Leech 01 Caleo Page 5

  He started settling into his makeshift sleeping mat. “Mr. Roberts, are you sure it’s safe to sleep?”

  Mr. Roberts sighed again. “My name is Steve, don't call me Mr. Roberts. And it’s never safe for us, but if a Leech comes near, I'll feel it.”

  Caleo sprung up into a sitting position. “What’s a Leech?” He cringed with worry at the new word.

  “You'll be fine, now go to slee-eep.” Steve yawned.

  Caleo slowly lay back down, but sleep didn't come easily.

  What's a Leech? What was that girl? Why did she want to kill me? Who is Steve Roberts? And why's he here protecting me? Who was that guy he was talking about earlier? Maybe I should have been nicer to him back at school. Thoughts kept swirling in his mind.

  “Steve, I’m sorry for being a jerk to you earlier today.”

  When no response came, Caleo allowed his thoughts to roll around inside his head until he finally fell asleep.

  3

  Caleo jolted straight up, ready to run as the door to his room slammed against the wall with a loud thud.

  “Caleo, let’s go! Get your lazy butt out!” Jillian paused for a second, looking at Caleo. “Man you look like crap! Are you okay?” She walked over and placed a hand on his forehead.

  Caleo winced with pain when her hand touched near his bruised eye.

  Remembering what Steve had told him last night Caleo whined, “I don’t feel so good.” He let his head drop back down to the pillow, moaning for effect.

  “This isn’t just you not wanting to show off that eye of yours, is it?” Jillian asked, picking up a pair of black combat boots off the floor. “Hey these aren’t yours, are they?"

  Caleo snarled in response before spitting, “No, I had to borrow a pair yesterday when your boyfriend stole all of my clothes, and pissed on my homework.” He was proud that he answered the question without lying, yet still managed to cover up for Steve’s shoes being in his room. Hey, where is Steve anyway? he wondered, looking around the room. And how did I end up in bed? Caleo rolled over and looked where he had fallen asleep last night and saw no evidence that he had slept there. Was it all a dream? No. The boots are proof that it was real. Caleo thought, reassuring himself that he wasn’t going crazy.

  “Caleo, what are you looking for?”

  “I’m not sure.” Caleo shook his head as he rolled over to face Jillian.

  “Well, you just stay in bed and be good. Grams is out shopping with her friend from church. You know the one with the pink hair. And she has a doctor’s appointment to go to this afternoon, so you’re on your own. Don’t bug Mr. Roberts. We don't need one of our few paying guests being your nurse all day. Besides, he'll be in his room writing his book.”

  “Writing a book?” Caleo asked, cringing from the pain of raising the eyebrow over his bruised eye.

  “Just get some sleep and be good.” Jillian pulled the door closed behind her as she left.

  Moments later the door flew open, banging against the wall. “Hey, buddy. You okay?” Jack stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him.

  Before Caleo could answer, Jack whispered, “Give me fifteen minutes to drop Jillian off and I'll swing back and we can go back to the cave and hang out, go swimming in the stream, work on our tans … ” Jack smiled, then corrected himself, “ … well, my tan at least.”

  He can’t stay home; I need to know what is going on. Caleo lifted his head off his pillow and tried to look pitiful. “No, I really don’t feel good.”

  “Really?” Jack asked, confused because Caleo rarely got sick. “Do you need me to skip and, you know, watch TV and get stuff for you?” Caleo grinned weakly at how Jack skirted the phrase “take care of you”.

  “No, I’m just going to stay in bed,” Caleo lied. Why am I lying to Jack? He should be here with me. I should tell him, but would Steve explain what is going on if he stays?

  “Okay, but remember when you’re lying in your own puke that I offered to stay home and … watch TV for you.” Jack smiled reassuringly before his face turned serious. “You sure?”

  No, I want you to stay, but you can’t. I have to know what is going on. Then I'll tell you, I promise.

