew how much more innocent he looked without gel in his hair. Man she couldn’t believe she had forgotten this. She ran over to JC’s room pushing the door open. JC was sitting up with his back to her or she would have seen yet another wine bottle in his hand.
“Great you’re awake, so I know this is beyond last minute but you want to go to the VMA’s?”
“Get out Pyra,” JC says coldly.
“What do you mean? I mean its not a big deal, we’d just kinda be there.”
“Do you actually think I’d want to go to the VMA’s as your guest?”
“What bug flew up your ass? You’re acting really weird, you’re going anyway you doof! I just thought we could go together forget I asked!” Pyra says going back to her room.
JC turned to the door, what on earth was she talking about. No one wanted him at the VMA’s. Some washed up member of *Nsync. Justin had released two albums and he was working on a third. He on the other hand was having problems putting together a second. He hadn’t even produced something for anther group in months even Mystic now had her own recording studio and a wedding to plan. JC rolls his eyes as he holds up the bottle in a toast to Dominic.
“May the best man win,” he mutters not blaming Mystic at all. Who would want him anyway, he was washed up, he probably didn’t even have any fans left anymore. He just pissed off Pyra for no reason and even the cat was avoiding him. He was not leaving this house, he’d probably do something stupid anyway. Like yell at the only friend he still had, he should do something about it. Maybe apologize.
JC got up fully intending to go talk to Pyra but the room swirled he hadn’t eaten since Tuesday. He lay back down even the wine wasn’t enticing anymore. After a few minutes he fell asleep, and was awakened by the scent of pancakes. He dragged himself downstairs and found Lucky gorging on the fluffy breakfast food. He looked up at JC, his hair in his eyes and offered him his plate. JC devours the last three pancakes in under a minute.
“Hungry? Well I could ask Pyra to make more she’s checking her mail and stuff.”
“No I think I’ll go back upstairs I’m pretty tired.”
“From what? You don’t leave your room anymore unless its to get juice from downstairs in the funny bottles. What’s so special about those juices?”
“They make me feel better.”
”You’re sick? Why is everybody sick? I don’t like sick, who made it? Stupid person.” JC almost laughs, there was so much Lucky didn’t understand. He gave the boy a hug and went back upstairs as Pyra came out of the den.
“Where’s he . . .”
“He ate my pancakes now he’s going to have some sick juice.”
“Sick juice? Whatever,” Pyra says shoving her own plate into the dishwasher. “Well I now have a guitarist, now if only I knew someone who could play the drums.”
“Who?”
“Jacob, he said yes. Apparently him and Janie just moved to the east coast. Bought some great place in the middle of nowhere, but I’m rich so who cares New York. You know Long Island.”
“When you going to see him?”
“He’s coming down tomorrow; hey you wanna come to the VMA’s tonight?”
“Okay.”
“Oh and let’s go shopping.”
“Okay!” Lucky says with much more enthusiasm he had a woman’s zeal for shopping, loving browsing through the aisles and picking whatever he wanted.
”You can get something to wear too.”
The VMA’s go off pretty well once Pyra and Lucky get past the red carpet and the boyfriend insinuations tossed at Lucky. She’s about ready to snuff Ian Robinson when he makes a comment on them holding hands. As if he senses it he asks what’s she’s up to and she mentions her album and that the sound is for the fans to decide what its sound is. Inside the host is as usual a bundle of laughs and Pyra and Lucky’s snide comments keep the entire area around them laughing all night.
“I love you two you coming to my after party? No one gets down like Diddy can.”
“Sure,” Lucky says before Pyra can stop him. “Where is it?”
“Club X, it’s a hot new joint.”
“Alright,” Pyra says figuring she should enjoy herself what was the VMA’s without an after party. At the party everyone takes a liking to Lucky as Pyra watches P. Diddy pull him into an embrace in front of one of the many camera’s taping the party for MTV prosperity.
‘This is my main man Lucky, and he’s here with his shorty Pyra.”
“She hates being called shorty, she’s almost six feet.” Lucky says calmly.
“A’ ight, he’s here with his boo.”
“Boo what?” Lucky says as the camera veers off to Pyra who waves smiling.
“You know, boo, your girl, you know your girlfriend.”
