Samuel's POV
"Brooke and Weston are dating," I say, still smiling from my usual stool at the café.
"What?" Olivia whirls her head to the front door, where Brooke has disappeared a moment ago. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, saw them texting." This means that Weston is no longer someone I need to worry about. "Sorry about the bad news."
"Bad news?" The disappointment I expect to see written on Olivia's expression is replaced by an honest smile. "It's good news. I'm happy for them."
"You're happy your crush is dating your childhood friend?" I can't believe her. Does she ever do anything that is expected of her?
"He's just a crush. Besides, I already have someone else I like now."
A bolt of anger sweeps through my body, but when I see the blush that covers her cheeks and the way she averts her eyes, I stop. Does she meanâ
I don't have an opportunity to find out because the annoying bell goes off again. For what feels like the hundredth time today someone familiar enters the café. This time, however, it's two familiar faces.
Anya, the friend of Olivia's mother, enters with her Guardian, Lucien, a step behind her. While the human makes her way to us, Lucien stops. He focuses his eyes right on me and clenches his jaw.
I know the two of us have already met once in front of Olivia's house, but right now another sense of familiarity washes over me. Just like with the boy Hugo, I feel like I know this Guardian. And not just from my time as a Guardian.
"Hello, Anya." Olivia greets the woman, who sits onto the stool beside me. "What brings you here?"
"I'm under a closetful of stress. I'm now almost a hundred percent sure that I'll finally be promoted, but you know how it is. One little mistake and everything comes crashing down. Anyway, I thought I'd drop by before I go back to work. Your mother said she's worried about you."
"Of course, she is. You can assure her that I'm..."
Despite Olivia not moving anywhere, her voice grows quieter until it completely disappears. By then the surrounding café vanishes and I find myself standing in the middle of an unfamiliar shore. In front of me stands a younger-looking Lucien, who like in my memory of Hugo, is wearing clothes that have been outdated for at least a hundred years.
"I cannot do this anymore," I say. "We ought to tell them the truth."
"We cannot." Lucien shakes his head from where he's standing with his hands behind his back.
"We must. They ought to know the truth. I... I need to tell them."
I'm about to turn away from him, but Lucien reaches forward and grabs my forearm. I open my mouth to ask him what he's doing when he pulls his other hand from behind his back.
"You made the wrong choice, my friend."
I have just enough time to catch a fist-sized stone in his hand before he swings it at me. I try to jump away, but I'm too slow. The stone smashes against the right side of my forehead and my knees buckle.
Suddenly I'm back inside the café. Lucien is standing behind the stool on Anya's left side, looking at me through narrowed eyes. Though, all I can think about is the fresh memory burning through my brain. The way the stone hit me on the spot where I still have a deep scar hidden underneath my hairâthe scar I know was the cause of my death. This can only mean one thing. Lucien is the one who killed me.
Without another thought, I lunge at the Guardian and bump into Anya in the process. She goes falling off her stool, but I don't care. All I see is the determined look in Lucien's eyes as he swings the stone at me.
I slam my body against Lucien's and sends us crashing onto the ground. I land on top of him and don't give him a chance to react. Just like he didn't when he killed me.
I bash my fist against his cheek, which sends his head snapping to the side. It's not enough. I pull another punch and another until Lucien pushes me off him.
"What the hell's your problem?!" He lifts his upper body into a sitting position.
"You are." I hiss, now even angrier because there is no blood flowing down the bastard's face. Damn, our Guardian inability to bleed. "You're the one."
I move to lunge at him again, but Olivia's shout causes me to freeze.
"Stop."
I glance at her and find her turned in my direction. Instead of meeting my eyes, she is looking at my feet where a chair I haven't noticed has been overturned.
It dawns on me where exactly I am, or more importantly who I amâa to humans invisible Guardian. And I just caused a loud commotion inside a human-packed café.
No matter how much I'm burning to slam another fist into Lucien's face, I can't do this to Olivia. This is why I close my eyes and think of another one of my charges. Then without as much as a last glance at Olivia, I disappear out of the café.
*
Olivia's POV
I stare at the café's front entrance, waiting for Ramona to lock up. We are once again surrounded by calm darkness, but instead of our surroundings, my thoughts keep skipping back to Samuel. The way he exploded and jumped at Anya's Guardian, punching him. And then instead of explaining what was wrong with him, he vanished, leaving me alone to deal with the mess he created.
