I frowned. “How exactly did you wipe my memory?”
Gabriella looked slightly uncomfortable. “Neural manipulation or Charm as we call it is an ability some Chosen possess. I’m one of them.” “You mean mind control.” “Yes.” “Have you charmed me before?”
“Only that one time, I promise. Plus I couldn’t now even if I wanted to. Your Awakening is almost complete. I can’t manipulate another Chosen.” Once again her expression looked genuine. I nodded. At that moment, I caught the flowery scent of her hair. It stirred a memory. “You were there on the night of my Awakening.” “I was. How did you know?” I cleared my throat. “I erm, I recognise the way you smell…” Gabriella’s face broke into a half smile. “Interesting. Not in a bad sense I hope.” “No no…you smell…err good.” She laughed. “Well that’s a relief.”
Didn’t think that one through did you Alex? my internal voice chastised.
“So what was the cryptic phone call all about?” I said, in a desperate attempt to change the subject again.
“That was the second part of my idea. To drip feed you information until we you were ready for the truth. But after our conversation in the park, I wanted to do more than just that.”
“The car and clothes,” I said.
“Exactly. You get those sorts of perks once you join anyway, but I wanted to give them to you early so you could feel special. I convinced Faru it would be a benefit to your state of mind.”
Warmth bloomed in my stomach. She took risks to make me feel better. Nothing more was said for a moment. The mellow ticking of the clock filled the silence. “You have an interesting phone voice,” I said after a while. “Sorry?” “The voicemail you left me.”
Gabriella gave a chuckle. “Sadly I can’t take credit for that. Delagio, a teammate of mine did it. He loves that kind of thing. But I was there when the Skinshifter attacked you.”
I swallowed, once again reminded of the horrific creature with the evil red eyes that had hunted me down. “That thing in the woods? You saved me?”
Gabriella shifted her gaze from mine. “Yes. Plus several other times you didn’t know about. I always made sure you were safe Alex.” “Thank you.” I squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. “My pleasure.” I stared down at my hand, still clasped in hers. Without looking up I said, “I’m sorry…you know for snapping at you.”
Her smile brightened the dim room. “Don’t even mention it. What you’re going through is quite intense. I should know.” Gabriella released my hand. It still tingled from her touch.
“I have a gift for you,” she said. I pulled myself into a sitting position as she opened a drawer in the bedside table. She carefully removed a book and handed it to me. It looked old and worn and about the size of a pocket journal, but much thicker. The jacket was made from mottled brown leather. It reminded me a little of the books I’d seen in the underground waiting room. A worn string held the book closed. I pulled at it and was greeted with the aroma of old paper. The wafer thin pages fell open to show an artist sketch of a grim looking creature called a Redcap. Lots of notes had been handwritten underneath it.
“What is this?” I asked, flicking through.
“The HASEA Handbook. It contains all sorts of information about the Alliance and Pandemonians. It explains how to defend yourself against an attack, that kind of thing. Also what various creature’s strengths and weaknesses are. Basically everything you need to know to stay alive. All new Guardians get one.”
I turned the weighty book in my hands and ran my thumb over the bumpy leather.
“I’m surprised it’s handwritten. You’d think they would just mass print them or something,” I said.
“They do. This is my personal copy. It’s was handed down to me from another Chosen. It’s yours now. Think of it as an early Christmas present.” The warm feeling returned. “Are you sure?” The little half smile appeared again. “Of course. Just make sure you look after it. It’s…very dear to me.” “Thank you Gabriella, it’s great.”
I flicked through a few more pages, stopping to read a passage about how to defeat a Redcap with household items. Apparently lemon juice was like acid to these little Goblin things.
“Are you understanding it okay?” she asked.
“Yes. I mean it’s a bit weird and I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that these sorts of things exist, but I get what it’s saying.” “How good is your Italian by the way?” “Non parlo Italiano,” I replied with a grin. Gabriella tapped a finger on the tip of what I was reading. “Alex, this whole guide is written in Italian.” I stared at her. “What? No it isn’t. What are you going on about?” “Of course it is. I came from the Italian base, why would my guide be written in English?” “But that doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know any foreign languages!” “You do now. And just so you know, I’ve been speaking to you in French for the last few minutes.” My eyebrows met my hairline. “Ella, have you lost it? You’re speaking English! I can even hear your accent!”
Gabriella leaned forward, eyes bright. “My accent will be inherent in any language I speak that isn’t my mother tongue. A Chosen understands every language current or dead from both sides of the Veil. Remember earlier, you wanted to know why you could read the motto written on the Temple door? It’s because your mind translated it. Now that your Awakening has progressed, that translation is automatic. Unless you think about it, it always will be. You have been speaking it with me for the last few minutes without even realising.”
I thought of when Faru had been explaining the Latin terms for his species and how I had known what they meant before he’d explained. How else could I know that? “I can speak and read any language I want.” “And write,” Gabriella added. “Wow that’s…” “Amazing?” “Handy. Like if this Guardian thing doesn’t work out, I can always get a job as a translator,” I said with a cheeky smile.
We both burst out laughing. It felt good, like when we had just hung out together at school, back when everything had been simple. It seemed crazy to think it had only been a week ago. It felt like I had known this girl for years.
When we had both stopped laughing, Gabriella held out a hand. “I’ll hold onto the guide for you until later.”
“So what happens now?” I asked, passing her the book.
She pointed to a barely noticeable door in the far wall. “The en suite’s through there. Freshen up. I left some clean clothes that will fit you.” Standing up, she headed for another door by the chair. “I’ll wait for you outside. Take as long as you need.”
I took a sip of water, already feeling much better. “Okay,” I answered, “then what?” She turned back to face me. “Then you meet the rest of the team.”
14
After a soothing shower, I changed into the comfortable pair of jeans, woollen jumper and white trainers that Gabriella had laid out for me. Stepping out of the bedroom, I emerged into a luxurious living area. To the left a dining table and chairs stood underneath impressive bay windows. The far wall was home to a large stone fireplace. Flames danced on wooden logs, their smoky scent filling my nose. To the right an archway led off to what must have been the hallway. In the middle of the room the carpet became stairs leading down into a sunken seating area. The space was home to a large red corner sofa and glass coffee table. At the end of the space sat a television, playing an old episode of Family Guy.
By far the most interesting part of the room were the people who occupied it. Gabriella perched on the end of the sofa. Sprawled over the rest of it was a lithe looking man who looked in his mid-twenties. Wavy black hair ran all the way to his neck. Another tuft sprouted from his chin, expertly tapered into a point. He wore a grey waistcoat and a pair of long brown boots, which he rested on the coffee table. A brown