Heavenly Hunted

by Aria Williams

  While the girls went shopping, Connor suggested that Mark, Brandon, and himself go eat an early dinner at a burger joint before the big game started. My invite was more of an afterthought, he had aimed to exclude me but then I think he felt sorry for me. I couldn’t blame him for not inviting me as his presence was becoming hard to tolerate. We lived together then went to school together and had the same friends. We needed a break.

  The girls were waiting for Indy when we finished school. She was only just walking out the front door of the school now.

  I walked over and matched her pace. I stood as close as I dared. “I just want you to be careful,” I pleaded

  “I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “Indy…” I gently grabbed her arm. I needed her to see I wasn’t being nasty.

  Indy looked up at me. “I’m only getting a dress.” Her tone was thoughtful.

  We had approached her ride. I stepped aside, letting her go. I watched as they drove off. I hoped I didn’t regret this; the humiliation of being teased by the boys or them thinking I was being all romantic was worth saving her life.

  The boys were waiting for me to get a move on. I slid in next to Brandon and Mark. Brandon was discussing his plans for grad night. He wanted to throw a big party. His parents had given him the green light but with strict instructions; it had to be held inside the shed and no one was to venture into the house and strictly no underage drinking without parents’ permission.

  This would be one of the first parties I had even been to, I wasn’t allowed to go to any as I grew up. The thought of throwing a party while my father was away terrified me. I would have suffered some harsh punishment—most likely to hit the punching bag with no gloves on till I had worn down the skin on my knuckles or 100 lashings.

  Thinking back to this time of my life, it seemed as if I was a different person watching the events of someone else’s life. It wasn’t too long ago but seemed part of another lifetime. The memories seemed real, my emotions felt relevant to the time, but my heart had been altered since then, it was like an alternate reality.

  Before Indy came into my life I was emotionless and selfish, now I cared about those around me and wanted to make the world safer. I planned on forgetting those memories, I didn’t want to stain the new ones.

  The smell of food brought me back to the present. We got the last table available at the shop, everyone else in town seemed to be here tonight. I ordered the biggest, fattest burger they had. I planned to continue the sparring after the football match and would need the carbs to maintain my energy.

  We waited a good half hour to get our food. Mine was gone in four large mouthfuls. There was nothing more satisfying than a runny egg yolk bleeding through a fat, juicy prime rib steak with a lean piece of bacon sandwiched between Swiss and cheddar cheese. I had never been to this shop before and couldn’t believe it wasn’t not well-known. The four of us were finished eating. Brandon and Mark had other plans, so they went their own ways.

  We decided to cut across the park. We had plenty of time to waste but the clouds were running a lovely shade of purple, an impending storm was on it way. We wanted to beat this home, a healthy rumbling came from above and small streaks of lightning lit up the purple hues.

  A loud roar sounded. At the same time, a large object crashed into Connor. He fell into a heap and grunted loudly. It had all happened so fast and my eyes were still adjusting to the person pulling her fist back in an attempt to punch Connor in the head. Oh my God, it was the girl I had been chasing the other night.

  I threw myself in and flung her from Connor. Like a cat, she landed into a perfect crouch ready to attack. She no longer had Connor on her radar. I was her main target.

  I had to get him home. Facing towards Bernie, I yelled to Connor, “Get home and lock the door. Make sure Max is safe.”

  I knew he wouldn’t have a chance fighting Bernie if she got through me. I had to hope she didn’t want to alert the police to her existence.

  “And call the police if Bernie tries to get in.”

  As soon as I finished talking, Connor was off. It wouldn’t take him long to get home—he was a fast runner.

  I turned my full attention back to the threat.

  “I can see this girl has you whipped. Your father is so disappointed in you, Nathaniel”.

  “Do I seem to care at the moment? Indy isn’t a demon. He was misinformed.”

  “And she isn’t too innocent, either. You can sense what she will become. Hell, I can smell it hanging off her.”

  So I wasn’t the only one aware of this change; it must be an infinitus trait to sense signatures.

