by C. S Luis
“I can’t have you destroy Claudia with your presence. She’s missed you and you dare show your face here after being away from her for over a year and expect us, expect her to simply say nothing. Nor do you give us a reason for your absence. Do you realize what she’s gone through? The nights she cried wondering if you were alright and if you were still alive. You don’t write. That, I can understand perhaps, but she doesn’t, she cares a lot about you, John. And you simply abandoned her. I know you mean well, that you say you were protecting her, but she doesn’t understand that.”
John blinked, Michael’s words were tearing him apart, she cried for him? He hadn’t realized what an impact he had been in her life. ‘Really, John, you didn’t?’
Michael lowered his voice, looking back into the open cafeteria door to make sure no one was approaching. He wanted to be sure Claudia wouldn’t step out unexpectedly during their discussion.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that,” John whispered, lowering his head.
“No, you didn’t. So be honest with me. Let’s cut through all this BS and tell me why. Why do you want to return if you plan to leave her again? Why would you want to hurt her all over again?”
Michael was no fool.
“If those are your plans, I need you to leave now and never come back.” He couldn’t blame Michael for wanting to protect Claudia from someone like him. Although John was surprised by his boldness.
“Tell me,” Michael said, pacing in front of him then moving closer.
“I’m not going anywhere this time.”
Michael stared into John’s eyes. He looked doubtful but far more scared. Could he sense there was a more frightening reason for his return?
“I only stayed away because I feared my presence would bring Claudia danger, but it seems it has done nothing to convince them there is no supernatural element present here,” John said, staring straight into Michael's eyes.
“The truth is, they don’t plan to give up whether I’m here or not."
"What are you talking about?" Michael's lips quivered. "They?” Michael groaned.
“The people I worked for. Mainly him, Nicholson…He wants the alien. And nothing I have done or said has convinced him it’s not here,” John answered. He looked disturbed, far more than Michael, with what he had just revealed.
"Quentin?" Michael gasped, he made a move for the cafeteria. He almost reached the door before John stopped him.
“Don’t.”
Michael looked surprised. He eyed John as if he were looking at a stranger.
John pulled him back from the doorway to the center of the hall. Michael reluctantly followed.
"Why did I allow this? I knew this was a bad idea. He’s been nothing but trouble and now he will endanger Claudia once more." He put his face in his hands.
"Nicholson has never been easily diverted, he has always suspected something," John calmly answered.
Michael glanced back at him, his face was a line of questions and worry.
"Suspected what?"
John felt foolish, recalling the promise he had made to keep them safe. It hadn't been as easy as he had hoped. Secrets were harder to keep in his line of work, one of the many reasons he had decided to leave. But it hadn't been as easy as simply walking out. That was the hardest part of the whole thing. He had to disappear, become a ghost. Make deals he didn’t like.
"It doesn't matter," John uttered, taking a step back. He looked inside the cafeteria and caught sight of two glowing eyes glaring back at him. A grimace greeted him as a voice whispered from a distance. ‘Liar.’ John blinked and caught sight of Claudia a few steps away. She was fidgeting with the crystal around her neck. She didn't look up, and he moved away from the entrance.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Michael desperately said.
"It doesn't matter because they're coming… The only important thing now is to protect Claudia. And make sure they don't find her…"
“But why would she matter to them? If it’s that alien they’re after, what would she matter?”
John narrowed his eyes at Michael, “She matters to them, far more than you realize, sir. She matters to Nicholson. He’s been in search of Minders for what seems his whole life.”
“Minders?” Michael’s eyes seemed to say. He didn’t understand and John could tell. But he had no time for a history lesson of the goings on with The Company or those of The Man in White. So, he made it as simple as he could.
“People with abilities like those Claudia possesses, to use their mind, move objects, and read minds. If he finds her, it would be like a bonus for him and The Company. All he wants is the alien. He knows nothing about her. The less he knows, the better.”
“You knew this coming here, all this time you knew...and you chose not to say anything.”
Michael stared over at John in disbelief. But it was not the fact that John knew, but the fact that he knew his boss, Nicholson, was looking for someone like Claudia. John knew long before he had become a friend and he still did nothing to turn her over to the man.
John nodded slowly. All the time he’d known and had not said a word to his boss.
“My assignment had always been her, but even I wasn’t aware of it. All I knew was that I was to find the alien, and the source of the alien’s power would come after. “’Find the alien, find the source’” were Nicholson’s very words. Then I discovered her…and I discovered the source. The source was nothing like I thought it would be. I had no idea it would be someone as kindhearted as her and as innocent. I wanted no part of this…no part in handing an innocent girl to a man like Nicholson…”
“You didn’t tell them. Why?”
John stared straight into Michael’s large blue eyes, “Because I care about her. I care about both of you. I didn’t want anything to happen to either one of you.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s just say I became involved far more than I thought I would.”
Michael looked confused; he lowered his head and walked over to the Coke machines for a moment in silence.
“He won’t give up, will he?” Michael asked, looking up at John. John tucked his lip and shook his head.
