Blood of the Pure (Gaea) (15 page)

As soon as I stood, I was once more the center of many gazes, people looking at me from head to toe, commenting on my appearance. I raised my head and told myself I had to stop being psychotic. As bad as I looked in those clothes, or as strange as I was, it wasn’t like I was something that rare. As for the title of unusual, the creature walking just a few feet away from me would certainly win the cup. And then I noticed that he, too, was the target of many appreciative rumors.

When we got outside he opened the door for me, like always, and fell to my side. That was the only moment of the day when the distance between us was that short; the few steps between the door and where Michael’s friends talked lively. My body became tense with his proximity, my heart beating painfully fast. And yet, unlike every other day, when all I could think of was to get to our destiny as fast as possible, my steps became smaller and smaller until I couldn’t walk anymore.

“I ... don’t want to,” I whispered, feeling like a child being forced to go to school.

“Nonsense. And I have no time to lose with nonsense. I have a Contract to fulfill,” he informed me coldly and my legs trembled, this time for everyone to see, since I wasn’t wearing my usual baggy pants that always managed to mask it somehow. “Let’s go!” His soft tone was stronger than a shouted command and, unable to think clearly, my body simply obeyed. Steven was the first to spot us with a friendly wave.

“Gabriel!” he called out and Gabriel smiled, waving back as he picked up the pace.

It was incredible, I thought. I could hardly believe we only knew each other for less than a week. Michael’s group had accepted him frighteningly well, as if they had known him their entire lives. And to think that I had watched Michael silently, from afar, for months without even being able to greet him. It was really frustrating!

I dragged my feet, considering the possibility of simply turning back and running. Almost as if he’d read my mind, Gabriel turned to me and offered me one of his fake smiles.

“What are you doing, Mari?” he asked, casually, but it was enough to make everyone aware of my presence.

I walked the short distance that was left, conscious of the silence all around, and the few moments that took me to do that felt like an eternity.

“Mari!” I heard Steven’s voice as to confirm what he saw.

“Wow, Mari! You look great!” Francis, the most outgoing but also the most critical of the three, added. I asked myself if he was making fun of me. “Hey, Michael, don’t you agree? I could hardly recognize her.”

Michael — fearing what I was about to see, but still wanting to know, I raised my head and looked for his reaction. Michael was staring at me, his bright eyes looking surprised, even a bit lost, and I blushed from ear to ear.

“Stop gaping, Michael!” Steven scoffed, hitting him hard in the back, and Michael stumbled forward, coughing. Steven and Francis laughed, making fun of his embarrassment, and Lauren walked up to me reminding me of her presence.

Her red hair fell down her shoulders in perfect curls. Her green sweater matched perfectly the color of her eyes, and the tight mini-skirt she wore brought out her perfect curves. I felt like a foolish child near her.

She smiled lightly, an obvious and many times studied smile, and tilted her head to the side.

“Francis is right. You look great,” she told me in her dragged sensual voice and I wished that, at least, I’d be able not to blush so easily.

“Thanks,” I answered, knowing that, unlike Francis, there were no doubts of how false she was being.

Megie didn’t pay me any attention. Holding on to Gabriel’s arm, she seemed determined to make him notice her deep neckline. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.

I blushed even deeper when Michael approached me and I saw him take a book out of his handbag.

“Here it is. Safe and sound. I really liked it. Though some of the poems are a bit sad.”

“‘Cause in life not everything is happiness,” I replied, caressing the book’s cover and only then noticing I’d said it out loud.

“True. Some of the poems talk about things we’ve lost and look to retrieve, but never find, since we don’t actually know where to look for. I really liked those.”

I raised my head, daring to look at him, and I thought I saw a glint of nostalgia in his eyes. It was only natural, I thought. He was someone who didn’t know where he’d come from, much less who he was. I wished I could hug him and comfort his lonely expression. But Michael was used to dealing with that pain, and to do it with a smile on his face. And that was what he did. His smile made my heart race, warming my whole body, making it so that nothing else really mattered.

“I brought you one of mine. It’s also a poetry book. I didn’t think you’d like this style,” he confessed, laughing, and I wanted to jump of joy. “It would seem we have very similar tastes.”

I took the book he’d just lent me and hugged it against my chest.

“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll like it,” I said, happy to be holding on to another little piece of him, and he placed his warm hand on my head, reminding me of how short I was. His touch brought me peace as I’d never felt and I wished his hand could remain there forever.

“Not fair!” he objected, jokingly, like talking to a misbehaved child. “First you read it! Then decide if you like it or not. And if you don’t, say you don’t!” he scolded me, slightly leaning forward to be closer to me, and I blushed deeply at how close our faces were. “Deal?”

I nodded, knowing I’d never be able to answer him otherwise, and he pulled his hand away, leaving a warm feeling in its place. If I could, I’d never wash my hair again, I thought and immediately felt like a silly teenager. I was behaving like a fourteen-year-old girl in love for the first time.

I peered towards where the others stood, worrying about what they might think if they saw me acting like that. But Gabriel had monopolized the two girls, telling them how he’d gone shopping with me because I had no trace of fashion sense. As he convinced them he was practically in charge of my wardrobe, Maggie started asking him what he thought would look best on her, while he looked at her from head to toe pensively, making her positively ecstatic. Francis watched from close by, obviously displeased as he spit out unpleasant comments that only made the girls hate him more. And Steven was just listening as he shook his head in disapproval.

“Your cousin ... he’s really something.” I heard Michael’s warm voice and looked back at him. He was also watching the others, but his expression was surprisingly serious.

“Ah, not really.”

