The Ugly Couch

 The following is a chapter from Tiny Sparks, the novel I'm working on.  It's a YA fantasy about a girl who has the power of the sun flowing through her veins.  This chapter focuses on Jonah Smith, one of her very best friends.  I absolutely adore Jonah and this was one of my favorite chapters to write.  Warning: If you plan to read the entire book someday there are a few spoiler-ish bits.  My apologies if the spacing is awkward.  Copy and paste didn't quite transfer as I wanted it to.  Enjoy!

    Jonah didn’t know what to do with himself.  He sat in the middle of Lily’s floral print couch and stared at the grandfather clock across the room.  The couch was ugly, but he’d never tell Lily that.  Zera sat beside him.  He didn’t know if Lily allowed the massive dog on the couch or not.  After some consideration he decided that, after all this time, Zera should know the rules.  If she was breaking them it was her own damn fault.  The pendulum of the clock swung back and forth in a hypnotic manner as the hour hand crept up towards the eight.  The grey tabby looked up at Jonah before butting his head against his shin.  Jonah had started calling the cat Rug because he was always nestled under the rug just waiting to trip someone.  Rug mewed and hopped on the back of the couch.  Great.  Now he had two animals breaking the rules.    

    Jonah had been alone in Lily’s house all day and all night.

She’s fine, he’d said over and over throughout the day, either to himself or to Zera.  Worry still fogged his brain.  It was sneaky like that.  Creeping in no matter how much he tried to ignore it. 

Jonah thought of asking Madelyn to stay the night after Lily went to find Nox but decided against it.  He didn’t want her to think he was afraid, which he totally was.  He also didn’t want to send her the wrong message.  He was beginning to really, really like her.  He wanted to take his time, not offer up sleepovers before they’d even had a first date.  So he walked her home at twilight, gave her an awkward hug, and headed back up the hill home. 

     Jonah tidied up the house a bit that night.  Lily was a piler.  There were stacks of crap all over.  Jonah did his best to guess where things went.  Things he couldn’t figure out he just stacked into neater piles and called it good before going to bed.  

    He woke up to an empty house the next day, both Zera and Rug in bed with him, and thought about going into town to look for Lily.  But then he worried she’d come back home and worry when he wasn’t there.  All of the worry, both hypothetical and real, started to make Jonah feel sick.  He made some mint tea, as Lily always did for upset stomachs, and took a sip.  Fuck that.  His was terrible.  Way too strong, the amount of mint stinging his nose as he tried to swallow.  He went upstairs and dug through the wooden crate of art supplies he’d brought with him.  In the bottom was a pipe and a little tin can full of his favorite strain of weed.  It was a variation of Columbian Gold and he enjoyed the sweet, lemony scent.

Jonah wasn’t proud of it, but he spent the rest of the day sitting on the front porch getting high and reading That Was Then, This is Now.  He’d come across the tattered paperback last night in his cleaning frenzy and was thrilled Lily had it in her stacks of books.  As a young teen he loved The Outsiders and seeing the world through S.E. Hinton’s eyes.  The library had a copy of it in their classics section.  Jonah would read it over and over, getting lost in towns that were so different than his own.  Books were the best way to live in an abolished world.

But now the book was finished.  And the high was most definitely gone.  Jonah was left staring at a clock with two animals who probably weren’t supposed to be sitting on the ugly couch.  Jonah let his head fall back with a thud as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair.

“Where the hell is she?” he yelled at no one in particular.  Zera rolled her eyes at him and let out an annoyed groan in the way that only a large dog can do.  Rug stretched his front paws out, needle like claws arching just above the fabric.  Jonah winced.  “I can’t sit here anymore.  I just can’t!  I’m going to look for her.” 

     Zera let out a huff of breath and thumped her tail sympathetically.  

    “Don’t look at me like that.  I’m going to do it.  There’s still thirty minutes of sunlight left, at least.  I’m going out there!”

Jonah stormed across the living room wearing courage that didn’t really fit him.  He reached for the screen door just as he saw Lily coming through the gate.  Thank God.  He really didn’t want to go out this close to dark.  His shoulders sagged with relief as he held the front door open for Lily. All day he had been ready to explode in anger when he saw her; let her know how worried he’d been.  But when he saw the look on her face he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.  Her smile was slight and she looked like she hadn’t slept in years.  Lily laid a hand on his chest as she walked into the house.  He could feel heat radiating off of her palm.

