The Protection

Fifty-One

"Ah! The woman of the hour!" Beth shouted, throwing her petite hands into the air as she let go of Ben's neck. He stumbled backwards a few feet before falling onto his knees on the hot black tar parking lot pavement, ripping his navy graduation robe. Scott bellowed with laughter as Ben fell, looking much uglier than I had ever seen him before, the shadow of the building overtaking his entire face. "Thank you for finally joining us. Perry," Beth grinned with sarcastic applause. This was far worse than my most terrifying nightmare, than the vision itself. Beth and Scott? They were responsible for inflicting all of this pain? They were hurting people and torturing my body and my sanity? Why? For what disgusting purpose?

"I don't understand," I blurted out, my mouth betraying my mangled inner monologue.

"God, Beth, has she always been so stupid?" Scott laughed at his own comment, pleased with himself. "Are you sure she has any abilities at all? She seems boring and quite human to me." Beth placed a hand on his arm, a sweet gesture to anyone else, but I could sense it was her way of telling me she was in control.

"The gifts don't rely on intelligence alone. You know that, honey." She consoled, but her tone was sharp and mocking. He opened his large mouth again, but before he could speak she kissed him passionately, standing on her tiptoes shoving her tongue into his mouth. My own jaw dropped open. I thought beneath it all Beth couldn't stand Scott. She always went out of her way to put him down, ignoring his phone calls and text messages, treating him as if he were less than nothing.

I pushed past my own confusion and looked to Ben, who was still cowering on his hands and knees on the pavement, his shoulders visibly shaking. RUN I mouthed desperately, and he nodded once, sensing the immediate danger we were both in. He slowly pushed himself up into a semi-crouched position, but before he had a chance to fully stand, Beth and Scott broke apart. My eyes shifted back to meet Beth's taunting cold blue gaze and without any warning, she twisted Scott's neck with one swift movement, snapping his spinal cord with a vicious audible pop. It was like the sound the kettle corn would make during our horror movie marathons as it cooked in our small retro microwave. Scott's corpse dropped to the ground with a dull thud, and Beth smirked, dusting her hands of his death.

Ben and I were frozen in place, amazed by her strength and openly homicidal behavior. "He wasn't very smart either." She giggled as she skipped over toward Ben and shoved him harshly back down to the ground. Once she was pleased he wouldn't move again, she twirled so she could look at me again. "Are you genuinely surprised? I know you have the gift of sight, but you seriously didn't see any of this coming, did you? I guess it's true what they say: you can't see other Protectors choices, right?" She giggled again. What did she mean when she said 'other Protectors'?!

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied. Beth rolled her eyes.

"Don't play stupid with me, Perry. I have a few gifts of my own, my good 'ol Protector DNA coursing through my veins. Giving me the strength I need, the sight I need, the speed I need to keep you on your toes. I just thought you would be a more promising adversary in the end," she remarked sadly. "I knew for certain you were a Seer after I saw you save that stupid kid on the skateboard. I only wish you hadn't. I would have loved to hear the pop his arm made." I grimaced remembering how Scott's neck sounded only moments before. "My favorite though was how you knew I was coming into your room that night after the pool, so you kicked your little Protector boyfriend out of your bed. Out the window. Naughty girl, Perry Andrews." I was so stunned. Scott was dead. Beth had murdered him, yet she still claimed she was a Protector. She was using the gifts God gave her to foment evil, to encourage her own wrath. How could any of this be possible? Beth continued, "But honestly Perry, Kyler Isaacs? An elite member with solid blood lines? The Protection's poster boy? What a boring and predictable choice, even for a dolt like you." I could feel the fire building in my chest.