by Mia Castile
Chapter 18
The next day I took my literature final exam and was surprised at how easily the ideas flowed. I was one of the first people to finish the test. I breezed through the day while other kids were stressing out. I’d found my peace. When the day was over and I came out the front doors of the school, Zeke was there leaning against his car. He met me halfway as he took my hand and we walked back to his car. I felt like everyone was watching us. Whether they were or not, I didn’t know. I felt blessed to have him. He drove me to work, but it was too short a drive. I wanted to be with him longer. After he parked, he sighed and leaned his head back. He didn’t say anything; he just stared vacantly out the windshield. I sat quietly. I knew I only had a few minutes before my shift began, but I wasn’t ready to leave his side.
“What are you thinking right now?” I asked after a moment of silence.
“I’m hoping that the evening flies by so that I can see those beautiful eyes again.” He turned his head to face me.
“You shouldn’t say things like that to me,” I sighed and looked away from him.
“You asked. I told you the truth.”
“Maybe you should have lied. I would feel better.”
“You’d feel better if I said I was worried about a test or thinking about a show I wanted to watch when I got home instead of that I will be worried about not having you in my sight, or watching the clock until I can come back to pick you up?” He brushed the hair from my shoulder and softly traced my neck with his thumb.
“I think you have this image of me or an impression that I’m a lot more that what I actually am. I’ve NEVER had a boyfriend; I don’t know how to react when you say things like that, so yes, I would prefer if you would lie to me.” I looked away.
“I’m glad you’ve never had a boyfriend. Then you can’t compare me to anyone, and my shortcomings don’t stand out in your mind.” He let his hand fall to the gear shift.
“You don’t have shortcomings. You are everything that I’ve dreamed about, literally,” I said.
“And you are every image and impression that I believe you could be. You are better than my imagination. Don’t ever doubt yourself, Ellie Solomon.” He looked at the clock on his radio. “You will be late, and I’ll be here when you get off.” He reached for my hand and kissed each finger between my knuckles. I brushed my hand against his cheek and smiled goodbye. I got out of the car and went into the bookstore.
Sonny was behind the counter.
“Good afternoon, young lady,” he smiled warmly.
“Hey there, Sonny.” I went to the back room to put my things away. As I opened the door, I saw Selah.
“What are you doing here?” I said, totally surprised.
“I need a summer job and couldn’t think of a better place to work than with one of my best friends,” she smiled.
“Well, I’m glad. This will be a fun summer, huh?”
“Yes, it will. I can’t wait.” She was sorting books to be taken out to the shelves. Sonny appeared in the doorway.
“Now that we’re all here, I want to have a quick meeting about summer hours and projects I want accomplished.” We turned and were silent. He continued, “I will need you both every day for about five hours from eleven until four. I will not be here during some of those hours or I’ll be doing other projects. I expect you to handle the shop. I would like to continue the re-categorizing that Ellie has already started.” He directed his attention to me. “You have done a great job. I think hiring you was the best thing I’ve done,” I smiled. “Selah, I hope that you can live up to the example Ellie has put in front of you.”
“I’d like to try. Thanks for the opportunity,” she said eagerly.
“Sure thing, I’ve kept you enough. Go get to work!” We all laughed and went to work. If I thought that the time sped by before, now it really flew because Selah and I were non-stop chatter. I’m sure we drove Sonny crazy. He would smile as he limped around. We talked about finals. We talked about summer plans. We made sure not to mention our new secret. I had a vision of the dark, dusty old bookstore becoming a bright, cheery place. Soon even the patrons would notice and linger, a little reading and visiting with each other. It pleased me to know that I had something to do with it all. By the end of the evening, we were exhausted. We were all ready to close up. Selah took out the trash, and we closed up. We walked outside and there was my Zeke waiting for us.
“Selah, do you need a ride home?” Zeke smiled, as he opened the door for me.
“Yes, that would be nice,” she said, but his eyes were looking at the ground-level window. We turned to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing there. He was still looking at the window. I slid the front seat forward and climbed into the back. Selah took the front seat. He closed the door and walked around the car to his side. He climbed in and started the car.
“What were you looking at?” Selah was as confused as I was.
“Nothing. I just thought I saw something. It was nothing.” He looked at me in the rearview mirror. “How was work tonight?”
“It was good.” Small talk was very small on the ride to Selah’s home. As soon as we reached her house and dropped her off, I climbed into the front seat.
