Authors: Cindy Mezni
“Tell me, what's the matter.”
I put strands of hair behind my ears, feeling anxious. I already felt badly at the thought of ruining his good mood with my concerns.
“You told me that Leighton and you hadn’t heard any news from Travis, but have you...uh...
felt
him, lately?”
“No,” he replied, his face immediately tense, his eyes prying. “Why do you ask?”
“I...”
I fell silent, unsure of what I should do next. Tell him what I saw and look crazy? Or keep quiet about it and act on fear in order to find out more and to define if what I saw was real or not? I quickly chose the second option.
“I’m just worried, that’s all. I was wondering if with his chimera maker’s power, he was able to act even remotely or without you noticing. After all, you...”
Garreth’s eyes had become hard and I could only stop talking, realizing too late that I had gone too far.
“He fooled us? That's what you were about to say?”
“Yes,” I said reluctantly.
Nervously, he ran a hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving mine. He eventually relented.
“I know Leighton and I have sucked lately but I promise you you’re safe now. It's impossible for him to approach without us knowing and, believe me, we won't let him come near you.
I
won't let him come near you,” he added with conviction, his hand grabbing mine.
“I believe you,” I replied.
His words hadn't had the soothing effect he wanted, despite what I had said to him. The fear in the pit of my stomach told me that what I had experienced was not an illusion.
“Seeing your expression, you’re not as confident as you say.”
I winced slightly, even though his tone was by no means accusing. I decided to tell him the truth, without confessing to him I had seen Travis and things that could have only be made by him.
“I believe in you and Leighton. This isn't why I doubt. I know you will do whatever is in your power to protect me. I’m just afraid that Travis has more than one trick up his sleeve and is capable of other things. I think he has another gift that keeps you from spotting him before it's too late...”
Garreth seemed thoughtful.
“I understand, but you can be relax because he doesn't. An
Enimae
can't have more than one power and there are only three that exist in our race. Chimera maker, spirit manipulator or protection setter. If Travis was in cahoots with a protection setter, he would probably be able to come back unnoticed, even if he was very close to us, but there is only one
Enimae
currently alive with this power and he would never associate with Travis or anyone wanting to hurt you.”
I didn't know why, but I felt that Travis had a mind so twisted he could find a way to reach me, anyway. No need to dwell on that point any longer, though. Garreth was convinced Travis wasn't in the area and because of this, I began to doubt what I had seen. I decided to forget this momentarily and take the opportunity to learn more about their race, instead.
“So, there are three gifts among your people. I guess Leighton is a spirit manipulator as she can put psychological barriers on minds.”
“You got it. Her power also allows her to change memories, copy someone's knowledge or share hers with someone.”
“Seriously?” I said, eyes wide. “She can share her knowledge? Let's say she wanted to share her knowledge on trigonometry or something like that, she can do it?”
Trigonometry? Seriously?
Garreth would definitely think I was a bookworm, straight-A student now.
“Yes, she can do this,” Garreth replied, laughing.
I rolled my eyes, exasperated not by him but by me and my stupid reaction.
“And you? What is your gift?”
“I have none.”
“You don't have any?”
“No. Powers are rather rare among my kind. But I made up for it by being an outstanding fighter in my community.”
“Outstanding fighter?” I repeated, amused. “Modesty is definitely not your thing.”
“Why be humble when you know what you’re worth?” he retorted and he couldn't be more serious. “By the way, just so you know, I’m good at a lot of other things...”
The innuendo of his sentence didn't go unnoticed.
“Really? What, for example?” I threw at him, playfully.
“You’ll see. You have a pen and paper?”
“Uh...yes...”
It wasn't exactly what I expected. However, I dug into my bag and pulled out what he asked me. He took it and began to draw with rapid movements. Curious, I leaned over the table to see what he was doing. While the image took shape quickly, I had to admit he was good. Much more talented than me and I’d been drawing for ages.
