95. Louis Is Too Much

Juliet

I visited my old part of town a lot in the next couple of weeks. I spent as much time as I could with Nick. I had to be there when Sita wouldn’t.

That whole neighborhood had been assigned to the werewolves. Mateo, Ben, and Francesco came around too. They liked Nick. Soren was even there just as much. It was a place we could hang out free from the confines of my house.

He was leaving the following day, and we were saying goodbye. The fire was blazing. We listened to Nick’s stories about Palmyra and everything he had gone through. The multiple times he had to invade other places.

Soren and I gazed at each other. We had talked about the possibility of other planets. But the galaxies had just become a little smaller. A car stopped in the front of the street. The headlights had shone against the mountain. There was a wall, but nevertheless, you could see it. I got up and went to the front door when there was a knock. I opened it but wanted to close it immediately. Not ready to deal. Louis’s foot pressed in between the door and the frame. I swore. Tears already pooling. My breath was shallow. He pushed the door open. Grabbed my wrist and pressed my back against his chest.

“What did you say… over the phone?? F- I will??” He picked me up. I was kicking and screaming. Tried to get out, but Louis was strong… Jessy was driving, and my husband was kidnapping me. This one was just succeeding. We fell into the back seat. My back against his chest. He kept kissing my hair and the side of my face. It infuriated me. Jessy closed the door and drove us home. He got out with me like that and carried me to my room. He threw me inside, closing the door behind us. I was so angry. I couldn’t catch my breath. Unexpected tears fell down my cheeks. I wanted to run for Marcus’s room. But he stopped me. I wanted to go for the door. He had enough and pushed me onto the bed.

“Juliet. This is going to happen… We have to come together. Even if it’s just in this way.”

“That’s convenient for you. Are you going to stay for the night?”

“You know I can’t…”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to.” I stood up and away from him.

He didn’t like it… “Why? Do you hate me again?”

I nodded. “Yes! I couldn’t handle this half-assed relationship anymore.”

He wasn’t there for me… Louis walked over and picked me up again, throwing me on the bed. He laid himself on top of me, pressing into me. Grinding on me. Trying to kiss me. “Louis… I don’t want to!” I yelled

“Then what do you want?” He yelled back. Slamming his hand next to my face on the sheets.

I glared at him. “Get… off… me!” He shook his head. I wasn’t going to fight him. I was almost four months pregnant. “Louis, so help me, you better get off me.” He lifted his head at my tone, watching me. He wasn’t reading me, but he rolled off and moved away from me to the edge of the bed.

I stormed at the door. I glanced back. Both his hands covered his face he was holding. Elbows resting on his knees in defeat. “I told you, you could give it to anyone else. You’re already filing Marcus shoes. I have two husbands that can’t choose me. You were supposed to be the one that stayed, Louis. The one that never leaves!”

Louis’s shoulders started shaking. Frown lines played at my brow. “You better not be laughing.”

Louis’s hands dropped from his face. All I could see were the wounded eyes, imploring me not to leave... My heart broke instantly. He was actually crying. WTF! I walked over and pushed him back onto the bed, kissing him.

“If you were that desperate for a lay, you could have just said.”

He responded immediately, holding me. Grabbing onto me. Our relationship had just become its own rollercoaster. I had no idea what the hell was going on. Louis soon took control and turned me over, so he didn’t have to look at me... It hurt…

***

Soren

I watched through the window as Louis dragged Juliet to the car. I struggled to catch my breath. I had to leave the following day. We thought we would have that one night. Mateo came to stand next to me, watching Juliet struggle. Louis fell into the car with her on his chest. For a long time, we stood there in silence… “You okay, man?”

I shook my head.

“Juliet is one of a kind. You guys have a history or something?”

“You could say that. Do you think you’ll go back? To Palmyra.”

“I have not lived out my sentence. My mother thought it good for me to live out my days here until I am a hundred.” We both chuckled.

“I think I’m gonna get going,” I said.

“Maybe, just maybe, I’ll see you around.” We shook hands. “Come, let’s go greet the others. With her gone, the night had just become a little duller. I don’t feel like staying either.” Mateo said.

Light shone into the lounge. My eyes traveled back to the street. A car was approaching. I lifted the curtain. It wasn’t Louis bringing back his wife.

“Maybe not… Isn’t that your long-lost cousins getting out?”

“Who, Jack and Francis?” Mateo joked.

“Wow! Who is that? Babe…” I said softly.

Mateo opened the curtain a little. Peering into the street. His eyebrow raised.

“Not bad… let’s see who they brought.”

Mateo opened the door. Francis and Jack came in and introduced Sita to us. I could see Mateo stiffen when he had to reach out his hand and shake hers. A definite pull around his mouth… I went back in with everyone.

