On my way to the kitchen, I noticed that some of the photographs on the walls were pictures of Athen and myself. I immediately flipped on the hall light, staring in disbelief. It stopped me dead in my tracks. I couldn’t figure out what was going on or why in the world we would be on the wall. Was this supposed to make me feel better? It’s not like we are staying at some long-lost family member’s house. They would have told me that. I don’t even think we can have long-lost family members in our situation… Or maybe we can. I don’t know anymore. I put my thoughts aside and began taking in the photographs - anything to get another glimpse of Athen. Seeing his smile up close lit up my world -the little creases around his eyes that formed when he was laughing.
My fingers began gently touching the photos as if that would make him real again. His eyes were so beautiful. The happiness radiated out from the images that were on the wall. The lump in my throat was getting bigger by the minute. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold in my tears. I was so tired of crying. I wanted to be able to save my tears for a moment of happiness, not all of this loss.
As I was getting lost in the maze of my own mind, I decided to not tip on the verge of insanity and, rather, wait for Arie and Cyril to come home and explain why in the world there were pictures of all of us on the wall. In the meantime, I’d continue to explore this supposed rental home for more possible treasures.
I wasn’t disappointed during my scavenger hunt. I found letters that were written between us. It seemed that there were a few times where we were separated by our travels, but we were never far from each other’s thoughts; that was proven. I had spread some of the most beautiful letters out in front of me in the dining room rereading them over and over again, tracing his penmanship with my fingertips. His writing matched his personality – deliberate but with ease. I reached for matches and lit one of the cranberry candles on the hutch, which provided a wonderful aroma that reminded me of Whistler. This was one of my favorite candles that I’d always light when Athen was around. I felt a little closer to him through his words, his handwriting so old-fashioned, not the phone texts I was so used to seeing nowadays. I felt I was on the verge of something. I didn’t know what, however, which only left me frustrated.
****
Cyril and Arie were barely able to get into the door with their bags of groceries before I jumped them. I needed to know how in the world so many things that belonged to us were already here in this home.
“So you two want to tell me why on earth there are pictures of me and Athen everywhere, along with letters dated back in the day between us?” I cornered Arie as she was putting away chips in the cupboard.
“Easy enough.” Arie smiled widely, moving me aside. “This was or is your house or actually, your and Athen’s home.”
“What do you mean? From when?” I was completely baffled as to why no memories washed over me from being here.
“Well, there was a time when we all lived separately, that is until you were taken from us. It wasn’t until then that we all begin living together. Athen was pretty distraught over losing you, and I was pretty worried about him. Also, we didn’t know if they were finished with us or not. Thought it was probably better to be in a group for protection.” Arie had finished emptying her bag and spun around waiting for my reaction. The only problem was that I didn’t have one to give her. I didn’t understand why this house was never mentioned before, or why they didn’t tell me on the way over. There have been plenty of opportunities to fill me in.
“Will there ever be a time when I’ll feel like things aren’t being hidden from me?” I was incredulous.
“We didn’t want to get your hopes up. You know? I don’t know -just trying to protect you, I guess.” Cyril was folding up the reusable bags and stuffing them in a drawer.
I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but I knew where they were coming from. I probably would’ve jumped to some random conclusion, like Athen would be hanging out in the living room waiting for us or something. Instead, all I could do was shake my head, and I wandered off to the living room.
“So are there any other hidden homes out in the world that I should know about?” I hollered to them.
“Nope!” They hollered back in unison.
I sat on the couch, closing my eyes, waiting for some sort of calm to wash over me, but instead images of Athen and the serpent-eyed woman began creeping into my thoughts. I didn’t know if they were figments of my imagination or truly visions. Cyril and Arie found their way into the living room, making themselves comfortable on the loveseat.
“Did Athen ever worry that I might become interested in someone else during all of those years or is it just me who is plagued with those thoughts?” Knowing I never really had much interest in other guys during my time away from him, I kind of hoped that he was worried about that for no reason too.
“Of course he was. It was pretty unlikely, but he still worried about it - sure!” Cyril wrapped his arm around Arie’s shoulder, grabbing the remote. “How could you not be?”
“Yeah, I guess… It feels like it could be a real possibility in this situation, though… You know, with my visions of that creature and Athen and all.” I was thankful that I had revealed my dreams or, more pointedly, my nightmares to them. I was already keeping enough things bottled up inside.
“Well, we can’t all mope around here for the next long while. We need to start getting some training going or something.” Cyril announced out of the blue. Hearing those words made my stomach start to flutter a little in pure excitement. I knew there was so much left for me to learn, and I hoped that whatever he had planned would keep my mind occupied.
“It’s true.” Arie nodded her head quickly. “In addition to whatever may come up with Athen, the Legions are building quickly. I got word that there have been interferences in Wyoming and Illinois. Whatever they’ve planned is moving pretty quickly. We’ve got to hope that we can get Athen back quickly so we can begin the real fight and not fall into the obstacles they seem to have set up for us. Whatever they all are.”
