Chapter 14: Attack
The past few weeks have been relatively quiet
and a regular routine is making things easier as time seems to be moving
along. Lizzy and I would switch off
staying at each other’s houses and I became really good friends with Will, and
Cassy. Alex was a bit more aloof when I
was around because of our fight, it was weird though, he still watched me in
class and at school when he didn’t think I was paying attention but he would
barely talk to me. I didn’t really know
what to make of it but I did start acknowledging him in the hall between
classes after about a week of the silent treatment. George and Stephan were not around much when
I was over so I didn’t get to know them as well. Every night I would wake up soaked in sweat I
would sit in the dark and meditate trying to calm my nerves as I was starting
to remember bits and pieces of my dreams.
Well nightmares really. I could
see myself in an open field with people all around me fighting each other. I didn’t understand the dream, but I figure
it had something to do with me turning eighteen so I tried not to think about
it. Every Sunday James and I would go to
the little clearing to practise, rain or snow we always went. I was getting better control each week with
throwing him with my mind. I was able to
actually set him down gently a couple of times.
James continued to instruct me on meditation exercises and he asked me
to meditate at least twice a day. That
wasn’t easy on the weekends when Lizzy was around but we decided that Sunday
through Friday should be good enough for meditation.
It’s the last week in November and finals are
fast approaching, as usual I’m in Biology, my first class and I don’t feel
good. I’ve had hardly any sleep over the
past week because of my nightmares and I can feel a cold coming on. So I gathered my books and left class. I went to the washroom and saw my beyond pale
face and decided to go home.
When I woke up from my nap I had two messages
on my cell, Lizzy had called twice trying to find me. My phone rang as I was about to call her,
when I looked at the caller ID it was her.
“Hey Lizzy” I said sleepily.
“Where are you? I’ve been worried.” She said.
“I wasn’t feeling well so I came home.” I
replied.
“The nightmares are really bothering you aren’t
they?” she asked.
“Yes, I guess you could say that and I think
I’m getting a cold.”
“Do you need anything?” she asked concerned.
“Could you get my homework and drop it off for
me?” I asked.
“Sure, Bio and Algebra and Geometry right.”
“Ya”
“Did you tell James that you went home?” she
asked curiously.
“No, I’ll do that in a few minutes.” I replied.
“Okay I’ll see you in a bit.” Lizzy said in a
rushed tone.
It was three in the afternoon and classes were
being let out, Lizzy would be here in ten minutes knowing her, I smiled and
stretched as I got out of bed. I pulled
my brush through my hair and then heard the front door open and close
quietly. I looked outside but I couldn’t
see the driveway from my room.
“James, I’m sorry but I forgot to call you to
tell you I came home early.” I said as I walked out of my room into the family
room. I stopped dead in my tracks as a
young man with dark tanned skin, brown eyes and dark hair looked at me in
astonishment. I started to back up and
he raised a gun to eye level. My eyes
widened and I froze, my heart started to race as I tried to figure out where to
go. I looked around me desperately
looking for a weapon to protect myself with.
“Don’t even try it Anastasia” he spoke with a
Spanish accent. I could feel the blood draining from my face as I looked at him
in horror.
“To think I came here to see if James had
information on your whereabouts and I just happen to find you living here. How ironic, your father never would have
guessed that. The last time I found
information about you here I was riffling through his mail and found the letter
from New Mexico New York
A knock at the door startled me and I realized
that Lizzy was bringing my homework over.
“Anastasia, it’s me. Lizzy had to stay after school I’ve got your
assignments.” Alex’s voice called.
“Anna, I know your there.” He said impatiently.
I looked at the man with the gun and he waved
it motioning me to go to the door. I
moved slowly watching him constantly as he put a finger to his lips telling me
to be quiet.
“Get rid of him” he whispered.
As I reached the door I felt the gun press into
my left side and I stiffened and froze.
He pushed the gun into my side as I reached for the door.
“It took you long enough” Alex said a bit
annoyed.
“Sorry” I whispered.
“Are you okay?” he asked as I opened the door
just enough so that if he looked at the glass he could see the man with the
gun.
“Yes” I said my voice cracking as I took my
books and looked into his eyes. He
stopped as he realized my hands were shaking he saw the fear in my eyes then
looked at the glass of the window. His
expression never changed.
“Look, my cell reception sucks here I have to
call my uncle, can I use your phone?” he asked.
“Um. No Alex you should go. I’m not allowed to let anyone in when James
isn’t around.” I said shakily.
“Oh come on.” He said and barged through the
door.
He moved so fast I could barely comprehend what
was happening. Alex moved around me
agilely and grabbed the gun. He and the
Spanish man struggled for a few minutes as Alex tried to get the gun away from
him. When Alex slammed the man’s wrist
onto the counter the gun went off and I screamed. Alex hit his hand again and the gun fell into
the sink. The Spanish man punched and kicked
Alex and he retaliated with a flurry of fast moves. The two men grappled each other and fell to
the floor were Alex finally pinned the man on his stomach.
