Chapter 21; Mysteries
They arrived without incident. No one met them when they landed and no one tried to stop them from reaching the apartment. Riddick kept a watch and saw no one following them.
Skye greeted them.
"Alexa is here." She said quietly. "She woke up and I hired a private nurse to look after her. She’s in your old room Jack." Skye stared at the girl, noted her eyes, then reached out and touched her neck where the design was. "When did you have this done? And what did you do to your eyes?"
"It’s a long story." Riddick replied, implying he’d tell her later.
Skye nodded slowly, but she was clearly disturbed by those two things. "Okay."
"How is she?" Jack asked, sitting on the arm of one chair.
"As well as can be expected. I should warn you before you see her that...she’s not herself. I’ve seen rape victims before and people who’ve witnessed violent crimes against loved ones, but this...this is different."
"How?"
"Hard to explain. You should visit her, Jack. She’s been asking for you."
Jack got up from the chair arm. "I’ll go in now."
As soon as she had gone, Skye leaned forward. "What happened to her, Riddick?"
He took a deep breath and began to explain.
"Alexa?"
She was motionless on the bed, staring at the wall.
"Alexa."
Jack glanced down the hall at the front room, where Riddick was talking with Skye, then stepped into her old room and moved to the bed. After several long moments, Alexa looked up at her, eyes oddly blank. Jack saw the bruises on her friends face were turning yellowish. Alexa looked her over, down and up, and looked away.
"I don’t know you."
"Alexa, it’s Jack."
The girl’s eyes raised again and she smiled, a gesture that looked ghastly because of the healing bruises and cuts. "You’re not Jack. I know Jack."
Jack realized Alexa’s eyes were on her neck. "Are you feeling any better?"
"The body heals eventually. So too will my mind. But you’re not Jack and I know it; so don’t try to convince me otherwise." Alexa sat up, cradling her broken wrist to her chest. "Did I mention her?"
"Who?"
"The woman."
"What woman?"
"The beautiful one. She’s got blond hair and red lips...not lipstick; it’s natural. Her...her eyes are white. No irises. She’s not very nice. I think she’s crazy...and a little bit dangerous."
"How do you know her?"
"I’ve never met her silly. But you will." She laid and rolled onto her side. "I’m glad Jack’s safe."
"Alexa, I’m Jack."
"Don’t be silly; it gives me a headache. Jack is safe with that man Rick. Jack is safe. She is."
A chill swept Jack. Alexa’s eyes remained unfocused, her voice turning sing-song.
"Jack is safe. Jack is safe. Jack is safe."
Jack backed from the room which had suddenly turned icy cold and returned to the living room. Going straight to Riddick, she climbed onto his lap and into his embrace.
Skye nodded. "I see you’ve met the new Alexa."
Jack remained chilled.
Revelations; 22
Skye watched Jack and Riddick curiously. The change in their relationship
was obvious, just in the way his hand stroked her back to calm her. Jack's
face was buried in the curve of his shoulder, her arm about his neck as
she tried not to sob. Riddick's large hand slid along the young woman's
back with the gentle, sure touch of a lover, his lips murmuring words Skye
was sure she didn't want to overhear, so she looked to the window.
Imam would be returning soon and wouldn't be pleased with Jack's new relationship with Riddick. It wasn't that he didn't like Riddick; that wasn't going to be the problem. The problem was that he believed sex should happen within the sanctity of marriage and Riddick had laughed at that suggestion.
Skye sighed.
Hopefully, Imam wouldn't notice the mark about Jack's neck, and if he did, perhaps he'd think it was only a tattoo. She'd had her suspicions upon seeing it when Jack had walked in and Riddick's explanation had confirmed those suspicions. Jack was changing. She was still changing. She was marked by an Ancient. Riddick was also marked, although he didn't seem to realize it. Everything she'd read about him had confirmed that he had, at some point between birth and leaving the Slam, been marked and now, Jack was too.
Shit.
Ancients.
Of all the fucking things to get involved with....
She didn't know much about them, no one did. They were a race of people feared and sometimes even revered by the superstitious. They had powers that were sometimes beyond the comprehension of humans. And no one marked by them was ever really human again.
Skye's hands began to shake and she clasped them together tightly, eyes returning to the couple in the chair. Riddick was gazing at her, eyes silvery in the shadows, his expression puzzled. His hand slid under Jack's arm, rested against the side of her breast, but he didn't seem to notice.
Although Jack sat up with a sniffle, she remained curled on Riddick's lap, her right arm about his shoulders, fingers of her left hand twined with those of his right. "Will she get better?"
Skye opened her mouth, the sound of a door sliding open stopping her from speaking.
Alexa came from the bedroom, moving towards the living room with the shuffling gate of someone in physical pain. Riddick flinched at the sound of her footsteps. He knew what pain that bad felt like.
The young woman stopped upon seeing Jack, her eyes lighting up with pleasure. "Jack? When did you get here? Why didn't you wake me?"
Jack turned stunned eyes to Skye, who shrugged carefully.
"You were sleeping. We decided you needed rest more than conversation."
Alexa seemed to accept that, her eyes moving from Jack onto Riddick. Unlike the first time she'd seen him, there was no hint of fear in her. "You're Rick, right?"
"Yes."
"You remind me of my brother Marc."
For a second, he wondered how to respond, then settled for a simple, "Thank you."
Jack got up and walked awkwardly to Alexa. She tried not to let her confusion show. There was no fear scent to Alexa, only the tang of sorrow, and the girl she'd spoken to not half an hour before was gone. Alexa hugged her, not as warmly as she would have before the attack, yet still far warmer than Jack had expected. They retreated back into Jack's old room, Alexa making no mention of Jack's eyes or the markings on her neck, almost as though she didn't notice them.
Slowly, Riddick got up from his chair and went into the kitchen. He helped himself to a glass of orange juice, drank half the glass without really tasting it. Skye followed him and poured more juice into his glass when he held it out. "She used to be afraid of me."
"Yes."
"Now she isn't."
"I know."
"Explain it. How can she go from being deathly afraid of me to greeting me calmly? Is that man such a monster?"
"Yes, he is. You didn't see what was done to them, Riddick. I did."
He stared at her for a long moment. "You found them."
"Dena had asked me to bring over Tag's birthday gift. She'd left it with me earlier in the week so he wouldn't see it; told me to let myself in. I did. If I'd been any earler, Riddick, I would have been killed too."
"You do know I've killed probably just as brutally as he did?"
Skye nodded. "But there is a difference between you and him, Riddick. You were made into a killer by necessity." She crossed her arms. "I believe he was born one."
He drained his glass and set it aside. "Why do you believe that? How do you know I wasn't born a killer? What makes you so certain that I won't sway Jack over; make her a killer too?"
"A man who can comfort a young woman who's afraid of the dark and coax her into sleeping in a darkened room....a man who returns after five years as he promised....you're not evil, Riddick. Menacing, yes. Intimidating, frighteningly intelligent and animalistic, yes. But not evil. You weren't born a killer, Riddick. You were shaped into one by circumstances. You did what you had to in order to survive."
"Evil isn't logical Skye."
"He worked on them for hours, Riddick. He took his time. Every cut on them was deliberately placed. Did I tell you their tongues were cut out? That was done first, after he'd tied up Alexa, that is. They could only scream."
He didn't say anything. What could he say? He'd been quick about his kills, never lingering or making the victim suffer much...except for Johns. He'd watched Johns die with pleasure.
Skye set the pitcher on the counter and left the room.