“No, I’m afraid he won’t. The source is all he ever talks about. If he even suspects the source is here, he will not be diverted, no matter what, until he has what he wants.”
“Are you sure it’s her?” Michael was quick to ask. John had no doubt it was her, by the way she made him feel. The strength she gave him whenever he was near her. She was like a large conductor of energy. Quentin’s presence was also a big part of that, which proved that she was the Source.
“I’m afraid there is no doubt, sir. She’s the one they have been looking for. But right now, they don’t know that…and that’s a good thing for us.”
"But how can we protect her now? There is nowhere she can go.” He looked over at John and paced to the other end of the hallway.
"I'm going to lose her. And there's nothing I can do to stop them…" he uttered, collapsing at the foot of the stairs.
He had his hands on his face when, suddenly, he glanced up, blinking his eyes as if he just realized something.
"Perhaps there is a way…with you." Michael rose and hurried over to face John.
"Excuse me?" John exclaimed as his mouth went dry. He didn't know what to say realizing how easy it had been for Michael to simply suggest it. Something he had given thought to before he entered the building. The suggestion he hoped he didn't have to make as their final solution. He nearly smiled at the thought and his subtlety in getting Michael to suggest it. He restrained himself from appearing so pleased with the idea. ‘Yes, Claudia should go with me,’ he thought.
"Yes, she can go with you, John," Michael said taking John by the shoulder and staring madly up at him.
"You can protect her. Take her with you far from this place where they can’t find her. Surely you can do this—isn’t that what you do in your line of work? Why didn't I see this before? You can take her and hide her fr
om them, protect her even from…" Michael’s eyes traced back to the cafeteria entrance. He was referring to Quentin, of course, John thought. An idea they were both in tune with.
"You can protect her even from him." Michael looked back at John, wide-eyed; the lines on his face were like a roadmap of concern.
"Only when things are safer can you both return..." his voice softened and he released his grip on John and wandered a few steps away.
John opened his mouth to speak but before he could, Michael continued.
"I know I may never see her again, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to accept," Michael said, reading John's unspoken words. He turned back around and faced the other man.
"Are you sure I'm the answer?" John asked as Michael blankly glanced at him.
"There's no one else," Michael uttered, and made a movement for the cafeteria entrance before stopping.
"How much time do we have?" he asked without turning.
John blinked, "I can't be certain. Hours perhaps…"
"Then you have to leave at once..."
"Sir…" Michael stopped but didn't turn.
"Shouldn't this be her decision?" John felt he had to say something.
Michael slowly glanced back at him; the same blank expression remained on his face. His eyes looked distant and his mind seemed adrift, lost in the unbearable realization he would never see Claudia again.
"She'll understand," Michael simply answered. "So, will you do it?"
John exhaled deeply, an overwhelming feeling of victory overcame him and he nervously pressed his lips. He even felt the warmth of his face for a second before he nodded the answer.
"But you must tell her," he said, overjoyed he would have Claudia by his side soon.
Michael slowly nodded, and as he made a movement for the door, Claudia appeared in front of him.
"Michael, what's going on?" Claudia said, stepping forward.
For a moment, Michael seemed speechless and at a loss for words.
John gazed into the young girl's glowing brown eyes. They were glowing like the alien’s eyes, a pattern of yellow hues was exploding from the iris; they looked magical. And for a moment, he fell into the dancing display. Had they always done that, or had he just now noticed them?
He blinked when the light in them dimmed and he noticed an uneasiness in her step, as she seemed to avoid John's stare. How could he lie to her? John thought. He was a fool. These people trusted him with their lives but what was he doing? He was destroying their world. For what?
27
The Burden
Michael knew I had discovered his intentions from the moment I came to stand before him. It wasn't hard to read their minds, and sometimes I hated it because there were things I didn't want to know. My abilities were sometimes hard to avoid. It was a rule to never use my abilities for anything unless it was a real emergency. At least a rule my father had imprinted in my mind. But it was something I couldn't control.
Q who was but a step away, lingered at the cafeteria entrance. He made it almost impossible, as his energy brought out feelings I didn’t understand. I sensed him, patiently watching. The crystal no longer cradled around my neck, abandoned instead on the cafeteria table. So softly his voice whispered inside my head to assure me he was near. He felt so near even at a distance.
Michael smiled and caressed my cheek softly; he already knew I had discovered the truth.
"You know it has to be. It's for your own safety."
"But I can't leave you. I can't leave any of you. Please don't make me go. Who will protect you?" I wrapped my arms around Michael as he held me.
Not only did I not want to go, but I was also afraid of what I could sense. The future, as well as the thoughts of others, were sometimes dreams intruding on my own senses. I hated it. I couldn't control it and got mere images of something. Most of the time it was something horrible and unnerving. Father could see the future, but it required great concentration. I, unfortunately, got random pictures of things that would happen. They were not always clear. The feeling I felt was far more real than the picture in my mind.
