4 The guardians

While, I was at school, dreaming of my dating. Boris studied at University. Apparently, he had no class that day. So he could prepare himself for our dating. I would like I had the time to wear another thing that a school uniform. These four hours which separated us were very, very long. It was the first time I wanted to see someone at this point. I was impatient to finish the class. Finally, I heard the ring. 1: 15 pm. I stood up and made my bag.

- "Bye!" I said to Rosalind and I went out the classroom.

- "Hey! Wait for me! What are you so hurried? He won't disappeared." She said.

- "I dislike to be late. You know it." I pretexted in walking. Rosaling was following me.

- "Hum...You are rather impatient to see him. Are you in love with him?" She asked. I did not answer. She smiled with a triumphal expression.

- "I cannot believe it. You! Alana Moro! In love with a boy! I have to publish it." Rosalind added.

- "Keep quiet! I don't want everybody to know it. It's very embarassing." I replied with a disapproving look. We were at the gate of the school.

- "It just means that you are a normal human being. Look! He was as impatient as you." She said and she pointed at him.

He was there with his bike and wearing sunglasses. My heart beat rapidly. I was in love with him. I went to him.

- "Hello!" I said and I went to him.

- "Hi" he replied. "Have you already learnt to rollerblade?"

- "Not yet."

- "Not yet" he repeated. Het set a pair of sunglasses on my eyes and fastened the helmet on my head. "I know it is hot but safety first. Let's go to the Roller space."

In Libreville the Roller space was one of the most interesting place to have fun when you are under 18. The Roller space was a wide and closed room. There are also a video games room, a manga bookshop and a cafeteria. We arrived here before 2 pm.

- "I rarely come here and I come just for the bookshop." I said

- "I know it." He replied.

- "How can you know it?" I asked.

- "Because you told me." He answered simply.

- "Really?"

- "Really." He confirmed.

I could not remember when I told him that but it was not important. I always dreamt to rode a bike and every time in the Roller space I wanted to rollerblade but I dare not. In two days, he realized two of my dreams. How could he know these? 'Maybe is a stalker' Said a little voice inside me. 'What an idea!' I replied to the little voice.

We rollerbladed or rather he taught me how to rollerblade during about one hour. Then we had a break.

- "You are reconciled with Rosalind." He said.

- "Yes. You never told me that you knew Rosalind." I replied like a reproach.

- "It's because you did not want to speak about." He said and he stood up.

- "Where are you going?" I asked.

- "I am going to buy drinks. You are not thirsty?"

- "Of course, I am." I replied. I had the feelings that he wanted to avoid the subject.

When he came back with the drinks I was orderinng my effects. He seemed choked.

- "Where are you going Alana?" He asked.

- "My great-grandmmother is sick. My mother just called me to babysit my younger brother Dan." I replied.

- "Are you running away again?" He said with a cynical expression. I had never seen this frightening expression. He was like another person. we stayed two seconds speechless staring at each other. Then I answered:

- "I am not fleeing. It is about my great-grandmother. She is very old. What's the matter with you?"

- "She is old. She will die soon no matter what you do." He retorted.

- "How dare you?" I said, horrified.

- "You don't understand I do it for you. If you go now you will really regret it." He said and he grabbed my arm.

I freed myself and answered in a cold voice:

- "No matter if you don't want to see me again." I took my bag and ran.

- "Wait! It is not what I tried to say." He yelled.

Once I got out he shouted angrily and all the bulbs burst out, sinking the room in the dark and making several people screamed.

I was rather angry. How dared he talk to me like that? When I was in the taxi he called. I did not pick up. He called again. I hung up. He tried again and again. I ignored his calls.

- "It's your boyfriend, isn't?" Said the taximan on a joking tone.

- "This crazy guy will never be my boyfriend!" I yelled.

- "Sorry!" The man said, seeing that I did not like his joke.

My phone rang again. I was about to hang up when that it was mum.

- "Mum?... Yes I am on the way...Pardon?... At grandmother's place... But I don't have enough money on me...You pay. Ok... Bye!"

- "Please could you rather bring me to this address?" I asked to the driver and I showed him a piece of paper.

Mame Neni, the grandmother of my mother lived at my grandmother's place since her husband died several years. She had had only one child: my grandmother. Nobody knew her age because in her birth certificate it was written 'born around...' She insisted to see all her descendants. She wanted to say her lasts words. They were all present when I arrived. Mame Neni lay down her bed. grandfather had taken grandmother who was crying. Kelissa pinched me.

- "Where were you? Mame Neni did not stop to ask for you." She murmured.

- "I was at Roller space. It's far and I did not hear my phone rang when I rollerbladed." I answered in a low voice too.

- "Alana? It's you I have just heard?" Asked Mame Neni. She was blind but she always had a good ear.

- "It's me Mama. I am sorry I'm late."

- "Don't worry. You are not late since I am not already dead." She retorted. Her joke made no one laugh. She cleared her throat and added "It seems that everyone here has lost the sense of humour."

- "It was sick humour. It is no fun." I replied.

- "You are right. Then maybe you will appreciate a nice tale.

She cleared her throat again and began.

