I felt a shiver rise from head to toe, flashes of the attack appearing before my eyes. I heard voices below and the knot had reappeared in my stomach. My hand clutched the railing desperately as if asking for help to keep there, safe. Slowly I reached the last step and found myself afraid to go down. I remembered the feeling I felt earlier in the same place. I stood there for a few minutes until John came out of the kitchen, making me jump in fright. My hand still that still held the railing wouldn’t let me fall. I stayed in the same place, looking at him.
“Hey, what happened?” He asked with a frown. “Why are you standing there?
"Nothing," I said, trying to look fine. I hoped my face wouldn’t show how I was feeling. “Don’t worry.”
"Liz, you can tell me. I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling.”
"I..." I hesitated, my throat temporarily failing. "I was just remembering how I felt when I thought there was someone else in the house. But it's over, I'm fine.”
John's expression of agony came back to him. He came over to me, held out his hand and I picked it up, quickly feeling safe again. He pulled my hand, bringing me close, and hugged me. My head was at the height of his chest, and I kept it there, listening to the hard beating of his heart. It wasn’t clear how he made all the worries and fears go away, but that was his effect on me.
John stroked my hair slowly and held me gently close to him.
"Liz, you're safe now," he said in a tone that sounded more like a lament. “I promise I'll protect you. No one else will ever hurt you again. We’ll get the bastard who did this. I swear.”
He kissed the top of my head and I pulled my face away to look into his eyes. I felt a warm tear trickle down my face and John wiped it with his thumb. I leaned down to kiss him, and as soon as I felt his touch, I forgot everything that bothered me. I didn’t feel any more pain.
I heard someone cough suggestively and I saw Grandma standing at the kitchen door, smiling at us. John led me awkwardly to the couch with his hands on my back. The kit was open and he soon began putting the bandages on my cuts.
"What were you talking to Grandma?" I asked.
I saw John immediately become restless. That wasn’t a good sign.
“We decided that you’ll be spending some time in the hotel with the other Pacenians. Grandma said, entering the room and sitting in a chair.
"You decided?!" I countered in a tone slightly thinner than normal. "You don’t think I should at least have an opinion on the subject?"
"Liz, you're not safe here anymore," John said without looking into my eyes. "We need to be smart and think about what's best. Your safety is my priority.”
"I won’t run away from my own house. No way.”
“Yes, you will. It's already decided” Grandma concluded, her face looking as steady in decision as her austere tone.
"Grandma, I won’t leave you here alone! And you don’t have the right to decide that for me.”
"Darling, we care about you. That's it.”
“Liz, you two will be safe. It's the best.”
“I've already said that I won’t leave Grandma alone and run away. I've made up my mind.”
“John, could you give us a moment, please?" Grandma asked and John got up immediately.
“Of course,” he replied.
John left the room and Grandma came and sat next to me.
“Liz, I'm just doing this to keep you safe. I don’t want you to leave either, but you'll be safe in the hotel with the other Pacenians. And don’t worry, I'll be fine. My dear, I've lost so much in this world and I refuse to lose you too.”
I realized she wouldn’t give in, so I nodded. Grandma hugged me slowly, being careful not to hurt me.
"I have a condition," I said as we parted.
"I'd be surprised if you hadn’t," Grandma said, smiling and stroking my face lightly.
"If I go to the hotel, you can’t stay here. It's not safe.”
"And where would I go?"
"You can go stay with Agnes. She lives with her maid, doesn’t she? She must have a vacant room that you can stay in.”
“And what will be my excuse?”
"Tell her the house has a rat infestation, I don’t know. But I know I won’t leave you here alone when the hunter can return at any moment.”
Grandma was staring at me, pondering whether to accept it or not. She also knew I wouldn’t give up.
"All right," she said finally, rolling her eyes. She clearly didn’t care about her own safety as she cared about mine.
