Arielle Immortal Quickening (23 page)

“I saw the face of the man that walked up to the altar and picked up the book,” Eva said slowly, dropping her voice to a mere whisper. She looked around to make sure nobody could hear what she was about to say. Arielle’s curiosity picked up immensely. She started to ask the obvious question, but Sebastian interrupted her.

“Eva, who did you see?” Sebastian asked pointedly. Eva cleared her throat.

“Colt Allworth,” she said, and Arielle clapped her hand to her mouth, trying to prevent herself from crying out loud while she reached out and grabbed Sebastian’s arm. She noticed Sebastian and Ian’s jaws drop, both completely astonished.

“Fascinating,” Sebastian finally said, thoughtfully.

“So do you have any theories?” he asked Eva.

“Sebastian, I’m sure of one thing. While in that room, I was surrounded by gallant souls. I didn’t sense anything wicked or sinful,” Eva said softly.

“Astonishing!” Sebastian murmured.

Eva reached over and gave Arielle a hug. “Don’t worry, Arielle. I stood next to Professor Allworth, and he has a virtuous aura. There has to be a good explanation about today’s confrontation. Give it a little time; something will come up,” she said, with a soft smile. They all sat in motionless silence for a few minutes.

The band was back after their break and wonderful music filled the room. Sebastian took the chance to move Arielle to the dance floor, and Eva followed with Ian. They had a great time for the rest of the evening, and they stayed away from the earlier conversation.

It was at the parking lot while ready to get in their car that Eva said, “I think Professor Allworth belongs to some kind of magnanimous secret society. And it has something to do with the amulet you possess.” She chuckled pleasantly and gave her a hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said softly.

Sebastian wrapped his arm around Arielle’s waist and pulled her close for a kiss. “Lets go home, baby,” he murmured, as they walked to the car.

“I love you, Arielle!” Eva called out while getting in her car. Arielle waved goodbye at both of them and smiled. Sebastian was now holding the passenger door open, waiting for her to get in.

The next couple weeks were uneventful. Professor Allworth continued teaching, not showing any bit of weirdness in class. During the interactions, they addressed each other respectfully, and he was even showing a little favoritism toward her. She was at the point where she had almost gotten over the original episode. Third week of the semester was the focal point of their small group. Troy and Gabby were coming back, and they were elated.

Troy was acting like a two year old that was getting a Christmas present.

“Boy…oh…boy…” Arielle heard Eva’s voice filled with laughter.

“What?” she asked.

“I would like to be a fly on the wall when Troy and Gabrielle get together over the weekend. They have been apart for over two months, and knowing Troy, it will be a wild ride.” They both laughed out loud.

On Friday, Ian, Eva, Paul, Loren, Sebastian and Arielle were sitting at the cafeteria’s patio in the sunshine conversing about Gabrielle and Troy coming back. They were delighted to see Alex, Robert, Damien, and Andrew walk up and sit down with them. Alex looked around, and he reminded them that their group would be complete once they had Troy and Gabrielle back.

“They will be back on Monday,” Paul said. “I think we should celebrate come next weekend.” They all agreed, but Arielle saw a quick flash of anxiety cross Loren’s eyes, and it disappeared just as fast as it came. Arielle had absolutely no idea what was going on in Loren’s head, and she didn’t ask.

Chapter 18

M
onday morning, Arielle and Sebastian arrived at the parking lot a bit early and parked right next to Troy and Gabby’s car. Arielle’s heart skipped a bit thinking of walking next to Gabby again.
Gosh,
she thought,
things are going back to normal.
They approached the physics building and spotted Troy and Gabby close to the entrance. Arielle couldn’t hold back, and she called out Gabby’s name. Gabby and Troy stopped, and turning around, they saw Arielle and Sebastian approaching quickly.

The embrace between Arielle and Gabrielle was a jubilant one, and they lingered in the same position for a long time. It almost seemed that they hadn’t seen each other for ages. Both looked at each other through blurring visions, as tears run down their faces. Troy and Sebastian chuckled and shook their heads. They had been awe-struck by the splendor of the love and friendship that held the three girls together.

“I missed you, Gabby,” Arielle said.

“I love you, Arielle,” she exclaimed, and she saw tears in her eyes.

“Girls…girls…we need to go in,” Troy chuckled giving a soft punch to Sebastian’s arm. They both laughed again, and Arielle knew they were happy to be together again. Gabrielle and Arielle walked into class together, beaming in pleasure, while Troy and Sebastian followed close behind. It was early enough to find four seats together. Colt Allworth raised his head and smiled softly.

“Aaa!” he said. “Miss Winters, Mr. Vasser, it’s good to see you both in person. How do you feel?” he asked, looking at Gabby.

“I’m fine; thank you for asking,” Gabby replied. He didn’t bother to look at Arielle; however, she was sure he was watching her. They walked up and took four seats on the fifth row. She felt much better sitting next to Sebastian, knowing that nothing would ever go wrong as long as they were together.

It was at the end of the session as the four of them walked towards the exit making plans for later tonight that Professor Allworth called to her.

“Miss Lloyd!” The entire group stopped and turned around to look at him. The smile on his face didn’t show any of the anger or cynicism that he had shown in their first interaction.

“Yes?”

“Can you please stay behind? I need to have a talk with you,” he said in a soft voice.

Suddenly, she felt anxiety washing over her as she looked up at Sebastian waiting for his advice. “I’ll be right outside.” He pressed her hand. “Remember I’m able to hear from meters away, so don’t worry,” he pressed his lips on the side of her cheek.

“Just you, Miss Lloyd; don’t worry. I don’t bite,” Allworth said. She let go of Sebastian’s hand and moved toward his desk while Troy, Gabby, and Sebastian walked out the door; she heard it slam closed behind them. Allworth was silent, and she took a deep breath. Her eyes were burning, and she didn’t know what had come over her.

