The Guardian (The Gifted Book 1) (16 page)

27
Meeting

Rhea checked her watch again. It was 5:20. Johnny was back to take another order and Rhea didn't argue. As he turned away, the door opened and Randell stepped in.

He scanned the room, not having seen her outside waiting. He hoped she was there. He hadn't expected questions as the student's left after the exam
, and that had put him behind schedule to meet Rhea. He finally saw her across the room and felt relieved. As he reached the table, Johnny arrived with a drink for Rhea, so he quickly gave Johnny his order.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Thanks for waiting."

"No problem." She sipped her mocha.

He laid his courier bag on the floor by his chair. "It was nice of you to meet me. I forgot how crowded this place gets at this time of day. Did you have to wait long for a table?"

"No. I got here just in front of the crowd." She tried to look relaxed but was struggling. She hoped he didn't notice.

Randell had played this conversation over and over in his head, each time with a different approach
, but still he wasn't sure how to proceed. All he'd managed to do was identify what needed to be accomplished in this meeting at a minimum. She had to know that he and Daen knew she was a Luxatran and that they were here to help her. He also needed her to agree to meet Daen. How to accomplish this without scaring her away was the question. Should he use a direct approach? Or indirect? Time for a decision. Direct.

His coffee arrived and he waited for Johnny to step away.

He took a deep breath and said, "I read the fantasy story you submitted. What would you say if I told you I know someone who has met some of the characters you depicted in that story?"

Her eyes went wide. What would she say? Was he kidding? He had to be kidding. Right? What if he
wasn't? That could mean only one thing. She wasn't alone here. But was that a good thing? Was this just a coincidence, or did someone know where she was? Her heart rate started to climb. She glanced at the exit. Should she run? She didn't want to run. He was waiting for an answer. Why was he looking at her that way?

He had her attention, he could tell. Her aura flared. Now he needed to show her that what he
had just said was possible. He reached into his bag and pulled out Daen's journal and handed it to her. "Please open this to any entry and read it."

She took the journal but didn't take her eyes off his. What was he up to? She still hadn't answered his question and now he was handing her a journal? She placed it on the table in front of her and opened it, allowing the pages to open to a place of their choosing.

At first she didn't want to believe what she was seeing. How could this be? Excitement and fear rippled through her. Memories of reading Grennal’s lessons flashed through her mind. And of course there was the card with her name. It wasn't that long ago that she'd read that single word written in Aduraun, and now she was looking at a page of Aduraun script.

It's been a week since I arrived. I have found a place to live while I look for her, the one I am supposed to help. I don't know anything about her except that she will be here one day. That is all I can remember hearing before I was swept away from my world. While I wait, I will look for a way back. I will be patient. I must be.

It took seconds to read the short entry, but her eyes lingered on the page as she tried to understand what was happening. As she stared at the page, she noticed some numbers in the top right corner, as if they'd been added after the initial entry. May 88. A date. That's right. Luxatra wouldn't have the same calendar, would they? She shook off the random thought and calmed her nerves.

When she could finally pull her eyes off the page, she found Randell watching her, waiting for a reaction. She slowly closed the journal and handed it back. "Who are you?"
she asked.

Randell had watched her colors flare when she looked at the page and again when she read the entry, her expression on the edge of bewilderment. Now her expression read skepticism.

"I'm a friend," he replied.

"No.
Who
are you, really?" She wanted to trust him. Something inside her told her she could trust him. Was he like her, she wondered, or was he just a go-between?

Randell wondered whether
he should tell her everything. No, he decided. Not without Daen. "It's a long story that I'd like to share with you, but it's not my story to tell alone."

She looked at the journal in his hands. "You didn't write that."

"No. A very good friend wrote it. I would like to introduce you to him. May I call him? He can be here in a few minutes. He would like to meet you."

She wanted to say yes
, but wondered if that was a good idea. Grennal's words lingered in the back of her mind; she had feared that she would lead someone to Rhea. Had that happened? Caution was demanded of her.

Randell could see she was troubled,
that a conflict battled inside her. Her aura flickered, the intensity of the blue changed as her expression remained mute. He needed her to understand. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want you to know that we're here to help you."

"We?" H
e and his friend? Or were there others?

"Me and my friend Daen, the author of the journal you just read."

"Help me? Why do I need help?" Did they know something she didn't? Did they know she was being hidden? Had someone found out? If they were here to help, wouldn't Grennal know? The king would have told her, wouldn't he? Maybe there wasn't time.

D
id she really not know, Randall wondered? Something wasn't right. Should he tell her about the trackers? No. That would only scare her. Or maybe she already knew? Maybe that's why she'd evaded them for so long. He knew he needed to be honest with her, but he could go only so far right now. "Daen was sent here to help you. Help you how, we don't know for sure."

Sent here
, she wondered? From where? From Luxatra? What was happening? This couldn't be good. She needed to think. She needed Grennal. "Can I think on this? Get back to you?"

Randell felt the wash of disappointment roll over him and knew Daen would go nuts if he didn't call soon. "I was hoping I could introduce you to my friend today. There's more we need to tell you. Please. It's important."

"I'm not sure." Why was he pushing her?

Randell
knew he'd pushed too hard. He needed to back away, let her come to him, so to speak. He leaned back in his chair. "Okay. Tomorrow. I understand. You don't know me. You need time to think." He glanced around the shop. "How about we meet here early tomorrow morning? Say 9:00 a.m.?"

