'You're going to stay away from me, aren't you?'
He nodded.
'Good,' I said. 'Because if you ever do come for me again, I can promise you this. Next time won't be so easy. You treat me and others with respect from now on, or I really will hurt you.'
'What are you?'
I shrugged. There was only one reply. 'I'm not you. And for your sake, that's good news. Because if I was as ugly as you are on the inside, this would have gone differently. You wouldn't be walking out of here. If I had your soul, I would have ripped you apart for every rotten, humiliating thing you’ve ever done to me. I would have torn off your limbs, severed your head. I would have made your dirt grave and thrown you in it.”
This time it was me cocking my head at him. “So, aren't you happy that I'm better than that? That I’m better than you?'
I stepped aside. 'Go see a doctor.'
He started to walk past me and as he did, I left him with an undercurrent of a threat.
'I'll see you tomorrow, Mike. Either at school or here again in the woods. Doesn’t make a difference to me. Choice is yours. I can take you down here or I can take you down there. Now, get the hell home.'
CHAPTER TEN
Before I went home, I needed to see creepy Jim. Since he didn’t work, there was a good chance he’d be home. If he wasn’t, he probably was downtown at Judy’s, likely drinking with my father. And there was no way I was going there.
But Jim was home.
He was sitting outside his trailer in a metal chair on his dirt lawn. All around him were his cats, who were rubbing up against his legs and purring. They loved him. He was kind to them. Watching him like this gave me a different view of him. Was Jim so creepy? I took a long look at his weathered, sunken face and decided that at least on the surface he was.
He looked up at me as I approached and took it all in-my face and my hair. He couldn’t see the new tooth, but I’d tell him about it.
“Couldn’t even wait an hour, huh?”
I shook my head.
“Well, if you had to do it, at least your face and your hair look better. What else did you do to yourself.”
“The tooth Dad knocked out? It’s back.”
He ran his hand up the length of one of the cat’s tails. “Probably smart about the tooth. Not sure about the rest.”
“It was stupid,” I said. “People noticed. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“They'll forget.”
“No, they won’t. I’ve had that face since puberty.”
“Maybe you’re no longer in puberty.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but I still should have been more subtle with the changes.
“Why are you out of school? They kick you out?”
“They didn’t.” I told him the story. And then I told him what had just happened with Hastings.
“You flew?”
“I kind of hovered.”
“Shit. Even I never thought of that. It’s a powerful kick, isn’t it?”
“Too powerful.” I told him about killing the flowers.
“Well, at least you didn’t knock off Hastings. That could have been a real mess. The red eyes were a nice touch, though-he won’t soon forget that. I like the leaves and the wind, too.” He reached down for the beer at his side and finished it. “Want one?”
“I’m seventeen.”
“So, what?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Jesus, you’re uptight.”
“When the world is coming after you, you think there’s an option?”
“Probably not.” He eyed me. “But already you’re different.”
“How so?”
“You’re standing up straight. Got some confidence. You don’t look like such a pussy.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s a compliment. Take it. With those pimples gone, you’re actually not a bad good looking boy. And that’s what the amulet is for-provided you don’t become one of them.”
“What does that mean?”
He lifted one of the cats into his arms. It was a fat, happy cat, probably loaded with fleas and filled with all the mice it could eat. The cat batted at creepy Jim’s nose and then it licked it. “You know what I mean. You’ve got to control that thing. You’ve got to pick your battles. Not everyone should go down just because you have the power to bring them down. You can use it for good, too, you know?”
“I’ve thought about that.”
“That’s the thing,” he said. “How you use it is up to you. Some situations call for violence and they’ll be necessary. But if you’re a thinking person-and I’m pretty sure you’re probably one of those-most situations can be dealt with without anyone getting hurt.” He scratched beneath the cat’s chin and flicked his eyes up to meet mine. “And without you turning into a bully yourself.”
“Isn’t being a bully going after someone for no reason?”
“I’d agree with that.”
“Then I wouldn’t do that. It’s not me.”
“Hope not. You’ve always been a good kid. It’s why I gave it to you-I was tired of seeing you get beat up. But people change, Seth. There’s light and darkness in that amulet. The darkness is stronger-it will come for you. And you’ll like what it does for you. You’ll get a rush out of it. You’ll feel invincible. Power is intoxicating. And that's right, power corrupts. You need to be careful with it.”
“How?”
“By not giving in to it. By controlling it. You need to decide how to use it best.” The cat jumped off his lap and another leaped up to take its place. This one was small and white, with a black mark between its eyes and dainty feet.
“What if I can’t? You know how they’ve been to me. You know what I’ve been through-at least part of it. I think I’ve taken care of Hastings, but there are dozens more like him. My biggest fear is that someone is going to jump me and my reflex will be what it’s always been. I’ll wish they were dead. And it’ll happen. How am I supposed to make sure that won’t happen?”
“Through training. Over and over in your head, you’re going to have to imagine that scenario happening and then figure out your go-to response for it. Needs to be like second nature. You’re going to have to train yourself to think of something else when that happens. And you need to start today. You’re going to have to train yourself for every situation you can think of-kids spitting on you, someone punching you when you’re not expecting it, someone calling you a name. You’re going to have to master how you behave within the element of surprise. Does that make sense?”
“I still could kill someone.”
He nudged the cat down and leaned back in his chair. He studied me. “The bitch of it all is that you probably will.”
“Then I don’t want anything to do with this.”
“Don’t be stupid-you need it.”
“I don’t need it.”
“You won’t get through this year without it.”
