Fortune and Fortitude Pt. 05

Nasha sighed. "Yeah, yeah. You know Mom? She's my real birth mother."

Jared frowned. What did that have to do with anything?

"Of course I was planning to tell you! That's why I made PLAN for your BIRTHDAY!" Nasha shouted into the phone. "Look, forget him and the other proteges. Mom has a nice spot where we can wait it out for a while. You'll be safe."

Jared blinked. "Wait, Nasha, you're a-"

Nasha gave him an unimpressed stare. "I'm as surprised as you are. I never took you for a demon."

"And you've known for how long?"

She shushed him and started talking in the phone again, leaving Jared to process. Of course! Senguine had even TOLD them that Nasha was a demon! The question was... what kind?

Suddenly he felt very vulnerable. He didn't know what kind she was, or what she wanted, much less the mysterious "mother." She could turn on him at any second.

He looked over to Kiara. She had been chatting with Zoe, popping bubblegum and laughing. Not anymore. She was waving at him, her face pale.

He stared at her in confusion for a moment. "Uh, I'll be right back, Nasha." He stood, bending slightly so the bus driver wouldn't notice as he crept up the aisle towards Kiara.

"What is it?" he hissed. "What's wrong?"

Kiara grabbed his collar panickily. "It's not encubix."

He tilted his head. "What?"

"My contact lied. The whole thing is a-"

Suddenly, the bus slammed into something. Jared crashed down the aisle, slamming hard into the glass windshield. It cracked but didn't shatter from the impact as he crumpled to the floor.

He wasn't the only one who moved. Several students had been thrown over seats by the impact, and the bus driver had slammed his head into the wheel - hard. Jared looked away, hoping that he wasn't dead.

Dazedly, he got to his feet, surprised to notice that he had only minor bruises developing. He was getting stronger. He looked around before something outside caught his eye.

He yanked open the door with the bus latch and jumped outside. The bus had collided with a boar - a giant, silver haired boar roughly the size of a minivan.

"What the..." He stared at it in disbelief. Its bristles were long and thick, more like blades than needles, much less hair.

It didn't take long for students and teacher alike to start swarming out of the bus. There were murmurs and cries of alarm at the sight of the boar.

Kiara stepped out from the bus, her face blank of all emotion. Jared walked up to her and helped her out. "Is this normal? I was expecting something more... I don't know, accidental."

Kiara shook her head slowly. "It's what I was trying to tell you before. This isn't the work of the encubix. This is from the Dousa bloodline."

"Dousa? What do they do?"

She slumped to the ground and leaned back against a tire. "They're masters of manipulating the phenomena to the point of terrific mutations." She gestured with her head to the boar. "This is a prime example of their work."

"It seems dead. Isn't it?" Jared wondered aloud. "Should we be worried?"

Kiara sighed and pulled her knees against her chest. "Yes. We should. But not about the boar."

Jared sat down next to her. "Okay, so what's the big deal? Why are Dousa such a problem?"

Kiara bit her lip. "Well, for one, they're cannibals in the sense that they are capable of eating other demons - at quite a high ratio. My contact," she explained, "Must've been working for them. This was a trap intended for me."

Jared furrowed his brow. "That's why I'm here, right?"

She laughed bitterly. "No, you were here to make things easier. In your current state of development, I don't think you could even take one Dousa on, much less an entire pack." She looked to the sun. "They prefer the dark of night, though, so we might have some extra time to prepare. They shouldn't know you're here, so maybe you can hide and wait this whole thing over."

Jared folded his arms. "Wait, why hide? Aren't we here to save these people?"

"That was before we knew it was dousa!" she hissed. "We stand no chance against them." She pointed to the boar again. "That was just meant to slow us down, strand us. Imagine dozens of them bent on killing you."

Jared frowned. "Can't we evacuate everyone? Call in reinforcements?"

Kiara pulled out her phone and handed it to him. "They've already blocked all service. We can't communicate anymore."

Jared eyed the landscape around them. They were in the middle of the rocky desert, nothing but road for miles in any direction. They wouldn't get anywhere by walking.

The reality of the situation was slowly catching up to him. "We're going to die?"

Kiara shook her head. "I'm going to die. If you hide out away from the group, you can probably make it through the night. If you wait for them to leave, you should be able to get service again soon and call Miss Senguine to come and get you."

