Tears of the Broken (34 page)

“
I
wish you’d tell me what’s going on,” I called as he crossed the
road.

He
stopped without turning around. “I want to. God knows, Ara, I want
to. But, I—we’ll see. I have to think.” He shook his head. “I can’t
do that with you here. You cloud my mind.” He started walking
again, leaving me standing alone and confused in the middle of the
lonely road. “I will find you later.”

David headed across the grass to the front car park while I
took the walk of shame toward Emily—still waiting at the top of the
stairs. She’s been watching the whole time. It must’ve looked like
David and I had a fight, but anyone who knows David would know
that’s nearly impossible.

As I
neared the steps, I winced at her very confused and worried stare.
Maybe I should just go home. I don’t want to be inundated with
questions about what just happened, in fact, I’m struggling not to
cry.

Emily swallowed her concern when I took the first step, and
by the time I stood in front of her, the usual bright smile had
spread across every inch of her face. “Hey, Ara,” she
beamed.

“
Em?” I rolled my head to the side. “Don’t pretend there’s
nothing going on—that just makes it worse.”

“
Sorry.” Her shoulders dropped.

“
Come on, let’s just get to class.”

“
Okay. Um, Ara?” Emily stopped me with her hand on my elbow.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re upset, but, if you need to like, talk or
anything—” she pulled one shoulder up and touched her cheek to
it.

“
Thanks, Em.” But don’t worry; I won’t be discussing any
private affairs with anyone. I can hold in hurt just fine. I don’t
need to talk about it.

Chapter
Twelve

As
we walked to class, Emily babbled mindlessly about the benefit
concert and our difficult mythology paper—which hadn’t sounded so
difficult when Dad assigned it. I slipped into the safety of my
proverbial eggshell-carrycase and wandered around with a fake smile
on my lips, even though, inside, my guts resembled
fricassee.

David’s pendulum behaviour is driving me nuts. He says it’s
not because of me that he’s leaving, but that’s what they always
say. I said it to the first boy I ever broke up with because I
didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him he smelled like
macaroni cheese and crayons.

I
must’ve
done something wrong? In my world, you don’t leave the ones
you love—not even with a good excuse. It doesn’t matter what’s
wrong or what you have to do, you give it all up, give up
everything for love. I’d do that for David, why won’t he do the
same for me? I must have done something wrong.

The
day floated past me; I merely existed in its wake, unable to listen
or feel. I watched them all around me, the people, and heard their
voices, but could in no way be a part of their world.

Music class, Biology, English, I never really paid attention
to any of it. At lunch, we determined that the benefit concert
would be held next Saturday night, and started making up posters
for it—with the help of the Art students. Then, Emily went as far
as to request that the performers meet after school for further
rehearsals. And we actually agreed.

Looks like everything for the concert is falling in to place,
while for me, everything is falling apart.

Even
watching Alana and Ryan cheerfully walk
everywhere
together—and whenever a
teacher wasn’t looking, hold hands or kiss—I actually felt the
hollow pit of jealousy; something I’ve never felt before. They’re
so normal, and I’m beginning to think, to my dismay, that David’s
not.

Then
again, maybe
I’m
not normal. He’s been gone for only half a day and I’m pining
like a lost cat. That’s not normal. Perhaps I’m too clingy and
that’s why he finds it so easy to leave me. He didn’t even seem
that upset. Maybe he does this all the time. It might be a hobby of
his—to hang around a school until some unsuspecting girl falls for
him, then he dumps her and leaves.

Or
maybe he’s a criminal or a kidnapped child—forced to call his
captor Mum or Dad—and now they’ve been caught and have to flee, or
maybe he really isn’t only eighteen and he’s under witness
protection. He could be thirty for all I actually know about
him.

Dad
gave me a warning glare as he continued his boring lecture on some
religious topic—something about vampire myth. He knows I’m not
concentrating…or even listening. But how can I? David’s leaving and
all I can do is wonder why?

That
last thought—witness protection—has really got my mind going,
though. He did say he had to leave, not wanted to—that it isn’t my
fault and he wishes he could tell me what it is. I feel a little
relieved. But…hang on, if he
is
under witness protection, he could be in danger.
Worse, if he leaves, he might never come back here.

With
a few shallow breaths, I sat up straight in my chair. I need to
focus on Dad’s lesson; I can feel the tears prickling, and Dad will
surely give me the full inquisition if I cry in his class
again.

“
So,” my dad continued, “When God created Adam, he also
created who?” He pointed his pen to a student up the
back.

“
Eve,” a boy answered with surety.

“
In
some versions of the story, yes, that’s true. But it’s also told
that God first created a woman named Lilith. Now, she has many
names in different cultures: Lilith, Kali, Satrina. She’s also
known as The Snake, The Screeching Owl—” I fazed out as Dad droned
on for a minute.

It’s
really hard to feign interest.

“
So,
unlike her sister Eve, Lilith was not created from a part of Adam.
She was created as his equal. However, Adam would not treat her as
such. He tried to force her to submit to him as he pleased, and so,
in a stand for her own rights, Lilith left. Just
disappeared.”

“
Sweet, world’s first feminist,” one of the football jocks
snickered from the back of the room.

I
have to admit, this is getting interesting.

“
Well, that’s the first time I’ve heard Lilith referenced that
way,” Dad said with a chuckle. “But, very sharp, Mr. Grady. So,”
Dad paced the floor, gesturing with his hands as he spoke, “At a
loss now, God decided to create another woman for Adam. But this
time, she would be bound to Adam by the flesh.” Dad stopped and
looked around. “Who knows what that means?”

“
She
was created from one of Adam’s ribs or something, right?” the paper
cannon kid next to me said.

