Hadrian's Wall (44 page)

Of course, it could only
be Stephen Cahill,
I thought,
moodily.

“Do you have a mission here?” Adrian was
saying. “I’m entrusting to you the most precious thing I have...my
own life! If something happens to her, I’ll hold you accountable.”
He listened again in silence.

Suddenly, he began to whisper very fast. It
became difficult for me to distinguish his words. Now I could only
pick a comment or two when anger made him forget that I was paying
attention.

“Tell them I’m coming.”

Adrian snapped the phone closed so hard it
broke. The parts fell to pieces on the ground. The noise of the
broken phone falling seemed louder because of the seriousness of
the tense situation. Adrian cursed softly and leaned down to pick
them up.

“The third in a month,” he muttered as he
placed the pieces in the pocket of his jeans.

I couldn’t think of a single intelligent
comment to make at that moment and apparently neither did he.
Adrian knew that I had heard too much of his conversation, so when
he turned to face me head on, what I most feared was there - the
same indifferent face that I hated.

Adrian raised his proud head. I thought he
would make some sort of revelation, but his silence told me that he
was expecting me to speak first. He seemed to be trying to remain
cool, but obviously he was having some difficulty. He clenched and
relaxed his fists. The veins in his sinewy arms appearing like the
exposed roots of a tree and then disappearing.

The way he looked at me was frightening. I
swallowed hard. I think the movement of my throat caught his
attention because his eyes went down to my neck before regaining
focus. He looked at my lips, still sensitive from his kiss. The
embers of our moment of passion had cooled and the light in his
eyes was gone. I’d never seen him so serious.

I had difficulty to deciding what to say. I
was feeling awkward and rejected, but I struggled to begin.

“This morning I overheard a conversation
very similar to one you just had.” He scowled, but said nothing.
Increasingly nervous about his silence, I continued. “The
conversation seemed so absurd that I thought I was hallucinating.
When I entered the room where the voices came from, there was
nobody there. That conversation...it was not a hallucination, was
it?”

He raised his eyebrows and crossed his
arms.

“So now you’ve decided you’re ready to ask,”
he said derisively. “Sorry, but this is not the best moment. The
right moment has come and gone.”

“Why?”

“Because time is short,” he muttered.

I felt my heart
race.
Was this a farewell?
I swallowed hard waiting for whatever was to come
next.

“I have to go,” he finally said.

I closed my eyes. I was helpless, watching
everything fall apart because of a damn phone call. What had
changed? So now he does not like me anymore?

It seemed that truth - the
truth that I did not want to recognize - was within my reach. Would
it not be safer for me to remain quietly in my bubble?
Girl, you lied to Dr. Barringer!

Even if the truth is an illusion, deep down
I was like any human being, contradictory, incoherent, and fearful.
I blinked in surprise, noting his silent approach.

“I need to go,” he said again.

“No, I want answers,” I protested, literally
throwing myself at him. “One of the guys I met earlier said he
already knew about me—about my getting lost on the mountain. He
said he’d heard that I arrived in town for a summer course and that
I suffered an accident before the semester began. I wasn’t even
enrolled in UWall. I just decided to go to college today, so who
spread these rumors and why?”

He didn’t answer.

“I was not here!” I continued, unable to
contain myself. “I worked in a department store in South Portland.
Damn it! I was there! I was attacked by a man named Simon Cridder.
Someone brought me here and I think it was you.”

He very slowly withdrew my arm from his neck
and looked at me with that same disconcerting coolness.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe now,” he
retorted. “The important thing is that even if you don’t accept the
facts as they were presented to you, it’s what ensures your safety.
It’s what prevents a confrontation of indefinable proportions. A
lot of things depend on the confirmation of your stay at the Polish
Man Springs Resort. That’s what you need say to whoever asks you,
okay?”

No, I didn’t understand why I should lie to
others. Yes, because he had just confirmed, albeit indirectly, that
whole thing was a lie.

“I do not like being manipulated or labeled
crazy.”

Adrian’s laugh was cynical and that
hurt.

“What do you suppose people will think if
you mention giant panthers, flying monsters, or whatever it is? You
will be considered crazy if you do.” His face softened a little,
but his eyes had not lost their fierce glare. “Right now, I cannot
clarify anything for you. You will have to trust me. That’s all I
ask of you—trust me.”

We stared at each other like two opponents
in a boxing ring. I still had wobbly legs because of the kiss, but
he seemed fully recovered, as if nothing had happened. This
irritated me.

“Do not forget the eyes that change color,”
I added sarcastically.

He was not to be caught off guard and
responded in the same tone, “Sure, how could I forget? But that was
not your most interesting crazy, was it? How about...the old woman
who was washing clothes in the fog?” He uncrossed his arms and
bowed his head. “What do you expect to achieve saying a lot of this
nonsense? Forget what you cannot understand!”

Damn, as if I had not tried! Just today I
had agreed for this purpose.

“Oh, it’s easy for you to say!” I
screamed.

He grabbed me by the arms and pulled me to
his chest.

“Okay, let’s not fight! The first kiss
should not be so quickly followed by the first fight. He laughed
softly, next to my ear. “Listen, I really have to go. Whatever
happens, you must trust me!” His voice became urgent. “I’ll find a
way to be with you. I don’t know when or how, but I swear I will.
Meanwhile, the guardians will be my eyes and ears and will be
attentive to everything you need.”

I jumped back. “Hey! I don’t want these
sinister people following me around town. I will be the butt of
jokes throughout the whole college.”

“Nobody will notice them. They are very
discreet.”

“Damn it!” I whimpered. “You must give me
one good reason for me to accept this nonsense!”

