TANSTAV part 28

Chapter 8 part 2

As could be expected, I decided to go home from work early.  I tried to relax, but my heart felt ready to burst from worry.  I leaped out the window of my office, and was flying toward my building-when I realized that I had forgotten Calla.  It's hard to do an about-face in midair, but somehow I managed it.  I saw Calla standing at the window.  Our eyes met, and I heard her thoughts say, Go.  I'll catch up.  Sending a wave of gratitude in reply, I turned back, and zoomed to Xen's apartment window.  The blinds were closed; I couldn't see if she was there or not.  I banged frantically on the glass, praying she would come.  No answer.  Hoping she would forgive me for this, I jumped off the ledge, flew backward a bit, and then went full-speed towards the glass.

Once again, CRASH!!

I was starting to make a habit out of smashing through windows.  That part of my brain that thinks really weird things at inopportune moments wondered if someone would start paying me for it.  Recovering, and brushing glass out of my hair, I leaped to my feet- and saw Xen, spinning around to face me, something in her hand.  As soon as she saw who it was, relief covered her visage, and, dropping whatever it was onto the table, she sagged limply against her easel, which was set up nearby.  Before I could go to her, the door to her apartment burst open, and in came Calla, gasping for breath.  When she saw Xen was still there, she sighed with the same amount of relief as my technically-not-girlfriend was exhibiting.

"You're still here!  We're early enough that maybe-"

"Actually, you're late," said Xen calmly.  We gaped at her; finally, she said, "The shadow was here, but he didn't get me."

"Why not?"

She gestured wordlessly to the object on the table, which I finally recognized as her palette knife.  It was coated in a red, sticky substance that was definitely not paint.

"I told you I'd have it handy.  He got away before I could bite him, but not before I'd dealt a few good blows.  I'm not about to let myself get kidnapped again."

I finally crossed the room to Xen, and wrapped my arms tightly around her.  Now I knew she was scared, possibly in shock, even though she was trying to put up a brave front for my and Calla’s sakes; I could feel her body trembling as she clung to me, and smell her convulsive sweat (which is not as gross as you might think; it reminds me of aloe vera).

"Good for you," I said softly.

"Was it-fatal?" asked Calla, gingerly examining the knife.

"I doubt it.  I think I only got the shadow in the shoulder, and the arm.  But I can tell you this.  It wasn't Jessup."

I pulled back a little, and looked her in the eyes with a frown.

"You sure?"

"Yeah.  I'd have recognized his smell.  This smell...it was of a human being, or at least something mostly human.  Male mage, I'd say."

I thought about this.  It did not connect with the previous information I had collected.  Obviously, there was still a missing piece to this puzzle.

"I don't understand," Calla suddenly said.

"What?"

"One of my visions...it didn't come true.  They always come true!"

"And yours did," said Xen with a shaky smile.

Calla turned to her.

"But I saw you get kidnapped!"

"No, what you saw was the shadow appearing and grabbing me while I was painting, correct?"  Calla nodded.  "Your vision just missed the part where I whirled around, knife in hand, and stabbed him.  You then automatically jumped to the conclusion that I would let myself be taken easily."

The kid looked down at the floor, her eyes misting a little, and immediately Xen went to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that sounded mean.  It was an easy conclusion to make.  Besides, maybe the fact that you told us made it possible for me to not be captured."

Calla looked a bit hurt still, but smiled tentatively.

That night, Xen stayed at my place, because we'd had to report the illegal entry to the police, and after the cops had searched the apartment for any information, in the unlikely event that I wouldn't be able to find it, she was feeling a little overwhelmed, and didn't want to have to stay there by herself.  Besides, I had no intention of letting her out of my sight, now that the shadow had tried to get her.  Maybe he would try to get revenge, and even though she'd proven to be capable of handling herself, I wanted to be able to help protect her should the need arise.  It was the second time she'd been up almost all day, so she was exhausted.  At the same time, however, she was afraid to go to sleep; I could tell.  She was lying on the couch, while I tried to make myself comfortable on the floor.  But for a long while, I could see the lavender glow of her eyes in the dark, staring up at the ceiling.  Finally, I said aloud, "Can't sleep, huh?"

"Not really.  The memory of what happened keeps playing over and over every time I close my eyes, and I don't-"

She cut herself off; a quiet sob, which she tried and failed to suppress, resounded in her throat.  I got up, and gently lifting her out of the way, sat down on the couch.  Xen sat up next to me, and leaned into my shoulder.  I wrapped my arms around her.  She cried for a long, long time.  I said nothing, just sat and took my turn to be the one offering emotional support.  By the time her last bits of hysteria had subsided, that part of my shirt was thoroughly soaked.  Noticing, she whispered, scrubbing at her eyes, "Sorry about your shirt."

