Chapter 9 - Past

Theodore was woken up by a sudden knocking at his door. When he took a look at his clock is still showed 6:39 in the morning. Hall was early.

“Just a minute!” he got up and started to quickly put on his clothes. That one time in the forest made Theodore quite sure that he wanted to stay on the on the good side of Hall and Melita. While Hall had not outright threatened him in any way, there were no doubts in Theodore's mind that he was just as dangerous as that female with a gun.

When Theodore opened the door, he with a relief found that Hall did not look displeased.

“Hello, I was just... I mean, I hope... please come in!” Theodore stuttered.

“Greetings, Young Master!” answered Hall as he took the invite.

This was the first time someone had entered his home in years. While Theodore showed Hall in he took a good look at the person for the first time.

Hall was big! Two meters of muscle big, even the suit Hall was wearing looked like it could burst any moment now. Theodore could not help but to wonder how someone could keep himself in such a shape. Hall had a clean shaved head, but he still had light stubble on his face. Despite the looming presence that Hall's body gave his face had almost empty look to it, with no facial expressions. Theodore could not help but to think of certain movie android from future looking at Halls face.

“All of my belongings are here...” Theodore nervously said. His apartment feeling much too small with Hall in it. “These books are very important. So... Do we take them down to the car, or...?”

“Movers will come later today, Master Theodore, you should take your necessities with you. We have to be in time for the plane leaving in four hours.”

“Ah, OK, so, um, you can call me Theodore, but, these books are important to me, so cant we just take them with us?”

“I apologize, but that wont be possible, Young Miss has instructed me to bring you to a different place before we are to go to our Base. Your belongings will be transported straight to the Base instead.”

“To a different place? Why?” Theodore wondered, situation really changed too fast for him to follow.

“Young Miss did not say.”

“Is it that far from the Base? Where is the Base anyway? And... And is there not a better name for Base?”

“Young Miss have yet to decide about the name. As for where it is, its in country of Germian next to mountain range of Lillum.”

“Ah, is there a reason for a base to be there?” Theodore was curious.

After a moment of silence Hall finally responded.

“Yes, there are no military installments nearby and Germian is a very peaceful country overall.”

Suddenly Theodore was overcame with panic.

“Is there a reason we should be fearing military?”

Theodore noticed that Hall was again taking a moment to think before answering.

“No, there is not, but there may be in future. I may have said that those are the reasons, but that is just a precaution we took. According to Young Miss by doing so there wont be any complications with others in future.”

“Complications with whom?”

“ Young Miss did not inform me of that.” was Hall's answer before continuing “At any rate, I am sure that Young Miss will answer your inquiries and we really have to move, so we are not late.”

–

“It is really uncomfortable!” thought Theodore. They had been on road for an hour already, and after they had gotten into the car there has been not a word exchanged between him and Hall.

“How do I brake the ice. Do I have to say something? What would we even speak about? Hobbies?” Theodore tried to imagine what hobbies could Hall have, but all he could come up with was Hall lifting in a gym. “No, no, I don't know anything about lifting, maybe the weather is a better topic. Right, here I go!”

But before Theodore could Hall started to speak.

“May I say speak with you Master Theodore?”

“Y... yes, and please call me Theodore.”

“OK, then Theodore, I have something to tell you about Young Miss.”

Theodore felt solemness in Hall's words. Whatever he was about to say was important and Theodore paid full attention to it.

“You see, Young Miss, she did not have a normal childhood... I was given my job to guard her when she was only two years old. If only you could have seen her then, she was so cute, a real angel!” Hall now had a smile on his face. It was the first time Theodore had seen him change his expression in any meaningful way.

“I have been with her ever since, for fifteen years now she has been part of my life and I am probably the person to know her the best and she is... lonely and tired. You know, she started to have nightmares soon after she turned six, we did not know that those are visions then. At that time she still had a mother and Young Miss naturally spoke about her nightmares with her and... Her mother really tried, but it was hard on her too. It was visible, that after every time she spoke with Young Miss she got more and more paranoid. At that time I did not know why... I overheard some of the whispering between staff a some time later...”

Now Hall had returned to his expressionless face, but his hands gripped cars steering wheel, his knuckles white.

“They said that Young Miss was cursed.” Hall spat out but continued.