“Anna, call James now,” Alex commanded and
tossed me his phone. “and find some duct tape.”
I dialed James’s number as I went to the
kitchen draws and grabbed the tape out of the third drawer.
“Alex, what can I do for you?” James said
cheerily.
“It’s Anna, you have to come home NOW.” I said
shakily.
“What happened? Where’s Alex?” He demanded.
“A Spanish guy broke in, Alex has him pinned,
he’s duct taping his arms and feet together. Please come quick.” Fear laced my voice as I
spoke.
“Anna, stay put. Stay with Alex I’ll be there
soon. I’ll send George there right away.” James said urgently.
“Okay.” I whispered as I moved as far away from
the man as possible and sank to the floor.
“Did he hurt you?” James asked.
“No” I replied.
“I’m on my way and so is George, he’ll get
there before me okay.” James' voice was firm and controlled. I new he would be here soon, I just had to stay focused a bit longer.
“Yes” I replied as I stared into brown eyes
that glared at me in hatred.
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” he bellowed.
“Actually I can and I am.” Alex said amused as
he placed a piece of tape over his mouth.
A few minutes later George ran into the house
and stopped surveying the room. He saw
me cowering in shock in the corner and then Alex with the gun pointed at the
Spanish man tied up on the floor. He
moved swiftly and took the gun from Alex.
“Go to her.” He said as he glared down at the
man. Alex walked slowly towards me and
then sat beside me. He pulled me into
his arms as I shook and his arms tightened protectively.
Stephan came through the door holding chains
and shackles, he applied the shackles to his ankles first and then to his
wrists. George cut the duct tape and
ripped it off making the man flinch then they pulled him to his feet and took
him outside.
George came back into the house and walked
slowly towards me and crouched down so that he was eye level with me.
“Anna, it’ll be okay now he won’t hurt you.” He
said gently.
I nodded leaning closer to Alex finding comfort
in his strong arms.
“Anna what did he want?” George asked. He saw the fear in my eyes as I looked out
the door.
“Anna, look at me.” George said gently and
placed a hand on my cheek.
“I won’t let him near you. I work with James its okay to tell me.” His
voice was soft and compelling and his eyes were full of worry and sincerity as
he spoke. I nodded and looked at my
shaking hands for a minute.
“I wasn’t feeling good this morning at school
so I came home early and crashed. When I
got up Lizzy called I asked her to get my homework. Then I was going to call James but I heard
the front door open and close so I assumed he had come home early. I walked out of my room and there he
was. He was astonished to see me and
when I tried to bolt he raised the gun. He-he
said that he had been here before and found a letter from my mother when we
were in New Mexico
“Your father won’t find you, we’ll deal with
it.” George said as James rushed into the house.
“Anna.” He said in a relieved but worried
voice.
Alex got me to my feet and I ran into James’
arms. His embrace was crushingly strong
but I didn’t care it made me feel safe.
“Thank you Alex, George.” James said sincerely.
“I’ll take him to the interrogation room.”
George said.
“I’ll be along shortly.” James said.
“NO” I said panicked I didn’t want to be alone.
“Alex could you call Max and see if she can
stay with you for the weekend I think she would feel safer with you and Lizzy.”
James asked.
“Of course” Alex said and called home. He spoke quickly explaining what had
happened.
“Anna, Lizzy wants to talk to you for a second
okay.” Alex said gently and handed me the phone.
“Anna, oh god are you okay?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes, just shaken is all” I replied quietly.
“Pack a bag and Alex will bring you here. We’ll go out or watch movies to get your mind
off this.” Lizzy tried to sound cheerful but I could hear the worry in her
voice.
“Okay” I whispered.
“Can you put Alex on again?” She asked.
“Sure” I replied and handed the phone back to
Alex.
“Hey” Alex said into the receiver but his eyes
got a faraway look in them as he turned to the window.
“Go pack your stuff for the weekend kid. I’ll be right here I promise” James said as
he squeezed me once more and let me go.
I collected everything I needed for the weekend
and walked to the door. James looked at
me with a worried expression.
“Anna I’ll come by the Worthington’s in a few
hours, George and I need to interrogate this man.” James said quietly.
“Promise to tell me everything you learn?” I
asked.
“Of course.” James replied.
“Alex, take good care of my girl this weekend.”
James ordered.
“Don’t worry I’ll keep an eye on her.” He
smiled. “Anna lets go, Lizzy’s waiting for you.” I nodded and followed Alex out
the door.
As we drove to the Worthington’s I leaned my
head on the window thinking to myself, not really paying attention to the music
that was quietly playing in the background or to Alex. All I knew was that I had been found and that
Alex could have been killed because of me.
I was numb with the fear of losing him.
I knew then just how much I cared about Alex and I could never allow
myself to get close to him because he could die. I would rather he be a friend than if
anything were to happen to him. What do
I do about Lizzy though? I couldn’t shut
her out it was too late for that. I
sighed softly as I resolved that if I could save one of them it would be better
than nothing. Alex gently touched my arm
and I pulled away reflexively.
