Me Without You

by Rona Go

  Hugh couldn't think of anything else. No distraction tactic entered his mind. If he had given the authentic half, it was all his fault that Jonah's life was at risk in the hands of his own mother. Jonah will have to leave and hide…far away where no healer or hunter could harm her. Far away from Xavier and far away from him. This is it…any moment now and Gilda will know she is the one. Hugh thought to himself.

  However, nothing happened.

  Jonah squeezed her hand out of Gilda's clasp. She placed the belly chain on her pocket and massaged the skin on her wrist. "Thank you," she uttered nonchalantly. "I believe my family will be thrilled to get this heirloom back."

  Gilda was indignant. She could not believe that Jonah was unaffected at all. She could make out the scent of a healer in Jonah. It was so potent that Jonah could very well be the new one.

  "It can't be. I am being deceived. You are the new one," Gilda lashed out at Jonah. She forwarded towards her, while Jonah backed away. "Why won't you admit it? You need help. You can't just hide. You are the new greatest healer."

  "No, she's not!" A voice said. "I am!"

  Gilda turned to see Jervais standing from the doorway with Helen and Dr. Lively from behind her. "And who are you? If you're really the new one, lay your hands on our dear boy, Xavier! And prove it." Gilda challenged.

  "Rebecca Blood had never done anybody's bidding before, why should I? The new one will do as she chooses," Jervais answered flippantly, much to Gilda's surprise. Even Jonah was gaping at her. She had spoken like a true and highly-powerful healer, one cannot just bully around. "Besides I have not sealed it yet."

  Without looking back at Jonah, Gilda extended her hand and asked for the habak. "Give me the belly chain so that I can present it to your sister. She will be more suitable to keep it."

  Jonah stepped forward towards Jervais. Without taking the jewelry out from her pocket, she told Gilda, "We will make sure this jewelry will be returned to our family." To Jervais, she urged, "Let's go, I am done here!"

  "I'll drive you home," Hugh volunteered and steered both girls out of Xavier's room before anybody could say another word.

  "Whew!" Jervais said out loud in relief when they were inside the car on the way home. "She is just as scary as your mother, Jonah!"

  Hugh just chuckled in the driver's seat.

  "Thanks," Jonah said looking back at Jervais, who just shrugged her shoulders and looked outside the car window. Jonah smiled to herself. Although, there had been an issue between her and Jervais, she knew that the bloody duo was back. Nothing more was needed to be said.

  Jervais took out her phone and dialed a number. She immediately spoke, "Jane—did Damian gett your stuff? No? I am with Jonah now. I sent Jenssen to prepare them. Oh, okay—" Then, she hanged up.

  "What is it?" Jonah asked sensing that Jervais was worried about something.

  "Jane had asked me to pick a few of her stuff which she left at home. She told me Damian will just follow to pick them up. Jenssen and I left the hospital together. But I asked her to drive me directly to where you were and told Jenssen to prepare Jane's stuff before she goes to her place. But Jane said, she hasn't gotten her stuff," Jervais replied dialing another number. "Now, Jenssen's phone is off. So, why do I get a bad feeling about this?"

  "Damian is still probably on his way to the hospital," Jonah surmised. She tried not to appear anxious to conceal the reality that she too, had the same sense of dread Jervais had about the whole thing. After the conversation she had with Jane, any worse scenario was possible.

  "Yeah, I think that's it—" Jervais said cheerily. However, her mood changed abruptly, "But why is her phone off?"

  "Jervais, please!" Jonah said exasperatedly. Her uneasiness had surfaced. "Low bat!"

  "She just charged her phone back at the hospital!" Jervais said. She was almost screaming at Jonah. "And she has an extra battery with her!"

  The sisters' emotionally charged voices stunned Hugh to step on the gas and increased his speed just a little faster towards the Blood mansion. Unlike their travel earlier, there seemed to be a stronger friction which made them slower and a stretched of dark, wooded area on both their sides towards the horizon seemed miles and miles away.

  When the three finally reached the mansion, Jervais pointed out Jervais' car parked carelessly in the driveway, which was only a few steps from the door.

