This Blood that Burns Us, page 3
Zach, Luke, and Presley were all adorned in their “Go Kimberly” shirts. Presley’s idea. Zach had black shades pulled over his eyes, and his hands stuffed in his pockets. While Luke had Presley’s camera near the gate, fighting for the best angle to take a picture. Their cheering got louder as we passed them. It pushed me toward the finish line. Their motivation was the final push I needed.
“Go, Kimberly!”
“Go! Go! Go!”
Once one chant ended, they’d pick up another one.
Once my feet passed the finish line, I came to a halt. My legs gave out beneath me, but Aaron’s arms were fast around me.
“You did it! You beat your time!” He held me in an embrace and helped me to my feet. Blood rushed through my veins, and a smile crossed my lips. He pulled away, but I didn’t let go, and my hand lingered on his arm for support. I was happy, unbelievably so, but not just because I reached my goal, also because Aaron’s touch was warm and it made my skin buzz with excitement.
“Dude! You did it!” Luke scooped me up in a bear hug. The boys proceeded with their chanting, and to my surprise, the crowd around us didn’t mind.
Zach stayed cool and collected with his hands in his pockets. “Now all we need is some Gatorade.”
“Come on. Let’s go celebrate. I’m thinking . . . dive bar?” Presley said, red paint still smeared across this face.
“We can’t get in, remember?” Aaron laughed.
"Oh, I have my ways,"Presley said.
My legs were like Jell-O as Aaron propped me up. I leaned into him, letting him do most of the work. The tall trees greeted us with a scenic beauty, and we walked in ecstasy at being in each other’s company. My days of being alone were long gone, and as I listened to their chatter, I knew I didn’t miss the quiet. Not even a little.
To my surprise, Chelsea was making her way through the crowd. The backs of my ankles were raw, and my feet were still throbbing, but that didn’t stop me from limping toward her.
“God, you were like superwoman out there,” she said, embracing me in a brief hug.
“You drove all the way here? I told you not to!”
Chelsea had been busy at a sorority event all day, and I didn’t want to burden her with the driving it required to see me at the finish line. Over the summer, Chelsea and I had only grown closer. A few thrift store trips turned into constant texting and phone calls. A lot of her closer friends had graduated last year, and she’d needed company. I did too. Aaron and his brothers were great, but sometimes I needed girl time.
“Please, it’s nothing. I arranged to meet some close friends nearby, anyway.” Chelsea smiled and handed me a bottle of water before turning back toward the boys. “None of you brought her water, I see.”
“We were thinking of Gatorade.” Presley chuckled.
“Well, I’m glad you made it.” I smiled and leaned back into Aaron to get some pressure off my feet.
“Wouldn’t miss it.” She winked at me while narrowing her eyes at the boys. “I hope Aaron will take good care of you tonight and help you ice your feet.”
She said it with such a flat tone the other boys snickered. Chelsea still wasn’t a fan of Aaron, but she tolerated him for me, and I appreciated that. I expected him to banter back, but he was still staring at me with bright, glossy eyes. My cheeks flushed.
“Chels, you still coming to the house tomorrow to help me make some stuff for the charity event?” Presley put his arm around her, and she rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I’ll be there. Can’t believe I got roped into being a sweetheart for the killjoy fraternity. OBA used to be fun.”
Zach leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “There will be alcohol.”
“Suddenly, I’m excited again,” Chelsea said, perking up.
We soon said our goodbyes, and she left to meet her friends, and we made our way to the parking lot. I stared up at the trees and drank in the wilderness. The faint scent of bark and cedar filled my senses. The summer brought on a drought for almost the entirety of California. The oak tree leaves had been scorched on the ends, and the dirt underneath our feet was a dry powder. But that didn’t stop the colors of fall from painting the leaves.
Aaron’s gaze was heavy on my face. “How are you feeling? Do you want me to carry you?”
I smiled with a nod and climbed onto his back. I nestled my chin on his shoulder, enjoying my new view and the feel of his clean cotton shirt. It was our group’s first moment alone in months. Something about it felt right, like the world was in perfect harmony when the five of us were together.
A dark shadow in front of us leaned against the trees, and we came to a halt. Like a singular rain cloud on a perfect sunny day, William and two other Legion members appeared from the trees.
“Uh-oh. The fun police are here,” Presley joked.
“Do you know how long we had to look for you? You all had your GPS turned off.” William’s jaw clenched as he approached our group. “Not to mention the drive alone to get to you.”
Kilian assigned us all our own respective “bodyguards,” and William oversaw Zach and Luke. A task that turned out to be his own personal hell, as far as I could tell.
That was all Zach needed to square his shoulders and get in his face. “Come on, we’ve been talking about this for weeks. You knew where we were.”
“Why must you always make it more difficult than it needs to be?” William sighed, his gaze landing on me, then Luke and then Aaron. “I expected more from you.”
A pang of guilt fluttered in my stomach. It wasn’t my responsibility to make sure the boys followed the rules, but I needed to encourage them in the right direction. The Legion weren’t my favorite people, but they were protecting the boys, and that was the only thing that helped me sleep at night. If there was one thing I could count on them for, it was their obsession over keeping the Calem brothers in their sight. Which Aaron and Presley resented, but I was a little thankful for. The Family was out there somewhere, and the boys had all been marked with the queen’s blood. The Legion, though a little unconventional and uptight, was our best hope.
