Shaping Destiny
Page 5
“Leah! Hey!” He waved. “Over here!”
I turned, pulling together the best smile I could. “Long time no see.”
He wrapped his arms around me, picked me up, and spun. “No kidding, I’m so used to seeing you constantly. Did you have fun last night?”
“You mean at the dance?”
“Yeah, of course. Did you do something else besides that?”
An instant fast-forward of last night flashed in my head. “No, just the dance. It was a lot of fun.”
“Good. So where are you headed? It’s Saturday.”
We started to walk again. “To a study group for bio. Group projects were assigned last week.”
“It’s Saturday! You can take a break. Which reminds me, I think your phone is shut off. It goes right to voicemail.”
“It’s not off; it’s broken. I dropped it last night, and it shattered.”
“Really? Man. OK, let me know when you get another one. I’ll stop by your room later, OK?”
“Sounds good. Where are you going?
“Just to Steve’s. He has a new game.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “So, see you tonight?” He placed his hand on my arm.
I nodded, holding back a laugh. “Tonight.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Saturday nights, Melissa cooks lasagna. It’s her famous meal and no one complains. It tastes amazing. But this time dinner filled the apartment with much more flavor. It wasn’t just sauce; it was tomatoes, basil, onions, and garlic. The noodles were flour, eggs, and oil. I smelled every individual ingredient as if twenty different meals were cooking at the same time.
The oven painfully announced the food was done. I covered my ears, trying to keep the excruciating beeping from hitting my eardrums.
“Leah, you OK?” someone mumbled in the distance. “Leah?” I felt a hand on my back.
Melissa got to the oven to shut off the timer and pull out the food.
“Leah, you were yelling. What’s going on?” Jared said.
I looked at him in confusion. “Yelling? The oven was so loud it was killing my ears.” He looked at me in the same way I looked at him. “I didn’t even know you got here.”
“I heard you yelling from down the hall. I just barged in.” He knelt in front of me, looking very concerned. Melissa and the other girls stood behind Jared, just watching.
“You guys,” I said, standing up, “I am totally fine. Sorry I scared you all; to me the oven sounded so loud it hurt my ears. Maybe I’m just coming down with an ear infection or something.” I placed my hands to my ears and started into the kitchen. “This food smells wonderful, though, do you mind if I have some?”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Melissa said.
Everyone still looked at me as if they saw a ghost, but as I continued to ignore them and get my food, they started to follow.
My keen hearing didn’t end after that. In fact, it never gave me a break. Bangs, crushes, moans, and yelling were surrounding me. I immediately turned to the door that lead to the outside patio. Someone sounded in trouble, and I seemed to be the only one to notice. Everyone now happily ate their food and watched TV. At first I tried to put the noises out of my head, but they pulled at me until I found myself walking out onto the patio.
“Leah? You OK?” Jared called behind me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”
Stepping out into the cool air, goosebumps instantly formed down my arms. I grabbed onto the railing that circled the patio and peered down. I saw Max and five other men surrounding him. Adrenaline made my heart pump harder as anger surged through my veins. Quickly, I turned, ran back in the way I came, and swung open the front door.
Voices from my roommates echoed as I passed, but I didn’t care. “Where is she going?”
I slowed my pace as I came closer to the men. “Hey!” All heads turned my way. “Leave him alone. It’s me you want.”
Small smiles started to spread on the faces of the crowd. Max saw me and came to my side in the blink of an eye.
“What are you doing?” Max whispered in my ear.
“I couldn’t have them do to you what they did to me.”
“But you need to stay away. I am here to protect you, not the other way around.”
“There are five of them, and you are only one.”
“Five is nothing. Now, go. Run.”
“No.”
I heard a small growl vibrate his throat, but there was no more time to discuss what was right for me or not. The boss stepped forward to take a better look.
“Well looky here . . . You don’t have a scratch on you.” The boss looked back to all his men. “If this doesn’t prove you are some kind of freak, I don’t know what does.”
I moved back a step by instinct but only bumped into Max’s chest. He reached down, clutched my hand, and moved me behind him. This jester made my heart leap with joy, but his kindness didn’t go unnoticed from the boss.
“Isn’t this sweet.” The boss frowned. “He thinks he’s going to save her.” He looked Max straight in the eyes. “You have feelings for her? If you know what’s best for you, you would just leave. You don’t need to get involved in this mess. She is not even human!”
“Lucky for you, I’m not going anywhere.” Max said.
“That’s too bad.” He leaned over and pulled a knife from his belt. His followers did the same, pulling a variety of different weapons from pockets and holders. “Get the girl, kill the boy!”
They all charged forward. Max went forward to put more distance from me and the fight. I watched in horror, so badly wanting to step in and protect Max. Although I had the strength to leave my room, my experience in an actual fight was minimal.
One of the men got flipped over my way. I didn’t give him a second glace, thinking he was dead or unconscious, but then I felt a hand around my leg. He pulled me down so fast my back landed hard on the blacktop. My breath temporally left my lungs on impact, and he grabbed my neck before I caught it again.
