Silence - Part three!

And here is another part - not finished yet!

Silence – Part three

This can’t be happening; where is he? I search the lakes edges, but it’s almost dark and I can hardly see. Frustrated, scared and cold, I run back into the house. Should I call for help? No, that won’t help anything. No one even knows Alexander exists.

I start pacing inside, dripping puddles on the tiled floor. I stop, holding my face in my hands. Did I imagine that he was here? I run over to check my phone. Scrolling through, I find the message I sent him, but no message in return. Did he really turn up? I have no proof. No, I have to stop thinking like that. I can still hear his voice in my head. Although, I guess that could just mean I’m crazy. Hearing voices is never a good sign.

I slowly walk over to the glass doors. I slip in a puddle and fall hard, smashing my phone in the process. Pain shoots through my wrist making me cry out. Great, now I’ve broken my arm and destroyed my only contact with the outside world. Can this night get any worse?

The lightning and thunder are becoming more frequent and the wind is getting louder and stronger. I get up, wincing against the pain. I cradle my arm, trying to think of a solution. The house it pitch black, so I feel along the wall to a light switch. I blink against the sudden brightness. I turn back towards the room and scream. There he is, standing in the middle of the room. My heart beats rapidly in my chest and the sudden rush of adrenaline dulls the pain in my wrist. Anger starts taking over my momentary feeling of fear. I take a deep breath and walk over towards him. I stop just before I reach him. He smiles at me and I slap him with my good arm. Wow, I can’t believe I just did that.

“Where did you go?” I ask him angrily. I hold my broken arm up to my chest, as if protecting it. He still has his hand up to where I hit him, but he looks almost amused. He reaches out towards my wrist, but I step back, glaring at him. He comes forward again, and this time I reluctantly let him take my arm. I flinch as he touches it; any adrenaline that coursed through my veins before is definitely gone.  The pain travels up my arm, and I grit my teeth. Warmth starts spreading from where his hand is holding me and pins and needles start tingling through the pain. I look up at him, speechless. Is he healing the break? As soon as it started, it stops. He lets go of me and steps back, holding his hands behind his back.

“Happy birthday, by the way.” he grins at me. “H -how did you do that?” I stammer, staring at my wrist, flexing it back and forth. It’s good as new.  “You can do it too.” he replies, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he just performed a miracle. Actually, that sounds stupid, but I can’t think what else to call it. “No I can’t; I’ve never done anything like that.” I think back to anything weird I’ve ever done and I definitely can’t remember healing anyone. “Yes, you can. You just need to be reminded. That’s why I’m here.” He slowly strolls past me and takes a seat in one of the huge arms chairs that clutter the living room. “What do you mean I need reminding? I just said I’ve never healed anyone.” He’s starting to irritate me with his vague answers. He stands up and holds his hand out to me, “There is someone you need to meet. Come with me.”

 To be continued....

Another few halves - Silence - Part Two

Ok, I lied, the first part wasn't half of it - it seems that as I keep writing the story keeps evolving, so there may actually be a few parts to it! Here is part two...

Silence – Part two

A flash of lightning illuminates the darkening room. It’s quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder which makes the windows shake and causes me to jump. I look back at him, noticing that our eye contact was broken by the sudden announcement of a coming storm.  He doesn’t seem shaken at all. I get up and walk to the kitchen – I need to move. He follows me, but still hasn’t said anything. I start spinning my phone on the bench, not looking at him. I wish he would just hurry up and tell me what’s happening. Well, I guess I know why he is here and what he wants from me. Who knew meeting my mentor in person would be so nerve wracking. And why does he have to be so attractive?

He takes my hand, startling me, but I try to keep my expression neutral as I look back up at him. His eyes are almost turquoise in colour, contrasting against his olive skin and blue-black hair. He starts leading me towards the glass doors which go out from the living room towards the lake. It’s started raining heavily, but I won’t mention it. I don’t want to break the silence between us.

We step outside and are almost immediately drenched. My clothes stick to my skin. I’m glad I wore black. Lightning and thunder flash and crash around us and the wind keeps blowing my wet hair into my eyes. I turn and look at him through the rain. He still has my hand in his. I realise that I still can’t believe that he is here. Maybe that’s why I’m too afraid to speak.

