Julia Lelieveld and the fifth element
~35~

When I realized I was sitting there on the floor, I gathered my strength. I got up and let my instincts take over. Somehow I felt how the energy started to grow again, how I became stronger again.

I looked around, Rob had to be here somewhere. I walked to his office and looked through the glass window.

I felt a nauseous feeling begin to grow in my stomach. No this couldn’t be true. Rob lay face down on the floor. I tried to open his office, but it was locked. I started yelling and knocking, but he showed no response. I looked around for something to smash the window with so I could open the door. I saw a copper candlestick standing there just for decoration. I was walking to the table next to the large doors when suddenly I heard a loud scream in the hallway. I recognized the voice immediately.

“What have you done? How could you?”

“It’s in my blood, Lorenzo, just like it’s in your blood! Only I’m open to it and you’re not!”

“No, it’s a choice we have, Lucas. And I made mine!”

“A choice? Do not make me laugh. Tell me you’re not attracted to her, like you should be with her. I can’t resist not going up to her and wanting to take her out, so neither can you.”

“You’re wrong! Once you’ve made the choice, which I did, you can!”

“What now? You’re not going to tell me you’re going to fight me because you’ll never, ever win. I’ve always been stronger than you!”

“How do you know that? All you’ve done over the years is get me to go to jail because you’re afraid of me!”

“Watch out brother, otherwise I want to take you out too.”

“Then you’re not the only one, because I’ve had it with you!”

And with those words I heard a big bang. I couldn’t afford for anything to happen to Renzo. I opened the big doors and there I saw Lucas and Renzo standing opposite each other. Lucas stood with his hand over his face and Renzo was ready to deal another blow.

“This is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.” Lucas pointed his finger at Renzo.

“Don’t you feel it then? The evil! It’s coming. And it’s on my side and not yours! You’re all alone!”

“No, he’s got me.” I didn’t know where I got the courage from, but I stepped out into the deserted hallway and walked over to the two brothers.

I saw a glint in Lucas’s eyes and he got that evil bad boy grin on his face again.

“No Julia, don’t!” This time it was Renzo, I could hear panic in his voice.

“Too late.”

Before I could do anything, Lucas rushed toward me, grabbed my throat and dragged me toward the wall behind me where I landed with a bang.

“You really shouldn’t have,” Lucas said, looking straight into my eyes and tightening my throat. I couldn’t say a word, I felt myself breathing harder. I saw the triumph in his eyes. With difficulty I brought my hands to his, but he held me so tightly that I couldn’t get them off my throat. I wanted to summon the fire element again until I saw Renzo standing behind Lucas who gave him a big blow to the head with the fire extinguisher. I just saw Lucas close his eyes and loosen his grip as he fell to the ground in front of me. I looked startled at Renzo, who looked at Lucas with a combative look in his eyes. When he looked up and looked me straight in the eye, that look had instantly changed to a protective one.

“Come on, we’ve gotta get out of here before more come.”

“More?” I asked Renzo.

“I’ll explain it to you later.”

He took my hand and pulled me up the stairwell. I wanted to stop and have answers first, but my instincts told me that I had to leave. So I quickly followed Renzo. I still felt Lucas’ hard hands around my throat.

Once outside, he went straight to his bike and handed me a helmet. Without saying anything, I put it on and got on the back.

I didn’t know what I was experiencing. I thought Olaf and Lucas were driving fast, but this beat everything. Deftly he guided us through the city. All the way to the other side. He stopped in the old town on a busy shopping street. He got off and I followed his lead and looked at him questioningly.

“The busier it is, the harder it is for them to feel you.”

As he said that, he took my hand and led me to a narrow door between two shophouses. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. I followed him and came out into a narrow long corridor. He turned and stepped past me to lock the door. Once locked, he turned and wanted to step past me again. He paused a little longer and looked at me intensely. His breathing was fast and his jaw tense. He held me gently by my arms and rested his forehead on mine. He stood there for a moment.

