“Oh, dios mío!” Mrs. Arévalo screamed, her voice booming from somewhere downstairs.

“Mamá, what is it?” Serenity asked, racing down the steps from her room, Odion following not too far behind, head throbbing. What was it with these sudden damn headaches?

Mrs. Arévalo’s face was stained with horror as they entered the living room, her eyes pulled back and glued to the television where CN247 reported breaking news of a city-wide disaster in Windham. The images displayed on the TV were eerily reminiscent of those Odion envisioned in his nightmares.

Several of the buildings lining the street looked like they’d been destroyed by some sort of explosion, each of them displaying entire rows of windowless spaces. One of the buildings had a giant-sized hole near the edge, about three stories wide. Heaps of broken glass decorated the road and sidewalk to the point there’d been no pathway for pedestrians to walk. The road itself suffered severe cracks, with chunks of cement scattered all over the place in various directions. The number of fire trucks and ambulance vehicles on the scene was too many to count, but CN247 did show several covered bodies of deceased police officers being rolled into the backs of their respective ambulances. It was a shit-show, to put it bluntly. To imagine the number of lives Apollo stole caused Odion’s stomach to gurgle, the chicken, black beans, and rice he ate for dinner rising to his chest.

“Odion,” Mrs. Arévalo called, “you mean to tell me Apollo did all of this?” Her hand shook as she placed it over her mouth.

Odion reluctantly shifted his eyes toward her, and he didn’t like the way she was looking at him. The fear in her eyes was palpable. He could actually feel her trepidation oozing from her body, which sent a sharp, piercing tingle toward his hands. This was the final straw. She was going to order him to leave, placing him on the streets. Mrs. Arévalo wasn’t going to put her family’s life in danger living with an alien. It was bad enough Yuricema knew his secret. With Apollo’s face all over the news, Mr. and Mrs. Arévalo were going to assume he was capable of the same thing. But where was he going to go?

Serenity’s conversation with her mom in Spanish faded into the background. An emergency-like bell rang in both of Odion’s ears. Was that his heart beating so fast? He wasn’t entirely sure, but it certainly felt like it. What … the hell … was … going on?

Odion’s mouth quickly flooded with saliva. A cold sweat broke across his body, sending him into a state of panic. Just breathe. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled. He did it again. And again. And again. He still wasn’t calming down. Everything around him was slowly spiraling out of control. Odion gripped his head and winced at the excruciating pain biting the sides of his temples.

Odion sprinted for the restroom, shoving the door open, and flipping the toilet seat. He crashed to his knees and vomited solid chunks of black beans and rice, tinting the toilet water to a darkish-brown. The back of his throat felt as if he’d swallowed a handful of sand, his stomach numb.

“Mamá, pass me a towel!” Serenity said, rushing into the restroom. Odion collapsed to the floor and watched the ceiling spin counterclockwise. “Mamá, quick!” Serenity knelt to his aid, grabbing hold of his left hand. “Just relax, Odion. We’re taking you to the hospital.”

“No … hospital.” Odion groaned.

“But—”

“Noooo, hospital …” Odion did everything in his power to squeeze her hand.

“Here’s the towel,” Mrs. Arévalo said, handing it to Serenity as she started to fan him. “Is he going to be all right?”

“We need to get him to a hospital,” Serenity said.

“Noooooo, hospital …” Odion forced the words out of his mouth. “I’ll … be okay. Just … keep … fanning … me …”

Odion sealed his eyes closed, and everything went silent.

#

A comforting, cool breeze wafted across Odion’s body. This must’ve been what Heaven felt like.

He opened his eyes and darted them around the room to gauge his surroundings. An electric fan was stationed beside a work desk, blowing its wind across the entire room. Odion shifted his eyes toward a cracked window, then to a few picture frames across the wall in front of him. Everything around him looked familiar. Okay, so I haven’t made it to the pearly gates just yet. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The door cracked open, and Odion forced himself to sit up. Yuricema walked in with what looked like a cup of herbal tea on a tray. “How are you feeling?” she asked, resting the tray on top of the bedside table. “I heard you suffered an anxiety attack while I was at work.” She went over toward the fan and turned it off. “Are you okay?”

Odion nodded, curiously looking at the golden-yellow liquid steaming from the teacup.

“I made you a cup of some freshly brewed fennel tea,” Yuricema said. “It’ll settle your stomach and relax you.”

“Thanks. Did you put honey in there?”

Yuricema nodded. “I did.”

“What time is it, and how long was I out for?”

“The time is,” she looked at her watch, “eleven forty-two. From what Mom and Serenity told me, it seems like you’ve been out of it for quite some time.” She headed toward the door. “Make sure you drink that while it’s hot, okay?” The way she looked at him was very reminiscent of the way Marcella used to. Very thoughtful and loving. God, he sure wished she was doing okay right now.

