by Tara Chau
“What was that about?” he asks.
“Nothing, I was just messing around with my friend,” I say casually.
“And do I know this friend? Possibly Ty?”
At the mention of Ty’s name, I cringe and walk over to the microwave to collect my food, so my dad won’t see my solemn expression.
“No, it was not Ty. I don’t really hang around him that often anymore. I have two new friends; I think I’ve mentioned one of them. Anne and Gabe…”
Shit. I completely forgot about mine and Anne’s shopping spree. Oh god, this is not going to be pretty. I look back at my dad and continue to talk about them, reminding myself to call Anne later.
“Anne is my best friend, Gabe is….”
I am not quite sure who he is to me or what I am to him either. A friend? Best friend? Or perhaps more than a friend. I guess that is just another thing I must talk to Anne about. I’ll just add it to my list, I guess.
“Should I be worried?” My dad teases.
“What, no, why would you be worried?” I ask.
“Well, you hesitated and then completely zoned out. Remember Di. You have only known these people for one week.”
With everything that has been going on, it feels like a whole year has passed. I already know so much about them. It had been my mission to know them as best I could. If I was going to trust them with my life, then I had to.
“It feels like I’ve known them for months. We already seem to know what each other are thinking.” I say, now that I think about it, it’s not even a lie.
I do seem to know what Anne is trying to say. Maybe it is a girl thing. Like a girl code that every girl can follow, even when you aren’t trying to. But Gabe? It probably has something to do with this whole Protector thing. Maybe we are all connected, so we know what everyone is thinking, feeling, and doing.
“Di? Are you going to eat that?” Dads voice cuts through my thoughts. I stare down at my plate, the tomato paste is steaming and smells great, but I don’t feel hungry. I walk over to dad and place the bowl in his hand.
“I’m not hungry. You eat it.” I say, kissing him on the cheek.
I slowly make my way up the hall to my room and shut the door. I go and sit on my bed and draw my phone out of my pocket. Scrolling through my contacts until I come across Anne’s, readying myself for the rage of a Protector, I press call.
“Hello?” Anne’s voice rings from the other line.
“Hey Anne, it’s Dianna. I am so sorry I didn’t turn up today. I got held up.” I apologize.
“Oh, hi Di, what didn’t you turn up for?” she asks.
Confusion washes over me, doesn’t she remember? “Um, we were going to go shopping today, remember?”
“What? Oh crap! I totally spaced. I’m so sorry!” I laugh and speak again.
“I’m the one that is supposed to be apologising.”
“I guess we both need to get better at remembering things. We should take a rain check.”
“Yeah totally, how about tomorrow? I really need some girl time. I have so much to talk about.” I admit.
“That’s fine. I won’t be able to meet with you until two, though. Hey, let’s go to the beach.” Anne suggests.
“Okay, which one?”
“Um, how about Brighton Beach. It’s about a half-an-hour bus ride from your street.”
“Sure, that should work,” I answer.
“There is a bus stop at the end of your street, catch the 1:25 pm one, number 632. The bus will take you to the street right across from the beach café. Let's meet out front. Does that sound alright?”
“Yes, you have just made everything so easy for me,” I say thankfully. “I haven’t been to the beach in ages!”
“Should we invite Gabe? He loves swimming.” Anne asks.
“No.” I blanch at my rudeness. “Sorry, I just really need some girl time with you,” I say.
“Okay, that’s completely fine. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night. Bring on the drama!” she yells enthusiastically.
“Ha, yeah, you say that now. Just wait till you hear it. Good night Na-Na.” I say boldly.
“I swear, if you say that again, then there will be ten times the amount of drama than what you already have.” Anne threatens.
“Yep, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I say while trying to hold back my laughter.
I press the hang-up button and flop down on my bed. Oh my god, what a day. My phone vibrates in my hand, indicating that I have a new text. I pick up my phone expecting Anne, but it’s Helena. I tap on her text to find an unexpected message.
H: I AM SORRY.
D: What for?
H: This is Ty. I’m using Helen’s phone because I didn’t have your number. I didn’t mean for you to hear Gabe and I tonight.
H: I am sorry.
I shut off my phone and throw my head back against my pillow. God, I can’t handle this right now. The ding of my phone chimes again. Once, twice, three times. I power off my phone and shove it under my pillow. Grabbing my PJ’s, I saunter into the bathroom. Because I don’t need to shower, I simply change and brush my teeth before exiting the bathroom and walking back into my room. I flop onto my bed violently and reach for my phone, turning it back on to find eight unread texts. Five from Helena, or rather Ty, and three from Gabe.
I check the messages that he sent me and smile as the picture loads and appears. It shows an archery target. In the centre where the bull’s eye is, there are two arrows. They’re both perfectly next to each other. One had been shot all the way through the target, so only the tassels of the end stick out. The second is only halfway in but had split down the middle. The message attached to the picture makes me laugh, and I promised myself that the next time I see Gabe, I will give him a hard wack.
G: Training is so FUN! I’m sorry you can’t be here to train with me.
G: Still think you can kick my ass?
Dear lord, Gabe really is a bit of a show-off. I scroll down to see his next message.
