The teacher had called on me occasionally during the class for my participation, . I looked at her dumbly, then looked at the ground. I wished to be left alone, I didn’t want to interact with anyone. It pained me to withdraw into myself. Lunch time came and I held Nate’s hand as he led me to the cafeteria. I smiled when spoken to and nodded my head at the right intervals. I even spoke a few words. My heart wasn’t in to it today, I just wanted to go home.
“Indy.”
“Hey, Ness.”
“I have my last session today, did you want to come with me and celebrate afterwards?”
This was wonderful news—Nessa was finally going to be able to move forward and get on with her life, I was very happy. Not so happy that I wouldn’t be here to celebrate with her. I didn’t want to lie about leaving, but I had no other option available to me.
“Oh, dammit, Nessa, we’ve already made plans, I’m so sorry.” The guilt flayed the left side of my heart, only leaving intact the section that I held secure for Nate, the very small section I was still cautious about giving out.
“That’s okay, we can do something on the weekend,” smiled Nessa.
I officially hated myself, the lies and deception I’ve told since I arrived started to creep back all at once, my own voice haunted me, the constant reminder of the horrible friend I’ve been.
When the last period of school finished, it was me who did the dragging. I wanted to go home, I was sitting in the passenger’s seat, waiting for Connor to say his goodbyes for the day. Little did Connor know that this mess was going to be over very soon. This time tomorrow, he would be free both of us and the drama we had made his life for the last few weeks. That thought lifted my spirit. I should have been concentrating on that feeling all day.
Nate parked the car in the driveway and I ran inside, trying to ignore the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. Of course Max would be preparing a banquet tonight, a lovely way to say our goodbyes to Connor. I pushed myself forward and went up the stairs. I threw on my gym clothes and came back down the stairs to approach Nate.
“It’s sparring time, I need a distraction,” I informed him.
“Sounds good, I’ll be out in a second!”
Nate ran into his room. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him pull his shirt off and put on a tank top. He wasn’t too fast that I didn’t get a good look at his ripped abs. Oh, my legs felt a little weak at the sight. I mentally slapped myself, I had to snap back to reality or I would be distracted as we sparred.
We stood in our natural fighting stance and I waited for him to attack. Nate was doing to same thing as me, one of us had to break this moment. I jumped up into the air and landed a spinning roundhouse right into his block—damn, I had been close. Nate threw me off and waited for me to attack again, this time I didn’t try any fancy kicks, only jabs and punches. A few of my punches got through his block but only because I was being a crazy fighting machine. I would wear us both out at this rate. It didn’t take long and I was huffing, clutching my sides in the same place a horrible stitch had decided to camp.
I looked up at Nate. He was standing there, not fazed. I straightened up and stepped closer, his breathing hadn’t even changed. I motioned with my hand for him to attack me, he made no incoming moves. What the holy hell? He must be kidding me, he’d gone soft on me.
“Why are you not fighting me?” I yelled.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Nate had confirmed my suspicions.
“It’s called sparring, Nate. I’ve given you three good bruises to the left side of your jaw. By the way, that’s a weak spot for you.”
“I’m happy to block while you attack,” replied Nate.
“But I need to be better at defense, that part’s obvious from my last encounter with that psycho bitch.”
“I can’t stand to see black eyes or cuts on your face that I’ve caused.”
“Then this is a pointless exercise.” I turned around to walk back inside.
“Indy, stop. I’ll attack but I won’t aim any punches or kicks at your face, those are my terms.”
Hmm. I had to think about this. It wasn’t going to be a proper fight, as most punches aimed at the face do the most damage, but I had to take what I could get.
“That’s good enough, let’s start.”
Until the sun went down, I concentrated on defending myself. I pushed Nate to hit me harder and not consider me an object he could easily break. The last twenty minutes I called no rules and we both tried to gain any advantage we could. I threw punch after punch into his weak spot. My fighting was relentless, I showed him no mercy.
I was going to try and kick him one last time—it was a favorite move of mine. I wound myself up and measured the distance. I jumped up into the air, flying through nothingness; I had caught him off guard. He wouldn’t have enough time to recover from his previous move. My foot was inches from landing on his jaw. His hand came up from behind me and twisted me around, my leg had somehow wrapped around him, my back leaned into his chest. He held me very close, I could feel sharp intakes of air on my neck, his breathing slowed and his lips caressed my neck, nuzzling sensitive skin. My fighting mood had disappeared, bringing forth a new exhilarating emotion, my body tingled in new areas. Nate’s hand rubbed the inner part of my thigh. I gave up control in my neck and rocked it back to allow him more flesh to kiss. I could feel his manhood getting harder against my back. Not realizing what I was doing, I moved my back against his lower regions, massaging him. I didn’t know it, but my feeling of desire woke up some inner sensuality and it spoke in ways I didn’t know possible.
I turned around to face Nate. His hands moved to hold my bum. I was on my tip-toes and kissed his lips. Opening up my mouth, I could feel his tongue centimetres from mine, did I dare push the boundaries further? I slowly slid in my tongue. I caught Nate off guard as his tongue touched mine, the nerve endings exploded. This feeling was pure ecstasy. I pulled Nate as close to me as possible—I needed to get more of him.
