by Kelly Oram
“Because I wish to know you better as well. I understand this will be doing things a bit out of order, but, Danielle Webber, I would be honored if you would go for a date with me.”
Gabriel’s smile was infectious and I giggled at his phrasing. “What exactly did you have in mind?” I asked.
“Picnics seem to be traditional, are they not?” Gabriel proudly held up a basket. “City Hall Park is right across the street.”
“You mean they let you go outside?”
“Of course,” the Supreme High Councilor said, having come through the front door without knocking. Duncan followed behind him.
“Duncan!” I squealed and ran at him. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”
Duncan returned my hug with a smile, but his eyes were taking in the sight of me like he was trying to convince himself I was real. “Are you okay?” he asked in a hushed tone.
His worry stalled my playful mood. “I’m getting better.”
“And the Seer is being good to you?” He glanced at Gabriel with a hint of malice. “Not trying anything…ungentlemanly?”
“Gabriel?” I stifled a laugh. “I’m not sure he would even understand the meaning of ungentlemanly.” Duncan looked so skeptical that I laughed. “I like Gabriel very much,” I admitted. “He’s really helping me get through this. I promise you don’t need to worry. But I am so happy to see you.”
Behind us, the Councilor cleared his throat. “You really should get going if you’re to have any daylight for this picnic of yours.”
“You’re really going to let us go outside?”
“Of course, child, I am not a tyrant.”
I couldn’t help muttering, “Could have fooled me.”
The Councilor pretended to ignore me, but I know he heard because behind him Duncan winked at me.
“Gabriel and I often explore the city,” the Councilor said. “He has only stayed indoors so long because he refused to leave your side. You do understand, of course, that we must take precautions. You cannot just come and go as you please. You may never go out without me, as I am the only warlock in the consulate who has the power to cast a cloaking spell strong enough to hide your auras. The two of you have far too many enemies. That is why we will also be bringing along your guardian. Duncan and I will try to give you your privacy, but you must respect my rule that you are to stay close by at all times.”
“Of course, sir,” Gabriel said.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t for Gabriel’s sake we were being read the riot act.
I couldn’t get over my attitude with the Councilor, even if he was letting me go outside. “Chaperones,” I said sarcastically when he looked to me for a confirmation that I understood the rules. “Awesome. And I thought my dad was going to be tough with the dating issue.”
“Danielle,” he said. He gave me a stern look.
“Yeah, yeah, freedom but not really. I get it. It’s not like I could outrun you guys anyway, so lead the way.”
I was glad to see I got under the Councilor’s skin, but he managed to keep his temper and walked out the door. Gabriel started to follow but I stopped him. “If you’re trying to go for an authentic human date, a gentleman would offer the lady his arm.”
“Offer it how?”
He watched with fascination as I lifted his elbow and tucked my hand into his arm.
We went down the stairs to the hallway where the council members lived but turned the opposite direction of the elevator. Even Duncan was confused. The Supreme High Councilor led us to the end of the hallway—a dead end—and waved his hand in front of the wall. The paint shimmered and melted away to reveal another elevator.
The Councilor laughed at the look of surprise on Duncan’s face and mine. “Simple illusion magic. You’d be surprised how easy it is to hide something when someone’s not looking for it. We keep this elevator strictly for Gabriel. No one but the council has ever seen him. No one even knows his name or age. It keeps him safe. It’s the reason he’s allowed to come and go from the building. We’ll try our best to do the same for your anonymity, Danielle. Still, you must always be cautious. Trust no one but the council and Duncan, as he is your sworn protector now.”
“Lucky you,” I teased Duncan.
He gave me a bright smile. “Do not make my job difficult, squirt.”
We took the elevator all the way to the ground and it emptied into the back alleyway next to the building’s service elevators. After we walked out the Councilor did the same thing to make the elevator disappear from sight.
I thought that was amazing until we reached the sidewalk and I was hit with the full force of the city of Manhattan. “Oh, wow!” I said.
Gabriel laughed. “Another reason I chose a picnic. I figured for your first time experiencing a city, the park would be a little less daunting than say, Times Square.”
“It is a shame about how you were raised, Danielle,” the Councilor said. “The supernatural are usually urban dwellers by nature. You find many others of your kind in the city. You would have been much more comfortable growing up had you been raised here.”
“I don’t know. I really liked growing up in a small town. Plus, I always had Russ to help me cause trouble.”
The Councilor frowned at the mention of Russ, but Gabriel smiled. “You were a trouble maker, were you?”
I donned a mask of complete innocence. “Me? Trouble? Never.”
Gabriel laughed and I nudged him. “Come on, you never once painted the town before you came to the consulate, Mister Had-To-Get-A-Tattoo?”
Gabriel gave me a sideways glance. “I hardly remember. I came to the consulate when I was six years old.”
“Six! But aren’t you a pure like me? Doesn’t that mean your parents were human? How did you even know about the consulate or the supernatural world?”
“When I was six years old I drew my mother a picture of two very tall buildings. One was on fire and there was an airplane about to crash into the other.”
“The twin towers?”