G-Sleep well, beautiful.
A huge idiotic smile spreads across my blushing face. Remembering something that Gabe once said to me, I quickly type in my response then plug my phone into charge.
D: You’re lucky you’re cute. Or I’d totally kill you.
A new message pops up on my screen from Gabe a minute later.
G: Go away, Reeds, I’m training, and you are very distracting. And FYI, that’s my line.
G: It’s six twenty, shouldn’t you be asleep?
I snort from Gabe’s comment, a very un-ladylike noise.
D: If you are indicating that I’m a baby, then your looks aren’t going to save you now.
G: Not at all. I was merely questioning why you weren’t getting your beauty sleep. After all, if you don’t sleep for all these hours, then how is it that you are always so beautiful?
I laugh at that and cover my face with a pillow, so my dad doesn’t get suspicious. Once I stop laughing, I quickly send another text.
D: Smooth, that was a nice save. Maybe I won’t kill you, perhaps only severely injure you.
G: Go to sleep. We can talk more tomorrow. I think you’re going slightly delirious. Why would anyone want to severely injure me?
D: I have no clue, now stop procrastinating and go train!
G: FYI, you were the one holding me up. I love training. Now go before you make me switch off my phone.
D: Haha, ok, have a great night, Chip.
G: I will never answer to that horrendous nickname. Go to bed, Reeds.
I place my phone on my desk and roll over, thinking that it would take ages to fall asleep, but prove myself wrong. With Gabe’s words still bouncing around in my head, I fall asleep almost instantly.
* * *
The sun shines warm on my face as I walk towards the beach café. I can already see Anne waiting out front. She catches sight of me and starts waving her hands like a crazy person. I
jog over, and we envelop each other in a tight hug. I pull back, beaming, eager to start girl time. I jump forward with no destination in mind. Anne skips after me.
“Di, what kind of problems have you brought me to fix?” She asks with a wicked grin.
I look at her and lift both eyebrows and flail my hands everywhere.
“We might want to find a spot to sit before I start to talk,” I warn.
With no trees around, we find a secluded table under an umbrella, seagulls fling themselves to the sky as we approach. I collapse dramatically onto the grass and turn just in time to see Anne falling towards me. I roll my body over and sit up, laughing. Anne has propped herself up with her elbows and is now looking at me with sparkly eyes.
“Okay, Di, lay it on me.” She claps excitedly.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
She simply nods, all the humour from her face now gone.
I inhale a deep breath, preparing to spill it all out in one big blurb. “Yesterday, I went to go get my tattoo-signum-thing, and it was excruciating. I am the last Iysador. I am going to learn how to fight in a few days. I made up with Ty, we were friends, and then I heard him talking to Gabe. He said that I shouldn’t be anywhere near your world. Gabe started to defend me but, in doing so, got really mad, resulting in bleeding palms. All this supernatural stuff is way too overwhelming. Ty texted me last night with Helena’s number, trying to apologise. I blocked her number and had to sneak out of the house once I was sure Ty wasn’t watching me through his window like a crazy stalker. And to top it all off, I think I like Gabe like a lot. It’s not even much of a problem. It’s just that I’ve only known all you guys for like a week. For some reason, I feel like I’ve known you all for months, and I’m rambling, so I’m just gonna shut up now.”
I take a huge breath in, somewhere along the lines I had forgotten to breathe. I look at Anne, attempting to understand her expression. She looks at me with sad eyes, making me swallow and prepare for the worst.
“Ty…” she starts, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say. I would never have guessed how much he doesn’t trust you. He seems so bright when we talk about you.”
I can’t help but blush when she says that. But it confuses me. Why would Ty love to talk about me but not like talking to me?
“You like Gabe?” she asks cautiously.
“I-I think so. He is so sweet, caring, funny and charming, but he also gets angry.” I say slowly.
“He has been hurt pretty bad.” She explains. “He was extremely close to his Dad. After what happened, he shut everyone out. Including Ty and I. It took us months to get him to talk to us again. Ty is like a brother to him. They would never hurt each other on purpose. So, if Ty knew that Gabe was mad and was hurting himself, but he kept talking still, then there is something wrong. But it will be fine, Di. I’ll talk to them both.” She says with a small smile.
“Alright,” I answer in a small voice. “Hey, let’s swim.” I chirp, trying to brighten the mood.
“Hell no. I just got my hair done this morning. You can’t make me go anywhere near that water.” She warns.
“I beg to differ.”
Stripping down to my swimmers, I stand up and drag Anne with me. Okay, if Gabe can do this, then so can I. I focus on myself, feeling the energy running through me, feeling the air flow through my lungs and flex as my body begins to feel lighter. I dash towards Anne, going fast enough to become a mere blur. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I run towards the water. Everything around me is a mess of colour, even my legs that are moving at an impossible speed. I leap into the water, letting go of Anne as we splash hard into the chilling water.
I laugh with exhilaration, swimming towards Anne, who is splashing around trying to keep her hair from getting soaked.
“Dianna Iysador. What the…?” she cries furiously.
