Intrigue (27 page)

Once we were alone in the kitchen I said, “See, you’ve been missed, Sparky! It’s just not same here without your smart eyas remarks.”

Thrace immediately shot back, “Calliope, language!”

I smiled as my heart relaxed at our easy banter. “You ready to head out to the garage? I assume this isn’t just a casual visit.”

He nodded as if to confirm my speculation, and he headed out the back door. I followed him at a slower pace, wanting to delay whatever confessions he was going to make.

I went to open the garage door to let fall’s crisp but mild air into our gym, but Thrace stopped my hand before it got to the button. He immediately released it and said, “Can we leave it closed for a second? There is something I need to see, and I can’t take the chance of your parents getting a good view.”

I was slightly perplexed, but had an ominous feeling as I asked, “What do you need to show me Thrace?”

He took a deep breath, and then slowly took his shirt off. For one second, I thought he was attempting a really bad strip tease until I saw the multitude of bruises across his arms, chest, stomach, and shoulders. He slowly turned around, so I could see the abrasions and bruises on his back as well. There were all different shades ranging from the darkest purple to green to yellow indicating that not all of the damage done to him was recent. One of the things that you learn from being a fighter and the daughter of a nurse is what bruises look like that are directly from someone hitting or kicking you. Thrace finally broke the silence and spoke, “There are more on my legs, but I figured you wouldn’t want me to drop my pants in your garage.”

I smiled through the tears that were starting to build at the sight of what Thrace must have endured with this level of bruising. “What the
flock
happened Thrace?”

“That’s what I came here to find out,” he said cryptically.

“What?!!! You think I know who beat the crap out of you?”

“I am hoping you can help me figure out what is happening to me. I have been having black outs once or twice a week. On Sunday for the last two weeks, I woke up feeling as if I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. The first night that I blacked out was the night at the rave right before we broke up. Do you remember
anything
that happened that could be causing these black outs?”

The only way Thrace should have been having black outs again was if he had been bitten, but that did not account for the bruises. Was Thrace trying to stop the vamp from using him as a snack or was the vamp just using him as a punching bag? Neither scenario seemed likely. I needed to talk to Rafe to get a handle on what the flock was going on. I took a deep breath before I answered, “We were apart for most of that night, and I left early, so I can’t fill in the blanks of your memory. Have you gone to any other raves recently? Oh, and did you wake up that first time with bruises?”

Thrace looked extremely disappointed as he replied, “Yeah, Just, Spart, and I go about once a week. And no, we didn’t wake up with bruises that first time.”

This information concerned me, so I asked, “Can you skip the raves for a bit until we figure out what’s going on? Like I said, I was not at the rave very long.
However
, I know a couple people that were. One of which has had similar black outs. I will call them tonight and get the scoop. I will also check with dad on the Fight Club investigation.”

Thrace seemed relieved to have got this off his chest, but he asked, “Calli, I don’t want anyone knowing about this. If they don’t have any leads on the Fight Club, telling people about my black outs will only get us in trouble.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just say I am doing a story for our newspaper. If I have to watch your every move or lock you up and throw away the key, you will not wake up like that again.”

Thrace came over to me and gingerly gave me one of his bear hugs that I missed so much. Once he let me go, he said, “Thank you, Calli. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You’ll never find out. I will always have your back no matter what the circumstances,” I promised.

“I’m gonna go home and rest for awhile.” Then he kissed my forehead and slowly limped away.

I was immediately on my phone calling Rafe. As soon as he answered, I pleaded, “Rafe, I need your help! Can you meet me somewhere ASAP?”

I paced my room listening to Seymore Saves the World until Rafe texted me that he was parked in his usual place. I made sure to act hurt and surly as I came into the house from the garage, so my parents would give me a wide berth for a couple hours. I told them I was going for a run and found Rafe at his car. I told him to drive to the park.

When we arrived, Rafe parked and leaned over and gave me a hug. The fear I felt for Thrace was constricting my chest, and the memory of his colorful array of bruises gave me goose bumps. Rafe had yet to ask any questions. He seemed content to hold me and stroke my hair as I took comfort in his embrace. I finally pulled back a little without leaving the circle of his arms and said, “Your world is starting to encroach on mine in a major way.”

My statement immediately concerned him, and one of his hands moved from my waist to my chin so he could tilt my face up to his. Our eyes locked, and I saw apprehension in his eyes, and I’m sure he found sorrow in mine. He quietly but urgently rasped out “What happened?”

I explained Thrace’s revelation and my response in a dull and monotone voice so I could separate from my growing panic. Then, I finally asked, “Rafe, what the flock is going on?”

Rafe seemed to ponder the information for a few minutes before he spoke. “Well, it definitely sounds like he is being bitten. By who and why he is ending up in such bad shape is not something I can answer right now. I need to contact a few people. I have only caught him at one rave.” He seemed to have trouble meeting my eyes. I was a people watcher, and Rafe’s body language was screaming that something was not right.

I studied him for a second, which seemed to make him all the more uncomfortable before I said, “I’m fairly certain he’s been to more than one, but not all the nights he has blacked out. When will you know something because I promised him come hell or high water that he wouldn’t wake up beaten to a pulp again?”

He put both of his hands on either side of my face. He looked directly into my eyes and said in a solemn voice, “I will help you keep that promise, Siren. As soon as you let me go, I will start to contact my kind that likes to gossip and share juicy details. I should have some preliminary information for you by tonight.” He followed his statement with a light, soft kiss on my lips that made me sigh and wish I did not have to send him on his way.