I could also read the thoughts of others close to me. See their thoughts as if they were my own. Sometimes I was unable to keep them from coming. One thing I knew for certain, was whatever I saw, whatever I knew or had seen, Q had seen it as well. Together, we were connected. Something I couldn’t control while he could. If he wanted me to know, he would allow me to see what he was thinking. If he wanted to know what I thought, there was no way I could deny him the pleasure of doing so. He felt what I felt, sensed what I sensed. And through me, he read the thoughts I read involuntarily. I knew this because Q knew. He could read my feelings, but then why did he not tell me what I wanted to know?
“Control…”
"Protect us?" Michael simply asked.
"I sense something bad is going to happen…"I softly whispered, cradled in his arms.
"Your safety is more important to me…than any of ours’," Michael assured me.
I pulled away from him slowly and gazed right at him as he moved to wipe the tears from my face.
Mr. Slater stood at a distance, he appeared guilty. He felt responsible for separating us, and for turning our world upside down because of his presence. Was this his way of thanking us? Was he in some way responsible? I wondered. Did the guilt inside him grow? I couldn't look at him, I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to sense or see any more. But sometimes I couldn’t stop it, and I felt something or someone didn’t want me to stop.
I found Quentin’s eyes, he was drawing me in with them. I could feel him close and saw his eyes now glowed a bright purple that exploded in his iris with tiny reds and yellows.
"Hey—it's gonna be okay," I spun my head around and Mr. Slater had come to stand beside me.
"I won't let anything happen to my girl," he said when I didn't look up.
I was trying to keep from reading anything else, but I could sense him, even if I didn’t want to. His mind was open to me, a beacon to my ability.
Slowly, I raised my head and found his bright green eyes bearing down on me, strangely beautiful and exploding in the same manner Q’s eyes seemed to be, but in golden hues. I had never seen them do that before. Had I never noticed or had they never done that? And why were they doing that now?
The door to his mind remained open. I fought myself away but something pushed me, forced me to see what I longed to know. I wanted to see but never could before. Why was it so clear now, why could I feel him so much more? Before, he was a distorted, silent figure. Now I couldn’t stop him from drawing me in. But why and how? The only other person to ever draw me to him was Quentin and his energy was now pulling at me from a distance. There was a twisted look of jealousy on his brow.
My control was slowly slipping. And to be honest, I had never read his thoughts before, so when I sensed it open for me, I wanted to finally see that part of him that I never could before. I could feel his love for me, it made me blush. Then fear, excitement, and the overwhelming pleasure that I was going to be with him at last. Fear again that he was going to lose me. Anger and jealousy, all directed at Quentin. Overwhelming love now for me, dread again of the secret that was ripping him apart.
Mr. Slater wrinkled a curious glance at me, "You trust me, right?"
Silently, I gazed over at him and slowly nodded. I could sense the fear again in him. Then relief, like a burden had been taken off his shoulders. A burden? I thought.
I heard his heart beating rapidly in my head along with his thoughts and whispers, and other voices took shape within my mind. I felt shame, anger, and then relief. Finally, guilt.
"Claudia—” Michael softly said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "It's time to go…"
"Claudia?"
I looked closely into Mr. Slater’s eyes; the golden flame was still dancing like a magical light, growing with the feelings I felt from him. Did he know what his beautiful eyes were doing? Then I knew I hadn't been mistaken; it was there
, something I didn't want to believe. His expression became blank as the guilt returned. “Why” I wanted to ask but I didn't I thought it instead and realized Mr. Slater had heard it when he blinked. I had blindly allowed him to hear my thoughts.
"Claudia?" he uttered, unsure of what was happening.
"Burden?" I cried. "They are not a burden!" I yelled at him. "And I will never let you take him away from me…never!" I backed away.
Mr. Slater edged forward cautiously but before he could come any closer, I ran down the hallway, ignoring Michael as he called to me.
28
Unwelcome
Claudia disappeared down the long stretch of hallway with Michael following after her. I was alone with Quentin. I found the alien at the entrance of the cafeteria staring back at me. His dark purple eyes slowly met me from beyond the dark locks of matted hair on his head. His eyes were almond in shape, regarding me in their solitude, silent and burning a hole into my soul.
He wrinkled a lip slightly, arching his eyebrow. His short hair, although slightly longer on the top, was pulled back from his face, and shone a wicked dark blue. He was dressed in a dark sort of uniform, with alien designs that were strange and foreign to me. It covered his entire body in black leather, with a collar that arched around his neck and opened slightly to reveal his pale, hairless chest.
One thing was certain, the alien was as mysterious; as he was beautiful; I hated to admit that. His whereabouts had haunted Bryce for so long I wondered about it myself. Why was Bryce so determined to acquire it? What was the connection between this thing and my girl? But Bryce had become simply obsessed with it. Determined to obtain it. I suspected he knew far more of this thing than he let on. For a human, this alien would seem perfect. And I knew why Claudia had fallen so easily for him. Not by mere looks alone, but by control. He had a strange control on her and it disgusted me.