Jared found me ten minutes later in the same spot. I was on my knees, sobbing with no constraint. It hurt, not knowing if I would ever see the ones I loved again, it hurt worse than physical pain. I wanted to go home and wake up from this nightmare that was the Grimm curse. But it was inescapable. Jared knelt next to me slowly, as though afraid of startling me. Slowly, cautiously, I was enveloped in his embrace. I cried into his shirt, not caring what he thought of me or how broken I looked. I sobbed until the onslaught of tears ebbed and the pain dulled into a steady throb. Without a word Jared helped me to my feet. Gently he wiped my last tear off my face with his thumb.
"Come on." He said gruffly, but not unkindly. I nodded, too drained to argue. I followed Jared back to the apartment parking lot. There was his polished black motorcycle, as sleek and mysterious as its owner. We picked our way towards it, the parking lot cement a jagged maze of cracks sprouting weeds. Jared reached the motorbike first, his hand trailing the bike's handles lovingly. He looked back at me, and gestured to the bike.
"Well? Get on." I stepped back, my arms folded protectively around myself, shivering. Night was descending and the coldness was unforgiving. I stared at Jared, puzzled.
"I thought we were going back to your apartment." I whispered, my teeth chattering. Jared shook his head.
"Too obvious. The police will track us here. Plus, we need a proper place to train at."
"Where are we going?" Jared shrugged. "You'll see. Now hurry up, it's getting late." With some hesitation I boarded the bike. Without sparing me a glance, Jared sat in front of me and inserted his silver keys into the ignition. Instantly the motorcycle roared to life, the powerful rumble slashing through the serene night air like a knife. I jumped at the sudden noise, my uncertainty growing. The motorcycle purred underneath me, trembling with excitement and power. Jared bent over his bike with barely suppressed glee, his hands eagerly grasping the handle bars. He kicked off and the motorcycle lurched forward with a triumphant roar; we were zooming out of the decrepit parking lot. I gasped, my heart pounding in my throat as the motorcycle sliced through the cold air. Without a second thought I wrapped my arms around Jared for support. It was a strange and wonderful sensation, riding on a motorcycle. I felt as though I was witnessing something magical and wondrous; the merging of this boy and bike to become one dark, powerful beast. It was strange and beautiful at once. The the dimly flickering florescent street lights and the moon lit our way as we raced down the winding roads at break neck speeds. The cold wind slapped my unprotected face unforgiving. After only a few more seconds my resolve broke and I buried my face in Jared's back. I could feel myself relaxing almost against my will; the steady hum of the engine and Jared's warmth were too good for my weary mind to refuse. I closed my eyes, my worries and anxieties torn away by the winter wind. I felt safe and secure, though I could not say why. The darkness became complete as I sank into oblivion.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking it slightly. I blinked slowly, trying to gather my thoughts. I was not in my bed at home. The sudden feeling of not knowing where I was crashed into me like a physical blow. My heart skipped a beat, and panic cleared my mind in an instant. I jerked away from the hand and almost fell off the motorcycle. An arm went out to steady me.
"Careful." A voice warned. In the faint light I could make the outline of Jared's pale face twisted around to stare at me from his seat on the bike. "We're here." He added lightly. I blinked stupidly, noting for the first time the absence of the constant roaring of the engine. We had stopped. I shivered, taking in our surroundings.
An old church towered above us, rigid gothic architecture and frowning gargoyles giving an uninviting appearance. It had clearly been abandoned long ago; the bricks were chipped and the large heavily decorated oak doors were boarded up. A weather beaten 'For Sale' sign stood stoically in a frozen puddle of murky water. It took little imagination to thing of the place as haunted. I stared up at the place doubtfully.
"Here?" I asked disbelievingly, my voice small. "A church?"
"Long since desanctified." Jared said with a shrug. "It's big enough to accommodate our training needs, but out of the way. No one will come looking for you here." The realization I didn't know where I was hit me again, but this time it stayed. The landscape surrounding us was unfamiliar. How long had we been traveling? Were we even in the same town? I silently cursed myself for not being more attentive. I should have been watching where we were going. Now I was truly lost, expected to train in a creepy church against a deadly curse. Not to mention that Jared was apparently my only hope of survival. Jared snapped me out of my depressing thoughts. He got off his motorcycle and offered me his hand. I was glad it was dark so he could not make out my blush. Pretending not to notice his hand, I slid off the motorcycle. I instantly regretted it. My legs were wobbly and cramped from the ride. I stumbled like a newborn fawn, wincing as my aching leg muscles protested. I was beyond feeling, I was so numb with cold. If Jared was not watching me I would have sunk to the ground and refused to move another inch. But though his face was cast in shadow, I knew Jared was staring at me intensely, assessing my every move. I couldn't let him think I was weak, or he might assume I was too weak to break the curse. It was only my stubborn willpower that kept my knees buckling on the spot.
