I am left just with my mom afterwards, the Gods leave to my room to, as they put it, settle things up for Tristan. I stay there in front of the television, not hearing a thing. The phone rings and mom picks it up. It's grandpa, he went to a little trip with some friends. They talk for a long time, I don't want to talk much today so when she offers me the speaker to talk to him I decline the offer. I am not in the mood for anything today, nor will I ever be, perhaps.
I help my mom with the washing up, she looks weirdly at me, not because I don't usually help her, but because I am sticking around too much today, if only she knew… I want to spend as much time as possible with her. But of course she does not know that, and she can't know. I am finishing the last dishes when she shows up behind me with a large box, wrapped in black paper.
"What's this?" I ask putting the last dish on the sink.
"Don't get too enthusiastic. Come on, open it" she keeps smiling so much that I start to feel bad almost instantly.
I carefully take the box from her hands and put it on the table. It's not too heavy so I have no problems doing that. There's a silver ribbon around it. I cut it with my teeth because I can't find the scissors. The paper comes off pretty easily, I try not to damage it, as I have always done. I look down to its content and I immediately start to cry.
Two Super Bowl tickets. The ones she won.
"Come on Alex, don't be so childish, you have never been a huge fan of football. Not once in your life!" she jokes at me when she notices my crying.
"David did" I say trying to keep the tears from falling.
What she does not know is that she has probably saved my life, Tristan said we needed people. I don't know how many will be there in the stadium but half the population of the world will be watching.
I jump on my mom's arms and thank her again.
"I'm sorry there's only two."
"Won't you be coming?"
"What? Me? No thank you, I will watch some teenage girl film on TV."
I smile and run upstairs to my room. I am glad to see that the sad look on their faces is still there, so I can change it. I tell them about the tickets and they seem to believe it can actually work. Tristan stands up and starts planning everything up, how are we going to get there, at what exact moment we are going to be leaving… On the other hand, Abigail just sits on the floor, smiling and closing her eyes, almost experiencing the same feelings I went through down in the kitchen. This might work.
But I don't want to keep my hopes too high, I know all about Murphy's Law, if anything can go wrong, it will. So we just take it seriously and keep on planning as smoothly as we can.
"There's only two tickets."
"I will stay" Abigail volunteers herself without hesitation. "I am not as experienced as Tristan is, he is stronger, and if I stay I can take care of Louise."
I thank her for that.
"Then you and me will leave tonight, we need to get there on time to mix with other people. Make them cover our scent, so to speak."
I nod.
Tristan urges me to pack up the absolutely necessary, which basically is my mobile phone, and something to eat and drink. He looks at me from the corner of my room as I get ready. He knows I am nervous and terrified, I know. But it does not make me uncomfortable, not at all. It's good to have someone not judging you once in a while, especially if we are talking about Tristan, whose greatest gift is clearly not human interaction and therefore questioning all my moves would be completely normal for him.
"Are you sure you need to go so early?" my mom asks when we tell her about our plan of leaving as soon as possible.
"Mrs. Stills."
"Louise."
Tristan smiles, awkwardly.
"We would not want to get into a traffic jam."
My mom nods, pretending she is fine with our decision, but it is clear to me that she is not enjoying watching me leave again, at least now she knows about it.
Tristan is in the car, getting familiar with everything, I hardly think he has ever driven a car before. I take my small bag, say goodbye to my mom and head to the car. Something stops me.
I hear Abigail whistling at me from the door. I turn back and she gets closer, her face shyest as ever. She hugs me and I feel she is not pretending, nor acting out for my mother.
"If I have ever done something to upset you, I can't say I care" she says with a funny voice. "Promise me you will come back" she whispers, just for me.
I have never been one for promises, I have always felt that people should not commit themselves to something they clearly can't be sure about. But this time, I hope again, for the best, and so I do as she says and promise to do return. Somehow, I never expected her to say that to me, perhaps a one month relationship has changed her way of thinking, perhaps now she would not let me die, after all.
"Look after my mother" I whisper too. "Please."
"As if she was my own" she smiles before giving me quick nock on my shoulder.
She goes back to the front gate and I get into the car. Tristan is still looking at the panels, the injection, and the wheel.
"Have you ever done this before?"
"My abilities never required learning how to drive" he says, calmly.
"Do you want me to do it?"
He looks at me, offended.
"I hardly think that would be necessary. Gods are fast learners. "
Tristan starts the car and we start moving, slowly and clumsily at first, but as we reach the high way things improve and he could pass for an experienced driver.
I had known from the very beginning that the trip to Indianapolis was going to be silent and not at all interesting. All I can do is watch the landscape as he drives. Not a single word has been spoken since we left home. His hands are firmly holding the wheel, we are clearly not going to go off the road. I hold my head from falling with my hand. An hour or so later, I have had enough silence, and I break it, for the first time in my life I think.
"Can I ask you something?"
He looks at me, I know he thinks ill of me for asking such a thing, if it was for him, he would remain silent all the way. Eventually, he does something similar to a nod, I take it as an affirmative response.
