"Simply amazing, Amelia!" Aunt Helen Magnus lilted in her beautiful English accent. My butchered American accent seemed like blasphemy compared to her. I smiled and looked up from the book I had been reading on Meso-American culture. I was in the library in a ridiculously tall, purple wing-backed chair with my legs slung over the arm and a pillow behind my back. "I only wanted you to talk to him, not capture him. If I would have known he was that dangerous, I would have never sent you alone. Will should have gone with you, Kate even. You were wrong not to call back here for backup. But you pulled it off alone, Amelia and I am amazed." she smiled, coming to stand before me with her arms crossed, but friendly. She wore a burgundy button down shirt and black pants, I could tell she had just come from her office, she seemed relaxed and fresh. There must not have been many emergencies since I had come back.
I chuckled a little at how 'alone' I had been, but I couldn't betray that to her without risking the next meeting with him which still unsettled me a little. I couldn't understand why I wanted so badly to keep it secret from her. "It was no big deal, Aunt Helen, honestly, just a few bumps an bruises." I replied, setting my book down and sitting upright to put my feet down on the floor, my boots clicking a little on the marble. "How is Charles anyways?"
"Oh yes," She smiled, leaning against the pool table near me. "Awake and quite angry." she leveled her eyes at me in the way she had done since I was little, the way that made my throat freeze up and not let me swallow, the way that made me believe that if I answered wrong she was going to strangle me. I couldn't breathe for a moment. My thoughts raced, she had to know about Tesla, there was no other reason she would be looking at me like that. "He said something about a man helping you, said he roughed him up a bit, strong and...abnormal. I asked him who it was and he said for me to ask you. He said it was the man who took him down, not you." Helen stared me down for a moment before crossing her arms again. I could deny it or confess, either way she would find out the truth. I could feel my cheeks burn red for a moment. It was my Aunt Helen, the woman who had practically raised me, how could I keep something like that from her. "Amelia...Please tell me what's going on."
"Tesla," I said, raising my eyes to hers, connecting with a snap. "Nikola Tesla helped me take Charles O'Connor down." I didn't know why but I could feel a challenge rising inside me as if daring her to say something about what had happened. My heart beat a little bit faster and I leaned forward towards her.
She searched my eyes for a moment before speaking. "How many times has he come to you?" she asked, her tone neutral.
"This was the first time, Aunt Helen. He said he needed help from me." I stood up and moved closer to Helen, wanting to wrap my arms around her as I saw the pain on her face. "Please trust me, Aunt Helen. I know what I am doing."
"No, no one ever knows what they are doing with Nikola Tesla. I have seen him suck the souls from his victims, his friends. The people that he 'needs' are the ones that suffer the most. Amelia, please tell me you won't ever meet him again. Just let this go. Pretend it never happened and your life will still be untouched by him." I could tell Aunt Helen was begging in her own way, and she never did that.
"Yes, Aunt Helen. I understand, I do...It was stupid of me..." I sat back down. I knew I could placate her for the moment, I knew, then I would have a chance to do what needed to be done later. "I will pretend it never happened, but my shoulder is starting to hurt again...I think I need to go see Will...It needs re-wrapped I think." I stood slowly, gauging her reaction from the corner of my eye. She watched me for a moment and nodded.
"Please listen to me, Amy. I don't want you getting mixed up with him for any reason. Nikola Tesla means no good to anyone in the Sanctuary." she said at my retreating back. I nodded again and felt a little crestfallen. She would be watching my every move from now on and seeing Nikola would be a miracle. I walked down the hallway as if heading towards Wills lab and took a quick right heading down another hallway towards my rooms. I lived on in the Sanctuary even though I wasn't an abnormal because it was easier that way, Aunt Helen could always find me and in this instance, she would know where I was every moment of every day. There were cameras everywhere.