Jack pulled me aside. “I think you should leave. Juliet hates my cousin. Like wants to kill her. Hate her. Like she is the reason she had to come back.” I stopped in my tracks. Retreated and left the house.

***

Sita

I greeted my grandfather. I haven’t seen him in a while. He was getting older. Too fast. Those were the signs. I was told. Everyone was sitting outside around a fire. They were all being quiet around me. I had heard that the werewolves were being pulled into the compound. When I heard that Francis and Jack had met Charlene’s baby daddy, I thought my luck had increased.

But the three men knew that it was me that helped Qadir. So I was going to have to play the situation in some way… And I still didn’t know who the son was. By their reaction… they didn’t like that I had teamed up with the enemy.

“Should we talk about what happened?” I asked as demurely as I could.

“You know we would never have hurt Miné.” The three men’s faces were as stoic as Marcus’s. “I heard you also didn’t want to stay, Ben? Why don’t I just ask Liv and have a talk with her to get you all to go back.”

“No, that’s okay thanx Sita. We are starting to see the value of staying on earth. Going back just means two choices for men.” Ben said.

The son couldn’t be Ben. If there was a baby. A girl baby. The queen would have done anything to get them back. So it was between the Spaniard and The other guy. I didn’t know what Queen Brylee looked like, so I couldn’t rely on the family resemblance.

When the three boys left, it was just the family. I turned to my grandfather.

“One of those boys is Queen Brylee’s youngest son.”

The disappointment on Nick’s face was evident. But his loyalty ran deep. Even if it was to my dead mother. Francis and Jack stared at me. Infuriated glares between our grandfather and me.

I didn’t think Jack would be the one… “You couldn’t sleep with Chris. How are you going to sleep with one of those boys? That can be your only plan is to give her the first granddaughter to take over the planet. Get yourself up the ranks.” He sneered and stood up in a huff. Swore loudly and threw his beer against the rocks that lined the back of the lawn area. The glass shattered into pieces. Jack left. My eyes were cast down. I was not content with my life.

My grandfather was quiet. Francis waiting for him to speak.

“Do you know how to find out which one it is?” I shook my head. He drew in a deep breath and sighed.

***

Carl

I had moved into Marcus’s house a month ago. Charlene was there, and it wasn’t awkward at all between us. As if nothing had happened. Maybe it was just something that needed to come to the surface so that I could see we were both too young.

Before Marcus left, he gave me everything that there was in Jabin’s room that night. The laptop, the teleporter, and the two black tubes. I didn’t know what it was. No one could answer me. But it had to be important.

I knocked on Juliet’s door. “Come in.” She was haunched down on the bridge. She glanced over her shoulder to see who it was. “Oh, it’s good to see you, Carl. How are flying lessons going?”

I smiled. It was actually really cool. “That good, huh? Glad you didn’t tie yourself down?”

“Funny, Jules! I need to ask you something.” I took out the black tubes. I held them out in my flat hand. She jumped up, almost falling. Throwing her arms around my neck.

“Is Michael back? Tell me he was just hiding somewhere with my uncle.”

I frowned and shook my head as she pushed away from me. Charlene appeared at the door. Juliet walked over to her and put her head on her shoulder.

“What did you do?”

“I’m sorry. These were in Jabin’s room that night he died. I showed them to her, and now she’s like that….”

“What is it?”

Juliet’s shoulders slumped. She was biting the inside of her lip and fell down on her bed face first.

“I need to tell you guys something.”

***

Charlene

Juliet was about to talk to us. We heard the bell ring at the red gates. I just had to walk backward a few steps out of the room and glance down the corridor. My heart skipped a beat. It was Ben. I didn’t really know what to do with my hands in my back pockets.

Carl pushed past me to see what was going on. Juliet soon followed.

“Oh my!” She said.

Mateo and Francesco pushed him into the yard and past him. Juliet had made a b-line for the patio. Mateo and Francesco followed her lead. Carl didn’t have anything to feel guilty about. From his side, he had done nothing wrong. He didn’t even kiss me back. I cheated and fought with Ben. Called him a bad father… I sighed, took my hands out of my pockets, and walked towards him. The lane with all the trees… was as good a place as any to talk. I was happy to see him. The months we had apart had made me think a lot about everything.

“How are you and Miné?”

“Fine, thank you.”

“I’m sorry for how we left things. How I left you…”

“Yeah, kinda promised myself I wouldn’t talk to you again if you left me there alone.”

Ben stopped, eyes cast down. “If I asked to see Miné, would you let me?”

“Of course.” His eyes came up and met mine. “I think we should just start over. Try to make it… better.” He nodded. “Come on, let’s go back inside….”

“Hey… Whatever happened to you and Carl.”

“Nothing…” He seemed surprised.