  Jervais stepped out immediate from the car and ran towards the oak double-door which was slightly open. The door was still swinging a little as if somebody had just entered leaving it ajar.

  "Jenssen!" Jervais called out and went inside.

  "Jervais, come back!" Jonah shouted. Fearful that somebody dangerous could be holding Jenssen inside, Jonah did not go out of the car yet. However, when she saw Hugh was quick to follow Jervais inside the house, she decided to run after them than be left alone.

  The foyer was in disarray. Fliers, brochures and pamphlets bearing the name of Predators Conservation Foundation were all over the place. And one of Jenssen's red ballet flat shoes was lying among her other things. Her phone was also among the other stuff they found. It looked like somebody has trampled over it.

  They heard a door banging closed from somewhere in the mansion. Jervais started running towards the staircase to the upper floor.

  "Jenssen!" Jervais called out again.

  Hugh went directly towards the kitchen. Jonah stayed closely behind Hugh. They both stepped out of the backdoor.

  Jonah led the way to the helpers' quarters. Three, small, one-bedroom villas, lined up. She began knocking on Mara's door while Hugh continued to knock on the two remaining doors.

  Mara, who was obviously awakened from her sleep, was still in her pajamas when she opened the door.

  "We had a break in, Mara!" Jonah announced urgently.

  "My goodness!" Mara exclaimed.

  Just then, Jonah noticed the silhouette of a man moving through the thick bushes towards the trail that will lead to the woods and to the pond adjoining both the Lively and Blood mansions.

  Without thinking, Jonah chased after the figure like mad. She ran and ran into the deeper and darker part of the woods. Until, she realized, she couldn't see anything anymore aside from the small space she was occupying. It was total darkness in front of her, behind her and surrounding her. It was so strange how the place which was so familiar to her during the daylight was almost transformed into something frightful at night, and yet it was one and the same place.

  A thought suddenly occurred to Jonah. If the dark figure she was chasing realized she was totally alone and defenseless, he could backtrack, hunt her down and even kill her and nobody will know.

  Jonah eased sideways and continued to move away from her original trail. She then stopped and thought if Hugh had followed her, he won't be able to find her if he lost track of her path.

  She was lost…and there could be a hunter on the loose. Jonah reflected. Fear shot through with the speed and power of a high wattage, electrifying Jonah to her spot. She could not move. She could not think of anything else. She could not even scream or cry or tremble when she was already doing it from the inside.

  Then, a hand clamped over Jonah's mouth.

  Chapter 29

  The Kiss

  Jonah screamed or thought she was. She knew she was screaming. Only she was not hearing her voice. All she could do was whimper against the hand that clamped over her mouth. She tried to wriggle free from her captor. But a strong arm had seized her around her waist to steady her.

  "You are creating too much noise, Jonah!" It was Hugh. He whispered in Jonah's ear. He slowly removed his hand on her mouth and breathed out heavily. When he saw her running through the path toward the woods, he couldn't describe how he felt. There was a mixture of fright and anger convulsing through his veins. It was like watching someone cross a very busy street and any moment or any single misstep would lead to being run over. When Hugh finally got to her and he did not even know how, he felt so relieved it was so difficult
not to cry.

  "Hugh!" It was all Jonah could say. She turned around and placed her arms around Hugh's waist. She buried her face on his chest and allowed herself to let go of her own fears and her tears. She felt she had held them back for so long that when she finally burst out, she was sobbing and shaking so hard at the same time.

  Hugh also held on to Jonah tightly. He ran his hand to her hair, to her arms, to her back as if checking if everything was there. He cupped her face and began kissing her. He first kissed her on the forehead. Then, he planted little kisses on each of her cheeks. And finally, he lowered his lips to meet her lips.

  An influx of sensation and emotion shocked through Jonah's body altogether. Amidst her tears all over her face which were slowly paving down her mouth, she could taste both the saltiness and Hugh's soft trembling lips on her own. There was also the wonderful shaking of her innards and a sense of being safe and protected in Hugh's arms. And there was the presence of stripping everything that her mind and her reality held—almost like an abandonment of her world, only conscious and not-even conscious of the kiss. It was so unfathomable what they both shared. The feeling consumed Jonah and it made her impulsively part her lips and invite Hugh to an even deeper kiss.