I grabbed his arms too and closed my eyes. Somehow it felt safe with Renzo. I opened my eyes again and pulled my head back slightly. I saw that he too had his eyes closed. He opened them slowly. They were even darker than usual.

His hands moved slowly from my arms to my face. He held my face gently on both sides, forcing me to keep looking at him.

I really felt the need to kiss him. To forget the feelings and emotions that have been coursing through my body for the past few days and hours. To have the feeling of intimacy and trust. I really needed that. And with Renzo standing there, the puzzle pieces fell into place. Even though I had only known him for four days, I was deeply attracted to him. Because of all the events we’d been through together, I knew I could trust him. Even though Lucas is his brother and an e-warrior. I was sure Renzo would never harm me. I leaned forward carefully and stood on tiptoe. He responded immediately. He led my mouth to his and gently pressed his lips against mine. At that moment I forgot everything around me. I didn’t know what it was I was feeling, but it was overwhelming. Something that made everything equally good. Automatically I put my arms around him, he followed my lead and removed his hands from my face and wrapped his arms around me tightly. We leaned against each other and the kiss intensified. I felt myself getting all warm inside. How I allowed myself to be guided by the feelings I had now. I’d never felt like this before. The intensity, the sincerity.

His embrace weakened slightly and he ended the kiss. I noticed that, like Renzo, I had heavy breathing. I looked at him uncomprehendingly. Why did he put an end to something so overwhelming, or was it only so special from my side?

He looked at me for a moment with his intense gaze and then took my hand.

“Come on, we have to move on.”

Like being pulled back into reality, I realized we were on the run from Lucas and who knows what else.

I nodded. I was afraid my voice was too hoarse to speak.

I followed him down the long corridor, up the two long narrow stairs, and stopped in front of a somewhat chipped gray door. We stepped into a simple little apartment.

He turned and locked the door with several locks. He turned and seemed to have doubts about something. Finally he said something.

“We have to talk.”

“Yes indeed.”

I looked at him seriously and waited to see where he would start.

“Lucas will come after us.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“Why specifically you?” He looked at me inquiringly.

“What do you mean?”

“That you, the girl I have feelings for, is a practitioner.”

I looked at him for a moment. Feelings? Then the kiss was special to him too. The weird thing was that I wasn’t surprised that he knew I was a practitioner.

“Why is that bad then?”

I didn’t understand him, just in the hallway I realized that I also had feelings for him. Why wasn’t that good then?

“Do you not understand that? Lucas is my brother. We had the same upbringing. I was trained to be an e-warrior.”

I looked at him uncomprehendingly. I knew he was arguing in the hallway of school with Lucas about this. But it could also have been about something else. I shook my head and took a step back. I didn’t understand my instinct. With Lucas I immediately felt a kind of horror on Tuesday, I got a warning. But not with Renzo.

“No, just listen to me.” He took my hand again and pulled me gently towards him. He looked like he was in pain. He had a hard time with this.

I looked up at his face. It was vulnerable.

“I made the choice not to be an e-warrior. I have turned my back on my fate. That’s why I live here alone. My father and Lucas couldn’t be content with it. I will never, ever harm you.”

He looked at me sincerely. I believed him, only there was more. I saw it on his face. So I waited a while.

He took a deep breath.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t feel the things Lucas feels. I would never expose myself like that, but I can’t help but with you. Like Lucas, I’m deeply attracted to you, just not in that way. Lucas just has the urge to hurt you.” He looked away for a moment, as if to hold back. His jaw was stuck out.

“I, on the other hand, have the opposite. I could never hurt you. And now after that kiss... I can’t even think about not seeing you again.”

He looked sad, as if the very thought was tearing him up inside.

“I know I shouldn’t have kissed you, but I couldn’t stop it. It felt so good.”

He carefully folded his arms around me and looked at me.

“I believe you won’t hurt me. And I’m glad you kissed me.”

I looked at him forcefully but also a little shy. He looked at me searchingly and his eyebrows met for a moment. He pulled me in and kissed me in a way I’d never felt before. As if he had held himself back in the hallway. Lucas’s kiss was unbearable with the pain. This kiss was the exact opposite. I had never felt such an intense feeling inside. I answered him forcefully.

