Mr. Jordan Can Wait

Michael Martin thought he was just going to work...

This is not a stand-alone story. It is recommended you read Parts 1 and 2 first. -- Ed

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The morning at school went pretty much the way I expected it to. Going to school hasn’t improved in the intervening years between now and when I had graduated. The bell rang and it was finally time for the only period I ever actually enjoyed. Lunch.

Not that I was ever that excited about school food. It was the forty-five minutes away from class. I walked out of the lunch line holding a tray of mystery meat and what I hoped were mashed potatoes. I think I’ll just go to the burger line from now on.

I looked around the lunch room hoping I would see Hayden. Then a memory trickled into my consciousness and I realized he had a different lunch period. I then did a quick scan to see if Lillith was in the lunch room. I didn’t see her. I saw a few cheerleaders at a table by themselves and if I had to guess, that’s where I usually sat.

And that’s when my eyes landed on a boy sitting alone in the corner of the lunch room. I knew him. And not as Stephanie. She knew him too. But this was different. His name was Clarke and for six months, he dated my daughter, Lillith.

At his table, I sat my tray next to him and said, “Mind if I sit here?”

He looked up from reading something on his phone and then quickly glanced over me. He said, “Looks like you already have. Hey, it’s a free country. I’m about to leave anyway.”

I sat down quickly and said, “Don’t leave just yet. I’d like to talk.”

Clarke looked up at me again and setting his phone down said, “You, one of the hottest chicks in school, want to talk to me? That’s not such a good idea. I really don’t want to get beat up by your boyfriend like what happens when you…” Clarke made quote marks in the air. “…talk to someone.”

Turning my head in a quizzical manner, I said, “Really? Anyway, that won’t happen with you. I promise.” That’s disturbing to find out. I had no idea that Hayden was such a jealous type. Or maybe Clarke is just being a dweeb.

Clarke leaned back in his seat and said, “Okay. Well talk.”

I leaned in and said, “I have some questions about Lillith, if you don’t mind.”

Clarke looked disgusted as he said, “Who doesn’t have questions about Lillith? That bitch is bad news, man.”

I was a bit taken aback by his statement. I said, “You used to date her, right?”

Clarke grunted a laugh and said, “Yeah, before she got all Emo and shit. I tell ya, that is one fucked up girl.”

Clarke’s comments were like little knife wounds to my heart. He used to really like her and I used to worry about her dating such a nerd. I said, “You two dated for quite a while, right? What happened?”

Frowning, Clarke said, “What’s it to you? Why are you asking me?”

Gesturing broadly, I said, “Indulge me, okay? Lillith and I were friends too. She’s on a self-destructive path and I want to help her.”

“Good luck with that,” said Clarke. “She only listens to that spooky boyfriend of hers. You know, I thought I was really lucky when we first started to go out. I mean, yeah, she’s not a babe like you or anything, but she is cute. She liked computer games, comic books and Science Fiction. I thought I’d hit the jackpot. Then she meets that douche bag Dominic Popescu. You know him. The dude is crazy-assed scary. Once she started talking to him, she broke up with me. And she started weirding out herself. Her parents should be shot for letting her see him.”

I shrugged and said, “Maybe they didn’t know about him?” I sure as hell didn’t. I just thought she was going through one of these rebellious teen phases.

“Yeah, well they should have thought something was up,” said Clarke, the parenting expert. “For a while she was just being weird. I thought maybe she was just on the rag or something. But when her dad died, she just became just flat damn spooky.”

Thank you Mr. Henry, I thought. I hope there’s enough of a physical entity in him so I can beat the crap out of him when this is over.

“Still there?” I was suddenly aware of Clarke waving his hand in front of my face.

Embarrassed, I said, “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just thought of something.” I looked at the cafeteria clock and said, “I know we only have a minute or so, but is there anything you can tell me about this Dominic dude? Pretend I’m a complete stranger.”

Clarke looked at me curiously and said, “You’re a weirder chick than I thought. Okay. Real quick, Dominic moved to town about six months ago. With his crazy spiked hair, studded collar and leather jacket and his pale pasty skin, rumors flew around like crazy. Crazy shit like his hobby was drowning cats. And that his family had to move because he’d gotten ten girls pregnant, but the babies were all stillborn with cat like eyes and claw-like hands. Some have said they’ve seen him in the cemetery, but his feet doesn’t touch the ground and that instead of a bed, he sleeps in a coffin.”

I laughed and said, “I call bullshit on all that. Do you know anything real about him?”

Clarke said, “Well, that’s what I’ve heard. But yeah, I never believed that either. But what I do know, because he stole my girl from me, he is one sick bastard. No really. He’s a cutter and he has this fixation with death. He’s got a little cult of emo kids that follows him around and talk about death and shit.”

My worry growing, I said, “How do you know this? Is it some kind of suicide club?”

Clarke laughed and said, “I have a friend, Melvin, who’s a bigger nerd than me. He doesn’t fit in anywhere and just wants to be a part of a group. Any group. They took him in, but he really doesn’t believe in any of the shit that Dominic talks about. The group just worships death and darkness. But he goes because they always have pizza at their meetings and sometimes watch movies.”

The bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period.

I said, “Thanks, Clarke. You’ve been a big help. I might want to talk to you later, too.”

Clarke grinned and said, “Cool beans. Being seen talking to a hot chick has to boost my cred.”

 

*          *          *
 

All the bad memories from high school flooded back to me as I wandered the halls between classes trying to find the next room. It was very noisy with the sounds of scuffling feet and kids talking.

On the way to my last period class, I rounded a corner and there was Lillith and Dominic standing by her locker talking about something. Dominic was gesturing wildly with his arms, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I tried to move in a bit closer.

“Stephanie!” said a woman dressed in a coach’s uniform as she stepped in front of me. “Are you up for coming to practice after school today?”

I tried to look around her to see if I could hear what Lillith and Dominic were saying. But this coach was in the way.

Frowning I said, “I feel great, actually. So yeah, I’ll come to practice.”

Smiling broadly, the coach said, “That’s great, hon. We sure missed you at last Friday’s game.”

Trying to look around the coach, I saw Dominic slam his fist against the locker Lillith was standing in front of, his face twisted in anger. I wish I could hear what was being said.

I said, “I felt bad about not being there.” Dominic jabbed his finger in Lillith’s face.

The coach said, “Well, I’ll see you at practice then.” The coach finally stepped aside and walked away. Dominic was gone and Lillith started walking slowly down the hall.

I watched Lillith walk away. I couldn’t figure out why she was seeing such a horrible boy. What was missing in her life? I felt numb with the realization of what was missing in her life was me. She wouldn’t be taking this path if I was still in her life.

“You’re right, Mr. Martin,” said a voice from behind me. I turned and standing in the doorway to an empty classroom was Mr. Jordan. “We deeply regret the inconvenience your early death has caused you and your daughter.”

My blood pressure went through the roof and despite being a girl smaller than him, I pushed him through the open door and shouted, “Inconvenient? Inconvenient? Seriously?” I finished with a snarl, pushing my face right into his.

Straightening his tie and pulling himself to his full height, Mr. Jordan said, “Please Mr. Martin! Let’s maintain a sense of propriety! But this is where you come in, Mr. Martin. You have the opportunity to save your daughter’s soul.”

I jabbed a finger into Mr. Jordan’s chest and said, “You’d send that young girl…my daughter to Hell?”

Lifting my finger from his chest, Mr. Jordan said, “There isn’t any place like the one you call Hell. But yes. Anyone who commits a heinous act of any age will not be rewarded. But, Mr. Martin, you’re here to prevent that.”

“I’m never going to figure this out in time,” I said in a worried tone. And then I had a sudden epiphany. “How about I just remove Dominic from Lillith’s life? Then she won’t do anything bad. I’m sure he’s lost already. I could just kill him and be done with it.”

Mr. Jordan waved is hands with a look of concern. He said, “Oh no, Mr. Martin. Then you would be lost.”

The bell rang signaling I was late for my next class and Mr. Jordan faded away.

 

*          *          *
 

“Maybe it’s just too early for you get back into it, Stephanie,” said the girl’s coach. “Maybe you should just give it another day?”

“No, I’m fine,” I said as I got up from the floor. I brushed off my knee and the shorts I was wearing. The other girls were standing around me looking at me with concern. As I repositioned the strap on my sports bra, I said, “I’m fine! Really.”

Shelly, the squad leader said, “Okay. Let’s try the routine again.” She gave me a worried glance. I couldn’t tell if the other cheerleaders were afraid the fall last week had made me go stupid or that falling again would be fatal.

I tried to relax as we started the routine. The muscles remembered and this time I just let the body do what it had been doing before I took over. For the first time since taking over this body, I felt the full power of its youth. I breathed in the strength along with the grace of my new muscles. I felt intoxicated by my body’s fluid movements through the routine.

Maggie said, “I knew you’d get back into it.” She gave me a thumbs up and grinned.

Shelly grinned at me and said, “That was perfect, Steph. Okay guys let’s go through our back flips next.”

The cheer practice went much better than I thought. And it helped me become more comfortable in my new skin. I hadn’t felt this good in over a decade.

Practice over, I had changed into my regular school clothes and walked out the front doors into late afternoon sun. As I looked out across the parking lot, I realized I didn’t have a car. I shrugged and said under my breath, “Looks like you’re walking home, girl.”

As I headed down the wide sidewalk leading to the parking lot, I saw a lone figure sitting on one of the benches circling the lot. As I got closer, I realized it was Clarke. And that’s when a crazy idea hit me.

Clarke jumped when I sat down on the bench beside him. He was deep into whatever he was viewing on the screen of his phone and was oblivious I was even there until I sat down.

I said, “Hey Clarke. Whatcha doing here all by yourself?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” said Clarke without really looking up. “I’m waiting for my mom to get off work and come get me.” He looked me up and down and said, “What about you? Doesn’t your boyfriend usually give you a ride home?”

