by Tara Chau
I click call and put the phone to my ear. Standing up, I walk to the far side of the room, where I sit down on a blue bean bag.
“Dude. Where the hell are you? You already missed part of the first period. Helen said you had to seek something out with Di. Is she alright?” Gabe’s voice sounds half annoyed, half worried on the phone. Sweet.
“And by sort something out, she meant lock us both in the same room till I no longer wished to kill him,” I say sarcastically. “Hello Gabriel, how was your morning? May I ask you a favour? GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE? Please.” I add.
There is a slight pause as Gabe tries to process before he laughs softly, “Good morning Dianna, how is your morning going so far? What’s the view like?”
“Ha, ha, ha, very funny. So far, I’ve been locked in a room against my will. Missed out on school and punched Ty in the stomach so hard he was coughing up blood. So, I think that I could be having a better morning.”
“Sorry beautiful, I can’t get you out. I have a lesson. I can be there in two hours. Can I trust that you won’t kill my best friend within that time frame?”
“I’m not sure. You better hurry Gabe, or I might return him to you with a few limbs missing.” I joke.
Gabe chuckles lightly, “As long as he’s still alive. Helen would kill me if she knew that I let you kill her boyfriend.”
“See you soon, Chip,” I say, trying out the new nickname.
“Chip?” he repeats.
“Yeah, I think it’s cute.”
“No, Calling Anne Na-Na is cute. This name is just completely wrong.”
“I’ll see you in two hours, do not be late.”
“Di…” the beeping noise of the hang-up button still rings loud and clear as I give Ty his phone back and start the count down for two hours.
* * *
Six, five, four, three, two…
Bang… Another sound, similar from the one Helena made earlier, comes echoing through the door once more. Yes!
“Does everybody have a problem with my door today? Why can’t you just unlock it like a normal person!” Ty yells.
The door creaks open, and standing on the other side is Miss Renalds, Ty’s mother. Right now, she looks calm and composed, but her eyes may as well have been of fire.
Where is Gabe? He said he would be here. I can see how this looks. It looks like Ty and I have just ditched school and locked ourselves in his room together doing. We both jump up at the same time and put at least a good metre between us. I guess that makes us look even more guilty.
“Mum, I can imagine what you’re thinking, and I swear that whatever it is, it’s not true,” Ty says nervously.
“So, Helen didn’t lock you in here against your will?” she says sarcastically. I never thought of her as a sarcastic person.
“I-I how did you know? And where is Gabe?” he says.
“Mister Jones was supposed to be at my class this afternoon, when you and Dianna didn’t turn up, I guessed he was coming here. Then, just to make sure, I confronted Helena, and she cleared everything up. It just so happens that I have a car and Gabe does not. He should be arriving in….”
“I’M HERE… What?” Gabe comes crashing into the room, looking slightly puffed. He must have run the whole way.
“Mister Jones, you are late,” I say sternly. Looking from him to Elizabeth.
“Sorry, Miss Reeds, I will work on improving my rescue time.” He says with a slight smirk.
My god, he really does make it hard to stay mad at him. Gabe comes to stand next to me and whispers into my ear.
“What did I miss?” I smile awkwardly. He is unnervingly close. I can’t really decide on whether I like it or not. So instead, I turn to face Elizabeth, who is saying something.
“I’m assuming you both need some time to get ready for your half-day of school? You have fifteen minutes. I will escort all three of you back to school then. Son, next time you want to spend the morning with a girl. Make sure that it’s not during school hours.” She says, sounding rather bored.
“What do you mean? We were locked in here with a signum. And you know that Helen is very good at doing those. They are very hard to break.” He says defensively.
“I also know that you are two levels higher than her and would have broken it easily.”
Seriously? “Ty? I’ve just spent three hours in a room that smelt of blood and sweat when you could have gotten us out the whole time? What the HELL?” I yell.
“If I had gotten us out, we wouldn’t be best friends, now, would we?” he says with a smug look.
“Ty, you better run now, or you’re going to get one hell of a punch. This time I won’t hold back.”
