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| Thread: Fic story - Minutes to midnight | |
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PeterFarkas
Adventuring Hero
LeBronTosaurus
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posted April 04, 2011 03:11 PM |
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Fic story - Minutes to midnight
Guess, the topci title quite tells it all.
It a short (OK, 1 lie for me ) fantasy story of mine. (OK, more like meaningless sentences one after another, so +1 lie for me) If you have anything to say to it (opinion, criticism, nausea, flame, whatever) please don't hold it back.
Minutes to midnight
Chapter 1: Career choices
I simply hated courses that had provided me no practical knowledge. My God, I hadn't come to a medical university from the other side of the States, to die during the most boring lectures I'd ever seen. OK, I admit, I was curious, what was a star researcher like Alessandro Trajan, obviously horribly well paid, going to bring for us. He was a real icon: you could find his name at least at every second website of medical research institutes and the Journals were full of his publications. Well, anything I'd expected, faded away in the first moment. Since that time, since I'd seen him, he was antipathetic to me. He had such pale skin that many corpses would had envied for, circles around his eyes, and a smell of tobacco that could have easily killed anyone. Having a look at his face, I doubted that he had slept even a moment last night, although he hadn't been practicing and he even emphasized that.
“Excuse me, I am a researcher...” That was his catchphrase and I hated him for the attitude hiding in these words. His aristocratic voice with a funny accent, that would have fit better in a movie from the 10s or the 20s, was just a small but annoying addition. Many of the classes drowned into theoretical speculation, about things obviously impossible in the next few years, according to the scientific results today.
But, of course, there were people who simply adored him. Many students went into raptures over him and surprisingly not just the ones who couldn't get their heads out of the more prestigious professors' bottoms. Speaking about me, as usual, I took my place in the back rows, I tried to note all of his ridiculous ideas, from the brain structure built from fiber optic cables to recycled corpses, from which the organic, but artificial limbs would be produced. Many times, I was on the opinion that a maniac would hold a better lecture than he did.
And this day was the most insane one. I had to pass my exam from this course. This was my last exam in the semester, a last great boulder that had to fall before I could go home to my family in Georgia. I didn't stretch this period so long because I liked Seattle or the state of Washington, but because I had two subjects, for which I was simply unable to collect enough energy to begin to read myself through. Naturally, this was one of them.
Trajan didn't even take the trouble coming to the beginning of the exam, instead he just jumped in at the middle of it, in his usual shape and unfortunately the smell, too, attracting the attention of many students. Luckily, in the remaining time he didn't show many signs if he cared for his to-be colleagues or what they were doing. He didn't say a word until the final five minutes, when his annoying, brazen but still nasal voice whooshed through the room, stating that our tests would be immediately corrected after the exam, and then he was going to take the chance for a short, face-to-face conversation with the students called into his office. I was swearing for myself. If it wouldn't be enough that the exam was started at 3 pm, he was even enforcing instant martial law. My hopes about getting back to Atlanta and then to Conyers, my hometown, faded away immediately. I missed my family, but I could do nothing. A professor was a professor, even if he was a cretin.
I reread my test – and stated to myself that I wouldn't be able to write too much more, so I let my thoughts fly away a bit. I won't phone my family until I don't know my results, that wouldn't make much sense. I decided to keep my small mascot, to phone my brother first after the exam. How nice was it going to be, traveling home and see his baby daughter, Stephanie at last. My luck had been so weird: she was born about a week after I had come back to Seattle, to the university. I had heard her coo many times before – Brian had never missed the opportunity to call her to the phone, to “wish me a successful exam” – and of course, they had sent me a picture of her via e-mail, but I was looking forward to holding my few-months-old niece in my arms. Sometimes I shivered because of the thought of being an aunt at the age of 21, but I didn't moderate myself too much when someone tried to confront me, or tried to make a joke out of this fact. Luckily, there weren't many people stupid enough to try this.
“Put the pens down!” barked Trajan. I had waited patiently for his assistant to come to me and collect my paper, then I rushed out of the room. As I was on the other side of the door, I asked myself, if I had given a hundred percent, the best I could. The answer was an obvious “Yes”. “Just a few more hours” I muttered to myself.
“Hey, Anne” My name was called out by one of my schoolmates, a dark-haired girl. Maybe just because of the excitement, her name didn't come to my mind. “What were you planning for tonight?”
Claire. I suddenly remembered her name. I hoped the fact wasn't clear to be seen on my face.
“Er... Well ... Sort of ... Well, I don't really know. Why?” I asked back as I smiled reluctantly.
“We've been talking with the girls about going to the movies if we pass. Would you like to come with us?”
With the girls, I thought. If I had been a really active member of the girls' little community. To tell the truth, I preferred hanging out with guys in my spare time, if I had a bit of it. Just as friends. And, another reason, I wanted to get out of here to the airport as soon as possible.
“Thanks, Claire, but no.” I stammered. “I've got to pack my stuff. I would like to go home tomorrow.”
“O” she said, with her mouth forming the same letter. If I had said something totally new. “Oh, well, I know. You're going babysitting.” She smiled, maybe benignly. At least, it was more comfortable to believe that. “Then, goodbye till September.” And she waved goodbye.
I almost ran to the other building of the university, where Trajan's office was situated, hoping that I would finish soon. I wasn't alone – obviously I wasn't the only person hurrying, at least the half of the students were here who had taken the exam now. I saw lots of familiar faces, I quickly found a group of some boys, including Mike Adler. I got along very well with Mike, maybe because he was one of the few people whose parents had a really hard time earning the tuition fee. In addition to not having a deep pocket, his face with tons of pimples scared away most of the female beings, so in the first few days he almost jumped out of his skin as I didn't send him away. Maybe I was a bit harsh then, but I had given forth that I hadn't wanted anything like that from him – and he was able to digest that in just a few days. Since then, more or less he knew the borders he wasn't advised to cross.
I immediately stopped as I realized what they were talking about. You may call it a superstition, but I didn't like discussing the test questions after the exam, not just because I found it useless but I was trying to avoid the possible humiliation. Frankly, this was one of the main reasons that made me ran away after I had finished an exam. Beside me, a group pf girls laughed out loud.
“So you do think he's visiting such places?” asked Emma, a tall, blond girl. The girls who were standing in a small circle, leaned closer to each other. I walked around them and I stood near the wall, beside them, trying not to show too obviously that I was listening to them.
Meka, a black mate of mine, began to talk.
“Balo was down there with his homies last week. They were a bit drunk but he told me he remembered he had seen this guy. We've just realized at home that it was him.”
“How?” asked a doubtful voice. “He was just kidding with you.” It looked as one of the backs was turning and moving towards me, but the girl turned back as the answer came.
“Look, he took a photo of him. Using his cell phone.” The girls leaned even closer to each other.
“Gosh!” I could recognize many different voices at the same time. “That must be him, no doubt.” whispered Emma.
“Unless he's got an evil twin.” joked Meka. “But that doesn't seem too possible.”
There were only two things I didn't know. Who did they see and exactly where? I was sure that the photo wasn't taken on a ball at the opera.
Suddenly, the office door opened and I saw Trajan's sunken cheeks appearing.
“Michael Adler.” he barked. For a moment, a lump arose in my throat, as I barracked for him. Quickly, I took a look at my watch: it was around half past six.
The lump disappeared – for about a minute. Then, it jumped back in my throat and began to grow steadily as time went by. Was my best friend just humiliated? Or just the opposite, was he being hyped? It wasn't equal, especially for me. It wouldn't have been the first time I had pulled him together after a failed exam. In return, he never let me down when I was the one in need of some support. It took about fifteen minutes for them to finish. He had never gained so much popularity so suddenly. The mass surrounded him in a blink of an eye, terrifying him with questions.
“What mark did you get? Is Trajan OK when it comes to counting points?” And, most of all. “What took you so long?”
We've hardly noticed that he called the name of his second victim out: “Barbara Chells.” She gulped and stepped into the office. Everyone could see, she would have given anything to spend one more minute outside, to learn what she could expect.
Just as Mike wanted to start with the answers, Trajan almost threw Barbara out of the room. I didn't need to be a mind-reader to guess about her mark. Almost everyone, who had been asking Mike before, turned to the girl who was about to lose a fight against her tears. I exploited the given opportunity and stepped to Mike, but I didn't ask a question. He answered without anything like that.
“B. It was just enough for me. Now, I'm going to tuck the tickets from Dad.” I couldn't help smiling. He had already told me that his father promised him tickets to some games of the Seattle Mariners if he managed to finish his exams by the end of this week. He really had some pressure on him, some good reason to achieve his goals. So did I. These goals were completely different, and I really liked that situation. I would have been scared to death if I had found out that Mike was an enthusiastic babysitter.
“Congrats.” I said, smiling.
“Well, I would swap with you.” He smiled back to me. “At least, you move away from this depressing air Washington has.”
“Sometimes I do.” I remarked, and he responded with a grimace.
“We're going to talk, aren't we?” he asked, with a bit of craving in his voice.
“Of course. Unless the Internet is attacked by a killer virus.” replied I, with a wide smile on my face, too.
“I guess that makes me trying to protect it.” I think I would have considered this sentence sounding pathetic from most of the people, but not Mike. I liked him that childish way. Just as a friend.
“Hello.” he said. “And good luck.”
“If everything goes right, I'm not going to need much of that.” I answered, seriously. Maybe because I thought it seriously. “And you should better not envy!” I shouted after him. “An hour and you're home, but I have to travel across the whole country.”
