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"Alexis, please talk to me." Gabriel begged in a soft whisper.
He continued wiping the disinfectant on my neck. I'd managed to step into the shower and stand there until the blood had washed off my neck. It was way past two-thirty in the morning now.
My body was numb. I was in pain. My hands were still slightly shaking. And now I couldn't bring myself to speak.
I'd thrown on a t-shirt and shorts. I hadn't even bothered to acknowledge Gabriel except when he hugged me. My neck was turning purple and I knew my eyes and facial expression were completely blank.
The pain of the stranger biting me kept playing over and over again in my head. The message he conveyed to me kept repeating itself. Everything in my life was going to get harder, he said. More painful. More... Emotional.
Life right now was hard as it was, was it even possible for it to get worse?
My defences were down and Gabriel knew it but he refused to take any information from me. He wanted me to tell him.
He stood from my bed and threw the bloody pieces of cloth in the trash. I sat there staring a particular spot on the bed unable to even watch him.
Gabriel sat in front of me and took my hands in his. "Look at me."
I did as he said and wished I didn't. His blue eyes held worry, guilt and pain.
Gabe means everything to me. And I didn't like the fact that I was causing him pain.
"Please," He begged. "Please just talk. Say anything. Say my name, say your name just say something."
'I feel guilty enough as it is...' I heard. His thoughts were filled with pure guilt. But there wasn't any reason for him to feel guilty. It wasn't his fault.
"You shouldn't feel guilty." I whispered.
His jaw ticked signalling his growing anger. "I should have been there. That man shouldn't have been able to have gotten that close. That fear I felt from you when you walked in your bedroom door was..." He sighed. "Alarming; the feeling was horrible."
I shook my head and winced. "You can't follow me everywhere I go."
"I'm going to have to if this is how you come home."
"I can take care of myself-"
He interrupted me. "You obviously can't. Otherwise this wouldn't of happened."
I looked down at our hands. "You're saying it like it's my fault." I mumbled.
He sighed. "You shouldn't have been by yourself."
"I wasn't."
"Then whoever you were with could've at least seen what happened."
"No, he went to get the car. I tried running inside but I was still too slow."
He stroked a finger over my hand with the rash.
"What happened?" He breathed.
I showed him everything that happened. Starting at when he grabbed me right to when the headlights appeared around the corner of the street. Gabriel listened and watched intently. That's when I realised that both I and the man were speaking a completely different language. It sounded different when listening to it.
I also realised Gabriel could understand everything we were saying. His facial expressions told me he could. Once it was finished, he stared at me.
I shut my eyes and concentrated on my new found tongue. "You can understand me then?" I asked him in the alien language.
He clenched his jaw and nodded.
"How?" I asked in English.
"I could ask the same." He murmured.
"Yes, but I don't know why. Do you know why?"
He didn't respond.
"Of course you do. You just refuse to tell me." I turned my head again.
His hand came under my chin. "Alexis, I'm so sorry."
I leaned back so his hand could drop. "Why are you apologising?"
He swallowed. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything yet."
"What does that even mean? What do you mean by 'yet'?"
"It means..." He frowned. "There is so much I want to tell you, Lexie, but I don't know how you'll react."
"You're not making any sense. You're saying things that only confuses me more and you've repeated yourself over and over again."
"I know. It's the only way to keep you away from the truth."
I shut my eyes and thought about what the man said about what I will become--
"Don't." Gabriel warned. "Don't even think about that. Ever. Forget it or I'll do it for you." He said firmly.
My eyes widened.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled. "But there are some things better left unsaid."
I nodded and did what he said. I forgot it.
For now.
"Gabriel, I need some answers." My eyes averted to his birthmark. I never really notice it anymore because I learnt to get used to it.
"I can't give you any. Not yet."
"When?"
He shook his head. "When the time is right."
"So you promise everything will make sense when the time is right or whatever?"
He nodded. "Yes."
Good because right now everything is in a right mess, I thought to myself. He heard me and chuckled.
"Go to sleep now." He suddenly said.
I raised a brow. "Why?"
"Because I said so. You're going to be sleep deprived if you don't."
He shuffled sideways so I could get under the comforter.
I yawned and stretched. "Are you staying?"
He nodded but then frowned. "I have to leave in the morning."
I watched him as he watched me.
And then I sighed. "Alright. Will you be back?"
He nodded again.
I closed my eyes. I knew Gabriel was still watching me I could feel it. But I ignored it and let sleep take over.
***
I was startled awake by a click.
Oh god no. Was that guy back?
I opened my eyes and literally almost screamed but instead I scowled and yelled, "What the hell are you doing here!"
Tristan smirked and sauntered over to the edge of my bed. He was topless, just like Gabriel, but he didn't have a birthmark on his muscled chest or arm.
