The plane landed with ease at a small airport in Sicily and before I could even ask where to now, the three of us piled into another car and headed south.
We once more drive in silence as I choose to take my place in the back seat with Alex driving and Logan riding shotgun.
I don't dare speak a word, let alone think it, about Alex's great reveal. What am I to think about this new knowledge? He was there, with me, the night my mother lost her life and he didn't save her. He had a chance to save her and he didn't. But he did save me. Why did he save me?
...
"Wake up." Alex shakes my shoulder slightly and I open my eyes to find I have fallen asleep in the back seat.
I let off some exhausted moans before stretching and sitting up to look around.
At first glance I'm not too sure of what I am seeing but it soon becomes clear. We are in a car park next to the water. Boats of all sizes line up not too far from where we are parked but it is clear that not all of them are useable. Most of the boats at the docks are capsized and submerged in water from years of not being attended to. They now stand as dilapidated reminders of a time now past.
As I step out of the car I look up to witness a large harvest moon as it glistens off the water subtly. The sound of waves crashing lightly against the docks ahead of us is welcomed as I breathe in my surroundings and try to remember the last time I ever saw the ocean. I think back and can barely recall but I know that it was well before we came to live in the zone.
It seems that my brother also missed such a sight as he stands as close as possible to the edge and gives off an elusive smile that would not be visible if it weren't for such a magnificent moon tonight.
I make my way to the front of the car and lean against the warm bonnet and hug my arms. The breeze brings a slight chill that cuts through my jacket and touches my very bones.
I look out at the water and feel a sense of calm wash over me. Maybe we can settle down somewhere near the sea so I can wake to the smell of salty sea air and the sounds of gushing waves every day.
Alex soon appears and slides in next to me and waits for me to comment on the news he gave me on the plane but I choose against it. Maybe another time and another place.
"It's beautiful here." I choose not to give Alex the cold shoulder. I just need time to process things before I can make any sort of judgement.
He nods in agreement but does not say a word. He doesn't even think out openly to me. Instead he chooses silence.
"Is this where we will be staying?"
"No. We have to go by boat the rest of the way." Alex looks over to the dock and I follow his gaze to a medium sized speed boat that still looks in working order. This must be what he means.
"We should get going."
We begin our voyage to our unknown destination in darkness whilst Logan sits idle trying to keep any form of food in his stomach. The movement of the ocean doesn't fair well with my brothers delicate stomach, yet all I can do is laugh. Finally, I am better at something then my know-it-all brother. Even if it is being able to keep food down, I am proud none the less.
After hours of heading in a straight line I see a shimmering beacon of land ahead of us as lights shine from their shores. There are people there.
Finally we arrive at the shores of an island paradise and I watch in awe at the sight of sandstone buildings perched upon rocky cliffs as the water crashes below. We see a dock not far from us so we turn to meet it.
The boat halts and Logan jumps out and ties the boat to a nearby post as Alex turns to me removing his leather jacket and placing it on my shoulders.
It's getting pretty cold. I smile as he thinks of my warmth and comfort over his own.
Noise from the end of the dock sounds and we turn to face it and see two men carrying large rifles come toward us and stop only meters away with a sense of confusion about them.
"You should get back in your boat and turn around. You are not welcome." One of the men says with a heavy ethnic accent.
"We are here to see Samson." Alex stands forward and asserts his dominance as the two men look at each other warily. They say something in another language I have never heard before one of them speaks into a walkie talkie.
We stand around with guns aimed at us for a few seconds waiting for a response to come through the device. I take this time to get a good look at the two gun wielding guards and begin sizing them up.
One is a tall slender man with jet black hair and he stands at least a foot over the other man with tanned skin clinging to his subtle muscles. He doesn't look like much at all. The other holds the walkie talkie and is barely taller than me but double my width. His shoulders are broad in a way I have never seen and he stands with a look of worry about him.
Suddenly noise from the walkie talkie can be heard as the men eye us off intently.
"This way," is all that is said before they both turn and walk down the dock and toward a small office. We follow them closely, unsure of what we may find.