“But he is,” he insisted. “There’s something about him that seems to attract everyone else. No one seems to be able to really dislike him, even though he’s not that likeable at all.” I was amazed at his observation skills.

I was tempted to tell Michael he also possessed something like that, a kind of magnetic force that attracted people around him, albeit something quite different from Gabriel.

“Francis doesn’t seem to agree,” I said, jokingly, and he looked at me, laughing.

“Yeah, but Francis has his reasons. Megie.”

“Megie,” We both said in unison and laughed together.

It was so easy being close to him, talking with him. Everything seemed right and harmonious, as if the world were an enchanted garden. Sure my heart beat faster at the sound of his laughter and my cheeks blushed every time he looked at me, but near him I was ... me. I didn’t have to make myself look happy or serious. Near Michael I was able to really speak my mind and, most of the times, I did it unintentionally, which always lead to some degree of awkwardness. Even then he accepted everything so naturally that what I first thought better left unsaid became the right thing the next instant.

Michael asked me about my weekend and I told him about my mother leaving, something that I hadn’t even had the chance to tell Steph. Just like Rachel, he thought it was good that at least I had Gabriel staying with me, and I felt bad for the limits imposed on my honesty. Right then the secret of my supposed cousin was like a dark and ugly stain I had to keep hidden from everyone.

I told him about an afternoon spent shopping, something that had never even happened, and about the small kitten called Lea that I found wandering about the house. It was only after I told him about the cat that I noticed, unconsciously, I’d ended up accepting Gabriel’s naming of the kitten.

The sound of the bell interrupted our talk and broke my enchanted garden into pieces. My disappointment must have been so clear that Michael laughed.

“Is your next class that boring?”

“Ah, oh, no,” I answered, embarrassed. “But it would be better if we could stay here.” He laughed again, perhaps thinking it was childish. Meanwhile, Gabriel kissed the other two girls goodbye.

“Only two more hours and you’ll be back home,” Michael mentioned, trying to comfort me, but the idea of going home was even worse than going to class. “Well, if we don’t see each other around, see you tomorrow.”

“See you. And thanks for the book,” I added, squeezing it against my chest as he smiled.

“You’re welcome.” His smile became even wider. “Oh, and Mari, you look really great.”

I stood there breathless, not knowing what to say, unable to react. I saw him walk away and my gaze followed him, stunned. When the others said their goodbyes, I slightly recall the echo of their voices, but I couldn’t reply. Those words, coming from him, were the only important words I had heard all day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“That was quite the lunch break,” Steph told me, whispering while our English teacher continued her lesson over any classroom chatter. “I saw you two talking ... all alone, by yourselves!” she added, her eyes gleaming with expectation.

“We weren’t alone,” I corrected her. “The others were also there.”

“Yeah, yeah, miles away, I saw.” Her smile implied much more than what has really happened. “Your cousin is really amazing!”

“What does he have to do with anything?”

“Oh, come on, he was keeping them busy, right? So you could have Michael Heaton all to yourself. He really tries hard!” I looked away, frowning, annoyed at her tone of admiration. Admiration for that thing!

By the end of English class, Mark waited for Steph by the door. She went to him and waved at us before they left together.

“That’s really becoming a serious business,” Joanne observed with a mischievous smile and I nodded, agreeing.

“She looks happy.”

“Yeah. But when I asked her if she was thinking about dating him, she told me she still didn’t know. He’s completely into her.” Joanne sounded impatient with Steph’s indecision.

“Well, she has all the time in the world to think about it.”

I returned home alone, relieved to do so. It was enough having to walk with him in the morning.

The house was empty. Well, not quite empty, as Lea came running to the door as soon as I closed it, his bell announcing him from a distance. I picked him up and took him to the kitchen.

“I brought you food,” I told the kitten, dropping my shopping bag on the table. “I don’t know how long you’ll be staying with us, but you’ll have to eat, right? For now, please get by with this.” I poured some dry food in a small bowl. “I promise I’ll cook something better for you later.” Lea practically jumped inside the bowl and started eating as soon as I placed it on the ground.

I decided to take a bath, anxious to get rid of those strange clothes and feeling really happy to be able to put on one of my old tracksuits. Afterwards I went down to the living room. I had no other choice, I thought as I looked at all the scattered bags. It was that or going to school in my pajamas. So I started taking them up to my room, which meant going up and down more than a dozen times. I was halfway over my task when I noticed the pile of blankets my mother had lent Gabriel so he might sleep in the living room. He’d told me he needed to sleep, but I’d never managed to gather enough courage to come down at night and check on him, just to make sure if he was really there, sleeping like any other Human Being. He could even spend his nights elsewhere, for all I knew.

When I finished taking all the bags up, the mess from the living room had been transferred to my room and, with a sigh, I started to fill the empty spaces.

There were pants, skirts and shorts, all mid-season and summer clothes, as if expecting the sunny days yet to come. There were also some warmer clothes, but nothing heavy or thick like my winter clothes had been. The fabrics were all soft and light. The colors were all colors I’d never even considered using! The skirts were mostly short, except two that were longer. The blouses had beautiful necklines, and different cuts, and ribbons. And, among them was the one Steph had made me buy the last time we’d gone out. It’s V-like neckline would certainly go down my plain chest, but apparently that had been my only piece of clothing that had received his stamp of approval.
To hell with the both of them!

There were stockings and knee-high socks and, besides the shoes I wore that day, there were another four extra pairs. I looked at the collection that hardly fit in my wardrobe and was sure there were more shoes there than I would ever wear my entire life.

There were also coats, some short, others longer, all soft and comfy looking. In the last bag I found two scarves with gloves and beanies to match. I put one on and laughed at how silly I looked in the mirror.