He was alive; that was the most important thing for now.
She wondered feverishly what she should do, whom she could call. Aiden had been too exhausted when he left earlier. She was not going to bother him now. The others had not showed up yet and she did not want to call them either; it was too dangerous. The Vultures could appear here any minute, still looking for Gregory to get rid of the body. Yet they did not know that he had survived. She looked down at him. First, Gabe would want to make sure that he was really dead and second, they had to get rid of the body. Sure as hell, he was not interested to take any unnecessary risk. Better someone who disappeared than a body that would raise questions. All of a sudden, she was pulled down. Gregory had opened his eyes and grabbed her hand. He looked at her with empty blue eyes.
“Who are you?”
Then he shuddered and his expression changed, his whole body was shaking as if he had a fever cramp. His teeth chattered noisily against each other. She looked at him. He was still holding her hand. Then his gaze cleared just for a moment. “Help me,” his voice desperate. He closed his eyes and she thought that he had fainted again.
Then he opened his eyes again and the emptiness was back. It seemed as if he looked right through her, his voice barely a whisper, “Who am I?”
His hand went limp and fell to the ground. He had lost consciousness again. Leyla wondered frantically what to do. Her first thought was that there were only two people she could call now. She dialed her home number. Her dad answered on the first ring. Apparently, he had been waiting by the phone.
“Where are you guys? When are you coming for lunch?” he asked.
Leyla took a deep breath. From this very moment, everything would be different; she had to involve her parents. Something she had never considered to do.
“Dad, I'm afraid lunch will have to wait. Something has come up. It's about Gregory.”
Her dad didn’t ask any questions. He quietly asked where they were. Fifteen minutes later, which seemed like eternity to her, the familiar van came up the narrow street, separating the Civic Park from the church. Her dad got out of the van, his face very serious.
Leyla pointed through the open wrought-iron gate of the church towards the park bench. They rushed immediately to the huddled figure on the ground. Leyla’s dad felt Gregory's pulse.
“I am not going to ask any questions for now,” he said looking
sternly.
“But of course, I’m expecting an explanation for this from you at some point.”
She nodded gratefully and was glad that her mom was not here. She sometimes tended to frantic panic if things grew out of hands. Her dad, on the other hand remained always calm, even in sticky situations.
“Let’s get him in the car before someone comes along or the priest gets us while we are carrying him away.”
Shit, she had not thought about that. They tried to heave up Gregory, who was heavy like a bag of potatoes on them and weighed double than his normal weight. Leyla did her best to help. They dragged Gregory, who was still unconscious to the van and placed him with united forces on the back seat. Not a second too early, because the church door opened and the priest stepped out with a young couple.
Fortunately, they were involved in a conversation not taking notice of the dark-blue van.
Leyla wiped the sweat from her forehead; it was still very hot.
Her dad turned on the air conditioning and after a while, she felt better. However, there was that incredible stench emerging from Gregory that made her feel sick. Her dad shook his head. My God what happened to him? Did he fall into a bath tube full of vodka? Was it some kind of crazy ritual? Whatever it was, it was too much as he stinks of vodka and vomit. Let’s hope that I‘ll get that smell out of the cushions, otherwise your mother is going to kill us. The van is less than a year old and you know how she is.”
He laughed, but Leyla didn’t feel like laughing at all, and so she remained silent.
“What’s going on kid? It cannot be that bad. You know you can tell me anything.”
He cast a look at her from the side.
Leyla sighed, “Dad, there are things you have no idea about and believe me it's worse than you imagine in your wildest dreams.” He frowned, gazing at her. Meanwhile, they were stuck in traffic, as there had been an accident on the highway. She wondered where to start with this completely crazy story. She took a deep breath and told him everything that had happened in the last few weeks summarizing things. Sometimes she came to a halt, but in the great whole, she probably had not left anything out except that she had a crush on Gregory and that Brooklyn was pregnant, but that was probably not essential to the story.
She was expecting at least some lecture, but her dad just looked at her sympathetically.
“My God. Kid, and this knowledge you've carried around all the time. That’s madness and by the way, I can imagine that very well, because your aunt and my brother suspected that Gregory's mother was on the run when she was killed and they adopted him afterwards. The blanket he was wrapped in was quite special. Yet as he developed normally and no strange things happened until he was a teenager, I think they tried to banish the thought that he could be different and they didn’t want to admit it. Only when there were strange events in school, they had to deal with the fact that there was probably something about him they did not understand, and could not protect him from. Shannon and Franco thought that whatever trouble bothered him had to do with his native country Italy. That's why they sent him to Canada to avoid the risk and get him away from the danger. Sometimes people do things having the best of intentions, because they are afraid to look reality in the eye. So it looks as if this Sicilian clan exists even here. Leyla shook her head.
“It is not a Sicilian clan. Actually, Sicily, Southern Italy, and Canada are involved. I don’t know, maybe they are even in other places, I honestly have no idea. Aiden’s story was just too much for me.”
Her father nodded in agreement.
"The story about the Mafia I do understand completely, but this other story about the magical abilities seems to me to be out of too much youthful imagination.”