He frowned, visibly annoyed. He sighed.
“Some time ago, there was a sabotage in our business and an attack.
My father was almost killed. It’s a long story. But long story
short, the same group that committed that attack is preparing to
make another attempt. This time, the scheme is bigger than the
first one.” He paused, carefully choosing his words. “They already
know that you are my weakness and are likely planning use you to
get what they want from me, so you need to let my people take care
of your safety.”

Weakness? Me?
I couldn’t believe that I represented something
more than an act of charity for him.

“And what do they want?” I asked.

He hesitated for a moment.

“They want possession of a medical formula
that we are developing.”

“Oh!”
What could I say?

It was not something
unusual or implausible. Movies about corporate espionage were
showing this kind of thing all the time. It was perfectly normal
and far more coherent than the bizarre conversation I had imagined
hearing and interpreting this morning—
except as it relates to predators and dark gods...that’s
still remain a mystery without solution
.

But predators and dark gods were only
accessories supplied by an overactive imagination, were they
not?

“What exactly did you hear this morning?”
Adrian asked, reading the indecision on my face.

“A few weird things.”

“A few weird things,” he repeated patiently.
“And did you hear the whole conversation?”

“No. The voices were low and the noise of
the air conditioning prevented me from hearing everything.” Does he
noticed the trace of hysteria creeping into my voice?

He nodded, as if realizing something I did
not understand.

“It’s possible that you have interpreted
what, in fact, you did not hear?”

It’s that?
Like a hallucination of completing? I mean, I
heard something and I had deduced other things left unsaid between
the lines? I think I’ll ask Dr. Barringer about it.

“Damn! Do not underestimate my
intelligence!” I shouted, furious for feeling so confused.

“You’re right. That’s what I’m doing, isn’t
it?” Adrian looked so hurt that I regretted shouting at him. “I
don’t want to do this with you. To be honest, I don’t want to leave
you more confused than you already are, but now is not the best
time to clarify the situation. When I tried, you didn’t pass any of
my tests.” The look he gave me was half sad, half playful. “As much
you want to know now, I think you are not prepared to share my
problems.”

The perfect face was twisted in agony.
“Melissa, you should proceed with your new life—study, make
friends, grow. Eventually, you may be ready for the next step and
then you can make your choices consciously, free of my influence.
Please understand! Even if I do things that hurt you, I really care
about you.”

Definitely, this was a turn down! I was
being dumped.

I looked at him incredulously. First, he
kisses me and then he goes straight for my jugular!

“Never forget that’s it for your own good.
You will have to trust me and be patient, but above all, you will
have to trust yourself.”

He gave me a quick kiss and left. I stayed
in an apoplectic state as he disappeared under the arch covered by
the plants. Moments later, I heard the powerful engine of his Alfa
Romeo fire up and he left full speed.

“One step forward, two steps back,” I
whispered, feeling devastated.

I felt the tears start to fall down my face
and I panicked. When I started to cry, I couldn’t stop anymore.

One hand rested on my
shoulder, startling me. I looked back saw the strange and scary
eyes of Keyra McPherson. Even though she smiled in a gentle manner,
I shuddered.
How sweet could a shark be
when he shows his teeth?

“I imagine that all this must be...” she
paused, looking for the right words.

Bizarre? Freaky? Painful? What?

“...new to you.”

I nodded without really understanding her
point.

“To get involved with Adrian Cahill, a girl
needs to be strong...to get her head together. I suspect that you
are that kind of girl.”

Here’s what was the point
really was:
Have I got my head
together?

“Come on.” She pulled me by the arm. Her
strong, cool hand did not allow resistance. “I don’t know what he
told you, but you must do exactly as he ordered.”

I nodded vaguely. I was certain that she had
seen and heard our entire conversation. My face felt hot.

We climbed the porch steps. I turned one
last time toward the entranceway arch. Adrian’s red car was already
far away, snaking through the sharp curves of the steepest streets,
a good distance from where we were. It was just a red dot amid
brown bricks and gray stones. I lifted my eyes up and looked at the
tiny shadows of the panthers on top of the walls. Their outlines
only were visible because of the sunlight covering the rock
formation. I turned to find Keyra’s carefree smile.

The sound of a car parking in front of the
house made us both turn to look at the same time. It was an F-150
pick-up.

* * *

So this is the room
allocated to me.
Mmmm!
Spacious
. The wooden floor was almost
entirely covered by a red shag rug with geometric designs in
yellows and greens that broke the sobriety of decoration. The
furniture was very old, but well kept. There was a dresser, a large
trunk leaning against the bed and a closet. The four-poster bed was
single—relatively big for a single with short, sculpted columns
that supported the canopy. Soon I noticed that my suitcase and
shopping bags were next to the trunk.

Wait a minute!
I frowned. There were supposed to be only two
bags, but now there were five. I went over to check and I verified
that those were the same clothes that I’d tried on in the stores
and Charity suggested that I take. At the time, I refused and she
did not insist. I should have known that Charity wouldn’t give up
so easily and then Adrian colluded with his cousin.

I looked around and noticed there was a
shelf right next to me, facing the bed. It was modern furniture,
obviously didn’t fit among the others, although it was discreet. It
accommodated a 42-inch television with an enormous red bow tied
around it, plus the DVD equipment below it.

What’s this? I moved closer and pulled out
the card attached to the red bow tie.

How do you expect to watch your favorite
movies without the proper equipment? A birthday gift cannot be half
given, don’t you agree?--Adrian

This time the note was signed.

“He tricked me!” I pursed my lips.

“Who tricked you?”

I turned toward the door and saw Delilah
standing there.

She stared at the shopping bags, casting a
knowing look at the designer brand names stamped on the bags. With
her experience in the fashion business, I’ll bet that she had
quickly evaluated the fine clothes without having to unfold
them.