"It doesn't matter," I replied.  I took her face in my hands, and kissed each tear away.  Finally, I kissed her mouth (which had a slight flavor of salt).  That definitely seemed to help.

Xen fell asleep with her head in my lap, and soon after, I dozed off too.

TANSTAV part 27

Chapter Eight
Calla has some disturbing premonitions, and, at the brink of despair, I suddenly see the light

I sat at my desk, absentmindedly toying with a pencil.  I seemed nowhere closer to the answer than before Greenbriar had brought in her crowd of stool pigeons.   There was something vital missing from this case.  None of Jessup's minions matched the description of the shadow, who they had also mentioned was small and slight; his bully boys had all been tall, muscular brutes, with no talent for strategic thought.  There was always the possibility that Jessup had secretly acquired a smaller, more intelligent minion somehow, but I couldn't see how he'd have managed it after being locked up.  But in that case, how could he have done it afterward?  I mean, the prison guards were bribable, but after his imprisonment all Jessup’s holdings had been confiscated, and distributed amongst different government officials.  I was pretty sure I’d found all his secret caches, and how would he get to them anyway?  Maybe he’d been blackmailing the prison guards somehow?  But with no resources left, and being locked up in a cell, how could he get anything on them?  Gah, how I hated this guy!

I glanced up at Calla, to see how she was doing.  She was seated in her chair in front of my desk, and looking rather peculiar.  Her eyes were staring vacantly downwards, and her head drooped forward, listless.

"Kid?" I asked, "You okay?"

Slowly, very slowly, she looked up in my general direction.  She whispered, "Xen is next.  When the shadow man comes next, it will be for Xen."

I stared at her, aghast, until I remembered her telling me that she had premonitions sometimes.

"When?" I asked, trying to remain calm; however, the main part of my thoughts was planning on doing severe damage to several of Jessup's bodily functions should this vision come to pass.

"I-I don't know," she said.  Her eyes became focused again, and she looked distraught.  "I just saw Xen, sitting and painting, and then the shadow appearing and grabbing at her!  It could happen at any time!  And-"

She stopped herself, looking at me in a perturbed manner.

"What?  What else did you see?"

"You don't want to know," she squeaked.

"Yes, I do, Calla."

"You won't like it."

"That doesn't matter.  It concerns me, doesn't it?"

After some hesitation, she nodded.

"Well, if you're having visions about me, I want to know what happens.  Whatever it is, I promise I won't get mad at you."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Calla said in a rush, as if trying to get the words out as fast as possible, "I saw you lying on the ground, bleeding.  It was in a dark place, and you were hurt really bad in the stomach and shoulders, and I didn't know what to do!"

That was a sobering vision.  For several moments, I was unsure how to react.  From what she was saying, it sounded like she was seeing my death.  But with an effort, I pulled myself together.

"Hey, Calla," I said.  She looked over at me, her pupils dilated, though avoiding eye contact.

"Severe injury is not the same as death.  Besides, nothing in the future is certain.  You might just be seeing a possibility."

Calla looked unconvinced.

"I always see my visions come true.  Always."

"Well," I said, trying to be nonchalant, "no sense worrying about it now.  We've got a case to work on."

I knew that she wouldn't get it out of her mind that easily.  But she was silent.  I took the opportunity to call Xen, just in case.  After three rings, which made my heart palpitate severely, she finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Xen!  You're okay!"

"Yeah...should I not be?"

"...No, not at all.  Just making sure."

"Okay, Tristan, what happened?"  Her tone was that no-nonsense one that means no beating around the bush, or trying to fudge the truth.  I can never hide anything from Xen when she uses that tone of voice, and have already promised never to lie to her anyway.  I told her, tentatively, about Calla's vision of the shadow trying to kidnap her.  However, I neglected to mention her other vision of my possible death.

"Huh.  That's...not good," Xen finally said.

"No.  It's not.  So I was just calling to, y'know, make sure you were still there."

"Yeah, I'm right here.  No evil shadows yet," she said dryly, trying to make it a joke.

"Be careful, please," I said softly.

"I will, Tristan.  Don't worry about me."

"You know I can't do that."

"Come on, you have that bodyguard of yours posted right outside my room.  What could happen?"

"The shadow is a teleporter.  Calla saw him just appearing in your apartment, right next to you."

"Well, in that case, I shall keep my palette knife handy," was the reply.  I managed a weak laugh.

"Bye, Xen."

"I'll see you when you get home."

As I hung up, I tried not to think that those might be the last words I would ever hear from her.