The Whispers of The Sprite (The Whispers series #1) (14 page)

‘No one knows that you have this ability. It might be just coincidence,’ he says, looking at me.
 

‘You think this is all a coincidence? Why would anyone take my diary, then?’

‘Maybe you are right. When I was away I travelled to different countries to search for anyone else who had a similar gift to yours, but it was a waste of time. You are the only one,' he says.

I want to know more, but I don't have a chance to say anything as he leans over and kisses me gently.

‘And you are with me,’ he whispers, nibbling my ear.

I groan with pleasure.

‘I am strong and good-looking so no one will dare to hurt you,’ he says.

I giggle and push him playfully. My muscles clench when he wraps his body around mine. Maybe he is right; I shouldn't worry about the past. Life is full of surprises and I have to learn to relax. I have been through a lot lately. That night we make love again more possessively, surrounded by the air filled with obsession and lust. I try to lock into my memory how much I love this creature. All the hours apart were worth it to feel him on top of me again. I breathe in the scent of his body. He smells like rain and a forest. I never want to let him go again.

Over the next few days, I put aside all my worries and feel reborn again. I am happy that I have him close to me. The trips to university aren't discouraging any more. My mother calls a few times a week to talk to me, but she seems to be always busy with Dmitry. Slowly, I get used to the fact that she is having a new life and I am not as much a part of it anymore.

I have the most intense few weeks of my life with Gabriel being around me all the time. The nights are exciting. He is my lover and guardian. Slowly, he becomes part of me, sharing his soul, mind and spirit. I know that this won't last forever, but for now he makes me happy. I have seen him with Rose, and he tries to avoid her when I am around, but something is wrong because she looks unhappy. Deep down, I know it's because of me. I walk through campus in the afternoon and they are behind me. I can't hear what they are saying. When I get to the house, she leaves, staring at me for a while.

In the evening, I fall asleep early. I have not been able to concentrate after the intense hours with Gabriel. Close to 4 in the morning I can feel him in my room. I wake up, subconsciously knowing that he will be with me when everyone else is asleep. I want to ask him about Rose, but I can't bring myself to say her name.

‘I am happy when I am with you; it's not the same when I am with her,’ he says unexpectedly, lying next to me. ‘I want to experience these new emotions.’

‘She is a woman, after all. She knows that something is not right.’
 

‘I am handsome and come from a good bloodline. I wouldn't be surprised if she does have feelings for me. Our families were connected for years.’

‘Are you always so sure of yourself?’ I ask, amused.

He moves my hair behind my ear.

‘My mother always says that I need to be more humble.’

‘Your mother is right.’

‘I can't give you what other humans can,’ he adds, staring at me, breathing through me.

‘I don't want anything else; I just want you to be with me,’ I answer, but I know he is right.

Deep down, I know that soon I will want more. We hold each other for a long while without saying anything. I wonder whether he will ever admit that he has any kind of feelings for me. Life without Gabriel wouldn't make sense. If I had never met him, I would probably end up married with kids and moving back to London.
   

‘Gabriel?’

‘Yes?’

‘Can a Sprite become a human? Is there any way?’ I bite my lip and wait for an answer. I don't dare to look at him, but I feel his body stiffen slightly.
 

‘I don't know,’ he begins slowly. ‘This is the deepest desire of our kind.’

‘Has anyone ever become a human?’
 

‘I have heard the legends that only changelings have an ability to touch us,’ he explains.
  

‘Changelings?’ I ask. ‘You were right. I have read about them.’

‘I told you so,’ he chuckles. ‘People weren’t stupid; the mothers always knew if the child wasn’t theirs.’

‘I just don’t understand why you were doing this. Taking away the child and then replacing it with another one.’

‘A few hundred years ago, Sprites swapped their children for human children and raised them as their own so other valuable gifts would be developed. When a fairy has been raised in a human world, she stops being a fairy and the other way around with human children,' he says, caressing my cheek.

‘Why would a fairy mother want to swap children with humans?’ I ask, confused. ‘I would never abandon my own child.’

‘Well, a human raised as a Sprite is stronger and can develop abilities that any other ordinary Sprite can't.’ His voice is anxious. ‘And similarly, Sprites raised by humans can develop certain abilities, despite not being around our kind.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Some people have certain medium abilities: you also call them fortune-tellers, and all those people's ancestors were previously changelings – Sprites raised in a human world. It's not a surprise that they can read minds or connect with lost souls.’ His eyes narrow and he looks at me like he doesn't want to finish. ‘The very last changeling is supposed to have an ability to make a Sprite an immortal human.’