Shrugging, I said, “I had cheerleader practice. He didn’t want to wait.”

Clarke grunted and went back to looking at his phone.

Annoyed, I said, “Just curious how you feel about Lillith.”

Clarke looked up from his phone and screwed up his face as if he had just bit into something really sour. He said, “What’s it to you? I hate that bitch. There. Happy?” He looked back at his phone.

Looking shocked that I would touch him, I pulled down his arm that he held his phone with and said, “This is serious, Clarke. How do you feel about Lillith? If you could, would you help her, even if it meant that she might not go back with you?”

Clarke jerked his arm out of my hand and said with obvious distaste, “You need to see a doc about that bump on your head. Now leave me alone.”

I looked intently at him and said, “Clarke. You know she’s going down a path that can only be bad for her. If you knew she was about to do something extremely stupid that would ruin her life, would you try to stop her?”

Clarke looked at me as if I was crazy. He said, “Are you crazy? What kind of questions are these? Okay. I wouldn’t want to see her get hurt. I’ve already tried to get her back from that freak. But nothing I said or did would affect her. So I’m done.”

I touched his arm and said, “I think that Lillith is going to do something terrible. So bad it will ruin her life forever. Possibly lose her soul.”

Clarke stood up and said, “You’re nuts and I’m out of here.”

Scowling, I shouted, “Get your ass back here now and sit down!”

Clarke stopped in his tracks and turned around. He said, “Sheesh! You sounded like my dad for a moment.”

Softening my tone, I pointed at the bench and said, “Sit down. Please. I can’t do this by myself and I think you’re the only one who can really help me. What I’m about to tell you, you’re going to think I’m crazy.”

Clarke sat down on the bench, but managed to carve a wide space between us. He said, “I already think you’re crazy.”

“How can I say this?” I said, biting my lower lip. “I think you still really like Lillith, don’t you? I know I didn’t approve of you at first, but after seeing how happy she seemed when you were around, I finally started to change my opinion.”

Clarke screwed up his face in a look of confusion. He said, “What the fuck are you talking about? Approve of me? Who cares what you think anyway?”

I held up my hands and said, “I know how this sounds, but I need you to hear me out, okay? I’ll just be blunt about it. I’m Lillith’s father.”

Clarke just sat there a moment just staring at me. He stood up and took a few steps back, looking in all directions. He said, “Is this some kind of stupid joke? Is someone recording this? Is this about me spilling my lunch tray on McIntire last week? He’s trying to get back at me, right?”

Pointing again at the bench, I said calmly, “Please sit and hear me out. This has nothing to do with you and football jocks. It has everything to do with saving Lillith.”

Clarke shook his head and said, “Freak. You’re a freak. Stay away from me. Seriously, you need to see a shrink.” He started to back away from me.

I stood up and said, “Look, Clarke. I apologize for telling you I’d use hedge clippers to remove your balls if you ever hurt my daughter. And I really don’t have a collection of testicles.”

Frowning, Clarke said, “I never believed you’d do that…um. How did you know Mr. Martin said that to me? We were alone in his garage.”

Smiling, I said, “I’m Mr. Martin. I picked those big clippers with the green blades form the wall and pointed them at you.”

Clarke turned pale as he stared at me with wild eyes. He said, “Mr. Martin! He was killed in an accident over a month ago. And, I never told Lillith about that. But the real Mr. Martin might have. That doesn’t really prove anything. I still think your bat-shit crazy.” He took a few more steps back from me.

“Mr. Jordan! Mr. Jordan! Can you help me?” I cried out, looking at the sky.

Clarke looked around quickly and said, “Who the hell is Mr. Jordan?”

“Mr. Martin. Please. I’m very busy,” said Mr. Jordan as he appeared standing next to me. He straightened his tie. “What is it you want this time?”

To Clarke, I said, “He’s right here next to me. You can’t see him. You have to be dead first.” Then, pointing at Clarke, I said to Mr. Jordan, “I need some dirt on this kid. Something only he would know. Something he’s never told anyone.”

Looking completely confused, Clarke said, “Who are you talking to?”

Mr. Jordan said, “That’s highly irregular, Mr. Martin. We can’t just give out information like that. It violates free will.”

Wanting to slap some sense into him, I calmed myself and said, “I don’t have to tell you this kid has a vested interested in my daughter and he knows someone in that stupid cult she’s joined. I need his help!”

Clarke said, “This is just too weird for me. I’m outta here!” He started to turn away again.

I yelled as sternly as a teen girl can, “You’re not going anywhere, young man! Just stay right there!”

Mr. Jordan frowned, folded his arms and seemed to think for a few moments. Finally he said, “Oh, alright, Mr. Martin. Too much is riding on this. I’ll bend the rule. But this is the last time I can help you. When this boy was ten years old, he and his best friend Stewart kissed. They were just experimenting but they kissed several times and seemed to enjoy it. But neither ever did it again and neither ever spoke of it, even to each other.”

