Rise Once More (27 page)

Chapter Twenty Nine

Last Dance

Eve was getting very worried; the hours had passed so slowly, that she often thought her watch was broken. It wasn't until she looked out the large glass windows of the entry way that she noticed the sun setting, and confirmed her fears that Alex had still not returned.

Time wasn't standing still, it was passing right on time, and her anxiety was making every moment feel like years in passing. It was already very dark in the gym, thanks to the absence of windows, and she had done some exploring as an attempt to pass the time. Every time she returned to the concession stand, she was greeted by the light of day, and now it too was fading.

The thought of being so very alone, in a pitch black abyss was causing her to shake like a frightened child. She pressed her hands up against the glass, looking out at the fading sun, as if she was begging it to stay in the sky just a little longer; letting the sun's rays keep her warm, the light comforting her from being alone, and to keep the monsters away.

With the sun now gone, Eve was not comfortable sitting in the lobby with a bright flashlight, which could easily be seen through the two windows. She decided it would be best to stay  in the middle of the gym, but had changed her mind and went in the door under the bleachers.

This room was a storage area, tucked neatly below the seats, and had no secondary entrance. It ran the full length of the gym, its ceiling was a generous 10 feet in height, and provided plenty of storage space. She had only been in the room a handful of times during school, one in particular to pick out an old football jersey to wear during homecoming week.

To her surprise, the room was still mostly filled with old sports equipment, and many cardboard boxes. She closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it, and continued on inside. She saw the old glass trophy case, still holding memorabilia from the past.

State football championships, wrestling medals, signed game balls from the various sports the school participated in. There was one trophy that stood out from the rest. Its brilliant red pillars held up three different tiers, the center one was the largest, and on top of it was a fake gold symbol of an opened book with a feather quill to the side.

The trophy itself was nearly five feet tall, displayed in the center of the case, dwarfing the others around it. The words etched on the base of the plaque read:

1
st
Place

State Academic Decathlon 1996

Steelville High School

“
Knowledge is power”

Eve thought back to the day they placed the trophy in the case. It was won by her class mates, as the adults often reminded them, her graduating class was special, special on many different levels. They were by far the largest to ever attend the school, the most talented in sports, and as this trophy displayed the most intelligent.

Her graduating class was filled with talent; every aspect of study was represented by an exemplary student, unique in their own right, and respected for their skills. They dominated across the board, sports, art, cheer, drama; they had it on lock down for four glorious years.

The awards were given out, trophies brought home, and records set. She had been born into a very unique group of peers, and their accomplishments showed it. It ultimately culminated with one final unique achievement; they were the graduating class of 2000.

The end of one era, the birth of another. At the time, it didn't seem anything to be concerned over, it was just another day in her life. It wasn't until she looked back at the events during her lifetime, that she realized just how unique they really were.

Eve wandered over to the southern corner of the storage room, she had only been in this part of the room just once, it was the area reserved for football gear. She remembered her friends hovering over a box filled with old football jerseys, her schools small size rarely awarded new equipment, and this day was no different. They were there to pick a jersey to be worn during their homecoming skit.

The girls were dressing themselves up like football players, but due to budgets the only jerseys they had access too were the junior high hand me downs. The nice jerseys had already been claimed by the varsity boys. They were in a transition period, fueled by her class mates unexpected success, had captured the attention of people with money.

Money has a tendency to follow success, and this time was no different. The varsity football team was decked out in new uniforms, each team member was sporting the new jerseys, and there was plenty of the old ones to go around.

As her friends dug out a suitable jersey to wear, she searched for a specific number 57, but that sleazy bitch Beth already had it, and wasn't letting go of it. Beth could have 57 on the old jerseys, because the real 57 on the varsity team gave his game jersey for her to wear.

Eve had Alex's jersey, emblazoned with the team mascot, in all of its new glory. It belonged to her alone. Alex had given it to her.
Suck it Beth!
After the home coming game was the night Alex and Eve made their relationship official. It wasn't Eve's first time, it was however Alex's, and she had lied to him that night to prevent any embarrassment.

Eve rummaged through the box, and in very little time she came across Alex's old Jersey. A well worn black game jersey, the number 57 was outlined in orange, with an embroidered white Husky on each shoulder.

Eve snatched up the old jersey, put it on, and was amazed that it still fit. “It looks good on you.” Alex's voice startled her, and she let out a scream. She was quick to cover her mouth once she realized who was speaking.

“
You scared the shit out of me!” Eve said as she smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

“
Stealth is one of my many skills.” Alex replied.

Eve smiled gently as she embraced him in a hug. “I was getting worried.” Alex shot her an incredulous look, as if he was almost offended by the comment. He might not have been boyfriend of the year material in high school, but without a doubt, he was capable of handling his own in the battle field.

“Did you find any bodies?” Eve asked.

“
No. What I did find proves I was right.” Alex replied. He motioned towards the door, and took Eve's hand as he walked out. In the center of the gym floor were several bags, each one filled to capacity, and a single liquid based candle in the center.

The flame of the candle was not overly bright, it wasn't designed to be that way, and was reserved for longevity. Unlike a standard solid based candle, this one was meant to last as long as possible, utilizing its liquid base allowed it to burn for much longer.

It had taken Alex quite a bit longer than he had anticipated to return to Eve, but there were several stops he needed to make. Not having Eve with him actually sped the process up, and he was able to slip in and get what he wanted without risking her life.

