Allegiant (4 page)

“
How’d you get involved in
this?” I ask him.

He smiles. “I heard a bunch of voices, so I
thought I’d check it out.”

The men work to round the doorway into my
place, and I glance back at my old loveseat and then at Garrett.
“Will you help me shove that out of the way?”

“
Sure.”

We push the loveseat over, against the back
wall, so the new couch can fit into the room. It looks huge
compared to what I had. The men put it into place and then remove
the protective plastic. It’s a soft taupe color, overstuffed, with
three seats instead of two. When the delivery men leave my
apartment to bring the TV, I walk over and touch the fabric. I
should have known. It’s not fabric. It’s leather.

“
Nice,” Garrett says,
moving to stand next to me. “Birthday present?”

I shoot him a puzzled look.

He shrugs. “I heard you talking in the
hallway with your friends.”

Before I can ask him if his apartment walls
are made of paper, one of the delivery men reappears with the
television. Judging from the box, it’s a 37” LED flat-screen. We
move out of his way as he carries it over to my pitiful
entertainment stand, sets it down on the floor, and goes to work
opening the box.

“
What are you going to do
with your old stuff?” Garrett asks me.

I can’t help but notice the interest in his
voice. “Would you like it?” I ask. I know my parents don’t want
either item back. As a matter of fact, I think my mother would like
to torch the loveseat personally.

“
Actually, I would,”
Garrett says. “I moved kind of quickly, and I don’t have a lot of
stuff.”

“
Then it’s yours.” I walk
over to stand behind the armrest of the loveseat. “You pull, and
I’ll push?”

He nods and grabs hold of the opposite end.
It takes us a little maneuvering, but we manage to get it into the
hallway and down to his apartment. He opens his door and then pulls
on the armrest, walking backward. I push on my end until I’m
completely over the threshold. I stand up straight, take in his
place, and gasp.

There is absolutely
nothing
in here. Okay,
there’s a wood dining chair. And books. Lots of books, stacked on
top of each other against the wall in the living area. I eye
Garrett. “You weren’t kidding, were you?”

He shakes his head.

“
Do you have a bed at
least?”

“
I have a
mattress.”

His apartment is laid out in the mirror
image of mine. I look into the kitchen, and the only thing I see on
the counter is an old stainless steel coffee pot. It looks like
it’s from 1952. “Is there anything else you need?” I ask,
concerned.

“
I have all the
necessities,” he says. “Roof over my head, running water, clothes
on my back. What more could I want? Well, besides a couch and a
TV,” he smiles.

I frown. Not only does he not have any
family or friends, he possesses next to nothing. “Let me go get the
TV for you,” I say and start to leave.

“
I’ll get it.” He jumps
around me. “It’s probably heavy.”

“
I’m not that big of a
wuss,” I protest, but he leaves out the door anyway. I look around
his apartment again and curiosity gets the better of me. I creep
down the short hallway to peek into his room. I see a mattress on
the floor, covered by a thin blanket. His clothes are neatly folded
and stacked against the walls like the books, separated into piles
by shirts and pants. I turn, and my eye catches the bathroom. It
contains only a towel and a toothbrush. He doesn’t even have a
shower curtain.

I return to stand by the loveseat, so he
won’t know I’ve been snooping. I make my mind up immediately.
Garrett will be receiving a few things courtesy of me.

He rounds the corner moments later, his arms
full of my little tube TV. “The delivery guys have something to ask
you.”

I nod. “You want me to help you place this
thing?” I glance at the couch.

“
Nope, I’ve got it. Thank
you.”

“
No problem.” I start to
leave. “Remember, if you need anything, I’m right next
door.”

He smiles as he sets the television on the
floor. “I remember.”

I give him a small wave goodbye and head
back to my apartment.

“
Do you plan on hooking
this up to anything other than the DVD player and the cable box?”
the delivery man asks. He has the TV set up on my stand. Even with
it projecting nothing but static, it looks like a movie screen
compared to my old set.