  Caleo nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay.” Jack looked sad as he was leaving the room, and Caleo couldn’t help but feel Jack knew something was up. As if to confirm his suspicions, Caleo could hear Jack linger by the door for a moment before descending the stairs.

  He closed his eyes and listened to Jack and Jillian as they got ready for school, arguing about who would drive. A few minutes later, Caleo heard the doors to the van slam shut and it speeding down the driveway.

  I guess Jack won, Caleo laughed to himself as he sat up. Now, time to go see what Steve has to say. Caleo jumped out of bed, ran down the hall, and opened Steve’s door.

  “Don’t you know how to knock?” Steve muttered, walking out of the bathroom. He took the toothbrush out of his mouth and waved it in the air to emphasize his point. “Seriously, for a bed and breakfast, you guys suck. Lack of manners, always noisy … in fact, the only thing good about this place is the food. If it wasn’t for that you guys would be out of business!” He sighed and shook his head.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I suppose you want some answers,” Steve stated knowingly. “Go take a shower. We’re going to travel and meet some friends of mine.”

  “Travel?” Caleo asked, confused.

  “Yeah, I got to get some things done. If you don’t hurry I'll leave you here.” Steve started brushing his teeth again. When Caleo didn’t move, he stopped and gave him an impatient look. “I meant right now.” His toothbrush muffled his words.

  “Oh, sorry.” Caleo ran down the hall, kicking off his clothes as he went.

  When he got out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and ran out of the bathroom. He stopped when he noticed Steve standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest, and leaning against the doorframe.

  “Love the tat,” Steve commented, nodding toward a mark just below Caleo’s waistline. Caleo pulled up the towel and hid it from view. “I'd like to see the rest of it.” He unfolded his arms and took a few steps closer to Caleo.

  “Speaking of knocking … ” Caleo muttered with fear in his voice as he backed away.

  “Can I see it?” Steve took a few steps closer.

  “It's nothing special. I’ve tried to get it removed, but it won't come off. I’ve had it as far back as I can remember. My mother must have gotten it for me, Grandma hates it,” Caleo rambled nervously as he backed himself into a wall, trying to get as far away as the room would let him. I wish Jack had stayed. Caleo scrunched his eyes closed and turned his head, expecting Steve to be on him any moment.

  “That tattoo is more than you know. Now let me see it,” Steve said, this time with more force.

  Caleo nervously let the towel drop to the floor so that the whole tattoo was visible. Caleo felt his cheeks and ears get warm with the embarrassment.

  “Has it always been that color?” Steve seemed mesmerized by the tattoo as he bent down to examine it closer.

  “Yeah, Jack’s dad used to say it would fade over time, but it hasn’t. In fact, it seems to be getting brighter, but Grandma thinks I’m imagining it.” Caleo moved his hand over his crotch to help conceal his manhood. Oh God, oh God. Caleo looked around the room, trying to find something to focus on other than standing nude with a man knelt in front of him.

  “That mark is the sign of the Leech, all of us have it.” Steve turned around and lifted his shirt to reveal the same mark located on his right shoulder blade.

  Caleo walked toward Steve and traced the circle tattoo on his back with his fingers. It was exactly the same size and shape as his, but it was a light brown color.

  “But I’m not a ... Leech?” When Steve didn’t respond he asked, “Why is yours brown?”

  “Well, it starts out looking like a scar, white almost the color of your skin. It gets darker t
he more powerful your gift gets.” Steve slid his shirt back on and stepped away.

  “So they don’t start out gold?”

  “Why don’t you put some clothes on and meet me downstairs?” Steve looked Caleo up and down and raised an eyebrow. “This is getting a little too close for comfort for me.” He turned, walking out of the room, and down the stairs.

  Caleo quickly threw on his clothes and ran down the stairs, where he found Steve in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. He paused as he passed over the spot where the woman had been last night.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Steve said with a mouthful of Cheerios. “So, shoot. What question would you like me to answer first?”

  Caleo took up a seat directly across the table from Steve. “What are you … I mean us … we… Are we aliens or something?”