“Call your boyfriend off!”
“Max . . .” He held me so tight I hardly heard myself speak.
“Louder!” He pressed his knife against my neck.
Before I could obey, I didn’t have to. Max stood over the man, yanked him up, and got right into his face. “Tell your other men that if they come back for Leah ever again, their fate will be much worse than this.” I couldn’t see Max’s face, but something made the evil man get big, fearful eyes and start twisting fiercely. “Trust me, I can take on a lot more than five men.” Max released his grasp and watched the man run in terror.
I stood to gauge my surroundings. Dark skies and utter silence were all that remained. Max turned to me, and I leaped forward, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I thought I would lose you. There were so many men, and I thought . . .” I rambled on.
Max stroked my hair. “You will never lose me.”
We pulled away slightly to see each other, not letting go.
“You’re bleeding,” Max said as he moved his hand to my neck.
“It’s not deep. Your head. You’re bleeding too.”
“Well, I don’t heal as fast as you do. It takes me a few days.”
It normally takes me a few days too, I thought. Why do I heal with so much speed? I placed my hand on my neck. “Is it gone?”
“No, not yet.”
I nodded. “I came out here because I heard you.” I told him about the evening, starting with the smell of dinner and ending with my storming out of my room. “Which reminds me, I should get back.” I kept my eyes down to avoid the pull of our connection and started to walk away.
Max reached out for my arm. “Wait.”
Instantly, I looked up and felt the need to stay, but what took me off guard was that the injuries on his head had vanished. “Max.” I raised my hand to his forehead. “You’ve healed.”
“What?”
“Your split, it’s gone. A little bit of blood is there, but you’re better.”
“Trust me, your head is the same . . . It looks like nothing happened.”
“Leah?” Jared yelled from the other side of building, trying to find me.
“I have to go,” I said.
“Later, we need to talk,” Max said.
I slowly backed away. The cool night didn’t feel cold anymore as I jogged around the building’s corner and met up with my concerned boyfriend.
“Leah! There you are. What are you doing?”
“Just talking to a friend.” I pointed behind me.
“That’s why you left like a crazy person. With no explanation?”
“Yeah, I saw her and I didn’t want to miss her. I needed to tell her about an assignment.”
“Umm . . OK. But lately you just seem a little off. Are you OK?”
I knew my lies were rough. I was not a liar. “Yeah, I’m great. Don’t worry about me.”
“Leah, I am not stupid. I know you’re going through something. But what I can’t understand is why you feel you can’t tell me. You tell me everything.”
He was right. Why couldn’t I confide in him? It was Jared, the one and only person I always talked to. He was my best friend, who knew everything about me. Call it confusion, intuition, guilt, or Max, but I just couldn’t tell him the truth. Not this, and not now. Even if it was safe to talk to Jared about everything, my tongue would not reveal the truth. I had nothing more to say to him. I couldn’t say he was right, but my lack of words told him enough. Something was going on, something I didn’t want to tell him, and he knew it. The pained expression on his face was undeniable.
“Here, let’s go inside. It’s cold.” Jared wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
Jared didn’t drop his questioning as I’d hoped. When we arrived back to the apartment, he gently towed me to my room, away from the commotion of my roommates. That whole evening he reminded me about our history, how long we had known each other, and how I could trust him with anything. I kept reassuring him that it was just stress about my courses, but he wouldn’t take that as an answer.
“You say it’s school, but I’ve known you all though our school years. Leah, it’s not school that is bothering you. I want to help you. Can’t you see I love you?” Jared said sincerely.
“I don’t know what else to tell you. I am fine. There is nothing going on. I am sorry if you think I am different, but there is nothing to say.”
“Have you met someone else? Do you like someone else?”
His questions rang more true than I thought they would. “What? No. Jared, nothing is wrong.”
He bowed his head, his hands on his hips. “Whatever. It’s late; I’m just going to go.” He left in frustration.
I couldn’t remember a time Jared and I had disagreed. We had a perfect relationship. I didn’t want him to leave like that, but what choice did I have? I wanted to tell Jared everything, but more than that, I needed to keep it between Max and me. At least for now.
CHAPTER NINE
“Come, hurry up. Get those shoes on and get in position on the dance floor. In four weeks we’ll be preforming.” Miss Chapel, our ballroom dance coach was making her announcements.
Jared and I stood in dance hold in the middle of the student center in silence. Our relationship hadn’t been the same since that night. Of course we cared for each other and loved each other, but right now it felt cold between us.
“Have you looked into getting another phone?” Jared asked plainly.
“No, I haven’t had time. I need to, though. I had to use Gretchen’s phone to call my mom and dad.”
“I would like a way to get ahold of you. You should get a phone.”
“I know. Tomorrow I promise I will get another one hooked up and call you.”
Miss Chapel continued showing us some combinations and some ideas she had for our routine. Other students suggested some other moves, and we listened to the music that Miss Chapel wanted us to dance to. With all the ideas floating around the room, Miss Chapel dismissed the class and said she would have the routine put together next time.