“Maybe we wanted to hang out . . . alone. You know, just the fam. One day without randoms breathing down our necks.” Presley still had a smile plastered on his face.
“Do you think I like following you all around? Nothing would please me more than to see you all wiped from the Earth because of your own misfortunes, and yet, here I am. Stuck watching over all of you.”
Presley fake yawned and Zach spoke. “No one asked you to. You can fuck off, for all I care.”
It had been months, but the tension between us lingered. It was hard to trust someone who once tried to kill you. I remembered the firm grip on the collar of my shirt and the hate in his eyes when William slung me up against the altar in the church. Proximity didn’t make that go away. I squeezed tighter around Aaron’s neck at the thought.
Sparing their lives in the church didn’t come with no strings attached. They were tethered to The Legion, which unfortunately meant I was too.
“Alright. That’s enough. We’re sorry. Won’t happen again,” Luke said. He was mostly the voice of reason, but he’d had his moments with The Legion too. He picked his battles more carefully than Zach did.
“Why do I feel like that’s a lie too?” William groaned but turned toward the parking lot, and the other members of The Legion followed without a word. “We can split you up between cars. Thane, you’re with me. Dom, can you ride with the others on the way home?”
He nodded. Dom was tall, taller than Luke even, and the most stoic man I’d ever encountered. He had short stick-straight black hair and green eyes. The best dressed in all The Legion, and no matter the occasion, he loved to wear beige slacks and tops that accented his copper skin.
I’d heard him say little since being assigned as Presley’s guard over the summer, and the most expression I’d seen from him was the side-eye he’d give Presley when he wouldn’t shut up.
“We can’t even drive ourselves home now?” Zach said.
“So, you can run off and take Kimberly out to eat and get drunk? No.”
“Damn, he’s good.” Aaron looked back at me with a smile. “Don’t worry, we’ve got food at the house. And I . . . might have packed a few snacks in case you needed it.”
My chest warmed at the sentiment. Aaron thought of me in ways I wasn’t prepared for.
Zach pulled white-knuckled hands through his dark hair, and his shades reflected in the sun. “God, you guys are such a fucking buzzkill.”
“And you’re all petulant children. Now get your asses in the car.” William motioned to the cars in the parking lot.
“Fuck, I’m not going anywhere with you. Luke and I will ride with Dom.”
“Fine,” William said.
“Good.” Zach always wanted the last word. He and Luke averted course toward their car while Presley, Aaron, and I sauntered toward William and Thane.
“Come on, guys, a little road trip will be fun.” Thane’s smile was radiant. His dimples barely showed under his groomed beard and medium-brown skin.
Thane oversaw Aaron, and his personality had won him over quickly. He was one of the only members of The Legion who didn’t look like he hated being around us. In fact, he blended in well as a college student.
We stuffed ourselves into their black SUV that smelled of thick cologne.
“Which one of you was it today, gentlemen?” Presley hopped in the very back while William and Thane piled into the front seat.
Thane turned with a shy smile, his straight dark hair brushing past his shoulders. “What do you mean?”
“Which one of you bathed in the cologne?” Presley chuckled to himself in the back seat. “I’m not knocking it. I like it. I’m just curious as to why my eyes are always on fire when I sit back here.”
Thane didn't seem at all phased. “Hey, it’s my signature scent.”
“Presley, let’s not make the car ride home awkward. Please, just this once.” Aaron sighed.
“Fine. Fine. I can’t believe it’s the only day we are all off work, and we’re being forced to go sit at home.”
The summer brought a host of changes we weren’t expecting. We all became broke. My scholarship money dwindled, and Aaron’s brother’s stack of cash they had saved had gone faster than they thought possible. Aaron and I believed it was due to Presley’s addiction to gambling, but he denied it. Instead of everyone getting separate jobs and The Legion being spread thin, we all worked at the same place. In the summer, that wasn’t an issue. The water park’s busy season was in full swing and had numerous openings. Since college students were their main customers, getting a job there was easy. Chelsea even snagged a job there too.
I worked in the gift shop with Presley and Chelsea, while Zach and Luke got stuck with the concession stand, and Aaron got the best job of the group being the person who greeted everyone at the front and told them where to go. While we slaved away at our respective jobs, Aaron talked to people all day long, and he enjoyed every second of it.
It was a great job, and we could have kept working on the weekends during school if it wasn’t for Zach making a scene and getting us all escorted out. I couldn’t help but recall that memory and the very event that led us all to being fired on the spot.
I had held a stack of shirts, preparing to refold the entirety of the clothing rack for the fifth time that day when I had heard something coming from outside. “What’s that noise?”
I had turned to the back of the store where an open archway led outside to the courtyard. The roar of a crowd had pulsated in my head and rivaled the pop music that gave me a headache almost daily.
“Oh, shit. Come on!” Presley grabbed my arm, and we tore off through the clothing racks.