  “We're called Leeches.”

  Caleo opened his mouth, but Steve stopped him from asking a question by raising his hand while he finished his food. “We’re not aliens. We’re humans, born of a human mother and father, just like everyone else, but we have special powers that other people don’t. As for how we got the name Leeches, I assume it's because we're like an energy vampire. We drain energy from living things around us just by touching them.”

  Caleo rubbed his arm, remembering last night when Steve had touched him right before he killed the invisible girl. Then a thought occurred to him. With excitement dripping from his voice he asked, “So what’s my power?”

  “Well, that’s what I don’t understand. Usually the Leech knows their power the first time they use it. You see, a person isn't a Leech until they are at the brink of death. The person has to be in a predicament that they have no chance of surviving. Then their body finds a way to save them; for instance, I teleport.”

  Caleo thought back on his life for a moment. “But I’ve never been in a situation where I almost died. At least, not that I know of.” Caleo sat in silence as he ran through any memories that might stand out. Sure he had his challenges, but nothing really fatal. “So what was your moment?”

  Steve looked up at Caleo as if he had asked too personal of a question, then pushed his bowl away. “My brother was a bodyguard for this man whose name doesn’t matter, because my brother failed and the man is dead now. We took my mother out for her birthday. When we got home, there was a group of men waiting for us in the house. As we walked in, they grabbed me and put a gun to my head, and then they grabbed my mother and threw her to the floor. My brother, of course, tried to be heroic and pulled his gun out. The dumb ass was outnumbered and still acted like he could take them all.

  “They were threatening to shoot me and he still wouldn’t put his gun down. They kept asking him for something and he kept lying, saying he didn't know where it was. All I can remember was wishing that I was up in the attic. Everyone has a place they go to escape the world. Well, the attic was my place. Just as I heard the click of the gun getting ready to fire, I closed my eyes, and heard it go off. When I realized I was still alive, I opened my eyes and saw myself in the old mirror that we kept in the attic, wearing nothing but a confused look. That’s when I heard the screaming. The men downstairs were yelling at my brother about my disappearance. A moment later, I heard gunfire and my brother started to scream at the men, then there were a few more shots followed by screams of pain. Later on, I found out that first they shot him in the thighs. Then they dragged him to the bathroom, where they held him down and poured drain cleaner into his eyes. Finally, they repeatedly shoved his head in the toilet, drowning him. When I heard the men drive off, I went downstairs, where I found my mother dead by the door.” There was a brief pause before he continued, “So you see, you should remember the day you became a Leech, every Leech I've met has about the same story of being saved by their power right before sure death. It’s not like you can forget the day you were supposed to die.”

  “But that’s just it. I’ve never been in a situation like that.”

  Steve leaned back in his chair. “Well, until you know your power, I guess I’m stuck babysitting you.”

  Hoping that the question didn't make him sound stupid Caleo asked, “So, if it just takes a near death experience to become a Leech, why doesn’t everyone become one?”

  Steve got up and started pacing around the room. “That’s just it, none of us know. I was told there are some Leeches who devote their lives to finding the answer to that question, but so far nothing. Some think it’s genetic, others go with the mystical approach.”

  “So which one are you?”

  “None. I don’t care why I got my gift and I’m not going to waste my life trying to find out why I’m not dead.” Steve grabbed a drinking glass out of the cabinet. He walked over to Caleo and extended his hand. The second his hand came into contact with Caleo, Steve threw the glass at the fridge, where in less than a second, he was there to catch it. Caleo flinched as he felt his energy being sucked from his body.

  “You feel that? Anytime a Leech uses their power they need energy. They usually steal that energy from the people around them. We can only steal energy by touching, otherwise we have to use our own energy and it can really drain you, depending on your power. For me, the farther I teleport, the more energy it takes.” Steve paused again, as if to let the information sink in.

  After a moment Caleo asked, “Why do they want to kill me?”

