Chapter 15: Raven

"What?" I hissed into my phone.

            "I know it’s a lot to take in, "Derek explained, "But you're just not safe here. I'm trying to talk my father out of this crazy idea."

            "He wants me executed." I repeated. I sounded like a broken record.

            Derek sighed on the other end, "Raven, call Jacobson and stay with him. Stay somewhere safe until I can come get you."

            "Alright, "I swallowed. He reminded me that everything was going to be alright and then had to hang up abruptly since his father was calling him. When the line died, I sprinted to the woman's bathroom and locked myself in a stall.  I was too stunned to do something at the moment.  I just needed a minute to digest everything.

            After a minute, I dialed the help hotline that I was given when I became a student at the academy.  As it rang, I prayed I would get Jacobson.

            "Hello?" A hushed voice said.

            "Is-Is Jacobson there?" I choked out. I was on the verge of tears again. I heard a sigh and then a familiar voice came to the phone.

            "Hello? Who is this?" He asked calmly.

            "It-Its Raven. I need help."

            "Where are you Raven?" He questioned me right away.

            "I'm at a convenience store near Helena.  Please hurry, there might be demons coming after me."

            "I'm on my way-"

            "You can't take me to school either!" I cut him off.

            "Why?"

            "Because Williams wants me dead." I stated bleakly. My stomach turned to mush just thinking about it.

            "What did you do?"

            "I didn't even killed him!" I cried, "He just hates me!"

            "Ok, Ok, calm down Raven. I'm on my way.  Just stay where you are. I'll call you when I'm there." I choked out an ok and the voice went dead. I placed the phone on the tile floor in the bathroom and set it on vibrate as I wiped the tears that were falling again.  I shouldn't be crying, but yet I was.  I was tough, a girl who had been through a lot of s**t and here she is, sobbing on a convenience store bathroom.  As I sat quietly on the floor, waiting for Jacobson to call, I contemplated calling Derek or somebody, just to talk to them until the time passed, but I decided against it.

            I don't know how long it was, but eventually my phone vibrated like crazy.  I nabbed it with a crack addict's hand and pressed the accept call button. 

            "I'm standing outside the woman's bathroom door." Jacobson informed.

            "Ok, I'm coming out." I lifted myself off the ground and shuffled out of the bathroom to nearly run into Jacobson.

            "Hey there sweetheart, "he mumbled into my ear as I collapsed into his arms, "Act like I'm your father."

            "Daddy! I'm sorry!"  I cried loudly into his shirt. "I just wish you would meet him and understand that he's ok!"

            "I understand sweetheart. Let's go home and talk about it." He soothed as he started to walk.  We shuffled out of the store together. Once outside, we fell out of character. I wiped the last remaining tears off my cheek as we walked swiftly to his car.

            "What the hell is going on at school?" He hissed.

            "I'll explain in the car." I replied. My badassness was back. As we walked, I noticed a couple figures circling a car.

            "S**t, that's my car." Jacobson swore.

            "It's those demons." I should have known they would have been here already.  When we reached the car, Jacobson took hold of the situation. There were three people, around my age.  Two males, one was the other thug that had dragged Caroline to her doom and one woman who I knew was Tanya.

            "Evening," Jacobson began.

            Tanya stepped forward, "Hello. I was looking for someone. We believe she went into that convenience store."

            "Well, I'm sure she's not in my car." Jacobson said, nodding toward his car. He was taking this strangely calm.

            "It's her." One of the guys growled as his skin bristled white fur.

            "Who's her?" I stepped forward, standing my ground.

            "The Raven," The other hissed.

            "Stand down." Tanya ordered harshly.

            "Screw you Tanya! I'm sick of taking orders from you!" The first guy roared as he let the demonic change happen.  White fur, lots of it grew on his body. A polar bear, lovely.

            "Pat!" Tanya screamed, but it was too late. Jacobson made a move, jumping on the bear and wrapping his arms around the thick neck.

            "No false moves," Jacobson hissed acidly.  I knew he wouldn't kill a demon if he didn't have to.  The bear was stupid though and charge toward me. I changed and shot up just as the bear ran past me. Jacobson twisted and the bear stopped, its heart stopping. I flapped my wings hard to stay hovering in the air.

            The remaining guy stared at his buddy in shock. Tanya just squinted her eyes at me and then at the body. 

            "Hank!" Tanya yelled with warning in her throat.

