Blood of the Pure (Gaea) (21 page)

I felt a touch on my face, on the opposite side where Michael had touched me, and was immediately petrified, unable to breathe. His soft fingers slid over my skin, lightly drawing the contour of my chin. I felt his breath, surprisingly warm, and something cold and soft briefly touched my lips.

“Mariane ...” The sound of my name in his voice ordered my chest to breathe in and I gasped for air as if I were drowning. His ice-cold hand supported my neck, helping me raise my head, and I coughed, chocking. “Soon ... just a little longer.” I heard him again and his voice became an inaudible whisper. “Right now, how I wish that you’d never read that spell...”

I sat up with a scream, squeezing my burning chest as I fought for every breath and I looked around, searching for him in panic.

“Mar! Take it easy!” I instinctively ran from the hand that touched me on the shoulder and looked at him, too frightened to speak. Steven raised both his hands, trying to calm me down, and I looked around once more. “Everything’s OK,” he guaranteed and I slowly began recovering control over my own body. “How are you feeling?”

“OK,” I whispered and took a shaky hand to my face. I had to control myself.

I looked around once more and recognized the infirmary. I was lying in one of three beds and the screen between the beds was opened. On the other side were a table and chair, but there was no one else around.

“Michael. He brought you here,” he informed me and I looked at him, surprised. So that hadn’t been a dream, I thought. But I felt childishly disappointed because he was no longer there. “He wanted to stay,” Steven added with a smile and I asked myself if my disappointment had been that clear. “But he wasn’t feeling all that well. To tell you the truth, Michael has some difficulty dealing with situations like this. Sick people, doctors, medical facilities.”

I lowered my head remembering his frightened expression and felt sad for having been the cause of his pain.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t you fault,” he said with his friendly smile. “Once during a game, I was hit with a tennis ball on the forehead, right here.” He pointed right between his eyes. “I was unconscious for about half an hour and, when I woke up, he was right beside me, crying as if he were a three-year-old. Absolutely unbelievable, for a guy his age,” he added with a sigh, but the softness in his voice made me smile. “The nurse was here and took a look at you. She told him you were all right, but since you wouldn’t wake up, he stressed up. I met him in the corridor when I was coming to see how you were doing and he asked me to keep an eye on you.”

I took a deep breath and pulled away the blanket covering me. Steven looked surprised and I faced him seriously.

“Do you know where he is?” I asked in a firm tone that seemed to surprise him even more.

“Yeah. I mean, I suppose. What are you thinking?”

“I want to go and meet him, of course. I have to show him there’s nothing to fear. That I’m OK! Don’t want him thinking any unnecessary things,” I told him, standing up, but a dizzy spell almost made me fall.

“That can wait!” Steven countered urgently as he held me. “The nurse said you should rest!”

“It’s nothing. Probably low blood pressure. I’m fine now.”

“Clearly you’re not! I just have to look at you. You look terrible!”

I smiled bitterly. I always looked terrible, I thought. “I promise I’ll get some rest. After. Now take me to him. You know I’m right,” I added, making use of his sense of protection towards Michael, and he moaned, beaten.

“But after, you’ll return here!”

“Promise.” He sighed again and put an arm around my waist, supporting me and almost raising me from the floor.

“There’s no need. I can walk.”

“Yeah, yeah. We just saw that,” he grumbled, accompanying my much smaller footsteps. “If you faint again, and this time break a bone, Michael will kill me!”

I laughed just trying to imagine Michael angry, and we left the infirmary at a really slow pace. Steven walked carefully beside me, completely overprotective. I, on the other hand, only wished we could reach Michael as soon as possible. And then, as if he’d just materialized right in front of us, Gabriel was there, freezing me in place.

His expression, I’d never seen him like that. The air around us became heavy and his gaze glowed with that reddish light. He was furious. Insanely, I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn’t obey, and so I stood there, shaking uncontrollably.

