Forever Young (11 page)

"That's just great, Justas. We've foolishly let Emerson in on the secret that we are both complete and utter dorks."

Emerson closed her mouth and snickered. Justas gave her a sly wink.

The three of us stayed up until late into the night, talking about everything and nothing. We lamented the injustice of genocide and argued over the best shade of nail polish to wear during the winter months in a tropical paradise. Justas had no opinion on that one.

After they left and I crawled into bed, I took stock of how drastically my life had changed in just a short period of time. Back in the First Dimension, I was very alone. I had no friends, no family and nicely, no enemies. I was walking through life with no obstacles but myself, but I didn't have anyone to watch my back. Within just a few days, I had the makings of what looked to be a solid friendship with two really great people. It appeared I'd picked up a few enemies along the way, but hey, that just added spice to life, right?

Most of all, there was a man that plagued my thoughts and caused me confusion every step of the way. He also caused my heart to beat madly and made me feel more alive than I ever had before. As I drifted off to sleep that night, I again had a smile on my face.

The next morning, I woke earlier than normal. Which defeated the purpose of me ensuring my iPhone was charged and alarm set. I have to admit, I woke early because of the prospect of seeing Caiden in class. I didn't realize he would be one of my instructors until he had mentioned it the previous night. Today, we had classes in Strategic Planning, Magical Skills and Weaponry. I didn't know which class Caiden would teach so all day I was on pins and needles until I saw him again.

By the time the Weaponry class rolled around at the end of the day, I was about to jump out of my skin. We were back in the main auditorium where I had taken my beat down from Sarah yesterday. So far, the classes we had taken had all been theory and I was hoping we would have some real action in our weapons class. The most exciting thing that had happened all day was seeing Payton with her bruised cheek that she tried to vainly cover with makeup.

I was so disappointed when class started and Caiden was not there. Instead, it was being taught by a man that...frankly, scared the hell out of me. He was massive. I'm talking ginormous. Standing almost seven feet tall, he had muscles, upon muscles. His head was completely bald and he had piercings in his eyebrows, nose and lip. Tattoos covered both of his arms and wove their way up his neck, onto the back of his head. His name was Huron. That was it. No last name...just Huron. Or, maybe his last name was Huron and he had no first name. Regardless, he was dressed in the same casual beach wear that most people wore, but that in no way diminished how frightening he was.

Despite his look, Huron's class actually turned out to be my favorite. I was so engrossed, I didn't even think about Caiden.
Much.

For most of the class, he gave us a basic overview of weapons. He described the difference between ranged and melee weapons and had several on hand to display to us. He also demonstrated some basic moves to illustrate the differences. I recognized the Katana that I had seen Dane use during his field trial.

When there was only about twenty minutes left in class, the door opened and I saw Caiden walk in with another instructor. My pulse started working overtime. Geez. Would I ever be able to see him without provoking cardiac arrest?

Huron made welcome to Caiden and the other instructor by giving the now classic fist bump. I couldn't roll my eyes anymore since I was now stuck having to do this every time I greeted Justas. Even Emerson was in on it and I heard her giggle beside me when she saw it. I looked at her and gave her a smirk.

Huron started speaking again. "At this time, I want to do a demonstration and I've asked some of the mentors to help out. As you know, the minute you each stepped foot on Semper Terra, you became subject to the magic of this AltVeritas."

I was told this by Sebastian. While we would eventually be tattooed with magic that would protect us outside of Semper Terra, anyone that entered this AltVeritas was affected by the magic. That meant that I was not aging at this time, practically an immortal. I also had the power to fly just like Caiden. Although, we were given strict instructions upon pain of death—well, expulsion—that we were not to try it until we had the proper training. Huron continued.

"Each of you who enter the field of battle will put your life at stake. You will take injury. Some minor, some serious. As you know, unless you take a mortal strike, you will heal from most any wound. Still, it's one thing to say that, and another to see, and still another to feel. When you are in battle, you must have the strength and fortitude to look past any injury you may sustain. That means you have to push past the pain and keep fighting."

He paused and I found I was sitting forward in my seat, hanging on every word he was saying. I flicked a glance at Caiden and found him watching me. I warmed but looked back to Huron. What he was saying was too fascinating not to pay attention. He picked up the Katana and held it in front of him. Turning it back and forth, admiring the sharp blade, he continued talking.

