A sigh escaped my lips as I lay on my bed, looking up at the ceiling. What was I going to do?
We made it to the hotel, Hue asked me if I was still going to be there for drinks.
"I will be after I report to the Director," I replied.
"Wouldn"t want you to be late Lieutenant Winters," Abby remarked, heading her own way with Fitzy.
I got my key, took a shower, wrapped myself in a towel, and hadn"t reported to the Director. Usually, I was on top of reporting in, but something pulled me aside.
My a.s.signment.
Laying in on the bed with my towel, my duties drifted away, and the memory of Hue seeing me in the bathroom appeared. A shy smile crept over my lips. At the time, I didn"t know what Hue was doing. Then, I was exposed far more than I wanted to be with him, and yet, now that feeling was more welcoming.
Life wasn"t fair. I shook my thoughts from my head and grabbed my laptop. I secured it and read over my orders:
a.s.signment #: 1532
Primary: a.s.sist the Second State with the investigation of a bizarre incident. a.s.sess the situation, neutralize it if possible. QRF teams ready if the situation calls for a.s.sistance.
Secondary: June Mimiku.
I shook my head at the secondary a.s.signment. This happened every year and to every five-tailed Kitsune. The Seventh had to make sure no Kitsune was turned dark. They had to be cleared by another Kitsune.
I a.s.signed Nekko to check Mimiku. More so, I was giving her permission to have the week with Mimiku. She didn"t hesitate or complain
I checked my phone for Nekko"s text, and there it was. I pulled the message up and opened it finding Nekko and Mimiku in bikini"s that Mimiku obviously picked out. There came another text:
"Mission complete June Mimiku cleared."
That was somewhat of a relief as I reply:
"Received, have fun, clear communication."
After I sent the text, I clear my phone. Just then, my phone rang.
"Director Solomon?"
"Lieutenant Winter, how"s a.s.signment coming along?"
"We just wrapped it up, Sir. Come to find, it was just a missing person case. I"ll give a full report when I get back," I said.
"I have a new a.s.signment for you?"
"Already?"
"How was Corporal Dupeux acting?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is he acting strange, off his game, skittish?"
My memory flooded me with Hue looking panicked when he saw the photo.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, Corporal Dupeux is the one brought light to the case and helped close it."
"Interesting."
"Why, Sir?"
"His annual blood work came back, and it was brought to my attention that there came an anomaly."
"What anomaly?" I asked, my heart beating in my throat now.
"The docs stated that there was black blood in his system; however, on a second a.n.a.lysis, the reports were clean. Observe him and watch him closely. I thought we had a dark magi to catch, but in fact, we might have bad blood on the inside."
"Y-yes, Sir," I answered.
My hand began to tremble.
"That is all."
The Director hung up; I was left there frozen with only one thought in my head.
He"s wrong. Hue couldn"t be a dark magi.
"He"s wrong, Eugene isn"t a dark magi," I said out loud.
Then it dawned on me, Eugene had cut his finger, and the blood was red. The doctors had made a mistake. I scoffed and changed into cute clothed for the bar. Before leaving wiped my wrist with perfume and rubbed it against the other.
I needed a drink.
~~~
I was the only one at the bar table. The others had said they were coming after they did their other duties and such. That was over an hour ago.
"Need another one?"
I looked up from my gla.s.s when the bartender spoke. He held up the golden-brown bottle for encouragement. I pushed my gla.s.s back over.
"Sure," I sighed.
"You started without us?"
I turned my head. Fitzy and Abby had finally come; Fitzy in casual jeans and shirt, and Abby skintight jeans and tank top. I found this outfit on her more appealing than her overly flaunting one.
"Lieutenant Winters not here?" Fitzy asked.
"No, Sir, not yet," I replied.
"Oh, quit with the sirs and ma"ams," Abby grumbled, taking a seat next to me and ordering something with vodka.
"I agree, we are not on the clock, so we are just friends here," Fitzy remarked.
"I"ll have what he"s having," Fitzy said, pointing to my drink.
When everyone got their gla.s.s, Abby proposed a toast.
"To no a job well done!"
"Cheers!"
"So, Fitzy was telling me that there was thought of a necromancer?"
I nearly choked on my drink.
"W-what? No, no necromancer, just a site that was more than likely created by a necromancer way back. But since they are all dead, the sight couldn"t be performed correctly," I corrected.
"Tell me again, what happened to the necros?" Abby asked bubbly.
I think the alcohol is already getting to her.
"Taboo was performed," Fitzy answered.
"Taboo?"
"A necromancer performed a soul-killing spell on the living necromancers, killing them instantly," I schooled, "since a necromancer"s power is derived from the dead among other things, taking from the soul of the living is taboo, and like all taboo arts, it also killed the necromancer that performed it."
"Wow, you sure know a lot about the necros," a familiar voice chirped.
I looked over the shoulders of Fitzy and grinned ear to ear.
"I thought you were going to ditch us," I guilted.
"No, just," Emma paused, "I just had a longer report to make is all. Hey, Fitzy, Abby."
Fitzy and Abby held up their gla.s.ses. Strangely, Emma sat next to Abby. I shot a glance at Fitzy, who raised his eyebrows and smirked.
"Gin and tonic, please," Emma ordered.
"Don"t get too wild," Abby teased, downing her drink.
"I"ll watch myself," Emma chuckled.
"Whoop!" Abby hooted, "I need to dance! Hue wanna show a girl a good time?"
