Shadow's Dangers (24 page)

“How do you know that I hadn’t left because I felt bad because of my migraines? After all, before talking to you, I was in the infirmary for this reason.”

“Plausible,” he agreed, amused, “but I know you. Even at the point of death, you still would come to school. You left because of our discussion and the effect it had on you.”

I stood speechless, even though I was vaguely aware he was doing it to prevent me from dwelling on all that had been said today and from worrying about the withdrawal of my barriers. Anyway, Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome really was full of himself and certain of his effect on me.

“Clearly, you’re implying that I’m some kind of a bookworm, straight-A student numb with love for you, the oh so irresistible Garreth Wates. Did I get that right?”

“You said it, not me,” he said, his smile couldn't have been bigger.

I let out a snort.

“I’m not a bookworm or a straight-A student and even less numb with love for you.”

“Liar,” he whispered, approaching me, his mouth only a few inches from mine.

“Arrogant,” I replied with a slight grin.

His hand resting on my cheek was now behind my neck and gently drew me to him, leaving me time to stop everything if I wanted to. This was anything but the case.

“Look at that!” Leighton exclaimed, coming in the room and I abruptly jumped away from Garreth. “I'm gone two minutes and I come back, seeing you two ready to box tonsils. What a chance that I wasn’t gone twenty minutes otherwise, for sure, I would have found you two climbing all over each other in the middle of the kitchen.”

Prey to embarrassment, I hid my face in my hands. Garreth laughed and I guessed that while his sister wasn't laughing out loud like him, she wasn't far from it. However, all the lightness of the moment disappeared when Leighton decreed seriously, a few moments later: “Come on, Deliah. Let's remove those barriers.”

12

The Demand

Lying on my bed, I stayed there, unable to doze off with all that occupied my mind. I was still struggling to get used to all the changes in my life these days and now I was even more obsessed than before. Sometimes, I tried to convince myself that it wasn't real but every time, something had to remind me that it was indeed. When I wasn't fleeing reality, I wanted to further explore the world of the Wates but they made a point of honor not to tell me more. I finally gave up, even though my interest was there. And as Garreth and I were inseparable and Leighton was there all the time, too, it was increasingly difficult to contain the flood of questions that I had on the tip of my tongue.

After their revelations, I thought everything would change radically, especially in our relationships, but this wasn't the case. While Leighton was as friendly as before and Garreth was much nicer, he and I flirted but nothing more. As if something was still holding him back from being with me. After confessing that he was not human, he loved me and protected me because some of his peers wanted me dead, I didn't see how there could be more, though, obviously there was something. Something much more serious and it worried me. I was afraid to know, not wanting new changes in my life but at the same time, ignorance tortured me like never before.

I seemed to be back to square one. Having obtained enough information to find the way to the edge of a new world but at the last moment, be forbade me access to it. I didn't even have my visions of the memories Leighton had hidden from me by putting two psychological barriers in my mind. I recovered all my memory, at the cost of great pain to ultimately realize that apart from moments of everyday life with my parents and the terrible day of their murder, nothing else was in my head. I was immensely grateful for getting back the memories of my parents, but it didn't help me right now. Everything I learned in my childhood on
Enimae
--the word given to beings such as Garreth and Leighton--was only in tales of this heavenly place called
Vergashae
or things the Wates had revealed to me. Unnecessary therefore, to help me discover more about what they had concealed. As a twist of fate could never come alone, now that I no longer had any doubt about the good intentions of Garreth, my subconscious didn't seem to agree, as I learned through the same recurrent nightmare that showed me a very different version of Garreth from the one I knew.

Tired, I got up to get my iPod and lay down on my bed. The music always helped to ease my mind and I was hoping that I could sleep without dreaming, for once. Setting off my playlist composed only of relaxing songs, I closed my eyes and let myself be lulled by the sound.

