The Myth and The Guardian
Chapter 9

“Surprise!” Everyone yelled as Alex and her mom entered the Anderson’s home.

“Wow, thank you all so much!” Alex said trying her best to fake her surprised look.

Austin looked at her face and knew that she had figured out the surprise party well in advance. She greeted and hugged people as she made her way toward Austin, but their greeting was the attention keeper. She walked up to him and hugged him tight, and they held hands and stared at each other once the hug was over.

“Happy birthday, Alex.” Austin said unable to turn away from her.

“Thank you, Austin.” Alex said staring at him as if she had not seen him in years.

“Aww, look at how cute they are together.” Susan said which started an eruption of cooing and other embarrassing sounds for the both of them.

They let go of each other’s hands and could not hide their embarrassment from the sounds which created more sounds. They stood their awkwardly until they were no longer the center of attention.

Soon, the guests were mingling and sharing stories or laughing about whatever adults considered funny. Alex had forced herself away from Austin and talked with her friends from school. She motioned for him to come over and he slowly walked over hoping he would not embarrass her.

“Austin this is Whitney and this is Miranda, my best and only friends.” She said acknowledging the two skinny girls who were standing next to her.

“Whits and Randa, this is Austin, my umm....Austin.” She said pointing at Austin and hoping he would not mention the awkward introduction she had given him.

“Your Austin?” He said mocking her playfully.

“Well, I didn’t know if I should say...” She said letting her sentence trail off

“Say what?” Austin said noticing the tortured look on her face but could not resist messing with her.

“You know what I mean. I didn’t know if you would want me to introduce you as my..” She said letting her sentence trail off again.

“As your what?” Austin said smiling at her to show how much he was enjoying the moment.

“Austin!” She said playfully pushing him.

“Oh, introduce me as your punching bag? Is that what you meant?” Austin said teasingly.

Alex bumped his shoulder with hers and tried to hide her embarrassment.

“Okay, I’ll stop.” He said laughing at the sight of her smiling. “Whitney and Miranda, Hello. I am Austin Anderson, Alex’s boyfriend.” He said extending his hands to be properly introduced.

“Aww, he said it.” said Whitney.

“That is so sweet.” added Miranda.

“You could have said that earlier, you know?” Alex said touching his shoulder.

“I know, but it’s not often that I see you awkwardly embarrassed” Austin said touching her hand. “Consider it payback for waiting until the last minute to tell me about your birthday.” Austin added cleverly.

“Sorry about that.” She said still smiling from the adorable situation. “I didn’t want you to feel like you had to get me anything.” She added sincerely.

“Well, I did. I bought you the finest pet rat that money could buy.” Austin said with a serious face.

“What!? No you didn’t. You better not do that to me. You know I am afraid of rats.” She said nervously.

Her friends were looking at him like he was prince charming as they both knew he was joking just to make her smile.

“I am kidding, but I did get you a gift, I hope you love it.” Austin said smiling at Alex because her smile brought his to the surface.

“I’m sure I will if it’s from you.” Alex said staring at Austin still unable to stop smiling.

The night continued as everyone enjoyed the food and fun of the party. Austin watched as Alex showed the entire room the happier side of an artist.

“Would you like to dance?” She asked an unsuspecting Austin who was talking to Joel about their next session.

“I am not sure I know how to dance, but I will give it a try.” He said as he took her hand and walked to the center of the floor.

“I can’t dance either, but mom wants pictures.” She said trying to make him feel more comfortable.

The music started as they stopped on the floor, and the slow music caused an unexpected enchanted feeling on the moment. Austin pulled Alex closer to him, and placed his arms around her. Alex let her hands rest on his back, and her head fell to his shoulder as if it were created to rest there. Austin could feel a heart beating faster with each second, and he did not know if it was his or hers. She smelled like peach lotion and sweet softly scented perfume. Austin embraced the magic of the moment as they moved from side to side with the rhythm of the music. He felt her warmth and the softness of her skin was enough to make him feel peaceful. She was such a strong minded and surprisingly independent girl, but Austin felt as if he alone was holding her up. He hugged her tighter as the feeling of being needed overwhelmed him more and more.