‘Okay, so what's the story behind this?’

‘Imagine that you become an immortal human. You can finally give up the Sprite life and do what you want and live forever,’ he says.

I am trying to understand what he means. ‘So who is the last changeling?’

‘That's a good question. Many have been looking for the last changeling, but it’s impossible to keep track of them. A few hundred years ago, Sprites swapped their children often – almost too often. However, it was forbidden years ago and the oldest Sprites would know if a fairy mother would try to replace the child with a human. The punishment is simple: death.’

‘What about me?’ I ask, feeling that I might fit into these criteria. My abilities are extraordinary. ‘I must be a changeling if I can see you and others.’

He gives me a big smile.

‘No. You cannot be a changeling; your bloodline is clear. Plus, you wouldn’t be able to see us. The last changeling becomes a pure human and all the abilities are erased.’

‘But ... how can you explain that I am the only human who can see you? Or have there been others in the past?’

‘I am most certain that you are not a swap. Changelings have not been swapped for hundreds of years and the legends say that the last changeling was created long before you were born. We were supposed to protect humans, not swap children to unlock the extraordinary gifts. That's why this process was forbidden – to protect humans.’

‘So do you have any idea who would be the last changeling?’ I ask, feeling overwhelmed with the amount of new information.

‘No. Among us, changelings are past. Those humans who can predict the future or connect to people who are amongst the dead have the gifts of their relatives who were changelings in the past.’

‘So what kind of other abilities would I possess if any of my relatives were changelings?’ I ask, thinking that if Gabriel met the last changeling and became human then all our problems would disappear. We would live happily ever after, the perfect fairytale.
   

‘As I mentioned before, the obvious ones are the people that are fortune-tellers or tarot readers. I can be certain about this,’ he says, stretching his arms.

I think about Herne and her predictions about my future. She must be part-changeling, but I don't want to mention to Gabriel what happened in London.
     

‘So if you find the last changeling, we can be together and you would no longer have to worry about being with me?’

‘Don't think about that, it could be a myth. Let’s focus on the present and enjoy what you have in front of you. Enjoy my perfect body.’

I giggle. The expression sounds so unreal when he says it, caressing it with his tongue. He is so overconfident and sure of himself. He presses his lips into mine and I can’t ask him any more questions. He slides his legs between my hips and I can feel his erection. Even though he is a Sprite, he makes love to me like a strong and passionate man. He remembers the map of my body so well. My mind is swirling with emotions and information. When he is inside me, I want to pass out with bliss, but he holds me for so long and makes me look at his beautiful eyes. In the early hours of the morning when the sun is touching the sky, he vanishes quietly and I fall asleep once again, thinking of changelings and my own ability. When I get up a few hours later, I am still exhausted. The late nights are taking all my energy and I think that I will have to stop having so much blissful sex. While I get dressed, a white envelope on the floor catches my eye. I open it and see that Gabriel wrote me a letter.
 

Ania,

I wanted to surprise you. Below is a map of our next meeting. I know that I said that we have to be careful but it's important that we can enjoy each other, and I would like to make love to you in the daylight. When I was away, I learnt that I am able to mislead others with a protective spell, so we can enjoy a walk around the coastline.
 

Always yours,

G

13

When I wake up the next day I can’t forget about Gabriel’s message. For the first time it will feel normal to be with him. I am glad that he changed his mind about meeting in the daytime.

When I get home in the middle of the afternoon, Amy and Richard are in the living room. Since our odd conversation in London, I feel slightly uncomfortable in Richard's company. They are officially back together. Amy revealed that she was wrong about Richard and she wanted to give him another chance. I respect Amy. Though she isn't exceptionally intelligent, she is a girl with a huge heart.
 

‘Hey guys, how are you?’ I ask, relaxing on the sofa next to Amy.

‘Hey Ania, I’m good. Rich decided to cook spaghetti Bolognese and I am sure there will be a lot left. Will you stay for dinner?’

‘Okay, I am quite hungry,’ I answer.