The supplies he needed would have never been kept by Vickers. They were things that were not essential for survival, but for sentimental reasons worth their weight in gold. A CD player, some D batteries, a hand picked selection of CD's, a bouquet of flowers, and a white rose corsage.

Of all the items that he went after the white rose was the hardest part. Plenty of businesses had flowers, but most had died or wilted. The flowers had been left out on display, without electricity, and not being looked after soon died. He was about to give up until he entered Kimi's flower shop.

He remembered ordering flowers from the petite Asian woman. Her shop always seemed empty, but somehow she always had the flowers you wanted and even some you didn't. She had an innate ability to create the best floral arrangements, regardless of the occasion, but often was interrupted by a phone call.

That phone call she received, she explained was from Japan, and she always needed to take it. If you were patient enough, you would get the best of the best. There was a reason Kimi's was still in business. The woman knew her flowers, and she wouldn't stand for a sub par product. It was almost like joining a cult. If you hadn't have gone through Kim, you didn't care less about your date. If your date found out that you hadn't ordered your flowers through her, best of luck getting to second base.

Alex soon learned why Kim's shop seemed so barren. The woman was so busy that the arrangements rarely sat around long enough to be displayed. Lucky for him she kept plenty back in the coolers behind her desk. The thick insulated walls had shielded for quite a while, but most of them had wilted as well.

He rummaged through the flowers, picking out the best looking ones, and arranging them into a bouquet. He picked out a vase from the work station, attached a ribbon around the neck, and filled it with some water he found in the break room.

“
What's all this?” Eve asked, her face flush with embarrassment. Alex didn't say a word, but placed the corsage on her wrist. “For me? You shouldn't have.” Alex smiled, motioned for her to sit down, and placed a disc in the player. In just a few fleeting moments the rhythm of an old pop song filled the empty gym floor.

“
Real Mccoy?” Eve said. Her voice sounded with a hint of surprise. It had been ages since she had heard this song. She tried to remember the last time she heard it on the radio, but the only recollection of it was the night of their prom. It was in this same gym, that they had danced together happily, until Alex told her that he had enlisted.

Eve had overreacted, she knew that now as an adult, but none the less the pain of that evening returned. She wished she had not said those things to him, maybe even listened a little more, but the past was just that. Done. She fought back the urge to verbally assault him for bringing up painful memories of the past, but reminded herself that she would have long been dead if he hadn't intervened.

Eve might not ever understand how Alex justified things in his mind, but at least she owed him a chance to finish what he had started. Alex had gone out of his way on many occasions to protect her, left his family behind, and the secure fortress he had helped build. He had done all of that, not because she asked him too, but because he must have wanted too.

Alex stood uncomfortably in front of her, he had hoped she would say something, but the silence was making him nervous. He had just risked his life on a gamble in order to gather much needed supplies. Supplies they would have had if Eve hadn't tried to run off in the middle of the night by stealing his fathers car.

If she would have just came and talked to him, they could have put together a plan, gathered provisions and made out for a new start in a fast changing world. The conditions were far from ideal, but once again he had proven that he was a survivor. Making the best of whatever situation came before him.

“
Would you like to dance?” Alex said. Eve thought for a moment, her mind flooded with a complex cocktail of emotions, but rose to her feet and took his hand. His strong hand embraced hers and gently pulled her body close to his.

He kept a gentleman’s distance away from her, his left hand on her hip, and the other holding her hand. He advanced slowly, swaying slightly to start the lead, and Eve followed instinctively behind him.

Eve was instantly reminded of why she fell for Alex back in high school. There was something about his touch, that made her feel secure, safe, and wanted. As if his own confidence became small lightning bolts of energy, radiated to the surface of his skin, and jumped onto her.

She felt empowered simply by holding his hand, waves of energy rushing through her veins, triggering parts of her brain that had been long since dormant. She was an adult now and had felt strong feelings of connection before, but nothing held a candle to the unbridled emotions of her first crush.

The past came rushing back to her in full force, she felt like a young girl again, the pangs of desire ripped at her subconscious. She hadn't felt her heart flutter in so long, that it startled her, and she stepped back. These emotions had been a day to day occurrence back then, something she had taken for granted, and almost forgotten about as an adult.

“
Are you ok?” Alex asked.

“
I'm fine. It's nothing.” Eve replied as she rejoined him to finish the dance. This time drawing even closer to him by her own advance. She lowered his right hand to her hips, crossing both her arms over his shoulders, and resting her head next to his ear.

A single tear rolled down Eve's cheek, she wanted to speak, but refrained from doing so. She was afraid to upset him, but couldn't help the urge to understand why.
Why did he want to leave? Had she done something wrong? Those were questions a teenage girl asked, but had she misunderstood the whole time? What if I was wrong? Did he do it to provide a future for me?

“
Alex?” Eve asked.

“
Yes.” Alex replied.

“
Did you ever think of me?” Eve asked.

“
Constantly.” Alex let out a sigh of relief, as if the words had needed to be said, but he hadn't been able to before. He knew the only way to regain Eve's trust was with being truthful, no matter how much will power it took to make him say it.

Eve lifted her head, keeping her eyes downward at first, until Alex noticed the wet streak of the shed tear. Alex tilted his head to the side, so he could look at her eyes directly. He wanted to ask her why she was crying, but her gaze had frozen him in place.