Rhea glanced around the room at all the people. Having people around was good. If he and his friend meant trouble, they wouldn't be able to do anything here. That put her at some ease. "Fine. Tomorrow at 9:00." She stood and left the shop without another word.

Randell breathed a sigh of relief. He could see she was telling the truth, and she appeared to be calmer. He could no longer see the bright blue glow that had surrounded her earlier while she was under stress.

~~~

Randell opened the door to a dark apartment. "Daen?!"

There was no response.

He threw his keys in the bowl by the door and his bag on the sofa, listening for any sign that Daen was home, but there was nothing. He wasn't there. He had wanted to tell Daen about the meeting in person, but he couldn't wait any longer. He dialed Daen's cell.

Daen felt his phone vibrate and checked the caller ID
. Randell. He answered with a whisper, "Hello."

"Where are you?"

Daen sat at a corner table in the student center food court, near a vending machine and behind a newspaper. He whispered, "Student center food court."

"What are you doing there?"

"At the moment, hiding." Daen had been anxious for Randell's call. He'd wanted to be close by if she agreed to meet him that day, so he'd ventured to the student center to wait. He could be at the coffee shop in less than five minutes, if need be.

Randell tensed. He'd had a feeling something was odd. "From what? What's going on?"

"The two men you saw. They have me trapped and they don't even know it. As soon as I move, they'll see me."

"What do you need me to do?"

"I've been thinking about that and I'm not sure how to get out of this situation unless they leave."

"What are they doing?"

Daen tipped the corner of the paper down slightly to check on their status. "They're eating. The big one keeps glancing around as if he senses something. I'm next to the soda machine and I think it's interfering with his gift. But as soon as I move, the gig's up."

Randell grabbed
his keys from the bowl, "I'm on my way. Stay on the line with me." He ran to his car and headed out. Seven minutes later, he was pulling into a parking spot near the center.

"I'm on the way in."

Daen pushed out a forceful whisper, "No!"

Randell stopped midstride, "What do you mean no?"

"I don't know how sensitive this guy is. For all we know, he'll pick up on your gift. We need something to scare them off."

Randell paced on the sidewalk next to his car. "Like what?"

"I've been thinking. They might get nervous if a couple campus cops show up."

"And you want me to call them? What do I say? I can't make a false report."

Daen knew Randell was right. That would just attract unwanted attention to them as well. Before Daen could think of an alternative, the men stood. "Wait. I think they're leaving. Don't let them see you."

Randell got back in his car and waited.

Daen watched the two men pause at the entrance to the food court. The larger of the two scanned the room again, his eyes narrowed into slits of concentration. He slowly turned, following his friend, who had already left.

Randell watched the men exit the building. "They're heading for town."

He watched them cross the street, away from where he sat in his car, and disappear between two buildings. "It's clear. You can come out."

A few minutes later
, Daen slipped into the passenger seat of Randell's car. "I don't like this." Daen's jaw clenched as he stared out the windshield.

"What happens if they find us? Are they like you? Can they hurt us with their gift?"

"No. But they wouldn't think twice about killing us. The fact that they're here just reinforces the reason I'm here. They must be hunting Rhea." Daen turned to look at his friend. "What did you find out?"

"She's being cautious but has agreed to meet up tomorrow morning at the coffee shop."

Daen's tension eased only slightly. He rubbed his jaw while he thought about the meeting. "Three of us together in town? That could draw the hunters. Can we call her, change the meeting location?"

"I don't have her number
, and even if I did, changing the location at this hour might scare her off." Randell stared at the spot where the men had disappeared. "What would you do if this was Luxatra?"

The corner of Daen's mouth twitched. "I wouldn't be hiding, that's for sure. If they got close ... well, let's just say I wouldn't be worried."

Randell seldom got to see the guardian in Daen. He'd gotten glimpses of him during practice sessions, but nothing like what had just flashed before him. He was surprised by the intensity with which Daen's colors had flared. He didn't know if he should be in awe or afraid.

Daen took a deep breath. "Let's go home. We'll see her in the morning, explain what's happening
, and get her to safety."

Randell started the car. "Safety? Where?"

"I'm not sure yet."

~~~

Rhea headed straight for the dining hall after her meeting with Randell. The walk across campus from town had been a blur. One minute she was in town, the next she was standing outside the dining hall debating whether to eat there or splurge and order pizza in her room. Before she got a chance to make up her mind, Beth grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door. "Come on, one more time before you go off to make your fortune."

Rhea stumbled after her. "Okay." Her mind
was still in a haze at the news she'd just received. Someone else from Luxatra was here and they wanted to meet. How did they know? Her story, she thought, the one she'd written for class. She'd used Luxatran names and places. What were the odds of that ever happening; that a replacement professor would read a past assignment of hers and just happen to have a friend who knew the characters in her story? Pretty far-fetched, but it had happened.

Beth was oblivious to what was plaguing Rhea's mind as she rambled on about the final she had taken that day. "Rhea?" Beth waved her hand in front of Rhea's face. "Rhea?"

Rhea blinked. "What? Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked how your final went. Are you just getting back from it?"

"Yeah." Without thinking, Rhea just let her mouth ramble forth her thoughts. "I went by the coffee shop after. I met Randell there."