“I’m meeting my mom there,” I told him. “I don’t need an entire audience present.”
“Parents…” he said, wrinkling his nose. He helped me with my bag, and we walked together to the parking lot.
Midway through the parking area, Galen walked toward us and said something to David in Latin. David’s face darkened as we approached the group.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, but he remained silent.
We joined the rest of our entourage, and then I realized why Galen had stepped out from the circle to speak to David.
My eyes widened when I saw Gabriel standing next to Bill. He looked different—pale and bone-thin. His eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under them; his clothes were loose and wrinkled; his hair uncut and untamed. I was afraid he’d collapse at any moment. A sudden flurry of nerves ran through my arms and landed in my chest. I hadn’t spoken to him in months and remaining friends wasn’t in my plans. I’d have never gotten over him if we had stayed in touch.
The air was thick with tension when we joined them. Andy looked worried; so did Bill. David’s face hardened even more when he saw Gabriel’s arm on Bill’s shoulder. Galen and Eryx looked as if they were ready to spring into action at any moment.
“Hey, baby.” Gabriel took a step toward me.
David pulled me back. I removed my hand from his on impulse.
“Hey,” I said dryly. I felt tears stinging in the back of my eyes, and my head was filled with sudden rage. I was mad as hell to have this idiot in front of me. He had the insolence to end our relationship by typing it out rather than speaking.
“David, can you drive me today?” My voice broke.
“Of course.”
“Wait, Isis,” Gabriel said. “Can we talk?”
“No.” I turned on my heel and headed to David’s car.
Gabriel hurried after me. I faced him with anger in my eyes. Behind Gabriel, I saw Eryx and Bill talking to David while Galen held him back.
“Get in the car,” Andy mouthed to me from the sidelines of the conversation that the Chios brothers and Bill were having.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.” I wanted to tear his heart out. I wanted him to feel the same pain I had felt the day he broke up with me.
“Isis, I just want to say… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Look, I didn’t know what I was doing. I miss you, and I want you back. We can work this out. Long distance relationships happen all the time.” Gabriel reached for my face, but I moved away from him.
“You hurt me,” I said. “You could’ve called me to breakup, you know? I didn’t know you were such a coward.” With that, I turned and started walking again.
“Isis… Isis!” Gabriel called after me. I didn’t turn around. I walked to the car door and glanced at David, but Gabriel blocked me before I could signal for David to unlock the doors with the remote.
“Listen to me, babe. I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I’ll make it up to you. I’m in town for a week and a half for spring break. I’ll do anything it takes for you to take me back.”
“Too late. I don’t want anything to do with you. I’m late for something; I gotta go.” I waved to David, letting him know I was ready to leave.
“Is he the reason you’re being like this with me?” Gabriel asked.
I gave him a scornful look and hissed, waiting for David to arrive at the car.
David reached for the door handle and had opened the door a fraction of the way when Gabriel shoved it closed.
“I’m not done talking to her,” Gabriel said.
“But she doesn’t want to talk to you.” David opened the car door again. I climbed in, and David shut the door.
“What the hell is your problem, man?” Gabriel shoved David’s shoulder.
David’s hands curled into fists at his sides. Eryx and Galen rushed to the car and stood by David.
“Take it easy,” Bill said, stepping between the Chios brothers and Gabriel. “It’s three against one, Gabe. Don’t be a dumb ass, man.”
I tried to open the car door, but the child lock was on. I jumped over to the driver’s side and stepped out. With swift and angry steps, I walked to the other side of the car.
“Hey!” I said. “Leave, Gabriel. We’re done.”
“Get back in the car, Isis,” David said.
“No.”
Bill and Andy pulled Gabriel away from David’s car to try to calm him down. Gabriel jerked his arms from their hands and climbed into his own car. The tires screeched as he raced out of the parking lot. A gust of gray smoke and the smell of burnt rubber wafted over us.
Gabriel was so immature. I was embarrassed that he had been my boyfriend after witnessing that behavior.
What struck me as strange was that Gabriel wasn’t the violent type, but today, he was ready to throw the first punch. The guy in that parking lot was nothing like the Gabriel I knew. Something just wasn’t right about him.
David’s brothers insisted that he drive the Land Rover home, while they drove the Maserati since Gabriel knew that the car belonged to David and might be looking to start a fight somewhere else.
“That was so unlike Gabriel,” Andy said to me. “Did you see how bad he looked?”
“Yeah.”
“Listen to your brothers and steer clear of that guy. This town is too small. It’ll be a miracle if you don’t bump into him on the way home,” Bill told David.
“You’re making this into a big deal,” I said. “He’s gone. There’s no point in switching cars to hide from him.”
“Isis,” Bill said, “he was talking a lot of crap before you got here. It was crazy talk, like he was high and mighty… saying he would beat the living crap out of anyone who touched you… saying you were his and that he didn’t give a flying this or that about who he’d be up against. His hands were shaky; his eyes blood shot. I’d swear he was high or something. That wasn’t the guy I knew three months ago.”
“Bill is right to be concerned,” Eryx agreed. “We don’t want any problems.”