"Now, which one of you recruits sitting here, thinking you have the guts to join our Alliance, is willing to let me stab you with this sword. Who is willing to experience what the pain of a would-be mortal injury in the First Dimension would feel like? Who is willing to experience the pain of healing?"

The room was deathly silent. I glanced around at my classmates and saw that every one of them had their heads down, eyes on their desks, afraid that they may be called on to "volunteer". I looked up at Caiden and he was still watching me but there was nothing on his face to reveal what he was thinking.

Before I could even give it any deep thought, I stood from my chair. "I will."

I heard Emerson gasp beside me and murmurs from my classmates all around. I looked again at Caiden and now I saw something in his eyes. They were heated and I'm not sure what that meant. Huron distracted me though.

"What's your name?" he practically barked.

I jumped but quickly composed myself. "Charlie Wright...sir."

Huron had a knowing look on his face and it was apparent that he had heard of me. Whether he had wind of my fight with Payton or Sarah had said something to him, I didn't know.

"Well, get down here then, Charlie."

I moved my way down to the front of the classroom and I admit...I was scared to death. So far, I had trusted everything everyone had told me about Semper Terra and its magical abilities. I had to trust in them now that I would not die after being stabbed with a Katana.

Once I made it to the front of the class, Huron pointed to a spot for me to stand. Caiden came to stand on one side of me, and the other instructor stood opposite of him.

I glanced at the other recruits and they were all watching me with wide eyes. The blood was rushing through me and I felt a little dizzy. What had I gotten myself into?

Huron held up the Katana for everyone to see. The overhead lights caused the sharp surface to sparkle.
That's it, Charlie. Watch the pretty sparkles and try not to think about getting gutted like a fish.

"I'm going to take this sword and I'm going to ram it through Charlie's stomach."

My legs almost buckled at those words and I heard the entire classroom suck in their breaths. I didn't dare look at Caiden because I didn't want him to see the fear that I was sure was staining my face. Even though I thought I might bolt out the door at any second, I held my chin high and tried to appear as confident as I could.

Huron murmured as he came to stand in front of me. "Are you scared, Charlie?"

I think he said it loud enough so only the first few rows of students heard it. I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak.

He gave me a wicked smile and said, "You should be."

How I didn't pass out from the fear right then is beyond me, but I stuck my chin out just a little further and stared straight into his eyes. I wasn't going to let him intimidate me with words. The mere prospect of getting stabbed with a sword was enough for that.

Huron had the Katana grasped in both hands. He pulled back, aiming the tip straight at my stomach. Looking in my eyes the entire time, he lunged forward with his strike and the blade entered the right side of my stomach.

I groaned and it wasn't pretty sounding. Low and guttural...like a wounded animal. The pain was excruciating and I felt the sword pierce my internal organs and exit out my back. For a split second, my vision went black, and I heard a few people scream out. Then I was looking up into Huron's eyes and I could feel him pulling the sword back out slowly. It seemed to hit every organ on the way back out.

Nausea rose up and I had to stamp the bile back down so I wouldn't vomit in front of everyone. When the sword was freed from my stomach, I felt the rush of blood flowing out of both wounds to my front and back. My vision went blurry and I hunched over, stumbling forwards a foot. Someone grabbed my arm to steady me. It was Caiden—I just knew it—but I threw his hand off and righted myself. I looked into Huron's eyes again and they were filled with total and absolute pride. That in turn gave me more strength and my chin went high again.

Huron gave a little bow to show his respect of me to the class and the recruits erupted into applause and cheers. Caiden and the other instructor took ahold of my arms and led me gently over to a chair. They produced thick bandages and pressed them to my wounds. I was in a lot of pain and even Caiden's close proximity to me couldn't remove my attention from the intense agony I was feeling.

I watched then as Huron stood back before the class, wiping the blade clean of my blood.

"Who's next?" he asked deviously.

The class was silent all of about two seconds, then a hand shot into the air. "I am."

It was Emerson raising her hand. The youngest and smallest in our class. I thought of this girl, living on her own in the streets, the perils she must have faced day in and day out, and I knew really that she was probably the bravest out of anyone in this room.

Huron gave a quizzical look at Caiden, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Your name?" Huron asked. It was said with a gentleness that surprised me.

"Emerson Potts."

"Come on down, Emerson."

My heart actually hurt a little as I watched Emerson walk down from her desk. She was doing this to prove herself and I hated that she even thought she had to do it in the first place. My thoughts ran furious again when I thought of Payton's hateful taunts, which was probably the single thing that was fueling Emerson to volunteer. I glanced up at Payton and saw that she was watching Emerson with narrowed eyes.

