Reflections End (Book 5) Now published so sample only

Chapter 4

© Sandra Corton 2013

Chapter 4

Ellie’s POV

He disappeared as instantly as he had arrived and I just stood there flabbergasted. What had just happened in this room? I remembered cutting my fingers as I chopped up some of the ingredients for tomorrow.  I had called out for my sister who had left a half hour ago, but then he appeared.

I glanced around the room taking in the splatters of blood as I tried to understand this evening. It had happened, this room was proof enough. It wasn't just a crazy figment of my imagination. Still I flexed my fingers again and stared at my hand.

No matter which way I looked at it, I had to admit that it was completely healed. There wasn't even a scar to show where I had cut my fingers so deeply. I prodded at those fingers with a frown. There was no pain. I was no longer shaking in shock and everything was healed as though it had never occurred, but I knew it had.

Kale was perhaps far stranger than me or anyone of my family, which was saying something. He had looked so freaked out when he had stepped away from me. He didn't look like he regretted healing me but he was definitely panicked about something.

I got down off the table then and proceeded to clean up all the blood spots dotted around. It at least helped me focus on something beyond the miracle I had just been witness too. I threw out the food I had been chopping up and wiped down the benches.

It was only when I was mopping the floor that I found it and remembered. A rose as red as the blood I spilled was thrown on the floor. I picked it up and knew he had bought it for me. We were supposed to be going on a date right now, instead he was gone and I had no way of contacting him.

My heart ached a little then as I stared at my hands. The questions bombarded me. How did he do that? I had lost a lot of blood yet I didn't feel weak at all. I actually felt like I was on a bit of a high.  

I would probably be in surgery right now with them stitching my fingers back together. I would have been left with a hideous scar and probably months of physiotherapy. My fingers may have never been the same again even with my ability to heal quickly. Yet here they were whole and unmarred.

They felt the same as before I had cut them, not even burnt which was the way I was sure I would find them. The heat I had felt when he fixed my fingers had been like an inferno. It had burnt worse that the originally cut had felt like.

I finished everything on automatic that night. I closed up my shop, went back to my little apartment with questions brimming to overflowing. I took that stunning rose and placed it in a glass vase next to my bed. I stared between it and my hand for most of the night.

When I did sleep all I seemed to do was wake up screaming with Kale on my mind. All I could do was hope that he would come back to me.

I was in the blackest mood by the end of that week. He hadn't returned, not once. My sister, my darling sister that I told all my secrets to couldn't understand what was wrong. I hadn't told her anything either which was starting to make her mad. I was surprised that we still had customers the following week.

I dragged my sorry; sleep deprived self into my shop on Monday morning. My wool filled head was tired of the endless nightmares that made me think about Kale.

So when the bell tingled above the door long before I was ready for customers, I stormed out of the back room ready to abuse any one that got in my way.  I stopped in the middle of the floor and stared at his handsome face.

Neither of us said a word but I soaked up his presence. He looked as bad as I felt. His hair was almost standing up on end, his face seemed sallow and sad but his eyes, they told the full story. Turbulent emotions washed through those violet eyes. Every emotion seemed to rush through them keeping me enraptured. As sad as he was it was just so good to see him.

"I'm sorry Ellie. I just can't stand those freaking nightmares anymore." He said after he cleared his throat.

I had no idea what to say in response. Was he having nightmares too? Was it somehow connected? Then I realised that he was apologising for turning up to see me. That made me mad. It brought my renewed happiness smack down to the ground. I had to fight back that inner part of me that wanted to smash into him for abandoning me for a week. It was hard but I managed it.

"What nightmares?" I said as calmly as I could manage. He grimaced at me as though he knew I was lying.

"You know the ones Ellie." He said simply as he stared me down.

"Why is everything so hard with you?" I muttered under my breath as I glared at him. I didn't want to be mad at him now that he was here but I couldn't help myself.

"I'm not from here, that's why." He answered honestly. "Look I didn't come here to upset you...." He trailed off with a sigh.

"Then why are you here?" I snapped.

"I missed you." He whispered the words making my heart flutter, at least he had thought of me since we had been apart.

Those three tiny words changed everything for me. He was being honest; I could see it in his face. So he had run off for a week without contacting me, it wasn't the end of the world. I wanted answers from him though, especially about the miracle of him fixing my fingers.

"I missed you too. Will you explain things?" I asked looking down at my fingers and I saw him hesitate.

"I will try too." He replied genuinely.

"And about the nightmares?" I insisted and he slowly nodded. I heard the doorbell tinkle then and looked across to see my sister. Her smile turned sly as she looked between us.

"Well hello there! I thought you had become a stranger." Abigail said a tad sharply for my liking.

"Abi." I sent out a warning to her.

"Hey you were the one angry at him all last week and I had to put up with it." Abigail protested while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not opening up today so go home." I told her sternly and she looked shocked.

I never closed the shop, even if I was sick. Today was different. I was getting some answers from a guy I barely knew who nevertheless was my mate, even if he didn't know it yet. I nodded my head at her firmly. She slowly backed out of the door, her eyes full of questions as she left us alone.

"Give me a minute to turn off the ovens and then we will leave alright?" I told Kale who nodded in confusion.

"Listen you don't have to close up your shop for me. I can come back later." He offered and I turned back to look at him.

"No way! You keep leaving and I can't contact you so the answers are coming out today before you disappear again." I told him firmly and he shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"Fair enough." He muttered as I went into the kitchen.

I was turning things off and packing everything away when I realised I gave him the perfect excuse to escape. I quickly glanced out of the window in the doors connecting the front room. He was sitting at a table juggling these strange silver balls.