by True, Holli
- 20 -
running up that hill
JONAH
Ethan smirked as he stood guard in front of the open door of the SUV. “Painful, isn’t it?” he asked, keeping his eyes on me as he slowly took a step forward. Every move he made was deliberate and calculating.
“Stop him!” I growled, my eyes flickering between him and the backseat of the car. The sound of Hailey’s cries for help continued to pierce my ears and stab at my heart. It was pure agony. Unlike anything I had ever felt in all my years. One way or another, I had to get to her and stop Matt before it was too late. But I didn’t know what to do. I had been trying to phase back since she’d received the phone call, but despite my every attempt, I couldn’t.
I recognized the sluggish feeling that always followed after spending an extended amount of time as a human. But I had no idea that I couldn’t just phase back on a whim immediately after. Had I known, I would have been more conscientious of the time I had been spending with Hailey.
“Why don’t you stop him? Isn’t it your job to protect her?” Ethan’s savage tone assaulted me, causing me to wince. And then he erupted in sinister laughter, “Oh, that’s right. You’ve been doing the pathetic human thing. How is that working out for you?”
“Just leave her alone!”
He continued, ignoring me. “Feeling weak these days, Jonah? Hmm?” He smiled knowingly, watching for my reaction. “I guess no one told you about the blackout phase, did they?”
I faltered slightly, trying to make sense of what he was saying, but I had no idea what he was talking about. The blackout phase had never once been mentioned, so the meaning of it was lost on me.
“Well, consider yourself as good as gagged and bound,” he smiled again. A muffled scream from Hailey caught his attention and he turned to look in on the struggle happening just feet from where he stood. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
“Ethan, I am begging you!” I pleaded, inching forward.
“Begging?” he asked with amusement. “Yet another example of just how truly weak you are.”
“She didn’t do anything. Leave Hailey out of this!”
“Please. Matt’s just getting warmed up.”
“What is wrong with you?” I demanded, my eyes continued to shift between him and the car.
“No!” Hailey suddenly screamed out. “Get off of me!”
“Hailey!” I yelled, lunging toward the car. But I knew she couldn’t hear my voice.
Ethan’s glaring eyes weighed down on me like a sledge hammer. “Emotional attachment is a real bitch, isn’t it, Trabor? You’ve blurred the lines so much that you don’t even realize how far you’ve crossed them.” Ethan looked at me with disgust. “Face it, your newfound humanity has made you just as pathetic as they are.”
“And your lack of humanity has turned you into a monster.”
“Better a monster than one of them,” he spit the words out as though they tasted bad in his mouth. “You make me sick.”
A slow revelation started creeping up inside of me. Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? Ethan wasn’t just lashing out at me for my lack of respect for what we were and the code we were sworn to. His anger was coming from somewhere much deeper and much darker. Somewhere sinister.
“No, Ethan...” Please, God, no.
“Too late. Much, much too late. It’s only just a matter of time now,” Ethan said, glancing over his shoulder to look into the backseat of the car. “But she is a feisty one, isn’t she?”
I seized the opportunity to make my move, lunging forward. By the time Ethan turned back to face me, it was too late, I had him by the shoulders. I slammed his back against the side of the SUV with all of the strength I had within me. My hit was so forceful that it caused the car to rock, which got Matt’s attention. Before Ethan could react to the blow he’d just received from me, I wedged my forearm beneath his chin, pressing it firmly into his neck, pinning him between me and side of the car.
From the corner of my eye, I saw that Matt’s foot was hanging out from the backseat. Without hesitation, I used my other hand to slam the car door. It bounced off of his foot, crushing it in the process. As Matt let out a loud wail, I slammed it again, this time catching his ankle. A blood curdling scream sounded from his mouth as he tried scrambling out of the car. I slammed the door again, this time catching his shins and chest, causing him to double over in pain, falling to the ground.
Ethan continually tried to fight me off, but my determination to save Hailey was much stronger than his will to hurt her. Using both of my arms, I pressed in on his neck even harder, refusing to release him. The rage that was flowing through me had given me a new surge of strength, he was no match against me. I would protect her at any cost, against him and anyone or anything else that tried to harm her.
I could still hear the sobs from Hailey and I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms and never let her go. As she stumbled out of the backseat of the car, I wasn’t prepared to witness the physical damage that Matt had done. Her bottom lip was bleeding and there was a small red welt on her cheek, not to mention the black smudges of makeup that were smeared across her face. The sweater she was wearing was now mangled and her leggings were ripped.
But there was an entirely different level of destruction Matt had caused her. The emotional kind, which couldn’t be seen, only felt. No one, not even I, would ever know just how much that damage would scar her. Only time would tell.
“If he ever touches her again, it will be the last thing he does,” my words were slow and concrete. As Hailey ran back to her own car, I shoved myself off of Ethan, keeping myself positioned as a barrier between her and him.
