I didn't know if I was an idiot or a fool but I felt like both. I saw the recognition in the detective’s face as soon as I flew outside the window. Nathan Reeves, whose name I learned from his wallet, was one of a handful of humans throughout my two thousand years of living, that had the ability to sneak up on me without alerting me to his presence. I had not expected him to wake, to walk up behind me and then to speak to me, calmly. I had not planned on touching him, either but I had. The electricity that flowed between us both intrigued me and terrified me at the same time. I had never reacted that way to a human before, it was almost similar to the way my body reacted when I came in contact with other Guardians, but even then it wasn’t the same. This electricity was tantalizing, making me want to experience it more, making the ever present fire in my gut burn and writhe in a mixture of anger and desire. Then he had seen me in that form, a small innocent bird, and he wasn’t afraid, merely awed. But it was easy to not be afraid of a bird, or a cat, or a rat. The beasts that they were so used to, had seen, even the scarier ones like lions and bears, would fill them with an expected fear. But how would they react to seeing me in my true form, my guardian form, that is something I hoped I would never find out, something I hope I would never have to feel, again.
After leaving Nathan’s apartment, I sat on the floor of an empty warehouse. I stared into the darkness of the shadows lurking around, waiting for the sun to come up. I had hoped to sleep, but I knew that sleep would be far from my reach.
Arabel the voice in my mind made my stomach lurch, a voice that had once belonged to my friend and only companion, now filled me only with sadness, anger, and a sense of betrayal. I had been so protective of my mind but exhaustion mixed the confusing events that occurred had left him an opening.
Do you really think you can protect them all? He asked and I heard his sickening chuckle echo within my mind. Kristy?
You’ve always had a fondness for the Rockers, haven’t you. He spoke while I remained silent. As long as I didn’t respond to his taunts, he wouldn’t be able to find me.
Silent as ever I see. But what of this new friend of yours? Detective Nathan Reeves was it? I felt my heart tighten and the fire inside writhed in a fury I didn’t comprehend. I shouldn’t have been surprised though that he already knew about Nathan, nothing slipped past him. I clenched my jaw tightly, wanting so badly to retort but knowing it was no good. But the voice disappeared with a heartless laugh that echoed in my mind long after I pushed my walls tightly back in place to keep him from returning, leaving me alone once again with my thoughts until the sky was dyed with fiery reds, yellows and oranges.
The next day I sat outside Kristy’s apartment in the form of a stray dog. I sat there waiting for her to leave, but when noon passed and she didn’t emerge I knew she had no plans of leaving the apartment that day. I phased into a pigeon and flew up to the fire escape outside her window. I saw her asleep on the couch, books sprawled around her, a baseball bat at her side, the handle clutched tight with sheet white knuckles, and I felt a wave of guilt over the fear that I felt was inside her. A fear that I knew wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for me.
But regardless, no matter how much I wanted to leave her alone, I new that I wouldn’t be able to, not without knowing she was safe and out of harms way.
Please help me! I heard the soft cry in my mind and turned my pigeon head towards the cry. So many times had the cries of humans entered my mind that it took me a long, hard time, to learn that I couldn’t be there to save them all. The cries came from their hard, the more powerful the feeling the louder it would resound in my mind. Whenever one did enter, within my reach, I always had to try. I listened and heard sirens and helicopter blades and flew towards the sound. I landed on a wire of the Brooklyn bridge and stared as the helicopters circled a large truck that teetered on the edge of the bridge. By the looks of it, a tire had blown out and the truck had spun out of control until it crashed into the side, where it now teetered forward and back with the vibrations of moving traffic around it. I saw a young teenager at the driving wheel, terrified and frozen in place. The front wheels slip forward even more, threatening again to tip the truck over completely and I heard a petrified scream from the young driver. I fluttered down towards the truck and noticed firemen inching towards it.
Then I felt a familiar presence from the night before and turned to see Nathan barking orders at younger officers around him. I changed into the same white bird from the night before, knowing that it went unnoticed among the chaos. I flew up to him and landed briefly on his shoulder, not knowing what possessed me to make him aware of my presence. But he jumped at my tiny feet landing on his shoulder and eyed me from the corner of his eyes. So I fluttered towards the truck and flew under it and felt his eyes watching me. I then phased into my usual body and listened to the whimpering cries of the young woman above me. I braced my legs against the bridge and grabbed the undercarriage of the truck. Slowly, ever so slowly, I pulled at the truck until it rolled backwards, inching backwards until the front wheels no longer teetered over the edge. I heard Nathan’s barked orders and the flurry of feet surround the truck. The door opened and they pulled the young girl out. I smelled blood for the first time as they cut the airbag away from her. But the blood was not only coming from any external injuries. As soon as they pulled her away I release the truck and flew out from underneath the truck. I saw Nathans eyes follow me and flew slowly behind a string of police cars where, crouching down, I changed once again into my usual form, calling forth black cotton threads to knit around me into black pants and a hooded shirt. I sat there waiting until I heard his nearly silent footsteps come up next to the car. I felt him staring at me, pressed against the police car but didn’t dare look up.
“Thank you,” he said softly with a gentleness in his voice that was unexpected. I stood up slowly when I was sure there were no other wandering eyes around. I kept my head low as I felt the heat from his body emanating towards me despite keeping him at arms length.
“She’s bleeding internally,” I said quietly, “make sure she goes to the hospital to get checked out.” I turned to leave but once again he was able, so easily, to catch me unawares and grab my arm to prevent me from leaving. I spun around on him and he came closer and flicked off the hood from my head like it was a nuisance. I held his gaze as his fingers tightened around me. A smile threatened his lips as he got a good look at me, without the hindering shadows of night. I saw emotion cross his eyes that I didn’t understand. But then again, there were many emotions to humans, that I didn’t understand.
... To be continued
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