"Good," I said, smiling at the victory. “I'll pack a suitcase. I'm not leaving until you're ready.”
I was determined to be firm. I wouldn’t , under any circumstances, let grandma stay here, in danger. And because of me. Flashes of images where Grandma was hurt because of me started to make me sick. Suddenly the thought of leaving was more than welcome.
We got up from the couch and went up to our rooms. John was sitting on the stairs. As I passed him, he gave me an apologetic look. I wasn’t mad at him. I know they just want the best for me, but I would let him think that for a little while longer. I don’t like it when people make decisions for me.
I put some clothes and my necessaire in a bag and took a look at my room before leaving. I didn’t know how long it would take or if someday the hunter would be caught. The room where I spent my childhood deserved a good last look until I could come back home.
John was now at the bottom of the stairs, leaning back against the railing. He took my bag as soon as I stopped in front of him.
“Shall we?” He asked, taking a small step toward the door. He certainly seemed rushed to get out of here.
“No. We’ll go out with Grandma. I want to make sure she's gone. She can be sneaky whenever she wants.”
John smiled and nodded.
We stood there waiting for Grandma to come down. I began to feel pain in my ribs and sat on the bottom step of the stairs.
“Are you in pain?” John asked, sitting next to me.
"Nothing I can’t handle.”
"When you get to the hotel you need to take some medicine. And put a compress on your ribs. And rest.”
“I know. I'll do that.”
I leaned my head against John's arm and closed my eyes. I realized how tired I was and almost fell asleep right there.
"Are we going or what, lovebirds?" Grandma said as she walked downstairs, quickly waking me up.
John stood up, taking my hand and helping me up. Grandma came down the stairs and stood in front of us, holding a small suitcase in her hands.
“We can go?” she asked, practically rolling her eyes at me.
"Now we can," I said, smiling and ignoring her moodiness.
We left the house and Grandma locked the door. Unlike me, she didn’t seem to want to take one last look at the house. Suddenly I was worried that she might return home as soon as I left.
"I'll call you tomorrow. And be careful. I love you,” I said, pulling her into a hug.
"I love you too," she said, stroking my hair. “And rest. A lot.”
“Can you walk with her?” I said, turning to John.
“Of course. Wait here. Come on,” he said, staring at Grandma.
“Seriously? I don’t need a guard to walk a few yards.”
“Grandma...”
"Liz, I already agreed to leave my own house. Don’t push it.”
“Fine. I’ll see you later.
Grandma left with the little suitcase in her hands and headed for Agnes's house, which was only a few yards from ours. The few houses we have here are divided by large lawns and trees. The sight always pleased me, as did the silence. This was the first time I was going to stay away from Grandma. I slept in Emma's house, but I knew that the next day I would go home. Now I wasn’t sure. A sadness struck me as I watched Grandma arrive at the house and knock on the door. As soon as she came in, after looking at me one last time, John and I went to the car.
I got in the car, put on the belt, and
we left. I struggled not to burst into tears. I tried to distract myself by looking out the window, but I could see John staring at me.
"You two will be fine," he said at last, his voice sounding worried.
"I hope so," I said.
He took my hand and held it for the rest of the trip, every touch of his skin calmed me even more. We arrived at the hotel and John took my bag and opened the door for me, giving me a hand for support. When we stopped at the front door, I took a deep breath. I could already see in my head the curious faces looking at me and all the questions. John opened the door and entered the hotel.
From the entrance of the hotel, I looked at the room. It was full of people, and some of them already noticed us. John put my bag on the bottom step of the stairs and came back to me.
"Do you want to go up?" He asked, looking at the crowd and then at my face.
“Can we stay here for a bit?”
I thought that since they were going to look at me and ask questions, it might very well be now. And I was sure that as soon as I closed my eyes to sleep, I would see it all again. I didn’t want that.
