Elementary Virtue: The Prophecy (9 page)

When the last chord had died away, the audience broke into a thunderous applause, and Ana came back to reality. Saul took her hand, waved at the audience, and they went to the stage door. He turned to face her, "Hey, you were fantastic out there, thank you. You were even better than the real Edith," he hugged her joyfully, and surprisingly for both of them, he kissed her spontaneously on her lips. Apparently surprised of what he just did, he let go of her and cleared his throat, "thank you, you were really great."

Ana lowered her eyes embarrassed, and they went back to their seats where their mothers received them euphorically. The rest of the evening, they didn’t speak a word to each other. That kiss had probably confused both of them quite a bit. Saul won the award for the best newcomer and her Mom an award for the best international book sequel. Her Mom was completely over the moon. Ana was very happy for both of them. The only problem was that she simply didn’t know how she should behave after the kiss. When the Event was over, they all went to an after party. Everybody was all over her Mom to congratulate her, as Ana was standing around a bit hesitant not knowing where to go, or whom to talk to. She didn’t know anybody at that party. Every once in a while her eyes met with Saul’s, who was constantly surrounded by people. His gaze made her nervous; something had changed between them since he kissed her. There was a tension in the air whenever they looked at each other.

Saul’s Mom had invited them the next day for lunch. Ana got increasingly confused and distracted. When they left, she couldn’t even look at him saying goodbye. On the way home, Ana thought about the evening, when all of a sudden her phone started ringing. It was Gabe, bugging her with his Savior story, babbling something about an important issue that she should ask Leyla about when she met her at Judo Training. He apparently found out where this Gregory possibly was staying and needed confirmation. She really wasn’t in the mood to discuss with him, still being confused and messed up by the evening and all, so, to get rid of him quickly, she agreed. Although she didn’t have any idea how to casually include the two words Sicily and Circus Motta Benedetto into a conversation with Leyla. She promised to ask her about it, just to get rid of him real fast. She sighed and her Mom looked worried at her. Probably she was thinking that Gabe was bugging her, which was true, but she had other issues on her mind now. Well, the facts were that her Mom’s favorite future son-in-law, unfortunately, had an impact on her, and left her in kind of a messy state of mind.

Gabe eyes wandered over the rooftops of Toronto. He was standing on the huge terrace of his father’s Penthouse; he still had the phone in his hand. He had to find out whether the rumors his dad had heard were true. If the slightest possibility existed that Gregory was there, he would go to Sicily. No one could hold him back and this time he would hunt him down. If it was the last thing, he ever did in his life; even if it meant to kick the bucket himself. The Savoir legend didn’t matter that much, the dude had made him look like an idiot and he wouldn’t simply accept that. Even if Angel said, he was too obsessed with the whole story and was losing focus. It should be all about the benefit of the organization, and not a private vendetta. Screw the organization, he thought. She was right about one thing though; this was his very private vendetta, and he would kill Gregory. A mad smile flickered over his handsome keen face. There it was again the familiar throbbing in his head. He welcomed it like an old friend; it was time for Gary's pills. The pain was so strong that he collapsed and fell to the ground. Something was wrong with his head ever since he took Gary's pills regularly again. They calmed him, and he needed them for it to stop. His hands were shaking. He scrambled to his feet and staggered into the kitchen, where he washed down three of the blue pills with a glass of water. It felt as if the pain was switched off and Gabe felt a rush of energy going through his body.

Damn, he had to stop taking this stuff, but how could he do that when it made him feel like the king of the world? He felt invincible, and his skills were more pronounced than usual. He would have been able to set the entire country in chaos from coast to coast by the storm of the century. He would have left it in fear and terror, without even getting the slightest bit upset or angry. Just like that. That’s why he needed to destroy that damn Gregory. He would never forgive him for betraying his confidence. He had to admit though, his hurting head worried him, but he would have enough time to make some rehab once Gregory was history. It was like a fever and wouldn’t cease until he had destroyed him.

Gregory felt a lot better now. It took a real load off of his mind to have finally managed to contact Leyla. It had been difficult and kind of hard work to get his phone back. Keanu was, in fact, advising that it would be best if he totally disappeared from the scenery and he was hostile against any love story, no matter how important it seemed to be for Gregory. Beside, Keanu seemed to be grumpy when it came to love in general. Probably he had some bad experience with a Girl that was involved with some spy activity or some crazy thing of that sort. Gregory had no idea, but since Keanu was young, and totally against any relationships with the opposite sex it had to be because of her. Besides, Keanu himself was a mystery. He gave away nothing about himself or his life. Inaccessibility was the right word for the guy. He would only come out of the closet when it came to the Onenda-Akando issues and their origin; that was what he was fully into, and literally unstoppable in this respect.

