We left the building, Emerson still booming behind us.
“Well, that went well,” Parker said. “Do you think he’ll leave?”
David grinned. “Considering he didn’t seem too thrilled about the princess here, I’d say yes. We’ll send a patrol by in a few days and we’ll find out.”
“What’s next?” I asked. “And please tell me I’m not going to get called bad names all day.”
David laughed. “We have a few more of these to do and some elderly Otherworlders we have to check on. You’ll get nerves of steel yet.”
By the time David said it was time to go back, we’d delivered ten evection notices, most promising if they didn’t bring me back they’d leave tonight. We visited the elderly after an hour break to drop off some meals. They weren’t as spooked by me, just more cautious.
After visiting a rather sweet old lady, we got resituated in the car and David got on his cell phone.
“Hey, Captain. We’re on our way back.”
There was a few seconds pause.
“Great. She scared a few of the repeat offenders but otherwise no complaints.”
Another pause.
“Sure thing. We need to make a pit stop and then we’ll be back.”
David looked at me through the rearview mirror as Gregori responded.
“Getting dinner. Give us an hour.”
He hung up after that and turned in the seat to look at me. “You know where you’re going right?”
I nodded, not needing him to clarify what he was asking. “I think so. Can you go the same route you took to get to Emerson’s?”
He nodded. “Sure thing.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Parker whispered. “Cap said…”
“She deserves a break. Besides, she did well today. Let’s cut her some slack, alright?”
We drove in silence and when we got to a very familiar alley, I asked as calmly as possible for David to head down it. I knew what I was doing was probably wrong and would get both the guys in the front seat plus myself in trouble but I couldn’t help it.
David drove slowly down the alley and I tried to compare it as it was now to the way it was then. The memories flashed in my head and suddenly I had no idea what I was doing.
This was officially the stupidest thing I’d ever done.
“Ana…what are you doing?”
I didn’t answer him as David stopped at the end, waiting on me to tell him where to go next. I hesitated for a second, then two, then three. After that, I started working on autopilot. I got out of the car, neither of the guys saying anything as I went.
“You shouldn’t be here. Not alone. Call Luke. He’s still in the city…”
I ignored him and turned right on the sidewalk. I heard the car shut off behind me and both doors open and close, as well as the one I left open. I didn’t even pause at the door as I placed my hand on the doorknob. I knew it would be unlocked as it always was.
The handle gave with ease and the door opened, swinging inward. No creak or groan. Just silence.
“Ana…please don’t.”
I stood there in the doorway, my hands shoved deep in the pockets of my coat. The set of gear I was wearing actually felt, for the first time in my life, too tight. David and Parker were keeping their distance, being respectful I only assumed. I didn’t know if what happened that day spread through the Guild. I didn’t really care.
I stepped through the door, my boots softly scuffing the marble floor. Being taught to walk quietly was one of the first lessons I learned as a kid. I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the soft light. Apparently they’d finished remodeling. The Angel statue was completely uncovered, the pose he was striking still looked…vengeful.
“Ana.”
I looked at him briefly before heading up the stairs, my boots not making a sound. The echoes of the last time resounded in my head and I was oddly calm as I re-experienced everything. I barely registered David and Parker following me in. Parker made to follow me but David caught his arm and shook his head.
“She has to do this on her own,” he whispered.
“Captain said…”
“Please stop,” Aidan pleaded. “We go through this every night. Let’s not do it now too.”
I walked across the landing, Aidan pleading with me the whole way. The door I feared most in the world was cracked and for the first time I noticed the music coming from the room. That made me curious. There wasn’t a piano in there before…
“Ana…”
I reached out and pushed the door the rest of the way open, the piano music getting louder. I couldn’t believe what was taking place in that room. I was so freaked out that I started backing up slowly, all of them stopping what they were doing and looking at me.
“Ana…”
I kept backing up until my back hit the railing. Just as I was about to lose my balance, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back on both feet. I pulled my away from whoever had grabbed me and bent over at the waist.
“Ana…are you…?”
“Shut up,” I whispered. I sat down and just stared straight ahead. “By god, shut up.”
The piano music stopped and a woman came out, closing the door behind her. She probably didn’t want me to scare them but truth be told, they were scaring me.
“Miss, are you alright?”
I blinked and a tear leaked out as I continued to stare at her. The woman’s face changed completely and she looked from my face to…
“She’s fine.”
Gregori’s.
“Wait…” her brow furrowed as she looked at him “I know you.”
Gregori nodded. “Yes but…”
“You were here when that accident happened, around Christmas last year. Is there something wrong? What are…?”
“How can you teach children in that room?”
I stood up and made sure I had her attention. She was taken aback by my abruptness and gaped at me.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t you understand what happened in that room?” I pointed at the closed door behind her.
“I know a man was killed, a criminal. But we had the room thoroughly cleaned before we ever allowed…”
“That man was psychotic and a killer,” I hissed. “It doesn’t matter that you cleaned the room because I can promise you no bleach would ever get rid of…”
“Geo,” Gregori whispered as he took a hold of my arm and turned away from the teacher so it would appear all his focus was on me. “You need to calm down.”
I finally looked away from her and up at him. “She’s teaching ballet to children in that room. Do you understand?”
He tried to take my hands but I batted him away. I was wrong when I said he understood. If he didn’t get just how wrong that was…
The woman stood there in her delicate pink tutu thing completely baffled and horrified by what was going on. But she didn’t get what was lost and what died in that room. No one seemed to but me.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” she asked.
“Geo…” Gregori gripped my arms, both of us ignoring her for the moment “…she’s not going to understand.”
“Then I have to make her understand.” I looked at her even advanced on her so she would get and hear what I was saying. Gregori, of course, stopped me so I wouldn’t freak her out more than I probably was. “You can’t teach innocent children in a room where that…where he died.”
The woman stared at me like I was crazy. But then something dawned on her. She was figuring it out just not exactly what I wanted her to.
“You’re…the girl. Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t…”
“Don’t teach them in there, please.”
She looked concerned but nodded slowly. “Ok.”
“Geo…”
I wrenched my arms out of his hands and walked away, down the stairs I was carried down last time and out the door of my own free will. Dealing with the past wasn’t as easy as everyone thought it was. It was damn near impossible.
“I didn’t understand…” the woman continued to plead with Gregori as I left. Thing was, she wasn’t the only one.