Chapter 14
“WAKE UP!”
I screamed awake, and almost fell off my bed if not for Tony pulling me by my waist. Cursing under my breath, I let Tony haul me into a sitting position and leaned myself against him. Then we both glared up to the screamer. “Ben,” I hissed, “you better have one good reason to do that or I will beat you where you stand!”
“I do, actually. Tony has to go to school and we have some training to do.” He pushed up his glasses in thought. “Now hurry up before I change my mind and have you do push-ups the entire day.” He turned, dodging the pillow I threw at his head, and left the bedroom.
Having missed my target, I crossed my arms and let out a loud hmpf. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d rather go to school.”
I felt Tony’s laughter rumble against my back. “Believe me,” he said while wrapping his arms around me, “you’re not missing much. Except me, of course, but you see me at home, so it’s all good.” He chuckled again and leaned forward to kiss me on the cheek.
I felt my heartbeat quicken at the gesture. I wanted to tell him how I felt about him right then, but I’d never been one to spill the beans. I didn’t even know how. But mostly...
I was afraid to.
“But still,” I said, trying to change the subject, “I’ve missed lots of school already. I should go back soon before I can’t catch up.”
“Oh please. Your parents died not even a week ago, Princess. Your teachers will understand if you miss school. People would think it weird if you did go.”
“I don’t care what people think. I just don’t want to stay stuck in here for another month.”
“Not another month.” He grabbed my hand and starting toying with my fingers. It felt strangely nice. “We’ll see how things go, and if you’re ready, you can come back next week. How’s that sound?” He intertwined our fingers and lifting our hands to look at them closely.
I nodded, and then looked beyond our hands at the alarm clock by my bed. “You need to get ready.”
“Why? There’s still a half-hour left. I am a guy; I only need five minutes and I’m done. Unlike you women,” he teased.
“Oh really?” I said sceptically, “I bet I’ll be ready and downstairs before you are.” I turned in his embrace to look at him, challenging him.
His gorgeous dimples appeared. “You’re on.” Then he rolled us to the other side of the bed, dropped me on my stomach to then pull the blankets over me, before rushing out of the room, laughing.
“Cheater!” I called as I scrambled out of the bed. Quickly grabbing clothes off my desk, I made my way to my personal bathroom.
After changing into a simple yellow shirt and jeans, I started brushing my hair. I could hear Tony down the hall yelling at Greg to get out of the bathroom. Having to share the same one with him and Ben, Tony had no choice but to wait for Greg to come out. Unfortunately for him – and fortunately for me – Greg loved to pamper himself for a very, very, long time.
Tying up my blond hair in a tight ponytail, I could hear Tony’s feet pounding on the floor as he ran towards my room. Guessing he wanted to use my bathroom, I hurried to lock the door just as he was going to reach it.
He tried the knob only to realize it locked, and I snickered evilly. “Ah shit!” he hissed, rushing out the room again.
I brushed my teeth quickly and practically flew out of the rooms, down the stairs, all the way to the kitchen. I grabbed a granola bar, dismissing Gigi’s comments about it “not being an adequate breakfast” and hurried to the main door. Just as I finished swallowing the last bite, Tony came running down the stairs.
I feigned a bored look when he spotted me. “Aren’t you done yet? My grandmother was quicker than you are!”
He glared at me, but amusement sparkled in his eyes.
“So is her grandfather,” a gentle voice spoke up. Tony and I watched as a familiar figure appeared in the hallway.
“Nicolas!” I threw myself at him.
Laughing softly, he caught me in a hug. “Hello, young one.” He kissed the top of my head.
I looked up at him. “Young one?”
“No?” he asked.
I thought about it. Sure, I wasn’t that young, but he’d meant it as an endearment, and it made me happy that he would think of something to call me that no one else would. “I think it’s sweet,” I replied back with a smile. “When did you get here?”
“Yesterday evening. I wished to surprise you and found you were already gone. I thought best to wait until morning.” He smiled. “On the other hand, the moving company was able to transfer my belongings into my room. All that remains is for me to unload my things.”
“That’s good.” I nodded to him. That’s when I noticed something different about him. He looked older somehow; more into his fifties than the forties he usually His face seemed to have aged a little, and his expression looked worn out. “Are you feeling alright?”
“I am a tad exhausted due to jet-lag, but otherwise quite well. Thank you for the concern.”
“Are you sure? You look...off.”
“Do not fear, I am in good condition; I assure you.”
“All right. Well I’m going to go eat; that bar is definitely not enough to fill my stomach.” I said with a slight chuckle.
I went back to the kitchen, Tony on my heels. “You shouldn’t mention that to him,” he murmured after glancing behind us to make sure Nicolas wasn’t there.
“Why not?” I grabbed the cereal box Gigi was holding with an outstretched hand towards me. “Thanks mom,” I said sarcastically to her. That earned me a nasty look.
“Because,” Tony continued, “no man wants to admit he’s getting old.”
