Divine Mortals (13 page)

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Should I be?” I asked, serious now, I felt my skin prickle from more than just the cool air.

“I don’t know?” he answered truthfully, “no-one has ever known about me before, it feels kind of nice to tell someone.” he admitted, then he chuckled, “we have definitely seen a lot more of each other tonight than we expected.”

I felt myself blush all over again and hit his knee playfully,

“For all your apparent speed you didn’t leave very quickly when you saw me.”

He laughed,

“I may be a little different from the other guys around here Ava but I’m still a guy.” he laughed again, the sound of it was amazing, deep and bell like. I blushed so hard I thought my face would catch alight, but I was glowing inside, did he actually just say that he found me attractive?

“Why do you act so arrogant to everyone else our age?” My question hit him right out of left field, I watched him ponder it for a moment, then he looked at me, his eyes glowing softly.

“For this reason,” he said simply, gesturing to him and I swinging together on the hammock.

“I can’t have people know about me and the closer people are to me the more opportunity for me to make a mistake and expose myself for what I am. I just want to fit in, be as normal as I can, and if that means not having people be close to me then that’s how it has to be.”

“Aren’t you lonely?”

“You get used to it,” he grinned, “I have the animals here, they don’t judge me when I move to quickly from one side of their field to the other and I get along great with older people, the sort of people that aren’t gonna ask me around to watch the game, or go to the movies.”

“No,” I laughed at him, thinking of my grandparents, “They’ll just ask you around for a game of Bingo and a glass of sherry.” Robert laughed with me and it felt so natural for us to be joking and laughing together, I felt so comfortable with him, he made me feel unaccountably safe and happier than I had been in a long time.

“Are you angry?” I asked, serious once more, I needed to ask this question.

“Why would I be?” he looked confused,

“Because you’ve told me. Because I know and you’re not anonymous anymore.”

“Not at all,” he lent forward and brushed my hair back, tracing his hand gently along the side of my face. His fingers lingered against my cheek, burning a trail of heat into my skin wherever he touched, I had to force myself not to lean into his hand.

“If I hadn’t then you would have had more than that lump on your head.”

A horse whinnied suddenly and I jumped, startled out of the intensity of Roberts gaze I cast my eyes towards the stables.

“What happened to your parents?” his voice bought me back again.

It was my turn to decide what I would share. I hadn’t told this story out loud yet. Everyone back in Chicago had known what happened without my having to tell it. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stared off into the darkness, unable to meet his gaze.

“The police told me that they felt no pain,” My voice shook and I swallowed loudly.

I wasn’t sure I believed this, what the police said, I couldn’t help but think it was probably the standard line meant to comfort the ones left behind.

“They had been on their way to pick me up from prom when they were killed.” I bit my lip and finally managed to look at Robert, his dark eyes seemed to glow gold as he watched me.

“A trucker who had worked nineteen hours straight fell asleep at the wheel, he ran straight over top of their car at an intersection near my school. The truck driver walked away, completely unscathed, my parents…”

I swallowed hard at the memory. Police arriving at prom to find me, the whispering behind hands as they lead me away to break the news.

I blinked, trying to focus, suddenly my hands were enveloped in a warmth so extreme as to nearly be uncomfortable.

Robert grasped my hands in his own, his eyes taking in my struggle to finish.

“And how are you now?” His question surprised me, no ‘I’m Sorry,’ or the million extensions there seemed to be to go with those two words.

“I’m fine.” I stuttered, forcing a smile, “Well as fine as anyone could be I guess.”

Suddenly his hands were gone, as though he had just realized what he was doing, the movement so swift it made me jump and before I knew it he was out of the hammock and standing beside me, his hands holding the side to steady it after his sudden departure.

“Wait,” his abrupt exit from the hammock had shocked my memory into work once more, “you said you protect us from the unseen, what do you mean?”

He looked like he was struggling with something, closing his eyes briefly,

“I can’t tell you that.” His voice was firm, his gaze steady.

“Why not.” I challenged,

“Because it may put you in danger Ava, more than just knowing about me may have already done.”