  But when they parted and the kiss ended with Hugh holding Jonah a few inches away from him, Jonah felt so guilty about it, she could not stare into Hugh's eyes.

  No wonder horror movies were good alternative to romantic ones when couples went on a date. There was something about being scared that urged people to need to be with someone. A nonsensical idea came to Jonah's mind. But she dared not tell Hugh about it

  "I—I—" Jonah groped for words. Even in the dark, she could feel the heat of blush rising through her face. She was sure Hugh could sense it too.

  Hugh remained silent and wiped Jonah's face with his palm. He did not show any signs of awkwardness. He held her hand and dragged her slowly back to the mansion.

  "Where were you?" Jervais accused Jonah and Hugh. "Where have you two gone?'

  Hugh and Jonah found Jervais together with their Aunt Judith and Mara in the kitchen. The apprehension was still hanging too heavily in the air and their faces registered it as well.

  "I saw someone running towards the woods and ran after him!" Jonah confessed. She took the stool which Jervais pulled for her. Hugh sat beside her.

  "Foolish!" Aunt Judith reprimanded.

  Mara poured in some tea for both Hugh and Jonah before she hastily excused herself to go back to her quarters.

  "Please, Aunt Judith!" Jervais said in defense of Jonah.

  "What do you all think? You can fight these people off?" Aunt Judith asked. "These people mean business. Haven't you learned from Jemmah's accident? And now, they took Jenssen."

  "How do you know they took Jenssen?" Jervais demanded.

  "I saw them—" Aunt Judith said.

  "And you didn't—" Jervais began.

  But Aunt Judith cut her off in mid-sentence, "Fight them off? Call the police? Another stupid girl!"

  "But you could have done something other than hide in the basement," Jervais said angrily. "Unless you wanted them to get Jenssen!"

  "Impertinent!" Aunt Judith cried out loud and stared at Jervais long and hard. "Alert the police and tell them that your sister has been kidnapped by a bunch of healers or hunters who are after your mother's great power and immortality. Then, tell me what they think of you." She stood up from the low chair she was occupying and stormed towards the corridor that will lead to her room.

  When the last of Aunt Judith's steps faded away with the slamming of a door confirming she was inside her domain, Jervais flared up, "Oh, I hate her! There's no doubt she's one of them. She even put all of us in danger by spreading that rumor we all had a hand in your mother's death! Now everyone's after all of us!"

  "Please, Jervais, calm down!" Jonah said and rubbed her hands through Jervais' arms to appease her. "Jane needs to know about this. And Jerone too. We can all plan our next move without Aunt Judith knowing about it. Although, I think she's right about the police. I don't think they can do anything to help us. They won't believe a word of our claims. It's preposterous!"

  "I've called Jane and told her what happened. She's probably on her way here now." Jervais said. "What else can we do now? We can at least ask the police for a search without telling the reason why. For goodness sake, there are missing people everyday."

  "Of course, we can do that!" Jonah said. "And then perhaps, we can go on hiding!"

  "What?" Hugh and Jervais said out loud in unison.

  "Jane had the same idea," Jonah said in a low voice.

  "Leave and hide," Jervais said. "That will not solve a thing!"

  * * * * *

  A few minutes later, Hugh was back on the road towards his own home. However, his mind was not on his driving. The way his train of thoughts was going, one image coming after another, he could just drive endlessly entertaining them.

  For one thing, he was distraught thinking about Jonah leaving and hiding. He agreed with Jervais. Hiding will not put an end to any of their problems. But it may be what the Blood siblings will eventually resort to in the end. And he may never see Jonah again.

  The kiss… Another image occupied his mind. It was a vision that he was willing to dwell on again and again. It was the kiss which sealed him to Jonah. He had bound them together because of one stupid and wonderful kiss. He belonged to her no matter what.