Elizabeth sighs and indicates for him to leave. With a nod and a wink, he exits the room, Elizabeth trailing behind him.
“Ahhhh! Stuff him!”
I punch and kick at the air, letting out deep breaths. A few moments pass, and I start to calm down, remembering that Gabe is still in the room.
“Are you done?” he says patiently.
I walk over to him and look up. He is about half a head taller than me. Gabe gazes down at me. I try taking in all his features. I imagine that I’m trying to draw him. Big black eyes. A beautiful wide smile with the cute little chip in his tooth. The sway of his dark blue hair and his strong jawline, pink full lips.
Gabe and Ty are so different. Ty has blond hair, Gabe blue. Gabe has dark eyes, Ty’s bright blue. Gabe has a strong jaw. Ty has high cheekbones.
“You are going to make one amazing fighter.” He says with a proud smile.
There! That’s the big difference between the two. Ty will do nearly anything to stop me from learning to fight or even being close to his world. Gabe, he is encouraging and will help me fight. He thinks that I can do anything.
“Ha, you know I haven’t seen you fight before.”
“You will tonight. You are naturally good, Di, but remember I was born a fighter. Naturally strong, quick, cunning and tragically good looking.” I laugh and walk over to pick up my bag.
“Don’t get a big head, Chip,” I say brightly.
“About that, I resent the name. I was thinking something more along the lines of…Rocket, maybe Thunder, or even Handsome. Really anything that makes me sound like-”
“An idiot?” I say, trying to hold in a laugh.
“Aww, shut up, Reeds. Go comb your hair or something. Don’t you need to get ready for school?”
“First of all.” I say, “I was already ready when I was forced into this damn room. And second, I do not comb, blow-dry, straighten or die my hair. It’s just naturally beautiful.” I say, mimicking Gabe’s voice.
Gabe comes and picks me up from my legs, then dumps me hard on the bed, causing a loud shriek to escape my lips. Ow.
“There, now you need to go comb your hair. It looks atrocious.” I sit up and give him a hard push before running my fingers through my hair, putting it back in place.
Gabe gapes openly at me. “How the hell do you do that? It takes me ten minutes in front of the mirror with several different combs to get my hair looking like this.” He complains.
“Oh really?” An evil grin washes across my face as an idea pops into my head.
Standing up onto the bed, I fling myself onto Gabe’s back, wrapping my legs around his waist. Using one hand to steady myself as he tries shaking me off, I use the other to reach and mess up his hair. Shaking my hand through it and pulling it up in all different directions.
“Reeds!”
I squeal as he chucks me onto the bottom of the bed and pins my arms to my side.
“Haha, you should look in the mirror. It’s an improvement.” I say, grinning widely.
“One of these days, Reeds, you’re going to do something you will seriously regret. I am so going to get you back for this.” He grumbles.
“Hmm, you can try. But I’m going to be expecting it.” I say in an innocent voice.
/> With that, I kick out with my legs and hit him in the stomach, just hard enough for him to let go. So far, I’ve hit two guys, and it’s not even lunch.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He says, sounding a bit annoyed. “Or I’d totally kill you. You are a very violent person.”
“So, what are you going to do? Tell my daddy?” I ask.
“Well, usually I’ll write strongly worded speeches, telling the girl that their behaviour was unacceptable.”
“Well, I’ll be expecting one within the week,” I state.
“I don’t think so, not for you. I’m going to think of something truly horrible for you, beautiful.”
“Wait, I’m confused. Am I cute or beautiful?” I push.
“Calculating, calculating, calculating,” he imitates a robot’s voice. “Please try again later.” He says with a smirk. I poke at his face and act shocked.
“Oh no! Someone help, I’ve broken my beloved robot!” we both laugh, and I skip over to the other side of the room to sit down.
“So what’s up with you and Ty?” he says as he sits down.
“Umm, I think we are okay. I’m still a bit confused myself. I do know that he is going to be a pain. He doesn’t want me learning to fight. Or being anywhere near all this…supernatural stuff.”
