10.

 

When Lisa woke up, the first thought that popped into her head was the enormous desire that had consumed her the night before with Norris. She had not been able to get him out of her mind all day. All thoughts seemed to be focused and consumed on him.

She hated to admit it but having him touch her had been one of the most riveting experiences of her life. She had been in relationships before and had enjoyed a healthy sex life with her partners, but nothing in any of her previous experiences had ever compared to the way Norris had made her feel. Not only physically, but emotionally as well, as strange as it seemed to her to admit such a thing.

It went above and beyond any normal attraction she had experienced, and she wasn’t quite sure why that was the case. Why couldn’t she just put it down and get him out of her mind? Why had his touch left such a lasting imprint upon her?

She wanted nothing more than to be able to have him back in her house, touching her, holding her the way he had been holding her before he left. And yet, it seemed ridiculous and impossible for her to harbor such strong feelings for Norris. He was so strange and ridiculous. Nothing good could come of it. That seemed to be the unfortunate fact of the matter, whether she liked it or not.

If Lisa was going to be honest with herself about it, she really didn’t know a thing about him. It was dangerous for her to be so invested in someone like this. Especially someone who had already shown her every possible sign that he might have some sort of mental illness. Or at the least, severe delusions of grandeur and importance that didn’t fit in with his identity as a human who was forced to live on Earth.

And she had told herself that she wasn’t going to fall for his charade. She wasn’t just going to let his charm take over so that he could preserve the integrity of the company he was surely hoping to protect. No, there was far more to it than a simple attraction at work here, and he shouldn’t get off the hook just because he had played the crazy card by saying he was from another planet. No, there was certainly something strange about Norris that made it seem like he didn’t actually belong on Earth, and it was for some reason, a strange but endearing quality. If it was an act, she had fallen for it, both emotionally and physically.

She couldn’t wrap her mind around how it happened that she was so comfortable with him and trusted him so implicitly when it was so clear to her that nothing about him was stable. She didn’t even know what to call him. Norris? Vash? He had introduced himself as Norris. But then, his name wasn’t really Norris, was it? He had called himself Vash. And somehow, Lisa determined that the name suited him far better than Norris did.

Why did it matter? Why was she thinking so hard about this? She shouldn’t have to concern myself with such trivial and ridiculous matters. How was it that this man had somehow inserted himself into her life, leaving her feeling confused and lost most of the time, and somehow making it far more difficult for her to live her life than it already had been?

But the real question was, why wasn’t she more upset about it? Why was it that, somehow, she was beginning to welcome this strange bout of chaos that Norris introduced to her life? Why was it that she was so grateful to see him and excited to find out what he was going to do next? Why did she look forward to seeing him and keep his ridiculous business card on her refrigerator even though she half the time wished she could get rid of it? None of this made sense to her. It was all ridiculous and illogical. She would be glad when she was able to start maintaining her focus and moving forward with her life.

At least she had the rental car to look forward to. Norris was going to stop by that afternoon and help her sort that out until the insurance companies were finally able to give her what she was entitled to.

And then, they were probably going to talk about setting up a date.

Nervous butterflies erupted in her stomach. A date with Norris. A real one. Even after having a conversation with him where he had revealed that he believed he was some sort of mystical Dragon being and not a human from Earth. How was it possible that she was still tolerating this ridiculous person? Was it only because he was attractive? Nobody who was ugly would get away with saying something like that and still have a date later on. Maybe she was just being superficial.

But when she really searched inside of herself, she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it went far beyond superficiality. There was a strange connection that she sensed between herself and Norris, a connection that she had felt from the moment she laid eyes on him when he was driving the stupid moving truck that had totaled her vehicle. Yes, the event had introduced untold chaos to her life, but it had also added something to it that she hadn’t even realized was missing. A strange, fulfilling quality that seemed to be more apparent when Norris was present.

How could she justify this to herself? How was all of this happening? And why was she allowing it to? Maybe she was just as crazy as he was. There was no good reason for her to believe in any of this nonsense. And yet, she found herself trusting her own instincts on the matter more and more, ignoring how strange and bizarre everything was, in favor of seeking the greater good and giving in to the innate comfort she felt in his presence.

