FORBIDDEN CH. 7
Tuesday February 17, 2009
The rose was glowing so brightly that I had to squint to look at it. I could still read out the sentence. I read it aloud for everyone else. "Addam, this life is no longer mine to hold. Eva, you are the new protector. Addam's life is now in your hands." That was weird. I had no idea what the flower was talking or spelling about. I stepped back to look at the rest of Addam's family. They all had shocked expressions on their faces. What was it that they got but I didn't?
Nicholas spoke to me in a hurried voice. "Eva, I think you should get out of the way." There was now a crease in between my eyebrows. Then it hit me. I mean, it literally hit me. The rose hit me in the face and then fell in my hands. It was probably the brightest it had been since I had been here. I looked away so that I would not go blind. Everyone else in the garden was staring right at it without moving an inch.
I soon felt that the light had dimmed and went away. I hesitantly looked back at the rose. It was wilted. It looked like it had been dead for days rather than seconds. The petals were very fragile and breakable. I didn't want to touch the rose, afraid that I would break it. Addam carefully took it out of my hand and held it in his. He was examining it carefully. After he seemed like he was done examining it, he threw it over his shoulder.
"Why did you do that?" I asked. He looked at me with a smirk on his face and said, "That is not my life anymore, you are." I was so shocked to hear that. What did he mean by 'That is not my life anymore, you are?' I looked around at everyone again and they were all smiling. "Addam, I am not as magical as you are and I do not know everything that goes on in your world. Remember I live in the mortal world." He chuckled and took my hand. "Eva, love, you are my life. Didn't you read what the rose was spelling out? My life now belongs to you. As long as you live I live. Or maybe that means that you are now the one who protects me from all dangers. So that means I will still be alive when you're not. Actually I won't I can't imagine my life without you."
"Addam, I don't know about this. I mean, if I can't even protect my own life from the dangers that I face how can I protect you from the dangers you face? Your dangers are way bigger than mine." He took both of my hands in his and looked straight into my eyes. His eyes were liquid amber, burning with passion and I couldn't believe that that passion was for me. Every time that I looked at him I saw that passion, I saw the love. Along with seeing it, I felt it. I felt happier with him by my side.
He was like an angel, a beautiful angel. Someone like him could get whomever he wanted and he chose me. I didn't deserve him, but I still got him. He was everything to me. Without him I would have nothing left. "Eva, you listen to me now. My life is yours and yours is mine. You are the reason I live. Without you I would have nothing, so this flower is right to give you my life. You can take care of it and you will." He paused for a second in thought. "Wow that sounds really weird coming out of my mouth." I took his face in my hands. "No that sounds perfect coming out of your mouth. You are right, I can do this." I suddenly felt aware of the eyes on me and Addam. He kissed me lightly on my lips. Someone else cleared their throat and we both looked up. It was Nathaniel again. He had his own wife, why did he have to pay attention to us? Why couldn't he just look away like the rest of the family?
We let go of each other, but kept hold of one hand. His hand was warm and soft in mine. He rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. "Why don't we go home?" Addam asked. I wondered what he wanted to do at my home. Kristen and Jason were probably home by now and going crazy. "I guess we could." I replied. He chuckled and then swung me onto his back. "Hold on tight. We are going to fly." I realized why he had me on his back now. I locked my arms around his neck and shut my eyes tight.
I could feel the cold air biting my skin. I remembered that I had left my jacket in the garden. How long had we been flying like this? Minutes? Hours? I didn't know. I could feel my stomach turn again and again. I wanted to open my eyes, but I was afraid. I was afraid that if I opened my eyes I would fall, but Addam would never drop me. I slowly opened my eyes.
The scenery was amazing. Although everything that we passed was a blur, it was so wonderful up here. I looked at Addam and he was smiling. He seemed very happy and I liked that, no I loved that. I could feel the air pressure drop and I knew that we were descending to the ground. Once Addam landed we were in front of his house. He let me down and I almost fell over, but he caught me before I could get hurt. It felt like it was the other way around, he protected my life instead of me protecting his.
His house looked the same, just like how it was yesterday. I did notice something different, though. It seemed brighter in this yard than it did across the street. How was that possible? I shuffled my feet forward until I came to the front door. "Addam, why is your house glowing?" I asked. It seemed like a silly question, and it was. I looked up at the roof and there was nothing lighting up.