“Young miss had trusted her Mother and told her what she saw in her dreams. Her dreams were full of death. When she slept in her dreams she saw how people will die... Can you imagine what that can do to a young girl? Worst yet, when she asked one of the staff to not die, to avoid going to a bar... He didn't listen and was found beaten to death in an alley next to the very bar Young Miss told him not to go to. It was after that when those rumors about her being cursed spread.”

Hall took deep breath, to calm down.

“Sorry, I know your childhood was not much better. We gathered as much about you as we could before making contact, but that is why I am telling you this. Young Miss will not let her weakness show to other people. She thinks that she always has to stay strong, to be a beacon for others. She is an awkward kid. When she offered you friendship she meant it, I did interrupt her then, but... It was not the place.”

After Hall had taken another moment to gather himself he kept talking.

“Young Miss stopped talking with everyone else but her Mother and Me. As for her father, he didn't care about her. He was never there. I will tell you now, he was a criminal. One of the worst scum around, he killed, bribed, blackmailed and much more, until Young Miss ended him.”

“Ended?” Theodore asked.

“Yes, she killed him. That night she came to me and cried, she never said anything and I did not ask her to. I never told Melita.”

“Why did she kill him?” Theodore could not understand. While he had theoretically killed off the Other, he had hard time imagining doing that to someone else.

“For future, visions, revenge. There were multitude of reasons. As I said her father was beyond salvation. He even planed to sell Young Miss to his friends.”

“That's...”

“Hard to grasp? But its true. She may be many things, but she is not weak. She will do whatever it takes to do what is best for us.”

“Who are 'Us'?”

“Everyone young miss can save, and everyone who can help us towards brighter future.”

“And you believe her?”

“Unconditionally. And you too believe her, don't you? Otherwise you would not be here.”

“Yes...” Theodore whispered, he did trust her. He did not know from where this trust came, but he did trust that Sainna fought for a better future. Whatever it may bring.

“So, when she was seven she told me about the visions. I don't know when, but she seemed to have gained control over them... For the most part. I could tell, that there were still nights that she had not slept. As for her mother... She started to drink. At first it was not a problem, but soon she was never sober and after Young Miss turned eight, she stopped to speak with her mother as well. Young Miss later told me that she had a fight with her mother, I am sure that it was not all, but...”

Hall sighed before resuming

“When Young Miss was nine her mother got into a accident and died in hospital. Young Miss was sure that her father was behind it, and I believe so as well. I guess that a drinking wife was not great for public image. Afterwards Young Miss changed. She started to talk with people, tried to do her best to go along her fathers wishes. I could tell it was all an act, but other could not. Maybe they just did not believe that a nine year old could be so purposeful. It was also around that time when Young Miss told me that there will be great changes and that world as we know it will come to an end.”

“Did she tell you anything more?” Theodore asked but Hall shook his head.

“No, while telling me that she fainted. Every time she tries to speak about future beyond certain point it taxes her body greatly.”

“I see...” Theodore recalled their meeting. When she had told him about future she certainly seemed tired, but... “Maybe it taxes not only her body but also soul?”

“At age of ten we sought out Melita. I wont tell you why or how, it is up to Melita if she wants to tell. Ever since then we three have been together working towards uncertain future. But I and Melita, we are not her friends, I tried my best to be a father figure to her, but... I have no confidence that I have done a good job. You know, I have a daughter too, her name is Melinda, a wonderful name, that her mother gave her. I have never met her. My ex-girlfriend went great lengths to make sure that I wouldn't be let near her.”

Theodore could feel that this man, sitting besides him, was full of emotions at this moment, but as he looked at his face it was still empty. He felt like he had to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he could not find the words and Hall kept on.

“Ah, I may have said too much, but my point is, if... If Sainna decides to let you in her life, please don't push her away, don't fear her and if she ever needs to talk... Hear her out.”

After Hall finished the silence resumed in the car. For almost an hour they did not speak. That was until Hall calmly said something that left Theodore confused.

“We have a company!” Hall remarked. “If you have something you can do to the car following us I would appreciate, though, I have no idea what magic can actually do.”

As Theodore took a look at the mirror the car following them suddenly gained speed and he heard Hall muttering.

“Here they come.”