Pulse of Heroes

by A. Jacob Sweeny

  Michelle gazed longingly at the chocolate kiosk. She really wanted to try the semi-dark bar with caramel and almonds. She was definitely self-medicating, but in a relatively healthy way. It felt like heaven to roll the silky concoction around in the back of her mouth so she could get every bit of goodness out of it before swallowing it down. And then the short wait for the delicate head rush. Now back at the kiosk, Michelle looked at the tremendous variety of chocolate bars to choose from as if she had never seen them before. They were so pretty in their gold and silver wrappings. She wished she could buy them all. After great soul-searching, she eventually decided to purchase the same bar as the one she had bought only moments earlier, because she just wasn’t willing to take the chance that the other ones might not be as good. “I’m sorry,” Michelle said to the boy behind the counter as she struggled to get all the strange coins out of her front pocket and onto the countertop. She heard somebody speak in German to the cashier, and felt very embarrassed that she was obviously taking way too long and holding up the line. Michelle saw an arm reach around her head to hand the boy some bills, and that made her feel even worse.

  “Miss, it’s no need. The gentlemen behind you paid for you already,” the boy said to her in crisp English. Michelle felt mortified that someone actually thought she was so pathetic that they paid for her measly bar just so they could purchase their own goods. She slowly looked up at the boy, completely red-faced, wondering if she had heard him correctly. But he just gestured to the person behind her and smiled shyly.

  “Maybe you should thank the gentleman,” he whispered to her. Michelle took a deep breath and gathered all the guts she could muster to say a feeble thank you to the kind person behind her, while at the same time trying not to look too pitiful. She spun around to look at the figure that was obviously towering over her, and when she saw him her heart almost stopped out of sheer surprise.

  “Not even a hello? Or a simple thank you?” Rion asked, trying not to burst out laughing at Michelle’s obvious embarrassment.

  “What are you doing here?” her heart raced. “I mean, thank you,” she said, catching her breath. The whole scene felt like a déjà vu. She hadn’t seen Rion since she left the concert with Haden. How much did he know about what had happened? Wait, weren’t they family now? She just couldn’t believe it as he stood in front of her, tall and so handsome. The boy behind the counter gave out a little cough as a polite way to remind Michelle that now she really was blocking the line and everyone was staring at her. Michelle apologized and quickly stepped out of the way. Rion snatched up the chocolate bar that she had so desperately sought, and handed it to her. He tucked the magazine he had just purchased under his arm, and they walked around the kiosk, Michelle all the while gazing at him in adulation. There was a small round bench around one of the many columns that dotted the terminal, and they sat down facing one another.

  “I’m sorry I’m making you so nervous. Did I scare you? I thought we were all friends?” he asked smiling. “You really should try and catch your breath. Your heart is beating way too fast. Maybe have a bite of your treat?” he taunted her jokingly. Michelle swallowed hard and grabbed his hand, which surprised him because of the intensity with which she did it. “What is it?” he asked, ready to hear whatever it was she was dying to say.

  “Are we really family?” she asked him in an exhilarated whisper. Elliot hadn’t told Rion that he had discussed The Pulse with Michelle, so her question surprised him. He had no idea how much had been revealed to her. The term family was definitely stretching it. But Rion marveled at the expression passing across Michelle’s delighted face. She wanted to be his family; he could tell that if he said no she would be crushed, and the poor thing had gone through so much already. He set his magazine down and spread his arms open, smiling at her.

  “Of course we are,” he announced, waiting for his hug. He couldn’t have them all, he thought to himself, not that he ever would have gone there, but somehow he still thought Michelle was too good for Elliot. Maybe he was feeling extra protective over her; maybe it was just his instinct to protect what was somehow his. Did he fear that she would fare no better than Leta, who was also from his own flesh and blood?

