“Al?” Anna turned the lights on. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“I heard your voice. What are you doing up?” Anna nervously looked around, sure that she would find someone.
“I was rehearsing the best way to present to Adam my ideas for the fundraising event,” she said as convincingly as possible.
“Now?! It’s late. Get some sleep, dear. Are you having trouble sleeping?”
“No. I… yes… no… uh…” Alexis hesitated; she hated lying to her mom. She had no other option though. “That’s not it. I just want to do a good job. Don’t worry, mom. I’m fine. I’ll go to bed in a few.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too, mom.” Alexis watched her mom leave. It took her a few to open her closet. When she did, she saw Ethan leaning against the door frame. He was smiling.
“Rehearsing?” he chuckled.
“I’m glad you found the lie I had to tell my mom amusing,” she said harshly.
“Wow. You do dislike me.” He shook his head. “I’d better get going. We don’t want Anna to see me here. We’ll finish this tomorrow.” They were both quiet for a short while. He hoped she would refute him, but he got nothing. He walked past her toward the window. He carefully opened it and sat on the frame, his feet touching the roof. He quickly looked at her. As she remained silent, he walked on the roof and jumped to a near tree. Alexis was not surprised. She had seen her father do that a couple of times to get her some fruits.
She felt uneasy about letting him go thinking that she hated him. “Ethan,” she whispered. He looked at her. “I… I don’t dislike you.”
He gave her a genuine smile. “Good night, Alexis.”
V
Alexis woke up late to go to Adam’s. She put on a sweater and rushed down the stairs. Anna was calmly having breakfast. “Mom!” she said in a reprimanding way.
Anna was bewildered, unsure of what was going on. “Did I do something wrong?”
“You didn’t wake me up. I need to be at Adam’s in ten minutes.” Alexis got the car keys.
“Uh, I didn’t know that. I thought you could arrive at any time.”
“How would lack of predictability help him?” Alexis was angry. She had to show Denise the places she had found for her, and she had no idea how long that would take. She couldn’t risk missing Ethan at the Dawsons.
“Okay. You’re overreacting. You realize that, right?” Anna didn’t like Alexis’s tone of voice.
“I apologize, mom, but I gotta go. Are you dropping me there or can I take the car?” she asked impatiently.
“I need to go to work, Al. You can’t take the car and leave me here. You can either wait or call yourself a taxi,” said Anna displeased with Alexis’s behavior.
Seeing that it was useless to protest, Alexis put a pancake on a plate. “I’ll wait,” Alexis relented. Luckily, it didn’t take Anna long to get ready. Alexis only had time to have two pancakes. When they arrived at Adam’s, Denise was on the porch. “Good morning,” said Alexis warmly.
“Al,” beamed Denise. “How about an omelet?”
“I’d love that, but we need to make it a short breakfast because I’d like to take you to a house that may interest you.”
“Oh, that sounds great. Adam is awesome, but I’d love to have my own place. Let’s go now then.”
“I’ll get the car key.”
Denise opened her purse and got the key. “Adam is in a meeting. He gave it to me,” she winked. They got in the car, and Alexis drove to Martha’s. To avoid wasting time, they ordered as soon as they got in. “While we wait, why don’t you tell me how your day yesterday was?” asked Denise curiously.
Alexis deliberated before saying anything. “I went to the venue Adam asked me to check.” She was dying to share with Denise that she had met Ethan, but she feared Denise's reaction.
“How was that?”
“It was great. The place is really beautiful. I think it is perfect for what Adam has in mind.” She gave a short pause. “After that, my mother and my best friend, Mia, took me to have lunch at Outback. I had a very fun day.”
Denise didn't say anything; she seemed to be waiting for something else. Alexis was sure that Denise knew she hadn’t told her everything. She didn’t want to talk about Ethan though. Not yet. So, she changed the topic of the conversation, “What about you? What did you do?” Alexis was glad that their omelets arrived quite quickly. If they continued talking about their days, she would end up not being able to keep her mouth shut.
“I didn’t do much. I went tandem cycling.”
“You did?! Did you like it?” Alexis was glad that Denise had something so interesting to share. That would certainly keep their conversation going for a while.
“It was super fun. I loved it. And it was great to get to know Adam more. You two are the only people I had the chance of spending some time with since I moved here, so it’s very important for me to know more about you two.” There was an awkward silence.
They quietly finished their omelets and Alexis took Denise to see the house she had found the previous day. Considering that it was already 9 a.m. that would most likely be the only place they would have the opportunity to see, but that was okay. Alexis thought that the house was the best option for Denise anyway.
It was a one-story house located in a calm neighborhood near the woods. There were two bedrooms, a spacious living room, and a beautiful yard. The house had recently been remodeled, and it looked as if it was new. Alexis carefully described every single room giving Denise as many details as possible.
“I loved it. I like the way it smells. I also like the fact that the bedroom window faces the woods and I’ll get to feel the warmth of the Sun on my face every morning. Adam said that they have a great gardening teacher who can give me some lessons, so it will be nice to have a yard. And the most important of all, it fits perfectly in my budget.” Denise was pleased. “Thank you so much, Al. There are no words to thank you enough.”