"Of course," he said, kissing my forehead but not hiding his disapproval. I could tell by the two marks between his eyebrows that he didn’t want to enter the hall. He knew they would fill me with questions. He put an arm lightly on my shoulder and we entered the room to the curious eyes.
Everyone was looking at us. At me, actually. They stared at the marks on my neck as if they were going to explain how they got there. I tried to smile, trying to say I was fine, but most of them wouldn’t look me in the eye, they looked at all my bruises. I saw Isys and Zal sitting in the armchairs in the back and we went to them.
Isys was involved in a conversation with Zal, but as soon as she saw me she jumped out of the chair. Zal did the same, his eyes fixed on my neck.
"Liz, what happened to you?" Isys asked, coming very close, lightly touching my arm.
"I took an ugly fall," I said, trying to smile and ease the mood that was already too serious before they even knew what had happened. John frowned.
"Liz was attacked," he said, scolding me. "She's going to be here for a while. Until we get the culprit.”
Zal now looked at us with a personal interest. I hadn’t thought about how he would feel to see this happening right after Niko's death. Suddenly I was feeling even worse.
“The hunter?” He asked, hesitating at the end of the last word.
"We think so," John said, also hesitating.
"This needs to stop," Zal said practically whispering, but the words screamed. His once calm face now looked furious. "We can’t let him keep doing this and get away with it."
"And we won’t," I said, trying to sound reassuring.
Zal left the room almost immediately, his anger visible in his clenched fists. I looked around and saw that people were still staring at me.
“But are you okay?” Isys asked, drawing my attention back to her.
"In pain, but I'll be fine.”
"Come, sit here," she said, offering the now empty chair.
“Thanks.”
I sat in the chair that Zal was sitting before. I stared at the crowd who whispered without taking their eyes off me. John sat in my chair, on the edge, holding my hand.
“How was it?” Isys asked as she sat, her eyes bulging with curiosity.
"Are you serious, Isys?" John chided her. "Do you really want to make her remember all that?"
“I’m sorry. You're right," Isys said with an embarrassed look. "I'm not very good with limits.”
"No, Isys, it's all right," I said.
I was ready to tell the whole story when I saw blue eyes coming toward me. He was walking fast, almost running, not taking his eyes off me. John looked away, clearly uncomfortable with his presence.
“Liz! Liam said, lowering himself to the foot of my chair. “Are you alright? What happened?”
He put his hand on my face, caressing it. John kept his eyes fixed somewhere in the hall, his fist clenched on the chair, but his other hand remained on mine, touching it gently with his fingers.
"I'm fine," I said, then turned my face away from his hand.
Liam understood the tip and stood up, taking a step back. I could see that he was angry and that also made me angry. You can’t disappear from someone's life and still think you have some kind of right over it.
"I thought this was your job," he said, focusing on John. “Keeping her safe. How did this happen?”
Liam almost screamed, spitting the words out like poison. I felt John quiver and squeezed his hand as he tried to get up.
"Unless John is a psychic, I don’t see how he could’ve stopped this," I said. "Liam, I'm fine, thanks for the concern. But this is none of your business.”
From the look on his face, I saw John blame himself again. Damn you, Liam. I was beginning to think that if I had the courage, that punch would really be satisfying.
"You're a Pacenian too, so it is my business," Liam snapped at once. "And I still care about you, Liz. I...”
He started to come closer again, but I made it clear, with a look that seemed to be very effective, that he should keep his distance.
"She was attacked by the hunter. He tried to kill her. Obviously, he didn’t. That's what happened, you vultures can stop staring,” Isys said loudly, so that everyone could hear it.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. Almost immediately their gaze returned to me, as if the new information was worth another good look. Liam looked at me in surprise, almost coming to me again, but my look of anger kept him away. From a distance I saw Eimée looking at me, the happiest I had ever seen. She clearly wasn’t the most sympathetic person to my situation.
I got up, wanting to get out of there as fast as I could, but saw Rogi and Grace arrive. Grace hugged me as soon as she arrived and Rogi put a hand on my shoulder, patting it lightly.
