Pulse of Heroes (56 page)

“Now don’t you ever call me a liar. Damn, I
haven’t done that in a while. It’s harder than I remembered.” He
poured Michelle a glass of water and handed it to her. Still
holding her towel, Michelle sat on the bed and gathered her knees
to her chest. She rested her chin on them and began rocking herself
back and forth. Her eyes were glossy and her skin had lost its
luster. “Elliot just wants to keep you in the dark about who he
really is,” Haden said, moving close to her. Michelle covered her
face with her arms and wept muffled little cries, trying to control
herself as best she could. Was she really the fool? Did Elliot want
to keep her innocent and dumb so she’d worship the ground he walked
on? He had chosen her because she’s gullible. “I’m sorry, Michelle.
You see, things are a lot more complicated when you step into our
world. But don’t you feel better now that you at least know the
truth?” Haden asked, pouring her another glass of water. “I’m never
going to lie to you about who I am. That I can assure you.” Haden
took two steps backwards, stretching his arms out to either side of
him and tilting his head downwards so that he looked like Jesus on
the cross with his long hair covering part of his face. “What you
see is what you get.”

Mikoto inserted his key into the lock and
turned it two times. The lock clicked and the spring pulled back.
He opened the door and Haneul followed him inside the house.
Everything looked exactly as it had been left 60 years earlier. The
furniture was still covered in white sheets and the rugs were still
rolled up, leaning against the walls of each room. It was only by
some miracle that the place hadn’t suffered any damage during WWII
when the Russian army pushed back against the Romanian Fascist
Party on the Eastern Front. And while Romania was behind the Iron
Curtain, he had made sure to contact the right names to keep his
home from being nationalized. Mikoto had received the land as a
gift several centuries earlier from King Bêla IV’s daughter,
princess Anna, when he had forged a strong correspondence with her
father and given him a lot of logistical information about the
Mongols who he had just defeated in Japan. It was also then that he
had met Haneul, who was going by the name Im-Yon at the time, and
had joined the Japanese ranks to fight against the Mongol invaders
since they had already decimated all of Korea. Together, they
assembled an amazing army of samurai fighters to fight the common
enemy. It was then that the term ‘kamikaze’- the divine wind became
the legendary concept that it is these days. While the Mongols
amassed most of their ranks onto ships readying for a mighty naval
battle against Japan, Mikoto, Haneul, Rion, Devin, and Kahl used
their collective power to harvest great storms over the waters.
Most of the Mongol ships went belly up; until then the descendants
of Genghis Khan had never known such defeat, and they were
devastated. Still Haneul was bent on revenge, especially after the
carnage that his family had suffered. All in all, the Mongols
killed hundreds of thousands of people, including Haneul’s wife and
infant son. Returning to an empty home was not an option for him,
so he lent his powers to the Hungarians and Mikoto joined him a few
months later.

As Haneul and Mikoto carefully removed the
sheets of fabric off the various furnishings, they joked that they
felt more like raw silk than heavy canvas or even cotton. Some of
them even disintegrated at the slightest touch. Still, the
furniture underneath was in good condition; not only had it been
made by the finest artisans of the time, but also because Mikoto
had insisted that it be constructed entirely out of bamboo, which
was almost unheard of back then in Europe. The cushions were all
leather and had kept their shape. But after seeing the amount of
dust everywhere, Haneul suggested that they hire a cleaning crew
because he didn’t have the nerve or patience to play the part of
the maid. “Good idea,” Mikoto said, opening every window around the
house. The first rays of light were just appearing on the Eastern
Horizon. Haneul checked out the bedrooms and was grossed out by the
drab condition of the mattresses. He had no idea how long they were
going to be staying there, and the thought of sleeping under such
conditions didn’t sit well with him at all. “I’ll be back,” he told
Mikoto, grabbing the car keys. At least they had rented a large
vehicle, he thought, heading towards town. He could put two
mattresses on the roof rack and have the others delivered.

