Shielded
Chapter 6 - A Piece of Normal

Max just let her walk away and now we had no way of getting a hold of her. Even if she did get a cell phone over the weekend, she didn’t have any of our numbers. What if something happened and we didn’t even know that she needed our help. I needed to at least get her my number. I think there were still pay phones around. Or she could borrow her foster parent's phone to call. I ruffled through Elijah’s files because he was a stuck-up professor type that still kept paper records. I finally found Ray’s file and scanned the single piece of paper until I found her address. 303 Lincoln Street, Oakland CA 59087. Okay, I would just drive by her place, make sure she was okay and give her my number. Maybe I could even give her a ride to the cellular store and replace some way to pay for the damn thing. I bypassed Blake’s annoying truck, hopped into my Jeep, and plugged her address into my phone.

When I pulled up at the correct location I had to double-check the address. This place was a dump. An old poorly maintained victorian style house that had been chopped into at least five apartments. When I knocked on the door a middle-aged woman who clearly didn’t take care of herself answered the door in a skimpy nightgown. She was drunk and sketchy as hell when I asked about Ray. I was not getting a good feeling about this. I tuned out the screeching woman and pushed my way into the apartment. The kitchen sink was piled high with dirty dishes and smelled like rotten food. The living room was littered with clothes and there was a half-dressed old man sleeping on the couch. The one-bedroom was a tornado of clothes, full ashtrays, and more dirty dishes. This room was clearly the woman’s. There wasn’t a single sign of Ray anywhere in this house. But the woman had known who I was talking about so I didn’t think that Ray gave a fake address.

I needed to know where Ray was and if she was safe.

--Connor

I had been so exhausted after my shift that I had splurged for a taxi and crashed for a solid eight hours. When I woke in the morning I took my time tinkering around my bus and eating a ham sandwich I had snagged from Polly’s kitchen last night. Then I headed over to the truck stop for a shower and paid for a large cup of coffee with a heavy dose of cream and sugar. I grabbed one for Jack and a small bottle of orange juice for Amy before walking over to their trailer. Luckily their mom was gone, because that lady was crazy and really didn’t like me.

Amy and Jack both still looked exhausted and I could only guess that they had another rough night. Amy was only fourteen. Her life should be filled with lip gloss and boy bands. I wish there was more that I could do to put her life back together. But the reality was that Amy’s childhood had always been tarnished by the life choices that her parents had made. All three of ours had been. But we were strong and we would make it through.

Jack gratefully took the coffee and was able to wheedle a smile out of Amy with another giant cinnamon roll to go with her OJ. Jack always had shifts at the scrap yard on the weekends and before long he left to catch the bus so that Amy and I could use his mother’s car. We loaded up two weeks' worth of laundry into the old honda civic and I drove us over to Klean Bubbles Laundromat. Both of us brought school work to do while we waited for the machines to do their thing and I only had chemistry left once all of our loads were done.

Amy wanted to just throw the clean clothes back in the baskets and leave right away, but I convinced her to take the time to fold everything with me by telling her I would help with hers once I was done with mine. Amy was doing the washing for her, Jack, and their mom so her pile was considerably larger than mine. After we were done I asked if Amy wanted to hang with me for the rest of the day, but she told me that she already had plans with her friends. The buzzing in my head told me that she was lying to me, but I couldn’t blame her for wanting some alone time right now.

It was a beautiful day, so I raided the stash of cash that I kept in a lockbox within the void and walked down to the Verizon store. I had never been to a cell phone store before and I was surprised by how empty it was. The walls were lined with dozens of different sleek phone models that were all chained to their displays by a retractable wire while the center of the room was almost completely bare. A long help desk with three different technicians and a couple of movable towers that were decorated with cases were the only things not chained to the wall.

I walked around the edge of the room looking at all the nearly identical smartphones and tried to comprehend their price tags. Who would pay over one thousand dollars for a device that made phone calls? I mean, I know that people use them to search the web, play music, and provide directions but Jesus, this felt like highway robbery.