“
No. That’s all I’ve
got.”

“
Then,” he tightens
something in the back and a crystal-clear picture appears, “we’re
finished here.”

The other delivery man collects the box and
plastic from the television as they both head out the door. “Enjoy
your new things.”

“
Thanks.” I shut the door
behind them and then promptly move to let LB out of the bedroom.
“Sorry,” I apologize to her. “Come check out this new stuff with
me.” I pick her up and walk over to the couch. Tentatively, I sit
down on the middle cushion and then lean back. Darn it if it isn’t
incredibly soft and comfortable. I look down at LB and her claws.
Kitten claws and leather aren’t a good combination. “I take back
what I said LB. You cannot use this as a scratching
post.”

A few hours later, after
I’ve covered the couch with two winter blankets to protect it from
LB, eaten the leftover Chinese takeout, and read the first two
chapters for Intro to Ethics, I sit in the living room holding my
cell phone in my hands. I know I should thank Dane for his
generosity, but I’m nervous. Matt said I shouldn’t contact him. But
he contacted me first. I sigh and suck it up. I type
Thank you
and hit
send.

My phone chimes with a text
almost immediately.
You’re welcome. You
like?

I smile.
Yes. But you shouldn’t have done it.

Why? Matt needs a decent place to sleep when
he stays.

He plans on staying more
often, does he?
It’s too expensive
I send
.

No worries.

I pause, thinking of what to say next. A
simple good night would probably be best. Minutes pass. I can’t
possibly ask him what I truly want to know, which is “Can you ever
forgive me?”

He texts again.
I’m sorry.

I’ve missed our sarcastic
banter.
For sending me a couch? You’re
forgiven.

That’s not what I meant.

I swallow nervously.
I should be the one apologizing.

No. What happened was because of me. I
started it.

True, but I’m not letting
him take all the blame.
I should have
stopped it sooner.

Fifteen minutes pass. I
start to think I won’t hear from him again and set my phone down.
It chimes against the table.
Friends?

Why do I feel like this is a loaded
question? On one hand, I feel relieved. But as the relief sinks in,
my heart starts to ache a little. I still love James, but I also
care about Dane more than I should. Would it be the best idea to
remain friends with him? Will this hurt both of us in the long run?
Depending on my response, I could open a door or end everything
right now.

Friends
I confirm and hit send. I should really stop
asking myself questions I already know the answers to.

Out of a deep sleep, I jolt awake. I glance
at the clock; it’s after midnight. I look down to see LB curled by
my side. I try to change position without disturbing her, but it
doesn’t work. She gets up and stretches, then turns around and lies
back down. I shift to my side, hug my pillow, and close my eyes.
Suddenly, the dream I was having returns to me.

I was with Garrett. We were in a really
bright place, almost like we were standing in a ray of light. The
ground looked soft, but it wasn’t. I know this because, as we
walked together, I felt no spring under my feet. Wherever we were
felt really warm, like a summer day, but not hot and sticky. He was
explaining something to me and gesturing with his hands, but I
don’t recall the conversation. As we walked, we passed other
people, and I got distracted. The other people would nod and smile
at me. I couldn’t help but notice they all had the same color eyes
as Garrett; that odd turquoise blue color. I remember looking at
him, confused, and asking for an explanation. We stopped walking,
and he asked if I trusted him. I told him yes. He placed his hands
on my head and…

I woke up.

That’s it. The reiki. I didn’t get a chance
to investigate that.

I try to go back to sleep for over an hour.
LB gets mad at my changing positions and decides to leave me,
curling up on the floor by the air vent instead. When two a.m.
hits, I give up. I crawl out of bed, grab my laptop, crawl back
into bed, and start researching reiki.

