Chapter Thirty-Six
Blast to the Past
The heat was rising off of the road and the Volvo was stifling hot. The air conditioner was broken.
“We need more water.” Lola said miserably. “And gas I think, too.”
She was right. The metre was hovering dangerously close to empty.
“Okay, but make it quick – if we don’t make it to the lake by today we could miss our window completely.” Constantine spotted a turn off and made it.
They were stopped at a minuscule gas station, falling out of the car; outside was worse than in.
"HEY this place has a Tim Hortons!" Stephan cried joyfully as they pulled to a stop. "I LOVE CANADA SO MUCH." He ran joyfully inside, shouting he’d get icecaps for everyone.
Noel was about to follow him into the cool, air conditioned inside of Tim’s when her phone went off. “Hullo?”
“Ellie?”
“Kent!”
The voice on the other end sounded tired. “Have you found him yet?”
Noel’s heart sank. Gabriel’s little brother called her every few weeks, asking if there was any news; he could only contact her when his father went out for a little while. He was trapped in that ugly home.
“No Kent, not yet. But we’re on our way to where we think he is.”
“I miss him.” Kent said, sniffling.
“I…I miss him, too Kent.” It was true. Noel missed him so much her heart hurt, something she didn’t understand. She really had only known Gabriel for nine months, but somehow when he wasn’t close by she felt unsafe, unconnected; empty. “I promise I’ll try my best to get him back to you soon, though, okay?”
“…okay.”
“I’ll come visit this summer, too.” She sighed. If she made it out of Hell alive, that is.
“Really?”
“Yeah, of course. We can get pancakes.”
“Can we –” his sentence was cut off. “I gotta go Ellie.”
“Kent? Hey, don’t worry okay? We’re going to get him back.”
“Bye, Ellie.” Kent whispered before hanging up.
Noel closed her eyes for a second, breathing deeply. They would get Gabriel back, if not for herself then for Kent. He couldn’t go through life having lost his mother and big brother. That was just too much.
It was getting cooler when they began to get closer to Gods Lake and Noel finally dropped off; she really should drink more coffee.
Each night she closed her eyes and was dropped into the future or the past, or a whirlwind of both. Either she saw Gabriel tripping through a desert or witnessed flashes of him growing up, his mother dying. It felt wrong, having her stupid powers show her these private things. Her only consolation was that it must mean something.
Unfortunately she had no idea what.
So when her dreams dropped her in Gabriel’s room in Aytonville she was worried; she’d never been this close to the present when shown the past.
Noel realized she had never been in Gabriel's room before, besides through the window. She had seen a sliver of bookshelf, green walls, a bed that took up most of the view. It was longer than she'd thought, and he only had mild slopped ceilings unlike herself despite being on the third floor. Her ceilings sloped so much she regularly hit her head, even being sort of short.
Why her dreams took her here she wasn't sure. Suddenly the door opened, revealing a worn out Gabriel. Seeing him like this, unchained and free and clean, made Noel want to cry. For the past six months all she'd seen of him within dreams was shackled and bleeding, or young and not understanding what lay ahead. She missed this Gabriel.
He tossed his bag on the floor and went immediately to the laptop on the desk, turning it on and opening Skype. It immediately notified him of a call, and Stephan's face appeared.
"Hey!" He shouted happily. "DID YOU KISS HER?"
Noel choked on air. What exactly did Gabriel say to his friends that made them think that might happen? Judging by the window outside, it wasn't even the end of November. At that time she was still incredibly suspicious of him.
Gabriel smiled weakly and Stephan was shoved out of the way, Constantine taking his place. "Shut up Ballard. Gabriel, we're worried."
"There's nothing to be worried about." Gabriel reassured them. "The signs aren't serious, I think your Mum was wrong."
"Athena doesn't know how to be wrong." Said Constantine dryly. "If she says something is happening, something is happening."
