Free Drawing Bloodlines by Steve Bevil Page A

around Pius’s neck before I toasted him?” asked Malick.
    “More like killed him,” sneered Jonathan.
    “Hmm, I wonder who has the medallion then?” asked Malick, sarcastically. “Maybe wolf boy here — you were doing a lot of sniffing around the memorial steps that night.”
    “You guys!” yelled Nathan. “We don’t have time for this, we were all there that night, and they are coming for us.” Nathan paused; he caught a glimpse of Leah making her way toward them through the crowd. “We need to find that m edallion and fast, before one of us gets hurt.”
     

 
    5
    CONCERT OVER!
    Malick and Jonathan looked at each other in silence. A fter a brief moment, Malick diverted his eyes and Jonathan looked down, but he had to keep repositioning his glasses. Nathan looked out toward the stage and noticed how the surrounding trees looked like dark and thin elongated fingers stretched out toward the moonlit sky. The incoming fog had completing engulfed Lynn Field and combined with the different colored strobe lights from the stage, cast strange shadows amongst the concertgoers. Nathan’s stomach twisted in knots as he noticed the different faces peering back at him through the darkness. Among the many faces, Nathan spotted Leah’s as she continued toward them.
    “Okay,” said Nathan, returning his attention back to Malick and Jonathan. He tried to a djust the volume of his voice in an attempt to project over the loud music. “Let’s not all speak at once!”
    Jonathan and Malick both turned to look at each other; both hesitant to speak. Slowly, Nathan shook his head before drawing a deep breath. “Whatever is going on,” he said. “I’m going to need both of you to get it together.”
    Malick looked a little adverse to Nathan’s statement and frowned.
    “Ugh,” sighed Nathan. “Yes, Malick — both of you!” Nathan turned to glare at Jonathan and then at Malick. “I can’t do this all by myself!”
    “Can’t do what by yourself?” asked Leah. Her shoulder-length, mousy brown hair was tucked behind her ears. She wore a Justin Bloomer T-shirt very similar to the one Jonathan wore.
    “Angela?” he asked, smiling weakly at her.
    Leah paused and for a moment looked confused. “Oh, yeah,” she said, looking down and repositioning the strap to her knitted bag that lay across her shirt. She held up her wrist and chuckled. “With matching glow in the dark wristband.”
    Nathan shook his head and smiled. “Don’t you go an ywhere without that bag?”
    Leah chucked lightly. “You don’t miss anything do you…?” she said. “But seriously, I know you’re like the master of dodging questions. What’s going on? What can’t you do by yourself?”
    “What is he doing out here?” asked Nathan, abruptly.
    “What?” asked Leah. She attempted to follow Nathan’s gaze into the crowd. “Are you trying to ignore my question again?”
    “No, no,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just surprised to see Argus out here and on top of it, talking to Chief Rosales….”
    “Argus?” interrupted Malick. “The crazy guy that runs the lake?” He turned to search the crowd and quickly spotted him. “What is he doing out here?”
    “That’s what I said,” responded Nathan. “And talking to the Chief of Police.”
    “Hopefully it has nothing to do with the Order or ratting us out for our abilities,” said Malick.
    “The Order?” asked Leah, appearing confused. “What’s the Order?”
    She paused; the crowd of people dancing and watching the concert had grown and had finally reached them. “What does the tourist and recreation manager for Lake Charleston have to do with this Order?”
    “Nathan didn’t tell you?” said Malick, before Nathan could respond. “He has a tattoo of the Firewalker symbol on his forearm. I’m thinking it’s a good guess he’s a member of the Order.”
    “Firewalker symbol?” uttered Leah. “The same one Jonathan and Dr. Helmsley found in the caves?” She