"Why are you here?"
"Here? In the car?"
His way of talking is confusing and frustrating at times, it's like he has never been with normal people, as Elizabeth and Jay have.
"No, here, with me. You said Elizabeth only sent you to warn us, and yet you stayed."
Tristan's pale skin turns even lighter. After a while he clears his throat.
"One does many things out of unthinkable feelings, for a God."
"What feelings?"
"Regret" He says in a small whimper "I know what she is going through."
I look at him and I see his eyes watering.
"But you became a God, after all."
I can see his forehead frown, and his eyes close. His hands shake on the wheel and the car starts doing weird things and noises.
"Sorry, I did not mean that" I apologize. "I meant to ask why you did you become a God."
"Constance made me, of course. The family of my Mortal Fringe had been compromised, she was going to wreck them all if I didn't. What I did not understand was that I would be the one to destroy that family if I were to become a God" he is close to sobbing. "I was fooled by hope, I took the soul and now I am paying for it."
"I am sorry" I murmur. "What was her name?" I ask trying to get myself closer to him, to understand his feelings and with his, Elizabeth's.
Tristan laughs, I can see a couple of tears fall from his eyes and wet his pale skin. I smile too, but I don't know why.
"John, the name was John."
"Sorry, I didn't…" I literally don't know what to say now, I must look ridiculous trying to hide myself from him, inside a car.
"It's quite alright, it's not usual in within Gods.”
The rest of the trip is mostly silent, with some spontaneous comments about me and El
izabeth, about Barcelona and how we got to know each other. Although Tristan is clearly more interested on how I managed to get over the fact that she was going to be claiming my soul. He is very respectful about it and tries not to mention it much, to avoid awkwardness between us.
By the time we get to Indianapolis there's a feeling of festivity that I have hardly seen before in my life. The streets are full of people and the short drive to the stadium turns into an epic journey; our own little Odyssey. Tristan manages to park the car somewhere near the stadium, something very unusual. I guess it has something to do with some of his abilities. Tristan pulls out a couple of Giant's shirts and we lose ourselves with the crowd.
We enter the stadium following the thousands of people in front of us, and as we do I notice how the sky starts to turn black. Suddenly I don't feel so lucky and not at all optimistic about this.
Dark clouds cover the city, like a terrifying omen.
CHAPTER 40
Thunder. I can't say if it's real or if it's only happening in my head. Tristan looks anxious, he looks up to the sky and I know he thinks that is not from natural doing. We are sitting on our seats, surrounded by thousands of people screaming and yelling at the screens, waiting for the players to come out to the field. It's too bad neither of us feel the same way as they do, so enthusiastic about what they are about to see, so naïve to think that there is nothing more to be worried about, that the world has no barriers within itself. But they are wrong. I know it, but what can I do? Obviously telling them about all this other side of what they know is out of the question. I just remain on my seat, pretending to be extremely happy as I follow Tristan's eyes, deconstructing the whole place.
"Are we ok?" I ask, nervously.
"Unknown."
For once I would like to be like him, able to express so much and yet so little, using nothing but a single word.
The game is about to start, the irritating and enthusiastic voice of the reporters fill my ears and the music starts to play. The Giants are introduced and the stadium bursts into wild screaming. Everyone around me stands up to add emphasis to their yelling. I try to do the same, although it's clear that I am not an expert on the subject and I am mainly a misfit here. So is Tristan, who does not even bother to stand up, he remains seated with her hands on his lap and his vision fixed on the field. He does not blink, nor breathe, he does not even move. People look at him and I can't do anything else but jump on him and shake his whole body while shouting to the players, alongside the rest of the stadium.
"That is not appropriate" he says. "We need to focus on your protection."
"Look around, if you want to come out of here alive you better join the crowd. If not, either they kill us both or whoever is looking for us won't have much trouble to find us."
"Good reasoning.”
He claps while sitting and moving his body from side to side and then the other.
"Ok, bad idea, just shout with them, no need to move."
He nods, I can't believe I am teaching a God about something I know nothing about.
We wait for a couple more minutes; the New England Patriots are already on the field. Both teams seem to be heating up tensions, teasing the immense ton. The game starts and the shouting gets even louder. I can hardly see the ball; the people in front of me are standing up and are blocking my vision. Well, at least they hide us both.
By the end of the first half I know I have missed a lot of the game, luckily for me, as I am not a diehard fan of sports I don't feel too frustrated for not having been able to follow the thing, or match, I should think, just in case someone over here can sense that I am not into football. I have more important things to think about, although I must admit that the happiness from the people around me is helping me to take all those thoughts away.
I am also feeling more and more distant from danger because I am meeting people every waking second. All of them try to teach me about the game, in order to be able to follow it, but I am so into other things that I can't keep up with all the information. The only thing that I remember when the first half ends is that the Patriots are leading the game 9-10, and since I am seating on the Giants part of the stadium, and wearing their shirt, I try to be as angry and mad as the rest of them. Tristan joins the screaming and two seconds later everyone is talking to him, as if he was the friendliest person in the world. Oddly enough, he manages to sound perfectly human.
