Intertwine (Book 3)

Chapter Nineteen

"We can find something else to do." Jess lips narrowed.

"It's fine." I zipped up my fleece hoodie.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure if returning to the gym was good for me. How was I going to confront Carl? How would I explain to him the things he had discovered in my bag?

"Are you sure?" She quizzed.

"It's okay." I shoved her toward the door, smiling to mask the jitters that had consumed me....

As I stood in the gym's lobby, shifting from one foot to the other, I waited. Jess had run to the bathroom, leaving me anxious and also unsure if I would come across Carl.

"Finally." I signed when Jess emerged.

"What?" She looked at me, her eyes squinting with a look so strange. "I was in there for like two minutes."

"Long enough." I shoved her toward the locker room to change...

As I slipped out of my street clothes and into my gym wear, the anxiety within me had increased tremendously. The lies I had created in my mind to tell Carl had now seemed ridiculous and I was again unsure of what to say to him.

"I might hit the treadmill for a quick pre-workout." Jess stood at the door with her water bottle in hand. "Are you joining me?"

"Nah." I smiled as I pushed back the nervous jitters. "I will hit the pool first. Maybe help relax these muscles in the Jacuzzi before it gets crowded in there."

"Well all right." She shrugged a little. "I'll join after my run okay."

"Sure."

Jess turned and left the bathroom, leaving me with enough time to calm my racing nerves.

As I conjured up another excuse to give Carl if I ran into him, I changed into my bathing suit and walked in spa area.

The area was quiet, with only two of us around the pool area and one other relaxing in the Jacuzzi.

Placing my towel and phone pool side, I stepped into the pool to join the older woman who was stationed in a corner.

She seemed focused. Her mind concentrating on her breaths and speed as she continued her water aerobics.

"Hello?" She greeted; her amiable smile written across her face as she began finish up her workout sessions.

"Hi?"

"Lovely time to swim before the rough ones get in." She slowed down to a stop.

"Exactly. So peaceful." My body floated across the top of the water, dancing with the small waves that filtered from the poolside jets.

To me, swimming created a wave of relaxation. A time where your body felt as light as ever as it floated onto of the water.

"Nice to see someone enjoys the water as much as I do." She swam around me, revealing to me her excellent swim techniques and effortless strokes through the body of water.

It was easy to see someone accustomed her to the water.

"I can see you are a great swimmer." I pushed myself to the edge of the pool.

“Swimming all of my life. Pools. Oceans. Lakes." She allowed the water to carry her body with each passing wave. "Only time I find peace and happiness."

Happiness. I smiled as I remembered what happiness was. Family. Love. Now it just appeared I was full of nothing but negativity.

Anger. Sorrow. Revenge. It appeared my body was running on fuses far from happiness.

My smile faded.

"What's wrong?"

I looked to find the women staring at me, her gentle eyes searching for my reason to throw away my happiness.

"I just...miss someone." I shrugged. "My mother was taken away from me."

"Work?" She asked.

"Um yeah."

It was impossible for me to explain to her what had happened to her.

"Sometimes I just feel as though I have failed her."

The woman swam closer.

"This might sound ridiculous to someone of your age, or you may not believe me, but you can never fail a mother who loves you."

There was that feeling again. The feeling that brought forth so many emotions. Emotions that became hard to contain. Tears formed. With water already masking my eyes, it was easy for her not to notice.

"It's a complicated bond." She shrugged. "I know. I have three children of my own. Two of them step children but still love them to pieces."

She looked up, her eyes finding the edge of the pool.

"Speak of the devil, here comes my wild minion now."

I turned, ready to meet one of the children who were blessed to have such a heart filled woman in their corner.

"Mom." He spoke to her however his eyes never left mine.

"Try to keep your voice down Carl. I need no one knowing I have a son your age." She teased him.

"Didn't know you were here." There was a strain in his smile, as if it was nothing but a rehearsed grin formed to make everything seem all right.

"Yup. Slipped in about an hour ago." She toyed as she danced in the water. "Wanted to catch you but I was busy talking to this nice girl."

Attention turned back to me.

"Yeah." I grew more nervous than ever. "But I was just leaving so you two can catch up on anything."

I climbed out of the pool and grabbed my towel from the nearby chair.

"Nice meeting you." I yelled out.

"You too."

I never turned to look at them once more. I wasn't sure how much of Carl's staring I could take any longer.

He created that unneeded pressure. Those nonchalant eyes gave a more stern and questioning look. A look I tried to avoid by leaving the home...

Soaked my body beneath the running shower water, ridding my body of the heavy chlorine they spiced the pools with.

Finding myself clean, I emerged from the shower and made my way to my locker.

As before, the locker room was empty. Most had come and gone for the evening, leaving the gym almost empty.

I heard the locker room door creak open. I hoped it was Jess who was here to say she was ready to leave for the evening so I can avoid this show.

I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to find the pink shirt that Jess was wearing from the corner of my eye. However, instead, I found the nothing other than that familiar sky blue shirt the members of the gym wore.

I stood up to meet his familiar eye I could not seem to escape.

"My god, this is a women's locker room!" I yelled to him, hoping he would take the hint well enough to leave.