Jared scowled. "What about you? I'm not going to just-"

"I sealed my fate when I chose to come here," Kiara replied. "It was a risk, and I blew it. They will be looking for me, and they know what I look like - more importantly, what I smell like. I can't hide from them."

Jared buried his face in his hands. "Come on, there must be something we can-"

"What's going on?" Jared glanced up to see Zoe standing in front of them. "You two are acting like this is the end of the world. It's just an accident."

Jared didn't respond. He didn't know how to. Fortunately, Kiara stepped in. "It's... complicated. Difficult to explain."

Zoe's eyes narrowed. She knelt down in front of them. "Harder than our last conversation?"

Kiara hesitated. "Yes. It's along the same lines, but-" She cut off.

Jared looked over to see her frozen. "Kiara?"

She bowed her head. "You know, there might be something we can do. It's a long shot, but maybe."

"Kiara, what are you talking about?"

"Let me guess," Nasha drawled, coming up to stand next to them. "This has something to do with the two of you."

Jared winced. "Can I have my phone back?"

Nasha tossed it to him. "Don't bother. It got cut off too." She glanced around. "I'm going to hide. I suggest the two of you do the same." Then she turned and walked away.

"Hide?" Zoe questioned. "Hide from what?"

"We'll explain later," Kiara said, standing. "We need to get everyone to those caves." She pointed off in the distance, where Jack could hardly see the telltale dark prints. "It's our only chance."

Zoe opened her mouth to protest but closed it. "All right. But you'd better!"

Jared followed as Kiara led the way to where the teacher were gathered, trying to formulate a plan. They couldn't contact local authorities, and they had very little idea of what else to do.

"Hey!" Kiara cut in. "We need to get everyone to those caves." She pointed. "We're going to need shelter in order to survive this."

Mr. Jenkins scowled. "We need to stick with the bus. A rescue vehicle will be along shortly, and we need to be nearby when they come."

Kiara shook her head. "This bus is going to get hot without the engine running, and it's going to get hot fast. We need to find shade."

"But suppose somebody DOES come," protested Mrs. Mecham. "If they see the abandoned bus, they might not even stop?"

Kiara sighed. "We could leave someone here to get attention, and they can lead any rescuers to the caves. Does that sound good?"

Mr. Kimball shrugged. "It's not like we have much else that we can do, at least until our service returns. I vote we go with her idea." He stopped and peered at her curiously. "What's your name?"

"Kiara."

"Very well, Kiara. We'll gather up and start walking." He organized the teachers, sending one to carry the fortunately still breathing bus driver, another to gather the students, and a third to watch over the bus.

"Man, you're just a magnet for trouble, aren't you?"

Jared turned to see Zoe standing behind him, arms folded. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

She raised an eyebrow and popped a bubble. "Want some gum?"

"Sure."

She handed him a piece. "Where's Quinn?"

Jack winced. He really needed to come up with an answer for that question. "Uh, staying with some relatives."

Zoe tilted her head. "Uh-huh. And what are you doing here?"

Jared sighed. "We'll discuss that later, remember?"

Kiara returned, the teacher and student body slowly trickling after her.

"Let's go."

************************

The sun was just starting to bend towards the horizon when they made it to the caves. At first, Jared was suspicious about the nearness of the caves to the boar incident, but he relaxed when he saw the abandoned signs. It was apparently an old attraction that didn't work out. Natural, not creature made.

He could only count his blessings that he didn't burn easily. Many of the students, Zoe and Kiara included, got sunburned pretty bad during the hike.

Everyone was thirsty, but of course, no one had much water. They found a water fountain, and were relieved to discover that it was still functional. The atmosphere was very relaxed after the initial outburst, and even Mr. Maxwell (the bus driver) came to. Aside from a slight concussion, he felt fine.

It wasn't long before everyone situated themselves in the caves. It was uncomfortable, but a welcome relief from the heat of the day. Nasha was nowhere to be seen. Jared hoped she'd be okay, and Kiara assured him she'd probably be fine.

After getting a drink and finding a nice corner of the cave, they finally sat down. Kiara groaned and muttered something about sore muscles, but Jared didn't feel much. In fact, aside from still feeling pretty thirsty, he felt fine.

Zoe sat down in front of them, crossing her legs. "Alright, spill. What exactly is going on here?"

