Necromancer Legacy - 9. Little fox came out to play

It was Friday night.

Nick was getting ready to go out. He just needed to be around people, to feel normal, to see his friends.

“They’re having a special electronic music night at Laid-Back. I’m not missing that,” Nick told Shane.

Nick was looking in the tall mirror behind his bedroom door. He wore gray skinny jeans with rips in them—stylish ones—and a black vest. With nothing under the vest. Shane was keeping him company, for some reason.

Music blasted from Nick’s laptop speakers and filled the apartment; Deadmau5. Good stuff. Electro-trance or something. Nick didn’t care too much about nomenclature; as long as the music made his body itch to move and dance, that was good enough for him.

“Can I come?” Shane asked.

“It’s a gay bar you won’t like it.”

Nick raked a hand through his long-ish black hair, before stepping away from the mirror. He stalked to his dresser and added a black and silver spiked belt to his outfit. And then calf-high Gothic boots. Because why not.

“But I want to come with you,” Shane insisted.

“Is the internet down again?”

“No.”

After tucking his jeans inside his boots, Nick went to shut down his laptop.

“You’re acting weird,” he told Shane.

In fact, Shane had been acting strange for a little while now. He was clingier. He was always fussing about Nick. To be fair, Shane had died and come back to life very recently—even though Shane didn’t remember—so Nick supposed there could be side effects to that.

“Am I? Sorry.”

Shane looked all disappointed and miserable now.

“Hey, I can’t stop you if you really want to come,” Nick said.

“Awesome! Drinks on me, okay?” He beamed.

“I have two jobs and you don’t even have one. Why would you pay for my drinks?”

“Because I want to!”

Shane sprinted to his bedroom and Nick heard rummaging around; Shane was choosing an outfit.

Nick was bored while waiting for him. Until an idea popped into his head.

And once it was there, he couldn’t ignore it.

So Nick grabbed his phone, skimmed through his contacts list, and called Sasha.

“Hey, Nick,” he answered in a careful voice, “what’s up?”

“You wanna go out tonight?”

“Tonight? Where?”

“Laid-Back.”

“Where’s that?”

Nick smiled, leaning against the wall, his eyes lidded. “You know. First time we met, little fox. Ring any bells? The music’s gonna be great tonight.”

“Why do you want me to come?”

“Does it matter? What I want to know, Sasha, is if you want to come.”

“You sound different. Did something happen?”

“Maybe.”

“Did you… use your powers?”

“Maybe.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

Nick tilted his head. He was getting a little impatient. “Do you want to come, or not?”

“I can’t go out tonight. I’m working really early tomorrow morning.”

“Oh come on. Live a little.”

“I really can’t.”

“Fine.”

“Okay, then, have fun.”

“I will. Maybe I’ll find someone else to make out with.”

Silence.

Then: “Wow.”

“What’s wrong?” Nick asked.

“I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

“You can still change your mind, you know.”

“I don’t want to go to that stupid club.”

“All right. I’m not forcing you. Enjoy your night.”

Sasha said nothing. But he didn’t hang up.

Shane walked inside Nick’s bedroom then. An old school Nintendo controller belt buckle accessorized his simple jeans and t-shirt. “Okay, I’m ready! Who’re you talking to?”

“Sasha,” Nick said. “He doesn’t want to come with us tonight.”

“Boo!”

In the phone, Sasha said, “I thought Shane was straight.”

“Straight people can go to gay clubs if they want to, you know,” Nick explained. “They don’t ask you for your gay membership card at the door.”

“You’re kind of a dick, you know that?”

“Why are you still on the phone then?”

Silence again. Then Sasha hung up.

“Oh well, who cares about him anyway,” Nick said.

***

Everyone was there. Bartender Jay, Julian with his fire-truck-red-dyed hair and piercings, and even Roxy. She wore a tiny black skirt and a studded tank top, showing off the tattoos covering her legs and arms. Roxy and Shane were standing at the bar together while they waited for Jay to make their drinks.

