Blood of the Pure (Gaea) (42 page)

“I thought that that’s what you wanted.”

I looked up at him, stunned. So he knew? I forced myself react!

“And who’s talking about what I want? When has that ever mattered? I’m talking about what you want!” I countered. A woman who passed by threw me a strange look, as though she thought me crazy for, apparently, standing there talking to myself.

“That’s quite simple, really. You want something, but there are some things in this situation, conditions that you don’t want to face or live through, making you avoid the fulfillment of your initial wish. I’m the same as you,” he calmly admitted and I stood silent, trying to make sense of his words.

True enough I wished Michael had feelings for me, but the price he’d asked for my wish to come true didn’t agree with me in the least. But, if that’s how it was, knowing that he would achieve what he wanted once our Contract was fulfilled, what was there that displeased him?

Lea returned with a smile on his lips, completely unaware of our discussion, and placed the butter in the cart, skipping to my side.

“What else?” he inquired and I had to blink in order to return to reality. “Is there anything else?” he insisted, now looking suspicious, and I faked a smile, trying to hide from him our latest argument.

“No. I guess that’s almost everything,” I replied, checking my list.

While we gathered a few last things, my head kept turning around what he’d said. I guess that what shocked me the most was realizing that, even for him, there were things he couldn’t control. Something he didn’t desire and that was implicitly related to our Contract. It couldn’t be its terms, I thought, since, unlike me, he had gladly agreed to them. So it could only be something he hadn’t foreseen, some kind of secondary consequence that I just couldn’t grasp.

We manually and very much human-like carried all the supermarket bags back home, after rejecting, twice, Lea’s insistent idea of just making everything magically appear in my living room.

Once at home I patiently put everything in its rightful place, freezing most of our meat and fish supplies that, hopefully, would last us till the end of the month. Gabriel stood outside the kitchen door, leaning against the corridor wall, watching me with what could only be curiosity. And so I was really tired once everything was done, unlike Lea who kept happily jumping all over the place.

“What now? What now?” he excitedly asked and I sighed deeply. Where did all his energy came from? I dared take a peek towards Gabriel just to confirm he, too, was waiting for an answer, and sighed once again.

“Now, homework,” I replied and Lea’s smile quickly gave way to a pout.

“Homework? But that’s so boring!” he argued. “I’m always supposed to be quiet when you’re studying! It’s no fun at all!” I smiled and ran a hand through his soft tussled hair.

“But I have to. Tomorrow’s a school day and I still haven’t done anything. To tell you the truth, since you arrived, I haven’t been studying at all!” I added with a grimace and stole another peek towards the door, but he wasn’t there anymore.

Lea followed me up to my room, clearly disappointed with my choice of activity, and I took a deep breath as I grabbed all my books and notebooks before leaving again.

“Mari? Where are you going?” I heard his childish voice ask me curiously as he followed me back downstairs, and I stopped by the living room door for an instant, quickly taking the layout of the room into consideration before stepping in.

I dropped my things on the dinner table, only rarely used on important occasions, and pulled up a chair, sitting down.

“You’re going to study here?” Lea asked, bewildered, and I nodded before raising my head to face him. Gabriel, too, was staring at me from his arm chair with that same expression, and I took a deep breath for courage’s sake, before turning to answer his silent question.

“I did tell you I would spend the afternoon with you. A deal is deal!” I made a point to stress out and his incredulous expression was quickly replaced with a soft smile, almost as gentle as the ones he always gave Lea; which left me with the impression that I’d just said something plainly stupid, just like the night before when I’d said too much. “And you!” I said, pointing an accusatory finger at him, wanting to quickly erase the awkward feeling that filled the room; the words falling of my mouth as if they had a will of their own. “You have the same classes I do! Which means you have the same homework, too! You should at least do that!” I pointed out and Lea stared at me in utter shock, his eyes growing wider by the second.

Gabriel stood up ever so slowly, easily towering above the both of us, and I couldn’t help cringe in my chair, fighting against the flight response that already cursed through all my cells. I followed his calm and carefully planned movements as he picked up a pile of books that had been carelessly tossed on one of the couches. I couldn’t help wonder what madness had come to possess me, to make me go and put myself in that kind of situation of my own volition.