  “I won’t let her,” I protested loudly, mostly to convince myself.

  Bernie let out a laugh. The thunder sounded again… fine rain filled the meters between us. She broke the distance as she advanced toward me. Her face was void of expression, her movements were catlike, she projected nothing but animosity. “You can’t stop her, it is inevitable.”

  “You’ll have to go through me.”

  I stepped back as a fist flew towards at my face, the impact barely brushed my cheek but the force she used opened up the flesh around my forehead. I’m so happy she didn’t successfully land that punch where it was intended. My face would be full of crushed bones by now. I couldn’t afford for her to hit me again—I needed to decide if I was playing offensive or defensive. I pulled my block back in closely and placed my feet apart, bending my knees. I rocked back to center my weight, waiting…

  I was watching the tiny flinches in her muscles before she decided to throw a series of punches aimed, not just at my head, but my stomach and kidneys. Jumping a foot into the air, thrusting a swift front kick under my chin and knocking me backwards, I hadn’t seen this coming.

  “I’m coming for her and if you stand in the way, I’ll take you down.”

  She was fast. I had to jump up and waste no time in preparing myself again. I couldn’t stay here a second longer. I didn’t want to be subjected to an attack while I lay here. Gaining my bearings after that blow, I found no opponent staring back at me. As fast as she appeared, vanishing defined Bernie.

  I had no time to contemplate where she had gone, I needed to get home. Connor and Max were defenseless. I didn’t know how I would fare against her if she had gotten into the house, but I had to hope Indy was home by now. Two against one was much better odds.

  I ran with an insane speed; adrenalin scoured through my muscles, burning like acid, fueling the hurricane building inside me. Images of Connor and Max’s disassembled bodies filled my thoughts; these innocents shouldn’t be mixed up in this mess. I respected everything that Connor represented as a loyal friend to Indy and I would never wish harm upon him. I knew if this boy was ever hurt, that would be the catalyst which would engulf Indy into a shroud of blackness. She would be lost forever. I would then be forced to make some decisions that would sit very uncomfortably on my soul forever. Kill the girl I admired or even loved or … well, the other choice would definitely land me in hell.

  I was still huffing when I reached Indy’s house. Connor had done exactly as I had said and went straight home and locked the doors.

  When he opened the door, I was still trying to gain my breath. My chest felt heavy and dry inside and each inspiration made my chest feel like it was going to leap from my body. I leaned over and clutched my sides, the stitch was still present and hurt like hell.

  Bernie was remarkable; the last words she spoke will surely haunt me tonight. ‘I’m coming for her and if you stand in the way, I’ll take you down.’

  I was starting to think Indy going off this afternoon was a good idea, but I would feel much better if she was home by now. I finally felt like I could stand upright. Connor shoved a glass of water in front of me. I downed the water without a breath.

  “That was her, wasn’t it?” asked Connor.

  I thought this question was a bit silly—obviously it was her.

  “Yes.” I was still panting loudly.r />
  “She wasn’t what I expected at all.”

  “Indy wasn’t what I had expected… I think we have to expect that… from now on.” I paused while trying to gain my breath.

  “Now what do we do?”

  “We wait for Indy.” Connor had assumed that I was in charge and looked to me for advice.

  Connor nodded and sat on the lounge; he was a little stunned. I think the situation had sunk in. This had become a dangerous situation and Bernie didn’t care who was in the way. She would do anything to finish the mission.

  We both sat on the lounge staring at the TV, not really watching it. I could see that Connor was worried about Indy’s safety and to be honest, so was I. Max joined us and we sat in silence. The room became very depressing without Indy giving it that little spark of life.

  We had expected Indy to come home anytime from 5:30 onwards; the hands on the clock were now approaching 7:30 p.m. I had a small amount of sweat forming above my brows, I was getting anxious. Bernie might have found her. Connor had rung her mobile a few times and no one had picked up.