“How do you get your hair like that?” Shane asked her.

“Manic Panic shocking blue,” she said.

Nick was bored. They had been here a while and his friends didn’t want to dance yet. Julian wanted to keep Jay company. Apparently Roxy and Shane were keeping each other company. This was lame. The music was good, at least. But what was the point if they weren’t even dancing?

He just stood next to his friends, sipping his drink. At least Jay’s cocktails were amazing, as always. He always put extra liquor for Nick, said it was a little special just for him—but he probably said that to everyone.

Suddenly Nick spotted someone very familiar in the crowd, gracefully snaking his way toward him. A skinny someone with shiny long blonde hair.

“Cyan? What are you doing here? Wait, am I going to look like a crazy person for talking to myself?” Nick narrowed his eyes.

But the reaper shook his head, smiling. He spread his arms. “Fret not. Everyone can see me.”

“Lucky them,” Nick replied.

Cyan smiled. “I know, right?”

Nick cringed; Cyan’s inability to understand sarcasm was really getting on his nerves.

Tonight, instead of the all-black reaper gear, Cyan wore tight waxed jeans with unnecessary zips, and an open neck ivory white shirt that looked like cashmere. And furry black rave boots. Seriously.

“Where the hell have you been, anyway?” Nick hissed, leaning in so no one else would hear them. “Why’d you just leave like that? Shane’s been acting super weird.”

Nick glanced to the side. Shane was still chatting with Roxy. Nick didn’t know if they were still talking about her blue hair, or if they had moved on to another topic.

“Oh, that,” Cyan waved it off, “that’s just the necromancer bond. I’ve heard about it. It’ll fade.”

Cyan snatched Nick’s drink and started to gulp it down. Nick barely even noticed. He was remembering something.

“Liv’s brothers,” Nick said, searching Cyan’s pale blue eyes, “she called them her lackeys. They just obeyed her. They did whatever she wanted. They were like zombies, or something. I don’t want Shane to be like that.”

Cyan shook his head. “Stop panicking. He won’t be like that. You’re obviously a better person than Olivia; you won’t brainwash your friend the way she brainwashed her brothers.” Cyan leaned closer like he wanted to tell him a secret. “You know what I heard? They’re not even her brothers. She just pretends they are. She’s completely nuts, that girl.”

“Is she going to attack me again?”

Before Cyan could answer, Nick’s friends came over.

“We’re going dancing,” said Shane.

For a moment, Nick worried that Shane would freak out at seeing Cyan here. But Shane had no reaction whatsoever; it seemed he really didn’t remember anything about his brief encounter with death.

Roxy stepped closer to Cyan, and glanced at Nick. “Are you going to introduce us to your friend?”

He’s not my friend! He’s dead. He shouldn’t even be here! Nick wanted to shout to her. But he held it back.

“Cyan, this is Roxy, Julian and Shane. Guys, this is Cyan.” Nick wasn’t really good with introductions.

“I like your boots,” Roxy told him.

Cyan beamed. “Thank you! I like your hair.”

“And I love your accent,” Roxy added.

Nick noticed that Cyan’s nail polish matched Roxy’s hair. Cyan also had thick eyeliner of the same vibrant, dark blue shade.

“So what do you identify as?” Roxy asked Cyan.

Cyan looked confused, so Nick answered for him. “Genderqueer,” he said.

“Cool,” Roxy said, nodding.

Cyan glanced at Nick questioningly. Nick just smiled.

“Let’s go dancing,” Julian urged them.

The five of them cut across the energetic, noisy crowd. The artificial fog blurred the black-and-red-themed décor of the club and the fake brick walls. Multicolored flashing lights shone upon the dancers as Julian chose a spot not too far from the DJ booth; the electronic music was entrancing and fast-paced, and it rang deep inside, making Nick’s heart beat in sync to the rhythm. It was almost too loud for comfort and Nick felt feverish and stimulated. The night was young.

