Leech 01 Caleo Read online

  “We have to go.”

  “I don’t think I can. Is there another way out?” Caleo looked at his feet, afraid his eyes would show his fear.

  “Yeah, but there are guards and they will kill you. The rebellion is starting tomorrow and right now everyone is on high alert.”

  Caleo sank in the chair next to the computer, pulling his hair back with his hands.

  “Look, kid, if you want out, the best thing to do is run away when Steve’s not there. If he doesn’t know where you are, he can’t touch you.”

  Caleo was even more devastated by this and started to break down. “My family … what am I going to tell … he knows where I live. What am I going to tell Grandma?”

  “Look … what was your name?” John drummed the desk with his fingers.

  “Caleo Anima.”

  “Huh. Well, Caaleoo … ” John said, struggling with his name, “At least you have a choice to run. I’m stuck here. If I go out, a Blessed will get me, or Steve will hunt me down. If I stay, I work for a power-hungry kid with a wish for world domination. So you see ... you don’t have it that bad.” John looked out the door. “Things weren’t always this bad, you know. Before Alex’s son was kidnapped, we all could do what we wanted. Live a normal life. Be a rich televangelist healer if we wanted, even work at a carnival as long as we kept our Leech business on the down low. Now we’re stuck in a war. Either we choose a side, or we get killed to promote the war effort.” John stared off into the distance for a moment, as if remembering better times. “Well, kid, you ready to go? Your destiny awaits you. To run, or to stay?”

  Caleo wiped the tears from his eyes with the palms of his hands. “What would you do?”

  “You get tired of running, so you'll have to choose a side eventually, and if you don’t choose, it may get chosen for you.” John pulled off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt. When he put them back on, Caleo noticed his body stiffen. “Why, hello General Roberts.” Caleo jumped out of his seat to face Steve.

  “What did you do to him?” Steve asked, looking over Caleo to see if there was any damage.

  John returned to his indifferent tone. “It’s just the tests. They got him shaken up a bit, though it’s not my fault. This new generation can’t seem to take someone trying to kill them as a joke.”

  He's mocking Steve, that’s why he pretends not to care about anything Steve says.

  “Well, I see you fixed his eye.” Steve grabbed Caleo by the chin and moved his face inches away from his own to get a better look. “You can’t even tell you got beat up by a couple of kids.”

  My eye? Caleo looked at his reflection in the window that divided the rooms and was surprised to find it healed. He reached up and touched the flesh just to make sure it wasn’t an illusion.

  Steve patted Caleo on the shoulder. “Well, we need to get you home and back to your room before your family gets home.”

  Caleo turned to look at John, unsure of what to say. “Thank you for trying to kill me and helping me” didn’t seem to fit, so he just nodded as he felt the now familiar sting followed by his energy being Leeched. The room went out of focus and was soon replaced by his room back at the Inn. Caleo broke Steve’s grip and went to sit down on the edge of his bed, too exhausted to do anything else.

  “It’s okay, we’ll try again.” Steve walked to the door. “Look, I’m going to be busy the next few days. I want you to stay around the house while I’m gone. It might be dangerous out there and I won’t be around to protect you. If you see anyone you don’t know, hide and don’t come out till I find you. Hey … try to have some fun, because when I get back, we’re going to discuss your future.” Steve closed the door behind him as he left.

  Caleo fell back on his bed, not knowing what to do. Why would Steve pretend to save me from someone he’s sleeping with? Frustrated, he covered his mouth with a pillow and screamed. Minutes later he heard Steve’s sports car going down the driveway, then all was quiet. Caleo turned over and stared at the sky through his window, not knowing what to do. I can’t leave, this is my home. But if I stay, Steve is going to kill me. Or worse — my family. He spent the rest of the afternoon staring out the window, trying to think of a way out of his new life.

  5

  Caleo’s door flew open, smacking against the wall, scaring him so badly he jumped and rolled off of the bed to hide from the intruder.

  “You're not going to believe what happened today!”

  Caleo crawled back onto his bed when he realized it was only Jack. His heart still pounding in his chest, he yelled, “You scared the crap out of me!”