I grinned at Mr. Jordan and said, “Hey, that’s great, thanks!” I turned back to Clarke and stepped closer to him. I said, “When you were ten, you and your friend Stewart kissed and enjoyed it.”

Clarke stumbled backwards a few steps as he suddenly went pale. “H…How…Shit! How do you know about that?”

I pointed at Mr. Jordan and casually said, “Mr. Jordan told me. He knows everything about your past and future, including the exact moment you’re going to die.”

With crazy eyes, Clarke looked at the empty space next to me and said, “Mr. Jordan? There’s no one there!”

I said, “You can’t see him until you’re dead.”

Mr. Jordan said, “I must go, Mr. Martin. You’re running out of time.” And then he vanished.

Clarke walked up to me and waved his arms around me. He said, “There’s nobody here!”

Annoyed, I said, “He’s gone now. And I told you. You can’t see him anyway. Do you believe that Lillith is my daughter? Will you help me now?”

Clarke nodded his head numbly. He said, “I guess I do Mr. Martin. It’s pretty crazy, but you couldn’t know that about me.”

I said, “Good. Something is going to happen very soon. I’m convinced it has something to do with Dominic. You need to get some information from your friend.”

Clarke nodded again. He said, “So Stephanie is really dead?”

I nodded and said, “Didn’t you see how her head was twisted? That was a fatal fall.”

Frowning, Clarke said, “This Mr. Jordan killed Stephanie just so you could become her?”

I shook my head and said, “It doesn’t work that way. Stephanie’s death was already on the schedule. But it was an opportunity. I wasn’t supposed to die a month ago. My death put Lillith in bad situation. She’s going to do something terrible, that will affect the lives of people not even born yet. We have to save her, Clarke. You and I are going to save the world. Pretty cool, huh?”

 

*          *          *
 

“Bye, Mom!” I called out as I walked through the front door of my house. I was quickly becoming acclimated to being Stephanie. Her memories were merging with mine. Knowing what clothes to wear and how to wear them, knowing how to wear make-up and not finding it disgusting to put on. I had accepted these people as my new parents. Completing the mission or not, I knew that soon I’d just be Stephanie. I’m not really sure if I liked that.

It was Friday and I really hoped Clarke had talked to his friend in Dominic’s cult. Something was going to happen this weekend. I just felt it.

Parked beside the curb in his car, Hayden waited for me. As usual lately, he was giving me a ride to school. I couldn’t help but notice the annoyed look on his face. He usually kissed me after I climbed into the passenger seat. But he looked straight ahead with both hands gripping the steering wheel.

I said, “Hey babe. Is everything okay?”

He just sat there for a moment staring straight ahead. Finally he turned towards me. Anger clouded his face. He snarled, “No. Everything’s not okay.”

I touched his shoulder and said, “What’s wrong?”

Hayden just glared at me and said, “You know damned well what’s wrong.”

Feeling suddenly frustrated, I threw my arms into the air and said, “No, I don’t. Please tell me.”

Hayden looked at me as if I just said something terrible. He said, “Serious? The word around school is that you’re seeing that shit-bag Clarke. I thought we had something special going on, Steph. What can you possibly see in that dweeb?”

I felt the cold rush of adrenaline flush through me as the fight or flight signal hit me. I said, “I…I…I’m not seeing Clarke!”

Anger flashing in his eyes. Hayden shouted, “Bullshit! You’ve been seen with him at lunch and talking to him after school. When were you going to tell me?”

Shocked to know that I’ve been talked about at school and people getting the wrong idea, I started to cry and said, “Babe! I love you! I’m not trying to date Clarke! That’s insane! Clarke and I are working on a project together. He’s the only one that can help me.”

Hayden grimaced and said, “Well, after I’m done with him, he’ll know to stay clear of you from now on.”

I clutched Hayden’s arm and cried, “No! For the love of God, don’t hurt him! Please. It’s not his fault. I asked him to help me with this…um…project. Promise me you won’t hurt him? Please? I only love you, babe.” I leaned over and kissed him.

At first he was cold to my kiss. But after a few moments, he started to kiss back and I was thrilled to accept his tongue into my mouth. We sat in his car kissing passionately for several minutes. Slowly he pulled away from me.

“We’re going to be late,” Hayden said as he drove his car away from the curb.

 

*          *          *
 

Clarke walked towards me in the lunch room. He whispered, “I got news for you.”

I said, “I can’t talk to you anymore at school. Hayden thinks you’re trying to steal me away. Call me at home tonight after the game.”

Clarke looked suddenly worried. He said, “I’ll call you later.”

I walked over to the table where the other cheerleaders gathered and set my tray down.

One of the girls, Michelle, said, “Not sitting with your new boyfriend?”

Frowning, I said, “He’s not my boyfriend. We have a project we’re working on together.”

Maggie said, “You have to admit it looks bad, Steph. I mean, when one of *us* sits next to one of *them*, it’s going to get noticed.”

Frowning again, I said, “Clarke’s not a leper. He’s smart and he’s a gamer.”