“Well, I am a part of this supernatural stuff. Ty just doesn’t want you getting hurt, neither do any of us. But you should be allowed to learn to fight. That’s just crazy if you don’t. Unfortunately, fighting is a big part of all this. It’s something you must know.” He says sadly. “Trust me. If there was any other way to prepare you, I wouldn’t want you fighting either.”
“But there isn’t,” I say sternly. “And I have to be ready.” Looking across at him, I feel something tighten inside my gut. Thank you, Gabe.”
“For what, Di?” he asks curiously.
“For believing in me,” I say softly.
“Dianna, you have to know that I’m not the only person who does. Anne does as well. So does Elizabeth, Alice and my parents.”
“Alice? She’s a Protector to?”
“Yes, kind of. She doesn’t fight. She gathers information and reports back to the Counsel.”
“Right.”
“Are you okay?” Gabe gets up and walks over to sit down next to me.
“I’m scared. I might not be able to save everyone. I might turn, become bad.”
“Then we would bring you back.”
“Just… don’t leave me, okay?” I say weakly.
“Never.”
34 Finch drive, six o’clock on the dot. I followed the directions exactly. A twenty-minute walk in the direction of school that goes along the main road. I stop.
Is this a prank? Is Gabe really pranking me right now? I came here to learn how to fight, not to get a drink. I am currently standing in front of a huge building that is famous for its drinks and dancers. The walls on the outside are painted a dark red with black lining. The roof is flat and tiled, painted white. Big metal doors are blocking my entrance. The sign is big and bright, lighting up the whole street within a five-metre radius.
Munimenti Lumen
“Latin for Fort Light.” Gabe’s soft voice rings from behind me. I whirl around, nearly hitting him in the face.
“Gabe? Don’t do that.” I yell.
“You have my apologies, ma’am.” He says with a smile.
“Why are we here?” I ask suspiciously.
“To fight, of course, that’s what you wanted, right?”
“We're going to go fight in a bar?” I ask stiffly.
His laugh is smooth and relaxed as he steps towards the bar. “No, although that might be fun. Di, this is the Sanctuary. It’s where all Protectors in the area come to train, study, and receive information from Maline. It’s also where we can keep track and monitor any demonic activity. We have signums all over the city. They are there to transmit a signal if they pick up on anything suspicious. Any Protector passing through can enter with permission from the leader of the Sanctuary. There is one Sanctuary built-in every main city of the world, and each one has a portal that transports Protectors straight to Maline.”
Gabe’s eyes find an easy light as he explains all of this to me, his smile becoming less obnoxious. He looks at me proudly. “There is a doorway that leads to the real Sanctuary when we walk through. This bar is only a cover. It’s here to throw off any Shifter who suspects that this might be where the Protectors hide. Demons will kill to get in there. It’s where we store all our weapons, information and valuable objects.”
Gabe looks across at me, smiling at my awed expression. “Out the back is the main entrance. The whole thing is underground. We had Warlocks cast enchantments so that no dammed thing can cross. That is why another safe building was constructed, so we could question or hold vampires and demons without them ever learning the whereabouts of the Sanctuary. The other building contains no weapons or information. It’s got more enhanced security and is a lot less fancy. Come on. I’ll take you around the back.”
We walk quietly towards the rear of the building, where I can, in fact, see the other site. It is quite large. All cement walls, the only entrance is a heavily enforced metal door with a signum carved over the whole thing. It’s so weird how all this stuff is out in the open where everyone can see it. It’s smack bang to the side of a massive parking lot.
“Why did you people build this out in the open? Doesn’t everyone see it?” I say. Gabe gives a light chuckle and turns his head back a fraction.
“No, it’s got a glamour cast on it. Protectors can glamour anything with a signum, it’s pretty hard and complicated, but it can be done. Only we can see it.
“Why-why can only Protectors see the glamour?” I ask.
“Di, don’t you remember? It’s because of the extra power in our blood. We’re also connected to the Angels in some small way.” He explains.