"We're glad you're all right, honey," Grace said as she still held me. Despite being firm, her embrace was comforting. I relaxed for a moment and enjoyed the kindness.
"And you can stay here all you want," Rogi said.
"Thank you," I said as Grace let go of me.
As soon as she released me, my joints hurt again. I was exhausted and ready to sleep for a whole day. I really wanted to sleep for a whole day.
"Unfortunately, all the rooms are occupied," Rogi said gently. “The younger ones are already staying with a brother or their parents due to lack of rooms. We thrive well here, despite the difficulties.”
"No problem," I said, just wanting to get out of here and rest. "I can stay here on the sofa, or anywhere, really."
"No way," John said. "You can stay in my room. It’s even better. That way I can keep an eye on you.”
Liam quickly stood in a stiff posture and I saw Isys put her hand to her mouth to hide a smile. But not very well. He stared at her with an ugly face, forcing her to stop laughing.
"If you’re okay with it, I don’t see any problem," Rogi said.
I looked at John. He had one of those charming smiles on his face. I already knew that I was going to say yes, so why fool myself?”
"Okay," I said with a true smile on my face.
Grace hugged me one more time before I left. Seeing John put his hand on my waist, Liam looked like he could catch fire any minute. Isys could help him with that. She wasn’t enjoying the frown in her direction.
I leaned my head against John's chest, closing my eyes for only a second. When we got to the stairs, John took my bag and we started walking. We got to his room and went in, I threw myself into bed immediately.
"Can you get me a mattress or something? I just want to sleep, "I said, sitting up on the bed and struggling to keep my eyes open.
“Please, Liz. Do you think I'm going to make you sleep on a mattress? You can have the bed.”
"I don’t want to take your bed from you."
"Don’t worry about that," he said, sitting down beside me and kissing my lips slowly. "I'
ll get you some medicine to take before you go to sleep."
“Okay.”
John disappeared from where he was and I got up, practically dragging myself. I opened the bag and took out some sleeping clothes to wear. I put on my shorts and blouse quickly, and as soon as I sat on the bed, John came back.
“Here, drink this.”
He gave me some pills and a glass of water. I drank and put the glass on the bedside table.
"I brought a compress, too," he said, coming to me.
“Thanks.”
John sat next to me and I lifted my blouse at the height of my ribs to put the compress on. He looked away quickly. I started to smile, holding the compress in place.
"Do you want me to stay here?" He asked, keeping his eyes away from my bare stomach.
"You don’t have to. You can go, "I said, smiling. “Thank you.”
Actually, I wanted him to stay. I didn’t want to be alone, but the need to have him around frightened me more than anything else.
“All right. I'll be downstairs if you need anything.”
He kissed me on the forehead and stood up. She took a blanket from the closet and placed it on my lap before leaving and closing the door. I lay slowly, being careful with my sore ribs, covered myself with the blanket and took a deep breath. As soon as I closed my eyes, I felt a lull and fell asleep quickly.
I was in my room. It was pitch black and the floor covered with dry leaves. I put one foot out of bed and then the other. The noise of the shattered leaves frightened me, but I kept walking. I was panting heavily, nervous about walking in the dark house. I started down the stairs calling for Grandma, but no answer. The leaves were also scattered on the steps and the entrance to the house. I stopped on the last step and called for Grandma again. No answer. I walked to the living room door and paused, falling to my knees.
Grandma was sitting in the armchair, her eyes open and dead. There was blood all over her clothes, coming from her neck that was cut from one side to the other. I cried the hardest I ever thought possible; the tears making a puddle on the floor. I sensed a presence behind me, but before I could turn, I felt something. I looked down and saw a bright blade piercing my heart. I could see the blood falling from drop to drop on the floor, mingling with my tears.
The Chosen Ones: Red Smoke Page 10