Sure, he was an asshole, but he was an asshole that she felt safe with. Protected by. And, somehow, cherished by as well. She really wasn’t sure she was willing to let any of that go. He presented himself in her life in a way that made her feel extremely lucky and happy, despite all the inconveniences his presence brought her. No matter how skeptical she was of him, she couldn’t deny the tenacity and conviction of her feelings. She wanted him. She truly, deeply wanted him. In her life. More and more. As much of him as she could reasonably get her hands on. What was it that was going to drive her to happiness if it wasn’t going after the things she truly wanted?

And yet, he had left for home after getting so close to her. In a way, she felt rejected and insulted. And she would have been furious if he hadn’t proposed a proper date. That had sort of helped her feel better about the whole situation. It never felt good to be rejected. But maybe he hadn’t rejected her intentionally. Maybe he was just old-fashioned. Or, whatever fashion people from his supposed planet happens to be. Or maybe, he was just insane and didn’t know what it was he wanted. Either possibility seemed very likely.

And yet, she still couldn’t fathom why it was that she was taking all of this so damn seriously. Why did she care so much about what happened between herself and a legitimately crazy person? Handsome or not, he hadn’t exactly presented himself as the most reliable person to fall for. Why couldn’t love and attraction be simple rather than blind? She wanted nothing to do with the agony of realizing that all the warning signs she had been presented with were there for a reason, and that she was stupid to have ever considered the possibility that he was a genuine man whose connection she could trust and nurture for a brighter future?

“Lisa? Are you there?”

Her heart nearly stopped when she heard Norris knocking at the door. She went quickly to answer it, her heart thudding back to life when she pulled it open and caught sight of his ridiculously handsome face.

“Norris! I mean… Vash?”

Norris beamed at the mention of his allegedly given name and nodded.

“Yes, you pronounced that perfectly. You may just be a Loni yet.”

“A what?”

Lisa raised an eyebrow at Norris as he clamped his mouth shut and shrugged with a small laugh.

“It’s just that, for us to be fated, there is a high likelihood that you have a special bloodline of your own. We can talk more about it on the way to the rental agency, okay?”

Lisa was startled and nodded quietly as she attempted to process Norris’ words. He thought she was an alien too? That couldn’t have sounded more ridiculous. She had been getting herself all worked up about a crazy person. She was sure about it now. Why did she have such terrible taste in men?!

“Anyway, good morning,” Norris said, flashing her a stunning smile from the driver’s side of his car.

“Good morning,” Lisa replied, dazed for a moment by the man’s ridiculous good looks. Her face grew warm as she considered the intensity of their connection; the way his hands felt against her skin. She wanted him so badly. Why was it that everything always seemed to be stacked against her? Why was she so invested in a total lunatic? A ridiculously handsome lunatic.

And yet again, the guilt crept back to her. Why was it that she wanted so badly to buy into this poor man’s delusion?

Then again, it could be possible. There were real shifters in existence on Earth. Just because they didn’t live near Brookside didn’t mean they couldn’t. Right? Why was she having such a hard time keeping her mind open to the possibilities when they were so clear in front of her?

She couldn’t just completely refuse somebody for believing they were a little bit better than human. Who didn’t want to be a little bit better than human sometimes? Didn’t being human come with limitations and hurdles that could make life difficult and drab? If she could believe that she was some sort of mystical flying creature to console herself about the existential horror that was everyday life, maybe she would have allowed herself to slip into a fantasy much like Norris’.

The thoughts didn’t make her feel any better and she sighed, looking out at the road ahead of them. Why was it that she just wanted to have a normal relationship with this guy? She barely knew him. And what she did know, it didn’t look very good on his end.

Was she some sort of masochist? Did she seek out terrible situations because she somehow believed she didn’t deserve to be happy? How could she convince herself that she could be happy with a man like this?

“I’m sorry, I’m sure that must have thrown you off. You must think I’m very strange.”

“What gives you that idea?” Lisa asked sarcastically. She couldn’t help but let the bitterness in her voice leak out. She was frustrated with the realization that she was having a hard time figuring out what it was that she wanted out of her relationship with Norris. She already knew he was not like other men. He dressed to the nines, and she was ridiculously handsome, but he also believed he was a creature that probably didn’t even really exist.