“Are you crazy? She’s not my girlfriend, she more like I don’t know um someone who takes care of me and stuff.” Puffy nods though he’s not sure what to make of that statement and goes off to find some other company. Lucky gets lost in the throng and Pyra almost has to drag him away from some model around three in the morning. “Do we have to go I was having fun with . . . hey what’s your name?” The model looks aghast and storms off and Lucky shrugs. “Okay I guess we can go.”
“Alright.”
The next morning they are both sleeping late until their door bell rings. Pyra drags herself out of bed and shambles downstairs. She looks through the peephole and sees Jacob and pulls the door open. She could care less that she’s in her pajamas and that her hair is sticking up in every direction, until she sees Janie who is the picture of childhood perfection.
“How did you. . .”
“Mystic she was on her way out and she let us in.”
“Well come on,” Pyra says moving to let them in. She sits them on the couch. “Well I guess I should get less comfortable, remotes on the TV. I believe Josh is sleeping as is Lucky.”
“The cat?” Jacob says confused.
“The boy, the cat seems to be MIA, I think he’s impregnating Princess, Mystic’s cat if you’re wondering.”
“Oh okay,” Janie says giggling.
“You know a guy named Lucky and have a cat named Lucky?”
“I thought you knew I was a sicko already, I shall return, help yourselves to anything in the kitchen,” Pyra says halfway up the stairs.
“So that was Pyra?” Janie says. “She seems nice. A little wild like someone I know,” Janie says twirling a silky dread.
Pyra returns in 15 minutes having sprits herself with water and brushing. She was buttoning her jeans when Lucky woke up. He watches for a few minutes before making it known he’s awake.
“Where you going?”
“Downstairs, Jacob and Janie are here,” Pyra says putting on some earrings and a couple bracelets.
“Oh, you still going to make me pancakes?”
“Sure why not, once you’re out of the shower and dressed come down.”
“Okay.” Lucky says as Pyra walks into her bathroom. He climbs out of her bed and goes into another bathroom to clean. Downstairs Janie and Jacob are sitting calmly wondering what they should do.
“Wait is Lucky Pyra’s boyfriend?” Janie asks. “You said she had a boyfriend.”
“His name isn’t Lucky though it is just as weird its Edge, big blond guy, he’s like straight out of the Valley or something, but the kicker is he’s from Canada.”
“Really, so he’s blond and tan?” Janie looks around and Jacob slides the door of the mahogany coffee table. It had become a home for photo albums and that hadn’t changed. He pulled out a few loose pictures that were placed on top of everything else. They were from Pyra and JC’s combined birthday celebration. He shows her pictures laughing at the one where Pyra and JC shove cake in each other’s faces. The next picture is of a pale boy with black hair and Edge both trying to lick the cake off Pyra as she cover’s her face.
“Okay that’s Edge I don’t know the other guy.”
“He’s huge. And look at that hair.”
“Yeah, I know,” He says flipping to the next picture where Pyra and Edge are dancing with each other, you can only see Edge’s face from that angle and he had the dreamy gaze of a person who didn’t need to be anywhere else ever.
“They look happy.”
“Yeah, I wonder why they aren’t married yet,” Jacob says.
“I thought throwing him out was the better option.” The couple both turn startled and Pyra dismisses it like she said nothing of importance as she pulls out a bowl and a pan to make Lucky’s pancakes.
“What happened?” Janie asks.
“Don’t want to talk about it, irreconcilable differences is a nice way to put it,” Pyra says starting to mix the batter. “Want pancakes?”
“No, thanks we’re fine. But you look so happy here.”
“A month is a long time sometimes; it can feel longer than years that are starting to feel like a nice dream. But its time to wake up into the nightmare called reality.”
“Wow, um so about this band . . .” Jacob says eager to change the subject.
“Yeah well you wouldn’t be hiding any drummers in your back pocket?”
“No, not that I can think of you could always ask the record company again.”
“Last resort I hope did I tell you about the shmucks they tried to pass off as my band? A guy named Fish? What on God’s green earth are they thinking?”
“Fish? You’re kidding,” Janie exclaims.
“The other guy had a comb over! I’m sorry not my choice touring mates,” Pyra says flipping the first completed pancake into a plate.
“Don’t you know any drummers?”
“Yeah tons but they all have jobs and little things like that.” Pyra says flipping another completed pancake.
