Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1) (18 page)

“Where’s
Eli?”

“You
can’t get him out of your mind can you? Admit it! He isn’t just your friend is
he? That’s all I wanted you to do this whole time. Just admit it!”

He
threw me down in an area that was sparse of any shrubbery. A dust cloud
billowed up as my weight slid across the ground, choking me. I felt my hands
grind across the rocky, dirty terrain. My hands and elbow stung from what felt
like cuts all over them.

“You
have two choices right now Abby. I can’t have you running around telling the
whole school what happened today. You can come back with me in my car as my
girlfriend and forget Eli exists. Or I can shut you and Eli up so I won't have
to look at you anymore.”

“B-but…”
was all I was able to say.

“B-b-but,”
he mocked. “No buts Abby! Make your choice. I am getting rather impatient
playing these games with you.”

I
thought about Eli. I didn’t know where he was or why he wasn’t there now, but I
knew I had to keep him safe—if that was even a possibility anymore. It was time
I started taking responsibility for my own doings, time I put on my big girl
pants and handled things my way.

I
stood up brushing myself off. I quickly inspected my hands to assess the
damage. There was only a small amount of blood on them so the cuts couldn’t be
too bad, but man, did they hurt. It seemed like it was always the cuts that you
could barely see that hurt the worst.

I
hoped I was a good actress. I had never tried acting before, but now was my
chance. I reached up, put my arms around Pete’s neck, stood on my tip-toes and
kissed him.

“I
would like to be you’re girlfriend again,” I stated, trying not to let it show
how disgusted I was kissing him. It took everything I had not to gag.

He
reached around and pulled me close to him, hungry for more. His hands roamed around
my back, sliding lower to grope my rear end. I winced in pain when he grabbed
where I had hit the ground. I pulled back as slowly as I could to not make him
think I was faking the whole thing.

I
put my arm around his waist and turned him toward the car. “Let’s go.”

His
feet started shuffling forward in time with mine without complaint. He was
either very gullible or I was that good of an actress. I’d be willing to bet
that it wasn’t the latter.

Eli
stood next to Pete’s car, waiting for him to return. It was as if he had known
everything that had just taken place between Pete and I in the desert. I saw
him glance at my arm tucked around Pete’s waist. He winced.

“It’s
time to move along Pete,” he said firmly.

“I
don’t think so, Eli. Abby has chosen me over you so you move along.”

“Abby,
I know you don’t want to be with him. Please know that I won’t let anything
happen to you. Tell him the truth,” Eli encouraged.

I
hesitated. How could he be so sure of himself? I had already gotten us in so
much trouble. I couldn’t let him be the one to always bail me out; I had to be
strong and take care of myself. I looked from Eli to Pete, feeling like I was
frozen.

Eli
walked closer, and I looked directly into his eyes. In that instant I was
overwhelmed with feelings of calmness and strength, and it was a feeling that
made me feel like I could do anything. I felt on top of the world. My hair blew
around my head in the breeze. It was just the nudge I needed to be sure of my
move, and before I could think better of it I pulled my hand from Pete quickly
enough that he didn’t have a chance to stop me.

“Pete,
we will never be together, I never want to see you again. You have put me
through a roller coaster of emotions and I am not going to sit back and let it
continue. Leave,” I ordered. I couldn’t believe I was able to stand up to him.
I felt energized.

Anger
filled his body once more. I could see the tension return to every bulging
muscle. Eli didn’t move, but out of the corner of my eye I saw him close his
eyes and clench his hands into fists. His knuckles started to turn white, and
Pete dropped to his knees as if he was in pain. Pete’s eyes squeezed shut, held
his head between his hand and he let out a loud groan.

“What’s
happening?” I asked, turning to Eli.

“It's
time for you to be on your way Pete. I don’t want to see the likes of you in
this city again. Find a new place to live, got it?”

Pete
slowly opened his eyes and stood. “This isn’t over Jacobs!” Pete grumbled as he
got into his car and sped away.

