by Olivia Harp
"It's not too bad..." she said, but Enzo's face seemed hard, as if looking for something.
"Come with me," he said, taking her hand.
What's happening? He was going to the right side of the building, away from the machines closet.
Then she heard it.
Constant dripping from far away.
He pressed on and opened the double doors leading to the school's gym.
She pointed her phone ahead and saw a huge pool of water just a few feet away.
Her heart sank.
No, no, please, no.
"Wait here," Enzo said and walked inside, his big boots echoed in the quiet darkness of the room, then each step turned into splashing sounds.
It wasn't big but it was what they had. A basketball court surrounded by old, pale seats. It was the only part of the school that looked fairly well maintained, especially with the hardwood floor.
She thought of moving the graduation event there, instead of outside under the sun. Audio would improve, too.
Maybe it's not as bad as it sounds. But she knew it was going to be. She wasn't lucky at all.
She peeked into the gym and a cool breeze caressed her cheeks, walked a few steps in and right in the middle of it, a huge pool of water laid still. The floor was ruined.
A cracking sound thudded to her right, making her jump in fear.
"Over here," she heard Enzo say from the boy's locker rooms, "water pressure broke a pipe, that's why the place is flooded."
She tried going over without stepping in the water but it would be impossible.
"Wait there, I'll help," Enzo said, and immediately headed towards her.
She felt a thick lump in her throat, it was difficult to speak. Ruined, the whole place is ruined, because of me.
Enzo picked her up and before she realized what was happening, he carried her in his arms, taking her to the boy's locker room, his feet submerged up to the shins.
"It's not as bad as it looks," he told her, but she knew he was lying, she'd seen more than enough to know this was a disaster.
They got into the room, turned to the left and up on the far corner she saw a water pipe bursting out of the destroyed wall, bent down and dripping, as if defeated.
She held on to him tightly, trying to find a way out of this, but it was impossible. She fucked up. She couldn't look away.
Shame, regret, frustration.
Then she realized.
He picked her up as if she weighted nothing. It was a strange feeling.
His skin was hot and firm, he didn't seem to have a hard time carrying her. She didn't even remember the last time someone did something like this. She hadn't even entertained the notion that it was possible.
The locker room was flooded. The whole thing would cost thousands. She came back to the reality of the situation and tears started to flow.
"Hey, no, no, Audrey, don't cry, it's all right," he said, bringing her closer to him, hugging her.
"It's not all right, it's fucked."
"We just have to repair it."
"We have no money."
"Yes we do."
She met his eyes.
"The kids will freaking hate me, all the money we raised for nothing."
"I didn't say we used that money."
"Then how do you expect me to fix all this?"
He walked over to a bench, and lowered her there, above the water.
"We remove the water, replace the plumbing and fix the floors, it's not so hard."
"Enzo, do you have any idea how much that would cost?"
He shrugged, then smiled, "I know people, don't worry."
"Just hiring people out to drain the water is going to cost thousands, We'll have to—?"
"No," he interrupted her.
She didn't know what to say, what did he mean by that?
"I can do that myself" he said quietly, his eyes fixed with hers.
She turned the light away from him, pointing to the water, there wasn't a single spot in there that wasn't flooded.
"I'm sorry," she said, "we're going to need professional—"
"I'm a channeler," he said.
Silence. Water dripped on the surface of the pool, one, two, three times before she could say anything.
"You're a what?"
He sighed.
"A bear shifter."
She didn't say anything. The butterflies she felt in her stomach every time she saw him fluttered again.
"No one knows about it here and I'd like to keep it that way," he continued.
"You're a shifter? Enzo this is no time for—"
"I'm not joking."
Bear shifters weren't supposed to be here, in a lame, poor school in an unknown town. They are supposed to be top military agents, spies... even movie or sports stars, darn it. Not school counselors.
"You don't believe me," he said.
Is this what it was? Is this why this incredibly hot, caring, truly nice man remained single? Was he insane?
"Not insane," he replied.
Her jaw dropped. What just happened?
"What happened is I can feel your thoughts. I never do that, don't worry, I respect people's privacy."
She started trembling and he stepped towards her.
"Please, don't—"
What was she going to say? She wasn't scared. Not really. But was he lying? Some people could cold read others, make them think they could read their minds.
He touched her arm, his soft, hot skin made her shiver. Goosebumps filled her body.
"I'm going to prove it to you, okay?"
"What," she could finally articulate, "are you going to turn into a bear now?"
That would be amazing. One of the miracles of nature. Something she never expected to see in her life.
She'd seen documentaries, photographs and googled about shifters, even saw some of the fights on TV, but they didn't usually turn into their animals front of people.
No one would believe this happened to her.
"Stop worrying," he said, "and no, I'm not going to shift to a bear."
