“Alexander, run!”
I didn’t need to be told twice. Spinning on my heel, I charged away. Behind me the epic battle continued. The cries of human and animal pain mixed together into a cacophony of agony.
Tears streamed down my face. I felt tainted, as if those eyes had stared into my very soul.
When I reached home, my hands were shaking so badly I could hardly get a hand into my pocket. The keys jangled together as I rattled them into the lock.
Once again no one was in. Running upstairs, I burst into the bathroom. I jumped into the shower and switched it on, not even waiting to remove any clothes. I slumped down to the tray and as the warm water rushed over my head, wrapped my arms around my legs and cried.
The shower helped. I felt human again. My sodden clothes were balled up in the washing basket and I was sitting on my bed, trying to get a handle on what had just happened. Something very nasty and very powerful had come after me. That much was clear. It had managed to keep up with me, which meant it had to have been something with serious speed. A large wild cat seemed the most logical explanation. I’d heard stories of wild panthers living in England. But the fur had been thick and shaggy, more like a dog’s than a cat’s. And those eyes — a nightmare straight out of a Romero film. Even thinking about them made me shudder.
Then there was the second fact. Something — someone had saved me. They’d called out to me. Called out my name. So this person knew me. Did that mean I knew them? They had moved so fast, I hadn’t even been able to tell if they were a man or woman. Faster than even I could move. Plus the strength they’d attacked the beast with had been incredible. Is it possible there are others like me? The thought was both comforting and concerning.
I needed to talk to someone. Confide. Grabbing my phone, I dialled Mikey. It cut straight to voicemail. I swore and dropped the phone onto the bed. I looked down at it again and sucked in a deep breath. My finger had tapped Gabriella’s speed-dial before I had a chance to talk myself out of it. As the tinging tone filled my ear, I walked around my room picking up random objects and setting them down again. After several rings, it connected and a slightly breathless voice floated from the speaker. “Hello?” “Uh hi Gabriella, it’s Alex.” “Alex! Hi, sorry I was training.” “Oh, if this is a bad time…” “Not at all. I’m glad you called.” She sounded genuinely pleased to hear from me. “How are you?”
“I’m…well actually I’m not too good. It’s uh…” I rubbed a hand across my eyes. What do I say? “I need to speak to someone — a friend about something. Are you free later?” She didn’t even pause for a second. “Where do you live?” I gave her the address. “I’ll be there in half an hour.” The phone disconnected.
The doorbell rang and I stopped pacing.
Running downstairs, I swung open the front door. My stomach clenched as Gabriella was revealed. She looked great, even in a baggy GAP jumper and jogging bottoms. Her thick black hair was pulled into a ponytail which rested on one shoulder.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Alex. You look…different!”
“So everyone keeps saying.”
We headed upstairs and I told her everything. I demonstrated by straightening the knotted dumbbell out of its pretzel shape. I ended with what had happened on my walk home. When I had finished, I held my breath waiting for her response. “That’s a lot to process,” was all she said. “Tell me about it. I’m still trying to deal with everything myself.” “So this thing chased you? Are you okay?” She shifted on the bed and squeezed my leg. The charges were still there. I nodded. “I think so, just a little shaken up. It could have been worse if that person hadn’t saved me.” Gabriella looked thoughtful. “So do you think what happened this evening and what’s happening to you in general is connected?”
“I think it has to be. I don’t see what else could be going on. I mean, that thing was after me.” I gave a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, what do you think?”
“I think you must have been chosen for a reason.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Gabriella shifted into a cross legged position on the bed. “Well, it’s like I said to you that day in the park, there’s something about you. I noticed it the day we met. It sounds stupid, but I felt drawn to you. Maybe these people — whoever they are, maybe they noticed it to. It could be that these abilities were always inside you, they have just been…unlocked somehow.” She gestured a slender hand towards me. “And maybe this animal thing noticed it too. That could be why it singled you out. Or maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she added with a smile.
I considered what she was saying and gave a careful nod. “I guess it’s possible about the ability thing. But I don’t understand why these people don’t just come out and talk to me, instead of being all cryptic. I just want to know what’s going on. It’s driving me crazy!”
It was her turn to nod. “I can imagine. But I guess all you can do is wait until they do; I mean, it’s not like you have a choice.”
I idly spun my phone between my fingers. “Would you trust them?”
Gabriella sighed. “That’s a tough one. It’s all very surreal. All I could say is that from what you’ve told me it seems these people are trying to help you. If they’d wanted to hurt you, they could have done it when they took you. But here you are, better than ever. So I would at least give them the benefit of the doubt.”
It made sense. Gabriella’s objective way of looking at the situation somehow made me feel better.
“Maybe I’ll give them a chance once they drop the smoke and mirror act,” I grinned.
Gabriella laughed and swept a strand of stray hair over her ear. All it took was that simple movement and I became very aware that I was a teenager sitting on my bed in an empty house with a beautiful girl. In an instant, I became old Alex again. Clasping my hands together, I tried to look anywhere other than in her eyes. I could sense her looking at me, the faint lift of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Those soft, perfect lips, which you could lose hours kissing. The waves of electricity started to buzz underneath my skin.
“Are you okay”? Gabriella asked, clearly sensing the shift in atmosphere.
“I um…yeah I’m cool,” I croaked. I need to change the subject. “Listen since you’re here, do you want to watch a film downstairs or something?” Her face brightened. “Do you have popcorn?” “I think so” She leapt off the bed like an excited child, curtseyed and extended a hand. “Then I accept your invitation.”
We were watching a comedy on satellite, when my family came back. In truth Gabriella was watching the film, I was secretly watching her. The way her eyes crinkled at the corners and tiny dimples appeared on her cheeks when she laughed; it made it hard to breathe. After a while she leaned her head against my shoulder. It made the charges spike, but I wouldn’t have moved for the world.
The jingling of the keys in the door followed by the familiar sound of three shoes on the hardwood signalled the return of the family. Gabriella’s head flicked up, much to my disappointment.
The lounge light flicked on and three sets of surprised eyes looked at us from the doorway.
Mum composed herself first. “Hello there! Now you must be Gabriella,” she gushed, setting a new time record for mortally embarrassing me. But Gabriella didn’t seem fazed by the fact that I’d obviously been talking about her. “That’s me,” she replied sweetly, standing up. “You must be Elaine. It’s really nice to meet you.” Mum beamed. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you too. This is John and Alex’s brother Michael.” “Half-brother,” I muttered under my breath.
They greeted each other. John’s eyebrows were lost in his hairline throughout the greeting. Mikey tried to give me a sly wink, which Gabriella noticed and smiled. Then to my complete mortification, they all sat down.
What could easily have been a social train wreck ended up not being too bad. As I prayed for the ground to swallow me up, they only asked Gabriella a few questions about herself — which she answered, I noticed, without actually giving much away. My guest certainly knew how to hold a crowd, cracking jokes and making everyone laugh. She also complimented me, explaining how I was the friendliest person she’d met at the sixth form and how I’d been looking after her. I went very red in response.