Steven looked at me worried, unable to understand what was going on, tightening up his grip around my waist, probably fearing I might fall. And I saw, from the corner of my eye, he was telling me something ... something that I just couldn’t hear anymore.

“Mariane. Come!” Gabriel commanded in his soft tone that, even so, filled me with terror, and I saw him raise his arm, his pale hand outstretched towards me reinforcing his words, making it impossible to disobey them. His hard gaze wouldn’t stand for a denial, just like it hadn’t that morning, but this time there was something different. The self-control I’d always seen him show was completely gone, and I was aware for the first time of just how much he usually restrained himself.

Images from the strange dream I’d had came back to me, consuming what little was left of my sanity. His cold fingers on my face, his warm breath on my skin, and those words.

I couldn’t breathe and my chest burnt painfully. His command, however, still remained in that outstretched hand.

Two hands held me and shook me hard by the shoulders, roughly turning me around, although I couldn’t look away from Gabriel. I knew Steven was calling my name, but his voice couldn’t reach me.

Gabriel’s furious gaze looked away from me to look at Steven and my heart stopped as a deep hatred took over his expression.
No!

“Mari!”

I was stunned for a moment. His voice had invaded the darkness surrounding me like a bright ray of light, breaking the barrier keeping me away from the real world. Now I could hear Steven, asking me if I was all right, his warm, strong hands encircling my arms.

Michael ...
I could hear him gasping for air right behind me, as if he’d run there. But Gabriel didn’t seem to notice his presence. The mark on my wrist stung. Panicking, I instinctively knew what was happening. The Contract ... he was about to break it!

“No!” I shouted, not knowing if my voice would obey me, and pushed Steven away, freeing myself from his hands.

My terrified gaze turned to Michael, towards the light that guaranteed my freedom and, without even thinking, I ran to him. His arms surrounded me protectively and I squeezed his warm and soft sweater, making sure he wouldn’t push me away. His heat swept over my frozen body, restoring my ability to breathe, my lungs hurting.

I wanted to cry and my frightened gaze turned to Gabriel. I saw him lower his empty head, his attention once more locked on me, and I clenched my teeth hard when he took a step towards us. I was sure he was about to fetch me and all I could wish was that he would simply disappear.

Steven took a step to the side, recovering from the hard push that I’d given him, and took on a threatening stand.

Gabriel stopped, indifferently gazing at the obstacle in his way and I felt my wrist burn just like before.

I closed my eyes hard, not knowing what to do to prevent what I knew was about to happen, and held onto Michael’s sweater.

“Go away!” I shouted in despair. “Go away! Go away ... go away ...” I commanded repeatedly, my voice breaking down to a whisper, as if those were magical words that needed to be repeated a thousand times to become real, until a warm hand rested on my head.

“He’s gone, Mari.” His soft voice broke the irrational cycle over which my mind had closed itself, and his hand caressed my hair. “He’s gone,” he repeated, trying to calm me down, and I refused to open my eyes, fearing Michael could be wrong.

“What the hell was that?” another voice inquired and I became numb as all tension left my body.

“Who knows?” Michael responded in an undertone, still holding me against his chest.

“Is she OK?” Steven asked, sounding worried, and Michael caressed my hair once again, calming me down.

“Yeah. She’ll be fine,” he assured as if those words were a lullaby, and Steven took a deep breath.

“I’ll be going then. If you need me, call. If not we’ll talk later.” Everything was silent for a moment and then I heard his footsteps as he walked away.

Michael kept his arms around me for what felt like an eternity, simply waiting. Slowly his calm and tranquility vanquished my fear and I stopped shaking. My breath went back to normal and all that was left was a bitter taste in my mouth.

At last I was able to release him from my grip and his arms loosened up, as if he’d been waiting for that signal.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his low voice echoing through the corridor, and I opened my eyes, as usual dried of any tears, nodding. Although he’d released me from his embrace, he kept holding me, probably fearing I might fall, and I lowered my head quickly, trying to put my thoughts in order.