With a small wave, he indicated that he heard what I was saying, what made me smile again. Soon, I turned back to the expectants. My reluctance had just grown as, after a few people entering and leaving the spooky office, I realized that Trajan wasn't using alphabetical order while calling in his students, so I couldn't even leave for a coffee break or something. I didn't really care about the others' results – that was another small superstition, I preferred thinking alone about my plans for the summer, if when this madness had finally come to an end. For that time. How good it was going to be, to see my family again and to forget about all the duties towards the university – for days, weeks, maybe even a month. To think about my purpose, my goals and my dreams.
“Annabella Stokes.” I didn't know, how much time had I spent alone until I heard the burst of the professor's voice. I shivered. Although I was hoping for Trajan to call me, the sooner the better, I still hated his voice.
His office was a bit like himself. No decoration on the gray walls, but they were nearly emitting smoke. The only thing giving some light was a small reading lamp on his ordinary, plastic table, what was covered by many sheets of paper, some of those blank, some of those used as notes.
As I closed the door, he looked at me. With a face like he saw a ghost. I was able to see many emotions in his dark brown eyes as he stared at mines. Astonishment, interest, and after that, clear disgust and maybe even fear. I began to flutter. What on earth caused this reaction? My test shouldn't have been that bad. And surely, I wasn't that ugly.
He leaned back, like he was trying to get as far away from me as he could, but the look on his face was still the same, and he was still looking directly into my eyes.
“Would you mind...” he asked. I was shocked how weak and quivering his voice was. At the same time, his hand started moving down, towards his pocket.
“No, I wouldn't.” I replied firmly. It was OK that he was killing his own self with those cigarettes, but please, he's still a doctor, do not try to poison me, too. Though the room itself would have been more than enough for most of the people.
He stared back at me and I thought he was going to throw me out. Instead, he took a deep breath and took some paper in his hands in which I recognized my own test and he looked at it, constantly switching his view between the sheet and me.
“At least, it's good to see someone reading the MBEC Journal.” he murmured.
Of course, I told to myself. That was compulsory literature. Nothing more than that. But, what else could have I expected from my mates? He put down the sheet and turned to his computer without looking at me. I was sure, he was trying to avoid looking in my eyes. But why?
“Where are you heading? What would be your career choice?” he asked silently, just under his breath.
“I don't know, exactly, Professor. Maybe I would like to be a pediatrician.” I told him the truth. I always liked kids, so I thought this would be a good fit for me. At least, I would be able to see that I had really helped someone.
He didn't answer just raised one of his eyebrows. But his face remained cold and still like a rock. He could have easily been mistaken with a statue, a marble one. Except the eyes, of course.
“Why have you come here, actually?” he asked.
Oh no, not again. Did I really have to face this question every time I meet someone new in this university? I picked my usual answer. By now, I could repeat it again and again.
“The knowledge of the staff really fancied me. And, honestly, this wasn't the first place I wanted to attend.” Of course not. I would have preferred attending to Columbia. But from a small, hidden town in the Southeast, I didn't really have the chance. At least, I tried but my knowledge was enough only for this place.
He smirked annoyingly.
“You fancied the human capital and yet you want to become a pediatrician.” He leaned back again and put his hands together behind his head. “You were honest with me, so I'll be honest with you, too.” But still, he avoided the look of my eyes. It was very confusing. He was talking directly to me, but didn't look in my eyes. Something had really scared or disgusted him.
“I didn't expect that much from you.” Thanks a lot, idiot. Doubt and prejudice, are that two words in every person's dictionary around here? “People coming from places like you usually leave this school after one, at most two semesters.”
I nodded. I really knew that.
“But you didn't. You're very agile. I like agile people. I like working with them. You know why?”
I didn't answer. I didn't really care about his monologue but at least I tried to be polite. Whatever he did, I wouldn't be able to reach a plane home without a transfer.
“It might sound quite obvious. They don't give up if they reach an obstacle, they think again and again. Unfortunately, university education doesn't really teach you that skill, and that's why I find it very valuable to have agile colleagues. So, all in one word – haven't you considered a career in medical research?”
I gulped – the lump was in my stomach now, but because of a different reason. Had he just offered me some practice? But with him? For first, I would have said “No way. Tell me my mark and get the hell out of my life.” But that wouldn't have been a very diplomatic answer.
“It... it depends.” I stammered.
His smile was just getting wider and wider but now, as he looked in my eyes, I was able to see something in them, like I had just stabbed him with a dagger. It was bitter and sad, an agony. I just didn't know if he was thinking about his own or mine.
“Depends on what?” he asked confidently.
I didn't really know what to say and I realized I had already lost this game. I didn't have any good reasons for my sentence – except the one I didn't want to say in his eyes. I couldn't tell the whole truth, this was clear for sure. So I twisted it a bit.
“If someone who I really admire, asked this from me, maybe I would do that. But there aren't many people like that. Personally, I prefer to work somewhere where I can see my help with my own eyes.” Well, this was easier than I had thought. Maybe, because I was able to turn it to a quite minor lie.
He turned his face away from my sight again, looking at the wall of his office.
“So you don't think it would be one of the greatest accomplishments of mankind to find the cure for cancer or invent the perfect artificial heart, which would be able to fit into any human immune system?”
“It would be, of course.” I replied automatically “I just can't imagine myself as the person making these wonders possible.”
He looked in my eyes for just one moment, then shook his head. I hoped he gave up.
“You really impress me, Miss Stokes. In fact, to be honest, you remind me a little bit of myself when I was at your age. You are always thinking about what do people, professors, clever, witty, with loads of knowledge and practice, think about you. Now, I'm going to play all of my cards. When I look at you, I see rebellion. I see potential. I see the unique possibility to solve the most complicated problems in our brave new lazy world.”
I gulped. I could hardly believe my ears. All right, his words provided me a much needed appreciation, but why from him? A voice rang in my head “Hey, I hate this guy.” And how could I believe him, even if he was that mealy-mouthed? Like a serpent, I thought.
“I think I prefer making and controlling my own little wonders.”
He raised his eyebrows like he was the one unable to believe what he had heard. I would have paid much more than a penny for his thoughts. My God, Alessandro Trajan had just tried to invite me to be his colleague in his research? And I am hesitating. Even resisting. Why was that, the reason was so simple. Because every cell of my body yelled as one to my brain, to stay as far away from this man as I was able to.
He closed his eyes for one moment, then shook his head again. For a moment, he looked like he was fast asleep. Or maybe the contrary, he was concentrating.
“You know where to find me.” he sighed after a few moments, with a tired voice. Now it seemed he understood what I was talking about. “My door is always open for people like you. By the way, you got an A. Congratulations! You can leave now if you want to.”
I didn't have much time to react, I was shocked so terribly. As I left the office, I was waiting for the great boulder to fall, but for some reason, it didn't. I didn't have too much feelings, honestly. Except that I could have killed anyone for a bed. My body and most of all, my mind longed for one.
I didn't remember how did I get back to my flat. I didn't even remember if I phoned anyone from my family during going back. I could hardly think, it almost caused me pain. The only thing I could think about that I wasn't used to this kind of tiredness. But I wasn't able to tell anyone what had caused this condition. Maybe I had spent too much time with my exams and I would have needed some rest. At least, I exploited my chance to rest now. I didn't even have a shower, I just threw down my backpack, I flopped down to my bed and fell asleep instantly.
I was falling and falling rapidly. Yet I wasn't afraid at all. Some parts of my body had already known that I was going to land without any harm, though as I looked around, there wasn't any clear, rational reason for that. Sometimes I could see some rocks and cliffs surrounding me, reaching out towards me like they were sharp stone blades, moved by giants' hands to kill me. But this was the minority of my environment. All of the rest was thick, milk-like fog, that comforted me surprisingly, instead of frightening. After some minutes – or at least, I didn't think it was too long, I landed softly on something solid. As I stood up, the fog was quickly dissolving around my head so I was able to see where had I come.
It looked like a Greek temple, or better to say a theater, because around me, there were seats carved out from some dark stone. So dark which I had never seen before. But the artwork, the files and the vaults surrounding the empty circle in the middle, where I appeared to be standing, was anything than Greek. It was made from the same dark stone and it looked like someone from the 13th century had designed them. Or maybe, someone from the 19th or the 20th when the Gothic style came in fashion again. Something, an unknown, mysterious force drove me to touch one of the files. It was cold, it nearly froze my hand. I was almost unable to pull it away.
Someone, a thin voice spoke above my head. It hissed only word.
“Mine.”
Another voice interrupted it.
“Sure?” asked the calm baritone. “She hasn't even showed anything.”
I had a strange feeling that the two unknown voices were speaking about me. Like they had been at court, or at a market, both members of the twosome trying to raise their offers. At least, I thought that from hearing the voices.
“Remember our agreement. She's my lot.” The thin voice was like bones cracking. “You can't do anything than accepting and respecting.”
“We don't even see her.” remarked the other. About me? What should they see?
“That's what you think.”
“Do you have another opinion?” the baritone asked curiously, but doubtfully. “Even though I don't have a clear one?” This was just getting more and more insane. I tried to move my legs but they didn't obey my commands.
“What do you expect from her now?” asked the bone-voice back. There was utter silence and this frightened me much more than the cliffs.
“She must be put under some tests.” The bone-voice was strong and determinate.
“What tests do you mean?” The other speaker was terribly worried, even if its voice didn't falter.
I thought I heard a lightning bolt striking, and that nearly scared the hell out of me. I suddenly realized that I was just wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and I could feel it now as temperature began to drop. If the files and all the rock around me were absorbing the heat from the air. I touched one again – it was still cold as ice.
