Divine Mortals

by Allison, J

  I had stupidly thought, before this day, that we would be able to carry on as we were, totally ignorant to all the questions I didn’t have answers to. I guess I hadn’t wanted to know the answers or I would have asked them already.

  After tonight and our river… flight, as that’s all I could think of it as, I needed more information. I needed to know everything he could tell me. But not right now, tonight was still for us, tomorrow I would ask the hard questions.

  We had come back onto the main street and Robert turned into the already packed parking lot of Huntington Convention Centre. The name was far grander than the building itself, it looked as though it dated back to the early eighties and was in desperate need of a touch of paint, the light blue of its original coating was peeling in numerous places.

  Someone had taken great care to try and dress it up, strings of fairy lights led up to the entranceway creating a long twinkling walkway.

  The building itself was large, and going by the number of cars in the lot it would have to be, it seemed the whole town had turned out for tonight’s festivities.

  “How many people normally attend these?” I asked, my nervous butterflies setting in once more.

  “I’m not sure,” Robert frowned slightly, looking a little guilty, “This is the first I’ve been to.”

  “Oh great,” I moaned, “I was hoping you could tell me what to expect.”

  His hand flew to my cheek, his fingertips sending bursts of heat through my body.

  “Don’t worry,” his eyes were soft “I won’t let anyone make you uncomfortable.”

  “It won’t be anyone,” I groaned, “Just being here is doing a great job of making me uncomfortable.” I had a hopeful thought.

  “Maybe we could skip it, spend the rest of the night somewhere together…alone.” I finished in a pleading tone.

  He was gone, at the same time I registered his sudden disappearance my door was already opening, his hand reaching in to take mine.

  “That is far too tempting for me to stay in the car,” he grinned, “If we don’t go in now I will take you up on that offer.” he reached for my elbow, pulling me out gently, I groaned in defeat as I climbed out.

  “You need to meet these people Ava,”

  I rolled my eyes at him, I was pretty sure I didn’t need to.

  “It will make starting school so much easier if you know people.”

  “I know people.” I reasoned but he was already leading me towards the entrance of the dance.

  “Meeting a few more wouldn’t hurt.”

  I tried to disagree but he silenced me easily with a kiss, it happened so fast I wondered if I had imagined his lips on mine. His smug grin told me I hadn’t.

  As we walked up the fairy lit walkway to the double doors I could hear a Gloriana track playing inside, this was a slight relief, I had been wondering if the music in the car had been a gentle warning as to what tonight would be, thankfully it hadn’t.

  The main doors that bought us from the outside led straight into the heart of the Ball, there was no foyer or small entry hall, we walked right into the heart of the party.

  21.

  Someone had spent hours decorating the inside, I had to admit, it looked amazing. White organza cloth draped in large loops from the ceiling out to the walls which in turn were edged with more white fairy lights and interspersed with candle labrets that burnt large thick white candles.

  Hundreds of tiny silver stars hung from the ceiling reflecting the light in small wavering rainbows across the dance floor.

  On the other side of the huge ballroom was a stage where the DJ was spinning his tracks, to his right was the bar and buffet table where an array of divine looking canapés were ready to be eaten.

  There had to be at least three hundred people in the room, some of them seated at elegantly set tables around the edge of the dance floor, others were dancing to the fast track that was now playing. I couldn’t see anyone I recognized.

  Robert stood slightly behind me, one arm resting lightly on my waist, I felt his cheek brush mine.

  “Would you like a drink?” his voice was slightly husky.

  “Please.” I needed to do something other than stand inside the doorway, I was beginning to feel people stare, getting their first glimpse at the new girl.

  Robert led me through the crowd towards the bar. I noticed as we went that just as many people were looking at Robert as at me, in particular the females in the room, and for the first time I felt a little insignificant, were they wondering why someone as gorgeous as Robert was here with someone like me.

  Robert ordered two glasses of punch, passing one to me quickly.

  “Sally’s on the other side of the room,” he gestured with his glass, “She saw us come in and is wondering what took us so long to come out of the valley,” his smile was cheeky, “She’s pretty spot on with her guesses I have to say.”

  I laughed, it could be handy having someone around who could hear conversations from across the room.

  “Really…” I asked playfully, “What else do you hear?”

  “Well,” his head tilted gently to one side, a few moments later I saw his eyes tighten, he slid his arm around me in a protective manner.

  “The two guys over there at that table,” he gestured to two men who looked to be in their mid-twenties sitting next to the entrance we had just come though.

  “The one in blue thinks you’re ‘hot’,” he smiled down at me, “I can’t say I disagree, but I wish he’d stop looking, Arrgghh and talking about It.” he frowned.

  “Play nice,” I murmured quietly, changing the subject from those two quickly.

  “What else?” this was fascinating; it was a weird human desire to want to eves drop.

  “The two girls standing next to the stage, the blonde in the black dress and the red head in green,”

  I turned again in the direction he described. The red head was absolutely stunning, I felt insignificance pull at the edges of my confidence again, she looked a little older than us, perhaps her early twenties, the blonde I guessed was about my age.