            "I suggest you leave unless you want to die as well. I am fortunately for you a nicer keeper." Jacobson warned. Tanya nodded stiffly, still that pissed off look in her eyes. She dragged the guy she called Hank by the arm into the woods. She pushed him ahead as he changed into some large animal. She changed and I saw the glint in her tawny, red rimmed eyes looking back at the scene. From the shadows, I could see her pelt ripple with stripes. She was truly a tiger. She turned with a swish of her tail and trotted away.

            I landed and changed back. I noticed the polar bear carcass hadn't crumpled to dust. Jacobson was examining it.

            "It isn't dead, is it?" I asked.

            "Nope. I stunned it." He sighed, walked to his car and pulled a large dagger. "I have to clean up before we leave." I could tell that he didn't want to do this. He walked up to the stunned animal, steadied the dagger and drove it into the beast's white fur. No blood spilled.  The body turned brittle and Jacobson kicked it to release the ash.

            "Get in the car." he ordered. I nodded and clambered in. He climbed into the drivers seat and tossed the dagger in the back seat like it was a book or something not dangerous. I didn't ask why. We drove in silence until we reached his house.

            "Since you said the academy is dangerous for you, you'll have to stay with me until we figure out what to do with you." I shuddered inside. I would have to deal with his wife, Penny.  She is the most deadly snake in the world. I also thought Jane had a baby sister, but I couldn't remember. Jacobson pulled into the driveway and pulled into the garage. The door that led into the house opened widely as a very slim woman in a bathroom walked out angrily.

            "You told me it wouldn't take this long!" She shouted. Jacobson sighed. We both climbed out.

            "Ran into some demon's honey." He merely stated as he kissed her cheek. She noticed me and glared.

            "Why'd she come with?" She asked, her voice now lowered.

            "Long story. It's been a long night so why don't we all go to bed and catch up in the morning." Jacobson smiled and walked inside, leaving me in the garage with his wife.

            Jacobson's wife, Penny sighed and said, "Follow me. I guess you could sleep in Jane's room since she hasn't been home in a while." I thanked her quietly and followed her inside. We entered a quaint kitchen where Jacobson was making himself a sandwich. Penny and I passed through the living room and down a hallway. 

            "MOM! What was all that racket?!" a girl's voice screamed from a cracked doorway.

            "Your father's home! We have a guest Zella!" a girl with hair like Jane's came running out. She ran right up to me and stood up straight, trying to make herself look taller than she really was.

            "I'm Zella! Who are you?" She demanded. She wore a pink night gown that went down to her knees.

            "Raven," I told her. Her eyes widened. I couldn't tell what color they were since it was dark and the lamp in the living room didn't cast a far enough beam down the hallway.

            "I've heard a lot about you! My big sister Jane said that your-"

            "That's enough Zella. Go back to bed." her mother demanded. Zella's shoulders hunched as she shuffled glumly back to bed.

            "Stand of straight!" Her mother added. She did and then closed her door. Penny then continued down the hall to Jane's room. 

            "You can use any of her clothes if they fit. I don't know how long you'll be staying but we can figure that out in the morning. The bathroom is just down the hall and be careful of Zella. She does like to scare guests. She is one hyper girl." Penny smiled for a moment and then turned to leave.

            "Thank you!" I called as I closed the door. Jane's room was not too big with a wide window overlooking the front yard.  One wall was black, while the other was a dusty pink that could almost pass for white.  A bookshelf and nightstand stood on both sides of her bed which had clean, white sheets. The only thing that didn't go with the color scheme was a thread bare, blue blanket that sat on the end of the bed.

            "If you're going to sleep in Jane's bedroom, " The door creaked open and Zella peeked inside. She looked so innocent in the shadows. "You can't have her special. No one except me can use that blanket." She then darted into the room and I saw a streak of stark white hair running down the middle of her hair. She grabbed the blanket and retreated into the shadows of the door.

            "Where did you get that streak of white in your hair?" I asked but she didn't respond. She ducked away. Zella had retreated to her room. I stood where I was and wondered how she could have gotten it. When I was done wondering, I took my shoes off and unclipped the suspenders. I was too tired and emotionally distraught to care what I slept in so I slipped under the covers in my jean shorts and wolf teeshirt and let the darkness take over me.

                                   ***

            "Hello there little Raven." a hissy voice that I knew well said playfully.

            "Where are you Drake?" I demanded.  I stared into darkness, trying to see the person I had called out.

            "Oh little Raven," he tisked, "You seem to bring a lot of attention wherever you go, especially with the demons. They really like the potential you could bring to the army."

