"I already raked her over the coals man," I said and was a little surprised at the way he spoke to her, though I had already done much worse.
"I"m sure that you did but that"s not what I"m trying to do. I understand. I do. Sherry would have done the same thing and I"d have yelled at her for it too. But I told you I"d help you."
"I didn"t want to put anyone else in danger," she said softly.
"She has this theory-" I started but she interrupted me with a strange soft voice.
"Don"t make fun of me, Cain."
I stopped. Because that"s exactly what I was about to do. Not intentionally, but outing her fears to this group of guys, standing around... She really believes it, no matter how silly it is.
"I"m not," I said softly and waited for her to look at me. When she did, I gave her a crooked smile I knew she couldn"t resist and she smiled too. I looked back to Merrick. "We"ll tell you all about it. There"s a whole lot to tell. But first, I need to get this girl inside, clean up and get some breakfast. Ok?"
"Yeah. Definitely, sorry. You both look terrible. I"m sure it"ll be an interesting story."
"You don"t know the half of it. L here is about to blow your mind, Keeper." He looked between us wearily. "Oh and by the way? Why don"t you wake up that enforcement officer in the front seat and bring him in too. He"s good people."
And I walked off, holding Lillian"s hand, wanting to laugh as I could actually hear their jaws drop behind us.
We were met by Sherry, of course, at the stairs. She was fretting, Sherry style. Pacing an oval in the floor at the bottom of the stairs, rubbing her necklace charm in between her fingers and biting her lip.
She seemed disappointed for just a sliver of a second at the sight of us but then it vanished to happiness and I knew why. We weren"t Merrick. But for the first time in months, that didn"t upset me as much. I wanted to point to the sky and thank the big guy right there. Jump up and down. Something.
It seemed the Sherry train was leaving the station.
Instead I just took the gleeful hug she offered and looked at Lillian over Sherry"s head. Her face was slightly amused but also careful. It pained me to know that she still thought I was hung up on Sherry. I was gonna have to try harder to prove her wrong on that one.
She hugged Lillian next.
"Where"s Merrick? He found you guys right?" Sherry asked in a panic.
"Sorta. He"s outside. He"ll be down in just a minute."
She started asking for details and whys? I immediately took over because I knew sweet Lillian would just sit there and answer question after question no matter how hungry and tired and muddy she was.
"Later, Sherry, ok? It"s been a rough night."
"Oh! Of course. I left you guys some breakfast on the stove. You want to eat first or shower?"
Lillian and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "Shower."
"Ok, you do that. I"ll start some fresh coffee," Sherry said and fluttered off to the kitchen.
I took the shower down the hall and Lillian went to the one by the laundry room. I tried not to think about it, actually.
Once I was clean and changed my clothes, I made my way down the hall and heard yelling. I knew instantly what it was about. I wanted to smack myself for my stupidity but instead, I took off running.
"Miguel! Stop!" I yelled as I rounded the corner and saw what I had predicted.
"This is an enforcer, mate, in case you didn"t notice. You just brought an enforcer into our house!"
Miguel had Billings by the shirt collar and there was a crowd around him who seemed to be egging him on. Merrick and Jeff looked to be trying to diffuse but didn"t really have any explanations because I hadn"t given them any yet.
"I know. Listen. I have a very good reason for doing that, but right now, you have a pretty important ally by the shirt collar and he doesn"t look like he enjoys being manhandled."
In fact, Billings looked redder than I"d ever seen a man get.
Miguel let him go slowly and eyed him the whole time. Then Billings jerked away from him and moved around to my side a bit.
"Sorry, man. I didn"t think to say anything to anyone," I said, knowing how lame it sounded.
"Whatever. Just fix it because I"m stuck here with you. It"s not like I can just go back out there after what I did," Billings said loudly, but seemed to be getting back under control.
"And, just what is it that you did?" Jeff asked as Marissa came up to stand beside him, rubbing his arm to calm him, always Jeff"s regulator.
"I hit a Lighter to save your friend here."
Silence. Wide eyes. Everything I expected.
"Like I said," I interjected before anyone else could start. "Everyone just sit down and I"ll tell you the whole story. You are not...gonna believe what happened."
