by Pierce, SJ
“Tell me!”
She cleared her throat and let her hands fall, forcing her voice to stay even. “As you know, someone had been following me, and they followed me everywhere, including Benjamin’s apartment. Whoever he was, he was connected to those beasts somehow, and they got to Benjamin.”
Cindra’s chin dropped. “No…”
“Yes,” she said, and her steady voice finally cracked, “it was awful. I saw first hand what those beasts are capable of before we were even summoned.”
Cindra wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on her shoulder. “Certainly you don’t believe that was your fault.”
“Of course I do,” she wept. “Because of what I am and what was following me -- I led them to him.”
“No, Alyx. That was NOT your fault. How were you to know that would have happened?”
Her shaking hands wiped her tears. “I can’t help but feel deep down that it was my fault. If I could have lived the rest of this life single like all the other times before, and not drug him into anything, he wouldn’t have been slashed to pieces.”
“Nobody ever told us to be single, Alyx. To blend in like they wanted us to, you have to do normal things. Dating was a normal thing.”
“That’s the exact rationale that I used, but then why didn’t you date?”
Her friend didn’t have an immediate reply and appeared stumped for once as she stared at the ground as though it could provide her with the right words to say. Alyx guessed it was because Cindra’s better instincts told her not to date, and she just couldn’t bring herself to say that. All along Alyx thought that Cindra was the one who had been naïve about love and dating, and yet, she was the one whose intuition had failed her. Miserably so.
“I appreciate your comforts, girl, I do. But I just can’t forgive myself,” Alyx said, and her weeping broke into a full blown sob. She covered her face again, and tears squeezed through her tightly pressed eyes. This was the first time she’d had a moment to grieve Benjamin’s death.
“Did you even get to see him before he died?” Cindra sniffled as she rubbed her back, her voice breaking.
Alyx shook her head. Her friend didn’t need to know about their heated break up that morning, nor did Alyx want to relive it.
“Hold on,” Cindra said as she stood, and scurried to a nearby bush with white flowers whose wide, curved petals reminded Alyx of magnolias. Cindra picked the loveliest one and knelt beside her. “Let me see your hand.”
She straightened her wet fingers, and Cindra placed it in her palm. “Let’s say something in remembrance.”
“I don’t think I can,” she choked out.
Cindra nodded solemnly and cupped her hand over the flower. “Benjamin… a beautiful, caring soul who loved my Alyx with all of his heart. The world was a better place because he was in it. May our friend be surrounded by the same joy he gave to everyone else.” She uncovered the flower and pushed Alyx’s hand high in the air.
A strong gust of wind came through right in time, as if it knew that its services were needed, and carried the flower into the air and over the ocean. The white petals soared over the water and past the rocks, spinning and fluttering as the wind tossed them about.
Alyx smiled through the tears and released a small sigh, touched that her friend thought of a kind way to remember his life, especially because he wouldn’t get a proper burial. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said and stood to join her. Their arms wrapped behind each other’s backs, and they watched as the flower descended into the water, landing daintily atop the ripples.
The sun only lacked a short leap before meeting the ocean, and the pale pink and orange stripes in the sky served as a warning that their time was almost up, unfortunately. Alyx couldn’t avoid the inevitable forever and would have to face the others eventually. They had no doubt been gossiping about her since she left with Cindra. Before they returned, Alyx knew that she needed to tell her about ‘the kiss’. Her friend already knew that she liked him, but it was another thing to actually cross the line as severely as she did, but she would be damned if Cindra heard it from their judgmental mouths before she heard it from her.
“While we’re on the topic of confessions,” Alyx said, tugging on her arm to sit again, “there’s something else that I need to tell you.”
“Oh no, what now?”
Alyx wiped her tears and held her hair behind her neck. The growing wind insisted that the strands stick to her damp cheeks. “You know I was spying on Isaac now and how I feel. But there’s more to it.”
