I was still sitting there so I wouldn’t think about what’d just happened. Grandma was dead and Emma too. In a way, I had killed both of them. Suddenly I felt the sadness again haunt me. It entered my body like a punch in the stomach. But I didn’t cry. I couldn’t. I don’t know if I was in shock, but the tears didn’t come. I just stared at my trembling hands.
I heard my name being called from afar, but I couldn’t look back. I was paralyzed in that position. The footsteps got closer and closer. And it wasn’t just one person.
I felt I was about to collapse. The dizziness and weakness had returned accompanied by an overwhelming exhaustion. I just wanted to lie down and close my eyes. I heard footsteps right behind me, and then John appeared in front of me. His face was pure affliction. I fell back and he caught me. He lifted me into his arms and sat me at the foot of the tree, where I was able to lean on.
I opened my eyes quickly and saw all the Chosen Ones coming towards me. To my surprise, Runne was there too, her pale face looking worried. I could see Maena crouched checking the bodies. It seemed like I was fainting constantly, for I lost minutes and minutes at a time. The last time I woke up, John was holding my hands and staring at me intently.
He pulled me close and hugged me. Everyone was staring at me, but they were smart enough not to ask anything. Like magic, the hot tears began to fall again. John was now my safe haven. When I was with him I could fall apart. I continued to hold him, ignoring all eyes in my direction.
When I put all the emotions that clogged my chest out, I let go and glared at him. I was finally beginning to feel pain in the arm that had been stabbed. I looked down and saw that someone — most likely John — had already bandaged it.
"I'm sorry, Liz," John said. "When I found your phone, I came here as fast as I could," he said.
"Thank you," I said, my voice failing. "Thank you for coming for me. All of you.”
I leaned against the tree, trying to get up, leaving blood marks on it, and as soon as I took my hand and stepped forward, something started to happen.
With a clatter of leaves parting, the part of the tree that seemed to be opening now really was. They looked like wires unrolling one by one, making an opening in the tree. John and I took a step back. A few moments later, the last thread opened and the opening solidified. It was almost four feet taller than I was, and three times my width. I looked inside and could only see the forest that was on the other side of the tree.
I took a few steps toward it and put my hand through the opening. The hand seemed to disappear as it passed. I took my hand away quickly. It was real. The portal was really open.
"That was..." I began.
"The portal is open," John confirmed.
“What do we do now?” I asked, the exhaustion starting to affect me. “Should we do something? Tell the others?”
The Chosen Ones looked at me, as perplexed as I am.
"You can tell us what happened," Maena said with a sympathetic face. “If you want of course.”
The explanation — a summary of it, at least — spurted from my mouth in the minutes that had passed. Everyone listened with the greatest attention and without interrupting me. I stopped talking when I saw someone passing through the last tree and into the glade. I recognized the tall, slender figure of John's father. But he wasn’t alone.
At his side, and also behind him, I dare to say that there was every person in the hotel. Some carried small backpacks, others still wore their nightclothes.
“What are they doing?” I asked, puzzled.
"They want to go home," Zal said, smiling.
And when they reached the portal, people began to pass through the opening, without any ceremony. John and I sat quietly on the floor.
"Humans can’t get through, can they?" I said when there were only a few people left.
"They can’t see the tree," John replied.
John's parents were second to last.
"See you on the other side," Rogi said radiantly and took a step forward.
The glade was empty again. Zal had taken Grandma's body with him to Pacem. Rogi insisted on taking Emma's body — if only not to keep her here — but I firmly refused. She didn’t deserve to return.
Now only John, the corpse and I remained in the glade. He took the Cadere Dagger and joined it with all the other relics. He put the backpack on his back and stared at me.
"You know I love you, don’t you?" He said, taking my hand.
"I know," I said, and got up. “I love you too. And I'm sure we can face anything that comes our way.”
‘Together?” He asked with a smile.
"Together," I assured him.
“Are you sure about this?” He asked, wrapping his fingers in mine.
"There’s nothing else here for me," I said. “Let's go home.”
So, together, hand in hand, we went through the portal.
EXTRA CHAPTER
I woke up today with the Council meeting still fresh in my memory. For some reason someone was putting a target on our backs. Most of the people on the Council didn’tlove the idea ofprotecting the few Pacenians who don’t live in the hotel.
"And who doesn’t live here?" My father asked Torim.
"Well, I don’t think they're in as much danger as the people here," he replied.
"Wait," I said, not believing that leaving them unprotected was being at least considered. “Don’t we have some possible Chosen Ones among these people?”
I knew that the Council cared too much about the Chosen Ones.
"Yes," Torim replied with a harsh tone, clearly unhappy at being challenged. "Ethan's and Alethea’s daughter, may they rest in peace, was her birthday this week. And the two families that went away have children. Some still young.”
“So?” I asked.
Was I the only one to see that this wasn’t right? How could we leave our own people in danger? Didn’t they really care unless they were Chosen Ones?