I woke up in the early morning as my cell phone rang.
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"The one who makes most mistakes often loses" - Elvin
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gnomes2169
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Duke of the Glade
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posted April 04, 2011 11:27 PM |
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College life, college life, college life, WTF is- phone. 
Actual review, very good Peter! (Sort of sadder that you dropped out of the Fan Fic now...) Almost perfect grammar, believable characters, well organized and well thought out/ planned/ executed. (Perhaps a bit long for the OP... But that's just HC nitpicking  )
I hope to see the next entry soon!
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Yeah in the 18th century, two inventions suggested a method of measurement. One won and the other stayed in America.
-Ghost destroying Fred
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PeterFarkas
Adventuring Hero
LeBronTosaurus
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posted April 05, 2011 09:07 AM |
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Quote:
College life, college life, college life, WTF is- phone.
Actual review, very good Peter! (Sort of sadder that you dropped out of the Fan Fic now...) Almost perfect grammar, believable characters, well organized and well thought out/ planned/ executed. (Perhaps a bit long for the OP... But that's just HC nitpicking )
I hope to see the next entry soon!
Well, the actual story is that this has been on my laptop for quite a while, I haven't touched it for months and just recently got the idea to upload it to HC.
In parts, OFC, mweheheee....
But then, here ya go. Guess you'll find out, I twisted PoV a bit, it's gonna be the last time, it seems.
Chapter 2: Talent and blood
I sighed disappointedly. So many minds, so many spirits, glowing like lighthouses in the darkest night. Well, some of them didn't actually deserve what they've got but I wasn't a true judge for now. In fact, not in the way I was used to be. Something like that for them but I also knew I had some limits. Still, I tried to store faces and auras in my memory, for some students extraordinary talented (well, there were very few of them), and obvious liars.
I called out for the next one. I wondered how many was going to fail still. And how many was going to pass. Sometimes, this job was really boring and annoying. But how could I find a better place to look for my real targets. Young people, fresh, full with life and on the other hand, the better of them was also full with a thirst of knowledge. If they knew what knowledge could I give them, most of them would be horrified.
Annabella came in and I nearly froze as I saw her. If I had been human, I would have thought that I was tired. Too tired. I didn't know what was my face looking like. She was not like the others. She was not just talented. She was the talent. I haven't seen a glow in an aura like hers for a long time. She wasn't even born – maybe, her parents either when I saw someone like her, though not in such an immature state. I wanted to examine her deeper but that would have taken too much time and would have raised her suspicion about me.
I took just a small sip of air. As I could have expected after seeing her with my eyes, that wasn't a very good idea. It was like the smell of a ripe peach, but horribly amplified, like someone had separated just the smell, collected it in a gasometer and flew it directly into your nose, in one simple, very moment. I had to defend myself from her temptation. I moved my hand towards my pocket, where my cigarettes had been lying hidden. So many times I praised the name of the person who had invented the cigarette. It did no harm to me, but its smell overflowed my nose very quickly and strongly.
"Would you mind..." I tried to be as polite as I was able to. I was also surprised about my own voice quivering. It was so human.
"No, I wouldn't." she replied immediately. Unfortunate girl, she didn't even know what was she playing with. It could have easily sprung into a fast and lethal game. I tried not to show her any signs about my feelings like a gulp or a deep breath. I was curious about how would she react in a situation where I was trying to raise uncertainty in her. I slowly took her test in my hands. I wasn't hurrying. If I had been that wouldn't have meant too much good for her.
"At least, it's good to see someone reading the MBEC Journal." I remarked, just to say something that came to my mind for the first time. Just not to raise suspicion. Just to act like a teacher. In fact, I was that for now. She looked like I insulted her a bit. I liked that though I didn't want to push her too strong. Everything at the right time.
I decided not to look at her if I could avoid that. Her temptation was still a huge threat for both of us. I didn't want to try it out, what would win in my mind - my curiosity, my instincts, or maybe none of those. And, surprisingly, beside these feelings, I was a bit afraid, too. She hadn't even known her own value. I was undetermined. What would I be able to do with her? I turned away from her, towards the computer where I quickly found her profile. There was nothing serious in it, actually. The parents' family names didn't sound familiar for me, she came from a small town and now belonged to the better students. Such an ordinary story. And yet, the most extraordinary treasure might be found in her mind.
"Where are you heading? What would be your career choice?" rose the question to my lips. I was really curious and it might have been a good idea to hear it directly from her before I have a closer look. She seemed to think for a while. I was tempted to have a look at her continuously color-shifting glow but I overcame it.
"I don't know, exactly, Professor. Maybe I would like to be a pediatrician." Her answer almost made me laugh but I kept my cool. If she would know what was lying hidden in her. I planned that I would show her what madness she was thinking about. With this potential, that would have been a real loss. But combined with such naivety. Life really had some irony.
"Why have you come here, actually?" I asked calmly. She looked intrigued. Perfect. Though it didn't take a long time for her to ease her own anger. As she answered, her voice sounded quite mechanic.
"The knowledge of the staff really fancied me. And, honestly, this wasn't the first place I wanted to attend." Irony again. She didn't really want to come here and still, she ended up meeting me who could recognize her gifts. But this was a great calling phrase for my next step. I smiled to make her feel more defenseless.
"You fancied the human capital and yet you want to become a pediatrician." She didn't react. Well, how could any reasonable and probably ambitious person argue with that? But I hadn't finished yet. "You were honest with me, so I'll be honest with you, too." Of course, I couldn't afford to be totally honest with her. Especially because I wasn't even totally sure about my judgment. And I had to realize that I really was afraid of her. I hadn't even noticed her black eyes, confusing, tempting, like a full moon night, but together with that, a fire was burning in them.
"I didn't expect that much from you. People coming from places like you usually leave this school after one, at most two semesters." Now, I tried to look at her. I was pleased. I saw enough passion, emotion and hatred that made me quite sure: she would be able to join me when the time came. "But you didn't. You're very agile. I like agile people. I like working with them. You know why?" I paused for a slight moment. "It might sound quite obvious. They don't give up if they reach an obstacle, they think again and again. Unfortunately, university education doesn't really teach you that skill, and that's why I find it very valuable to have agile colleagues. So, all in one word - haven't you considered a career in medical research?"
For a moment I was afraid that I had been too pushy. At least, now I had some reason to stare at her and at the same time, examine her. Her light glow, what had represented her love and compassion towards humanity, most of all, kids and her affection to her family almost burned his family. Yet, I thought, the so-called failures and not completely expected difficulties made her quite bitter. I thought I also saw some aversion, maybe caused by an affair, gone wrong. Now, I saw something more about her, but I wasn't able to learn her true motivation and her hunger for power. Beyond everything.
"It... it depends." she stammered. I was on the right track. I almost felt sorry for her. Maybe, I really did. Not to many people choose my path and she had to be ready to throw away everything she had worked for.
"Depends on what?" I asked immediately.
She took some time to think it over.
"If someone who I really admire, asked this from me, maybe I would do that. But there aren't many people like that. Personally, I prefer to work somewhere where I can see my help with my own eyes."
So, she wanted to help. I was sure I had to remember this. It provided me a really good handrail. That desire was easy to be twisted. On the other hand, it was interesting to hear the words "someone who I really admire". It seemed, I didn't belong to those people, but I didn't want to talk about that for now. Time was going to solve this. Talking about help.
"So you don't think it would be one of the greatest accomplishments of mankind to find the cure for cancer or invent the perfect artificial heart, which would be able to fit into any human immune system?" I asked curiously.
"It would be, of course. I just can't imagine myself as the person making these wonders possible." She wasn't totally sure and aware of her abilities. How many people had I seen with the same symptoms? That wasn't really an obstacle. Time was really on my side. I decided to make one more experiment. I added a small hint to the real truth.
"You really impress me, Miss Stokes. In fact, to be honest, you remind me a little bit of myself when I was at your age. You are always thinking about what do people, professors, clever, witty, with loads of knowledge and practice, think about you. Now, I'm going to play all of my cards." Of course, I wasn't. But the rest was true. "When I look at you, I see rebellion. I see potential. I see the unique possibility to solve the most complicated problems in our brave new lazy world."
She seemed terribly shocked. Her glow was like a colorful lake which I had thrown a stone in. A big stone, making big waves. Maybe it was the time to leave her.
"I think I prefer making and controlling my own little wonders." said she when she was able to say anything. I nodded. She was on the path, she just needed some control and advice.
"You know where to find me. My door is always open for people like you. By the way, you got an A. Congratulations! You can leave now if you want to."
She immediately exploited the given opportunity. I wondered how much disbelief she was filled with. That might had been a crucial question. As she left, I decided to have a short break. I needed some tobacco to cover the monster in my stomach.
I could have easily crushed her, to ease my thirst but I had already been taught to overcome this. Someone deserved a chance and she was definitely one of those. I had to spare her. That wasn't the easiest way but probably the most salutary.
Although, this didn't change the fact that I couldn't get her out of my mind. I was hurrying with the rest of the students as I could. I spent about an hour after meeting her at the university, with every minute being a torture for me. After that, I left immediately and quickly, disappearing into the shades of the night, if I had been one of them. Well, this wasn't really far from truth. I needed something to feed on and of course, I didn't mean tasteless human food. I longed for life, emotions to warm my burning stomach and my heart. I used one of my usual places, near the Northern 38th Street, as well as one of my usual contacts, Benjamin Vazquez. He looked quite surprised as I came much before I was used to. Although I didn't want to admit but this situation had been near emergency. With anything he could offer for me, I would have been satisfied – for some hours at least, after that I would be able to think clearer, looking for a better partner.
