by Tara Chau
“We are not leaving till that thing is off you, Gabriel,” I argue.
"Come here, young man."
Vain raises her hand and wiggles her finger at him. Gabe loses balance and falls. Instead of hitting the ground, though, he floats back over to the booth, a red glow surrounding him, and falls against the table. Gabe groans as he rises, rubbing his middle and glaring deliberately at the ancient warlock.
“Stay here and stay glamoured until the moon rises. I will be back then.”
Vain stands up and walks a few steps away. She clicks her fingers, and a bright red light starts to envelop her, starting at her feet. Before it takes her completely, she winks and gives me a toothy grin. She’s gone. The only evidence of her existence is Gabe’s furious expression.
“You’re-I’m-what…” While Gabe struggles to get the correct words out, I shuffled along the seat to where Vain sat. I now face Gabe. I can see his face clearly now. His pupils have gone pure black, and his jaw is clenched.
"You're going to get yourself and me killed,” he finally spits.
“Correction,” I say with a positive smile. “I’m going to be the one who saves you.”
“But at what price?” he asks.
His eyes search my face for any sign of fear or regret. Once he can’t find any, he covers his face with his hands. I can hear his deep breaths; I know that he's trying to calm himself from the way he won't look at me, plus the count for how long he holds his breaths.
“Why won’t you let me help?” I push. “Why won’t you let me save you?”
“Because", he snaps, bringing his hands away from his face and glaring at me, “you have no idea as to what she wants. What if it costs you your life or someone else's?"
"I-I-”
"Didn't think about that, did you?" He looks at me intently. I don't know what he's thinking. I don't want to die. But if it comes between mine or Gabe's life, I wouldn't hesitate to save him first. The realisation strikes me hard and fast, catching me off guard, and apparently, it shows on my face.
“You can’t die for me,” he speaks dangerously soft. It's like he can read my mind, or rather the look in my eyes. Damn, I forgot he could do that.
“You would,” I counter.
Gabe stands abruptly, starting to pace around the small section of the library that we have to ourselves. I get up and walk towards him. Grabbing hold of his shoulder, I stop him, ignoring the solid muscle I find, and pull him in front of me, looking up into his worried eyes.
“Calm down,” I order softly. “Calm down.
Gabe looks down at me, standing there, afraid to touch me. "Don't do it,” he begs.
Letting go of him, I start pacing instead. What will it take to convince him that I’ll be, okay?
"I'm going to do this, either way, Gabe; by tomorrow, you're going to be Skile free.”
Gabe marches over to me, taking a firm hold of my face, looking into my eyes. I flinch. "We are going, now. We're going to leave; you are never going to try this again. Once we leave this library, you are going to forget about Vain and not try fixing me again. Alright?"
I break free from him and take half a step back, half scoffing. “Sorry, Chip, no can do,” I say with an annoying smile.
Gabe yells loudly, letting out a whole cluster of frustration all at once, but obviously not enough. “Why won’t you just listen to me? Can’t you just trust me on this one? This will end badly.”
“You don’t know that!” I yell back, determined to win this. “We can make you better again. I can help you. One favour, that’s all she wants, then we can go and never see her again. Why can’t you let me do this one thing for you?”
“Because", he yells louder. “I can’t have you die just to save me. You can’t die, not yet. I won’t let that happen.”
“You can’t stop this. I’ll help you, and you’ll thank me once we’re done,” I say, my chest rising and falling unsteadily.
“No, no,” he says dangerously low.
“I can help you!" I scream aloud. It sounds like I'm pleading. I feel so helpless. He won't give in; two stubborn people don't make for a relaxed conversation.
“I don’t want you to,” he says harshly.
“Well, I’m sorry, but I'm not letting you go till Vain gets back, and that thing is off you. It's for your own good,” I try.
"Don't tell me what's good for me and what's not; I know what I want and what I need. And what I want-need is for you to back down and stop being such a bloody fricking pain.”
“Never,” I say coldly.