"John is right," my father said.
"We still don’t know the criteria that this person is using to choose his targets," I said.
"That hunter is clearly targeting the Chosen Ones, John." Liath finally joined the conversation. "Two in a row is no coincidence.”
"Hunter.” Zal repeated sarcastically.
"So, every one of those young people who are 18 years old or younger may be next," I said, suddenly raising my voice. “And you're saying we're not going to do anything about it?"”
"My young man," Torim began, his patience fading. "The Chosen Ones should stay here. Not only because they are the only ones in danger, but because if something happens in the hotel, you are the only ones who can protect us.”
“Please!” I said sarcastically. "We can have powers and be better trained, but everyone here would be able to defend themselves if they had to.”
I took a deep breath, losing my patience.
"I volunteer, then," I said.
"Me too," Zal said, punching me lightly on the shoulder. "And I'm sure the other Chosen Ones would also want to help."
"And I'm sure I can find other well-trained volunteers to take turns," Liath added.
I nodded to her. Torim looked at us with the rage of a losing battle.
"All right," he agreed. "But I don’t want the hotel to be without at least a Chosen One at all times.”
"I think Maena's going to have to come back sooner," Zal said, smiling, obviously pleased that he was the one to tell her.
After a few more minutes of conversation and finalizing the adjustments, the meeting was over. Everyone left the office. Liath went to find the volunteers and Zal was taking the recognition photos.
"John, wait a minute," Torim said as I walked through the door.
I turned and stood in front of the table again. He waited for them to leave to start talking.
"I want you to take Ethan's daughter," he said. "Elizabeth is her name."
“Why?” I asked, surprised at the request.
"If it were not for her
father we would never have adjusted to this land. He got us this place, taught us how the people here live, asked favors from some friends and got us jobs. Everything we needed. I want the girl to be safe and I know you can do it.”
"But she doesn’t know about us, does she? About herself?”
"I think if she had known she would have come to us," Torim replied, sitting down in the chair. "The girl's grandmother didn’t want her to know. And after all that she went through and how her son died, I can’t say I blame her.”
"Then I'll have to watch her from afar," I pondered. The idea wasn’t perfect, and if something happened to her it would be better if I were around, but I would have to accept it. If she knew nothing of it she could be even more in danger.
"Yes. You must not contact her whatsoever," he replied. "She works in an old diner and goes to school. She doesn’t go out as much as the normal teens of this land. It should be easy for you.”
"And how do you know that?"
"You didn’t think we weren’t keeping an eye on our people, did you?"
I left the office and went to train with Isys.
As I finished taking a shower after my morning run, I was still waiting for Elizabeth's photo. For some reason I was nervous at the thought. As if reading my mind, Zal entered my room the moment I left the bathroom.
“Sorry for the delay, man. Niko insisted on watching a movie yesterday and I just forgot to bring the picture.”
“It's all right. Did you bring it? I’m leaving soon.”
"Yes," he said, putting his hand in his pants pocket.
He took a picture and a piece of paper.
"Here is the address of her house and her work," he said, handing me the paper.
I picked it up, read it, and put it on the bedside table. Both addresses were not far from here. It wouldn’t be a problem.
"And here's your target," Zal said, smiling and handing me the photo.
I grabbed the picture and took a good look. The girl smiled, holding a pot of coffee. Her hair was vivid in color, almost like fire, and her hair was tied in a messy ponytail.
"She's..." I started saying, but stopped myself.
Beautiful. She was beautiful. But I wasn’t going to say it out loud. I couldn’t even think about it. It was now my job to keep her safe and I had to focus on that. Just that.
"Small," I finished at last.
Zal laughed.
"John, I'm gay, but I still recognize beauty. She is beautiful. You know, if you're attracted to that kind of person.”
I rolled my eyes and told him to leave so I could change. When I finished getting dressed, I put the photo on the bedside table. I didn’t need to look at it again. That face was well marked in my mind.
I left the hotel and walked to Elizabeth's school. I got there as soon as the last bell rang. I waited across the street, leaning against a tree. I tried to disguise reading a newspaper until I could see her, which didn’t take long. In the midst of the countless people, I could still see her hair shining even more in the sun. She seemed bored and anxious to get out of there. I smiled.
I picked up the paper and waited for her to pass me by. When I saw her from the corner of my eye, I wrapped up the newspaper and began to follow her. It wasn’t hard to look like just another person on the street. All I had to do was keep a good distance.
As soon as we reached an empty street she started to walk faster. She seemed to notice that only one person was behind her. She was smart. When she stopped, I disappeared from where I was quickly. From far away I saw her looking back. When she saw that there was no one, she walked again, this time more slowly.
She went straight home and I followed her from afar. I entered the forest and settled down behind a tree, where I had the perfect view of the house. Almost an hour later I saw her taking her bike. She arrived at work and I recognized the place by the photo. I sat back and watched for any suspicious movement.
