Daemons in the Mist

Chapter 10 - Vanishing into Dreams

10

Vanishing into Dreams

Saturday, January 14th

PATRICK

                        

After a rather quick, uncomfortably silent late lunch, we headed to the airport and hopped a plane back to San Francisco. I had always thought on my first trip out of the state I would have wanted to do more sightseeing, but I hadn’t really much felt like it at the time.

None of us talked on the plane. Shawn listened to music, Nikki flipped through one of the in-flight magazines, and Nualla stared out the window nervously playing with her necklace. I flipped through all the incriminating photos we had taken the night before on my phone. If these ever made it onto Facebook, I would be a dead man for sure.

***

At a little after eight we finally made it out of the airport in San Francisco on our way to the parking garage. Nualla rounded the corner then leapt back pressing herself against the wall, panic stricken. Nikki, Shawn, and I stopped dead in our tracks. Nualla looked at the other two and mouthed something to them before looking up at me. I got the distinct impression that they knew exactly what was around that corner because they both tensed.

Nualla took a step toward me as she rummaged around in her purse. She grabbed my hand and slapped something into it. “Patrick here’s some cash, get yourself a cab.”

“Wait what? Is it Michael again or something?”

“No, worse,” she answered, not meeting my eyes.

I started running through the list of people that could possibly be worse than Michael. “Is it your dad?”

Nualla grabbed my hands and held them in hers. “No, but Patrick, you really have to trust me on this. Please go. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Nualla, you’re not making any sense.” I tried to look around her, but I couldn’t lean far enough to see past the wall.

“I know; I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything to you later.”

I looked back at her. “Promise?”

“Promise,” she answered, sounding extremely anxious.

“Fine,” I relented, closing my hand around the cash.

I looked away from her eyes trying to get up enough courage for what I was going to do next. I was afraid that if I let her go this would all vanish; that I would wake up tomorrow to find that it had all been a really strange dream.

I extended my hand toward her slowly, trying to keep it from shaking. Taking a deep breath, I let the fear go like I had on the dance floor. The tips of my fingers brushed her soft hair, and I pulled her face close to mine.

“One more thing before I go.” It was now or never, I swallowed hard and continued. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first day I saw you. And I’m not a hundred percent sure I got my chance yet, so…” And then I kissed her, for what could be the last time for all I knew.

I turned and started walking away before I could lose the calm, cool person I was currently projecting. “See you Monday before school, on the steps of the parking lot entrance, okay?”

“‘Kay,” she said in a small voice, so low it didn’t even echo off the parking garage walls.

I didn’t look back, just continued walking. I didn’t need to be home. I didn’t need to be anywhere really. Anywhere—but with her.

NUALLA

                        

Patrick brushed the tips of his fingers across my hair as he pulled me closer. “One more thing before I go.”

My breath caught but never escaped, his eyes were vast pools, dark mysteries pulling me into their embrace. “I’ve wanted to do this since the first day I saw you. And I’m not a hundred percent sure I got my chance yet, so…”

I was going to ask “what?” but I didn’t get a chance to. Patrick leaned in and kissed me, his eyes sliding closed. He kissed me deeply, passionately. His lips were so soft, softer than I imagined lips could feel. And then he pulled away and turned to leave. “See you Monday before school, on the steps of the parking lot entrance, okay?”

I was still in shock, so the only thing that popped out of my mouth was, “‘Kay,” and I said it to his retreating back.

I could feel a deep sadness following him, but I couldn’t do anything about it but watch him go. He was not ready for what was on the other side of the wall. Hell, I wasn’t even ready for it.

Once Patrick was nearly out of sight, I swallowed hard and rounded the corner. In the distance the curvy form of a woman leaned against Shawn’s car. When we got a few feet closer my fears were confirmed. It was Tylia, one of the Kalo Protectorate’s high ranking officers. Everything about her read sleek and deadly except for her hair, which was a pulled back ‘fro.

“So, how was Vegas?” Tylia asked, looking down at her nails.

I just stared dumbly at her. “How did you—?”

She stopped leaning against the car and took a step forward. “Nualla it’s my job to ensure the safety of the Chancellarius and his family. Do you really think you could leave the state without me knowing?”

I made to push past her. “Well we’re back now, so you can stop keeping tabs on us.”

She put an arm out in front of me. “Not so fast, Arius. I would ask you why you were in Vegas, but I already know.” Tylia reached into her back pocket and whipped out an eCopy of my marriage license.

I rocked back on my heels and nearly fell over. With a steadying breath, I reached out and took the ePaper.

“I intercepted that before anyone else saw it. I suggest you tell your father before Monday, or I will have to,” Tylia advised, gesturing to the ePaper.

“Thanks, Tylia,” I said, staring down at the simple document that was causing a lot of my current problems.

“Keeping the peace is one of my job responsibilities too, you know,” Tylia said over her shoulder as she stalked off in the direction we had come—toward Patrick.

A chill ran down my spine, and I called out to Tylia. “You leave him alone, Tylia. I don’t want you hurting him. I…I like him.”

Tylia turned back to look at me, arms crossed in front of her. “Honey, as much as I might wish different, that boy is now part of your family for better or for worse. And so protecting his ass now falls on my list of responsibilities. Hurting him is the last thing I’m going to do. Your father, on the other hand, is a completely different story,” Tylia stated before she turned and continued in the direction she had been going.

And this time I didn’t stop her.