ASCENSION Page 7

  What she looked forward to most, though, was breakfast. It was the only time of the day where everyone was at the same table, and though the menu didn't change often, it didn't really need to. Sophie looked at the clock. It was 9:30am. The boys were running late. The food was getting cold. She missed Jake, she realized, startled. She missed his half-cocked smirk and his devil-may-cry attitude. The same traits she had hated about him only days before. She tried to stop the aching in her heart, to smother it, but her mind was too preoccupied with envisioning his smile. The twinkle in his eye. The one you could only see briefly, when his guard went down a bit. Finally, Sophie heard the doorknob jostle.

  Jake and Zack came through it, covered in snow, cheeks flushed red.

  “It was amazing!” Zack said. “Everything you taught me just came rushing back. It was just like you said. The big guys get tired fast. So I danced around him for a while, waited for his form to drop a bit. Then bam! Caught him right in the chin. Lights out,” Zack said, throwing a slow motion hook at his shadow.

  Jake laughed, but the grin fell when he saw Sophie's face. “Where have you two been?” she asked, her eyes pillars of flame.

  “Zack had his first boxing match today,” Jake said defensively.

  “He was fighting?” she asked, horrified.

  “Relax. It was a boxing match, sanctioned. His school has a ring. That's what he's been training for,” Jake explained.

  “Oh,” Sophie said. Zack spent most of his time in the barn, so Sophie scarcely saw him, and he never said more than a few words to her. She had always thought maybe he was shy, but he didn't seem to have any problems telling Jake everything and anything. “Well, did he win?”

  Jake smiled. “Look at that face. Not a scratch on it. What do you think?

  Zack grinned from ear to ear. “Jake helped me. He taught me so much. I couldn't have done it without him.”

  “Tell the truth. Jake fought for you,” Mary said, winking at Sophie. Sophie couldn't help but giggle.

  Zack frowned. “Oh come on, sis, don't be like that. Look, I got something for you.” Zack reached into his pocket and handed Mary a silver locket. “I bought it with the prize money.”

  Mary turned to butter. “Aww, but why? You know you didn't have to.” She hugged him.

  Zack smirked. “Well, I wanted to let you know I appreciate your help. If you hadn't kept doing the chores and letting me train, I never would have won my fight. Besides...” Zack paused. “I didn't spend all my prize money on you,” he said with a foreboding grin. Then Zack removed his shirt and turned around. There was a massive tattoo on his back of a tiger, made to look like it was clawing out of Zack's back. Over the top, it read, “The Eye of the Tiger.”

  “Ooooooh! Dad is going to kill you,” Mary said.

  “How could you let him get a tattoo! He's not even old enough!” Sophie yelled, fuming.

  Jake laughed. “Relax. It's a henna. It will wash off in a couple of weeks.”

  The tension in Sophie's stomach slackened. Finally, she was satisfied. “Where's Ben?” she realized.

  Everyone shrugged. “I haven't seen him all morning. We didn't even cut wood today,” Jake said.

  Now Sophie was worried again. No one was as clockwork as Ben. Something was wrong. But the food was getting cold, and there was no sense in everyone having cold eggs. Sophie would just save Ben a plate.

  It wasn't until breakfast was already over that Ben showed up. He had a deep grimace on his face. He stomped into the kitchen, where Sophie was doing the dishes with Mary. He was breathing heavily, and his lips were tight. “Is something wrong?” Sophie asked.

  “Have you seen Jake?” Ben asked gruffly.

  Sophie nodded. “He's upstairs with Zack. Probably beating each other half to death.”

  Ben just grunted and went upstairs. Sophie looked at Mary, who seemed just as concerned. Only moments later, Jake and Ben were coming back down the stairs.

  “I told you I can't do that. It's for their own good,” Jake said.

  “Tell that to them!” Ben howled. “They won't stop talking about it. Pestering me for it. They aren't going to give up, Jake. So if you won't do it, you have to tell them that yourself.”

  “Tell who what?” Sophie asked. Ben only shook his head and marched out the back door. “What's going on?”

  Jake sighed. “I knew this would happen. It was only a matter of time.”