Anyway, Gregory had been able to reclaim his phone and call Leyla, despite Keanu’s concerns about relationships. Keanu had indeed called him a lovesick idiot, but he could live with it. He didn’t give a shit about what Keanu thought of him. He grinned to himself as he left a fierce looking Keanu behind. Gregory went to the trailer to make the call in peace. It was an indescribable feeling to hear her voice. At that very moment, he missed her more than he had ever thought possible. Hearing her voice shook him to the very core, and it reminded him of what he had left behind.

When he heard Mila’s excited voice in the background and Brooklyn’s cheerful Hi, a wave of anger hit him, he felt rage against the Vultures who had forced him to leave Leyla and his friends behind. He almost started to cry, but that would probably not go so well on Keanu if he noticed, as he would certainly try to forbid him to make further calls. He couldn’t afford being distracted while he was preparing for his mission, so he swallowed his emotions, trying not to become too drippy. Luckily, Leyla was so relieved to hear from him that she didn’t ask him any awkward questions. She was just glad that he was okay. When she told him that she missed him, he heard Mila’s hooting in the background, which was embarrassing enough. He assured her that he was fine and that he was about to find out a lot about his ancestors. A certain grim Keanu would take him under his wing. She shouldn’t worry about him, and he would call her soon again. Leyla was overjoyed, and they had agreed that he would call her every week.

Keanu stuck his head through the trailer door, "Well, haven’t you finished yet with your drivel? Does she have a new guy yet? Don’t worry, dude. That’s how Girls are. It’s in their nature," He snapped scornfully, "No, she doesn’t! Are you crazy? What about my privacy, Can’t I even make a phone call in peace?"

Leyla, Brooklyn, and Mila led to a true dance of joy after Gregory had come forward. As soon Leyla had hung up, there were so many questions pattering on her that she raised her hands in defense, "Wow, stop. Let me enjoy this moment shortly, before you start grilling me with your questions. I'm so very relieved that he is doing well and, «she exhaled, "that he, at least as it seems, also misses me "Mila was wringing her hands. This is soooo sweet! You know, I usually don’t care for such drivel, but I really am happy for you. We must celebrate," she opened her bag, which was full of all sorts of stuff in vials and herbs, among other things. In a plastic bag, there were a couple of hand-rolled cigarettes or joints? Leyla didn’t know. Mila was capable of anything lately. 'She took the whole herb issue too damn serious,' she thought irritated. Anyway, Mila took the self-made cigarettes or whatever they were. Legal or illegal, from her hippie bag swinging them between her fingers, "Like I said, screw it, we must celebrate."