Back inside the house, Mikoto was busy
admiring his dearest friend; his Wakizashi, his Samurai short
sword. Long ago, it was the Katana that had first won his heart,
but when the horse was deemed obsolete in battle, the long sword
was put to rest. He methodically shined the blade until his
reflection appeared in it as clear as a mirror, and that was when
he realized that he was still wearing his baseball cap. He gave a
slight chuckle at his own image and removed the cap to let loose a
sea of long flowing black hair that settled perfectly around his
face and down his back. He ran his finger across the beautifully
carved snake that stretched along the length of the sword and the
ancient words of honor that were carved below the wrist guard. He
never went anywhere without it. Placing the sword back in its
sheath, he picked up a small throwing axe, removing it from its
sharkskin holder. He gathered a small bunch of his hair and lightly
brushed it against the axe’s blade. Thin clumps of hair fell onto
the floor and Mikoto was satisfied.

Haden was brutally honest. He had no qualms
about telling Michelle he was involved with other women, why would
he lie to her about Elliot? Michelle began to appreciate what he
was trying to teach her. What was the point of loving someone she
didn’t even know? Still wrapped in the same cold towel, Michelle
stood up from the bed and slowly walked over to where Haden was now
standing at his desk, checking something on his laptop. She took
his hand and led him back to sit with her on the bed. She then took
his face in her hands; he looked into her blood shot eyes with
sympathy. “I’m sorry,” was all Michelle said straight into his eyes
as she wrapped her arms around him. Haden cradled her and lifted
her onto his lap, her face still buried in his shirt. Eventually,
Haden lowered Michelle down onto the bed and lay on his side next
to her. When she looked up at him he kissed her gently on both
cheeks and then her mouth. Michelle spread her lips and took him
in. She wanted him close. She wanted to be held and she wanted to
feel wanted.

Haden rolled his strong body on top of hers
and pressed against her while kissing her again, hungrily. He
unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt and pulled it over his head
with one arm. At that, Michelle became apprehensive, so Haden just
held her against his chest and told her that it was all right. He
was so warm, she thought, feeling his thick and perfect skin up
against her cheek. But she was still scared; she had no idea what
to do, and she searched his eyes hoping he’d understand. Haden
smiled at her and placed her hand over his heart. She felt his
heartbeat and the sensation of his aliveness and exhilaration was
intoxicating. She ran her hands across his chest as he leaned
forward for her to kiss him, which she did. The more she kissed
him, the more she wanted to do it again and again. She felt her own
heart racing, and her muscles tensed with small spasms up and down
her legs. With her lips still pressed against his chest he pulled
the blanket over the both of them. Haden’s eyes began glowing and
changing hues. She felt his hands on her hips and then in one swift
move he pulled the towel right off her and laid his bare skin
against hers. It was heaven. It was a sensation that felt like it
should have been there all along. It felt like home and she was
safe with him. Michelle’s head might be have been faint, but she
could feel every cell in her body completely alive. And her ears
were filled with the sound of her own blood pumping through her
veins; she wanted this feeling never to end.

Someone started pounding on the door, and
Vilna’s shrieking voice was heard from outside, “Hadeno! Ucigas! Tu
esti Curule! Munca che Dracu! Ha a Gyilkos!” [Murderer, you ass,
may the devil swallow you whole, you murderer!] Michelle
immediately pushed Haden away and tried to free herself from
underneath his weight. But Haden just pressed down harder; he had
no intention of acknowledging Vilna at all.

“Vilna!” Michelle tried to call out, but
Haden put his hand over her mouth and muffled her voice.

“You don’t make one sound. Do you understand?
That will only upset her more.” Michelle nodded, and Haden got off
the bed and put his shirt back on angrily. He straightened his
hair, yelling something to Vilna who was now kicking at the door
and pulling on the doorknob. Michelle stood up in fear, wrapping
herself in the bed sheet and backing into the far corner of the
room. Michelle knew that Adi was dead.