“So this is the real thing, huh?”
“Most definitely.” Cyril pressed his lips together and reached for a lighter to light up the candle next to him on the end table. It was always kind of funny to watch him keep himself busy when he began worrying about things.
“What are we gonna start on? You know - for training?”
“I think we need to start off with some basic moves.”
“You mean fighting, at last?” The grin began creeping up on my lips. I’ve been feeling at such a disadvantage and vulnerable since all of this began. I really wanted this. I really wanted to destroy a certain someone too.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ana.” Arie chided.
“Darn! I forgot to shut you people out!” I laughed. “Gotta get better at that.” My mood was instantly improving. I felt like I was being proactive for once. I needed this.
“We were thinking of getting started tomorrow if that works for you?” Cyril totally sensed my excitement.
“Uh, yeah!” I hopped off the couch and felt a sudden surge of energy. “You know? I’m gonna go on a quick walk.” I darted out the front door, letting the energy pull me to a place I was never supposed to go.
Chapter 6
I noticed him from afar. My heart began beating a little faster. He was bent over a long, wooden table with books spread around him. He was touching his forehead the way he did when he was concerned about something. My mind flashed to the night that he came to pick me up from the bar when the stranger was lurking in Whistler. His beautiful eyes glistened, but they lacked that familiar, green glow. It was hard to not go running over to him and jump on his lap. Hiding as best I could, I slowly walked to a bookcase that had art history books stacked neatly.
I snuck another glance at him. His pull was so hard to resist. I couldn’t jeopardize the process, being here was bad enough. Cyril and Arie would kill me if they knew I was even checking on him. We had a plan. I promis
ed I would follow it, and apparently my word didn’t mean anything to me any longer. I didn’t know how I got this close. I felt that I was in control of the situation - everything would be okay. Plus, after hearing he wasn’t alone at the Starbucks made me think of all kinds of horrible scenarios. I just had to double check… Make sure she hadn’t completely gotten to him yet.
He was taking notes feverishly. I was puzzled over what, in the short time he had in this new existence, would compel him to research something so frantically. I made a mental note to myself to figure out what books he was looking at. I pretended to be looking for something in the stack of art books as I tried to come up with my exit plan. I got my Athen fix and he was alone, which made me feel a million times better. That’s all I needed for now.
As I did my best to pretend to be interested in the stack of books, I accidentally knocked the top book off the pile. As it was about to crash to the floor, I caught it but not before causing enough of a commotion to get a group of guys to look over at me from the table across from Athen. One of them winked at me, which made me cringe. In normal circumstances, he was probably good looking. However, nobody compared to Athen. Other guys were on the verge of being repulsive.
Before I knew what was happening I felt a singeing pain coming from behind me. I quickly spun around to see Athen staring right at me. Our eyes locked. I opened my mouth to speak, nothing would come out. It was like the first time I saw him at the Pub in Whistler.
Concern washed over his face, his body became rigid, his eyes distant. I couldn’t understand why. Was I seeing recognition or fear in his eyes? He quickly grabbed his coat and notebook, giving me one last look and darted out before I could say anything, leaving a pile of books in his wake.
I knew what I did was wrong. I never should have come to get a glimpse of Athen. I had to be reminded of his presence. I couldn’t stay away. The wait had been excruciating, and I wanted to make sure he was okay. Thanks to my clumsiness, I wasn’t sure if he was now. I found my way quickly over to the table where he was sitting to see what he was researching. As I got closer to the table, my hands began to shake. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, maybe historical or technical books or how about comics? There were seven books laid out all over the table, some open and others in tidy piles. My gut became snarled as I approached the first book he left open. I recognized it instantly.
The book was a dictionary on Angels and Demons. The same one we had in our collection back in Whistler.
Chills began at the base of my spine running quickly through the rest of my body. Why would he be interested in this topic? I began quickly shuffling through all of the books. Every one of them was on either one or the other subject. I had no idea what this meant. I also recognized that the only people who would know what this signifies would be infuriated that I was even at the library - let alone making eye contact with him, but I needed to tell them everything. The industrial, dull metal clock on the wall was ticking away my fate as my insides twisted with fear at the prospect of having to come clean with Arie and Cyril. A sigh escaped as I headed out the way I came in; only this time, there wasn’t excitement building - just fear and disappointment.
I hoped I hadn’t screwed everything up. What if I now had to wait decades because I was foolish and let my emotions take over? I shivered at the thought of being alone without Athen’s comfort all because of a single clumsy mistake I made. I suddenly realized I was beginning to fall into Athen’s footsteps. This was how he lost me for all those years. He let his emotions take over, something I swore I’d never do. I reached the double metal doors leading out to the parking lot, swinging them open only to notice a guy pulling out of the parking lot on a Ducati Diavel. The very bike Athen had been talking about getting before he was taken away from us. The familiar pull began again. It was Athen riding away, completely drenched in black riding gear. His worlds were juxtaposing. I was pretty certain this wasn’t typical. I had to figure out why.