            "I am not going demon,"

            "But yet everyone seems to think you will." Drake then appeared, walking out of the darkness. He wore all black and the only thing that could distinguish him from the darkness was the paleness of his skin and his red rimmed eyes.

            "They're wrong," I countered as I charged him. He stuck his hand out and I shriveled to the floor in an agonizing pain.

            "Raven," he said again, losing the playfulness that he had at the beginning. "You will be going demon, whether you like it or not and people you know will as well." He walked over to me, his shoes clicking on the missing surface as he placed his hand on my forehead. The pain died away. "Father wants you in the army. He knows you will go demon, he has seen the future."

            "The future can always change," I hissed

            "Not all the time." He knelt down so his lips were next to my ear, "Father wishes to tell you that if you do not abandon that boy then he will go demon as well and he will not get to use his choice."

            "Who is this father? Why does he want me? Who are you really Drake?" I demanded as I pushed him away. Drake stumbled backwards and then he chuckled.

            "So many questions little Raven." He pulled on his jacket and stalked back over to where I was. "Tanya will surely find you, but I get to demonize you. Father told me himself."

            "This "Father" figure can surely go to hell." I spat as I let my hair spill over. It had gotten longer again.

            "Our "Father" figure has already been to hell." Drake stated and the dream fell into the darkness.

                       ***

            I woke up with cold sweat sticking to the back of my shirt. My hair which was at my sides by now was tangled and spilling past my face. I blinked the nightmarish sleep away and pushed the covers aside.  I would need a shower and a change of clothes. I rummaged through Jane's wardrobe, finding nothing that suited my liking.  I settled on a thin cotton tee shirt that had sleeves down to my elbows with the number 15 in large, black lettering, a pair of gray sweats with the word Zumba scrawled down one side of the leg and a pair of cheap, turquoise flips flops. I would have to go shopping if I stayed much longer.

            I carried the clothes to the bathroom, where on the way, Zella glared from her bedroom through the crack in her door. The white streak was now more easily seen in the early morning sun. I picked up the pace to the bathroom and closed the door quietly.  I undressed and stood in the shower as the water washed the sweat off my body. Questions swirled around my head. Why did Zella have a white streak in her beautiful chestnut hair? Why was she so hostile around me? What did Jane tell her?

            Then of course, I had too many questions about the dream last night. Who was Drake really? Would I really go demon?  Who was this "Father" he kept speaking of? If he was really real, could he see my future? By the time I was done, my brain ached with all the questions in my head. I dried off and dressed. When I opened the door to leave the bathroom and pile my clothes in a corner of Jane's room, Zella stood there staring at me.

            "You talk in your sleep." She said.

            "Sorry, I guess?" I said calmly. I walked past her, but she just followed me.

            "Who was this Drake? You kept saying his name."

            "I honestly couldn’t tell you." I confessed.

            "Are you really as bad as Jane told me?" By now we were in Jane's room where I had piled my clothes on top of my converses.

            "What did she tell you?"

            "Well, she told me that you were rude and you beat people up. She told me when I go to the Academy next year, that I should avoid you at all costs."

            "I'm not like that anymore. I've sort of turned a new leaf."

            "Oh." She said quietly. Then she fired back up again, "Is the academy nice?" She was a non-stop talker.

            "Uh…sure." I lied. I really didn't like it that much.

            "Are the classes challenging? I mean, I just figured out my change ability but I have a hard time controlling it and stuff." Maybe the stripe in her hair was a clue to what she was.

            "The classes for a first year aren't hard. They can't be because you're learning to use your power for the first time. But they will get challenging as you move up."

            "You’re a seventh year right?"

            "Yeah." I was sort of proud of that since I had escaped so many times. I was surprised they didn't kick me out to the demons after year one.

            "And there's ten?"

            "Yup."

            "What can you do?"

            "I'm a Raven."

            "But your name is Raven?" She looked confused.

            "I got lucky." I smiled as I walked down the hall again. Zella was still in her nightgown. I stepped into the kitchen to see Jacobson and Penny both sitting at the table, a fresh stack of pancakes in the middle. Two other plates were set besides their own. Penny sipped coffee as she listened to the morning radio while Jacobson skimmed through his newspaper.

            Penny noticed that Zella and I were up, "Good morning girls! Come sit down for breakfast." I swallowed my nervousness down and did as I was told. Zella skipped over to her seat and forked three pancakes onto her plate.