My eyes followed his every move, the way his long legs bent when he walked, his feet touching the floor without a sound, my heart racing in a panic as he walked towards us. I clenched my fists when my hands started shaking on their own accord, but, to my relief, he put down his things on the other end of the table.

It was only when I saw him drag a chair and sit down that I realized he’d taken me serious, and I felt kind of lost, not knowing what to do next. I decided to follow his example and, with hands still shaking, opened my English Literature book to our last lesson.

I heard the sound of pages quickly being turned and couldn’t help peering at him through the corner of my eye. I saw him go over book after book, turning page after page without lingering no more than a few seconds on each of them. And, when he closed the last book, a smug and proud smile stretched his perfect lips as he raised his head to look at me.

“All done,” he simply stated and I blinked in amazement.

“All! All what?”

“All the lessons, of course.”

“How? That’s impossible!” I firmly countered, more in outrage than really doubting him.

Without a single word, he pushed the books across the table, making them slide over the smooth surface until they came to a stop, right in front of me. I hesitated for a moment, before touching them, almost as if expecting that by doing so I’d be struck by a jolt of electricity, and then opened the English Literature book to the first page. My eyes fell upon a beautiful, long and elegant handwriting, each letter so carefully designed that they almost looked drawn instead of characters. And, true enough, all the exercises had been solved. Even the texts were underlined, small notes appearing here and there on the sides. Page after page, his handwriting embellished the otherwise plain pages. Nothing had been left behind or forgotten. Determined, I opened the book to the same page as mine, the one we had to do for homework, and, just as with all the pages before, all the exercises had been solved. I ran my eyes over his answers and was stunned, as I was certain that, not only were they correct, but all the subjects had been well developed beyond what had been requested. I took a peek at the next lessons and came across the same exact thing. I dropped English Literature and grabbed History, then Philosophy. All his books presented signs of having been carefully read and studied.

“Did you use magic?” I asked, slightly peeved at the injustice if he had, and he leaned his head on one of his hands.

“That kind of question is too ambiguous,” he calmly replied. “If you’re asking me if I used magic to write on those books, then the answer is yes. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have to read and memorize all that’s written on them. It only means that my learning speed is that much higher, that’s all,” he added, again with that smug smile on his lips.

I opened the English Literature book once again, asking him a random question to which he promptly answered without hesitation. Question after question, from past or future lessons, even when I changed subjects, the result was frustratingly always the same. Finally I closed the last book and dropped my head on the table completely defeated.

“Master! That’s amazing!” Lea cheered, clearly impressed, and I muttered a curse underneath my breath.

“It’s no big deal, Lea.”

“But I can’t do that!” Lea insisted and I peered at them without even raising my head, utterly dejected.

I saw him picking Lea up from under the arms and sitting him on his knee, as Lea opened one of his notebooks, suddenly keen on learning as much as his Master.

“You can copy my answers, if you want. I’m quite confident that they are correct,” he told me, sounding deeply amused, and I immediately bolted upright, pushing his books back to him.

“I don’t need them! I’ve always been very much able to do my own homework, thank you!” I flatly replied and turned my attention towards my yet completely blank pages, as I tried as hard as I could to simply ignore his persistent smile.

Chapter Fifteen

LEA

– Keter. - Path of Pe.

The Overthrow of the Salve-Gods by The Beast 666.
1
–

“Worse than the chains that bind me, or than the pain brought upon by the claws that imprison my heart,

is the inconsistence of the ground under my feet, of the air that surrounds me, of the world that I touch.

Because every time I allow myself to accept this thundering storm,

everything changes once again, blinding me and hiding my path,

making me drown ever more towards the inevitability

that is the condemnation of my entire being.”

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

stubbornly clenched my fists into tight balls as I dragged my foot towards a new painstaking step. That situation had long passed the limits of the ridiculous, I sternly told myself, counting under my breath as I forced the air down my lungs. I wasn’t afraid of him! I wanted to move forward! And yet, why wouldn’t my own legs obey me?

