Chapter Seven
One of Us Must Be Crazy
Bernie and Mark Lewis weren’t exactly what you’d call overprotective parents, but Noel practically had to lock them out of her room. She was freezing, and couldn’t seem to get enough blankets; Bernie brought her several cups of tea, even though Noel could make it herself with her plug in kettle.
Hours went by of Noel staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell had gone on. No creature existed like the one she’d seen today, not outside of nightmares anyway – Gabriel hadn’t seemed that phased, oddly enough.
Speaking of Gabriel, he’d been throwing pebbles at her window for hours.
The constant ping! had her going crazy, and as lunchtime rolled around and Bernie had spent ten minutes trying to get her to eat some vegetable broth, Noel had had enough.
Trudging across the room, duvet wrapped around her, Noel threw open her window. “For the love of Glob what do you want?” she cried, glaring through the branches at Gabriel, whose beatific face was arranged into a sweet smile.
“We need to talk.” He said.
“No we don’t.” she said “And do you have a storage of pebbles or something, because this is getting annoying.”
He held up a cup full of pebbles and shook it, grinning “I find it amusing.” He climbed through his window and over the branches so fast Noel couldn’t even protest before he was in her room, admiring the wall completely covered in black and white post cards.
“Nice collection.” He said, admiring one of a wide eyed child in India eating corn.
“Thanks.” She mumbled, climbing back on her bed “Now get out of my room.”
Shaking his head, Gabriel joined her on the bed “Not until you let me explain.”
“Explain what? The huge butt ugly brute with udders of all things that nearly killed us?” she crossed her arms beneath the comforter and frowned “Oh, no need.”
“You’re weird, did you know that?” he asked, face still arranged in that stupid amused smile that drove Noel nuts. “But I really do owe you an explanation, for everything.”
Leaning back, Noel handed him a blanket. “Okay, fine. You have five minutes.”
“It might take a little longer than five minutes.”
“Five. Minutes.”
He raised his hands in defeat “Okay, okay. Just promise me something first – don’t freak out.”
Narrowing her eyes at him, she shook her head “Can’t promise that, I’m very prone to freaking out.”
Sighing, Gabriel kicked of his shoes and crossed his legs “Alright, here it goes.”
~*~*~*~
“I assume,” he started “That you know about Greek myths? The Gods and monsters, all that?”
Noel nodded, confused. This didn’t sound much like an explanation.
“Well-” he took a deep breathe “I’m a Demigod, and that monster today was called a Chimera.”
Eyes wide, Noel didn’t know what to say other than “You’re crazy.”
“I’m not.” Gabriel looked hurt “I swear; I’m the son of the Death God-”
“Hades?”
“Don’t!” thunder rumbled overhead, and they both looked up. “Don’t say his name all disrespectful like that.” He said, glancing worriedly out the window “They don’t like it.”
“They don’t like it?” she asked, incredulous. “Gabriel, I appreciate the rides to school and stuff, especially the luxury of seat warmers, but one of must be crazy. I don’t care who, I just want to forget this conversation and this morning.”
She stood up and walked over to her window, opening it so the cold air blew the curtains around. “Get out of my room.”
Gabriel stood too “Noel, please believe me-I swear its true. You see through the Veil, and I wouldn’t doubt you’re a seer after what happened in maths -”
“Get out Gabriel.” She said again, standing by the window.
Once again looking hurt, Gabriel hung his head a little as he stuck one leg out the window “I’m not lying Angel, honest.”
“I don’t care.”
“Doesn’t it explain so much? C’mon Noel, think about it – you must’ve had dreams and visions before, seen monsters and no one believed what you said. You can’t deny it.” He climbed all the way out, and Noel closed the window. “You have to believe me – doesn’t it explain everything?” his voice was muted by the glass, but Noel ignored him, closing the curtains and going back to bed.
One of them had to be crazy; there was no other explanation, even if some of his words had rung so true that Noel had to take unnecessary cold medicine to sleep at night.
The next few days following the accident, Mark Lewis was subjected to getting out of his pyjamas before nine thirty so he could drive Noel to school. This was because she downright refused to ride with Gabriel.
“He’s a very good driver sweatpea.” He yawned, getting into the car, still wearing his bathrobe and slippers, along with nightcap. “I trust him; he’s got snow tires and everything.”
Glowering at her father, Noel shook her head “This is what fathers are for!”
“Fathers are not pack mules, or chauffeurs.”
Their early drives consisted of this morning banter, and after a week Mark called Ned, begging him to drive his daughter to school – he even offered to pay for gas.
The Lewis family went to bed on the one week anniversary of the accident in good spirits, but Noel couldn’t sleep. She’d seen Gabriel reclined on his bed from her window, reading a new Harlequin romance novel, and felt a surge of guilt; sure he gave her funny feelings (and she was never wrong) but he wasn’t that bad.
Noel decided to over think the night he told her he was a Demigod son of Hades and she was a seer, but other than that…he was okay.
After tossing and turning for a few hours, Noel turned on her computer, and surrounded by blankets, typed ‘demigods’ into Google.
What came up was not at all comforting. The half children of Gods and mortals, Demigods had rare powers and duties. Hercules was a demigod, but made into a bitter hero because all his wives died. They had cool weapons and some were called ‘heroes’.
Gabriel definitely suits the hero title she thought or knight in shining armour…
Shaking images of Gabriel on a white steed and wearing armour, Noel shut her computer down and crawled back into bed. Her minute research on ‘seers’ was enough to make her uneasy – hopefully all her new knowledge wouldn’t seep into her dreams.
The nightmare came over Noel so quickly she couldn’t even prepare herself. It was different this time though; it didn’t start with her wandering the barren field, trekking towards the horizon and Gabriel.
She was immediately transported to trying to undo Gabriel’s chains, heard his wild laughter. His pale eyes were manic, and he kept trying to tell her to run – to get away, that he’d be fine.
“C’mon, get up.” she said finally, pulling Gabriel to his feet. His clothes were tattered, and with each step he seemed to grow weaker. His body was wracked with violent coughing, and soon Noel’s own clothing was speckled with blood.
The black smoke behind them morphed into un-dead soldiers, flesh hanging from their brittle bones. Gabriel’s breath was becoming haggard, and the farther they ran the more he leaned on Noel.
“Gabriel, please!” she cried as he fell to his knees, pressing a hand to his chest “What did they do to you?”
The dream had never felt so vivid, so real – Noel could feel the heat rising, hear the clatter of bones from the soldiers. Gabriel’s hands sought hers, and he was about to speak, words on the brink of his blood spattered lips when the smoke once again rolled over them, sending Noel spiralling into the black abyss.
A/N: Aaaaaand now you know! Gabriel's a demigod, he's got quite a few interesting theories about Noel and she's scared pooless.
Question: Do you think Gabriel is right? Is he telling the truth? Do you think Gabel (ship name by Crunch13 - thanks lovie!) will exist now that Noel thinks Gabriel is nuts - will it ever?
Rose<3