“Uh oh.”
“It’s hard to explain, but I have a connection to him. Not like the typical kind you have with your Marked, it’s stronger, intense. I want to be with him, but of course you know that isn’t possible.”
“Alyx,” she said with a blend of disbelief and disappointment.
“It’s torture, believe me, but it’s nothing I can completely control. I know I should have stayed away. I had no business there, spying on him, but it was the closest I could get and not feel like I was technically breaking any rules.”
“Keep going,” she sighed.
“On the way here we had plenty of time to talk, and between me already desiring him and him confessing that he felt that way too, it’s like I forgot everything we were ordered.”
“Alyx, tell me you didn’t!” she said as her hand met her cheek, preparing for what words might come next.
“I wish I could say that, but before I sent him through the gateway, I kissed him – not knowing the others could see.”
“Shit, Alyx!”
“I know, but that’s why the others looked at me like that. I can only imagine the wrath that’s waiting on me back there,” she said as she pointed behind her. “And on top of that, he caught me spying on him and confronted me, twice. It’s a huge mess. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Elders sent me away tonight.”
Cindra clutched the top of Alyx’s hand. “I have a confession now too,” she said. “PLEASE don’t hate me for this.
Her friend’s sudden change of subject raised a hundred red flags. Alyx’s head snapped in her direction to see her hazel eyes heavy with regret. She had fully expected her to go off on a tangent about how stupid and reckless and indulgent that was of her to kiss Isaac. But judgment didn’t fill her words, only guilt.
“I wanted to tell you so bad at the time, but I was there at the office on my last day when he came looking for you. Isaac wanted to find you, bad.”
“Why would I hate you for that?”
“Frederick wouldn’t give him your information, but on Isaac’s way back down the elevator I rode with him and told him what block you lived on.”
“Jesus, Cindra! Why would you do that? Do you have any idea-”
“Listen,” she said, squeezing her hand to interrupt her, “I thought about it pretty hard, and I didn’t tell him exactly where you lived. I thought that if it was meant to be, you would run into each other. I’m sorry, though. That probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.”
Meant to be, Alyx pondered, and her irritation subsided. Had fate had a hand in designing the direction of their paths? It did seem as though every time she had resolved to let him go their paths crossed. Was someone trying to tell her something? Was there a certain rightness to everything she thought was wrong? Forbidden? Maybe Cindra’s attempt at an indulgent experiment proved something after all. Or maybe fate was just an evil temptress who enjoyed toying with their emotions.
“It doesn’t matter,” Alyx said as she patted her wrist with her other hand. “I’d already seen him twice before that anyhow. I can’t be mad at you.”
Cindra exhaled with relief. “Good, because I would lose it if you ever were, and I don’t see the Elders crucifying you for any of that. You got him here after all.”
“Yeah, barely alive,” she mumbled.
“We do need to get going though,” Cindra said, and they rocked to their feet, still holding hands. “I’ll be rig
ht here, by your side. And by the way,” she said as she bumped her with her hip. “What took you so long to get here?”
Oh God, Alyx thought. She already felt embarrassed that her new body exhausted when Cindra’s didn’t, but her inability to adjust well during the transformation would be worse. There was no way she would admit that she had passed out, especially after the picture Cindra painted of her adjusting so well and being the first one here. Her withholding information this time was more than a matter of pride, Alyx wanted to figure out what was wrong with her before she shared it with anyone else, especially Cindra who would worry all the more.“We drove the whole way,” she replied. “And it took awhile I guess.”
Her lie, while justifiable, tasted bitter on her tongue.
Cindra shrugged. “Ok, but what were you going, like ten miles per hour?”
A nervous chuckle escaped. “I guess so.”
“Well whatever, you’re here now. That’s all that matters,” she said, and her eyes flashed to black. “Race you there!” she squealed and took off through the fields.
