The Heart-Shaped Emblor (The Ewlishash Series) (8 page)

“Drive safe.” I spoke with gentleness before turning toward the trail.

I walked slowly into town. My skin held the warmth of numbness as I inhaled the scent of frozen pine. The gravel trail gave muffled crunches as my feet hit the fresh layer of snow.

As I walked under a blanket of trees, the wind blew some snow down the back of my winter coat. The ice melted against my skin, sending shivers through my body. I needed to get inside. My need to be alone would get me in trouble if I remained outside too long, despite the reassurance the trees brought me.

I realized I would be passing the bead store before I reached the bus stop. My nerves caused the shiver to come back, and I pulled my coat tighter. Why should I be afraid of a store I had been in a dozen times before Hope’s warning? It seemed silly.

As I neared the shop, I caught a glimpse of the inside, and it looked as it always did. Hope’s concern left me thinking there would be some sort of terrible atrocity inside, but all I saw was the two storeowners and a bunch of beads.

There was one short chubby lady with long, frizzy hair and one tall potbellied man, half-bald on top. These were the people Hope wanted me to avoid? Maybe if I didn’t know the owners, or had never been in there, her warning would have made more sense. Either way, something inside me urged me toward the door. I couldn’t be certain what it was. Maybe the same desire that drove me to face the ghosts in my stairwell was making an appearance again, but whatever the case, I reached for the handle without a second thought.

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” a chilling voice whispered from behind me.

I froze. The deep voice sounded firm, yet familiar, rendering me defenseless. I struggled to regain my bearings before turning to see who threw the rigid voice my way.

Alexander stood behind me, his shoulders broad, his expression fierce.

“Why?” It came out as a squeak.

“Not here. Let’s talk somewhere else.” He spoke without smiling, then turned his back to me and began to walk away. Part of me wanted to run, but my feet followed him without my instruction.

We walked for quite a few minutes. I had no idea where he was leading me, or why I would follow someone who was still essentially a stranger. My stomach lurched in protest, but I continued forward. Not once did he stop to make sure I was still behind him.

Finally, we reached a run-down building. It looked from the outside to be at least a hundred years old. The brickwork was crumbling, and the heavy wooden door hung haphazardly from the hinges.

Alexander held the door and waited for me to reach him. Without looking at me, he waved me past him into the building. Part of me was already panicking, but I trusted Hope, which meant I needed to trust the situation.

Inside, the building looked much worse. Torn up boards scattered the floor, and dust covered everything. Stains from a leaking roof lined the walls.

The moment we were both inside, Alexander’s posture changed. He let his shoulders relax, and breathed deeply through his nose. His shimmering eyes met mine from across the room before he slumped down onto the floor.

“Sit,” he demanded in a humble nature.

I did as he asked, but I sat on the other side of the room, just in case I needed to make a mad dash for the door. Alexander noticed my hesitance and smiled.

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”

My instincts still warned me to be careful. What was wrong with me? First, I walked away from Cooper when I probably should have talked through things, then I attempted to enter the bead store when I knew it was a bad idea, and now I follow a complete stranger into an old building for no reason other than he requested it? I was completely insane. My chest felt so heavy I could hardly catch my breath. Finally, I calmed down enough to realize I was in a slight state of shock from all that had happened, and then my tears began to fall.

Alexander’s mouth turned down. Without saying anything else, he slowly got up and walked toward me. I assumed his slowness was to make me feel safer, that he really didn’t intend to hurt me.

He sat down next to me and tried to put his hand on my back. I jerked at his touch, and he withdrew his hand.

I wanted to believe that he withdrew for the same reason I had flinched; it hurt to touch. That way, I wouldn’t feel so insane when I thought about it. But maybe he just didn’t want to freak me out or make me feel more uncomfortable. He may not have felt the hammering sensation or the blazing fire in the veins.

“Are you okay?”

I wanted to answer him, but I couldn’t. The moment I opened my mouth, I choked on my words.

Alexander put his arm around me again and pulled me into his chest. This time, he didn’t let go. I struggled for a minute, but finally gave in. I turned into him and let myself go.