After pouring some cereals and milk into a bowl, I took the seat next to Gigi at the breakfast counter. “Seriously, if he hasn’t noticed that he’s getting old, then he’s got some observation problems,” I joked, grabbing a spoon.
“Non, that’s not what he means,” Gigi clarified. “He means that they physically get older. It is an actual trait of being a Shifter.” When she noticed my confused look, she continued. “Shifters don’t age as quickly once they’ve reached their prime. Putting it simply, it is the Shifter form that decreases the chances of having genetic damage in the human body; genetic damage being a central cause to aging. I call it the Second System.”
I swallowed my mouthful of cinnamon cereals before asking, “And once they aren’t Shifters anymore, they go back to normal?”
She nodded in agreement. “They are simply human then, and so the aging process kicks in at an increasingly fast rate. The longer they have been living on their Second System, the longer it will take their system to catch up to its actual age.”
It was easy to understand why they wouldn’t want to get older, especially for those who were extremely old. To go from a nice and healthy body to that of an old man; it was bound to be rough. Which brought on a scary thought. “Has Nicolas been on his for long?” I asked.
Gigi shook her head. “Last I recall, his files said it had been only a few years. Since he’s barely had any changes so far, my guess is that his system has already caught up to him.”
I let out a sigh in relief. “Oh good. That’s good.” I said more to myself.
Tony chuckled. “You shouldn’t worry about him. It’s not because a man is old that he’s defenceless.”
Ben came in. “Yeah. You should see him when he’s angry; you don’t want to mess with him.”
I found that hard to believe but said nothing, instead shoving the last portion of cereals in my mouth. Then, drinking what little milk was left in my bowl, I got up to put the bowl in the sink. When I turned around, Gigi was leaving the kitchen and Ben was smearing peanut butter on bread. And what was more, he was still in his green pyjama pants, his hair tousled from sleep. I glared at him. “You sleep deprive me when you aren’t even ready yourself?!”
He eyed me curiously. “And?”
Before I could completely make it around the counter and deliver the punch I wanted so desperately to dish out, Tony was in front of me, blocking my path. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around my waist, and held me in place as I tried to manoeuvre towards Ben.
“Let me at him!” I ordered, but we both knew he wouldn’t. So I glared at Ben instead, who merely looked bored by my mood. Which angered me even more. “I’m gonna kick your ass one day,” I promised.
As soon as it left my lips, I could see a gleam form in Ben’s small eyes. Turning around, he thrust his butt out towards Tony and I. Then he pointed at it, saying, “You mean this?”
I saw red. Had Tony not instinctively tightened his grip on me, I would have pummelled more than his rear. Fortunately for Ben, Tony was able to pull me up against him, limiting my movements. “Why don’t you go get ready?” Tony suggested to the dead-man walking.
Agreeing with the idea, Ben left us alone. Seconds passed by as I sought to calm down, to slow my breathing. At the same time, I waited for Tony to release me. Yet he didn't. "You can let me go now; he's not here for me to kill anymore."
He crushed me even tighter. "I rather like you where you are," he joked.
"Why? It’s the only way you know how to pick up girls?”
"I don't know," he spoke in sarcastic curiosity, "is it working?"
"Uh..." I searched for something to say. And I’ll never know why reality chose that moment to pop up, but I thought about what Tony had told me last night.
Frederick is after me; he wants to kill me.
“You know,” I started, “you can’t protect me forever.”
Without asking, he knew what I was referring to. “Then I’ll die trying.”
“No. I don’t want that.” I took a shaky breath and turned to face him. I looked at his sombre expression. “Sometimes I just wish I was normal... that we were normal.”
“Why? We were meant for so much more.” He cupped my face and looked into my eyes. “I know it’s been hard on you the whole time, but there is some good in all this; the sensation of flying, the incredible things you see, the pride of knowing you’re making a difference in the world.” He paused. “It’s worth risking your life. You’re worth risking my life.” He punctuated the thought by kissing me.
I kissed him back, instinctively grabbing hold of his shoulders to pull myself closer to him. He tasted sweet from the maple syrup he’d had just-
“TONY!” Greg’s voice boomed across the house.
Separating from each other, I opened my eyes and looked up. Tony was grinning sheepishly. “I might have used up all his shampoo again” When Greg called his name another time, only much closer to us that time, he glanced down at his watch. “I think it’s time for me to go to school.”
“I think it is,” I said with a chuckle.
“See you later!” He planted a quick kiss on my lips and ran out of the house before Greg could catch him.
Two seconds later, Greg himself came into the kitchen, searching every corner of the room for Tony.
“You just missed him,” I informed him while leaving the room. I distinctly heard him promise to seriously hurt Tony, and couldn’t help but laugh. These guys complain worse than girls!
* * *
Several minutes later found Ben and I outside, in the flower garden. I smiled to myself as I looked around the place that had once been Nana's haven. It was a secluded area on the border of the mansion’s yard, hidden by a small mass of trees.