We are lead into a small office at the end of the dock and are told to sit down and wait. Photos of boats and fishermen with their catch of the day litter the walls while an old couch sits, full of dust, against the left hand wall. There are two chairs directly in front of a desk plagued with newspapers and letters that I choose to take advantage of as Logan takes the one beside me. This place hasn't seemed to have changed since the fall of the zones.
The door creeks open behind us and in steps a large grey haired man with dark olive skin, being followed closely by a younger man with the same strong facial features, but with a head of thick black hair. It is quite obvious that these two are related somehow.
"My men say that you asked me by name. How did you know this?" The grey haired man, presumably Samson, asks of us. He has a thick accent that I cannot place and it's clear that English was not his native tongue.
Logan and I both turn to Alex and await his response as he stands tall behind me.
"I make it my business to know if there is a secret hub for humans outside of their designated Zone." Alex stares the man down and I watch as a hint of suspicion fills Samson's eyes.
"How you know me by name?" He interrogates further.
"I came across a captive who told me where he came from. He said that you ran this island and took care of anyone who wishes to live outside of the Zone. Is this true?"
Samson looks to his dark haired relative who in turn sets his eyes on me.
"This is true but tell me, why you want help humans, vampiro?"
"I was wondering if you would figure it out. Your guards sure as hell didn't. These two need refuge and I believe that this is the safest place for them. Am I right?"
These two? What does he mean by that?
"Yes, I can offer this. But how I know that you not kill us all?" Samson's eyes watch Alex intently searching for a sign of distrust.
"The captive I spoke about, his name was Vincent Galo."
Samson turns to his younger counterpart with shock and disbelief as they mutter a few words in another language.
"Vincent has been missing some years."
"I came across him seven years ago. I have known about you and this place for some time Samson and I have not told a soul. I give you my word that I will tell no one if you grant these two a safe refuge."
What are you doing? I scream at him in my mind.
Just trust me.
Samson and the black haired man exchange glances and nods before Samson holds his hand out as an offer of agreement made. Alex reaches his out in return and they shake a firm handshake eyeing each other attentively.
"But remember this Samson, if so much as a hair on either of their heads is hurt, I will come here and kill every last person standing. Is this a fair agreement?" Alex's voice drops as he gives word of the consequences of crossing him.
"This is fair." Samson agrees and calls the guards in to show us the way to where we can call home from now on as I sit stunned at what just happened. Did I hear everything correctly? Did Alex just arrange to leave me here?
Logan is quick to stand and follow the guards asking about where it is we have managed to find ourselves as I sit in complete bewilderment.
Samson and the other man exit the room leaving me to try and understand what just happened.
I turn in my seat and lock eyes with Alex. He is giving nothing away purposely.
"What the hell did you just do?" I ask smoothly trying not to yell or get too emotional.
"I'm keeping you safe, Evie. No vampire will ever find you here." He breaks our gaze and chooses to wander off toward the far wall.
I stand and walk over to him. He can't run from my question in such a small place.
"Why did you organize for only Logan and me to stay here? Surely you can too."
"That was never the plan. I had to get you and your brother out of harm's way where no one would think to look. No one knows about this place. No one knows about the people that live here. I only found out by pure chance."
"So you're leaving me here. That's it. No goodbye, nothing?" I feel the tears begin to well in my eyes and I know that once I start I will not stop.
"Of course I intended on saying goodbye. It's just not safe for you anywhere else. You want to be with your brother don't you?" His words cut through me like knives.
"I want to be wherever you are. I thought you loved me?"
"It's because I love you that I need to keep you safe. I don't think I could bare it if you died." He sighs as he speaks as though telling me something I have heard a million times.
I shake my head in disbelief and take a step back.
"Are you going to erase my memory again too?" I spit my words as the tears begin to fall. I am now more angry than upset. How could he just up and leave?
"No of course not. I only did that because I thought it would be better if no one knew what happened to you when you were gone. I didn't want you to get hurt. I will never do that to you again." He reaches for my face to caress my cheek but I pull away from him.
"When I know that it is safe for you, I will return. I just have a few things I need to sort out first." Sincerity fills his voice but I can't accept his words.
