“This is Emily, the woman you need the statement from.” He moved to the side to allow the officer to step in beside her.
“How did Alexander know my name? I don’t remember telling him. I must have though; there is no other way he would know my name. I’m just in shock, I’m not remembering things clearly.”
“I’ll need to speak with her alone,” the officer said.
“Yes of course, I’ll just wait over here.” Alexander pointed to a booth about three tables down.
“All right miss, do you want to tell me what happened?” the officer asked as he sat down and opened up a little notebook he pulled from his breast pocket.
Emily told the officer, in short non-descriptive sentences, what had happened. She figured he didn’t need to know details. She wasn’t ready to relive the raw feeling of complete fear. His questions for her were brief. When it was apparent that he had all the information he needed, the officer stood up, thanked Emily for her time, and walked out the door. As soon as he left Alexander made his way back to the booth.
“I’m sure you must be ready to get home. I would feel best if you let me accompany you in a cab so that I know you arrive there safely.”
Just as before, it didn’t seem as though he was asking her permission. Emily didn’t even think about arguing that it was a silly request. She liked having Alexander around. It was calming to her and she was afraid of the emotions that might flood her mind when she no longer had the distraction of his company.
“I would appreciate that. Although you really have done more than enough for me already. I have no idea how I can ever repay you.” Emily felt herself blush. She hoped the fresh color in her cheeks wasn’t noticeable.
Alexander helped her up, making sure she was steady on her feet before he let go of her. He then grabbed the violin case before she could and indicated with his hand to proceed. He opened the door and held it for her.
“Well, that’s a lost art among men.”
He did the same thing with the cab door, even shutting it behind her after she pulled her legs in. Alexander went around to the other side, got in, and then carefully set the violin down on the seat between them.
Emily looked at the violin.
“Excuse me,” she said to the cab driver. “I would like to make a quick stop just a block from here before we head up town. This is the address.” She shifted her weight and grabbed the card from the back pocket of her jeans. “It’s right down there.” She pointed straight out the window.
The cab driver looked at the card and then back at Emily. She could tell he was examining the bump on her forehead. It was most likely bruising by now. She hadn’t had a chance to see it for herself yet and wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“Yeah I can do that, no problem,” the cab driver replied and returned the card.
“Are you sure about that?” Alexander’s voice was full of concern.
“Yeah, this is the whole reason I was down here and I feel fine enough. I just have to drop this off.” She gave the violin case a few soft pats and smiled at him. “I’ll be fine.”
It only took half a minute to get to the store. The exterior was old and dingy just as the woman had described. When Emily entered, the smell of cured wood and dust flooded her nostrils. The floor boards creaked beneath her weight with each step. She wondered how old the store was, it held a charm that only something well aged could.
Alexander accompanied her, not saying a word, acting as though he was a personal bodyguard.
An older gentleman peeked around the corner. “Good afternoon. Can I help you?” He maneuvered himself over to the counter with a slight limp in his walk.
Emily found the man to be kind and very attentive to what she was saying. She discussed with him how she had obtained the violin and what her intentions were. When she opened the case to reveal the violin she expressed that she would be willing to pay whatever amount it took to fully restore the instrument.
From the corner of her eye she could see Alexander lean in to get a better view.
They both watched the old man take it from the case and look it over. Alexander seemed very interested in the violin, though he remained quiet throughout the inspection.
“Well, this is most certainly worth restoring and I would be honored to work on such a piece. It is going to take some time though, at least two weeks. I will have to work very carefully with it. But when I’m done it should be like new, fit enough to play.”
“That would be wonderful! I don’t play violin but I want it in the best shape possible.” Emily said enthusiastically.
The man looked up, a bit puzzled with her remark. “Once I’m through with this you just might find that you want to learn how to play.” He gave a sweet smile, placed the violin back in the case and closed the lid.
After they exchanged some information Emily thanked the old man and gave a little wave. Alexander followed her closely out the door, again holding it for her and then opening the door to the cab.
Once inside, Emily breathed a sigh of relief. It was a long and eventful day. Even though it was only nearing 5 o’clock, she longed for her bed.
“That is a beautiful violin isn’t it.” Alexander turned toward her.
“I think so. There is something very unique about it.” Emily truly loved this new item she had obtained. She had always been a sucker for antiques or anything old. A distinctive trait she had inherited from her mother.
“It is very special. When that old gentleman gets it fixed up, I guarantee it will play some of the sweetest music you will ever hear.”
“Well unless the violin can play itself, there won’t be any melodies coming from it. I really can’t play, not even a note.” She laughed at the thought of her attempting to squeak out a little song.
“So why did you decide to have it restored if you weren’t going to learn how to play, if you don’t mind me asking.” Alexander realized that he might be getting too personal.
Emily didn’t mind sharing her thoughts with Alexander. “I’m not sure actually. I’m not even sure what possessed me to buy it. I guess whatever drew me to the violin is also what’s motivating me to restore it. Sounds pretty silly right?” Her voice trailed off as she gave a nervous glance out the window.