I haven’t spoken to Richard since I saw him in London, so I am not sure how he will be around me. Amy is looking exceptionally radiant; her style has changed. She’s stopped wearing bright colours and replaced her heavy makeup with more natural shades. I wonder why I haven't noticed it before. Richard is cooking in the kitchen, singing along to some country song.

‘We are going to Spain in March,’ announces Amy with a bright smile.
 

‘Well ... that's great,’ I say, but before I can say anything else she continues.

‘It’s Richard's idea. His father has this house by the beach and he’s not there at the moment. I know that it's during the semester, but I will prepare all the assignments in advance, plus it is only a week, so I should be all right.’

I nod and smile. It doesn't matter what I think; she is too in love with him to listen to anything I say. After an hour of showing me the pictures online of Richard's father’s house in Spain, Richard comes out from the kitchen with the massive bowl of the Bolognese and he places it on the table with another plate for me.
 

‘Ladies, dinner is served,’ says Richard, smiling.

‘Sweet,’ says Amy and I sit with her at the table. The dinner looks amazing. The large bowl of spaghetti Bolognese makes my mouth water. I notice that Richard looks a lot better than when I last saw him. We keep casual conversation between the three of us while enjoying the classic Italian dish. The romantic walk along the coastline is constantly in my mind. Carl appears at the door and joins us. At the table, Richard seems to be completely focused on Amy, talking to all of us about their holiday plans. He gives me a pleasant smile, which I return. After the meal, I excuse myself to everyone and walk upstairs.

In the hallway, I see a Sprite staring at me. It is the same Sprite that followed me around London while Gabriel was away researching my ability. I drop my eyes, pretending that I haven't noticed him in my own house. His skin is pale and he has wide, black eyes and long white hair. On the way to my room, I can feel that he is watching me. I don't understand why he needs to be in the house. It's unusual. I hope that doesn’t mean that Gabriel is away again. The only person that he should be observing is his own human that was chosen for him; Gabriel explained this clearly during our first night together.

When I get to my room and switch on my laptop in bed I notice that my hands are shaking, which is bizarre. The appearance of this new Sprite in my house worries me. Maybe the strange Sprite wanted to see me again. I laugh a few seconds later, thinking that he came to see me because somehow he knows about my ability.
 

Around 1am, a few days before the scheduled walk, Gabriel doesn't come back and I begin to worry. Normally, I never know when he is supposed to stop by my room, but since his declaration that he needs to be close to me, we have spent most nights together. Somehow I am glad that he doesn't bother me today. My body needs to recover.

I leave in the morning without breakfast, rushing to get to the Hollywood film lecture. Amy was right; the professor is a bit eccentric, but I enjoy listening to his voice so the lecture is never boring. Throughout his lecture, he randomly adds an incredible story to his knowledge about Hollywood films. Today we focus on the old classic film
It’s a Wonderful Life.
After lunch, I realise that I haven't seen Gabriel all day, and I feel slightly anxious. I walk to the shop for a bottle of water and I notice a familiar Sprite that is staring at me directly. It's the Sprite that I saw last night in the house. I don't look at him, but his eyes are gazing at my every move.

I have a free hour before my next lecture. The white-haired stranger seems to be intrigued by me because he follows me to the library and then later on to the main building while I hurry to get to the next class. It appears as if Gabriel has left me with the stranger when I believed him that everything would be different from now on. Feeling betrayed again, I walk straight home after the class. Confusion spreads over me as the new Sprite follows me home.

It's only Tuesday and my meeting with Gabriel is scheduled for Friday. I can’t stop the negative thoughts that run around my mind. When I get home, it starts raining so I decide to cheer myself up with a cup of tea. Being at home makes me feel safe and the white-haired Sprite is not there. Later that evening, Mum calls to announce that Dmitry has organised a trip to Russia and they will leave in a few weeks. She seems to be happy to go away for a whole month. After her call, I notice a white envelope that I covered with books earlier, and it only now catches my eye.
 

Don't worry; we will meet on Friday as planned. I am in the middle of something, so I cannot meet you until then.

Always yours,

G

I press the note close to my heart and sigh, feeling like an idiot. Maybe it is better that we don’t see each other until Friday; it gives me time to push out any negative thoughts and focus on something else rather than Gabriel. I can’t live my life around Gabriel and need to learn to
prioritise
other things too. In the past few weeks, I have been
prioritising
him above everything else. I grab my purse and decide to go shopping, ignoring the stranger who will be following me. A trip to the hairdresser seems like a good idea; my hair is getting longer and I can’t even remember my last haircut. I put on my best cardigan and leave to enjoy the rest of the day. I need to stop worrying and
analysing
whatever is happening. Life is good: a gorgeous Sprite wishes to please me, I am away from home and my mother finally is off my back. Everything is slowly going the way I wanted.
 