I
was surprised that Pete used Eli’s last name, but I didn’t get a chance to
wonder why.

Eli’s
arms were around me in seconds. “Are you okay? I was so scared I wouldn’t make
it in time.”

I
pulled away and pushed him back. “What? You wouldn’t make it in time? How did
you even know where we were? I can’t just trust you anymore… too much has
happened…” I trailed off, still unable to understand or grasp everything that
had just happened. It was too late for him to explain. I needed answers an hour
ago. Days ago. Weeks ago. I stood there looking into his eyes, searching for
something I couldn’t find. He looked saddened and defeated.

“Abby,
I don't even know where to begin,” Eli said, suddenly shy.

“Well,
start with how you always know… know where I am…” I said with uncertainty.

We
walked slowly to the car as Eli thought. I leaned up against his car and
crossed my arms protectively around myself. I couldn’t get into his car yet. I
didn’t want to feel trapped inside his car while we were talking. It was bad
enough I was in the middle of nowhere and my only way home was with someone I
wasn’t exactly sure I trusted at the moment.

“Well,
I guess I can't hide it from you anymore.” He paused and looked at me
questioningly.

I
gave him a snide look, daring him to try.

“Okay,
well I’m from a group that we call the Protectors. We are assigned a person to
protect, and we protect them for as long as they may need, whether that’s for a
few days or even their whole lives. We are there for them to make sure they are
safe from anyone that may try to harm them maliciously. We get intuitions as to
what may happen sometimes, and it may not even be from someone intentionally
hurting them, but maybe from an accident when it isn’t their time yet.”

“What?
I don’t understand. Are you saying that you are my Protector?” My head was
spinning. Why was I so important to protect? Why was protection even something
that I needed? I knew with Pete I obviously needed it. I was embarrassed to
admit it, and I probably wouldn’t actually admit it out loud, but did that mean
Eli would be gone now? He did his job, he protected me and Pete was gone.

“Yes.”

“That's
crazy. Sure Pete was aggressive and out of line, but why the heck would I need
a Protector?”

“I
can’t tell you. All I know is that I have been assigned to you and that for the
foreseeable future I am needed.”

“The
foreseeable future? What... like I'm still in danger?” I started to feel
panicked.

“Not
from Pete. And at this point, I don’t see anything problematic for quite some time.
It could change, but for now no, there’s no danger.”

“So
you’re telling me that you are ‘assigned’ to me and you didn’t just befriend me
because you liked me?”

“Abby—it’s
not like that. You are my friend and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I didn’t
choose this. You are my first assignment. I’m not completely sure how to go
about this.”

“I
want to go home. Now,” I said hastily, climbing in his car. He was talking
about it like I was his homework or something. I couldn’t take it. I needed
space to think. I needed to be as far away from this place as I could get, and
to be alone.

Eventually,
Eli made his way around the car and climbed in. “I'm sorry that I couldn’t tell
you sooner Abby. I never meant to hurt you. That’s—”

“Just
take me home,” I cut him off curtly.

We
drove in silence all the way back to my house. I was so angry at Eli, at Pete,
and at myself. I had trusted Eli and now I felt like I had nobody to turn to.
He was my best friend, my rock, but now I was left only with Bailey and I couldn’t
even begin to talk to her about the situation. Ultimately, I hadn’t even
trusted her enough to tell her about any of the issues I had been having with
Pete in the first place. It would only hurt her now that I hadn’t opened up to
her sooner. I felt so stupid.

Eli
started to get out of his car to walk me to my door, but I stopped him. “Don’t.
I don't need to be walked to the door. I can take care of myself. Just leave.”
I turned and walked to the front door.

“Abby,
please don’t be angry. I want to be there for you. Please call me. I will give
you the space you need, but please don’t cast me aside because of this. I’m
sorry…” The door shut and I couldn’t be sure if he said any more than that.