I sobbed so hard that my body shook. My struggle to stop the tears had been a vain attempt. They kept falling, and I had no idea why my attempt to calm down failed so miserably.

Strangely, the jolts of pain subsided after he held me for a while. His long arms wrapped completely around me, and reassurance enveloped me like a blanket.

Amongst the weeping, I could feel his heartbeat. Warmth radiated from his chest, and my crying melted into silence. Still, Alexander did not let me go.

The room felt cold and dusty. The wind had begun to pick up outside, and I could hear it howling around the broken bricks. It sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with the snow on the ground. There was broken glass all over, and boards covered the broken windows. It also stank like empty beer cans and rotting wood. I suddenly felt very vulnerable.

I sat up quickly, withdrawing from Alexander’s grasp. I peered into his eyes, and, for a moment, he looked frightened of
me
. After taking a long, controlled breath, I began to ask questions.

“What are we doing here?” My voice shook. I couldn’t stop the cracking sound coming from my throat.

He took an equally long breath. “I can’t tell you everything. Not yet, anyway. Please don’t be angry. I went through the same confusion and didn’t get answers right away either.” He spoke with authority. I had just wept on a complete stranger, and it didn’t seem to faze him.

“But why here in this old brick building?”

“The brick helps to mask my energy by grounding it. This was the first brick building I saw. Sorry for the stink.” He turned his face to me, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

“What?” It came out a bit like a yell. Maybe I wasn’t the only one insane—brick grounding his energy?
Whatever
.

He chuckled at my response, his dark eyes reflecting my own distraught face. “Like I said, I can’t explain everything right now.”

“What can you tell me?”

“Not a lot yet, but I can be here for you, as a friend.”

I cast him a puzzled look.

“Okay,” he sighed. “Let me explain the few things I can. I’m sorry if it’s cryptic, but discretion is necessary for the time being.”

I nodded once, though I didn’t understand, and wiped my face with my sleeve.

“First, the reason I can’t tell you much is because you haven’t chosen who you want to be yet. Soon, you’ll be faced with a decision. It’s to test your integrity. If you pass, I get to be the one to guide you. How you chose to handle the test will be up to you.”

I stared blankly. He was worse than Hope. At least she gave me some information to go on.

“I’m going to be tested?”

“Yes. We all have to pass before our guide is given to us.” Alexander’s steady voice assured me that he knew of what he spoke.

“Like a spirit guide? Hope told me a little about them.”

“Kind of. This is a bit different. If you pass your test, then you’ll receive a guide. If you choose one path, I will be your guide. If you choose the other, then I can’t say for sure what happens. Only the path with me on it requires you pass the integrity test. So far, it seems like you’ll most likely pass your test. I am here, after all.”

I rubbed my weary eyes for a moment. This was a little too much to comprehend after what had just happened with Cooper. Not only did I feel completely clueless as to what Alexander meant, but he didn’t seem concerned with why I’d just broken down and soaked his chest. Before I could ask for clarification, he continued.

“I didn’t know things would happen like this. The job at the school came very last minute. I asked for help and woke up with a business card next to my bed the following morning. When I called the number, a woman answered and offered me an interview. Next thing I knew, I had a job in Willow Lark, Washington, laying cable and meeting you.” He looked at me, head tilted, and my heart thudded. He seemed so mature. I pushed the thought from my mind and tried to listen.

Alexander didn’t continue, however. He looked as if he were concentrating on something, staring at the ceiling. His look perplexed me.

“Is everything okay?” I muttered, breaking his concentration.

“Sorry, but I don’t think I can answer any further. All I can say right now is, please, don’t go into the bead store. Will you promise me that?” Alexander looked at me with agony.

“No. Both you and Hope say not to go in there, and yet neither of you has given me any good reasons. I won’t make a promise that makes no sense at all,” I answered tersely.

“That’s fair, I guess.” He looked down and scratched his chin, then popped back up with a grin. “It’s possible that you could be hurt if you go in there, or even near there, right now. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll get more answers. At that time, you will know why you shouldn’t, or maybe should, go into that store.”

