Unfaded (37 page)

             
I guess when you’ve been around for a few hundred years, something as silly as a horror movie might not seem so serious. Seito lived through World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Boxer Rebellion, even the Civil War. He’d seen natural disasters, man-made disasters, the Great Depression, and quite possibly a bunch of other things I hadn’t even learned about in history.

             
Maybe it was one of those things you just had to laugh about.

             
Twenty minutes in, the death toll was up to five and there was no shortage of teenagers wearing skimpy clothes. My eyes were beginning to grow heavy. I kept nodding off and jerking awake. Finally sleep took control.

             
I was back at the village where I was a dark skinned girl awaiting her fate while her family arranged her marriage. Back at the river where the women came to gossip as they spread their clothing on the rocks to do their daily washing. Through the trees I could see the smoke rising from the temple as the priests went about their rituals. My parents were just beyond that in their own hut, discussing proposal plans. They’d be so furious if they knew what I was about to do. I was supposed to remain chaste. Being alone with a man who was not my husband would be considered the ultimate betrayal to the father who raised me.

             
Kian was there, waiting with his hand out. My own hand was so tiny and dark against his. My hair was long and flowing, how I wanted him to brush the strands away from my cheeks. He stood before me, with his long hair and grey buttoned jerkin. We didn’t even speak the same language but that hardly mattered. I would learn English when I went away with him. I’d all ready made my decision.

Soon he
was leading me through the woods just as my previous vision and I grew excited because I knew where he was taking me. We were going to the place where the large rock lay flat and wide enough for the two of us to be alone.

             
We knelt down on the ground together and I ran my fingers along his pale white skin while his own hand stroked my hair. He leaned in and my lips parted. I closed my eyes, waiting for his touch.

             
I didn’t see the knife but I felt it tearing its way through my stomach. I opened my mouth to cry but no sounds came out. I couldn’t breathe. I placed my hands against my stomach and the blood seeped through my fingers, drenching them with boiling hot liquid. I looked up into his face but there was no warmth there. Those perfect eyes, such a unique colour, like the sky just before the sun went down, they watched me with a cold stance. And pity, I could see sorrow on his face.

             
“Why?” I whispered in a language I didn’t understand.

             
He stabbed me again, higher up and now I could feel the pain as metal tore through me, crippling me. I fell backwards and the knife easily slid out of me as I dropped to the ground. Lying on my side, the blood flowed freely, staining the rock beneath me.

             
Kian's boot dug into my shoulder, giving me a sharp jab.

             
My vision began to blur.

             
Then I was back in the movie theatre, screaming and clutching my stomach as if to keep the blood in. Just about every single person turned around, their eyes on me but I barely noticed.

             
They were all watching me. Amber, Claire, Seito and Kian. Oh, god, he was touching me. His arm was on my shoulder.

             
“Mai?”

             
In a blind panic, I shoved him back, trying to get him away from me. I got out of my seat, stumbling over Seito as I backed up in panic. Amber reached out and I swatted at her. I could still feel the blood dripping from my stomach but when I placed my hands against myself they came away dry.

             
“Mai?” Kian was reaching out for me. His voice was low. He was trying to calm me down. “It was just a dream. Nothing more. You’ve been sleeping for the past ten minutes.”

             
“Get away from me,” I hissed.

             
“What’s wrong with her?” Amber’s voice held a hint of hysteria.

             
I pushed my way through the aisle, past Amber and Claire and a few other movie goers who uttered some harsh words that I ignored. Once I managed to get around the seated bodies, I stumbled and hit the carpet on my knees and literally crawled several feet before I managed to regain my balance.

             
Kian caught up with me at the doors. In the darkness I couldn’t see his face but I could feel the energy as he grabbed my arms. There was panic in that power, it poured into my body, adding to my own hysteria. I started to scream and he shoved me against the wall, covering my mouth with his hand.

             
I was trapped. The entrance to the theatre was only a few feet away. I could see the light of the lobby slipping through the cracks by my feet. No one in their seats could see me. The wall separated us.

             
“You need to listen to me,” he said. “Whatever it is you saw, I can explain. It’s not what you think.”

             
I struggled against him. All I could think about was the knife as it plunged into my body. My stomach clenched in pain and I closed my eyes until the cramps passed. Tears welled up and poured down my cheeks, soaking his fingers. Removing his hand from my face, he reached up and touched the side of my mouth.

             
“You killed me.” The words stood in the air between us.

             
“Oh, Mai.”

             
With a surprising burst of energy, I shoved him back and was free. I didn’t give him a chance to come after me. Turning, I pulled the door open and escaped into the brightness of the lobby. Lots of people were standing around and the noise of their voices surrounded me, filling my ears, spooking me. I needed to find a place to hide. I needed to get as far away from Kian as I could.

             
I had trusted him. How could he do that to me?

             
I raced past the concession stand and rounded the corner where I promptly ran smack into Connor and Eugene. I hit him hard, his bucket of popcorn toppled from his hands, scattering across the floor.