Shane bounced around excitedly; Shane had a weird definition of dancing. Roxy and Julian were finishing their drinks, smiling, and Cyan—

Right. Cyan was here. That kind of ruined everything, reminding Nick that his life was not, in fact, normal. Instead he had a Reaper-stalker.

“Nicky?” Cyan shouted the annoying nickname to be heard over the music.

“What.”

“Look.”

Nick looked where Cyan was pointing; toward the back of the club, and the door giving to the ‘staff only’ section. Someone had just walked in through there—and he wasn’t a staff member, unless they were hiring seventeen year olds now—hands in his pockets, looking all nervous, glancing from side to side like he was afraid he was going to get caught.

“Little fox is here,” Cyan said.

Sasha wore black converse sneakers with slim faded blue jeans and a dark orange t-shirt—the color was reminiscent of a red fox’s fur.

Nick and Sasha made eye contact across the dance floor, but Sasha quickly glanced away and he didn’t move from his spot next to the back door. Nick rolled his eyes.

“I’ll be right back,” Nick told his friends.

Elbowing his way past tight groups of dancers, Nick made it to the other section of the dance floor. Some intoxicated guy—Nick assumed the guy was drunk, from his obvious lack of coordination and the way he was spilling his drink all over the place—bumped into Nick and almost made him lose his balance. But Nick caught himself.

“I’m so sorry!” Drunk guy shouted directly in Nick’s ear, and unnecessarily loudly, too.

“It’s fine.”

“I like your eyebrow piercing!” Drunk guy wasn’t too bad looking, with his hipster glasses and stylish haircut, but he slurred his words quite inelegantly and Nick wasn’t into that right now.

“Thanks.” Nick’s eyes raked the crowd, trying to locate Sasha again.

“I don’t normally like piercings, but yours really suit you.” He spilled some of his drink as he talked, and Nick stepped away so he wouldn’t get the unidentified alcoholic beverage all over his outfit.

But drunk guy moved closer, as if he wanted to make really sure Nick could smell his breath.

“Hey,” Nick said, “I’m sorry, but I was trying to find someone—”

“I’m here,” a familiar raspy voice said from behind.

An arm circled Nick’s waist. Thin but strong. Warm and perfect. Nick glanced to the side, seeing the almond-shaped green eyes, the slightly upturned nose, the handsome smile.

Drunk guy said, “Oh.” And he shrugged and left.

Sasha immediately removed his arm from around Nick’s waist, like Nick had just told him he’d rubbed poison ivy all over his vest earlier.

“Thanks for that,” Nick said nonetheless.

“Yeah.”

“So, you came.”

“I just came to return your friend’s clothes,” Sasha said very quickly, like he’d rehearsed it or something.

“Did you sneak in again?” Nick asked. “Did you transform into a fox?”

Sasha flinched. “Gee Nick, do you think you could say that any louder?”

Nick glanced around, but he only saw dancers dancing, drinkers drinking, and couples partaking in public displays of affection.

“Come on, no one’s listening,” said Nick.

“It’s a moonless night tonight,” Sasha hissed, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. “I can’t transform, obviously.”

“I’m sorry,” Nick replied, “I never took studies of were-creatures in high school.”

Sasha ignored that. “I don’t need to be a fox to sneak in.”

“Uh-huh. So you just came to return Jay’s clothes.”

“Yes. I put them back in his locker.”

“But you’re still here.”

Sasha tucked pale strands of hair behind his ear. “Well, you know, I figured, I could maybe stay a bit, see what the fuss was all about.”

“And?”

“The music’s nice,” he said evasively, “but I’m not drunk enough to dance, so…”

“You want to make that happen?”

Without waiting for his answer, Nick led the way to the bar counter. He spotted Jay, leaned over, and asked him for two Starstruck drinks. Extra vodka. Jay smiled and nodded, dragging up the strawberry juice from under the counter.

