Caught In A Lie

1: Strange Meeting

     I came back from the weekly grocery-shopping to find him sprawled on the backyard on his back, eyes open and staring blankly at everything and nothing. So how do I know what really happened? I knew what to look for; Nick had taught me well. Not surprisingly, I found the dart. To a layperson, it looks like a needle. But if you look closely, you’ll see what marks it for what it is: a minuscule hole near the point which is fitted with a hollow glass bubble that they fill with a poison they extract from algae. A fine tube connects it to the tip. The job is over in minutes.

   Nick wasn’t really my father. He had taken me in seventeen years ago when he found me wandering the streets, a pale skinny waif amidst the vividness of a coastal Greek town. But he was the only person I could trust. My only friend. My mother… well, let’s just say that’s a story to be told later. With the numbness of loss and the alertness from the knowledge that I wasn’t safe any longer, I gathered what few belongings I had and the amulet from the safe before I left the house I’d lived in for almost two decades. I’d been taught from a young age that attachments were dangerous, especially since I was with Nick. So I studied at home, and attending college was out of the question. Not that I minded. All I wanted was to take after him as the Guardian. And he considered me more than capable.

    I’ve been on the move since I stuck out my thumb a month ago. After jumping between several inland towns and villages and a brief spell of roughing it in the wilderness, I reached the outskirts of Athens. I blended in with the tourist crowd and booked myself a room in an inn. Three million was always better cover than three thousand, I told myself as I tipped the busboy and looked around the room. The walls were papered in a simple floral design and the ceiling was white. The bed was done in blue and the door and furniture were wooden, painted white. The floor was a pale grey tile. Inconspicuous.

    I went to the window by the bed. Drawing aside the powdery blue lace curtains, I stared out at the road. Call me paranoid, but I had a feeling I was being watched. I noticed a figure in a gloomy alley across the window looking in my direction. I squinted, trying to make out his features. When I blinked, the figure was gone. Forcing back a shudder, I shut the window and pulled the curtain closed.

   After locking the door, I sat on the bed with my travel bag at my feet. Then, reconsidering, I lay back, fingering the locket that hung around my neck. Considering the way my heart was pounding, I didn’t think I’d be able to relax enough to sleep. Nonetheless, I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. Soon enough, exhaustion took over and I fell into blessed oblivion.

        ***

     It was dark when I woke up. I dug in my pocket for my cell phone and winced when the screen lit up. Opening my eyes to a slit, I noted the time: 22:00. Not too late for dinner, after all. My mouth felt like a sponge and I had an urge to brush my teeth. Someone slept well, I thought wryly as I sat up and waited for my head to settle. I turned the bedside lamp on as I dragged myself to my feet. I turned on the room light and dragged my suitcase over to the chair. I pulled out fresh underwear, a blouse and skirt, my toiletry bag and headed for the bathroom.

     After a quick shower, I studied myself in the mirror. The usually tan tone of my skin was darkened by the flush of heat. Just like baklava, Nick would say. And my odd silvery white eyes and black mane only added to the contrast. I dressed quickly and neatly, braided my hair and put on a pair of brown contact lenses to disguise the faint glow of my eyes before I headed out.

    I got a salad and a cup of yogurt at one of the many eateries in the neighbourhood. There were still some tourists arguing over things they had seen that day. Choosing an empty table outside under the streetlight, I let their chatter wash over me as I watched and ate.