He yells again; this time, it's full of frustration and fury. It's long and unpleasant and makes me cringe.
“What do I do with you?” he groans.
“You listen and hope for the best,” I input.
Gabe hangs his head, defeated. I walk over to him. "I will keep you safe, forever. No matter what. You should accept this. It will make both our lives a hell of a lot easier. I'll protect you, just like I know you'll protect me. It's supposed to be like this, I think.”
Gabe frowns but doesn’t say anything. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I bury my head into his shoulder, slowing my breaths back down. Gabe wraps his arms around me, tight. Almost too tight. I know that he's only trying to protect me. I know that he doesn't want me hurt. This will be harder than I expected. A sigh escapes my lips, and I feel Gabe stir under me. Looking up at him, I brace myself for another competition on who can yell the loudest.
“Go on,” I encourage.
“I-I-no, it doesn't matter right now,” he says, resting his head on mine.
I wait for a moment before another thought occurs to me. “This is a really bad time to bring this up, but….”
“Go on,” he imitates.
“We never had that talk. You know about…” about that kiss. We still hadn’t said anything about it to each other.
“God, you really do have bad timing,” he sighs.
“The best,” I beam.
“I really don’t think this is the best time...” he stalls.
“Cowered,” I tease.
“Pain,” he counters.
We both break apart, small smiles playing on each of our lips.
“You’ll be okay.” Not a question. “You’ll be able to handle the removal process. I’ll be here the whole time. I won’t leave.”
“Yeah, I guess I had to face the dark one day, didn’t I?” he says distantly.
* * *
Five o’clock.
Five twenty-five o'clock.
Five forty-eight o’clock.
Six o'clock.
By the time seven o’clock comes around, I have already finished three books and watched half a movie, attempting to distract myself. Vain holds in her hand a red globe. Inside the globe is the image of a black room. Inside the room is Gabe, along with another globe. They act like cameras. I have to turn the volume of my laptop up to the limit, putting on earphones so I can block out the muffled groans that are being broadcasted through the globe coming from Gabe. I had texted my dad to let him know that I felt better and went to Anne's house so she could help me catch up on the work I missed today. Then an hour later, once I realised this could take a while, I called him to say that I would sleep over because we had more work to do than I expected. Vain tells me that Gabe must stay in the darkroom until dawn. He will have to stay conscious the whole time. Not yielding to the dark, he would come back out Skile free in the morning. I am distracted from my movie by Vain. She has walked over to my booth and taken my headphones off.
“Yes?” I ask cautiously.
“Let’s talk about my payment,” she says, sliding into the booth with me. As I sit here watching Vain and recall something Gabe had said to me before he went in. He told me to stay alert and not get distracted around her; he also said not to settle on a deal while he wasn't here with me. My gaze flickers to the globe for a moment, and I spotted Gabe pacing back and forth. His whole body is tense. Even though I
can’t see his face, I know he is terrified.
“We can’t settle it until Gabe’s comes back out, and I see that he doesn't have the Skile anymore,” I say confidently.
“Ah, smart, aren’t you?” she says wickedly.
Vain closes her fist, the globe pops in a huge flash of red sparks, cutting off any access I have to Gabe.
“Bring it back,” I say, trying to sound as calm as I can.
“Once we strike a deal,” she says smoothly.
"That was the only way to monitor him. What if he starts to go into a panic attack?” I question, sounding less controlled.
"Well, then we better get started,” she smiles.
I hesitate for a moment, but the thought of Gabe stuck in that room, trying to face his fear alone, tips me over the edge.
“What is it you want?” I say hesitantly.
“I want to train you.”
I laugh nervously, my mind unable to understand her words. "I'm sorry?" I say, confused.
“I want to train you to do magic. You’ve inherited some of Dyla's powers. Therefore, you could have inherited some of her lesser-known abilities. For example, Dyla could move things, objects to be exact, with her mind. Through the power and energy in the air, she channelled it, and she did miraculous things. I want you to be able to do these things.”