I sat down and started telling my part, about how Billings pulled me over and was searching the truck and about to arrest me and then the Markers.
Lillian brought a plate of biscuits and gravy and coffee to me and Billings, who was standing affronted on the back wall. She was holding everything on her arms in true waitress fashion and I could see her doing that before all this. I smiled gratefully at her and took it as she went and grabbed one for herself and returned to sit next to me on the couch.
Just about everyone had come out to listen to what had a happened to us. It was a packed room as everyone stood or sat tightly wound together. n.o.body asked questions, everybody just listened intently.
Once Lillian and I finished our food, I pulled her into my lap and patted her spot on the couch for Margo to sit. I was pretending to be courteous to an old lady when really, I just wanted Lillian to sit on my lap. She came willingly, tucking her hair behind her ear and watching me talk with I swear- admiration.
We got to the part where Lillian got there in the Jeep, I heard Merrick grunt. When I looked he had an eyebrow raised but he was smiling a little smile. One that said "jeez these women". He looked down at Sherry, who"d come in and wound herself up in his arms and then back up at me, still smiling.
By this point, n.o.body was convinced about Billings any more than they were at the beginning. Miguel was glaring at him. We"d talked about this before. People looked at the enforcers as the worst type of traitor. Because you were humans, who weren"t marked, and were working directly for the Lighters to weed us out of their own free will. Other humans. Even after the story, they might take some time to warm up to Billings I think.
Lillian had been quiet the whole time. I didn"t know if she wanted to talk about the Lighter or not but she didn"t seem to want to.
"So, the Lighter had Lillian and just stopped. He was looking at her, right down in her face. Then he told her he remembered the way she smelled, her perfume. Then he said he didn"t know what was happening to him and then he said... that he didn"t want to hurt her."
"Excuse me?" Jeff spouted incredulously and came a few steps closer.
"Jeff I know, ok. I know. Just listen. I wouldn"t have believed it if I hadn"t heard it with my own ears but he said it."
"It was a trick," Merrick said shaking his head anxiously.
"I thought that too, but then he.." I looked at Lillian. She shrugged. She understood like me how hard it was gonna be to explain it all. "..he protected Lillian. He pulled her behind him and killed another Lighter that came up while all this was going on. He killed two Lighters in fact. He told us to run, and to be safe. He thanked us, well, he thanked L for "helping him to feel".
"Impossible," Max heaved the words out.
"Whoa. This is heavy," Miguel said, the enforcer behind us all forgotten.
"Not possible," Jeff said. "That"s not possible."
"Oh, it"s possible. It happened. He told her his name was Daniel," I explained.
"They have names?" Margo asked but everyone ignored the question.
"He was sad," Lillian finally spoke up. "He said he was sad that we had to go but he wanted us to be safe. He said he felt bad for having to kill his brother. You didn"t see his eyes. They were so...human."
"It had to be a trick. They could"ve followed us here," Simon spoke up from the kitchen doorway.
I looked at Lillian because I"d said that same thing. She just looked tired and so ready to be done with this talk.
"I thought that too, but you guys weren"t there." Lillian looked up sharply at me, thinking I was going to agree with them as I had before. What better way to show a girl you lov- whoa. Like. A girl you like that you trust her. "He was serious. I don"t think he could"ve faked that and he did kill them, I saw it. It was like a flipped switch. He just...changed."
I went on to talk about how Billings had helped and all, trying to sway the subject. Didn"t work. People were freaked, upset, joyous. But mostly freaked. They all started talking at once. So Merrick shouted over the shouting.
"Ok! Ok. Important thing is, that we have a new addition. A very useful new addition."
"Thanks for that," Billings muttered.
"I"m sorry. I"m not trying to downplay what you did, and I"m not implying your gonna be some spy for us. I just wanted to introduce you and welcome you. So... Why don"t we all tell, uh, Billings our names and uses around here. My name is Merrick, this is my wife Sherry. And I"m a... Keeper."
Billings sucked in a long steady loud breath and his eyes got as round as half dollars. Don"t blow it Billings. Don"t blow it with crazy Keepers are evil talk.
