The Phoenix Prophecy: Nova

He’s a disgusting specimen. I’ve encountered plenty of unpalatable humans in my time, but this one is one of the worst; thin, gnarly looking. Bad teeth, long grease-slicked hair scraped into a ponytail. Bandages covering almost every inch of skin except for his sallow face. He’s sitting up in bed eating green jello from a plastic cup.

“Mr. Mathers is awake?” I gesture to his room and brush down the uniform I stole from the unfortunate nurse who made the mistake of walking to her car, alone, late at night. I’ve been wearing it for nearly a week. Monitoring Nova’s deadbeat, unconscious boyfriend. Just like Ragnor told me to.

“He woke up last night. Says he doesn’t remember anything, but the cops will be here soon to talk to him.” Portia, the young nurse with mousy brown hair who seems terrified of me, passes me Johnny’s chart.

“Thank you.” I’m always amazed at how gullible humans are. I didn’t even show them any ID. Just turned up and told them Nurse Anne was sick and I was her temp cover sent from the agency.

Pretending to read whatever bullshit is in his paperwork, I stride into Johnny’s room and close the door.

He looks up. “Can I get more of this?” He holds up the now empty jello pot and waves it at me. “The portions here are barely enough to feed a field mouse.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, then fix a slow, gentle smile on my face. Sitting down next to the bed, back to the window and the nurses’ station outside it, I pat his hand and say softly. “What if I told you that you could have all the jello you’d like? Be privately cared for while you recover. Receive the best treatment money can buy.”

Johnny frowns at me. Perhaps I should speak more slowly. “What are you talking about? You think I got money? Lady, I don’t even got insurance.”

Still smiling, I shake my head. “No, Johnny. I think you’re someone who’s suffered a great injustice and I have friends who want to help correct that situation.”

He blinks at me, then shuffles back against his pillows. “Injustice? I don’t know what you think you know, but what happened to me was an accident. Pure and simple. My girlfriend left her candles lit. We fell asleep. Place went up in flames and she ran off ‘cos she’s scared. She’s like that. Scared of getting in trouble.” He’s rehearsed this story in his head. “That’s what happened, and that’s what I’ll be telling the cops when they arrive. So, if you’re some sort of sketchy lawyer thinking I’ll sue, you’re wrong. I want to forget the whole thing. The whole thing.” He’s almost shaking with the effort of his lie. Or is it fear? My nose twitches. Yes, there it is; he’s terrified of her.

“Johnny…” I nudge closer. “I’m not a lawyer, and I’m not a nurse.”

He takes in my uniform and his fingers tighten on the edge of the blanket. “You’re not?”

“I’m with the Human Extinction League. I’m sure you’ve heard of us?”

His eyes widen so quickly I think they might pop right out of his head. He reaches for the buzzer next to his bed, but I put my hand on his thigh and squeeze hard. He gasps.

“Please.” I glance over my shoulder. “Be quiet. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here because we both want the same thing.”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“I can assure you, we don’t.” Disgust is now lacing his eyes.

“You’re trying to figure out what kind of super I am? Witch? Vampire?” I laugh and smooth my skirt. “Neither of those. I’m a wolf.”

“A werewolf? Like that guy on TV? Nico?” The way he says Nico’s name brings a growl to my throat.

“Actually, Nico is my son.” I sit up straight and proud and stare him down. Pathetic human. I could finish him in one bite. He’s not even a fraction of the man my son is.

“Your son? But he’s a fucking do-gooder. Pro-hybrids. Pro-human.”

“We like to hide in plain sight.” I lick my lower lip. Nico’s good at what he does. Very good. He’s got the entire country believing he’s the most charitable, magnanimous super going. “But that’s beside the point.” I lean forward onto the edge of the bed. “What I’m trying to say to you, Johnny, is that I know your girlfriend is a witch, and I know she tried to kill you. I believe — we believe — that exposing her could help both our causes.”

Johnny narrows his eyes.

“If you tell the truth, the Anti Magick Alliance will have the perfect case study for why humans and supers shouldn’t mate. When the vitriol starts to spread through the media, the Human Extinction League will, too.”

I sit back up, tilt my head, and examine my blood-red nail polish. “When you think about it, we both want the same thing — humans and supers living separate lives. No hybrids. No intermingling. I want to walk through my town safe in the knowledge I won’t come across a human with a gun trying to shoot me. You want to walk through yours knowing you won’t be bitten by a vamp or have your mind manipulated by an empath.” I shrug. “Both sides, admittedly, have resorted to extreme measures in the past, but this — what happened to you — could be precisely what we need to put an end to the sympathizers once and for all.”

I can see the cogs turning in Johnny’s head. “I don’t know. I need to think.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.

“No time for that, I’m afraid.” I take out my phone. “If we’re doing this, it has to be now, before the cops get involved and tell you to stay hush-hush and keep the peace.” I hold up the phone. “One ten-second video and you could change the course of modern history.” My thumb is lingering over the red record button. “You’ll be a hero. The first human to truly stand up to a witch.”

There’s a long pause. He scratches a dirty fingernail on the blanket. “Why would anyone believe what I say?”

Swiping open my phone, I turn the screen to face him. “Because I have this.”

Johnny narrows his eyes. He takes the phone from me and presses play. As he watches, his eyes widen. A slow smile appears on his cracked, dry lips. He looks up at me. “I do this and you get me out of here? Do all that stuff you said? Pay my bills?”

I nod slowly, taking back the phone. “Bills paid, and all the jello you can stomach. In a private human hospital, of course.”

He’s chewing his lower lip. Finally, he says, “All right. Let’s out the bitch.”