The minute I stepped home, Grandma appeared in front of me, a sandal in hand.
“Damian Kara!” she said sternly, shaking it in front of my face, “Who do you think you are, coming home at whatever hours you want?”
“Huh?”
“It’s past midnight! You told me you’d be home by 10pm. I was worried sick about you!” With each word that came out of her mouth, the sandal slapped me. Aware that I needed to defend myself before Grandma made a pancake out of me, I said, “My manager kept me after work to talk.” I winced when the sandal connected a solid hit on my already aching arm.
“Talk? What for?”
“Uhh, something happened today and we had to discuss some things,” I said nonchalantly.
She wagged her wrinkly finger in front of my face, standing on her full five feet two inches. “Listen to me, Damian! Don’t you ever do this again! Next time you know you’ll arrive home late, at least have the decency to call me! Why do you think you own a cellphone to begin with?”
This was definitely going to last a while. “My phone got confiscated. I won’t get it back until Friday.”
Grandma’s mouth dropped open in shock. “What? Why? What happened?”
“Stuff…” I let my voice trail off. Grandma stared at me for a while, then shook her head. Her short, gray curls bounced.
“We’ll talk about this some other time. Go take a shower. You smell like rotten cheese. And I left you some food in the fridge. If you’re hungry, eat and go directly to sleep.”
She turned away, muttering a string of Spanish curse words before slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.
Sighing, I hopped into the shower. The hot water poured down on me, washing away the stiffness of my form. After brushing my teeth, I slipped into my pajamas and went to see if Grandma was still awake, figuring I owed her an apology. I knocked on her door a few times. The only answer I got was a loud snore. With another heavy sigh, I headed back to my room.
I crashed into my bed, tremendously exhausted. It was hard juggling school with work, yet I knew I had no choice. Grandma was counting on my paychecks to help around the house because things have been tough for us ever since she retired from work, due to back problems. My hands clenched into tight fists as I recalled the conversation I’d had with Giovanni, in his office, earlier.
Wait, it wasn’t a conversation. It was more like Giovanni screeching at me like a lunatic, for more than an hour. As expected, he’d gone completely bonkers on me for breaking the phone. He could not figure out why I had pulled such a stunt.
Obviously, I couldn’t tell him about Jude and the fact he’d been harassing me. Instead, I’d opted out with the excuse that I had been stressed out because of school, the rush hour at work and the pineapple incident with the man. In the end, Giovanni gave me a warning, stating that my paycheck would be deducted to replace the phone.
All this because of Jude. That damn creep. My entire day, no make it my life, had been nothing but a living hell ever since I encountered him.
I wish we’d never met, I found myself thinking.
Never have I felt such hatred for an individual. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to strangle him or continue running away from him. What a creep, I thought.
Such a piece of garbage.
I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew, I was awakened due to a loud, ringing sound. The phone.
I drowsily checked the alarm clock on my dresser drawer and noticed it was 3:13am. The phone continued to ring in the living room. Pulling my pillow over my head, I tried to block out the sound and return to sleep. However, the deafening noise continued to resonate down the hallway. It went on for several minutes. Grandma was a heavy sleeper. I doubted the telephone was bothering her.
Irritated, tired and annoyed beyond belief, I climbed out of bed and stomped down the hallway.
Evidently, no one in their right mind would call someone and disturb their sleep in the middle of the night. I wanted to disconnect the phone cable, or even better, smash the entire device into bits. Yet, I knew this would not solve anything. I'd only get in more trouble.
How dare he call the house phone at this hour? How dare he call me at my workplace and nearly get me fired? How dare he disturb me in school, messing up my entire schedule and stressing the crap out of me?
That was it. I briefly recalled Rhea’s warnings about my staying away from him, but enough was enough. I couldn’t keep running from him and having panic attacks. It was time to confront this jerk.
Without thinking, I snatched up the receiver and shouted, “WHAT?”
Silence.
“Answer me, Jude!”
On the other end, Jude chuckled. “I’ve waited all night for my order, Damian. Where is it?”
Rage bubbled inside my chest. I was so outraged, I wouldn’t have been surprised if steam came out of my ears. I felt like screaming and throwing objects across the room, while running and crying for help all at once.
“Listen,” I said through gritted teeth, my knuckles turning white from my tight grip on the phone. “I don’t know how you got all my numbers, but I want you to stop harassing me. I mean it, Jude. I want nothing to do with you. Leave me alone.”
Silence. Had he finally gotten the message? I was about to say something rude to him until he said in a very soft, yet deep voice, “Cookie is gone, Damian. She died.”
Cookie had been Jude’s cocker spaniel. From what I can remember, he’d had her since he was a toddler.
“If you think I will comfort you for the death of your dog, you’re mistaken,” I said coldly.
Jude sighed. “It’s not what you think. I’ve actually been trying to reach you because I want to propose a deal.”
“Not interested.” I prepared to hang up on him, but he said something that made me freeze. “What?” I asked in a tiny voice, praying I was mistaken. That it was nothing but my mind playing tricks on me.
But, I knew better than to hope.
“I said,” he repeated, “I will help you solve your sister’s murder.”
I was so shocked, my mouth hung open like a dying fish. It was difficult to get any words across. Jude took the opportunity to continue speaking.
“No one understands what truly happened to her, Damian. Only a few sorcerers and you know it wasn’t a suicide. That she had been murdered.”
“Shut up.”
“Everybody else is convinced she took her own life,” he went on, “Having found her with the gun in her hand, in the middle of an alley, with no corpses, traces or witnesses around, it was the only thing they could conclude, after weeks of investigation.”
I shouted, “Maybe if you hadn’t interfered, and disposed of all the bodies, it would have been easier for the police to solve it!”
Maybe if I hadn’t run away that night, I could have stopped him. Maybe if I were able to bring up the topic, the truth about all of it to others, without fearing for their lives, I could have done something about it a long time ago.
“What are you suggesting, Jude? You’ll help me get justice for Daphne? You’ll go against your kind’s rules and get yourself involved with a puny human again?” That last sentence came out louder than expected.
Jude answered in a calm tone. “I’ve been imprisoned in my own house for months, Damian. You have no idea what I went through for saving you that night.” He paused. “Yet, I can assure you I am prepared for the worst. I’ll help you if…”
I was starting to put in the puzzle pieces together.
“If what?” I asked, anticipating the worst.
“Cookie was my favorite dog. My only dog. Now she’s gone. However, you’re still alive. And you’re my favorite human. Put two and two together and you get what?”
“You little -”
“That’s right. I want you to replace her. Become my new pet, Damian. Agree to belong to me, only me, and I will do whatever I can to help you.” He paused, allowing me to take in everything he’d just said. “What do you say? Will you accept my offer?”
My lips curled into an acidic smile. “Go to hell, Jude Malakai.”
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