Before Haden opened the door he turned to
Michelle and reminded her to keep quiet. As soon as he cracked the
door open Michelle saw Vilna’s hands reaching in to grab at him but
he leaned away from her and her hands kept grasping at the air.
Vilna stuck her foot in the door to try and pry it open but Haden
didn’t even move. Reaching with one hand he grabbed Vilna’s arms
and held her in place, then opened the door just wide enough so he
could walk out. Vilna was struggling and screaming the same words
over and over again. Michelle had a view of everything that was
taking place in the large beveled wardrobe mirror. Vilna yelled
something else and Michelle heard her name being mentioned. She
watched Vilna jerk her hands free and try to shove Haden out of the
way in a desperate attempt to get into the room. Haden grabbed her
again but this time she managed to scratch his face. Michelle saw
the blood across his cheek and was completely horrified.

“Michelle, I know you’re in there… don’t
trust anything he says…” Vilna yelled out frantically, but Haden
shouted something back and regained control of her. “Michelle he is
a liar! He is a killer! He killed Adi… he’s a murderer and he’s not
even…” Michelle couldn’t see what happened next, but from the sound
of it Haden must have struck Vilna. There was a thud and the
screaming stopped. Michelle couldn’t take it anymore and ran
towards the door to help her friend, but when she got there Haden
held the door shut with his foot. Still, she caught a glimpse of
Vilna’s limp body lying on the floor.

“Vilna,” Michelle cried out. Haden yelled at
Michelle to calm herself down.

“She’s fine!” Haden let the door open and
Michelle bent over her friend. Vilna smelled awful, but she was
alive.

“How dare you hit your sister like that.
She’s hurt!” Michelle cried out.

“She was completely hysterical. You saw it
yourself. Look what she did to me. She accused me of killing Adi!”
Haden said in anger, pointing to the scratch on his cheek. He bent
down to lift Vilna up off the ground, but turned his face away in
disgust. “She smells like a damn pub.” Haden picked Vilna up like a
rag doll and Michelle followed after him while he carried his
sister down the hall. “Michelle, go back to the room,” he said to
her with a sigh, but Michelle ignored him. She was about to cross
the living room after him when she saw a group of guys staring at
her from where they sat on the couch. She recognized Togor and he
gave her a quick salute. Another guy was so dark that he almost
looked purple; he whistled at her while a third guy with a crew cut
yelled something and they all burst out laughing. Michelle had
forgotten that she was practically naked, save for the
incriminating bed sheet she held loosely against herself. She
froze, utterly unable to move either forwards or backwards. Haden,
who had already crossed the living room and was about to head down
another hallway spun around with Vilna still in his arms and shook
his head at her. “I told you to stay in the bedroom, right?” he
smiled, raising his eyebrows in mischief before turning back
around. His friends laughed again and Michelle ran back into the
bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Michelle sat up in bed, but had no memory of
actually falling asleep. She was wearing something but couldn’t
tell if it was a dress or a nightgown. It was very dark and the
curtains were drawn shut. Haden was asleep next to her, lying on
his stomach with his face pressed up against the pillow. She very
carefully and quietly uncovered herself, trying her best not to
disturb any portions of the sheets that were gathered around him.
Slowly, she put one foot on the cold stone floor, then another. She
stood up and managed to take one step before Haden grabbed her by
the wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked
her without moving an inch from his sleeping position.

“Ouch! You’re twisting my wrist,” she
cried.

“No. It’s you that’s moving away from me,
therefore you’re twisting your own wrist.” Michelle told him that
she was just going to the bathroom. Haden let go of her and
Michelle was glad because the stone floor was freezing and she
desperately wanted to step over onto the rug. She asked if it was
nighttime. Haden finally rolled over to face her, telling her that
it was early morning.

“What about my ride home?” she asked. Haden
yawned. “What about Vilna?”

“What about her? She’s fine. Most likely
sleeping away a wicked hangover,” he answered annoyed. But Michelle
didn’t stop. She wanted to know about Adi. Haden sat up against the
wooden headboard. “What is this? The let’s ask all the questions in
the world before dawn game?” he asked, irritated.

“Did you kill him?”

“No!” Haden yelled so loud that Michelle
jumped. “I was with you, or maybe you can’t remember that far back?
Go the bathroom, then go to sleep already, or I’ll put you down
again.” Michelle was angry and told him she wanted to go home.