“I will,” Odion said. “Before you go,” he paused, “tell your parents … I’m sorry.”

Yuricema shook her head, her hair moving along with it as confusion twisted her face. “What for?”

“For being a pain in the ass and messing up your toilet,” he said.

An honest smile formed across Yuricema’s lips. “You’re fine. If my parents thought you were a pain in the ass, you’d be out on the streets right now. Make no mistake about that,” she said with a light chuckle. “Let me know if you need anything.” She winked at him before quietly shutting the door.

Odion turned and grabbed the handle of the cup, blowing away some of the steam before taking a sip. Damn, that’s still hot! He quickly rested the cup back on top of the tray and sloshed his tongue around his mouth to stifle the burn. Two knocks were heard at the door.

“Odion, may I come in?” Serenity asked from the other side.

“It’s your guestroom,” he said.

Serenity entered and closed the door, her snow-colored Domestic Shorthair cat resting snugly across her chest. “Look who’s awake, Marshmallow?” she said, changing her voice as if speaking to a toddler. Marshmallow hopped from her arms and onto the edge of the bed, where Odion’s feet were, sniffing around before curling herself into a ball beside him.

“She’s got beautiful fur,” Odion said, petting the top of her forehead as she dozed off into a nap. The softness of her plush, white coat was silky smooth to the touch, hugging his fingertips.

“Thanks,” Serenity said, carefully scooting Marshmallow closer toward the wall so she had room to sit. “How you feeling?”

She must’ve just stepped out of the shower because a sweet mix of tropical fragrances radiated from her body, tickling Odion’s nose. “I’ve felt better.” He shrugged, taking another sip of his fennel tea. “I’ll be okay, though.” I hope.

“Are you sure?” Serenity raised her eyebrows.

Odion nodded, drawing his thoughts on the Windham tragedy. “I should’ve been there.” He sighed, squeezing the teacup in his hand. “It’s as if I knew something like this was gonna happen. Knowing how unstable Apollo—”

“It wasn’t meant to be,” Serenity said.

“But—”

“Be thankful you’re still alive.” Serenity looked at him seriously for a moment before turning her face away toward the window. “God had other plans,” she stopped and corrected herself, “has other plans in store for you. Just be patient. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected tonight by this horrible tragedy, but … I had no intention of attending another funeral.” She looked at him again, her face relaxed, mouth straight.

A faint smile crossed Odion’s lips. Hearing that coming from her warmed his heart and set the butterflies loose in his stomach. And even though none of them were talking at the moment, for the first time in a long while, the silence between them didn’t feel uncomfortable. It was rather … soothing. The things I’d do just to spend the rest of my life with you. Odion took another sip of his tea.

“Do you remember when we were younger, how you and Apollo would come to our old house, and we’d play hide and go seek?” Serenity said, breaking the silence surrounding them. “I’d always hide in the basement because I knew you were scared coming down there.”

“Yeah, ’cause your mom showed us this freaky looking monster mask with great, big fangs and said it only came to life if guests went down in the basement,” Odion said as Serenity burst into laughter. “Y’know how many nightmares I had ’cause of that thing?” He chuckled.

“Those were the days,” Serenity said, shifting her eyes to the floor, smile fading. “Where did all the time go?”

“I don’t know, but they went somewhere,” Odion said. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could just go back … to those times when it was just you and me?”

Serenity brought her eyes back up to his, her face deep in thought. The longer she stared, the harder his heart thumped. She looked away and crossed her feet. “I’d love to, but we both know that’s not possible anymore.”

“Why not?” Odion adjusted his position on the bed. “Anything’s possible if we want it to be. Why make it so difficult?”

“It just … wouldn’t work out.” Serenity hesitated. “It wouldn’t feel the same. We’re both older now, and we only have one more year left of high school. Who knows where life will take us after that.”

“But why fight what the heart desires?” Odion’s throat was dry, his voice slightly hoarse. He took a big sip of his tea and admired its warmth sliding down his throat.

“You don’t know what my heart desires.”

“Happiness,” Odion said with confidence. “Comfort. Peace of mind. Those are the things we had back then.”

“True,” Serenity continued, “but with the state of things now and everything else that’s going on, I just think it’d be best if … we remained friends.”

Odion wiggled his mouth around, nose flaring. “Remain friends,” he repeated in disgust. He looked toward the cracked window. “Is it because of who I am?” He corrected himself. “Nah, sorry, of what I am.”

“You’re like a brother to me.”

Odion shook his head and held his gaze upon her. “Just keep it a buck with me,” he said. “Is it because of what I am?” Serenity’s eyes started to water as she looked to the floor. “Unbelievable,” he said.

“It’s not because of what or who you are,” Serenity did her best to hold back her tears. “I’m … already talking to someone.”

