Forever and Always Read online

  “Is it?”

  “What are you talking about? You don’t think so? Has everyone gone crazy?”

  “Josiah, when I think about you, I don't really see you for you. I see you as this guy who is super human.”

  “That is so unfair to me!”

  “How can I not see you for that? You do things and behave in a way that is beyond my comprehension.”

  “I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t ask for any of it. But I can’t change it now that it’s here. You were the one thing that kept me grounded. You are the one thing that has made all of this worth it. This isn’t fair.”

  “Why do you keep saying that?”

  “Because I see you for who you are. I see you for all that I believe you'll become. I love that about you, and I can't believe all you have felt for me these past few months is superficial bullshit.”

  Lena stood up and walked over to me. “It's more than that, Josiah, because I do see you, too. I see this thing that you have become. You're not mine to have. The reason why you are the ‘Chosen One’ is not so you can love me. The reason why you have been handpicked to do great things is because of what's inside of you. And I don't want to interfere with that.”

  What the hell? Did Goshi talk to her?

  Then it dawned on me what was happening. She was breaking up with me. I felt all the air come out of me. I sat on the bed. “So what are you saying, Lena?”

  “I'm saying that I love you. I love you so much, that I know I can't keep you for myself.”

  I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. I pleaded with her. “Please, don't do it, Lena. I don't care. I don't want any of this if I can't have you!”

  “Josiah, we need to slow this down. This thing that's between us needs to come to a halt. We need to re-evaluate what we’re doing.”

  And that is where my brain stopped. That is where my fight of fight went into overdrive. There was no fucking way I was going to hear anymore of this.

  I choose flight.

  I got up off the bed and went to the living room. I paced around the house and I felt as if my heart was going to come out of my chest. FUCKING TOMMY! You took the one thing in this world that meant the most to me!

  I opened the door and it was sunnier than hell. I didn’t care, I was going to find myself a werewolf, and he was going to have to pay for his transgressions. I transitioned into the great white eagle and flew into the southern California sky.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I flew as high as I could. I don't care anymore; this entire thing is so fucked up. How did this happen? The only reason I left was to be able to help all of us. Not to be betrayed and deceived by people I loved the most. I flew high in the sky, almost to the point where I was having a hard time breathing in the atmosphere, but I didn't care. I kept going higher and higher. I just didn't care anymore. I wanted to go far away from here and forget about all of this. I was so angry at Tommy, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted him to pay. I didn’t like feeling this way. I didn’t like wanting vengeance, but that was what I was left with. He crossed the line!

  But trying to find a werewolf roaming the earth in a place as populated as southern California would be like finding a needle in a haystack. One thing I did know for sure; he wasn’t this high up in the sky. I decided I was done flying to the moon and I’d better return to earth.

  I was going to find Tommy. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with him. I wanted to shake and smack him around and ask him why he would do this to me. I would have never crossed that line, no matter what I had felt. That was all there was to it.

  If Tommy was currently transitioned into the werewolf, he could hear my voice if I spoke to him. So that was exactly what I tried to do. “Tommy, where are you?” I said in my mind.

  I listened in my head and heard nothing back. I began flying to the earth and gliding across the Pacific Ocean. “Tommy,” I thought again, “Are you there? Can you hear me?”

  “I can hear you.”

  I heard a voice! “Tommy, where are you?”

  “I'm over here. Keep going straight.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Over here, Josiah.” Now the voice didn't sound like Tommy. A matter of fact it, didn't sound like a man's voice at all.

  “Lead me to you?” I replied.

  “Come and find me.”

  That time, the voice was clear as day, and it wasn't Tommy's voice. It was definitely a woman's voice. Now, I was completely confused. “Where are you?” I asked.

  “Keep coming up the coast towards the land,” the voice said.

  “Can you see me?” I asked.

  “Yes, and you’re beautiful.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Come and find me.”

  “How can I? All I see is ocean.”

  “Keep going north! You’re going to run into the Long Beach pier. I'll meet you on the pier at Seventh Street.”

  Who was this?

  I recognized the voice. I couldn't think who it could be. I looked ahead and now I could see land ahead of me. I was approaching the Long Beach pier. “Where are you?” I asked again.

  “I'm over here on the pier. Can't you see me?”

  I was looking for a woman and there wasn’t one anywhere. “No, I can't see you.”

  “Look to the north of the pier, Josiah.”

  Whoever it was, knew my name. I looked to the north end of the pier and there she was. I was looking for the wrong species. There at the end of the pier was the most gorgeous white hawk I had ever laid my eyes on. She was the one from my vision and was absolutely spectacular.

  “There you are!” I said flying towards her.

  “Yes, and there you are, Jo-Jo.”

  Jo-Jo? Only one person had ever called me Jo-Jo and that was Helen from the plane.

  “Helen?” I asked.

  “Who else would it be?” she laughed.

  “I should have known.”

  “Follow me.” Helen flew up in the air.

  “Follow you? How can I trust you? The last time I trusted you I had to fight for my life.”

  “I promise to play nice this time. Follow me, Josiah, unless you’re scared of little old me.” She darted across the sky and flew along the coast.

