The Thirteen X's

Chapter 2: Ivy

“Fired?” Rod Feveray echoed at his brother-in-law, Rick Masen, who was standing on Rod’s doorstep, sobbing.

“Yeah. And that crazy intern Michelle is holding Molly hostage. I seriously can’t find her anywhere. I searched my house top and bottom. I tore the place upside down. But no cigar,” Rick said in between sobs. “And that’s not all. Once my boss kicked me out two days ago, I noticed these x’s on my hands. They were glowing blue. And then there was this voice inside my head that said I belong to Hell’s Angels now. What does it mean, Rod? What does it mean!?” Rick raised his voice.

“I-I don’t know. Sorry. Do you want me to help you look for Molly? She is my sister after all.”

“Oh…oh yeah…that’s right, you are…” Rick retorted softly, not paying attention to life.

“I just can’t help today. I would love to, but Janelle’s at work, and Ivy has a boy over…you know how that can be, don’t you, Rick?”

Rick burst out sobbing again, something he doesn’t do very much.

Rod scratched the back of his neck, thinking about the x’s Rick mentioned. “Rick? Can I see those x’s you said something about?”

Rick held out his hands as if Rod was a cop about to handcuff him and drag him off to prison.

Rod examined the outstretched hands, but saw nothing.

“Dad!” Ivy hollered from inside. “Me and Adrian are hungry! Make us something!”

“Listen, Rick. I don’t have much time. I don’t see anything on your hands. I do remember something Janelle said when Ivy and Hess were born, though. She said they both had x’s all over their body, but no one else could see them. Does that help at all?”

“NO! Not at all!” Rick yelled back in a spazzy tone.

“DAD! Chop, chop! Let’s GO!” Ivy yelled, even louder.

Rod looked back inside the house. “Rick, I have to go. Nice talking to you. Try not to get into any trouble? See ya.” Rod shut the door and heaved a sigh. Now he gets to feed his diva of a daughter who was perfectly capable of feeding herself. Yay.

“DA-” Ivy started.

“Yes, I’m coming Ivy! Shut up for once!” Rod yelled back at his daughter.

Ivy and her boyfriend Adrian were sitting in barstools at the island in the kitchen. Ivy was snuggling in Adrian’s arms, chomping on pink gum.

Ivy was a snarky, cynical, teenage delinquent. She’s eighteen and has been in the police station more times than she can count on both hands. Her long burgundy red hair cascaded down her shoulders in bouncy Taylor Swift curls. She had big, bright hazel eyes. She would be a senior in high school in the fall at Portland High School in Maine.

“Who was at the door?” Ivy asked, her volume lowering as her father walked in.

“Your uncle Rick. He got fired from his job two days ago. He’s not having a very good day today either. What do you want to eat?”

“I want…Pizza rolls, a bag of salt and vinegar chips, a plate of fusilli with meat sauce, and a BLT sammich,” Ivy said, flat out. Adrian looked at her quizzically. “What? Don’t give me that look. You know I eat a lot.”

Rod smiled. “This is usually her hourly snack. You should see what she eats for dinner. I swear, Ivy and Hess are going to eat us out of house and home.”

Ivy nodded at Adrian. “It’s true.”

The x’s on the back of Ivy’s hands stared flashing, which meant she was getting  hungrier and hungrier. Not that anyone else would notice them.

“Oh, Ivy, before I forget. Rick said he noticed these x’s on his hands after he got fired. He told me that they were glowing blue. But I couldn’t see anything like that. Do you think you know anything about that?”

Ivy nearly fell out of her chair and choked on her gum. Her dad’s back was to her so hopefully he didn’t notice her spaz out. Uncle Rick has the x’s too? If they were glowing blue, then they’re like Hess’s, Ivy thought.

“He also said there was this voice in his head that told him he belonged to Hell’s Angels,” Rod added, grabbing a bang of Lay’s Salt and Vinegar Chips for Ivy, and a chocolate chip Pop Tart for himself.

“Hell’s Angels? That’s a motorcycle gang that began in 1948. All it is is a gang of bikers basically,” Adrian reported in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Yeah, that’s not all it is,” Ivy mumbled into her hand.

“So, Ivy. Do you know anything about this? At all?” Rod inquired.

More than you think I do, Ivy mused. “Nah. That is really weird though. I think Uncle Rick is crazy,” she lied. Well, the last part was true. The x’s on her earlobes started burning, like they always do when she lies. Ivy’s hands flew up to her ears. “Aah! Ok, I get it! Stop! I was protecting the cult! I’m so sorry!” Ivy cried at the ceiling.

Adrian and Rod were just staring at Ivy.

“What the-” Adrian began.

“Ivy? Are you ok?” Rod asked his daughter.

Ivy looked back at Adrian and her dad. Shit.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” Ivy asked and acted nonchalant. She itched her left ear.

“You were screaming at the ceiling, babe.”

“I was?”

Adrian and Rod nodded, both wide-eyed.

My girlfriend’s a crazy person, Adrian thought with disgust. Ivy frowned. Well, that was a rude thing to think to someone who is listening, Ivy thought back to Adrian.

Adrian looked around, very much confused. Ivy snickered to herself. Yeah, Adrian. That was me. I can read minds and communicate through thought. Suck my balls! Who’s the crazy person now? Ivy talked in Adrian’s head with a smug tone. Ivy sighed. As much fun as this was, she had to get back to business.

She’d slipped up and accidentally mentioned something about the cult to mortals. She had to erase that memory out of their heads.

Ivy traced the X on the inside of her left wrist with her right pinky. It began to glow green. Her x’s only glowed green when she had to clean up a mess she or Hess had made with the mortals. In other words, green meant it was mind-erasing time. Ivy moved Adrian so he was standing next to Rod. She focused hard. She felt Adrian and Rod’s mind’s merging with her own.

Mortal’s minds are jut like filing cabinets. Each memory is like a file. Ivy’s eyes rolled back into her head and she began searching. Her fingers were moving in a back and forth motion, as if she really were searching through a filing cabinet. Finally, she found the memory she was looking for. It played back like a video in her mind.

Wow. They were right, I do look like a crazy person, Ivy mused to herself. She took the memories out of Adrian and Rod’s mind’s and threw them in the waste basket in hers. She clapped her hands together as if she were brushing off dust after an arduous job. Ivy re-traced the same x on her left wrist, with her thumb this time. She felt Rod and Adrian’s mind’s leave hers.

Ivy went to the pantry and grabbed the whole box of thirty-two Pop Tarts, then the bag of salt and vinegar ships off the counter, and then set both down on the kitchen island for a moment. She walked over to the toaster with an oven mitt on her hand and took out the pizza rolls. She put those on a plate, and gathered up the Pop Tarts and chips in her arms. With her foot, she managed to open up the fridge and grab an Arnold Palmer jug. The plate of pizza rolls was held tightly between Ivy’s teeth. With her snack gathered and set, Ivy skipped off to her room.