“Oh, this is hard. Wait doesn’t Mystic play the drums? She could lay the stuff for the albums till we find someone,” Jacob says.
“Laying the drums isn’t the problem I can do that, its actually getting a drummer.”
”Don’t tell me you play the drums too,” Jacob says.
“Ok I won’t, Janie tell your hubby I play the drums.”
“Jacob sweetie, Pyra plays the drums.”
“Funny, Okay let’s worry about it later. You have any songs?”
“Two since the record company is deranged we have to choose one for a first single or something old I’ve done before but I don’t really want to do that.”
“So . . .” Jacob says.
“See the pancake making?” Pyra looks at the stairs. “Freeze cat. Go get my black book from my room please.” Lucky is gone from the top of the stairs before anyone else turns to look. “Ok it will be arriving shortly.” Pyra says flipping another pancake onto the plate and pouring the batter barely paying attention to the entire process.
“Careful there, you don’t want to burn yourself,” Janie says.
“Okay I found it,” Lucky says coming down the stairs.
“Thanks,” Pyra says turning the pancake over. “Okay Lucky this is Jacob and Janie.”
“Hey, I remember you. Hey Pyra didn’t you and him . . .”
“Lucky,” Pyra says embarrassed.
“What? Why don’t you ever tell me what you don’t want me to say until its too late. Don’t talk about sex Lucky, don’t insult people Lucky. Don’t this and don’t that what can I do?”
“Eat your pancakes, your memory seems to be a steel trap for better or worse am I forgetting a drummer.”
“Dumb guy, him, Backstreet boy, Nsync member . . .”
”Wait you and JC . . .” Jacob starts as Lucky laughs.
“Don’t talk crazy, Josh’ll come down and hit you,” Pyra takes the book from the cat and opens it to ‘My bloody Valentine’ which is on the back of a page so ‘Thoughtless’ is right beside it. Jacob reads as Pyra gets Lucky syrup and milk and starts making her own pancakes. Jacob puts the book to the side as Janie looks at it also and flips around reading other stuff and dog earring some pages.
”Wow, that was cold, so I’m guessing this is going to be very rocky?”
“Actually I hear valentine as a pretty slow thing. Something along the lines of this,” Pyra says singing the first few lines. “While thoughtless well . . . not that.” Pyra says doing the first line also.
“Pyra I hope you don’t mind but I read some more stuff and I marked some things that sounded song worthy,” Janie says. Pyra walks over and Lucky grabs her pancakes pours syrup on them and heads upstairs with a glass of orange juice and a fork. He pushes open Josh’s door and shakes him awake.
“I know you didn’t eat yesterday so here, you have to feel better,” Lucky half says half whines.
“Thanks Lucky,” Josh says grateful for the meal.
“You know a bath would be good to,” he says turning up his nose, “and geez a toothbrush!” Josh drinks some of the orange juice and knows it gives him good reason not to leave his room until Jacob is gone. Lucky takes the plate and cup and is gone speedily.
“ . . .Family Portrait? Really? Precious Illusions just doesn’t seem to really go but I guess. And I had almost forgotten about Drowning but it does go with my mood.”
Lucky returns putting both his and JC’s plate in the dishwasher. He looks at all the buttons confused and just leaves it not feeling like reading. Pyra comes to the counter and looks for her pancakes.
“Lucky! You didn’t eat my pancakes.”
”Um . . .no.” Lucky says looking around.
“How much food do you need?” Pyra says taking out a bowl and a box of Lucky Charms.
“A lot,” Lucky says giving Pyra the milk as a peace offering. “Don’t be mad, I didn’t eat it I gave it to Joshua.”
“Why didn’t you just say so? So he’s still hiding in his room? How nice.”
“You’re fighting with him?!” Jacob says shocked.
“Not really, he just had a bitch attack yesterday I think he may not want to face me.”
“And he smells,” Lucky says. “At least you smell nice.”
“Are you smelling me? Stop it.” Pyra says smiling as Lucky starts rubbing cheeks with her like he still has whiskers.
“Hey so . . . you want to record something today?” Jacob asks.
“Sure dude lets go.”
“Pyra you know how to use that stuff?” Lucky asks.