Before long I was approached by one of the technicians and once I told him that I wanted a simple pay-as-you-go phone without all the bells and whistles, he led me over to a small display in the back corner. These phones ranged from pretty sophisticated smartphones all the way down to old flip phones but all of them had the option to pay for a set number of minutes and messages. I picked out the Jitterbug Flip phone that was thin and had large buttons because it was designed for seniors because it was the cheapest. Sixty dollars for the phone and twenty dollars for the smallest phone and text package. It wouldn’t get me connected to the internet, but it would work in case of an emergency.

I was about to check out when Max’s words about not being able to reach me if they needed help played through my mind again. What if Amy or Jack needed me and couldn’t get a hold of me because they didn’t have a phone. I would be able to tell if they were in danger because they were under my protection, but what if I was too far away to help and needed to call Jack so that he could get to Amy. Dozens of different scenarios played through my brain until I picked up the last two remaining Jitterbug phones and got us each a phone plan.

The guy helping me probably thought I was planning on robbing a bank or something because I was buying so many ‘burner phones’ but he was nice enough. And that thought reminded me of the pull that humans felt to be close to us that Max told me about. How could I have not known about something like that? I thought back to my time at Polly’s because I was usually mostly uncloaked while working. I guess you could say that people were generally nicer to me than the other wait staff, but it was nothing extreme. Nothing like having a known commitment-phobe talk about having kids with me or people clearing a path for me in a busy hallway.

Thoughts of being a Valkyrie reminded me of the book that Max gave me and once I was back in my bus I pulled out the leather-bound tome and settled in to explore its pages. It seemed that each chapter was started by the original author and explained the basics of what each Gift could do and the different levels of power within that Gift. Then he went on to explain how to control the specific abilities and things to be careful of.

At the end of each chapter, there were several blank pages where newer generations were able to add their recollections and advice about the Gift in question. The chapters on Weapons, Shield, Compulsion, and Healing were almost full of personal accounts. Telepathy, Energy, Telekinesis, and Empathy each had an additional two entries while Tracking, and Strength only had one. Communication, Silence, and Truth were bare except for the initial descriptions of the Gift.

I flipped back to the first chapter on Weapons and started reading. It described how the ability to call blades for both offense and defense was the foundation of every Valkyrie warrior. It talked about how Valkyrie should always instinctively call the weapon that would best suit them in their time of need, but one could train their minds to call a specific weapon. The chapter was filled with different descriptions and sketches of different blades of all shapes and sizes. One person even talked about being able to call a double-headed ax that I was a little jealous of.

It seemed like every blade was completely unique to the individual Valkyrie and each would be detailed with different engravings. I called a simple throwing knife and traced the intricate swirls and filigree that decorated the small handle. I released the knife and called my katanā. The same design lined the top edge of the curved blade and I knew that this was my identifying mark.

The book stated that most Valkyrie could call three or four different weapons, but some could call more while others might only be able to manifest a single blade. I took a moment to list all of my weapons in my head and came up with a disturbing number. I could call throwing knives, throwing stars, daggers, three different types of knives, short sword, long sword, katanā, kukri, machete, staff, and a spear that I don’t think I will ever use. That means that I can call thirteen different types of weapons. Three times the amount of a normal Valkyrie. I also seemed to call as many of them as I needed. I once threw over a dozen throwing knives and still didn’t have any trouble calling more.

Reading the chapter about Shield didn’t reassure me. According to this book, the Shield was meant for personal protection and wasn’t meant to be used on other people. A Valkyrie could extend their Shield to another person by physically touching that person but as soon as the contact was lost the Shield would snap back to the original Valkyrie. I had always been able to form whole and partial Shields for other people without having to touch anyone. I could even form multiple Shields and use them to pull people away from each other in a fight.

The other information about Shields I already knew. Nothing could penetrate through a Valkyrie’s Shield before it was released. However, the Shield didn’t negate the laws of physics and kinetic energy had to go somewhere. So if a Shield is hit hard enough the Valkyrie has to absorb the blow just like if they held a physical Shield. If, let’s say a Valkyrie is near a bomb when it goes off and they Shield themselves. The force of the explosion will still cause the Valkyrie to fly through the air and just like all Gifts, Shields stop working if you lose consciousness. Also if another Valkyrie touches your Shield it drains their power and gives it to you. It is a big incentive not to attack Valkyries who feel the need to Shield themselves.

