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My mom and dad were so mad.
My brother went nuts, my dad's face went so red with anger I couldn't believe that a face could go so red, and my mom said every English swear word in the dictionary. Brian stayed to help get my face cleaned up but went home almost an hour ago.
Mom said I didn't have to go to school tomorrow. I said I'll see how I feel tomorrow but I doubt I'll go.
My jaw wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It bled a lot but it wasn't that bad. It was just a circular scrape to the jaw.
It was almost 2:05am and I haven't had a minute sleep. My mind was racing. That language, it sounded very unusual. Except... it somehow seemed familiar. When he first started speaking in that alien tongue, I understood it. I shouldn't have but I did. It felt like it was a second language; like it was already embedded into my brain.
I shook my head and closed my eyes.
That isn't mentally possible... then again a lot of things now a days isn't mentally possible.
~
"Oiad Cro-od-zi ipam ...." Someone whispered to me.
~
I jolted up and looked straight into the corner. I literally almost peed myself when I saw an outline of a dark shadow.
I opened my mouth to scream and shut my eyes when a large wet hand shot out over my mouth. I opened my eyes just as lightening brightened my room for a split second. But it was long enough to see the face of the one person I didn't think I would ever see.
His bright blue eyes stared into mine with both anger and worry.
He removed his hand slowly from my mouth. He was so close.
And he was soaked.
Without a t-shirt on.
Only light grey sweat pants. No shoes.
My door suddenly burst open, turning on the light half blinding me showing my dad with a baseball bat. "Honey, I heard you squeal is something wrong?"
I groaned loudly and covered my eyes. I then quickly surveyed my bedroom only to see Gabriel gone.
"Ahh, oh, dad no, there was a, erm, huge spider. I killed it. It's cool."
He lowered the bat and raised a brow. "Alright. Well, you get some sleep then. Love you."
I nodded. "Yeah, I will. Love you too."
He smiled and turned the light off.
As soon as the door closed, Gabriel came out from behind the door looking a little bit pissed off.
"Gabriel,"
It felt so weird to say his name. I could see him now. He was dripping wet from the rain he looked like he was breathing really heavily, chest rising up and down defining his six pack.
He walked into the bathroom and walked out with a towel.
"How did you get in here?" I wondered.
He pointed his hand toward the window.
"But I locked that."
He smirked. I missed that smirk. I crossed my legs on the bed and stared at him. He wasn't making any attempt to talk to me. Why?
"I'm beyond the point of pissed off that I can't think of the right words to say."
He can hear me. Could he hear me all week? I paused before I said. "At what?"
He strolled over to me, put the towel on the bed and sat on it. "Myself,"
I raised a brow. "Why?"
He raised his hand but quickly dropped it, obviously deciding against the idea of touching me. "For not being there for you."
I was about to say something but he stopped me. "Whatever happened to you is being blocked. I can't get to your memory. All I can see is a replacement. I see you walking down the street and tripping, falling and scraping your chin. But both of us know that isn't true."
"At least I know that isn't the truth. But do you?" I challenged.
He narrowed his eyes. "I know it's not true. I just don't know the actual truth."
That sort of didn't make sense to me.
He sighed. "I said, I---"
"It's alright. I sort of understand."
He moved an inch closer. "Show me the truth."
I didn't know whether I should. I was afraid of what he might do.
"I promise I won't do anything." He said in a soft voice.
I grabbed his hand and ignored the small tingles circulating through my arm.
I thought about what happened.
I started with the car incident, and stopped at the part when I fell over.
He pulled his hand back. "That's not everything." He said in a hard voice.
"I know."
"What are you keeping from me?"
I sighed. He'll find out some how. "He... started talking to me in an odd language."
He stayed silent.
"And strangely, I understood it. And just a second ago before I woke up I heard something in the same language."
"Do you remember what you heard a minute ago?" He whispered.
I ran a hand through my hair and concentrated.
"Erm...," I took a deep breath. "Oiad cro-od-zi ipam," I said in a perfected accent. How I knew it was perfect I had no idea.
Gabriel's eyes widened and his head immediately dropped into his hands.
I didn't know what the phrase meant. I knew 'Oiad' was 'The' but that's it.
I wanted to touch him. I wanted to comfort him in some way but I didn't know what for.
"Gabriel, what language is it?"
He shook his head as if saying, 'I'm not telling you.'
I scowled even though he couldn't see me. "What is the language?" I demanded.
He looked up from his hands. "Do you understand it?"
I shrugged and nodded. "Yes and no. I understood everything the man said to me but not the phrase." I paused before I said, "Do you understand it?"
He nodded.
My eyes widened. How could he know? More importantly, how do I know! "What does that phrase mean?"
He exhaled. "The second beginning."
