Torn Between Souls

MEETING

It had been a week since the wolf attack in the park. There had been nothing on the news about a wolf the size of a bear dead in the grass. I found myself constantly trying to convince myself that I had to be hallucinating. But my hand was finally recovering from a very real injury. The bruises on my face had just vanished, and I was deeper in the rabbit hole than ever.

Matteo Volantin was originally from Italy, although he had completed much of his education in the United States...I think. For the most part, from what I understood he was a rich biologist who had created a piece of equipment that made the spinning of rDNA faster. However, he had also written historical books. There appeared to be records of his teaching at Oxford, at Yale. There were traces of him in Germany, Greece, and Spain.

Currently, he was doing research for a private medicinal firm regarding insulin production, and he had spoken at a conference about it just a few months ago. Here.

What was worse, was in the week since I had seen the wolf and met Matteo, my life seemed to be turned upside down. I tried to run but would end up out of breath, and feet feeling as if they were on fire. I went for a swim and had no buoyancy in the water. I constantly looked over my shoulder, because I constantly felt watched. And I could have sworn that on more than one occasion I had seen a figure outside my window-my second-story window.

I decided to call my aunt and uncle. Not for comfort, not for solace, but answers, because I couldn’t help but feel this had something to do with what happened to mom and dad.

The phone rang a few times before I heard my aunt Wanda’s familiar, voice, however, it was void of its usual cheeriness, and filled with concern.

“Rose? Oh, thank the heavens. Are you okay?”

I frowned slightly, “Yes of course I am Wanda. What’s wrong?”

“I’ve just been feeling a terrible feeling about you.”

I could hear my uncle Roy come to the phone, “Rosie girl, it’s you.”

“Hi Uncle Roy, what is auntie going on about?”

The line was quiet for a few moments before my uncle spoke again, “Rosie, we...we think you should come home for a while. Your aunt and I need to talk to you about some things.”

This peeked my concern, and suddenly my questions and my story flew out the window.

“You guys, stop being so cryptic. What’s going on?”

“Have you met anyone new recently, Rose? You may not have met-met them. Just came across them. Felt strange?” my aunt blurted.

My uneasiness had returned, “I did actually. I was attacked...by a wolf. A huge-” before I could continue I heard a sob escape my aunt’s throat, “and a man. His name is Matteo.”

My uncle sighed. “Rose,” he said. He never called me anything but Rosie, “just...please come home when you can.”

I gave a sullen goodbye to my uncle and asked him to kiss Wanda for me, before hanging up. I had just begun to feel better, and here I was, completely weirded out by what my aunt and uncle had said.

Was I in danger?

I felt on the verge of tears again, and even though it was beginning to look rough outside, I decided to go kayak. My hand was hurting still, but I needed to clear my mind. I donned a pair of athletic leggings, a loose-fitting t-shirt, and a fleece pullover. I topped off with a windbreaker, and my sneakers, and went down to the garage. I lifted the kayak onto my beater of a car that had been recovered and given a new battery from the service company, and head to the coast. As I was driving, I noticed a low slung, black vehicle in my rear mirror.

It followed me off the exit towards the beach, and I prayed it would turn away but it followed me still as I turned down the road that reached into the canyon. Finally, just a few miles from the beach, the sports car turned onto a dirt road.

I breathed a sigh of relief and finished my drive. I was reading too much into things. I hated feeling this way. Helpless. My fingers twitched, and I felt a swell inside me, and for a split second, I felt a power gnawing at me.

When I arrived at the beach, I couldn’t get to the water fast enough. I left everything in my car, got into the kayak, and within minutes I was fighting the waves.

It was glorious. The wind whipped my hair around my face, and the cold, restless ocean splashed into the warbling kayak, and all I could do was laugh. This was what I needed. I spent some time riding out the current and waves until I was in a pocket of free water past the coastal waves.

I stopped, locking my paddle in, and just stared at the sky. The clouds. They seemed menacing today, despite their lightness.

I frowned, unsure of what that was. I swore I felt something dangerous nearby, but here, alone in the ocean, I knew I was imagining things. I looked down into the water and felt a pull. A strong, almost unbearable pull. Without thinking I plunged my hand into the icy water.

For a moment, the water moved around my hand, pulling at it the same way it pulled the kayak to and fro, and then, a stillness. The water around me seemed to hold fast as if it was holding its breath.

“Strange…” I breathed.

I began to pull my hand out of the water, but my eyes widened as the drops of water that fell from it, hung in the air. They seemed to shimmer for a moment before I gasped and they disappeared into the water. I was incredulous. I wiped my hand on my leggings, a deep frown creasing my forehead as tears welled in my eyes. I turned towards the shore, paddle in hand, and saw a figure, dressed in dark clothing standing there.