Michelle laughed and said, “Yeah. He’s one of *them*. You better be careful, girl. Hayden can pick up any girl at school like that!” She snapped her fingers.

I glanced over at Clarke; sitting alone and reading something on his phone. I turned back to the girls at my table and said, “I’m not giving up Hayden for Clarke. I’m not *that* stupid!” I laughed with the other girls. Hayden was the perennial bad boy that girls always seem to fall for, leaving guys like me scratching our heads. Hayden has a reputation that’s built mostly on bravado, but no one has ever actually seen him beat anyone up.

I looked around the table and said, “What have you guys been telling Hayden, anyway?”

They all shrugged and Michelle said, “Hey girl. It wasn’t any of us. But there’re plenty of other girls at school who would love a chance to be with Hayden. But it’s pretty common knowledge that you’ve been seeing Clarke a lot. Just sayin’.”

I said, “Well, our project ends this weekend, one way or another. And then Clarke’s on his own for lunch again.”

Maggie said, “What’s this project you’re talking about?”

I smiled wryly and said, “No big deal. We’re going to save the world.”

 

*          *          *
 

“Earth to Stephanie!” shouted Maggie as she poked me in the shoulder. “Where’s your brain, girl? Keep up with the cheers!”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Just a lot on my mind.”

This cult thing that Lillith was involved in really bothered me. What were they going to do? Sacrifice an animal? Conjure up a demon? That’s bad, but I can’t believe it would cause a cascade of lives being ruined. God, could Lillith be a sacrifice? She’s been acting glum lately. Surely Dominic wasn’t such a douche that he’d actually harm Lillith or anybody. Could just the arrest of Lillith cause a ripple in time, much like the so-called Butterfly Effect?

I scanned the student section of the stadium while we were cheering in front of it, in hopes of seeing Lillith. But I gave up after a few minutes, realizing that a high school football game would likely be pretty low on her list at the moment.

While doing a cheer routine in sync with the band, I glanced over at the other girls on the squad and then back up at the stands, just looking at the faces. I had always hated public speaking and having the lime light on me during meetings. But now that I’m a cheerleader, I really have to admit that I totally enjoy it. All of us in our short uniforms, all of us with our hair in pony tails, bouncing around; it was just so much fun. When I was in high school the last time, I enjoyed watching the cheerleaders at pep rallies and I never bothered going to any of the games. And now here I was, shouting my little heart out in support of our team.

The game finally ended and we climbed aboard the busses to return to school. We were all in a great mood and were laughing and trying to get a song started. Our team had won and for now, all was right with the world.

Hayden was waiting to pick me up in the school parking lot. My parents weren’t crazy about the idea, and had insisted I be back home by midnight. It felt weird to have a specified time to be home by.

Hayden usually parked close to the same spot every time. Sure enough, I spotted him sitting in his car after I had stepped out of the school bus. I ran to his car and jumped in.
“Hey babe!” I said smiling and then leaned in and kissed him. We kissed in the darkened parking lot for several minutes.

Grinning, he pulled away and said, “Taco Bell?”

I laughed and kissed him again and said, “Sure! Let’s throw caution to the winds!” We always went to Taco Bell after the game. It was one of the few places still open.

As he started to back out of the parking space, Hayden said, “So, how did the game go?”

Frowning, I said, “You didn’t go?”

Making a face as if he had just eaten something distasteful, Hayden said, “Why the hell would I go to a football game?”

The Taco Bell was filling up with high school kids when we walked in. Michelle was there with her boyfriend. Several guys from band I recognized. This was always the place to be after the game.

As we sat down with our food, a girl I’ve never seen before walked by and looked down at me and grinned. In a catty voice, she said, “Oh! I thought you’d be here with your new boyfriend Clarke.” She looked over at Hayden with a big smile and said, “Hi, Hayden. Hey, if you’re ever tired of being ignored, give me a call, okay?” She placed a piece of paper down on the table in front of Hayden.

“That bitch!” I hissed. I slapped my hand over the paper before Hayden could pick it up. I scowled at Hayden as I picked up the scrap of paper. “You were actually going to look at it, weren’t you?” I tore the paper into tiny little pieces.

Hayden laughed and said, “Hey, chill. I was just curious.”

He looked serious for a moment. He said, “Just what is this so-called project you say you’re working on with Clarke. Is this for school or what?”

Looking sheepish, I said, “I can’t tell you.”

Starting to look pissed off, Hayden said, “You can’t tell me? Really? Maybe I should ask that girl for her number again.”

I took Hayden’s large hand in both of mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. I said, “Do you trust me?”

Looking annoyed, Hayden said, “I thought I did.”

I squeezed Hayden’s hand a bit more and looked deep into his eyes. I said, “Do you trust me?”

Giving a slight nod, he said, “Yes. I guess so.”

Taking a deep breath, I said, “I have something I have to do. I can’t explain it to you and you wouldn’t believe me anyway. But I couldn’t do it alone. Clarke has a vested interest in its success. You’ll just have to trust me. By Sunday, one way or another, it’ll all be over.”