  No, Rion feared nothing. Family was still better than nothing, no matter how many generations it was diluted by. The girl was still as cute as a bug. Michelle’s smile spread wide across her face when she saw Rion’s welcoming expression, and she just about leapt into his arms when she heard her father’s voice calling her name in distress. When Rion saw Michelle’s parents, his expression turned serious and he immediately stood up so as to not give the wrong impression. He’d get his hug another time. Michelle also jumped to her feet and introduced Rion to her parents as a friend who she had met at the church in St Alodia. Michelle’s mother was shocked by the handsome young man that stood in front of her. She smiled at him and even blushed a little. Meanwhile, Michelle’s father just stood there unhappy that this stranger had won his wife over so quickly.

  “Rion knows Francesca too,” Michelle said excitedly, only to remember that Francesca was no longer with them. “I mean knew her,” she said solemnly. Her mother asked Rion if he had heard the sad news.

  “Yes, I have. A lovely lady, it is a sad event for a community to lose someone like her. I will be attending her funeral. And I know she was quite fond of Michelle.” Michelle turned to look at Rion, amazed by how smooth he was. He knew exactly what to say at the right time. “I was just consoling Michelle, or maybe she was consoling me, when you saw us.”

  “Yeah mom, Rion used to speak to her in Italian,” Michelle said, trying to add some credibility to her relationship with the handsome young man. Her mom told Rion that that was why they had cut their vacation short. She also told him how Michelle had enjoyed her time in Hungary, and how she had made many new friends. Rion kept his mouth shut and tried to remain straight-faced when he realized how little Michelle’s parents knew about their daughter’s activities. He gave Michelle several sideways glances of amusement while her mom recounted Michelle’s stories, actually her lies, about what she did with Vilna and Marika. Michelle was getting worried that Rion might actually blow it for her with his spreading smirk, so she stepped backwards and kicked his shoe with the back of her foot, warning to him not to say anything, which only made him want to laugh even more.

  “So, are you taking the same flight as ours?” Michelle’s father inquired, hoping that the answer was a ‘no’. He had already made up his mind that he didn’t like this Rion, because although he said all the right things, he seemed a little too confident for his age, almost smug, and he could have sworn that he was flirting with his wife. Michelle on the other hand hoped that Rion was on the same plane, but his was going through New York while theirs was headed to Philadelphia. Michelle didn’t dare ask if he was going to see Elliot. That was when Rion excused himself, saying that his flight was probably already boarding and he had to make haste or he would be sure to miss it. They exchanged their goodbyes, but as they all walked off in opposite directions Michelle turned to look back towards him again. Rion immediately spun to face her and theatrically put his hand over his heart to convey his affection. That made Michelle laugh, but he immediately put his finger to his lips gesturing her to keep quiet.

  Something was obviously wrong. The speakers in the airport were calling for Mr. and Mrs. Andrews to return to the ticket counters. Michelle was oblivious to the angst as she listened to her MP3 player and dreamt about what it would have been like to have known Rion when he was a real king. She wondered if his personality had been any different back then, or if people had feared him. But then her mind shifted to Elliot as it usually did, and she remembered that someone had told her something about Elliot being a king once too. Her feelings for Elliot were a complete jumble, so much so that when she found herself thinking about him she forced herself to think of something else. For example, the lady in the smart business suit who was walking up the line of passengers and asking them que
stions. Michelle watched her as she clicked around in her high heels and nervously held one hand against her earphone.

  Michelle’s mother tugged at her shirt and signaled to her to remove her ear buds so she could hear what was being said. “What mom?” Michelle asked, noticing the loud hum of nervous bodies all around them. Her mother asked her to listen to the overhead speakers and tell her if she too heard their names being called. Michelle waited for the speakers while the first group of passengers began boarding the plane. The lady in the suit moved to the next group as the speakers came back to life. “I think it was our name, but I’m not sure. It’s so muffled and the person has a thick accent?” Michelle said. Her father said that it probably just sounded like their names; why would anybody be paging them he chuckled.