  Icy tendrils of dread ceased Sophie's stomach. “What is it?”

  “It's the townspeople,” Jake said. “The doctor told them what he saw. Just like I knew he would. Now one of their sons is sick, real sick, and they want me to fix him.”

  “Well, can you?” Sophie asked.

  Jake shook his head. “No, I can't. I don't know how to control it, and even if I did, that would be a mistake.”

  “Why? Can't the doctor do something? That's his job, isn't it?”

  Jake shook his head. “Whatever the boy has, the doctor can't fix it. Ben said the boy will die if I don't do something. That's why the doctor told the man about me. They think I'm their only hope.”

  “Well, why don't you try then, Jake? I've seen it, too. You can save him, you can heal that boy,” Sophie said.

  “No! I can't!” Jake yelled. “Don't you get it? Even if I could, even if I did, they would come, and then everyone would die. Instead of one little boy, this whole town will burn!”

  “So you're just going to let him die, then?” Sophie asked, disgusted.

  “What choice do I have? It's the lesser of two evils, Sophie. Trust me.”

  “You're just afraid. Aren't you tired of living your life in fear? Sometimes you just have to make a stand for the right thing,” Sophie insisted.

  Jake scoffed. “I know what the right thing is. It's to let that boy die, like fate intended him to!”

  “Or did fate intend for you to save him?” Sophie rebutted.

  Jake laughed harshly. “I don't know, you tell me. You're the oracle. Or are you?”

  The comment stabbed at Sophie's stomach. She had begun to doubt herself too. It had been so long since she had a vision. Had her gift left her entirely? The fact that Jake began to wonder the same thing only solidified her doubt.

  Suddenly, a man burst through the door, Ben chasing after him. The man was too fast though, and he fell on his knees at Jake's feet, fists clenched in prayer.

  “Please. You're the angel aren't you? The one Dr. Hoffman's been telling me about?” the man asked. He was thin, with a beaky nose and a bald spot. In his eyes was desperation and a glimmer of hope.

  Jake shook his head. “I'm not an angel.”

  The man looked confused. “But you can heal my boy, right? Just like you did to yourself. You can save him!” the man said, climbing to his feet.

  “Yeah, Jake, can you save him?” Sophie asked coldly.

  Jake looked at Sophie, then the man, then Ben.

  Ben shrugged. “The fool won't take no for an answer. It's his boy, though. I'd do the same.”

  “Please,” the man begged. “I'll give you anything. Money. I don't have a lot, but I'll give you as much as I can. I'll work until I can pay you off, I swear. Just please, please help my boy.” Tears began to well in the man's eyes. He wiped at them, but they only continued, running down his cheeks in rivers.

  Jake was stunned, froze in place. The whole room was silent, hanging on his response. Jake sighed. “You have idea what you're about to get yourselves into,” he warned. “But I will try.”

  The man jumped for joy. “Oh, God bless you, sir!”

  “I can't make any promises,” Jake continued. “And there's a condition.” “What is it? I'll do anything you want. Name it and it's yours,” the man said.

  “It has to be done privately, at night. None of the townsfolk are to know, and you can't tell a soul, not a single soul. Do you understand? I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you say nothing.”

  The man nodded furiously, without hesitation. “Never a soul, I sw
ear it,” the man said.

  “Good. Then give me your address, and have your boy ready at midnight tonight. That is when I will come, by cover of night,” Jake said.

  “Thank you so much,” the man said. “Ben knows where I live, dontcha Ben?”

  Ben nodded solemnly.

  “Bring no one and tell no one. Or all shall face the consequences,” Jake added darkly.

  “You won't regret it,” the man said happily. “You've made my life worth living again. I can't wait to tell my wi-” he paused. “It's okay if I tell her, right?”

  Jake scoffed. “If you must.”

  Then the man skipped out of the door lighter than air itself. All eyes were on Jake, but his were on the floor. He sat down with a sigh, then gazed pensively out the window.

  “Can you really save Mr. Jensen’s boy?” Zack asked.

  “Leave the man be,” Ben growled. “He's got thinking to do.”

