Awakening (8-chapter challenge)

- Leo -

Three

Whatever happened, whatever Leo had felt when he touched Madeline's hand was nothing compared to the dazzling, white light that exploded from the centre of the pub. It enveloped Madeline and Gabriel, the man's eyes rolling to the back of his head as it tipped back. A soundless scream wrenched his mouth open, but that wasn't even the strangest part. No one else in the pub seemed to be aware of the light nor the fact that the man looked like he was having a seizure while Madeline stood before him, a glowing figure.

As the light washed over Leo, he grunted, pain exploding behind his eyes. He pressed a hand to his temple. He remembered the old man with one eye, the other a nasty pit of infinite knowledge. He showed Leo things that were otherworldly, the stuff of legends and myths. He saw a boar with golden fur and long, curling tusks made of the finest ivory. Their eyes met and, somehow, Leo knew that boar was meant for him.

Through the burning light, he saw Madeline reach out and press her hand to Gabriel's cheek. The second her hand came to rest on the ebony cheek, the light dimmed, and the man returned to normal. His eyes rolled forward, and he looked as he had coming in, save for the unsteady breath he took. He stared at her, and Leo knew she was speaking, though he was too far away to hear anything.

A startling flare of jealousy rang through Leo. He'd never been one to bother with such emotions. Love wasn't meant to be contained for one person. And yet, seeing Gabriel stare at Madeline with adoration...Leo's chest tightened.

The pub dimmed, and Leo's headache receded, leaving an ache as his eyes were forced to readjust. His phone pinged, and he grabbed it absently, though his attention snapped to focus when he saw who it was from. A trill of dread and excitement rushed down his spine. He had been called to work. Again. His body was still sore from the night before, the bruises deepening with each passing moment. But what Ingrid wanted, Ingrid got.

Stuffing his phone in his pocket, Leo looked up to find his sister and Gabriel still staring intently at one another as if they were the only two people in the room. A twinge of irritation nipped at his heart. He was the one who had brought them together and somehow he was excluded from whatever moment they were having.

So, even though Leo wanted to say goodbye to his sister, he dropped a couple of bills on the table, slid out of the booth and ducked outside. Besides, he knew being late was worse than anything else.

There was a bitterness in the air that hadn't been there earlier. It was as if the weather couldn't make up its mind on being cold or being hot. Leo stuffed his hands into his pockets and, shoulders hunched, sauntered down the street, trying his best to keep his mask on. Inside, however, was a torrential downpour of emotion.

Not only did something change when he touched Madeline, but he felt more... awake. Alert. Like Madeline had unlocked something that had been buried deep within him for a very long time. He couldn't quite explain such a feeling but he was more finely attuned to the acrid scents of the city, the usually dimmed white noise now loud and unsettling. It set Leo on edge, even more so now that he had to go to work. Maybe he should have said goodbye, but Leo's life was one big party anyway. No one batted an eye when he slipped away, and Madeline had come to expect his flakiness. Gabriel, however, probably knew where he had gone off to.

The walk was long and chilly enough that the earlier incident had frozen in the back of his mind just as he approached the tall apartment complex. At thirty floors, the building was dominating, even in the heart of downtown. Leo suppressed a shiver and bit his lip before plunging into the fortress. There was no point in hesitating.

He would escape that life soon enough. Once he had a plan and he saved up his money, Leo would vanish, with or without Gabriel's help. In the meantime, Leo had a job to do. He watched the elevator dial go up and up and up with each passing floor. At the very top, the elevator rolled open into a gothic-styled penthouse suit.