The biggest of them turned out to be Lucien, who pinned me with his shining eyes the moment Samuel disappeared. "You can see me, can't you?" he asked.
I did my best to pretend like he wasn't there and my best to appear freaked out by the "unexplained" overturned chair. Though, with the way Lucien's eyes kept following my every move, I'm not sure if my show managed to convince him.
"Don't forget to have a good rest over the weekend."
Ramona's words snap me out of my thoughts and I turn to her. We are still standing in front of the now-closed café, with her stuffing the keys into her bag.
"I can come tomorrow as well," I volunteer. "I have nothing special planned for the weekend, so I don't mind coming around."
"There's no need. You have a good rest and I'll see you on Monday."
"Monday it is." I wave at her as she makes her way down the road, in the opposite direction from the bus stop I'm headed to.
Before I can take a single step in my direction, it happens again. The same shuddering sensation of being watched causes my hair to jump up in alert. Without a second to spare, I slip into the side alley beside the café; the same alley where I'm pretty sure Ramona overheard me talking with Samuel. There I crouch beside the dumpster and squeeze as deep into the shadows as possible.
I don't have to wait long before a pair of footsteps rounds the corner and enters the alley. I wait until the person is right beside the dumpster and then jump. My plan to ambush the person and take them off their feet fails the moment the person grabs my hand and pushes me against the wall. I hit the solid surface with my back first, while the attacker presses his forearm against my throat. Before he can do any further damage, though, our eyes meet.
"Nick?" I blink to make sure the shadow covered face belongs to him.
"Olivia?" In an instant, he pries his arms off me and takes a step back. "Sorry. I thought you're a drunkard or something."
"Wow, you have quick reflexes." I step away from the wall and turn my neck to the left and then the right side to make sure there isn't any damage. "What are you doing here? Are you the stalker?"
"Stalker? What stalker?"
"I've been feeling like someone has been watching me for the past week or so."
"This's the first time, I swear." Nick raises his hands into the air. "I saw you parting ways with the old café owner. I... Wait, did you just say someone's been stalking you?"
"I don't have any proof, but I think so. My gut tells me someone has been watching me." And I'm sure it's not just Samuel. "Why didn't you come out and greet me?"
"I..." Nick scratches the back of his head and averts his eyes. "I thought I'd come off as a badass if something happened and I'd jumped out to save you."
"What?" I blink at him, but then shake my head. "If you want to look like a hero, you can walk me to the bus stop and try to spot anyone other than you following me."
"Deal," Nick agrees.
Together we make our way out of the side alley and down the street to the nearest bus stop.
"I heard you remembered part of the license plate," Nick begins while keeping his eyes on the surrounding street. "How'd that happen? You didn't hurt yourself again, did you?"
"Not this time," I snort and turn to look at him. "Why is everyone so against me triggering my memories by hurting myself? It's my body."
"Just because it's your body doesn't mean it'll be only you who's affected."
"I guess you're right. I bet Mom would flip out if she hears something happened to me again. And don't even get me started on my dad. I'm already afraid to tell him about the first accident."
"Why?" His eyes flicker over to me. "You think he'll punish you?"
"My dad? Punish me?" I snort at the mere thought of it. "I take too much after him for him to do that. Which reminds me, I heard your father went to visit your younger brother at the hospital. Is he alright?"
"He's fine now." Nick dips into a short silence, however, when I'm about to ask him what kind of illness his brother has, he continues. "I've been meaning to say this for a while... I'm... I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?" We stop beside the bus stop and I turn to face him.
"For running out on you on our blind date." He reaches up and tugs a loose lock of my hair behind my ear.
I'm so caught off guard by his action that for a moment I don't know what to do. I just stare at him, while he slowly retracts his hand.
"You looked kind of crazy talking to yourself, but now I realize you must've had a lot on your mind. It was too soon after your accident."
"About the dateâ" I begin, but then catch the bright headlights of the approaching bus. "I have to go."
I wave Nick goodbye as the bus stirs into the bus stop, but before I can take a single step, Nick grabs my hand.
"Are you working tomorrow?" he asks.
"No. I have the weekend free."
"Then I'll see you on Monday." Without warning, he leans closer and pecks me on my cheek. "Sorry, I didn't find your stalker tonight."
He pulls back, but I continue to stare at him with my mouth hanging open. Did he just...
***
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- E