  Jack waved Caleo’s argument away and beamed excitedly at him. “Jillian kicked Mike's ass! He has a black eye just like … ” Jack stopped, motioning to Caleo’s face. “What happened to your eye?” Jack seemed dumb struck at how quick he had healed.

  Caleo searched for an answer for a moment, and then settled on playing it dumb. “Ha ha, very funny.”

  “No, it’s all better!” Jack quickly looked around the room for anything with a reflective surface.

  Now for the Emmy winning performance. Caleo lifted his fingers and started feeling around his eye where the bruise should have been “Wow, I guess that raw steak trick really works!” Jack looked back at him. He knows I'm lying. I just have to keep it up till Grandma gets home then I'll tell them all what is going on. “Why did she do that?”

  “Who?” Jack seemed lost in thought as he stared at Caleo’s eye.

  Caleo smiled then waved his hand to bring Jack out of his thoughts. “Jillian … Mike. Hello?”

  “I told her what they did to you yesterday when we were driving to school and she marched straight up to him in the hall this morning and asked him for your stuff back. When he said he didn’t have it, she kneed him in the balls. Then she asked him again.” Jack’s voice went up in pitch as he tried to imitate Jillian in a voice that was a cross between her and the Terminator as he acted the scene out. “Where’s Caleo’s stuff?” Jack used a squeaky, high-pitched voice for Mike’s voice. “I don’t know!” “Then she kicked him again!” Jack lifted his knee in a final blow, burying it deep in imaginary Mike’s groin.

  “She did all that for me?” Jack nodded his response. “Why?”

  Jillian stepped out from behind the doorway, her arms crossed against her chest. “Because you’re my brother.” Jillian tossed something brown at Caleo. “I got your wallet back - no money - but Mike said he was going to give me his next pay check to replace what was lost. Hopefully it’s more than he took.”

  Caleo opened it and found his driver license and school lunch card. “Thanks.”

  “I hope you’re feeling better. Your clothes are in the laundry, they smelled like piss.” She turned and started down the hall before yelling, “If you guys go get me a couple bushels of apples, I’ll make you a pie tomorrow.”

  “Bushels?” Jack and Caleo both said in unison.

  As if anticipating their question Jillian yelled down the hall, “We need them in Culinary Arts class for Monday. So don’t pick any rotten ones!”

  “I’ll meet you in the orchard!” Jack ran out of the room and Caleo heard him yell as he was running down the stairs. “Dress for Smear!”

  Caleo jumped up at the thought of his childhood game, Smear. He ran for the closet and put on his rattiest clothes. He grabbed his homemade bat, a two-by-four board that was about two feet long and whittled down at one end for a handle, which was wrapped with duct tape for cushion. He ran out the door of the house and down to the orchard, where Jack was waiting for him, dressed like a bum and sporting his own fashion of a long wooden paddle that looked more like an oversized cutting board.

  The game would always start the same. Both boys would come out, make fun of each other’s bat in the manliest deep voice they could muster. Then the two would scatter into the orchard. The object of the game is to get as many good apples into your goal, which is hidden somewhere by your opponent on the other side of the orchard. You use the bat to
hit the bad apples at your opponent or to knock the good apples away from their goal. The winner is the one who fills up their goal first.

  Jack puffed out his chest and tapped his paddle in his free hand. “I see you got a new stick. It’s a little skinny. You sure you just don’t want to get a pencil out of the study?”

  Caleo held his bat out like a sword. “It’s not how thick it is, it’s the length that really matters.”

  “Smear!” they yelled in unison, taking off with their camouflage patterned wheelbarrows to hide the goal. Once hidden, they yelled, “Ready!”

  And the battle began.

  The battle raged for over three hours and it was starting to get dark when lights pulled up the driveway. Caleo stopped in mid-swing and let a rotten apple fall to the ground. “Smear hug!” He pointed to the lights that were now halfway up the drive. Both of them simultaneously dropped their bats and raced for the house.

  “Stay low!” Jack instructed, as the car was put into park.