"Alex." he greeted me. "Haven't seen you for a while. Stayin' for the show?" he asked. If I hadn't told him not to shake hands with me, I think he would have done that. I saw behind his cunning look, I was able to see his greatest motivation: greed. People like him had been the best servants for people like me. No way, he should have turned to the path - instead I used him as an instrument to find me what I needed, just relying on his own needs. Like a pawn on the chess board - if I was that generous.
"Nope." I answered quietly. "I don't have too much time for games like this."
"Pity." he interrupted. "Today we've got some guest dancer from the Southeast." He didn't even know what was he playing with as he accidentally reminded me to Annabella.
"As I said." I said grumpily. "No time. What do you got?" I asked hastily. In fact, my hunger was truly growing. "Right now." I added as I saw the surprised look on his face.
"Er... well..." he stammered. I thought if he had been this slow today, he might ended up six feet under. I didn't have much patience now. And I knew, there were many people like him, longing for his death, to take his position, as much as I longed for life. "You see" he began as he took his cell phone from his pocket "most of my girls haven't left their day."
"Tell me one single name and we're done." I hissed.
"Wh... whe... why..." He shouldn't have asked that. That was a very silly question to ask with company like me beside him. Or with his usual gangsta company around him.
"Don't ask!" I reminded him to the first day we've spoken with each other. He wasn't very liable to fighting me, and he it was better to him not to forget that. Especially now.
"Where?" he asked, obviously afraid. Looks like he really remembered the time when we had met for the first time and I had broken the arms of his two bodyguards, who had tried to attack me.
"Got one?" I asked, impatiently. His fear was quite enough to rely on.
"Yeah." he nodded.
"Call her." I ordered. "Right now. Where does she live?"
"Corliss Ave 3933. First floor."
"Name?"
"Elisa. Elisa Coron."
"Tell her I'm coming." I barked. This conversation was much more than needed. I left immediately, swallowed by the shadows where I was faster than anyone could have imagined.
Sweet. That was the first word that came to my mind when I saw Elisa Coron. Although Vazquez didn't have much time, he had just managed to find someone just in my favor. The girl was much lower than me - that didn't matter really, although that fact could be confusing sometimes. But her looks. Her skin was tanned by the sun - or a solarium, just as I could have expected from a Latin-American descendant. Long, dark hair and big, brown eyes that could have melt any man's heart. I bet she used that gift when she was able to. If I hadn't been really angry, her warm look would have just raised my thirst and my blood lust together with it. And her scent. It was like incense, sweet as sugar but together, just a tiny bit bitter. I took a deep sip from the air of the room what had been filled with it.
"I really like your perfume." I remarked. This was a usual compliment before nights like this. Just to ensure no one gets suspicious when I was sniffing around. She turned back to me as she closed the door and smiled but she didn't show me her teeth. If I had just seen my own self when I had been in one of my mad moments, trying to control myself.
"What's in that suitcase?" she asked and I thought I could catch a glimpse of fear in her eyes. She might have feared that I was a sadist, maybe. Well, in some way, she was right.
I opened it and pulled a bottle of champagne out of it while I took a look at her dress. It wasn't surprising that she didn't have too warm clothes – especially because it was summer time. Just a T-shirt, a skirt and some lingerie. Typical, I could have said. She lead me to a so-called living room – I didn't have a better word for the place, though it was way too small – and sat down to a sofa. Looking around, I had to admit, she had a sense of style. With the shadows surrounding me, as light had been just given by a few candles in the corners and in the chandelier, the room wasn't too flashy, but really, moderately intimate. Even the sofa had a warm, calming color.
She looked at me, waiting for me to sit down beside her.
"I guess we need some glasses." I said quietly, raising the bottle in my hand. She got up slowly. She was totally in control, moving just perfectly, making every move she had to make to excite any man, but still, she wasn't an open book, she didn't threw herself in front of my feet. I could hardly believe that Vazquez had hidden such a treasure from me. In fact, I could hardly believe that this woman belonged to Vazquez's crew. That wasn't typical for his branch.
She brought two champagne glasses while I sat down, threw away my roundabout and opened the bottle. She sat down beside me, letting me to have a good look on her long, thin legs but nothing more. As she gave the glasses to me, I filled both of them.
"To beauty." I said, looking in her eyes.
"Eternally." she added. How ironic she had been, and she didn't even know it. I took a quick look on her glow, and I realized that I had been right. She didn't belong to this world, really. She had just had to sell herself lately, and she was just touchable for the most exclusive clients. Understandable. Something, horrible for herself had just happened to her about what I wasn't able to get more information. Maybe later.
"What do you want from me?" she whispered slowly after she had finished with the champagne.
"What anyone else. You." I replied.
For a moment, she didn't look in my eyes than turned back to me immediately.
"What are the conditions?" she asked. Her voice as well as her scent turned a tiny bit bitterer.
I didn't answer, instead I refilled one of the glasses with champagne while standing up and blowing some candles in the chandelier.
"Put this to your neck, please." I whispered and gave the glass to her.
Although I saw in her glow that she didn't understand why I was asking that from her, she obeyed it. The cold drink touching her skin was like a church bell for me. I could almost hear her heart throbbing, amplified by the thin glass. And her scent, mixed with the smell of champagne. She was almost irresistible. I sat down by her, sniffing around her neck. She reacted to my action, putting the glass down and letting me the having the space I just needed. I watched out for my teeth, not to touch her skin with anything except mine and my mouth. She shivered. Of course, my skin could have been colder than glass was, though the drink had been frozen.
"Now what?" she stammered but I didn't stop.
"We're doing what comes naturally." I answered. From this word she thought she knew what she had to do. She started undressing me, and I did exactly the same, letting myself driven by the life around me, the life that was all around me, in her smell, in her touch, in her kiss.
Just to keep my cool, I took a look at her glow. Her moves were a bit mechanic, I saw and I was able to understand that, because she didn't like what she was doing with me. She did it because she didn't had any choice. Neither did I if I didn't want to become more dangerous. Very soon, I became drifted like a log of wood, longing for her body like a child did for her mother's presence. A tiny part of my mind knew that this was just temporary and I was never going to see her again. But for now, Elisa was enough for me. And this was good, this was usual. So much life I had around me, I didn't even need a sip of air to feel it, to absorb it and to feed on it.
"Sandro. Sandro Trajan." The voice in my head appeared in a split second and it was shocking like a thunderbolt. Unfortunately, I had known this tiny voice what belonged to a person much older than anyone could have guessed after hearing him, for a very a long time. And I had been glad that I hadn't heard it for a while. Hadn't really heard it since I had it for the first time. He had an old and a very odd soul. If he had only one – I wasn't sure if that had been enough for him. His voice, his immediate and unexpected appearance, his power and threats scared me really. And this short moment was just enough for my unholy part to take over.
Surely, this hadn't been a coincidence. Somehow, he had foreseen her emergence and that's why he called me. But in this moment, he wasn't my first concern. I had left quite a mess after me. My thirst for blood had just been stronger than me for a moment but even that had caused irreversible destruction. While running, I thought over the events of the night once again and I was afraid that I couldn't have saved her anyway. Maybe, if I could have predicted this. But this was just a gift, a talent in the very high ranks of my kind. Elisa Coron met eternal beauty at the wrong time and that meant her unlucky end. May she rest in peace, some would say. Well, at least she had the chance. I couldn't afford to leave the place as it was after my rage so I ignited an electric cable and watched her corpse burn, along with her whole life that had been kept secret from me. I wondered if this had been fate. Meeting two so extraordinary women on the same day. But I had to strike a deadly blow before fate did it to me. I had to cut loose ends before anyone surely found out that I had been with her. I didn't even bother cleaning my face, it was painted red by the blood of Elisa. Just for the same reason, I didn't alter my appearance. Fear was on my side.
I slipped in the flat like a shade, I just had to break the glass as quietly as I was able to. Vazquez's flat was untidy for the first look, but a close examination found some order, the most important places. On the door, there had been a holy cross. If that would have been enough to protect the unlucky fool from demons and enemies. Beside the entrance, to the right was the bed standing and I could smell that a gun had been hidden under it. Following the smell of gunpowder, I managed to locate another one in one of the drawers of his desk. I just put them into my pockets without doing any harm to them. They might have come handy to scare people away if they somehow spotted me. I shook my head. That idea had been ridiculous. But still, I had the chance that I would be given some punishment that I couldn't have imagined. I only had the hope that there would be a trial with the council controlling it. And at the same time it was my concern. Because if it happened, my opponent, the person I would have to accuse would have been too powerful and too witty to outmaneuver any of my attempts to trap him. My only chance was to let myself drift and play clearly, not to make any other mistakes like this. But if that had been the plan and I had been dispensable? What was written in my book of fate? Of course, I couldn't counter the council. And it hadn't been the best idea to turn to them. I hoped I hadn't drawn too much attention until now. Because I had something to finish.
Soon, I heard his heartbeat. It was faster than a normal person's one. Of course, he had probably swallowed some pills down in the club. Ecstasy and who knows what else. He opened the door hastily, if he had been pursued by demons. He didn't know that real danger awaited him inside his own flat.
"Holy sh..." he stammered as he turned the lights on and saw my face, pale, but stained with blood, my fangs, ready to tear him apart.
