Mastema

I looked over at Alex who was sleeping peacefully. Sunlight was coming through the blinds on the window and was lighting up his back. His hair was ruffled from sleep and he had one arm behind my head while he rested his head on the forearm. His forehead was close to mine, as if he had been watching me sleep as well, so I rolled onto my side to look at him

His eyes moved behind their lids and I could only imagine what he was dreaming. I slid my hand onto his forehead to push back a few strands of hair. I memorized his face and accidently brushed his forehead while thinking about how much Michael favored him.

Alex’s eyes suddenly stopped moving behind the lids and looked like they were staring straight ahead. At me. I pulled my hand back from his forehead and furrowed my eyebrows. Alex took in a sharp breath and rolled onto his back. His breathing started to quicken and his facial expression changed for a brief second.

“Alex?” I whispered, but he didn’t move. “Alex,” I asked again, a little louder and his eyes fluttered open. He took in a deep breath and turned his head a little too quickly to me.

“Are you okay?” I worriedly asked. Alex’s expression relaxed then smiled at me. Alex pulled me to him and hugged me against his chest.

“Of course I’m okay,” Alex replied in a sleepy voice. His skin smelled of sleep and was warm. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” I said and thought about my dreams. I only remembered reaching for the doorknob of Gabriel’s door and then I frowned, trying to remember what happened next. Alex brushed my hair with the palm of his hand and then pulled back to look at me.

His eyes hid something that I couldn’t make out.

“Are you hungry?” He asked and I simply nodded.

“I can’t remember,” I stated and Alex furrowed his eyebrows questioningly. “I can’t remember my dream. I started to have one last night and I can’t remember it.” Something crossed Alex’s face and was gone before I could tell what it was.

“Maybe you’re not ready to know it yet,” Alex replied.  There was a pause and I put my fingertips to my lips, still trying to remember. “Come on. I need to go talk to an old friend of mine today.”

With that, Alex put his feet on the floor and was looking down at the duffel bag. I saw his vertebrae poke out along his neck and then I saw the two thick gashes on his back. They were perfectly centered and were filled with pink scar tissue. He turned and handed me another pair of boxers with a clean shirt, the muscles under his skin moving with his arm.

“What happens when you get your wings taken away?” I asked, not wanting to bring up a bad memory with a simple question. Alex simply lifted up a corner of his mouth and turned around to get clothes for himself.

“Other angels rip them off like door hinges,” Alex replied. I lifted my eyebrows and decided to let the subject fall away.

“Who are we going to go see today?” Alex slowly got up and stretched. The muscles in his back shifted as he let out a yawn.

“His name is Mastema. He has a son, David, and a wife, Maggie. I have to talk to David as well,” Alex said and looked back at me. His flat stomach seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Something about the names rang a bell. “They’re very good at persuasion.”

I ignored the recognition and nodded my head just as a knock came to the door.

“You guys awake?” Matt’s muffled voice asked from the other side of the door.

“Yeah,” I yelled back when I saw Alex’s face frown. He was fixing to go to the door, but I jumped up from the bed and stood in front of the door, my hands on the door like a warning sign.

“Don’t,” I whispered, raising my eyebrows up.

“What’s going on in there?” Matt asked and I looked daringly at Alex.

“Just getting ready,” I sang out and I could feel the frustration from Matt coming through the door.

“Is he hurting you?” Matt asked in a threatening voice.

“It’s not her you need to worry about right-” Alex started, but my hands clasped around his mouth, making a smacking noise.

“What?” Matt asked, anger tinting his voice while he tried the door knob. I tried to push Alex away, but he was like a thick, flesh colored statue. Instead, he looked down at me and smiled.

“Nothing, Matt. It’s alright. Just give us a few minutes,” I said and I heard him snort.

“Yeah, whatever,” Matt’s voice mumbled from the other side and I heard him walk away. I quickly shot Alex a look. Alex raised his eyebrows and turned around, walking to the bathroom.

“Ugh,” I groaned and turned to put on the clothes Alex laid out.

 

After about fifteen minutes, Alex and I were both ready to leave. I walked out of the room and Alex closed the door. I looked up and saw Matt staring at me. Alex put his hand on the other side of my head and pulled me closer to kiss me on the lips.

Alex looked up at Matt and walked to the truck. When I walked by Matt, I looked at him and saw that he was burning holes into Alex’s head. Then he looked at me.

“Did you not learn?” Matt whispered and I raised one eyebrow. I was about to open my mouth until Alex opened up the truck door and I was forced to sit in the middle seat again.