  “Can we help?” Mary asked.

  Jake smiled weakly. “I'm not even sure that I can.”

  Ben grimaced. “Come on, Mary, let's give him a little space. You guys want some ice cream?”

  “Yes!” Zack and Mary said in unison.

  “Then get your coats on. The shop closes soon,” Ben said.

  Mary tugged on Sophie's arm. “Come with us, Sophie. The ice cream parlor here is soooo good. Everything is handmade, even the bowls they put the food in!”

  Sophie frowned. She glanced at Jake once more, who was fidgeting in the corner, alone.

  “Come on, Mary. I think Sophie is going to stay,” Ben said.

  Mary frowned. “Is that true?”

  Sophie nodded. “Sorry. Next time though, I promise,” she lied. She wasn't even sure that there would be a next time. Not anymore. She wished her powers would come back to her. She felt so helpless without them. So vulnerable.

  “Okay,” Mary said glumly, and she and her brother and father gathered their things and departed, leaving Sophie and Jake alone. The house became deathly quiet.

  Sophie watched Jake from the kitchen. He was pacing in the front room now, unable to sit still. “Jake,” Sophie said when she had had enough. He looked at her. His ice blue eyes were full of fear. She had never seen him that way before.

  “What happened to you before? You said they would find you. Who are they?” Sophie asked.

  Jake closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Sophie was about to walk away when finally, he spoke. “When I was fifteen years old, I watched my friend get shot down in an alleyway. When I knelt to him, I could feel him dying. Not his pulse, or anything like that. I felt his soul slipping away, departing from this world. That day I felt something else, too. I felt a power, a light. It crept from inside me to my friend. I saved his life,” Jake said in a robotic tone.

  “That's amazing, Jake. You have a great gift,” Sophie said, taking his hand. It was warm and rugged. He had been working with his hands a lot lately.

  Jake shook his head. “That's what I thought too. Until they came. I was being questioned at a police station when they came. My friend was too. They were demons, Sophie, true monsters. The epitome of evil. I watched them murder a policeman. I felt the blackness of their intentions.” Jake shivered.

  Sophie held him close, his face buried in her stomach. She could feel the wetness of his tears, the warmth.

  “They knew what I was. Said they had been searching for me. That I was part of some prophecy. They said I would either join them or die, but they would never stop hunting me. That's why I didn't want to stay here. Every time I stay put for too long, they find me and leave a wake of destruction in their path. I've watched them burn an entire town down to find me. Heard hundreds of souls cry out at the same time. All because of me,” Jake said, sobbing uncontrollably. “Every time I use my gift to try to help someone, something bad happens. I do more harm than good. So I tried to... kill myself. But it didn't work. There's a monster in me, Sophie. That's what the demons told me. What Ras' Guul told me. I'm a demon, and that demon won't let me die. He is too powerful.”

  Sophie's blood ran cold. She remembered the dream she had, in which Jake turned into a monster. She shook her head. “No. Even if that's true, you have good in you too. I've seen it. The gift you have isn't demonic, it's holy. It's God’s will. You healed a wound,” Sophie insisted. She brushed his soft cheek with her hand. It felt so good to touch him. She never wanted him to let go.

  Jake shook his head again. “That's the demon. He won't let me die because then he would die too,” Jake said.

  “But you saved your friend. The one in the alleyway. Do you really think a demon would do that?” Sophie asked.

  Jake pushed Sophie away. “No. He died anyway, though. I killed him,” Jake said, looking at Sophie. Her heart stopped. His eyes were a ruby red, like a snake’s. His hair seemed darker too, his skin more pallid. “When Ras' Guul attacked me, the demon released itself. It burned everything in the police station. Until it was nothing more than a smoldering ruin. My friend was in that building.”

  Tears were running down Sophie's cheeks now, too. She was afraid. The air seemed to get thinner, colder, the light dimmer. Only Jake's red eyes pierced the dimly lit room. Sophie swallowed the fear and pressed on. “But you couldn't control it, Jake. You were just trying to defend yourself. It wasn't your fault.”

