Madness or Purpose (8 page)

Bimbo Carrie flips me off as she takes in my face. She gulps and backs away slowly. “Excuse me whore, but could you please stop drooling all over my man and send over a new waitress? Or do I need to make you?” I hiss at her. “S-s-sorry misses. I um...I’ll send someone over.” The waitress mumbles and keeps backing away. She trips over a chair and mumbles something under her breath. I can feel the heat burning in my face and my eyes feel like they are on fire. The bimbo waitress stumbles into another girl carrying a tray full of milk shakes and is covered from head to toe. A grin spreads across my face as I turn back to Gavin. His eyes are the size of dinner plates and then they narrow into a disapproving glare.

“What?” I grin sheepishly. “ZZ, you can’t go around tormenting women that hit on me no matter how whorish they might be. You don’t see me flashing blood red eyes and smashing guy’s faces in when they look at you now do you?”
Gavin scolded me.
“My eyes are red? I so did not hit her, but if she would have moved any closer I might have.”
I defended.
“Your eyes are back to normal now, but here comes a different waitress. Behave or we are leaving!”
“You did not just yell at me!”
I retort.

Our new waitress is a tall heavy set middle aged woman. Her graying brunette hair is pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun. She carries a little extra weight around her hips and mid section a sign of a mother with a few kids and I can read her mind. I wasn’t trying but she is screaming in her head about some phone call she had received from her fighting kids. This is really starting to annoy me.

Before I realize it Gavin and the middle aged woman are staring at me.

“ZZ, are you going to order?” “Oh, um, yeah. I’m sorry. I just spaced out.” I order and the waitress leaves. “So my eyes really turned red?” I ask Gavin. “Uh yeah, are you jealous or angry?” He questions with a smirk. “Both. She was so fake and falling all over you. I mean what am I?

Chopped liver?” “Until the other day to everyone else you kind of were…not that I ever felt that way, but that is what everyone here saw every time we came to eat.” Gavin explained. I could feel my cheeks redden and I looked down at my hands under the table. I felt Gavin’s leg touch mine.
“Don’t be like that Zoe, it’s really ok. I just have to teach you a few things and don’t forget you’re the only one for me.”
He flashes images from earlier through our connection. It only makes me redder. I am not a bold person, at least not usually, but lately I’ve had my moments.
“I’m really the only one?”
I question.
“The only one ever,”
He reassures me.

Our waitress, Marissa, I notice from her name badge, returns with two cups of steaming coffee.

“Creamer,” she asks. “Yes, please. Thank you.” I flash a sweet smile at her. I know she saw the show with the first waitress and she is rather hesitant to address me directly. She seems to relax a bit and I’ll be sure we give her a good tip just to prove I’m not a total jerk. Marissa quickly checks on her other tables and I feel the burning glare from the bimbo whore on the other side of the diner. Anger starts to bubble up and Gavin interrupts my thoughts of how to punish the chick with the fake everything.
“You have got to get that under control. You know there is a fine line between good and evil in people like us.

You have got to be more careful baby.”
“Yeah, about that, what exactly are we?”
I question him.
“I’ll tell you the most important details, but that is one reason I gave you the book. It’s everything I know combined with what is believed to be a collective history of our kind
.”
“Ok, I can accept that for now.”
I tell him.

Marissa returns with our breakfast and my chocolate milk. That’s right I’m almost 21 and I still love my chocolate milk so deal with it! I am sure to thank the waitress and smile politely. She seems at ease and reminds us to just wave her down if we need anything further. We both dig into our food and I stretch my foot out to touch Gavin.
“The stage is all yours Gav. Give me the low down.”
“What are we? Well, we are not angels. We are not demons. We are not humans, and we are not entirely immortal. We have earned the name guardians. We are not good or evil per say at birth. Our kind chooses based upon the events we experience in life just like any human would. I guess you could categorize us as super natural. As you can tell we tend to have some gifts and some of us possess more ability than others. For instance some of us are very fast.