Gabriel nodded. “I drew the picture in August.”
I gasped when I understood his meaning. “You predicted nine-eleven?”
“It was my first vision—that I can remember anyway. My parents panicked. I’d been starting to go through the cravings by then, and they’d had me to the doctor several times. Then one day this nice old woman who lived in an apartment one floor down from us gave my parents the name of a doctor who could help them.”
“An old woman?” I asked doubtfully.
“A witch. She recognized the signs of the cravings. The man she referred them to was the Supreme High Councilor.”
“I can’t believe you were only six years old. So have you been at the consulate ever since? What about your parents? Where are they? Who raised you?”
“The Councilor explained to my parents the truth about me and said the only way to cure my sickness was to send me to be with others of our kind. My parents asked that he not bring me back. He has raised me himself ever since.”
I stopped walking. “Oh, Gabriel, I’m so sorry.”
Gabriel shrugged. “It could have been worse—as I have seen a hundred times over again in my visions. Humans do not typically take kindly to finding out about the supernatural. You clearly saw as much in the vision we had last night.”
“But they can’t all be like that,” I protested. “I mean they were your parents. They’d raised you for six years. And they just gave you up?”
“It is not how you think, Danielle,” the Supreme High Councilor said interrupting our conversation. “You have a very high opinion of humans because you were raised by those who believed you were human also. I’m afraid over time you will learn that humans simply can never be trusted.”
“I don’t believe it,” I said. “My parents would never have done that. Not in a million years.”
“No,” Gabriel said with a smile. “I do not imagine anyone ever being able to give you up. I surely could not now that I have found y
ou.”
“Oh, what a line!”
“Line?” Gabriel asked, surprised. “Is that to say you believe I am not being serious?”
“You are a strange boy.”
. . . . .
As we entered the park I couldn’t get Gabriel’s story out of my head. How could his parents have let him go just because he had visions of the future? There’s no way my mom and dad would have done that. They loved me too much.
Thinking of my parents made my heart ache. I couldn’t imagine what they must have been going through since I was taken to the consulate—what they must believe happened to me.
“Councilor?”
“Yes, Daniel?”
The Councilor looked startled, but pleased to hear me address him with respect—to address him at all. It’s not like I made a habit of starting conversation with him. Ever.
Gabriel glanced at me wearing an expression similar to the Councilor’s. He saw me peek at him and gave me an encouraging smile.
I looked back at the Councilor—who was waiting patiently for me to say what was on my mind—and tried not to grimace. It killed me to play nice with the jerk, but I wanted him to be straight with me and he was more likely to do that if I acted with maturity.
“If I help you… what happens to me when this is all over—like after the prophecy is fulfilled or whatever?”
The Councilor frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Will you let me go, or will I still be your prisoner?”
The Councilor took his time coming up with a response. It was as if he knew this momentary truce between us was fragile and he didn’t want to ruin it. “I am sorry that you had to be brought here against your will—that you see me as your enemy. I understand how this is difficult for you, but I do hope you will find happiness here. I hope that in time you will be able to consider the consulate a home. That is what it is meant to be for you—not a prison. I am not your jailer, Danielle. I am supposed to be your mentor. I hope that some day you and I might have a relationship of trust and understanding.”
I stopped walking and asked with the humblest attitude I was capable of, “If that’s true, will you do something for me then?”
Again the Councilor seemed surprised. “If I can,” he said.
“Take me to see my parents.” The Councilor opened his mouth to object, but I wouldn’t let him interrupt. “I can accept that living at home would be dangerous for both my parents and myself. I also realize there is a lot of stuff I don’t know about being supernatural. I’m willing to stay at the consulate and let you teach me, but I can’t leave things with my parents the way they are. Take me home and help me explain what happened.”
I was shocked when the Councilor’s face softened the way it only does for Gabriel. He gave me a small smile, and I felt a ray of hope break through my dark thoughts. Maybe Gabriel was right that the councilor wasn’t horrible. For a second I wondered if I might be able to work with him, but then he sighed and said, “I’m sorry, Danielle, but I’m afraid that is not possible.”
The hope I’d dared to feel was snuffed out. “Why?” I demanded. “You told Gabriel’s parents the truth. How come I can’t tell mine? I’m their daughter. They have a right to know what happened to me. I guarantee you they’d rather know the truth than believe that I’m dead. Or worse. Just let me tell them that I’m safe, and that I love them. Let me say goodbye.”
“Think of the complications that could cause, Danielle,” Gabriel said, squeezing my hand. “Whether your parents accepted the truth or not, having knowledge of it would put them in danger. Your parents are your greatest weakness, and there are countless people who would use them to get to you.”
“But if they accepted the truth, they would keep my secret. They would stay away from me forever if that’s what it took to keep me safe, but at least they’d know what became of me. Or we could bring them here. They could come to the consulate.”
“Absolutely not!” The Councilor cried.
I was trying to remain calm, but the Councilor wasn’t making it easy. I took a deep breath so that I wouldn’t shout at him when I said, “If you expect me to save all supernaturals, is it really too much of me to ask that you help protect my parents in return?”
