The Mortal Fringe (9 page)

"You invited me over to the Star Wars
thing, remember? Last week" Oh yes, Jay gave me the tickets because
he couldn't make it, but since he has been lying on his bed all
afternoon, I'll take it as it was another of his tricks.

"No I hadn't forgotten, come on!" I
can feel my sweat coming down my neck "I'll be ready in a minute" I
don't know why I said that, it's not something I am looking forward
do, but it came so spontaneously that I can't take it back now. I
sneak into the bathroom, wash my hair in a matter of seconds, put
on a clean t-shirt, a couple of drops of cologne, which make me
feel stupid, and then I open the door.

Of course, they were talking about me,
and against all odds, they do not stop their talking, which is
quite embarrassing since she is telling Jay all about my reactions
in class this morning. "Ok, enough talking, some of us have plans"
I say, blushing again.

I am nervous, it is not my first date
but it seems like if it was. Elizabeth is walking so close to me
that I know it probably means she wants me to hold her arm or
something, but I am too focused on not falling down as I am
walking.

"How do you want to do it?"

"Do what?" My blush is not going to
leave me for a while now.

"Get there, Alex" she looks at me like
if she could guess the misunderstanding. "Jay tells me that you
have been asking about the teleportation thing.”

"I have, yes, but it's not because I
am scared or anything, I was just curious and, well, you know" she
is too intimidating for me.

She gets into the room to our left. I
stand still since I don't know what to do. Some seconds later, she
opens it up and with a single look I know that I am supposed to
follow her. I enter the room.

"Hold my arm" she says, waving it. I
take it.

The experience is much less brilliant
than I expected. Everything that surrounds me goes blurry and
suddenly my feet are not on safe ground. I am flying over nothing.
Then my feet are back on ground again, the room starts to move, and
Elizabeth has the same look on her face she had before. I am dizzy
enough to hold my air for a second and close my eyes for a while.
When I open them again I can see I am somewhere else, she just took
me there.

"How did you like it?" she asks
smiling.

"Next time, we walk."

"We can always drive."

"No, no driving. I prefer
walking."

We are at the cinema restroom, some
people are walking through the aisles leading to the projection
room. They are all dressed up in Star Wars costumes.

"If you are thinking on making me wear
one of those" I say pointing at them "it's not going to
happen."

She looks at me in a rather strange
way. She starts laughing.

"I am not a witch, Alex. It's not like
I can dress you up like that, and trust me, I wouldn't. Come on,
let's go."

She opens the door and leads the way.
We go to the ticket window to validate our tickets, and then go
back in. It's incredible how many people enjoy these movies, I have
only watched them once, and it was quite enough. However, here I
am.

There's someone dressed as Darth Vader
on stage presenting the picture, like if that was necessary, but I
have to admit it's quite funny. Finally, after a ten minutes
speech, the lights go out and the very familiar theme floods the
cinema. Cheers and repetitive applause go with the text preceding
the movie; I have never been part of such a fandom. It's exciting.
The guy right next to me is crying.

"First time?" says Elizabeth when she
notices him

"That's right" he sobs.

Elizabeth smiles and sits back again,
she makes everything look so easy. Has she ever been here before?
Or is she just another fan of the films? When the film starts and
her green eyes are fixed on the screen, I realize that both answers
are —yes—.

I am actually enjoying the event, and
everything that goes with it. Elizabeth, the beauty I thought would
never notice me, is sitting right here and has even touched my hand
a couple of times, I really need to keep remembering myself that to
her, this is just business, but hell, I like it. Every single time
I look at her I find her more attractive and I know her beautiful
face is now printed in my memory forever.

When the movie ends, we walk out
following the screams of those who are clearly eager to repeat the
experience. She looks so happy and free that only for a second I
forget everything and think that we are out on a date. She then
takes my arm and puts me back in the room of our
arrival.

"I want to show you
something."

"What?" my voice clearly shows that I
am terrified. The teleportation thing didn't go well the first
time.

"Trust me" she says, and then she
takes both my hands and I feel like flying again. There's no
ground, there's nothing around me but Elizabeth's green
eyes.

Suddenly, I feel cold. The wind pushes
me away from her and I almost fall down the moment we reach our
destination. I keep my eyes closed for a short moment, and then she
gently whispers to me.

"Open your eyes, Alex."

Barcelona, that's what I see. I am on
top of some building and the image of the whole city at night warms
my heart. I am speechless, and the only thing that I know for sure
is that I am still holding her hand. The view is one of the most
beautiful things I have ever seen. Obviously, this is no New York,
but there is something in this city that no other place in the
world has.

"This is…amazing" that's the only
thing I can say, I still don't believe that I am up here with
her.

Then I start to go back to reality as
the cold wind caresses my face.

"It is, right? I come here sometimes,
when I want to think."

"Really?" for some reason, I am
surprised.

"Yes", she smiles "we like high places
to gather, or think, or you know, be ourselves."

Then I remember some
mythology.

"Like your own Olympus?"

"Sort of, but Olympus isn't precisely
what mortals are taught."

I would ask more about that, but her
face tells me that she is not willing to tell me all about her
history, so I remain silent until she talks again.

"Thanks, for everything. I know this
must be hell for you. "

She got that part right. But being
here now, with her, it isn't that bad. Still, I have to come to
terms with all of it.