“I’ll ride with Bill,” I said, glancing at the time on my phone. “I really have to get going.”
“No,” David said. “I’ll drive you.”
“David, be reasonable.” Eryx argued. “He’ll be persistent with her. You should avoid any further confrontations for now.”
David stared at his brother for a moment, as if assessing his words.
“We need to talk,” David said to me.
“We’ll be in the car, whenever you’re ready,” Andy said, bowing out of the conversation.
Galen spoke first.
“The reason we’re taking these measures is because we have to abide by the laws; we’re not allowed to physically harm any mortal, something that’s hard to avoid in a state of anger. We’d be prohibited from entering this world for many centuries. And that’s not something I’m willing to risk.”
“Oh,” I said, remembering when David had told me about their laws. “But I doubt he’ll come looking for David. I’ll put a stop to this.”
“You’re overconfident,” Galen said. “That toddler just had a severe tantrum. Do you really think he’ll just give up?”
This was the reason why I was keeping myself from falling for David. I was afraid the day would come when he’d disappear from my life forever. I was afraid of being hurt. I wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Without saying more, the twins slid into the Maserati and revved the engine while waiting for David to start the Land Rover. David ignored the signal and walked me to Bill’s car.
“Don’t call him,” David urged me. “Don’t deal with him at all.”
As I climbed into the back seat, my phone rang. Claire. I was late.
On the way to Dr. Jameson’s office, Andy repeated what Gabriel said in full—colorful language and all. We all agreed that Gabriel had undergone a complete change.
***
The doctor’s appointment went well. Dr. Jameson gave me the all clear, but
told me I was more than welcome to continue with sessions once a month if I felt it necessary. I told the doctor I didn’t expect anything to change, and I would only be wasting his time.
Dr. Jameson brought Claire into the consult room and explained that I was being released from his care. Claire let out a sigh of relief and hugged me. Her eyes sparkled, holding back tears.
***
An hour past sundown, I heard the doorbell ring. Claire called me downstairs. She pointed to the front door and disappeared into the laundry room.
I found Gabriel pacing outside beneath the porch light. His pale skin looked gray even in the yellow glow of the bulb.
“Can we talk?” He rubbed his face. The red blood vessels in his eyes made him look sinister.
“What about?”
“Isis, I messed up. I’m sorry. I want you back.” He touched my face with a trembling hand. I took a step back.
“That’s just not going to happen. Do me a favor and don’t come looking for me again, okay?” I went back into the house and shut the door. I waited there, listening for him to head back down the porch stairs. I could hear him pacing back and forth. He knocked on the door again and again.
I looked back at Claire leaning on the kitchen doorway.
“Don’t look at me,” she said. “That’s your problem.”
I opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.
“What?”
“I know you’re mad at me. I know you don’t want me anymore, but give me a chance to win you back,” Gabe said, fidgeting as he spoke. “I can make it better, babe. I know can.”
I watched as he rubbed his hands together. His shoulder twitched every so often. It was like he couldn’t keep still. Although worry for him pawed at my chest, I wasn’t going to give him an opportunity to hurt me a second time.
“We’re done,” I said. “It’s over.”
“Isis, you can’t mean that. Baby, where there was fire, ashes will remain.” His brown eyes turned glossy.
“There’s nothing left. I’m over you. Don’t make this harder for either of us.”
“You’re lying.” He rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand. “Look, I know you, Isis. I know you still care about me.”
Maybe he was right. He had been my friend before he had been my boyfriend. That had to count for something.
I took in the dark circles under his eyes and his loose fitting clothes. Was he sick? I turned my face away, trying to hide the concern I felt for him.
All of a sudden, Gabriel grabbed my waist and roughly pushed his lips on mine. I struggled to get loose, but he was stronger than I was. I reached up, grabbed him by the ear, and dug my nails in.
“Dammit, Isis!” He let me go.
“Leave!” I stomped into the house and slammed the door.
“Isis… Open the door. I know you’re still there.”
I didn’t answer. I could hear him mumbling to himself. He knocked on the door a few times, and then rang the doorbell.
He stayed on the porch for several minutes, pacing. At last, I heard him walk away. When a couple of minutes had passed, I peeked through the window blinds, making sure his car was gone. I was blazing with rage.
Claire was at the top of the stairs waiting for me.
“You don’t look too happy,” she said.
“He’s a moron.”
“What happened?”
“He’s a moron.”
“I got that part the first time.”
I started to cry.
“Oh no, honey. Don’t. Not again. He’s not worthy of your tears.” Claire hugged me hard.
“I’m just mad, Mom. Why did he come back? I was doing fine without him. He’s different. I hate to admit it, but I’m worried about him. He looks… sick. And he kissed me, and I scratched the crap out of his ear, and he showed up at school, too. He won’t take no for an answer. What should I do?”
I couldn’t hold in my feelings anymore. I needed her as both a friend and as my mother.
“How do you feel about Gabriel?” Claire asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I hate him and… and I want to know why he’s so changed now.”
“Ah, you’re confused.”