  They crept up beside the passenger side door and waited for Grandma to get out of the car. When they heard the car door open, Caleo worked his way around the front of the car as Jack went around the back of the car.

  When Caleo heard the car door shut, he stood up. “Hi, Grandma!” He spread his arms open for a hug.

  “No, not Smear again!” She scampered for the front door only to have Jack step in front of her, arms wide open.

  Apple pieces still clinging to his face, he grinned down at her. “We just want a hug!”

  “I don’t think so!” Grandma said, holding her arms out in protest.

  Caleo started walking towards her. “Oh, don’t fight it.”

  Jack slowly advanced, herding her in with his outstretched arms. “It’s going to happen.” Both the boys moved in and sandwiched Grandma in a juicy hug.

  They broke apart laughing; but Grandma’s mood quickly changed.

  “You boys are in so much trouble! And don’t even think about going into my house looking like that! Go out back and get rinsed off with the hose. If I so much as find one rotten apple speck in my house you'll be scrubbing floors all weekend!” She pounded up the stairs.

  Caleo saw a faint smile as she slammed the front door. He turned and smiled at Jack for a brief second before taking off in a mad dash for the back of the house, Jack right on his heels. Caleo was the first to the hose; he quickly turned it on full blast and aimed it at Jack.

  “Damn, that's cold!” Jack peeled off his shirt and threw it to the porch.

  Caleo aimed the jet at the back of Jack’s head. “Oh, it’s not that bad! Quit being such a girl.”

  Jack kicked off his boots, stripped down to his briefs, and turned to face Caleo’s assault. Caleo continued to spray him up and down.

  “Quit it! I’m clean!” Jack yelled. “It’s your turn!”

  Caleo passed Jack the hose and turned his back to him as he stripped down to his boxer briefs.

  “Hey, I’m going to go train at the lake tomorrow; you're coming with.”

  “What? Why?” Caleo turned around to face Jack. Why do I always have to train? I’m not even on the swim team.

  Jack sprayed Caleo in the face with the cold water. “Because I don’t want to swim alone.”

  Caleo wiped the water out of his eyes. “Well that’s not fair, why don’t you make your swim team go?”

  “Because I want to hang out with you, is that okay? So you’re going, end of story,” Jack finished with a smile, and stopped spraying Caleo.

  Caleo turned around to argue some more, but before he could get out a word, Jack let a jet of water out of the spray nozzle that hit Caleo square in the mouth.

  Jack lowered the hose and smirked. “End of story.”

  Caleo couldn’t help but smile back. As he opened his mouth to say he would, Jack let out another blast of water, cutting him off before he could get the words out.

  Jack kept the hose in place as he teased Caleo. “What’s that? You said yes you would be happy to go with me?”

  “Are you boys going to come in and quit showing yourselves off to the world?” Grandma asked, dropping two towels and an empty plastic grocery bag for the dirty clothes on the porch. Jack dropped the hose and threw the clothes in the bag. “I think the guests will be asking for their money back if they see your naked scrawny hides prancing about the yard.”

  Caleo went to say that the Inn was guest free, but thought better of it. She was, of course, joking, and reminding her of their always rocky financial situation would upset her. Luckily Jack stepped in. “I don’t know, a couple of studs like us, we might even be able to double the rate.”

  “I'm sure Miss Wilkerson would just love you both.” Grandma smiled at her own joke of the old lady who always came to the Inn around the holidays, looking around ninety and always peeing in the bed. “Hey, did you boys happen to see Mr. Mayson’s horse in the orchard? He called and said the stupid thing got out again.”

  Caleo and Jack’s response was in unison, “No, ma’am.”

  “Well, get cleaned up. Mr. Robert’s checked out and his room still needs cleaning, although he left a note saying he'll return tomorrow night,” Grandma said softly, turned and went back into the house, but not before saying, “Something strange about that man.”

  The dread that Caleo had forgotten returned. How am I going to tell them?

  “Caleo, you okay?”

