Unbreakable Love (7 page)

“I do,” he said sincerely, trying not to focus on her messy mouth.

Celeste put what was left of the maple bar down and began tapping her long fingernails on the table as if she was thinking intently.

“How long does a gossip cycle last in high school?” She asked then answered her own question, “Maybe two weeks, give or take?”

Nate was quiet, wondering when or even if he should respond.

She continued, “We need to take you out of school for a few weeks, minimize the impact of what happened...make you invisible and uninteresting…as much as possible.”

Finally, Nate tried to interject. “Why do…”

Celeste was on a roll. Nate should have known better than to get in her way. “Because we need to keep this about your friendship with Jennie and that’s it. If you’re out of school, you’ll be out of the limelight, and if Jennie has to bring you your homework, she’ll stay close. Don’t worry, a substitute protector will be at school, but you will finish the job as planned.”

Celeste sat back in her chair and picked out a new donut as if her simple plan had fixed everything. Nate didn’t share her optimism.

“What happens when she asks me about the bullet?” he asked.

“Tell her that you found it on the ground and it must be a miracle. Heck, tell her you have a guardian angel looking out for you. Some form of the truth would be a welcome change, don’t you think?”

Nate studied her expression carefully. Even though she was mocking him, she was also being honest. Celeste was always honest, sometimes to a fault.

Nate reached in and took the last donut. “Whatever you say, boss.”

“Good.” She said as she pushed her robust frame away from the table. “Now get me a donut to replace the one you stole.”

Nate could plainly see that she was smiling but he wasn’t taking any chances. He walked up to pick out a new donut for Celeste from the large glass case in the front of the store. When he turned around, she was gone. After buying himself a new maple bar he returned to the table to clean up the mess she’d made. Under the box of donuts, Nate found a plain white piece of paper with a final message.

Chicken Pox. You’ll get chicken pox because she has already had them.

Nate winced at the thought of what was coming before he crumpled up the paper and stuck it in his pocket. He would burn it at home. After cleaning their table, Nate pulled out his phone and left a simple message for Jennie, telling her he wasn’t feeling very well. Now all he had to do was go home and wait for the itching to start.

On Monday at school, fresh gossip spread like a wildfire fueled by the Santa Ana winds. It was inescapable and Jennie and Nate were at the heart of it. She must have answered the same questions a hundred times and by the end of the day, Jennie wanted to run away and never come back.

Jennie had developed a vehement dislike for gossip. One of the reasons she connected with Marissa in the first place was their common contempt for gossipmongers. Nothing good ever came from talking about other people. In fact, in her freshman year she’d been the victim of malicious gossip and vowed never to be part of hurting someone else the way she’d been hurt.

Although the constant chatter about the weekend was annoying, the worst part was having Nate’s heroism constantly brought back to her attention, especially when it was already weighing so heavy on her mind.

Nate was still home sick with the chicken pox, which seemed to create more questions among the curious student body. By now, rumors were all over school that Jennie and Nate were dating. She felt conflicted. There had been sparks at the dance. Anyone could see that, but after she found the bullet, she began to question everything. Who was this guy, anyway? He appears out of nowhere, has no parents and sends her into orbit every time they touch.

The more she thought about him over the weekend, the more bewildered she became.

He can run like the wind, draw everything and isn’t afraid, well, of anything. Oh, and let’s not forget, he’s absolutely gorgeous, and covered in muscles from head to toe.
That alone should set off alarms in her head, yet all day long, she found herself missing him. After just a few months, he was so deeply entrenched in her life that she missed him after just one day.

By the end of the day, Jennie was worn out. Worn out from the gossip and worn out from her own conflicting feelings. She’d gathered his missed schoolwork from his teachers and now had to decide whether or not she would take it to him. In the end, she decided to send Braiden. She wasn’t ready; she needed more time. Maybe tomorrow she would know what to do with all these crazy feelings.