“You draw? I didn't know.”
“I am full of mysteries, Beautiful,” he replied, looking up from his paper for a moment to wink at me. “The
Enimae
learn early to draw. It’s part of the first stage of learning how to use our imagination to visualize what we want to create.”
“What do you mean, to visualize what you want to create?” I inquired, lost.
“As you witnessed with Travis, we can create things. Or more accurately, we can change the substance of something to make it become something else. Travis being a chimera maker, he can change whatever he wants, as many times as he wants. We, other
Enimae,
who don't have this gift, we can do so only occasionally and at a much smaller level than his own, because it requires a lot of our own energy.”
I hung on his every word. I remembered a recent image Leighton allowed me to recover when I got back all my memory. The scene of two wolves fighting--his and that of his congeners--the first day of school, came into my head and I realized it was what Garreth was speaking about. He and his people could give form and life to things according to their imagination. It was thus Travis had made the crows appear. It was amazing to realize that at times, his world was scaring the hell out of me but at others, I craved to discover more. Just as it was surprising to imagine that beings capable of exceptional things like that also could count among them people as vile as Travis. This was real, however and he wasn't alone.
“This is...”
“Fascinating?” he suggested with a joyless smile and I nodded. “It is, at first. But unfortunately, it’s been a long time since everything our race is capable of was corrupted to follow a bad ideal that destroys everything that makes up the beauty of our people.”
“But why?”
The melancholic and hard expression he wore gave way to a tender one he only addressed to me.
“I’ll explain it to you another day,” he told me, putting down his pencil. “Done. Admire the work of the master.”
He turned his sheet and pushed it towards me. I exploded with laughter when I saw the drawing he had made. Garreth stared at me, delighted with my reaction. His pencil stroke was terrible, there was no denying it. He had represented himself with a knee on the ground, like a man did when he proposed to a woman but he had his hands clasped together as if praying or begging someone, an empty speech bubble near his head. Apart from the position, the sketch of Garreth had such an air of desperation that it was funny.
“You draw like no other,” I confided to him, honest, once my laughter subsided.
“Like you,” he replied, staring into my eyes. “Another commonality between us. Further proof that we were made for each other.”
I stared at him while my heart was racing. After such a declaration, it was the opportunity to talk about our relationship, right? I hesitated a moment before deciding to take my courage in both hands. I had scarcely opened my mouth when he silenced me by raising his hand.
“Don't talk. Check it before you say anything.”
Wide-eyed, I looked at the sketch that was changing. Letters were forming in the speech bubble while the drawn Garreth began to move his lips as if he uttered the words forming on the sheet. When the message was written in its entirety, the paper flew away, blown by a gust of wind before returning to me to become a real red rose. I caught it in flight, stared at it, shocked and finally, I raised it to my nose to inhale the smell.
“Would you do me the honor of going out with me, Deliah Elizabeth Morgan?” he asked, repeating the text written on the sheet.
I laid my eyes on him. I was beside myself with joy.
“Of course, I would!”
In a blink of an eye, Garreth somehow jumped over the table and found himself on the bench beside me. One hand grabbed my neck while the other rested in the small of my back to pull me closer to him. He gave me a look so feverish that my breathing became labored.
“That’s what Leighton told you, isn't it? When you gave her the cell phone, she told you that I didn't know what was really going on between us, huh?”
He laughed softly.
“Well, actually, she said something like: ‘What are you waiting for to tell Deliah you and her are together? I swear, if she doesn't tell me you’re a couple and doesn't have a smile from ear to ear next time I see her, I’ll hit you, Garreth. Hard. Very hard.’”
I couldn't help but laugh. Leighton was truly an amazing girl.
“You can laugh but you know, she may look like a fragile little thing when you see her but believe me, when she hits, she hits hard,” he assured me.
My laughter doubled up, facing the expression of the feigned victim Garreth displayed now.
“She wouldn't have to threaten you if you had decided to act before,” I retorted with amusement.
