Ella Awakened (17 page)

“Don’t even
start whining about your grades,” Ella said.  “You barely study and have a
4.0.”

“You have a
4.0 too,” Sarah reminded her.

“True, but I
had to study like crazy last semester.”

“I don’t
know what either one of them are complaining about,” Jeremy told Burke.  “I
barely made it out of junior college with a 3.2.”

“That’s
because you
never
study,” Ella teased her cousin.

“What about
you, Ella?  Have you decided what you want to do yet?  You’ve bounced back and
forth between several different programs over the past two years.  Is this
internship pointing you in a new direction?” Jeremy asked.

Ella thought
for a minute.  What
did
she want to do?  She had been leaning towards
medical school but with everything that had happened recently, she really
hadn’t thought about it lately at all.  Once she and Burke had laid this whole
Demon situation to rest, would she just go on about her life like nothing had
changed?  Would she finish college?  She would have to take into consideration
the fact that she wasn’t going to age like everyone else around her.  Also, her
new photographic memory made anything a possibility.  What about Burke?  She
knew he missed his home.  He had been all consumed with the Demon for the past
twenty years.  With that problem out of the way would he be happy just being
with her, or would he become obsessed with finding a way back to Quintar?  They
hadn’t really had a chance to talk about any of this yet.

Ella looked
at Burke. 
Wow,
she silently told him. 
I haven’t thought about that
at all since you came to pick me up from the dorm room when I was so sick.

You’ve
had other things on your mind, Hutsool; don’t worry about school right now. 
Just tell Jeremy you’re still thinking about it.  He’s staring at you.  You and
I can talk about it later tonight.

Ella smiled
at Jeremy.  “I’m still thinking about it,” she said. “It’s a big decision.” 

Jeremy
smiled back at his cousin.  “You’ll be amazing at whatever you decide to do.  I
wasn’t trying to stress you out, you know.”

Jeremy
worried about Ella; he always had.  She put on a good show, but she had been
through some horrible things in her life.  He was still trying to decide how he
felt about this Burke guy.  Jeremy wasn’t stupid.  He knew Ella was an adult;
Hell, she was only six months younger than he was.  She was more than likely
having sex with this guy.  Not just cop a feel stuff, but actual SEX.  Ella and
Burke hadn’t known each other long and Jeremy wasn’t sure how thrilled he was
that they seemed to be moving along pretty fast.  Sarah told him earlier today
that Burke and Ella had already started using the L word.  When the food came,
he was still trying to decide whether he wanted to pat Burke on the back or
punch him in the face.

~~

By the time
the group had finished eating it was quarter past eight.  “We’d better get
moving if we want to get a decent spot on the lawn,” Sarah pointed out after
glancing at her watch.

Burke got
the waiter’s attention and asked for the check.  “I’ve got it this time,” he
said when Jeremy got out his wallet.

“I’ll get
the tip then,” Jeremy responded and threw a twenty dollar bill on the table.

After Burke
had signed the receipt they left the restaurant, went out to the truck, and
headed back towards Jeremy and Ella’s apartment.

“I almost
forgot to tell you Ella, mom is bringing Sophie to us tomorrow morning,” Jeremy
said from the back seat.

“I wish she
would have brought her when they came to move us into the apartment.  It would
have saved her a trip.”

“Yeah right,
but you know mom can’t bear to be separated from Sophie longer than is
absolutely necessary.  I’m sure it’s a million times worse now that I’ve moved
here with you.  You know, empty nest and all that.”

“Who’s
Sophie?” asked Burke.

“Sophie is
the most beautiful, sweetest cat you’ve ever met,” Ella said.  “Jeremy and I
are babysitting her because Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ben are taking a two week
cruise.  It’s like a second honeymoon.  They’ve been married twenty-five years.”

“Where are
they going?” Burke asked.

“Alaska,”
Jeremy said.  “It’s something my dad has always wanted to do.  They’ve done
Europe and the tropical thing.  They’ll actually be gone eighteen days. 
They’re flying to Washington and visiting some friends there for a few days
before the cruise.”

Burke parked
in front of Ella and Jeremy’s apartment.  They all got out of the truck, and
Burke opened the back so he could grab the blanket.

“If you
want, I’ll ride with you to meet her half way,” Sarah told Jeremy.  “It seems
crazy for her to drive an hour here then back.  She probably has a lot to do.”

“Or,” Jeremy
said, “I could call into work sick and we could drive the whole way there and
spend the night.”

“When are
they leaving?” Sarah asked.

“Their
flight leaves tomorrow at four, so they need to leave around one in the
afternoon.”

“Hmmm, that sounds
like an amazing idea.  Maybe you’ll get really sick and we can stay for a few
days,” Sarah cooed suggestively to Jeremy.

Ella looked
at Burke. 
Ugh!  I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.

Burke just
smiled.  
You’re looking at it all wrong.  Without Jeremy to sneak around
you’ll be able to stay at my house.

The two
couples walked across the street to the park.  It was dark outside, but the
park was lit up with flood lights and would be until the movie started.  There
were already quite a few couples on blankets in front of a large screen that
had been set up.  They found a spot in the middle toward the back, and Ella
helped Burke spread the old army blanket neatly on the lawn.  Jeremy plopped
down with his legs sprawled out, and Sarah sat between them leaning back
against Jeremy’s chest.  They started whispering and giggling about playing
house together at Rachel and Ben’s.  Little did they know, they might as well
have been yelling.  Whispering doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re with a
warrior and a healer.

I’m dying
over here,
Ella told
Burke when he smirked at something extremely inappropriate Sarah had just
breathed into Jeremy’s ear. 