He first contacted me 8 years ago, on my 10^th birthday. It was a birthday card without a signature or return address. I still don’t know his name. I don’t know why I believed what he was telling me or why I trusted him. I guess it was just a gut instinct; I knew he only wanted to help me. I was always different and it gave me hope.

So here he is, on my 18^th birthday, holding my hand in the pouring rain. He stares at me, as if waiting for me to do something. I close my eyes and concentrate on his warm hand in mine. I block out the noise of the rain and wind and thunder and lightning. The silence engulfs me. And then I hear it. His voice saying my name. Not out loud, but in my head. It’s warm and strong and comforting. I realise I’ve never heard it before. I’ve never heard anyone’s voice in my head before. I open my eyes quickly. What happened? This is weird, but at the same time it feels right.

I’ve been able to do strange things for as long as I can remember. Just subtle things; things most people wouldn’t notice, but things that always work to my advantage. Like making myself invisible when I don’t want someone to notice me. I don’t actually become invisible and I’m not quite sure how it works, but I know that it just appears as if I’m not there. That’s why I’m not allowed to drive; my parents took my license because I kept disappearing. But it’s great skill for sneaking out on days like today.

“What’s your name?” I almost shout, so I’m heard over the storm. I want to know who he is now that he is right here in front of me. I strain to hear over the wind as he replies quietly in that same warm tone, “Alexander”.  He has a strange foreign accent that I can’t place. “Where are you from?” I want to know everything about him. “You will find out soon enough.”

He lets go of my hand and runs down towards the lake and into the rough water. He starts swimming or rather that’s what you would call it if it was a normal person. He looks more like he is gliding through the water with no effort at all. The water must be freezing, but he only keeps going deeper. He dives under and I wait for him to come back up. I keep waiting and start to shiver as the wind picks up even more. Where is he? I start to worry and jog down closer to the water’s edge. I search out across the dark waves. My stomach drops. I can’t see him; he’s gone.

To be continued...

Half a short story...

Ok, so this is half of a short story - the rest is still to come BUT most importantly, do you want to know what happens next?

Silence

Silence. It can create pressure, anxiety and even fear. It can be loud and overwhelming. But right now, concentrating on the silence is a good distraction. I look out of the window over the lake. The sunlight dances across the small waves created by the wind that has picked up outside. I should really stop procrastinating.

I came here for a reason and concentrating on silence and the lake is not it. I get up off the couch and walk through to the kitchen. It’s untouched, as if no one has been here. I remind myself to keep it that way. I know my parents would not be impressed if they knew I was at the lake house. I’m not even supposed to drive at the moment. But I guess the rules are made to be broken, especially today.

I pull out my phone and take a deep breath. No new messages. Ok, it’s now or never before I start distracting myself with something else. I scroll through my contacts and select his name. “I’m here now, the front door is unlocked”, I type in letter by letter. I’ve always hated predicative texting; it never seems to give me the words I want.

I put the phone on the marble kitchen top and walk back over to the couch. No point in hovering around it. I go back to staring at the lake and listening to the silence. This time the silence is unnerving. It seems to increase my anxiety as I anticipate any sound that may announce his arrival. I watch the trees swaying in the wind and clouds starting to gather in the sky. I hope there isn’t a storm coming. I try to keep my mind clear and alert and stop myself from letting any thoughts enter it. It’s amazing how hard it is to not think.

I look at my watch; 5.30pm. The sun is starting to set, creating an orangey red glow in the clouds. I start fidgeting, subconsciously biting the skin on the sides of my nails. I don’t know why I willingly put myself into situations like this. Maybe I secretly crave feeling anxious and afraid.

The crunching of gravel outside snaps me out of it. I hear his footsteps approaching. I don’t get up. What’s the point, I told him the front door is unlocked. I hold my breath, ready to see him. The door opens and there he is. Tall, dark and handsome; what a cliché. He holds onto the door handle, frozen, as he stares at me. I stare back and notice I am hugging my knees against my chest. I realise this makes me look scared and intimidated, so I quickly straighten up.

More silence. We both just stare at each other and neither of us seems to know what to do. The light in the room is starting to fade. It’s crazy to think that after all these years, it’s finally come to this...

To be continued...