Inhuman (20 page)

I glanced at Keanu, wondering how much information he was going to supply this perfect stranger.

Keanu sighed and seemed to have an internal debate within himself, obviously thinking the same thing as me. After a moment, he blurted out. “We’re trying to find a certain cave…a special cave…where Cassia was born.”

***

“How much further?” Tanaka asked as we sped along the Arizona highway. The headlights shone like two moons on the black asphalt, guiding us through the dark.

“Make a left up here and it’s about twenty miles from there.” My voice shook with anticipation. We hadn’t seen any sign of the Majestic 12 since the helicopter incident and I kept feeling like they were going to jump out from behind a tree or bush at any moment.

Keanu curled and uncurled his fist beside me. Staring out the window into the pitch of the night, his aura exuded stress. I could see how he would be tense, I looked like I was going to pop at any moment and we could literally be driving directly into the arms of his fiendish former employers.

Sandwiched between the two silent men, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Leaning forward and switching on the radio, I breathed a sigh of relief as Johnny Cash began serenading me with one of his classics.

After the song ended, the radio announcer began his top of the hour spiel.

“Good evening everyone. That was the one and only, Johnny Cash with his number one hit,
Walk the Line
. On to the weather, we’re expecting rainfall for this evening and into the morning. Tomorrow should get to a high of 86 with the occasional cloud in the sky. Sunday will be smokin’ with a high of 95 degrees, but will cool down by Monday to 84.”

Waiting for the next song to start, I smiled at the newscaster’s jolly weather report. He continued.

“That’s all for the weather. I hope all you lovebirds are prepared for tomorrow. Valentine’s Day is upon us and if you men out there want to keep your ladies happy, you best be hurrying down to the local flower stores tomorrow!”

“Valentine’s Day!” I exclaimed with a twinge of excitement. The men on either side of me jumped with my spontaneous outburst. “It’s my birthday tomorrow! I’ll be twenty-one!”

With the all the upset and upheaval in my life over the last few months, I realized that I didn’t have clue what day it was…let alone what month.

I’d always loved my birthday! Grandmother made it such a special event that it warmed my heart.

Keanu turned and grinned at me but Tanaka’s entire body stiffened and his face fell like he’d heard disturbing news. Slightly offended and annoyed with his reaction, I chose to ignore him and enjoy the fact that tomorrow was my birthday.

Resting my head on Keanu’s large shoulder, I closed my eyes and let myself drift off a little.

***

“Cassia. We’re here.” Keanu gently shook me awake as we approached the glow of a bonfire in the distance. Even in the dark, the welcoming ambiance of my village warmed me from head to toe.

With the light of the large fire, I scanned the entirety of the township, making sure everything was okay. If the Majestic 12 had been here, it didn’t appear that they had destroyed any of the homes or buildings. I’d had terrible visions of them desecrating our entire village in their fury to locate me.

As soon as Tanaka’s truck stopped, I began shoving Keanu to get out. I needed to find my grandmother. She was old and frail and if she had gotten hurt by the Majestic 12, it was my fault. I had to know she was okay.

Keanu smiled at my impatience and quickly opened the passenger door and hopped out of the truck. Extending his hand to help me out, I wriggled myself and my big belly across the bench seat.

Tribal members had already started wandering toward us out of curiosity. Once close enough, a few of my friends recognized me and moved to hug me.

One such friend was Nova.

“Nova! Where is my grandmother? Is she alright? Is she here?” I couldn’t hide the panic in my voice.

“Of course, Cassia, she’s fine. She’s probably gone to bed already, that’s all.” Her chestnut eyes filled with worry as she scanned my face and then glanced down at my stomach. “Are you alright?”

“Um, I can’t really talk about it right now, I’m sorry.” Pushing my way through the crowd, I made my way to my grandmother’s house.

My lower back ached as I walked through the dark paths of the village. Stretching, I tried to release the tension that was pinching the nerves and muscles.

Nearing my grandmother’s tiny home; I was suddenly self-conscious about my pregnant belly. Would she be disappointed? Surprised? Yes, definitely surprised. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too upset.

I walked up to the door of the familiar home. Rustic, yet enchanting, it always reminded me of the homes described in
The Hobbit
. A wooden shack was surrounded by vegetation; her house seemed to invite nature to rest itself upon it. Large trees hung their heavy branches, lush with foliage, like a protective umbrella over her house. Shrubs and cacti had nestled themselves close to the side of the house as though protecting the old woman’s home from intruders. An enormous Aloe Vera, with its mystical healing properties, grew close by in case of an emergency.

Knocking lightly on her door, I cringed as I imagined her sleeping and then being startled awake by my intrusion.

I hope it’s not too late.

I realized that my thought had two meanings. Too late in the evening and, of course, too late to save her from the evil that killed Amy.

With my heart thudding hard in my chest, I was nervous when I couldn’t hear anything from inside the shack. Then, I recognized a familiar shuffle emanating from within. She’d always had a bit of a limp, but refused to use a cane. Hearing a click on the other side of the door, I waited with trepidation as the old door groaned open.

Tears filled my eyes as I saw my grandmother for the first time in at least two years. Clad in her nightgown and robe, her long gray hair, normally held back in a tight bun, flowed passed her shoulders and draped over her forearms. Her ancient brown eyes, shrouded by the weathering of time, stared at me with a calm that only comes with the wisdom of the ages.