"Get dressed." He turned and left without another word to follow...

I knew I could not hide in the space of that women's locker room for long. With his name scribbled across those dotted lines that said this was his place, I should have known he would push his power and go where he pleased.

"What is so wrong with knocking on the door and waiting?" I questioned, watching as he leaned against the wall.

"Scratch that." His head shook. "Your bag."

"I don't have a bag today." I shrugged.

"No. That is not what I mean. I'm talking about that bag you had the last time you were here."

"What about it?"

"Cut the bulshit." He ordered.

"It's nothing." I wanted him to forget it. I wanted him to go about his day, his life forgetting it ever happened. "Why does this even keep resurfacing?"

"Because I want to know what has your head in the gutters? You come to a gym with a bag full of...junk and can't even explain yourself."

"Because I don't have to explain myself to you. What part of that don't you understand?"

The narrow hall had grown cold and quiet. By the look on his face, I wasn't sure how he took my comment, which I found to be true. What did I owe him? Nothing. There was nothing within this gym membership that said that I was required to give him my personal life.

"Follow me." He turned, his squinting eyes digging into me before he began to walk.

I contemplated on which I should do; follow him toward an unknown destination or gather the rest of my things and leave this place.

"Are you coming?" He questioned when he noticed that I did not move a muscle to follow.

At first, I was not sure which route to take but when my left foot stepped forward, I knew my anxious mind I would follow him...

As we walked, he continued to question me. Not those typical questions I thought he would wonder about after our last encounter. These were questions that anyone would ask anyone. My day. The weather. The workout sessions.

His hand would swipe across the back of his neck as he spoke. At first, I thought it to be a nervous gesture however I just assumed it was on in my mind.

We walked through doors. Doors that held the 'warning: employees only' signs written in red bold lettering.

"Why am I?" I questioned; tired of following through what seemed to be an endless maze of doors.

He stopped before we could pass through another door. He turned me, the color in his eyes focused on my face and nothing else.

"I want you to explain that bag to me."

"You brought me all the way here to ask me about that bag? Why? So, I can't walk away?"

"That’s one reason, yes."

"This is bulshit-"

"Who the hell carries around a stake and a book about mythological and fictional creatures?"

"It...It was just some cute little novelty things I picked up from the store." I wanted to shout however the high pitch in my voice would continue to strike his interest.

"You’re lying."

"This is f*****g stupid."

"You had holy water in the bag." The tone in his voice almost made it appear he wanted to laugh.

"This is a nightmare." I shook my head.

"Your personality has been garbage."

"No, this conversation is garbage." I turned, wondering which one of the three halls I came from.

I wanted to leave this place. It was a mistake to even follow him. In my mind, at first, I almost thought it was a reason he brought me down here.

I wanted to try my luck. Risk myself getting lost in this endless gym. Anything to get away from this pointless conversation.

I began to make my way down the hall, ignoring his continues questions and assumptions he made on my life. That was until he asked me questions, I knew I could not walk away from.

"Aniyah, where is your mother?"

Frozen in the moment; I could not find the strength to move a muscle. What he asked, who he asked about was enough to strip away of control I had.

"What?" I turned.

"Where is your mother?"

I knew better. I knew better than to give him something to question me on. He wanted me to answer. He wanted a story; he wanted me to give home more to feed on.

But why my mother?

"What are you talking about?" I stepped closer to him.

"I want to know where is? This town is not that large so faces become common." His arms folded across his chest. "Where is she?"

I couldn't very much answer his question with a truthful answer. Who would believe something so insane?

"She is out of town."

"No, she isn't."

"How would you know?" Anger expanded within me.

"Because some s**t doesn’t add up."

I laughed. A laugh that was able to mask the real feeling that was in me. Confusion. Sadness. Curiosity as to why my mother, the very person I was looking for, was brought up in this conversation.

"Aniyah." He called my name. "Is that why you had that stuff in your bag?"

"You are crazy." I stated. "Who would I be hunting with that stuff?"

I yelled; my hands planted on my hips as I waited for him to snap out of it. He pinched the bridge of his nose; annoyance striking across his face before his eyes closed.

"I said nothing about hunting."

I was left speechless. Caught up in my own words, I was not sure how to even explain what I had said.

"I-"

"Don't explain it to me." He flagged my next excuse. "I need to show you something."

I could see the hesitation between within his eyes but it never stopped him from opening the door we had stood in front of.

"Go ahead." He motioned for me to step in to the room. First hesitant, I looked at him, wondering what his intentions were before I walked into the opened door.

Looking around, my eyes wide in wonder, I saw what he so desperately wanted me to see. A room that shot down my assumptions that this was a sanctuary.

I had no idea what to expect when I stepped in to the room but I was definitely not expecting something as extreme as this.

"Carl?" My eyes never trailed away from the walls.

"Yeah?" I heard his voice lower.

"What... is this?" I was not sure if I was ready for the answer.

"Our arsenal." He stepped in, his eyes roaming over the occupied walls and counters.

Why?

I turned to him.

"Why is this down here Carl?" I had to ask.

"Because."

He whispered beneath his breath. I could see the hesitation in him. His answer was hanging on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm a hunter."