What
was I supposed to make of all the information being dumped in my lap? My
thoughts raced from one thing to the next. What had he done to make Pete stop
dead in his tracks, in what looked like apparent physical pain? I had never
really given much thought to supernatural things like vampires, werewolves and
witches, but now I wish that I had. Maybe I could have prepared myself for that
night. That’s what it was, wasn’t it? Something supernatural? I couldn’t really
be sure. I wondered what else there was to the story that I didn’t know yet.
Did I even want to know? Between his news and the realization that my dream
came true, I was beginning to wonder if every supernatural myth I’d ever heard
was true.

I
went upstairs to clean up my cuts. Upon closer inspection, I determined that
there were only two cuts on my hands and one on my elbow that needed medicine
and bandages. They were very minor and would heal in no time at all. The last
thing I needed was for my mom to find out about what had happened. I didn’t
know what to make of it yet, and I wanted to have the chance to figure it out
before she knew any of it. Luckily, I doubted my mom would even be concerned if
she saw them. I was so klutzy all the time anyway, she wouldn’t think twice if
I told her that I fell and scraped them at school.

Regardless
of it all, I was feeling surprisingly calm. It was the strangest thing; I had
zero anxiety about it. The anger directed at Eli was still there, but all my
anxiety and fear had seemed to leave my body. It was as if it had evaporated
into thin air when I was with Eli right before Pete dropped to his knees, and
those feelings hadn’t returned. The anxious feelings were replaced by a sense
of tranquility. I ran myself a hot, steamy bath to help clear my thoughts
enough to sleep.

I
knew one thing for certain: my life had changed forever that night. It would
never be considered boring or mediocre again.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Days
passed before I spoke to anyone besides my mom. I didn’t want to let on that there
was a problem at school or with Eli, so I pretended that everything was as it
should be. It was a good thing that my mom wasn’t home in the mornings; I was
now walking to school every day despite the fact that Eli followed behind me in
his car, hoping one day I might just hop in. I guess it was his way of showing
that he wasn’t going to give up hope. I felt isolated, even though I had other
friends. I couldn’t talk to any of them about the situation—they would think I
was crazy.
I
thought I was crazy. My life had turned into a real life
movie set, and I wasn’t thrilled about being the main character.

 The
only person I felt like talking to was Bailey, and I couldn’t even do that.
Needless to say she was worried about me. She even knew my problem involved
Eli, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that I wasn’t exactly speaking
to my best friend. Thankfully, she left it alone. I believe it may have been
because she thought that it had to do with something romantic between Eli and
I. Given their history, I could imagine that would have been quite awkward for
her to discuss.

After
a week of not speaking to Eli, he was getting desperate. He tried harder than
ever, calling and texting multiple times a day, passing me notes in class—but
all of his efforts were unreturned. I had to admit it was getting hard not
talking to him. I really needed my best friend back. It didn’t help that I
still had a lot of unanswered questions, and they swirled through my mind,
overwhelming me. My wall was weakening, and I didn’t just want answers; I
needed them.  But was I really ready for those answers? Would he give me
the answers? I didn’t think he was in a position to be particular about what
questions he answered if he wanted to be friends. As far as I was concerned, I
had the upper hand.

On
another level, I couldn’t believe Eli had kept something so big from me. It
made me wonder about our entire friendship and if I could even believe anything
he had every said. How had I not known something was going on? I should have
realized. Even though he had lied to me, and I was miserably upset about it,
part of me knew that if he felt like he could have told me he would have. At
least that’s what I made myself believe. I decided I would talk to him that day
after work.

It
was Friday, and I had already finished school for the day. I walked home with
the same thoughts clamoring in my head, and it made me anxious for the end of
my work shift. I had just enough time to walk home, change, and grab a snack
before I had to walk to work.

When
I stepped outside into the warm, sunny day, Eli was waiting in his car again,
just as he had done the rest of the week. Suddenly, a last minute decision came
over me, and this time I did not give him the cold shoulder. I marched right
over to his car, opened the door, and climbed in. I wouldn’t let him know, but
I was thankful for the ride to work. I was sick of walking.

