‘Someone was in the garden, he pushed me and then…’ the guy begins with a shaky voice. Tears are running down his cheeks and I am praying to God for Amy to be OK. Next to the pale student, I notice Gabriel, who is staring at me expressionless. There are few more fairies standing a bit further away, looking concerned. I want to shout at them to do something, but I can't move.
‘Who was in the garden?’ I push the pale bloke away. He is shaking with fear.
‘A man, I couldn’t see his face, he’s done something to her,’ he continues, not looking at me. I try to convince him to tell me more, but after a while he continues repeating the same thing over and over again. The ambulance arrives twenty minutes later along with the police. I am not allowed to go with Amy, neither is the French student. A few other people are taken to the station. I take a taxi home, completely forgetting about George. I am not prepared to talk to the police tonight, and I am lucky to get away so quickly. I am shattered; when I get home I wake Carl and Michael up and tell them what has happened. They decide that we need to get to the hospital. The time passes so quickly, when I look at my phone its 2 o'clock in the morning. We take a taxi to the University hospital, but when we arrive, the doctor can't tell us anything because we are not related. I am worried about her, but I am not sure what we are supposed to do.
‘What exactly happened in that party?’ Michael is staring at me, looking uneasy. I am not sure how to answer his question; I can't even look at him.
‘I don’t know exactly, I wasn’t there. The guy that Amy was with says that someone came to the garden when they were there.’
‘Someone else?’ asks Carl, confused.
‘Well I don’t know, that’s what he said, but he is in shock, so I couldn’t make out what he was saying exactly. Maybe he did something to her so that she is unconscious, it looked like she hurt her head pretty bad.’ I am so exhausted that I can barely stand but I have to stay to find out if Amy is all right.
I am awakened by Carl; I had fallen asleep on the chair. I am still in my party clothes and my head is hurting. Carl announces that Amy’s parents are here; I look at my watch and realise it is close to four in the morning. I am feeling guilty and I can't look at Amy’s parents. Her mother is crying and her father looks tired. They speak to the doctors for a while.
‘I am glad you stayed,’ says Amy's mother. She has long dark hair and she looked exhausted. She is much shorter than me, with narrow blue eyes.
‘I am sorry; I should have told her to stay in last night,’ I begin feeling guilty. I was supposed to check on Amy but instead I was enjoying myself getting drunk.
‘It’s not your fault, darling. Amy was always very social.’
‘Is she conscious, did she say what happened?’ I ask.
Amy’s mum breathes and taps me slightly on the shoulder.
‘She is conscious now. She drank too much; she passed out and hurt her head.’
‘But someone pushed her or attacked her, as far as I know?’ I say, confused. I know she drunk too much, but I don't think that's the reason that she is in the hospital.
‘I don’t think so, she overdid it with alcohol and fell over. They’re keeping her in because they wanted to monitor everything is all right,’ says Amy's mum. ‘You need to go home and get some sleep.’
I nod with agreement and leave the corridor, wondering why Amy hasn't told anyone the truth. The police would want to interview her. I leave the hospital with Carl and Michael. I don’t understand what happened exactly and I won't know until I speak to Amy. The guy from the party was certain that Amy was attacked. When I get home, I go straight to bed, feeling exhausted and sick. I am hoping to relax in my bed and catch up with my sleep but surprisingly George is already in my bed.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ he asks, standing up, but he is still drunk and unable to keep his balance.
‘In the hospital; my housemate was attacked few hours ago, but of course, you don’t know anything about that, because as always, you were not there,’ I say angrily, folding my arms together. ‘So now I am asking you where the hell have you been?’
He doesn't respond straightaway, staring at me and calculating his response.
‘I went with this American student to get some blow. I’m sorry, I should have stayed with you,’ he says giving me an apologetic look but I start laughing, feeling betrayed.
For a minute, I’d believed that he changed, but it's obvious that he didn't and then remembered all of his previous promises that he was never able to fulfil either. He is staring for a long while and doesn't say anything until he leans closer and kisses me. It takes me few seconds to realise what he is trying to do, I push him away, slapping his soft cheek with my palm.
‘What the hell, George? You think you can show up here at any time as if nothing ever happened and just walk into my bed?’
I am fuming while my heartbeat quickens. I lost control within a few seconds, my palm is aching and George looks disappointed.
‘Ania, I’m sorry,’ he whispers.
‘Just leave me alone, I can’t deal with this right now,’ I say, showing him the door.
‘I’ll sleep downstairs,’ he leaves shutting the door behind him.
I hold my head in my hands, trying to gather my thoughts, wondering why I just slapped a man that I thought I loved. My hands are still shaking. I think about Amy, the Sprites and George. Everything is falling apart around me; I replay the moment where George asked me to be his girlfriend. When my breathing slows down I lift my head, feeling that I need to sleep but freeze, as I catch sight of Gabriel, who is standing in front of me. I feel that he already knows why I am not happy. He is the last person that I really want to see right now, but somehow I feel as if I need him to be with me. The darkness is covering our bodies but a silence is between us.