I glanced at the clock. 6.30 In the morning. I sat up completely startled and held the covers close to my chest. I felt naked, even though I wasn't. Gabriel's brother in my room? It wasn't exactly on my bingo card for this year.
Heck, a lot of what was happening wasn't on my bingo card either.
"Hey sweetheart," He said casually. He ran a hand through his blonde hair and grinned innocently.
"Once again, What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Gabriel told me to keep you company. I hear you have someone after you." He said 'you' in a sing song voice.
I shook my head. "I don't like to think of it like that."
He shrugged. "It's true though, why deny it."
I continued looking at his chest trying to find any trace of a birthmark. Where else could it be?
"What are you looking for?" He chuckled.
"Nothing,"
He clicked his fingers and pointed at me. "You're looking for my mark. You've obviously seen Gabriel's and you're wondering if mine is the same."
He stood up and lifted his pant leg. My eyes widened. His was unique in its own way; not at all similar to Gabriel's. It ran all the around and up his calf and foot. His wasn't as big as Gabriel's and neither complex.
"I think Gabriel lucked out on his. His is so much better."
I frowned. "He hates his."
"I know but I like it." He shrugged.
I shook my head again and a very sly thought came to mind. If Gabriel wasn't telling me anything I can get it out of Tristan.
"Tristan, what is it?"
He regarded me carefully before saying, "It's a mark everyone gets when they reach a certain point in their life. I've had mine a very long time. But I earned mine."
I tried hiding my smile. He could tell me everything I need to know.
"Okay that's cool," I slowly lowered the comforter and cleared my throat nonchalantly. "And... how did you earn yours?"
He sat on the floor and crossed his legs. "By being me."
That's helpful.
"What's Enochian?"
He stared at me for a few moments. "An ancient language..." He paused but then narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you ask Gabriel any of this?"
I clenched my jaw. "Because he won't tell me anything! And he's somehow blocked me from searching anything on the computers." I smiled. "But you can tell me."
He shook his head. "If Gabriel obviously isn't saying anything then I think it's best if I don't say anything."
I groaned. "Damn you! At least tell me what a Nephilim is! What about Enochian? What those scars on your back are? How it's even mentally possible for you to scale up to my window when it's on the higher floor without any way of getting down?! How---"
He burst out laughing.
I watched him with narrowed eyes and a large scowl.
"Whoa. I didn't know you knew that much." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Alright I'll give you something you can go on."
I leaned forward and waited.
"Obviously Gabriel is being an absolute douche," I rolled my eyes. "He's trying to protect you, I know that much."
"Totally obvious, but carry on."
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Gabriel still thinks it's not the right time, but looking at your hand and looking at you right now, it's obvious you're almost ready to know."
My hand? I looked at my rash arm. I've had it since the first week of school. I didn't think much of it though. But ever since that man looked at my hand and said I wasn't far along I got worried. It's spread slightly up my arm.
"The best thing to do is head to the library. If you look up 'The Book of Enoch' everything should become clear. That book will lead you to another book that will explain everything else, I promise."
This is what I wanted. This is what Gabriel wasn't giving me.
"Do you know why that guy is after me?"
His eyebrows knitted together. "The man isn't after you, I know that much. He's keeping an eye on you. And not a good eye like I am now, but he's waiting."
"For what?"
Tristan remained silent. Then he suddenly said, "You know you have a beautiful heart and soul, Lex?"
I blushed but then shook my head. "Don't distract me."
"That's just it though. Your soul. It's very important to this world and another."
I groaned again. "That's basically what that guy said. That doesn't make any sense."
Tristan stood up and sat next to me. "The guy said you're important in this world and another?"
I nodded. "What does that mean then?"
He sighed. "Alex, come on. Gabe would kill me if I said anymore. I've told you what to do, and as soon as you find out I want you to talk to me first."
I sighed.
"Anyway, get dressed and look decent so we can do something."
I scowled. "You're asking me to look decent? You're standing in my room in sweat pants and no socks or shirt."
He shrugged yet again. "I'm proud of my body. And I have a reason for not wearing a shirt. Reasons that will stay with me."
I stood up and walked into my closet pulling out a t-shirt Gabe left here not long ago.
I threw it at him and he sighed. "Oh come on, don't you like my body?" He flexed his muscles and tensed his six pack.
"You ain't got nothin' on Gabe," I mumbled.
"Oh, so its gonna be like that then?" He gave me and intense look then smirked. "I could make you fall for me," He clicked his fingers. "Just like that."
"Yeah right," I scoffed and walked into the bathroom.
"Nice bite by the way!" He shouted as I shut the door.
I looked in the mirror and frowned. My bite was pure purple now and a scab wasn't forming just yet. It still looked fresh. Damn, I'm going to have to wear a scarf for a while.
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(Edited: 2014)