Odion swung his head back as if he’d been jabbed in the face. “Come again?”

“I’m talking to someone already,” she mumbled, stroking her hand across Marshmallow.

Odion screwed up his face. “Salamar?” he asked incredulously. Serenity gave a subtle nod of the head, and Odion couldn’t help but burst out a light giggle. “You’re taking me for a spin right now.”

“It’s not funny.” Serenity frowned. “He’s a good, loving person.”

He’s a fucking quack! Odion closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, but where was he when Donovan was abusing you? I don’t remember him getting his ass whooped—”

“And this is why I feel it’s best we remain friends,” Serenity said, startling Marshmallow out of her peaceful nap. “I’m sorry, baby, go back to sleep.” She tickled her chin and slowly moved up behind her ears as Marshmallow curled into another sleeping position. “It’s like you’re jealous of him,” Serenity muttered.

“I’m definitely not jealous of him.” Odion shook his head.

“Yes, you are,” Serenity said matter-of-factly. “You’re always judging him. Even at Toki’s funeral, the way you were acting toward him was disgraceful. You may not have felt that way, but I immediately picked up on your passive-aggressive attitude toward him. What has he ever done to you?”

“He doesn’t know you like I know you,” Odion said. “He doesn’t care about you the way I care about you. He’d never stick his neck out if you were in danger the way I did. I literally got my ass whooped so that you didn’t have to suffer any longer. Salamar would never do that.”

“I never asked you to do any of that for me.”

“And you didn’t have to.” Odion looked at her stone-faced. “I did that ’cause I wanted to. And if I could go back in time and do it again, I would. That’s how much you mean to me. Salamar doesn’t possess those same emotions for you as I do. Nobody does.”

Serenity started to suck in her lips, her face pink. She began to scratch Marshmallow’s tummy a little harder, though it seemed she was doing it as a coping gesture. “I told you that you needed to stop making me the center of your universe.” She looked at him, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Now I’m begging you to stop. I know where that obsession can lead to.”

Odion laughed a little out of disbelief. “Let’s cut the shit and get down to what this is really about,” he said, staring at her. “The reason you don’t wanna be with me is ’cause you’re afraid I’ll end up like Apollo. You see all the news regarding what he’s done, and you’re terrified one of these days, I’ll do the same. That’s why you’re so strong in ‘remaining as friends.’” He used finger quotes. “You believe this so called obsession I have will spiral out of control, and I’ll end up controlling you like Donovan once did. Am I right?”

“Odion—”

“Am I right?” He pressed for an answer she was not willing to give. He shook his head, taking a few more sips of his fennel tea. “Y’know, my mom told Apollo and I a long time ago that if you love something,” he paused, “like truly love something, you must be able to let it go. Obviously, being a child, I didn’t know exactly what she was referring to, but now that I’m older and have a bit more life experience, I think I understand now.” He set his eyes upon Serenity. “If Salamar makes you happy, and you feel comfortable around him, then it is what it is.” Odion shrugged. “I ain’t a fan of it, but who gives a fuck what I think? The thing that really irks me is that you’ll never fully accept me for what I am. I’ll never be good enough in your eyes, and that’s a shame. Especially coming from someone who …” Serenity’s lips started to quiver, and Odion refrained from finishing his thought. “Never mind.” He tilted his head back and finished the rest of his fennel tea, placing the cup back on the tray. “When you go outside, tell Yuricema thanks for the tea.” Odion fixed the pillows behind him and adjusted himself across the bed. “Have a good night.”

Odion could feel Serenity’s heavy eyes staring at him, but there was nothing else that needed to be said. He made his feelings clear, and that was all there was to it. Serenity was old enough to make her own decisions and by no means was he going to force her to change her mind. As a young man, he’d take it on the chin and move on. Did it suck? One hundred percent it did, but that was the nature of life. It wasn’t going to be all roses. There were going to be a lot of ups and downs, and the only thing that mattered was the number of times you dusted yourself off and got back to your feet.

Serenity stood up and encouraged Marshmallow to follow her as she walked around and gathered the teacup and tray in her hand. “Before I forget,” she paused at the door, and Odion turned to look at her, “the hospital called while you were asleep.” Odion’s chest constricted, his breath caught in his throat. “They said Marcella would be able to come home on Monday.” She stared at him for a long moment, her face contorted from trying not to cry. “Sleep well.” She exited and closed the door quietly.

Odion fell back across the bed and threw his hands over his face, wondering if he should’ve felt excited or nervous. The fact she was able to recover in a relatively short period of time was beyond amazing, and he could only thank God for being on her side. But would she have still loved him the same if she knew what Apollo did? Would she have thought he was capable of doing the same? Of course not. She never liked Apollo to begin with. I’ll be okay.

It was more wishful thinking than anything else.

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