Pulse of Heroes

by A. Jacob Sweeny

  Michelle walked out of the classroom and headed out through the front door, quietly closing it behind her.

  Michelle couldn’t face going home after she left Hekademos. She had way too much adrenaline pumping through her veins to be able to close herself up in her small bedroom, let alone sleep. Even thinking about it made her feel claustrophobic. She had no idea what time it was, because she had yet to find a way to have her parents activate her brand new cell phone without arousing suspicion. When Michelle passed by Samantha’s house and saw that the light in her bedroom was still on, she decided to knock. Sam opened the front door, surprised to see Michelle, and immediately asked her what was wrong as she pulled her into the house while looking down both sides of the street to make sure that no one followed her.

  “Tim’s upstairs, but he’s just about to leave. We studied for four hours,” Samantha said in a low voice. Michelle promised that she would tell her everything later, but her head was pounding and she just wanted to close her eyes. Samantha suggested she sneak into her mother’s bedroom and nap there because she was out doing another night shift. Michelle stretched out on the queen-sized bed as quietly as possible.

  Thoughts and emotions of horror and relief shot back and forth in her mind. Horror from seeing Elliot and Rion use such violence on each other, and relief that Elliot was back home. Relief that Elliot had displayed such jealousy over her, and then guilt for feeling just that. And what about Rion? How did he fit into the picture? She really wasn’t sure. Michelle almost closed her eyes completely when she heard a knock on the door. When Tim walked in, Michelle was laid out flat on her stomach with a large fluffy white lace pillow on top of her head and all he could see were the ends of her wavy hair across her neck and shoulders. He gently sat down next to her on the side of the bed and she let out a sad groan.

  “That bad?” he asked, to which Michelle’s body tightened because she had thought it was Sam she had heard entering the room. She wondered if Sam was working against her and had told Tim that she was there. Michelle peeked out from under the pillow and he smiled at her warmly. She groaned again, only this time it was over Tim and his sunny disposition. No drama, just a regular, dreamy guy who any other girl would be doing somersaults over. Why did she have to fall prey to someone like Elliot, she thought, returning Tim a tired smile. Elliot was different and beyond beautiful. He was strong and sensitive at the same time, and he had stories to tell, stories that she could listen to for the rest of her life. And he had magic on his side. Elliot was mysterious and there was something dangerous in his wild and unpredictable ways, something that excited her, but something that she wanted to conquer nonetheless. Elliot made her heart race like no other guy had ever done, and her body craved to be near him. In fact she had dreamt for months about what it would be like to kiss him.

  After protesting that she only lived four houses away, Michelle let Tim drive her home anyway. When he pulled up to the driveway he began asking her something, but she was in no condition to deal with another uncomfortable situation. It was all too much for one day. Tim tried to inquire as to whether she had plans for the Prom just as Michelle happened to see her father looking out at them from the bedroom window. That got Tim moving, and he was safely on his way before Michelle entered her front door. Michelle looked at the stairs leading up to the second floor and for some reason they looked extra long and steep. She was so tired that climbing them seemed nearly impossible.

  Michelle lazily pushed open her bedroom door, hoping to see Crumb already sacked out on her bed. But instead of a fluffy cat, she saw her Italian books and notes neatly stacked on top of her bed. Only then did she remember that she had forgotten to grab her stuff when she left Hekademos. In the heat of the moment all she had cared about was getting out of there and leaving Elliot and Rion to deal with the aftermath of their battle. Now, staring at the pile, she wondered if Elliot was still in her room, and if he was how should she react? Truth was that after scolding him she regretted it almost immediately. But it was just too much for her to see him attacking Rion like that. And besides, he deserved it for running off on her the way he did. But Michelle still wondered if she would have been as harsh if she hadn’t been trying to protect Rion. Maybe if Rion wasn’t there she would have thrown her arms around Elliot’s neck and let the weight of her body hang on him as if she were an anchor, making sure that he never left her again.

  Michelle took a deep breath and stepped into the room. Elliot was standing at her window. He was looking outside and she knew that he saw Tim drop her off. But Elliot had no grounds to mention anything about Tim, even though he wondered if Michelle had finally given into his charms. For a second, Elliot felt jealous that Tim was a normal young man without any complications and, unlike him, he was safe and healthy for Michelle. Michelle quietly closed the door behind her and sat down on the edge of the bed, never taking her eyes off Elliot. He hadn’t looked at her once, and she knew that he was ashamed. Elliot worried about how Michelle might perceive him after seeing him in such a rage. After a long silence, Elliot finally turned around to face. Michelle’s heart skipped a beat as soon as his eyes found hers. She had no control over such things. She was still angry with him, yet felt grateful that he was there so close to her. Crumb was the one that finally broke the silence, meowing a slight greeting from on top of her dresser where he was perched, anticipating. Michelle knew that animals could sense tension, and there was no mistaking it in this situation.