Hayden snorted and said, “It sounds like you don’t trust me. You really can’t tell me?”

Taking another deep breath, I said, “I can’t explain how I know she’s going to do something bad, but I’m trying to save Lillith Martin. She’s going to ruin her life, and I have to stop her. Clarke used to date her.”

Wrinkling his nose, Hayden said, “Lillith Martin? Isn’t she that Emo chick that’s dating that devil-worshipping dude?”

Nodding, I said, “That’s her.”

Looking at me sideways, Hayden said, “What’s her to you? Clarke asked you to help his love life?”

“No,” I said, taking a bite of my burrito. “I recruited him after I found out she was going to do something bad.”

With a look of disbelief, Hayden said, “What’s she going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Who told you?”

“I can’t say.”

Frowning deeply, Hayden said, “And I’m just supposed to trust you on that?”

I nodded.

“You know what would help me trust you on that?” He grinned and rapped his knuckle from under the table a few times. “Huh. Huh. Yeah?” He raised his eyebrows.

At first I just looked at him with a dumb expression. And then I realized he was suggesting I have sex with him. The thought of a guy getting anywhere near me with his cock made me ill.

I hissed, “Is that all you think about? This isn’t the time! Millions of lives are at stake!”

Hayden laughed and said, “Millions? Hard to argue the seriousness of that!” He laughed again. “Tell you what. I’m coming with you and Clarke tomorrow. I gotta see this!”

I thought a few moments and then said, “I could probably use your help.”

 

*          *          *
 

“Hey Clarke,” I said into the phone. “Sorry about not being available sooner. I had a date with Hayden after the game.”

Sounding breathless, Clarke said, “Well, this is bigger than Hayden. You’re right, Steph. Something major is going to happen at Dominic’s cult meeting Saturday night. My friend didn’t have many details, but something about a sacrifice and trying to conjure up something.”

I frowned into the phone and said, “A sacrifice? Like a goat or something?”

Clarke said, “He didn’t have much detail. He doesn’t think Dominic trusts him since his only comments are to ask what kind of pizza is being delivered. And he’s not going to the meeting Saturday night. He’s scared that Dominic is going to summon a demon or something.”

I said, “I doubt he can do that. I don’t believe in crap like demons anyway. But it sounds like some kind of criminal activity is going to happen. We need to make a plan.”

Clarke laughed and said, “Did you believe in Mr. Jordan before you met him?”

I laughed and said, “Point taken. But I think Dominic is just a sick goofball.”

Clarke said, “I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow with more details. I know where and what time this is going down. Midnight at the old McCready farm. But I don’t know what we can do to stop what he plans to do though.”

I sighed and said, “I don’t either.”

 

*          *          *
 

I took a deep breath after checking the time on my phone and said, “About two hours to go.” Clarke, Hayden and I were sitting at a table in the same Taco Bell we were at the night before.

Clarke, sounding a bit nervous said, “Do you think just running in there with our phones taking videos just before they do their sacrifice will be enough to disrupt them? Wouldn’t it be better if we just called the police? Even though it’s abandoned, that old barn they’re using is still private property. It’s still trespassing, not to mention cruelty to animals.”

I frowned and said, “I told you already. I don’t want to risk getting Lillith arrested. I just want to stop what they’re doing.”

Still nervous, Clarke said, “There’ll be at least twenty of them there. It’s just three of us!”

I laughed and said, “They’re not a group of evil henchmen. They’re just other teens. They’re probably just bored like your friend.”

Hayden grinned and said, “And if any want a fight…” He slapped his fist into his other palm. “…that’s what I’m there for. “

Looking at Hayden I said, “Well, let’s not get arrested for assault or anything. I really think only Dominic is potentially dangerous.”

Clarke looked out the window and said, “I sure hope you’re right.”

 

*          *          *
 

“There’s the barn,” Hayden said, pointing at the large structure on the old McCready farm. No one had lived there for at least a decade. A dim, flickering light could be seen in the spaces between the slats in the barn’s wall.

“Kill the lights,” I said to Hayden. We were riding in his car because it was a dark color. “Just get a bit closer and then stop.”

Hayden killed the engine and the car rolled silently to a stop. We all got out of the car as quietly as possible and started walking towards the barn. Every crunch of gravel seemed amplified.

Hayden said, “They didn’t post any look outs as far as I can see.”

“Good,” I said. “I’m surprised though. There’s a gap in the wood big enough to watch them through. We won’t move until they start to sacrifice or conjure something. Then we run through the door and bust up the party.”

We got pretty close to the barn. We could hear low chanting. The barn appeared to be illuminated from dozens of candles on the dirt floor. A pentagram was drawn in the dirt of the floor, lined with candles. In the center was a small altar. About twenty people in dark brown robes sat in a circle around the altar.

“Tonight my brothers and sisters, we will fulfill our destinies. The night we have been preparing for has finally arrived! Tonight we surrender our souls to Satan and to his glory!”

Lillith, standing next to Dominic rang a bell.