A cold spray of water started on my back, which intensified to an icy cold hosing down. I screamed and pulled myself from Nate. Two loud chuckles came from behind me.
“You kids are in public, you know, that intense PDA should be reserved for the bedroom,” protested Max. He wasn’t impressed by our little show. I hadn’t realised they would be able to see. It had gotten dark outside very quickly. We both went inside; I had to go up to my room to change.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Nate
I sat at the kitchen bar with a dumb smile on my face. I didn't know what had possessed me to pull Indy close and kiss her neck in that sensual mood. The scene had unfolded with a mind of its own, filled with impure intentions. I had ignored the smart, rational voices which protested against that sort of behavior in public, only ’cause it felt so darn good. Max was still shaking his head at me, not happy that I had taken that tiny step forward with Indy.
“Oh, you’re one lucky guy,” stated Connor.
I just don’t understand this boy. This morning he was annoyed she had slept in my bed but now he was cheering for me.
A few weeks ago before the attack, he would have been reaching for the meat cleaver. Now Connor had developed a healthy respect for me and the feeling I harbored for Indy. If Indy and I got through this somehow, I would suggest coming back to check in on Connor. He knew our secret, so the time factor was irrelevant.
Indy came down the stairs, making eye contact with me, and smiled while sitting next to me. My hand trembled on my lap, wanting to move to caress her thigh. I fought against myself. I didn't know if I would be able to stop there, or if impulse would take over and I would need to go have a cold shower.
“We’re sitting at the dinner table tonight, kids,” said Max.
“What’s the special occasion?” said Connor.
I continued to look at the food cooking, I couldn't look at him, my face would give away something. Indy was an excellent liar, not me.
“No occasion
. I cooked up lots of food and it’ll take up the kitchen counter leaving no room to eat.” Turned out Max was good at lying, too.
We were all lying to Connor, some of us better than others. We sat down to eat our last dinner together.
We all waited with greedy eyes as Max performed the finishing touches to each dish. I’m going to sleep well tonight with my full belly. It really got me thinking about these angels, they were alive for hundreds of years, what had they learned in all that time?
“So, Max, you’re a pretty good cook, are there any other hidden talents?”
Max placed his cutlery down on the table and wiped his mouth with his serviette before answering.
“I’m a dancer of all styles, particularly ballet, and I had a famous artist friend who taught me to paint. Cooking isn’t really a talent of mine. I mostly use recipes and incorporate the old styles and flavors, but I cook from the simplest forms and not the pre-made ingredients readily available these days.”
“How did I never know you painted? What’s your preferred style?”
Max blushed a raging fire truck red and he squirmed slightly in his chair. I had him embarrassed. Indy, on the other hand, was laughing so hard food was spraying from her mouth. It was very funny but not very ladylike. Indy tried to compose herself to speak.
“Max, why are you ashamed of what you enjoy to paint? I’ve seen your talents and its amazing.”
“This isn’t a conversation to be having at dinner. Sorry, Nate. I paint real life people—particularly sex.”
Oh, I understood now. It was time to change the conversation.
“Indy ,do you have any hidden talents?”
All eyes were now on Indy. I was very curious to learn if she had done anything other than punish men since she had fallen.
“No, not really.”
I was a little disappointed that her cause had taken over her entire life. Had she ever had fun apart from the exhilaration she got from giving an ass kicking?
“You should meet my brother AJ—he’s the definition of talent and one of the best angels who has walked this earth.”
“Agreed,” replied Max.
Indy turned towards Max. “I didn’t realize you’ve met him in this life time.”
The embarrassment which displayed over Max’s face disappeared and was replaced by unmistakable awe.
“I have met him on many occasions. His quest to find Sariel never faltered, his love for her is the ultimate Romeo and Juliet story. His legend is weaved into many myths and legends all over the world,” replied Max.
Wow, this was the guy that Indy always referred to as her brother? He sounded like an amazing angel. I wondered what his special gift was.
“I can see you thinking, Nate. AJ is commonly known as Isfrael, the angel of music. His gifts go beyond what the human ear can hear though, and a lot more complicated. His girlfriend is Sariel, or as she likes to call herself, Nardia.”
I knew that name very well, it had been grained into me since I was a child. This Nardia was one angel that my bosses wished was dead, but she was still protected very closely by an angel and was one of God’s favorites. Many times she had been referred to as a representation of the walking holy spirit.
“I knew of Nardia. My bosses want to her dead, but don’t worry… it’s impossible as she is protected by some angel guide who masks her signature.”
Indy dropped her knife and fork loudly, making a clanging noise. Her stare was murderous. Oh shit, I had upset her badly.
“Why didn’t you mention this earlier? What other secrets are you hiding from us?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Nothing. They won’t harm Nardia—not unless she walks away from God, and I’m sure after what I’ve heard about her that it will never happen.”
“No, but there are other ways to hurt her, like go after AJ.”