"So? What do you mean by—"
"I'm a channeler, one of the last ones. My crew's helped me get better at it."
"Get better at what?"
"Have some power over the elements."
"Enzo, are you feeling all right?"
He stepped back and slowly bent his knees, his arms outstretched, his muscles tensing incredibly hard, just as if he carried a huge, invisible weight.
A gust of cold wind made her dress fly up but she was quick enough to hold it down, gasping.
They locked eyes again, he grinned.
"Check this out," he said stepping back.
He growled. A deep, resonant sound that made her shudder. Every muscle in his neck and arms bulged, the veins in his forehead thickened, what's—?
The pool at their feet. It made a sound.
She pointed her cell phone down to light the water and it suddenly moved. More like, awoke, as if someone had just thrown a big rock at it, splashing everywhere around, her dress miraculously spared.
She yelled, a mix of surprise, fear and excitement began to form in her stomach. The pool became alive right in front of her eyes.
Enzo opened his hands and roared again. The water started moving, small waves at first, then bigger ones, forming a current heading out of the locker room.
The whole room filled with the noise of running water, and just before her eyes, the water level started getting lower.
She looked at Enzo, his face was bright red for all the effort.
He turned to her and winked. Suddenly, she could see the floor tiles.
The edge of the water moved a few feet away, held at bay by some invisible force.
"Walk," he said.
The water level rose as every drop slithered away from them. The locker rooms now looking completely dry.
He kept pushing it towards the gym's entrance, sliding it under the slit beneath the main doors. It worked,
but it would take very long unless someone opened them.
Columns of water rose up until they towered above her. He could not only control the water's direction, but also the space it it occupied.
"Go," he said, "unlock the doors."
"I... I..." she replied, without moving. A huge pool of water blocked the way. She had to get in there and swim through it.
She took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the huge water column. An inch before she stepped into it, Enzo snarled and a tunnel opened for her, allowing her to pass through without problem.
I must be dreaming. Her heart beat so fast she thought it would explode, her excitement held back by her surprise. She marveled at what was happening, then heard him growl behind her.
"Open the doors, Au."
She gave him a quick nod, he looked like an Olympic weightlifter about to break the World Record.
She took her first step inside the water tunnel, the sound inside it like an explosion or a cascade. A cool, damp breeze caressed her skin, wet particles embraced her as if this was just an ordinary thing.
But no. This was incredible and frightening, all at the same time.
The legends are real.
She pressed forward, realizing the snail's pace she moved at.
Finding the right key out of literally dozens was hard, but she got the right one on her third try.
The doors opened softly, and suddenly, the silver light of the moon bathed her. She stopped, almost shuddering as the tunnel of water advanced forward around her, the glint of the moon sent flashes of twisting light throught the transparent liquid, moving ahead until it finally splashed on the open grass just beside the sidewalk outside.
She couldn't think. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, where the water fell.
A soft breeze grazed her arms and she knew nothing could ever compare to what she just experienced.
Then Enzo put his hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks for opening the doors."
A shiver ran throughout her body. This man let her into his biggest secret... and then thanked her? Holy shit.
He was a keeper, she knew that from the moment she met him. But now? Now she really, truly knew he was way, way out of her league.
CHAPTER 16
Enzo let her into his deepest secret.
Now she either stayed or left. He would understand if she was scared of him.
Scared of the unknown. Even shifters feared channelers. Legend said they could even affect the water in a person's body.
Or kill you outright if they wanted to.
He chuckled. He wasn't keen on killing anyone or anything.
It was years ago since the last Shadowlands incursion. The world was a better place now. Even if humans didn't know about it.
He smiled. There was wonder in her eyes, not fear. Then it hit him. Ever since he was a child, controlling his inner beast was difficult at best. Nature gave him some control over life and the elements, but in turn made his inner animal too tough. He avoided channeling nature to prevent the bear from taking control.
But now?
Now he was lost in her eyes, in her smile. His bear didn't even mutter a sound. Enzo knew what it wanted. He could barely hide it himself.
"Amazing..." she whispered.
He grinned and turned around, "follow me."
He went inside the building again, "one thing left to do," he said raising his hands.
The bear roared inside, vibrating waves of energy flowed from his chest to his fingertips, and then back again.
He was no longer just a man, but the will of nature itself, a kind of avatar.
He smiled. Channeling those great, incomprehensible forces always humbled him. He was chosen, after all. He had to make the best of it.
He clenched his fists and felt his bear growling and gaining strength.
Every little particle of water, and even the lingering moisture in the air became tangible, not in a physical way, but with his mind.
The beast inside of him roared and held on to the element, taking it out of the floor and pushing it up to the middle of the gym.
The floor cracked and let go of the moisture and water that permeated it.
Audrey gasped. He focused his eyes again to see gray steam slowly floating up, stopping a few feet below the ceiling. It was like a thundercloud, forming right in front of their eyes.