I didn't even let him scream. I attacked him immediately and crushed him. Than, I sank my teeth in his neck, carefully, not to waste any drop of blood. If he had to die, I tried to take some advantage of it. I pulled the empty corpse onto my shoulder, left the room with the smell of death and entered the shadows. I came out many miles away from Vazquez's flat, in another district of town. Surely, humans won't be able to track the body here. All the same, I had to get ready to leave and not because of the police. I was afraid of something much more powerful. I had to leave Seattle, and fast.
As I was going to my flat, I heard the unnatural bang. I knew it was something beyond the sense of ordinary people. After a few seconds of waiting and examination I realized it didn't even happen here. A heart stopped that shouldn't have done that. And I thought that surely, this wasn't the last of unexpected events happening now. Something was changing.
Hmm, no replies? Then, let's get back to basics.
Chapter 3: Day of disasters
I woke up in the early morning as my cell phone rang. I considered myself lucky enough not to oversleep the call – sometimes, I managed to do that. I answered the call and I immediately recognized Brian's soft voice.
“Annie.” he muttered. I didn't feel comfortable about hearing his voice. I thought he was absolutely terrified or confused. Or maybe both. Like he had seen a nightmare. And, besides that, he never used to me call Annie since I was older than five. “Come home. As fast as you can.” Now, I could feel he was almost crying.
“What happened?” I asked, afraid of the answer. But any answer would have been better than the snakes in my stomach, driven by doubts and fears in my mind.
He sniffled.
“It's Dad.” The fears had just grown in me. “He's dead.” He cried out.
I dropped the phone. I couldn't believe my ears. This was impossible. Dad hardly had any diseases in his own life. He had never smoked and had been a very careful driver.
“Annie, are you there?” Brian's voice sounded if it would have come from miles away, I could hardly hear it. For a few moments, I decided not to answer. I had to pull myself and my thoughts together. Dad was gone. It still sounded insane. In fact, much more than insane. I realized I was mistaken. Doubts would have been better than the now empty place in my heart where the love towards my father had been.
“Wh-what happened?” I asked quietly, with a shivering voice. He understood it. Probably, he had been in the same state.
He didn't answer, either. Of course, it was also hard to for him. Probably, Mom wouldn't have been able to tell me what had happened and that's why he was the one calling me. He was much stronger than she was. And yet, his voice was so weak.
“We don't really know. He just didn't wake up.” He was pressing words out of his throat and his mouth. I could feel the pain this was causing to him. “An ambulance came for him a few minutes ago. That was when Mom had the strength to call them.”
“How is she?” I asked hastily.
“She's not well.” answered Brian darkly. Well, that didn't mean too much good. I could imagine Mom still battling with her tears, trying to stop them. She was very sensitive, and she loved Dad more than anyone could. Including us. In some questions, Brian and I both resembled better to Dad, and fortunately, this was one of those. We could both take the stress of life somehow, we didn't become so devastated like Mom did. I thought Brian had his new family as something to hold on. And, well, speaking about me, maybe I was closer to death than anyone else as I was getting mentally ready to become a doctor. Even if I didn't want to stare in its face from the close, I had to go through the standard education process that naturally meant some hated dissections.
“You should come home.” said Brian under his breath.
First, I nodded, confused. Than, I realized that he didn't see that and was just about to call out my name again just to see if I was still listening.
“Of course.” I muttered. “As soon as possible.”
“Just call me when to go for you.” Surprisingly, this short sentence freed up my heart from the chains I was keeping them in. Normally, Dad used to pick me up from the airport or if he had something else to do – what had been extremely rare – I took the bus home. It was so strange that the pure fact didn't crush me with such strength, instead realizing that in some, even the most mundane situations, someone would not be there for you, he handed over this job to someone else. I burst out into tears and my brother didn't even know why. Although that, he tried to calm me down.
“It will be tough. I know.” he muttered. I wasn't sure if he had tears in his eyes, too, I couldn't tell that from his voice. “Remember, we are one. We are a family.”
“Will we be?” My anger and sadness burst out with a such childish question. After a few moments of silence, slowly I began to realize what I had said.
“I... I'm sorry. Sorry, bro.” I stammered.
“Never mind.” he whispered. “I'm thinking about it sometimes, too. It's hard to get used to it. I'm not gonna say that think about him on a vacation. You're not five years old and I don't want to slip into Dad's shoes.”
“I know.” I answered. “Just remember Rule One.”
“That's natural.” he stated and I knew he really meant it. When we needed help, we always gave it us to each other. I thought we could establish a good balance between helping out each other and letting us having enough space for private life. Of course, this situation had changed a lot in the recent years as we got further from each other and started building our own lives. It was a change, and this what we had to face now, was a change and a challenge, too.
“Can I speak to Mom?” I asked, though I didn't really want to hear her voice. I was afraid that she would pull me back to the sadness I was trying to overcome now.
“The doctor advised her sleep and gave her some pills. Personally, later.”
“OK.” I said. “I'm hurrying.”
“Do that. We all are waiting for you.”
Just as I put down the phone I realized that this wouldn't be so easy as told. I had no flight tickets since I forgot to book them yesterday. Goddamn exhaustion, and right now, at the worst time. I quickly switched on my laptop and after a few minutes I managed to book a flight to Atlanta. It was written that it should depart in two hours according to the timetable, though there was a warning that there might be a delay due to the fog surrounding the whole city. I looked around, out to the street.
I had to admit that they were right: there was a great chance that there will be a delay. I couldn't even see the block of flats on the other side of the street, though it was just about thirty feet away. That was very strange. Such a thick fog in the early summer, sounded pretty unique. I have been living here for three years and I haven't seen a so ridiculous weather. Probably, I will never get used to the ocean, I thought. Sometimes, it was really able to go crazy. I quickly finished packing my stuff – since I had the flat for the summer, too, just if needed, it wasn't really that much to bring with me. Then, I hurried down the street to get a taxi that would get me to the airport. I knew it wasn't cheap, but I wanted to know that I am getting closer to my home the fastest way. Luckily to me, the cab picking me up, didn't hit me, though because of my absent mind I stood very close to the road.
I got into the cab, with thoughts racing in my head. I still couldn't imagine the situation I had been in. I was full of fear and doubts, but I tried to hide them, even from myself. What is going to happen when I am going to see Mom? How will I react when I see my father's corpse? Why was I so terrified to the imagination of that? I had seen many corpses during class, and actually, I had never thought about that they had been living, breathing people once, with hopes, desires, fears and loves. In front of me, they were just flesh and nothing more, the clay, the vessel of something beyond my reach, but empty at the time I had touched them. I thought about if this was a necessary breakthrough every doctor has to live. The first close confrontation with death. The first realization of you being so tiny, being unable to fight the inevitable. And, most of all, the acceptance. To know that someone you had known and maybe loved, would never come back, that he had departed to a probably better life and had left you with all the mess and even more, the longing for him. The sense that you would travel down to the deepest burdens of hell to bring someone back, but the incapability to do that.
The car stopped suddenly and somehow I fell out of it. As I got up I saw the cab getting further and further from me. I tried to run after it desperately. As I ran I noticed that there were many strange things. First, I could keep up with the cab that left the main roads and led me to someone unknown place. The fog and the traffic both started vanishing so I couldn't decide if I was that fast or the car was that slow. I ran into some dark alleyway where the cab disappeared in one split second. But I didn't care about my stuff for the first place. The street was a dead end but something hot was at the end of it. Like I had just been thinking about hell and right now, I found an entrance. It was immensely hot and it was a hole in the ground. Suddenly, I heard a deep voice coming out of it.
“Come and take what you want. If you are strong enough.”
I felt self-confidence burning my veins. Hey, that was I had said I would do if I had the chance. I didn't think too much, I just jumped in. If I had the slightest chance. The heat was just enough outside but in there I felt I could explode in any moment, with some fluid around my skin. Maybe lava, I didn't bother myself for some moments. I dived deeper, trying not to acknowledge the growing pain. Soon, it started to burn my skin. I kept on as long as I could.
“No!” I shrieked. I hadn't seen anything that could help me, just a face far away from me. A fairly old and very familiar face if I wasn't mistaken. But taken the circumstances, I had a great chance. I couldn't keep my eyes open, it was too hot. “Dad!” I cried out.
I heard a laugh, a grim laugh one can only hear in junk films.
And, I woke up. I was sweating but still, I sat on the back seat of the cab. Another worrying thought came to my mind. How could I afford to fall asleep with a total stranger driving? I had to be really tired. In a taxi, how ridiculous. He could have taken me anywhere if he wanted to.
“Are you OK, miss?” the driver asked kindly.
I needed a few moments to get my head together, what he was asking and where I was.
“Yes, I am.” I said. My voice sounded very weak. “Where are we?”
“At the airport, miss.” I really had to consider myself lucky, to unwillingly pick such a nice driver who didn't seem to even think about doing anything bad to me. Most of them probably hadn't done that.
“How much do I pay?” I asked, slowly regaining full consciousness. I checked if I had my purse. It was there and as I felt, it had about the same size I remembered.
“27.” He answered curtly. I was a bit surprised but not astonished. If someone ran a cab company, fees had to be kept high. I didn't really like them but they were part of the urban life I was now living.
I took some cash out of my purse and gave it to him.
“Keep the change.” I whispered and got out of the car to get my bag.
“Good luck, miss. I hope you won't need it.” If I hadn't woken up just a few minutes ago, I thought it would have hit me heavier. In this situation, it took some time to realize what he had said, unintentionally. That was just enough to get away from the cab and for him leave. I thought that I had just met one of the greatest tragedies a human person can live, and he wished me good luck. If anything could have changed, could have made this day right. Nothing, simply nothing and nobody could do that. It was cursed for me.