"You okay?" Jared asked, his voice unreadable.
"Of course." I growled in frustration. Jared studied me for another second before turning and grabbing his motorcycle's handle bars. Without a word he started pushing it towards the church. Casting another wary glance around and breathing in deeply to calm my nerves, I followed him with a unsteady gait.
Jared had a lock picking set in one of the bags strapped to his motorcycle. We navigated our way to a side entrance of the church half hidden by unkempt shrubbery and within minutes he was able to get the ancient rusted doorknob to turn again. Jared shouldered the door open and peered into church.
"Coast's clear." He informed me, a ghost of a smile playing his lips in the little light. I snorted in response and walked passed him. The hall was completely devoid of light besides the small amount coming from the doorway I had emerged from. Jared followed quickly after me, pushing his precious bike into the hallway with us. Carefully he closed the door with a high-pitched creak, and all was dark.
"Follow me." Jared said, closer to me than I expected. I started, but managed keep my dignity and not yelp in fright. I bit my lower lip in anxiousness, and took a hesitant step forward. It was so dark, suffocatingly so. The unseen walls seemed to be closing in, the entire creepy building slowly entangling me like a fly caught in a spider's web- A hand brushed mine.
"We'll never get anywhere at this rate." Jared said, a bit of hard teasing in his voice. His hand closed on top of mine firmly, and he pulled me forward. Desperately trying to keep myself from shaking, I followed. There was no way we could see through the darkness. However Jared walked so purposefully, carefully guiding me without ramming into walls, I began to wonder if his powers allow him to see in the dark. After the day I had, nothing would surprise me. We came out of the hallway and into the chapel.
Gigantic stained glass windows illuminated the empty rows of pews stretching across the room. Jared sighed with relief and broke away, jogging up the middle aisle. I trailed behind him, studying the decor. A life-size statue of a bearded man stood glaring down at me, his stone halo covered in flaking gold leaf. A saint, apparently. His empty condemning eyes were on me, as if wondering why a unworthy imp such as myself dared trespass on his abode. I quickly moved on, slowing to a stop in front of a stained glass window.
The colored glass fragments were welded together to form an elegant picture, that of a single rose. The red glass that formed the petals cast its brilliant hue onto my face with its unearthly beauty. I was entranced by it, something about it holding me spellbound. The familiar tingling sensation crawled up my spine, like an electric current spreading throughout my body. On impulse, I reached out and touched the stained glass. It was smooth and cool to my touch, the glass slick and flawless. The electric feeling hummed in my fingertips were I had touched it.
"Mina." I wrenched my gaze from the exquisite artwork and turned to Jared, who stood at the front of the chapel, inspecting it critically.
"There's a side room through that door." He told me, indicating the opposite side of the chapel. "That's where the brides usually prepare. You can sleep in there tonight. I'll be out here in the chapel, okay?"
"What?" I asked indignantly, forgetting about the stained glass window. Jared shrugged.
"Unless you want the chapel, and I take the bride's room. It's your choice." I glanced around the chapel, taking in all the frowning faces of the various saints.
"I'll take the bride's room." I agreed nervously. Jared smirked knowingly, and made his way towards me.
"Here." He said, holding a moth eaten red velvet curtain up. "I found it back there. This will have to do until we can find some bedding. Take it." I accepted it wordlessly, and looked the door Jared had pointed out to me.
"Are you sure this place is safe?" I asked uncomfortably. Jared chuckled, his brown eyes gleaming with their own light.
"Don't worry about it tonight. Nothing's been in this place for at least a decade. I'll stand guard, it'll be fine. Tomorrow morning, we start your training." He said, his tone hardening a little. "So get some rest. You'll need it." I nodded, to tired to argue.
"Goodnight." I yawned, readjusting the velvet bundle in my arms.
"'Night." Jared echoed, and I stumbled over to the bride's quarters. The room was dark and smelled of decayed flowers, but I was so worn out I couldn't care less. I threw the velvet mass on the ground and closed the door, locking it for good measure. Curling into a small ball on the outdated carpet and covering myself entirely with the velvet curtain, sleep found me easily.