“So what were you really looking at?” I asked again as he pulled out of her driveway. I knew there was more to the story.
“I saw someone in that window, but I don’t know who it was.” He looked straight ahead at the road.
“That’s impossible. It’s like ten feet from the floor in the shop. There’s no way someone was there. Maybe it was a glare or something.” I looked out the side window. We drove the rest of the way in silence.
“Do you want me to walk you up?” he asked hopefully.
“I think I’m fine. I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ll pick you up from school,” he sighed. I kissed his cheek and waved goodbye. He waited until I went into my apartment building before he pulled away.
Chapter 19
When I rounded the final flight of stairs, there was Ben standing at my door. He was wearing some ripped-up jeans and layered shirts. He had determination all over his face.
“Hey, Ben, how are you?” I asked, as I unlocked the door.
“We need to talk. I know it’s late, but I need to talk to you.” He was so serious.
“Yeah, come on in.” I opened the door, and he followed me in and locked the door.
“Do you want something to drink?” I put my bags on the counter and walked over to the refrigerator while he sat down on the couch.
“Whatever you’re having is fine.” Was he nervous?
“So what’s going on?” I brought over two glasses of iced tea.
“How have you been?” He ignored my question. I simply smiled and shrugged. He continued, “It’s been killing me that I haven’t talked to you this week. I’ve wanted to call, but I was just trying to give you some space.” He looked at the floor as I nodded at him encouragingly. I’d already begun to forgive him for the way he had acted at the party. I just hoped he would forgive me for what I knew I had to say to him.
“You don’t have to stay away. I’ve missed you too. It surprised me how much really.”
“That’s good to hear,” he said miserably, contradicting his words, still not looking at me.
“What’s going on?” I put my hand on his arm. He looked up into my eyes. There were tears welling up.
“Is something wrong? Ben, you’re scaring me.” I could hear my voice rising. He shook his head no. Suddenly, with determination on his face, he grabbed my face and pulled me to him and kissed me. I was shocked. I tried to pull away, but he held me there, kissing me strongly. His lips pressed against me, his hand holding my hair in a fist at the nape of my neck, his other arm around my waist holding me in place against him. I felt like a prisoner. I struggled, but the more I did, the tighter he held me—until I couldn’t breathe. All the while he continued to kiss me as though he were wild with passion. Finally, gasping
for air, I managed to pull away. My stomach clenched and in a shaky voice I asked, “What are you doing?” I stood up and walked across the room to put some distance between us.
“I know I shouldn’t have come here tonight, but I had to, Ellie. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’ve chosen Zeke, but I didn’t give you the chance to choose me.”
“Ben, please don’t do this. You made your choice before I ever did.” He held up his hand to stop me. He stood up and walked to me.
“That first night I met you, Zeke and I were in our car. We watched you as you came up the stairs. I’d never seen you before, but Zeke had been keeping an eye on you for months. He let me tag along only because I begged him. When I saw you, you stole my breath. You. Stole. My breath.”
“Ben.” I couldn’t say anything else. I turned and looked out the glass wall that overlooked the rooftop.
He continued, “I felt something then that I have never felt before. I thought I might have actually had a chance with you, but then I saw the way you looked at Zeke when he ran out on the field, and it upset me. When I saw you two outside Parker’s house talking, and the way he looked at you, too, I don’t know; I became so jealous, and I blew it.” He walked behind me. I could see his reflection looking at me in the window.
“Ben, I’ve never been in this situation. It may be clichéd, but I don’t know what to say. I have strong feelings for you, but I don’t think they are romantic. Even before I met Zeke, I tried to think of you that way, but it never felt right.” I turned to face him. “Zeke has been in my heart even before I knew it, before I knew him. I see him in my past, in my dreams.” I looked up in his eyes. “I need you. We share a bond that I feel is very strong, but it’s a kindred spirit. It’s not that kind of love. I need you in my life, just like I want to be there for you, too. Ben, the six of us are soul mates, and I don’t have to tell you that. You knew it before me. Our roles are just different from what you thought they would be.” I looked in his eyes and searched for the right answers. “Zeke is like home for me.” That wasn’t it because he dropped his head and turned from me. He walked down the stairs. “Ben. Wait!” I called after him. I stood at the top of the stairs as he opened the door.
“I’m sorry, Ellie,” he said, as he closed the door behind him. I ran down the stairs and opened the door. He was running down the stairs.