“Hey, girl.”  Lily bent to ruffle Zera’s head as the dog wiggled her rump in excitement.  Jonah waited patiently.  It was a few moments before Lily finally spoke to him.  She sounded like she was miles away.  “I'm sorry I was gone so long.”

“You don’t owe me any explanations, Lil.” 

“No, I do.”  Lily chewed the corner of her lip.   

Jonah suddenly realized how out of place he felt.  What if this Lily was not the same one he’d grown to love?  What if she didn’t want him around anymore?  She had Nox now and whatever epic love story they shared.  He doubted there was room in that life for a loser friend.  Worry wound it’s way back into Jonah’s mind.  Where would he go?  What would he do?  Ben was gone.  Probably dead.  The worry gnawed at his brain, erasing all rationality.

    Lily must have seen the change on his face because she was beside him in a second. 

“Jonah, what’s wrong?  You look like something awful happened.  Were more people taken?  Where’s Madelyn?”  Lily looked around frantically and Jonah could hear panic rising in her voice.

“Nothing happened.  Everyone’s okay.  Maddie’s at home.”  Jonah raised his hand to rub Lily’s arm the way he normally would when she was upset and thought better of it.  He imagined Nox’s fist finding his face for touching his girl.  Or worse, Lily shuddering at his touch now that she remembered who she really was.  His head spun and he backed up and sat on the ugly couch, Rug sleeping soundly behind him.  “If you give me a day I can get my stuff packed back up and get out.  I know where Ben keeps the key.”  

“What?”  The word cracked like a whip.  Jonah had never heard Lily snap at someone before.  It was a bit terrifying.  

“I just figured with things being different, and with Nox being here and all that...” Jonah’s words trailed off.  He could feel water pooling in his eyes and begged the tears to stay put.  Why did he have to get so emotional all the time?  Men weren’t supposed to cry.  Rug purred behind him, oblivious to his discomfort.

“Jonah!”  Lily was beside him on the couch, both of her warm hands on the side of his face.  “Please don’t go.” 

     Lily’s eyes mimicked his.  Brown shimmering pools.  He cursed himself for thinking she’d be different.  That’s what worry did.  It twisted your thoughts into unrecognizable shapes.  He hated the way he let anxiety cloud his mind.  She was still his Lily.  Still his friend.  Of course she was.  Lily laid her head on Jonah’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around his chest, squeezing him tight.  Jonah stiffened, unsure of how to return the embrace.  

“Won’t Nox care if I’m here?”

“Of course not.  And even if he did I wouldn’t care.  You are my friend.  And besides, I didn’t ask Nox to come home with me.”  Lily’s voice was flat.  Jonah finally lifted a hand and patted Lily on the arm.  “I don’t know why.  Maybe I just need some time to figure myself out first.  And to save the town.”

“Save the town, huh?”  Jonah tried to hide the fear in his voice.  He did a terrible job of it.

“Probably the whole world.”

“That’s…that sucks.  Do you need help?”  Jonah did not want to help Lily save the town and probably the whole world, but he supposed there was no getting out of it.

“Most likely.  Let’s eat something first, then I’ll tell you everything.”  Lily rose and headed towards the kitchen, laughing softly over her shoulder as she went.  “And don’t tell me you aren’t hungry! You reek of pot!”

Jonah sniffed his t-shirt and couldn’t argue with her.

* * *

      A screech ricocheted through the night.  In Jonah’s sleep-induced fog he assumed it was the wind creaking through the trees and the single-pane glass of the ancient cottage.  But there it was again.  Louder this time.  Loud enough that Jonah scrambled out of bed and down the stairs.  The shrieks pierced the night, dotting out the silence with their grotesque pandemonium.  The blood drained from Jonah’s face as he saw Lily standing in the open doorway, Zera at her side, peering out into the shadow filled night.

“Lil, are you insane?” Jonah wanted to go towards her.  He lifted his foot repeatedly and could never quite make it leave the bottom step he was standing on.  