We are staring at each other, forgetting about the harsh reality and I can feel my heart reacting. He touches my cheek and the familiar electric current runs through me. His hands are warm, caressing my pale skin. His deep-blue eyes are filled with serenity and passion. I keep telling myself to breathe, but I am unable to exhale the air from my lungs. Then he leans forward and his lips touch mine, increasing the temperature in my body. He kisses me gently, trying to break his way through, testing to see if I let him in. His lips are sweet and warm. A few seconds later it is all over and he disappears once again, leaving me uncontrollably awake and trying to gather my wild thoughts.
The birds outside are not going to let me sleep and when I open my eyes my head feels heavier than usual. The bitter taste in my mouth alerts me that I drunk way more than I should have. I touch my forehead, hoping that the throbbing pain in my head would stop, but when I move the pain increases. I need to get a drink but the bathroom is a priority. My hands are shaking. I put my dressing gown on and walk downstairs to get a drink, hoping to find some painkillers but instead I stop in the corridor to look at George, who is sleeping on the sofa. The events from last night are coming back to me suddenly; the unfortunate party and Gabriel. I lift my hand and caress my lips, remembering his kiss. It was nothing like anything that I have ever experienced it before.
I gasp the air feeling sorry for myself; I can't dissolve the new, exciting emotions that run through my body when his breath met mine. I am not sure why I let him touch me, I was drunk and as far as I remember I had just kicked George out of my room, slapping him hard. Then Gabriel appeared from nowhere and without any hesitation, he kissed me in a way no one ever had.
After the use of the downstairs toilet I shake my head, staring at George, who is snoring loudly; he is still wearing all his clothes from last night. I look at the kitchen clock, its quarter to 9 and no one else is up yet. I drink two glasses of orange juice and think about poor Amy who is still in the hospital. It is too early to call Amy’s parents to find out if I can see her. I feel instantly sick and the pumping pain in my head increases. I take the juice upstairs and decide to go back to bed. I decide to deal with George later. I ne
ed a few more hours in bed. My room is in total chaos, half of my wardrobe is lying on the floor, my table is dirty, with makeup and paperwork lying everywhere. I fall asleep once again, hoping that by the time I wake up Amy will be fine and George will have vanished from my living room.
A refreshing shower brings a positive start to the day. I ignore the dark circles under my eyes and put on fresh clothes, wondering if George will be still downstairs. When I pass the sofa George isn't there, so I start preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
‘Morning darling,’ he says walking into the kitchen scratching his head.
‘Morning,’ I answer. George hadn’t magically disappeared as I was hoping this morning. After switching on the kettle, I turn to look at him; his blond hair is tangled and he looks as he thought he had way too much to drink last night. I am also convinced that he doesn’t remember anything that happened. I press my lips together, contemplating how to get rid of him.
‘Amy is in the hospital, I am going to see her now so I need you to go so I can get ready,’ I say, trying to focus on my breakfast. The toast is taking longer than usual, and he is still standing in the same spot.
‘Yes, I remember that. I also remember how you slapped me yesterday when I tried to kiss you, and I ended up sleeping on the couch. I don’t understand – I thought we established that from now on we are together for real,’ he says, stretching his arms and reminding me of the handsome Sprite and the close contact that we had.
George doesn't look discouraged at all, and I am amazed that he actually remembers everything.
‘You established that by showing up here uninvited. I told you I would think about it,’ I say, folding my arms.
‘I thought that’s what you always wanted – for us to be together?’ he asks, still not believing what I just said.
‘Yes I did. Unfortunately, you showed me too often that you don't care. I will call you when I am ready. Can you please leave now so I can find out what’s going on with my housemate?’ I finish, hoping that he finally understands that I need time to digest everything and think about what kind of relationship we have.
‘Fine, I understand what you're saying. I am going but I will be back, babe, only for you,’ he continues, packing his bag and giving me a wink. I roll my eyes.
‘That's fine, just not today. I have to take care of Amy,’ I snap.
‘I will call you. I have changed, baby, and I will prove it to you,’ he insists and gives me a tight hug that I didn't expect. A few minutes later he is gone and I breathe deeply, worrying about George’s sudden change. He always had a problem with expressing his feelings. I was the one that was usually doing all the talking.
When Carl and Michael appear downstairs, we prepare to leave to check up on Amy. I think about calling my mother but after considering all the pros and cons, I abandon the idea of informing my single parent about what exactly happened last night. I imagine the kind of lecture I will get if she finds out that I was so irresponsible. I call Amy’s mum to find out if we are allowed to visit her, she tells us that Amy is conscious and has asked us to bring her clothes to hospital with us as she insists on being discharged today.
We leave the house around half past 12. I avoid looking at Gabriel, who is outside the house with a few other Sprites, staring at me as usual making my heart accelerate. I drive in silence; the boys are staring at the scenery outside, lost in their thoughts. The memory of Gabriel's lips comes to the fore front of my mind, I quickly dismiss this image, feeling hopeless that I am unable to battle with my emotions and allow him to make me feel this way.