"Why?" I ask, flabbergasted. "You only do things for others if you gain something."
"I'm not heartless, you know,” she says with a sneer. “You are the one of the roses. You can save us or destroy us. I would prefer it if you could save us. You need to be able to do these things if you are to have the slightest chance. I still have hundreds of years before I die, but not if the world dies first. And what’s the fun in someone running the whole world? That isn't me, of course."
“I-I-”
“Have no choice,” she finishes.
“Alright, I guess it’s good for the both of us. Gabe won’t like this,” I mutter.
“Gabriel Jones is ungrateful. You have no need to fear his judgment,” she says with an encouraging smile. This woman is strange. She is neither evil nor good. She seems to be concerned for the world but also only really cares about herself.
“Okay, now bring back the globe.”
Vain nods and rubs her palms together. She starts to shape a ball of red light in her palm. Transferring the new globe to her left hand, we both gaze into it.
“Where is he?” I mumble, worried.
Catching a slight movement in the corner of the room, I spot Gabe. He's sitting up straight on a chair, simply sitting there. Not exactly relaxed, but not panicking either. It looks as though he's lost in thought. I know that he's not sleeping because he flinches whenever the wind bangs against the window.
“What’s the time?” I ask.
“Eight ten,” she answers.
I moan loudly, and I can't fall asleep because I don't trust Vain, but I'm already so tired.
"I've cast a charm on the door of his room. It will open once the wave of fear has passed and the sun has risen. You can go into the other room and sleep if you wish. I vow that I will not kill you.” Vain draws a red cross onto her right wrist, drawing blood. “There, now if I do kill you, I shall fall also.”
I don't know what I should do. It seems pretty safe, but…
“Alright,” I agree, “But wake me as soon as he comes out.”
As I turn to walk away, I hear a muffled laugh from behind. I spin around to look back at her. Since the library closed eight hours ago, the sound couldn't have come from anyone else.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I have been watching you for the past few hours, Iysador. And I have just concluded that….”
“Out with it,” I snap. I'm so not up for warlock games right now.
“You, Dianna Iysador, are in love with Gabriel Jones,” she says with a haunting grin.
I'm stunned; how can she know? Not even I know if that's true.
“I am not,” I say defiantly. I guess objecting is just a reflex.
"Don't lie to yourself, child. It isn't good for your health,” Vain says, beaming.
“You know nothing about me Vain, don’t pretend that you do.” I stomp off through the swinging door and flop onto the first couch that I see.
Shit. Crap. I actually fell asleep. Rushing into the other room, I pull my messy bed hair into a high ponytail. Racing around the bookshelves, I come to a stop. Gabe sits in a chair, white as a sheet of paper, while Vain sits on the other side of the room sipping tea. I ran up to Gabe and dropped to my knees.
“Gabe, Gabe, are you okay? What happened? Is the Skile off?” I blabber.
“One question at a time,” he croaks softly. “My head’s still spinning from all this light.”
“Oh, god. Alright, first question. Is the Skile off?”
Gabe simply nods, a small smile playing on the edge of his lips. "I came out, and Vain chanted some Vudu shit, then it disappeared."
“Alright, second question. Are you okay?”
“I’m pretty sure that once I take a seriously hot shower and have some food, I’ll be fine,” he assures.
Gabe looks down at me. Pulling a sweet smile out, he lifts his hand slowly he cups my face. "Sorry to worry you, Di.”
“Nonsense. You needed this.” I stand up and yank him into my arms.
He sighs and drops his head onto my shoulder. “Still afraid of the dark?”
“Terrified. But at least now I know that it can’t hurt me. That’s the first step, right?” he says with a chuckle.
“Yeah, as long as the Skiles off and we never have to deal with it again.” I let out a sigh that I didn’t even know I was holding. “Let’s head back to the Sanctuary and get you cleaned up.”
