Page 53 of Sundowners
1971
It was initiation night,and I was terrified. Only a handful of us from our cohort—a number that didnotinclude Muse, unfortunately—had been selected to be initiated by The Source. We’d been told that the initiation was the final step before we were sent into the next phase of our learning.
I’d wanted to turn it down as I didn’t want to leave Muse, but she told me no way, she wanted me to continue. She knew how important our training was. She was disappointed that she hadn’t come as far as she needed to move forward with the organization, but she was proud of me and ready to move on. By this time, she’d connected with another Learner named Shaw and the two of them had talked about leaving together. She loved learning The Way, but Shaw wasn’t feeling it and when the two of them weren’t selected, I figured that meant they would be leaving. She hadn’t come out and said it, but I could see the signs. I wanted her to be happy and safe, the latter being the most important to me.
I also wanted to move forward with the training, but not necessarily because I was a dedicated convert. Yes, I was a believer. I’d learned how to manipulate the energy of others in tangible ways. According to all of the Leaders, I was a natural. I passed all of the tests they gave me, and I’d even healed Muse’s sunburn one day. The two of us had cried over the fucking miracle we’d been given.
I wanted to move forward because I wanted to watch over the defective members of my cohort. Stephen and his followers had continued to grow stronger, just as I had, but they were doing it by focusing on the negative energy. They continued to torment the weaker members, cornering them, terrifying them, and then laughing when they got the desired effect. They’d managed to make an older man named Clark wet himself in front of the group.
That had been the last straw for me. When the announcement was made that The Source had chosen the initiates from our cohort—that I’d been chosen, and not Stephen—I was all in.
I’d do whatever it took to stop Stephen and the others from continuing to terrorize people to make themselves stronger.
“Hey,” Muse said, finding me at the baths. There was a group sitting around singing—Cross had been playing the guitar, now that I recalled—and I’d lingered to listen. He played often, sometimes to accompany our healing sessions even. The Leaders said he had a gift, and we all believed it. I was still drying off and had yet to put my special black garment on for the ritual. Muse didn’t hide her appreciation for my body. She never did, but she knew that as much as I loved her, sex would never be a part of our relationship.
I wrapped my towel around my waist and hugged her close. “I’m sorry you won’t be able to come to the initiation. I guess it’s only for the initiates, Leaders, and the Guardians.”
“It’s okay.” She put her lips to my ear. “Shaw and I are taking off. I came to say goodbye.”
I pulled back and my eyes burned. We’d been through so much together since we met, and we’d never been apart. This felt like more than goodbye for now. It felt final.
“Oh, Creed,” she said, wiping a tear from my cheek. “We’ll meet again. You’re going to do such great things. You’ve become so powerful.”
I certainly didn’tfeelpowerful. I was nauseous, like you might feel right before going on your first trip away from home. Scratch that, I hadn’t been afraid of leaving Georgia. I’d been gleeful, giddy, ready to take on the world. I wasn’t sure I was ready to take on this new world, but I’d committed myself to the teachings of The Source, and I was dedicated to protecting people, just as Leader Bree had said in the beginning.
I had the heart of a Guardian.
So while I would continue to learn the ways of healing, I would learn to use my power to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. This would be my path, my chosen task for the remainder of my existence, and when my body ceased to function, my essence would return to The Source and be absorbed to be passed on to others, as it had been for thousands of generations.
“How will I… Will I see you again?”
She laughed. “Of course you will, silly. I’ll leave word with my granny in Modesto, wherever we end up. Remember how to find her?”
I did. She’d told me her grandmother owned a biker bar in Modesto and her parents had tried to keep her away from it her whole life.
“Tammy’s, right?”
“Right. It’s where Main Street meets the highway. If you ever need me, just get word to Granny Tammy.”
“I will. I love you, Muse.”
She winked at me. “Love you, too.” She pressed her hands to her chest and she walked away.
The next time I saw her, she was crumpled on the ground outside the hall where we took our meals together. Lifeless. Cold. I couldn’t stop for her. I had to run to avoid capture and the torture I’d seen them do to the other initiates.
They’d called me Guardian, but when I was needed, I’d fled.
I would not run this time.
* * *
By the timethe band finished their last set, I’d had a couple more beers and ignored texts from Roman asking if I’d gotten home safely. I refused to lie to him—it had been hard enough to tell him half-truths earlier—but I couldn’t protect him if he got any closer to this mess. I hoped his aunt and uncle could protect him if anything happened to me.
Because it wouldn’t be long before he became a target, especially if I continued to see him.
I followed the band out the rear door where they all lit up cigarettes and laughed, toasting to another good show. I waited in the shadows until the one I needed to talk to moved away from the group.
“I know you’re here, Creed,” he said, his back to me.