             
“Mai?”

             
I couldn’t speak. My lungs burned from lack of air. From beyond the concession stand I could see Amber and Claire rushing towards me. Seito and Kian were right behind them. My stomach clenched again, pain shot along my nerves into every corner of my body. I turned to Connor, the only person in the world I could trust.

             
“Help me,” I said.

             
At that point my legs stopped working and I started to fall. Connor’s quick arms shot out to catch me before I hit the ground. I gasped for air but my lungs remained empty.

             
“She’s hyperventilating,” someone said.

             
“Get her on the ground,” Eugene said.

             
I could see myself lying on a rock, spread out and vulnerable while Kian reached down to claim me.

             
“No!” I clung to Connor, used his body as a crutch as I pulled myself together. I inhaled again and the air finally came. Gasping, I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs. My heartbeat slowed a bit as I fought to win back control.

             
Amber was the first to reach me. “What happened? Are you ok? You scared the crap out of us.”

             
“I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine,” I muttered. It was my mantra. If I said it enough it would become the truth. Kian reached over to touch me and I couldn’t stop myself from cringing. Connor immediately came to my defence.

             
“Hey!” he slapped Kian’s hand away from me. “Don’t you touch her.”

             
Kian completely ignored him. Instead he held out his hand. “Mai, come with me. I can explain everything.”

             
“Leave me alone,” I said, a large sob caught in my throat.

             
“I don’t think the lady wants you around,” Connor said. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

             
The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Amber reached out and hugged me. I allowed the embrace but I couldn’t do anything but stand there with my hands by my sides.

             
“Maybe we should take you home,” she said and Claire immediately started rummaging through her purse for the car keys.

             
“I’ll take her,” Connor said.

             
“Don’t do it, Mai,” Kian said. “You know it’s not safe.”

             
“Listen buddy,” Connor pulled himself up to his full height and pressed a finger against Kian’s chest. “You’re just not getting it, are you? She doesn’t want to be with you. Now be a smart guy and walk away. I’ll take it from here.”

             
“Is that what you want?” Claire asked me. “Cause I can take you.”

             
“I want to go with Connor,” I whispered.

             
Kian’s eyes narrowed but he backed away. Seito followed him and they moved across the lobby to the corner where they started talking. Kian never took his eyes off of me.

             
“I’ll catch up with you later, man,” Eugene said, patting Connor on the back. He moved over with Amber and Claire who watched me with concerned expressions.

             
I allowed Connor to take me by the hand and lead me away.

             
Outside, the air was cool and crisp. I walked alongside Connor, his fingers warm against my skin. My breath was flowing again and puffs of white clouds escaped my lips when I exhaled. His car was parked halfway down the block and I climbed inside, surrounded by the familiar interior. It was comforting, as if it had waited for me all this time. So much had changed in my life but Connor’s car remained the same, from to the hula dancer on his dashboard to the crack in the windshield from last summer when we’d come home from the beach.

             
Connor started the car and we waited in silence while the engine warmed. Through my passenger mirror I saw the headlights of Kian’s car. Of course he’d follow me home. He was supposed to be my guardian. But who was going to save me from him?

             
What a fool I was. Was this his way of getting close enough to kill me? How many times had he done this? It must get easier every single time, winning my trust, gaining my love, only to kill me once he was done with me. It was like getting tossed into the garbage. I’d never felt so used.

             
“I can’t believe that guy,” Connor finally said. His fists clenched the steering wheel, knuckles turned white. “Who does he think he is treating you that way?”

             
I didn’t say a word. I no longer knew the answer.

             
“If he comes around you again, let me know. I’ll make sure he never touches you again. I’ll get the guys after him.”

             
“No,” I said. “Just let it go.”

             
“But...”

             
“No.” I pulled on my seatbelt. “Leave it alone, Connor. For me.”

             
“Ok,” he said but I could tell he wasn’t happy. Putting the car into gear, we burned out of the parking lot. From behind us Kian’s car pulled out and followed. It made me both sad and angry to know he was still going to try and keep the game going. He was still pretending that he cared.

             
“Do you want to go someplace?” Connor asked. “I mean, just to talk. I’ve missed you, Mai.”

             
“I want to go home,” I said, my voice hollow and empty. “I’m tired.”

             
He was hurt by this but I didn’t care. Connor wanted to play the hero by rescuing me and I was fine with that. But I wasn’t going to let him back into my life. How could I after everything I’d been through? All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep until all the bad things disappeared.

             
Connor took me straight home. He even walked me up to the door to make sure I got inside.

             
“Can I call you tomorrow?” he asked. “Just to talk. I’d like to start talking to you again. I’m not kidding when I said I missed you.”

             
“Ok,” I said.

             
His face brightened and he bent down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I tried not to shudder when he got too close. All I saw was Kian’s soft lips as he pressed in towards my body. I felt his warm breath on my face as he prepared to betray me. I watched the knife as it plunged back into my body.