Ch. 42 Drain the Desert

Chapter 42

"Nora told me about the girl at school," Maya teased Noor as she sipped her coffee and peered at the boy sitting at the kitchen counter. Birdie looked over her shoulder just in time to see the hint of a blush appear on Noor's cheeks.

"Yeah," Noor drew out the words. "I don't know if I'm going ot ask her out."

"What?" Maya laughed. "Why not?"

"I saw her touch the cafeteria table last week and before she picked up her fries and started eating....she didn't clean her hands."

"Oh good god," Heyder, who was sitting beside his grandson at the breakfast bar sighed, dropping his spoon and letting his head hang.

"That's what I thought too," Noor poked his pancakes.

"So you won't ask her because she eats fries with her hands?" Birdie asked.

"What, no that's ridiculous," Noor snorted. "I won't ask her out because she doesn't wash her hands before she eats."

"Let me ask you something," Birdie turned to the boy. "Is this girl pretty?"

"Sure," Noor shrugged.

"Describe her to me."

"She's sweet, she's a part of the theater club, she has really pretty brown eyes," Noor went on. "She smells good too. Like mangos and strawberries and her hair.."

Maya, Heyder and Birdie watched Noor sigh as his cheeks turned crimson.

"She has really nice hair and her smile," Noor grinned. "Man...her smile is really nice too."

"And you're giving all this up because she doesn't wash her hands?" Heyder asked.

"Yeah," Noor nodded.

Heyder looked at his wife with his finger pointing towards Noor, "No child of mine can be this stupid."

"I'm not a child of yours," Noor corrected. "And honestly, you and dad are so different. I'm not 100% positive he's a child of yours either....maybe Birdie."

Maya laughed as she picked up the knife and began to slice the apple she was cutting. Birdie watched in amusement as Heyder stared at the young boy with suspicion in his eyes.

"Listen, kid," Heyder said. "If you like someone, go for it. What's the worse that can happen?"

"She'll reject you in front of the whole school," Birdie said.

"Or she will get together with her friends and laugh about you," Maya added.

"No, nothing of that sort," Noor narrowed his eyes. "Jeez, why is the older generation so cruel and heartless? Is this what you two did to men who asked you out?"

"No," Maya shook her head.

"Maybe," Birdie laughed.

"Well, not I see why you're single and why mimi was left with only Paba as an option," Noor said.

"Heyder was the only choice," Maya leaned over the counter and kissed the jinn's cheek.

"It's okay, Mimi," Noor shrugged. "I understand. There weren't many fish in the sea so you went with the....eel."

"That's a lot of talk for some puny boy who can't even ask a girl out," Heyder snorted. "Have you ever even kissed a girl?"

"Baba!" Birdie gasped. "Don't embarrass him like that.....you gotta start low. Noor, have you ever even spoken to a girl before?"

"Obviously, you don't don't, right?"

"Leave him alone!" Maya clicked her tongue. "He will do it at his own speed. No one pressure him. When the time is right, Noor, you will know who your person is."

"Wish you would have told that to dad too," Noor said. "Maybe then he would have waited for mom."

"Told dad what?" Hayden asked as he walked in from the portal he had opened in the living room.

"Your son called you a hoe," Birdie chuckled. "Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that anymore."

"I didn't call him a hoe," Noor rolled his eyes. "He was more like a man whore. There's a difference."

"I agree," Heyder nodded.

"And what is the difference?" Maya arched her brow and waited for her husband.

"I don't fall in that category because all my past lovers were you!" Heyder justified. "Your son is the man whore."

"I did not go around sleeping with multiple women," Hayden said in frustration as he sat down at the empty stool. "I dated a few women before Nora and yes, we did have sexual relati-"

"I don't need to know!" Noor's face scrunched up. "I still have hopes of someday asking Elsa out on a date when I am of legal age. I don't need to be mentally scared."

"Your mom will kill you," Hayden warned his son. "Don't ever bring up that name in front of her if you want to live."

