Within The Shadows (14 page)

“
How’d you do
that?” he laughed as he pulled me close to him.

“
Ah, now that would be telling.” I pulled the mask off my
face.

Pulling me
close to him, Marc planted a kiss on my forehead.
“I love you!” he smouldered into my
ear.

“
I love you more,” I teased. “Come on, let’s go find the
others.” I held his hand as we made our way back to base
camp.

Greg, Aaron,
Cassie, and Mandy were already there. The girls laughed fiercely as
Greg played out one of his usual shower room pranks. Mandy was
Greg’s girlfriend, and had been for a solid two months. It was
pretty obvious from their ‘PDA’s’ that they were ‘doing it,’ and
when I say ‘doing it,’ I meant third base was no longer on the
agenda. It was the whole shebang.

Aaron saw us
first
, and prodded, “What took you so
long? We were going to send out a search party or something.” He
laughed as he farted, holding a lighter to his ass. The flame shot
out, and Cassie squealed.

“
I am so not sharing a tent with you tonight,
Bozo.”

“
Awe, Babe, I was only getting rid of it. Better out than
in. You know you want me!” Aaron grovelled, and he playfully
nibbled on her stomach.

“
I don’t know about wanting you, but maybe you can make it
up to me.”
She laughed, and a hint of
mischief blazed through her eyes.

“
I pity you if you have to smell that all night long,” Marc
said as he sat down, pulling open a can of Budweiser. He gulped it
down in one drink, letting out a belch as he threw the can over his
shoulder.

“
Pig!” I
muttered.

He laughed,
and handed me one.

“
Nah, not my thing tonight!”
I
rejected the drink, and happily sat back, watching everyone laugh
and joke.

I was
content and happy, and loved every inch of my life.

* * *

Alex woke me
from my dream. Sleepily, I sat up, rubbing my eyes. He sat opposite
me, wearing blue flannel boxers. I observed his face as he battled
with some kind of inner turmoil. I did not like it when awkwardness
controlled us. I much preferred our usual nonchalant way of doing
things.

“
What’s
wrong?” I asked.

He cleared
his throat. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted earlier.”

“
It’s okay,”
I said, uneasy.

“
No, it’s not. I behaved like a spoiled brat. I don’t know
what comes over me. Sometimes, I just feel like my father sticks
his nose in everything I do. I mean, I can’t even have you without
him knowing every sordid little detail.”

“
What do you
mean?”

He certainly had my attention
now.

“
I had to
prove to them that I had taken your virginity.”

“
How?” I sat forward on the bed, my heart racing a hundred
miles-an-hour.

He was
clearly uneasy, which made my stomach turn. “By showing them the
blood-stained sheet.”

I shot out
of the bed like a bullet. I paced in front of the window, holding
my hands to my head, trying to comprehend what he was saying. I
could feel the sweat begin to gather on my brow, and felt
queasy.

“
I’m so sorry. I know it sounds sick and twisted, but they
just needed proof you were no longer a virgin.”

“
Oh, my God! Do they know everything about our sex life?” I
cried.

“
Yes, to a
degree.”

He tried to
put his arms around me, but I pushed him away. I rejected him. “How
could you? I thought it was a union between two people, not me and
your whole frigging family!”

“
Giselle, come on. It’s not like that, and you know
it.”

“
No! Don’t even try, okay? Just leave me the hell alone. Get
out. Get out now. God, I feel sick!” I pushed him towards the door.
“Get out, and don’t bother coming back here any time soon. I. Hate.
You!”

Slamming the
door behind him, I collapsed to the floor, and cried. Feeling sick
to the core, I crumbled inside. I could never forgive them for
this. It was like I had been raped by both Alex and his
family.

I hated them.

Like
everything else that was happening in my life, I felt like I had
suffered one blow too many. I could not take much more devastation
and humiliation. Alex had crossed a line. Yeah, I know that not
much of our relationship was based on any strong foundation, but I
had thought we’d made some kind of progress. This . . . This was
sick beyond anything he had done to me. I felt powerless, and
trapped in a world that showed me no mercy.

Broken, I
sat with my head pressed against the door. Warm tears flowed down
my cheeks like rain on a summer’s day. Outside, I could hear the
distant songs of birds in their full morning glory. I longed for my
old life. I ached for the sun to wrap its arms around me, and warm
the broken heart inside.

Caught up
within my thoughts, I did not notice the increasing vapour that
began to fill the room. Its stagnant smell left me dizzy and
disoriented. Before me, a white bearded man began to materialize.
In his right hand, he held a staff, and he was dressed in white.
His eyes were grey, and his face was a mass of wrinkles. He moved
slowly towards me, his expression unreadable.

Calmly, I
rose to my feet
. Trying not to lose my
balance, I held onto the handle of the door. Warm air encased me as
its heavenly heat ran through me, infusing every cell in my body. I
felt at ease and fearless.

“
Do not be frightened, child,” he reassured me. “I am Bylun,
and I have come to help you. You are in grave danger, and must
leave at once. Come, we do not have much time. Their lies will be
your downfall.”

Bylun
ushered me towards him, and in a flash
,
we were gone from the room. I felt queasy as I opened my eyes, and
stared around the large blue panelled room. Its high ceiling was
painted in gold, and sharp interlocking spirals shaded in sapphire
spread from one end of the room to the other. The sheer dominance
of it made me dizzy. I found myself grabbing a hold of Bylun’s arm,
taking him by surprise. Smiling at me, he took hold of my hand, and
together, we walked further into the room. Dim light shone in
through the window, but I was not sure if it was day or
night.