  I guess I better follow her. If it’s a trap I know I can handle myself. I flew close behind and we passed Parkers Lighthouse and other Long Beach hot spots and made our way to the Long Beach Aquarium. The Long Beach Aquarium was a giant blue building that was Long beach’s sad attempt at a nautical Disneyland. I had gone there when I was a kid and all I remembered was looking at a ton of fish.

  She circled the aquarium as I caught up to her.

  “I know of a back entrance where we can enter safely,” she said. “Once inside, we can transition. There are hallways inside the aquariums where no outside light can get in.”

  Helen led me to the back of the Aquarium. There was an open window right above the south exit. It was quite large and Helen flew through it. She seemed to be okay, so I followed.

  As I entered the window, I immediately transition into my vampire form so I wouldn't crash into the wall and crack a wing. Helen had the same idea. She had transitioned into her beautiful, blonde Mani form.

  “Hurry,” she said. “Let’s get out of the light!” She took my hand and led me to an inside area where all four walls were covered in aquariums filled with the most amazing, beautiful fish.

  She let go of my hand and we stood in front of an aquarium that was filled with Pearlscale goldfish. They looked like mini 50/50 bars with their white and orange scales. Helen stood in front of the fish tank and smiled at me. She looked incredible. She was wearing a white, summer dress and her legs looked phenomenal. But, I didn’t need to not worry about her appearance. That wasn’t important at the present moment. I needed to know who she was. Our last meeting wasn’t exactly copasetic.

  “What's this all about?” I asked.

  “Hello to you too,” she said.

 
“I’m sorry if I’m not on my best behavior. The last time I saw you, you weren’t exactly forthcoming.”

  “I know. I am very sorry about that,” she said, with as much sincerity as a mercenary.

  “Yeah, it sounds like it’s been keeping you up at night.”

  “You have it all wrong, Josiah. I’m one of the good guys.”

  I laughed out loud. “That’s why you went completely out of your way to set me up?”

  “I didn’t set you up in the way you think. I never intended to hurt you.”

  “You never intended to hurt me? You weren’t exactly there during the fight. Oh, wait… yes, you were. You held back and watched from a distance and took off once I kicked the crap out of your friends.”

  “You did a wonderful job, Josiah. You are exactly as advertised. As a matter of fact, you’re a lot cuter than I thought you’d be.”

  “Sorry that I’m not flattered that you paid me a compliment.”

  She reached her hand out and took mine. “I’ve missed you, Josiah. You came in and out of my life like a feather in the wind.”

  “I wonder why. You didn’t exactly stick around.”

  “That wasn't my fault; I did have a party to get to.”

  “There really was a party?” I asked.

  “What? Did you think I lied about everything?”

  “Yes I did. That’s exactly what I thought. I thought that you lied about everything! You’re lucky that I don't know anything about current events and I couldn’t pick the Duchess of Windsor out of a lineup to save my life.”

  “You’re so cute, Jo-Jo,” she then pinched my cheeks. “We did our homework on you.”

  “We? Who is ‘we’?” I asked.

  “I didn’t lie about Mario Moses.”

  “Gross, really? That guy is more than 30 years older than you.”

  “Well, it’s not that gross because I didn’t exactly date him. He is my father.”

  “Seriously? You’re his daughter? Why didn’t you tell me who you really were?”

  “Because what if my guys had killed you? It would have been messy.”

  “And you didn’t care about throwing the Duchess of Windsor under the bus?”

  “Remember, she did date my dad. And she is, to put it mildly… a bitch.”

  “What’s your real name?”

  “Sonia.”

  “Sonia? That’s why a couple of those paparazzi guy’s yelled Sonia at the airport?”

  “I know, those idiots almost blew my cover.”

  “Why did you do all of this? Why did you sic Mani on me like a pack of dogs?”

  “They weren't going to hurt you too bad.”

  “You were okay if they killed me. You said so yourself.”

  “But they didn’t even leave a scratch on you. You're a pretty tough customer. They were my best guys and you disposed of them like they were infants.”

  “No offense, but I'm not in the business of impressing billionaire’s daughters.” I turned around and made sure no one was listening. “Who the hell are you, and why have you come for me?”

  “Wow, you're not the sweet Josiah I met on the airplane.”

  “Spare me, Sonia. I’ve had a real bad day.”

  “I'm sorry to hear that.”

  “Please, just get to the point. Who are you? What are you? Are you Mani?

  “Of course I am,” Sonia smiled at me. “Josiah, I am you.”

  “Huh?”

  “I am the female equivalent of you.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Josiah, my path has been very similar to yours. Except that I have been in this form for ten years waiting for you. I heard through the grapevine that the supposed prophetic vampire had evolved. So with the help of my connections, I've been tracking you for the past few months.”

  “If you had been scouting me then you would know that I had taken care of anyone and anything in my path. There would be no reason to waste your best guys on me.”

  “Up till that night, it had only been reports. I needed to see it for myself. I wanted to see if you were the real deal.”

  “Okay you saw it and then you left. You didn’t even stick around to explain yourself.”

  “What was I supposed to say to you? I knew you needed time, so you wouldn’t hate me. I was told it was a good time to come and find you.”