“I don’t think that sounds silly at all. I think it’s very interesting.” Alexander looked forward, his lips slightly pursed, his brow furrowed. It was obvious he was deep in thought.
Emily turned to her own thoughts as well. She would be home soon and still had no idea what she was going to tell her father. She leaned in a bit to see if she could catch a glimpse of herself in the car’s rear view mirror. A large red knot had formed and was showing the first signs of what would be a severe bruise.
She rested back against the seat, touched her forehead and winced. It was still quite tender. There was definitely no way a little makeup and staying in the right lighting would hide this. She would have to come up with a believable reason for a goose egg this size. Emily could feel Alexander’s eyes on her again. He must have been looking at the lovely growth she now sported. She turned toward him and sure enough, found him staring at the bump.
Alexander’s face was filled with pain. His bright green eyes seemed to glisten with moistness, his mouth seemed a bit distorted from the otherwise perfect shape it once was.
“I am so sorry I could not stop him sooner,” Alexander said with a slight break in his voice.
“I already told you, you did more than I can repay you for. I will gladly take a bump on the head over whatever else that man might have been planning.” The thought of the man’s hands on her waist gave her chills. “You came just in time and I’ll always be in your debt for that.”
Alexander’s face relaxed a bit. “I’m just glad you’re safe now. And the only way you could repay me is to not walk alone on those streets again. I don’t want you going back for the violin by yourself. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Inside Emily was hoping he would offer to go with her.
“What am I thinking, I barely know this guy. We just met!”
The last few minutes of the ride were spent in a comfortable silence. Both Emily and Alexander were lost in their own thoughts. When the cab pulled to the curb Alexander was quick to pay the fare and then jump out his door.
“Is this guy one of a kind or what?” she mused.
Emily wished for more time with her heroic stranger. She felt safe and comfortable around him. And she knew for certain that she could spend all day looking into those green eyes of his, if given the opportunity.
“Thank you for coming all this way to drop me off. I really appreciate it. I hope it didn’t take you too far from your own home.”
“It was my pleasure, and don’t worry about me. I’m close by. This was not out of my way at all.” He gestured nonchalantly with his hands.
Emily held out her hand awkwardly to offer a handshake. Alexander took it. His touch was so soft and warm it sent a shock through Emily’s cold and clammy skin.
“Take care of yourself.” Alexander shook her hand gently. “Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to run into you again sometime, although I hope our next encounter doesn’t involve muggers,” he joked.
“That would be nice wouldn’t it? Thank you.” Emily reluctantly took her hand from his. “Bye.” She gave a warm smile as she slowly walked away.
“Goodbye,” she heard Alexander call out.
Emily’s mind was frantically going over each and every moment. “Why didn’t I ask for his number? No that would have been too bold. He is way out of my league. Besides since when do you just ask some stranger for their number?”
Emily tried to focus. She was now in the lobby, and still needed to come up with a reason for the bump on her head before she saw her father. Once on the elevator, she rehearsed different scenarios in her head, but concentration was difficult. She kept seeing Alexander’s striking green eyes.
By the time she got her key out to unlock the door the only story she had was that she tripped at school and fell into a wall.
“People trip and fall all the time, that isn’t unusual. Although they typically catch themselves with their hands without their head taking the full force of the blow.”
But, it was the best she had at the moment.
Emily took a deep breath and opened the door. The lights were off. Her father wasn’t home. She breathed a sigh of relief. She walked to the kitchen, dropped her keys on the counter then turned to the fridge to find a bottle of water.
The cold liquid felt good running down her throat. She hadn’t realized how parched she was. She looked around the kitchen for any indication that her father had been home. Emily’s cell phone rested on the opposite counter. She had set it down when she came home from school and had failed to take it with her this afternoon.
“I really had myself set up for disaster today.”
She walked over to pick up the phone. It flashed, signaling she had a voicemail. Emily put the phone to her ear and waited for the message.
“Hey, Emmy, it’s Dad. I was calling to let you know that the computers crashed this afternoon, so I’ll be at the office late tonight trying to catch up on lost time. Anyway, sorry I won’t be home for dinner. Call me if you need me, I’ll try and be home by about eight. Love you.”
So her father would be late. That was good news. She wasn’t so sure about her story, and this gave her the much-needed time to think it over.
Nothing sounded that good for dinner. She hunted the cabinets and fridge a few times until she decided it was a lost cause.
Emily went to her room and sat down in the oversized chair next to the window. She took off her boots and then turned sideways in the chair swinging her legs over the arm, and laying her head against the soft pillow in the corner. She closed her eyes and tried to relax but all she could see was the awful attack that afternoon. It played over and over in her head. She kept trying to convince herself that it was no big deal.
“Nothing major happened, just a bruise on the head, I’m fine.”
