Gate Deadlock

  Chapter 5

  Revelations

  I woke up with the sweet smell of toasted bread hitting my nostrils. For a few seconds, I lay back in the large bed confused at first, but gradually realizing I was not in my bedroom.

  And then it hit me. A flow of emotions overwhelmed my whole body, as the kisses, the cuddling and the tender whispers of the previous night, all came back to me. It was no dream. In fact, it was a dream come true. And it had been a perfect one, beyond any possible imagination. I was experiencing a strange feeling of contentment, as if I had been able to find my way home, after a long course of misfortunes. Home, where I belonged. ‘Home is where your heart is’ my father used to say to me. My heart belonged to Christopher. Christopher. I had already missed him.

  Still drowsy, I rolled the vivid orange sheets around my body hastily and got up. I tiptoed to peep into the empty kitchen when I suddenly felt Christopher behind me, his arms hugging me, his warm breath against the back of my neck. I leaned my back on him as I had imagined myself doing so many times.

  It felt so good not being cautious anymore. I turned towards him and hugged him impatiently. He was smiling, but I caught a hint of worry in his eyes.

  ‘Good morning.’ he whispered in my ear. ‘Do you still not hate me?’

  Instead of replying, I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him softly.

  ‘That’ll do.’ He looked relieved. ‘I made breakfast.’

  ‘How come you’re dressed already? Have you been out?’ I said, still hanging from his neck, noticing his car keys and a shopping bag on the table.

  ‘You wouldn’t want to go out in the same, torn dress you wore last night, would you?’ he asked with the most innocent smile.

  ‘So?’

  ‘So, I bought you a dress …and a pair of sandals. I was very quick. I only left you for fifteen minutes. I hope you’ll like them.’

  I was about to protest but he stopped me.

  ‘You will pay me back of course.’

  ‘Thank you.’ I said finally. ‘You take care of everything, don’t you?’

  ‘That’s the idea.’ He sighed. ‘I hate to say this, but Harry will be back in the next half hour. So, why don’t you take a shower, get dressed and join me for breakfast?’

  ‘Ok.’ I released him reluctantly and headed for the bathroom.

  He knew how embarrassing it would be for me to let Harry know I had spent the night with one of my supervising tutors. At least, we should preserve appearances.

  I had a quick shower, trying not to wet my hair. The short, white, linen dress he had bought for me was perfect. He had impressed me with his ability to find my size. I found him at the porch, leafing through a magazine. Breakfast was on the coffee table. When he saw me, he put the magazine next to him and grabbed my arm, making me sit on his lap.

  ‘I need a lot of coffee.’ I said.

  ‘Is that all you need?’ he whispered in my ear.

  ‘I’ve told you… I need you.’ I whispered back.

  ‘No regrets then?’ he asked kissing me behind my ear.

  ‘No regrets.’ I repeated. ‘Definitely.’

  I looked at his beautiful face, thinking I just could not get enough of him. This beautiful man had been mine for a whole night and, I hoped, for many other nights to come. He was too good for me, much more than I deserved. I shivered as he kissed the curve of my shoulder.

  ‘How do you do that?’ I asked.

  ‘What?’ he whispered.

  ‘Take my breath away every time you touch me.’

  ‘Really? I thought this was one of your talents only.’ he said, without stopping his kisses, burning my skin with every touch. He was wearing a white, sleeveless T-shirt. I noticed for the first time the tattoo on the muscles of his armrest, the pattern of a cross penetrated by the sharp edge of a dagger.

  ‘That’s strange. I hadn’t noticed your tattoo before. Does this signify something?’ I asked curiously, examining the strange pattern.

  He hesitated for a few seconds and then he said,

  ‘As a matter of fact, it does. But it’s bad. Nothing I would like to talk about…yet.’ I knew this was some of the things we would have to talk about in the future. For nothing in this world would I spoil this day, the first day of my life, my real life.

  He sighed. ‘Emma, I just wish…we had more time. Take things… more slowly.’

  ‘But we do have time.’ I assured him. ‘Maybe not right now, but we have the rest of the day, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and….’ My smile froze when my eyes met his. He looked too serious.

  ‘Oh, Emma. I can’t help feeling that…our time is…just running out.’ He was playing with my hair as he said that, but I noticed the grief in his voice.

  ‘Are you telling me… you’re leaving?’ I asked him, truly worried this time. His expression changed at once. He touched the tip of my nose playfully.

  ‘No, silly. But we’re not staying in Greece forever, are we?’ His smile was back, although not entirely convincing. It surprised me that a man like him would be insecure. I was, of course, aware of the fact that he was risking more than me with our relationship.

  I took a deep breath. ‘Look Christopher, let’s not worry about the future now. Let’s not spoil this, okay? ’

  ‘Not worry about the future, mmm.’ He thought about it for a moment. ‘I wish I could do that.’ he said in a sullen voice that didn’t match his smile.

  ‘Are you trying to tell me something?’ I asked again, unable to read his eyes, as he was looking down. He had got serious again for a few seconds. But then his beautiful smile lit his face again.

  ‘It can wait. Now eat or I’ll feed you.’ He made me sit next to him. I was really curious about what he meant but I was determined not to ruin our first morning together. Frustrating as it

  was, I comforted myself with the idea that whatever was bugging him, we would face it together. Just not now, not today.

  It turned out I was really hungry. ‘You do realize that we both missed the school meeting, right?’ he said as I was gobbling down a large piece of toasted bread.

  ‘Oh no!’

  ‘I know. Think of all the gossip!’ He seemed to find this amusing.

  I pictured Rose, doing her best to give a full account of all our movements at the wedding the previous night.

  ‘Well, you know what? I don’t care. Let them gossip. We’re both adults.’ The determined sound of my voice impressed me. He laughed loudly, the most wonderful laugh. Of course, I had omitted an important detail, that he was a tutor at the university where I was a student. But no one knew we had slept together. We had just showed up together at the wedding. Besides, for some strange reason, Christopher did not seem to care at all about the possibility of losing his job because of me.

  On the way back, I remembered to check my cell phone for any messages. I found three calls by Kate, one by Demetra, the archeologist, one by my mother and three calls by numbers that were not registered in my cell phone memory. I called Kate first.

  ‘Hey! We missed you today in class.’ Her voice was casual, not revealing any serious damage.

  ‘I’m sure you did. What’s up?’ I asked.

  ‘Just a few tidbits of gossip, you know. Oh, Colin called last night, three times actually.’

  ‘What did you tell him?’

  ‘Told him you weren’t back yet.’

  ‘Do you think he’s going to surprise me at home?’

  ‘I doubt it. His plane is leaving in two hours. He’s probably on his way.’ I was relieved.

  ‘Don wants to see you. He sounded rather serious.’

  ‘Ok.’ That wasn’t good.

  ‘Two questions. Were you with Christopher?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Are you smiling now?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘By the way, Rose was really shocked when she saw you with him last night, from what I hear. See you.’ I could not help smiling at her last comment.

 
‘Is there a problem?’ Christopher asked.

  ‘Nothing serious.’ There was no reason to tell him about Don or Colin as I was going to deal with them on my own. Besides, we were already outside my apartment.

  ‘What are you going to do today?’ I asked, reluctant to leave him.

  ‘I have a few appointments. How about you?’