Amy’s mum is waiting for us outside in the reception, she looks tired but she smiles when we approach her.
‘How is she?’ I begin.
‘She is better, you can see her now and I want to thank you again for coming here,’ she says. ‘You really didn't have to.’
‘We live together, I couldn’t imagine not being here,’ I add. Michael and Carl nod in agreement.
Amy's bed is in the corner. Her Sprite is standing next to her bed and gazes at us when we walk in. A couple more beds are situated in the room and two of them are occupied by patients. I pretend that the extraordinary creature isn't there. My housemate looks exhausted; she has plaster on her forehead but her face lights up when she notices us.
‘Amy! How are you?’ asks Michael, letting me sit next to her.
‘I’m fine. I drank way too much, guys and I am so sorry,’ she says, blushing slightly, her embarrassment obvious.
‘It’s my fault, Amy. I should have been with you all the time,’ I say, squeezing her hand.
‘No, it’s my fault; I think I should hold off on partying for a bit. I bet people in campus will be talking about this for a while,’ she says, looking worried.
‘Don't think about that right now. You are OK and that's all that matters. Here, I brought you some clothes.’
I hand her the bag to try to take her mind off the uncomfortable subject.
‘Thank you, Ania. I’ll go change,’ she says, leaving the room. Both boys are silent when Amy vanishes into the bathroom. I look at Amy's Sprite who appears uninterested and walks out of the room, lost in his thoughts. A few minutes later, Amy appears in the room looking more confident, wearing her own clothes. We decide to wait for her in the car park, as she has to have a chat with her mother. While driving home, I don't want to approach the subject of the party but I need to find out what actually happened without a witness around us.
‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ I ask when we get home, she declines my offer and instead heads to her room, as do Carl and Michael. I follow Amy to her room, making sure that she doesn't need anything else.
‘Amy, can you please tell me what actually happened at that party?’
‘I drank too much,’ she says, but she looked as if she didn’t believe in her own answer.
‘The guy that you were with said something else; he admitted that there was someone else in the garden, and that he did something to you?’ I challenge her reluctantly; she stares at the wall hesitating to say anything for a while.
‘I can't tell this to the police and I don’t remember much but this guy appeared from nowhere and came closer to me,’ she begins, swallowing hard, still staring at the wall, hoping to find an explanation. ‘He just looked at me for a long while and then pushed me away and I passed out, I think.’
‘What did he look like?’ I whisper, my muscles tensing.
‘I don’t remember,’ she says. ‘I can only remember his long ginger hair and his cold green eyes.’
Amy still looks a bit shaky a few days after the unfortunate party, and doesn't leave her room. Gabriel hasn’t shown up in my bedroom again. I am glad that I don't have to deal with him at this point. I have been thinking about the guy that attacked Amy during the party, wondering if she would make this up, but the guy that she was making out with confirmed what happened. The description of a stranger with ginger hair and green eyes sounded unrealistic, but I can’t keep asking her to give me any more details. I am certain that he isn’t a Sprite; otherwise Amy wouldn’t be able to see him. Gabriel's touch reflects my mood and I can't get him out of my head. I try to get on with my assignments, but every time I concentrate my mind brings up the image of Gabriel leaning towards me.
The week passes quickly and every time I leave the house, Gabriel is somewhere nearby. I have been fighting with my new emotions, trying to pretend that I don't remember anything from that magical night. Whenever our eyes meet his expression is always still and serious. The information from the library about Sprites is leading me nowhere, apart from the myths about changelings.
Despite all that happened a few days ago, George keeps calling me every day, reminding me about his proposal. My feelings for George are mixed; he is saying that he’s changed, but somehow I don't believe him. Amy keeps telling me to give him a chance, but my heart cannot make an agreement with my head. The phone calls won't stop until he gets an answer, and I know how persistent George
can be.
At the beginning of December, I begin seeing Gabriel everywhere I go, but he avoids talking to me in the privacy of my bedroom. I am not sure what I expect from him, he isn't a human but I kind of hoped that the kiss meant something to him. I slowly get used to the fact that I am able to see him, but I am fooling myself thinking that his feelings for me are mutual.
Everything is so unclear, and not knowing what to expect slowly begins to drive me crazy. I keep telling myself that he is a Sprite and he doesn't follow the same rules as ordinary humans. George calls once again, pleading with me to allow him to visit me again, but I can't make up my mind. My heart is torn between Gabriel, who I expected to make his move so he could explain what he wants from me, and George, the man that I always wanted to be with.
After the disastrous night out, Amy slows down with the parties and focuses on her studies; at least that's what she lets me believe. However, after weeks of staying in, she begins to disappear in the evenings. I know that she isn't drinking as she still wakes up every morning and attends all the lectures with me. A few people keep teasing her about the party, but she seems to enjoy the attention and doesn't take anything seriously. We don't talk about this subject any longer, every time I try to talk about it she instantly dismisses the question and I don't want to pressure her.
The Whispers of the Sprite (The Whispers Series #1) Page 7