  “The red head wants to know who you are and is speculating all sorts of scenarios as to who you might be,” he grinned listening to some of them before looking back at me.

  “I think you’re far too gorgeous to be the new kindergarten teacher,” his voice was soft, “the Blonde loves your dress.” I saw him frown a little again as he picked up on conversations around the room.

  “What are they saying about you, it can’t all be about me.”

  His eyes tightened a little but he kept his smile,

  “No one’s talking about me when I’m standing next to you Ava.”

  I didn’t believe him for a second.

  “Ava, Robert, over here,” I could hear that sentence myself, James waved at us from across the dance floor.

  “Time to meet the locals,” Robert grinned, although it seemed a little forced, I swung my face up to look at him, that was what I had said the first day Sally had come to pick me up, had he been listening even then. He kept one arm around my waist, holding me close as we negotiated the dancers in the crowd and followed James’s retreating figure.

  On the other side we found Sally and James seated at a table with about ten others. I smiled shyly pressing myself into Robert, I wasn’t good at meeting so many new people at once. Roberts fingers lightly stroked my sides and I let out a little of the nervous breath I had been holding.

  “Don’t panic they’ll love you,” he whispered quietly enough so only I could hear.

  James quickly did the introductions and most, except the two girls nearest me, I instantly forgot. The reason I hadn’t missed those two was because they were the blonde and the red head Robert had pointed out earlier. The blonde, Laura, was very slim and quite plain but her face was open and friendly.

  The red head, Allison was even more gorgeous up close, her skin was porcelain white and just as smooth. She had Viking like features with piercing eyes and a misc
hievous smile, I didn’t want to sit near her and have anyone draw comparisons about our looks, I knew who would lose that competition.

  Thankfully the spare seats were located next to Laura and Robert pulled one out for me before sitting himself. I groped for his hand under the table, he was my safety blanket tonight amongst the unknown.

  Laura was the first to speak,

  “So what do you think about Huntington?” her voice was friendly and also a little shy.

  “Oh it’s great,” I smiled, flicking my grin quickly towards Robert before looking back to her, “It’s really growing on me.”

  “I’ll bet.” I heard Allison murmur from the other side of Laura, flicking her fiery curls. Laura seemed to ignore this and so I did as well, beauty obviously didn’t equal manners and I felt Roberts hand tighten around mine.

  “So you live with your grandparents out at River Stone, my parents say they have a beautiful ranch there, although I’ve never been myself.” Laura smiled sweetly, she was trying to make me feel welcome and I was grateful for it.

  “You’ll have to come visit some time,” I was eager to make another girlfriend here, “They have the most amazing swimming hole, I’ll give you a call next time I go if you like.”

  Laura seemed to like the idea and we exchanged mobile numbers so I could text her. I wasn’t sure but I thought I heard an exaggerated sigh come for Allisons direction, but perhaps I was just being over sensitive after her first jibe.

  I was grateful to Sally, obviously she had filled everyone in on my reason for coming to live with my grandparents, I wasn’t asked that uncomfortable question once.

  Robert was very quiet the entire time, which was confusing, he had been so animated at dinner. When I looked at him he would squeeze my hand and smile, although I couldn’t help but get the feeling there was something he was hiding.

  Was it the flight?

  He spoke to people at the table when they directed something his way otherwise he seemed intent to sit back and let the conversation wash over him without taking part.

  I finally realized that Will was missing, he was supposed to be here, I thought perhaps Robert and he may have had some common ground, it was becoming obvious that Roberts presence here was just as uncommon as my own.

  “Hey James,” I raised my voice so he would hear me across the table, he looked up from where he was speaking with Sally.

  “Where’s Will, I thought he was coming tonight?” As I spoke Roberts hand tightened painfully around mine, Allisons head swung in my direction as I spoke Wills name. I felt my knuckles grind and I flinched. Robert immediately dropped my hand altogether and I had to use all my will power not to look away from James to inspect my squashed fingers.

  “Oh yeah, he was really weird,” James gave a thoughtful frown, “he was here when we arrived but then he took off just before you two got here, he seemed in a hurry, said he had something urgent to do and left.” James shrugged, he didn’t seem too worried about his friends quick exit, although I could see the reason why, he had been totally smitten with Sally all night, jumping to her every whim. I hoped his goddess worship routine wouldn’t put Sally off but going by her expression I didn’t think it had, she was glowing under his attention, at least that worry of mine was now gone, perhaps this would all work out for the best.

  I looked back at Robert who was gazing at me so intently it seemed as though he were looking into my soul, his large dark eyes completely impossible to read.

  I rubbed my sore knuckles softly, what the hell was that all about?

  I felt someone else watching me and looked up to meet Allisons hazel colored eyes, her red hair highlighting her beautiful face, her expression thoughtful as she watched me rub my hand. I stopped quickly and she looked away, striking up a conversation with the jock looking guy to her right.

  “Would you like to dance?” Robert asked softly, his lips brushing my ear as he spoke.

  “Sure.” Excusing myself from Laura I stood quickly. I was beginning to get a weird vibe, I wasn’t sure if it was from Wills unexplained departure, Roberts reaction to hearing about it, something my hand was still feeling the after effects of, or Allisons apparent dislike of me.

