The Lies Behind That Smile

Chapter Seven

The old house was in a corner of town that had emerged as the industrial quarter at the turn of the nineteenth century. What had once been a flourishing, thriving community was now degenerated. On all sides, it was neighboured by buildings from a bygone era, awaiting demolition.

The gardens to the rear were grossly overgrown, resembling an overrun woodland and disguising the elaborate walls that had once separated each section of the Victorian gardens. The building itself was a mess, from the front the façade had mostly survived the years of abandonment but venturing into the house, it became apparent it was beyond repair. Stretching back it hugged the garden; its embrace reaching far out into the wilderness. At some point the west side of the house had collapsed, leaving only the ground floor in tact but the ceilings groaned and protested under the excess weight of rubble. Nikki and Ezekius avoided that part of the house. It was simply too unsafe.

The east wing was dusty, dilapidated and reeked of decay but it was dry and offered shelter when they needed it the most. During the coldest and wettest months it was much more welcoming than the damp, frigid church.

It's not much, but it's home, Nikki acknowledged, staring at Josh's back through saddened eyes, knowing that he couldn't hear her.

As if sensing her presence, he turned around. His concerned eyes connected with hers and for a second she felt the familiar lurch that came each time he looked at her. But the pull was smothered quickly as he tightened his hold around his Charge and brushed his hand over her hair.

Nikki turned away, unwilling to let Josh see how much his protectiveness over the red head hurt. He had sworn in the church that nothing would come between them but deep down Nikki knew it wasn't a promise he could keep.

"Given the choice, he would choose you if he could." Ezekius murmured, his words caressing her troubled mind as he brushed past her hunched form.

"That may well be, but he doesn't have the luxury of choice."

Stopping in his tracks, Ezekius laid his cold hand against her scarred cheek and smiled.

"No child, he doesn't. These emotions are out of his hands. Keep that in the forefront of your mind as you deal with both he and his Charge."

Out loud, he cleared his throat and beckoned the group to follow. "This way, there is suitable shelter down here but stay close and touch nothing. The house is old and not entirely stable."

"Josh?" Joanne's timid voice carried through the shadows as her wide, terrified eyes searched the hallway.

The knot in Nikki's stomach tightened and her eyes stung with hot tears as she surreptitiously watched Josh cradle Joanne. As he soothed her with comforting words and a solid embrace, Nikki melted into the murkiness, desperately needing to distance herself from the strange group that had been forced together.

Sidling into darkness she waited for Sam, Nate, Josh and Joanne to follow Ezekius before moving on. With accentuated gracefulness she turned and ascended the dangerous staircase. Reaching the first landing, she drifted right, hopping over the holes where once there had been stairs. She knew this route well enough to navigate it with her eyes closed and for that she was thankful, as her mind was far too preoccupied to watch her footing.

The old corridor stretched out, welcoming her into its solitude. Pushed farther in to the heart of the house she felt the familiarity of it consoling her blackened mood. She belonged here, amongst the decomposed rubble and the mouldy wallpaper. She was as ruined as the house and part of her flirted with the idea that the house knew this and accepted her as one of its own.

Towards the end of the long hall, she veered left, pushing through a door that groaned as it moved. The whine of the hinges alerted the occupants of the rat infested room to her presence but she paid them no attention as she stepped over the vegetation pushing in through the shattered window. The rodents fled her path, hiding under the brambles and leaves that now claimed the space.

Nikki couldn't help but sigh. She had once thought her life to be empty and meaningless because a boyfriend and friend had betrayed her. Oh how little she had known of the world back then.

At the back of the room a ladder leaned against a wall, the rungs of which were now covered in moss. Carefully Nikki climbed up, hoisting herself into the attic soundlessly. Up here she could see through the large gaps in the slate, out across the unkempt gardens to the other side of town. Settling herself in the corner and leaning her head against one of the remaining rafters she waited for the one thing that could restore her failing hope.

Looking over the distant rooftops Nikki absently toyed with the hem of her dirty cloak and finally allowed herself to break down in the privacy of her own company. She knew Ezekius would be listening but she'd gotten used to their indestructible connection. Besides it wasn't him she was hiding from.

After all these years Josh had finally found her but she still wasn't ready for him. Whilst two years had been too long to stay away from him, it wasn't long enough. There was still so much she needed to discover and do. The conflict burned inside her, tearing at her aching heart and taunting her with its relentless riddles.

"They're asking for you."

Ezekius showed her the Guardians, cutting through her thoughts with the image of Josh's scowling face.

"They don't trust you. They think this is a ploy to escape."

As the first tinges of a new dawn scorched the horizon, Nikki hung her head.

"I just need a moment. Just give me a moment to pick up the pieces and put them back together, please Zeke. Five more minutes and then I'll come down."

Silence filled her mind and Nikki assumed he'd heeded her request but as she raised her face to the oncoming day, he broke once more through her contemplation.

"Your life, my dear, is but a book and what is happening now, a mere chapter. Your story will not end here; it cannot for you are destined for far greater things than this. See past the here and now and forget the restraints of humanity. Your life will not expire with old age, you have time, an infinite amount of time and so does he. Your paths will join again, we simply have to find the right route."

The sky, shaded pink, lightened and illuminated the tears tracking down Nikki's face. The words her friend had spoken wrapped around her like a protective covering, fielding off the negativity that plagued her.

Ezekius had rescued her too many times to count, but his greatest achievement was not the slaying of his brethren, or the slaughter of his eternal enemy to protect her. It was his capacity to save her from herself.

"Where would I be without you?" she smiled, rising to meet the oncoming challenges.

Through the silence that followed she could sense his smile and vowed the second they were alone, to smother him with an embrace that would force the air from his lungs.