“I, ahhhh. Okay.” I didn’t know whether to stay put or run terrified into the house in search of Pops gun, I could see from his posture that he would not be moved on this now.

“It’s cold out here, I should take you back inside.” he announced, forcing a smile and holding out his hand to help me from the hammock. I eased myself out slowly until I was standing next to him.

“Your hands are freezing,” he frowned, “I’m not being a very responsible baby sitter.”

“You’re not my babysitter.” I mumbled, walking awkwardly towards the back door, my feet had fallen asleep while we had been out here and now prickled with pins and needles.

I could hear Roberts foot falls on the porch behind me, following me into the house. I was suddenly nervous, the memory of his hand glowing as he fixed the pickup wasn’t so wondrous, more like a scene from ET.

Walking down the hallway and into the kitchen, I glanced at the clock above the sink, it was almost midnight, we had been outside for a while.

Robert noticed the time as well, I was beginning to wonder if anything escaped his notice.

“Now that I’ve escorted you indoors young lady,” he was trying to sound at ease, and failing, “I think I should go, Norma and Fred said they would be home around midnight and I don’t think they wanted you kept up all night.”

“You
were
listening to our conversation!” they had said that at dinner.

“Sorry,” he murmured, “I needed to know if you were going to tell anyone what you saw.”

I let it go, sighing loudly, there was no point getting mad with him now.

“You know I still have questions.”

“I know,” he groaned, “Can we talk about them another time?”

“Sure,” I smiled carefully, “I’m going to be on the ranch for a while
and
I know where you live.” I added the last part in an effort to lighten the mood, trying on purpose to sound like a deranged stalker.

Robert laughed, although it was still strained,

“I may have to move.” He joked, then paused, looking thoughtful, his head cocked gently to one side.

“Fred and Norma are nearly home, it seems they now want to visit Europe.”

I gaped at him, probably looking like a fish, I could feel my mouth hanging open and quickly snapped it shut.

Robert chuckled, apparently enjoying my shock, I guess he had been waiting for my cool acceptance of everything to crumble.

“Good Night Ava,” his grin made my heart leap, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I followed him in silence back down the hallway towards the door, my eyes fixed where his shirt pulled tight across the broad muscles of his shoulders. Letting him out I watched as he walked towards the edge of the porch.

“Good Night,” I finally echoed, he smiled back at me already halfway down the stairs, I turned, walking back into the house. The sound of his voice made me turn back, he was standing behind me, his face only inches from my own, I gasped at his sudden closeness, I hadn’t even heard him move.

“Oh and Ava,” he leaned towards me, his voice soft, his dark brown eyes incredibly deep, “If you ever need me just say my name, I’ll hear it.”

I opened my mouth to answer but he was already gone, so quickly it was as if he hadn’t been there at all. I shook my head to clear it and rushed back into the house swinging the door shut behind me, I didn’t want to be up when my grandparents got home, I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my babysitter with Nan, she would be dying to see how her plan played out. Rushing my shower I leapt into bed, closed my eyes and fell instantly to sleep.

I think I was falling for a Guardian.

T
he next few days flew by in a whir of nothing special, much to my disappointment Robert had left on a muster. Appearing the morning after our evening rendezvous he told me of his imminent departure, and before I could ask anything he had gone, leaving me bursting with questions that for now had to go unanswered.

Trying to fill my time I threw myself into other activities, spending my days swimming, sunbathing and catching up with Sally for lunches in Huntington.

On one of these trips we were busy devouring a bowl of fries while Sally told me about her dress for the Ranchers Ball, the diner doorbell rang signaling more customers,

“Hey Sal,” she turned towards the voice mid-sentence, a smile instantly on her face.

Two guys were making their way quickly to our table, one of them, the one who had spoken, was tall and lanky with wavy blonde hair and dark blue eyes, he was quite attractive, although didn’t hold a torch to Robert. The other had short wavy brown hair and a more athletic build then the blonde, he was definitely attractive, but what struck me were his eyes, an amazing emerald green that seemed to glow.

