by Owens, Wendy
“Yes, of course, whatever I need to do.” Gabe replied.
“Look, don’t worry about Uri.” Michael added. “Sophie and he have been friends for a long time so this is hard on him, too. He’ll get past it, alright?”
Gabe nodded standing and walking to the door.
“And remember Gabe, no mention of your and Sophie’s relationship to her.” Michael reaffirmed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Gabe, wake up!” Uri’s voice filled the room as he ran to the bed, shaking his friend wildly.
So startled by the abrupt wakeup call, Gabe could hardly catch his breath. “Huh? Who? What’s going on? Is Sophie ok?” He sputtered.
“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine but you’re about not to be.” Uri said, grabbing hold of Gabe’s wrist and pulling him from the comfort of his warm bed.
“Come on man. What’s going on? I’m in my boxers, can’t this wait?” Gabe pleaded after discovering Sophie was in no danger.
“Here,” Uri said grabbing the nearby robe and tossing it in Gabe’s direction. “Michael will be here any minute, put it on.”
Gabe slipped the robe on as he stretched, still trying to process what his friend was saying. Rubbing his eyes he yawned and asked, “What do you mean Michael?” Gabe outstretched his arms, releasing himself into a bigger yawn as his feeble attempt to tie his robe close gave way.
“Just what I said, he’s on his way.”
“Lay on the bed.” Michael commanded as he entered the room carrying a small, dark brown leather satchel.
“Michael!” Gabe shrieked as he scrambled to close his robe again. “What are you doing here?”
“Uri didn’t tell you?” Michael asked rushing up to Gabe. In an instant Uri and Michael were pushing Gabe back onto the bed.
“I just got here.” Uri defended himself.
“Just relax.” Michael told Gabe. He then walked around to the end of the bed and tossed the leather satchel onto it. Gabe tried to sit up to see what was happening but Uri pushed him back down. “Secure his hands.”
“Just lay down, man.” Uri stressed. Before Gabe could comprehend what was happening, still groggy from just waking up, Uri pulled out a set of plastic hand ties.
“Seriously, this isn’t funny.” Gabe said becoming agitated. In another moment Uri had Gabe’s hands secured to the bed post.
“What’s going on? I mean it. Someone better tell me now!” Gabe insisted, staring at Michael as he untied a string on the satchel, allowing him to unfold the hidden pouch of tools.
“Oh my God! What are those for?” Gabe cried catching sight of all the shiny silver instruments. Michael pulled out a scalpel and a long syringe with a tube on the end and began to make his way back around to where Gabe was laid out.
“No, wait, what’s going on?” Gabe began to squirm.
“Hold him still!” Michael commanded.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Uri climbed up on the bed, sitting on Gabe’s legs. “Please stop! What are you doing? Please don’t do this.” Gabe was now screaming in hopes someone would hear his pleas and come to his aid.
Michael swooped in with great purpose, wielding the scalpel like a master. He hovered over Gabe’s stomach for a moment, feeling around with his hand, pressing in various spots. Ignoring Gabe’s cries Michael at last found the spot he had been searching for and pressed the scalpel into Gabe’s skin.
Gabe watched in horror as his blood began to spill from the wound. Looking up briefly at Uri’s face, Gabe was then consumed by darkness.
******************************
Squinting his eyes, and licking his dry and crusted lips Gabe returned to consciousness.
“Are you sure you destroyed it?” Gabe heard Michael’s voice from across the room.
Then Uri’s in response, “Positive, there was absolutely nothing left of it.”
Gabe tried to move and realized his hands were now free. He did his best to move slightly as not to arouse the attention of the men who had just assaulted him. Gabe ran his hand down to his stomach, tracing the fresh bandages with his fingertips. In that moment he realized it had all been real and in fact not a dream as he had hoped.
“Do you think they were able to pin point a location before we got it?” Uri asked.
“I really have no idea.” Michael replied. “All we can do is hope not for all our sakes.”
Gabe opened his eyes, trying to focus on where the voices were coming from.
“He’s awake.” Uri said rushing to Gabe’s bedside.
Instinctively, Gabe threw up his hands as if to protect himself.
“Stay away!” Gabe cried.
“Gabe.” Michael said approaching the bed as well. “It’s ok, calm down.”
“It is so not ok!” Gabe cried out. “You cut me!”
Michael slightly smiled, nodding his head. “I had to.” He then moved in closer.
“I mean it. Stay away from me!” Gabe shouted, crawling backwards in his bed, grabbing his fresh wound and wincing from the pain of the movement.
“Will you listen to him, idiot.” Uri pushed, aggravated by his friend’s response to them.
Michael lifted a hand as if to ask Gabe for a moment to explain. Keeping a safe distance away from the two, Gabe sat silent, listening.
“One of our scouts came across the camp of one of Baal’s legions. They overheard that the chosen one had been implanted with a tracking device.” Michael explained.
“What?” Gabe cried. “No way, I think I would know if I had a tracking device on me.”
“We think it was Artis who did it. She had no idea what she was doing of course.” Uri added.
“I am telling you, nobody put a tracking device on me.”
“He said implanted dummy, not hidden on you.” Uri grunted.