***

I knew I was in the very same dream the second my eyes fell on the meadow full of flowers. With the colors in the sky due to the sunset and the view of the Chugach and Kenai mountains all around, it looked like paradise. I didn't linger on the landscape, however, knowing that soon it would be the last place I wanted to be. Fear took me in the stomach when arms encircled my waist and someone came by my side. I didn't turn toward him, already knowing his identity. I swallowed hard when I heard Garreth’s unusually sweet tone.

“Do you like it?”

Unable to answer, I merely nodded. My anxiety was greater with each passing minute. I was not comfortable in his presence. Not here anyway, not when it was as if we were a couple, as if we were intimate, with his way of keeping me against his body.

“I knew you would.”

“Could you...”

I didn't have time to ask him to move away from me, his hands forcing me to turn around and his mouth crashing down hard on mine. It had nothing to do with the image I had of Garreth, him so considerate and tender, at least when it came to me. I tried to push him away, but he became more insistent, his grip tightening around my waist, pinning my body against his. When his hands went under my sweater to roam my skin, I couldn't stand it anymore. I pushed him with all my strength before giving him a hard slap. In a flash, his face went from contentment to anger.

“You shouldn't have done that,” he told me, his whole being vibrating with rage.

“And you shouldn't act as if I’m your play thing,” I couldn't help but argue.

He raised his hand in the air and I thought he was going to hit me. But no, he just snapped his fingers and a murder of crows appeared in the sky, a few hundred meters away. Their aggressive croaking increased at high speed. They were coming right at me.

“If I were in your place, I would run into the forest and very fast. You better hope you reach it before they catch you, which I doubt,” he said, mockingly, a wicked gleam that I had never seen in his eyes.

I didn't have to repeat it, even though I knew what awaited me was an horrible end. Despite my desperate efforts, I fell on my hands and knees before reaching the woods, a few moments later. Crows encircled me. Blood flowed from all sides and I cried as the volatile creatures tore at my hair and flesh. A distant and satisfied laughter from Garreth echoed when I fell on the ground, exhausted and bleeding, crows finally flying away.

I awoke with a start, short of breath and these horrible images in mind. I got out of my sheets and picked up my iPod that had fallen on the ground. After putting the device in my drawer, I headed for the bathroom. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. The fear was still there, lurking in my gray eyes and the terrible time I had spent, despite its unreality, read on my face. I had to refresh myself. If I faced the Wates with that face, both would know that something was wrong. And how would I explain the reason for all this to my almost boyfriend or whatever we were? I couldn't see myself saying: “Don't worry, nothing serious, I just dreamed of you having a blast watching me agonize.” No, really, it was better to keep quiet. It was only a stupid nightmare. After all, before the Wates emerge from the shadows where they watched over me, I already had strange dreams and nothing ever happened.

I tied my hair up as not to wet it in the shower and I promptly got in, determined to drive away the memory of that terrible moment from my mind. A few minutes later, I emerged from the shower and looked at my reflection in the mirror again. I suppressed a sigh. I was always the same. Well, if Garreth or Leighton asked me what was wrong, I could always say I had another dream of the death of my parents. It was an inglorious lie, but it was better than the truth. I didn't want to hurt Garreth or risk losing his protection, while Travis and some of their congeners waited for the right time to strike. Suppressing a shudder, I forced myself to think about something else, like hurrying if I didn't want to make us all late. I untied my hair, combed it, brushed my teeth and threw on clothes before I grabbed my bag and went downstairs. Anna, as usual lately, wasn't there. I wanted to tell myself it was a good thing I didn't have to endure her mockery, however, in spite of myself, I could not help but feel that she had reached the stage where she totally didn't care about me. Disdain, at least, meant that I had a little importance for her but indifference, it was as if I wasn't worthwhile of even one second of her time. Even if nothing was right between us, she was my sister and after the death of Tess, I had the absurd hope that her return to Mensen could bring us together. What a fool I was.

