After the meeting was over, I was left with more questions than answers. I will have to do a lot of research about these Knights Templar when I get home. The same guards were waiting for me outside the door in the hallway to escort me to the chow hall to grab some grub. Good thing because when they mentioned where I was going next, my stomach growled. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. Everything had an ancient feel to it. Old tapestries hanging from the walls, old fancy maps of Jerusalem, and what looked like a war banner are the most common ones seen in almost every room. Every Saturday is steak night here at the basement inn. I look around the cafeteria to study the room as I eat my steak. There's seating for 500 people here, and currently, roughly half are occupied. I sit alone on one end of a long table as I keep looking around. Kids and young adults of all ethnic backgrounds, shapes, and sizes, no prejudicing happening here.. They all looked happy, the room buzzing with hundreds of different conversations.
After I ate, it was time to go back home. I opted to finish schooling in my hometown and think about joining them after I graduate, but the only problem is that the enemy knows where I will be. They explained to me that the leader of the other guys used to be one of them but betrayed the council and started his boy band. Something about them practicing a forbidden art. This group must also have ties with some influential people because they were ready for a cover-up story as soon as I was kidnapped. Due to my heroics, I was hand-chosen for some top-secret organization and was told that I could join them after graduation, which oddly enough has some truth. My family and friends were notified almost right away. I have to play along for the sake of both groups, and as long as I keep my mouth shut, I will be left alone. Kidnapping me again would raise more suspicion from the public, but just in case, I am to have a handler who will disguise himself as a new kid in school. He will even be on my bus route! This kid my age hasn't finished school anyway, so it's like killing two birds with one stone.
I am completely silent and deep in thought on the helicopter ride home. Who can I trust with the truth? Keeping this all a secret will probably eat me up emotionally, and it's been hard enough to keep my abilities a secret so far. I guess I'll have the new guy to talk to privately, but even that could raise eyebrows. I'm not known to talk to new kids right away. Nothing personal, but we like to stick with our group and never have new outsiders come in. Joey was the last one, and that was two years ago. Who would it be if I had to tell one person and had no choice? Douglas and Em are the closest things I have besides family, but the rejection could be too painful if they do not understand. I need someone to lean hard onto. This is just too heavy of a burden to take on my own.
The nearest helipad was two miles away from my house at a hospital, but they had a car waiting on me. A man could get used to this, not going to lie. I'm escorted home just after one am, and I sneak into bed without detection to get some much-needed rest for school tomorrow, which is a huge bummer. I feel like the whole weekend was robbed from me! My alarm wakes me up at my usual time of 6:45. I turn it off and roll off the bed, and zombie over to the bathroom with my clothes to take my wake-up shower. I let the water wash over me as I try to come up with what to say to all my friends and family. I wonder if there is another teenager somewhere in the world going through what I am going through? I laugh as I turn off the water and start to towel off. I get dressed and brush my teeth for my usual two minutes and head downstairs to grab a quick breakfast before leaving for school.
Halfway down the stairs, I see my entire family gathered around the dining table, waiting for me to come down. They all seem so relieved and thrilled to see me, making me tear up a bit. All three of them hugged me at the same time. My mom is the first to say something, "At first, we were so worried when Emily called and said that you just vanished." Then dad says, "Yeah, we were all looking for you all over town, not knowing what had happened. Then we get a mysterious phone call from a number with all zeros. Telling us that you were brought in for some kind of screening for a top-secret organization." My sis Sarah chimes in with, "Emily was so worried that she didn't even go to the dance, and we decided to let her spend the night here." "I'm so sorry, guys. I had no idea. A limo came screeching out of nowhere and just yanked me in and was taking me away before I could get out even so much as a scream. I thought I would never see any of you again for a second." This brought another round of big hugs, "We're just so happy that you're finally back home. Just take it easy today and enjoy your spring break." How could I forget?! I laugh to myself. I'm glad my mom said that because I would be heading for a bus that never came. I eat a quick bowl of the captain and crawl back into bed.