I ran my hand through his beautiful black hair. He pressed me even closer. Our breaths quickly went in the same rhythm.

Suddenly I felt his body tense and he abruptly cut off our kiss. I looked at him startled, knowing that something was wrong, that it wasn’t my fault. I looked around to see if I saw anything.

“Shit, they found us.”

“They?”

“Yes, Lucas and the others. I’ve already felt them. They’ve been around for a while, but since Tuesday they have a purpose.”

His gaze rested on me for a moment. I knew he was talking about evil. Simone had already said it. That only more would come after her. That I was like a drug to a junkie. We should go fight. Renzo and me together? Or would I also involve the others in the circle?

“We have to go, come.”

He grabbed my arm and pulled me into another room in the apartment.

“Wait a minute, shouldn’t I call the others?”

He shook his head. “No more time. Either we run or we have to face them together.”

We got into his bedroom. There was only a large closet and a large comfortable bed. He walked to the window where there was a fire escape. He picked up a bag under his bed and stepped nimbly up the stairs. He looked at me and I nodded. I followed his lead and stood next to him. It was cold. The wind was right on the stairs. I looked down, it didn’t look very safe. But instead of down, Renzo pointed up. We went up on the roof.

“You go first.” He gave me his arm so that I could step more easily on the step that led up. The cold steel steps cut into my palms. Ignoring the pain, I tried to climb up as fast as I could. I heard Renzo come after me. A few minutes later I arrived at the top of the roof. It was a tall building, we had a decent view over the city and the other roofs. I turned and Renzo was already jumping over the railing and onto the roof.

“They were already downstairs, I couldn’t take the risk.”

I nodded. Unconsciously he had taken on the role of protector. It felt nice. He knew about the business. The enemy’s affairs. He had been trained to destroy people like me, of course, but he had turned his back on that lifestyle. Instead, he now faced his own fate. He should have been downstairs, but I was so grateful he was here with me now.

Suddenly I heard a loud bang and turned around quickly. I felt my instinct jump. How my senses were sharp. I felt like I could take on the world. Lucas stepped out of the door of the stairs from the building.

“Did you really think you could run away from us? Like I said, she’s a magnet. We can’t help it, we’ll always find you.”

He shrugged as if he were an innocent boy.

I felt the anger welling up inside me. I felt Renzo come to my side and focus on the situation.

A shrill laugh rang out from Lucas’s throat, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“Do you really think you can take on us? You don’t have the strength for it yet, Julia.” He looked at me with a mean smile.

After saying that, someone else came out of the emergency exit. It was a boy in his late twenties. His eyes looked as terrifying as Simone’s. Behind us I heard someone jump on the roof, it was a girl, I think the same age as Lucas. Her eyes were completely black instead of black with bloodshot veins. I got the shivers down my spine. Three against two. shit.

Renzo got his back against my back so he could keep an eye on the girl and I on Lucas and the other boy.

I tried to stay calm, but I felt panic welling up in my chest. I tried to breathe in and out slowly.

Then I got an idea. The instinct I’ve had since Tuesday didn’t let me down. As if I knew immediately what to do, I closed my eyes and recalled all four elements in my mind. Invoking the four elements, I also summoned Leo, Sara, Max and Kate. Asking if they would assist me with their powers. I just needed them. I could only experience air and fire. Earth and Water were totally new to me. Not that I doubted myself. No, my instinct took care of that. I felt a power coursing through my veins that I had never experienced before. A force as if I could take on the whole world. I squeezed Renzo’s hand and he squeezed back. I hope he understood. I was concerned about Renzo. I don’t think e-warriors had any special abilities. They did have powers. They were strong and fast. Not to mention that they had trained all their lives to do this one thing. And that was to destroy me. Only Renzo was here to protect me. A warm glow came to the power that ran through my veins. As if that were a signal, I felt the raindrops on my head.

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