He’d surely ask for some kind of explanation about what just happened or why I’d foolishly reacted the way I did. However, I was yet to understand it myself, much less try to explain it. It had all happened so fast and there were so many things amiss. If only I could cry. Maybe that would give me some time think.

His warm hand lifted my chin, surprising me, and I raised my head to face him. He looked at me in silence, observing me for an instant to make sure I’d been honest in my response, and I was immediately grateful that I couldn’t cry. With a smile, he held my hand, and pulled me along to walk with him.

“I’m taking you with me,” he simply stated and I blinked, confused.

“Taking me?”

“Yes. I’m taking you to my home,” he added in a matter of fact tone. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard.

“Mi ...”

“It’s decided!” He cut me off, peering at me over his shoulder with that bright smile on his lips, and went on, dragging me along the corridor towards the main door.

The corridors were empty. Everyone who still remained at school at that hour was in class.

“Michael, I can’t just go to your house,” I argued slightly, sad because I knew I was right. The hand that still held mine made everything that just happened, all my fears, seem like a nightmare, and I wished I could extend that feeling for as long as possible.

“Of course you can! Your mother is away, right? So? Don’t you trust me?” he asked, peering at me once again, and I felt my cheeks blush.

“That’s not the point. Of course I trust you.”

“Then it’s decided!” he declared. “You’re not going back to that house!” His solemn tone surprised me so much that I didn’t protest any longer.

Michael took me towards the bus stop and we didn’t have to wait long until the ‘54’ stopped right in front of us. I was still trying to ground myself when we arrived at our stop, Blackheath, as it was written on a sign. Once again he pulled me by my hand, which he had refused to let go the whole time, and we walked down the road up to a four-story building with small flower beds in the front. Michael walked up to one of the doors and opened it, releasing me for the first time to grant me passage.

I followed him down a narrow corridor to a square room. The light pouring down from the window and through the white curtains wasn’t enough to make that compartment bright. On the opposite wall, next to the window, there was a gray couch, strategically placed in front of a television. On the other side a cupboard with glass doors through which several plates and other glass utensils could be seen. On the walls were some pictures and, on my left, a big crucifix. I noticed the pictures showed several men in cassocks and couldn’t help recognize one of them, since he was right there in person, sitting at the small table, reading a book.

He looked to be about sixty years old, I guessed by the quantity of gray hair crowning his head and the wrinkles marking his eyes, mouth and forehead. The glasses he wore were hanging at the tip of his thin nose, and the eyes that watched us were pale blue, almost like water. The white collar above his black shirt undeniably marked his profession and I immediately knew he was Father Jorge, Michael’s guardian.

As soon as he noticed us, a pleasant smile came over his face and his expression became brighter.

“Welcome back, Michael,” he greeted him and Michael stepped forward, leaving me by the door. I was sure Father Jorge would question my presence. What could I possibly tell him now that I was there? How was Michael going to explain bringing me to his house, just like that? I felt maybe I should leave, knowing how Michael tried hard not to make trouble for the man who had sheltered him. Now I was the one making trouble for the both of them.

“Father Jorge, I’m sorry for being so late,” he said, sounding truly regretful, and I felt even worse. That, too, had been because of me.

“Um,” I muttered, calling their attention, and politely smiled at the watery blue eyes watching me curiously. “Good afternoon, I’m really sorry to disturb you.” I was unable to avoid the feeling of embarrassment from that situation and turned to Michael. “Listen, I’m really thankful for everything and all, but I think I better get going and ...”

“No!” Michael’s response silenced me immediately as I looked at him in disbelief. He wasn’t joking and the deep frown on his forehead stated it clearly. “No way!” he added in the same tone. I took a nervous look at Father Jorge, who seemed just as surprised. However, he quickly recovered, sitting straight in his chair, and put on a full smile.