"Adrianna, wait." Ivan shouted but I couldn't stop running. My mind was in chaos. Questions were running through my head. Why? How? What? Could it be possible? There was NO way I could be one of .. them.
"Adrianna." Ivan voice was vibrating around me, letting my name echo from all directions.
"Shut up." I shouted at him and tried to run faster but my tears were blinding me now and I missed a log and fell over it.
I went limp, my face was buried in the sand and I just cried.
"Andie, are you okay?" Ivan asked me but I flinched away from his touch.
"No." I wailed in the sand and then I felt Ivan's hand clasp around my arms and he pulled me up.
"Andie don't cry, please." He said gently when he saw my red eyes and then his hands pushed the hair back from my face. And then he saw the tiny scrape against my arm.
"You're hurt." He said and concern flickered in his eyes.
"It's 'kay." I mumbled and started to touch the scrape when Ivan caught my hand.
"Do you trust me?" He asked in a low voice and I met his gaze.
"Yes." I whispered knowing it was true. I trusted him but I didn't trust myself.
"Then let me look at the wound." He said and raised my sleeve a little and I was frozen, his simple touch had sent a shiver down my spine and then he raised his hand and gently caressed my wound. As soon as his fingers stopped touching my skin my scrape was .. gone.
"How .." I couldn't even for a sentence. I just met his gaze and he smiled slowly at me.
"You can do that, too. And more." He said gently.
"Why me, Ivan? I didn't ask for this. I don't want this." I said and I saw his jaw tighten.
"Don't say that. You don't know what this world hold's for you. They're your family, Adrianna." He said softly.
"And I don't want to know. They just want me because there's a .. a war there." I said and more tears filled my eyes.
"Don't cry, God. I can cope with almost everything except sadness. Please." His voice changed and I could hear the .. agony there.
"Why do you care?" I whispered at him and his eyes darkened.
"I swear I regret being the one to tell you this, Adrianna. You're so feeble and sad. I can see it, Andie. I know how disappointed you feel with yourselves all the time and then to know that the life you have lived was a lie, I know it is tearing you apart. But you're strong. I know you are." He said and his thumb brushed my tears away.
"Don't give up, Andie." He whispered and I closed my eyes when I felt more tear's threatening to flow out. And at that moment I didn't care about anything, I reached for Ivan and hugged him tightly. He stiffened for a moment but I needed his support, I needed to feel the warmth.
"What should I do?" I whispered against his chest and for a moment he relaxed.
"Come back with me." He whispered back. I pressed closer to him all the earlier panic came back to me. What if I went and then failed them. Fail my mother. Fail Ivan.
I couldn't cope with this. I moved away from Ivan. I couldn't think when he was near me.
"No Ivan, the girl you think I am. I'm not." I said and this time we were near our apartment so I ran the way to my place and then closed the door.
For a minute I leaned against the door and took deep breaths. But then someone banged at my door and I jumped.
"Open the door, Andie." Ivan said and I groaned.
"No, Ivan. Go away." I shouted through the door and I heard his curse.
"Adrianna, please. Open the door." He said again and a bang followed.
"NO." I shouted at him and this time he banged so hard that my door frame rattled.
"Open this door right now or I'll break it down." I heard him and this time I was scared. And when another bang followed, I knew he would.
"I just want to be alone." I said and for a minute the banging stopped.
"Please, Andie." I heard him but when I didn't respond he banged at the door again and that's when I remembered.
My angel.
I ran to my door and got my angel from there. Ivan had told me whatever I wished upon it, it happened. This was my only option, now.
I opened the door and Ivan all but fell on me he started to say something but then he saw the angel in my hand.
"What are you doing?" He demanded and this time he saw the defiance in my eyes. I was sick of crying and all the pity. If I wanted to be alone, I wanted to be alone.
"I told you I wanted to be alone but you didn't listen." I said and shrugged whereas Ivan stiffened.
"We will talk about this but please keep the angel down." He said and I shook my head and I saw anger flare in his eyes, making them go dark. Looking in his eyes I almost kept the angel down. Almost.
"I wish to go out and I don't want Ivan to follow me." I said and then gently stroked the tiny wings of my angel and that's when Ivan snapped.
"Bloody hell. Do you think this is funny? I can't leave you alone like this, it's dangerous." He all but shouted at me but luckily I was standing near the door and before he could move I was out of the door, when he moved to follow me .. He couldn't. For a minute I was transfixed, I saw him struggling to take a step towards me but he .. couldn't.
"Have a nice day." I said and then I was out of the building and in my car.
I drove down to Mortello's. Noise and energy, that's what I needed.
And any way's Mortello's was my place. Here I could sit in the corner, drink myself into oblivion and dwell upon the failure that I was. I made my way to the booth.
"Andie, my girl. What's up?" Johnny, the bartender came up to me. It was his shift and that meant free booze. Awesome.
"Nothing. I'm good." I said and tried to smile.
"Yeah? Your puffy eyes and ashen face tells me a different story." He said and then poured me a large whiskey.
"This will make me better." I said taking a swing.
"And drunk." He finished for me and then went on to the next customer. Being drunk was the last of my problems, right now. I had to think about the fact that I was descended from a family of angels and that they needed me to fight a fucking war.
I guess I was getting all the attention I needed in a lifetime and then some. Ha, what a joke my life was.
"Hello, my love." The man sitting next to me said. I gave him a nod and then returned to drinking my whiskey.
"Johnny, refill." I shouted and Johnny filled my glass again.
"What has got you so upset that you're drowning in alcohol?" The guy beside me asked.
What could I have given for him to shut up, right then.
"Same old. Same old." I said sarcastically and then took another sip of my drink.
Ivan was going to be furious with me. God, when I had seen his eyes darken I had almost wanted to keep my angel down and listen to him but I was stifled there. Seeing him reminded me of what I was asked to be. Of all the lies and waiting. Of the truth of my life and I had wanted to be away and he wouldn't leave me.
"What's your name, darling?" He asked me and when I snapped my head at him he gave me a smile and that's the first time I noticed him. He was handsome in a very dark kind of way. He was wearing a grey suit and a hat on his head. And then I raised my eyes to his and a shock went through me. His eyes were black. Pitch black. You couldn't see a thing through them.
"Andie." I choked out and his smile widened. Suddenly I was scared. Very scared and I wanted to be away from him. His attire reminded me of how Ivan had looked the first day when I had met him on the road.
"I have to go." I said and hurriedly got to my feet, I was almost to the door when suddenly he came up in front of me.
I froze.
How did he come in front of me? How could he have been so fast? Who was he? What did he want.
"I'm Antonio and I want you." He said answering my thoughts.