  But Xavier…It was the image in his mind which he could not clearly see and yet he knew was ever present at the back of his thoughts. There was nothing he could do about Xavier, who was a very strong presence in Jonah's life and his own from the past, the present and the future. Xavier will always be in the background or was it him?

  He didn't know! He didn't know how Jonah felt for him after all. And it mattered to him to know. And yet it did not matter at all. He could not reconcile it within himself. It was crazy.

  Hugh banged his hands on the steering wheel which gave the car a sudden swerve to his right almost hitting a man who suddenly emerged, coming out from the woods. Hugh instantly veered back the car to the left and hit his brakes.

  Hugh looked back at the man, who was just as shaken as Hugh. The man looked familiar. Hugh got out of the car and saw that it was Damian, the Blood's family driver.

  Damian's hair was tousled. His white shirt was torn in various places and his matching pants were wet just below his knees. His face still registered the shock he got from barely escaping Hugh's car. However, upon seeing Hugh, Damian backed away slowly. Then, he broke into a wild run retracing his steps in the direction of the woods.

  At first, Hugh was shocked to see Damian running away from him. But his instincts made him run after the man. While he was chasing after Damian, it occurred to him that the driver was probably the figure Jonah saw back in the woods. Determined not to lose the guy, Hugh quickened his steps.

  Hugh did not give Damian the chance to go even farther into the deeper part of the woods. The moment he outrun the man, he grabbed him by his shirt and placed a hard blow on the man's face, knocking the older man on the ground. Without giving Damian the opportunity to regain back his strength and his wit, Hugh dragged him by the collar back to where they came from.

  Exhausted and resigned to being captured, Damian went back the trail without a fight stumbling and rolling, with Hugh following closely behind him.

  "You're the one Jonah was chasing back there—" Hugh concluded angrily.

  "I was scared. I panicked. But I don't know anything I swear!" Damian said, volunteering the information heedlessly. "Ma'am Jane just asked me to pick up a few stuff. When I arrived, they were already there. They took Ma'am Jenssen. I saw them."

  "Them, who?" Hugh asked.

  "The men—old and wrinkled people but they were stronger than anybody else I know. And they were strange!" Damian said.

  "So why did you have to run away like that?" Hugh asked.

  "I said I was scared. I didn'
t know what to do. I should have called the police. But fear got the better of me," the driver replied. He was quivering and on the verge of tears. "Those men—they scared me."

  "You will have to explain all these to the police, you know!" Hugh reminded him.

  "Please no! No police—" Damian pleaded. Hugh could hear the terror in his voice. "Bring me back to the Blood household and I will tell them what I overheard where those men were taking Ma'am Jenssen."

  Recalling Aunt Judith's warning about involving the police, Hugh agreed to bring back Damian to Jonah's place. He was considering that it will be up to the Blood family to press charges if they wanted to. Without wasting any more time, Hugh brought Damian back to the Blood mansion.

  When Hugh and Damian arrived, the place looked astir with the lights still on. It did not even take a couple of minutes before Jervais opened the door with amazement seeing Hugh back with a disheveled Damian in front of him.

  "What's going on?" Jervais asked. She opened the door wider and both men entered the house.

  "Your driver may be able to help you find Jenssen," Hugh replied. He noticed that the foyer still remained untouched with all the papers and Jenssen's other belongings still on the floor. Careful not to disturb the scene, Hugh tiptoed his way towards the living room.

  There were three other women gathered in the living room. These included Jane, Jonah and another sister whom Hugh had not met before.

  Hugh saw Jonah arching a brow at him but she did not say anything. She was also quick to avert his eyes and looked at Damian.

  "What is this?" It was Jane who immediately demanded an explanation. She stood up from her chair and went to meet Damian halfway but paused. She straightened to her full height, with her chin up, she addressed the driver, "Damian, explain yourself."

  Damian plunged on and told his story. It was the same information he told Hugh back in the woods. Damian cast Jane a brief and skeptical look. But just as he promised Hugh, he told them what he overheard the men were saying, "I did overhear one of them saying where to bring Ma'am Jenssen."