The Elite (Editting)

Chapter 7: My First Best Friend

            "Donatella," Gabriel called my name again and again, I heard it yet I did not respond. The name he called was not familiar to me, it did not seem as though I were Donatella but I was.

​            I rolled over on to my back to look at the beautiful sky above me. The star and the moon were in the perfect spot, they all appeared to gather above Gabriel and I's campout.

​            "Donatella, please answer me," Gabriel spoke my name again. I loved to hear my name, those sweet four syllables, fall from Gabriel's mouth. He unknowingly caressed each letter with his tongue and I couldn't help but wonder what else he could say that would sound so perfect.

​            I chose to answer him to save his sanity, "What do you want, Gabriel?"

​            "I just wanted to know, if you-" he started a sentence and cut himself off just as quickly, "if you were still upset with me, about the praying to Athena thing."

​            I heard the lie as it caught in his throat. That wasn't his real question, however, I decided to humor him and answer him with a question. "Now Gabriel, why would I be upset?"

​            "Well, because of the past circumstances," Gabriel rambled on. I didn’t answer and continued to gaze at the stars, leaving Gabriel to carry on a one-sided conversation.

​            "After I...insulted your God, you seemed to get more distant than you already were. You stopped talking and you've gone into a shell...a shell I've worked many years to break."

​            "Really Gabe, I just met you two weeks ago, what do you know about me?" I injected a new thought into Gabriel's head.

​            "I know that you love pasta and chocolate and hate Skittles. I know that rainy nights are your favorite because you sleep best then. I know that you have a stuffed animal that you take everywhere with you that you got from your grandmother before she died. I know that you prefer dogs to cats, but not big dogs, unless you've had it from a puppy." Gabriel continued to rattle off things about me that I thought no one knew.

​            "Okay so you've just proved that you like to insult people's religious beliefs and that you're a stalker," I said tracing constellations in the sky with my fingertips.

​            "I know your first friend you ever had wasn't even real, he was made up. His name was Gabriel and he was from somewhere 'far, far away'."

​            "How do you know that?"

​            "His only goal was to make you happy; he would do anything you liked just so you would always be happy. He was your playmate, he gave you your first kiss when you were eight, and he kissed you every night since then."

​            I sat up and looked Gabriel dead in his eyes. I had no words to describe how afraid of Gabriel I was at that moment.

​            "The look on your face tells me you want to know how I know all this. You see, I am the same Gabriel. I had no name until you gave me one. You gave me a purpose when you were little because the other kids didn't like you; you need a friend. I was everything you ever wanted; I was a friend, someone to talk to, I was your vision of the perfect man," Gabriel continued to speak, moving to sit behind me with his legs around me. "I know how you've always dreamt of being held by a man." He put his arms around my waist and ran his fingers across my stomach. I leaned my head back and rested it against Gabriel's strong shoulders. "I know how you long to be touched..." He trailed kisses down my neck and shoulders. His lips felt as soft as velvet against my skin.

​            "Gabriel, stop," I leaned away from him trying to clear my head and focus on what he had just told me. "What do you mean I gave you purpose?"

​            "I always have been but for a long time, I sat on MountOlympus looking down on humanity. Zeus called a meeting of all the goods and goddess and spoke of a human girl; a human girl who was Descendant but didn't know. He said she was friendless so he sent a young goddess to befriend you. It didn't work well so he suggested to you in your sub conscience that you create an invisible friend. The next morning, you made a friend who was me. I had a name and a reason for life, to make you happy. These past few days, I have not made you happy; I've made you very upset. I'm sorry. I know how to make you happy you just won't let yourself go. You are so guarded because you were friendless and lonely."

​            "I’m not friendless or lonely.”

​            "Really? Then name your four closest friends."

​            I sat and thought for a moment. There weren’t many people I that considered me a friend.

​            Gabriel's voice snapped me out of my stupor. "By the amount of time it is taken you to answer, I know you have many things you must consider."

​            "But that doesn't mean I’m friendless," I rose to my feet walking toward a wooded area.

​            "I'm sorry," Gabriel's voice sounded in my ear, I felt his hands encircle my waist soon after.

​            "I don’t have many friends; none of the kids at my school even know I exist. The boy you killed when I first met you, Jamison, he was really horrible to me but at least he called me a friend. So I stayed with him. He hit me and called me every name but my own but he never took away his friendship. I'd always been rejected by everybody so when I met a guy who accepted me, I jumped on the opportunity."

​            "Donatella, you know you're worth so much more than that. You deserve better. You are worthy of a man who loves you, all of you, all you are," Gabriel said cradling me to his chest. He sunk to the ground taking me with him. He pulled me into his lap and began stroking my hair while whispering comforting words in my ear. The words did not do their job; Gabriel's voice seemed to have a tone of urgency to it.

​            "What's wrong?" I asked Gabriel as I pulled myself closer to him.

​            "Bounty hunters, someone knew I was coming to find you," he quickly replied in a gentle whisper.

​            "What do I do?" I asked quietly. I could feel the panic creeping through my veins like poison.

​            "Don't say anything. They know you're a Descendant, they can see the radiant glow we give off when we touch," Gabriel said resting his forehead on mine. "I'll figure something out." He kissed me gently on my lips and held me close until I felt a prick in my neck and the world was void of color and sound; my head hit the ground soon after.