Through the Haze - Part Four

There are things that are enevitable. Day will always turn to night, and night will always end with the rising of the sun. --Archie McGeller, Book of Endings
_____
_____

Gabriel Reems was a young boy with black hair and ice-blue eyes that seemed to penetrate anything they set their gaze upon. Gabriel wasn't really cold-hearted, but he wasn't necessarily warm and inviting, either. At the age of fifteen, he had saw his fair share of death and indecision, forcing him to pay attention and to be ready at all times.

But at the moment, Gabriel was in a small bar in a small town where the drinking age was fifteen and up. At his side was Loukoi Simons, best known as Lou. Lou was a friend of his, if he had any. Gabriel had known Lou for a good three years, and over the years their friendship had grown.

Lifting the bottle to his lips, he took a long guzzle of it and slammed it back down on the bar table. The bartender looked at him distastefully for a moment, before he turned and went back to work cleaning glasses. The way the bartender cleaned glasses didn't really seem to clean them. He spat into the dirty glass and rubbed it clean with an even dirtier rag. Gabriel watched him as he did this, then shook his head and turned on the bar stool to look out into the interior of the bar.

Young girls were drunk and up on the stage, dancing to songs that were playing on the jukebox. A pretty, slender brunette winked his way and gestured with her finger for him to come closer. Gabriel shook his head, offered a smile to let her know that he just wasn't in the mood, and turned back to face the bartender's area again.

Lou looked at him. "I think she wants you, Gabe," he said with a throaty chuckle.

Gabriel grumbled something inaudible under his breath and scowled at his friend. "Why don't you go over to her?"

Lou shrugged. "Cause then you'd sit over here and sulk, kind of like what you're doing right now."

The scowl grew. "Must you nag me?"

"Yes, I must. It's just me, you know. But seriously, Gabe, you've been pretty down for these past few months. Wanna tell me what's eatin' at ya?"

Gabriel hesitated. He was one of the three gifted, which meant he was special. For the last few months, he'd been getting these strange dreams. It seemed that they kept getting worse, which could only mean that something bad was coming. But what, he wasn't sure.

He couldn't necessarily tell Lou about this, though. Sure, he'd talked to Lou about it a little, but there was just so much going through his head that he couldn't express in words to describe to his friend. This was his problem, and his alone. His and two other people, wherever and whoever they were.

Since the age of ten, he'd been pronounced gifted and put in training. For five years, he'd endured strange looks of the people of his town, Karizma, and had moved away two months ago when the dreams had gotten worse.

He hadn't wanted anyone to come with him, as this darkness, this enemy, whatever it was, could attack them. He wasn't sure how they could get attacked, but it was just a feeling he had at the pit of his stomach, something that gnawed away at his heart.

But Lou had been persistent. He'd insisted constantly that he was his friend, and therefore should go with him, wherever he was going. At first, he'd been very reluctant to bring him along, but Loukoi had been rather convincing, and soon he'd given in.

And here they were, in the small town of Aramay de Gruma, drinking drinks in a bar, listening to music and getting longing looks from the girls, but murderous looks fromt he men. Granted, the two of them were lookers: Gabriel, with his black hair and ice-blue eyes, and Loukoi, with his sandy brown hair and green cat eyes. Lou had been born with strangely different eyes that looked more feline than human, with the slit in the middle. People usually found it strange and preferred to keep their distance from him, but Lou always laughed and said it made him unique.

Gabriel had to agree, it did.

The room suddenly felt chilly, and Gabriel stiffened in his bar stool. 'Now what?' he thought to himself, eyes narrowing into little slits to glare at the far wall.

The room grew silent for him. The music and talking and dancing continued, but it continued without him. His mind was focusing on the chill, and nothing else.

Having been trained for five years, he had a little experience in using the gift, though he knew he had only scratched the surface of what he had to know.

The chill was coming from the bartender. The bartender focused his gray eyes on Gabriel and sneered, spitting into another glass and rubbing it with the rag. "What are you lookin' at?" he snarled, turning around.

And just as quick as the chill came, it faded away. The sound returned and pounded in his ears, and he looked around slowly.

"You okay?" Lou asked, taking a sip of his margarita. "You seemed a little out of it there."

Gabriel nodded and brought his drink to his lips, taking a short guzzle before he put it down. "Yeah, guess so. Just felt a little strange for a moment."

Tonight, he decided, he was going to get stinking drunk. He was just in the mood.

And besides, who said the gifted couldn't get drunk?
_____
_____

Isaac paced anxiously at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Roo to come out of Ember's room and tell him what was wrong. So far, the outcome wasn't looking good, but Isaac couldn't help but hope. He'd known Ember for a long time, surely he was okay.

An icy chill swept upon him. He shivered and looked around quickly. "Stop," he whispered. "Leave me alone...." he shuddered as the chill slowly faded away.

At the same time, Roo was making his way down the stairs, his face oddly grim. This, Isaac knew, could only mean bad news.

"He's stable," said Roo as he reached the bottom. Isaac drew in a breath of relief. "But he's got a high fever and he's cold to the touch. He claims he's fine, when he can speak, but for the moment he's out. I can't say for sure what's wrong, but I'm going to call a doctor in to check on him tomorrow."

Isaac nodded. A docter. Yeah, that was what Ember needed.

"If something happens tonight," said Roo, "I'll be down at the stables. Come get me, and I'll hurry over." he watched as Isaac looked away. "I'm not saying anything WILL happen," he explained quickly, "I'm just saying that if something does, come get me."

Isaac nodded, slowly. "Okay...but he's okay right now, right?"

"The fever's not getting any worse, but then it's not getting better, either. He's stable. That's all I can say for now."

"Okay..." he sighed. "Thanks."

Roo looked like he wanted to say more, but then shook his head and took his leave, saying goodbye and closing the door behind him.

Isaac sighed and walked into the kitchen, slumping into a chair, taking a sip of the glass of water that was sitting there. 'What a day,' he thought to himself. 'Worst day ever.'

He just hoped that tomorrow would be better, and that the doctor would have good news.