For once, his face became serious and I didn't understand why. I was just kidding.
“With all that you've suffered and learned lately, I thought you needed time to adapt, so I didn't want to push. I have to admit that even though you’ve taken well to all you have discovered thus far, I’m afraid it won't be that way when you discover the rest. You may end up shying away from me...and I’m not sure I would react well if that happened.”
I felt anxious, hearing the tone he had used. I didn't know what he was so afraid to tell me and I was suddenly frightened to find out. But I was convinced of one thing, despite everything.
“It won't change anything between us. I am certain of it. Whatever the future holds, whatever you trust me with, even if it’s hard, we will face it together.”
As for sealing the promise I made to him, I put my mouth on his to share a kiss. It was as if a fire came alive in me, negating any coherent thought in me. Fever took both of us and I didn't think anymore, letting my instincts take over. He pulled me even closer against him while my right hand strayed into his ebony hair. Our lips were moving in unison with passion. My hand pulled hard on his hair. I felt ashamed, not being used to reacting that way but he growled in response to my gesture.
Oh my! That sound!
It was the most sensual thing I’d ever heard. Our kiss became more and more anxious, our lips parted slightly so that our tongues met and engaged in a frantic struggle. The fire growing in me was unprecedented and I was sure it could never be extinguished.
Garreth backed away a little. We gradually resumed our breaths, our bodies still intertwined. His eyes shone with desire and mine were probably reflecting the same.
“It was...”
I couldn't go further but I knew he guessed what I meant.
“I totally...agree...”
The bell rang to signal the end of the break.
“You coming?” Garreth asked me, standing now.
Well, well, well... It’s time to embrace your dark side and become rebellious, I think.
“You know what? You were right. Missing one or two classes can't hurt from time to time,” I declared and he smiled, looking triumphant before drawing me to him without missing a beat.
My lips found his once again. I tried to enjoy this happiness I had with him right now, but somewhere in a corner of my mind, I couldn't help thinking that misfortune would strike again. Because sooner or later, something bad happened to the people I cared for. I had the intuition that this time, the evil was about to come from the world I had just discovered and that would be terrible.
13
Imposture
It was Saturday, the day of the party in the villa near Anchorage. In a common agreement, with Leighton, Hayden, Cassie--a classmate Hayden had invited to join us--and Elisha, who often came to talk to us since our brief discussion in the girls’ bathroom, we decided we would prepare at my home as there was no parent to comment on the clothes, makeup or even boyfriend. Since Garreth and I had no intention of showing ourselves at the party this evening, I also thought it would give me some time with them.
Now that we were all here, I began to regret my hospitality. The girls and I were in the living room and Hayden was trying to convince me to come with them. She kept telling me that to really enjoy it, it would be better if we were all together. Leighton kept supporting her all the times she said it. I was touched, really but I didn't want to find myself among drunk strangers and end up being brought home by the police and sermonized by my sister. I had never been to this kind of party (at least not when they were held by people I didn't know). Even back to the time when my grandmother was still alive, so I wasn't going to start now and give people of this town the opportunity to talk about the poor little orphan who began to follow the same path as her infamous sister. Despite all of this, I had to admit that the idea of an evening spent alone with Garreth was more tempting than anything else.
“Come on, Deliah, come with us. Do it for me. Please, please, please,” Hayden chanted tirelessly.
“For God’s sake, accept,” Elisha, who was sitting beside me on the couch, implored me.
“Sorry,” I replied with a grin, before turning to Hayden and refusing to come for the umpteenth time.
“Lord, Deliah Morgan, you’re really impossible!”
Elisha and Cassie exchanged a glance and started to laugh. For my part, I merely smiled, slightly amused. Hayden had the art of making a mundane situation totally dramatic.
“Can I talk to you?” Leighton asked me, pointing to the kitchen. “This is important.”
“Okay,” I said, frowning, following her into the other room.