THREE WEEKS LATER
Those three weeks had been calm. No one suspicious had approached Elizabeth. Not to mention the idiots who look too much or come too close, of course. But she seems to know how to defend herself well in these situations. I imagine she would be a great Chosen One.
But in spite of everything, she practically wouldn’t leave home if it were not for school or work. And for some reason I seemed to worry. I was now sitting at a table in another diner across the street. The small round tables were on the sidewalk. From here I could see what was going on inside. At the moment she was talking to the other blonde waitress. They both laughed, which was rare to see her doing.
“How is it going?” I heard behind me and in fright I took the dagger that was carefully stored inside my jacket.
I raised the dagger in the air and saw Zal look at me in surprise.
"Damn it, I almost killed you," I said, putting the dagger away before anyone saw it.
"It would take more than that to kill me. Don’t be full of yourself.”
He pulled up a chair and sat down next to me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, keeping my eyes on Elizabeth.
"Well, Maena is not back yet, so I'll take her place. You can go back to the hotel.”
“What?” I said and realized that my voice was louder than it should, due to Zal's surprised face. I lowered my voice as I spoke again. “I'm good.”
"John, we were supposed to take turns," he said, and even if I didn’t look at him, I knew he was staring at me. "You haven’t been out of this girl's tail for nearly a month. You should rest.”
“I'm just doing my job. What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t mean anything. I just think you're enjoying it so much.”
And I really was. I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I didn’t want to leave her alone and probably in danger.
"Torim asked me to keep an eye on her," I said quickly so he wouldn’t start imagining things.
“Really? Why?”
"He thinks he owes her something because of her parents."
"And he's right," Zal confirmed.
"Torim just wanted what was best for her," I said, smiling. "And apparently I am the best."
"If is Torim’s order, who am I to oppose him?" Zal said in a suspicious tone.
I looked at her again and ignored his presence.
TWO WEEKS LATER
I was about to punch that guy. It was already the fifth time he walked pass the diner. But of course, that wasn’t what was bothering me. The fact that he was looking at Elizabeth every single time, was. I didn’t like his expression either.
She wisely realized, too. There was a mixture of fear and disgust in her face. When night fell, I saw him doing the same thing I did. Hiding in plain sight. But I was sure that his intentions weren’t as good as mine.
Elizabeth left the same way every day, pushing her bike. She didn’t see him, but I did. I waited for him to start following her and did the same to him. I was sneaking around. She turned in a corner and I quickened my pace. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall.
“What the hell, man!” He shouted with an expression of fear. “What are you doing?”
"I’ll be the one asking the questions," I said quietly.
The idiot tried to free himself, but my hand held him firmly in place.
“What were you doing?” I asked.
“What do you mean? Nothing!”
He didn’t look like the hunter. Just your usual bastard. It didn’t make things better.
"Did I look like I wasn’t being serious?" I said and pressed him a bit more. “Because I am. And I'm not seeing anyone on the street to see what I'm about to do.”
“Fine, fine!” He yielded. "I just wanted to talk to her alone. She looked nice.”
"Did she give any sign that she wanted to talk to you?"
"She smiled at me when she poured my coffee," he said, grinning.
"Are you telling me that you thought you could follow her on an empty street at night because she d
id her job?"
“No, she…”
“She's a waitress. And a good one. She smiles at people. Get over it.”
“But...”
"If I see you here again, I won’t be so sympathetic."
I let go of him and he ran off so fast that I doubted he was really human. I ran to find Elizabeth and found her a few streets below. I accompanied her until she got home. I waited a few minutes to make sure she wouldn’t go out again, which was always unlikely, and went back to the hotel.
THREE WEEKS LATER
I was angry. Elizabeth was fearless. She left her work alone at night, knowing the streets were dangerous. No one else is safe today. But the possibility — even remote, since I was watching her closely — that she could get hurt made me so angry that I felt my skin sting.
When I saw her entering her house, I returned to the hotel. As soon as I got there, I had a strange feeling. I missed her. I stopped at the hotel door when I realized what was happening. Was it possible that I was in love with this girl I barely know? No, that’s crazy. It's impossible. We never even exchanged two words. So why do I feel like my guts are being ground when I'm away from her?
Zal pulled me out of my reverie, looking at me with a strange expression.
“Are you alright?” he said. “Looks like you saw a troll.”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
"And why don’t I believe it?"
"That's not my problem, is it?"
"But it's going to be a problem for all of us if Torim finds out," he said, making me turn and face him.
I sighed, tired. Zal had known me for a long time, so he was practically impossible hiding something from him. He knew me as well as I did. Maybe more.
"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a sigh.
"I've known you forever," he said, smiling. "Even if you wanted, you can never hide things from me. And all you do is talk about her, too. Any idiot can tell.”
I went upstairs to my room. I decided not to do anything about it as I fell into bed. I had direct orders not to approach her, and I would obey them.
The Chosen Ones: Red Smoke Page 28