CHAPTER 15:
Destined to Avenge
On their way back, they ran hastily through the fields. They had spent longer than intended and feared the meeting had already begun. Trailing closely behind Cindra, Alyx thought of Isaac and hoped he had reunited with his son. Maybe now he would fight harder to keep his heart beating.
She closed her eyes, and her draw to Isaac was thankfully still connected. He’s still alive. It was all she could do to not follow it right then and run to his side. She would wait in anguish until she could lay her eyes upon him again and have the chance to explain what she couldn’t bring herself to do in the car; that she never intended to lead the beasts to his doorstep and ask for his forgiveness. But Isaac wasn’t the only one she would need to apologize to. They were only moments away from their meeting with the Elders. There were plenty other grievances she would have to reckon for, and it may not be in their group meeting, but she felt certain they would pull her aside at some point to dole out her punishment.
As they approached the others, who thankfully still waited on the Elders, Cindra stopped, her blonde hair whooshing over her shoulders. Alyx slowed and glanced down the hill at the human camp. Two large, white canvas tents demanded their place among the smaller ones that sprinkled around them. Between the foot of the hill and the cluster of tents was a gathering area with a raised wooden stage surrounded by rows of log benches. Isaac was down there somewhere, possibly in one of the tents. He was only a short sprint away. If she hadn’t feared that she would get in even more trouble, she would take off and go see him against Cindra’s advice.
Cindra eyes flashed to hazel. “It seems we have a few minutes,” she said as Alyx made it to her side. “Want me to give you a run down of the other Protectors? You probably won’t have time to meet them before the Elders arrive.”
Like they want to, she thought, and nodded in response instead of speaking, masking her breathlessness from running. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair and forced her chest to rise and fall in a steady rhythm, her lungs burning from the strain.
“The tall blonde,” Cindra said, pointing in her direction by the wood line, “that’s Christineth. She’s not the friendliest of the bunch, but she’s alright.
Judging by first glance, if any of them intimidated Alyx it was Christineth. As tall as she was, Christineth had four inches on her and was as attractive as she was tall. Her long, honey hair reached the small of her back, and her high cheek bones gave her face an attractive, angular appeal. She stood with her back arched and her head lifted, exuding confidence with a touch of arrogance. She could totally understand Cindra’s assessment of her temperament.
“The two standing beside her are Leena and Audrey,” Cindra continued. “Willow and I have already dubbed them her ‘minions’. As soon as they met, they all clicked. But Christineth runs the show. They go wherever she goes and agrees with whatever she says. It’s kind of weird. Audrey is the redhead, and Leena is the Asian one.”
Standing beside Christineth, both Audrey and Leena came to her shoulders. Leena had long hair like Christineth but black and twice as shiny with the luster of spun silk. Audrey’s thick, red hair swallowed her narrow shoulders, and she stood with her hands clasped in front of her waist, her eyes skimming the horizon thoughtfully.
When Audrey’s line of sight made its way to Alyx, their eyes locked, and Audrey leaned in to mumble something to the other two. Leena glanced toward her and Cindra and whispered to Christineth who peered over her shoulder. She shot Alyx an icy stare and lowered her head to hide her face. Alyx’s stomach dropped as Christineth hunched forward to ensure their conversation remained private, the other two laughing at whatever it was she had to say. Probably the very thing Alyx wished they would forget. Great, off to a good start.
Cindra rested a consoling hand on her shoulder. “Don’t mind her,” she said, sensing Alyx’s unease.
Don’t MIND her? Alyx thought. Christineth went out of her way to make sure that she got the message loud and clear. She had no intentions of being friendly, and now that she thought back to it, the one that appeared the most disgusted with her when she came through the gateway was her.