Elizabeth came up to me and whispered in my ear, "This is why we don't live in a neighborhood." She unlocked the door and went inside. The inside looked the same as yesterday. The natural light made the house look more fantasy-like.
Everyone filed in after her and went to work I think. Nathaniel went in the kitchen and when he came back he was holding a gold-colored bag and something in a jar that I didn't quite recognize. Nicolette pulled up a page on their laptop about the god Set. He was an Egyptian god who created chaos wherever he went. Genevieve and Elizabeth went upstairs and Isaac and Nicholas took out a book of spells.
They seemed so peaceful in the garden and now they seemed like they just got their batteries put in and they were on the job. Addam took my hand and we went upstairs. We went up to his attic to get something. "What are you looking for?" I asked. He kept looking around and around and didn't answer me. He was looking through shelves of book and then hit his head. "Are you okay?" I asked, thinking the noise was something else. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hit my head, don't worry." He came back with a huge book in his hand. It must have been easily five pounds.
"What's that?" I asked him when he reappeared. He looked at the book in his hands and answered, "This is just a book of how many creatures we've killed in the past four years. Don't worry, this isn't the only book." He set the book down on a table and went back to the shelves. I was shocked to hear that he had killed so many in so little amount of time. I looked around the room and the color scheme was the same as the rest of the house. Pale blue and in some rooms a faded pink. I had heard that Nicholas was also an architect and worked with my father. I didn't know why Jacob had never told me about this. I was a little disappointed that I had to hear this secondhand. No I'm just kidding; I don't really care. It was nice to know that Jacob and Nicholas were good friends. Jacob had actually invited the whole Aciari family home for dinner next week. Nicholas, being the gentleman he is, agreed. I wondered if the whole family would fit in my living room. I doubted it.
When Addam came back with two other books he looked worried. "What is it Addam?" I asked worried myself. He looked up at me and I could see it in his eyes. Something had gone wrong. "Nicholas!" I yelled from atop the stairs. He was up in the attic in less than a second. "Nicholas, something is wrong with Addam and he won't tell me what it is." Nicholas walked up to Addam and waved his hands in front of his face. "Addam, son, what is it? What happened?" Addam looked up at his father. "I know." He whispered the shocked expression still on his face. "You know what?" Nicholas asked, his voice steel.
"I saw it, everything. I know what they want." He saw it? What did he see? Nicholas looked shocked and engrossed in what Addam had to say. "They're coming for her. They're coming for Eva." His expression was blank when he spoke that last line. He looked at me and I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. He strode over to me and put his arms around me. His arms were like boa constrictors pulling me to him every second. I could barely breathe, but I didn't care. All I knew was that something bad was about to happen to me. That must have been what brought on all of this emotion.
"Addam, everything is going to be fine. I'm going to be fine. Nothing will happen to me, I won't let it." I whispered into his shoulder. He kissed my forehead and I felt an impact in my stomach that felt like I was receiving a blow in my abdomen. I pulled away from Addam, but I couldn't see the room anymore. There was something else in my vision, an image of me. I was standing in the middle of the baseball field at Suggs Park. It was nighttime and the lights were on. I looked frightened. I was sweating and I could feel my heart beating inside of my chest. It tuned out any other sound. I couldn't even hear the seductive whispers of the man behind me. Charles. He had his hands on my shoulders and he was whispering something in my ear. I couldn't quite hear it.
He stopped whispering and there was someone else in front of me. Charles's leader was standing in front of me with a vicious smile on his face. He had something in his hand. He was holding a small bottle filled with a dark red liquid that sloshed around when he moved it. I could smell it through my nose, the horrid smell of blood. He opened the bottle and drank it whole. Once he did that I felt faint and uneasy. I could feel the darkness crushing me, my heart racing to keep me alive. I could hear my name being called in the distance. The image was removed from my sight. I looked around and Addam and Nicholas were hovering over me. I was sitting on the ground beside the book shelf. "Eva, what happened?"
"I-I- I saw it. I saw my death."
Nicholas helped me up on my feet. "How could you see your death? That is not possible." Addam asked.
"Addam, I don't know how that happened, but I think when you kissed my forehead your vision passed through me. I saw everything and I felt everything."
"Eva, this is not possible. A human cannot have supernatural powers." Addam said in a confused voice.