  “Ron, could we be in trouble? What if we’re at the wrong gate? Maybe it’s something in my bag?” Her mother’s voice sounded concerned. A baby began crying in the next line over and Michelle put her ear buds back in. But before she could turn the music on the woman with the headset walked over to their line and began asking if Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were present. Oh, no, Michelle thought. They were looking for them. She suddenly became scared at the possibility that the Romanian police might be after her. Maybe they found the bodies with her fingerprints all over the place. She began shaking as her father introduced himself to the lady and everybody stared at them as if they were guilty of something horrible. Her mom didn’t fare any better as their line was now boarding and they were told to walk over to the service desk.

  Michelle stood next to her nervous mother and watched her father’s animated image as he tried to explain something to the clerks behind the counter. The speakers overhead were booming with alarm, announcing to late passengers that the gate for the flight to Philadelphia was about to close. Michelle looked at her mother but she had no answers. Finally, her father returned to where they stood and he was actually laughing to himself.

  “What is it? Are we ok to go on the flight?” Michelle’s mom asked. There were only two other people left at the gate besides them.

  “Honey, I don’t know what to say,” he said wiping the sweat that formed at his temples, “Somehow we got put in first class. I told them that it was a mistake, but they argued that our seats were upgraded in the last ten minutes.” Michelle looked at her father as if he had gone mad, and her mom told him that they had to object because they couldn’t afford such flights and what if the charge showed up later and they would have to cover the difference? Her father laughed nervously again, and told her that the computer showed that the upgrades were paid for all in cash. Meaning that they were purchased free and clear.

  “Somebody paid almost $10,000 in cash!” he said, and Michelle noticed that he was sweating again. The lady in the suit walked back to them and ushered them all into the gate, telling them that it was time for them to board or the plane would leave without them. She added that if in fact the whole thing was a mistake, then at this point the airline would have to cover the loss and pay the difference. Michelle’s mother was not convinced.

  “This is a long flight. Enjoy it, it will be much more pleasant for you, that I can promise,” the lady said as they entered the aircraft and the door was pulled shut behind them. When they were seated, her mother marveled at how much more comfortable everything was. Legroom was not an issue at all, and the seats turned into small lounge chairs so they could sleep with their legs fully stretched out. The flight attendants were already bringing drinks and snacks, and they were still on the ground. Her father said something about how this flight would spoil him, but he’d get used to it.

  Michelle sat in the window seat, one row behind her parents. She didn’t say much as she fastened her seat belt, looking out the window as they began taxiing to the runway. She smiled to herself and watched the other planes taking off. She knew that somewhere up in one of them, she had a very very rich uncle, and she wished him a safe flight home.

  Chapter 20

  Willow’s Creek looked exactly the way it always did, and to Michelle’s jet-lagged eyes the scene was comforting. But when she remembered that she wouldn’t be seeing Francesca anymore, the place turned into a ghost town. It was very still outside as most people had just begun to wake up when the Andrews pulled into their driveway. The familiar smell of home cheered Michelle up some, and she couldn’t wait to be in her bedroom and to see her little cat. As soon as her father opened the front door Michelle shoved her way through and called for Crumb, who was already making his way downstairs. She noticed that he had lost weight, even though she knew that a neighbor had been feeding him, and she didn’t like it. She lifted the meowing cat up to her face and kissed him a million times.

  It wasn’t difficult for Michelle to see that her room had been gone through. Her first reaction was to scream for her parents, but on second thought she decided against involving them. Maybe it was Elliot when he had been trying to figure out where she had gone to, but would he leave such a mess? Michelle placed the items back where they belonged while Crumb watched her curiously.

