The Latent Sentinel

A STEP TOWARDS NEW BEGINNING 2

Ella POV

I try to peak at them going closer towards the cottage. If they looked even a little distressed, I would go with them wherever they liked. When I peeked through the trees, I could see a few people. There were four girls and a middle-aged lady standing near my cottage. They look happy, but now I am confused. Why are they here if nothing happened? They wouldn’t have looked happy if Ethan had been in trouble. Right?

The lady has a big plate in her hand which is covered by a white cotton cloth. When I take a whiff in their direction, I smell the delectable aroma of food. They each have something in their hand, some kind of bag full of stuff. What are they up to? They have never come this close before. Do they want me to leave? I know they send me stuff with Aria but never have they made a move to get closer to me. Are they giving me stuff for the journey? They put everything on the bench I have kept outside my house. They linger around watching my cottage closely. One of the girls with blue eyes looks straight at me, smiling brightly at herself. She waves as if she knows I am hiding here. Nyx interjects, “She felt our aura.”

“How do you know that?” She seems a little panicked but answers.

“Ummm… it’s like someone is touching us gently. I can tell when someone intrudes on our magic or our body.”

“Can anyone do that?” If she knew that and still checked my aura, that would be rude.

“No, not everyone can do that honestly, only I can do that.”

“You know you can do a lot of unique and weird things.”

“Oh, you have no idea!”, she mutters weirdly, trying to avoid my eyes. I know what it feels like when she avoids me. For some unknown reason, I always feel as if Nyx and I are looking at each other when we talk. However, nowadays she is hiding every time we have a conversation. I can’t see her clearly.

“Exactly, I don’t. When will I get some idea?”

“Soon, my dear Ella, soon. Very soon.” She seemed like she was smirking at me. My lioness is pretty odd. She has been my only companion from the day she came forth. But for some reason, she is very tight-lipped about our powers. And I am still confused. Why do I have power?

The girls waited for some time, as if waiting for me to come out. When they realize I won’t come out, they look a little disappointed. I am lost in my conversation with Ella when they decide to leave. I waited a little longer before peeking out. I moved away from my hiding place and walked towards my little cottage.

There are four packages along with a plate and a note. I slowly checked the package. I don’t know what I am afraid of, but somehow these packages scare me. I don’t want them to get hurt. And getting close to people, I know they will get hurt just like Ethan. I am afraid something bad will happen to them. I have kept my distance, yet these strangers have wormed their way into my life and my heart. I am afraid to accept their act of kindness. I am afraid they will get much closer to me. And when they do, they will get hurt just like Ethan. Ignoring my thoughts, I looked at the packages.

The first one has clothes, the second one has bedsheets, the third one has medical supplies and the fourth one has some creams and potions. The food smells delicious up close. I take everything inside. These are the same sheets I have, so now I know how stuff just appeared out of thin air for me. The dresses they got me are gorgeous. There are two pairs of pants, tops and hoodies too. The hoodie smelled familiar, so I brought it closer, taking a deeper inhale.

“It’s Ethan’s”.

The answer knocks the breath out of me. I have tears pouring out of my eyes. I never thought I would get to smell this beautiful scent of lemongrass and bergamot up close. I put it in a bag, trying to protect its scent as much as possible. I don't want to dwell on why they brought this to me, nor do I want to confront myself regarding the comfort it brings me, so I just hide it in my trunk and focus on the now and here.

The other bag has creams labeled as healing, glowing, and moisturizing. I have never had things like this from the time I left my home. They have given me something special, a tiny feeling of joy. It makes me feel normal. I was missing this in my life. I was missing the care, comfort, and safety of a home. And somehow this place feels like all of those things and more.

Getting the plate of food, I smiled at myself. It’s my favorite peppered steak, with baked chunky potatoes and grilled beans. I sat in front of the fire, looking at the food over and over again, but something was missing, so I got up and got my Ethan hoodie. Having his smell around makes me feel as if he is here with me. The food melts in my mouth. This is the best meal I have had after Ethan made me the grilled meat. It is my favorite meal; it was delicious even if we didn’t have any seasoning. It felt like love and warmth. It gave me joy. I will never be able to forget its taste and the feeling I got when I saw him cooking for me.

I ate the second most delicious meal of my life, enjoying every bite of it. When the wind changes outside, I am comforted by Ethan’s scent and his presence. Argus is hiding in the tree branches again behind the cottonwood tree. He is in the trees to the left of my cottage. That area is basically a tall overgrown forest. A good hiding place for a ferocious black beast such as my Argus and Ethan. He loves hiding in that particular area.

This felt like I was having a meal with him. He always comes here early in the evening, so I usually wait to eat. Then I don’t feel alone. I have him even if we are not together. It makes the water run down from my eyes. Seeing the memories and the pain it brought along made me miss him more. If the pain is the only reminder I have of him, then I will gladly accept it.

I haven’t cried so much since the day I rejected Ethan. I bottled my emotions and pretended it didn’t hurt. This gesture of love made me feel more than I wanted to. I finished my meal and opened the window wide, to breathe in Ethan’s scent as much as possible.