“Shhhh.”  

Lily swatted her hand in annoyance and kept her eyes fixed on the black night sky.  Jonah sighed.  She wasn’t going to come back in, which meant he was going to have to leave the bottom of the steps.  

    Jonah took a few tentative steps, willing his right foot forward, then his left, until he was right behind Lily.  The sky was filled with shadows.  They loomed over the rooftops of Dent, wispy arms outstretched.  One paused near the open doorway, its hollow eyes fixed on Jonah.  He could see every needle-like tooth as it threw its head back and screamed.  The sound made both Lily and Jonah wince.  He grabbed onto the back of the shirt she was wearing to pull her back into the house.  Lily didn’t budge.  Jonah stepped closer to her, his chest almost touching her back and her shirt balled in his fist.  He leaned his head over her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “there are so many of them.”

“Do you think they know?  About me?”  Lily looked straight ahead, but Jonah could hear the fear that laced her words.

“Nox can kill them.  Did you know that?  I wish he was here.”  Jonah shuddered and felt Lily tense up in front of him.  

    Lily held her hand straight out in front of her, palm facing out.  Jonah felt her take a deep inhale as her palm filled with light.  The shadows shrieked in response.  Their screams before were monstrous, but these were positively bloodcurdling.  They lashed and screeched as they drew back to avoid the light.

     “Can you kill them too?  Please tell me you can kill them.”  Jonah hated the dread that had slipped into his voice.

Lily dropped her hand and let her body sag.  “I will be able to.  Soon.”  She cast her eyes in the direction of the mountain peak to the east.  Down below candles were coming to life in the homes of the people of Dent.  A few shouts rose among the screams of the shadow demons.  “I have to go up the mountain.”

“What?  No!  Hell no!  It’s too dangerous.”

Lily spun so hard she ran into Jonah with a thud.  She gave him a slight shove and headed into the house.  “I have to.  Those people down there?  They need me to save them.  I can’t let anyone else suffer or be afraid.  I can’t let anyone else be taken!”  

Lily raced upstairs and came back down pulling a thick pair of black pants on.  She leaned against the wall as she forced her foot into a hiking boot.  Jonah closed his eyes tight, trying to shove the image of all of those shadows out of his mind.  He wished Nox were here.  He wished he wasn’t such a chickenshit.  He wished he could make Lily stay.  He could only make one of those things happen tonight.

“Fuck.”  The word was long and drawn-out, like Jonah had been waiting years to release it.  He glanced down at his baggy cotton pants and t-shirt  “Let me go get better clothes on.” 

“You don’t have to go.  I’ll be alright.”  Lily pulled her second boot on and smiled up at him.  He didn’t doubt she’d be fine on her own.  She was the strongest person he’d ever met.  But he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t go with her.

“I’m coming.  Those pricks took one of my friends.  I’m not about to let them take another.”

* * *

Jonah stumbled behind Lily in the dark.  She seemed to know the rocky mountain terrain by heart.  Zera trotted confidently in front of her.  Even the dog was braver than he was.  He tripped over an exposed root and let out a gasp, sure he’d fall and tumble down the side of the mountain.  They’d find his mangled body someday, vaguely remember him.  The orphan with no real last name.  The burnout.  The guy who was terrified of everything.  Jonah sighed and looked out at the shadows that swirled above the town.  An abhorrent whirlwind of violence.  

    The shadows hadn’t followed them up the trail and that was just fine with him.  Lily hadn’t said a word since they left.  She hiked on with a ferocity Jonah had never seen in her.  He glanced down at her hands.  They were balled up into fists, more in frustration than anger.  She hadn’t let any of her light slip out, but Jonah could feel it coming off of her, creating a bubble of safety around them.  

Lily stopped suddenly and Jonah ran into the back of her.  He began to mumble an apology when he noticed her eyes locked on something ahead.  A massive cave with shadows pouring out over the cliff edge like water flowing over a waterfall.  The waning moon allowed just enough light for them to see.  Jonah gulped.  His mouth had gone dry and his stomach filled with acid.  Lily looked over her shoulder at him, a look that said a few steps more and there’d be no turning around.  Jonah nodded his head in agreement and continued to follow her up the steep, rocky terrain.