  “Michelle, I’m really sorry,” Elliot said quietly after he figured that things were still salvageable because they had both laughed at the cat. Michelle took a few steps towards Elliot and looked at his face. His muscles were still rigid and his eyes had not returned to their usual blue. Elliot froze when she gently brushed a few strands of his hair out of the way to reveal the gash on his forehead. To her amazement, it was already healing. Elliot gave her the tiniest of smiles and reminded her that they heal fast. And before she could even think about asking, he told her that Rion was going to be ok too and that he was sorry for what he did.

  “You hurt me,” Michelle said without a shred of shame, but she turned away from him anyway because if she continued to look at him for another second she would just start crying. Whether it would be out of happiness, sadness, or pure emotional exhaustion, she couldn’t tell, but cry she would and she didn’t want to.

  Michelle sat back down on the bed and hugged one of her pillows. She had no idea where to start, or what she was supposed to say. Elliot sat down next to her, wrenching one of her hands away from the pillow so he could hold it. Michelle’s hand was like that of a child in his, and he engulfed it protectively. He needed to feel her, even if it was just her fingers, and he wanted her to remember what it felt like when they held hands. Michelle began feeling an amazing sensation of well-being spread across her body, and her head felt light and airy. All she wanted to do was to lie back and fall asleep. She wanted to leave the talking for another day. When Elliot felt Michelle’s muscles relax he gently lowered her down until she lay flat. He then lay down next to her. When he turned off the small lamp the glow-in-the-dark stars came to life in lime green above them. Michelle asked him if he was hypnotizing her and he told her that he wasn’t, but he was altering her physiological chemistry. Elliot knew that Michelle had been through a lot, and he couldn’t stand to see her so freaked out and sad.

  “I wish I could feel like this forever,” she dreamingly repeated what she had told him before. When Michelle felt her state of being returning to normal her hand searched for his, and once finding it she held it tightly and asked him not to let go.

  “For how long?” he asked her, and gave out a small laugh when she answered “For a long time.”

  He told her that he would do his best, but that even he would get tired eventually. Did she love him, he wondered. Michelle was thinking the exact same thing herself. She had never even thought about that word, let alone attaching it to any guy. She loved her family and she loved Samantha. She
definitely loved Crumb and maybe Francesca too, but how could that word apply to what she felt for Elliot? Michelle didn’t want to think about it anymore because it scared her. What if Elliot didn’t love her back? But she so wanted him to. She suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to put her arms around Elliot and hold on to him. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body blanketing her. Would he let her? Would he jump away from her like he did before? Or was the whole idea stupid and would only make things worse than they already were? Michelle took her chance and turned to Elliot who was now looking straight into her eyes.

  “I want you to,” he said. Michelle inched close to him and nuzzled up against him while burying her face in his chest. She loved his scent. Elliot put one arm around her and held her. When she looked up at him again, Elliot was casually smiling back at her and his eyes were no longer aglow. She stretched her neck and reached out to his lips with hers. And when they finally met Elliot engulfed her in his arms and pulled her up on top of him. Startled by the sudden movement, Michelle gave out something that sounded like a squeak and pulled away from his face in surprise. But before she could say anything Elliot raised his head and in a swift movement pulled her down towards him. He was strong. There was no resisting. Not that she wanted to. When his lips parted hers and their tongues met he kissed her strong. His breath was hot and sweet and Michelle took it in, kissing him passionately and deep as if her soul was being fed by him. She was no longer tired and she only wanted more. When she came up for air and opened her eyes, she was staring directly into Elliot’s eyes which glowed again but gently. They were beautiful. Michelle held Elliot’s face in her hands and kissed him again and again, surprised to feel warm tears escaping from her eyes and running down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” Elliot whispered into her neck and then kissed her tears away. Michelle felt light headed again and asked Elliot if he was doing that to her. He explained to her that when he kissed her things just happened without him controlling them, but he also told her that it could just be the rush of so many emotions. Elliot slowly moved from underneath her and helped her get comfortable on the bed. He began stroking her hair.

  “You need sleep. You’ve been through enough for one day. Xander told me that you fainted earlier, is that so?” Michelle had no explanation for what had happened earlier, besides that she must be overly stressed over finals. Elliot took a lot of the blame for her stress and asked if she would let him help her fall asleep. But Michelle didn’t want the night to end and pulled him towards her lips again. He eventually broke away from her and assured her that there would be many more kisses to come.

  “More than you can count,” he laughed, and Michelle lay back down so he could put his hand on her forehead. Elliot’s eyes glowed brighter and as if by magic Michelle found it hard to keep her eyes open. A few seconds later she was engulfed in a sweet slumber. Elliot pulled her blanket over her and then placed Crumb by her side. Michelle hugged and nuzzled her little cat, smiling in her sleep. Elliot watched over Michelle for a while, and when he was satisfied that she was sleeping soundly he kissed her on her forehead and left.