Some of us can read minds telepathically.”
He nods at me. “
Some of us can see the future and others know the past. Some of us can influence energy and so on. All abilities and the manner in which they function are different from one individual to another.”
Gavin explains while crunching on some bacon and taking another swig of his coffee. The caffeine from my own cup is waking me up and I am more mentally aware than I have been all morning, well since leaving the apartment.

Savoring the taste of my hash browns my mind kicks into over drive.
“I guess there is more time to get into those types of details, but where do we come from? I mean how are we born? I mean did my mom actually give birth to me like a human or was a created? Why am I just now figuring out what I am? Why have you known like forever and why are you so comfortable with it all?”
Just as I finish asking we both look up to see our waitress Marissa returning to check on us.
“Hold that thought.”
Gavin answers. “Can I get you anything else?” “Could we have some more coffee?” I ask with a smile. She nods and fills up both our cups leaving just enough space for some creamer in my cup. I thank her and she hurries off again.
“Get to answering me, snap, snap.”
I demand.
“You sure are feisty today! Hmmm…we are born just like humans and our souls are created in the same manner. However, we don’t all get a whole soul. For instance you and I each possess half. The theory behind some of our kind receiving only half is that our purpose in life cannot be obtained or completed alone and by placing half of our essence in another we will be driven to find the other and thus be able to succeed. We are genetically designed to crave success in whatever our life’s purpose is. If we do not find our other half for those of us that have one, or are unable to succeed in our purpose we go mad. Some of us in such a situation become self destructive and take down any and all who get in our way. Some turn into power hungry monsters and torment anyone who fancies them and still others end their lives.”

My eyes start bugging out of my head and I am faintly aware that all the lights are flashing like strobes in the diner.
“Zoe, you have to calm down and concentrate on something or you might just blow up the diner. Close your eyes they are solid sapphire and focus on my heart beat.”
Gavin instructs. I close my eyes and try to slow my breathing. Gavin concentrates on his own heart beat to help me focus. I have never really noticed how beautiful the simple beating of a heart really was until now. I can feel my heart rate slow and my breathing returns to normal. I swear I even feel my eyes return to normal. I slowly open my eyes and see him smiling back at me with a look of satisfaction on his face.
“Should I continue? Can you chill out until I finish your questions?”
He inquires mentally. I nod.
“Just focus on me and close your eyes and remind yourself to breath if it happens again.”
I nod again.
“Many of us are born knowing because one or both of our parents are just like we are. But not all of us are so lucky.”
Gavin begins. “
Like me, I didn’t know.”
I interject.
“You aren’t the only one.”
He responds looking down at his hands.

“Tell me Gav.” “Ok, my parents aren’t my parents ZZ.”
I know my eyes are wide and I start to concentrate on breathing.
“Please look at me.”
“My parents are not my biological parents.”
Gavin finishes rising his eyes back up to meet mine.
“I was an orphan. I do not know who my parents are. However Gill and Shelly are very smart and noticed I was different. They did a lot of research and found Dean.”
“Your boss, how long have you known him?”
“My parents introduced me to him the day after I met you. I knew a small amount myself before I met you, but even my parents could tell I was going to need a mentor that was like me. Dean was 29 at the time and he was born into our kind with a full support system if you will and has many connections to other guardians.”
Gavin continues to explain.

“So, Dean knows about me then? What about my father?”
I ask. “
Yes, Dean knows about you and he has helped me to be able to help you and take care of you after your father died. We believe that your father knew you were different, but he did not have the resources my parents had at their disposal. He took me aside on more than one occasion and told me to take care of you before we would go out. He seems to have known your mother was not human, but he didn’t ever share anything that private with me or my parents. He let me stay around you because it seems he knew on some level that even though I was a teenage boy I had more respect for you and patience than anyone else would ever have.”
Gavin sighs out loud and motions to the incoming waitress with his head.
“Hold on a second. Let’s leave here and I’ll keep explaining on the way.” “On the way to where,”
I ask.
“You’ll see.”
He smiles and winks at me. Gavin thanks our waitress and we leave a nice tip along with enough to cover the bill.

As I slide out of the booth Gavin takes my hand and grins.
“See we can always talk this way. I like it!”

