Never Enough Time

Chapter Two: Gabriel

Chapter Two

 “I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you...”

-- Enchanted, Taylor Swift

GABRIEL

          I eyed my brother with disdain from a window as he made his way down to the forest – to watch her. His obsession with the girl really was getting tiring. It was extremely amusing at first – I had teased him endlessly – but then I realized that Nathan was truly fascinated with her. In a way, I could understand why he found her so alluring. She was a pretty thing; tall and thin, with long dark hair that flowed down her back like a river. Yet, she held no interest for me. And nor should she, for either myself or my brother. She had no money and was the daughter of a hunter. The girl was of no value whatsoever. My brother’s preoccupation was both unreasonable and irresponsible. We had better things to attend to than spying on girls – especially those without Happy Endings.

            I turned away from the window, shaking my head in disgust. I needed Nathan to focus on our plans. Scanning my room, I walked over to the water basin and looked in. A pair of bright blue eyes stared back at me, surrounded by a pale face and a mop of black hair. Concentrating my thoughts, I drew a symbol of Magic on the surface of the water with my fingertip. The smooth surface rippled and cleared. The reflection of water now showed an image of my brother, walking swiftly away from where the girl would be. I smiled. Good. He was coming back. Then I saw something that disturbed me. It was the girl, following behind him almost as if – as if she were hunting him. I almost laughed out loud as I understood. She thought Nathan was an animal!

            I wasn’t all that concerned for my brother’s safety. He could take care of himself. Besides, sooner or later, the girl was going to realize that she was not, in fact, hunting an animal, but a person. That encounter was sure to be entertaining, and I wasn’t planning on missing it. Grinning in anticipation, I focused my thoughts once more and continued scrying.

RIKA

             I was beginning to have some sneaking suspicions about my “prey.” It was moving rather swiftly and steadily for an animal; it moved with purpose. Also, it had never once stopped for water or to nibble at some grass or to do some other mundane thing that animals did. This led me to believe that I was not following an animal at all, but perhaps a faun or possibly a lost gnome that wandered away from his cave. Of course, I would not harm these creatures in any way. The only reason I was still following it was because I have always been interested in magical beings and, childish though it may seem, I wanted one for a friend. Well, to be honest, I just wanted a friend. I hadn’t had one since Ivory received her Happy Ending. Father was great, but there are just some things you can’t share with a parent. I needed someone to talk to. I needed someone like Ivory back in my life.

            I could tell that I was getting close to whatever it was I was stalking, because I could here their footsteps on the soft grass. Again, I got a glimpse of that off-white colour I had seen earlier. Once I had spotted it, I never took my eyes off of it. Hiding behind a tree, I strung my bow, just in case it was one of the more dangerous creatures. Goodness knows what could be living in this forest. Even an experienced hunter (such as my father) had to be careful. Taking care to move slowly so as not to frighten whatever it was, I stepped out from behind the tree, my bow centered carefully on the spot of white.

            I lowered it almost immediately when I realized what I was aiming at.

            The tall young man was facing away from me, but I think he could sense that I was there, because he’d stopped moving. I saw now that the flash of white I’d seen before was really his hair, which was pale blond. Even from a distance, I could tell that he was muscular, and I wondered if he engaged in some activity that required strength. That kind of muscle didn’t come without hard work and dedication. I suddenly realized that I was staring, and stopped.