She let out a sigh as if she were lost in a serene slumber and dreaming of fairytales as he held her. The moment was more intense than anything Austin had ever felt, and his emotions were on full alert as the dance seemed to last for hours. He did not know or care what was going on around him, and the only thing on his mind was the feeling of being where he belonged. She lifted her head and stared into his eyes with her eyes to the point of tears, and he knew everything that she was feeling. He understood how the perfect moment could strain your emotions as much as a traumatic moment. He saw her trying to fight back her tears of happiness, and he knew that for one moment they were thinking the same thought. Austin smiled at her devotedly, and he pulled her close again to return the unspoken phrase that hung between them as they swayed. Austin took a deep breath and placed his mouth close to her ears preparing the set free the words that frightened them both for being true.

“I...” Austin started but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Alex!” The voice said finally breaking the trance that he and Alex were lost within.

“It’s time to cut the cake and open gifts.” Debra said to her daughter.

They had been so lost within each other that neither of them heard the music stop. They looked at each other and smiled as they realized they had continued to dance after the music was finished which caught the attention of every person there. Austin could hear the whispers from the mothers and other women in the crowd

“They are just so adorable.”

They did not want to stop dancing.” said unrecognizable voices in the crowd.

Alex blew out her candles and cut her cake once the masses had finished singing happy birthday. She opened her first gift which was a jacket, and the next gift was new art supplies. Frank and Susan bought her a rare book on painting which was worth fifty dollars. The next gifts were all typical girl stuff such as shoes, bracelets, and other jewelry from her friends. She then opened her gift from her mom which was a birthday card with the name “Michael” written on the inside.

“Mom! Are you for real!?” She said as her eyes started to tear up a little.

Her mother smiled at her lovingly and nodded to confirm the secret meaning of the word. She hugged her mother and they both laughed and cried hysterically as the confused crowd watched in silence.

“I am going to have a brother!” Alex yelled at the top of her lungs.

Dr. Farmer immediately began choking on his drink and coughing uncontrollably which let everyone know he had no idea.

“We...We are going to have a baby?” He finally managed to ask Debra.

“Yes. You are going to be a father James!” She said before kissing him.

“Wow, why didn’t you tell me Debra? I could have been bragging to everyone.” Dr. Farmer expressed excitedly.

“I made Alex a promise that I would tell her first and if it was a boy I would name him after Michelangelo, her favorite artist.” Debra said hugging and kissing him.

“I’m going to be a father everybody! A father!” Dr. Farmer yelled as he held his future wife.

Everyone applauded and congratulated them, and Austin knew that his gift could not compare with such happy news. He was happy for the happiness, and he knew his gift would still be memorable to her.

Once the celebrating had come to an end, Austin felt his mouth go dry from the attention being on him. He held his gift in his hand and walked over to present it to Alex. The room grew silent as she smiled and opened the gift. The portrait was bigger than Austin had remembered as he watched her spread it out over the table. Her face lit up with satisfaction as she saw how beautiful she looked. She soon let her artistic prowess get the best of her appreciation which Austin had hoped she would do.

“Austin, this is amazing, but the background does not match the artistic level of my portrait.” She said looking at Austin with curious eyes.

Austin cleared his throat and prepared to complete his gift.

“Well, I asked Diego to draw your portrait over my background of the night sky.” Austin said motioning toward Diego. “I wanted you to see the difference.” He added growing more nervous as everyone seemed to be listening to his every word.

“This is from the first night you met me. I can tell by the papers almost falling out of my case.” Alex said studying the artwork in great detail.

“Yes it is, and that is exactly why I chose to paint the background and let a professional artist paint you. This is my argument for our very first conversation, Alex. Do you remember?” Austin asked as he watched her eyes take in every piece of the portrait.