“I do too!”
I respond sticking my tongue out at him and ignoring the surprise on the whore bimbo from earlier as Gavin kisses my forehead.
“So, where was I? Hmm…oh yeah, the reason you have been unaware of who and what you are, is because, now this is only a theory, we think your mother put a time released vale over you. A vale is a type of magic if you will. We think it is time released because as you have gotten older more of your true nature has developed and you seem to be able to unlock your abilities as well as reveal your mark.”

We are now standing at the truck and Gavin is still holding my hand tightly. He keeps staring at me with a look I don’t understand. Desperation, no it’s fear. Wait…Gavin presses me up against the truck and bends his face down to mine. “Tell me I’m not going to lose you Zoe, tell me you love me.” My voice catches in my throat. I swallow hard. How can he not know this? He has been in my head for like two days now. “Of course I love you Gav, where would I g…” I try to answer but his lips cut me off. I am still confused, but I can’t resist him, every touch from him is like fire licking my skin. It should burn but it doesn’t. Just as quickly as he began he stops. Gavin pulls away a few inches and grins as his cheeks redden. “I’m sorry. I just, this is a lot of information and all I see in your head is fear and confusion. I get this feeling you are about to run off and never come back. I…I just couldn’t handle that.” “Don’t worry Gav. I’m not going anywhere. You are my family. Now, where are we going?” We jump in the truck and Gavin grins at me. “It’s a secret ZZ.”

As he pulls the truck out into traffic I lean my head back on the head rest and close my eyes. I can feel Gav’s hand on mine, but he is quiet. I listen to him sing and slowly drift off into sleep. I am aware of his wandering thoughts but everything is hazy. I don’t wake until I feel our connection drop as he opens his door and walks around to mine. He taps on the glass and I jump. I glare at him and look out the windshield at the name of the business Gavin managed to get a parking spot in front of. Jumping out of the truck I crane my neck to read the sign.
Natasha’s,
it’s a hair salon by the looks of it with the scissors emblem on one side.

However, there is another symbol next to it that I think I’ve only ever read about. I can’t remember what it’s called but I think it signifies the third eye which leads to the soul. I know it stems from eastern religions and has meaning centered on a master sense combined of all senses in perceiving reality and wisdom. What an odd symbol for a hair salon.

“What are we doing here?” I ask Gavin. “My friend runs this place and if you are going to work as a waitress for Dean you need a new hair style and maybe a makeover.” This enrages me. “What the hell Gavin? I love my hair and why can’t I be a waitress just like I am?” I hit him as hard as I can and try to leave a mark so he won’t forget I can handle myself. He just shakes his head at me. “Come on ZZ. She is a guardian like we are and she is a girl. You should know more people like us and she might be able to answer questions I can’t. She is like us in that she has a half soul too. She just hasn’t found the other half yet. I think she might even have some of your abilities. Just shut your little mouth and let yourself be pampered!” “Yes sir!” I say saluting him and standing up straight at attention. We both burst out laughing so hard we start to cry and I have to gasp for air. Gavin reaches over and ruffles my hair. “Hey now, don’t mess up my do you big idiot!” “You’re so cute when you’re angry ZZ.”

Gavin holds the door open for me and the bell dings above our heads. As we enter a 5’ 11’’ blonde walks around the corner in bright pink chucks, skinny jeans, and a punk rock band tee. Her eyes light up at the sight of Gavin and she jogs over and flings her arms around his neck. My vision goes red and Gavin quickly pushes the girl away. He can see inside my mind as we are still holding hands. The girl catches a glimpse of my eyes and backs a few paces away. “Oh shit! You must be Zoe. I am so sorry. I mean nothing by it.” She quickly explains in a heavy Russian accent. She extends her hand in apology. Gavin pushes it down saying, “maybe not just yet Natasha. Zoe might need a moment.” “It’s good. I understand.” I keep trying to focus on Gavin’s heart beat and I clamp my eyes closed. I can hear Natasha wander off behind the main counter. Her hands fly across the keyboard of the computer and the clicking stops as quickly as it started.