And if it did, and he was telling the truth, that would just make him the most extraordinary being that she had ever encountered. And how in the world would the universe allow her to have a good relationship with somebody like that? It didn’t seem feasible. It would be too good to be true.

“I know all of this is probably very difficult for you to believe, but I vowed to myself that I was going to be honest with you about everything. I do not want you to one day realize I am exactly who I say I am and feel deceived because I did not tell you who you are as well.”

“How in the world would you know who I am? We just met.”

Lisa was now fully on the defensive. As soon as people started to make presumptions about her, she was always ready for a confrontation. She did not want anybody telling her who she was. Only she could tell them. What could this man possibly know about her that she didn’t already know about herself?

She couldn’t stand that type of presumption Norris seemed so ready to display. He knew nothing about her, and she was going to make damn sure he realized that before he said something he would ultimately regret. She wanted to trust him. Didn’t he know that? Why would he say these things that made her feel unsafe and angry?

“It isn’t that I know who you are exactly,” Norris said, glancing from the road back to Lisa. “It’s more that I know how we are connected. It is more than just the grand scheme universe thing. It also has to do with your bloodline. And mine. You have a gift. The gift of healing, don’t you? And I’m sure you are also very creative, thoughtful, and intelligent. You are probably the type that other people always turn to for advice and if they need a helping hand. Although, you may find that when you are in need, many people are oblivious to it and turn their backs. You never get back what you put out, but somehow, you stay strong and continue to give regardless. Does that sound about right?”

Was he psychoanalyzing her? Lisa was quietly fuming out the passenger side window, wondering how in the world Norris had come up with all of these little details about her. Sure, they were right on the money, but why was he saying them? How did he figure it out? Was he really just a master manipulator who could tell she was easy prey? Was he trying to turn her weaknesses into points of pride for her so she would continue to give to him without questioning it?

“None of that really matters,” she said edgily. She wasn’t going to confirm or deny any of those preconceived notions about her. She didn’t want to make herself vulnerable. She couldn’t stand the thought of handing away information about herself to somebody who is potentially so trustworthy. “I don’t understand what you mean about the connection.”

In truth, she had already discovered just such a connection for herself. Otherwise, why would she have allowed herself to get so close to this man? But she was curious about what his take on it was. Why did he think the connection existed? What was it about her that made him feel as if he was entitled to make these wild accusations about her personality and thinking that maybe he could use it as a way to prove something about himself to her? How twisted was that?

“The connection between us goes deep. You know I believe in fate, even if you don’t. I think the reason that we have been brought together is because you are special. And the universe wanted us to meet each other. There are many reasons for this, but I will try and go as slowly as possible so I do not overwhelm you with strange facts that will probably make you distrust me further.”

“I honestly don’t believe I could distrust you further,” Lisa said, shaking her head with exasperation. “I don’t know if I trust you at all.”

“That can’t be true,” Norris said, quickly shooting her a knowing smile and then darting his eyes back to the road. “I think you trust me plenty. What you don’t trust is yourself.”

Point and match.

“Well, I don’t exactly have the greatest track record so far,” Lisa admitted. “I haven’t been having the world’s best month. I don’t know if you noticed or not.”

Norris chuckled, his silky voice filling the car and filling Lisa with the desire to be able to really trust everything about him. Why couldn’t everything he said just be good? Why did things always have to end up being something crazy or terrible? But wouldn’t this sense of denial only serve to make her weaker in the long run? Why was she so into something that was clearly only going to hurt her later? It was extremely shortsighted.

“I did notice that you’re having a bad month,” Norris said. “And I think that anybody from our bloodline is bound to be having a hard time right now. There is something terrible happening in the universe around us, and I think that if you listen to me, you’ll easily understand what it is I’m talking about. Are you willing to listen?”

“Haven’t I been listening enough?” Lisa asked. She sighed. As much as she hated it, she really did want to know everything Norris had to say. Even if it was all just some fantastic imaginary delusion that he was buying into, it was interesting to her nonetheless. Particularly if it concerned her.

“Listening is one thing but understanding is quite another.”

“Well, I don’t really have anything else to do while we drive to the rental agency. You might as well tell me what it is you have to say and get it over with.”