“Yes, I remember. You told me I was beautiful, and I told you I did not agree.” She said admiring the meaning of the portrait.

The whispers of how adorable he and Alex were began to reach his ears again.

“Read the title at the bottom of the painting, and I think you will see why I wanted to give you this painting for your birthday.” Austin said looking at Alex lovingly.

Alexandre looked at the title and immediately covered her mouth and stared at Austin. She began to sob happily as she looked at the title again.

“Borrowed Eyes” She said reading the title aloud through her happy tears.

“When I told you I thought you were beautiful, you said and I quote ” I would give anything to see myself how you see me.” Well, now you can Alex. My amateur artistic drawing of the background is an accurate depiction of how I see the world. It looks rushed, sloppy, and not very appealing to the eyes. This is what I saw the first time I laid eyes on you walking towards me, Alex. This is how my eyes see the world.” He said pointing to the background he had painted. “And this is how I see you. This is how I will always see you.” He added pointing at the deftly drawn portrait of her. “You look beautiful to me, Alex. Always will.” Austin said touching her shoulder and kissing her on the cheek. “Happy Birthday.” He managed to say before she grabbed his head and started to kiss his passionately on his lips.

Everyone whistled, whispered, and applauded as they kissed. She pulled her lips away from his and hugged him tightly.

“Thank You. This gift is perfect.” She said trying not to cry.

Austin, who could not feel his legs, nearly fell before he sat down in a nearby chair. Everyone stared at him as he seemed to be trapped in a trance.

“Whoa” He managed to say after a few moments of staring blankly at Alex.

The laughter from the guests erupted in waves of noise. The scene was perfect, and the female guests adored the innocent romance between the two kids. The men looked at Austin and reminisced about the first time they were in love. Everything had turned out perfectly, and Austin was treated like “boyfriend of the year” the rest of the evening. Frank and Susan walked up to him a little while after the party guest had started leaving.

“You made her night more special than you can possible imagine.” Susan said looking at Austin.

“Yeah, not to mention, you made every other man at this party look bad in front of our women. I may have to buy Susan the moon for her birthday just to compete with your gift to Alex.” Frank said playfully to Austin. “Well champ, you should go say goodnight. James, Debra, and Alex are about to leave shortly.” Frank added and then walked into the kitchen with Susan.

“Where is Alex?” Austin asked Debra and James who were standing in each other’s arms.

“She took the last of her gifts to the car.” Debra replied.

Austin walked outside into the cool air and saw Alex putting her gifts into the backseat of the car. He walked over to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Did you enjoy your party?” He asked her as she turned around slowly.

“It was the best birthday I have ever had.” She replied softly.

Austin stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time, and he smiled as he grabbed her hands.

“Why do you always do that, Austin?” Alexandre asked turning her face towards the ground.

“What do I do?” Austin said feeling confused.

“You look at me like that. I heard my mom and Dr. Farmer talking the other night, and they mentioned how you look at me. We are eleven years old, and you look at me in ways that most married couples never look at each other.” She said hoping that he would not be offended by her statement.

“I am sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, but I...” Austin said before Alex interrupted him.

“No, it’s not that it makes me uncomfortable. It’s that it scares me, and it scares my mother. I am sure it even frightens your parents sometimes. You look at me like I was made for you. Like you see beyond my eyes and replace something that is inside me. Feelings like that are rarely felt by anyone especially kids our age. It’s sweet, but it also makes me feel pressured, and afraid of messing up around you.” She confessed slowly.

Austin took a moment to process the confession, and he took a moment to breathe.

“Alex, I look at you this way because I replace peace when I look at you. I know we are young, but that does not mean we are not allowed to feel the strongest human emotion possible. I assure you that how I feel about you even frightens me sometimes, but there is nothing I can do to change it. The fact that you are scared of messing up around me lets me know that there is nothing you could ever do to change how I feel. I love you Alex, and there is nothing that will ever change that feeling.” Austin said feeling his heartbeat accelerate.

