Chapter 4: The Taste of Air
She inhaled like she had been drowning all her life and only now remembered that air was supposed to be breathed in. It tasted —raw, cold, and endless.
Numerous cars passed by, strangers walked… birds chirped… She closed her eyes for a moment, completely blending in, forgetting her existence…
The thing that mattered was she was tasting the freedom for the first time… No eyes watching. No orders. No restrictions… at least for that while… No one reminding her that she's breathing too much.
She stood motionless on the pavement, eyes still closed, not caring about anything but the taste of one thing…
Freedom.
Not even about the hot blazing sun above her.
She opened her eyes, looked around. Suddenly the thought that she had just lied to her teacher and escaped the school struck her again. That would at least be breaching 50 of his protocols…
What would happen if he came to know? He'd not let her out of the house for at least a year… Or blow up her entire school for letting her do this… Or worse, start homeschooling her.
As she began contemplating the freedom and the consequences, every if possible, suddenly a man passed by.
He wore a black suit, black polished boots and sunglasses. For intance, he appeared as Aaron. The way his black coat swayed behind him, the way he walked with hands in his pockets… it was as if Aaron was in front of her…
She gasped. It came out unexpected… Because this was her… imagination?
He obviously wasn't Aaron. Aaron doesn't walk alone.
Another man walked by. He carried the same black suitcase he carried. The brown leather one with no design on it. She squinted her eyes, it was similar!
Then she turned around. A man scolded his kid… Just the way he does to her.
Then, another man with the same hairstyle down the lane.
And another with an expressionless face standing a few inches away.
As she turned around, every second person appeared like him.
She blinked her eyes to see if it was true. Her legs no longer felt like they'd be able to carry her weight. Her hands began shaking. Her body began shivering. A cold drop found its way down her temple… Is this what tasting freedom felt like?
For a moment she thought if it was really worth a trip to the park… She then quickly shook her head as if doing that would dismantle her thoughts. Yes, it was worth a trip to the park. This would be her first time in a park without guards around. With kids around her. Kids of her age. Kids that do things she's supposed to do…
It was decided that Kira and Dasha would take her to a park, play on slides and drop her at school just before the driver comes to pick her up. 12 is just the age to do these things.
But they were being late. And with her condition, every second felt like an hour… stretching like a hot toffee. To the extent that she began doubting the functioning of her watch.
Another cold drop of sweat ran down her temple. Only then she realised that she'd been under the mid-day sun all this while. But was the sweat really because of it? Her hands were shivering, legs felt like slime, body twitched like facing a storm… It was nothing compared to standing in a hot sun.
A man at a distance noticed her. He was probably in his 40s. Wearing a blue T-shirt and a black jeans, he was standing in the shade, long before Elena had stepped out. She looked at him very carefully. His blue t-shirt… the jeans, that casual outfit made her think the last time she saw Aaron or someone working for him wear that. Something casual, daily wear, anything other than black suits and jackets. His golden watch sparkled in the bright sun.
She blinked. To her it was something exceptionally rare. A man wearing that cloth, a watch, standing in the shade. No suits, no guns… just a man…
Suddenly, slow and heavy steps gradually began moving towards her.
They were precise and careful. But to her, it appeared dangerous and predatory, like a lion approaching a vulnerable prey.
She instantly took a step back. He was a stranger and strangers are dangerous, right? At least because Aaron had said this.
He came closer, hesitated for a brief moment, then asked "Hey, are you alright?"
She stepped further away, trying her best to avoid him.
He noticed the change. The way she took a step back, the way her shoulders trembled, the way she stood with her hands clasped. He looked at her and tried again, gentler this time.
"You've been standing here for a while… Are you waiting for someone?"
She simply nodded, not meeting his eyes.
The man bent his head to meet her gaze. Gentlest this time, he approached again.
"You don't look well… Are you alright? Need anything?"
She shook her head.
"If you want a ride, I can offer you a lift… That black Mercedes is mine."
He said pointing at a car parked on the other side of the road.
She looked up at him and took brief steps away from him. Aaron's words replaying in mind "they approach you and offer you help, offer you a ride. That's how they make you disappear." He was doing the same. He is exactly how Aaron described the strangers to be.
He shifted, replaying his words and the tone in his mind. Did that seem like he was offering help? "Ah this made it worse!" He said under his breath, not out loud but deeply understood.
He then stepped away and carried on like he didn't belong there.
Elena watched him retreat, or what she thought it was. A faint twitch tugged at the corner of her lips "I survived a stranger! I'm not that vulnerable!" She smiled to herself thinking this. Her shoulders eased and she led out a deep sigh.
She turned her head in the direction where the man went, checking, or confirming he was gone. He went inside one of the shops down the lane.
A minute passed. Maybe two…
Elena was busy looking at her watch and calculating the time until suddenly she heard
"You want water?" He bought a brand new sealed bottle of water, though he had one in his car. A new bottle for her. He extended his hand, offering water but still maintained a little respectful distance. A big smile extended on his face from cheek to cheek, a kind and happy smile.
Aaron had also said "They return again, trying different ways to convince you… Once they choose you, this is how they get you." and this time, it played louder. "They offer you stuff, the moment you accept it, you don't lose control, they take it from you. You thought it was safe. They made sure it wasn't."