I raised my eyes from my frozen feet, my knees trembling against each other, and forced myself to face him. He sat in his usual armchair, completely still, watching me repeat my useless attempt with what looked like indifference; his expression calm, with no hint of impatience or disappointment. Making sure I kept my breathing under tight control, I noticed I’d already managed to walk a bit closer than the day before and tried to use that as an incentive. After all, what ... just four, five steps more, and I could easily slap him! Or maybe punch him! Punching him sounded very good! I dragged the other foot, placing one in front of the other, and something inside me seemed to shatter. Pain washed over me, leaving me breathless, making my will change in a split second. If I had to keep enduring that kind of torture, I’d rather just give up all together.

“Mari, enough,” Lea murmured, pulling me back by my skirt, and I wished I could tell him no, that I wasn’t about to give up, even though I knew I’d just done it. “Come, let’s make dinner,” he said, his small hand pulling me once again, and my legs followed him eagerly, even though they’d refused to obey me mere seconds ago.

I sat at the kitchen table, feeling too tired to move, and Lea perched himself on the sink to fill a glass of water, which he dutifully gave me with a worried expression.

“Are you all right?”

I took a deep breath, as all the trembling and shaking slowly waned, and took a long sip of water that seemed to help my stomach unknot.

“Better, thank you,” I replied and his tiny hand slid over my face to comfort me.

“You’ll make it, you’ll see.”

“It’s pathetic! Because it’s not like I’m afraid, or anything! At least I’m not, when he’s sitting there, like a statue! I have the stupidest feeling that even with my eyes closed, not knowing if he was really there or not, the result would be the same. This is really, really stupid!” I grunted in frustration.

“But you did manage to get closer today,” Lea countered, all positive thinking, and I sighed in dismay.

“Two meager small baby steps.”

“But if you add two meager small baby steps every day, it won’t be long before you actually manage to stand beside him!”

I looked at him and made myself smile at his hopeful expression. He really wished I could do it, just because it was something I wanted to do. I ran a hand through his black, soft hair and raised my head to reassure him.

“You’re right. The important thing is to never give up,” I stated, although I knew all too well I’d never be able to stand beside him of my own free will, and Lea smiled. “Does he ... feel disappointed at my constant failures?” I asked, well aware of just how embarrassing asking it out loud really was, and Lea seemed almost shocked. “I just can’t help wondering what he’s thinking, just sitting there, seeing me fight for every single step like an idiot.” I confessed. “If I were him, I’d long lost my patience. I’d find this whole situation so ridiculous! I’m always left wondering. Is he making fun of me? Laughing at my expense? Does he despise me for my stupid inability to give a dozen steps in his direction? Is he offended? Or maybe he feels proud of himself, since his presence is so terrible that I can’t even get close to him. Is he annoyed at all by my useless attempts? What do you think?” I asked and Lea reluctantly averted his gaze.

“I don’t think he feels any of that,” he said in a delicate voice.

“He doesn’t feel anything, then? And just sits there, indifferently watching me struggle against myself.”

“Why don’t you ask him that question, Mari?” he asked me as if he’d just had a brilliant idea. “I’m sure Master will give you an answer.”

“That might even be. But I really don’t know how to ask him something like this!” I confessed, blushing just from trying to picture it.

“Why? You asked me, didn’t you? It’s easier if you ask Master. Because no one else can really know what he’s thinking and feeling.” He was all innocence and honesty, and I smiled at his silver eyes, nodding.

“You’re right, Lea. Absolutely right. Still, I really don’t know how to do it. So, please, let’s keep this between the two of us, OK? Secret?” I wanted to make sure, and he seemed to ponder for a moment, before nodding his head in agreement.

For dinner I prepared some fish baked in tomatoes, onions and garlic and, strangely enough, and not cat-like at all, Lea wrinkled his nose in disgust. Even so, as soon as he saw me place the bowl on the table, he ran out the door without me even having to tell him to, returning a few moments later with Gabriel right behind him.

Like always, I waited until he’d taken his place, somehow feeling safer once he was sitting down, and asked for Lea’s plate. Holding his fork and knife, he still stared suspiciously at our dinner.

We ate in silence, except for Lea, who eventually ended up being completely won over by the sauce, and gladly complimented me on my cooking.

I watched Gabriel at a distance, as discreetly as possible, trying to ascertain his mood after yet another failure. He really seemed indifferent, I concluded watching as he ate, carefully chewing every mouthful. All for the best, I thought, as I gathered up all my courage to approach a subject too many times postponed.