Emerson came to stand before Huron, eyes wide and scared. Just like me though, she kept her chin up.
Thatta girl!

Caiden, who had been holding the bandage to my stomach, took my hand and placed it over the bandage so I would hold it. Then he leaned me back so the bandage to my back was placed between the wound and the chair to hold it in place. Nothing was said but I knew they were leaving me to go stand beside Emerson.

Huron didn't taunt Emerson the way he did to me and I was glad. Emerson needed to do this and while I didn't think he could scare her off, I desperately didn't want her to fail at this.

In the end, she did me and herself proud. Huron didn't hold back on his strike, and just like me, he let her have it. Because she was smaller, she stumbled back a few feet but she never went down. As Caiden and the other instructor led her over to a chair, I watched with happiness as most of the class stood to cheer her. It didn't escape my attention that Payton's crew remained in their seats, with sour looks on their faces.

Huron waved his hands and motioned for everyone to sit down. The cheers died and people were resuming their seats. Then people started raising their hands in the air. I heard recruits calling out.

"I want to go next."

"Let me try."

Huron held his arms up, indicating for everyone to be quiet.

"There are no more chances for this demonstration. What you should learn from this is that don't waste an opportunity. Charlie and Emerson stepped up to the plate quickly and without thought. The rest of you only wanted to try it after you watched the accolades that these two girls received and only after you assured yourself you wouldn't die with a sword through your stomach. Class is dismissed."

Whoa! Smack down!
I felt slightly redeemed from my embarrassment of yesterday.

My classmates stood up and walked out dejectedly. Caiden and the other instructor were tending to Emerson's wounds as she sat on a nearby chair. I pulled the bandage back from my stomach and the bleeding had seemed to stop. I was still a little dizzy though and it felt like acid had been poured on top of my internal organs. That must be what Huron meant by the “pain of healing”.

As the class all filed by me out the door, many stopped to high five me or offer praise. Payton and her posse, of course, walked by without a word.

Justas stopped in front of me. "Awesomeness, Charlie. Pure awesomeness!" But he didn't bother with a fist-bump. He gave me a loud smack of a kiss on my lips that had me blushing.
Great! My first kiss was from my gay BFF.

After the class had left, Huron walked over to me. He held out his fist to me and I bumped it weakly. "You're very impressive, Charlie. I look forward to seeing what you can do." Then he turned around and walked out the door.

The other instructor helped Emerson stand from her chair and lead her from the class. She gave me a wave and a victorious smile as she walked out. That left Caiden and I alone. He sauntered over to me with a smile on his face. When he stood in front of me, he leaned over and looked close in my eyes.

"You amaze me, Charlie." His words were filled with wonder and respect. "In all the years that Huron has been doing that little exercise, no one has ever volunteered."

Wow!
The rush of emotion I felt from his praise nearly had me swooning again, and it had nothing to do from blood loss. Caiden reached out with his hands and helped me stand up.

"Come on. Let's go treat those wounds."

Caiden led me back to my apartment. As we walked down the hall, most of the students were rushing by, beach gear in hand. Many called out "hi" to me as Caiden assisted me walking. I really was dizzy and while the pain wasn't excruciating, it was still hurting quite a bit. I handed my keys to Caiden and he opened the door, leading me to one of my kitchen chairs. I sat down, grateful to be off my feet.

Without even knowing anything about my apartment, Caiden opened the bottom cabinet of my sink and pulled out an emergency first aid kit. My eyebrows rose.

"Every student's apartment comes equipped with these. Trust me. You'll need it...a lot."

Lovely.

Caiden brought the kit and knelt in front of me. I watched as he opened it up and efficiently laid out the supplies he would need. The pain wasn't so bad that I couldn't appreciate the way the muscles in his forearms bunched and flexed as he worked.

"Lift your shirt up so I can see the damage."

My face heated a little but I reminded myself he was patching me up, not making a move. I gingerly lifted my shirt to just below my bra line and looked down. There was a two inch wound a few inches below my right ribs. It wasn't bleeding, swollen or bruised. Caiden carefully wiped the dried blood off, applied a numbing salve and taped a bandage over it. I then turned in the chair so he could do the same to my back. I couldn't quite lift my shirt high enough due to the pain so Caiden grabbed the hem and swiftly tucked it under my bra to keep it out of the way. I shivered at his brief touch.

