Gardens of Time

Chapter 2

          The abominable sound of the doorbell went off, making me jolt awake. I groaned loudly, causing someone to stir beside me. I sat up slowly, gazing over at this sleeping member with a curious gaze. I did not go to sleep with someone last night, I thought to myself- at least I don't remember going to sleep with someone.

          "What the he-" I was cut off by another ring of the bell, then more urgent knocks.

          Ignoring whoever was at the door, I decided to see who it was sleeping beside me. I studied the small figure lying underneath the deep orange, silk covers, and decided that it looked like a woman. For a moment, I watched her body rise and fall, hearing her steady breathing. But as the knocks got more urgent, I figured I should hurry the process.

          I slowly pulled the blanket from her body, then jumped back in horror to find that there was no one there. This confused me to the point where I had to make sure I wasn't still half asleep. I blinked profusely, putting the cover back down.

          Jeremi was right - as always. I really should leave those eighth dimension chicks alone. Whatever she gave me last night has some crazy ass side effects. As shocked as I was, I couldn't really dwell on this matter, so I made my way down the hall.

          I slung the front door open, now mad as hell that someone woke me up in the first place. "WHAT?!" I yelled, but regretted it as soon as I saw who it was.

          "Is that any way to treat your Guardian?" Lexine asks, pushing past me. I went to close the door but Jeremi came in right after her.

          "Did you guys have to come this early?" I asked, following them to my living room.

          "This is a part of your punishment," Lexine says boastingly, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

          "What's the other part?" I asked, walking around to the kitchen which overlooked the living room. I slid my hands along the dark gray, masonry counter, then slid the glass door to the fridge open.

          "Your traveling privileges have been revoked," she explained, sitting down beside Jeremi on my leather couch.

          "I am a grown man, Lexi!" I argued, pulling out a beer. "I don't need you "taking" away privileges." I laughed, grabbing a cold beer from the refrigerator.

          "You surely do not act like one," she says in her overly proper tone. "And I am your guardian, which means I can pretty much keep you from wherever and whomever I please, as long as I think it is in your best interest."

          "Seriously?" I asked, looking over at Jeremi. "You brought her to me for this?" He cut his cognac colored eyes at me, folding his arms across his chest.

          "Someone had to do it. You don't like to listen to me." I took a long swig of my beer, causing Lexine to toot her nose in disgust.

          "I bet he has not even had breakfast," she whispers to Jeremi, as if I can't hear her.

          "You know, you can leave at any time," I snap, leaning on the counter. "No one invited you over."

          "I was too invited." She starts to glare at me, her ice-blue eyes piercing into me like a literal knife.

          "Not by the owner you weren't." At that, Jeremi groaned, standing up from his seat.

          "I can't take this. You two fight like f*****g Siamese twins!"

          "Jeremi Saito! You need not to use that fowl language. Even this-" she points her finger at me "-moral lacking, dimwit knows that."

          "I don't care! Can we just get on with this?" She sighs dramatically, then looks back at me with loathing eyes.

          "You know that it is forbidden to be intimate with someone outside of your rightful dimension," she starts, and I internally groan. "I've warned you of this before! You think you can just keep jumping from here to there, and sticking your semen pole into anything and not suffer any consequences?"

          "Semen, pole?" Jeremi asks slowly, as if trying to process what she's said.

          "Is that what you picked up out of all of that?" I asked him, shaking my head. "Okay then."

          "You two can joke about this, all you want, but when you ruin your own life do not come crying to me."

          "If he ruins his own life I don't think he can come crying to you," Jeremi says thoughtfully. "He'll probably be dead."

          "One could only hope," she sighs, and I smile at her patronizingly.