After a few minutes of driving, Matt decided to talk. 

“So…Where are we going?” Matt asked. I could feel the testosterone flaring between the two. I looked at Matt.

“To a friend of mine’s house,” Alex replied.

“His name is Mastema,” I replied and Alex wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Matt didn’t like the arm around my shoulders, so he shot Alex a glare. Alex casted me a side look and smiled at my irritation between the two.

“Oh for God’s sakes, will you two get over each other?” I said in an angry voice. Alex broke out in a grin and Matt blushed, only to look out of the window. If steam could come out of human ears like it did in cartoons, Matt would have had steam coming out of his ears.  

“He can’t,” Alex said after a while. Matt turned to look over at Alex with a strange look on his face. Alex looked at us and then back at the road.

“You’re her human guardian. If I wasn’t in the picture, like I’m not supposed to be, you would be in my place,” Alex said and confusion was smeared on Matt’s face.  “By nature, you’re the one designated to protect her if I wasn’t around and probably marry her.” I heard a slight off note in the last sentence and it made me look at Alex. He continued to look at the road.

“That doesn’t make any sense. How do you know that,” Matt asked and I stared out of the windshield, wondering if Alex was really going to tell Matt his secrets. Alex looked at me for a second, but I only raised an eyebrow at him, just to continue looking at the road.

“No reason,” Alex muttered.

 

 

Twenty minutes is how long it took to find this “Mastema” guy.

Alex pulled into a gravel driveway that practically had dust on the grass. Everything seemed to be dead besides a large, yellow Labrador dog that laid lazily on the sketchy front porch. The paint was new and the roof was in good shape, but the windows were hazy and the trees shadowed the yard, making it appear eerie.

Everything about this house sent a shiver up my spine and the harder I looked, the more I wanted to run.

“Well, let’s go,” Alex said, cheerfully, as he put the truck in park and turned the truck off. He opened the door and hopped out. I looked at the door and then looked at him.

“It’s okay, I promise,” Alex said as if reading my thoughts. He offered my hand and I looked back at the house.

A dark skinned man appeared on the porch with a smile, but the looks of him made the feeling of running away a very rational decision. I looked back at Alex with wide eyes. Matt’s door closed and I saw him standing in front of the truck.

Alex smiled lazily at me and I grimly took his hand. When my feet touched the ground I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

“Hello there,” the man called out from the porch. He had a strong accent that I didn’t recognize. When I looked at him, I felt like passing out. “Looking a little queasy there, Madison.”

“How do you know my…name?” I asked, pausing for a small gag. The man walked a little closer and I saw that his pupils reflected off of the sun that shined through the branches of the large trees.

“Just had a hunch,” the man replied. He looked at Alex as Alex closed the truck door and walked to the man, putting his hand on the small of my back and forcing me forward. “Alexander! My friend, how are you? I’m sure it’s somewhere along the lines of well.”

Alex beamed, looked at the ground and back at the man.

“I’m pretty good,” Alex called out. We came up face to face with the man and the man looked down at me. His irises were black with blue rings around the edges. The whites of his eyes faded into a yellowish red color.

“My name is David,” David said. He wore a thick, black coat and blue jeans with stubble growing on his chin. His feet were covered by thick leather and his hands remained in his pockets. The branches swayed in the wind, and his pupils turned a silver-ish, flat yellow in the sun again. The wind carried a smell like burnt rubber to my nose. I swallowed and forced a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I tried. David merely smiled at my discomfort and looked at Matt. David’s face fell.

“Who are you?” David asked, irritation lacing with the words, and I saw that Matt was in the same state as I was. Matt frowned and swallowed back his own gag.

“My name’s Matt,” Matt said and Alex tossed his hand in Matt’s general direction.

“He’s fine, David. Is your father around?” Alex asked and David smiled a little. David’s eyes flashed to me for a second and then back to Alex.

“Yeah, he’s in the house. Come on,” David replied. He turned around and walked to the front porch. Alex kissed the top of my head and walked behind him, still pushing me.

The front porch was in the same state as the little house in the woods was in. The dog, that was still lying on the porch, looked at us as we walked by. The dog looked at me and watched as I walked by. The dog’s eyes looked almost human, but I was forced inside and the smell of spices hit my nose.

We were in a small sized living room with two leather couches and a red leather recliner. A small box television was sitting in front of the sitting area next to a green plant. A narrow hallway opened up ahead of us and next to the hallway was another entrance that looked like a kitchen.