“Oh.” That’s right. We make our way to the right-hand corner wall of the bar.
“Okay, now on my mark, run,” Gabe says as he starts to back up a few steps.
“Wait! You want me to run into the wall, the sharp point of the wall, to be exact?” I say cautiously.
“Yep, it’s okay. You’re not a demon, so you should pass right through.”
“The wall? I am going to run through the wall?”
“Yes.” He says patiently. “Aw, if you’re scared, you can hold my hand.” He talks like you would to a baby who can’t quite get the hang of speaking yet. I surprise him by clutching his hand, holding firm as I rush at the wall, eyes closed. My body feels as if I’m falling, my head feeling dizzy and unfocused. Something in my stomach twists, causing me to internally groan. Then it ends. Are we in?
I open my eyes to find that we are now standing on the pristine tiles of some sort of a hotel lobby. There’s a mahogany desk to my left, two elevators in front and a guard standing on either side of them. The place has white walls with gold trimmings. A huge frame hangs on the wall behind the desk. It has only one word painted on it.
Honour.
“Honour is nearly everything to us protectors. We live for it, fight for it, die for it. To some, it’s simple. Others think that it’s a horrid way to live or die. But… it’s the way we survive.” He walks over to the man at the desk and leans on it, bringing back his usual slouch.
I shuffle forward, thinking of what Gabe had just recited. Live for it, fight for it, die for it. Is he one of those people who accept it or try combating against it? Anne did say that he carries the weight of the world and that he’s never had any relationships. I reach the desk just as Gabe starts to talk.
“Dante, this is Dianna Reeds. She is a newly discovered Protector and doesn’t have her tattoo yet. Could you please grant her entrance to the Sanctuary?” Gabe’s voice is stiff and withdrawn, his gaze stone, unlike his usual warmth.
Tattoo? No one said anything about a tattoo. I can’t get one. My dad will
go nuts.
“Only if the pretty lady gives me a kiss.” He requests with a sly grin.
Dante looks around late twenties, long black hair that is cut short at the sides, beady green eyes and a thin smile that matches his thin figure. Sure, he’s good looking in a greasy kind of way, but if he thinks I am going to kiss him, then he’s mad.
“Dante, she is here with me. Grant her entrance.” Gabe says sternly.
“Why don’t we ask the pretty lady what she wants to do?” he says slowly.
Both guys look at me. Dante with a hungry kind of look and Gabe with an impatient glare. I look at Dante into his beady eyes and decide not to even humour him.
“Perve,” I say loud and clear. Gabe gives a short laugh, and Dante gives me a steel-tipped glare.
“She has a mouth this one, doesn’t she?” He sneers. “Okay, go through.”
“I’ll see you around,” I say, doing my best to copy Gabe’s cold, uninterested tone.
I follow Gabe to the closest elevator, the door dings open, and we step inside. I let out a shaky breath. Dante and those guards really creeped me out.
“Dante’s a bastard, but he’s pretty harmless. Don’t let him get to you.” He says coolly, his usual charm back in place.
“Yeah, that’s fine, just don’t send me to him without another person.” Remembering something, I look up at him. “Hey, what’s this about a tattoo?
“Ahh…” Gabe looks uncomfortable and pretends to fix his hair. This base must be really far underground, I realise.
“To be a legitimate Protector, you need a tattoo. That tattoo also allows you to enter the weapons volt, some information, computers and the whole Sanctuary without needing a special pass. The tattoo is your family symbol.”
Gabe pulls up his jacket sleeve and turns up his right wrist. A golden tattoo is imprinted on his skin. A symbol of fire. The tattoo is small, about the size of a golf ball. The fire has four individual flames coming from the centre, magically seeming to flicker against his tan skin. I lift my hand to touch his wrist. I expect it to be smooth like the rest of his skin, but it isn’t. Where the lines are drawn, his skin is rough, also stiffer than the rest of the skin covering his wrist, like a bulging vein. It is a beautiful design, reminding me of Gabe himself. Strong and dangerous but beautiful too.