  Jake laughed. It sounded deeper than normal, darker. “Such a petty sentiment,” he spat. “Humans always try to do that, to remove themselves from the guilt. You're pathetic!” Jake howled at Sophie, the lights flickering on and off rapidly as he did. “All of you are wretched sinners! You as much as anyone else! That is why your powers have left you, because the gods have forsaken you. They put their trust in weakness. In fickle hearts. That is why man will fail!” Jake howled. The light in the room was all but gone now. Then, just as suddenly, the light returned, and Jake's eyes iced over. He fell back into his chair in a slump, the hue of his face flushing with color again.

  Sophie just gawked at him, tears in her eyes. Everything Jake had said was true. She had always run from her problems, always. She was doing it even now. She ran from the orphanage, from the angel in the diner, and now she was hiding away in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, hoping that all her problems would disappear. But they hadn't, they had only festered, mutated into something worse.

  “Sophie,” Jake said, getting up. “I'm so sorry.”

  “No,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “Stay away from me!” and Sophie ran, like she always did. Because it was all she knew. She ran to Mary's room and buried her face in the pillow, sobbing until she fell asleep.

  ****

  (Jake)

  There was a rap at Jake's bedpost. He awoke to see Ben with a jacket in one hand and a tarp in the other. “It's time,” he said.

  Jake rose from his bed, kicking off the sheets. He was already fully dressed, prepared. “How far is the house?” he asked as he slipped on his boots.

  Ben shook his head. “Not far, maybe five miles at the most.”

  “Does he have any neighbors?” Jake asked.

  Ben nodded. “He lives closer to town, so yes. But we've planned for that.” Ben shut the lights off in the bedroom and placed his index finger over his mouth. “The kids are sleeping, so stay quiet.”

  Jake nodded. “What is the tarp for?” he whispered.

  Ben grinned. “You'll see.”

  When Jake reached the bottom of the stairwell, to his surprise, Sophie was there, dressed in a nightgown. Her pale legs shone brightly in the moonlight. “Sophie,” Jake said, stunned. He thought she would never talk to him again after what happened that afternoon.

  “Jake...” she said, then eyed the floor. She was acting very strange.

  “I have to go now. To try and save the boy. Are you coming?”

  Sophie shook her head. “No. Ben needs someone to stay and watch over the kids. I just wanted to apologize.”

  “Apologize?” Jake said, shocked. He was the one who had blown up on her, who let the
monster inside him leak out. The demon’s powers got stronger in the presence of fear, of doubt, and Jake had nearly lost all control. “It's me that should be apologizing.”

  Sophie shook her head. “No. I asked so much of you, without even realizing what it meant. I should have known that there was a good reason you weren't using your gift. That you had that… thing inside of you. It must be hard, living like that.”

  Jake nodded. “We all have our burdens. You know that as well as I do.”

  Sophie nodded and began walking towards him. Her lips were a dark red, and her jet black hair glowed gracefully in the candle light. Jake's heart began to quicken. Then she embraced him with a hug. Jake froze. It was strange at first. His first instinct was to recoil. He had never been touched that way before. So gently, lovingly. It made him feel warm on the inside. Then he smelled her scent. It was like a wildflower, brisk and pure, calming.

  “I just wanted to tell you that I think you're doing the right thing,” Sophie said. “And... that I'm proud of you for it.”

  Jake looked into her eyes. They were wide, orb-like, and shimmering. When he looked into them, the constant clawing inside of him disappeared. “Do you want me to be honest?” Jake asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “Of course,” she said with a nod.

  “I'm not doing it for the boy, or his father either, or for the town.”

  “Good,” she said. “You're doing it for yourself.” She pressed an index finger into his chest.

  Jake grabbed her hand, which was velvet to the touch. “No. I'm doing it for you. Until I met you, I didn't think there was anything worth fighting for. I would have died for anything, for anyone, but it wasn't until I met you that I would live for someone,” Jake said, his lips drifting closer to hers.

  “All right, let’s go!” Ben barked abruptly, bursting into the den. Quickly, Sophie and Jake tore away from each other. Sophie's flushed face could have told the story on its own. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked suspiciously.