  As I stood I noticed Allison watching me again, a hard smile now plastered across her face, this time when our eyes met she didn’t look away. She stared straight at me, her gaze burning into mine. I felt completely translucent, all my inner thoughts and workings on display. Dropping my eyes I turned quickly back towards Robert, and had to stifle a gasp.

  He was looking at Allison, glaring at her as she had at me, the dark look he focused on her was pure and undisguised hate. Suddenly he became aware of my watching him and his expression changed dramatically back to the cheeky grin I knew and loved.

  Placing his hand gently on the small of my back he guided me away from the table and into the center of the dance floor.

  I wrapped my arms high around his neck, cupping the back of his head. His arms found their normal welcome spot low around my waist, his fingers gently resting along my spine.

  “Explain,” I asked as we swayed slowly in time to the music.

  “What?” his voice innocent.

  “You realize if you don’t tell me tonight I’ll just add it to my list of questions for tomorrow.”

  “Oh you have a list?”

  “It’s huge, you may have to ask for the day off.”

  He chuckled, apparently this was the only answer I was going to get right now.

  “You are absolutely infuriating do you know that?” I sighed, gently resting my head against his shoulder and closing my eyes.

  “My thoughts exactly,” he spoke into my hair before kissing the top of my head.

  I opened my eyes again, the crowd parted, Allison was there, staring, her eyes sparkling dangerously as she watched us dance.

  And then the crowd moved again and she was blocked once more from view. I shuddered, what the hell was her problem?

  “Are you cold?” Robert murmured, pulling me closer to him and his internal furnace, unaware of Allison this time.

  “Not anymore.” I whispered, putting him at ease, there would be plenty of time to discuss this tomorrow.

  For now I was going to melt into his arms and let us drift in time to the music. Tonight, no matter the crowds, it was only Robert and I.

  The rest of the ball passed quickly, we spent most of it on the dance floor or chatting with Sally and Laura over punch. Robert never strayed far from my side, even enduring all the girly talk which had to have bored him. He was overprotective tonight, as though he expected me to disappear in a puff of smoke. While I liked his closeness and the feel of his body against mine I couldn’t help but wonder what had set this off, he had been acting strangely since we had sat at Sallys table.

  There were more than a few things now that I needed to know.

  Who was this Allison with her fiery red hair and angry eyes and what made her hate me so instantly?

  Why had Robert reacted so strangely at the mention of Wills name?

  I unthinkingly rubbed my hand as I thought of that episode. After tonight I knew that there was more to know about Robert then he had told me, and my curiosity was beginning to go into overdrive.

  I left, promising Laura that I would text her in the next few days, before following Robert out into the night.

  I shivered as we stepped into the cool air, Robert swung his jacket off, draping it over my shoulders.

  “Thanks,” I smiled, grateful for the warmth as we crossed the large lot back towards our shiny black ride.

  Roberts answering smile was back to its brilliant best, “No problem.”

  “Don’t you feel the cold now either?” I asked incredulous,

  “Of course I do,” he chuckled, “Temperature has the same effect on me as it does you. I’m not a monster. I just don’t want you cold.” His eyes were glowing,

  “It would appear someone is overanalyzing everything a little much.” He grinned.

&nb
sp; “Perhaps if someone filled me in on the entire story I wouldn’t have to.” I shot back. His brow furrowed at my outburst but he remained silent.

  Tonight, had turned into an evening that raised more questions than answers.

  We were almost to the car, I could see the lights of the parking lot reflecting from its shiny hood, the most lavish car in the lot, most other vehicles here were of the practical farming nature, four wheel drives, pickups and large dirty SUV’s.

  Robert froze, effectively stopping me as well since his arm was still draped around me.

  “Wha…” The look on his face stopped my question, he wasn’t really here anymore, but somewhere else, listening to something I couldn’t hear. He was also angry, his eyes turning dark and hard as the silence dragged on, his mouth pulled into a tight line until he seemed to have forgotten my presence all together.

  I watched in terrified fascination as these emotions played out and then after a few seconds he was smiling down at me again, a little apologetic.

  “Hear something you didn’t like?” I asked hesitantly,

  “You could say that,” he grimaced, “It seems that not everyone here is out for a good night.”

  He held the door open and ushered me in before making his way slowly around the front of the car, still looking a little distant as he climbed into the drivers side.

  “Ready for home?” he asked flashing me a large white smile, again flipping from deep contemplation back to normal like the flick of a light switch. His crazy moods were becoming hard to follow, I had the feeling his happiness over the last few hours had been forced for my sole benefit.

  “Sure…” I didn’t know what else to say, it must be after mid night and there wasn’t anywhere else we could go tonight without raising suspicion with my Grandparents. I was pretty sure they would know exactly what time the dance was scheduled to end and in knowing that also know almost to the minute when I should be arriving home if we came straight back.

  We were silent the entire trip back to River Stone. My thoughts in a tumbling mess, I felt Roberts eyes on me more than once throughout the drive, a worried expression on his face whenever his gaze flicked my way. I ignored this, for now, I needed to get my questions in order before I could ask them.