“Um . . . sort of,” Pyra says opening the door to the basement. The four of them head down to the basement and Janie gets comfortable on the sofa as Lucky continues to be Pyra’s shadow. She looks at the equipment and the multitude of buttons and switches and wonders where to begin. She only new the basics of changing tracks rewinding, and laying over music at the end. The few things JC had ever showed her claiming he’d always be around to show her. She turned it on and Jacob has a grin on his face.
“What?”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Boys and their toys,” Pyra says and Jacob smiles in his element. All he does is remove the CD and places in a new one since there is some music on it. Pyra labels it with the date and a question mark and places it on the orange CD rack. “Dork.”
“Thanks, do you have a guitar?”
“No,” Pyra says walking to a closet and pulling out two guitars and a bass, “I have two.”
“Funny,” He says taking a dark blue one. Pyra puts on the guitar for and pugs it into an amp.
“Okay I’ve like completely forgotten cords, so we’re gonna have to do this by ear,” Pyra says knowing she would have just used some magic to remember the cords maybe that was the problem. She told herself not to be stupid they just wanted her to answer a question.
“Every Good Boy Does Fine,” Lucky says.
“How did you . . .” Pyra starts.
“When you were teaching Edge, he kept forgetting and Nausi snuffed him then told him it was funny,” Lucky says.
“EGBDF,” Pyra mutters hitting the cords in a row and as usual even without her powers she’s able to hear the completed song in its entirety. She just plays it through the first time singing as Jacob joins in for the refrain. It was beyond easy for the two of them to mesh.
“Don’t worry about the cords I got it,” Jacob says as Pyra picks up the bass and plugs it in place of the guitar. They do it together once and adjust their timing. Lucky on the other hand is playing with a set of drumsticks trying to get some attention. He walks into the back of the booth where the ever present drum set is waiting. He starts pounding like a madman and Pyra walks into the booth.
“Lucky stop it!” Pyra yells and he does. “Don’t do that what’s wrong with you?” Lucky just smiles at her and starts playing the drums perfectly. It takes her a second but she recognizes that he’s playing a song. “I’m gonna kick your ass! When in the hell did you learn to play the drums?
“Just now,” Lucky says grinning like a mad man.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Okay maybe Mystic showed me,” Lucky says not happy to give up his fun.
“So we have a drummer it seems,” Pyra says purposely messing up Lucky’s hair.
Once they have a drummer the recording goes well and they are done in a few hours. The last of which they added a thunderstorm sound effect to the song. Pyra uses the computer down there to burn a copy of the recording and places the copy on the red CD rack. She scribbles on the Chasez music copy write and puts in a clear case. She’d hand deliver it later.
“Explain the racks,” Jacob says.
“Okay, the orange one is for Josh’s recordings, red is mine, silver was for Nsync, blue was for Mystic then she built her own and purple is for Nausi.”
“You forgot the neon green,” Jacob says.
“You can’t have any other color for Radioactive Underware,” Pyra says and Jacob smiles.
After that Jacob decides to take the single to virgin and tell them about the arrangements. He figures he’ll have a few contracts or something to sign. Pyra waves goodbye to them and goes into her den for another afternoon of research. She spent the next week in this fashion only taking breaks for recording and work and comes up with an idea despite Mystic and Edge’s antics. They were the Greek gods she was sure of it now. Before she had been lead in circles by the Phoenix, but then she read a poem and realized that the Phoenix prayed to Helios for renewed strength. Helios was the real sun god. He was supposed to be the actual sun unlike Apollo who she was sure was the male elder.
The god of poetry and music, it made sense, that could be where she had gotten her innate musical abilities. It was easy to see what female goddess that left. Athena, wisdom and war. They maybe should have hidden it better it was like everything fell into place like a puzzle. She took the pendant in her hand and spirited herself up to the elders. You could not have . . .
“You’re the Greek gods, Apollo and Athena, I think but definitely two of the Greek gods.” Pyra says.
Legna and Bob are quite stunned. Not only had Pyra figured it out impossibly fast, she had discovered their exact identities. Identities they hadn’t acknowledged in thousands of years, that had slipped off into common lore. They had underestimated her greatly, they had never thought she would find the answer and in living powerless for months she would learn respect for her powers. Their back up plan was too late.
“Am I right?”
Yes but . . .