  ‘I’m meeting Don. He probably wants to say goodbye before flying to London. Then, I have a class.’

  ‘Call me as soon as you’re free, then.’ he said.

  He came closer and gave me a soft kiss. And I got off.

  As soon as Christopher had left, I called Demetra. She told me that everything was ready and the excavation could start the following week, if I could get the green light from Brantel, the project sponsor. This should not be a problem. I told her I would ask the finance department to get in touch with her for the details. The day was getting better and better and I was on top of the world.

  I thought about calling my mother but I decided to postpone it for later that night. I checked my computer for messages and I took off. I was going to meet Steven De Marko, my tutor, to apologize for missing the morning session and then I would pay Don a visit just before the afternoon class. This would provide a perfect opportunity to toddle off quickly. I was certain that Colin had deliberately tipped Don off about last night but I was not going to put myself under the stress of inventing excuses or trying to justify my actions. They both just had to accept my choices and me. I had been expecting Don would launch a tirade against my affair with Christopher. I knew he had always envisaged Colin and me together, no less than my mother and stepfather had. But

  there was no way I could have been prepared for what was about to happen.

  An hour later, I was knocking on the door of Don’s office.

  ‘Emma, it’s good to see you. Sit down please.’ he said warmly, but I noticed that he was sitting behind his desk, putting a distance between us which, considering Don’s way of thinking, meant to signify his intentions; this was not a casual chat, he was making it clear.

  Don was a tall, stout man with pale, gray eyes and thinning hair. In the brightly lit office by the hot rays of the afternoon sun, I could see the furrows on his forehead were deeper today. He was obviously too worried about something.

  ‘I thought you were leaving today Don.’ I said casually.

  ‘ As a matter of fact I decided to stay for a few more days.’

  ‘That’s great! If you are here next week you’ll have to come to Pylos to see the excavation.’ This was an effective distraction, and Don seemed very interested in the new developments.

  ‘You know, I’m totally with you in this, Emma. I’ll talk to Finance, ask them to expedite the procedure.’ But before I had the chance to say anything, he added seriously, ‘Your mother called me this morning. She was wondering how your presentation came out. I was surprised you didn’t mention anything about it yesterday.’ The hint was tactful, but still obvious.

  ‘Oh, it was fine. A bit stressful of course, but we… I… was well prepared. It will be included in the conference proceedings, you know, published and stuff like that.’

  ‘Great! Congratulations then. Your parents will be very happy for you.’

  Still the same distant tone in his voice. I looked at my watch.

  ‘Well, I have to be going to class.’ I got up, straightening my dress.

  ‘Just give me a few minutes Emma. I won’t keep you long.’ he said, opening his cigar box. That was close, I thought. So much for my plans to retain my good mood.

  He lit his cigar with an expensive golden lighter, breathed in and sat back in his armchair as he exhaled, filling the room with the sweet smell of cigar.

  ‘I hear you Don.’ I said impatiently, playing with my key ring among my fingers.

  ‘Colin visited me this morning. He was on his way to the airport. Yesterday I was under the impression he intended to stay.’

  ‘I wouldn’t know about that.’ I said coldly. He examined my face, which was stiff as rock, revealing no sign of emotion.

  ‘He told me you’ve become really close with this Auburn guy.’ I remained silent looking at the window, trying to calm myself down and avoid arguing with Don.

  ‘Don’t misunderstand me please. I’m the last person to advise a young woman like you about how to live her life. It’s just that….’ He put his cigar in the ashtray and folded his arms in front of his chest.

  ‘How well do you know this man, Emma?’

  ‘I know all I need to know.’ I replied without hiding my frustration about this conversation.

  ‘Has he told you about his past, how he came here, why he came here?’ He was guiding this conversation to the last thing I wanted to think about.

  ‘You should know better Don. Brantel sent him to spy on me, I didn’t ask for him. And Daugh, of course, thought I needed a baby sitter.’ I grinned bitterly at him.

  He looked surprised. ‘Your stepfather doesn’t know this man and he certainly did not send him here.’

  I tried to work out the meaning of what he had just said. Christopher had told me he was returning Daugh a favor. It had to be a misunderstanding or something that Don was missing. I sensed by the redness on his face that he was about to cross the line.

  I stood up determined to avoid that.

  ‘Listen Don, I really appreciate the concern, but you shouldn’t worry about me. There’s nothing going on between Christopher

  and me. Just two adults, hanging out together, that’s all. You wouldn’t like to have me mourn for having been cheated on by Colin for the rest of my life, would you? And for the record, Colin IS ancient history as far as I’m concerned. And YOU have no right to interfere in my personal life. So, if you’re finished I have a class to attend!’

  I had been too carried away by anger and raised my voice higher than I wanted to. I had never spoken to my godfather this way and I knew he would never forgive me for this.

  He stood up, leaning forward with his hands on his desk in a position of attack.

  ‘FOR GOD’S SAKE EMMA!’ he shouted. Then he went on making an effort to keep his voice down. ‘You are completely cluess as to his background. If you removed your blinkers you would realize he’s not what he claims. It’s a verifiable fact, you know.’

  I shook my head in disbelief.

  ‘I’m really disappointed by you Don.’ I tried to control my trembling voice. I felt my eyes mist with tears and I turned for the door.

  ‘Ask him about his past, then! He has lied to you. It’s all a display, don’t you see? HE’S NOT WHO YOU THINK HE IS. IT’S A LIE; EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS A LIE. ASK HIM WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THE PROJECT AND…. YOUR FATHER’S MURDER!’

  He regretted those last words immediately. I turned to look at him, my eyes wide open. He had collapsed in his chair, rubbing his forehead. He gave me the impression that he was talking to himself, but I could still hear him.

  ‘I shouldn’t have mentioned that. My god!’

  He looked devastated, but I could not care less about him at that moment. My eyes were still wide with shock of what I had heard. I opened my mouth to say something, but words just did not seem to come out. I was on the verge of collapsing.

  I opened the door and walked out. My legs felt numb. Leaning my back against the door, I took a deep breath wiping my tears

  with my hand. A group of students suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor talking loudly, taking me out of my daze. I took the lift. I needed to go out of the building because I felt I could not breathe anymore.

  My mind was blank. I did not know how long I had been walking when I realized I was at the end of the beach road, right where the sandy beach made a small, rocky curve. It was a quiet, secluded place, quiet enough for me to contemplate what I had heard from Don. I sat under the shade of a small eucalyptus tree.

  All these allegations were, had to be, totally unfounded. I could not decide what had hurt me the most. The fact that I might have
willingly let myself be deluded by Christopher, the verification of my darkest fears about him, or Don’s last hint about my dad? How could Christopher know anything about my dad’s murder? He must have been very young then. He had mentioned he knew my father but I had thought he was talking about Daugh, as everyone seemed to miscall him my dad. Could he be talking about my father? Why didn’t he just say it?

  I called my mum, doing my best to hide the despair I was into. First, I answered to her questions about the conference patiently before saying: ‘Tell Daugh, Dr Auburn says hi.’ I heard her transferring my message to Daugh who was obviously next to her, eavesdropping on our conversation.

  ‘Are you sure about the name, honey? It doesn’t ring a bell to him.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’m probably wrong about it.’ I’ll call you again. Bye mum.’ I hung up on her, unable to pretend anymore. I put my head on my knees, closed my eyes and let the tears run down my cheeks.