  “Did you see what happened?” she asked him, but he just looked at her with large kitty eyes. “At least nothing is broken,” she said, putting away the pens and pencils that were tossed out of her top drawer. When she was finished, Michelle sat on the bed and looked around. Should she lie down? She was tired but strangely energetic. Her cell phone beeped as soon as she turned it on. She was sure she had stale messages but she dialed her voicemail anyway. The first one was from Sam telling her to have a safe flight and not to eat too much paprika, the second was a hang up, the third was Sam again letting her know that some guys had stopped by her house looking for Elliot, and the last one was from Francesca thanking her for the beautiful flowers she had sent her for her birthday. Michelle was startled to hear Francesca’s voice; she didn’t expect it. Francesca sounded so alive on the phone, Michelle thought; it was hard to believe that those were the last words she’d ever hear from her. Michelle lay down on her bed and pictured Francesca’s empty house. She wished things were different; she wished she had remained in Willow’s Creek. Her heart panged with hurt and sadness because she loved Francesca, but how much she’d miss her, she had no idea.

  Michelle almost fell asleep after shedding a few quiet tears, but then she thought about the message Sam had left her. What guys would be looking for Elliot at her house? It couldn’t have been anyone from Hekademos; they all knew where he was. The clock said 6: 47 am. She didn’t want to wake Sam up yet. It was probably ‘those guys’ that broke into her bedroom. Michelle got up from her bed, feeling uneasy. What if they were still around? They knew where she lived; they could come back after her and her family. Michelle washed her face in cold water and put on some clean clothes. Her parents were both asleep, good she thought. She tiptoed downstairs and walked out into the back yard. She dialed the numbers on her cell phone and listened to Hekademos’ official summer break voicemail message. She could only hope that someone would be checking the messages regularly.

  “Hi… this is Michelle. I just got home from Europe and I don’t know if you guys need to know this but someone broke into my room… and they didn’t set off the alarm. They didn’t take anything, just left a mess. Should I be scared? I mean, maybe it’s not related. Will one of you please call me back?” Michelle hung up wondering what she should do. She surveyed her home to see if there was any other evidence of the break in, but she saw nothing. The phone sprang to life in her hand, and a startled Michelle dropped it. Damn that broken screen, she thought, reaching down to pick it up and press the green button.

  “Hello?” she asked quietly. It was Kahl. “I’m sorry I didn’t know who else to call because… no, I’m all right. I guess better than the last few days. Ok, I’ll come over. Thanks.”

  The note said that she was going on a walk to stretch her legs. That was good enough reason, especially after the long flight. She tucked it under her parents bedroom door and was outside the house just a few seconds
later. It was going to be a hot day she thought to herself as she walked up Argos Vela, appreciating the beauty of the tree lined street as if she had never seen it before. Up ahead she saw a tall figure walking towards her, and before she could identify him, Kahl stood before her smiling.

  “Hello, Michelle. Welcome back.”

  “I wish I could do that,” Michelle said, thanking him for his charming greeting. She wondered how much Kahl knew about everything that had happened in Europe, and unfortunately for her he said he knew the whole story. Michelle lowered her head in shame. That meant that he knew about her and Haden too.

  At Hekademos, Michelle opted to sit outside in the sun rather than inside the school; it reminded her too much of the last time she was there and how much she had cried. The place symbolized Elliot, and the two were fused together in her mind forever. Kahl’s charcoal colored eyes shined in the morning light; he was beautiful. His expression changed from pleasant to serious. “The men that came around looking for Elliot are no longer here. I can assure you of that personally. You are safe now.” Michelle looked at Kahl’s sober face and saw no hint of regret in his eyes. He was just like the rest of them she thought, a warrior. Morphing into another person as if by simply flipping a switch. Or maybe they were all just magnificent actors around humans and this was who they really were.

  “Did they go back to Europe?” she dared to ask. Kahl shook his head. Michelle swallowed. Her first inkling was right; he had killed them himself. Michelle was not shocked, and that disturbed her even more. Was she getting used to this death thing so quickly? The guys had no problem serving their own justice as they saw fit. They didn’t live under the jurisdiction of anybody else’s laws, and that concerned her.