Jared and Kiara shared a glance. He coughed. "Well, uh... You're going to think we're crazy."

Zoe snorted. "Hardly. You'll find I'm quite open-minded about such things."

When they still didn't respond, she sighed. "Alright, let's start off easy. Is the explanation supernatural beings or aliens?"

They looked at each other and nodded. "Supernatural."

Zoe actually seemed surprised. "Seriously?"

Kiara sighed. "Seriously."

She glanced over at Jared. "Do you want to try calling Miss Senguine? Your phone probably has the best chance of anyone here. I'll explain it to her in the meantime."

Jared nodded, relieved. "Alright. Sounds like a plan."

He stood and walked out, pulling up Quinn's speed dial. "Come on, come on," he muttered.

We're sorry, but that user is unable to call or text right now. Please call again later.

He sighed and hung up, then tried again. He wished he had had more time to explain to her what was going on - wished he could ask her for advice. She'd know what to do. She always did.

As he lifted the phone to his ear again, he wondered what Kiara's plan was. She had mentioned something about a "long shot" they could take, but she hadn't sounded sure.

Still, that was better than hiding, wasn't it? Jared sighed. Quinn would never forgive him if he got killed out here without a goodbye. It was so frustrating. Last night, it seemed like everything was coming together, and then he just HAD to go out and try to do something stupid.

He was strong, sure, but he wasn't POWREFUL. Not like what Annika or Senguine seemed to describe. He could lift more weight, take less damage. Recover from fatal wounds.

If Senguine was right, he was virtually immortal. That would probably help, right? Well, him at least. He thought about that boar that crashed the bus. It was gargantuan in size, and it looked mean. Kiara said that they would probably come with a dozen or more of them. It would be a slaughter.

Could he help? Maybe. He could probably keep a single boar busy, at least for a while. But killing it? What, by punching it really hard? Man, he wished Senguine had explained more about his powers.

He sighed and hung up for the fifteenth time before trying again. Every once in a while, he would get a single bar of service, but it usually only lasted for a few seconds. Still, it's not like there was anything better to do.

The sky was slowly turning to orange as the sun creeped towards the horizon. They didn't have much time for Kiara's plan, whatever it was. He should let her know.

He walked back into the cave, where a group of the students had started some games going. A lot of them had opted to take naps, and others had gone off to explore, despite the teachers' protests.

Kiara looked up at him and smiled. "Good timing. We just finished."

Zoe was curled up into a ball, her face thoughtful. "I'm not sure I believe it yet, mind you. But it's certainly descriptive."

Jared sighed. "You asked for an explanation, and you got one. It doesn't really matter if you believe us or not." He turned to Kiara. "Earlier you mentioned something we could do. How long will it take?"

She hesitated. "I don't know. Can we find someplace private to talk about it?"

"Sure." Jared led the way out of the cave, leaving Zoe to her thoughts. There were dozens of caves around, and it wasn't hard to find an empty one.

Kiara went in first, scoped it out. "Seems quiet enough." She took a deep breath. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather try to hide? If you went far enough away from the main group, they most certainly wouldn't look for you."

Jared shook his head. "I want to hear your plan first. I'm not much one for running from a fight."

She shrugged. "Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you." She folded her arms. "You know what I said about the fact that we don't stand a chance?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, we might. At least, we could. Maybe."

"Meaning?"

She looked away. "I told you that you aren't strong enough to fight the dousa. At least, not yet."

When he didn't answer, she took a deep breath. "But if you claimed another vassal before then... maybe you would be."

The thought hit him like a sledgehammer. "I- I didn't even think of that."

She shrugged. "It probably wouldn't work anyway, but it's something that we could try. I mean, it would only be one vassal, so even if we..." Her face flushed pink. "Fed you more than once, it would only do so much. Diminishing returns, and all that."

Jack took a deep breath. "I... I don't know." He clenched his jaw. "It's just..."

They were interrupted by the sound of a ringtone going off. Jared automatically moved to silence it, then blinked. He snatched it from his pocket. Quinn.

He turned around and answered the call, his hands fumbling. "Quinn!"

"Jared? What's going on? Nasha suddenly cut off, and then I kept getting voicemail. Suddenly I get a notification for 20 missed calls? Jared, are you-"

"No time to explain. Listen, Quinn. We're being attacked in a few hours by the dousa. DOUSA. We're on highway 59, probably about one to two hundred miles in."