  I did not know how long I had been there. The sun was about to dive below the velvet-orange line of the horizon when my cell phone rang. I took it out of my bag to see Christopher’s number in the small screen. My first thought was to turn it off, but then I thought of the questions that had been torturing me and I knew I could not wait anymore for the answers.

  ‘Yes Christopher?’ I said anxiously and, suddenly, I couldn’t help wondering if that was his real name.

  ‘Are you still in? I can see your car here. I have a surprise for you.’ He sounded really excited, but I’d had enough surprises for one day.

  I simply said ‘We have to talk.’

  For a few seconds he was silent. ‘Where are you?’ he asked eventually.

  ‘I’m not sure. Somewhere at the end of the beach road.’

  ‘I’ll find you.’ he said and hung up.

  My lips were salty from the sea breeze, my skin was hot from the sun and my limps felt numb. But it was the invisible, profusely bleeding wound in my chest that hurt the most. I stood up and leaned my back on the tree behind me, waiting for him.

  Christopher came very quickly. He pulled over and opened the passenger door. I got in without a word.

  ‘Where do you want to go?’ he asked.

  ‘Nowhere.’ I said as I took off my sunglasses and he saw my swollen eyes.

  ‘Have you been crying? Emma, what’s wrong?’ He lifted my face with his hand under my chin. His voice sounded worried and impatient.

  ‘Everything is wrong.’ I replied, freeing my chin. I stared at the golden horizon that had just swallowed the sun.

  ‘What do you mean everything?’

  ‘Let’s start with your name. Who are you? Why are you here?’ The questions sounded like accusations and my voice was cold, the expression on my face bitter.

  He lay back in his seat, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

  ‘And…what do you know about my father’s death?’ I fired at him finally.

  At this last question, his face became rigid and I thought he had stopped breathing for a while. When he spoke again, he sounded like a stranger.

  ‘Who told you that?’ His voice was cold, distant. ‘Of course. Don!’ He shook his head and smiled bitterly. Then he opened his eyes and looked at me. The grief that shaded them made my heart ache.

  ‘How much you must hate me now.’ he whispered. ‘I knew we would come to this. I just hoped that I would be the one to tell you.’

  ‘I just need answers Christopher. I want the truth.’

  He stared at me for a second, estimating my limits of endurance.

  ‘Who are you Christopher?’ Ι repeated, more aggressively this time.

  He stared at me for a long moment and then his eyes sparkled with determination.

  ‘Would you believe me if I told you I’m …a Crusader?’

  His face was completely expressionless. I flinched back, startled, because with what he had just said, he sounded like he was mocking me, like another trick in order to get away with this.

  ‘Is this a joke?’ I asked him. My eyes slotted and I kept staring at him in silence, as waves of anger were making my chest swell, blocking my breath.

  ‘You wanted the truth. Can you handle the truth?’ I wondered how brave I was at that moment. I suddenly felt the strong urge to open the door and run away. But I knew that was never going to happen.

  ‘I don’t understand.’ I muttered helplessly. I was confused.

  ‘I will try to explain.’ he sighed. ‘This morning you asked me about the tattoo on my arm. Do you remember what I said?’

  I nodded. ‘You said it signifies something bad, something you don’t want to remember.’

  ‘Exactly. This is a mark, a mark that signifies I’m not a free man.’ He smiled bitterly, pulling back the sleeve of his shirt to show me the tattoo. He looked at it, his face contorted with disgust.

  ‘You see Emma, this signifies my slavery.’ His voice revealed the pain the black pattern inflicted upon him, but I was too angry to experience any compassion.

  I shook my head. ‘I still don’t understand.’

  He sighed and looked at me again. His piercing eyes captured mine as he spoke, estimating my limits to every word he said.

  ‘You will understand, but you must put aside your scepticism and your disbelief. What I’m about to tell you has been classified as Top Secret. You cannot repeat any of this to anybody without putting your life and theirs in danger. The same way Don did today…the same way your father did.’

  ‘My father?’ I stared at him, confused.

  ‘I told your father exactly what I’m about to tell you, thirteen years ago.’

  ‘How can this be possible? You must have been a boy back then.’

  He gazed at the sea and I knew what he was going to say was as hard for him as it was for me, because I could see with some sick gloat I didn’t know I was capable of till then, how it was making him suffer.

  ‘I think the best way to describe it, is to ask you to think of the world as something that… has no end, the same as time. This is your world, your time. I come from another world, another time. Only, my world belongs… to the future.’

  His words made me shiver with fear. I was still confused and angry. But above all, I could not believe a word of what he was saying.

  ‘Are you telling me stories Christopher?’ I asked him abruptly.

  ‘It’s the truth Emma. I swear. Do you think you can handle this?’ He looked tired and, somehow, older. I started to believe there had to be some truth in his words.

  ‘Yes, I think so.’ I replied, determined to give him a chance to defend himself. Trying to be patient was my only option now.

  ‘I know it’s hard but… think of me as a traveler. A traveler in time, that’s what I am. Only, I don’t travel on my own free will, for pleasure or even for scientific purposes as you’ve seen in

  science fiction films. Reality is much more cruel. Wherever I go, they send me.’

  ‘They? Who are they?’ I asked, my eyes wide with surprise.

  ‘They call themselves “The League”. The League owns me. I’m their property. Me and many others like me. They selected us carefully, trained us, and educated us. We should acquire all the qualifications needed; good looks, strength, education, cruelty. We made up “The Squad”.

  I blinked, struggling to comprehend what he was trying to say.

  ‘The Squad?’ I repeated.

  ‘It’s a kind of an army, only it operates secretly, deviously. It is supposed to be protecting the League’s interests, to protect my world, to retain the preservation of my world. You see, mankind has come close to destruction many times, more than you know of. Their world, and mine, has managed to succeed in many areas. Preservation of the environment, peace, economy, and welfare. But all these achievements have been the outcome of the past, like this world and all the others that have preceded it, as well as the many others that will follow. The League has secured the future for mankind. Any alterations here that may cause changes to their world are consid
ered as threats, possible dangers that must be eliminated.’

  I tried to make sense of what he had just said. ‘You mean that all these theories about time are real? Alternate timelines and…parallel universes?

  He nodded. He spoke in a calm voice in contrast with my high-pitched tone.

  ‘All I’m saying is that there is some truth in them. That’s all I’m allowed to reveal to you.’

  ‘And…This… League is some sort of… government of your world then? And you belong to their army?’ I was trying to understand, but I hated every part of it. I knew there was more to this, and even worse.

  ‘In simplified words, yes. Although you mustn’t confuse it to any of the numerous governments that you know of. It’s the only

  government. My world is the League itself.’ I stared at him, expecting him to laugh, telling me all this was just a joke.

  And then I felt brave enough to ask him the one thing that had been torturing me all evening.

  ‘And how does this make you bad?’

  ‘Because they will stop at nothing. They would kill just with the slightest possibility that someone might be a problem in the future. And to do this, they used us, the Squad.’ I shuddered, as I comprehended the meaning of his words.

  ‘That makes you …a killer then? Is that what you’re trying to say?’

  I felt the slight sense of numbing in my knees and I recognized the source of it. Fear had started to petrify me. He looked at me with sadness in his beautiful eyes.