Roughly in the shape of a circle, the space had been completely arranged by Nana. She’d organized specific coloured flowers all around the area to have a rainbow effect. Then, in the center of all those flowers, pavement had been installed. And in the middle of the pavement area was a beautiful pond.
We moved around the garden, taking in the sight before getting busy. In was such a peaceful place, and I’d been afraid the new owners wouldn’t upkeep it. Thankfully Gigi was.
Some few seconds later, we sat down on the pavement just on the edge of the pond. Ben installed himself in a meditation position and Shifted as he did. He looked at me expectantly, so I took my cue to Shift as well. I was excited to learn something new today.
Once I was seated, Ben started. "So we're going to try something different today: levitation."
My ecstatic mood vaporized. "Levitation? You're kidding...right?" His stoic expression said otherwise. "What the heck am I going to do with that? I've got a psychotic guy after me and instead of learning to defend myself, I'm learning to levitate?!"
As I finished talking, my dagger suddenly slipped out of my right boot, twirled several times on itself in mid-air and then pressed itself threateningly against my throat. I gulped. "All right; I'm listening."
He smiled thinly. "Wise choice" Then he had the dagger lower itself onto my lap.
I took it in my hands, turning it around to examine it. “So how do I do this?”
He took a deep breath before speaking. “Everyone is made up of Light or Dark. Creatures are made of only one and that dictates what they are. Humans are the only exception to this; they harvest both, making them very unpredictable as you can never know their motivations.”
I nodded. “I know that already.”
“What you don’t know is that this includes the entire planet. Light and Dark are the energies that fill the air; they are everywhere. That way, when you Shift, you can manipulate Light in whatever way you choose. And if you can control it, then it is quite easy to make something levitate. As long as it isn’t something alive though; they tend to resist.”
“Okay, I think I get it, but I still don’t know how to manipulate energy.”
He smiled coldly. “That’s the difficult part; every Shifter has his own way. You’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
I lifted my arms up in exasperation. “Great!” I sighed. Then I got an idea. “How do you do it?”
He taped his head. “I am a visual person; I merely imagine it.”
Okay, it wasn’t much, but it was a start. I pictured something simple like the dagger lifting. Nothing happened.
Then I imagined myself lifting up the dagger. Still nothing.
As minutes passed by with no change whatsoever, I grew frustrated. Why wasn’t this working?! I glared at the dagger. Stupid thing!
Moving my gaze from the dagger, I looked at my right hand. Maybe I could-
Before even finishing my thought, the dagger travelled from my lap onto my hand. I stared in amazement.
“That’s good,” Ben spoke up.
“How...I... I didn’t-“ I shook my head. Maybe it’s because of my hand?
“Try something different,” Ben said. He glanced around the garden. “Maybe that rock over there?” he nudged his head towards the pond.
I focused on my hand and thought of the rock. However, despite my deduction, nothing moved. That’s not it, I realized. Glancing briefly at the greyish rock, I looked back at my palm. Then, before my very eyes, the rock flew all the way to my hand.
Comprehension dawned. “It’s my eyes!” I concentrated on the rock and let my eyesight travel upwards, towards the heavens. Sure enough, the rock followed the path my eyes had just taken.
“Not bad,” Ben acknowledged.
A thought struck my mind just then. Bringing down my gaze, I looked straight at Ben and smiled evilly.
He looked at me curiously. “What-“ His question was cut short when a rock, out of nowhere, fell on his head.
“Oh my,” I said, keeping a straight face, “I must have lost my concentration. So sorry.”
He glared at me, most probably doubting me, and rubbed the sore spot on his head. “Try something else,” he ordered.
I searched the area. What could I use? My gaze fell on the pond. Wouldn’t it be a shame if Ben got soaked? I thought with dark humour. So I focused hard on the water. Then I quickly turned my attention to Ben. The water, however, didn’t react the way I was expecting.
The surface of the water swayed with a big thrust. The mass of it that hit the edge of the pond flew upwards and towards us, drenching both Ben and I. I shrieked at the coldness of the water – and out of shock at my failure – and Ben cursed heavily.
“What were you thinking?!” Ben spat.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” I insisted, omitting that my intentions had been to soak only him.
“Of course not! You can’t manipulate water; only Elementals control them!”
I stood up angrily. “Well how am I to know that when you don’t tell me?!”
“I thought you would have known that by now!” He stood up as well with a frustrated sigh. “Elementals are the four beings that control one of the four elements. Easily enough; water, fire, earth and air. You don’t tamper with them and especially don’t try to control their elements. On a good day they would merely ignore you and you wouldn’t be able to use their element. On a bad one, they could kill you just for trying. You were lucky to even have an ounce of influence on the water.” He shook his head as a dog would shake his fur. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go take a hot shower. Again,” he added with a furious growl as he walked off.
That’s when I learned my most valuable lesson; never get Ben wet.