"She should be proud," Noor said. "I'm removing the competition. I'm taking one for the team."

"There is no competition," Hayden said.

"I know, right!" Noor laughed. "Have you seen the legs on Elsa? I mean of course you have! Mom's legs could never."

"Noor," Hayden's eyes widened. "That's not what I mean!"

"I will not stand for Nora slander in this household," Heyder licked Noor's ear. "Leave the small peanut alone. She's trying."

"You do realize Elsa is old enough to be your mother right?" Birdie asked.

"I'm going to focus on the face that she is not my mother and that she is still one of the most iconic supermodels to ever grace this planet," Noor said. "What can I say? I like older women?"

"You're gross," Birdie gagged. "Baba and Hayden really fucked you up."

"Whatever happened to that girl from school?" Hayden wondered. "The one with the pretty brown eyes?"

"You didn't hear?" Heyder asked. "She eats with her hands. That's a big turn off for your son."

"Noor, you eat with your hands," Hayden complained. "All the time!"

"She didn't clean her hands!" Noor groaned. "There's a big difference."

"You're just too chicken to ask her ou-" Birdie rose to hop off her stool with her breakfast plates in her hand when suddenly the bowl slipped and shattered against the floor.

Stunned, Birdie still when she suddenly felt a surge of energy rise to the surface of her skin and warm her. Somewhere at the table Noor gasped, dropping his fork.

"What the fu-" Birdie muttered as she felt her whole body begin to vibrate as if she was a copper wire that had been charged after centuries.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Heyder growled as he banged his fist against the counter.

"What's the matter?" Maya asked, looking around at everyone.

"Birdie...?" Hayden called to his sister, feeling the air around her shift as the hair on the back of his neck stood on ends.

"There's an emergency in the veil," Heyder raised his hand and a portal opened. "Maya, keep everyone at hom-"

Birdie and Hayden's eyes flickered up to one another. Before their father could finish his sentence, they both ran into the half opened portal the jinn had summoned.

"For fuck's sake!" Heyder growled. "Noor! Stay here with Maya!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Noor grabbed his plate and hurried after Maya into the other portal she had summoned.

"What was that?" Once he was sure Noor had followed Maya, Hayden turned towards Birdie. "That energy...."

"What are you talking about?" Birdie could feel her heart lodge into her throat.

"I felt something back there," Hayden said. "So did Noor."

"I don't know wh-"

"When will you two fuckin' listen to me, damn it!" Heyder yelled as he stepped through the portal and into the veil.

"Heyder!" Ali called from down the hall of the Tyveer court.

"What?" Heyder snapped. "What is it? It was supposed to be my day off!"

"The desert in the east," Ali said through his labored breathing.

"What about that wasteland?" Heyder asked.

"There's something there," Ali said. "I already sent men but no one can tell us what it is?"

"What do you mean?" Birdie asked.

"Some of the desert tribe sent an SOS signal just a few minutes ago," Ali looked at the girl with the silver hair. "They're talking about....sand vampires."

"I want no part of that!" Heyder complained.

"You're the Sultan!" Ali reminded him.

As the two argued and jinns began to run up and down the halls of the court, Birdie's ears began to ring.

Sand vampires...

"Ali...." she reached for the jinn's hand. "What time is it in the eastern desert right now?"

"Just after sunset," Ali said.

Just after sunset...Birdie's heart began to pound.

"What is it?" Ali asked, seeing the panic in the girl's eyes.

"We have to get the people out of there," Birdie grabbed her Baba's hand. "Now."

"But what are we dealing with?" Heyder asked.

"I have no idea!" Ali said. "I'm getting reports of some sandy monster eating flesh and drinking blood and all sorts of nonsense."

"What can that be?" Hayden wondered. "There are no vampires in the veil...."

"Unless someone is bringing them in without our knowledge," Heyder said.

"But you don't get it!" Ali said in frustration. "They're made of sand!"

"Vetala."

Everyone paused as Ira's voice greeted them from the end of the hall. All heads turned towards her as she arched her brow.