“I’m sorry too,” I whispered. Then I called his mobile. It went to voicemail. I told him I was sorry, and I asked him to be my friend. I told him I needed him in my life, and I asked him to call me. I told him I’d wait for his call, but he didn’t call me back that night.
Chapter 20
“Greelllii.” My eyes opened wide. I was standing in a dark, dead-end alley. The wolf walked toward me and his eyes locked into mine. “You didn’t think that you could escape me, did you?” Was he talking to me? “Where are your protectors now?” I stepped back, and my foot hit the wall. “There’s nowhere for you to go. GgggrrrrEeellliii.” He took a step forward then leapt toward me.
“Get back!” I yelled and pushed my hands in front of me to shield myself from his advance. He flew back the length of the alley to the sidewalk. He yelped and stood back up. “AAHH, a Glimpse I see. You and I have a destiny. Forget about your boyfriend. Which one is he, by the way, the blond or the dark-haired one? It doesn’t matter; I’m going to kill them both.” I gasped and covered my mouth. In my mind I said a short prayer for guidance. Then my mouth moved, saying the words before I could digest my thoughts.
“You would kill your own sons?” I asked, as I took a step toward him. I realized I was dreaming.
“Why not? They didn’t follow in my footsteps. I laid it out clear for them.”
“Why would they? YOU abandoned them.”
He ignored my statement, but I could tell I’d hit a nerve. “Then I’m going to kill your brother. I’m going to kill those twins. You’re going to watch.” He took another step toward me.
“You abandoned everything you were raised to be. You abandoned Hanna.” I took a step toward him.
“SHUT UP, you stupid girl,” He growled as he took a step toward me. I matched him. “Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?”
“Yes, I do,” I paused and grinned at him; he tilted his head and perked up his ears as if waiting for my answer. “The one who fails.” I threw my hands in front of me again. There was a loud boom followed by a bright light that went out in front of me like a shockwave. It filled the alley and the street in front of me. It threw him into the street. I continued walking toward him and pushed again with my hands. It was brighter than day, a white light that shone in every shadowy corner. There was no room for darkness. It knocked him across the street. I saw a board out of the corner of my eye. I wanted it, and it flew into my hands. The wolf stood up, obviously shaken, but he cocked his head to the side and gazed at me for a long moment. Then he simply turned and ran. I stood in the middle of the street alone. The light slowly faded, and I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling very weak.
When I opened my eyes, I was looking at my ceiling. I looked at the clock. It was two forty-five. The lights were on in the living room. I stood up. I was shaky and had to steady myself by the bed for a minute. I was still in my clothes. I walked into the living room. Gideon sat there on the couch looking at the box Hanna had given him the week before. I sat down beside him.
“Hey, kid.” He didn’t take his eyes off the box.
“Hey, Gid. What are you doing?”
“I’m debating with myself whether or not I should open this box.”
“Who’s winning?”
“Well, right now I am,” he smirked.
“Did Hanna tell you what was in the box?”
“She said it was stuff Mom gave her for us in case something happened to them.” I didn’t say anything. “She’s held onto it for all these years.”
“Open it.” I looked him in the eyes. His eyes were questioning mine. “OPEN IT!” I exclaimed. He pulled the tape loose and lifted the folds. On top were leather-bound journal books like the ones I kept. I reached for them. Our mother had also written the journals—mingled with poems and short stories. Under the books were pictures, pictures of us as little ones playing and smiling, Christmas pictures, and pictures of our parents. They seemed very much in love. We looked through them and laughed. We even cried a little because we’d never seen these before. It made us both miss them even more. Gideon found an envelope underneath. He opened it and found a letter and a key. Gideon read the letter out loud.
My Dear Sweet Children,
If you’re reading this then your father and I are no longer with you on earth. You have brought such light and joy to our lives. We are truly blessed to have the privilege of being your parents. There are dark forces at work all around us. Please know that you have a light radiating from within you both. You will accomplish so many good things in your life.
Gideon, stay true to yourself and you will never wonder if you made the right choices in life. You are so strong. The day you were born your father called you our little warrior. Protect your sister.
Elisheba, you are all that is good in this world. Remain constant in your belief that there is goodness in everything. I know you will grow to become a beautiful young woman. I wish we were there to guide you. Know that we are with you.
We will always be with you both.
The enclosed key is to a safety deposit box at the First Bank. There you will find our will and instructions for your care in the future. Be brave, my angels. With all the love in my heart, your mother