  ‘I’m not a killer Emma. Not any more. I’ve changed, because of you, believe it or not.’

  ‘Of me?’ He gazed back to the dark sea, to the small lights of the boats that had set sail for night fishing.

  ‘Two days before your father died, I had met him. He was taking his usual afternoon walk in the park. I approached him and told him exactly what I’ve just told you. My orders were simple. Make him a “Confidant”; warn him to take the secret to his grave. Of course he didn’t believe me at first. But when I started recounting incidents of his life, things that no one else could have known, he believed me. I had done my research on him, you see. This abated his reservations. I told him I knew about Project-Em and the dilemma that he was facing. I ordered him to drop it if he wanted to save his life. I remember his exact words, I’ll never forget them: Sir, I am a scientist. It is my nature and object of life to seek truth and knowledge and bequeath this knowledge to subsequent researchers. Therefore, you must understand I can’t stop my research. If this means I have to die, then I’ll take death stoically as many others have done before me. I only want to beg you to do me one favor. You are a good man deep down, I can see this in your eyes. Please, don’t let them harm my family. My little Emma, she must have a future. Will you do this for me?

  I was shocked by what he had said. Normally, the League would have him exterminated without warning. But because of who he was, an eminent professor, they had decided to make him a Confidant and spare his life.

  For the first time after so many years in this job, I’d met someone who had denied life and chosen death instead. I tried to make him change his mind, I almost begged him, which was very unusual for me. I told him how valuable he could be to the League if he obeyed. But it was vain. He considered obeying to them as a betrayal of his principles. He asked of me the same favor. I told him I couldn’t promise anything but I would do my best and left him sitting at the bench. I’ll never forget the expression on his face. It has marked my life forever, more than the tattoo on my arm.’

  His voice was now calm, wistful. He looked at me and saw I was crying silently. What he had just said hurt so much. My chest felt too heavy as if the large wound was bleeding, burning me. A wound carved by him.

  ‘Am I a confidant?’ I asked, my voice could barely be heard.

  ‘You are now.’

  ‘And Don?’ But I already knew the answer to that.

  ‘Yes.’ he just said.

  ‘But then Don knew… That night…’ I said, suddenly feeling sick at the thought that had occurred to me.

  ‘He was only ordered to make sure your dad would be at home. He probably thought we were only going to pay him a visit. I’m sure he carries a heavy burden too.’

  ‘And… my mother?’

  ‘I don’t think she knows anything. Although Don must have used her to talk your dad out of it, I guess.’

  I stared at the dark sea, feeling suffocated by the lump in my throat that would not go down. ‘I need to be alone.’ I said and got off the car to sit by the sea again. I took off my shoes and put my feet in the water, subconsciously trying to distract myself from the pain. The cool water was tickling my feet, as I was getting

  more and more overwhelmed by disjoint thoughts. It was very hard to believe his story that resembled a plot of the films I enjoyed so often. But this one was true. I knew he was telling the truth. Either that, or he was mental. I wasn’t sure which option was worse.

  Christopher was watching me from his car. After a while, he came to sit next to me.

  ‘Tell me about that night.’ I asked him.

  ‘I guess you have a right to know.’ Grief was obvious in his voice but I could not see his eyes, as he was looking to the distant boat lights again. He sighed and once again I knew he too was suffering. I wasn’t enjoying his suffering any more. I wanted to touch him, hug him and kiss him but I was not sure how far he had taken his display on me.

  ‘That night, three men came to your house. We knew he was going to be alone, it had been arranged this way. Only… you were there with him.’

  ‘I was sick.’ I muttered as I recalled that night with such accuracy it could have been yesterday.

  ‘We came in through the back door.’

  I hadn’t missed that he had said we. My last hope had vanished.

  ‘Your father was in the living room, lying on the sofa, with you sleeping in his arms. Theo and Tex looked at me without speaking. I was in command you see. My mind was working fast. I knew we were supposed to kill you too just for being there, for interfering with our plans. We could not have any witnesses. Those are the Squad rules. This is inevitable collateral damage for the League.

  I raised my hand to stop them and leaned over you. I took you from you father’s arms. I could see you were feverish, your cheeks were bright red and you groaned as I removed you. He woke up, but Theo and Tex were very quick, they gagged and tied him up. I walked up the stairs with you in my arms but you opened your eyes a little before the landing, looked at me and asked: Daddy? I hushed you. Go back to sleep Emma. I said. You smiled at me with that lovely smile of yours and I smiled back. I

  put you into bed and you were fast asleep again. I’ll never forget your smile. I ran down. They were waiting for me. Tex was angry. Did she wake up? Did she see you? You know what you have to do if… I stopped him. She didn’t wake up. The child is pretty sick, almost unconscious. He didn’t bite it. Tex wasn’t very happy, I’m sure he wanted you dead, just in case. My eyes met your dad’s. I could see he was relieved. He nodded slightly and I thought he was thanking me. We all got into the car and drove to the river. I was in the front seat. When the car stopped by the river, I didn’t need to say anything. Then Tex…’

  He stopped, but I knew the rest of the story. A bullet at the back of my dad’s head and his body left on the riverbank. The whole scene unfurled in my mind as if I’d seen it with my eyes. So much pain!

  ‘There you are Emma. Now you know what monster I am. What I’m capable of. I know you had thought of me as the perfect man so far.

  I understand how you feel. There are a million reasons you should leave me. But, I…just wish you found only one a reason to stay with me.’

  Silence prevailed once again. I knew the past was keeping us apart and I needed a little time before I could look into his eyes again. I was suffering silently, unable to cry anymore.

  ‘Have you ever regretted?’ I muttered eventually.

  ‘About your father? I regret every singl
e moment, believe me.’

  ‘I mean about me, about saving me.’

  He turned towards me abruptly. His eyes were burning me.

  ‘About you?’

  He took my hand in his and squeezed it. ‘This choice is what helped me going. The knowledge that I did something good in this evil situation. The suspicion that I might still have some goodness inside me, this has saved me from myself. You are the light in my life Emma. I know it’s selfish of me but … you’re my absolution Emma.’ He kissed my hand and held it on his heart.

  ‘I know I’m exactly the opposite of what you thought of me. If you don’t want to see me again after this night, I will accept it and I will disappear.’

  Not see him again? That was an option I could not consider at that moment. Everything was so complicated and I could not take it in. I was lost in a torrent of thoughts and contradictory feelings, trying to find my way back to sanity.

  ‘I’ve already lost enough people in my life.’ I whispered. I already knew my love for him was blind. A tear ran down my cheek and he brushed it with his finger.

  ‘Emma, please let me stay with you for as long as you need me. I’m not asking you to forgive me; this would be too high an aspiration. I am only hoping for you to give me the chance to redeem myself, to let me keep my promise to your father. I know this must sound selfish, but I need you too.’ He sighed at my silence.

  ‘I wasn’t lying last night, Emma. That was me, the real me you slept with. That was not part of the plan. It just was …inevitable. I have tried to deny my feelings for you, but …I can’t do this anymore.’

  We were both silent for some time. After a while, he gave up and said, ‘It’s getting really late. Shall I take you home?’

  ‘Yes.’ I said. On the way home none of us spoke.