“Ha, I was only practising my speed skills. Aren’t you proud of me? You didn’t even expect it.” I say innocently.
“I was still in my clothes. Now I’m soaked,” she yells.
I laugh at her, and she gifts me with a piercing glare. If looks could kill, I’d be extremely dead by now.
“If you kill me, Gabe will kill you.” I drawl in a sarcastic tone.
“I’m sure Gabe will understand.” She says icily.
“Wouldn’t count on it,” I laugh loudly. “I wouldn’t risk it.”
She loudly voices an extremely crude word as she starts to head out of the water and onto the shore. We are about twenty metres from land where there aren’t many people, and the waves are big. I watch her paddling back to shore and am about to follow her when a strong wave comes behind me. I duck under the wave and stay there until the sand settles, taking in the refreshing coolness of the water around me. Swimming back to the surface, I break the top.
Fear and worry ripples through me. I can’t see Anne. Where is she? Come on Anne, come on! I start shouting out her name, swimming quickly to the spot where I saw her last. When I reach the place she was, I still can’t find her. Treading water to stay afloat, I call for her. Once, twice, three times, even a fourth. Panic starts to consume me, and it begins to get increasingly hard to keep my head above the waterline. Water begins to splash into my reddened eyes as I splash desperately. She still isn’t here. No, no, no, no, Anne. What did I do? What did I do?
Another wave comes, and I am forced under by the pressure of the wave. I resurface, choking and gasping for air, swallowing the bile that slithers up my throat. The waves are now twice as strong as they were ten minutes ago. I need to find Anne; she needs to be okay.
The water suddenly goes dark. I think that I see shadows under the water. Big and black, they give off a demonic energy that puts me on edge. My stomach does a flip, and my heart begins to sink, causing my breathing to become even more laboured and inconsistent.
Storm clouds are starting to roll in, huge, grey and moving fast. Shrieking for Anne, I search aimlessly for any sign of her. My energy is declining quickly. I’m running out of breath. My voice starts to become ragged. I’m sobbing soundlessly. My tears splashing into the deep water below me, where the shadows darken and thicken. I can’t leave. I can’t give up…
A cold hand, strong and stiff, takes hold of my shoulder. I splash around, screaming wildly in attempt to dislodge its hold. I’m turned around completely now and stop immediately as I realise it’s Anne, smiling madly at me.
“Did I scare you?” she asks. When she notices the tears streaming from my eyes, her smile drops into a hard line. “What’s wrong, Di?” she says worriedly.
“I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD. You can’t do things like that to me. I’m not a trained protector. I didn’t know what to do!” I yell.
Relief and anger overtake my vision.
“Di, I’m okay, I’m sorry. It was a stupid prank. I’m okay, look! I’m alright, not a scratch on me.” She says confidently. “I’m sorry that I made you worry.”
My voice shakes, and my lungs burn. I struggle to move around in the freezing water. When did it become this cold?
“As long as you’re okay,” I say as I wipe my tears away. “But we should go. There is a storm coming. I am not going to get stuck outside during this one.” I say sternly.
Anne simply nods, and we start swimming toward the shore together.
* * *
The wind howls, and the sky is alive with lighting and thunder. The air is still and cold, almost cruel. This whole night had been torture. I spoke to dad when I got back from the beach. Told him that I wanted to be brave and face my fear. My fear of storms.
I wanted to spend this one night without crying in my father’s arms, wishing that my mother was still with us. I wanted to prove to him and myself that I can overcome this stupid fear. But now, at two am, I wish that I could crawl into my dad’s bed and fall asleep in his arms. The only thing holding me back was my pride. I shoved my pillow over my head in the attempt to block out the noise and the light, but it doesn
’t work.
Thoughts of demons and death start creeping into my head. I start to moan softly and then eventually start crying. Hot saltwater tears stream down my face. No matter how much I try, they won’t stop. Vile images flash in front of my eyes if I close them for even a second. My breathing is ragged, and I can’t get a full breath of air into my lungs. I blink furiously in attempt to clear and relieve the images from my mind.
The thunder still bangs loud and clear, sending waves of nervous energy through my veins. I haven’t slept a wink, and I am so tired. I so desperately want to curl up in a ball and fall asleep, to just be normal and be able to sleep through storms like a normal person. I would be leaving the sound, light and fear behind me. Entering a peaceful place where I would no longer be afraid. To just sleep for a few hours would be amazing.
My phone vibrates against the desk, and I shoot up to grab it. Desperate for anything to keep me distracted, even if there is a possibility that it could be Ty. It isn’t. It's Gabe.
G-Could you please open your veranda door? I’m freezing my butt off out here.
I hesitate for only a few seconds, waiting for the house to stop shaking and for the thunder to subside. I jump out of bed and draw the curtains open, just enough to see Gabe smiling brightly at me. I wrench open the glass door and pull Gabe in, shutting the door closed tightly behind him. I turn around to find Gabe dripping wet and shivering but still smiling softly, his eyes curious.
“Gabe? What are you doing here?” I ask cautiously.
“I came because I know how much you disliked storms. Though I thought your dad would be camping at the bottom of your bed tonight.” He replies smoothly.