“Matteo,” I breathed, as a warmth washed over me. I’m not sure why, but I felt he had some answers. That he could help me understand why I was losing my mind. Why I felt like the world around me was crashing in on me. I put my paddle into the water and fought hard to get back to shore, but as I neared, my eyes scanned the beach. He was gone. I felt empty.

And stupid.

And angry. He admitted to killing something! And he had come into my house, my bedroom, without permission! He could have done anything to me! And here I was eager to see him on the shore?

I mumbled to myself as I put the kayak back in my car, and drove off. I needed to just forget this whole thing had ever happened as Matteo said. But for some reason, my car smelled of cinnamon and smoke, and my mind swirled with emotions I couldn’t define. When my phone rang, I almost pressed ignore, but I saw Jame’s familiar, friendly face flash across the screen, and even though I had been avoiding him all week, I answered.

“Rose! I’m so glad to hear from you!”

“Hi James,” I said shyly into my phone that sat in my lap on speaker, “I’m sorry I’ve been awol lately. My hand is still recovering, and I’ve just been...dealing with some stuff.”

“I totally understand! I happen to be off today, why don’t we grab that lunch and you can tell me all about it.”

I hesitated. I felt an uneasiness about James for a moment, but I shook it away, blamed it on the fact that I was losing my mind, and agreed. I hung up, and instead of continuing the drive home, I headed towards the deli James had suggested.

I parked in front of Freemont's and tried to fix my wild ponytail a bit in my rearview before heading in. I ordered a tomato and basil panini, and an iced coffee, and sat down at a corner table to wait for James.

He arrived within about 15 minutes, and it was strange to see him out of work attire. He donned a pair of khakis, and a baby blue polo shirt. He wore an expensive-looking watch on his wrist, and his black hair was a bit less slick than usual.

He sat down with a smile at first, but his nostrils seemed to flare and for a moment, his smile faltered. He looked around slightly as he said hi, and then settled back into his normal demeanor.

Seriously? Even James was acting weird. I couldn’t catch a break.

He ordered a french dip, and we chatted a bit about work. Our patients, and some of our coworkers. All of a sudden James's voice changed, “I’m surprised you didn’t even dress up for me?”

I frowned slightly and looked down at my damp clothes, and then back at James with a puzzled look, “Excuse me?”

“Well I mean I finally get to take you on a date, after three years of asking, and you couldn’t even get dressed?”

I raised my eyebrows in wonder, and shook my head, “James you are my superior...and, my friend. This isn’t a date, just lunch.”

“Keep telling yourself that Princess,” he said, rolling his eyes, “When was the last time you even had s*x? I never see you with anyone. You’re a nurse, hardly a prude. “

I was astonished, and couldn’t think. I just stood there, staring at a man I had valued as a friend, albeit a pushy, and slightly pompous one, for years.

“James, again, I think it’s very inappropriate of you to say or even think of me that way. Excuse me, but I’m going to go.”

“Oh stop,” he said, rolling his eyes once more as I stood.

Before I was able to get up from the table, he grabbed my wrist, hard, and sneered slightly.

“James, let go of me,” I said firmly, tugging my hand away.

His grip grew tighter, and his eyes seemed to flicker between colors. I felt tear well into my eyes as his grip continued to tighten, even with my other hand trying to force it away. Suddenly, I heard a growl behind me, and turned my head, just as Matteo's long, lean hand grabbed ahold of James’ wrist.

“The lady set let go,” He hissed through clenched teeth.

James growled in return, standing from his chair so quickly it overturned, but also releasing my wrist. Matteo moved his body so he was just slightly in front of me.

“I thought I smelled a leech,” James muttered, his hands closing into fists, “I think you need to see yourself out.”

“No,” Matteo responded, his voice steel, and ice, “We will see ourselves out. And you will not follow or I’ll tear you to pieces as I did that pup you sent after her.”

My heart dropped. This had something to do with the wolf attack? And speaking of, why was Matteo at this deli?

James's eyes finally seemed to stop bouncing from color to color, and he narrowed them, peering at me behind Matteo, before fluttering back to Matteo, “This isn’t over.”

Matteo now had ahold of my elbow, his touch firm, but gentle, and his fingertips white-hot on my skin as he led me out of the deli. I went to pull away to go to my car, but he shook his head without a word and led me to his car, - a low slung, black sports car.

My own eyes narrowed, “You followed me?!”

Matteo didn’t meet my gaze, just opened the door.

“Get in, we can talk about this later.”

I hesitated, but I looked back and saw James standing in the deli window, another man with strong features beside him, and decided to climb into the lush interior beside this terrifying mystery man.