  “How would you know that?”

  “Again, money talks.”

  Someone I know must be reporting to her. I didn’t bother asking her who it was because I knew she wouldn’t tell me. “So, you came to rescue me from myself? How very noble of you.”

  “I'm here to stop you from doing something stupid. I'm here to get you back on track. Love is a funny thing and none of us can fight it. But vengeance is ugly and has no place in a person's life that has your kind of calling. Your friend was only following his heart. He might have gone about it the wrong way, but he didn't intend to hurt you.”

  “You really know everything, don’t you?”

  “Someday, you will too. You and I are very powerful.”

  “So what does all this mean?”

  “That's the fun part, none of us know. We're given visions and we act on them. That's how I was led to you. Because I'm richer than the pope, I have more resources in the human realm. But in the Mani realm, you and I are equals.

  “Equals?”

  “Well, you might be a tad stronger.”

  “But you can do everything I can do?”

  “Yep. Probably better because I’ve been doing it longer.”

  I grinned and we found a bench and sat down and continued talking. She gave me insight on what to expect from my gifts. She explained to me I needed to take time and let things evolve and not rush into things. To not let my impulses take control. She was very wise and I took everything she said to heart.

  We eventually parted ways and I wasn’t quite sure why she showed up on this day, but I knew someone or something was watching over me. Maybe it was to stop me from doing something stupid. Maybe, it was just to slow me down so I could rethink my next steps. One thing that was for sure; my Mani life just gets more and more interesting.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After meeting with Sonia I was able to put things in perspective. I decided to fly back up the San Bernardino Mountains and this time I went to Tommy's cabin. I flew into Running Springs and spotted his cabin from the sky. I flew down and landed in his front yard. When the coast was clear, I transitioned from eagle to man.

  Tommy’s entire property still looked thrashed from the night Tommy and I defended ourselves against the sea of werewolves. That was some night. We sure worked well together. Tommy and I were a well-oiled machine. Taking on seven werewolves was not an easy task, but we sure made it look that way.

  I didn’t bother knocking because I was certain no one was home. I didn’t think Tommy would come back here so soon and even if he did I wouldn’t mind running into him. The door was unlocked, so I opened it and went in. I walked around the cabin and made sure I was alone and didn’t have any unexpected visitors. I wasn’t sure what I’d find scouring the place. For all I knew, a family of raccoons could have taken up residency since that night.

  When all was clear, I decided to go downstairs and walk inside the cage room where I trained Tommy. I walked into the room and stared at the cage. I thought about every detail of the weekend. That was a remarkable three days. We had no idea what we were doing, but somehow, we managed to change the Carni game forever.

  I thought about my friend and all we had been through together. Ever since that first day I’d first met him in that alley there had never been a dull moment with that guy. I loved him like family and I knew deep in my heart I needed to forgive him.

  I care for him and that is why this hurts so deeply. I stepped inside Tommy’s werewolf cage and closed the door. If there was ever a physical symbol to how a man felt, I was a living example of it at this very moment.

  My heart ached as I sat in the
cage. I laid completely on my back and closed my eyes. And then it happened, for the first time since I had become a Mani.

  I cried.

  Even when Goliath kicked the crap out of me I didn't cry. But on this evening, in the middle of summer, in the year 2011, I cried my eyes out.

  * * *

  .

  I had forgotten how good it felt to cry. It's been years since I’d given myself permission to let my anguish out.

  I cried the night my parents and sister died. I cried all night, and I remember thinking that morning that I was done crying, and I would cry no more. Little did I know at the time that I would fall in love with a woman, and the same person who was there for me on that night, would be the same person to cause me so much pain years later.

  I walked outside to get some fresh air. It was now dark so I stayed in my Mani form. I looked up at the stars and took a giant, deep breath. I felt at peace for the first time since I’d been back. It didn’t last for long.

  “Josiah! It’s Tommy! Can you hear me?” Tommy was speaking to me through my mind. “Josiah, help! I'm surrounded by Mani.” He must have been in his werewolf form because I could hear him.

  “Where are you?” I asked.

  “Griffith Park!”

  Shit, that is in downtown Los Angeles. That's at least fifteen minutes away even if I get there at super-speed.

  “I'm coming!” I said. “Try to hold them off as long as you can.”

  I transitioned and jetted across the sky. I accelerated at a speed I didn’t even realize I was capable of. I truly felt I was faster than a speeding bullet. I got to Griffith Park in a matter of minutes.

  I flew down and right into the middle of the park, just east of the Observatory.

  Shit! Tommy was surrounded by Krull and his minions.

  “Tommy, I'm here!” I said, in my mind so Tommy could hear me.

  “I’m exhausted.” Tommy answered. “They are taking me to town. I'm fighting them off, but I'm injured pretty badly.”

  There weren't nearly as many as there were a month back when I fought Krull. In fact, it was just a fraction of the mass herd that was there that night. There were twelve of them, counting Krull. They had surrounded Tommy and seemed to just be messing with him. Almost as if they were counting on him to contact me. Krull was in full Samurai garb. He looked scary as hell; I swear to God this guy used to be Genghis Kahn.