I noticed as I opened up my door that there was an envelope shoved under it. I raised an eyebrow at the letter before stooping down to pick it up and moving inside to shut my door. My room was decorated much the same way as the library, masses of books covering any surface that would hold them, heavy blue velvet drapes pulled open to allow light, a fireplace that was yet unused this year and a large overstuffed double wide chair that I loved to curl up in. My bed was large and covered in a blue down comforter, white lace sheets and a multitude of pillows all arranged haphazardly, I never made my bed, it seemed like a waste of time since I would be getting back in it sooner or later, a habit that drove Aunt Helen insane. I plopped down in the overstuffed chair and looked at the envelope. I knew who it was from, but what I was left wondering was how he got it in the Sanctuary. We had cameras covering every corner, shields up to prevent 'other' modes of transport, and other abnormals in the way of security. There was no feasible way that I could imagine he got that envelope under my door. I ripped it open and peered inside to see a red card laying inside, as I pulled it out, I could almost smell his cologne on it and I smiled unconsciously. It was a business card to a very nice restaurant downtown, the words were engraved into the card with a silvery foil and professional scroll work down the sides. I flipped the card over and read the back, the loopy handwriting made any misgivings that it might be from someone else fly out the window. The beautiful yet masculine handwriting could only belong to one person, Tesla. That day's date was written on the back along with a time, Saturday at 10P.M. It was only Wednesday, and I felt slightly disappointed. I laid the envelope and the card under a book on one of my stands and rose to leave the room again. On the way out of the room, the tree in the front courtyard that rose up to the second story of the Sanctuary caught my eye. It had turned a beautiful color of orange, it looked like candy corn covered in honey. I smiled and paused to appreciate it for a moment, imagining it was my own personal tree like I used to when I was small. I shook my head for a second, those thoughts were so far behind me now, there were other things that needed taken care of now, the least of which was my own personal tree.
I continued on with my day all smiles and politeness while Helen kept a close eye on me. Will seemed to be a little wary around me as well while I was helping him in the clinic. "How's the shoulder, Amy? Still sore?" he smiled as he tossed me a roll of gauze to restock the cupboards. "I told Magnus I should have gone with you..."
"Will, my shoulder would have been sore even then because you always let me go first." I laughed, smiling at him as he continued to toss supplies at me.
"That's because I'm scared of going first and you shooting me," Will smirked a little and tossed the empty box aside.
I turned back around and jumped off the ladder I had been standing on. "Really...because as I recall, you are the one who can't hit the broad side of a barn without a laser sight..." I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, awaiting a reply.
Will grinned sheepishly and nodded. "So...Magnus told me you had help out there anyways..."
"God, did she have to tell everyone? What did she say?" I asked, rubbing my sore shoulder. The pain of my fingertips on the bruise kept most of the anger out of my voice.
"She just said that Tesla was poking his nose around somewhere it was definitely not welcome." Will moved to my side, his hands shooing mine away from my shoulder. " She's worried about you, Amy. Not just because you faced a very dangerous abnormal on your own. She said you're not thinking of the dangers that you're facing with Tesla. Trust me, I've known him for a while myself, not as long as Magnus obviously, but he is never good news. The last time I saw him, well...it was a while ago...but-"
I cut him off, unable to hear any more. "Will, it is my business whether I am-" I didn't even know how to continue. "Will...lets please not do this right now. I am still tired and my shoulder hurts." I said, knowing just how to play Zimmerman to my advantage. He moved his hands to my shoulder, rubbing it for me, I leaned against him for a moment. "You know I love you like family, hell Will, you are family to me. But just trust me when I say I need to do this. What is going on with Nikola is nothing, he said he needs help. I can't just tell him to go away, you know I can't."
"Amy, your big heart is going to get you hurt really badly one of these days." Will hugged me close, I could feel his breath against my hair and it made me feel safe instead of uneasy like it did sometimes. "Let me go with you?" he asked, his face still buried in my hair.
"No, Will, you know I can't do that. But I promise I will leave my phone on and I will already have your number dialed, alright? But honestly, Nikola hasn't even told me when he wants to meet again. He may have decided he could handle what ever this is on his own. Everyone just needs to calm down. So what? Nikola Tesla happened to show up and help me out of a tight spot and ask for a favor in return. Nothing insanely dangerous and creepy there, now is there?" I replied, stepping away from Will and pulling my hair back away from my neck and up into a loose bun.
Will turned away and shook his head a little bit, opening another box of supplies and tossing me a few suture kits. "Lets get these put away before dinner, ok?"
"Will...Don't get all hostile now..." I poked him in the side to make him smile, succeeding slightly.
He looked back at me and shoved the box closer to me. "Alright,alright...I get it." I replied, grabbing a handful of supplies and sorting them into various cupboards and drawers. I wondered if Will would tell Helen what was said this afternoon between the two of us. I already knew that I was just piling one lie on top of another with everyone that I had talked to so far. First with Aunt Helen, then Will, who would I have to lie to next to keep everything a secret. Why was it such a big secret anyways? I couldn't understand why everyone was making it such a big deal and forcing my hand. I shook my head to clear it. I would not think of this again till Saturday, I promised myself.