He hesitated. "It's not looking good, and Kiara doesn't think we can make it. At least..." He glanced over to where Kiara stood solemnly. "Not without me claiming another vassal. I don't know what to-"

"Do it."

Jared winced. "What?"

"I said do it. Jared, we can take care of anything else AFTER you're safe. Both of you. Please." Her voice softened. "Do it for me."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright. I will. I'll come back, Quinn. I promise."

"I lov-" her voice suddenly crackled off into static. After a few moments, that faded to a beep.

Jared bowed his head as Kiara came to stand next to him.

"I'm sorry."

He sighed. "It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is." She clasped her hands in front of her. "You saved my life, and I foolishly asked for another favor."

Jared laughed bitterly. "Me being here isn't the problem. Not really, at least."

She hesitated. "May I ask what the problem is, exactly? I was led to believe sexual activities were quite... pleasant."

"They are. It is. Look, it's not about being unpleasant or not." When she fell silent, he explained. "For my entire childhood, I experienced what it was like to do what I want. I didn't take any guff or argument from anyone." He winced. "I hurt people - a lot of them. And it never felt good. I always felt like I was just more and more unhappy, no matter how much I tried for."

Kiara tilted her head. "Then what?"

Jared managed a weak smile. "I found God. Church. Something to believe in." He closed his eyes. "I controlled my impulses, found solace in the fact that I was standing up for something higher than myself, living in a way that would help me to feel peace - not just now, but in the long run."

"But now..." He trailed off. "It seems like I have to back to the way I was. The old me. Truthfully, I'm not sure I want to."

He looked up in surprise as Kiara took his hand. "Jared." She paused. "Please don't go back. I like you the way you are - really." She smiled sadly. "I don't think that old you would have saved me. Would he?"

Jared shook his head. "I doubt it."

"Is there a way for you to... balance them? What if you weren't doing this for yourself?"

"Who else would I be doing this for? Quinn?" He shook his head. "I'm trying to convince myself of that, but it still feels so wrong! Cheating on her in order to see her again..." He sighed. "I think I'd literally rather die."

Kiara's eyes widened in surprise. "Maybe we should have you hide, then. I didn't realize your feelings were that strong on the topic."

Jared frowned. "But if I do that..." He looked into her eyes. "You'll die."

Kiara folded her arms. "It sounds to me like that's the real debate. Would you rather have sex with me, or let me die?"

She was right. When it came down to it, he didn't care about all of those people in the caves. He didn't care about saving his own life. But for Kiara?

Jared nodded. "I gave you a promise, Kiara. I intend to keep that." Even if it means losing my soul.

Kiara bit her lip. "Thank you."

They stood there for a moment in awkward silence before Jared spoke. "So... I guess we should start?"

She nodded and took a deep breath before stepping back. Her face became a blank mask of resolve as she started to slip her shirt from her shoulders.

Jared glanced away and started removing his own clothing, his heart racing. He was about to have sex for the second time in his life... But with someone other than Quinn.

Frankly, he didn't know what to do. Part of him just wanted to get it over with, run through the motions and finish, while another part of him felt like that would be extremely rude to Kiara. If she was to be believed, she hadn't had sex before. He would hate for her first experience to be miserable.

But was he supposed to... Treat her like Quinn? In some ways, that seemed almost worse - him thinking of another girl while they have sex.

All too soon, they were both naked. Jared took a deep breath and looked up, meeting her eyes. At least she seemed nervous too.

Kiara glanced down and frowned. "Umm..."

Jared followed her gaze and realized only then that he wasn't erect. At all.

He laughed nervously. "I think I'm just nervous. That's al-"

He was cut off as her lips met his. Her kiss was gentle, lacking Quinn's fire. But he quickly discovered that she had a charm all her own. Her lips were like running water after a long run. Soothing. Soft.

His arms moved on their own, wrapping around her and pulling her closer. Her arms settled onto his biceps as they kissed, slowly adjusting to one another.

A spark, long suppressed, kindled to life inside him. His instinct was to smother it, drive it out. Something else roared in him, demanding that he let the fire overtake him.

Jared pulled back from the kiss but kept his arms on her back. She looked at him, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Deep breaths. Jared pulled in a long breath and released it slowly, and then did it again. The fire settled, no longer roaring, but definitely alive.