“I received a new e-mail from my mother,” I announced, nervously plying with the food in my plate and, since he didn’t react, went on. “She says that she’ll probably be able to come home for the holidays, on the seventh.” I dared raise my eyes. He kept eating, as if unable to hear me. “You’re the one who basically sent her away. I want to know if she’ll really be able to come home for Easter!” I demanded and his hand finally stopped. I swallowed hard as I saw him slowly put down his fork and I prepared myself to face him when his head moved almost in slow motion.

“I really don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he simply replied.

“Why!” I demanded once again, raising my voice, and his expression became stone cold and distant.

“Because if she comes back right now, I’ll have to manipulate her memories once again,” he replied. “And sometimes, Humans who have their memories changed too often start forgetting other events of their lives. I know you don’t wish for any harm to come to her.” I felt my heart sink. Sure, I’d told myself that the probability of seeing my mom so soon was thin, to say the least. But still ... “Besides, she’s safer in Paris. And it would seem she’s been quite successful.”

“Mari,” Lea’s sad tone made me raise my head and put on another fake smile.

“It’s fine. I’m sure we’ll see each other over the summer. I always thought it would be difficult anyway, but since she wrote me that email, I just hoped ...” I left it at that before my voice could break, ruining the I’m-fine act I’d put up for Lea’s sake. And for once I was happy that my tears never came when they should.

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

The next day went by the same way as always, at least until the bell rang at the end of the day.

The last class in the afternoon had been slow and tedious and, as soon as it was over, Steph, who over the last few days had apparently decided to completely ignore me, jumped off her seat and stormed out the classroom abruptly.

I gathered my things as usual, wondering what could have happened to leave her in such a foul mood, and joined Kevin, and later on the rest of the group as we crossed the school grounds towards the exit.

My answer came quickly enough, as soon we reached the front gate. Joe and the others waved goodbye as they each followed their ways, and I was finally left alone ... with Gabriel!

“What are you doing here?” I muttered as he turned his back to walk ahead of me, and I followed, trying as hard as I could to keep the appearance that everything was as it should be.

“I was expecting you,” he answered me and I frowned.

“Why? What about Steph?” I insisted, knowing he always left school in her company, and he shrugged like it was of no concern.

“I told her you had to stop by the supermarket on your way home and that you needed my help,” he told me, in a tedious tone.

“But why?”

“It’s not safe,” he finally admitted, his soft voice floating straight into my ears, and my feet froze for an instant.

“Not ... safe?” I echoed as images of what had happened last Saturday flashed through my memory, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. “What do you mean? I thought ...” I stopped myself midway, unsure if I was supposed to know about his magic barrier, not wanting to get Lea in trouble over sharing things he shouldn’t, and he stopped a few steps ahead from where I stood, peering at me over his shoulder.

“The barrier was broken. Lea went there as soon as possible and sealed the breach. But we can’t be sure that nothing has crossed through in the meantime,” he told me, showing me that, as expected, Lea kept no secrets from him.

“But ... if something did come through, it’s coming after you,” I pointed out. And, if that was the case, then no place would be more dangerous than near him! Whatever the case, I only knew I didn’t want to have to go through all of that, ever again, that terrifying feeling that had swallowed me whole when the world had stopped! If his presence frightened me enough to freeze me in place, that feeling of being hunted made me wish I could cease to exist all together, in exchange for some peace of mind.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “However, that Seal of yours has my energy imprinted on it. How do you think they found you the last time?” I followed the direction pointed by his long, pale finger, and my eyes fell upon the blue velvet ribbon wrapped around my wrist. The Seal, the mark of our Contract.

“Then ... then they can come after me?” I whispered, shivering. The idea alone terrified me more than I could tell.

Once more, sanity threatened to escape through my fingers. I knew I wouldn’t be able to deal with that as well. I thought if I had to go through that again, I’d rather just go mad, right there and then. After all, if I were to lose my mind, I’d at least be able to face everything else with a smile on my lips.

“Mariane!” My name in his voice brought me back to reality, silencing the disconnected thoughts running amok in my mind. “You have nothing to fear. And I know that my word isn’t worth much outside our Contract, but I promise you that no harm will come to you, or to the ones around you.”