  ‘What about my car?’ I asked when he stopped the car outside my apartment.

  ‘I’ll ask Suzan to bring it to your house.’

  ‘Please, don’t hurt Don for telling me. He just did …he only meant well.’ I pleaded him, tears running on my cheeks once more.

  He bit his lip and looked at me disappointed with what I had asked him.

  ‘I’m not like that anymore, Emma. I do have to pay him a visit though and warn him about the consequences if he does something like this again. I will also have to send him away until this is all over.’ He stopped and looked outside. ‘Harry and

  Bessie are visiting.’ he said, gesturing towards my apartment. The lights were on in the living room and Harry’s car was parked outside.

  ‘ Jesus! I can’t go in.’ I said. ‘I’m not so good at acting.’

  ‘Do you prefer to come to my place?’ he asked.

  ‘I think so.’ I whispered.

  I was exhausted. My eyes felt too heavy as my mind was seeking for remedy into the silent shelter of sleep. Unable to resist my need to detach myself from everything I had been told that day until I could take it all in, I fell asleep in his car, hoping to dream that everything would be as it should be. Simple. Uncomplicated.

  I felt him carry me inside and put me to bed, as he had done thirteen years before. But I was tortured in my sleep, the same as when I was awake, because nightmares haunted my dreams. In one of them, the most torturing, I saw myself running across a riverbank, terrified, my face twisted from fear and screaming. I was being chased. My feet stubbed on something and I looked down to see it was a rotten corpse. But I had to keep running frantically, because I could feel my pursuers behind me were closing by.

  All of a sudden, a hand grabbed my arm and a familiar, velvet voice whispered: ‘Over here Emma.’ I knew I was safe; all I could see was Christopher’s beautiful, reassuring face. I turned to see whether my pursuers had given up but I saw it was only one pursuer, Christopher, a Bad Christopher this time, with a devious smile and evil eyes. I screamed.

  I sprang from my bed, waking up by my own scream. Christopher was lying next to me, his velvet voice trying to calm me.

  ‘It’s okay, it’s okay. It was only a dream.’ He hugged me and pushed me softly back to my pillow. I curled like a baby hiding my face in the warmth of his chest.

  When I woke up, the sun was trying to creep into the room through the gaps on the shutters. I was in Christopher’s arms. For one moment the evil face I had dreamt the previous night appeared in front of me, making me want to run away and hide. I

  moved my body slowly, trying not to wake him up, and looked at his beautiful face. It was so relaxed, so tranquil, so compellingly attractive that I felt the overwhelming desire to touch it, to kiss it. There was no chance of escaping from him. That was more than certain to me now.

  I tried to reconsider my feelings for this man. He had feared that I would hate him and now I knew why. Truly, I should hate him. He was involved in the tragedy of my life in the most unforgivable way, a tragedy that had defined my life and me so irreversibly and in the most dramatic way.

  But he had not done it by his own free will, he had been ordered to do so. What would have happened if he had refused to kill my dad? Probably, both of them would have ended up dead. Theo or Tex, as he had called his partners, would have finished the job by killing me too. The more I thought of it, the more convinced I became that Christopher was no less a victim than my father had been. My father was so good at reading between the lines and had seen through him. Christopher was suffering too, this was what my father had seen in his eyes; the same suffering I had seen the previous night.

  Could I forgive him? I was not ready to answer this yet. But I knew I did not hate him. It was beyond my powers to do so. What I felt for him was much, much different. I wanted to comfort him, stop his suffering, and make it go away because it was killing me to see him in such pain.

  He had said it was selfish of him to ask for my assistance in his pursuit of absolution and I knew that whatever he might ask of me, I would give to him unconditionally. If that was his chance for redemption, he could have it, because I simply wanted him in my life. He was my soul mate and it had taken me so long to find him, I just could not let him go. Wasn’t I being selfish now? Isn’t love selfish and yet unselfish at the same time? Because I was certain about my love for him. It overshadowed all the other feelings that had poisoned my heart the previous night.

  He opened his eyes as if he had felt my intense staring, and I had the feeling the room became suddenly brighter. He rolled to his side to face me.

  ‘So, you are still here? I expected you to run away with the first light of day.’

  ‘Well, it did cross my mind.’ I said without taking my eyes off his.

  ‘What made you stay?’ he was smiling, but grief shadowed his eyes now.

  ‘It is just… impossible for me to go away from you.’ He was silent for a few moments.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked, scrutinizing my face.

  ‘Better. Where are we?’ I asked him.

  ‘It’s my new house. This was supposed to be my surprise for you yesterday. Not that you weren’t surprised anyway.’ he added bitterly.

  ‘When did you…?’

  ‘I didn’t. Suzan did everything. She even did the decoration.’

  ‘I like it.’

  ‘You haven’t even seen it. But I think you will like it. It does have its own private beach you know!’ He smiled his disarming smile again and I knew those had been Suzan’s words. I preferred to talk about simple everyday things. But it could not last long.

  ‘What are you thinking right now?’ he asked, turning serious again.

  ‘I have so many questions.’

  ‘I know. I’ll tell you everything you need to know. That much I owe you. It’s the least I can do.’

  He followed the shape of my lips with his finger and I could feel the heat on my face. I touched his face softly, following the perfect curve of his cheekbone, his chin, his neck.

  He closed his eyes and I moved closer to him, unable to resist the strong desire to kiss him. Again and again and again.

  ‘Make
me forget, Christopher. Please, make me forget.’ I whispered to him.

  He rolled over me. His beautiful eyes were so intense, they were burning me, as passion and fervor were unconcealed in them. He started kissing me all over my body, his hands carving fiery paths on it… And we both forgot.

  Later that afternoon, we were both in the porch, lying on the big double sun bed, one of Suzan’s major accomplishments. I have to admit I liked it, as I could enjoy the view and the summer sun without having to leave Christopher’s hug. Being with him made everything easier. He was the most effective distraction for my confused, overloaded mind. I was sure that if I went back to my apartment, the nightmare would take its substantive dimensions and I knew I couldn’t bare this. Everything seemed less hurtful when I was around him. He was wearing his swimsuit and had asked Suzan, who had also bought a house next to his, to lend me one of her bikinis. She had given me a purple one, which, under different circumstances, I would not even have thought of putting on.

  ‘How come Suzan hasn’t dropped in yet?’ I asked curiously.

  ‘I guess Tom is keeping her busy.’ he said with his eyes closed behind his sunglasses. ‘Tom is the third member of our team. He came yesterday.’ He smiled widely.

  ‘Suzan is crazy about him. I think you will like him. He and Suzan took your car home last night. By the way, I’ve texted Kate that you are staying with me, so that she wouldn’t be worried about you. Do you mind?’

  ‘You think of everything, as always.’

  ‘Least I could do. I’ve checked your schedule too. You’re free today.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘But you shouldn’t miss classes anymore.’ I knew he was right but I wondered if he had thought about the following week. With the commencing of the excavation, I would be so busy I might have to quit summer school anyway. This was really frustrating, but the excavation was my top priority now.

  ‘Christopher? There is more to this, isn’t there?’ He knew immediately what I was talking about.

  ‘You are right, there is more.’ he said opening his eyes and turning his head to look at me as I rested my head on his shoulder.