Colt Allworth stood up and walked around his desk and down the platform to stand right in front of her. He was even taller that she thought, and his eyes were a much bluer color than she first saw. His face was soft and a smile was lingering at the corner of his mouth.

“Please, don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” she said defiantly. She was sure that she was trying to convince herself more than Colt Allworth.

“Please come and sit down for a minute.” He pointed to a couple of seats in the front row. She walked over and reluctantly took the offered seat. He stared at her for a long moment, as though he was trying to gauge her. She kept her lips pursed, waiting for his next statement. His gaze moved from her face to her neckline and unease spread through her body. Instantaneously, she moved her numb hand and clutched tightly the amulet. He followed her movement but remained motionless as an eerie silence fell between them. It was not long and she heard his voice very calm, very warm.

“May I call you by your first name?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied reluctantly. She was still clutching the amulet tightly.

“Thank you,” his said calmly.

Arielle remained rigid and silent.

“There’s no need to be nervous,” he furthered.

“What can I do for you?” she asked, her voice low but steady.

“I want to talk to you about the amulet you have on,” he said stiffly.

Arielle flinched. “What about it?” She was now trying to put a barrier between them.

“I would like to know where it came from. Did you find it? And if so where?”

His eyes moved from her neckline to her face, and her eyes widened. “Why do you want to know?”

He looked as if he was waging some kind of war to find the right words to reply. “Arielle, it’s of the outmost importance that I find out the origin of the amulet you have in your possession.”

“Why?” she insisted, stubbornly.

He seemed to be losing his patience. He pursed his lips and finally he said. “This amulet can cause you harm if you are not the rightful owner.”

She let out a gasp of outrage. “I am the rightful owner. It’s a family heirloom that has been passed down for generations.”

“I don’t believe a word of that,” he said firmly.

“Well, you can believe what you will, but it is mine.” Getting to her feet, she turned and started to leave the room.

“Arielle!” his voice was tight.

She stopped and turned to look at him. Professor Allworth went quiet for a moment watching her carefully. “Please don’t leave. Whether you believe it or not, I’m trying to help you.”

“How so?” she asked boldly.

She was sure that Sebastian was able to hear their conversation, so she tried to remain calm.

“Can you at least tell me something about it, anything at all?” he said.

“Why?” she countered again, trying to keep her voice from quivering.

“I can’t understand why you are afraid of me,” he said quietly holding her gaze. “If this is a family heirloom and you know all about it, then you must know that I can’t hurt you.”

Her mouth dropped and anxiety swept over her just as she became aware that he knew much more than he was saying. He also seemed to be completely aware that Sebastian was right outside the door.
The truth is that I don’t know anything about this amulet except that it keeps me safe from immortals trying to kill me.

“So you do know that I can’t hurt you right?”

“Yes, I know,” she replied faintly, trying to say as little as possible.

“Good. Unfortunately, Arielle, I don’t believe that this amulet belongs to your family.” His voice was serious but nonthreatening. “I know all about this amulet,” he said and pointed to her neckline.

Arielle took a step back. “What do you know?” she asked guardedly.

“I know the names of all the rightful owners. The Lloyd family is not one of them, but surely you already know that. Don’t you?” Professor Allworth said, eyebrows raised.

“Yes, I did,” she said quietly, pursing her lips. “But how do you know the powers of the amulet?”

Allworth raised his eyebrow again with a slightly amused smile. “I know more that you think I do,” he said. “But if I tell you what I know about it, will you tell me where you got it from?”

Arielle shifted from one foot to the other. After several quiet minutes, she answered. “Yes, I will.”

“Well,” he said, “The amulet is a scarab, and it means ‘he who is coming into being’. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the scarab beetle was associated with the Egyptian God Khepri. Khepri was the symbol of rebirth. It was Khepri that pushed the sun across the sky. Each day the sun disappeared, always to rise again, and be reborn the following day. The amulets were often buried with the dead, so they can be reborn in the afterlife.”

Speechless, she tried to process the information. After several long moments passed, he prompted, “Okay, shoot.”

Arielle blinked at his words. She tried to gather her thoughts, but it was so much to take in at once.

“Arielle, you must be aware,” he paused and took a deep breath, “that there are people who would go to extreme lengths to return the amulet to its rightful owner. Do you understand that? Do you understand that your life might be in danger, for that reason alone?”

There was a stunned silence, and she swallowed hard. “Yes, I’m aware,” she said thoughtfully. She couldn’t help noticing that he was waiting for something. But she wasn’t ready to say anything more.

“So you’re not going to tell me are you?” he said.

“No, I’m sorry sir, but I can’t.” She thanked him, and walked slowly toward the exit.

“Arielle,” he called out once again. She stopped, but she didn’t look back.

“I don’t know how it fell into your possession, but you must return it to the owner.” This time she did turned to look at him, and he was looking more seriously than ever before.

“Professor, I—” She started to say, and she immediately stopped. How can she tell him the truth without divulging Sebastian’s identity? She couldn’t do that.

“It’s mine,” she said boldly and walked out. Sebastian, Troy and Gabby were waiting outside patiently.

“What in bloody hell was all that about?” Gabby asked exchanging uncomfortable looks with Sebastian, Troy and Arielle. Before she could open her mouth to respond, she heard the door open behind them, and she caught sight of Professor Allworth coming out of the auditorium. He was clenching a book with his left hand and carrying a black briefcase with the other.

“Good day!” he said giving them a quick glance. He paused for a second and turning he rested his eyes on Arielle. “Arielle, I want you to think seriously, about our conversation,” he said authoritatively.