“My pleasure.” Alexis was glad. She got her phone. It was almost 10 o’clock. She would be late. She couldn’t rush Denise though. She was talking to the real estate agent. Alexis would have to wait. Again. She decided to walk around. The kitchen door led to the backyard, just like in her house. She walked to the woods. “I’ll be late,” she said in a low voice hoping that Ethan could hear her. She touched the trunk of a tree. It was so peaceful to be that close to nature. She was lost in thought when she heard a noise. It came from the woods. She froze. There was a man looking at her.
“Run.” She heard Ethan say, but she couldn’t find him. “Run,” he insisted. Alexis started running back to the house, but the more she ran, the farther the house got. “Give me your hand, Alexis. Now!” he shouted. She would love to do as he said, but she had no idea where he or his hand was. “Alexis, now!” She closed her eyes. Someone pulled her back. It was not Ethan. She fell on her back.
“Damn it,” Ethan said. “Think of me, Alexis. Focus on me. Nothing else. Focus on my voice. I’m right in front of you.”
Alexis sat and pictured Ethan standing in front of her. She was about to open her eyes when she felt an acute pain on the right side of her back. She screamed. She felt blood running down her back.
“Alexis, please. Focus just a little bit more, and you’ll see me.” Ethan had never felt so powerless in his entire life. He held her unconscious body in his arms and watched her breathing weakening. “I’m not leaving you, Al. Don’t leave me. Follow my voice. I’m with you. Come to me,” he begged.
Whomever they were fighting against, they were obviously losing. Alexis felt so much pain in Ethan’s voice. She remembered the way he looked at her in her kitchen. How upset he was when she didn’t let him touch her hair. How she felt her skin burn near him. She could feel his smell. He was close, she knew it. She had to keep trying to see him. She felt the man pull her hair. She screamed again.
“Just a li
ttle bit more and I got you, Al. Stay with me,” Ethan murmured.
She couldn’t feel her body anymore, but she could still hear Ethan’s voice. She didn’t want to leave him. She thought about when she saw him at the Dawsons. The perfection that he was. She wanted to feel the heat of his body. She urged to hold his hand. She craved him. Suddenly, Alexis felt her body again. She was back in control. She opened her eyes. She was lying in Ethan’s arms. There were tears in his eyes. He caressed her hair and smiled. “Welcome back,” he whispered.
Alexis took her hand to her back. There was nothing. “What happened? Where’s he?” she asked confused.
“He left.” Ethan didn’t give her time to say anything. “We’ll talk about this in a minute. You need to take Denise to Adam’s first. She is waiting for you. I’ll follow you two to Adam’s. Then I’ll go in the car with you to the Dawsons,” he said calmly.
She took her hand to his face and gently touched it. He closed his eyes briefly. She stood up and went to the house without saying anything, mainly because she didn’t know what to say. None of that made any sense. She was sure she had been stabbed yet there was no blood, no cut. She couldn’t understand why she was lying on the grass. She had no recollection of having fainted.
“Alexis?” she heard Denise calling.
“I’m here, Denise. I was checking the yard,” she lied.
“Did you like it? Is it good?”
“It’s great.” Alexis hoped that there was nothing wrong with the yard. She would feel terribly guilty if there were.
“Perfect. I’m done. I need to go to Adam’s to get some documents. He told me that you would go to the venue again this morning, so I’ll ask him to go to the agency with me in the afternoon,” she said excitedly.
“That’s fine. I can go with you in the afternoon if he can’t.” Alexis was sure she would need to keep herself busy not to freak out. She drove a talkative and super pumped Denise to Adam’s. When Denise went inside the house, Alexis looked around. Ethan had said that he would go with her to the Dawsons. She saw him nowhere though. Maybe he had changed his mind. She snorted. She caught herself missing her dull old life until she saw him hiding behind a tree. She admired him for a couple of minutes. Nostalgia was gone. There was no one like him in her past. She drove to where he was, and he got in the car. Neither of them said a word. They were tense because of the risk they were taking. They couldn’t be seen together.
When they arrived at the Dawsons, she parked near the fountain. Mrs. Willow was not waiting for her. It was a beautiful day outside. It was sunny and warm which was unusual for that time of the year. Alexis got out of the car, walked to the yard and sat on the grass. Ethan sat in front of her. They quietly looked at each other for a few seconds. She noticed that he was so close to her that their knees were almost touching one another. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Let me be more specific. Why are there people after me?”
“Remember I mentioned the Elkavians and the Anwar Amulet last night?”
“I have no idea what they have to do with me, but yes, I remember,” she said in an angry tone. She was tired of not knowing what was going on and that conversation seemed to be taking a direction that had nothing to do with the recent events in her life.
“The Elkavians come from the same bloodline, so there are not many Elkavians breathing at the same time. Two years ago, there were only three. Only one was doing what was expected of him and protecting the amulet. The other two were leading a perfectly normal human life. At least, that’s what everyone thought until one of them died last year. Then there were only two Elkavians walking the face of the Earth. Unlike the one who died, the other left had no knowledge of the amulet or anything regarding the Elkavians.” He made a pause. He knew she was clever enough to connect the dots.