I was contemplating the differences between my Shield and the descriptions listed in the look when the front door of the bus screeched open. I glanced up to see Jack entering looking dirty, tired, and carrying a six-pack of light beer. I pushed the priceless book to the safety of the void and then grabbed my flannel shirt and my bag before meeting Jack at the front of the bus. Together we walked over to the old playground set the state had installed in the trailer park decades before. We didn’t talk. Just sat side by side and enjoyed the cool night air next to a person we knew would always be there for us.

After four of the beers had disappeared and I could tell that Jack was starting to drift off, I pulled two of the phone boxes out of my bag and handed them over to him. He took a moment to look over them before saying, “Ray, how did you know that Amy was in trouble?”

Well shit. Jack never asked questions. He was more of a roll with the punches kind of guy. “I can’t tell you,” I admitted and hoped that he wouldn’t hate me for not giving him this. If anyone deserved answers it was Jack. But I just couldn’t endanger him and Amy like that. I leaned back until I was laying down under the monkey bars looking up at the black night sky. I couldn’t look at his face if Jack was going to say that he didn’t want to be my friend anymore.

I felt rather than saw when he laid down next to me so that our shoulders were pressed together. “In my entire life, no one has ever just been there for me and Amy. Even my own mother expects something in return when she shows up for us. But you Ray, you aren’t like that. When you first stopped all the fights at school I kept expecting you to demand that I do something for you in return. But that day never came, and what you did for Amy. What you stopped from happening. God Ray, I will never be able to repay that debt,” Jack said and his voice cracked on the last word. I reached out and gripped his hand. Thank God we had made it in time.

“I may not understand why you can’t tell me what is going on with you and those boys at school, but I don’t need an explanation to know that I will always have your back Ray. Anything you need. No questions asked. I am there,” Jack resolutely promised and I squeezed his hand in recognition of such a vow. I would always do everything in my power to be there for Jack too.

We laid hand in hand for what felt like hours before some drunk punks stumbled through the trailer park spouting off some pretty impressive obscenities. I gave Jack a raised eyebrow look when one described something that I was pretty sure wasn’t anatomically possible and got him to chuckle. After that, we got up and he returned to his family’s trailer while I went back to my trusty bus. My bus didn’t have electricity so I turned on the camping lantern that Jack had gotten me months ago so that I could see as I changed into my sleep pants and a baggy shirt. Today had been a good day. A piece of normal that I had desperately needed.

The next day I woke up and finished the rest of my homework after doing my normal morning routine. At ten a.m. I caught a bus to Polly’s and worked the lunch shift. The weather was a little overcast with a cool breeze coming off of the ocean, so it was not the busiest but I kept busy. Polly’s offered a couple of brunch menu items that you could only get on the weekend and some of our regulars wouldn’t let a little cool weather stop them from coming in. When I got off, I had my shift meal and then headed to the store to grab some essentials for me and Gema.

Gema was an elderly woman who lived in the homeless camp that I first set up in when I got placed in Oakland. I would have starved those first couple of weeks if it hadn’t been for Gema and now I tried to repay the favor at least once a week. I picked up a couple of boxes of granola bars, some cans of fruit, a package of day-old bagels that were on sale, and some other nonperishable items. I packed two bags as the check-out guy got my change and then started walking over to the homeless camp on Jackson street.

I was partially cloaking myself out of habit, so the two men threatening a third in the alley didn’t notice me approach. Judging from their clothes the two aggressors clearly weren’t from around here but the guy they were holding up against the wall was probably staying at Gema’s camp. I didn’t have me to just walk by. So I placed my grocery bags down, uncloaked myself, and made my presence known.

“Now this doesn’t look like a fair fight to me. Why don’t you boys let this guy go and head back to your normal hangout? I am sure you have better things to be doing than shaking down a homeless man.” All three men turned to look at me and two of their gazes became predatory. They clearly didn’t think I was capable of defending myself.

“Awe. Are you volunteering to pay his debts, sweet cheeks?” a man with shoulder-length hair and a pressed navy blue button-down shirt asked as he stepped away from the homeless guy and towards me. He looked like he kept himself in shape but didn’t move like a fighter. He was also clearly human, so I knew that I was going to have to go gentle on him. I didn’t want to have to deal with any bodies today. “If you are offering, I am sure we can work something out,” he drawled while looking over my body and I knew his threat was supposed to scare me off.