"Oh my God," Audrey whispered beside him.
Then he softly pushed it with his mind and the globe shaped moisture rippled and moved.
Enzo bared his teeth and invited a breeze in, to help him push the cloud out of the building.
He was spent. His energy drained. For a second he wondered if he would be able to pull it out just like before, but another glance at the amazement in Audrey's eyes made him realize that yes. Yes he would do it. Easy.
They walked out again, the silver, round cloud just a few steps ahead.
"Look at this," he said as they walked on the garden behind the gym.
The globe started to go up, higher and higher, spinning faster every second.
Moonlight passing through the water gave it a soft, rainbow like coloring that moved and danced at its center.
She let out a laugh, marveled at the sight.
The cloud became bigger and bigger, until it turned formless and difficult to perceive. He dispersed it into the air, letting the night breeze carry it, some of the dampness falling on their skin.
When he turned to her, Audrey had her mouth open, unable to look away from the sky.
"Did you like it?" he asked.
It took her two seconds to turn to him, the glint in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.
"That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she said.
He smiled, just seeing her this happy made everything okay.
"The floor is still a mess," he said, "but I know people, they'll fix it."
They walked back to the gym, the bright moonlight gave the floor a silvery quality.
Enzo followed her until they reached the court's center circle. Through the years, this place had been witness to great games, theater plays, even science fairs.
Jefferson High was an old school, all kinds of people had walked its halls, cheered its team.
But now, only empty seats stared silently at them.
She sat down and sighed, her expression thoughtful, taking everything in.
"You know," she started saying, "you don't have to fix it, we'll make this work, somehow."
Enzo walked over to her.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want you to feel... I don't know, obligated to help us. You're doing enough already."
"It's no problem, really. I don't want you to stress over this."
"After what I saw," she said, "you're maybe going to laugh. I feel silly just saying it but I'm happy. Things will work out for the best."
"Besides," Enzo replied, sitting cross-legged across her, "you're forgetting one thing."
"Yeah? What is it?"
He smiled, the bear inside stirred and pushed but he had it under control. For the first time in his life, the monster was denied without much of a fight. It didn't want to scare her. It didn't want to scare away its mate.
"The anonymous donor said he'll double however much we raised. That should cover the expense."
Her eyes widened, he knew she had forgotten about that, it was pure luck, but it worked in their favor.
She almost jumped in excitement, "oh my God!"
Her smile, her lips, her happiness. If he died right at that moment he'd die a happy man.
She put her hand on his knee, nodding, "how could I forget about that?"
"Stress?"
"Oh my, oh my, thank you!" she yelled.
He laughed, his hand going to her bare knee. The touch of her skin almost made his heart stop.
"I got you, big man," she suddenly said.
"You got what?"
"Your secret. I'll never tell. Don't worry,
" she bit her lip, unable to hold back, "can I ask you a question?"
He shrugged, "shoot"
"Just tell me why. Why are you here and not like, saving the world or doing something amazing."
He looked at her.
"That's exactly what I'm doing."
She raised her brow, good thing he was sitting down, able to hide his hardness.
"No, I mean—"
"I know what you mean," he replied, "but my crew has helped in less flashy ways. You wouldn't believe what we've done."
"Oh! Okay, I'm not going to ask, I respect your privacy. And it's probably classified—"
"Some of it, yes. But here? Helping these kids is important too. Not all of us want to fight our whole lives."
She smiled, "That's why I do it, too."
"I know."
"How?"
"Your mind, it reaches out to me, sometimes."
She gasped. A second later she blushed bright red, "can you hear my thoughts?"
He chuckled, placing his hand over hers.
"No, it ain't like that. More like... I have a sense of what's going on. If you're angry, for example, I could tell more or less why. But I never do that."
"But you did it with me."
"I put a, how can I say it? A block? I block people out. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to move, having my own mind invaded by everyone's thoughts. But you're different. You reach out, your emotions are strong. I've blocked you but you overcome every barrier. That's why I can tell, for example, that you could have gone corporate and earn way more than you do here."
"You know that?"
He shrugged, "I picked that up the moment I met you, I didn't mean to do it but you—"
"Overcame your barriers."
He nodded, " I didn't do it on purpose. I'm not an ass."
She smiled, her fingers entwining with his. He saw her in the soft, silvery light of the moon.
Enzo leaned over, "meeting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me," he whispered.
Her fingers tightened on his. Her lips were mere inches away, he could feel her pulse through her fingers, it went fast. Just like his own.
"Will this complicate everything?" she asked in a fearful tone.
"Yes," he replied.
She raised her beautiful eyes to meet his and he couldn't stand it anymore. He kissed her.
Their lips met and it was a gift from heaven, like coming home from a far away land. He lost himself in them, her heart beat in a rhythm only he understood.