Ethan stepped around Matt’s body as he groaned in pain on the ground. He glared down at him in disgust. “Pathetic,” he muttered under his breath before turning his attention back to me.
I stepped backwards, fearing not for myself, but for Hailey. The only way he would get to her would be going through me and there was no way I was about to let that happen. I would end both Ethan and Matt before either of them laid another finger on Hailey.
As though he could read my mind, Ethan’s jaw clenched and he folded his arms across his chest. With a devious smirk on his face, he looked right past me, locking his eyes on Hailey. “Keep an eye on your girl. I know I will be.”
. . .
Blinking twice, I shook off the daze I'd been in. I didn’t know how long I had been sitting there, on the floor beside the hotel bed, but it had clearly been awhile. I glanced at the alarm clock out of idle curiosity. Six hours had passed in what felt like a matter of minutes and I hadn’t even noticed the time slip by.
The events from the day were weighing heavy on me. I had witnessed a true nightmare, watching Hailey struggle and fight Matt. I still couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t been able to transition, that was eating at me more than anything. That hadn’t ever happened to me before, so why had it happened when she needed me most? And, what was the so-called blackout phase Ethan had hinted at? Why had I never heard of it before?
I needed Sam. It was moments like this that I missed his presence most. He would have known the answers to all of my questions and would have been able to offer me sound advice. His guidance had always been so thorough and concrete and I needed it now more than ever. But with him gone, I knew exactly who I needed to ask, though I wasn’t prepared to explain why I needed to know.
“Jonah?” Hailey’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned to see that she was now awake and sitting upright in bed. I’m here beside you, I assured her.
“Oh my God!” she immediately burst into tears, “I can hear you again!”
Wait. You couldn’t hear me?
She shook her head, unable to speak. She continually wiped her eyes, interrupting the flow of tears, but not stopping them.
How long? Did you hear me at all?
“Nothing, I kept trying to talk to you, but there was nothing,” she whispered. “I need to see you.”
/>
I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to, but to my surprise, with little effort, I instantly transitioned. Before I could even react, Hailey was off the bed and on my lap, sobbing into my chest. I cradled her close against me, allowing her to get her emotions out for as long as she needed.
“I was so scared I’d lost you for good,” she mumbled between sporadic breaths.
“Never,” I assured her, embracing her tighter. “I kept trying to talk to you, to warn you. But when you didn’t respond or react to my words, I thought you were determined to help your friend and unwilling to hear me.”
I tried to compile my thoughts and make sense of the new revelations that were piling up around me. Hailey’s inability to hear me earlier that morning had to be linked to the blackout phase. I could only assume it was part of my transition back to my natural state as her Guardian. Why hadn’t Ben mentioned it? Was he even aware of it himself?
“I should have known something was wrong when I couldn’t hear you. Knowing you’re with me has made me much braver than I should be. I kept thinking you were going to appear out of thin air.”
“I am so sorry I failed you.”
She shook her head softly, “You didn’t fail me, Jonah. You saved me.”
“But I couldn’t get to you.”
“But you stopped Matt. I got away before he could...” she trailed off, shuddering in my arms.
“Barely,” I said.
“I don’t blame you because you weren’t there. I blame Matt for all of it. He’s the one who’s responsible for what happened, not you. I’m not going to let you blame yourself.”
“But it’s my duty to protect you.”
“And you did.”
“I tried to get to you,” I said gently, after her breathing evened out and she wiped away the last of her tears. “But despite every attempt I made, I couldn’t.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, pulling back to look up at me.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said slowly, “but I think it has something to do with me spending time like this. As a human.”
Hailey inhaled sharply, “Like a side effect?”
“Something like that,” I nodded.
“Has that happened before?”
“I’m not really sure. Ethan mentioned something about a blackout phase.”
“Who is Ethan?”
Right. She still had no idea who Ethan even was. Or the fact that he’d had it out for her for months now, possibly longer. “He’s Matt’s Guardian,” I said with clenched teeth. “I think he’s the one who called you this morning.”
“Wait a minute... You mean Matt’s Guardian is the one who called me out there? How is that... Did he know...?”
I nodded. “He was in on it. In fact, I’m pretty sure he was hoping it would happen.”
Hailey shivered again, “I don’t even know how to respond to that. I thought you were all supposed to be good?”
“We are. Supposed to be, I mean. But Ethan’s changed.”
“So has Matt.”
“I’m pretty sure Ethan’s the one to blame for Matt’s recent change. At first, I thought it was all Matt, but after what I saw this morning, I have a new view on what’s been going on.”
“Does this mean Matt’s in danger, too?” she asked in a small voice.
I hesitated for a moment. I couldn’t lie to her, especially if I was going to protect her. She needed to know what we were up against so she could be prepared and not blindly walk into something, just as she had that morning. “I’m afraid so.”
“Is Ethan going to hurt him?”
“Ethan is willing to hurt anyone at this point,” I said vaguely. Reaching up, cupping her face in my hand, “But I will never let him harm you, Hailey.”