“
That’s right. And because of this…?” Dad pointed around the
room and stopped on Emily.

“
She
couldn’t just leave him?” Emily breathed relief when Dad
nodded.

“
Exactly. Lilith, on the other hand, believed Eve was made to
be naïve—that God had not given her the knowledge of herself. Some
say Lilith acted as the snake that conned Eve into tasting the
forbidden fruit, also known as the—” his voice trailed up in
question.

“
Fruit of Knowledge.” Emily grinned, dropping her raised hand.
Why did she even bother putting it up if she wasn’t going to wait
for him to address her?

“
That’s right. Ten points to the students paying attention
down the front here—” Dad grinned and scribbled only five lines on
the top right corner of the board. “And deduct five, for my
daughter, who hasn’t heard a word we’ve been saying.” The whole
class erupted into a murmur of giggles; I slinked down in my
seat—staring daggers at my father.

“
Now, as the story continues, Lilith, who, like Adam, was
created to be in God’s likeness, lived outside the Garden of Eden.
If we jump forward in the story a little,” he looked at his watch,
“you’ll remember from our studies in religion last term that those
in God’s likeness have the same power as the Almighty—which
included immortality.

“
If
you research Lilith, you’ll find that in many cases throughout
history she was said to be the Goddess of Seduction and believed to
have power over men. In fact,” Dad said, raising his index finger,
“in many cases, when men were unfaithful, they proclaimed it to
have been an act of seduction by the Goddess, and not an act of
sin. Sounds like the easy way out if you ask me,” Dad said and
pretended to choke himself with his tie. The class laughed—but not
me; I’m still mad at him for singling me out.

“
Wasn’t she also said to be a demon, which ate small
children?” a student asked.

“
Yes, Grace.” Dad raised his brow, looking impressed. “That’s
exactly right. There are many different myths surrounding Lilith.
If anyone here knows the story of Cain and Able, you’ll know that
Cain murdered his own brother, and was punished by God—banished,
and cursed for eternity with a thirst for blood. Then, he fell in
love with the Goddess, Lilith.” Dad smiled at the class. “Can
anyone see where I’m going with this?” He looked around; no one
answered.

I
shrugged when he looked at me. How would I know?

“
Okay, well, it’s told that Lilith and Cain had a child—an
immortal, who inherited his father’s blood thirst. The world’s
first myth about…?” He waited, his brow arched and his cheeks
high.

“
Vampires,” a voice said from the doorway.

Quiet murmurs spread over the class as everyone turned to
look at the boy leaning on the doorframe with his hands in his
pockets, looking incredibly cool. David! How long has he been
standing there?

“
Very good, David, and you’re not even one of my students. And
so—” Dad said as he walked over to David and took a note from his
hand, “—you can see that even legends of the most vile of creatures
may have some religious origin.”

David looked at me and smiled. It was not returned—I’m still
upset with him, too, and I don’t have any happiness in me to form a
smile.

Dad
whispered to David for a second, then looked at me. Emily and I
exchanged glances. “Ara?” Dad called.

I
sat up a little and stared at David, my mind filling with
questions. “Yes?”

“
Go
with David, please?”

All
eyes in the class fell on me; I stood up slowly and jammed my books
and pens into my bag, then shrugged at Emily as I sauntered past my
dad. David averted his eyes from mine and closed the classroom door
behind us.

“
David, what’s this about? What did you tell my
dad?”

He
started walking. “I told him I need to rehearse with you—for the
benefit concert.”

“
And
he bought it?” I asked, the surprise in my voice a little too
obvious.

David just laughed.

“
Where’re we really going?” I asked as we headed toward the
front car park.

“
Somewhere else.”

“
David! Enough secrets.” I stomped my foot. “Tell me where
we’re going.”

“
I’ve been unfair to you.” He stopped walking, too. “I have a
few things going on in my life and I’ve been projecting that into
this relationship. For that, I am sorry.”

“
Okay,” I said slowly.

“
What I’m saying is—” he started walking toward the glass
doors, “—I feel lucky that you’re a part of my life. I should’ve
been enjoying this short time we have, and instead, I’ve squandered
it on fear. I don’t want to waste any more time being afraid I
might hurt you.”

“
Wait, hurt me?” The bridge of my nose crinkled. “Why would
you hurt me?”

“
Ara.” David turned back and pulled me along by the arm. “Come
on. We need to go before they see us.”

“
No,
David.” I twisted my wrist around in his grip and yanked it out
through the break in his thumb and forefinger, then stood
fast—folding my arms like a spoiled child. “Not until you tell me
where we’re going.”

“
We’re going to—to do something I should’ve done the first day
I saw you,” he said quickly, taking one long stride in my
direction, then, he arched his body downward as he swept me off the
floor and into his arms.

“
Whoa.” I pinned my dress under my legs and nudged his chest
with my elbow. “Put me down. This is kidnapping.”

“
No,
it’s not,” he stated with a smile, keeping his eyes on the path
ahead, “It’s is a rescue.”

“
Rescue?” I scoffed, but imagined a white horse waiting for us
as we burst through the doors. “I don’t need to be
rescued.”

He
stopped walking and looked down at me; I shrank into his arms a
little. “The fair maiden, who is locked in the darkest tower,
guarded by the cruellest beast, never believes herself to be in
danger, only suffering from sorrows untold and a heart
untouched.”

Nothing but a small squeak left my lips as my daring prince,
with his cheeky smile and valiant stride, carried me to his car,
stuffed me inside and drove away with me.

“
Okay, prince charming.” I folded my arms. “Fess up. Where’re
you taking me?”

“
The
lake.”

“
Why?”

He
stared ahead and didn’t answer.