Sally introduced me to them quickly the blonde was James, he would be in my year at school and Sally had known him forever. The green eyed guy, Will, had only just arrived in town last week and had meet James at the local swimming hole. He would be the ‘other’ new kid when we went back to school.

They ordered some fries at the counter and came back to our table.

“So,” James struck up conversation first, his smile friendly and I noticed, as he spoke, that he had a pierced tongue, something I didn’t expect from a born and breed Huntington boy.

“How are you settling in to life in the big smoke?” he grinned mockingly, “You know once in a while we get more than three cars on the main street and Dads called out to ease the congestion.”

I laughed, guessing his father to be the local sheriff.

“It’s not too bad,” I shrugged, I was always a little shy around new people, apparently James didn’t suffer from the same social inhibitor.

“No Chicago though huh?” he continued,

“Oh I don’t know,” I decided to make a joke of it as well, “We didn’t have fishing line for sale in the supermarket back home so that’s a bonus, you know something extra I now have when I’m at the grocery store.”

Both guys laughed, Will was watching me intently, his head tilted slightly to one side, his green eyes shining like emeralds, reflecting my face in their bright green depths. I had the odd feeling he could read my soul, it wasn’t a feeling I relished.

The laughter died and James said something I didn’t catch, Will was still staring and I was starting to get a little unnerved.

“So,” I asked, groping for a question, “You’ll be starting Huntington High in the fall as well?”

The intensity in his eyes died a little as he seemed to realize he was gawking.

“Yeah,” he shrugged casually, “I guess we can be ogled together, you know put behind the looking glass for a few weeks.”

“Hmmm,” I shuddered a little at the thought, I had never been the new kid at school before and I was afraid of it already.

“If you don’t mind doing something outrageous on your first day to take some of the focus from me then perhaps I could take you out to dinner to say thanks,” he chuckled, “Although we may be coming back here, I don’t know whether there is much in the way of ‘fine dining’ to be found in Huntington.”

Now I was completely unnerved, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be slightly embarrassed by his invitation. My cheeks burned and the silence was beginning to stretch out, I looked to Sally for saviour but she was staring with as much astonishment at Wills forward behaviour as I was.

“I don’t think I’ll be doing anything outrageous for a while.” I muttered pathetically, pushing a cold fry across the table to avoid his gaze.

Will didn’t seem to register my discomfort, he just chuckled again softly, his strange beautiful eyes burning into me once more.

“Oh well,” he sighed with exaggerated disappointment “I guess I’m just going to have to share the stares and whispers with you on the first day.”

I smiled weakly, no-one had ever been that direct with me before, even when I had lived in Chicago. I didn’t know how I was supposed to react, fortunately it didn’t appear that I had offended him so I let it drop.

Sally, finally, came to my rescue even if it was too late, asking Will what he had been doing since he arrived, sharing with him the ‘Hot Spots’ of this small town that was now our home.

After a little more chatter I decided to take off, Will had been watching me from behind his long lashes again, a little less obvious now, but I could still feel his eyes on me.

“So how about it Ava,” hearing my name bought me back to reality.

“Huh?”

“Rafting, are you in?”

“Oh, ah, yeah I guess, when are we going?”

“In a couple of days, Sal will give you a call with the details.”

“Sure okay, yeah, count me in.”

“Great!” James beamed a smile at me.

“Finally another girl on the raft,” Sally sighed, “the others used to come but haven’t for a few years, too afraid to break their nails these days.”

“Not me,” I held up my hands, showing my nails, bitten to the quick, my mother had always berated me for it.

“Great,” Sally grinned, her eyes darting between Will and I, “This is going to be awesome.”

I excused myself a while later, Sal seemed happy to stay and chat with the guys and so I made my exit, jumping into Nans old red hatch and heading back towards River Stone.

It was weird to realise that I missed Robert. I still had so many questions for him, I also just wanted to hang out with him, perhaps talk him into taking the afternoon off and coming to the river for a swim.