I find plenty of information on the topic,
and the description sounds similar to what Garrett did, but it
doesn’t exactly fit. What he did seemed supernatural. I try
searching for similar things, typing in “relieving headaches by
touch” and “moving pain through the body.” I read article after
article, and many are in regard to homeopathic medicine. I even
search for first-hand accounts of something similar. Nothing
matches.

I finally grow tired, and my eyes start to
hurt from reading the computer screen in the dark. I turn off my
laptop and set in on the floor. So much for that research. I’ll
just have to ask Garrett more questions about his “reiki” when I
see him again. I scoot down under my covers and close my eyes. I’m
relieved my first class doesn’t start until eleven tomorrow
morning.

My thoughts turn to Dane and what happened
today. Things started out pretty terrible with my James episode,
but the day ended on a high note. I’m grateful for the things I
have. I inadvertently think of Garrett, who has nothing. I feel
really bad for him. I start to make a mental list of things I could
get for him. A shower curtain. A comforter or at least a heavier
blanket. Sheets. Maybe towels. I shake my head into my pillow. How
could he have none of these things? He looks to be my age. What
would have made him leave his home so suddenly?

My eyes snap open. Maybe he does have weird
powers, hence the reiki excuse, and he was cast out. Shunned. He
said he came from a small town. Maybe his powers were revealed, and
they wanted to experiment on him medically, so he ran away. Or
maybe he’s a psychic. That would explain how he knew I just had a
birthday, and that Matt was Shel’s boyfriend. I’m not sure I buy
his defense of “I overheard you talking.” Or maybe he’s ill. He
does feel extremely cold; maybe he has some rare disease and is
seeking alternative medicines. That would explain all the books.
When he felt my forehead this morning, his hand was freezing. I’ve
never felt anyone that cold except for James.

“
James,” I whisper in
disbelief and sit upright. Was my first instinct correct? Could my
neighbor Garrett and James’ Garrett be one and the same? No, not
possible. Garrett is human, not a Guardian. His hands don’t pass
through objects; he can physically move heavy things. He drinks
coffee. He goes to college. And if Garrett were hanging around me,
wouldn’t James have shown up with some sort of an
explanation?

I lie back down, mulling things over.
Garrett seems nice enough. I wonder what his real story is. I don’t
feel an inkling of danger when I’m around him. James would let me
know to be cautious because that’s what Guardians do. Maybe all
Garrett needs is someone to talk to, and I have plenty of time on
my hands. I’m curious. I can’t help it.

It looks like the universe just handed me a
hobby.

My instructors aren’t playing this semester.
Business Stats and Analytical Foundations were brutal yesterday,
and it was only the first session of each. Communications in
Business looks to be my easiest class, with Intro to Ethics
somewhere in between. I chalk my struggle with them up to the fact
that I’m still tired from spending all of Tuesday night
contemplating Garrett. I hope to ask him to lunch today after
Ethics, in an effort to get some of my questions answered. I
immediately spot him when I enter the classroom and take a seat
beside him.

“
Good morning,” he
says.

“
Good morning. How’s my
couch treating you?”

“
Great. Thank you
again.”

“
You’re welcome.” As I dig
through my bag I ask, “Do you want to get some lunch after
class?”

He raises an eyebrow like he’s surprised I
suggested it. “I have Management until two. Is a late lunch
okay?”

I nod. “Where do you want to go?”

“
I’ll cook,” he says. I
must look confused, because he follows with, “I do own a pan or
two.”

Touché. “Should I bring the plates
then?”

He smiles. “No. But you might want to bring
a table.”

We laugh as Ms. Johnson appears at the front
of room. She sets a stack of papers on her desk and brings us all
to attention. Today’s lecture will be on the riveting topic of
Aristotle’s defection from the teachings of Plato.

Garrett told me to show up any time after
three. I finished an assignment for Stats, and now I’m wasting time
by playing with LB on my bed. I have a mental list of questions
compiled for him. I hope I can be subtle. His life is his business.
Why should he share it with me?