"Well, it was not my life plan, if
that's what you mean" I really have to thank Jay for showing me how
freeing it can be to speak your mind.

"How old are you?" her voice is full
of sorrow.

"I would be nineteen in about six
months" I know that my face shows many things but happiness right
now. "What about you?" shit, I can't believe I just said that. She
starts laughing and I can't do anything but start laughing
myself.

"Oh, well I will be one-thousand
February the second" She answers, still laughing, "a grown
up."

Suddenly my face goes white, I have no
expression. I feel terribly unhappy and almost furious.

"I can't believe you joked about that"
I feel terrible, not because I have said it, but because she made
me feel completely expendable. "Can you take me home now,
please?"

"Alex, I…"

"Please."

She puts her hand on my shoulder this
time, not on my hand. The city does not look like it did when we
got here.

"I'm so sorry I said that" and that's
the last thing I hear before I get to my room and go to
sleep.

CHAPTER 14

I'm lying on mud again. The
floor is extremely wet, more than any other time, I can't breathe.
Then the same green eyes come near me,
and suddenly, I wake up.

I know that I have been screaming, and
probably moving dangerously because Jay is standing right next to
me, looking terrifyingly worried.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, just a bad dream" I don't
feel like talking, the memories of last night are still too recent.
I turn and try to fall asleep again.

"Oh shit, Alex!" Jay is right over me,
he takes all my bedclothes away from me and I can see from the look
in his eyes that he is terrified. I look down, my bed is covered in
mud. "What is this?"

The almost black, wet mud blinds me
for a second and freezes my heart, turning me into a lifeless body.
It looks like he is standing in front of the dirt that will, one
day, cover my body for good.

I try to explain to him that the
dreams are getting more and more real ever since I learned about
him and Elizabeth. I know he is furious because I didn't tell him,
and for some reason, I feel bad about it.

"Look, I'm sure it has to do with all
this" I say, trying to calm him down. When I check again, the mud
is nothing but a distant memory. "You see? I'm alright." It feels
so weird to be talking to him in this way, that's the tone he has
been using with me for the past days, it must have been exhausting
for him.

Jay looks at me, not convinced at all
and ready to do anything for me.

I get up and get ready to leave. I try
my best to ignore Jay's worrying looks and walk out the room with
nothing more than a shy waving.

He is not out waiting for me. I'm glad
he decided to stay in, or maybe just not to follow me. I need some
time on my own. I put on my headphones and start walking down to
the university. I don't really want to sit for an hour and a half
listening to Constance's continuous talking about mythology, but I
know that if I stay home I will spend the whole day thinking about
yesterday, and the dream.

I turn my iPod on, and with it I can
make my fears and thoughts disappear for a while. Thank you New
Jersey, it's my first thought when Bruce Springsteen fills my head,
his music makes me walk faster and takes my mind away from the last
hours.

When I walk into the class Constance
is already there, sitting on her table, and clearly waiting for
me.

"I hear yesterday didn't turn out to
be exceptional."

"It appears to be the case, yes" I say
trying to imitate her voice. I don't succeed, but I'm glad I dared
to speak to her like that.

"Is there any particular reason for
the task to be so difficult to fulfill?" I want to throw a chair
right to her face.

"Focus on the class, will you?" I'm
furious again, I don't think I have been so constantly irritable in
my life. Ever since I discovered Elizabeth's true nature, keeping
my temper is becoming more and more difficult.

Why does Constance talk like that? Who
does she think she is? I might have to die in a couple of months,
without being able to do anything to stop it, but that certainly
doesn't give her the right to treat me as something you could pick
up at a grocery store.

"This conversation is not yet
finished."

I look at her, and smile. It is
finished

Everyone starts to sit on their
chairs, and Constance looks at me with a dangerous look, I may
regret this encounter in a matter of days, or minutes even. But
right now, I feel like I have achieved something. I won a
fight.

"I hope that all your essays are on my
desk by the end of the class" Constance is still looking at me, and
I start to feel the sweat coming down my neck. The essay is not due
until the last day of class. What is she doing? I hear some
murmuring. Everyone in the class, including Ingrid, takes out some
papers from their bags. "I understand, Mr. Stills, you have not
done your essay" she clicks her tongue.

"The essay was due the last day of
class• I whisper

"Sorry my dear, what was that?" she
comes closer and puts her hand over her ear, pretending she didn't
hear me.

I repeat my exact same
words.

"Oh but you are wrong, Mr. Stills,
again" she looks around "when was the due date for the essay?" She
is addressing the whole classroom.

"Today" everyone sounds like if they
were under some sort of spell, and then I remember a particular
line from the book about the Immortals and the Leaders.

Persuasion can be a gift, but be
aware that it might also be a terrible weapon to turn everyone
against an individual.

Then her last words repeat on my head
again; —you are wrong, again—. She is obviously referring to me
trying to put an end to our conversation. I didn't win that battle,
she was only playing dead.

Given the circumstances, I don't want
to remain here much longer so I pick all my stuff and walk out of
the classroom, before I leave I can hear her saying one last
thing.

"Dear students, remember that failure
is the worst punishment of all, Mr. Stills here just learned that.
I hope from now on everyone remembers this moment."

I will remember it, I'm sure of it. I
will never forget her sadistic smile, and Ingrid's laughter at
me.