After he was finished patching my back, he pulled my shirt down and I turned to face him. He was bent over the supplies, picking them up but then he looked up at me.

"How do you feel?"

I grimaced. "Like I got stabbed in the stomach with a sword."

He chuckled and stood up. He held his hand out to me and I placed mine in it. He squeezed gently and pulled me up. My butterflies stretched their wings and took to flight. He led me into my small bedroom, over to my bed.

Pulling the covers back, he pointed. "Hop in. Rest will do more to speed your healing than anything. You should be completely good in a few hours."

Here I was...holding hands with Caiden in my bedroom. It could have been a very romantic scene. But I was so bone tired, I couldn't think of anything but going to sleep. I started to get in bed but pulled slightly on my arm to stop me. Turning his back on me, he said, "Take your shirt off and I'll throw it away."

I pulled my shirt quickly off and dropped it to the floor. I slid into bed and lay down on my back, wincing slightly from the discomfort. After pulling the covers up to my chin, Caiden turned back around. He stared at me for a few moments and I was lost in his green eyes. The pull I felt for him was indescribable and it nearly overwhelmed me with emotion. He reached out and stroked my cheek.

"Get some sleep."

I looked at him just a moment longer then closed my eyes. Still feeling his fingertips on my skin, I drifted off.

When I woke, the first thing I did was poke the wound on my stomach with my hand. I couldn't feel anything. I pressed harder. Nothing. Sitting up in bed, I pulled the covers down and pulled the bandage off. Unbelievable! I was staring at healthy skin. No sign of my injury at all.
So cool.

"How do you feel?"

I shrieked at the unexpected words and jerked the covers back up to my neck. In the corner of my room, Caiden was sitting in a chair watching me.

"Geez. You about gave me a heart attack. Lurk much?"

He grinned at me wickedly and I couldn't help but laugh. Caiden stood up. "I was just about to wake you up for dinner. Why don't you get dressed and I'll go down with you to eat."

"You're going to eat dinner with me?"

"Sure. Why not? Besides, I need to make sure you don't get in a fight again."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, get out of here so I can get dressed." He at least had the grace to look sheepish when I said that. Turning, he walked out of my room and closed the door.

I jumped out of bed, grinning from ear to ear. Caiden had actually stayed with me the rest of the afternoon while I rested. That had to mean he cared, right? Or maybe that was what he was supposed to do as an instructor. Maybe the instructor with Emerson did the same thing.
Ugghh!
It was killing me not knowing his motivations. Of course, I could just ask, but I didn't think I was brave enough to do it. Asking Caiden to tell me his feelings seemed way harder than taking a sword through the stomach.

In a flash, I pulled on a new shirt. I had to change my shorts too as I saw that my blood had seeped into the waistband. I ran my brush through my hair, letting if fall loose around my shoulders. I didn't have time to put on any makeup and then mentally chastised myself for even thinking about that. Did I really want to be like Payton, who had to doll herself up every time she made a public appearance? Well, sort of...if it caused Caiden to look at me longer. But still...no time.

Caiden and I walked down to the cafeteria, making small talk. I peppered him with questions about the Katana and he was happy to provide me with answers. Once we got our food, I heard a shrill whistle and looked across the room. It was Justas and he was waving to get my attention. I headed over his way with Caiden behind me.

Justas was sitting with Emerson, who looked to be whole and hearty. I sat down and Caiden took a chair as well. I watched Emerson as Caiden joined us, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"Caiden. This is Justas Archambault, and of course, you know the second most bad-ass person in our class, Emerson Potts."

Justas was too cool for school when he said, "’Sup!" Emerson blushed prettily and lowered her eyes.

"You were very bad-ass today, Emerson," Caiden agreed, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder. Her eyes shot to him in astonishment. He returned her look with a warm smile and my heart melted that he would take the time to compliment her like that.

Dinner was freakin' fantastic and not just the food. It was just great to be in Caiden's presence. I was really coming to admire his easy going manner. The way he balanced that side of himself with the arctic menace that I knew he was capable of is what made him so interesting. He was probably the most multi-dimensional person I had ever met. Throughout our meal, Caiden regaled us with tales of his adventures over the years. I thought Emerson might choke on her salad when she learned that Caiden was over four hundred years old.

After dinner, Caiden said his goodbyes and headed home. Emerson, Justas and I went back to my apartment and hung out. Emerson and I gave each other pedicures and as he maintained, Justas wanted no part of it. But he was more than happy to hang and gossip with us. I went to bed again happy with the way my life was going.