In the
centre of the room, the silhouette of a man was sitting on what
appeared to be a throne. It was large. Its back was oval-shaped
with armrests, and had winged creatures intricately carved into it.
Its golden brilliance dominated the room. It was its centrepiece, a
place of power.

The closer I
came, the more I recognized the man sitting in the chair. He smiled
at me. His familiar blue eyes looked at me intently as I stood
before him. The last time I was this close to him, he had dared me
to jump to my death. In some ways, he saved me then, just as he had
done now.

Antoine.

“
How is this
even possible?”

“
Many things are possible, sweet Giselle!” His voice was
mesmerizing.

“
I don’t understand what’s going on? Why did Bylun take me
from my room?” I asked, my voice breaking. “I don’t know how much
more of this I can take.” Tears welled in my eyes.

“
Shush, waste no more tears,” Antoine said as he wiped the
tears that finally escaped. “There is so much you need to know.
Unfortunately, time is not on our side. Bylun, here, is a good
friend, and a strong ally. He is, of course, a white god, someone
the underworld rarely associates with. But, on rare occasions, like
now, those of us who remain loyal to the throne seek the assistance
of the Gods.”

“
I’m sorry, but . . . why?”

“
Giselle, your body will be used as a vessel, a way for the
hands of fate to change its course. If you are to bear the child of
Alexander Baranski, you will give birth to the start of an
uprising. A war that will be more powerful than those fought by
man. Your child would be the sole inheritor of darkness, thus
resulting in your imminent death, and of course, the death of
Leonid.” Bylun’s strong voice echoed in my ear.

“
My death . . . What’s Leonid got to do with any of
this?”

Antoine
grabbed a hold of my shoulders, and looked me in the eye. “Leonid
has been taken for a fool. Vadim cannot be trusted. He did envisage
you, but not the way you have been led to believe. You will be
helping them embrace the darkness, Giselle. Alexander and Atarah
are not what they seem. Between the three of them, they are on
course to destroy those of us who believe human life to be sacred.
They seek the ways of the old.”

“
But . . . Alex wouldn’t do this to me!”

“
No, Giselle. He is devoted to Atarah. They have long since
planned the uprising, and you, my sweet Princess, are nothing but a
pawn in a very cruel game. He cares not for you. It is the Nelapsi
whom he seeks favour from. He is not to be trusted.”

“
How could you say that? You don’t know us. You have no idea
how he has been trying. I know he is slightly temperamental, but he
has tried so hard to make me fit in. It makes me sick you would
even suggest that he and Atarah . . . God!” I roared.

“
We do not lie. We speak only the truth, and right now, it’s
your safety that is our concern. We have . . . What is it you say?
Ah, we have opened up a whole can of worms.” Antoine laughed as he
loosened his grip on me, and escorted me to a door that led from
the back of the room and down a spiral staircase.

“
Where are
you taking me?”

“
Some place
where they can’t sense you.”

“
Where? Because it seems they can find me pretty much
anywhere.” My persistence was starting to pay off.

“
Home, Giselle. You are to return home.”

Home.

Just hearing
that word sent a shiver down my spine, like a bolt of lightning
striking me down. I was both excited and scared. I was not only
apprehensive about returning to the place where I was born, but
also of having to finally deal with the aftermath of the prom. I
could not help but to think about everything that had happened. I
had so many questions, and felt like a fool for not having seen the
connection between Alex and Atarah. I wore the stress of it all on
my face, and it obviously caught Antoine’s attention.

“
Don’t worry. I will not leave your side. Well, not until
you have returned home safely. I have already set up your
protection. Between Bylun, me, and a few others, you will be
secure.”

“
But how? Alex will know where to find me. He will not give
up so easily,” I responded.

“
Yes, but he is unaware of my involvement.” Antoine was
confident.

“
Then how is this going to happen? So I just to place my
life in your hands, and act normal? Like that could ever happen
again! I mean, how can I face everyone back home? I can’t even look
at myself in the mirror anymore.”

“
Giselle, you are stronger than you believe. I promise you
that from this moment forth, I will not let you come to any kind of
harm. Can you trust me?”

I wanted to
believe him, to place all of my trust in him. But after being
betrayed by so many people in such a short period of time, I was
reluctant to give my trust so willingly.

Bylun stood
by my side. His gentle approach calmed me.

“
I would place my life in Antoine’s hands, although I do not
agree with his lifestyle.
I do, however,
believe he has the goodness to prevail against all darkness, and
the power he possesses is one not to be trifled
with.”

“
Very true,
although I do have your one hundred percent backing,” Antoine
agreed, adding humour to an otherwise nightmarish
situation.

“
Okay, so let me get this straight. I can go home, return to
my ‘normal’ life, do all the things I was meant to do in the first
place, and basically forget that Alex ever existed?”

Antoine and
Bylun looked at each other. Again, their expressions were
unreadable.

It was
Antoine who broke the silence. “Yes, all things considered, you can
try to live a normal life, but unfortunately, the past always has a
way of catching up with you.”

“
Meaning
what, exactly?”

“
Giselle, Alexander will come for you. There is no doubt
about that, but for now, you will be safe back in Minnesota.
Remember, it is only a temporary solution. It will give us enough
time to gather other nobles, and make plans to bring Atarah and her
minions down.”

“
But what about Leonid? We can’t just leave him there, can
we?”

“
Leonid will be fine. I can bet my life that he will see
through their schemes. Besides, I have made arrangements to meet
with him once I have returned.”

His eyes
were so calming
. I was pretty sure he was
using a little compulsion to calm me. He took a hold of my hand,
and kissed it gently. His blue eyes looked up at mine, and for the
first time in a long while, I felt my heart skip a beat.