She inhaled sharply, looking uneasy. “But he wants to?”
“Because he knows it will hurt me. He knows I’m in love with you and that it would destroy me if anything happened to you.”
There was really only one explanation for his sinister ways. Ethan wanted to become a Fallen. That would be the only reason why he would ever want to harm Matt, or any other human, for that matter. His determination to do so would not only doom his eternity, but Matt’s as well.
“So, what do we do?”
“You avoid Matt, at all costs. I’ll deal with Ethan.” I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that yet, but one way or another, I would.
She nodded slowly, I could see the trust in her eyes. “And my mom? What do I tell her?” she asked, running a delicate finger across the small welt on her cheek. It was almost flesh colored now, with any luck, Christy wouldn’t even notice it.
“Well, you could always go with the truth.”
“She would never let me out of her sight again.”
“He shouldn’t get away with what he did to you. You could go to the police and tell them everything that happened.”
“But you said it yourself, Jonah. You don’t really think Matt is the driving force behind all of this. It sounds much bigger than that. Besides, what would the police be able to do to Ethan anyway? They can’t exactly arrest him.”
I didn’t like it, but she was right. Going to the police would only delay the inevitable. One day, only God knew when, Ethan would strike again. All I could do was prepare to take any measure necessary to ensure Hailey’s safety.
“We have to stop him.”
“We will,” I assured her, kissing the corner of her mouth. “I promise.”
. . .
Hailey decided to avoid home all day, opting instead to spend the afternoon at her favorite coffee shop. She’d purchased a book on her way there and retired to a corner of the shop, where she spent the next four hours. But she only read a few pages, often staring blankly out the window, lost in her own thoughts.
With my uncertainty about the blackout phase and what it all entailed, I decided it would be best to stay in my Guardian form. After all, if she needed me at a moments notice, I wanted to be at my strongest for her. I was on heightened alert. Every time the bell on the door rang out, signaling a new customer, my eyes darted to it, constantly in search of Ethan or Matt, just in case they happened to walk in. It wasn’t likely that they would choose a public place to make their next move, though I couldn’t underestimate Ethan’s determination to ruin me and Hailey. Fortunately, they never appeared.
She waited until it was dark outside before finally driving herself home, knowing her mom would be too preoccupied cooking dinner to ask many questions. On more than one occasion, she had used this tactic over the years as a way to get out of conversations she didn’t want to have. There was nothing Hailey hated more than lying to her mom, so there was no doubt she was dreading interacting with her at all.
As she opened the front door, toting the same small bag she’d walked out with the night before, she took a deep breath and stepped through. The sound of the television from the living room was the first thing I heard, which meant Tom was most likely watching it. A long beep from another part of the house, followed by the faint sound of the oven door opening and closing, was the sound that seemed to put Hailey at ease. Her mother was definitely cooking in the kitchen.
I followed close behind as she passed by the living room, where Tom was seated in his favorite recliner. Sitting on the couch was Abram, reading an article in the newspaper that had been abandoned on the coffee table. Abram noticed us as we hovered near the archway, he greeted me with a kind smile. Hailey hesitated for a moment, but didn’t interrupt Tom’s show. Instead, she continued down the oversized hallway, making her way to the kitchen.
Christy’s back was to the entrance as she hovered over the stove. Leo was sitting on a bar stool at the island, looking on with little interest. As Hailey set her bag on a vacant stool, it caught the attention of both her mom and Leo, though she could only see one of them.
“There you are!” Christy greeted her with a quick glance, as she stirred something on the stove. “I was getting ready to send out a search team.”
“How was your night?” Christy asked with another sideways look.
“It was good. Pretty tame.”
“Tame?” her mom echoed with uncertainty.
“No drinking, no drugs, no wild parties. I promise,” she held up her right hand, as though she was under oath.
Christy smiled, “Well, you’re back in one piece, which is all the reassurance I need.”
Hailey shifted her weight uncomfortably, eyeing the clean vegetables near the sink. “Do you need help with this?” she asked, trying to deflect the conversation.
“Sure,” Christy said with a grateful smile.
I took a seat in the stool beside Leo, a million questions already forming on the tip of my tongue. Of course, I wasn’t certain he’d have any of the answers I was looking for, but at the very least, it was a place to start. He had years of experience beyond me, he had most likely heard something about it along the way.
“I need to ask you some questions,” I said, trying to decipher where I should start.
“You look worried. Is everything okay?” Leo asked, the concern on his face and in his voice was genuine.
“For the time being,” I offered, before getting to the point. “I need some information about the blackout phase.”
Leo eyed me closely. It was clear he was trying to read more into my question, but I didn’t offer him any additional details. “I take it you’ve been spending time as a human?”
I said nothing, which told him everything.
“More time than necessary?” he pressed.
“No, not more than necessary,” I answered. Every minute I had spent with Hailey had been absolutely necessary.