This is
the perfect opportunity for you to learn how to concentrate and block things
out.  I haven’t had much of a chance yet to encourage you to experiment with
and master your senses since your awakening.  Ignore Sarah and Jeremy; you can
hone in on any conversation in this entire park.  See the couple toward the
left at the bottom of the hill on the red blanket?  Block everything else out;
what are they talking about?

Ella looked
at the couple and tried to focus her hearing.  She blocked everything else out
and concentrated on them alone.  At first she could barely hear them, but the
more she narrowed her attention the more clearly she could make out what they
were saying.  Eventually, it was as if she were sitting on the red blanket with
them.
 

They’re
talking about their babysitter.  The mom is anxious about leaving the baby for
the first time. 

Awesome
Hutsool!  Okay, young couple right next to them on lawn chairs; what are they
talking about.

Ella shifted
her focus and listened for a few minutes. 
She thinks he’s cheating on her
with some girl named Mara.  He swears he’s not, but even from here I can tell
he’s lying.  Poor girl, I think I recognize her from school.  What a jerk!  I
hope she realizes he’s a loser and moves on.

I hope so
too, but sometimes I think humans thrive on that kind of thing.  I’ll never
understand it.

They
aren’t all like that, Burke.  Look at my Aunt and Uncle.

You’re
right, they aren’t all like that.  It’s just that where I come from almost no
one is like that.  There are a few people who flirt and have casual
relationships because they haven’t found their soul mate, but it’s just different.
 I have never known anyone from Quintar to be sneaky and dishonest about that
kind of thing.  Okay, one more - how about the two guys closest to the movie
screen on the far right.  What are they talking about?

Ella
transferred her attention to the other side of the field and listened. 
OMG,
they’re secretly seeing each other.  The one in the white t-shirt is openly gay
but the other guy is still hiding in the closet, so to speak.  He actually has
a girlfriend he’s been stringing along. 
Ella looked at Burke with wide
eyes. 
Wow, there’s a whole lot of drama in the park tonight.

Anything
else catch your attention?

Just that
popcorn over there.  I know we just ate, but the smell is sending me over the
edge.  I’d like to go get some.  Do you want to come?

Sure.  Let’s
take a little walk before the movie starts.

“Hey you
two,” Ella said to Sarah and Jeremy.  “Burke and I are gonna walk over and get
some popcorn - you guys want any?”

“Where do
you see popcorn?” Sarah asked.

“Can’t you
smell it?  It’s over there on the right.  See the old fashioned popcorn
machine?  It looks like they’re selling soda too.”

“Oh, I see
it.  I can’t smell it from here though; I must be getting a summer cold.  I
don’t want any popcorn, but a diet soda would be nice.  Do you want anything,
tiger?” Sarah asked Jeremy, running her fingernails up his thigh.

“A coke and
peanut m&m’s if they have any candy over there.” Jeremy handed Ella a ten
dollar bill.

“We’ll be
back in a few minutes,” Ella said as she and Burke got up.  They weaved their
way through the scattered blankets and lawn chairs hand in hand.

The old
fashioned popcorn machine was set up on a table next to several different kinds
of candy.  There were coolers on the ground full of ice and canned drinks.  The
student behind the table was leaning back in his chair looking bored.  A poster
taped to the front of the table proclaimed in bold letters that proceeds
benefited the university baseball team.  Ella picked up some peanut m&m’s
and fished two diet Pepsi’s and a Coke out of the ice filled cooler. 

“What would
you like?” Ella asked Burke.

“I’ll take a
Mountain Dew and share your popcorn if that’s okay.”

Ella put the
candy and drinks on the table.  “This and a large popcorn please,” she said.

As the athlete
let his chair drop, his foot caught the extension cord that led from the
popcorn machine to the generator about twenty feet away.  He pulled the cord
just enough that the popcorn machine stopped working and its light went out. 
There was a young man standing next to the generator scanning the crowd as if
he was looking for someone.

“Hey buddy,”
the concession worker called, “can you help me out and plug that cord back in?”

The young man
looked over at the concession table, reached for the plug, then pulled his hand
back, and looked towards the table again.

“Just plug
it back in!” the worker called loudly, then mumbled, “What the hell”.

What is
he doing?
 Ella
asked Burke.

The young
man hurriedly walked away, heading behind the movie screen and out of sight.

“Oh for the
love of all that’s holy.”  The student manning the refreshment table scowled as
he stomped over to the generator.  When he reached down and pushed the plug
back in, blue and orange sparks arched accompanied by a popping noise.  He
quickly jerked his hand away and shook it.  The popcorn machine lit up and
started working again.

“That
extension cord has a short in it, which could be a fire hazard,” Burke told the
worker once he returned and started scooping Ella’s popcorn into a bag. 

“Yeah, it
gave me a little shock and startled the crap out of me.  I’ll let the coach
know.”  He handed Burke the popcorn, put a ‘will return in ten minutes’ sign on
the table, and walked away.

Ella and
Burke gathered their purchases and walked back across the lawn to join Sarah
and Jeremy.  The movie was just getting ready to start as they sat down.  A
representative from the school stood in front of the screen and thanked
everyone for coming.  A few minutes later the flood lights went out and the
screen lit up.

The two couples
sat and enjoyed the movie together.  It was a beautiful night; the sky was
clear and full of stars.  The temperature was in the mid-seventies.  It was one
of Ella’s favorite movies.  She was just thinking to herself as she sat with
her head on Burke’s shoulder that the night couldn’t be more perfect - then
someone screamed.

Ella sprang
to her feet.

Stop! 
Burke screamed in her head. 
Ella! 
You can’t move that fast in front of the humans.  You can never draw that kind
of attention to yourself!