I wake up to a knock at the door. I hear it crack open, "Hey, can I come in?" "Of course," I mutter. Em opens the door, sits up on my bed, and lets me hold her hand for a few minutes. She acts as if to itch her face, but I spy a slight blush, making me feel great to be home. "I should have called you as soon as I got home, but it was one-thirty in the morning." "I'm sure my father would have answered the phone and asked if you wanted a lobotomy for free."
We both laugh at the thought of that. "I'm just glad you're home...I thought I lost you." She says as she turns to face me. We stay quiet, holding hands. I don't know how long. I broke the silence first. "When they first took me all I could think about was the could haves." "Could haves?" "Yeah, our relationship finally moved to another level. We could have had a great time at the dance. You looked so beautiful in your dress that night. I know it's soon, but we've been friends since middle school, and I have always had a crush on you." her eyes are shining while she listens to every word. She stays quiet and lets me keep talking. "I wasn't ready to let go. I told myself no matter what was going on, that. I was going to escape somehow and come back to you. Too many could haves." I stay silent for a few seconds to let that hang in the air between us as we look into each other's eyes.
I open my mouth to tell her all my secrets as she rested her head on my chest, but nothing would come out. Where would I even start, from the beginning? First, she would be angry that I didn't tell her sooner, then what if she doesn't look at me the same way? "Hun?" she looks up at me, smiling." What's so funny?" "That's the first time you've called me Hun. I love it." I can't help but smile too. "I love calling you Hun." We both laugh. "Sorry," she laughs. "What were you gonna say, Babe?" Now it was my turn to be pleasantly surprised. I say with a smile, "Can you keep a secret?"
I don't remember where I started, but once I started pouring out my heart, I couldn't stop. I got so emotional that a tear started dripping down my cheek. I hold my palm up and slowly gather the water into a small ball that hovers above my hand. I add a little air into it to make it bigger and begin to form it into shapes. Remembering how much she loves horses, I create a mini pony and use air to float it while I move its legs as if it is galloping across the room while making silly horse sounds. She is speechless watching it and laughs at my noises.
"I didn't know how people would react after I told them. I also prevented Chris from getting hurt too badly. I'm sure sis would be a widow right now." She laughs so hard at that. "I can't believe you were able to keep something like this a secret for so long." "Something inside me wanted to tell you this since we are getting serious now. I felt like you should know." "I am the first, seriously?" "Well, besides the fffff" before I finished my word, I said, "Gentlemen who kidnapped me and decided to drag me down the stairway to hell to make me join their evil cult." She laughs again, "You almost said the f word. I can't believe that the good guys rescued you that way." "They were scary good, Em, I couldn't even see or hear them, and they cloaked me as well." I paused.
"I couldn't bear this burden alone any longer." "It's a lot to take in, but I want to be here for you, fully." "Thanks, Em, it means a lot." I then add. "If we can try to act as if none of this happened, that would be great." "I don't want you to act any different around me either, Alex. I want you to feel like you can be or act yourself." "It would be such a relief to not worry about keeping my guard up. Hearing you saying this is like finally getting that monkey off my back." She leans back and gives me a glance over as if to look for an actual monkey. We both erupt into laughter. We hugged and decided to meet up later that day. I can't help but to still feel awkward. She squeezes my hand lightly as she turns to leave my room. I stay in bed for a few more hours, replaying the scene repeatedly in my head. Still unbelieving of what just happened.
The smell of breakfast gets me to finally get out of bed. The murmurs of conversation grow louder as I walk down the steps. Everyone greets me with a smile. Em stands, scoots her chair back and makes her way over to me. "I'm glad you're here Em." I whisper in her ear as we both hug. "I am too Alex" She replies back as we end our embrace. We join the family at the table to enjoy breakfast and pleasant conversation about normal family spring break talk. What a relief I think to myself.