  ‘Do you want to hear the rest now?’ I nodded and he started but not before sighing deeply, foreshadowing his oncoming moroseness.

  ‘After that night, everything changed for me. Tex had accused me to Denzel, my commanding officer, of breaking the Squad rules. Tex had always wanted to be in command of the team in my place. In fact, we never saw eye to eye. Denzel trusted my judgment and he would always take my side. You see, my boss’s intention had always been to take out all the evil in me, because he’d always thought I’m capable of more…and of worse. He had seen in me exactly the opposite to what your father had seen I guess. Or… as Plato once told me, he might have detected some signs of goodness in me that stood as a challenge for him, and he would have them vanished so that pure evil would prevail. Either way, he had to follow a procedure this time. Disobedience constitutes a crime for the League, which meant I had to go through a re-evaluation of my eligibility to serve them, much similar to court-marshal of your world. The League Operation Board would decide either for my eligibility to remain in the Squad or… for my extermination. I didn’t care about anything then, so, when it was time to make my statement, I stood up and simply asked them to exterminate me as I couldn’t go on with that life anymore.’

  The word exterminate made me gasp as I was sure it must have meant death. He stroked my hair and went on.

  ‘It was the only solution I could think of. I had noticed a dark bearded man in the Board who had his eyes fixed on me during the whole process of the hearing. He was Plato, my present commander. The verdict was announced the following day. It was decided that I wouldn’t be exterminated, as Denzel had

  persuaded them about my potential. However, the Board had decided that I shouldn’t serve the Squad anymore, and put me in another corps, called the Crusaders. Their commander, Plato, had asked for me, offering the Board the best alternative. Denzel hated this, of course. He was furious. He still wasn’t done with me, you see.

  Since then, I have been working with Tom and Suzan, in one of the many Crusaders groups. Our duty is, mainly, to clean up the mess the Squad causes or, even better, to get there before them and solve problems bloodlessly. We’re some kind of negotiators, in other words. Our mission is to fix things.’

  ‘So, yesterday you were telling me the truth about been a Crusader. And Suzan… I could never have thought of this.’

  ‘Yes, we all follow Plato’s commands. Plato is my mentor, you see. He’s like a father to me. He knows the whole story of course, and approves of my determination to take care of you, although he thinks it is extremely risky and impulsive behavior. He is a very perceptive man, he knows me so well. He understands my obsession with you.’

  ‘You have an obsession with me?’

  ‘What would you call it? Every time I was on a mission, I slid off to your world, to check on you. I’ve been stalking you, peeping through in many occasions. Your walks with Alice in the park, graduation, parties, your first years in the university. This must be shocking to you, isn’t it?’

  I realized my eyes were wide with astonishment and so was my mouth. I was simply stunned. Christopher had been stalking me ever since I was a child? Like a guardian angel? I only managed to say ‘I just can’t believe what you’re saying. All these years….’

  He smiled, looking slightly embarrassed. ‘Sometimes, I overdid this and tried to change the future for you so that you would avoid difficulties. Small changes of course, no one would notice. I wouldn’t want to stand in front of the Board again you see.’ He hesitated before he said with a grin. ‘I did the same with your presentation, you know.’

  ‘You mean …you are able to …see my future?’ This was too hard to believe.

  ‘Hardly. I only got a glimpse of you in the auditorium and it was enough to understand you were having problems with the videos.’ he said, as if it was the most natural thing.

  ‘So ... you decided to help me.’ I was talking to myself, trying to absorb what he had said. He moved his body slightly, so he could see my face better and asked,

  ‘Emma, aren’t you angry at me now that you know I’ve been stalking you? Do you think of me as … a pervert or something?’

  ‘No, I don’t think you are a pervert’ I smiled, ‘…although I can think of other words that fit.’ He chuckled when I said that.

  ‘I’ve always thought of you too, you know. The image of that man, on that dreadful night I mean, I thought it had been an angel…’ an angel of death, who had come to take away my dad, was the rest of the sentence, but I decided to leave it there.

  ‘Not quite. I was more of a demon… although a repentant one.’ he said, losing his smile as grief had shaded his eyes again.

  ‘Tell me about Plato.’ I tried to distract him.

  ‘Plato is very perceptive, as I said before. He knew about all this from the beginning. There is no way I can fool him, you see. But he has allowed my small diversions every now and then. I guess he was the first to realize the truth, much sooner than I did.’

  ‘What is the truth?’ I asked.

  ‘That I love you. That I have always loved you.’ He had said that in the most disarming manner. My eyes had started to fill with tears.

  ‘This is only part of the truth.’ I whispered.

  ‘What’s the other part?’ he frowned.

  ‘That I have always loved you too, even before you came here. I just didn’t know where to find you… but…I’ve always known you existed. And… when I saw you… I knew it was you…it had to be you.’ I was delirious, speaking with my eyes shut. But I couldn’t go on, not because of the tears that had wetted my cheeks, or the sobbing that shook my chest, but because his lips

  were on mine, tender, sweet lips. He wiped the tears of my face with the back of his hand.

  How absurd it is, I thought, to find happiness through sorrow and devastation!
>
  Time was on our side for now, going by slowly, as if trying to make up for the misery of the previous day. The soft wind the Greeks call meltemi that was blowing from the northwest, had made the sea rougher than usual but it had kept us cool enough as we still lay on the sun bed, our bodies unable to part.

  At some point Christopher asked me if I was hungry and offered to cook his specialty for me, shrimp spaghetti. Suzan had taken good care of him. He had a full fridge. I offered to make the salad. He was a very good cook and the spaghetti was really delicious, despite my aversion for sea-food. When we were enjoying the cool white wine, I wondered if it was time to ask him about what I feared he had kept from me, a suspicion, which had started to grow in my mind.

  ‘Christopher, that’s not the whole truth, is it? You’ve come here for a reason, haven’t you? And that is not about my presentation.’

  He focused on his glass without speaking, but I could tell he was taken abashed.

  ‘I mean, if you had been watching me for so long, what made you change your mind and …show up? And how come so many of you have come here? Is it about me?’

  He cleared his throat, his eyes still on his glass. ‘I was hoping we wouldn’t get into this today. Haven’t you had enough for one day?’

  ‘I’ll risk it. It has to do with the project, right?’

  He looked at me and sighed. The sound of a bird’s song in a high-pitched tone startled me.

  ‘That must be the doorbell.’ he said, unable to hide his relief, and went to the door.

  ‘I’m sorry sweetie, but I couldn’t wait any longer.’ Suzan’s voice sounded anxious from the living room. ‘I want to know what Emma thinks about the house.’

  ‘Hello to you too, Suzan. Do come in please!’ Christopher said sarcastically. ‘Hi Tom.’

  ‘Sorry pal, I did my best to stop her, but you know Suzan.’ Tom said apologetically. But Suzan had already found me in the kitchen, doing the washing up.

  ‘Well, what do you think?’ she hugged me and squeezed me on her body, ignoring the soap on my hands. She put her arms on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

  ‘You really have done a great job here. You’ve thought of everything. You’ve amazed me!’ I tried to exaggerate.

  Tom was right behind her smiling, his hand on his chest and his mouth silently pronouncing Thank you.