“Hi
Abby,” he beamed as he started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

I
didn’t have a warm greeting for him in return. “I have questions,” was all I
said.

“I
imagine you do,” he said calmly, but the smile never left his lips.

“Can
we talk after work?” I asked.

“Of
course,” he answered. “I was hoping you would want to talk today. Well, that’s
what I have hoped every day this week, but I had a good feeling about today.”

I
could tell that he was ecstatic, and for some reason it made me happier than I
had been all week. I hadn’t formulated all of my questions for him yet. There
had been so many sweeping through my head all week that I wished I had written
them down as they came to me. I was nervous that I wouldn’t like the answers I
received. I think that was why it had taken me so long to reach out to
Eli—fear.

We
were nearing the restaurant’s parking lot and I suddenly felt compelled to tell
Eli that I didn’t blame him. “Eli, I just want you to know that I know if you
could have told me, you would have, or at least I hope I can believe that.” I
said the statement quickly so I wouldn’t lose courage.

Maybe
I had been too rash in completely ignoring him all week. I already felt bunches
better after speaking to him again. Sometimes feelings did have a way of
getting in the middle of things, making you lose sight of what really mattered.

He
looked at me with a smile that could light a dark room. “Thanks, you have no
idea how relieved I am to hear that.”

Work
was… well, work. We were steadily busy throughout the night, so my mind was
kept occupied with pizza, salads and drink orders instead of the buzz of questions
that I’d been stressing over for the past week. The steady stream of customers
helped the five-hour shift go by quickly, and when 9 p.m. rolled around we were
both more than ready to leave.

Eli
and I walked out of work together, each clutching our own personal pizza and
soda. Mine was pepperoni as usual, but Eli liked to change it up so his was
bacon and mushroom.

“Do
you want to go to the park to eat?” Eli asked.

“Sure,”
I
answered.                                                           

The
park was completely deserted, but was well lit for those who ventured there at
night, like us. We sat at the closest
ramada
to the
parking lot, next to the playground. On the other side was a pond surrounded by
lush green grass, and all around sat large pine trees. In the distance I could
see a basketball court awash in lighting as well.

After
we were settled Eli was the first to speak. “I know that this is all new to you
and you probably don’t really understand much, but I want you to know I will
answer any questions you have as long as I can answer them. There are some
things I can’t say. I wish that wasn’t the case; I wish I could tell you
everything from start to finish. But I have been sworn into service and there
are things that they don’t allow us to divulge. Actually it is frowned upon to
speak of any of it unless absolutely necessary, which in this case it is.”

           
“Ok…” I said unsure of what to ask
first. “Why me?”

               
“I don’t know,” he said quickly.
“We don’t know first off what the danger may be, it is a surprise to us most of
the time, sometimes there are ways that we may know in advance. You came to me
in a dream, just like my dad said you would. I saw you, but I couldn’t see
anything else.”

           
“Your dad? What did your dad know
about all this?”

               
“Everything, he is a Protector
too.”

               
“Is? I thought your dad died?”

           
“No…” His eyes pleaded with me to be
patient. “I’m sorry I lied to you about him. I had to. He had to move to where
his new assignment was. I don’t even know where he is and I don’t know when I
will see him again, if ever,” he said sadly.

               
The first series of corrections
to his lies was tumbling out and I was already feeling confused. Nothing seemed
as it once was. I was happy to hear that his dad wasn’t dead, but why did he
tell me that in the first place? I knew it must be hard for him not being able
to see his dad.

“What
about the dream?”

“It
was just a dream, I was walking along, and there you were, you looked up at me
at the very same moment I saw you, and smiled. Then I woke up and that was it.”

The
thought that he could have dreams that told him about me brought my thoughts
back to my nightmare and Pete. I hadn’t had a nightmare since that night. It
was like it had been a warning all along. I didn’t want to think about it, as
it brought up so many questions about myself. Was I different too? I couldn’t
be.

“How
do you become a
Protector
?” I said the word as if I had never said it
before, and I pushed my nightmare thoughts away.