Speechless, I reached out to hug her. I had to stoop over a little to wrap my arms around her tiny frame. Enveloped in her loving embrace, I sobbed tears of relief and gratitude. After several blissful moments, I stepped back.

“Hi Grandma.” I spoke in the Hopi tongue.

Taking my hands into hers, she held them as she stared affectionately into my eyes and said, “Child, you’ve come home.” Glancing once at my enlarged belly, she added. “And I see that the prophecy is once again at hand.”

Chapter 18

“Would you like some tea?” My grandmother shuffled slowly through her tiny adobe toward the kitchen to heat up some water.

“Sure.” I tried to sound calm, but my insides were churning with anticipation. What was this prophecy? Did she know what I was?

Sitting on a wooden bench propped before a homemade table, I waited and tapped my fingertips anxiously against the knotty surface. Normally I felt calm in her cozy home but tonight, I felt nothing but the angst of uncertainty.

“How was your trip?” She asked casually as she placed a cup and saucer in front of me, tendrils of steam rising into the air from the confines of the teacup. Setting one on the table for herself, she groaned as she sat down across from me.

Wrapping my hands around the teacup, I absorbed the soothing heat into the palms of my hands. Taking a long breath in, I let the atmosphere of my grandmother’s home embrace me. She always had a way of helping me center myself, to clear my thoughts.

“Well…some was good. Some bad, I guess…there’s a lot going on right now.” I fumbled, honestly not knowing how to answer. As much as I didn’t want to worry her, I needed her to understand the gravity of the situation. I needed her to tell me whatever she knew about me. I needed answers.

She nodded as she lifted her teacup to her mouth, her lips twitching with a smile. I envied her quiet wisdom, her ability to surrender to the winds of faith and know without a shadow of a doubt that whatever divine powers that be…would protect us.

Staring down into the dark waters of my tea, I debated on how much I should tell her of the last few months. Some of the experiences were so horrific, I didn’t know if I could even repeat them, let alone tell a frail old woman who’d likely never heard of such atrocities.

Breaking the silence, grandmother spoke quietly to me. “Cassia, I know you’ve come for answers and I will tell you what I know, but I must warn you, I don’t know
all
the answers.”

Gesturing for me to take a seat, she began, speaking slowly in her native tongue. “The day you were born, my apprentice and I were out collecting herbs in the desert. It was very hot, even for February. We’d spent the entire day collecting sagebrush to use for my cleansing rituals.”

She rose from her seat and retrieved something from a nearby cupboard. “While we were walking near Doe Mountain, I found this.” She placed a leather satchel on the table. “I figured it couldn’t have been there long, it was very clean with no sand on it.”

Nodding, I understood what she meant. Anything that dares land on the desert’s floor would very soon be smothered by the sand. Grabbing the tiny bag, I held it in my hands and caressed the smooth leather with my fingertips.

Continuing, she wrapped her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she spoke. “I looked around the place, for the owner. Walking a ways up the mountainside, we heard screaming coming from one of the caves.”

“Screaming?” My eyes widened as she told the story.

“Yes. When we reached the cave, we saw a woman in there…ready to give birth.” Sighing, she continued. “Fate. Coincidence. Luck. How is it that a doula and her apprentice would be walking through the desert and come upon a pregnant woman ripe with child? I still ask myself that every day.” Lowering her head, obviously tired, she muttered the last part as though to herself.

“Was this…” I held up the satchel, a waft of tobacco drifting from it as I moved it. “hers?”

Lifting her head slowly, her eyes met mine as she responded. “No, that…was your father’s.”

My father
.

Grandmother sat across the table from me, her eyes, though focused on me, were tired and fighting to stay open. Most likely exhausted from old age and the time of night, but I suspected she was also weary of the secrets she’d been holding onto for over twenty years.

“Cassia, please don’t be angry with them…or me…we did what we had to do to protect you.” Fatigue strained her voice as she continued. “Your father didn’t want to leave you behind; he did it out of love.”

“Love?! He left me out of love?! What does that mean?” All the years of abandonment, neglect…how did that equal love in any way? I wanted to slam my fist on the table or throw the teacup across the room.

Protect me?!
After all I’d been through over the last few months, seems to me that their little ‘plan’ of protecting me hadn’t worked very fucking well!

“Child, please, listen to me.” Her eyes pleaded with me and I took deep breaths to calm myself.

I hated this. I hated learning that the one person I trusted in life had lied to me. After a moment of composing myself, I looked my grandmother straight in the eyes and waited…for the truth.

“Cassia, your mother died right after she had you.” I inhaled sharply as the shock set in. “Your father begged me to take you, to keep you and…hide you. He never told me why, only that you were the most precious being on the planet.”

I swallowed hard as a painful lump formed in my throat.

He knew. He somehow knew about my blood.

“Did he say…anything else?” I managed to force the words out between sobs.

“Yes.” She exhaled sharply as she continued. “He said that someday…you would help change the world.”

Melting into a pool of my own tears on the kitchen table, I didn’t know if her answers left me feeling relieved or more confused. I knew that she was telling me the truth, but there was still so much I didn’t understand. A thought flashed through my mind, making me sit straight up.

“Did my mother have a star? A birthmark…like me?” I knew before my grandmother even spoke that she did. The sparkle behind her eyes lit up with the question.