We ate in silence after that discussion. I didn’t think it was an issue but Indy felt that I was keeping things from her.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Indy
This was the day I been dreading, it had come very fast and would end far too soon. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, praying I was doing to right thing. Leaving these friends I had made and taking Bernie on a wild goose chase elsewhere had to be the right answer.
These kinds of goodbyes were not ideal and left so much up in the air. What was everyone going to think of us? I could imagine they would think we had run off to get married in some exotic destination or that I was knocked up.
Nate had presented a tragic idea to end our time here and I didn’t feel it was necessary and wouldn’t fool Bernie for a second. Car accidents happened all the time, Nate wanted to stage one where the car became an inferno of flames. I wanted to save my friends from this kind of anguish and was going to message Connor when we were on the road to tell the others that Nate’s aunt had become worse and that I was going with him this time for moral support. As time passed, we would become a memory, one better off forgotten.
I walked down the stairs for the last time, purposely stepping on each crack to fuse the whole experience into my mind. Max had nothing out for breakfast today, he was busy packing and was scheduled to complete the last few tasks just after we left for school. I grabbed a piece of multi-grain bread and placed it into the toaster, the boys had just gotten up. When they saw me making my own breakfast, they both groaned in unison.
I had gotten over my hissy-fit towards Nate last night, I couldn’t afford to hold grudges today, we had to be a team.
“Max isn’t feeling very well,” I told Connor.
“Back to my Pop-Tarts then,” said Connor.
Nate didn’t really care about breakfast. He went over to the fridge, grabbed an egg, and cracked it into a cup. He added other ingredients. I was expecting him to fry it up; instead Nate grabbed the cup and drank down the entire mixture.
“That is seriously sick,” I protested.
Nate didn’t seem bothered by my disgust, it was an excellent distraction from everything else going on in my head, though. I had to give him brownie points for that.
I stood around looking at the memories I had created over the last year. There were some wonderful times, and moments that would stay with me forever. Nate came up next to me and whispered, “Are you packed?”
“Yes, I am. You?”
“I didn’t come with much, so it was easy for me.”
“My box is up in my bedroom on my bed. It will be easy for Max to grab and drop it into the car while we’re at school.”
“Let’s get this over with,” said Nate.
I felt the exact same way. Connor was waiting for us outside the front door. We joined him and made our way to the car. I made mindless conversation on the way to school, anything to help me get my mind off today would be perfect. Today Nate had to park down the road, our car space was taken, but this would make the plan flow even better.
When we arrived, everyone was in the same positions as yesterday, the tense mood was still present, and sly dirty looks were flowing rampant. One thing had changed; Nessa wasn’t at school today. It wasn’t like her to miss a day.
“Hey, how is everyone?”
“I’m great. I hooked up with some college guy last night. He knew what he was doing, unlike some other people,” said Corrina with a new confidence.
I wish I hadn’t asked. This comment not only made Mark uncomfortable, but for some reason, Casey also. Bernie made no appearances this morning, which I was very glad about. I didn’t need her here complicating things more.
The bell rang and we filed inside the same way, went to our classes, and continued the same old boring routine, a routine I would love to continue. My mobile phone had been ringing through the day. I had ignored it; I had to stay focused on today’s plans. I anxiously waited for the bell to signal the end of third period. This was the cue that Nate and I had decided upon.
Ding, ding, ding; it’s all over, red rover.
When we reached the c
ar I froze. I couldn’t move my arms or legs, my heart was beating so hard, I had skipped the adrenalin train. My blood was becoming thickly bitter not being able to move my limbs. My whole body became susceptible to falling apart, even with Nate by my side, terror had seized me.
“Look what we have here, the loving little couple,” snarled Bernie.
Bernie stood in front of us with her hands on her hips, glaring death adders in our direction.
“What do you want?” demanded Nate.
“I want her—you don’t interest me, Nate.”
Nate moved in front of me, using his body as a shield. I knew he was as scared as I was but was pushing through his fear for me.
“You’re not going to get her.”
“Do you think you have a chance to stop me? I thought she would be the better fighter; I never expected you to be, and I can knock you out before she even realizes it.”
“You’re not having her.”
“Well, we have a problem, then.”
Bernie flew through the air and aimed for Nate’s weak spot. Luckily we had worked on that last night otherwise he’d be lying on the ground at this exact moment. My stupid phone in my pocket started to ring again. I wasn’t able to move, so answering the call wasn’t an option.
Bernie violently attacked Nate, every strike she aimed at him counted, she was a skillful fighter and her style was remarkable. Nate was talented in his own right, dodging or blocking most of her attacks. If I could only move my body towards the fight and contribute, this outcome might end up being a hell of a lot better.
Bernie was using her speed to throw punch after punch at Nate’s face, mere micro-seconds between each punch made it difficult to up keep with the fight. I think each one was being successfully deflected. Bernie backed away slightly to change her fighting style, her freestyle movements were fluid and very natural, Nate continued to keep up. I could see this was annoying her, hopefully it would give him that extra edge to pull through.
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