"Well, I did. You said it yourself; I must be the most powerful human being you have ever seen." I took his hand in mine and once again I felt that stomach wrenching pain in my core. I placed my hands on my stomach and another vision flashed before my eyes. The vision this time was about Addam. I only saw his face. His panicked, broken face. I saw sorrow and pain. Pain for my death. He was also mad, angry, and furious. I had a feeling that I was staring blankly into space.
The vision was over and I could see everything again. I could see Addam looking at me now. Nicholas had stepped out of the room to tell everyone what happened. My heart raced when I saw that face. Seeing the pain in his face caused me the same pain. I looked up at Addam and saw that he was smiling. Why was he smiling when I was crying? I could feel every drop flowing down my face. "Addam, I'm so sorry!" I attacked him and put my arms around his neck. It felt good to be in his arms. I felt warm and loved here. This was where I belonged. He pulled me tighter and he stroked my hair. "I love you, I always have, I always will, and I will never let you forget that." He kissed my forehead again, but this time I didn't get a vision. I didn't know how long we stood like that, but it must have been almost ten minutes. We heard a knock on the door and I quickly wiped away any evidence of tears on my face. Everyone filed in and came to me. Nicolette spoke first. "Eva, I, no, we all promise to keep you safe. The future has been changed before, it can be changed again. Besides, I'm really starting to like you. It wouldn't be great to lose my best friend now would it?" She hugged me tightly.
Everyone else took turns hugging me before I left. It wasn't yet night, but better to go home early. I was so torn up when I got home. Jason and Kristin were home and I had to cook for Jacob today since he was coming home late. I made vegetarian lasagna because Kristin was vegetarian. Along with her Jason had also become a vegetarian. Jacob was not home yet so I had to serve the food without him. "So Eva what did you do while we were gone?" Jason asked when I sat down at the table. I faked a smile and tried to lie the best that I could. "I went for a small hike and I met Addam along the way. After that we went to his house and his family greeted me warmly. We worked on our project for a while and then we made out and I left." Jason's eyes opened wide when I said that Addam and I made out. I smirked and he relaxed. "Don't do that to me, I still can't think of my little sister like that." He paused for a moment and then spoke again. "We went to check out the park and it was amazing. We booked the picnic area for this day next month. How does that sound?" Kristin and Jason were smiling so big, I felt like smiling. I nodded and they blew out a gust of wind. I looked at them, confused. Kristin answered this time. "We were just afraid that you were going to freak. We know how you are when you yell something out of anger. We thought you were just kidding about the idea this morning." I smiled and then shook my head.
After we finished our dinner I went upstairs to work on some homework, while Jason and Kristin were downstairs watching a movie. I had left some food out on the table for Jacob when he came home. As I heard the silent murmurs from the movie downstairs, I thought about the day that I had just witnessed. I wasn't going to live very long and I knew it. Before I left, Addam told me that in a few months the scenes we both saw were going to come true. I was scared, yes, but I was also worried. I was worried about Addam and his family. I was afraid that one of them was going to get hurt. This was so like me. I always worried about others and not about me. I didn't want to think about this now. I set my homework aside and placed my laptop on my lap. I checked my e-mail and there were these useless ads. Only one interested me the most. Tarot card readings. They were accurate and very true. Hesitantly I clicked on the link and it took me to the page. The background was purple and black. It seemed mysterious enough to be the real thing. I clicked on the link that took me to the readings.
Before I could see what my readings were I had to fill out this survey about me. At least the astrological part of me. My sign is Scorpio. I finally came to the page where I could read my cards. I had to shuffle them by clicking the hand to the right of the deck. I had to pick up the first three cards and they were: death, despair, and love. Even the cards were saying the same thing as the visions. I couldn't run away from this could I? I put the laptop back in its place and lay down on my bed. I closed the light first. I lay there thinking about how weird it was to know that I was dying soon. I knew it was going to be in the most painful way possible. I could feel it in the visions. I could feel the pain, the worry for Addam and his family, the anticipation for death to come quickly. I was dying for Addam and his family.
I could remember each and every last heartbeat of mine. It felt odd to experience my death before it even happened. It was painful to look back at those horrific moments. I stared up at the ceiling and found myself drifting to sleep.
