Author Note: Oh my gosh, again, thank you to those who reviewed, and favorited, and subscribed! I really appreciate it. I wanted to get this one out before I start work. Updates will be slower now, maybe. Enjoy.
He had done it.
He had stepped out into the world after exactly one month in seclusion. Gabriel Gray became part of the Spokane population, breathed the Spokane air, felt the Spokane sun if only for a minute, and stepped onto the Spokane pavement.
Gabriel hadn't felt so good to feel normal in, ever. To just be part of a crowd, walking down the street was enough to give him an ultimate high. Drinking coffee in a Starbucks, going to buy a donut at a local mom-and-pop shop, buying a shirt, it was all exhilarating. Doing all of this as Gabriel Gray, not his evil alias.
Sylar was always inside of Gabriel, wanting to be special, wanting to be noticed, yelling for attention. Sylar was released in fury the second Brian Davis was killed. But finally, Gabriel can control Sylar. He can silence him, make him hide in the deepest shadow of his mind. The two people inside of one man can be controlled harmoniously.
Knowing this, Gabriel was happy, ecstatic actually. His Monday outing of coffee and donuts was successfully done which gave him hope for what Tuesday would bring. No longer would he hide in his hotel room. The staff probably believed he was agoraphobic after his one month stint.
He felt like a free man, some recovered addict. He was done hiding.
Gabriel put on his best outfit to go out on this Tuesday afternoon. He had called a yellow cab to take him to the nearby Spokane Public library. He paid the cabbie the small fee and walked up the steps to the quaint red, brick building. He pushed past the glossed wooden doors.
It was chilly inside and so quiet that his footsteps made an echo. There weren't very many people inside the facility.
It's a work day, he figured.
The librarian at the head desk smiled at Gabriel then continued to do paper work. Gabriel gave a nod for acknowledgment. His eyes scanned the room, unsure of where to go. He didn't even have a library card. Should he apply for one? To not look like a fool he walked to the right where he saw many empty chairs.
Just blend in, he told himself. You're just another man in the library.
He saw a display shelf of up-to-date magazines. Elle, Seventeen, Guitar, GQ, Ocean Drive, Good Housekeeping, People, Us, Ok, Latina, People en Español, Time, and Rolling Stone. Gabriel picked up the Time issue and sat down in a cushioned chair. He knew that he should find out what's been happening in the world this last month.
India had invented a smarter car, television was making a switch to digital programming in a few months, beets is found to be this miracle vegetable, so on and so forth.
"Guess I didn't miss much," Gabriel said out loud.
"Sie wusste nicht was, vom merkwürdigen Herrn zu erwarten."
Did someone respond to me, Gabriel wondered. He looked to his left and saw no one, he did the same to his right. No one.
"Sie hatte nicht angst."
Gabriel didn't know where the voice was coming from, but he knew that it was feminine. Dare he look? He slowly twisted his torso, careful to not make the leather chair crackle, and looked to a wooden table behind him. There was a young lady, she couldn't have been more than twenty two or twenty three, speaking quietly to herself. She was reading a black book, mumbling, then writing in a notepad.
"Dieser musste der mann sein."
Gabriel didn't understand the language. By the harshness of the pronunciation he wondered if she was speaking German. She didn't appear to be German. Her skin was tanned, she had long brown hair and bangs that were styled in a straight line on her forehead. She didn't appear to be Caucasian either, but she did look ethnic.
"Dieses ist er, er ist schließlich hier."
Gabriel continued to stare at her as she appeared to be in some sort of trance. Suddenly she stopped speaking. She tilted her head and met Gabriel's dark eyes to her own. Gabriel felt embarrassed to have been caught staring, but he couldn't turn his attention away, his eyes felt paralyzed.
"Is your name Gabriel?" she asked.
Gabriel's mouth parted slightly, his brain shut down, but he managed to nod.
She smiled and looked relieved.
"She was right."