He grunted, moving past her into the bathroom. She laughed, a truly genuine sound of pleasure, which warmed him more than he cared to admit. Aimi knew what he was like when he got up but studiously ignored it and just acted as pleasantly as usual.
He showered and changed quickly. In the hallway, he passed Hikari’s room. The door was open and Hikari was sitting on the floor, meditating. Like him, his master needed hardly any sleep. Instead, he relied on meditation to recharge his body’s energies. Hikari had been showing him these techniques although so far, they had not fully replaced his need for sleep. Hikari said with practice, it would. Sam welcomed that day — a time when he would no longer dream.
Downstairs, Aimi was preparing an early dinner. It constantly surprised him how willing she was to do so much around the house — and how understanding. Much of his and Hikari’s time was taken up with training and Aimi often had to fend for herself. She did much of the cooking (although both he and Hikari helped when they could) and a large part of the household chores. She was also incredibly diligent at school where she had been excelling in almost all areas. In addition, she joined Sam for some of his training sessions where she displayed great promise with the spear and the katana.
But not once had she complained. Even going about the most mundane of chores, she smiled. Her spirit projected unquenchable positivity. Sam admired and loved her for that and it was this illuminated, loving side of her that kept his darker nature in check. No matter how dark and depressed he felt, she could always make him feel better.
She was also very popular at school and constantly invited out by her friends. Sam felt a sting of jealously at that, despite knowing that it was irrational. He could understand why others liked her — she was such fun to be around. Not like him, he reflected morosely. Even if he hadn’t been half-demon, he doubted whether anyone would want to be friends with him. He was just too dour and moody.
Aimi occasionally brought friends over, but only ones she trusted implicitly and only when Sam was asleep or out training. Hikari had made it clear that Sam’s nature could not be revealed to the outside world. Aimi understood this and took it with more maturity than Sam could ever summon. It was almost like Aimi knew that she had to support Sam, and the terrible burden of his heritage and destiny, by being exactly opposite to what he was. Sam understood the sacrifices she made for him and it just made him love her more. Not that he ever told her … but he suspected she knew anyway.
Hikari had made it clear that Sam’s training was the priority. According to visions given to Father Rainey and Hikari, the Rapture was no more than a few years away. Sam had to be ready. That was paramount. Hikari and Aimi were destined for heaven, so a few years of sacrifice to ensure that Sam was prepared mattered very little in the grand scheme of things.
The thought depressed Sam. That Hikari and Aimi would be gone and beyond his reach forever was a disturbing and deeply troubling thought. Sometimes Sam knew that if he could cry, he would. The two of them were his world, his life. The prospect of them no longer being in his life was too terrible to contemplate.
He was still thinking such dark thoughts when Aimi set a large bowl of steaming noodles before him. He smiled appreciatively. Or what, for him, approximated an appreciative smile. He’d practised it in the mirror and somehow, it never came out quite right. To his mind, it looked more like a painful grimace.
Aimi knew what it was, though, and grinned back. He dug in with gusto. She had prepared the noodles with thin slices of chicken and a sesame sauce. As usual, like every meal she made, it was delicious. Hikari joined them and the three of them ate in companionable silence for a while.
Sam glanced over at Hikari and noticed that his master was dressed in a suit. “Are you going somewhere?”
Hikari finished his noodles and pushed the bowl to one side. “We. You and I have an appointment tonight. In town.”
Sam felt his heart start to race. Going out? He never went out, other than to train. A mixture of excitement and trepidation surged through him.
“Where?” he asked, his meal forgotten.
“Be patient, my boy. You’ll find out soon enough. Make sure you wear your hood or your cap. We’ll be out in public tonight.”
Sam nodded sourly. Of course. It wouldn’t do to let anyone actually see what he really was. The last thing Hikari needed was a lynch mob on his hands.
Even after sundown, the town centre of Jacob’s Ladder was packed with people. It was Friday night, after all. Not that he actually kept track of what day it was — it simply wasn’t that important to him.
Sam recognized quite a few of the townspeople due to his surreptitious observations from his bedroom window. Others, judging from their expensive sportswear, were clearly out-of- towners. Tourists, no doubt here to sample the rustic beauty of the town and natural wonders like Devil’s Garden. Many outdoor enthusiasts came here for the mountain biking and trekking that the landscape offered.
Sam tried not to stare as he, Aimi and Hikari made their way down Main Street. Some of the townsfolk smiled or raised a hand to Hikari. Others stopped to exchange pleasantries with his master. Hikari was well known in the town through his work with the church and other charitable institutions and committees. Sam didn’t know where he found the time, but at least his master didn’t have to work. Sam had no idea where Hikari found the money to get by, and he’d never asked. The bills were always paid and there was always food on the table. That was enough for him.
Hikari always introduced these people to Aimi and Sam. He introduced Aimi as his daughter. Sam was referred to as his ‘ward’. Sam didn’t mind too much — he guessed it stopped too many questions from being asked. He shook hands when they were offered, careful not to squeeze too hard since Hikari had told him that he was far, far stronger than most men. After a muttered greeting and some curious glances, he was largely ignored. Perhaps they thought he was just another moody adolescent. The fact that he kept his eyes averted added to this impression. They didn’t have to know that Sam was reluctant for them to catch a glimpse of his black eyes.
He’d made sure that his hood was firmly in place before they left home. Even so, he felt highly conscious of it, anxious that somehow, his true nature would be revealed and that someone would suddenly point at him and scream ‘Demon!’ He saw some other teenage boys wearing them though, and although it never completely disappeared, he felt his unease gradually dwindling.
Young girls and some boys, either out with their parents or in laughing groups, often waved and shouted at Aimi. She returned the greetings with a smile or a laugh. Many of them looked at Sam with surprise. While they all clearly knew that Aimi had another teenager living in her house with her, most had never seen him. He tried to ignore the pointed stares and whispered conversation as they passed.
They continued along Main Street and turned at a side street with a street sign saying ‘Providence’. With a start, Sam finally realized where they were heading. During his night-time training, he sometimes liked to prowl along the streets when they were free of people. It gave him a sense of freedom to be able to do something that was normally denied to him.
He’d wandered through and explored most of the town. Hikari had even blessed these little adventures, saying that it was important for Sam to become familiar with his surroundings. It would give him an advantage when the Rapture came.
One street he always avoided was Providence. That was where the church was.
Although most of the population of Utah was Mormon, Jacob’s Ladder had a small but strong following of Catholics. The church was the focal point of their small community. Most people attended, and the small chapel was packed on a Sunday.