The squeal of the tea kettle sent Uri leaping from the make-shift bed on the floor. Gabe laughed at his friend. He had been so immersed in his solitude for the past five years that he couldn’t help but smile, reminiscing about Rampart Manor. No matter how much Gabe had tried to convince himself otherwise, it was comforting to not be alone, even if it was temporary.
He had forgotten what it was like just to hear someone else breathe. Being completely absent of any kind of companionship can play tricks with one’s mind; Gabe had been fighting off the madness of loneliness for longer than he cared to think about.
In an instant though, the five years that had passed seemed to melt away. It was as if he and his friend, Uri, had never been apart at all. The overnight visit had already turned into a three day stay. It was hard to say goodbye when it had taken them so long to find one another again.
Gabe would never have admitted it out loud, but he loved being entertained by Uri’s tales of ferocious battles each night. Rachel on the other hand, had not made much of an impression on Gabe. She was quiet and seemed to be more of an observer. She would occasionally snicker at one of Uri’s funny stories about the good old days, when he and Gabe were going to take on the world.
In particular, the story of Gabe’s tests to enter Guardian school had her in stitches. When Gabe faced those deadly challenges years ago, he never imagined he would laugh at the retelling of them, yet here he was, chuckling at the boisterous way Uri shared the tale.
After only three days together, Gabe was already used to having Uri around. They didn’t speak much about the war that was going on in the real world. Here, in this little hide away, both were content to simply enjoy reuniting.
“Where’s Rachel?” Uri asked, straightening his long arms out into a stretch. When Gabe looked back at his friend, he couldn’t help feel somewhat inferior. Though Gabe had matured and developed into a fit and lean man, in no way could his muscles compare to those of his longtime companion.
“She went outside.” Gabe replied, focusing on the kettle.
“For what?” Uri quickly replied, almost panicked.
“What am I, her keeper?” Gabe snapped. While Gabe enjoyed having Uri as a guest, he could not help but feel annoyed at the presence of Rachel. He had left Rampart with the intention of not meeting Rachel, and not looking after her. He was not about to be roped into becoming The Protector now.
“Wow, all this time alone hasn’t done much for your personality, has it?” Uri groaned while pushing past Gabe, and opened the front door to the small cabin.
“Uri I’m—” but before Gabe could finish the apology, Uri was outside calling for Rachel.
As thrilled as Gabe was to have Uri with him, he had a sneaking suspicion there was more to his visit. He couldn’t be certain, but he was confident in the assumption that Uri somehow thought there would be this magical connection when Gabe met Rachel. Perhaps Uri thought Gabe would feel compelled to step into his role as protector. Gabe in fact felt absolutely no connection to the girl.
As annoyed as Gabe was by her intrusion into his life, he was relieved to meet her in a way. He had spent so much time avoiding his destiny that it had grown into a fear that haunted him. The prophecy that was foretold to him by the Oracle was one of certain death for either him or the one he protected. Rachel would give birth to the child he was supposed to save, it was her destiny.
Now that Rachel was here, he no longer felt his own destiny was some mystical thing he could not escape. It was clear to him that he still held the power to choose his own path. Eventually, Uri would come to understand, nobody should be expected to die for a stranger, at least Gabe hoped he would understand.
Gabe sat at his empty table, in his empty cabin, running his finger tip around the edge of his cup of tea. He wished he had not been so short with Uri. It felt good that the home he had built not to be quiet, but to be filled with laughter. A thought had been on Gabe’s mind since Uri arrived, he wanted to ask him