"The Earthquakes, the oil disappearing - that doesn't mean my Father is up to something. He could just be having a bad year. Hell could be busy, he could be stressed." Gabriel was trying to make light of the situation, but it was obvious he was worried, too.
“My mother contacted me, Gabriel. She wouldn’t do that unless she thought she was right.”
"Who cares about the signs?!" Stephan cried. "You found her, your Niasyn - that Seer back in ninth grade was right!"
"That lady was a fake." Constantine rolled his eyes. "Her name was Miss Mystique. We found her on the boardwalk."
Noel was watching Gabriel carefully. Her dreams must be showing her this memory for a reason and just leave it to her to miss the whole point.
"Guys, I think we should bring Noel to Festival with us." Gabriel was blushing, something Noel couldn't believe. He looked shy just saying her name. What happened to the quiet, cool Gabe Aytonville had fallen for?
"She's mortal!" Stephan pointed out.
"Not really." Gabriel chewed his lip. "She has God descendants and Cassandra was her grandmother."
"How far back?" Asked Constantine.
"Not sure, but there's some Athena and Poseidon in there, Aphrodite pretty close. Her grandmothers grandmother I think."
"She should be okay I guess, especially as a descendant." Constantine still looked worried.
Stephan piped up, sticking his face back in view. "Why though? I thought she still didn't like you."
"Thanks for reminding me." Gabriel replied dryly. "I don't want to leave her in Ayton, if Athena's right than something is coming, and I don't Noel to be alone when it hits."
"That's cute." Stephan sniggered. "You just want to share a tent, don't you?"
Constantine hit Stephan over the head. "Lola won't be happy."
"She can deal with it."
"She misses you."
Gabriel looked guilty. "Look, I'd come home if I could. My Aunt and Uncle though...they need me. I think I need them right now, too and I must have to be here – I mean, I met Noel, didn't I?"
"Lola REALLY won't be happy about that." Said Stephan with a slightly evil snicker.
"It's not my fault that she thinks I liked her, okay?"
"She doesn't just like you, Gabriel." Constantine pointed out.
"She really needed something to focus on after Paul and as one of her best friends I was an obvious option. She was hurting." Gabriel defended.
"And it's lasted five years."
“Listen, Lola’s like my sister, she knows this. And Noel…guys I can’t help it.” Noel felt herself blushing – could she do that in a dream? Gabriel was going very red. “She makes me feel normal.”
“We’re not normal.” Constantine said gingerly.
Gabriel shrugged. “I know that, but she makes me think there could be a different kind of life for me. Maybe being a chosen one doesn’t immediately subject you to a life of death and fighting.”
Constantine looked like he didn’t want to pop Gabriel’s bubble, but he was too reasonable. “This is our world, Gabriel.”
“Maybe she can fit into it.” He said hopefully. “ The whole Niasyn thing is so cheesy I know, but all the myths are true – I know she’s special, guys.”
“I’ll talk to Jen.” Said Constantine with a sigh.
“Thanks, Stan.” Gabriel said gratefully. They said goodbye and he closed the laptop, going over to the window. Noel followed, standing beside him, just watching him. He waved and Noel realized she was framed by her own window; wearing her baggy star wars t-shirt and hair in messy braids. She looked so dorky that she blushed, but the way Gabriel looked at her…
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched Gabriel watching her.
Suddenly she was being shaken awake, and she hurriedly wiped her eyes; the tears had been real.
“You okay?” asked Lola suspiciously.
“Uh – yeah.” She sniffed. “What’s up?”
“We’re here.” Constantine said, eyes on the road.
Noel glanced out the window, seeing the evening light glint off of a large lake bordered by trees.
Stephan put on a deep, announcer type of voice. “Welcome to Gods Lake ladies and gentlemen, first stop on or round trip to Hell!”
A/N: Awww Gabriel. He's such a sweetie. I miss him.
Question: Why do you think Noel keeps on dreaming of Gabriel's past?
Rose