The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven (48 page)

  
              “You heard what Jack said. I'm only going to get you killed. He's not just after you he's after me, too and will do anything to get to you. I can't risk that. I need to know you're safe and if that means I have to leave...that I have to let you go, then that's what I have to do.”

  
              “Tristan, stop it. You can't be serious.”

  
              “Ella I think you should go to that school. It will be better for you. You'll meet new people and-,”

  
              “I don't want to meet new people. I don't want to be with anyone else. I want to be with you,” I said, pulling him into me. He peeled my arms off of him and turned around to leave. “Tristan!” I followed him to the elevator. I grabbed his arm and turned him around to face me.

  
              “Ella, I can't be around you, not when I know I'm the one who's going to get you killed,” he said scared.

  
              “That won't happen. I won't let that happen.”

  
              “You have no idea what you're dealing with,” he yelled, making me take a step back. “Jack just isn't some bully you can tattle on and hope it will stop. This is serious Ella. This is life and death and your life I'm not willing to risk.”

  
              “Just my heart,” I said.

  
              He took a step toward me but I backed away. “Ella, I'm doing this for us, for you. I need to take care of this before it gets any worse.”

  
              “Take care of what?” I asked, afraid.

  
              “I'm going to handle it. I'm going to find Jack and finish what I should have the first night,” he growled.

  
              “Are you out of your mind? You'll get killed!” I cried, thinking he was crazy for doing this.

  
              “Ella, this is the only way...the only way I know how to keep him from getting to you,” he said, trying to get me to understand.

  
              “So it's okay for you to risk your life but not mine. You expect me to be okay with that?”

  
              “No, that's why I was hoping to avoid this,” he said, looking away.

  
              “Avoid it how? What, you planned on leaving me a note?” When he didn't look at me I knew then that was what he intended to do. I shook my head in disgust. “Of course you would because you're nothing but a coward.”

  
              “Stop it,” he said, glaring at me. “You think I want it to be this way? You think I want to leave you? No I don't, but I have to. I have to in order to keep you safe!” he said, getting in my face.

  
              “What is wrong with you?” I asked, trying to hold back the tears. He turned to get on the elevator. “You're not even going to look at me? You're just going to leave and that's it?”

  
              He turned around to face me. “Stop acting like a little girl who's pissed off because she's not getting her way.”

  
              I slapped him, too shocked from his insult to say anything. He didn't even flinch. He just stood there with a stone cold expression. I knew he was trying to make me hate him. Make it easier for me to watch him leave on this suicide mission. “Just leave,” I spat. He walked backwards onto the elevator and watched me as I stood with my arms crossed.

  
              Before the doors closed completely he stopped them with his foot and stepped back out of the elevator. He grabbed me and kissed me with such a force he almost knocked me off my feet. “I love you Ella, more than anyone or anything in this world.”

  
              “If you loved me you wouldn't do this,” I pleaded.

  
              “I have to.”

  
              “Fine, then leave,” I said, pushing him away from me.

  
              “Ella, stop it.”

  
              “You want me to hate you because then it will make it easier, then fine. I hate you!” I yelled, pounding on his chest and pushing him into the elevator.

  
              “Ella, stop it!” he tried grabbing my arms but I stepped out of reach. “You don't mean that.”

  
              “You promised you would always protect me,” I cried, no longer able to hold back the tears.

  
              “And that's what I'm doing,” he argued.

  
              “But you already broke your promise,” I said, feeling defeated. “The one thing you couldn't protect me from was you.” Tristan stood there unable to speak, unable to say the words that would make any of this better.

  
              “Ella,” he reached for me, but I stepped away.

  
              “It's over Tristan,” I looked up at the shocked expression on his face. I put my hands up to stop the doors from closing on me. I was gripping at straws, trying everything in my power to keep him here safe with me. If I had to threaten to break up with him to get him to stay then I would.

  
              “Ella, don't do this,” he begged.

  
              “I'm not going to wait around for the call when they tell me they found your body. If you leave, then it's over,” I said, hoping my ultimatum would keep him here. When he didn't say anything, I stepped back off the elevator and watched the tears spill down his face as the doors closed.

  
              I fell to the floor crying hysterically.

  
              “Miss Ella?” Gabe said, gently touching my shoulder. I hadn't noticed he was here until now.

  
              “Oh Gabe, you have to stop him, you have to tell him not to do this!” I pleaded, hoping he could somehow be the voice of reason that I couldn't.

  
              “Miss Ella,” he said, bending down next to me. “I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do to stop him.” I looked at him incredulously thinking he just didn't care. “Once one has made up their mind there's no changing it.”

  
              “You know what he's doing? You knew about this?”

  
              “No, I did not. I only know what I heard.” I narrowed my eyes at him ready to tell him it wasn't polite to spy. “I wasn't spying,” he said, clearing understanding my anger towards him. “I was on my way out and overheard the arguing. I kept myself at a distance to give you your privacy, but stayed close enough in case you would need my assistance.” I looked away feeling embarrassed at my behavior. “I'm sorry.”