“I love you too, Austin. If that is what love means, then I love you too. Still, there is no way you can be sure that this will never change.” She said squeezing his hands tightly.

“I understand that fear. It’s justified, but I know this emotion will never fade. I have been spending hours and hours of my time trying to plan out my life as far as what I will do or where I will be, or what kind of person I will become, and there are so many scenarios that make each calculated decision possible. Still, no matter what I see myself being in the future. Each different plan begins and ends with you being with me, and that’s all the certainty I need about us.” Austin said as he confessed the full extent of his love for her. “Inside my mind it is Austin and Alex, and that is how it will always be for me.” He added as he touched her cheek and guided her face upward to look at his.

Austin kissed her passionately and tried to ease all of her fears with that one kiss. There was nothing but silence after the kiss was over, and he just stared into her eyes.

“Whoa...” She managed to say after a moment.

Debra and Dr. Farmer had made their way outside and were walking towards the car.

“Goodnight Alex.” Austin said hugging her tightly.

Alex was speechless with a smile on her face as Austin guided her inside of the car. He closed the door and said his goodbyes to Dr. Farmer and Debra. He stood by the front door of the house until the car finally drove away.

Austin barely made it into the house before his scar started throbbing with pain. It was not as intense as previous times, but the pain was enough to make him worry. He went immediately up the stairs and into his room. This pain was different than the other times, but Austin had no idea what was different. His head started to pound, and his heart was beating faster than normal. He felt dizzy, and he could not feel the left side of his body. Something was terribly wrong, but he could not move as he fell onto his bed. He was motionless as he closed his eyes with no choice but to endure the gruesome experience. The numbness was spreading to the rest of his body, and his heart rate would not return to normal. He wanted to yell for help, but he lost consciousness before he could make a sound.

He woke up the next morning struggling for air as he thought about the previous night. He remembered exactly what had happened to him, but he appeared to be completely fine once he woke. In fact, he could not remember the last time he had felt as refreshed as he did on this day. The sun seemed to shine brighter than normal, and the air was fresher than any other day. Austin jumped out of bed and felt more energetic than an athletic teenager. Everything seemed new to him as if he was experiencing it all for the first time. He could hear, see, and smell better than he ever could before he passed out the previous night. He ran down the stairs and noticed he was the only person awake. He was never the first person to wake up which confirmed that he was different in some strange way.

He noticed a chill as he entered the kitchen, and the temperature change was strange. He had developed chill bumps from the time it had taken him to walk from the living room to the kitchen. There was no way the temperature could be so different between the two rooms which were basically joined together. Still, he could definitely notice the difference as he walked back and forth between the two rooms. He finally stayed in the kitchen area and made himself a bowl of cereal. The only cereals left were Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles, and he did not seem to have a taste for chocolate. He poured the cereal into the bowl, added milk, and grabbed himself a spoon. He could swear he could hear each individual cereal popping as they mixed with the milk.

He took his first bite of the cereal and immediately felt his taste buds go into a frenzy. Every flavor clenched to this tongue and combined to create the best taste his mouth had ever experienced. He chewed slowly and enjoyed every crunch of the delicious cereal that filled his mouth. He had never eaten anything so full of flavor in his entire life. He enjoyed and devoured every single cereal in the bowl, and drank the milk to help savor the taste. He did not know what was happening to him, but food seemed to be more of a pleasure than he could describe. He enjoyed the bowl of cereal with the appreciation of a starving man having his first meal in weeks. He could not remember the last time he had started his day with such a feeling of being alive.