  I paced the room very fast. I had left the front door open. I didn’t know if it was the right thing to do or not, and with every small noise, I checked for the cause. Connor sat with his head in his hands; he wasn’t speaking or moving. Max was fluttering around making cups of tea and patting our backs, trying to inject some comfort. I had to resist shoving him away. He read my body language and left me alone.

  My nose started to twitch slowly. I could smell something in the air and it wasn’t pleasant. The smell was irritating and started to tickle my nostrils, making me want to blow my nose. The closer the smell got, the worse it became and the smell of roses was faint, very faint.

  I stood in front of the door, anger filling every available space in my body, my adrenalin was in full killing mode. I took three deep breaths as Indy casually skipped in the door with her dress. I couldn’t keep my anger buried inside. “Where the hell have you been? Don’t even try to deny what you were up to tonight—I can smell it on you.”

  “Chill out, Nate, I didn’t kill anyone,” joked Indy.

  Connor stood next to me; tonight we were joined by a common cause.

  “I thought you might be hurt or dead; the horrible things that went through my mind—and you were doing that thing you do.” Connor shook his head and walked to his room, slamming the door. The whole wall shook with the force; it was an act of honest annoyance and spoke volumes.

  Indy looked shocked and a little hurt. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone, I just needed to let off some steam.”

  “Well, while you were off avenging women’s rights, I had a little run-in with Bernie. She thought Connor was me and attacked him. Luckily, I pushed him out of the way and took the brunt of the attack.”

  Shock exploded through Indy . “Oh my god—oh no. Is he okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, he’s fine.” My hair had fallen over my face ages ago and my depressed mood liked it there. I flipped my hair back out of my eyes.

  A loud gasp erupted from Indy. She reached towards my face, playing with my eyebrow.

  “Are you okay? That looks bad.”

  “What?” I had no idea what she was talking about.

  “You have a cut on your eyebrow—it’s pretty long and deep.”

  Her hand was still hovering; she led me over to the kitchen. She picked up a damp cloth and started dabbing at the area before I could protest. She had me mesmerized. I stared into her beautiful golden eyes as she cared for my injury. Her touch was feather soft, I hardly felt it. Her face was so close to mine, I ached to inch closer and kiss her lips.

  Indy’s eyes slowly moved to mine, she searched my soul for what seemed like eternity. I had to make a move. I slowly moved my hand to the side of her jaw and caressed her milky skin. As each second passed, the distance lessened. Our foreheads were now touching.

  “Indy, we need to have a chat,” said Max.

  He rounded the corner and found us in our intimate pose. He turned away. I knew the spell was over now.

  “Maybe another time.” I didn’t know if it was the right thing to say to Indy, after I said it and now I felt stupid.

  Indy looked away. She shoved me hard against the kitchen bench. “Nice try, bucko. I still hate you.”

  I didn’t believe those words anymore; especially with the cheeky grin she had on her face. She chased after Max.

  I needed to shower, I had built up a swamp of sweat hours ago from fighting Bernie and hadn’t changed my clothes since then. I was surprised my stench hadn’t scared her off.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Indy

  The TV volume was turned down as low as I could get it but still allowed me to hear it. I had trouble sleeping after hearing Connor and Nate facing Bernie last night. A normal person wouldn’t have woken, but Nate was coming out of his room now. He looked very sleepy and half stumbled to the lounge to sit next to me. I’m sure if there was an immediate threat he would be awake within milliseconds.

  “What are you doing, Indy?”

  I could see the temptation for Nate to rearrange his junk was intense, his hand hovered over the area. Why did men always wake up with morning wood?

  “I couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” I replied

  “I couldn’t imagine why not in that bed of yours,”

  My eyes were looking at his package now. It wasn’t good.

  “Got some things on your mind?” Nate Asked.

  Yes, your penis is what’s on my mind at this very second. I wanted to go back to my room, but what’s the point if I couldn’t sleep?

  “Bernie.” Nate confirmed my earlier thoughts.

  I forced myself to look in his face. Nate pushed his hair back, the cut was now only an abrasion and would be gone by tomorrow. He had seen me looking at it.

