Free Drawing Bloodlines by Steve Bevil

snapped N athan. He paused to glare at him. “But yes, the Fallen Ones — plural.”
    With a suspicious smirk, Malick glared at Nathan and then pursed his lips. “But how do you know?” he interrup ted, before Nathan could continue. “I mean — it’s not like you’ve actually met a Fallen One.”
    “Umm, have you forgotten about my wonderful run in with Lucas?” said Nathan, pointing at the faint scar on his for ehead. “In my dream, there was Lucas and Lauren and they were sitting on the steps to the memorial plaza at Grimm Cemetery….”
    “Over there?” asked Jonathan, sounding alarmed as he pointed in th e direction of Grimm Cemetery.
    “Yes,” said Nathan, but then he paused. “But in the Space-In-Between.”
    A look of relief washed over Jonathan’s face. “It has to be strange for Jonas,” he said, continuing to look in the d irection of the cemetery.
    “Umm — Jonas, how come?” as ked Nathan, sounding confused.
    Jonathan’s eyes were bright and he seemed surprised. “Because his father’s body was found not too far from here — along Route 7,” he said. “It has to be weird for Leah too.” Nathan and Jonathan both drew quiet and began to peruse the faces in the crowd. “Having a concert in the same vicin ity they found your roommate’s body has to feel weird.”
    “Well, I think everyone is doing the best they can to try to move on,” said Nathan.
    “But how do you know it was in the Space-In-Between?” interrupted Malick.
    Nathan gave Malick a cold stare. “Because besides them, everything else was washed in gray — or bla ck and white!” Nathan snapped.
    “Oh,” said Malick.
    “Anyway,” said Nathan, appearing annoyed. “The other two were wearing the same red cloak that Lucas wore when we rescued Leah and the others….”
    “T he other two?” asked Jonathan.
    “Yes,” said Nathan, confidently. “One of them was really tall and had big muscular arms — and he seemed to get along well with the one with….”
    “Amethyst-c olored eyes?” finished Malick.
    Nathan paused. He suddenly had a surprised look on his face. “Yes,” he said slowly. “And there was another one, the one in charge. He was the one who punished Lucas and La uren for losing….”
    “Lo sing what?” asked Malick.
    “The medallion,” continued Nathan. “He punished them for losing the medallion and for not finding the one they seek.” Nathan shivered. “He was more powerful than the others. I can still hear their blood-curdling screams in my he ad.”
    There was a brief silence between the three of them as the sound of music and laughter echoed in the background. “Did he have a crescent-shaped scar? Right below his right eye?” asked Malick.
    “Yes,” said Nathan, sounding surprised. “Like a bac kward letter C.”
    “Lucius,” said Malick slowly and Nathan nodded. “The o ther two were Laban and Luke.”
    “Well, it sounds like to me that you know a lot about the Fallen Ones,” sneered Jon athan. “And I wonder why that is? Perhaps your grandmother … or maybe your father can explain it to us....”
    Malick’s face suddenly went rigid and his lips snarled. “Did your little computer or raggedy little books tell you that?” he asked, condescendingly. “Because my grandmot her, nor my father, would have anything to do with the Fallen Ones.”
    “And what about the Order?” snapped back Jonathan.
    Suddenly, Nathan’s eyes pleaded with Malick. “You told me your grandmother used to be a member of the Ord er — but what about your dad?”
    Malick stood quiet and his eyes drifted out toward the crowd.
    Nathan and Jonathan both sighed in response and shook their heads. “So what’s all this talk about a missing meda llion?” asked Jonathan.
    “The gold and silver crescent-shaped medallion that Sca rlet Priest was wearing the night we saved everyone,” explained Nathan. “And they think we have it; they need it to find the one they seek.”
    “The one that was