Leyla shook her head fervently.
“No, you're wrong. I've seen it with my own eyes, and I also know that Gregory was poisoned for sure. I even happen to know who did it. Still, the poison was not destined for him; it was for somebody else - Gabe, the bad guy, the son of some Mafia boss or at least a similar organization. In fact, Gregory should be dead by now. It is kind of a miracle that he is still alive, because the mixture should have been lethal.”
“Whoa, he was poisoned? And you know who it was? We have to bring him to the Hospital and then call the police.”
“No, we are not going to do such a thing because neither a doctor nor the police can help him. You have to trust me on that Dad!”
“Then you must immediately call this poisoner, so he or she has to reverse it with an antidote or something.”
He stared at Leyla, shaking his head. They had reached the corner of Main Street and Carlton Avenue when her dad’s phone started ringing.
“Hello,” he said.
Then he seemed to be listening for a while and his words unsettled Leyla completely.
“Ok, then we are not coming home under any circumstances. Don’t get upset. I’ll explain it to you later. Something happened to Gregory. No, don’t worry and don’t call your sister. We’ll eat somewhere on the way. And Kyra, we are probably coming back by tomorrow. We‘ll bring Gregory to Steven. Maybe Shane can use a little company. Certainly, it won’t hurt him. I would be glad if you wouldn’t tell anyone where we're going. No matter who is asking, you do not know where Gregory is. Please, I'll explain everything when we get back. Yes, Leyla is with me. You can tell them that Leyla is hiking with me. Oh, and do me a favor, don’t open the door to anyone until we are back.”
His voice had taken a conciliatory tone.
“Ok then, go to the studio and spend the night with Quincy and Cyndra.�
��
Leyla was confused. Why would her mom stay with Quincy and Cyndra. Quincy was her mom’s business partner.
“Take Rogan along,” she heard her father say, “tomorrow we're back and I’ll pick you up at Quincy’s, ok?”
Leyla could hear her mother’s excited voice up to the passenger seat.
“We love you. See you tomorrow. Bye Mom,” Leyla called next to her dad.
He looked quite worried in the meantime.
"Seems this Gabe you told me about wanted to make sure that Gregory is really dead. He appeared together with some girl at our doorstep about half an hour ago, because he was seemingly worried about Gregory and wanted to make sure he was ok. He told your mother that he disappeared from the party last night without telling them that he was about to go home and as he wasn’t feeling well before, they wanted to check on him.”
Leyla eyes widened in shock.
“That's horrible, this bloody psychopath! What did Mom say to him?”
He touched her arm.
“Calm down kid, she said, “she didn’t know anything about him feeling bad and that he was probably still sleeping.”
“I need to call Mila immediately Dad.”
She was fishing for her phone in her belt bag.
“What did you say? Where are we going Dad?”
From the back seat there was a muffled groan.
"I didn’t say anything so far, but we are heading for Port Hope. Maria will be thrilled to see us, and with a bit of luck, we’ll get the chance to soak Gregory in the bathtub. This stench is spreading and is truly sickening.”
Leyla understood what he was up to and was amazed once more how quickly her father reacted to such a difficult situation. Her godfather Steven lived in Port Hope, a small town on the shores of Lake Ontario, which was about an hour drive from Toronto.
Port Hope was located east of Toronto at the mouth of the Ganaraska River and it was an idyllic place belonging to the County of North Thumberland.
Lately, however, they hadn’t been visiting Steven and his
family often anymore.
Steven’s wife, Emmalyn, had been killed in a riding accident not that long ago. Steven had never been the same ever since.
He buried himself completely in his work as a criminal defense lawyer and had become hard and inaccessible, at least in Leyla’s opinion. Pain and suffering could change a person completely. His son, Shane, in her childhood memories was a handsome boy with tousled dark curly hair and warm brown eyes with always a friendly smile on his lips. After his mother’s death, everything had changed. He became a sullen loner. Apparently, he had as much trouble getting over his mother's death as his dad. Shane had always been the best in his class and had completed high school with flying colors. As a horse freak, he had started to study veterinary medicine at the University in Boston. His mother's passion for horses that he had experienced since his early childhood had been genuine and he loved horses just as she did. His mother had worked in Elmhirst Resort at the Rice Lake and spent probably most of her life on the back of a horse. As soon as Shane had been able to walk, she had taken him along with her. In fact, his first friend had been a horse called Destiny. No wonder, he had always been a real horse lover. Destiny was an old Lady now and she was still in the resort. Shane paid her a visit whenever he was there.
Still then, the tragedy happened one rainy autumn day and his mother died in a riding accident. They had been out riding together when someone shot down his mother’s horse.
Until today, they had not found who was responsible for this mean act of cowardice. Shane's mother had been buried beneath the horse and Shane hadn’t been able to pull her out and save her. In panic, he rode back and alerted the people at the resort but until someone had come, it was already too late. His mother had died. This had happened about half a year ago. Shane blamed himself for the death of his mother, and secretly even Steven, although he hadn’t even been there when it had happened. He was angry with himself and the whole world. After that day, Shane had changed completely. He dropped his veterinary studies and all he ever did was hanging around at home or at the resort. He did everything to provoke his father because he had totally withdrawn from every one and ignored his son completely.
