At the exit he was staring at me with his irises that brushed my skin like sharp blades. I love not only the beauty of her appearance but also the splendor that her soul emanated. He had something he was hiding, something that had made him so cold, so hard. I saw the hard stone armor collapse like a house of cards beaten by the wind. That glacial look he gave me, outside my class, was marked by anguish towards an enemy unknown to me. The armor he had created hid a sensitive soul who needed a light that would illuminate the vast darkness that enveloped his heart. When I finally met my eyes with hers, I saw that her apprehension had faded slightly, giving way to her usual detached and indifferent gaze.
"Here we go?"
"Er ... yes sure."
We didn't speak all the way to his house and I respected his silence. I did not understand if her silence was due to the impediment that had made it impossible for Ecate to be with me that afternoon or why she could not bear my presence. I hoped in the first hypothesis and also because I believed, I knew that there was something more underneath. Something that had not expressed me in words but had communicated me with her eyes. His apprehension was due to something else. The problem that had also involved his parents must have been something serious. In the middle of the afternoon my head was full of those questions and I paid no attention to his words about the show.
"So you were thinking of 18th century Venetian masks?"
"Why couldn't Ecate be here? What happened?"
His face darkened and he answered me in a detached way.
"These are not things that concern you."
"But yes. Ecade is my friend and if anything serious has happened to her, that's my business. Maybe I can help you in some way. "
"You? Would help her? But don't make me laugh. You can't do anything to help her out. Not even me for that matter. I'm useless too. "
"You are not useless, I'm sure you would do anything for her. Maybe talking about it could be good for you. We could find a solution together. "
"I... we can't do anything Selene. We just have to wait. "
I saw him so fragile in that moment that I couldn't resist. I hugged him tightly to me in an infinite embrace that with his strength I wanted to gently touch his soul and tear it from the darkness that invaded it even for a moment. I really wanted to do something for him. I really wanted to do something for her. She was my only true friend. But how could I help her if I didn't even know why? He strangely reciprocated the hug and I felt it fall to pieces like a shattered mirror. I saw her eyes veiled with a light layer of tears, then there I had the confirmation. It was really something unpleasant.
"She is sick?"
I closed my eyes and pursed my lips in a hard line hoping to be a simple hypothesis that it could be taken as far away from me as possible.
"No."
I started breathing again, opening my eyes wide, happy that at least it wasn't a disease that gripped her. But that could perhaps explain the strangeness of his eyes. But given the moment it didn't seem appropriate to ask him.
"If that's not what's bothering you, what? I do not understand."
"In fact you can't understand."
"If you explained it to me maybe I could do it."
"The fact is that ..."
Just then the door opened and I saw Ecate enter. I jumped into her arms seeing her unharmed. She remained motionless at first, almost amazed by that gesture, then let herself go. I felt strangely distraught and frightened, she is usually always sunny and cheerful, I didn't understand why.
"Ecade, are you okay? What did you do to that ... "
"Yes Ares, I'm fine. For the moment we have solved. "
"What happened? I was very worried. "
"Mm nothing quiet."
"Please Ecate, tell me. You are a great friend, indeed, you are my best friend, you have been so sweet and kind to me, now I want to give you a hand. "
"Okay Selene, I'll tell you but please, tomorrow. Go home."
"Ok, see you tomorrow."
I did as he asked and went back to my house.
The night I was tormented by nightmares. I dreamed of a man chasing me, then grabbing me and trying to kill me. I woke up with a start and sweating; I was out of breath and my heart threatened to explode. I didn't understand the meaning of that dream but I felt strange, was there something you didn't want to tell me? Did it really mean something or was it just a distressing vision created by my subconscious? Maybe it was all tied to the secret of Ares and Hecade. There was something more, which they kept from me. Something dark that they did not want to reveal to me and that frightened them, which perhaps concerned Ecate itself. Tomorrow I would have asked them, somehow I would have helped them, or at least, I would have tried. I rested my head in my hands, unable to fall asleep, I was tormented by those images, by that man who took me and hurt me. I thought back to that night when I had warned someone in my room. What was happening? Was there a link? I tried to stay calm and go back to sleep, hoping that I was no longer tormented by those images of death.
The next morning I went down to breakfast and found my sister sipping a cup of milk.
"Are you going to your friends?"
"Yes why? Are you jealous by chance? "
"I? Jealous? Than you then but come on. Ares could never look at someone like you."
"One how?"
"So boring, awfull, repetitive."
He concluded laughing, rolling his eyes.
"And would like a bitch like you?"
"What did you say?"
He jumped up and dropped the cup he was holding.
"You heard right my dear Marika, now if you don't mind I have to go to their house."
She was blown away by the words I had said to her, she would never have expected them from me.
As I walked I felt eyes on me. I saw a shadow that followed my every step. I began to get scared, my heart stopped for a few moments and then resumed beating madly. I turned and saw the shadow appear in front of me. He had an eerie smile with his eyes fixed on me. I looked up and noticed her slate gray irises piercing my skin.
"Where are you going Selene?
"H-how do you know my name?"
"We have a friend in common."
"Who?"
"Oh well ... the one where you were headed."
"Ecate?"
"Robert go away."
Behind me Ecate and Ares materialized, I backed up towards them. Ares hid me behind his back and I leaned behind him and immediately a sense of security pervaded me.
A tongue of fire rose from the ground and almost hit the man who, however, promptly retreated. The earth shook and a crack opened in the concrete that caused Ecate to fall and he came threateningly to her but Ares was faster, in fact he sprinted and threw him to the ground. They began to fight and he punched him in the face but Ares managed to free himself from his grip thanks to the intervention of the lion, which jumped out taking the opponent off guard. The feline bit his arm and pinned him with its heavy weight. This managed to get him off and get up. The lion was about to attack him again but at a certain point an invisible force grabbed the boy's neck and threw him across the street. At that point I saw Ecate holding her hand in a strange way, in a strange squeeze and an expression of hatred on her face. It was a new thing for me to see that emotion on her face, I didn't think she could ever feel it.
"Hi Ecate, I hope to see you again soon."
That vanished into thin air, leaving me alone with Ecate and Ares. Meanwhile a crowd of onlookers had gathered around us, attracted by the cries. Ares put a hand behind my back and took me away from all those prying eyes.
"Can you explain to me what happens?"
The two looked at each other questioningly.
"Let's go home. We will explain everything there. "