Dominic shouts, “In the name of Satan, ruler of the earth, I invite the forces of darkness to bestow their infernal powers to me! With this sacrifice, we pledge our souls to thee!”

He nodded to someone sitting near him and they stood up. In their robes, I couldn’t tell much about them. What I heard next sent an icy chill down my spine.

A baby’s cry!

Whispering to Hayden and Clarke, I said, “Oh my God! They’re going to sacrifice a baby!”

We watched in horror as the person laid the baby on the altar after Lillith had placed a black sheet across the alter.

I took a few steps from the barn and pulled out my cell phone. I said, “We need help.” I quickly punched 9-1-1 on the phone and when the dispatcher answered I almost shouted, “Some kids are about to kill a baby in the barn of the old McCready farm out on highway twelve. Yes, I’m serious! It’s some kind of ritual. You must hurry!” I disconnected the call.

Through the crack in the wall, I saw Dominic hand a large knife to Lillith. He continued to mutter his satanic mumbo-jumbo.

To Hayden and Clarke, I said, “We have to go in now!”

Clarke said, “I thought you just called the police?”

Frowning I said, “When seconds count, help is just minutes away. We can’t wait for them to arrive. Clarke. I want you to grab Lillith. Don’t head directly back to town since the police will be coming up the highway. Get her as far away from here as possible. Don’t wait. Don’t look back. Just get her out of there, okay?”

Clarke nodded. Hayden tossed Clarke the keys to his car.

“I’ll get the baby and Hayden and I will wing it from there,” I said. “Let’s go…wait…”

Through the crack, I saw Lillith looking at the knife. She suddenly threw the knife on the ground and shouted, “I can’t do this! I’m not going to stab that baby! This is insane!”

Dominic picked up the knife and shoved it at Lillith. He shouted, “You will! I command you! I must have a virgin perform the sacrifice!”

Lillith pushed Dominic’s hand away. She shouted, “I’m not a murderer!” A little more quietly, she said, “And I’m…I’m not a virgin.”

I looked over at Clarke. He shrugged and with a sheepish expression said, “Did I forget to tell you…?”

In the distance came the faint sound of police sirens.

I said, “Forget it. Let’s roll. Get Lillith out of here now.”

Hayden picked up a loose two-by-four he found on the ground and we all rushed through the barn door.

Dominic screams, “Who defiles my sanctuary!”

Clarke runs up to Lillith and grabs her by the hand and said, “Let’s go, baby. We gotta get out of here!”

Looking confused, Lillith said, “Clarke? How? Where?”

Clarke jerked her back through the door and started running for Hayden’s car.

Those that had been seated around the alter all jumped up and started shouting. In the confusion, I grabbed the baby and backed up a few steps.

One of the robed ones, a rather large boy I recognized from school charged at us. Hayden whacked him across the head with the two-by-four and he dropped to the ground. Another boy that had started towards us, turned around and ran when he saw his buddy go down.

There were screams and shouts all around. In their rush to get out of the barn, several candles were knocked over, causing the straw strewn across the floor to ignite.

“The cops are coming!” shouted someone. “We need to get the hell out of here!”

Looking wild-eyed, Dominic shouted, “Stay with me and help repel these intruders!” No one paid him any attention.

Someone ran into me trying to flee the barn and knocked me to the floor. Flames were starting to climb up the barn’s support beams. Dominic picked up the knife and brandished it at Hayden. Hayden took a swing at him with the two-by-four. Dominic dodged the board and slashed his knife at Haydon.

Hayden cried out in pain and dropped the two-by-four as Dominic managed to slice him across the chest. I saw Hayden’s shirt start to be covered in blood. He touched his chest and gaped at his bloody hand as he dropped to one knee.

“Hayden!” I screamed. I cried out again when Dominic turned towards me.

I was on the floor, trying to scoot backwards and regain my feet. There was fire rising up all around me. He slashed his knife at me. I turned my shoulder to him to protect the baby. The knife caught my shoulder. The pain was excruciating. The frightened baby was screaming at the top of its lungs.

Dominic suddenly went spinning away from me as Hayden caught him by the shoulders and pulled him away. Hayden dodged as Dominic slashed his knife at him. Hayden managed to cuff Dominic’s head with his palm and cut Dominic’s lip. Unfortunately, he left himself open and Dominic brought his knife up and caught Hayden on his side. A stream of blood splattered onto the barn floor.

I had backed myself against one of the walls of the barn. Hayden was lying on the ground and not moving. Flames licked the walls of the barn. Wild-eyed, Dominic ran towards me and raised his knife high.

“I will have my sacrifice!” Dominic shouted as he started to bring his knife down towards me with all his force. I screamed and turned my back to him in an attempt to protect the baby.

There was a report of a handgun from somewhere behind me and Dominic’s knife fell just inches from me. I saw him fly backwards from a bullet’s impact. I held the baby close to me and cried.

“Are you alright, miss?” said a voice from behind me.

“No.” I said to the police officer. “I’m not.”

Another police officer came up to me and bent down. He said, “Let me have the baby, miss.” I hugged the baby and then handed it over to the cop.