“I
guess you are just born into it. Sometimes one or both of your parents are
Protectors as well, sometimes they aren’t and it just happens upon you. In my
case, my dad is a Protector so therefore so am I.”
          
“Oh. Is your mom?” I asked.

He
shook his head sadly.

“Ok,”
I said. It seemed that there were an endless amount of questions I could ask. I
wasn’t sure if I should ask them all at once. I didn’t want to overwhelm him or
myself, but my mind already felt as if it was on overdrive. All of it was so
foreign to me. I knew it must be normal for Eli, if there were such a thing. I
felt bad for him. He was the one that had to live like that, permanently
obligated to protect people.

“How
long have you known I was your
assignment
?” I asked, sounding disgusted
by the mention of that word. The truth was I was disgusted with the whole
situation. Eli thinking that I was some kind of damsel in distress irritated me
to no end.       

           
“For about six months,” he said
quietly. “Six months before you moved here that is…” he corrected as he trailed
off.

               
Six months. I didn’t even know we
were moving here six months before we moved.
How?
My chest tightened. I
felt dizzy.

               
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I
said, trying to breathe through it while I put my head down.

               
Eli closed his eyes. I felt a
breeze on my face and my nausea faded as quickly as it had come on. The
tightness in my chest released and I suddenly felt calm, relaxed, and
level-headed.

               
I looked up at Eli. “Did you do
that?” I asked wide-eyed.

               
“Yes.”

What?

After
giving me a moment he gently explained. “I can calm you. We are connected.”

“Connected?”
I asked in bemusement.

“Yeah—that’s
the easiest way to describe it. I can feel what you are feeling; if you are
scared I can sense it. If you are happy, I know that too. If you are angry, it comes
through to me red hot. When needed, I can help you, make you feel at peace. I
can change how you feel. I can help make you feel better.”

“That's
how you knew…” I whispered. Realization was finally clicking into place, like the
last piece of the puzzle.

“Yes,”
he answered before I even finished my sentence. “I’d never spy on you,” he
added, looking deeply into my eyes.

I
completely believed him. Did that make me crazy?

“But
how did you know where we were?” I asked.

“Well…that’s
where it gets a little more complicated. Our connection runs pretty deep; so
deep in fact that if your feelings are strong enough, sometimes I get a flash
of what you are seeing. It’s as if I am seeing through your eyes. Does that
make sense?” he asked.

           
“So if I’m really upset, you can see
glimpses of what is making me feel that way?”

               
“Yeah I guess so. When Pete took
you the first glimpse I saw was the inside of a car, I didn’t recognize that it
was Pete’s car at first, I only saw the vague outline of a dashboard. The
second glimpse I saw was an overpass sign. I knew right then where you were and
based on how I felt I knew I was right. By then I had come to realize that you
must be with Pete. He was the only one that had presented a problem up until
that point so it was only logical.”

           
I didn’t say anything for a while.
It seemed too farfetched to be actually happening, especially to me. Boring
girl, mundane life—but it wasn’t boring in any sense of the word. I would have
killed for a little boring right then.

Eli
let me think for a while before he spoke again. “It takes some getting used to,
I know. I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is make life complicated for
you.”

“I
think we passed complicated a long time ago!” I chuckled.

“Yeah,
I guess we did.”

So
we were connected and he could feel and change my feelings. It was a surreal
feeling to know that you weren’t the same as everyone else. But wait—what had
he done to Pete? He seemed to cause him physical pain without even moving a
muscle. I thought I had imagined that part, but if he had the ability to help
me, there must be more to it than that.

“In
the desert, what did you do to Pete?”

“Oh
that,” he said.

“Yeah,
what was that?” I asked again.

“Well,
it’s a gift from the elders. I am able to incapacitate others who are trying to
harm you or me, but only if they are also otherworldly. It is truly the most
useful tool I could have asked for. It gives us a chance to get away without
hurting them worse than momentarily,” he said it like he was talking about the
weather.