“Moving along,” Cindra said quickly and pointed toward two petite women standing at the foot of the hill to the North, as far away from the others as they could while still close enough to join the group at a moment’s notice. “The dark haired one is Natalia, and the other is Serena. They look tiny, but they are firecrackers, let me tell you. No nonsense. Natalia is Russian, and Serena is French. An odd combination, I know, but Willow and I suppose it’s because they both equally despise the ‘Christineth Clan’ as they’ve personally dubbed it. They are the most genuine people you’ll ever meet, and also the most honest -- I love them!”
Alyx would take her word for it with those two. They both stood no taller than five foot five, definitely the shortest of the bunch, but had a no-nonsense way about them as they stood with their legs gaped apart and their arms crossed with grave expressions. Natalia’s dark brown pixie cut flattered her sharp, porcelain features, and Serena’s intense, piercing green eyes told her everything she needed to know about her disposition.
Alyx finally felt comfortable enough to speak. “They all look so friendly,” she said with a groan.
“It will be fine. Especially with Natalia and Serena, and you met Willow earlier who I’ve already sang your praises to.”
Interrupting their chat session, two men in long, black robes descended from the top of the hill above Serena and Natalia.
The Elders.
As they walked toward them, she sensed the intricate way that her soul was bound to theirs. They were her superiors, her will submissive, and all of her other thoughts and worries ceased. The only thing that mattered now was what these men were like and how they would respond to her insolent presence there. She had never had the privilege of meeting the one’s who were responsible for her creation, even her time spent in the darkness between lifetimes was a time of solitude.
“Let’s go,” Cindra said in a hushed voice and grabbed Alyx’s hand. “Together.”
“Together,” she repeated anxiously and walked with her friend to meet the others.
* * *
The Protectors formed a loose circle and waited in silence for the Elders to arrive. Cindra and Willow stood on either side of Alyx, the ‘Christineth Clan’ with Christineth in the middle beside Willow, and Natalia and Serena to complete the circle.
The Elders were in no hurry to reach them as they leisurely strolled and chatted. One stood slightly taller and thinner than the other, but they both had smooth, pale skin and bald heads.
Alyx watched them intently as she anticipated what they would say during their meeting, what they could tell them about the beasts and the people who had seemingly disappeared, and what the Protectors’ purposes would be now that their Marked were here. Deep down, she secretly prayed that h
er banishment from Isaac would be lifted. But was it too much to hope for? Could they now have endless contact with the humans? Would fate pull through for her again? If she only had the chance to apologize to him, to make things right, maybe they could continue where they left off before – getting to know each other and bonding on a more intimate level. Her heart fluttered at the thought. If only.
The Elders strode only a few paces away. Her wondering faded, and the only thing that moved inside her was her stomach as it lightly rolled. She hadn’t had anything except coffee that morning and hoped after the meeting they might get something to eat. That is, if she weren’t thrown in a cage and beaten.
As the Elders entered the circle between Audrey and Natalia, they didn’t seem particularly annoyed with Alyx’s presence. As a matter of fact, they didn’t seem to pay her any mind at all. I suppose that’s a good sign.
Up close, they looked more intimidating than she imagined. Their skin was more of an unearthly exterior, translucent except with no veins underneath or semblance of hair for eyebrows or eyelashes. Their dark irises camouflaged their pupils, if they had any at all, and their white skin almost glowed against the black, velvet robes that had a short, stiff collar around the neck held together by a gold clasp in the very shape of their scars.
The Elders could have been twins if you discounted the height variance, but despite their similar features Alyx could now see minor and almost imperceptible differences. The taller one held his head higher than his counterpart, his nose slightly pointier, and less emotion registered behind his eyes. The shorter one’s face rounded at his jawline, and his lips drew up on the sides to display a more amiable essence.
After entering the circle, they stood dead center, and the taller one with the pointy nose opened his mouth to speak. “My children,” he said, holding his arms wide as if to hug all of them at once, and a smile spread wide across his pasty face, appearing to be an unnatural mannerism for him, almost forced.
As his smooth, powerful voice rolled from his tongue, her will bent in surrender. Whether she wanted to or not, he had her full attention.