"What?" he asked softly. "Like, a real one? I thought that was some made up junk they told us to keep everybody in line. Like the devil in a kids story."
"Not even close," I answered.
"So, you have a Keeper living with you. That must come in handy. So, what exactly are they good for?"
"Billings. Dude," I said trying to save him from himself.
"What? I can"t ask what they do? I didn"t even know Lighters could do anything until I saw it back there. I didn"t even know you called then that. And Takers? And Markers? I had no idea about anything. Nothing. So I have no idea about Keepers either. I"ve been kept in the dark about everything I"ve done for months now. Who knows how many innocent- I think I deserve a little truth," Billings spouted in a fury.
"Ok. Yes, you"re right. Merrick is a Keeper, they are not like the Lighters. They can blur really fast, talk in your mind and have a constant fever but that"s about it. Nothing crazy. So, don"t worry about them, ok. Everything you ever heard about them was a lie. Alright?"
"Ok."
"Don"t freak out."
He snorted but still looked scared and like he"d made a huge mistake coming here.
"After you told me you have a Keeper here? Why would I freak out?"
"Because we"re just getting started."
"What- What do you mean?" Billings said and pushed himself even further into the wall.
"Keepers? Cool? Can I just out this thing and get it over with?"
I got about a hundred yeses in my head at the same time and thought I was gonna have an aneurism. It frigging hurt.
"Jeez! Guys, come on," I said holding my head.
"Sorry," Jeff said and had the decency to look sorry as did others. "Go ahead. You"re right, it"s easier this way."
"Wait! Did you say Keepers? Like Keepers, plural?" Billings squeaked.
"Yeah, ok, like pulling off a band aid. Billings I"d like you to meet Merrick, Jeff, Simon, Max, Ryan, Kay..." I pointed and went down the whole procession of every Keeper present and then ended with outing Marissa as a Muse, because she was a fancy one too.
We also introduced him to the Specials and demonstrated some gifts when he didn"t believe us. If he was red a minute ago, he was ghost white now. He looked ill. Seriously like he wanted to run away and never look back.
"S-so, this is what they were keeping from us?" Billings said in a small voice.
"Dude, there"s a lot to tell you, ok? We haven"t always had these gifts. This is a recent thing and the Keepers aren"t bad. Well, not all," I joked but Billings looked up quickly. "Joke, man. Listen, we"ve been up all night. That"s not helping things, let"s get some rest. You"ll have your own room. We built a lot down here so we have room for new people when they come along. Just rest and let things sink in. We"ll answer all your questions later, but dude, if I don"t shut my eyes, they are gonna shut for me."
"Ok, alright. Fine," Billings answered and looked around like he didn"t know where to begin or what to do.
I set Lillian in my spot where Margo was t.i.ttering on about something and went to help Billings get settled. Sherry got there first.
"Hey," Sherry said coming to stand with him and she brought Lily with her. "This is Lily. Lily, this is- uh... Do you want us to just call you Billings?"
"Uh," Billings eyes were glued to Lily and then he shook his head and spoke up, "yeah, Billings is what I"ve been called for months. I"m used to it now."
"Ok. Lily, this is Mr. Billings. He"s gonna be staying here with us."
"Hi," Lily said brightly.
"Hi," Billings said softly with full on Lily trance.
I almost felt sorry for him. Sherry knew when to pull the Lily card. It worked every time.
"There"s an empty room beside Mig- um, Calvin and Frank, if you wanna put him in there Cain. I"m Sherry by the way. Merrick is my husband."
He took her offered hand and looked at her a little wearily.
"Yes. I heard him say that. So you married a Keeper?"
"Yes."
"You look a little...young to be a wife and mother, if you don"t mind me saying so."
Sherry did mind, I knew it. It drove her crazy when people said anything about it. Her take on it all was that things were different. The world was different and the same rules and social standards no longer applied. We should all be here for each other, one big happy family. But she kept her sweet smile in place.
"Probably. But, we found Lily, she was brought into the family just like you were, from outside. Lily, you wanna go see Merrick for a little bit?"
"Uhuh! Bye!"
"Bye," Billings called after her and then Sherry went on.