  Chapter 11

  Michelle leaned against the brick wall of the mini-mart down the street from Meadow High School and waited for Elliot. It was the first time that he had offered to pick her up from school, which signaled to Michelle that their relationship was moving in the right direction. They had yet to talk about why Elliot had left town so unexpectedly, but Michelle wanted to wait until her finals were over. She was just glad to have him back and she didn’t want to screw things up. When Michelle spotted Elliot’s Explorer round the corner her heart began pounding with levity. Elliot couldn’t help but smile when he saw her waving at him so excitedly. Her smile was that infectious, and her eyes made him yearn to be next to her.

  Just as Michelle climbed into the passenger seat, Samantha’s bug pulled into the adjacent parking space. Sam complimented Michelle on her new chauffeur service, and Elliot smiled shyly at Samantha, who waved back at him overenthusiastically. He wondered how it was that he found himself surrounded by high school kids, noticing that the VW had stickers on the back that made the car look like it had a smiley face. Here were these semi-adults, yet their responsibilities were no more than those of children. Elliot valued the lifelong pursuit of knowledge, as he himself was forever learning, but today’s schools seemed to create a fake reality of what he considered unneeded and superficial stress. He was already daydreaming that he and Michelle were living in a different time so they could just get on with their lives as two adults. The sneaking around and pretending was getting on his nerves.

  When Elliot failed to turn on the ignition and instead just stared out into nothingness, Michelle knew that he was deep in thought. She always wondered about how his perspective must be so different from the rest of humanity. He simply fascinated her. His face was so beautiful, she thought as she scrutinized him. She couldn’t decide if his large eyes and long lashes were his best features, or his full and very kissable lips. When Elliot realized that Michelle was staring at him he slowly smiled at her and asked if anything was the matter.

  “Nothing,” she answered coyly.

  “You’re not going to tell me?” he kissed her on her cheek. “Even if I kiss you?” Michelle squirmed in her seat a bit and bashfully asked him if she was strange because she just liked to look at him. Elliot had heard those words before. He shook his head.

  “So you won’t be mad at me if I tell you that I think you’re so beautiful that I wonder how anyone like you can exist at all?” Elliot was well aware that women and men alike found him to be ethereally beautiful, although he would have preferred handsome. Throughout all those years, nothing had changed when it came to beauty; everyone craved it. He wondered if that craving was more than just wanting to find a healthy suitable partner. Perhaps somewhere in the human sub-consciousness everyone was still searching for their maker, the image of perfection. After all, he was still searching for his, and when he looked into the mirror he was probably staring at a version of his father because he sure didn’t resemble anyone in his mother’s family.

  Elliot drove onto a small dirt road and killed the engine under a large willow tree. He reached out to the anticipating Michelle and kissed her passionately. Michelle’s head immediately became light, and she leaned backwards against the window smiling in bliss.

  “You are the most beautiful creature that I’ve ever seen myself,” Elliot smiled.

  “Don’t lie to me just to make me feel better, because you’re perfect.”

  Elliot told Michelle that he wasn’t lying, and besides, he was far from perfect. He kissed her even harder to prove his point. “You have to stop that,” Michelle slurred as if drunk while making a feeble attempt to push him away. “I gotta study.”

  When Elliot was lost in passion and yearning it was almost impossible to control how that affected his partner. He knew that if he continued there would be no turning back and Michelle would want him completely. And he knew himself well enough to know that it would be next to impossible to turn her down.

  After a few hours of studying on the library’s outdoor patio, Elliot and Michelle walked to a small diner nearby. It was filled with old people who smiled at the young couple as they were seated. After ordering, Michelle asked Elliot about the oil press and about Argos Vela, and Elliot confirmed what she had heard from the other guys at the school.

  “I was the ship’s helmsman. But I didn’t go there for the gold. Procuring riches was for the King. We were seeking an even rarer ore and the secrets to its metallurgy.”

  “And the Golden Fleece, is that made up?” she asked, “and what about Jason?”

  Elliot gave out a little laugh and told her that ‘Yason’ is one of their kind and that he was indeed the leader of the journey.

  “Jason was extremely arrogant. And it’s true that he enjoyed women just a little too much for his own good. He was the one that wanted our story to be recorded to begin with, but as ti
me went on the tale got more and more fantastic and took on a life of its own. It even entertained us, and we were there. Last time I checked, Jason was still living somewhere in South America.”

  “But in the story everyone has Greek names,” Michelle pointed out, and Elliot explained to her that all of them use different names and aliases regularly. It was a necessity to reinvent oneself when one lives so long. Michelle immediately asked if ‘Elliot’ was his real name or a fake one, and to her surprise Elliot seemed a little irritated by the question. She tried to tell him that it didn’t matter, but Elliot thought that it did.

  “It’s a legitimate question. It’s just strange for me to be bringing this up all over again.” Elliot didn’t want to play pretend with Michelle. If she was going to be by his side, she would have to make peace with his past. “Elliot is the name given to me by my first wife.” Michelle swallowed hard at hearing the word ‘wife’, and was equally disturbed by the fact that he was still using a name that she had chosen for him. Still, Michelle didn’t want Elliot to sense her foreboding; she wanted to indicate that she didn’t care.