"Um, I don"t dance, I"ll pa.s.s," I replied kindly.
Abby pressed her lips.
"I"ll be more than happy to show you," Fitzy interrupted.
Abby giggled and took Fitzy"s hand and left to the small dance floor. Emma stood and walked to Abby"s empty seat.
"This spot taken?"
I peered over at Abby.
"I"m sure she won"t remember or mind," I said, offering for her to sit.
That"s when the sweet perfume settled in my nostrils. The scent had the perfect effect on me and enhanced Emma"s already stunning beauty. She rarely wore it.
I leaned over.
"You smell great."
The tip of her lip twitched.
"Thank you."
"How"d the report go? Everything okay?" I asked, finishing my drink.
Emma cleared her throat and sipped her tonic.
"Ah, yeah, just had a bit more to clean up since we"re in the Second State"s backyard."
"Gotcha."
"How are you feeling?" Emma whispered.
"Why are you whispering?"
"Er, I, I don"t know," she giggled.
I laughed with her.
"Afraid drunk Abby will hear you?" I joked
"Shut up," Emma retorted, scrunching her nose.
"Well, I"m doing fine. I was a little shaken at the start but finding that it"s nothing was a relief." I said.
"Why is that a relief?"
"Why wouldn"t it be?"
"Right, right."
"You know the history. The Necromancer Alliance was a plague on the planet and to have one alive would spell another epidemic," I stated.
Another gla.s.s was set in front of me, and I gulped it down.
The irony.
"That sounded a little person, Hue," Emma noted.
"Nah, it"s nothing," I rea.s.sured her with a smile.
She returned the smile.
"You have beautiful eyes," I whispered, gazing into her yellow and blue calico eyes.
I didn"t mean for it to be heard, but Emma flushed hot red.
"How much have you had to drink, Corporal?"
My stomach knotted, and I didn"t have words in my mouth.
"I, um, I think," I cleared my throat.
There"s the distance again.
I glimpsed over at Abby and Fitzy dancing together. My chest tightened.
"My apologies Lieutenant, I think I"m going to call it a night," I said firmly.
I stood up quickly but calmly. I didn"t want Emma to think anything had hurt me. Abby saw me get up. I just smiled and waved at her good-bye.
"Wait, Hue!"
"Forgive me, Lieutenant, but it"s Corporal Dupeux," I stated, keeping the false smile.
I left the bar and headed to my room. Getting there, I opened and closed the door as hard as I could, but the stupid hinges stopped it.
"Did I do something wrong?" I pondered.
"Listen to me."
My head spun around, darting side to side.
The voice.
I heard it clear as day. I blinked; my eyes turned green, looking into the veil. There he was sitting on the couch, my father.
My jaw just hung there.
"h.e.l.lo, son."
~~~
"Are you going to say anything?"
I had been standing silent for an eternity. The spirit still sitting on the was in his late thirties, full air and beard, with naturally green eyes.
"H-How are you here? You, your soul," I stuttered.
The spirit stood and walked up to me.
"Son, I am or was the Grand Master of Necromancy."
He placed a hand on my shoulder. There was no weight or sensation.
"Are the soul and the spirit one," he questioned with a smile.
"Excuse me?"
"Answer the question?"
"Um, yes, but they can be split apart," I answered.
My father turned and glided back to the couch and sat. He gestured to the chair opposite the sofa. I hesitated, but eventually walked to the chair, keeping my eyes on the ghost.
Plopping down on the couch, I was confused on so many levels, but my father kept his grin.
"I performed the Taboo on you, mom, and Jay."
"By accident," my father iterated. His tone lowered but held a warmth.
Our eyes met.
"You were only seven, Eugene, at the birth of your powers."
That didn"t make me feel any better.
"How are you here and they not?"
"Taboo have one little loophole. While the taboo takes the souls from the living and of the host performing, kill them instantly, if you separated the soul and spirit, you can sustain briefly."
"So, like seven years?"
"Give or take," my father chuckled.
"Why now?"
My father"s smile vanished.
"I was trying to warn you before things got worse."
"What do you mean?"
"The cornfield, the tent," my father said.
"I got that, but what did you mean before things got worse?"
"You summoned something from the h.e.l.ls," he bluntly stated.
Slowly, I shook my head.
"It was summoned on by the blood of thirteen virgins."
"I would have felt it, known," I argued.
"No, not this one."
I closed my eyes and thought.
"The statue. When it dissolved, that was the summoning completed," I spoke.
"Yes, very good," my father stated.
"This doesn"t answer anything. Who, what, and why? Where did it go?" I hammered.
"The statue was that of a female ent.i.ty. I don"t even know her name. What I do know is that this demon, or whatever this is, didn"t have a face, why?"
What is this? A teaching moment?
"This isn"t helping."
"In the realm of demons, what does it mean when a face isn"t put on a statue?"
"It means," I thought, "well if they made a statue, then this demon was revered, but if it"s faceless, then it did something horrible in the demon realm."
"Correct."
My chest swelled, and my eyes teared. I knew this wasn"t the time to be sentimental, but when would it be?
"Ah, ah," my father groaned.
"What?"
My father held up his hand. He didn"t have any fingers; they and other parts of his body were starting to burn away. In a panic, I rushed over to him and tried grabbing him, but he pa.s.sed right through me and onto the floor.
In a flash, my father was there, the next, he wasn"t.