“Are you out of your freaking mind?" Leyla looked frantically through the open door to the parlor, "you brought dope? If my Mom sees these things, she will extend my being grounded to eternity and beyond. Take these damn things away quickly," Brooklyn shook her head touching her forehead with her index finger, "I thought we wanted to help Leyla and not get her deeper into trouble," Mila pouted, "You are so stiff, and this is completely natural. Don’t make such a fuss. Incredible that you guys don’t know how to celebrate. I swear." Brooklyn gave her a stern look, "Yes, of course, it is natural, but unfortunately it is also totally illegal." Mila laughed, "What about beer? Is there at least something like that in this sacred house, or do I have to die of thirst? Leyla gave her a gentle slap on the back of the head, "Ok, you go out there and wait for me in the Backyard. I ‘ll see what I can do." The two Girls left the house through the front door and crept to the back of the house, so that no one in the parlor could see them. Leyla grabbed a six-pack of beer from the fridge and joined them. With a sizzling sound, they opened the cans simultaneously. Mila took a big gulp, "Oh, I love Corona, it doesn’t have that nasty hop flavor like other beers."
"Which is probably because it is corn beer, smart ass," Brooklyn said with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Oh shut up Barbie Girl," Mila retorted, but her tone lacked the normal sharpness, and sounded quite tame. For some time, they sat there looking into the night sky full of stars. No one said anything, but the silence had something peaceful and harmonious about it. Brooklyn finished her beer, "Guys, I'm sorry, but I have to go, Aiden is waiting for me. We are going to see some movie at an open air cinema."
"Oh, how romantic," Mila scoffed, but somehow her voice lacked the usual sarcasm today. Brooklyn gave her a sidelong glance, "My dear, a little romance couldn’t hurt you, but I’m not sure if you could recognize romance, if it bit you in the ass."
Leyla choked on her beer and couldn’t hold back from laughing hard. "However," Brooklyn continued slyly, "I'm not sure anymore. From the looks that I see you and a certain someone throwing at each other lately. You might know that word from somewhere," she got up and waved goodbye, "see you tomorrow at the Crowd girls. Ciao." Leyla nodded watching her leave still smirking. Then she turned around looking at Mila, who was staring intently at the sky, "What did I just hear? Our witch has cast her eye on someone? Who's the lucky guy?” Mila scowled and opened a second beer can. “If you think that you can get away with gulping booze, you are wrong. Come on, spit it out, or do you want me to guess?" Mila gave her a dirty look, but didn’t say anything. Leyla noticed that she was getting nervous. Bingo, apparently there was actually some truth in Brooklyn's remark after all. Mila turned the beer can back and forth in her hands, "My God, it's true," Leyla was truly stunned. What a surprise to see Mila so restless. She had been only teasing her, trying to make fun of her. As it looked, there happened to be a boy who had been able to awaken Mila's interest. Leyla didn’t want to make her angry, so she shut up immediately. When she didn’t say anything, Mila looked up, "I thought you wanted to guess." Leyla shrugged, "I didn’t want to make you angry, ok then let me guess. Is it one of the Akando guys from school?" Mila shook her head, "one of the Vultures?" No response, "oh my God, it is Greyson, right?" Mila rolled her eyes, "Are you out of your mind, Greyson?" "Sorry, I'm only trying to go through all of the options."
"Yes, especially as it seems to me, the most illogical ones,” Mila said with a sigh. "When it is quite obvious.”
"I have no idea," Leyla said clueless and slowly out of guesses.
"Is it someone I know?" and all of a sudden a scene came to her mind, when Mila had saved Shane from Angel’s poison, he kissed her spontaneously. Or, how he had been staring at her, the day Brooklyn did her hair and makeup. It fell like scales from Leyla’s eyes. She stared in disbelief at Mila, "Shane? Didn’t you hate him from the start? You couldn’t stand each other at all. Are you really sure about this?" Mila took a sip out of her can twisting her pretty face into a grimace, "Yes it is Shane and I am quite sure about it. How to tell you this? He really has got me. I can't think of anything else than him, but the moron hasn’t noticed it yet." Leyla smiled, "Which is no wonder, as you are such a charmer. Did you slap him every now and then to show him how you felt about him? I am not sure he ‘ll take that as a love proof," Mila looked kind of guilty. "That's what I thought," Leyla said apparently enjoying herself. "Besides, he is Mr. Sarcasm in person who can hide his feelings very well, and the way you behave around him, he probably thinks that you hate him and would not guess in a thousand years that you have a crush on him. If you want to get to the next level, you’ll have to change your ways around him. Both of you have to lower your protection walls, and then it might work. You might even fit perfectly with each other, now that I think about it." Mila had a doubtful look on her face, "Do you really think that, or you just want to comfort me?" Leyla patted her shoulder and nodded encouragingly. Mila looked miserable, "But he lives so damn far away and we don’t see each other that often, how is this supposed to work?"
"Welcome to the club, I am in the same situation. You could at least go and surprise him in Boston," she blinked at her meaningfully. "Me, however, that’s a different story and I have no such option. First, I don’t have the money, and second, I don’t even know where he is."

"Hmm," Mila said, "You are right and Boston is supposed to be a beautiful city." "Exactly," Leyla agreed, "let’s drink to that." They touched cans taking a sip, "When did it happen? I mean how long have you had these feelings for him?"
"I am not sure, somehow I felt something from the beginning, but I didn’t want to admit it. When he kissed me after I gave him the antidote. I couldn't deny the feeling any longer." Leyla shuddered, "Yuck with all the foam he had in front of his mouth." Mila laughed, "What can I say, I'm just a freak, you know that!"
"Mila, I have a question, was Shane on the doorstep when you came to my house before with all the others?" Mila nodded, "And … where is he staying for the night? I mean, shouldn't he stay here? Finally, he is my godfather's son." Mila shrugged, "I don't know, I think he stays with Aiden."
"Well, why didn't you propose that he’d stay at your place? Your house is a lot bigger than Aiden's apartment. Shalin certainly wouldn’t have minded, right?" Leyla leered. "No Leyla, you don't get it, I could never ask him such a thing.

I know it may come as a surprise for you, but since I became aware that I have these feelings for him, I can barely look him in the eyes. When he talks to me, I'm babbling like I was some kind of an idiot. It sucks! I can't say a reasonable sentence when he is somewhere close to me." Leyla remained speechless for a moment, then she recollected and said amazed. "Who are you? What have you done with the Mila that I once knew? I mean the one that gave a shit about what everyone said or thought about her?" Mila grinned, "I don't know, guess she no longer exists." They looked at each other and burst into laughter. They held their stomach from laughing having a hard time to get serious again until Leyla looked inside the house and saw her uncle moving towards the back yard.

"Quick Mila, we have to get out of here," they snatched the empty beer cans and crept back to the front door. They were still chuckling to themselves when they waved each other goodbye. Leyla crept cautiously up the stairs to get unnoticed in her room. Once there, she threw herself on her bed. What a day! So much had happened at once. Mila had a crush on Shane, which was kind of hard to believe. Besides that, she had finally heard from Gregory. She closed her eyes and hugged her red heart shaped pillow with the two dangling arms and hands. She squeezed it tightly to her chest and fell asleep with a happy smile on her face.