  
              “I don't need your pity,” I said harsher than I had intended.

  
              “It is not my job to offer you sympathy,” he said.

  
              “But then why –”

  
              “Because I would have done the same thing.”

             
“Excuse me?” I said, not understanding. I looked up at him as I wiped the tears from my face.

  
              “I too would have done anything to protect the people I care about. Your friend Tristan is a brave man.”

  
              “Or a very stupid one,” I said with a harsh laugh. I looked away feeling the tears burn in my eyes again. When I turned back around and looked in to Gabe's teal green eyes, I lost it. “Oh Gabe,” I cried, throwing my arms around him. Not sure how to react, he just knelt there with his arms by his side. I didn't care though. I held on tight and continued to cry. Gabe eventually let his guard down and wrapped his arms around me trying to comfort me. Once he realized I wasn't going to stop crying anytime soon, he picked me up, and carried me back to the room.

  
              When my parents caught sight of hysterical me being carried in by Gabe they rushed to my side thinking the worst. Gabe held up his hand indicating there was no need for immediate attention. My mom directed Gabe to take me into the bedroom and away from prying eyes. Gabe laid me down on the bed softly and pulled my parents aside telling them what happened, being witness to the horrible scene.

  
              “Oh, Ella,” my mom said in a hushed whisper.

  
              “Can you all just leave me alone?” I mumbled into the pillow.

  
              “Come on Jamila,” my dad said, pulling her out of the room.  I knew it had to be hard for my mom to just leave like this, but I did not want to talk. I just wanted to be left alone with my own misery.

  
              I cried for hours. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.

  
              Sometime later in the evening my mom came in and checked on me. “Ella...honey?” I didn't say anything. I didn't even turn to look at her. I just lay there and continued to stare out the window. She came over and sat down on the bed next to me and brushed strands of hair off of my face. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  
              “No,” I said in a hushed voice.

  
              “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

  
              “No.”

  
              “Josie's here, do you want to talk to her?”

  
              “No, I just want to be left alone.”

  
              My mom sighed, seeing she wasn't going to get through to me. She kissed me gently, pulled the covers up over me, and left the room. I stared out the window into the dark sky. No stars were shining tonight, too many clouds. I kept watching though, getting sucked in to the emptiness of the night. I started thinking of everything that happened. Not just today, but events from the past few days. And then I started to cry, again. I cried myself to sleep.

  
              I woke up sometime in the middle of the night. Feeling stiff from lying in the bed all day, I got up and went out in to the living room. My mom was sound asleep on the couch and my dad was still working hard to come up with different missions to catch Jack. I took the blanket from the bedroom and placed it over my mom, careful not to wake her. Then I looked around for something to eat.

  
              “Ella, what are you doing up?” my dad asked.

  
              “Couldn't sleep, hungry. Is there anything to eat?”

  
              “No, sweetheart,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and giving me a small squeeze. This was his way of telling me he was sorry for everything I had to go through. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him back. I felt his body loosen as he planted a fatherly kiss on my forehead. “I can have one of the guardians go and get you something to eat if you would like.” he offered.

  
              “No, I can do it,” I said, hoping he wouldn't protest.

  
              I knew he wanted to say no, but after today he knew I needed a break. “Just take Gabe with you,” he said.

  
              “I will,” I said, heading back into my room and grabbing a hoodie and slippers. I waited for Gabe to finish up with some of the other guards and then we took off. He followed me quietly downstairs where I found a twenty-four hour pizzeria. Perfect, I thought.

  
              “Did you eat yet?” I asked Gabe.

  
              “Not while I'm on duty,” he said.

  
              I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Look, you can relax. He's not going to get in here and you need to eat. I will not have you starve. I don't think I've seen you eat since you got here. You do eat don't you?”

  
              “Yes, I do eat,” he said, giving me a half smile, amused at my comment.

  
              “Good, then we eat.” I ordered a large pepperoni pizza for Gabe and I. Turns out he was pretty hungry after all. He ate most of it himself. “You know Gabe you need to relax a little. I have no doubt you're good at your job, but you don't have to go by the book all the time. I mean I won't tell anyone if you do
'something wrong'
,” I said air quoting the last two words. He cracked another smile and I felt like I was finally getting him to loosen up. “So what made you to decide to become a guard?” I asked, continuing the conversation.

  
              “Guardian,” he said. “The correct term is guardian.”

  
              “Sorry,” I said, stifling an eye roll. “So what made you become a Guard-ian?” I drew out the word being the natural smart ass I was.

  
              “My father was one, and his father, and so on.”

  
              “Okay, I get that it's a family thing but did you really want to be one or did you feel like you had to?”

  
              “I wanted to be a guardian. It makes me feel proud to be able to protect people. To be a guardian is like the vampire version of being a Marine.”