She was right. I hated this feeling. I hated knowing I still cared for Gabriel—even if it was just a little—and I hated him for hurting me. I disliked the person he had become, and that made it hard for me to understand why I felt worried for him.
My mind was made up, though. It was over between us.
“Do you think he’ll stay away?”
“Seriously doubt it,” Claire said. “But we’ll call the dog pound if he comes back.”
***
After dinner, I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my chest. I had trouble settling into a comfortable position. The last few hours had been overwhelming. I needed to go somewhere calm in my mind.
I wrestled with my weariness, afraid I might drift to the poppy field—a place that was off limits to me now. As I fought the urge to go to Somnium, I fell into a deep sleep.
In my dream, I took myself to the beach where David and I had been the day he materialized in this world. I walked along the shore feeling the wet sand under my soles. The waves swayed in a steady motion against the horizon.
“This is different,” I heard a voice behind me.
I recognized David’s scent at once. He was standing several feet from me, his golden body glorious, his wings extended.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hello, my lovely.”
David took my hand and sat me beside him on the sand. I slipped my hand away from his soft grip and placed it on my lap. He protested, but I pretended not to hear him.
“I’m sorry if I’m trespassing.” Had I somehow crossed over into Somnium?
“You haven’t broken any rules,” David said. “I’ve come to you tonight.”
“You can do that?”
“Of course. I’ve come to show you something.”
“What?”
“Look.” He pointed to the sunset. The scarlet and lavender sky turned dark, and before long, we were sitting on nothing and surrounded by nothing. I searched for David’s arm in the emptiness.
An image of a young woman appeared in the sky.
“Hello, my precious baby… hello, my little princess,” she whispered. I recognized the voice and the face. It was a young Claire. I gasped and held my hand over my mouth.
“Do you recognize this young lady?” David asked.
“It’s my mom. She’s beautiful!”
“Like you,” he said and pointed to the sky. “This is what you dreamed of as a child.”
The images continued to play like a widescreen movie. I heard a baby’s cry while Claire’s soothing voice sang a lullaby. My dad’s image blew kisses in my direction. There were pictures of bright toys and trinkets that came and went. Dad’s green eyes were glassy and tired as he made silly faces. I saw my grandmother, Eva, holding her arms out and smiling.
Then the faces in the images matured. There was an image of my first bicycle, and then my father’s smiling face as his voice explained how to ride it:
“Keep your balance, angel. That’s it… you’ve got it!” his voice said, followed by a child’s unfiltered laughter—it was mine.
The scene that followed gave the impression of flying through clouds surrounded by flying monkeys. It was a scene from the Wizard of Oz. I was terrified of the flying monkeys as a kid, but now the monkeys weren’t scary at all.
The images ended in darkness and with my father’s voice saying, “Daddy loves you, angel.”
The sky turned crimson again. I wiped the tears from my face and tried to control my ragged breathing.
“I’ve made you unhappy,” David said.
“No. I’m very, very happy.” I sniffled and laughed as he helped wipe the tears from my eyes.
“My dad… I miss him so much. I’ve wanted to see him for a long time. I never got a chance to let out all my pai
n.”
“I’m so sorry. If I knew it’d make you react this way, I wouldn’t have shown you.”
“Don’t apologize. You’ve given me back memories of my dad I had forgotten. Thank you—really.”
“I don’t like seeing you cry.” David wiped the remainder of the tears from my face.
We stared at the waves dancing to and from the shore. His eyes wandered toward me. I asked myself what could be holding his interest so long as he gazed at me that way.
A turquoise butterfly fluttered in front of us. David held out one hand as if calling to it. The butterfly landed on his index finger, and he held it out for me to see.
“Beautiful,” I whispered.
“It’s time to go.”
“Already?”
“I’ll meet you in reality, my lovely.”
He disappeared, leaving only a trace of golden glimmer in the blackness.
I woke with a smile on my face. I jumped to my feet and headed for the bathroom. I curled the ends of my long hair with the flat iron and pulled my favorite black shirt over my head. After my black eyeliner and mascara were in place, I still had time to scribble in my journal.
***
March 9, 7:01 A.M.
With every passing day, its complaints and shouts grow louder; my heart tries to convince me to give in. But I know that what I feel can be nothing more than a silent infatuation.
***
“Have some breakfast before you leave,” Claire said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “I’m running late today. Hope the boss doesn’t mind.”
I hadn’t heard her mention The Judge in a while.
“How’s that coming along?” I asked.
“Nicely. See ya this afternoon.”
Claire was at the door on her way out when the doorbell rang.
“Well, good morning!” She turned back to wink at me and motioned me over.
“Good morning, Mrs. Martin,” David said.
I jumped to my feet and went to the door where David stood wearing a light blue, collared shirt and dark jeans. The blue tone complimented his raven black hair and already brilliant blue eyes. David Gandy had nothing on him.
“See you later kids. Have a good day.” Claire kissed my cheek as she left.
“A good day to you, as well,” David said.
I stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind me.
“Good morning.” I said, feeling a sudden queasiness.