Pulse of Heroes (27 page)

“Where is that?” Michelle asked, fascinated
by such an adventure.

“Modern day Tripoli in Libya,” Elliot said
smiling.

“But why would Kahl fake his own death?
Couldn’t he just quit and leave like a regular person?” Michelle
wanted to know. But Elliot told her that if she wanted an answer to
that question she would have to ask Kahl herself.

“I’m not going to get involved in Kahl’s
personal business, even if it did take place thousands of years
ago,” he added teasingly. Michelle loved seeing Elliot so animated
and lively. She studied him, wondering how many identities his
personality held. Regular people had many different facets to their
personalities, and considering that Elliot had lived so many lives,
how long would it take to really understand his character? Michelle
pointed to a small flat object and Elliot handed it to her. It was
a stamp seal with a carving of a unicorn on it.

“That’s from Devin’s second palace. You
haven’t met him yet.”

Elliot told her that Devin was away visiting
a friend over in China and that he should be coming back within a
week. Devin was from Harappa, an ancient part of India that was now
within the borders of modern day Pakistan. He told her that Devin
was the first person he had met that was just like him. They became
instant friends and began traveling together as bodyguards for rich
merchants who journeyed along ancient trade routes by land and
sea.

“So he likes unicorns?” Michelle asked
laughing, when she saw several figurines of the mythic animal on
the shelf. “Unicorns are for girls to collect,” she teased. But
Elliot snapped back about how little modern man knew of his
history.

“That is one of Lord Vishnu’s avatars. All
other unicorn myths come from this original image,” he said,
picking up another of the highly decorated figurines and showing it
to Michelle. She immediately apologized, noting her own ignorance
and wondering what else she didn’t know. She moved on to look at a
small cup.

“That,” Elliot said with importance, “is the
first dish I ever glazed.” He picked up the small cup and handed it
to Michelle. Michelle cradled the object in her hand as if she was
holding a little bird. The cup was crude and the glaze was a
mixture of browns and greens. Michelle felt special that Elliot let
her hold it, but she was also nervous about dropping it.

“Is it glass?” she asked, whispering as if
her voice alone would crack it. Elliot told her that it was a
ceramic with a glass glaze on top.

“Glass was how I made most of my fortune a
long time ago,” Elliot said, holding out his hand so Michelle could
give him back the small cup. Michelle handed it back, and as she
did her hand gently brushed against his. That tiny touch alone sent
thousands of pricks and needles up her spine. And it was hard for
Elliot to pretend that he didn’t notice it also. But he just placed
the cup back on the shelf and walked back towards the middle of the
room. His intoxicating scent followed him, leaving Michelle feeling
cold and exposed.

Michelle watched him from where she stood,
wondering how she became so lucky? Why was he telling her all of
this? And what did it all mean? Elliot’s thoughts were not so
different from Michelle’s. He told himself that just because he was
sharing some of his past with Michelle did not mean that he was
somehow planning to have her be involved in his future. She was a
nice girl, there was no argument about that, but what could he
possibly gain from getting close to her? He tried to convince
himself that Michelle had pushed her way into his life, and that he
had been left with no choice but to reveal the truth to her. After
all, she could tell the whole town about him and his friends. They
didn’t need to be exposed to the public. All they wanted was a
quiet life. If he didn’t tell Michelle the truth, the peace they
all sought for would undoubtedly be disturbed.

“Elliot?” Michelle started slowly as she
walked after him. Calling him by his name again gave him a rush.
Elliot hadn’t heard a woman say his name in many years, and it made
him feel raw. “Why were you at Fort Bragg that day?” she asked as
delicately as possible, trying not to sound accusatory. Elliot was
caught off guard. The question came out of nowhere and he hadn’t
yet thought of an answer that sounded credible. “And please don’t
tell me that story about being at the right place at the right time
again. I know you heard me talk to Samantha on the phone about
going there the night you snuck in my room…”

“I didn’t sneak...” Elliot tried to interject
but Michelle just ignored him.