As Jared started to take off, I yelled after him. “Where are you headed?”
“Steve’s.”
“Oh.”
Jared stood to look at me for a minute, but then turned and left. I hated it. I may be hiding things from him, but the way he acted felt like he too was hiding things from me. If we both could no longer confide in each other, our coldness was only going to get colder.
***
The walk home reminded me of all the previous attacks, but when I smelled Max I continued in confidence. He would never let anything happen to me, and it almost surprised me that I knew that without a doubt. A smile curled up on my lip just thinking about him. Without seeing him I felt him getting closer. Soon he walked right behind me, in such a way that a normal person could never hear. I pretended to not to notice his closeness until I could no longer kept in my girly giggle.
I turned as he almost bumped right into me. “Are you trying to sneak up on me?”
He grinned from ear to ear. “Is it working?”
“No. Well, with a normal person you did great, but I’m afraid I am no longer normal. I felt you the minute I stepped out of the student center.”
He looked at me. “Felt me? Or could you smell and hear me?”
His question took me back. Yes, I did smell and hear him, but I also truly felt him. I could feel him as clearly as I could feel my heart beating, or the butterflies that swarmed my body when he neared. “All three.”
“It’s getting late tonight, but tomorrow will you go somewhere with me?”
“Sure, after school. Oh, and after I look into getting another phone. I promised Jared I would get another since mine is broken.”
“That’s fine, you have early classes anyway. I will catch up with you around 3:00?”
“Perfect.” I smiled.
“Let me walk you home.”
***
If physical torment wasn’t enough, that morning my emotions were tearing me apart. There were two men in my life that had touched my heart in different ways. First, Jared. We had been friends for as long as I could remember. He was the boy next door, which would capture the heart of any girl. He had a sense of humor and such a sweet kindness about him. We both had so much in common, such as dancing, culture, our likes and dislikes. But sitting there thinking about why Jared and I were together, it felt more like a friendship. The best friendship I had ever had, but a friend nevertheless. The only thing I knew was Pagoda and the people in it. Maybe I fell in love with Jared because I didn’t know anyone else.
Max and I couldn’t be explained. We’d just met but the attraction between us was more than I had ever experienced or read about. Yes, Max was handsome, but that wasn’t the attraction that stood out first in my mind. It was the undeniable pull and intense connection that drew me to him. Even if I shouldn’t get involved with him because of Jared or because he was my bodyguard, I had to and wanted to. The need to know him, touch him, and be around him consumed me. After thinking about it, I hoped I could understand what I needed to do. I knew one thing for sure: I couldn’t have both men, and I had to choose who I wanted to be with.
My morning flew by, and I even got a new phone. It was time to call Jared, but I decided to just text him. Got a new phone. It’s still the same number. Call you later. Simple and sweet. He was most likely still mad at me, so time apart probably made the most sense right now.
“Can I put my number in your phone?” Max asked.
I jumped and let out a breath. “Max. You scared me.”
“I didn’t think I could sneak up on you anymore.”
I could tell he was pretty proud of himself.
“Well, you just caught me distracted. If I were paying attention, there would’ve been no way you could’ve sneaked up.” I smiled up at him.
I handed it to him, and he typed his number into it. “There, now you can call me if you’re in trouble.”
“Thanks. So what are our plans for the day?”
“We’re going to climb that mountain.” He pointed in the distance.
“You do realize it’ll be dark before we can even climb to the top.”
“Yeah probably, so that’s why I’m taking you to only part of the mountain. Trust me, you will like it.”
Sometimes I wished I could control my smiling around him. “All right, let’s go. Do I need anything?”
“Nope. You have your coat and sneakers, and you don’t need anything else.” He held out his hand. “This way.”
We drove up the mountain road for a while until he pulled off to the side to get out. The scenery reminding me of home: trees, boulders, birds, and quiet.
“This is beautiful,” I said.
“Come this way.”
A skinny trail waved between obstacles, going up higher and higher to the sky. I saw a ledge near the top. It wasn’t the top of the mountain, just the hill we climbed.
“Is this the part where you tell me you’re not my bodyguard but in fact a murderer?”
“Very funny. No, this is the part where I show you a waterfall.”
I reached for his hand as he pulled me up the rest of the way. The waterfall was enormous.
“Oh wow! I didn’t know this was here. When you said waterfall I thought narrow and drizzling, but this . . . Wow!” It stretched about forty feet wide and dropped a good twenty. The trail went over and followed the side of the water all the way to the top. The water’s mist sprayed us slightly as we climbed, but when we reached the top it only made the scenery even more breathtaking.
“This is what I wanted to show you.”
“I have never seen anything like this.”
“Here, sit down.” Max gestured to a large boulder that looked like two giants had dented when they sat. “I think we need to talk.”
I nodded. “Max, you’re more than just my bodyguard, aren’t you? The day I could smell so clearly, you smelled Jared when I did. Then last night when you healed so quickly. Why is all this happening?”