The rest of the week had gone by fast. Jason and Kristin bought their clothes for the wedding and reception. Addam and I researched more on Charles and his leader, Jareb Quitel. Jacob had been busy all week. He and Nicholas were working on restoring a 19th century hostel for boys from the 1850's. Nicholas at least came home at night. Jacob stayed after hours to work on a few more things. I hated him for doing that, but he had to. I went over to the Aciari's house a lot. Jason and Kristin were always wondering why I was always out so late. I always told them the truth, or what I could anyway. I hated lying to them, but that's what I get for knowing a secret that could not be revealed to anyone.
"Eva, could you pass me that book over there?" Addam asked one Friday afternoon after school. I picked up the book that said Mythical Creatures of Today and Ancient Greece. I handed it to him and he opened up to a page that said Power Trackers. "What are Power Trackers?" I asked. He looked up at me and answered, "They track down the most powerful beings they can find and feed off of their powers. They are very dangerous; you never want to be around them. I think that is what Charles and Jareb are. I don't know for sure yet, but I will find out sooner or later. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe and in my arms." He pulled me and sat me down on his lap. I looked into his liquid amber eyes and saw that he was determined to know what was going on. This time I kissed his forehead. "Don't stress. I know that we are going to find them and we are going to kill them." He looked up at me with a shocked expression on his face. "What do you mean we are going to kill them?" I realized that when I was speaking I accidentally included myself in the fight. He was always so touchy about this topic. He didn't want me anywhere near where they were fighting.
I found that sort of impossible considering that they are after me. Wherever I am they will come. I could be at my brother's wedding and they could come with no invitation. What I didn't get was that why did they want me if I don't have any powers? "I'm sorry, my tongue just slipped." He turned his head back toward the book. I heard the phone ringing from the kitchen downstairs. I lifted myself off of Addam's lap and headed down to pick up the phone. "Hello?" I asked into the phone.
"Hey Eva, do you remember me? Phil? The guy who has been your friend since pre kindergarten and the guy who has been trying to call you for days?" I heard something from upstairs. I think it was Addam. He said something in Latin. I felt like I was floating on air. I looked down at my feet just to make sure they were planted firmly on the ground. "Holy crap!" I yelled. I was floating in the air and drifting toward the stairs. Looks like Addam wanted me back upstairs. "Eva! What happened?" Phil asked.
"Nothing, I just…..I saw a mouse. At least I thought it was a mouse." I looked up at the top of the stairs and yelled, "Addam, stop it!" I felt the ground under me again and sighed. I was used to this kind of stuff – magic being practiced around me – but it gets annoying at times. "Eves, where are you?" Phil asked from the other end of the line. I slowly walked up the steps. Sometimes I didn't feel like I was happy enough anymore. I couldn't make out the empty feeling I still had in my heart. I had everything. I had Addam, but why am I still unhappy? Maybe it was because we never had time to be together anymore. He was so determined to keep me safe he forgot that all I want is to be happy, with him. I stood in the doorway of his room and watched as he put all of his books away. He was moving in a blur. Sometimes it's like he's a dream. How do I know if he really is real?
I walked into the room and he stopped in front of me. His gaze bore into mine and I couldn't look away. "Hey Eva I just called to let you know that the wedding has been postponed until March. They need more time and you know how they both don't like it when it gets cold here. Bye!" I heard the phone click and the line cut. The wedding was postponed. That was at least good news. I was just happy that there was more time. "Addam?" I called. He looked down at me.
"Addam, how do you feel about me?" One eyebrow of his went up. "What do you mean how do I feel about you? You know that I love you." His arms surrounded my waist. I closed my eyes so I would not get hypnotized in his sight like I always did. "Addam, I just feel like I never get to see you, even though I am here 24/7. When I first met you it was like magic, now it just feels like any other meaningless relationship. What happened?" He took both of my hands in his, looked in my eyes and said, "Eva, no matter what I will always love you. I really truly mean it. Without you, my sky is starless, my night is moonless, and my day turns into darkness. I will never love anyone except for you, ever. If you feel like I can't be that for you, then you are happy to leave. I will not grieve in front of your eyes. I will not demand you to come back. I am yours as long as you want me to be." I could feel the tears threatening to fall over. I gritted my teeth to keep them locked up.