“What?” Gabe gasped.
“Based on where we found it my guess is she fed it to you. Must have slipped it into your food at some point.” Michael replied. Gabe continued shaking his head no in disbelief. “My guess is since it was an internal tracker the clerics couldn’t sense it. It had attached itself to the lining of your stomach.”
“No, I don’t believe it.” Gabe stammered.
“Believe it or not, I still went out and destroyed it after Michael took it out. Nasty looking thing too, really dug itself in there good.” Uri joked.
Gabe sank down into the bed, stunned by what he was being told. He thought of Sophie and how vulnerable she was right now. The last thing she could handle is running away from a blood lusting demon like Baal. Had they not found the tracking device, which is exactly what would have happened.
“So are we alright?” Gabe asked, giving into the reality of what Uri and Michael were telling him.
“At this point we don’t think they knew your exact location, but we have the clerics doing double time on protection and cloaking spells.” Michael reassured the boy.
“I’m so sorry.” Gabe moaned, consumed by guilt of the danger he had placed everyone he cared about in.
“You can be a real dumb-ass sometimes.” Uri laughed. “This wasn’t your fault.”
Gabe nodded, his thoughts shifting.
“How is Sophie?” Gabe’s could only focus on her, even though he now had a fresh belly wound to occupy his mind, he was still consumed by her.
“She’s alright. I’m going to work with her today. Give her some background on who we are and try to explain more. The good news is she has a lot of questions. She hasn’t seemed to withdraw at all.” Michael replied.
“Can I see her later today?” Gabe inquired eagerly.
“You need to rest.” Uri suggested firmly.
“She needs more time, Gabe.” Michael urged. “Soon, ok?”
Gabe simply nodded; sad he had to wait even longer to talk to Sophie.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Two weeks had passed since Sophie’s wipe and each day without her in his life felt to Gabe like he was being deprived of oxygen. He would see Michael and Uri all over
campus with her. Walking and talking. He wished with everything in him that he was the one talking to her. Michael had assured him the previous evening that today would be the day he could finally see her.
Michael had reminded him in a not so subtle way how important it was for everyone to hide Sophie and Gabe’s relationship from her. She had just reached the point where she understood who the Guardians were and what the purpose of the manor was. Each day, though, she had asked about her mother and when she would return to get her. Michael was worried the truth about her would push Sophie’s already fragile mind over the edge.
Gabe wished he could take away the pain she was going to feel when she discovered her mother had already been dead for the past seven years. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do. It was hard for him to believe, but the last interaction he had had with Sophie was when she’d taken a hunk of flesh from his shoulder. Though he had to hide their relationship, he at least found comfort in the idea that it would be his Sophie he would be talking to and not what he had seen when he returned from Iron Gate.
A couple gentle knocks roused Gabe from his thoughts. He rushed over eagerly, throwing the door open. Uri glanced up with a mischievous narrowed brow. “Ready Romeo?”
“More than you could possibly know.” Gabe said stepping into the hall and pulling the door closed.
“Alright, follow me.” Uri stated, turning and walking down the long corridor. “Michael covered all the rules and what not to talk about already, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Gabe grumbled.
Uri stopped and turned to face Gabe, “This is serious. You can’t mess this up.”
“I know!” Gabe exclaimed defensively. “I won’t. I love her.”
“And she can’t know that either.” Uri reiterated.
“I know! I won’t. Christ, what is it with you and Michael? I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize Sophie’s recovery.” Gabe had requested Sophie and his first meeting be in the cleric’s gardens. There was no way he would ever tell Michael or Uri this, but deep down he hoped Sophie seeing him in the place that meant so much to them would snap her back into their reality. He was just sure that if there was any glimmer of a memory of them, their special place would do the trick.
“Alright, just making sure.” Uri asserted. “She seems to be handling all the stuff about the manor pretty well actually. Considering what she has been through and all.”
“When is Michael going to tell her about her mother?” Gabe inquired, dreading the day her world would be shattered.
“I don’t know. Michael said she still isn’t ready. She understands a lot. She gets that she is not nine years old anymore.” Uri related.
“So how did you explain that? Does she just think she was in an accident or something and now has a bad case of amnesia?” Gabe asked, laughing as he did.
“Hey smart ass, don’t knock it! It seems to have worked and Dina did a really amazing job convincing her.” Uri boasted, commended their friend.
“Yeah, everyone had been giving me updates of their time with her but I had no idea about the amnesia bit. Dina did tell me though, that when Sophie saw herself in a mirror she started crying. I wish I could have been there for her.” Gabe grimaced, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
“Well yeah, can you imagine? The last time you remember what you look like is when you were nine. Talk about messing with your mind.” Uri lamented.
“I should have been there. This is so wrong. Sophie would have wanted me there with her during all of this, I know it.” Gabe stated.
“Gabe, you need to get it through your head, you can’t be the boyfriend!” Uri exclaimed, clearly worried that his friend was not going to be able to handle the meeting he was escorting him to.
“I know the boundaries, Uri! I was just saying that it’s messed up I can’t be the one to help her through this. I don’t know how many times I can tell you guys this, I get it!” Gabe defended.