Chasing away my regret, I went to the kitchen to eat something before I left. I grabbed a slice of toast left on the table. A note was placed next to it. Snatching a good piece of bread with my teeth, I leaned to read what was written there. “For God's sake, eat some toast. Since I didn’t see you eat anything yesterday, I prefer to avoid any incidents. In particular, a call from the school's infirmary asking me to come get you when I have more important things to do, like keeping my job.” For once, her scathing remarks didn't disturb me. Instead, it made me smile. Finally, despite what she strove to make me think, perhaps she cared about me. And maybe things would get better, one day, between me and the last person I had left in my family. I took a pen from my bag and added my own note for when she got home: “Don't worry, I ate properly and if something happens, I have people who will bring me home. But thanks for your concern, it goes straight to my heart.” My smile broadened when I reread it, knowing that the last sentence would surely irritate Annabelle. I put away my pen, had a look at the wall clock and hurried to take a jacket off a hanger before exiting. I locked the door and turned around. The car wasn't there, for once. I went down the front steps and waited. My eyes rested on the field opposite to my house and the forest. Warnings from Garreth came to the forefront of my memory. Why couldn't I go in there again? He never explained it to me other than to say it was dangerous. Another mystery that I would have to clarify.

A croak resonated not far away and my blood became ice in my veins. Alarmed, I threw glances around me, looking for the bird. I saw it, perched prominently on one of the pins on the edge of the woods. It was unusually large, making it probably something like three times the usual size. The memory of Travis came to my mind. Was it he who put the animal in this place? If so, it meant he wasn't far from here.

“Oh no...” I whispered, expecting to see him emerge at any moment.

The Mustang's sound was heard, close from here. However, in a few seconds, Travis had time to kill me and given his words and the look he had sent me before escaping in a dramatic departure, he was determined to get back at me. Fortunately, the red car finally pulled into my driveway. I exhaled in relief. From where I was, I could see the smile on Garreth’s face, suspecting nothing of the fear I just had. Seeking the crow on the branch, I saw he was gone, which didn’t reassure me at all. Getting to the car, I went to the front passenger side. I buckled my safety belt and I threw a look at Garreth.

“Hello, Beautiful,” he said in a warm voice.

I turned my head and he had to believe that the nickname bothered me, but it wasn't that. The truth was that his tone had reminded me of the one he had in my dream before watching me agonize. This did nothing to help me feel better.

“Hello,” I finally articulated. “Hi,” I added to Leighton’s attention without changing my position.

In the rear view mirror, I saw her nod in greeting. Unable to keep the question that burned my lips any longer, I asked:

“Have you heard from Travis?

There was silence in the car. Obviously, this wasn't the right question to start the day.

“No, we haven’t,” replied Garreth. I felt him grab one of my hands and I turned my head to face him. “Anyway, if he comes here, believe me, we’ll take care of him. He won't have the opportunity to reach you.”

From the corner of my sight, I caught Leighton roll her eyes.

“Well done, Garreth,” his sister reprimanded him, infinitely sarcastic. “Now she's probably telling herself we are a real gang of psychopaths. It must reassure her, I’m sure of it.”

I blanched, having the unpleasant feeling that Leighton knew one way or another about my nightmare and she suspected that deep down, I saw them all as dangerous beings, even though I knew Garreth and she would never do anything to me.

“You misunderstood me,” he blurted when he took notice of my reaction, certainly thinking that I was reacting to the implication he made about the fate of Travis, which wasn't the problem. “We’re not going to kill him, although I have to admit, I want his death after what he did to you. No, what I meant was that we would catch him and we would bring him to face our community,  and they’ll decide his sentence.”

“What could happen if you get him back there?” I asked, filled with apprehension at the thought of knowing.

Garreth’s face darkened and Leighton's did the same.

“All you need to know is that there are two possible sentences...and neither is something desirable for our kind.”

I couldn't imagine what he was talking about and I had no desire to.

“Uh...if we don't want to be late, we’d better go. Deadly serious discussions so early, it's depressing.”

I couldn't agree more with Leighton, even if it was I who had brought up the issue. Garreth started the car and we took the road towards the school.