But that only lasted for a few minutes. Emily could no longer fight against the overwhelming feelings of fear and anxiety built up inside. She burst into tears. She sobbed even harder when she thought about how she just wanted her mom there to hold her and say that everything was okay. Now, there was no reason to restrain herself. She often suppressed her tears for fear that her father would hear and be concerned. Since he wasn’t home this was her opportunity to rid her soul of the pent-up emotions that tore at her heart.
After Emily had drained her body of every possible tear, she dragged herself out of the chair and over to her bed. She was tired before, but after crying so much, she was exhausted and didn’t even care about getting into pajamas. Emily didn’t bother pulling back her sheets. Climbing right on top of them, she dropped down into the fetal position. A few more sobs escaped her throat.
Chapter 3
* * *
Surprises
The next morning Emily woke up only to see from the time on her clock that she had slept in. Emily feared she wouldn’t be able to sleep last night because the attack would give her nightmares. Instead her dream was of Alexander’s bright green eyes and soft warm hands.
She felt refreshed from a long night’s sleep, but was now in a frenzy attempting to get ready. She applied some makeup to mask the now blue and purple bruise on her forehead. The bump was still about the same size. She knew the cover-up would not hide the injury but hoped it would make it seem like less of a battle wound. Emily rarely wore makeup. She only put it on when she got dressed up for charity events. Her father was bound to notice that she had it on which might end up drawing more attention to her goose egg, but she was willing to take the risk.
Emily didn’t have any time to rethink her story, as she had hoped. While she dressed she rehearsed in her mind what she had come up with the night before. Her father was already out there. His footsteps were loud, and she could hear him shuffling around in the kitchen. Emily took a deep breath, bracing herself as she made her way out of her room.
Her father had his eyes centered on the television when she entered the kitchen. Emily took the opportunity to make a sharp left and open the fridge. She pretended to hunt for the milk, knowing very well that it was on the counter right next to him.
“I’ve already got the milk out, sweetie, the cereal is over here.”
Emily slowly shut the fridge door. “Thanks,” she mumbled as she kept her back to him, moving slightly to the right. She eyed the cabinet for a juice glass.
“It’s not like you to run late. I was about to come wake you up when I heard you moving around in there. I thought I’d help you out by having breakfast ready.”
Her father also had the apple juice out and on the counter. She had stalled as long as possible. Resigned to the inevitable, she sat down at the island where her father was eating. He looked over at her when he heard the chair scratch against the wood floor.
“Holy cow, Emily! What on earth happened to your head?”
“That didn’t take long. Well here it goes, I hope he buys it.”
“I tripped yesterday at school and fell into one of the brick walls outside.” She poured the milk onto her cereal, acting as though the incident was no big deal. “It looks worse than it feels, really.”
“So you let your forehead break your fall?” Her father was concerned. It was hard to tell if he bought the bogus story.
“I was carrying all my books and I didn’t have time to react. My hands were full and, yeah I guess my forehead broke my fall.”
“Ouch. Are you sure you’re okay? Did you have the school nurse check it out?”
“It’s just a bump, no big deal. It’s not like I had a concussion or anything.”
“You sure about that? You must have gone to bed pretty early last night. I got home at a quarter to eight and peeked in your room. You were out cold.” He still sounded worried but it was obvious she had him convinced.
“I’d been tired all day.
It wasn’t because of the bump on my head. Really Dad, I’m fine.” Emily emphasized the last word.
“Okay, if you say so. But if your head is that bad, how is that wall at school? Do I need to send money for the repairs?” Emily’s father was joking, that was a good sign.
“You’re such a comedian. I think the wall won so there will be no need to pay for damages.” She gave an annoyed smirk.
Her father chuckled and went back to eating, as Emily did the same. She ate quickly not waiting for her father to finish. She would be late if she didn’t leave now.
“I have to go or I’ll miss first period.” Emily grabbed her book bag, threw it over one shoulder and leaned over to give him a kiss.
“Hurry, but do me a favor and watch out for those walls.”
“I will.” Emily was relieved that she had gotten away with her lie.
“At least he’s joking about it, he certainly wouldn’t be if I had told him the truth.”
School turned out to be just as bad as she had expected.
Candice immediately noticed the bump and asked her about it. Other kids just stared or gave her a quick glance. Only a few of them bothered to ask her about what happened. Emily gave them the same story just reversed; she had fallen while on her way home.
To her surprise, the day passed quickly. Before she knew it, school was out and the homework for the night would only take a fraction of her time. She was looking forward to just relaxing and maybe watching a movie.
She hadn’t gotten too far into her English paper when her cell phone rang. She answered it without looking up from her book, instantly regretting her hasty action.
“Hello?” She didn’t recognize the number.
“Hey Emily.” It was Rob.
“Oh, hey Rob.”
“How are you? Your dad said you took a nasty spill yesterday.”
“I’m glad he feels like he needs to share the insignificant occurrences of my life. I’m fine. It wasn’t as bad as I’m sure he made it sound.”
Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance Page 4
