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f before.
“It’s Greek,” he seems to understand me without me even saying anything and answers the questions I don’t even voice out loud. “It means a hunter.”
I nod, not because that’s something I agree with, but simply to acknowledge the fact that he was nice enough to explain it.
“I’ll go get you some soup,” he nods, mirroring my actions. “I’ll put some of this in.” he shows me the green plant in his hand again. I just stare at it for a second, then look at him. “It’s just oregano. It contains carvacrol and thymol, which are two antibacterial and antifungal compounds. They should help the cut inside your mouth heal faster. I’ll just chop some of it up in your soup. You like oregano, right?”
I nod, suppressing a smile again. Then, I remember that Vanessa has no idea where I am and neither does mom. They must be freaking out, just like I was a few hours ago. I look at Theron and make a telephone sign with my hand, pressing it against my ear.
“Oh, you want to make a telephone call?” he asks and I just nod again. “Dex will explain everything and he’ll get you a phone so you can call someone.”
“Thank… you…” I try to say it and it goes smoothly. No pain.
“You’re very welcome,” he smiles a little shyly and I wonder what are the odds of meeting someone like this, a guy with all the qualities I ever wanted in a man, under these circumstances. Why couldn’t I meet him earlier, somewhere normal? Why did it have to be like this? But I don’t say any of this. I just watch him as he goes out the door and leaves it open for me.
I see just a little part of the outside world through it. I see the woods. I can even smell it. It welcomes me with open arms, offering me a glimpse into a world that has always been there, around me, but I never had the time to really see what’s going on there. I go back to the bed and sit down on it. I don’t feel the coldness on my feet any longer.
I try not to smile. I wait, until he finally returns. I eat the soup that Theron brings me. He sits opposite me. Still at a safe distance and I appreciate it silently, as I sip my soup. The oregano is giving it a strange aftertaste, but I believe what he told me. I see a flicker of curiosity dance in his eyes and I’m sure that he is dying to ask me a thousand questions. If circumstances were any different, I’d be happy to answer them all. But nodding is somewhat limiting and pointing my finger, even though fun, can be considered impolite, if done excessively. So, we both sit in silence, sharing untold secrets with our eyes.
Chapter 8
Theron
I watch this girl as she eats the soup in the strangest way imaginable. In all the fights my brothers and I have found ourselves in, I don’t think any of us needed to have our jaw bandaged like this. I can’t even imagine how weird that must be. Surrounded by strangers, unable to talk properly. I don’t envy her.
Her fingers are still trembling a little and she still has that occasional look in her eye that only prey gets, when it knows that it’s in danger. Even the sound of the wind unsettles her and her eyes never wander away from mine for longer than two, three seconds. I don’t mind. Her eyes are the deepest hue of blue and I realize that her left eye is half brown. Heterochromia. That’s what the condition is called. I’ve never met anyone with it and now, I can’t stop staring.
Her cheeks are now a little flushed, after I cleaned her face up a little and tended to her wounds. For a moment, I feared she wouldn’t wake up, that she would just wither like a May flower in my hands and I’d never get the chance to find out what her name was.
Isabel. A biblical name from the Hebrew Elisheva. It means God is my oath. I wonder if she knows that. There is also a deep, velvety red rose bush called Isabel. It has a light fragrance and shiny, dark green foliage. Contrasting images of red and green only add to its beauty. It doesn’t grow anywhere around here, though. The Isabel sitting opposite me is grave, her smile is hidden underneath a layer of foreign material that needs to be on her face for now. As I put it on, I could feel the softness of her skin, the tips of my fingers gliding on the blazing glaciers that could melt everything in its path. I tried to be as quiet as possible while tending to her, but all I wanted was to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Nothings, because that is exactly what will happen. That is the only thing that can happen. She will open her eyes and go away, disappear, like a mermaid allowed to spend only one single day on land and then, her lovely legs will transform into a fish tail once again and she will dive off into the depths, never to be heard from again.
She slurps the last remnants of her soup and I can’t help but smile. How sweet she is. How innocent. Of course, they would pick her for… the thought of what could have happened to her fills me with rage. I completely agree with Dex. This can’t go on any longer. Closing your eyes to evil doesn’t mean that you make it go away. It doesn’t even mean that it doesn’t touch you. On the contrary, it means that you’re a passive participant.
A knock on the doorway brings me back to reality. Both she and I turn around and see Dex there. She doesn’t seem to recognize him and instantly, looks in my direction, searching for assurance that he isn’t an enemy. My heart is filled with a sense of ancient knighthood and for a brief moment, I think I actually glanced around to see where I left my sword. But magic tends to disappear from life, as quickly as it appears.
“This is Dex,” I tell her. “He’ll tell you exactly what happened.”
She does that cute gesture with the hand phone and I nod. Of course, she wants to call her family, her friends. Maybe a boyfriend? She looks too young to have a husband, but love knows no age. I’ve already noticed that she isn’t wearing a ring, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. If she was my wife, I’d want to stamp that on my forehead and shout it from the rooftop. Wearing a ring would be nothing compared to that.
“Yes, he’ll give you a phone, so you can call whoever you want,” I assure her.
I stand up to go, taking the empty bowl in my hands. Our fingers graze against each other and I can feel how cold they are. I would like to stay here, but I know Dex wouldn’t like it. He always does things his way and if that way isn’t yours as well… that’s usually your problem. Not his. As I turn to go, she grabs me by the elbow. The brown in her eye is even more prominent now, her pupils dilated.
“It’s fine,” I tell her calmly, pretending not to see Dex’s stare. I know what he’s thinking. He wants me gone, so he can get close to her. But I don’t care. I caress her cheek boldly and to my surprise, she doesn’t pull away. Her eyes are begging me not to go. “I’ll be right back. I just need to take this to the main kitchen.”
She finally lets go and I pass Dex by the door. He grabs me by the elbow, almost in the same place her fingers rested a moment ago, but the touch isn’t nearly as gentle.
“How is she?” he asks me and I frown at him.
“Isabel is fine,” I tell him, accentuating her name. Dex’s gaze widens, processes the information quickly, then just nods in agreement, as if he knew this all along and I was merely confirming it out loud. “It’s not recommended for her to talk too much, so she’s gesturing mostly. If you can’t understand her, just give her a pen and paper, so she can write her questions.”
I’m turned with my back to her and I’m dying to look at her again. But, I don’t.
“Is she in pain?” he asks me again.
“Dex, she’s right over there,” I roll my eyes at him, making sure that she doesn’t see me do it. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
I leave the shack in a brisk step. I know Dex said he wants to talk to her alone and I know why. He would never say it in the same words as me, but it all boils down to the same thing. It’s difficult being brothers sometimes. Especially if your brother is Dex.