  “You know how worried I am, we need to make some changes and keep everyone else safe. It’s not just about you, anymore. Please don’t take that the wrong way, but Connor could have been killed.” Nate looked into my eyes; I could feel he was a little apprehensive about his words, worried I would lose it.

  My guilt tripled. Nate was truly concerned about the others around us and I believed he would now risk his own life for us all. He was selfless, putting all his personal issues aside and doing the right thing. He was a real hero who didn’t act for his own personal gain.

  I sat and watched the TV, not paying Nate any attention. He did the same with me; we weren’t ignoring each other, just enjoying the peace and quiet till the rest of the house woke.

  I disagreed with Nate; I didn’t need to be looked after, he had gotten away from Bernie and I was by far a better fighter than him. This is how I gauged my enemy upon who had won the previous fights. She may be great at watching her target from afar but was this where her skills ended? And why had she not attacked me? There were plenty of chances, especially before Nate came back. My assumption of her cowardice stroked my ego. Yes, I did have tickets on myself, the most expensive ones money could buy. In all fairness, I’ve lived hundreds of years, every so often I came against a man who had more strength than he was meant to have, but they never had nothing on me.

  Max was up nice and early and was fluttering around in the kitchen. I had explained to him numerous times that he didn’t need to cook three meals a day. The boys didn’t need to eat a big breakfast every day.

  I wish I was still in bed. If bad dreams didn’t plague me as my eyelids closed, I would be fast asleep, most likely pressing the boundaries with my alarm, leaving it till the last minute to get up. The morning was going fast, I was dreading the moment when we were to arrive at school. I thought I would have found more enjoyment in school, after Hopwood had been dragged away by the police. This hadn’t been the case, now thinking about it more, school wasn’t the problem, life was. With one drama ending, another unfolded. I thought I would find more enjoyment when Hopwood was taken away, but that never happened.

  Nonetheless, I looked forward to
the time when school would be over for a few years. I could find more entertaining ways to spend my spare time. I’d like to visit a country like Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates; the women weren’t treated fairly in those countries.

  The latest stories circulating from Dubai were the unfair imprisonment of young girls who were being tricked into drinking on foreign soil. It’s an offense for any women to drink alcohol in those countries and when they meet these exotic strangers and are offered cocktails in hotel rooms, these come with the presumption of sex to follow, if they say no, the appropriate authorities are called straight away. Sometimes a jail sentence of six months is given, sometimes much more, especially if drugs are planted in the ladies’ handbags.

  Then there are the women who report rape. These poor ladies are subjected to public displays of cruel humiliation and then end up going to trial themselves based on reports thrown back into their faces.

  Oh, I just couldn’t wait.

  I was dressed and waiting for Connor to finish his last mouthful of French toast; he wasn’t spoiled too much. Max gave him real special treatment, but I didn't think Connor swung both ways.

  Nate was cuddling Lucky outside, waiting for the time to go. Grabbing the last piece, Connor stood and yelled out, “We’re out.”

  The walk took no time and I saw our friends from afar, their heads were bobbing all over the place, and their mouths working overtime, from here they were in a wild conversation. The moment we came into view, they all looked at us. Sneaky whispers followed, then silence as I sat down. Nate sat on the other side of me, close but not invading my space. This gained a few more looks. No one spoke a word, the atmosphere became very strained and awkward .

  Nate looked at me strangely. He had no idea what was going on. Someone had snitched to the boys and now they all thought I had cheated on Nate. Heat radiated from my face, I was about to erupt with anger. I wanted to demand answers from those who had opened their big mouths. Nate would hear about this before the day was over and I would be labelled a slut by his mates. The first bell rang. Mark, Nate and myself headed to our first class for the day. Mark pretended I wasn't there. Every time Nate tried to bring me into the conversation, I was given a look of disgust. Nate dropped my involvement and continued to chat to Mark. At morning tea it became worse. I was the subject of glares filled with hatred and scathing backhanded comments. I pretended to know nothing and went on with my day till I could ask Nessa who had snitched me out. Lunch time came around and nothing had changed, I was becoming short of patience.