What did that mean?
"The language is pronounced as 'Enochian'. It's a... very, very old language."
"And how do you know that?"
"It doesn't matter how I know," He snapped. "What did the man say to you?"
I ran a hand over my hand with the rash. "He asked if I understood him, I said yes and then he said I was the one he was looking for. Then, he looked at the hand with the rash and said I wasn't too far gone but soon."
Gabriel shook his head and started pacing. "No... What..." He mumbled to himself.
I crawled over towards the bedside lamp and turned it on. I looked down at my hand trying to figure out what the hell it could be. What could be so important about it?
"Do you know the man?"
He stopped pacing to look at me. "No, he was smart enough to hide any trace of him. There is absolutely nothing for me to go on."
He was pacing again when I noticed his back.
The scars on both sides had veins outlining it. Like they were cut open with a knife and sealed together by force. It made me cringe a little.
I stood up and stood in front of him. "Gabriel, you need to stop worrying about me. Maybe this guy had the wrong---"
He sighed. "Alexis, you don't understand the situation."
I took a step forward. "Then help me understand. Tell me what's going on."
He startled me my pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back ignoring my screaming body.
"I can't tell you."
I was about to pull away before he whispered, "Not now. Not yet. I'm not ready to lose you."
I hugged him closer to me.
"You could never lose me. Even if you wanted to, I'll still be here; no matter what happens." I repeated what he said to me last week.
He hugged me tighter evidently remembering his words.
This moment was cute, I must say, but it was the tiniest bit corny.
He laughed. "I was thinking exactly the same thing."
"I know." I replied.
He pulled away and stared down at me. I immediately frowned remember everything from last week. "I'm sorry for..." What am I sorry for?
He smiled. "Apology accepted."
I raised a brow. "I technically didn't apologize for anything."
He shrugged. "I don't really care."
I laughed to myself. "We spent a week without each other and we were a mess. We spent over eight weeks without each other and we survived."
"We had some form of contact during the summer."
I let go and grabbed his hand leading him to the closet. "True," I went into one of the shelves looking for a spare pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Gabe left clothes here not long ago just in case.
Of what? I had no clue at the time but now I sort of understand.
I threw them to him. "Put some dry clothes on please."
He threw the shirt back at me and smirked.
I rolled my eyes and put it back on the shelf.
We both walked back into the bedroom but he went into the bathroom. I went straight to bed without a second thought.
I concentrated on placing the wall back up in my head to stop Gabe from hearing me.
Everything I've heard today seemed to be... unreal. I understand a language I could have sworn I'd never heard in my life, I'd been thrown around like a rag doll without even being touched, and now Gabriel is hiding probably the most important secret of his life from me.
I understand now that Gabriel is involved in something that obviously isn't normal...
Or human...
He walked back in before I could decipher anything else.
I tried my best to control my facial expression when he walked out with only shorts on and that sexy bed hair look.
He spread his sweat pants and something else I couldn't see on the heater. He came next to the bed and flopped down beside me.
I turned my head slightly to look upon his god-like features; his perfect smooth skin, his dazzling face, his flawless body.
This wasn't at all awkward.
"I can literally feel your eyes on me, Lex."
"I can't help it." I mumbled but he heard me.
He turned on his side and stared at me.
"Sorry," I muttered. "I didn't mean to say that." I sighed. "Can we make everything go back to normal? You know, before the whole kiss."
I turned on my side to face him.
He smiled. "Lex, obviously nothing can go back to normal. And I will admit this to you now that all of those kisses were no mistake. I'd rather be in your life as a friend if that's what it takes to keep you." His smile turned into a smirk. "And,"
He shuffled forward and placed his hand on my bare thigh.
"I'm going to wait." I didn't realise how close he was until his breath brushed across my face.
I was the tiniest bit nervous but I tried not to make it known. "How do you know I'm willing---"
He interrupted. "I don't know if you're willing to or not. And I certainly am not forcing you. It's your decision."
I sighed and shuffled forward resting my forehead on his naked chest. "You're right, it is my decision. And I haven't decided anything."
He wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sure you haven't."
We were silent for about two minutes before I wanted to make something clear to him.
"Gabriel, I'm not letting any of this go." I whispered.
He sighed. "I know."
I snuggled into him. "I'll find out, you know."
He chuckled. "I'm sure you'll try."
I yawned. "I will try. I'll find out what you are."
He paused. "What I am?"
I smiled. "Exactly that."
Our bodies were pushed together. I could feel his body heat radiating off of him onto me when he said, "Hey, Alexis?"
"Hmm?"
His head rested on top of mine. "Guess what?"
"What?" I asked drowsily.
I felt his smile on my head. "I'm not wearing any boxers."
My eyes snapped open.
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(2014: edited)