  Christopher introduced us and Tom shook my hand with a cordial smile. I could understand why Suzan was so fond of him. He too was a handsome man. He was tall and athletic like Christopher but his hair was blond, and he had warm brown eyes and a beautiful face. I had a very good feeling about Tom from the very first moment. My intuition was about to be affirmed a few weeks later.

  ‘Emma darling, you shouldn’t be doing this. Christopher, why didn’t you tell her you have a dishwasher?’ Suzan complained. Christopher just shrugged. Although he had been relieved to avoid my questions when Suzan came and he was literally saved by the bell, I could see he was irritated by her now.

  ‘Never mind, I’m almost finished.’ I said.

  ‘You know what? You boys wait for us at the porch until we make cappuccinos. We girls want some time alone here. We have to try this coffee machine Emma. You will just love it!’

  Christopher seemed reluctant to leave me alone with her but Tom pushed him out of the kitchen, probably following Suzan’s orders.

  ‘Off we go Christopher.’

  ‘I’m so happy the two of you are together, Emma!’ she said. ‘I knew it from the first day I saw you with him. You belong together.’ I just smiled in response.

  ‘We’ve all been worried about him, I have to say. He has been so preoccupied with you, that he asked to be excluded from any other mission.’

  In a flash of inspiration, it occurred to me that Susan might tell me more than Christopher intended to say, so I just let her go on. And I was right of course.

  ‘And when they gave him only a month to get here and try to…’ She looked at me and I knew my face had given me away.

  ‘Oh, crap. I thought … he told me you knew everything. He’s going to be mad at me.’ Being upset made her careless too, and she spilt some milk on the floor. She bent down to wipe it and I took the chance.

  ‘ Don’t worry Suzan. I won’t tell him. Just … please. Can you explain to me this month thing?’

  ‘Sorry honey. This is something he has to tell you himself.’ She saw the disappointment in my face and added, ‘Don’t worry. It will be all right in the end, you’ll see.’

  She wasn’t going to tell me more. She took the tray to the porch hastily.

  When we joined Christopher and Tom they were talking about how Suzan had bargained the price of the two houses. I sat next to Christopher, on the day-bed, and he put his arm around my shoulders. Suzan and Tom were sharing the loveseat. For a couple of hours we were just two young couples, chatting about holidays, the sea, the weather, Greece and the warm, hospitable Greek people. But my mind was on other things and I couldn’t wait to get some answers.

  It was already late afternoon. I was anxious to be alone with Christopher so that I could question him again. But there was no sign of Suzan’s intentions to leave us, quite the contrary. She even suggested going out for a stroll, as she was too bored to stay inside. Christopher, of course, found the idea perfect.

  ‘I think we should go, give them some space, baby.’ Tom told her, but Christopher cut him.

  ‘No, I think Suzan is right. Emma can show us around to the nearby town, Loutraki, right Emma?’ he turned to me, smiling playfully.

  ‘Sure.’ I sighed in defeat.

  I realized that the only thing to put on was the dress he had bought for me the previous day, but Christopher was already one step ahead as always.

  ‘Suzan, give Emma something to wear, will you?’

  ‘Sure. Come on, Emma!’ Suzan got up instantly and I followed her casting Christopher a warning look. He smiled, putting on his angel face again.

  Suzan lent me a short black dress and black sandals and let me use her make -up.

  We drove to Loutraki in Christopher’s car. We walked along the beach road that was lined with cafeterias and restaurants.

  Christopher was holding my hand the whole time. When we were alone for only a couple of minutes, walking behind Tom and Suzan, I told him seriously

  ‘You can’t put it off forever, you know. Sooner or later we will have to talk.’

  ‘I’ll take my chances.’ he grinned, but then added ‘Why don’t you forget about it now? Let’s enjoy our walk, shall we? I promise to tell you everything tomorrow. Do me a favor and try to be happy today. You’ve already got too much to deal with. ’

  I recommended a beach bar for a drink, the Bow. Normally, I would have enjoyed every moment of that night. It was pretty cool, the music was soft and the faint murmur of the sea was so relaxing. But my mind was on Christopher’s secrets and again I was not very talkative. Thankfully, Suzan, seeming to understand my engrossment, covered for me with her constant questions and remarks about the place.

  I had the slight feeling that the three of them had some kind of a secret code of communication but it was only a suspicion, nothing noticeable in their words.

  ‘What’s on your mind?’ Christopher leaned towards me, his eyes fixed into mine.

  ‘Don’t you know?’ I shot at him. A sudden flash of light startled us both and we turned to see Suzan holding a small digital camera, smiling triumphantly.

  ‘I just love these things!’ she said.

  ‘You know you shouldn’t be doing this.’ Tom warned her.

  ‘Darling, I have done lots of things I shouldn’t have, believe me.’ She looked into the small screen of her camera. ‘You two look so cute together. I wish you didn’t look so frowned Emma.’

  ‘Get rid of it!’ Christopher said angrily.

  ‘You boys have been such bores lately.’ She shoved the camera in her bag. They let her go along with this but I was sure they would deal with it later.


  Tom offered to drive us home and Christopher threw him the car keys with a wink, saying ‘Thanks.’

  Suzan sat at the front seat and Christopher held the back door open for me, grinning. I knew he was up to something and I had the feeling that his friends were in this too.

  He sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. Tom turned on the stereo and soft jazz music filled the cabin, a little louder than usual.

  Suzan started whispering to Tom about something, but I could not hear what they were saying. I had the impression they were trying to give us some privacy, but before I could utter a word, Christopher started kissing me. He kissed my hair and he went on behind my ear, my neck and my lips. He burnt my skin with his hot breath. I was already helpless, a piece of melting wax in his hands, letting him do whatever he wanted with me. I did not care if Tom and Susan could see us. The next moment I felt his hands all over my body, his hot lips on my breasts. I wondered whether he was going to stop, as he seemed to be just a click before crossing the line. For the next half hour, I was lost in his arms, his hands on me fierce, demanding. But he knew what he was

  doing. When Tom pulled over outside his house, Christopher chuckled and pulled me out of the car muttering ‘Night guys.’

  He pushed me into the house, walking behind me with his hands on both sides of my waist. I could hear Suzan’s soft laughter behind us.

  I knew what he was doing and there was no way I could escape his plan. He closed the door and pushed my body against its cold surface. He crushed his body on mine, imprisoning me between his two arms. Every other thought was distant and unimportant now as this had been his intention, of course. He had used his charm to distract me but I did not care, because I knew he wanted this as much as I did.

  That night it was simply impossible to sort things out with him since he had used all his charm in order to ensnare me.

  Before sinking into deep sleep, as our hot, sweaty bodies were still tangled, I promised myself that the next morning it would be my turn.

  I woke up before him and got up trying to make no noise, as I did not want him to wake up yet. I took a shower and put on one of his T-shirts before going into the kitchen to make coffee. I returned to the bedroom and seated myself on the big armchair across the bed, my knees folded in front of my chest.

  I waited for him to wake up. It did not take long. He opened his eyes and looked straight at me, startling me and making me think how difficult it was to take a man like him aback.

  ‘Hey.’ he smiled, ‘Come back to bed.’ I did not say anything and he sat up leaning his back on the pillows.

  ‘Emma?’

  ‘You’re not going to play your tricks on me again. You have to tell me what I want to know.’