“I would appreciate the truth, and I promise
not to judge.” Elliot explained to her that he had wanted to warn
her about getting into the water when they met outside in the
woods, but he never got the chance. He told her that his senses had
picked up on the strong static of the large swell approaching the
coast days before the weather people had any idea. But after they
argued, he knew she wouldn’t listen to him anyway. So he decided to
drive up there anyway, just in case.

“Thanks for worrying about me. That’s very
kind of you and I guess I should be thanking you with my life,”
Michelle asked him. Elliot felt uneasy because now she had found
him out. And if she only knew the true extent of what he had done.
If he couldn’t or wouldn’t look in the mirror, she was forcing him
to. Just being around her was the evidence alone. He would never
let her know that she would have been dead and buried if he hadn’t
forced life back into her body. He still felt conflicted about what
he had done, and was almost embarrassed at his own weakness for not
being able to let the girl go as nature had intended. And now,
looking at Michelle’s face, so alive and full of promise, Elliot
didn’t know what to say, stumbling over the words in his head. Yet
all Michelle wanted to do was tell him and show him that she was
grateful and that she felt kindness towards him. And how she wished
she could find the words to tell him that she could feel he was
hiding something from her, maybe from himself. Overrun with
emotions, she didn’t know if it was her gratitude or his strange
powers controlling her mind and body, but without care she threw
her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Elliot looked down at
her confused but she didn’t seem to care at all. She stood on her
tiptoes and pulled him towards her and kissed him on the lips. Once
their lips touched they remained like that, locked in a long smack.
No open mouth, no tongue, nothing of that sort. Elliot’s body
remained stiff, and Michelle was too nervous to pull away,
frightened by what his reaction might be. But when he didn’t pull
nor push her away, she relaxed, leaning into him. Keeping her eyes
closed she lowered herself and continued to hug him. Very slowly,
Elliot’s body relaxed also and he wrapped his arms around her and
then stroked her hair and gave her a small kiss on the top of her
head. “It’s no big deal. Anyone would have done the same,” he
answered quietly.

Elliot knew that he had saved Michelle’s life
that day, and most likely on Halloween night also. Did he somehow
feel obligated to have Michelle around since that first night? As
if she was his responsibility now that he had meddled with her
destiny? She wasn’t supposed to be walking around in this world any
longer and he bore that on his own conscience. The thought of
Michelle, a beautiful lively young girl dead, sent shivers up his
own spine this time. He knew that timing was not part of death’s
calculations. Some trees lived for hundreds of years, others for
only fifteen. None was more cursed than the other. Death was not a
punishment; it had no agenda. It was simply an expiration date. The
good died just as the evil did. For Elliot, life could be seen more
as a curse than death, yet the thought of Michelle being buried
somewhere underground unsettled him, and he hated feeling like
that. He had seen so much death, and had been forced to bury and
mourn so many loved ones, that he just never wanted to get close to
anyone that dies ever again.

An electrical ‘ping’ sound was heard from an
invisible speaker system and Michelle pulled away from Elliot and
looked around to see where it came from. It gave her the perfect
opportunity to not look at him after their embrace. “What was
that?” she asked nervously.

“A signal that the front gate is in use,”
Elliot replied while walking towards the computers. He stood in
front of a large monitor with Michelle by his side and they both
watched the Thunderbird drive through the gate and park. The doors
opened and the rest of the guys poured out. Ando and Kahl were
there, and also the Asian guy she saw the day she fell. And there
was another guy; she remembered him from the basketball court
because he looked somehow out of place. He walked tall with a
slight air of superiority. Elliot saw that Michelle was looking at
his friend curiously, and told her that Rion was from modern day
Georgia.

“You mean he’s American?” Michelle asked.