“Alexander, where have you been?” A woman called out from the kitchen. A thin woman came out with dark skin and dark eyes. She had a blue ring around her irises like David, but she wasn’t giving off bad vibes like he was. She wore a flower dress that went down to her knees and a white, sewn-on ribbon wrapped around the top of her waist. The dress was sleeveless and revealed her dark, aging skin. She looked at me and warmly grinned.

“You must be Madison,” the woman said through a smile. She came towards me and hugged me. “You must be worried about what’s going on, but it will all come back to you soon enough.” I smiled.

“It’s coming back slowly,” I said. She pulled back and hugged Alex. Alex smiled at the woman like she was his mother.

“It’s nice to see you, Maggie,” Alex said. She pulled back from him and then looked at Matt. She raised one eyebrow and looked at Alex. Then she looked at me as if she already knew who he was and what he was doing with us.

“Well, you are all welcome in this house,” Maggie said and then put her hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid of us. We mean no harm.” Maggie then started making her way back into the kitchen. “Is anyone thirsty?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like some-” Matt started, but Alex smacked Matt in the back of the head. Matt let out his breath and I was by Alex’s side, trying to pull Alex back.

“Stop!” I whispered and David looked hard at Alex, but still smiled. Alex held up his finger to me and then looked at Matt.

“Don’t,” Alex stated. I frowned, but Matt seemed to get the threat. David laughed and then put his hand on matt’s shoulder.

“Come on, Matthew,” David said in an assuring voice, but it still sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I looked at Alex and Alex looked down at me, giving me a look that said, “I’ll tell you later.” I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

“Maggie, where’s Mastema?” Alex called out toward the kitchen. She popped her head from around the corner and smiled.

“He’s in the back bedroom. Go ahead,” Maggie replied, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. Alex smiled and when she disappeared behind the wall, Alex looked over at David who was helping Matt figure out the television remote while Matt sat down on one of the leather couches. Alex looked down at me and then hugged me. He leaned his head into my shoulder, his breath tickling my ear.

He slid his hand behind my neck and touched the edge of my hair line.

My vision blurred until I saw Alex’s face, his eyes focused onto mine. I frowned, but before I could ask what was going on, Alex spoke.

“Don’t drink or eat anything. Tell Matt the same,” Alex said. “Something’s wrong.”

Just as quickly as the vision came, it was gone. Alex pulled back and walked down to the hallway. I looked over at David, who was looking directly at me. He smiled and tilted his head a little.

“How long have you known Alex this time around?” David asked just as Maggie walked out of the kitchen with two plates of fruit and some bread.  

“A few days,” I said.

“You two hungry?” Maggie asked through a warm, motherly smile. My heart started picking up speed and I sucked in a long breath to calm myself down. I smiled back and acted as polite as I typically would. Maggie came up to me and offered the plate. I shook my head, “no”.

“No thank you, Maggie. I’m honestly not hungry,” I said, but she still handed it to me.

“Well, just in case you are hungry, you have something to eat,” Maggie stated then pointed over at one o the couches. “Hm, go watch TV.” She then walked over to Matt and handed him an identical plate of food. When she left the room, she called David into the kitchen to have him take out the trash.

As soon as David was out of the room, I looked quickly at Matt with wide eyes and shook my head, “no” just as he was picking up a piece of pineapple. He looked at me, furrowed hi eyebrows and let the pineapple drop to the plate. He sucked in air and let it out, frustratingly. I sat down next to Matt on the couch and watched the television that was blaring something about a wreck being on a local road.

I put my finger tips to my lips and looked back at the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Alex whispered, but I shook my head. I swallowed, debating whether it was even safe to whisper if Alex didn’t.

“I don’t know,” I replied, as if this was all normal, with a smile. I looked at him hard, trying to send some type of telepathic message to say something along the lines of, “shut up”. He furrowed his eyebrows at me and then looked back at the television. I saw that I needed to learn telepathy because his expression didn’t look like he understood.

Then a commotion of laughter came from the hallway and I saw the lights seem to dim in the hallway. I frowned just as I saw Alex coming out of the hallway. Behind him was another man that was scarier than David. I could see a dark shadow seemed to be hanging over him.  

I felt Matt stiffen next to me.

“I just do not know,” I said again to no one in particular, but Matt looked over at me.

Reviews

[Short.Nerd]

This was awesome:) Great job!

[Alex Thomas]

The ending really leaves me to wonder. This chapter is really unsettling. I didn't see any typos, so good job.