"He chose me?" She thought to herself.
"I didn't add anything to it… It's sealed, see? You should carry one when you're out during this time of day…" he said showing her the bottle like a dealer shows his goods to convince customers.
He was right. It was sealed, he probably couldn't add anything. But, what if he injected it? Aaron said sometimes they find ways to make it appear harder to notice…
The man stood still with hand extended, almost overwhelmed by the weight of it. The smile still remained, convincing her in a way she didn't understand and realise.
She looked at the bottle like it was something forbidden to touch. Her condition began worsening. To the extent that her legs could no longer carry her. She lost balance but then quickly held herself, thinking he'd not notice it.
But he did. His smile disappeared and his face screamed concern. "Be Careful! You've been standing for so long! Why don't you sit there?" He said pointing at the wooden bench in front of a shop, on the opposite side of the road.
Elena looked around and saw the bench, then at him. Was he really concerned? Or did he just pretend to?
"Want my help to cross the road?"
"No, thanks. I'm fine here." She finally said.
"Ok. Here, have this water… you really need it…" the man insisted.
Elena stared at him, at his extended hand he didn't withdraw. He was not pretending. His eyes were filled with concern. In fact all of him did. But those words of Aaron felt too true to be ignored…
She slowly extended her hand and took the bottle. His smile appeared again. That same heartwarming smile. But it wasn't any evil or monstrous smile. It was the smile of a little victory over his struggle.
Elena took a sip. It felt like heaven. Cold water under the hot sun. He was right, she needed it.
"My name is Leonid. You see those shops down the pavement? I own them." He said, pointing towards the same shop from where he bought the water bottle.
Elena nodded.
Something about him didn't feel right.
Elena saw men around Aaron. None of them was like him. He was soft, concerned and his suggestions didn't feel like orders… His concern didn't feel like a threat… It all felt pleasantly reassuring. Not the way Aaron's does.
Yes he was protective. But never did she see him being this way… This man was, different. He didn't appear like a stranger… Not the stranger he described.
"Did you make a call to the person coming to pick you up? You want my phone?"
She quickly shook her head. She had her phone. The last call was of Kira. That was 35 minutes ago. She dialed her number thinking why she didn't call before.
"Hello, where are you?"
From the other side of the phone "Hi, stuck in the traffic! Is everything ok there?"
"Yeah–yeah I'm fine. Just tired of waiting… Can you hurry up?"
"Girl, we don't control the traffic! We too are tired of waiting for these cars to pass! Just be patient!" She hung the phone.
"They're coming." She said looking at him.
"Who are they? Are they your friends?" Leonid asked, uncomfortable by their tone.
"Yes. Why?" Elena asked, feeling ok with it.
"Aren't they, a bit rude?" he asked, as if worried of her bad company.
Elena laughed. A real one. "They're my friends!" She exclaimed. "Aren't friends rude? Moreover they hate waiting in traffic…" she said.
The man nodded.
Suddenly her smile vanished. When was the last time her brother noticed this? Did he ever do it? If he comes to know about this, he'd probably never let them talk… But Leonid nodded! He understood it…
"I have a daughter of your age…" he began, voice low. "She too has friends like this. They're always rude to each other, but she explains to me this is how friendships work… I thought only she was that way… Now I realise everybody is that way… I'm too old to understand these childish things… But I'm happy that this doesn't bother anybody…" he said with his head bent, like it came straight out of his heart. This low voice wasn't like her brother, this one was filled with deep wisdom and emotions behind it.
Elena nodded. Since when do strangers share their stories? Telling about their daughters? Dangerous people don't talk that way right? She thought to herself. At this point, her brother felt more dangerous to her than this man.
Suddenly a car stopped right in front of them. The door opened and Kira opened the window. Elena was shocked to see her seated on the driver's seat. They're not legal drivers! She thought they were coming in a cab!
"Come on girl, get in!" She said
Leonid noticed her. The way her eyes widened a little. The way her mouth opened but no word came out. She was shocked. Shocked to see her friends in oversized t-shirts and long skirts… something they truly hated and made fun of when she wore it. Now they were wearing it like they hadn't passed any of those comments to her when she did that.
He instinctively stepped forward as a barrier between Kira and her.
"You know them?" He asked as if he was ready to knock them down if she said no.
"Yeah… They're my friends." She said, moving towards the car.
"Oh, they arrived!" He chuckled to himself, stepping away.
"What took you so long? Don't you know she's been standing under this hot sun for a while? You shouldn't leave someone waiting this long!" He said looking at Kira. She apologized and said she'd never make any such mistake.
He didn't scold, didn't raise his voice, didn't threaten. He simply called out their mistake and told them to avoid it. Aaron would've scolded, threatened, punished or worse, never let them meet again.
Why is he so different? Elena wondered as she was about to hand his water bottle back. But Leonid refused. "You need it." He said. He then glanced once again at Kira, confirming.
"Take care young girl. See you." He said as he turned away, already walking ahead.
Elena couldn't get her eyes off him. She stood that way, ignoring the calls of Kira and Dasha, until Kira got out, took her to the car, made her sit and then sat herself.
Her gaze still lingered on the crowd, on that blue T-shirt, watching him disappear among others.
"Who was that man?" Kira asked starting the car.