I looked around, staring at the people hurrying to the airport, taking me with them, like a river brought a small piece of rock with itself. I was just as powerless as a rock could have been. Around me, I saw excitement, many forms of it, from stressed businessmen to happy families, bound together, looking forward to flying away from the mess this city meant. Flying away from mundane affairs. I saw no one else like me, so lost, so lonely, so afraid of what was to come. Just like them, I was heading to something extraordinary. To something I didn't want to see. And for one moment, I wondered if I had the courage to face it. I thought I was more like my brother, that I would be able to cover, to hide the pain from the public. But tears started appearing in my eyes. I turned my face down, not to show everyone what was happening inside me. No one had to know it. And it seemed, nobody had noticed me or what I was doing. I kept on walking to the South Satellite terminal, trying to listen to the announcements, with not much success. I couldn't expect that I was going to finish early and it was not the check-in holding me up. Delta Airlines 432, I tried to concentrate. At least, I needed this to avoid forgetting about all the stuff. I had a hard time holding myself together.
What an unfortunate time, I thought, and at the same time, how fortunate that I was sitting here in a crowded airport where nobody cared about me, everyone was rushing beside me, not even paying attention. That was the last thing I needed, tired and sad. If anyone had tried to talk to me, I would probably have felt ashamed of myself. But even this thought didn't help. I was alone. For now. If Dad saw me now, well, he wouldn't be very proud. But I supposed he would understand it. He had already went through the same and I bet, he had also had a hard time containing it. Everyone had. Every single person who had lived this. Maybe, my reaction wasn't that extraordinary. I just wanted to bottle it up until I reach my family who shared this pain with me.
After I had found out that I had to wait at least an hour, I looked for a place to sit. I could hardly keep myself standing. Naturally, there was no free seat. A throng of people gathered together, since none of them could take on their planes. This was chaos itself, with someone handling it better, someone worse. Some people shouted in their cell phones, some of them were listening to their iPods, some were reading a newspaper. And there was me, with not a single idea what to do. I knew nothing could have diverted my dark thoughts.
“Looking for a seat?” someone asked me. My reaction was slow, I didn't even look to my Samaritan but from the voice I realized that he was a mid-aged man, and somehow I was sure I had heard his voice. At least, a similar one.
“You can have mine, Miss Stokes.” Hearing my name raised my interest in one moment. As I looked up now, I saw someone who I would have never expected. Trajan.
“What are you doing here, Professor?” I asked, more like shocked than amused.
“Doing what I have sworn to. Protecting people.”
That was so typical to a maniac like he was. Never anything clear, just hints.
“Meaning what?” I asked. I was sure he didn't take duty at the airport. After all, he was a researcher. And if he did, he wouldn't sit here so silently, reading the news.
“Meaning you.”
“Do I need protection? I haven't noticed it.” I replied, maybe a bit rudely. For me, it was not the time when I keep my mouth shut. I had enough to deal with.
“Listen.” he advised calmly. “And sit down.”
I did what he said, but still looked in his eyes. As I expected, he didn't do that.
“Attention, please.” There was an announcement. “Delta Airlines flight 432 is delayed for undecided time due to a bomb alert. We ask our passengers to appreciation and we are sorry for the inconvenience.”
I almost broke. If I hadn't been sitting, I would have collapsed for sure. So much mess for one day, and on the top of all, this incident. I turned down my head. Was there any help for me?
“When is the next flight?” I muttered for myself. I totally forgot that someone else was there.
“I am afraid this was the only one for today.” murmured back Trajan, both to inform me and maybe to remind me that he was there.
I didn't look up. If he didn't have to look my eyes, I didn't have this obligation either. He didn't need that courtesy for sure. He wasn't my professor now and the last thing I cared about now was respect.
“May I help?” he asked kindly.
“No, please. Just leave me alone.” I answered, with my weakest voice again. Though I had been trying, not to show myself. Especially not in front of him. I was wondering about his true motives. Was he following me? If yes, since when? And how did he know where to go? His presence was a huge discomfort for me and I was trying to show that. Instead, I had just showed him how weak and vulnerable I was. Not the best impression.
“I am not going to leave without you, Miss Stokes.”
“Leave me alone.” I said, but with no passion or strength. That was all gone from me. “I just wait and pick that flight.”
“What if there is a bomb on it?”
I shrugged my shoulder. One way or another, I had to wait a lot of time while my family was suffering and waiting for me.
“I'm not leaving.” I said as dedicated I was able to.
“Yes, you are.” he replied, much more dedicated.
But why on earth did he sound like that? Why was it me? Surely, he didn't met all of his students on Sea-Tac one day after the exam. And where were his precious researches now? No, something was behind this. Something I didn't want to think about. At least, not now.
“Professor, really, what are you doing here?” I told him the truth because I was quite fed up with all this concealment.
“As I told. I was looking for you.”
“Why?” I asked harshly. And we both knew that this was the main question.
“You must not be on that plane.”
“Why?” I asked again without a second of pause. I needed and I wanted to push him to get answers.
“Let me explain to you somewhere else.” he said. From his voice, I thought he was afraid.
“Just briefly, Professor.” I knew he was really up to something. Surely, he didn't plant a bomb on that plane just to meet with me.
“Let's just say I wouldn't sit on that plane if I were you.”
“What will happen if I do?” I started to enjoy this game. Enjoying that for now, I wasn't less than him, wasn't a mouse for a cat like him. He was trapped by the public, I supposed.
He sighed and finally, looked in my eyes. But his ones were blank and I couldn't read out anything from them.
“Nothing good. For none of us.” He looked at his watch. “Now, will you come with me or will we continue fooling around?” His voice suddenly hardened, it almost overwhelmed me. And he didn't even raise it.
“And what are you going to do with me?” I asked. It seemed he might get violent and in that case, the last I wanted was to be near him. Especially, that his motives and goals were truly hidden.
“First, I'll get you some place to rest. Then, we'll see.” Nothing interesting, but why on earth would he tell me anything? Why would any man tell me anything?
“I got to tell my family.” I said. Who would kill you if you wanted any of that, that was for sure. More suffering would totally bring the beast out of Brian.
“Do that. Whatever you think.”
“Except getting on that jet.” I added and he responded with a short nod. “A minute, please, Professor.” He shrugged his shoulder like it bothered him that I was calling him that.
I walked a few steps away from him and quickly texted Brian that I wasn't going home with this jet, meaning I wouldn't be home today and that I was with one of my professors – I wrote the name, too, just in case. I just hoped they understood and wouldn't become mad at me, because it wasn't a very long message. Finally, I checked if I still had the gas spray I had been given when I had come to Seattle.
“Can we go now?” he asked, returning to his polite, almost charming voice.
I nodded. I thought that there had been a crowd when I had been coming here. I was mistaken. The crowd was what we faced now, especially when we got near the cashiers. I could hardly move and hardly hear anything. Trajan offered to give a helping hand to me – he seemed to be much more comfortable than I was, but I refused. It was enough to show my weakness, though I didn't want to amuse him. If I didn't achieve that with our last conversation, I would never do that.
It took us some time to get out of the terminal, out to the parking lot.
To tell the truth, I was a tiny bit surprised because I didn't imagine that Trajan had a car. He didn't look like a person who should have one for me. Now, looking at his pale face and his tired eyes, for one moment I was thinking about reconsidering my promise. He stepped to a black Ford that was just as ordinary as extraordinary he looked. I meant this kind of car could be seen at almost every corner. I was wondering why did he choose something like that. Personally, I would have never done such thing, especially if I had been in his place. He could afford much more, that was for sure. He got enough money to buy him a top-class car like a Ferrari, and I thought not just even one of that. He didn't look a patriot for me, either. Maybe he was more a man of safety.
I got in, though my stomach really complained against that. The car was very stinky because of his greatest habit.
“Professor, may I ask you not to smoke for now, at least?” I asked while I was making myself as comfortable as I was able to.
“You are sitting in my car.” he remarked. From his tone, I couldn't decide whether he told me shut my mouth or respected what I had said.
“So, where are we going?” I asked as he started the engine.
“Waterfront.” he answered curtly. I felt my face falling. Now I knew where his money was. The Waterfront was one of the most luxurious and of course, one of the most expensive hotels in town. I have never dreamed of even stepping in it, and now this maniac books a room for me. He knew how to make someone forget the dark side of life. I really started hoping that he wouldn't ask for something in return.
“Professor,” I began as he drove out of the airport to the Interstate 5 that lead us back to the city “let's speak clear. “I took a deep breath and turned to him. “I can't even pay a night in there. What do you want from me?” As I asked this from him, my hand wandered down to my bag where I kept the gas spray.
“First, from now on, I'm not your professor.” he murmured. “Call me Alex.” I raised my eyebrows. Alex. It sounded very childish for me. I couldn't really imagine myself calling him like that. I couldn't imagine anyone calling him that, even his friends. In fact, I couldn't even imagine him having friends. “Second, please, turn the radio on. And don't worry for the rest. I'll pay for the room.” It was easy to say, not to worry. After what had happened to me, it was a much more difficult thing to do. One twisted event after the other. I was waiting for waking up. But if I was dreaming, how had I been able to dream. I winked confusedly.
Still, I obeyed. There was nothing wrong in for now, although I feared that later he was going to tell me something else.
As I turned it in, there was some old music, at least ten years old.