Austin went up to his room and realized he had not showered the previous night. He picked out some clothes to wear, went to the bathroom, and turned on the water. The mist from the water was cool and refreshing as it hit him. He adjusted the temperature cautiously and got into the shower. He felt the sensation of every drop of water as each hit his face. The water seemed to wash away more than the dirt and dead skin as he noticed how clear his mind seemed to be as he showered. The strong smell of the soap opened his nostrils and he breathed deeply to savor the serene experience. He enjoyed not having his brain jump from one thought to another for once in his life. As much as he valued his intelligence, having a clear mind was something he could learn to love from time to time. He stayed in the shower for an extra ten minutes and finally turned the water off, exited the shower, dried the water from his body, and dressed in the clothes he had chosen to wear.

Austin went downstairs to see if the others were finally awake after he had gotten himself ready for the day. He walked down the stairs to see his entire family sitting on the couch in the living room.

“Good morning, family.” He said as he entered the room in a cheerful mood.

Nobody responded, and Austin could tell from the silence and horrified looks on their faces that everything was not alright.

“What’s going on?” He asked as he walked over to the couch.

Austin studied the looks on each of their faces, and he had a sudden tight sensation in his stomach.

“Austin, sweetie, come and sit on the couch with us.” Susan said in soft voice.

Austin was confused and hated the feeling, but he was not moving until someone told him what was happening.

“No thank you, I know something is wrong, and I would like for one of you to tell me.” He said trying not to sound angry. “Frank, Susan, please someone just be upfront with me.” He added hoping his plea would get a reaction.

They all sat there in silence for another moment before Frank cleared his throat and began speaking.

“Austin, son, you know there are certain situations that nobody can prepare for or understand.” He said in a sympathetic tone of voice.

Austin looked around the room for a moment and nodded at Frank to show he understood his statement.

“We just received a phone call from the Davis Orphanage from Jessica with news about Mrs. Davis. She had a stroke late last night.” Frank said having to force the words out of his mouth.

The news hit Austin in the stomach with the force of a bowling ball.

“Well, no worries. Mrs. Davis is a strong woman, I’m sure she will be fine. I will call her as soon as she gets home from the hospital.” Austin said trying to remain positive about the situation.

“Austin, she had a heart attack immediately following the stroke.” Susan said trying to keep control of her emotions.

Austin felt his throat tighten and his eyes began to tear up a little. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes.

“But, she will be fine soon, right? I am sure Jessica called the ambulance and they arrived in time.” Austin said as his voice started to crack from the sadness.

“Yes she did, but...” Frank let his sentence fade in hopes of not having to actually say the words.

“But nothing!” Austin yelled out of anger. “She is going to be fine, and I am going to talk to her soon. You will all see that she is stronger than you think.” Austin said about to burst with a mixture of pain and anger.

“Baby, Mrs. Davis... She died on the way to the hospital. They couldn’t get her heart to start again.” Susan said as she started to cry.

Austin felt his body grow cold as his mind tried to process the news. He stood there as tears began flowing from his eyes, and he wrapped his arms around himself.

“Sweetie, I am so sorry.” Susan said getting up and hugging Austin lovingly.

“NO!” Austin said pushing her away. “It’s not true. It’s not true; so do not say that to me ever again!” Austin said losing all control of his actions and words.

“Son, we are all hurting. Just try to calm down and we can get through this as a family.” Frank said placing a hand on Austin’s shoulder.

“Just stay the hell away from me! All of you! She is not dead. She can’t be dead.” Austin said without realizing the words that came from his mouth.

He ran up the stairs to his room and slammed the door. He found his phone and called the Orphanage.

“Hello?” answered the voice he recognized.

“Jessica, this is Austin. I would like to speak to Mrs. Davis.” He said refusing to believe what he had just heard.

“Oh, Austin. Did your parents not tell you? We lost her last night.” Jessica said sympathetically.

Austin could not talk or breathe for a moment. His body felt cold and numb, and he was not in control of his mind.

“Hello? Austin?” Jessica said slowly.

Austin ended the call without saying another word. He could not say or feel anything at all. He climbed into his bed and thought about her until he cried himself to sleep.