  “When a Leech dies, their energy goes to the Leech closest to the body at the time of death. That energy does a few things for its new owner. It gives them more energy, which means they don’t need to steal energy as much, and with every Leech’s energy absorbed, their mark gets darker and darker, signifying how powerful they are.”

  Caleo looked at Steve, trying to decide if he wanted his next question answered, deciding it was best to know. “So how many people …” Caleo paused trying to think of the right words. “I mean Leeches have you killed?”

  Steve raised an eyebrow. “Never enough, it becomes an addiction. You always want more.”

  Shocked by the response, Caleo waited a minute before asking, “Why would you need so much power?”

  “You’re avoiding the real question.” Steve grinned dangerously.

  “And what’s the real question?” Caleo asked, getting up and grabbing a Pop-Tart from the cupboard.

  Steve’s voice held no emotion. “Why I haven’t I killed you yet.”

  Caleo stopped chewing his Pop-Tart and swallowed hard. “You said that you were here to protect me from …” Caleo thought for a moment, “Thorn.”

  “No. I said I was here to figure out why he's so interested in you.” Steve drummed his fingertips on the table in front of him impatiently. “You see, me and Thorn don’t see eye to eye. He's rogue Blessed, out to fix a system he believes is broken, and I just want to destroy the whole thing.” Steve paused when he saw Caleo trying to keep up with the conversation.

  “You lost me at Blessed.”

  “The Blessed are a group of self-righteous Leeches that don’t steal energy from normal people. They claim the title of Peace Keepers and say that they are trying to stop a witch hunt before it happens again. They are supposed to step in when a Leech steps out of bounds, starts drawing human attention, or kills a human without cause. They were supposed to be the law, but now all they are doing is playing the role of exterminators. They hunt us down whether we break the laws or not, just to collect our energy.”

  “So … Thorn is trying to kill me?”

  “No, if he wanted you dead he would have killed you months ago. Right now he's just watching you.”

  Caleo was hanging on to every word, trying to figure out what was going on. “For what?”

  “I’m guessing it has to do with your gold mark. I've never seen anything like it, but more than likely he just wants to see what your power is and to see if you're going to be useful to the rebellion.” Steve’s grin returned. “My guess is that his men have been pretty bored; you not having a power and all.” Steve burst out laughing.


  Now he's making fun of me just like everyone else. Caleo moved to stand in front of Steve. “That’s not funny.”

  “Chill, I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just a little funny that Thorn, one of the most powerful Leeches ever known, is watching a Leech that doesn’t have a clue about a strange power he possesses or how he might have gotten it.” Steve smiled at Caleo, waiting for a response.

  “Still not funny.” Caleo folded his arms across his chest.

  “Just think of it from my point of view. I’m here watching someone, who is by all rights an infant to the Leech world, all because Thorn thinks you can be some kind of weapon against the Blessed.” When Steve finished he had an excited look on his face as he leaned in towards the table.

  “That’s the same thing you just said,” Caleo paused for emphasis, “and it’s still not funny."

  “Really?”

  Caleo fought back a smile. “Yeah.”

  “Oh, okay. Well then, any other questions?”

  “So that girl, was she a Blessed?”

  Steve laughed as if the question was ridiculous. “The Blessed would never have a girl Leech. Their rules are to kill them on sight. No, she was probably just a Leech who wants more energy and thought you would be an easy target. See, we Leeches are usually power hungry freaks who will kill each other just so we can survive against the Blessed and other Leeches. Fun, huh? Well, welcome to the family, and right now your energy is for the taking, a battery if you would, being that you have no power of your own and all.”

  “Would you quit calling me useless?”

  Steve flatly replied, “Well, if we knew what your power was, I would have something to work with.”

  “Why are girl Leeches killed on sight?”

  “Well, it’s said girl Leeches go nuts over the power trip. Luckily, it’s a very rare occurrence for a girl to become a Leech. The one last night was the first one I have ever seen in my seventeen years of being a Leech.”

  “Seventeen years!” Caleo eyes studied the man in amazement. “How old are you? You don’t look older than twenty.”