“Okay big boy, let’s see what you got,” I said as I quickly stepped up and threw a right cross at his head. I didn’t call a weapon and I didn’t use full force or speed because I didn’t want to seriously hurt the man. That turned out to be a mistake. Quicker than any human could move the guy ducked my swing, stepped to the side, and nailed me with an elbow to the face.

It had been a long time since I had been taken by surprise like that and for a moment I hesitated as my ears started to ring from the hit. That moment was enough for the other guy to roughly grab my arms and pull them behind my back. The first guy took a second to look over the situation before he smiled harshly at me. He clearly thought this fight was over. Boy was he in for a surprise. I activated my Shield and the man holding me from behind was thrown back into the wall of the alley hard and he slumped to the ground unconscious.

“What the--?” the first guy asked as I moved in again and this time delivered a full-powered uppercut to his stomach. He stumbled backward from the hit but acted like he didn’t even feel it, recovering fast and charging at me like an angry bull. He must be on PCP or some shit. I stepped to the side and brought my elbow down on his hunched shoulders causing him to stumble and fall to one knee. He turned and grabbed my foot, pulling me down to the ground with a surprising amount of force. If I didn’t know any better I would guess that this dude was some kind of supe. But he clearly couldn’t see my Shield so that meant that he was one hundred percent human.

Once on the ground I rolled to my back, brought my knee to my chest, and kicked the guy in the head before he could wrap his hands around my neck. His head snapped back from the force of my kick and he fell backward like a ton of bricks. I jumped to my feet and maintained a defensive crouch for a few moments before I slowly approached him and checked his pulse. He was still alive, just knocked out cold. I quickly searched his pockets and found a wallet, a set of keys, a phone, three small baggies filled with a dark powder, and a wad of cash. No weapons.

I walked over to the other guy and pulled up an eyelid to see that he too had lost consciousness. This guy had a gun tucked into his waistband along with a wallet, phone, and a penknife. The homeless guy had taken off at some point so I was alone with the two unresponsive muggers. Just great.

I used one of their phones to call 911 and cloaked myself while I waited to make sure they got picked up by the men in blue. While I waited I looked through their wallets. The first guy was Kyle Johnson from Berkley and his companion was named Jose Silva, also from Berkley. I looked over their clothes, nice watches, new shoes, and the keyless start car key and deduced that these guys came from money. They weren’t quite wealthy, but they were definitely doing well enough to not need to steal from the homeless.

Lastly, I looked at the dime bags filled with dark red finely crushed crystals and saw that the outside of the bags was stamped with an icon of a wolf silhouetted by the full moon. Well, that was ominous. It would be really bad if the shifters decided to start peddling drugs. The human police wouldn’t know what hit them. Hearing the sirens in the background I put wallets, phones, keys, weapons, and two of the bags of drugs in a neat pile at the entrance to the alley, grabbed my groceries, and pushed back into the void to watch the show. Yes, I kept the cash. It was my reward for playing good citizen. I didn’t really know why I kept one of the dime bags, but I had a feeling that I might need it later.

The police came and cleared the scene before letting the EMTs in to do their thing. One of the uniformed officers took an interest in the drugs and said something about ‘moondust’ before running Kyle and Jose through his system. Neither had any priors and both officers seemed just as stumped as I was that they were down in the poor side of town trying to move drugs. However, they only had three little baggies so maybe they weren’t trying to sell but were using themselves. Maybe that would explain the high pain tolerance and extra strength.

The whole thing was weird and had me on edge as I walked the rest of the way to where Gema’s tent lay. I sat with her for about ten minutes as she told me about the merpeople that lived under the waves. She might be crazy, or maybe she knew something that I didn’t. Gema was happy to have the food and grateful when I peeled several twenty’s off Kyle’s wad of cash and tucked them into her old wrinkled palm.

By the time I got back to the trailer park, the sun was setting and my mind was once again full with everything that I had learned over the last few days. Why was I stronger and had more abilities than I should be? Was it just because I was a girl or did it have something to do with being some long-lost princess? Did I even want for some king or prince to come and whisk me away from my life? Did I have a royal mother out there somewhere? Why were the Three Musketeers being so nice to me? What did they want from me? And what was this moondust and was it connected to the shifters?