The Prophecy (The Guardians)

Chapter SEVEN



Gabe watched in silence as Rachel prepared their evening meals. He marveled at the way she had filled the role of caretaker so easily, clearly she instinctively was a nurturer. Though Gabe healed more quickly than most, and his recovery was progressing nicely, he still needed a lot of mundane tasks completed for him. He had been embarrassed when his arm was too weak to lift and feed himself that first night. Now that he was able to handle the responsibility himself, he missed the closeness of those moments when she would lean in with the fork or blot his mouth with the napkin.

Rachel had cared for Gabe during the three days he was unconscious and he imagined things were even harder for her during the three days he had been awake. Six days of doing all of the cooking, cleaning, and chores, not to mention waiting on him hand and foot, yet in all that time not a complaint ever escaped her lips.

While Rachel could be quite tender, she took her nursing duties seriously. She demanded Gabe go on several daily walks with her in order to strengthen his muscles. The first day he only managed to stand and walk around the cabin briefly. After the bitter disappointment, Gabe decided on day two he would skip the exercising. Rachel wouldn’t hear of it, instead they went outside and walked to the garden and back. Today she explained that she thought they should be able to make it to the creek and back on their walk. The excitement in her voice had him actually looking forward to it.

One of the other things that surprised him was that he had not noticed how beautiful she was before. Her bottom was full and round while her hips seemed to sway like they were dancing to an unsung hymn. Her back arched gracefully, the line of which flowed all the way up her neck. Turning to face him, the mixing bowl pressed against her body below her full bosom, she smiled.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Rachel asked, rubbing away an imaginary smudge with her forearm.

“No, you look great.” Gabe reassured her.

“Yeah right.” Rachel replied, pulling a stray strand of hair from her face and tucking it away into the tie at the base of her neck. “I must look a dreadful sight.”

“Honestly, you want to know what I was thinking?” Gabe asked, deciding to step out of his comfort zone.

“Of course. I mean, only if you want to tell me, though.” Rachel replied, bashfully looking back to her bowl.

“I was just wondering what on earth I was thinking.” Gabe said.

“When? Oh wait, I know. You don’t know what you were thinking when you agreed to watch over me.” Rachel added, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.

“Close.” Gabe added.

“Hey!” Rachel squealed, stomping a foot playfully

Gabe laughed before continuing, “No, what I was going to say was I can’t believe what I was thinking when I was so mean to you. You have been nothing but nice and helpful since you got here and I treated you like… Well, I don’t know. But I know I didn’t treat you the way I should have.”

“Don’t be silly, Gabe, you have been just fine.” Rachel said with a smile, hoping he didn’t realize she was lying.

“Come on, Rachel, I know I was a complete jerk to you.” Gabe insisted.

“Well, I don’t know if I would say complete…” Rachel grinned.

“I thought I was keeping myself safe, but all I was doing was making everyone hate me.”

“I wouldn’t say I hated you.” Rachel said before pausing thoughtfully. “Perhaps just disliked you significantly.”

“Gee, thanks!”

The two laughed for a moment before they both fell silent. Rachel turned towards the prep table, pouring the mixture from the bowl into a pan. She placed it onto the stove and then set the soiled dish aside to be cleaned.

“Rachel, I mean it. If I slip back into my old ways, please give me a nudge and help me remember I want to be better. Alright?” Gabe asked, looking for much needed support. His words were sincere. After finding Clarite and realizing what he did to everyone around him, Gabe had enough. The life he had been trying so desperately to cling to was meaningless if he had no friends to share it with.

Rachel nodded in response. “It’s raining.” Rachel said opening the front door, the cool evening air striking her in the face, her hair flowing behind her. Gabe stared, mesmerized by the joy that beamed from her eyes.

“I always loved the smell of rain. Even as a kid, I was never sad when it would rain. My friends always complained because it meant they couldn’t play outside. You would find me curled up on the box seat, the window cracked, a blanket across my lap, and a book in my hands. My aunt always said I had an old soul, just like her.”

“You were close to your aunt?” Gabe asked.

“Oh very. She took my brother and I in after my mom died.” Rachel explained.

Gabe shuttered at the familiar story. Almost all of the students he met at Rampart shared the theme of a parentless upbringing. Many of those parents had been torn away in violent scenarios, including his own. “I’m so sorry about your mom.”

“Don’t be. The cancer took years. In the end we were glad it was finally over. My dad didn’t stick around long after my brother was born, once mom got sick my aunt moved right in. I guess it just became our normal. We went to live at her house once my mom did pass away. It just seemed natural, living with her. She made us feel like we had a home and like we were wanted.” Rachel continued with her story.

“Your aunt sounds pretty amazing.” Gabe added.

“Oh she is. I want you to meet her one day.” Rachel said. The idea of meeting her family made Gabe blush for a reason he was unaware of.

“Does your brother still live with her?” Gabe asked.

Rachel hesitated, looking back out the front door to the rainy night. “I’m not sure. He was getting ready to head off to college when I left with Uri. I haven’t spoken to them since that night, so I don’t really know what happened.

Gabe could hear the sadness in her voice. When Uri had found him he was leaving nothing behind. Gabe had no friends or family of any kind. He never imagined how hard it would be for someone to leave when they had something to stay for. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“What? Don’t be silly. You all are protecting me, I’m grateful.” Rachel replied. Without hesitation she dashed out the front door, squealing as the cool rain fell on her face.

Surprised by Rachel’s sudden sprint into action, Gabe leaned forward and pulled himself to the open doorway. Midway into the clearing in front of the cabin Rachel danced. Spinning in a circle, her face and palms turned upwards, she was basking in the moonlight and embracing the rain drops. Rachel’s tongue slipped out, mouth open, lapping up the water as it fell.

“Hey, crazy woman, what are you doing?” Gabe called out.

“It’s refreshing, you should join me.”

“Yeah, no thanks, I think I will stay in here where it’s dry and warm.” Gabe replied.

“Oh come on, you big wuss, live a little.” Rachel goaded, not shifting her gaze from the heavens. “It’s beautiful! The moon, the stars. All of it.”

Using the door handle, Gabe pulled himself to a standing position with a groan. “How is it you always do that?”

“Do what?” Rachel asked, glancing at him for a brief moment.

“You look at everything with such a positive attitude. It is pouring rain out there and you’re talking about how beautiful it is. I wish I had been born with that ability. I can move mountains, but I can’t find the silver lining in things.” Gabe grimaced stepping onto the porch, careful to stay under the shelter of the roof.

Rachel stopped spinning and looked at Gabe intensely.

“What? Is it something I said?” Gabe asked, glancing over his shoulder and acting confused.

Rachel didn’t say a word; she calmly walked up to face him. Silently they stared at each other for a moment. She leaned in and planted a wet and gentle kiss on his cheek. “Gabe, it’s not something you’re born with. If you want to be happy, then be happy. You only need to make the choice to let go of your sadness.”

With that, Rachel walked past Gabe and back into the cabin, the rain water dripping from her drenched clothes that now clung to her curves, leaving very little to Gabe’s imagination.

Gabe realized he was standing there alone, with a goofy smile on his face. Limping inside, he closed the door behind him, her words still lingering in his mind. Gabe wanted more than anything to be able to choose happiness. He wanted a rain storm to make him smile. He desired that the simple task of cooking would make him dance. To Gabe, however, it didn’t seem as simple as just making a choice. He hoped her joy was contagious, because he was in uncharted territories.