After paying Nick grabbed the two red drinks, turned around, and offered one to Sasha.

“Cheers,” Nick said as Sasha accepted it.

Sasha looked nervous, but he brought the glass to his lips, closed his eyes and took a few sips. Nick smiled and did the same. Taking Sasha’s arm softly, he moved aside so that other people could go up to the bar and order.

“This is really good,” Sasha said, looking down at his drink. “It’s strong, though.”

Good, Nick thought.

“Sorry. I hope it’s not too strong for you?”

Sasha straightened up. “Course not. I can handle it.”

Nick bit back a smile. “Do you want to go dancing with my friends?”

“Sure, whatever.”

They went around the crowd so they wouldn’t spill their drinks, walking along the fake brick wall. Nick glanced up at the DJ booth. The DJ was clicking something on his laptop once in a while, or touching a knob here and there, but mostly he was bobbing his head to the beat and doing nothing.

Nick found his friends.

“This is Roxy,” he told Sasha, “tattoo artist extraordinaire. I think you already know the others. Roxy this is my friend Sasha.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Roxy said to Sasha. Then she turned to Nick and smiled. “Bringing a lot of attractive friends tonight, are we?”

Julian stepped in. “They’re all gay you silly woman.”

Shane put a hand up.” I’m not! I’m not gay.”

And Cyan said, “I’m not gay; I’m just British.”

That made Roxy laugh.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Nick that Sasha wasn’t saying anything. Sasha just drank more of his strawberry-vodka cocktail like he wanted to hide behind it.

Everyone just resumed dancing; dancing was easier than talking in the club. It didn’t require shouting into each other’s already sensitive ear drums.

Sasha wasn’t dancing, though. He leaned in to say something to Nick.

“Why is the reaper here?”

“Man, I don’t know. Probably thinks he’s my friend or something,” Nick replied.

Sasha leaned even closer. “Did you use your powers?”

Nick looked up and their eyes met. “I had no choice.”

“What happened?”

Nick glanced at Shane. Then he closed his eyes as he drank some more of that red cocktail.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nick said.

“Are you okay, though?”

“I’m okay,” Nick insisted. Then: “Are you?”

Sasha nodded. “I’ve been trying to forget about the whole thing. I made a new friend, so that helps.”

“New friend?”

Sasha looked uneasy. “Hazel. The girl from the coffee shop.”

Nick’s stomach did an unpleasant lurch.

“Oh. That’s great.”

“It’s not what you think,” Sasha said very quickly. “She’s a werewolf. You’ve got to keep this a secret, okay? But yeah. She said she sensed I was different too, and she wanted to be friends.”

“She sensed it?” Nick arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah. It’s totally possible. Some supernatural creatures are more intuitive than others.”

“If you say so.”

There was a silence between them. Nick tried to focus on the electronic music, and he glanced at the beautiful crowd shrouded in artificial fog and flashing lights. He saw that Cyan and Roxy were dancing together. Cyan looked ridiculous with his furry rave boots, but Roxy seemed to be into that.

Nick sipped his drink.

Sasha nudged him. “Hey, how was lunch with Liv?”

Nick laughed.

“Oh, right, um, we didn’t have lunch. Just wine. Also, she’s a demon. She was never interested in my writing; just to kill me. It was a shame. I dressed all hipstery and artsy for nothing. I even wore a scarf.”

Sasha’s eyes went wide. “A demon? Nick, if you’re in trouble, you know you can tell me, or Gabriel, and—”

“No. I don’t want you guys to worry about me. Forget about it.”

Sasha looked like he was itching to say something else. But he didn’t.

Nick finished his drink. Glancing to the side, he saw that Sasha had finished his, too. Everyone else was having fun; everyone else was dancing. Sasha and Nick were oddly immobile in this continuously rippling sea of bodies.

“Do you want to do shots?” Sasha asked him.