“No,” Elliot answered, “I mean the Georgia
that used to belong to the former Soviet Union.” Michelle didn’t
want to dwell on Rion and pointed at Haneul, and Elliot told her
that Haneul was a no-frills type of guy, and this despite the fact
that he traced his lineage to the first Korean dynastic family.
Michelle was extremely impressed, and couldn’t believe that such
amazing characters were living so close to her home. But Elliot was
busy trying to find an excuse to whisk Michelle away from the
underground library. He didn’t feel comfortable having her down
there once everyone returned. When he couldn’t come up with a good
excuse he just plainly told Michelle that they should leave, and
she followed him up the stairs and out through the courtyard
adjacent to the kitchen.

Michelle felt a little hurt that Elliot was
hiding her from the rest of his friends, but she chose not to say
anything, instead turning inwards and remaining quiet while they
walked through the woods. When they got to Michelle’s home, Elliot
refused to come in, stating that he had things to do and needed to
get back. Michelle eyed him, scrutinizing his face for hints that
would tell her what was really going through his mind. Elliot knew
that face way too well, and felt irritated that he had to make
things clear to her. He never wanted to be held accountable towards
any other woman and there he was trying to explain himself despite
everything.

“Michelle, this has nothing to do with you,”
he told her, giving her a small smile to assure her that he was not
mad at her, which was true enough.

“But you didn’t even tell me where you were
born,” Michelle said, as a way to prove to him that he was still
being elusive.

“I told you I didn’t like to talk about my
childhood,” Elliot answered in annoyance.

“I was just asking because I’m curious. I’m
not forcing you,” Michelle fired back at him. Elliot felt bad; of
course Michelle would want to know where he came from, that was
natural and there he was berating her for it.

“Nun Ki,” he said to her.

“What?” Michelle asked, confused as ever.

“Nun Ki is where I was born. Look up Eridu on
the Internet. It’s the same place, you’ll get plenty of hits.”

Michelle looked at him with excitement, “I
will…” Neither of them knew how to say goodbye to one another.
Michelle definitely didn’t want to say it, and Elliot knew that if
he uttered that word, Michelle’s feelings would get hurt because
goodbye always sounded so formal. The more time he spent with the
girl the more he understood that Michelle was a lot more sensitive
and susceptible to getting her feelings hurt than she let on. The
whole tough and stubborn girl act she put on was just her way of
shielding herself. After all he wasn’t born yesterday, and he’d met
women like her before. He was even married to one.

On the way back to his home Elliot once again
questioned his own intentions. What did he want? If he didn’t want
Michelle’s attention, then why was he trying to be extra nice to
her? And there he was, telling her tales about his adventures and
about high officials in ancient Egypt and Korean royal blood. How
could she not fall for him? Of course a young woman like Michelle
would be very impressionable. Even if she weren’t young she would
still find herself in the same position. Women always liked it when
a man was a bit older or more experienced. It was these men that
helped teach or initiate them into the real world. Such a man was a
guide and a knowledgeable protector. Elliot was no exception. He
fit perfectly into that mold, and in Michelle’s eyes he was
perfect. The fact that he had almost 5000 years of experiences and
knowledge was all the more tantalizing to the girl.

Did Elliot want Michelle to fall for him? Was
he craving the attention of a woman? But if attention was all he
wanted, he could get that anywhere. Women were very easy for him to
attract, it seemed unfair to them because in any given situation he
had the upper hand. No woman had ever resisted his advance except
one; it was one of the perks of being one of his kind. If that was
all he wanted, he wasn’t being fair to poor Michelle. She was so
young. Or was she?

Elliot felt confused and conflicted because
it was a very recent and isolated phenomenon that a
seventeen-year-old female was raised to believe she was still just
a child. For thousands of years girls just reaching puberty would
have already been betrothed to a man, and by seventeen they would
have been married and most likely given birth to two children. He
himself was married to Xander’s grandmother by the time she had
turned 19, and that was less than a hundred years ago. So how was
it that things had changed so quickly in the Western hemisphere, he
wondered while enjoying the sounds of the crushed pine needles
under his feet? When Elliot reached the school he still didn’t have
his mind made up, but when he walked into the living room it became
clear that some of his friends had made up his mind for him.