I couldn't keep them in. Addam wiped the tears off of my face and smiled. "Let's forget about this whole thing for a while. Let us not reminisce in this horrible moment. Come on, we need to get you out of this hell hole. I have a surprise for you actually. Is anyone home right now?" He questioned. I held up one finger and dialed the number in the phone that was still in my hand. It started to ring and on the second ring Jason picked up. "Hello?" I groaned when he answered. "Are you and Kristin going anywhere and is Jacob coming home early?" I heard him yell something to Kristin. "Yeah, since we are waiting 'til spring to get married we are just going to come back later. All I know is that we are going to come back before Kristin cannot travel anymore. She'll be five months pregnant, and big, and crabby. I will wish you good luck for that. Taking care of a pregnant woman is not that easy you know. I have to go, oh yeah, we are leaving next week. Jacob is going to be home pretty late today. Bye!"
"No one is home today. Why?" I pressed. He smiled and whispered in my ear, "It's a surprise." He took my hand and ran downstairs. When we were out of the door he asked, "Do you prefer flying or driving?" I thought over that for a moment and decided that driving was the best. "Driving, I'm still not that used to the flying yet." His car was parked out front. He opened the door for me to his fancy car and then sat himself. We drove out of the area and straight to my house. During the drive he looked ecstatic, but it didn't match the panicked look in his eyes. It felt good to see him this excited. It was a new face, a new Addam. I had no clue what brought this on, but maybe it's because he knows that I still love him. That I would choose him over my thoughts. I had never felt this way before, never. It was all new to me. It seemed a little uncomfortable at times because I couldn't breathe with him around. Right now I am breathing deep jagged breaths. My heart either speeds up or all together stops when I see him smile, or when he touches me, even when I think about him.
I smiled to myself. He looked over at me and chuckled. "Why are you smiling?" He mumbled. I looked up at him and smiled wider. "Just thinking about how messed up my organs are. Love is unhealthy you know?" He looked confused. "What?"
"I swear it is. Whenever I see you, I can't breathe, my heart either stops or speeds up. Sometimes when I see you I feel like my endorphins are kicking in. I feel like I was just free falling. I get butterflies in my stomach. It is all very unhealthy. Love can also cause anxiety. My hands always sweat when you come near me. I stutter sometimes. And I'm also scared sometimes."
"Why are you scared? You have no reason to be scared of me." I shook my head in regret. I didn't want to tell him any of that. Why was I such a blabber mouth? "Come on, tell me. It's okay, I won't laugh." He pulled my chin up and then the trigger was pulled. My heart was racing. I wondered if I would ever get better at this. "That's not why I'm afraid. I'm….I'm afraid of losing you. I mean you fight evil quite often and what if you lose your life? I don't want that to happen. I'm scared by the very thought of you leaving me and I'm so selfish."
We were sitting in front of the house now. The sun was beginning to set. I could see the orange, pink, purple, yellow, red, and blue colors of the sky. He turned in the seat to face me. He stroked his fingers across my cheek. "Evangeline Monae Greene, you are not unselfish, At least not as much as I am. Here I am keeping you hostage at my house every day. Not only because I want you to be safe, but also because I can't stand being away from you. I can't sleep at night because of that. When you are away from me, I feel like I could scream. I don't know if I could get used to this or not. Eva, I love you dearly, more than anything. And I know a lot of guys say that, but they don't really mean it, but I do. I would give up everything for you. I would stay away from you if it was too dangerous for you to be near me. I would hurt myself just to keep you safe. Anything to keep you alive I would do. I would give up my life for you if it meant that no one would hurt you."
I was surprised at the turn this conversation had taken. We both looked down, away from each other. "Uhh…," Addam mumbled before he stepped out of the car. I slowly stepped out too and felt the spot where Addam had touched my cheek. Every day with him felt like falling in love every day. I quickly scattered to his side. I took out my key to unlock the door. He cut me to the chase. He picked up the key hid in the plant by the door and unlocked it. He led me inside. He raced up the stairs so quickly he was a blur. I slowly walked up the stairs behind him. "Do not come up here!" He yelled. I sighed and sat down on one of the steps. I waited for five minutes and then he was by my side, smiling so widely and brilliantly, I couldn't help but smile back.
"Ready yet?" I stood up and he followed. He nodded and took my hand. We walked that way up the stairs to the master bathroom. I was confused. Why was he taking me here for my surprise? I looked at him like he was crazy. "What is so special in the bathroom that would make me happy?" I pressed. He grinned down at me and then opened the door.
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