            "Did you sleep well Raven?" Penny asked, trying to make polite conversation.

            "Yes, the best I've had in a while." I smiled as I forked over two.

            "Raven talks in her sleep." Zella mumbled. Penny shot her a nasty look.

            "Young lady, I told you not to be doing that when we have visitors." She snapped. Zella bowed her head in shame.

            "But she's SO easy to do it on!" I was out of the loop.

            "I don't care. You should mind people's business." Her mother did not look happy.           

            "I'm sorry, but I'm utterly confused." I confessed. Jacobson had not looked down from his newspaper yet.

            "Zella has an extra power besides her animal change. She's a dream walker."

            "A dream walker?" I questioned.

            "Yes, she can step into other people's dreams as they dream. You don't mumble in your sleep dear, it just sounds like it to her." The blood in my veins stopped running. She must have seen everything. I swallowed hard and tried to put on a small smile.

            "That's cool." I tried to say nonchalantly, but my voice sounded strained. Penny must have noticed.

            "I really hope she didn't intrude into your personal dreams. We're terribly sorry."

            "It's fine." I ducked down and began cutting my pancake. Penny stopped talking as she listened into the radio.

            "Leo Vanderwine was killed a few days ago during a game of Capture the Flag at the Academy in Montana. The cause of death has not been released yet.  The funeral will be held next weekend." They must subscribe to the changer's radio station.

            "What a shame that boy died." Penny commented. Jacobson flicked his newspaper down.

            "It is indeed." Was all Jacobson replied. Penny sighed as she got up to clear her husband's plate. The only man in the house closed his newspaper and got up.

            "I need to head out. Hopefully I'll be home at normal time today." He kissed his wife and daughter's head, waved to me and then headed out. Zella ran out to the garage to see her father off.

            "Can I call you Penny?" I asked politely.

            "Of course." She smiled. She was nicer than I thought or maybe she was just crabby last night since I called in the middle of the night and dragged her husband after me.

            "I have a question about the stripe running through Zella's hair." I began. Penny looked down into the sink. She must have known I was going to ask eventually. "What happened?"

            Penny took a deep breath, "She was much younger than this when it happened, but she was struck by lightning one stormy day. She wasn't supposed to have any powers. She was supposed to be human like her father. Jane was the one who enherieted powers from me." She stopped to dry her hands. "After she healed, she started wandering through people's dreams and then her change happened shortly after. She was 10 when that happened and that doesn't usually start until your 13, or at least that’s when Jane had hers."

            "She's an early bloomer."

            Penny bit her lip, "I know, but she wasn't supposed to be like us. The doctors said it themselves. With today's technology, you can scan their cells to see if they carry the gene and she didn't!" Clearly she was distraught. 

            "Don't blame yourself. Things happen."

            She breathed a couple times, "I've been trying not to blame myself, but I wanted her to have a normal life and not have to be chased by demons." I didn't know what to say at this point.

            "I could help her prepare while I'm here. She told me she's been having troubles controlling it."

            Penny nodded vigorously, "Yes! I could use all the help. With Jane at school, I've been trying to help her learn how to control it, but she keeps getting side tracked and it's frustrating. Maybe you'll have a better luck."

            "What is troubling her?" I asked.

            "She can't take the full change and if she does get it, she can't hold it." I could hardly remember when I first started changing. I just change and go.

            "I'll see what I can do." I promised. Penny beamed as she finished cleaning the dishes. As I finished my plate, I heard a soft vibrating. I excused myself and sprinted to Jane's room. My phone was vibrating. I nabbed it and answered, not even looking at who was calling.

            "Hello?" my voice rang.

            "Raven? Is that you?" It was Derek. My day was getting better.

            "Of course it is silly!"

            "You sound…better than last night, that's for sure." he observed.

            "Well, I got a good night's sleep." I didn't mention to him about the dream.

            Derek chuckled, "Ok, I really hate to dampen your mood but I got some news for you."

            "What kind of news?"

            "I did some research about Drake." I stiffened. I asked him to go on.

            "He graduated from the Academy in Ontario about 4 years ago and was given a very high guarding position. Then he disappeared a week after he accepted it. No one had heard from him.  Then he showed up a month after on a killing rage." He stopped, as if preparing himself to tell me the worst news.

            "Go on," I urged. "I can tell you're not done."

            Derek drew a huge sigh, "You're going to hate me when I tell you this."

            "Tell me anyway." I urged on, losing patience.

            "Raven, Drake is your brother."

Author's Note

ignore grammar