“We’ll be right back!” I said to Chelsea, who was manning the register.
“Where are you going?” she called as we reached the archway.
Looking back, I was glad she didn’t follow us. It wasn’t planned she’d end up with the same summer job, but more like fate. And it aided in growing our friendship.
Presley and I went through the back section of the store and ran past Aaron’s post next to a sign and a map that explained every route in the park. He had the best view of us all and could see the mountain ridges encircling us, but he was already at the food bar across the courtyard. Even without super vision or hearing, I could hear and see a crowd forming.
“I told you that wasn’t what I ordered.” A man who looked to be our age held up the line in front of the food stand Zach and Luke were managing.
“And I told you that’s exactly what you fuckin’ ordered. You’re just being a dick. So, fuck off.” Zach’s eyes were set to kill, and he motioned for the next person in line.
“No. Like I said, you’re here to serve me.” The man put both of his hands on the bar, and his friends backed him up with laughter.
“Fuck. Off,” Zach growled.
A spray of soda soaked Zach, and he took one inhale to wipe the liquid from his eyes and hair out of his face before jumping across the counter and punching the man in the face.
“Uh-oh,” Presley said, pushing me behind him as chaos broke out in front of us. Luke slid over the counter, only looking disappointed for a split second before he went into backing up Zach. There was a wildness in his eyes like he was having fun catching the punches of anyone who thought they’d be able to land one on him. Presley and Aaron had joined in to stop the fight. Even with Zach holding back, it had earned the guy two black eyes and a bloody nose. As we got escorted, Zach had chuckled and licked the blood from his knuckles—way too pleased with himself.
I’d been disappointed at first, but working at the movie theater in town was closer and all around a better job. Our summer bled quickly into the new school year. It turned out when you had to work almost every day, the days flew by.
I groaned, leaning into Aaron. My feet were still hot in my running shoes, and I didn’t want to imagine the week ahead at work. I couldn’t imagine standing.
“Hey, tomorrow is Monday!” Aaron exclaimed. “Hell yeah.”
I smiled, and a heat flushed my cheeks. There was one good thing about Mondays. Aaron and I closed together at the movie theater. He’d practically bribed our manager to make our schedules coordinate on certain days. It was fun to stay after hours and take our time cleaning and locking up. Our only true alone time together.
William and Thane went on talking back and forth in the front seat like we weren’t there, and a restlessness had me shifting in my seat. How long would we be stuck under their thumb? And when—if ever—would The Family find us.
The smell of burning popcorn and butter stuck in my nostrils. I scooped another bucket and passed it to a customer. My aching feet were still at the forefront of my mind. The fluffy socks I’d slipped on did little to help.
One of the best places of entertainment on the mountain was the theater, which meant it was often busy. Monday nights were easy and slow, and I enjoyed the peace from the weekend rush. The theater was a place I could get out of my head. It felt safe to be among the public, in addition to The Legion waiting outside for our shifts to end.
In the center of town, our theater was moderately sized and had decent upkeep. New fixtures and red velvet carpets made it seem more upscale than it was. But I was thankful it didn’t smell of musk and dirt like the old bowling alley in town.
“Wow, you make that look easy,” Aaron whispered close, and I jumped.
Aaron leaned against his broom. He loved to pull his collar up on our all-black uniform shirts to make me laugh. It wasn’t a color that suited Aaron, but he didn’t look bad in it either. The best sweeper in the whole dang theater.
“How’s the shift going?” I said, grabbing a rag to wipe the counters to look busy.
“Great! I found a watch in theater three.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I held it under the counter.
Chris. He was back to being interested in my life again. At one time, that might have brought me joy, but now it brought me guilt. Chris and I could never be friends like we once were—for many reasons, but the biggest one being I could never tell him about the Calem brothers and what they were.
“Anything you want to share with the class?” He leaned on his broom while fluttering his lashes at me.
“Chris wants to come next month. The second to the last week of October.”
“That’s great.” Aaron’s voice went up an octave. “He can come to the Halloween party.”
“What Halloween party?”
“You know, the one we’re inevitably going to throw. The biggest one on campus in years. It’s gonna be crazy.”
“And who will let you have this party?” I said, knowing it was easier said than done.
“We’re working on it.”
I sighed, returning my phone to my pocket. “Well, I think Chris is worried.”
“Smart man.”
“Is right now a good time, though?”
The nagging thought of danger lingered. There was no indication The Family knew our location, but I couldn’t shake the gnawing fear it might be inevitable.
“What better time than the present?”
Aaron’s smile deterred that negative line of thinking. I couldn’t think like that. My two worlds meshing left my head spinning. Chris was tucked safely away in New York, and that thought made me feel better. He needed to stay away from me and whatever was going on in my life. Yet I couldn’t drop everything because of a bad feeling.
Our manager eyed Aaron, and without a word, signaled for him to go back to his post. Aaron and I shared a look, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. We’d gotten a warning already for Aaron’s “excessive trips to the concession.” Aaron saluted her and gave me a wink before leaving to sweep the main auditorium.
“Excuse me.” A soft voice caught my attention at the edge of the counter. A woman around my age stood with a heavy aura.