“But what? I’m right its over I’m done. I’d like my powers back now.”
Its not that simple, you haven’t gone far enough. We have an incarnation before the Greek gods and that is the one which you must find. You have only begun to touch the surface.
Pyra says nothing, she just kinda stares. Before the Greek gods, man she was screwed now. What the hell religion was that Hinduism? Where on earth was she going to find this out? When on earth was she going to find this out? She had and Album to put out a band to form and actual work. This wasn’t fair. She looked up at the elders well could they send her back now? She had a lot of work to do apparently.
As you wish . . . Good Luck. Are there any powers you want before we sent you back?
“I’d like to flame and speak, read, and understand, every language, code, and form of communication dead and living for the past, present and future. “ Two corks vanish from Pyra’s powers and she’s surrounded by a familiar warmth. Pyra fades away and reappears in the playground area in the property. She should be happy. It’s the dead of the night and she did make some progress. It has been a toss up for a while between the Greek and Egyptian gods. Then she had finally remembered the rage Satana had gone into about Grecian gods. Once she had settled that it had just been a matter of what two represented light and good and had enough brains to pull it off.
Pyra stands on the swing and screams her tension away. She screams laughs and screams some more. She doesn’t notice when Lucky comes and sees her and curls on the floor and just start sobbing. She does notice when, Louis shows up and stops the swing almost sending her flying.
“Try to kill me why don’t you,” Pyra says jumping off the swing.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Screaming, what did it sound like?”
“Are you mad?!”
“I think so, no most likely.”
“Will you not even tend to your boy?”
“Boy what boy?” Pyra turns to where he is pointing. “Lucky?”
“Where were you?” He asks sniffling.
“I had to go, you don’t have to be scared. What’s wrong?” Pyra asks petting his hair.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was bad? That it would make him sick? Make him want to die? Did I do something to him? is it because I don’t cen-sore my self?”
“Lucky, I don’t understand.
“They took him away, loud and bright, he’s not coming back.” Pyra hated this whenever Lucky really freaked out he started sounding like a four year old. It was like half his vocabulary went out the window. She couldn’t calm him down without knowing the problem. Fabian was still standing behind her, she turn to him wondering if he knew what happened.
“Less than an hour ago, JC attempted suicide. I’m not sure on all the details but Mystic found him, something about pills and alcohol, I believe.” Louis says as kindly as he can.
Pyra stood and everything started to spin. When everything settled she realized she was holding on to Fabian for support. She let go abruptly. “Suicide?” He nodded. Booze and pills? Severe depression and she had been blind the whole time. Without her powers she really was worthless. She would have never missed something like this before. She had to get her powers back if nothing else for Josh. She hadn’t been there when he needed her. All because she was with the elders, she hoped he wouldn’t die. If she had her powers she could fix this . . . “Can you fix him?” Lucky asks as Louis walks away. “With some magic?”
“I can’t,” Pyra says hugging the boy.
“Yes you can, you can do anything,” Lucky says.
“No, I really can’t, Lucky I need to tell you something.” Pyra says. She then goes on to explain her lack of powers and why she wasn’t there.
“But all the stuff you did, you healed me!”
“Even if I had my full powers I couldn’t heal Josh, it would kill me,” Pyra says glumly.
“My my how the mighty have fallen,” Merrick says gloating.
“Leave me alone,” Pyra says not moving. Merrick kicks some pebbles at the two of them on the floor and Lucky stands before Pyra does.
“Back off!” He hisses puffing up his body like he’s still a cat. Merrick takes a step back but it wasn’t due to the back off it was from what she saw when he said it. His eyes had reverted to that of a cat’s and for a second like a shadow descending on him she had seen an image of a panther. It was more menacing then anything she had ever seen and she didn’t like it.
“Fools, you’ll all know where the real power lies soon enough!” She says marching off to her house.
Lucky turns and extends a hand for Pyra to take so she can stand. He was more amazed by her then ever. Here she was with no powers for almost a month and no one knew. She was so strong not even Edge scared her. Lucky’s mind started to drift into scary territory. What if Edge tried to hurt her? Without her powers he could he was a big blond monster. He made his decision as they walked back to her house. He would keep Pyra safe. Edge would learn to fear the kitty . . .
TO BE CONTINUED . . .