Fascinations galore
How you tease
How you leave me to burn
It's so deadly my dear
The power of having you near
Until the day
Until the world falls away
Until you say there'll be no more goodbyes
I see it in your eyes
Tomorrow never dies.
I just stared out of the car's darkened window, out to the thick fog that was something I had seen in my dream yesterday's night. It seemed like it had happened eons ago. I only noticed the radio when the music was shut down in one moment.
“Breaking news. We've just been informed that the Delta Airlines flight 432 has crashed into the sea, just a few miles away from its departure, Sea-Tac airport due to a yet unknown reason. Coast-guards and the ambulance have just begun looking for survivors.”
My God, I said to myself. I turned to Trajan but I couldn't say a word. His face remained still, it told me nothing. How could I get into such a mess?
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"The one who makes most mistakes often loses" - Elvin
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PeterFarkas
Adventuring Hero
LeBronTosaurus
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posted April 08, 2011 09:18 AM |
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First, sorry for the double post, I'm simply unable to edit the one above.
As there are no signs of any living or dead beings here, I have no choice but to post the last finished chapter.
Have a good time everyone.
Chapter 4: Frequently
I was totally confused. One half of my mind told me to jump out of this car before something really happened to me. The other half told me just the opposite. After all, if I wouldn't have listened to Trajan – OK, at least it was about time try imagining calling him Alex – I probably lied on the bottom of the sea, dead.
“How did you know?” I stammered. I turned my face to his and I tried to look at him so he wouldn't like to piss me off. Maybe. But he was just looking at the road.
“You've been through some things. Believe me, this is just going to get worse...”
“That didn't answer anything.” I remarked angrily.
He sighed.
“I'll explain as much as I can when we're at the hotel. But right now, I'm trying to concentrate on driving. And, you should really take a warm bath. It can switch your mind off.”
“You're not my father.” I growled. I really tried to insult him. Hundreds of people could have died and he had just saved me from becoming on of them. Sure, he knew something extra.
“No, and I would never want to slip in his shoes. Trust me, as we get to the hotel, I'll tell you as much as I know.”
Great counterattack he had. I almost managed to forget about the great wound from which I had suffered. Now, he tore it up again. And I was sure, he would never be able to replace my father. Whatever he did for me. Even now. I hoped my family got and fully understood the message I had sent and they weren't worrying themselves to death right now. Suddenly, one of his old advises came to my mind, not to get in people's cars who I don't know. Well, in this case, this advise wouldn't have been the best. This was a very, very extreme situation. And I felt that I have told everything about it. I was staring out of the window for some minutes as we were moving on the Interstate, trying to silence my thoughts and just getting lost in the sight of the mighty Mount Rainier. I didn't even notice the radio still being on until Trajan raised its volume unmistakably.
Now this is the right occasion
for a private conversation.
You know me. Yes, you know me.
Since your childhood, we're befriended,
And our friendship hasn't ended.
I promised not to leave you.
I call you in desperation
Every time this nightmare haunts me,
When it feels like suffocation.
You need me, here I am!
The shades of night are growing.
The future has been bought and sold.
The doomsday horns are blowing
While they're dancing round a cup of gold.
The shades of night are growing.
It is five to twelve, our time is getting old.
Have the gods run out of kindness?
Our ship has lost direction.
Is the helmsman struck with blindness?
He does not even hear me.
On the black sky, scarlet letters
You can read; they spell disaster.
Put your horse to waiting fetters.
It's driving me insane!
The shades of night are growing,
As man becomes a beast of prey.
We don't know where we're going,
But we're going faster every day.
The shades of night are growing
It is five to twelve, our chances melt away.
It's all up to you.
So do what you have to do.
Dare take heart, to be a rebel!
The shades of night are growing
One must try at last to turn the tide.
When good and bad are going,
Time is always on the devil's side.
The shades of night are growing.
So stand up and fight, and reach out for the light!
“Very original.” I murmured, more to myself than to him. Personally, I preferred some more tuneful than this bone-music with the squeak of both singers, whose names I didn't know. Not that I wanted to.
“It's recorded badly. And translated badly as well. Very unfortunate.” he whispered.
“Why does anything have to be so ... “I was looking for the right word for many moments.” depressed?”
“Because the world is depressed.” He said this if he was saying something trivial.
“That's the point.” I argued. “If you see sadness around yourself, are you looking for it when you are not forced into?”
“That's what they're used to. Can they see anything else?”
“We supposed to be.” I said with a confident voice, but suddenly doubts had erupted in me.
Was this really true? I reminded myself of my family. We had always managed to find happiness in whatever had happened to us. Except for now. Now, we were totally under ourselves, looking for something to hang on, like we had lost our heads. Like we had lost the way. And here was this person, sitting next to me who managed to make me forget, even if only for a very short time. I stared out of the window as the volcano was getting out of my sight, replaced by skyscrapers.
“Have you ever thought about speaking with death?” he asked. I turned back slowly to him. And I didn't know what to say. If he meant death in the way I had seen it in my dreams. That was hardly a speech. And I knew I was even smaller here than there.
“Cause in this scene,” he carried on “one of the actors portrays death itself, while the other tries to bargain and ask for help from him.”
“Usually, that doesn't end well.” I remarked. Quite ordinary answer, but I had nothing more on my mouth for now.
“Sometimes, it doesn't.” he murmured.
“Would you?” I turned his own question against him. He smirked.
“You know why I asked this from you?” he replied. I knew something was going to happen, because just like conversations with death, speeches when Trajan starts this way, doesn't used to end well.
“Is it about rebellion again?” I teased him. I wanted to see how he reacted to this, but he didn't seem to take it.
“In a way, it is,” I could barely hide my laugh. “You are younger, much younger than I am and I wanted you to answer this question. It's not a big deal, I want to speak with death. But if you want to...” He didn't finish his sentence and I was unsure if he knew about my father somehow. Because that would have been normal reaction: to lock myself in and to remember him. Strangely, I remained in the comfortable state that almost belonged to this old Ford, or maybe to Trajan himself.
“You sound as you were eons old. How old are you, Alex,” I was still trying to tease him, to get him out of his calmness. “if I'm allowed to ask that.”
He didn't answer and I noticed we were slowing down.
“We've arrived. We'll continue on upstairs.” he said.
“Do we have rooms actually?” I asked while stepping out of the car. Though I saved one moment to memorize the beautiful looks of the hotel. I had already seen it before but not this close.
“Yes, I've booked two.” I thought for one moment. Looked like he had been expecting me to come with him. And when did he book those, I was thinking. He only had time when I was texting my family. That was the only time when I didn't see him. Or had he been so over-confident? Frankly, I could have imagined that.
I didn't have more time to wonder since he gently pulled me into the hotel and told me to call an elevator while he was getting the keys. Now, I had some time to look around. Not quite luxury it had that I had been expecting. Instead, it had a modern, confusing design, with colored flames all around me – on the walls, table deco, statues like that. I felt like I didn't belong here. Strangely, this was the first place where I really felt that I was somehow different. This was way too much for me to take, to understand. So, my opinion changed a lot about this place. I couldn't imagine why did Trajan like a place like this. Though, in fact, I didn't even know much about him. Who knows, he might have been a fan of alternative rock or something that abstract when he was younger. Though it was hard to imagine him long-haired or using drugs. But I could imagine some places he could enjoy with his passionate smoking. The elevator and he arrived at the same time.
“I'm staying for one night,” he said as we got in “Is this OK for you, too?”
“Yes,” I answered immediately. I really couldn't afford even one night. “Maybe I can go home then.”
“Maybe.” he added, but there was something in his tone, something that really made me uncomfortable. I was afraid that he wouldn't let me go.
“If I'm not too nosy, why do you have that Ford down there?” I asked. The question was very childish, but I thought the answer might describe him a bit better I have known. Instead, he just stared at me. “You know, I guess you could have much more.”
He paused for a moment.
“My first car was a black Ford, too, when I was about as old as you are. Guess I'm kind of brand-loyal,” he said. “Oh, before I forget, here's your key.” He dropped a key in my hands, room 602's one.
“601 is mine,” he added. “Right here.” He started opening the door. At the same time, I took a deep breath. There was something I never wanted to ask but if I wanted to be somewhat polite, I had to.
“When should I come?” I asked, with my voice quivering because of fear. Because of what I might hear.
“You don't have to hurry.” he answered, without looking in my eyes. ”Take a bath, whatever. You had a long day. And maybe you are going to.” This small sentence seemed to prove my fears. “Meet me down in the lobby when you're ready. Just wave. I'll be somewhere where smokers are allowed to.”
I nodded and opened the door of my room.
I didn't even know why but I acted as Trajan had advised. I felt like a had a small rush for luxury, something that had avoided me during my whole lifetime. I let myself become amazed. The room was very large, its area was about the double of my rented flat. And contrary to other spaces, it was just moderately decorated, but full of light. For a moment, I stepped to the room's giant window and took a view of the ocean. The sun was just about to set and I suddenly felt that I wanted to open the window and fly away, following this magnificent reddish-yellow globe, all around the Earth, never to lose sight of it. I could almost feel the breath of the ocean, a naturally fresh scent in my noses. I have never seen the great water like this. I knew it was the source of life and now I could see the power of it, how it surrounded every tiny person on this planet. I felt it belonged to a whole life. At least, everyone began his or her life in with some fluid around. Somehow, I needed this. I wasn't ready to see and face the tears I had to, I had to suppress them. And I really didn't know what would I do when I finally had to do this. I knew I couldn't run away in my whole life. I had a family that cared for me, but for now, I needed to take care of my own, if I wanted myself not to turn insane. I could hardly avoid that now. I had to realize that the weakest member of the family wasn't Mom. It was me. I needed some breathing space. And he gave it to me. He had the opportunity and the willingness. The most important question was just why did he do that.