Suddenly, the lights go off and I feel the rain over me. Silence all over the stadium. Some music starts in a matter of seconds.
"This is going to be fun, isn't it?" The familiar female voice gives me chills.
I turn my head. Mal is sitting right behind me, smiling as always and clapping alongside the rest of the multitude.
I turn back to the field, wishing that I did not just see her. I see the mud on the grown, the lights pointing right at it, the rain pouring and the stands around it.
After all, it all was meant to be.
Tristan stands up and puts himself between me and Mal. Everyone around us looks at the situation with some hesitation. No one knows what to do.
"Please Tristan, move away."
"I won't."
Mal breaks into hysterical laughter again.
"You don't want me to hurt you, do you?" She caresses his face. "Come on, for old times?"
"Stay away."
"You know I would have let you keep John, right? I wish I had been around."
Tristan bursts out with fury.
"Shut up!" he throws her in the air. She flies as Tristan leads her with his hands. Mal goes over the edge of the stadium and disappears.
The people sitting near us start screaming, they are all terrified for what they have just seen. Tristan turns to me, breathing harshly.
"Run!"
I do as he says and disappear into the crowd. The half time show is starting and the music is so loud that the screaming is easily confused by excitement. I can feel Tristan right next to me all the time although I can't see anything. My only goal is to keep running and disappear into the darkness of the night.
But I fail.
A terrible force pulls me from the ground ant throws me into the field.
I lie on my back. The wet floor is turning into mud and I can hardly move. I can see Mal approaching me with her green eyes fixed on mine.
I can't escape from destiny.
She is here, still laughing. She cleans the little bruise that she got from Tristan's attack, and then gets on her knees to look take an even closer look at me, her prey.
"Aren't you familiar with this?"
I look around, I am. She bends over me and the only thing I can see is her deep, stabbing green eyes.
And so my dream begins.
CHAPTER 41
I am freezing.
My back is soaking wet. Mal rips my body with her green eyes and I can't move, terror is paralyzing me. She moves her hand and throws me to one of the corners of the stadium.
I hit my head so hard that I almost black out. I try to open my eyes but I can't. I can only bring my hands to cover the bruise on the back of my head and try not to scream. The lights are on whoever is performing the half show, so no one can see me dying here. Mal comes back and grabs me by the neck. She tries to rise me from the ground but something hits her back. She only frowns her forehead and goes back to smile again.
"I said, stay away."
Tristan has found me.
Mal does as he says and drops me to the ground. My dizziness makes it impossible for me to distinguish which of the two shadows I see in front of me is Mal, and which is Tristan. I try to stand up but I can't, my legs won't hold me, not like this.
"Tristan, Tristan, Tristan… I thought you would have manners!" She punches him on his stomach and throws him away from us. "Never hit a lady."
He comes back; he teleports and appears in front of me, covering my wounded body with his own.
"You are going to be alright."
"Please, don't lie to him" S
he hits him again, but this time she does not throw him away, he remains where he is. Protecting me.
"Trust me" he says. I do, I don't need to say it. "Grab my hand."
I do as he says and he teleports us, not too far away. I still can hear the half time show.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"Underneath the stadium. It might buy us some time" he is exhausted. He can hardly stand on his feet. "Come on" he grabs me and takes me away, looking for shelter. Looking around as if he was expecting something.
"Tristan, I can't go on with this" I am ashamed of myself for saying it, but it is the way I feel. My body is broken and I have no more hope, no more strength to go on.
He drops me on the floor and punches me on the face.
"You are not going to give up, you understand? You are not!" his screaming hits me harder than the punch. I nod, trembling. "Let's go."
We keep moving, and for a while it seems like we have lost her. But it is not too long until we hear the fearless laughter behind us.
"Tell me, what are you planning on doing after your failed attempt to run away?"
Tristan lets me go, he looks at me smiling. Confident of himself.
"Fight back, of course" He uses his remaining strength to get all the benches and pipes on the air and a vivid fire covers them instantly. Tristan throws them against Mal, who was clearly not expecting it.
There's water pouring from everywhere and the woman is throwing all her power against Tristan's. He is not giving up and fights her with everything he can find.
Fire and water clashing together as Tristan and Mal fight to the death, if they could so easily die. The flames, coming from Tristan's mind, surround the body of their adversary, but Mal seems to be too powerful for that. She won't be bended, she is not going to be defeated so easily, or so her green eyes tell me.
I stand up and pick up a highly wrecked pipe that has fallen right by my side. It is broken in half and one of the ends is really point and sharp. I make my way through the falling water and persisting flames of the eternal fight, and before Mal notices me I stab her with the pointy end of my rage. She screams so loudly that I fall to the ground. She turns back and her eyes burn with fury.
The Mortal Fringe Page 19