Nate had never experienced a fever before. He was a relatively young protector. Some of the protectors he’d met had been through all kinds of human experiences, but his missions had never merited being sick. First, he would bury himself in blankets, trying to control the shivering, and then just a few minutes later he would be on top of the covers with an icepack, trying to cool himself down. It was maddening and he began to wonder how humans get sick every year without going crazy. Celeste did stop by for a little while but all she did was tell him to toughen up or rummage through his cupboards looking for sweets. Finally, he feigned sleep so that she would leave. He looked at the clock—3:55—Jennie would probably bring his work by soon and he couldn’t wait. Even with their short time apart he missed being with her. He still worried about the missing bullet, but more than anything, he just wanted to see her, to know that their friendship was intact.

Sebastian appeared in Nate’s doorway looking longingly at the warm bed. Nate patted the bed gently, inviting Sebastian to join him. In two quick leaps, Sebastian moved from the doorway to the bed and curled up near Nate’s feet. Sebastian began to purr contentedly, helping them both to relax. Nate’s eyes began to feel heavy, like sleep wasn’t a choice. He rolled over and pulled the covers over himself, wrapping himself in a cocoon of warmth. Without even being aware that he was fading, he succumbed to healing sleep. The dreaming started almost immediately.

Everything was stark white, blindingly so…everything except for the brilliant, cloudless blue sky. He began to wander through an immaculate city. Hedges and trees were perfectly manicured and the roads were lined by flawless white sand. There was not a smudge on the windows of the buildings and everything had its place. Towering skyscrapers made mostly of silvery glass and glistening white beams crowded the skyline.

Nate wandered for what seemed like a long time, moving from building to building, calling for Jennie. Sometimes he would pass people on the way, but he never recognized them and they never spoke to him. The longer he searched, the more he understood that even though people were all around him, he was complete alone. Finally, after climbing a hundred floors in the tallest building in the city, Nate reached the top. Just outside the door that opened up to the stairwell, Nate saw Jennie slip around a corner and out of sight. He willed his body to run but his legs felt heavy and cumbersome after his long climb. He called out but she didn’t respond so he began to drag his useless legs along as he pursued her. It was agonizing, but he was determined to find her. By the time he caught up with her, she’d constructed a ladder of sorts out of office chairs and was climbing up to where a roof would normally be, except now the walls touched that perfect blue sky without the restrictions of a ceiling. Her delicate curls whipped in the wind, striking her across the face as she made her way up the ladder, but she pushed on, unfazed, her eyes focused and determined. When she got closer to the top, suddenly Nate realized that she was in imminent danger. He screamed out her name again, but the wind seized his voice and took his words away before she could hear them.

His mind was whirling. He had to save Jennie. He willed his heavy legs to obey and pushed forward until he reached the chairs. Now he was close enough to see out the large picture window down to the street below. Finally, he could see what Jennie saw. He could see what held her captive. Standing on the street calling to her, no, not just calling, but pleading for her help, were her parents. In that sickening moment Nate realized Jennie would do anything to get to her parents.

He called out to her again. This time the words burst from him and the wind didn’t steal them. Nate stood breathlessly watching Jennie as she responded to his desperate cry. Slowly, she tore her gaze away from the street below and her eyes locked into his. He reached out his arms, inviting her down, and he could see that she was considering his offer, then without warning she jumped. Nate bellowed in anguish as he watched her fall. He turned away, unable to watch her die. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the ring of a bell but he didn’t care. He’d failed and Jennie was gone.

“Nate,” he heard a woman’s voice calling out to him from the living room. The white was beginning to fade and his room starting taking shape.

“Nate,” the voice began again, “It’s Mrs. Townsend. I brought you some soup.”

Nate now recognized that it was just a dream, but he was badly shaken and to make it worse his fever was raging again.

“I’m in here,” he called out, not even feeling strong enough to get up yet.

Jennie’s mom popped her head into the room. For the first time in Nate’s existence, he understood the soothing nature of a mom. She was dressed in jeans and a simple black T-shirt. In her arms she held a metal tray, and on that metal tray was something that smelled delicious.

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “Jennie told me your aunt was out of town, and I knew you would be too sick to cook for yourself.”

Nate forced himself to sit up and take a closer look. A large bowl with something steamy and a chunk of homemade bread made up the meal. Suddenly Nate realized he hadn’t eaten for twenty-four hours and was ravenous.