And the most of all, I had to understand my own reactions. Trajan was right here for me, got me out of a really complicated situation. This had a very slight chance of being intentional. Why would he risk putting a bomb on a plane? There would have been too much at stake. And for me? A junior student who was good but probably wouldn't become an important person? This sounded very insane and he was not that kind of a maniac. I hoped. And, even more weirdly, about 24 hours ago I thought that I never wanted to see him again. And in the last 24 hours, I sat in his car, I let myself invited into a luxury hotel like this, without any complaints – this wasn't very usual from me. And I spent most of the day with him, and my hatred had changed to something else, I was sure. Something like the feeling of being a stranger. There was something in him, something I wasn't able to understand and explain. Even though he had some style and charm, he had something unusual and frightening. This had just begun to stink more and more.
I needed answers, and I needed true answers. Not just phrases like he was doing his duty. Not any more. I tried many times, to think with his head but still, I wasn't able to find a rational reason to do this with me and to bring me here. Not that I wasn't trying to exploit the opportunity he had given to me. I acted as he advised, had a bath and trying to make myself look like someone. Unfortunately, I faced some very mundane obstacles by doing that. First of all, I didn't bring any clothes except the ones I wore. What a burn. Although if someone had said to me, that I would have been at an exclusive place like this, I wouldn't have ever believed that person. So, I wasn't coming here to meet the Queen of England or what. Maybe, I wouldn't look like anyone else. Nothing casual, nothing formal. Frankly, that was quite a lot of me. Maybe, I would humiliate myself. And himself with me. Hell, who did I want to pose for, I asked. I was nothing. At least in terms of money. I didn't belong here, I didn't need to be looking like I was. It would have been good, but necessity is necessity.
I really faced some interested looks while I was going down to the lobby, still wondering about its horrible decoration that didn't fit into a great looking place this was.
Trajan was waiting for me as he said, among the smoking crowd. I could hardly notice him until he sat up and started coming towards me, waving to me as we were old friends. He came out of the smog and led me to some free seats.
“Now that's much more comfortable,” he remarked. “I told you I was going to answer all of your questions. Now, take your chance.”
I took a deep breath. I had some of those.
“How did you know about the plane?” Taken the fact, that my life had already depended on this question, I started with that one.
He also took a deep breath and looked to the floor for one moment.
“This is going to be a long and there's a chance you might not believe it.”
“I'm ready.” I interrupted. I didn't want him to distract me, and avoid giving me answers.
“Do you believe in supernatural?” he asked.
“How does that come here?” I attacked back immediately, just for the same reason I said formerly. He seemed to begin the story from Adam and Eve and I didn't want that.
“It is essential.”
“Then, take my answer,” I said before he could go on. “I am a person of science. If you ask me about fortune tellers, UFOs and all the other stuff some people trying to fill others' mind with, I have to admit, I'm quite resistant. I believe in what I see.”
“And what you understand from the law of action and reaction?” Now, he was the one interrupting me and finishing my sentence. “Then, this is going to be more difficult than I have thought.”
This could only mean one thing, a thing I could hardly believe. I couldn't believe my ears especially that I heard things from him. A doctor. A scientific researcher. And now he told me that he was a fan of occultism and might go on chasing vampires or was afraid to go out of the house at full moon. I have heard about people acting this way, and it sounded very insane to imagine that he was one of them. I wanted to run away, run back to pack my stuff and run until I get home at last. Without him.
“Fortunately or not, supernatural exists.” he stated as he caught my hand.
“Can you prove it?”
“I can. But not here.”
“What? You want to take my life?” I spat out angrily.
“That's exactly the opposite what I want. But believe me,” His voice turned into a whisper. “the plane you were on was cursed. I don't know if you have listened to the most recent news, but there was no bomb on the jet. The pilot made a mistake, they think. But I know the truth. Believe me.”
“I don't,” I whispered back. “Prove it.” I told him, without thinking about the possible consequences.
“OK,” he said, letting me go and turning to the elevator. “Your room or mine?”
“Yours.” I said, still without of any thinking. I was almost driven out of my mind.
We went up without saying a word. He led me in his room that looked like just like mine, and he seated me.
“I'm gonna hate this.” he murmured to himself. He pointed to on of the paintings, covered with glass with his fist and in that moment, there was a moderate bang and the glass shattered. I froze.
“Now you trust me?” he asked as he turned back to me.
No way, I told myself.
“I believe what you say.” I said with a quivering voice. “Is that all you can do?”
“No. Not at all. But my powers are very limited in terms of things like this.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, obviously afraid. I didn't want to imagine what happened to my bones if I was hit with a blast like this.
“There are more powerful people like me out there. Much more powerful.”
“And what can they do?”
“I would say, almost anything. At least, some think that there will be someone who will be able to control everything in this world with pure magic.”
“Sounds very weird.” I remarked and I really meant it. Everything seemed to be a very great set. Then, my fear just grew. “Do you think it's me?” I asked, afraid of the answer and thinking about what he had done to me today. A person who could do anything would probably be worth this much of a risk.
“I don't think so.” he answered calmly.
That calmed me down a bit.
“If you had been someone that powerful, you would probably be dead. Or I couldn't thwart the assassination attempt.”
This sounded very mad again, and led me right to a very important question.
“So, this was all about me?”
“I'm afraid, it was.” Suddenly, I felt very weak. This was too much for me. My father's death, the plane crash and now telling me that I was something else, with some freaking abilities I didn't even know about and that I didn't understand, this was very much. I felt like my brain was about to reach the boiling point.
“There were a handful of pretty strange incidents this day,” he went on. “It began with your father's death.” If I would have been able to, I would have jumped up and pinned him to the wall, no matter what he could do. But I didn't have the strength. I didn't have any strength to do more than breathing.
“Then, this fog appeared. It was also caused by a magician.”
“Why can't you make it go away?” I interrupted.
“I told my powers were limited. Very limited.”
“Then why are you following me?” I burst out. “Why is anyone following me? Just leave me alone. What the freaking hell have I done to deserve that?”
He just stared at me while I was wheezing. Maybe he waited for me to run out of oxygen. Or maybe to calm down. I didn't know. I didn't know a sure thing.
“When we first met, I told you I see potential in you. I didn't actually mean that the original way. You might be one of us.”
“Then why can't I blow them away?” I shouted. I tried to conceal my powerlessness but instead I had just showed it clearly. “And why didn't you tell me yesterday?”
Finally, he sat down and tried looking into my eyes. That didn't last too long.
“Your powers are latent for now. They haven't even manifested. You don't even know about them.”
“Then how do you know about it?”
“It's also a talent that comes with. We can see things in other people. We just call it seeing their glow. With that, we can make certain assumptions about people.”
“Like reading my mind?” I interrupted but I wasn't truly sure if I wanted to see the answer.
“No,” he answered. “Not at all. It’s more about emotions than thoughts. But it's hard to describe it for someone who doesn't see the world that way.”
“If I have a bit of luck, I'll see it,” I added sarcastically. “Isn't that what you want?” I went offensive again. “And why does anyone try to kill somebody who might join the gang? Is that your welcome message?”
He stood up and started walking round and round. It was quite annoying.
“There are others out there, with different intentions. There are some who wouldn't like to see you the way you might become.”
“Including me,” I said gruffly. “All I want is to get back to my life, my family and finally, become a doctor. Is that such a big wish?” That was it. I go back to Georgia, and in three months' time when I finally get back to Seattle, everything will be normal again and this self-styled juggler will get out of my life forever.
He sighed.
“I wish it would be that easy. Ad one, when your powers manifest, you'll be anything but be unable to fit in the society. Ad two, if you try to ignore it, you could get killed very easily.” And again, back to a very important question I hadn't even asked.
“I why do you want me alive? Am I that valuable or what?”
“Let's just say I didn't want to see you six feet under.” he answered.
So, I was right. Somehow, I was very valuable for them. Well, what I had feared, didn't become reality. Trajan wasn't aggressive. In fact, he was just the opposite, it seemed and this confused me much more than if he would have tried to attack me. If I needed a guardian angel, I hadn't imagined him like Trajan. But I could be thankful for him because I was alive. It was indeed insane. I looked like he had put a puzzle together carefully that fit together, only if I made a totally mad assumption before thinking about it.
“What do you see in my glow now … Alex?” I asked.
He smirked.
“I see that you are almost driven out of your mind. To tell the truth, I didn't expect much less. I haven't done this with anyone else but I do remember how did I react when my time came.”
“Did it sound ordinary?” I murmured. “Like an FAQ list?”
“If you could collect an FAQ list for latent magicians, I guess it would be pretty similar.” he answered.
I shrugged my shoulder. At least something that was not extraordinary this day. Strangely, I felt like I could believe and trust this person. Given time, of course.
“What would you advise to do next?”
He looked again into my eyes, just for a short blink. He looked sad and maybe confused a bit.
“If you listen to me, you won't go by plane, instead take a ride.”
“I guess, yours.” I said quietly. He nodded, much to my dismay.
“I wouldn't dare to imagine what could happen to you if I left.”
“Why would you advise that?” I asked.
“Because then I can take you to someone who might be able to protect you from the recent threats.”
That sounded very interesting. Was he going to take me to a much mightier friend of him? I was afraid and excited at the same time. Was this confusion going to haunt me all over this journey?
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"The one who makes most mistakes often loses" - Elvin
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