***
I heard Arie and Cyril talking in the kitchen and followed the trail of fresh-baked cookies. I knew what I was about to tell them would destroy the pleasant night that Arie had been hoping to create before our big day of training. With every step closer to the kitchen, I gained the courage I needed to fill them in on my afternoon’s activities. I knew I’d disappoint them greatly with what I was about to tell them. However, I was pretty sure they couldn’t make me feel any worse than I already did. I might have destroyed my one chance to get Athen back in a decent amount of time, and I needed their help in figuring out what to do to fix my mess. I was the one who would have to live with the anguish every second of every day if this didn’t go right.
“Hey,” I hollered from the hallway, “I’ve got some news.” I tried my best to sound normal which was impossible around my kind if the intentions weren’t pure. We always knew.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Arie came running to me, grabbing my hand.
My heart sunk knowing what I was about to tell them could change our fate.
“I saw Athen - on purpose.” I looked at Arie, watching her face fall as the words sunk in. Watching her eyes search the room for Cyril to support her told me what I already knew. They looked at each other. Arie dropped my hand.
“Why would you do that? We had everything planned out. Tomorrow was the day to start training. I don’t understand why you would go seek him out knowing what happened when Athen interfered too early with you.” Arie began walking aimlessly to the sitting room with Cyril following quickly behind her. I could feel the tears beginning to overflow down my cheek when I heard Arie’s muffled cries into Cyril’s shoulder. I felt absolutely sick for what I had done. It was so selfish of me. I wasn’t the only one who cared for Athen, and my actions could affect us all. I dropped my bag in the hall before moving into the sitting room.
“I’m so sorry. I honestly never thought I’d be in this situation. I had prided myself on my strength, the lessons learned from Athen’s mistakes, but something came over me that I never expected. I went out for a walk, and then it was like his force was pulling me. I thought if I caught a glimpse, it would satisfy my craving for him. It did…until I made a commotion, and he glanced at me. I honestly never thought this would happen. I never intended for him to see me.”
Arie looked up at me, her face streaked in tears. She shook her head as if to tell me she understood, but I knew no one could understand unless they were in this situation.
Cyril began, “So tell me, what went on, every step; maybe we can still salvage this.”
I nodded, taking a deep breath in, hoping to regain my composure. I sat back on the couch, grabbing one of the velvet pillows in hopes that it would provide me with comfort. It did nothing of the sort. Cyril reached over to the lamp next to him and switched it on. I was mentally prepared for my interrogation. It was my fault, after all.
“He was at the library. I could sense him. I had been walking around, trying to get a feel for Victoria. Then I felt this sense of loneliness and overwhelming concern wash over me. Images of Athen wouldn’t stop rushing through me. I got so scared that the serpent woman was with him, or that something was happening that would screw up my chances. Before I knew it, I was following a path to the library.”
“Did you know at that point you were going to go in and try to find him?” Arie asked trying to gauge when my emotional side began overruling common sense.
“No, I had no intention of the sort. I sat outside the library trying to get clear images of what was going through him and sense what he was feeling. That’s when I first started feeling the ultimate depths of despair wash over me. I knew they were coming from him along with a trace of confusion. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he would be feeling that, especially in a library. I never experienced feelings that drastic when I was in his shoes. I had occasional lonely fits but nothing this extreme. I don’t know. I began feeling this intense pull like I had that first night in the pub. I couldn’t resist. I don�
��t know what came over me. I’m more sorry than you know for any damage it could have caused. All it did was leave me wanting more.”
“I know, sweetie. It just took me by surprise. You had been so in control up until now,” Arie took a deep sigh and patted Cyril’s hand, “So what now?”
Cyril shook his head.
“Well, there’s more.” I looked at them for a sign that now was the time to continue. They both nodded.
“After sitting outside several minutes, I realized I couldn’t shake the feelings so I thought I should go in and do a quick check on him and then dart out. I could sense him immediately once I was inside. I went to the large area where mostly students were located, and even though he should have blended in, he didn’t. That’s where I saw him sitting at a table all by himself. On a side note, I do admit I was thankful for that... him being alone and all. There were tons of books spread out all over the table. He was taking notes frantically. I was intrigued to find out what would have struck a chord with him so quickly since he phased into this new false life. I made my way closer to see if I could catch a glimpse. That’s when I caused the issue that screwed up everything. My clumsiness resurfaced a bit.”
Arie rolled her eyes, making me cringe.
“So did he notice you up to that point?” Cyril asked.
“No,” I sighed, “I managed to get quite close to him. I had played as if I was searching for something. He didn’t seem to notice me at all, until I knocked a book off the shelf. I was able to catch it but caused enough of a stir that a group of students looked at me and, in turn, so did Athen.” I was becoming angrier with myself by the moment as I was reliving these events.
Legions Page 3