“Anna its okay I promise I won’t hurt you.” He
said gently as I began to shake in fear again.
I nodded trying to calm my fears and took a deep breath. I glanced at him and gave him a soft
apologetic smile.
“We’re home Anna.” Alex looked at me with
troubled eyes as he saw the sadness in my eyes at the resolve I had just
made. He just didn’t know that he was
the reason I was so sad. I nodded and
slowly opened the car door. I looked
around feeling like a lost child when I saw Katie walking slowly towards
me. She pulled me into a gentle embrace
and stroked my hair like my mother would have done. I leaned my head on her shoulder for a few
minutes and then slowly pulled away from her.
“Anna dear, are you okay?” she asked gently. I shook my head as a mist of tears were coming
to the surface for the first time.
“Come inside then and relax, try not to worry
too much, you’ll be safe here with us and we won’t let anyone near you until
you’re ready.” She said softly. I nodded
as Lizzy took my hand and gently pulled me into the house. I followed her
without really paying attention to what was going on around me, I felt lost and
completely helpless. I didn’t know who to turn to so I did what I always did
and internalized everything and started working through each emotion and fear
one at a time.
“Do you want to watch a movie or do you want to
go to my room?” Lizzy asked quietly. I
looked at her not really comprehending what she was saying for about a minute
and then motioned towards the hall that led to her room. She nodded and walked me down the hall and
into her room. Alex put my bag on the
floor by the bathroom and left us alone.
Lizzy wrapped her arms around me tightly and I did the same as the first
of my tears finally spilt over. I clung
to her the only safety that I had and I cried for myself and for the fact that
I would never be with Alex the one person I had felt safe with during this
whole mess, the person who had most likely captured my heart and I would never
get the chance to tell him that.
“Do you want to lie down for awhile?” Lizzy
asked. I nodded and rubbed my eyes I
knew they were red and swollen.
“Do you want me to leave you alone?” Lizzy
asked gently. I shook my head as I held
her hand I just wasn’t ready to speak yet and I knew my voice wouldn’t come
until I had dealt with the fear of being found.
I curled up in bed and Lizzy sat at her desk and quietly tapped away on
the keyboard of her computer I listened to the sound of the keys and slowly
drifted to sleep.
I woke up in the middle
of the night soaked in sweet as usual only this time I felt weak and
disoriented. I looked around the room
and realized that I was in Lizzy’s room but she was nowhere to be seen. I slowly got out of bed and went into the
bathroom and washed my face. When I
looked at the clock it was three thirty in the morning. I shook my head slowly and decided to go for
a walk around the house. When I went
into the hall I turned towards Alex’s room and took a step before I stopped
myself. I wanted nothing more than to go
to his room and have him hold me protectively like he had done earlier but I
knew that would be a mistake so I went to the same spot I always did, the
family room, and stared out the window.
A few minutes later I felt as if I was being watched I turned slightly towards
the kitchen and saw Alex standing in the doorway. I sighed quietly and then turned back to the
window not saying a word. I felt the
heat of his body as he stood close behind me, I dropped my head and looked at
my feet because I knew that if he saw my eyes he would be able to read every
emotion I had about him and I couldn’t let him see that.
“How are you?” he asked quietly.
“Shaken to the core.” I replied.
“What do you mean?” he asked softly.
“For the first time I wasn’t able to do
anything to save myself. I froze and I
was helpless. I’ve never felt that way
before and it made me realize that I’m not as strong as I thought I was. I got lax and this was the outcome.” I
responded sadly.
“Anna you’re safe here, you do know that
right?” he asked.
“I’m not safe anywhere Alex and neither are the
people who are close to me. I doesn’t
matter if I feel safe or not it’s just an illusion, one day my father will find
me and I will have to deal with him whether I want to or not. The only real question is, am I willing to
let people get hurt for me and to be honest the answer is no.” I could hear the
sadness in my voice.
“Anna it can’t be that bad.” Alex said in a
voice that had a hint of worry.
“You and the others don’t really know me Alex,
yes I’ve learned who I want to be but you know nothing of my past or what my
father is capable of. I do.” I looked
out the window as tears streamed down my cheeks.
“I wish you’d let me in Anna, I wish you’d let
me be a shoulder for you.” Alex said quietly.
I could see the sadness in his eyes reflected in the window.
“I can’t do that Alex, we can only be
friends. I’m not willing to risk your
life if you get that close to me, no matter what I want.” I sighed. I watched his reflection in the window as he
nodded sadly.
“Thank you for saving me Alex and being that
shoulder to lean on. I owe you and I
won’t forget that.” I said softly.
“Anna, I would have done the same thing for
anyone, you don’t owe me anything and your welcome.” He said.
I turned and faced
him for a moment I looked into his eyes and then kissed his cheek. I went back to bed without another word. The rest of the weekend was quiet. Lizzy and I watched movies, Alex stayed away,
I hardly saw him except at dinner. James
stopped by twice a day and on Sunday he brought me home, he told me that the
man who had broken in had not been able to tell my father where I was and that
my father was still in 
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