“As much as I would like to keep you here at my beck and call, I should probably let you go and help save the day.”

“I can always stop by your room tonight and give you a personal update, Siren,” he replied huskily.

I smiled impishly and said, “Keep dreamin, Mr. Pro Athlete. I am going to run home from here to get rid of some of this nervous energy.”

Rafe reluctantly let go. Both my parents remarked how nice it was to see Thrace again. I moodily agreed and said I hoped that this meant we were back on the friendship track. Mom remarked, “Maybe your good influence will help him settle down again. Honey has been at her wits end with him this last couple weeks.”

“Though I’m not exactly privy to his life right now, I think by next week I’ll have him all shaped up,” I said in a confident tone.

“I’m sure his parents will be thankful for any help. What are we up to today?”

“I think I might run to the library later. I have got some books on hold. Then I might head to the gym.”

“Pizza will be here by 7:00 as should you, our little Muse. We have to catch up on
The Iliad
,” my dad stipulated.

“Got it, pops. Pizza and Greek gods at 7:00. Check! Can I go up and get some homework done now, padre?”

“Go learn something, smart ass,” dad replied and mom sighed.

I ran upstairs and tried to plan my next move. Despite Rafe’s attempts to distract me with his charm, there was something that he was not telling me. Something he was hiding. I always thought Dr. A knew more than he was sharing. Time to find out if my guess was correct.

Chapter: 22: Picking Sides

When choosing between two evils, I always like to take the one I've never tried before-Mae West

Thank heavens for the contact list in my phone cause there was Dr. A. What was happening to Thrace was too horrid to allow Rafe to shield me from the truth. He picked up on the second ring. “Dr. A, this is Calli. I need to ask your advise about something. It’s important, confidential, and not related to school.”

Dr. A replied cryptically, “I’ve been waiting for you to realize that we are on the same side.”

“Dr. A, I don’t have time for riddles. Can you meet me at the Redford Branch of the Detroit Public Library in 15 minutes?” I asked him.

He immediately replied, “If you get there first, try to get a private study room and bring homework or something so it will look like we are working.”

I admired his cunning and answered, “Good thinking. I will see you there in 15. And thanks for meeting me on such short notice.”

I grabbed my backpack and gym bag and ran out the door as I called out to my parents. “I’m headin to the library to study--too many distractions here. See ya at seven sharp.”

Just as I secured our study room, Dr. A walked in and shut the door. I sat down warily before he said, “You better make it quick, Calliope…. somehow I don’t see Hermes leaving you alone for very long these days. And I take it that you don’t want him privy to this conversation.”

“I’ve already told Rafe this. I just didn’t like his answer. He’s hiding something from me, Dr. A. Maybe you can tell me what it is. I have a friend that went to a rave at Eastown Theatre, and since then has been experiencing black outs. When he wakes up, he’s bruised and beaten.” I explained to Dr. A without directly meeting his eyes.

“He said he would find out if any of his brethren are responsible. What has Rafe
not
told me?” I demanded.

“A lot. But Hermes indicated to me that he didn’t want to overwhelm you with too much information about his world, and that you agreed,” Dr. A stated.

“I don’t need to know every nitty-gritty immortal fact all at once, but I need to know what the flock is going on,” I explained emphatically.

“What has Hermes told you about Ares and Apollo?”

I was starting to get a bit miffed because Dr. A seemed to be having a problem giving me a straight answer by playing 20 questions. So I revealed my exasperation by asking, “What’s with answering my question with another question-- Just tell me what you know!”

“Ah. Hermes has not told you about the immortal’s greatest weapon. When an immortal bites a human, he or she can call that human to them for up to a week. The length of time depends on how powerful the immortal is. Far more ominous is that the Olympians and demigods then can possess the human for short periods of time. Ares has exploited this gift and turned it into a nightmare for the young adults of this city. He has created his very own Coliseum at the old Tiger Stadium where teenage gladiators possessed by demigods fight for their immortal spectators. When one or both of the teenagers is beaten unconscious or dies, the demigods are kicked out of their body completely unscathed. I think Thrace has unknowingly participated as a human gladiator, and the fact that he is still alive tells me that he has won his matches so far. There is absolutely no guarantee that this will continue to be the case. Apollo and Hermes have tried to stop these barbaric matches to no avail.”

I was stunned. I literally couldn’t speak for several minutes. I actually thought I was going to hyperventilate. I started taking deep breaths as my hands clenched into fists. “Why would Rafe lie to me?” I choked out.

Dr. A just shook his head and said in a mocking tone, “Humans are unpredictable. He doesn’t know what you would do. He’s probably trying to stop it without telling you the truth.”

“How do
you
know so much about this since you are also a mere human?”

“My son wasn’t so lucky in winning his matches. He was a fighter like you, but not strong enough to win all his battles. I went looking for answers. I found out that we live in a war zone, and nobody even realizes it. We lose about one teenager every couple of weeks. I keep track of the names and have gathered others who have experienced similar loss. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and friends—we’ve all lost loved ones at The Corner. We
will
bring Ares down and all his supporters if we can. I’ve been collecting information on Ares. The time to act will be soon. Apollo and Hermes have provided valuable information, but when it is all said and done they will protect their own. For you, it has already come down to human vs. immortal. Who will you choose, Calliope?”