“If I tell you, can you promise that you will still go out on that date with me? You did already say you would.”

Norris looked at her now, his eyes round and curious.

Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and leaned her head against the back of her seat. “Well, you tell me first, and don’t make me make promises to you that I can’t keep. I don’t know what I’m going to feel like after you tell me what it is you think you know about me. So, you’re just going to have to be okay with the possibility that I won’t want to see you again.”

Norris considered this, mulling it over silently as they crept along the road. Finally, he gave a slight nod. “I guess I don’t see any reason why I should have an issue with that. But if you go ahead and tell me what it is that you want to hear about first. And then I will fill you in on what you want to know.”

“What I want to hear about first?” Lisa quirked her brow at Norris. “Why don’t you just tell me what you know. I don’t know what I don’t know. You know?”

Norris chuckled and gave a brief nod. “All right. How about I begin with a little bit of the history of my planet. Our planet.”

“If you say so,” Lisa said, shaking her head slowly. But she had to admit, she was curious. He really did seem to think she was from the same place he was. And truth be told, she had always felt something like an outcast. She had never really fit in. At least, not among her peers. There was always something a little different about her.

And Norris had covered all these points somewhat in his assessment of her personality. She was always the generous type, full of creativity and wonderment, but it was something that was vastly underappreciated and usually overlooked. Worse, it could be taken for granted. She tended to be a caretaker in her relationships. She attracted men who needed help. Who wanted her to act more like a mother or a nurse to them than an equal partner. She just wanted to be equal with somebody. Was that too much to ask?

But she couldn’t allow Norris’ expectation of her personality to influence her as she listened to what he had to say about this planet. All of this was bizarre and ridiculous, and she didn’t want to pay it any more attention than it was worth.

“To understand shifter magic, and this goes for all types of shifters on this planet and elsewhere in the universe, you have to understand that there are certain types of conductors out there that allow it to thrive. These people put positivity into the world and try to maintain a balance between the good and the bad,” Norris began. “These types of conductors are often found in the form of sacred people. Their bloodlines exist in clans that are often split up and spread out throughout the universe. If they are clustered too closely together, it can be easy for their energy to be completely drained. Because rather than caring for the greater community around them, they focus all their attention on nurturing each other. When the fact of the matter is that most of these types of conductors are very independent and do not need to take from others to sustain themselves. That is why they are so important for the full of magic to be maintained throughout the universe.”

Lisa hated to admit it, but all of this was fascinating and made a strange sort of sense to her. Maybe it was all theoretical and crazy, but when it was explained in this way, it could seem feasible, even to the most logical of people. That is, if you consider something like magic a legitimate thing that could be measured and quantified and distributed the way other forms of energy might be.

“So, there are actual living and breathing people who are conductors of magic?” Lisa asked, hoping to clarify whether or not she had a basic understanding of what Norris was trying to tell her.

“Yes, that’s exactly right. Because if the conductors of this magic were not living, it would take away the most sacred element of the magic that there is. It takes true heart. Magic isn’t just a substance that can be measured or ground into a powder and finally distributed to all beings. It is something insubstantial and something that lives in the undertow of existence. Existing as a living, breathing being. If it is able to have emotions and experiences, the magic is able to thrive and develop and evolve over time. It begins to adapt to the state of the universe and put out more of what is needed in order to maintain the balance. It grows.”

This was all very overwhelming for Lisa to hear, but at the same time, it gave her a basic idea of the way Norris’ mind worked. Even if it turned out that all of this was a fabrication, it was interesting to discover what he thought very deeply about matters that he might consider of importance socially.

“Okay. So magic lives in the living. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well,” Norris said reluctantly. “I have reason to believe that you may be one of those conductors. And not just any conductor. But one that is mixed with the Sun Dragons and Loni people from my planet. Combined, our union could potentially make way for another, even more special, type of conductor to be born.”

“Special conductors,” Lisa mumbled, trying to take her eyes off the pleasant slope of Norris’ jaw as he spoke. “Got it.”

“With those conductors in existence, the shifter magic that keeps my people alive, and the people who shape shift into other forms as well, will always stay relevant. It will always be alive. And we will stay healthy. Without it, the entire planet my people are from could ultimately shrivel up and perish,” Norris said, his voice taking on a depth of emotion that really drew Lisa in to what he was saying.