Shane had pushed away and alienated all of his friends and had
treated his girlfriend, Simone, in a way that she had turned away from him finally.
He had turned from a popular guy into a dark loner. The only positive aspects were his weekly sessions with a psychologist, who tried to help him to cope with his loss and get back into a normal life. Would probably have been a good idea to get a Therapist too for Steven, Leyla thought. She was not sure whether it was such a good idea, given the circumstances, to bring Gregory to them. The Sullivan’s had already enough problems of their own and did certainly not need this half-dead savior on their back. He would be just one more burden to them. She started a tentative attempt to share her thoughts with her dad, but he smiled and said, “Leyla, have you ever thought that it could be a chance for them if they see that other people get hurt too sometimes. It could make them understand that they are not the only ones getting hurt or being in pain.”
She had to admit that she had never looked at it from that point of view. Maybe her dad had a point.
He was on the phone with Maria Gonzales, the housekeeper of the Sullivan and based on her dad’s reaction, she seemed to be happy that they were coming. Leyla didn’t feel like calling Mila anymore. To be perfectly honest, she didn’t feel like talking to anybody right now. She was exhausted and decided to send Aiden, Brooklyn, and Mila the same message simultaneously. She wrote them only the most essential part: Gregory was still alive and would be brought to a safe place. Then she asked Mila for an antidote, as Gregory was alive but not responsive. Almost immediately, her phone beeped several times.
Yet she did not have the strength to check her friend’s answers. Fatigue made her close her eyes. There was nothing she could do about it.
Port Hope
Leyla woke up from being half-asleep when they had almost arrived at the Sullivan’s house in Port Hope. They just passed the town sign and Leyla had to smile despite of the messy situation they were in. As a child, she spent many weekends in Port Hope. Her godfather Steven was her dad’s best friend.
Dad met Steve shortly after he had come to Canada because of her mom during a reportage. Steven was a defense attorney and her dad a journalist for a business magazine. The two of them had liked each other from the start and had become good friends. Steven’s son, Shane, who was a couple of years older than Leyla, had spent a lot of time with her when they were kids.
He taught her cycling and had tried hard to teach her horse riding. Unfortunately, she was a complete failure with horses - an absolute disaster. Not that she didn’t like horses, she thought they were beautiful creatures but she couldn’t get her way with them. A horse needed a strong hand and unfortunately she couldn’t do it right. After sometime, Shane realized that she was hopeless with horses and had concentrated on riding a bicycle when she was visiting. She had liked watching him while he did an obstacle course in the Elmhirst Resort with his horse to improve in show jumping.
His mom had been a talented, and sometimes over-ambitious show jumper. That was the reason why Shane usually hung around at the resort since he was little. He had learned how to ride when he was six years old and was a good rider.
His mother recognized his talent and did everything possible to make a great show jumper out of him. Yet, for Shane, it had always been just fun and he wasn’t ambitious enough when it came to riding. He had always wanted to study veterinary medicine. Unfortunately, when his mother had been killed, Shane had completely lost it and was always on the edge of doing something stupid or out of line, at least that was what her dad had heard from Maria last time he called. Shane had dropped out of University, hung out and did everything forbidden or dangerous. He seemed to be desperately looking for trouble whenever he was no
t sitting in front of his X-box.
The contact had become sparse, as Shane’s dad had as much trouble as his son to cope with what had happened. They both suffered in their own way and had lost interest in social life. The only constant contact that her parents still had was with the Mexican housekeeper, Maria Gonzales - a good soul who tried to support the two Sullivan men wherever she could. Her dad turned left into Pine Street and she could already see the house of the Sullivan’s. As a child, it always seemed to her like a castle or a fortress, with its towers and bay windows. They parked the van in the driveway and Maria came out to meet them giving them a warm welcome. Her dark curly hair framed her round face with the dark complexion like a helmet. Looked like she had been talked into another of these perms, which had turned into something close to an Afro hairdo. With her massive stature, she resembled an avalanche, rolling towards them. She had a big smile on her face. First, she hugged her dad, who always talked Italian to her and Maria on the other hand answered in Spanish. Leyla thought that it was a pretty strange habit, as both spoke English as well, but they seemed to understand each other perfectly that way.
Maria turned around and hugged Leyla as if she was trying to crush her.
Then she kept her at an arm’s length away and looked at her from head to toes. The ritual began as usual and repeated many times before Maria said, “Mi hermosa" as she always called her since Leyla could remember, and she replied with “Mi linda", which had always been their usual welcoming procedure.
Her dad opened the door of the van where Gregory was still laying and another groan was to be heard. Suddenly, Shane appeared in front of them, taller and leaner than in Leyla’s memory. His tangled brown curls were still the same, but his brown eyes had a faraway look and he looked tired. He smiled wryly, but he hugged neither her nor her dad. He raised a hand in greeting with a laid-back gesture, walked to the van glancing to the back seat.
ELEMENTARY VIRTUE: The Savior Page 16