Escaping Death [Watty Awards]

Chapter 31-Gwen

Chapter 31-Gwen

 I was jolted out of my dream by a soft knock on the door.

Gabriel peaked in through the door and smiled at me.  I was momentarily caught off guard at seeing him in my bedroom this early in the morning.  I squinted my eyes, rubbing them to stay open and looked at my clock on the dresser.  It was 5:25 and I groaned.

“Hey.  Sorry to just barge in on you.”  He said sheepishly, a small grin forming on his mouth.

I covered myself with my blanket and felt Gabriel move and sit on the other side of my bed.  “Gwen, you have to get up and start getting ready for school.”

“Ugh…but I don’t want to.  It’s too early, Gabe. Please go away.”

He started to pull the covers off of me but I fought back.  I giggled as he tried to tickle me and I gave up when I was full on laughing aloud.  Mom would have a heart attack if she knew Gabriel was here.  I wondered if she knew he was here.

“C’mon, Gwen.  You have to go back today.  You’ve been out for a week.”  He touched my hair and smoothed it back from my face.  “I’ll help you get ready if you want.”  He winked at me and I couldn’t hide the smile that began to form.

“Fine.  But you can’t look while I change into my clothes.  Got it?”

He nodded and laid down on my bed while I got up and rummaged through my closet for an outfit.  “Where were you yesterday?”  I asked.  “I was hoping to see you when I was discharged.”

“Calder came by last night and we got caught up with a lead of a demon nest in Arlington.”  He said nonchalantly.

I was momentarily taken aback.  I’d forgotten that demons were also part of Gabriel’s world and to hear him saying that he went demon hunting like it was a trip to the zoo, took me by surprise.  It also filled me fear that something might have happened to Gabriel.  He could have died…

“Did you guys kill the nest?”  I asked, shakily.  I hoped that he didn’t notice the sound of my quavering voice.

Unfortunately, he didn’t.  “Yes.  Some escaped but that was a given.”  I didn’t hear him get off the bed and the next thing I knew he had his arms wrapped around my waist.  “I’m okay, Gwen.  Don’t ever worry about me, okay?”  He kissed my neck, sending shivers through my very being.

“I can’t help it.  I just naturally worry about you, Gabe.  I don’t want something to happen to you.” 

“I know.”  He spun me around and I gazed into his beautiful blue-green eyes.  “I can take care of myself.”  He titled my chin with his hand and I felt the warmth they held.  “Remember that I’ve been hunting and killing demons since I was sixteen.  There is nothing to worry about.”

I sighed.  “Alright.”  I stepped away from him and resumed to get ready while Gabriel sat on my bed and began reading Paradise Lost.  As I began to straighten my hair, I caught Gabriel’s engrossed expression on the mirror.  His eyebrows knitted together as he processed what he read.  I couldn’t help but smile and remember all the times I’ve seen him read in the past.  He always gave his full attention to whatever book was in his hands as everything surrounding him disappeared. 

I took the beautiful necklace that Gabriel gave me and clasped it around my neck.  Yesterday morning I found it on the nightstand with a note in Gabriel’s scripture.  I hadn’t realized that it was missing and I was glad that he found it and gave it back to me.  It was the one thing that I never wanted to lose.

When Gabriel left I suddenly lost everything that reminded me of him.  Photos, notes, gifts, suddenly disappeared.  I thought that I was losing my mind but after awhile I thought that I may have misplaced them or that Mom might have put them all away in a box because of the pain that she saw in me when Gabriel left.  I never wanted to lose this necklace.  I wanted to keep it safe and with me forever no matter what happened in the end.