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It isn’t. We are fueled by the planet’s sun where I am from. Where we are from, really, and by using the power of the sun, we are able to create a world where the magic can exist effortlessly within the atmosphere of our planet. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Something has been happening to the sacred children who are born of unions like the one I am speaking to you about. We know they are not being killed, because if they were, there would be a darkness that is traceable in their absence. Somebody is capturing them. Something really terrible is happening, and I am very concerned about it.”

“What does any of this have to do with me? You think I’m some kind of conductor? And that if we were to have a child, it would be some special chosen one who could restore balance to the universe? Who might end up getting kidnapped?”

Lisa shook her head in amazement. It was ridiculous how self-important some of this sounded. People would do just about anything to feel special.

And yet, in her heart of hearts, she truly wanted to believe in Norris’ story. There was something deep within herself that wanted to be special and have access to the incredible aura of mystery that Norris promised her by including her in on his fantasy.

“Yes, that is simply put, but it is basically what’s going on. Everything is in danger. The fabric of the universe is deteriorating because without this magic, without these conductors being present and able to touch the lives of those around them, everything that holds the greater good together, things such as fates and purpose, things such as understanding and divine coincidence, all of those things become much harder to access and people begin to delve deeper and deeper into chaos.

“It is truly a form of evil that wants to rid the universe of these sacred beings. Without them, everything will deteriorate. Everything can be destroyed. There are good and bad forces in this universe, and everybody ends up choosing a side, one way or the other. If you are neutral, you are part of the problem. If you choose actively to fight for the good, then you become part of the cure.”

Norris looked at Lisa now, his eyes dark and serious. “By the simple merit of your bloodline, you are part of the cure. You cure people without even trying to. It is your life’s mission. It is your purpose. It is what you were designed to do. Just as you were designed to meet me, and we were meant to fall in love and change the world for the better. I truly believe that. No matter how crazy it sounds. That’s just the way you make me feel.”

Norris fell silent and Lisa allowed herself to take in all of the information she had received. Everything he was saying made sense, to some degree, while at the same time, if it was taken out of context, it would sound like the basis of a crazy sci-fi horror story.

Maybe she was being pranked. Rich people sometimes didn’t have anything better to do than to take on the masses and try and convince them of ridiculous notions. Perhaps that was all that was going on. Was there a hidden camera in the car somewhere? Lisa’s eyes darted around in search of one but didn’t find anything.

When she looked back at Norris, the disturbance on his face seemed painfully genuine. She could feel her empathy acting up straight away. She wished sometimes that she didn’t have such strong emotions. But maybe Norris was right. Maybe it was all part of the fact that she was a healer who is destined to try and make the world around her a better place.

Maybe that was the source of all her problems. Giving too much was simply an innate action she was capable of taking because of some random hardwiring within her that she didn’t know about and had no control over. It was a nice thought, anyway.

“Thank you for telling your story, Norris,” she said quietly, taking a slow, deep breath. “I’m going to have to consider everything you told me. I appreciate you putting yourself out there. I know it can be hard for people to think you’re crazy. I’ll try my best not to make any judgments until I know exactly what is going on.”

Norris smiled brightly. It was as if this was the best news he had ever heard.

“Thank you. I think your objectivity will be extremely valuable in this process. In the meantime, I will hope that you are able to take everything seriously and give it the weight it deserves.”

Lisa nodded quietly, and Norris pulled into the rental agency’s parking lot. “We are here. I bet you’re probably pretty happy to end this conversation now. Let’s just pick it up later, if you have any thoughts or questions on the matter. I don’t expect you to accept or believe all of this now. But maybe later you will see that I’m telling the truth when you want to learn more about it. And that is okay too.”

Norris offered her another painfully attractive smile before getting out of the car and heading inside. Lisa lingered behind a few moments longer, taking a few deep breaths to still her rapidly beating heart. Why had this story affected her so deeply? Was it because it showed just what a basket case Norris truly was? Or was there something more to it than that?

She allowed herself to sit in silence just a few moments longer before following the mysterious man into the rental agency. No matter what the case turned out being, she was going to have to deal with it one way or another. She might as well have something to drive while she did it.