Another police officer said, “We have to get out of here, now. This whole place is going up.”

Ignoring the cop and the pain in my shoulder, I ran over to Hayden and shouted, “Hayden! Oh my God, Hayden!” I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not.

From behind, a police officer picked me up. He said, “We need to go, miss!”

“Hayden!” I cried as I tried to reach for him.

The smoke was getting thick. Through it, I saw two men shoulder Hayden to his feet and start to carry him out. Others were getting Dominic and his henchman who was still knocked out cold.

Moments after clearing the entrance to the barn, its roof collapsed with loud cracking and popping sounds, and a flurry of flying embers.

Moments later, several fire trucks and ambulances arrived. Hayden, the henchman and I were placed inside the ambulance and we started our ride back to town. Through the ambulance rear windows, I watched the barn burn.

Dominic had gotten his sacrifice. Himself.

 

*          *          *
 

The final bell rang, releasing us from another school day. I felt I had a good day finally being at school. I got a lot of high-fives and thumbs up. I have to admit it’s quite an ego boost. I did find it odd that I was still mostly me though. I thought once Lillith was rescued, I’d just become totally Stephanie.

I’d spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital. The wounds I’d received, while painful, weren’t in any way life-threatening. The same for Hayden. The cuts he received, while a bit worse than mine, still were not deep. We were both stitched up and released from the hospital and sent home for a few days. It felt weird to return to school on a Thursday, but oddly I was anxious to get back. No cheerleading for me for a while though.

Dominic was dead. He was one twisted dude. Several members of his little cult were arrested on conspiracy to commit murder charges. Breaking up his little group apparently solved a theft ring at school as well. The kidnapped baby had been returned to a grateful mother.

Walking through the school after hitting my locker, I saw a sight that warmed my heart. Clarke and Lillith were walking hand in hand, which is against school rules, but who cares. Lillith’s hair had returned to being blonde and her make-up was back to normal. Her nails were dark blue instead of black. I looked at my hands and laughed. So were mine. She was smiling.

“It’s time,” said a voice from behind me.

I turned to see a smiling Mr. Jordan standing in the school hallway. I said, “It’s time for you to put me in the body of some middle-aged insurance salesman to finish my allotted time?”

Mr. Jordan continued to smile and said, “No, Mr. Martin. We’ve decided you’ve earned some extra time, so you’ll remain Stephanie. But it is time for you to move on with your life.”

I nodded and said, “Thanks for letting me stay me long enough to see my daughter happy.”

Mr. Jordan nodded slightly and said, “It’s the least we can do, Mr. Martin.”

I reached out to shake his hand. “So this is good-bye?”

Grinning, Mr. Jordan said, “I’ll see you again, Mr. Martin.”

“No time soon, I hope,” I said.

Mr. Jordan smiled and said, “I can wait. I have to go. Good-bye Mr. Martin.” He then faded away.

So I’m going to be living as a girl for the rest of my life. A few weeks ago, that would have been a horrible idea to me. But now. Now I’ve become pretty much used to the new routines, emotions and this new body. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having periods though.

As I left the school building and scanned the parking lot for Hayden, I heard Clarke call to me.

“Hey! Wait up a second!” called Clarke as he ran towards me, leaving Lillith looking confused on the sidewalk.

“Hey, Clarke,” I said, turning towards him.

Beaming, he said, “We did it, Mr. Martin! And I wanted to say thank you for getting Lillith back.”

I wrinkled my brow and said, “Mr. Martin? But yes. We managed to get Lillith out of that mess and save a life at the same time.”

Looking around grinning broadly, Clarke said, “Is Mr. Jordan here? Did he say anything to you? About me, maybe?”

Giving Clarke an odd look, I said, “Who is Mr. Jordan? What are you talking about?”

Shifting suddenly to a confused expression, Clarke said, “You know. Mr. Jordan! He told you my secret.” He pointed at Lillith and said, “You know. He brought you back to life to save your daughter!”

I laughed and said, “My daughter! Her? I think she’s a month older than me. Good joke, Clarke. But I have to run. Take care.”

Shaking my head, I walked away from a very confused looking Clarke.

Pointing at Clarke who was returning to Lillith’s side, Hayden said, “What was that about?”

I stopped just in front of Hayden, who was standing in front of his car. I looked back at Clarke and shook my mead. I thought for a moment before answering. I said, “It was about…um…about…” I shrugged and said, “I guess it was nothing important.”

I stood in front of Hayden and slid my arms around his neck. He’d mellowed a bit since our ordeal this past weekend. I think he decided that being a real world tough guy can be painful.

He bent his head towards me a bit and smiled. He put his arms around my waist and drew me closer to him. I looked deeply into his eyes; deep into his soul. And I felt at peace. I felt happy.

I smiled and said, “I love you Hayden.”

Smiling back at me, Hayden said, “I love you, Stephanie.”

He bent his head towards me. Both our lips parted and we kissed. A long, smoldering, and loving kiss. I was in heaven.

 

*          *          *
 

The End