"Like what? What is so important that it can't wait until we find somewhere to be safe together?" My words come out blunt as I speak them. I don't want him to see just how hurt I am but I can't hide it either.
"I need to find Keavy. If James knows about her then she is probably alive somewhere being used as a lab rat. I need to find her and bring her home. She would do the same for me."
I try to bring myself to hate him but I begin to think about Declyn and what I would do to find him if I knew where to begin. Maybe I can find him? Maybe we can find our siblings together?
"No Evie. You have to stay here. I will try to find Declyn as well but I have no idea where to begin. I know that if your Uncle knows about Keavy then she is within the zone. There are at least four different underground labs and we already found one."
I begin to sob loudly at the thought of Alex leaving me but in my heart of hearts I know that he is doing the right thing, even if I don't want to admit it out loud.
"I promise I will come back. You just need to give me time, ok?"
He closes the gap between us and wraps his arms around me holding me close as I let myself fall into him. My sobs grow louder again as I hold him for what very well could be the last time.
I don't want to let go because once I do, he will be gone. For how long, I'm not sure, all I know is that once he walks out that door I may never see him again.
Tears stream down my face now as Alex strokes my hair softly and holds me tightly. He doesn't try to stop my tears because he knows I need them to show right now. I need them to help me feel alive and to help me get through what comes next.
There is a faint knock at the door when the black haired man enters and looks at our embrace curiously before speaking, "are you ready, miss?"
Alex nods to him and leads me to the door. We step out onto the dock again and begin to casually stroll towards the boat we just stepped off of.
I am about to say goodbye to Alex and the only thing that is on my mind is one unanswered question.
"Why did you save me and not my mother?" I blurt it out before I have a chance to fully think about the answer he may give.
Regret for my poor choice in wording instantly washes over me. I want to know the truth of what happened that night. What have I missed or gotten wrong over the years?
"I was wondering when you were going to want to talk about it. That night didn't happen exactly as you remember." Alex begins to tell me about that terrifying night but stops and looks around as if to make sure that no one else is listening.
I watch him closely and wait for him to continue.
"Your mother wasn't taking a shortcut through the alleyway. She was grabbed by the vampire that killed her and dragged in there. He was trying to get you. I saw from a distance but as I got there it was too late for your mother. She was already dead and he was about to kill you next when I stepped in."
"So it is my fault my mother died. He wanted me but had to go through my mother." More tears fall from my eyes as I no longer try to contain them.
"No. It's not your fault that he was a maniac that loved to kill children. He was homicidal when he was human and was made much worse when he was turned into a vampire."
Alex strokes my cheek and wipes away a tear as I try to place what he just said.
"You said he was a maniac. Do you mean that he is dead?" Vengeance is now on my mind.
"Yes. I killed him that night."
"Why? You could have killed me and had me for yourself. Why did you save me and kill a vampire?" Confusion to the entire scenario sets in. Why would any vampire choose a human over their own?
"I don't kill children. I never have and never will. And he disobeyed orders one too many times."
I breathe in slowly and think about the whole night once more and come to one conclusion throughout it all. Alex saved my life before I even knew who he was.
I look up to him and into his beautiful blue eyes and take them in once more. They are the eyes from my dreams. The eyes that watch over me.
"You saved me. I guess you really are my guardian angel."
Alex gleams a smile at me as I press my lips to his and show him just what he means to me. It has always been him.
As he pulls away he wraps his arms around me and holds me close in a tight embrace.
I will come back for you.
Please hurry. I don't want to be here without you.
Softly he pulls my chin up to face his and plants one last delicate kiss on my lips as I savor the feeling of his indulgent kiss one last time.
He pulls away from me and begins to walk down the wood decking toward the boat we arrived in as I stand watching him take each step and cling to his leather jacket that he has left behind as it wraps around my body, at least three sizes too big.
He backs the boat slowly away from the dock and looks over to me smiling in the distance before sending me one last thought.
I love you, Evette Childs.
A/N - There is only the epilogue left to go but i promise that the second part to Zone Zero will be up very soon. Xoxoxo