He sounded nutty, but I sensed the truth inherent in his words. I couldn’t explain why, but a gentle tingle swirled inside my chest, leaving me feeling that Alexander wasn’t lying.

“Fine. I won’t go in there. Not until I have more information on whatever it is you can’t tell me yet.” I was brief. If he wouldn’t offer much information, then neither would I.

“Thanks,” he said appreciatively.

“No problem.”

Alexander fumbled around for a minute, then stuck out his hand for me to shake.

“We haven’t actually been introduced. I’m Alexander.”

“I’m—”

“Aislinn Moore,” he interrupted me, a smile emerging on his face.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Can’t tell you.” He shook his head. “But just the fact that I
do
know should give you something to think about.”

I played with my jacket, realizing how cold I was. “Couldn’t we have just gone to your car or something?”

“I… uh… didn’t drive. I rode the bus. I just needed to get you away from the Hallygens without drawing too much attention to you. Or myself. Like I said, brick helps.”

My confused look told him I didn’t understand.

“The store owners. If they find out who you are before you do, that could be really bad. And if they saw me, that could be bad too. I took a huge risk just going to get you.”

“I see,” I grumbled.

“No, you don’t,” he said with certainty. “But you will soon.”

“Humph.”

“Why were you crying? If you don’t mind my asking.” There was tenderness in Alexander’s voice.

“My boyfriend cheated on me with his ex, my ex-friend,” I said solemnly.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He looked at his feet, his arms wrapped around his legs.

“The odd thing is that I’m really not that upset. I mean, sure I was just sobbing on your chest, but I think that was more out of anger and confusion about all that’s been happening lately. In my heart, I knew this was coming. I guess Hope was right about him all along.” I let out an uneven breath, feeling overwhelmed by the day’s events.

“Hope seems nice. I’ve talked with her a few times. She doesn’t think you two are good together?”

“No. She told me he would bring discord and pain. She thinks I’m destined to be with this other guy, one I used to dream about all the time.” I didn’t mention that I had been dreaming about him.

He gasped and sat up straighter, eyes full of surprise.

“What’s the matter?”

“Who? Who does Hope think you’re destined to be with?” he demanded gently.

I felt too embarrassed to tell him the truth. I shook my head. “I can’t tell you that.”

“You can. It’s okay,” he urged.

“No!” I pleaded. “I really can’t.”

“Why?”

I groaned. There was no way I was going to answer him, so I just sat there.

“Okay, fine.” Alexander cracked a smile, and I could hear him laughing softly. I suspected from his reaction that he already knew he was the man from my dreams.

“Not to change the subject, but are you on lunch? It seems kind of early for that.”

“Er, no. Not really.” He bit his lip.

“Then why are you here with me? Won’t you get fired?”

“I hoped for that, actually. I find it very uncomfortable to be around you,” he admitted.

“Why?” I shot him a look of confusion. “We don’t even know each other.”

“It’s hard to see you with…” he broke off.

“See me with?” I urged him to finish.

Alexander shot me a look that said I was being an idiot.

“Oh!” I said in sudden realization. “But… You mean…?” I wanted to ask why he would be interested in me or jealous of Cooper, but I bit my tongue.

“I will explain one day, if that is in the plan.” Alexander’s tone took a serious turn. Then he smiled guiltily and shrugged.

My heart fluttered at the idea of Alexander jealous, forcing an embarrassingly large grin onto my face. “I think it may be time to get back. Campus will be opening soon.”

He nodded once.

“I wouldn’t want you to get fired. It was nice to see you today. I look forward to next time.” My cheeks threatened to spontaneously combust as I admitted that I enjoyed seeing him.

He got to his feet and walked me toward the door. “Do you know where the bus stop is?”

“Are you serious?” I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Alexander put his hands in his pockets nervously. “I… Well, you see… I don’t know where we catch it. That’s all.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me something?” I should have been irritated, but Alexander only made me giggle in response.