NB: The Girl from Hell (GirlxGirl)

Chapter 17: Stay Out of It

Mike called the morning after my confrontation with Algea. He wanted to talk, but I couldn’t. It took me a while before I could open the bag with my blood stained clothes in it.

I did my best to wash out the dark red stains, but I couldn’t help but think that the blood was all that was left of her. She was younger than me.

For a little while, my sadness kept the fire at bay. But then, at night, I would look outside. The idea of going back out there terrified me, but, at the same time, I knew that not going out was worse than being too late.

Two nights ago, I donned my scarlet outfit again. I didn’t see Algea. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had. He’s still stronger than me.

I was in the newspaper this morning. They called me the Scarlett Lady.

I’m meeting Mike again. I’m in his car on the way to the Lair.

“He called me something,” I say. I’m telling Mike about my confrontation with Algea. I don’t know who Algea is yet and Mike doesn’t tell me. He thinks I’m safer not knowing. “He called me Kali. Do you know who I am?”

Algea’s name is Greek, so Mike thinks of all the figures in Greek mythology he knows. “Maybe you’re Calliope,” he says. “She was one of the muses.”

The idea disgusts me. “He thinks I’m his muse?” I say. I’ve seen what he does. I can’t imagine how I could have inspired that.

“I don’t know if you’re his muse,” Mike says. “You may just be the actual Calliope, the muse. I mean, it wasn’t exactly hard to inspire people back then. You could just tell them a story you heard a hundred years before or across the world and inspire them to think things no one nearby had ever thought.” He pauses. “I mean, or you could, you know...” Mike gives me a strange look.

“What? Eat them?”

“That’s disgusting. No more hanging out with cannibals for you, okay?”

“I’ll try,” I say. Running into Algea again isn’t exactly high on my to-do list. “But what do you mean?”

“If you want me to say it, then fine. I knew a lot of artists in university. And let’s just say, I’ve never heard a man call a girl a muse unless she put out first.”

“Are you calling me a slut?”

“No,” Mike says defensively. “I’m just saying you were a slut. A mythical slut. A mythical slut by ancient Greek standards, which are pretty slutty to begin with.”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with, you know, being a muse,” Mike says. “I mean, female empowerment and all that stuff. It’s all about taking control of your own body. You’re super strong. I’m sure nobody forced you to do anything you didn’t want to do.”

“Can you just stop talking?”

“You called me,” Mike says. I know he’s just trying to distract me, but I could use some seriousness. I want to know what’s actually happening. I need to learn about myself and about Legion and about the Sword of God.

“Hello Sweetie,” Gail says when we get to the lair. If anyone can tell me something about Legion or the Sword of God, it will be her.

“Hi Gail,” I say. “How are you?’

“I’m well,” she says. “How about you? You look tired. Have you been sleeping alright?”

“I’m doing well,” I say. “I’ve just been busy.”

“You’re in school right?” Gail asks.

“Yeah, I study anthropology.”

The Chupacabra man is there. He laughs, “Well, you’re talking to the right person. She could probably write a firsthand account of human history.” I don’t know him, but he seems like the type of person who finds a spot he’s comfortable in and lingers there until his welcome is well past worn.

Gail gives him a dirty look. Apparently, even demon women don’t like people making jokes about their age.

“Can I ask you something?” I say to Gail. “Do you know anything about muses?”

“Muses?” Gail says. “I don’t think I’ve met any muses before. Why do you ask?”

“Someone called me a Calliope,” I say. “Mike thinks I’m a muse. I just don’t know what that means. There was this man who said that I was chaos and destruction. My power comes from anger. How can I be a muse? I mean, if I’m fire and destruction, what do I inspire?” I’m afraid of who I am. Or what I am. Or what I’ve done.

“Inspiration works in strange ways. People think that pretty things beget pretty things and evil begets evil. But that isn’t how the world works. Often good things lead to over indulgence, selfishness, greed, and apathy. Destruction and pain can give rise to altruism, innovation, and strength. Humans often don’t stand strong until they are faced with oncoming darkness.”

“So are we meant to be the evil that brings out the good?” I ask.

“Destruction and chaos aren’t good or evil. I’ve seen evil in this world. I’ve seen massive monuments built out of hate and slavery. Destroying something that ought to be destroyed doesn’t make you evil, but preserving the wrong structures in this world is.”

“But what if I can’t control my anger?” I ask.

“You can,” Gail says. “And that anger can be strong and good. It’s only when we get angry at the injustice and the suffering and the heartache in this world that we can change it. It’s all about being angry at the right things.”

I don’t know if I’m convinced.

“Can I ask you about something?” I say at last.

“Anything,” Gail says.

“Do you know about the Sword of God?”

Gail looks concerned. I feel like a small child asking her parents about sex for the first time.

“You need to be careful Sweetie,” Gail says.

“Careful about what?”

“Most of us on Earth just try to live our lives as best we can. Like humans, we think about the big picture from time to time, but most of our energy’s spent on getting through the day and finding a little happiness where we can. But some of the old ones, they’re still fighting the War.”

“What war?”

“The War.” Gail says. “The war from before the dawn of time. Order versus chaos. Dark versus light. Heaven versus Hell.”

“Where do I fit in?”

“You need to stay out of it. Things are volatile. You’re Newborn. You aren’t ready to get involved in this battle yet.”

“Are you involved in it?”

“Like a mouse, scurrying in the face of an oncoming storm, I am involved. If I had the power to change things, I would. But the world is as it is. And, for your safety, you need to keep yourself hidden until the storm has passed.”

We talk more but Gail shuts down all my questions. She won’t give me any more information. She wants me to be safe and stay away from this Sword, but how can I when Jess is looking for it?