On Thursday evening, I decide to go to bed early. I get up at 5am and start preparing everything for the picnic. Then I think about the fact that I have never seen Gabriel eat anything. Maybe the question sounds slightly bizarre, but I am not sure if he actually needs food. There’s so little that I know about him. It is a bit absurd, once I think about it. The only time I see Gabriel is in the night and most of our time together is filled with sex and provocative conversations about reality. Despite that, I decide to pack my bag with food. On my way downstairs, I walk into Richard, who is in the kitchen.
   

‘Morning Ania, you’re quite the early bird,’ he says, while pouring tea into Amy’s
favourite
cup.
 

‘I am going to the beach with a couple of girls,’ I explain, taking a few more items from the fridge. He gives me a surprised look.
 

‘Don't you think it's a bit extreme to
organise
a trip at 5 in the morning? Plus, it’s freezing outside.’

He has a point.

‘We want to see the sunrise while jogging. We are kind of like health freaks,’ I explain, coming up with the right excuse.

He nods, smiling lightly. I don't know if he believes me, and I don't really care what he thinks. He walks outside, trying to light his cigarette. When I get to the car, he is still outside smoking and staring at me. The streets are almost empty. It takes me around half an hour to get to Gower Peninsula. I have been here before at the striking cliffs and stunning coastline. It's a perfect place for a romantic walk and I am sure that we won’t be disturbed, hiding off track somewhere. The dawn is breaking when I get out of the car. I take a deep breath and inhale the fresh sea air, taking as much as I can into my lungs. The beach is absolutely spectacular and the tide is fully in. I stand still for a while as I admire the view and the high cliffs in the background.
 

‘How was your trip?’ asks the familiar voice breathing into my ear.

I can smell Gabriel. I turn around. His dark hair is trapped by the wind; he looks even more striking in the daylight. His blue eyes are even more intense when I am staring at him. I am enjoying a closeness that we never experienced before, witnessed only by nature.
 

‘I was worried about you,’ I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek. His skin is warm. ‘Hold on, I need to get my bag. I forgot to ask you. Do you … eat?’

I pick up my rucksack with the food prepared earlier. He laughs.
 

‘Of course I need food; I’m just never hungry when I’m around you. It will be nice to share a meal together,’ he answers and winks at me. He takes my bag and we start walking towards the sea.
 

‘Aren't you afraid of the consequences?’

‘Near the sea our senses are weaker and I can use my ability to erase my emotions. I can honestly say that we are very similar to humans in our habits, apart from the fact that our life is not as exciting as yours. We have to reflect everything that we do on the humans that we must protect,’ he explains, holding my hand.

The cold wind is blowing, and I am shivering, but I am willing to suffer a little.

Gabriel continues, ‘I like to be around you. Somehow you fill the emptiness in my heart that I was never able to understand.’

‘What don’t you like about your life?’

‘I just hate these obscure rules. I understand this forbidden emotion now. I am attracted to normality but I hate power,' he continues. ‘My mother wants me to be the next councillor, but I have no interest in politics.’

‘So does that mean that you want to become human?’ I ask.

We already discussed this subject, but I always wanted to know if he is willing to sacrifice his life. I would most definitely change my life if I had a chance to do so.
 

‘If I hadn't met you, it wouldn't matter, but now –’ he says, hesitating for a moment. ‘Yes, I would like to become human, even if it’s only a dream. Every Sprite desires to become human.’

‘Hmm. What about your family?’

‘My family is important. I live with them, but they don’t understand me.’

‘What about the children? What do the Sprite women do with them while they have to be with their chosen human?’ I ask, trying to understand his life on different levels. I already know that it's so different from mine.

‘It’s a family responsibility; my parents would take care of my children. We have to be on duty constantly to ensure that you're making the right decisions.’

‘What if you decide to leave your human and do whatever you want?’

‘What have you got in mind?’

‘I don’t know. Just do whatever you want; live a normal life.’

‘We are always connected to the person that we're supposed to protect, so we cannot change our destiny. We cannot change our life.’