"Birdie?" the corner of her mouth curved up in a snicker. "You haven't told them what it is yet?"

Heyder looked towards his daughter. He watched the way she shivered as her hands began to tremble.

"What's a Vetala?" Hayden asked.

"A creature of the night," Ira explained. "They drink blood and consume flesh."

"We've never heard of anything like that before," Heyder said. "At least I haven't."

"That's because it's not from here," Ira rolled her eyes. "The Vetala is from Pangea."

"Then what the fuck is it doing here?" Heyder asked. "Did it slip in when you arrived?"

"Possible," Ira shrugged. "Once they consume the flesh of another being, they can take on their physical form."

"Ah great," Ali muttered. "I really thought we were going to be the one government that didn't have an issue with taking in people from other places. But nooo! Throw in a sand vampire, vetalala."

"Vetala," Heyder corrected his friend.

"How do we kill it?" Ali snapped.

"We can't," Ira shook her head. "No weapon or magic on Earth is strong enough to stop a vetala. We need to block off the area and raise boundaries."

"I beg to differ," beside Ira, a faint red mist appeared as a portal opened, revealing Clare and Ares. "We're not going to let something uncontrollable roam around like this."

"Be my guest," Ira rolled her eyes. "Birdie...you've encountered a vetala before. Tell them how it is."

Everyone's eyes turned towards Birdie. She could feel the weight of their gaze on her skin as the same energy from earlier lurked underneath like rumbling thunder.

"You've fought one of these sand vampires before?" Heyder asked.

Birdie nodded.

"How did you get away?" Ali asked.

"Yes, baby bird," Ira smiled. "How did you get away?"

The sick feeling in Birdie's stomach returned with a ton of pressure to her chest. She couldn't hear with her ears ringing and her head spinning. All she could focus on was her grandmother's wicked smile.

"I...." Birdie swallowed the ache in her chest. "I ran away.....and...there were some people in the desert who helped me hide..."

"What were you running from?" Hayden asked.

"The vetala," Ira rolled her eyes.

"No," Birdie shook her head. "I was running from you."

Heyder, who was stretching his neck and body to gear up for battle, stilled. His gaze lifted to his daughter as the corner of his mother's mouth curved up into a small devious smile.

"I was running from you," Birdie said once more, locking her gaze with Ira. "You kept me in your compound and you threatened m-"

"Do you really think now is the time to discuss this?" Ira asked. "There are people dying outside but you want to discuss this? You stupid girl, I was protecting you!"

"From what?" Birdie yelled.

"You know exactly from what!" Ira yelled back. "From that fey bo-"

"Enough!" Heyder raised his hands.

Clare's eyes flickered towards Birdie as Hayden took the girl's hand and pulled her closer to himself.

"Now is not the time for family feud," Ares declared. "We need to move. Now."

"You can't stop it," Ira said once more. "You're just walking into your own doom. There's no power on Earth strong enou-"

"Apollo," Birdie's head snapped up. "Ares, call Apollo into the veil. Tell him to move the sun back to the east."

"You want the sun god to reverse night and day?" Ares narrowed his eyes.

"The Vetala never attack during the day," Birdie rushed to explain. "The only way to fight it off for now would be to get the sun back."

"But for how long?" Hayden asked. "What's going to happen when the sun needs to be moved back across the sky?"

A heavy silence fell over the hall.

All the minds raced with possibilities as to how they could save as many people as they could. Hayden was right. They couldn't keep the sun in one area forever. And if no power on Earth could fight off a vetala, would Clare and Ares even succeed?

"How many hours of sunlight can Apollo give us?" Heyder looked at Ares.

"Twelve," Ares said. "Give or take a few extra minutes."

"Ali," the sultan turned to his second in command. "Tell the men to stop fighting the vetala and to start sending everyone they find in the desert to court."

"Heyder," Ira said. "You can't d-"

"Ares," Heyder ignored his mother. "Call Apollo and move the sun. Ali and I will empty the desert."

What's happening to Birdie????