  ‘I could be playing my tricks all day, everyday, I don’t mind.’ he smiled disarmingly, having full knowledge of how hard it was for me to stay away from him. ‘We only have one hour before your class starts. Are you sure you want to waste this time talking?’ he kept on challenging me.

  ‘Please Christopher?’ I pleaded him. I knew how to use my own weapons too. But he was not going to give up so easily.

  ‘Pity me Emma. I haven’t even had coffee yet.’

  ‘You’ll have your coffee, afterwards. Tell me why you can only stay here for a month.’ His mood changed instantly.

  ‘Did Suzan tell you that?’ he frowned.

  ‘Please, Christopher, not knowing makes me crazy.’

  He closed his eyes. ‘I was going to tell you as soon as you had dealt with all these first. It’s just too much bad news in such little time, don’t you think? I’m trying hard to help you face this awkward situation and, although I must say you’ve really put a brave face upon it, there is no need to test your limits of endurance, Emma. It can wait a few more days.’

  His eyes were pleading and I knew he only cared about me, always trying to protect me, but I needed to know everything.

  I shook my head. ‘No, it can’t wait, I can’t wait.’

  He sighed. ‘So, you want to know the reason I’m here, right? But I’ve already told you that I am here for your protection.’

  ‘Who are you protecting me from?’ He opened his eyes and looked at me before he answered in a cold voice.

  ‘The Squad.’ His answer made me shiver. He went on before I was able to speak. ‘As long as the case remained closed, you were absolutely safe. When you came here to open the bank locker, the whole system was set in motion, waiting for your next move. At first, they would do anything to prevent the excavation, causing all kinds of problems until you decided to give up. It is only a matter of time until they find out you’re starting next week. They may even have known this by now. I had to move fast before they did. I persuaded Plato to let me come here and talk you out of it. The plan was simple. I would charm you, gain your trust and then, as your supervisor for Brantel, I would ask you to stop the excavations for…various reasons. Plato used his connections and they gave me one month before they assigned your case to the Squad.’

  He stopped, waiting for my reaction, but I could not say anything as I still felt the cold waves of fear on my back. He looked into my eyes and went on.

  ‘The rest you already know. I had underestimated my feelings for you and fell into my own trap. But this doesn’t change anything. It just made me more… committed to my mission. I don’t want you to be scared Emma. I will not let them hurt you.’

  ‘The month is …almost over.’ I muttered.

  ‘Don’t be terrified, please. We’ll work it out, that’s why I’m here. It doesn’t mean I have to go when the month’s notice is over. I will be around after this is all over, Plato will understand. I told you I will stay for as long as you need me.’

  I couldn’t stay away from him anymore. I lay next to him and hid my face in his chest as he stroked my hair.

  ‘You do realize you have to drop it, don’t you?’

  ‘Drop it?’ I looked at him. ‘How can you ask me such a thing? You, at least, should understand.’ My eyes were now filled with tears.

  ‘Let me ask you something Emma. How important is this project to you?’

  ‘Very important. You know that.’

  ‘Is it more important than your life, than what we have together?’

  ‘That’s not fair.’ I answered.

  ‘Nothing in this story is fair. But think, your dad was only asking you to use it wisely. Do you think he would want you to die for it?’

  I couldn’t speak anymore. A pain in my throat made me breathe with difficulty.

  ‘Have you thought why this is so important to you? It’s about your dad, isn’t it? You want to restore his name in the University, right?’

  ‘Not only that. My dad had found something. I need to know what made him choose death instead of me, instead of his family.’

  ‘And if I told you exactly what your father had found, what he was going to bring into light, would that put your mind at ease?’

  ‘Can you?’

  ‘Yes. But will you promise to give up if I tell you?’

  ‘I promise to think it over.’ He was not pleased with my response but he decided to play all his cards.

  ‘Your father had discovered what the League calls a Gateway. One of the many Gateways that exist in Greece actually, as well as in other countries. It is a lapse in time, an opening among different worlds, and times. Ancient Greeks had suspected something was wrong with this place and gave the whole area the name Pylos. Think of it. Pylos means door in Greek. But they did not touch the place. Neither did the generations that followed. The League made sure that rumors would spread throughout the years, so that people would stay away. Through time, places like this are known as haunted, inhibited by elves or goblins, or even by aliens.

  So, now you know everything. You realize how big this is and why they will never allow you to dig anywhere near this place.’

  He stopped and all I could hear was the fast beating of my heart. I realized that I was entangled in
a situation I could not handle. He must have guessed my thoughts because he said,

  ‘I’ll take care of everything. You’ll just have to sign the papers to withdraw from the project. We will get out of this unharmed Emma, as long as you do what I say. You’ll just have to trust me.’

  ‘How are you going to handle this? I mean, have you been given any specific orders?

  ‘You will simply declare to Brantel that you no longer wish to excavate the area and that you have decided to donate this piece of land to the university, as your father had always wanted. The League will reward you lavishly, of course. Then the area will be covered with concrete or maltha. They are willing to make a monument in memory of your dad on it. And that’s all. You just

  walk away and go on with your life. You do understand that these are not just suggestions but orders, right?’

  While he was announcing the League’s orders to me, he avoided looking at my face, having his eyes fixed on the ceiling. I knew he hated every part of it, the same as I did.

  Fear had now given its place to anger. I wanted to shout that they had no right to do this. This piece of land belonged to me; my dad had paid for it with his own blood. How could I just give it up to his murderers?

  My mind started working fast, thinking of millions of ways to fool them, without revealing anything to Christopher. I was playing my old game again, hiding my feelings deep inside me.

  ‘We’ll start tomorrow with announcing Brantel your withdrawal from the project and your decision to donate the piece of property to them. We shouldn’t waste anymore time now that you know everything. Then we can be together without worrying about them and you will be safe, forever. I’ll be spending most of the time in your world, here, in London, wherever you want.’

  I did not say anything. I wanted to share his dream. It was the best option he could offer me. I instinctively clenched my body on his.

  ‘How many people in Brantel know about this besides Don?’

  ‘There are two more Senior Confidants.’

  ‘But you’re not going to tell me their names.’

  ‘You know I can’t.’ I did not speak for a long moment, lost in thoughts. He sensed there was something wrong.

  ‘Say something Emma. I know you’re angry.’

  ‘I need some time. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. I’ve been through worse.’

  He moved his body so that he could see into my eyes. He looked puzzled. It was obvious that he had expected a different reaction from me.

  ‘Are you sure?’ he scrutinized my face, still worried.

  ‘Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you, to keep us both safe.’ He kissed me softly and sighed in relief.

  It was time to get ready for school but I knew I could not deal with classes any longer.

  ‘I’m quitting the summer school. Can you drive me over there so that I tell my tutor?’

  ‘Are you sure about that? Don’t you want to think it over?’

  ‘No, I’m sure. I just have a lot on my mind right now.’

  ‘I guess you’re right.’ he agreed.

  He drove me to my apartment to change first. I made up my mind and told him I wanted to drive to the university myself. I needed to be alone.

  Christopher asked me if I wanted to go to his place again for the night and I told him to come and pick me up later in the afternoon.

  I did not know how much time we had left.

  Looking back, I think my mind was made up that afternoon. The plan was already set in my mind but as much as I wanted to trust Christopher, I would not let him into it for his own safety. If things went wrong, I would be the only one to take the blame and he would be safe.