  Caleo turned to see him picking up the towels. “Yeah, I'm fine”

  Jack’s expression turned serious. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

  Caleo stood, shocked, and unable to speak for a moment. Yes, tell him everything. Now is the chance. He can help.

  “You know I'm here for you. Anything you need. I’m here.”

  Something in Caleo’s brain clicked. I can’t run ... running will only hurt the people I love. I'll leave with Steve tomorrow and just hope for the best. He looked up at Jack and smiled. He met Jack’s eyes and knew he was expecting an answer.

  Jillian appeared standing in the doorway. “Would you two just get a room?” Then, she took off down the hall laughing as Jack opened the door and flung his wet shirt at her.

  Caleo decided to take advantage of the distraction before Jack could recover. “Okay I'll go swimming with you—” Caleo waited for Jack to turn around before adding, “—under one condition … ”

  Jack appeared to be thinking about it as he threw Caleo the other towel and began drying off with his own. “And what’s the condition?”

  Caleo smiled and looked down at Jack’s underwear. “Your Speedo stays at home.”

  “So your one condition is that I not wear my Speedo?” Jack waited and Caleo nodded his response “So … you want me to go naked, do you?” Jack paused for a moment, but before Caleo could respond, he said, “No, no, no those were your terms and I'll just have to live with them. But I think it will draw more attention than my Speedo.” Jack started laughing at his own joke as he went into the house, letting the screen door slam behind him

  “Or you could just wear swim shorts like everyone else outside the swim team does.” Caleo wrapped the towel around his waist and walked inside.

  “What’s the fun in that?”

  6

  Caleo lazily pulled himself onto the rocky shore of the small lake, just outside of town. “Can we please head home? I’m tired of swimming!”

  “You’re never going to make the team if you don’t practice.” Jack splashed a big wave of water up at Caleo.

  “We’ve been here since eight this morning! Besides, when did I ever say I wanted to join the team?” He looked up at the sun to gauge the time. “It has to be at least four o’clock and we haven’t even had lunch!”

  “Okay, let’s take a break for lunch.”Jack said and Caleo sighed dramatically, relieved. “Then, back to training!”

  “Great.” Caleo groaned and pretended to shoot himself in the head with his fingers.

  “Go get the sandwiches out of the van,” Jack s
aid, walking over to the big oak tree and sat with his back against it.

  “Where are they?” Caleo looked back over his shoulder at Jack.

  Jack yawned and stretched out his back. “I put them in the cooler.”

  “I’m looking in the cooler!” Caleo yelled, as he dug through the ice and bottled waters.

  “Oh, while you're in there, get me a water.”

  Of course he would. Yeah, I'll get you your water! Caleo grabbed a bottle of water and whipped it at Jack, who caught it with ease.

  “Thank you!” Jack opened the water and took a long, exaggerated swig, which he followed up with an over emphasized, “Ahh.”

  Where are they? Caleo shoved a few bottles around in the ice-cold water, figuring the sandwiches must be soaked. They aren’t here, he’s messing with me. “Okay, I give up. You got me.” Caleo picked up the cooler lid cooler from the seat and placed it back on. Hearing a noise like a plastic grocery bag being crinkled, he flipped the lid over. There, he saw it was in fact a plastic grocery bag rolled up into a neat square and taped securely to the inside of the lid. Clever, very clever. Once he removed the tape sealing the bag shut, he found four individually wrapped tuna sandwiches.

  “I told you I put them in the cooler.” Jack’s hand appeared from behind Caleo and grabbed two of the sandwiches. “You can have the squished ones.”

  “That’s not fair!” Caleo said; not because he thought it would change anything, but just to be heard.

  “You’re the one who squashed them!” Jack opened his sandwiches. “Besides,” he licked the tuna off the edge of the sandwich, “I’ve already licked this one.”

  “Did that make you feel clever?” Caleo smiled at Jack, trying to provoke him.

  He sat on the bumper of the van and opened his sandwich as Jack pulled out a battery-powered radio and turned it on. He adjusted the station, then burst out into song with the radio. After a moment of dancing around and singing at the top of his lungs, Jack turned to Caleo. “Come on, don’t let me sing alone!”