Letting go of Gabe, I turn to face Vain. She's smiling broadly at the two of us. I realise that what she just saw didn't really prove that I don't love him. I smile at her, thankfully. I really am thankful.
“I would say I wouldn’t know how to repay you, but I guess that I do,” I say contently.
Vain nods before speaking. "Take care. I'll see you soon, child."
I don’t want to look at Gabe because I know that he’ll ask me what that was about, and I don’t want to talk about it now.
"Let's go. I'll call a taxi."
* * *
We both sneak into Gabe's room without being noticed. All the Protectors seem to be distracted. I put mine and Gabe's weapons in the corner and sit on the floor against the bed while Gabe showers.
Lost in thought, I don't notice when Gabe comes out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later.
“Di?” He sits beside me on the floor and looks at me questioningly.
I turn my head to face him. Gabe is no longer white, but the tips of his ears are bright red from the hot water, which in my defence, makes it difficult to take him seriously. He has changed into a grey shirt and some black tracksuit pants.
“Feeling any better?” I ask.
“Loads,” he smiles at me. “Vain didn’t say anything about the payment. I guess that means she found some kindness somewhere and let us have this one for free.” His eyes are pleading.
“Yeah, about that,” I say reluctantly.
“What?” he asks with a sigh.
“I-um, did the deal without you,” I spit out fast.
Gabe sits there, saying nothing, not moving. He simply sits there.
“Can you say something, please?” I ask softly.
Nothing.
“Please,” I repeat.
Nothing.
I have no idea what to do. Looking at Gabe, I really think that I went a bit too far this time.
“Sorry?” I try.
“You,” he sighs again, “are absolutely impossible.”
I let out a shaky breath; I honestly thought it would be a whole lot worse than that.
"Will you ever listen to me, Di?"
“I-" regaining myself,
I speak again. "I'll listen to you when I think I need to; I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Now get up, let's get some breakfast. We have to be at school in a few hours." I rush to get up, pulling my skirt down as I rise.
Holding my hand out for Gabe to take, I smile. Gabe doesn’t hesitate before taking my hand, but he doesn’t smile back at me. God, I really have messed it up now, haven’t I?
We walk side by side into the canteen. Gabe orders a plate of Belgium waffles, and I order some eggs and bacon. I pay for breakfast today, and we go to the back to eat. We eat our meal in silence, it's not awkward, but it's not comfortable either. Finally, when Gabe finishes his breakfast, he shoves his plate away and looks at me.
“I’m sorry,” he says softly. “You are going to pay the price for something that I couldn’t deal with myself, and I’m upset at you. I shouldn’t be. I should be thanking you.”
“Yeah, I think you skipped that part,” I huff.
Gabe smiles to himself. “Thank you, Di, really.”
“I wanted to. I wanted to help you.” I smile.
"I know, I guess that I've got to accept that you can probably take care of yourself. But it doesn't stop me from worrying,” he says with a frown.
“I wouldn’t want you to.” I smile.
We both get up and walk over to the counter, handing our trays to the lady. We're about to walk out when I hear my name called.
“Dianna! Gabe!”
We turn around to see Anne running up. She wraps her hands around the both of us, huffing. "Thank Dyla. You're safe. Where the hell have you two been? We have a problem. A massive one.”
“What is it?” Gabe asks anxiously.
“The Book of Beings, it’s gone. Something stole it,” she hisses with wide, panicked eyes.
"No," Gabe closes his eyes tight. When he opens them, he's all business. "What's being done?"
"Daniel has contacted all the authorities, and there has been a city-wide announcement. All activities, including school and jobs, are being shut down till further notice. No one is to go out. Only the emergency jobs are still in motion. They're ready to help. The news explains that there is a mass gas leak, and everyone is to stay inside until the air is clear. That should give us enough time to find who took the book and figure out how to get it back. Daniel has said that half the Protectors should go out to assess the situation and scout out possible allies and bring them back here. Some others also have to go out and find who took the book and report back. That's us,” she looks at us, straight and focused.
