Tales of Olsen

14

The room was shrouded in darkness when I awoke. I looked at the clock next to my bedside table and realized it was almost two am. Jordan and I had only gone to bed a few hours earlier after staying up to study. I knew something was wrong the moment my feet touched the ground because everything felt wet.

Ever since Alexander unlocked me, things had become weird. While I still maintained my physical form, my body seemed to slip away from me every now and then. The first morning after it happened a few days ago, I had awoken and gotten dressed and made my way to the car only to realize that my body wasn’t there. My consciousness had left my body and I had never been more afraid. Luckily, Alex had been up and caught on. If it wasn’t for him, I knew I would have been lost and afraid. That was something that I hated liking about him; the way he made me feel secure even when I knew I could do it on my own.

“Interesting,” a voice behind me whispered

I spun but there was no-one there. In an instant, Alex swung my door open and jumped straight across the room throwing me back unto my bed and pinning me there. I was about to shout something when he held up his hand to silence me. It was then that I realized he was wearing that odd black cloak of his.

The room was still and silent, but I knew there was a presence there. Without his urging, I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing like he had taught me a few days before so that I could pick up the person’s energy. I searched with my mind but found nothing tangible. There was, however, a force in the room that didn’t fit.

“Eloise,” the voice said, “where are you hiding.”

I wondered if whoever was there couldn’t see our bodies splayed out on the bed but then I realized that Alex wore the cloak for a purpose and he was shielding me from something, or someone.

I looked up into his eyes with a questioning stare but instead of a commanding look, all I could see in his eyes was pure and complete fear. He wasn’t the same man I had just laughed with a few hours ago; he was terrified.

“Who is it?” I whispered

“My uncle,” he replied, “he, he’s trying to place a bind on you. To tie you to Keith.”

I wasn’t surprised, what I had learned recently had taught me that in the realm that we live, nothing was impossible.

“Why would he do that?” I asked

“So you’ll be blind to his plans for you.” Alex replied, “they want you to be led like a lamb to the slaughter.”

“Very biblical,” I whispered

This didn’t have the effect I wanted. Instead, Alex’s hand reached up and fully covered my mouth with his hand. Once again, the tingling sensation returned, and I had to do my best not to let the butterflies in my stomach ruin our position. Suddenly, the room seemed to stop vibrating with energy and Alex climbed off me as fast as he could. He was so swift that I almost lost my balance and I was laying on my back.

“I’m not infectious you know,” I said

He looked down at me in utter confusion and then shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” he replied

I could tell that whatever it was, it was giving him a hard time.

“Why don’t you tell me what the other mes were like,” I said sitting up and patting the edge of my bed.

I knew it was late and I should sleep before my class in the morning, but my head was still spinning from our contact and I was sure that there would be no sleeping for at least another hour.

He looked at the spot I had tapped for much too long before taking a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the room.

“What do you want to know?” he asked

“What were they like?” I asked referring to the other versions of myself

“They were, beautiful.” He said

“Did they look like me?” I asked wondering how many other ebony colored fusions of the universe had existed before.

He looked over at me once again with that stupid look of misunderstanding.

“They all looked different.” He said, “I’ve never seen you take the same form before. Once you came as a beautiful Hindi girl. You loved the color yellow and there were always flowers in your hair.”

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine that version of myself. To my surprise, the picture of a beautiful bright-eyed girl popped up in my mind. She was carrying a bunch of flowers and skipping towards someone. It was a man, a man who looked at her lovingly. It was Alex.

“How long have you loved me?” I asked wondering why I had even opened my mouth and let the thought out.

“You must understand Eloise, you’re not like anyone else.” He said, “I’ve loved you since we were children.”

I looked up at him in shock.

“You knew me as a child?” I asked

“The reason you’re on Earth is to escape two great dangers,” he said “the first happened when you were born, and your parents had to hide you. They chose the closest beings to mortals but when we began dying, they saw the threat to your life and so they sent you to earth. As children, we were companions in the king’s court. I’ve known you since then.”

It had never occurred to me that there was a long history between us besides the one he had told me about. I moved closer to him on the bed.

“Why did you come here?” I asked

“For you,” he whispered

I shrugged wondering why that made my heart flutter.

“That has to be the most senseless thing I’ve ever heard,” I said softly, “how could you love someone you knew would never remember you once they’re reborn.”

“Your body may have changed, but you’re still the same woman.” He said with so much conviction that it saddened me.

“And if this time around I don’t love you?” I asked, “what then?”

He looked over at me with a blank expression and then he smiled. It was slight, but I knew he was amused by my question.

“I didn’t come here to find out if you loved me or even if there was hope for us,” he said leaning forward with his bright eyes dancing, “I came here because I made a promise to you that I will never break. Not until I take my very last breath.”

I didn’t miss the depth in his words.

“What promise?” I asked wondering why it seemed so important to him.

He was silent as he sat back in the chair. His eyes were shrouded now, and I couldn’t read him even if it was clear as day in the room. He was shutting me out and I didn’t know what to do.

“Life on Earth, I’ve come to realize, is a complex mixture of cycles.” He said in a deep darkened voice, “no matter what we do or how strongly we believe, the sun rises again in the morning and we must start over again.”

He looked over at me.

“It’s happening as it always does my love,” he said, “the sun goes down and rises again, the promise forgotten becomes the key to our demise.”

Without another word he stood and walked out of my room. I stood and followed him as he tried to leave. He was being cryptic, and I needed to know why and what he meant. I marched into the living room, but I hadn’t expected him to be standing there in the middle of the room in the dark. I marched right into him and as our bodies collided he spun around and grabbed a hold of me before I could fall. My body was pressed against his with one arm wrapped around my waist while the other held my back upright. I was staring right into his telling eyes that were masked by something I didn’t understand. I reached up instinctively to touch his face, but the overwhelming arousal in the pit of my stomach wasn’t like anything I had ever felt; it felt as if our souls were one. He let out a pent-up breath and without a second thought I reached up and kissed him. ‘

It was a foolish act but the moment our lips touched it felt as if all the tension in my body was released. It was as if my soul had found completion.

“What are you doing?” he asked gently tugging my face away from his

“I don’t know” I replied softly

I wanted to walk away, to tell him to leave but I couldn’t let go. To my relief, he pulled away and took several steps back.

“We can’t let ourselves get carried away,” he said

I could tell it pained him and so I didn’t reply. Instead, I turned away and walked to my room. It felt like the longest walk of my life yet somehow I made it to my room and buried my face in my pillow as tears began to fall.