“Please say something I can believe. Mysticism won’t do,” she said critically. He didn’t see that coming. He did not know how to react. She continued, “Ethan, try to put yourself in my shoes. You’ve just said that my father was supposed to be a protector of an amulet that so far, I have no idea what it does, but I assume it has something to do with magic because you said yesterday that the Elkavians are special creatures, whatever that means.” Words came out of her mouth so quickly that she sounded like a machine gun. “Am I in the middle of a role-playing game or something? It sure sounds like that,” she said acidly.
“Uh, things would certainly be easier for you if the answer to that question was a simple yes, but I cannot say things just because you want to hear them. What do you think happened in the woods? You fainted? What excuses have you made up in your mind to justify everything that has happened to you recently? I honestly doubt that you could find any of them a scientific explanation. You can try to deny it as much as you want, but deep inside you know that I’m not lying. I am not going to continue talking if you’re going to be skeptical. It’s your call, Alexis," he said seriously.
She didn’t expect such an outburst of indignation from him. “You can continue,” she said shyly.
He frowned. It took him several seconds to start speaking again. He knew that not telling her the truth wouldn’t do either of them any good. “Elkavians have a unique set of skills. Even though they are born with them, those skills must be unleashed. You’ve never had the incentive to do so, Alexis. We must work on that, for your own sake.”
“Why now? What is this amulet I’m supposed to protect?” she asked sarcastically, still doubtful.
“You’re the only one left. The last of the bloodline. If you die, there will be no one able to protect the amulet. Its location will be exposed, and everyone will be in great danger.” He wanted to make sure she understood his next words, so he spoke them slowly, “You are a target.”
Alexis was impressed by the amount of nonsense Ethan could produce. “Wow, you are creative. I gotta give you that,” she said, making a considerable effort not to laugh.
Ethan didn’t know whether he should feel outraged at her incredulity or merely concerned about her well-being. He touched his temples. She was stubborn and stunning. Speechless, he dedicated some of his time to gaze at her beauty. She had long straight black hair, the darker he had ever seen. Her hazel eyes had a degree of gold. He was lost in her when she stood up and started walking back to the car. “Where are you going?” The brusqueness of her action took him by surprise.
“You’re not giving me anything,” she was almost shouting.
“Alexis, I’m giving you everything. Be patient. Come back here.” He stared at her. She looked at the car, then back at him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You’re right. Deep inside I know that there is no reasonable explanation for what just happened in the woods, but… I want there to be one. I don’t want any of this to be real.” It was hard for her to hold back her tears, so she looked down hoping that they would fall without wetting her face.
“I understand.” He wanted to kiss her passionately, but that would take both of their focuses out of what mattered the most at that moment, her safety.
She sat on the grass near him. “What does the amulet do?”
“It opens a gate,” he said calmly.
“To…?”
“Unlimited power.”
“I always related gates to places, so is unlimited power a place I’ve never heard of before?” She knew she sounded ruder than she actually meant to.
“Well, you are the only one who can answer that question. Only the protector knows the amulet’s source of power. All the others know is that it is unlimited. So, in the wrong hands, it becomes a weapon.”
“Okay, Ethan. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?” she asked bluntly.
“There are a thousand things I’d like to tell you, Alexis, but I believe these are the most important ones for now. We need to unleash your skills.”
“What happened in the woods?” She tried to avoid the skill talk for a while. She doubted she had any. She barely knew how to do kindergarten activities.
Protecting an amulet from psychos was definitely out of her league.
“You were attacked by an Oren.” She frowned. There were a lot of names for her to remember later. Seeing that she was puzzled, he explained, “He finds a breach and gets inside your head making you believe that what happens in your mind is real. Your body believes it is real. If you can't distinguish the illusion created by him from reality, there is no escape.”
“So, if you were not there… if I were not hearing you talk to me, he would have killed me? Is that it?” Alexis could barely breathe, anxiety had taken her over.
“Yes. They are trying to take advantage of the fact that you are not aware of what you are capable of yet. Right now, you are weak. This is their best chance.”
“Who are they?” She thought that the better she knew who was after her, the more prepared she would be to fight them, probably with a frying pan. She buried her head in her hands.
“There are different creatures after you, Alexis. Knowing each one of them will take time and it won’t be useful if you’re not ready to defend yourself.”
“Are you training me?” Alexis felt stupid asking that question, but he had said so many times that she had to work on her skills that it seemed plausible to believe that he would help her with that.
“Yes. You need to find time for that.” Ethan sounded deadly serious. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Can we do it at night?” She couldn't think of any other time they could secretly meet. She had no reason to go back to the Dawsons, so she would spend her mornings at school and the afternoons at Adams. At night, she could try to see him after her mom went to bed. It was their only chance.
“Uh…I guess.” Not what he had in mind, but certainly better than nothing.
“Tomorrow then.” She could tell that he was going to object. “I can’t tonight. I won’t be home.”
“Where are you going?” He was displeased.
“I’m spending the night at Mia’s. Will you be there?” She knew the answer to her question, but she wanted to hear it from him. She needed to know he would be there looking out for her.
The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1) Page 6