“We know you get it, Gabe. I think it’s more that Michael and I are just worried you won’t be able to help yourself.”
“Come on, I’m not an idiot. I love Sophie. I only want to help her. I won’t let myself screw this up.” Gabe insisted.
“I’m sorry man. I know you won’t do anything to hurt her on purpose.” Uri replied.
The boys stepped outside into the open air, Gabe stopped for a moment to take in a deep breath and allow the cool air to fill his head. There was a cold fog that had settled in and lay like a blanket over the land. They continued in silence to the gardens, neither sure what to say to the other after the tense interaction.
As soon as Gabe caught site of the cloaked figure sitting on the bench, he knew it was Sophie. Her ankles were crossed and though the white hood was pulled up over her head as she looked over her shoulder at the brook, he could see her auburn hair poking out. His stomach began to do flips. He fought every urge in him to run to her side and begin hugging her wildly. He kept reassuring himself that he could do this; he could keep his cool with her even though his friends apparently doubted it.
Gabe felt almost as if he were being torn in two from the immense conflict. On one hand he was thrilled Sophie was free from the hold of the demons, but on the other she was trapped in an existence where she had no memory of who she was. He was happy and terrified for her all at the same time and seemed to have nobody he could confide in since Sophie had always been the person he turned to.
“Sophie,” Uri said, slowly approaching the bench.
As she turned her head, Gabe held his breath. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for. This was their first true reuniting; it had to make her remember. In the gardens where they had shared their first dance, their first kiss, countless picnics together. He knew she would remember.
“Do you remember us telling you about another friend, Gabe? This is him.” Uri continued as he motioned behind him.
Gabe swallowed, took a deep breath, and walked up to stand next to Uri, beaming a smile from ear to ear on his face. The smile quickly faded though when he saw the look in Sophie’s eyes. While she smiled back at him, there was absolutely no recognition of him. In that moment, he knew she had no clue who he was and he might have lost the Sophie he fell in love with forever.
“Hi, nice to meet you.” Sophie said standing up, hand extended to shake his. “I’m Sophie.” Suddenly, Sophie began to laugh wildly, blushing a little. The two boys glanced at each other, both curious if they had missed the joke. “Sorry, I keep doing that.”
“Huh?” Gabe grunted.
“Introducing myself when apparently people already know me and I know them.” Sophie explained.
“Oh,” Gabe added and both boys chuckled slightly.
“Well, I will leave you two to talk. Enjoy your time together. Sophie, I will see you later, alright?” Uri asked. Sophie smiled and nodded eagerly before Uri turned and walked away, delivering a slight punch to Gabe’s arm as he did.
“Hmmm… well, this seems a little awkward doesn’t it?” Gabe stated, unsure what to actually talk about now that he was here with Sophie.
Sophie smiled, “A little.”
“How about we take a walk through the gardens? You always loved when we did that.” Gabe suggested, motioning towards the path in front of them.
“I did? Is this something we did often?” Sophie queried.
“Oh yeah, most days.” Gabe was careful not to say too much.
“Well that sounds delightful.” Sophie answered and they began to walk beside one another. “So… how exactly did we know each other?”
Gabe was shocked at her question and at first was unsure how to answer. Trying to stall for time he asked, “Uri didn’t tell you?”
“Umm… he just said you came to the manor at the end of the last school year and we had hung out some but no real details. How did we meet?” Sophie probed.
“Oh wow, this is so weird, sorry.” Gabe replied.
“Don’t worry, it is for me too. Just take your time.
” Sophie reassured him.
“That’s funny and so you.” Gabe mused.
“What is?”
“I am supposed to be here helping you, but like usual you are the one who is comforting me.” Gabe smiled as he saw a familiar side of Sophie.
“I see.” She stated.
Gabe felt his stomach flutter. She was still the same kind, caring, and compassionate person he had fallen in love with, even if she didn’t remember who he was. In that moment, Gabe decided if Sophie wasn’t going to remember they were in love then he would just have to make sure they fell in love all over again.
“Well, actually, you were one of the people that brought me to the manor.” Gabe finally answered.
“Oh really?” Sophie asked intrigued.
“Yes, Uri came to New York to find me. Along the way back here we met up with you, I suppose you were the getaway driver so to speak. Let me tell you, you make quite a first impression.” Gabe laughed as he recalled the night.
“Oh yeah?” Sophie said, wishing she knew what he meant.
“Sorry, yeah. I guess I should explain.” Gabe added.
Sophie giggled, “That would be nice.”
Gabe thought back to that night and recounted it detail by detail. How he and Uri pulled up behind the car on the motorcycle, how she had pulled Uri into the car, scaring him half to death. Gabe continued with his story, how he had acted as though he were asleep so he could listen to the two. Then he ended the tale with the grand battle of how Sophie saved his life that night.
“You were truly amazing!” Gabe gushed. “Uri yelled, do it now, Sophie and bam, next thing I know those demons are ash.” Gabe loved how Sophie’s face lit up at the story.
“So Uri really had a lot of faith in me?” Sophie asked.
“Huh? Yeah, I guess.” Gabe replied, puzzled by the question.