“Let’s go to the kitchen,” he said decidedly. Nate wrapped himself in his comforter for warmth and made his way to the kitchen. By the time he got there, Mrs. Townsend was already setting him a place. While he made himself comfortable, she rummaged through the mostly empty fridge for something to drink.

The soup was incredibly soothing to his aching muscles and itchy skin. After the first few bites he finally spoke. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m not used being taken care of, so I didn’t realize what it felt like—to be given help, that is.” He knew he was rambling but Mrs. Townsend didn’t seem to notice. All she heard was a thank you.

For the next few minutes, they talked like old friends. Nate noticed for the first time that Jennie and her mother had the exact same striking green eye color and although subtle laugh lines framed her eyes and lips, they both shared that flawless ivory skin that set off their dark hair. Looking at her mother was like taking a peek at what Jennie would look like in twenty years.

Before long, Cathy noticed that Nate was feeling weak again and suggested he lie back down while she cleaned up the dishes. He moved to the couch this time and rewrapped himself in his blankets. It didn’t take long for the food to settle in his stomach. He could hear Jennie’s mom gathering her things and he forced himself to sit up for a minute.

“Thank you again. I can see where Jennie learned her compassion,” he said.

Nate couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw her blush a little. “You’re welcome,” she replied. “Now get some rest. I’ll have someone check in on you every day.”

After she left and just before he began to drift off to sleep, he realized that he’d forgotten to ask about Jennie. In fact, it seemed like her kindness had nothing to do with Jennie at all. From there his thoughts drifted to March and how he was dreading its arrival. He now knew that Jennie’s parents would die in March. Their time on earth was complete, but despite this, Jennie must be kept alive. This thought took his mind to a place it had never been. He began to wonder why Mr. and Mrs. Townsend had such a short time left to live. Nate couldn’t think of a time when he’d questioned his orders. He’d always trusted his supervisor and never even asked why some had to die and others lived. So why now? He knew he couldn’t change the orders, but he began to wonder what would happen if he disobeyed. Could he save Jennie’s parents?

He was shivering again. It must be the fever, he reasoned. That must be why his thoughts were so rebellious and disjointed. He needed to sleep off these crazy ideas. Drowsiness began to roll over him like a thick fog, blanketing him until he could no longer resist. Sensing it was time for another nap, Sebastian joined him, curling up near his head this time. Just before Nate surrendered to sleep, the raw uncensored truth surfaced in the form a question in his mind…
Why this family? I love Jennie too much to see her suffer.
And then, mercifully, sleep came.

It took Jennie three days to decide to go and see Nate. Her mother stopped by Nate’s house every day with a small meal and something to ease his discomfort. One day it was soaking salts to take away the itch. Another day she arrived with an armful of movies to keep him busy. Finally, on the third day, Cathy asked Jennie to take Nate dinner. Cautiously, Jennie consented.

It had only been five days since she and Nate had been together at the dance, but it felt like much longer. She’d gone round and round in her mind, analyzing and re-analyzing her thoughts and feelings. After five agonizing days, she came to one conclusion: she didn’t want to lose Nate’s friendship. He had woven himself into her life and she needed him. Yes, she still had lots of unanswered questions, but one thing she knew without a doubt was that Nate would never intentionally hurt her. In fact, she doubted Nate would ever hurt anyone. He was kind to everyone no matter what their social status or even how they treated him. She would be patient and maybe someday she would have answers; until then she would remain his friend. The hardest part would be remembering not to touch him or look into his eyes for too long, but she could handle that, right?

Jennie corralled her thoughts like she had a hundred times in the last few days and gathered up the food her mother had prepared. She only hoped Nate wasn’t angry about her staying away for so long. After a quick drive, she was standing on his doorstep ringing the bell. Inside she could hear weary feet shuffling across the floor. When Nate opened the door, Jennie was shocked. His normally golden skin was pale and he was covered from head to toe with red spots. Some of the spots had already begun to scab over while others were just emerging. His hair was unkempt and matted on one side and his blue eyes were sunken.