“But they will not accept the truth Danielle!”
When the Councilor snapped at me I finally lost the last bit of my temper and screamed at him. “YOU. DON’T. KNOW. THAT!”
“Danielle,” Gabriel whispered, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “Are you willing to take the chance? Your parents may accept the truth, it is true, but there is also a good chance that they will not, and that will put them in sure danger. As it stands now, they may be unhappy, but at least they are safe.”
Damn him for having a point!
When I didn’t immediately argue, Gabriel used the opportunity to end the discussion. He held up the basket he was carrying. “I understand if you are no longer in the mood for an outing. Do you wish to turn back?”
Gabriel was doing the honorable thing, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes. He’d had his heart set on this picnic. I couldn’t let him down. I shook my head. “Going back and moping around will only make me feel worse.”
Gabriel smiled as if he were proud of my attitude. “Thank you, Danielle.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed quiet and took Gabriel’s arm when he offered it.
Gabriel and I spread our blanket under a tree not too far from the fountain in the center of the park where Duncan and the Councilor perched themselves. They pretended like they weren’t eavesdropping on our conversation, but they so totally were.
“Tell me more about this dating business,” Gabriel said as he took out a plastic bag filled with strawberries from the hamper and handed them to me. There must have been some magic involved here—strawberries were not in season but they were so big and smelled delicious. “Am I doing it right so far? Are there any other important customs I am overlooking?”
I wasn’t feeling playful or talkative anymore, but Gabriel was trying so hard to lighten the mood and make me feel better, so I sucked it up and answered his question. “Sometimes, if a boy is chivalrous, he brings the girl flowers on the first date. Not that I’m any kind of expert on the subject, of course. I’ve only ever been on one date, which, thanks to Russ thoroughly sabotaging it, ended early and with me accidentally stopping time and learning I was a supernatural. Needless to say there was no kiss goodnight, no offer of a second date, and I’m pretty sure he never would have called again even if I hadn’t been promptly kidnapped.” I stopped because I could feel some anger rising, even though the berries were hitting the spot. “Here, have one of these strawberries.”
Gabriel took a berry but he didn’t take a bite. “This is the boy you always mention? Russ? Why would he want to sabotage your date?”
“Uh, because he’s a stupid, jealous boy who was pissed off that I went on a date without asking his permission first.”
“You mean you did not go on your date with Russ?”
“No. Russ and I were never like that. At least I didn’t think we were.”
“So do you not love this Russ of yours? I had wondered if you thought he might be the one mentioned in the prophecy. If that was why you do not like the idea of it being me.” I watched him eat half of the strawberry.
“I—” I had absolutely no idea what to say to that.
“I do not know what you see when you glimpse my future, but I know that it frightens you.” There. He ate the other half and tossed the stem on the grass.
“Um, it’s complicated, I guess.”
“I do not want you to be scared of me, Danielle. If it truly is our destiny to fall in love, if that is what you see when you look in my eyes, then we should—”
“You know?” I interrupted. “Wondering if we are each other’s destiny is a bit too heavy a conversation for a first date.”
“I do not imagine you would be willing to tell me what it is you saw?”
&nb
sp; I laughed a nervous laugh and ignored his question entirely. “Usually, on a first date you stick to the basics. Movies, music, the weather, things you have in common.”
Gabriel sighed. “All right, Danielle, you win. You have had a very trying time here at the consulate, and today was supposed to be an escape from your troubles.”
“Thank you.”
“So what shall we talk about then?”
“Well, how about you tell me something about the supernatural world? Everyone keeps telling me I have a lot to learn, so teach me.” I was working my way through the bag of berries and wanted him to talk so I could keep eating.
Gabriel thought for a minute and then his face lit up. “We have a holiday coming up soon.”
I tried to estimate what the date was. I wasn’t exactly sure how long I’d been here, but it had to be at least a month since my birthday. “Halloween?” I asked. “Are you serious? The day the humans dress up like supernaturals? I would think you guys find that kind of insulting.”
“You mean us,” Gabriel corrected me. “You are one of us Danielle. And it is true that the human traditions of Halloween are loathsome, but it was our holiday first. Only we call it Samhain. It means summer’s end. Supernaturals celebrate two seasons—the season of the light, and the season of the dark.”
“Like how our power comes from either light or dark?”
“Yes, exactly. The season of the light, or Beltane, begins on May first, and Samhain…”
“The season of the dark?”
Gabriel smiled. “Begins November first. It is the more celebrated of the two because it marks the end of the year. Essentially it is like the Supernatural New Year. People celebrate the harvest, give thanks for the past year, honor the souls who have moved on.”
“Sounds like a party.”
“Very much so. It is said that November’s Eve, also called All Souls Eve, is the most magically potent day of the year. They say the gods draw nearer to the earth that night, so people have great feasts and light giant bonfires in which they offer up sacrifices.”
“Sacrifices?” I asked, startled.
Gabriel laughed at my horrified expression. “It is not what you think. Usually people will relinquish an object of great personal value that symbolizes their desires or wishes—a prayer to the gods. It is a time of hope and new beginnings.”