"On a very, very far country, a long time ago, some people began to use Magic to do many bad things. The five Magic's guardians did not manage to stop this curse. The damages of Magic were great and often irreparable. So the Universe gave to five heartfelt people a special and unique capicity. They could cancel any spell and repair the damages. They could not only bring back all the dead. However, there were some othet rules. First, theys would always mend the abuses of the magic even if it hurts them. Second, their power must never be used to do wrong intentionally. Third, they would bequeath their power to a relative after one thousand years. Since this new power fought the magic, they called them 'Murui' which means 'against the Magic'. The five one were the guardians of Murui. They taught the Murui to several people. These people were called the 'watchmen' because they made sure that magic was not used to do bad things.

The five guardians of the Magic and those of the Murui much got along despite of this. The chief of the Murui's guardian was the princess Marundu, our ancestor."

- "Her best friend was Gadara the guardian of the magic of fire. You relate this story every year mama! Almost everyone here knows it." Said grandmother a bit teased.

- "But I want to relate it again for those who never heard it." She simply said and she continued her story.

"Gadara was the best friend of Marundu, the chief of the guardian of Murui. Unhappily the man Gadara loved died. Because of the pain, Gadara brought back him by using a forbidden spell. But the law of the Universe don't permit everyone to ressuscitate. Inside the body of the man she loved a monster lived from now. He massacred a mass of innocent people. When our ancestor see it, she cancelled the spell of Gadara and the guardians of Murui brought back the victims. Seeing that everyone could live except her love, Gadara who knew that kill a guardian is a crime that the Universe will severely punished, went and killed all the relatives of Marundu without using the Magic. Completely desperate, Marundu began to hate her power. She went to another country and got married. But thirsting for revenge, Gadara wanted to kill the new family of Marundu. The chief of the Magic's guardian, Narhuil informed Marundu of the plan of Gadara. When Gadara was about to across the gate between the two countries, Marundu closed it and Gadara was separated in two unequal parts. One part here, the other one in another country. Sometimes there and sometimes elsewhere, her power got much smaller.

Marundu renounced to her state and her power of guardian. The Universe accepted it and then Marundu could live a normal human life. Nonetheless the Universe kept this power inside her to be transmitted from mother to daughter until one of them accepted this terrible task."

- "This part of the story when Marundu renounced to her power, you never related it. What happened to Gadara?" I asked.

- "She is always between two countries, trying to eliminate all the watchmen by using all the means. She hides herself because she knows that the watchmen could lock up her instead of killing her." Mame Neni said.

Everyone around us kept quiet. They knew that she was about to go. So if she wanted to speak about this tale that no one believed, they agreed.

- "You have to be careful and united. Gadara always set about at the whole family." Mame Neni added. Her voice got lower.

- "Yes. We will, mama." Answered grandmother sobbing.

- "Especially you Alana. You inherited the power of our ancestor. I am sure you have had some strange nightmares recentlly of a woman in red dress with red hair."

- "Yes. I have." I answered. Everyone thought that I was lying to please her except Mum, my siblings and Mame Neni.

- "I don't know why but she is stronger than before. Be careful Alana! Especially your friends." Said Mame Neni. I barely could hear her.

- "Now I need rest. Please let me alone." These were her last words. She closed her eyes.

The room burst out sobbing.

When I left Boris at the Rolller space he went back home and related to Gadara what happened. Idriss was there too. Gadara was very angry against her son.

- "How could you be so stupid?! Saying such a thing to a girl you try to seduce!" She yelled.

- "I am sorry mother. You told me to do it today. So..."

- "Enough!" She cut. "It was not a reason to destroy all my work. You would have to go with her to her home and help her to babysit her brother. It was simple."

- "Ah! Ah! Boris babysitting! Joked Idriss.

- "Shut up! You are not better than him." Yelled Gadara.

- "What do we do now?" Asked Boris.

- "It's evident she will not give you her power so easily. I have to intervene. I risk to be unmasked but I'm tired to wait."

Then the phone of Boris rang. He apologised and spoke a few minutes on phone. The other person hung up.

- "It was Lionel. The great-grandmother of Alana is dead. She won't be at arts school and he wants us to visit her tomorrow since she will spend the night at her grandmother's place." Boris said.

- "Well! Let's go!" Gadara said.

- "Pardon?! Mum, after all the things he said her, she will never want to see him." Idriss exclaimed.

- "So he has to apologise now. After it's too late. Maybe I will not have to intervene." She replied.

- "I will try mum." Boris said.

- "Don't try! Do it!" She commanded.

The next day after school, I went home directly. We received the people come to present their sympathy at home because the grandmother's place was too small. Rosalind came at home to help us. Boris who had class this day met Lionel around 2 pm at the small market.

- "Hello guy!" Said Lionel, seeing Boris.

- "Hi Lionel!" Replied Boris "What's up?"

- "Great and you?" Answered Lionel.

- "So-so. Where are the other ones?" Asked Boris.

- "They are busy. They'll be there later." Replied lionel.

- "Ah! Ok."

They began to walk. My home was 300 meters far.

- "Is something happened between Alana and you? Because when I toldher that I was coming with you she told me to give you a message." Said Lionel and he showed him his phone.

Tell Boris I don't want him to arrive.

From: Alana 1: 35 pm

- "Then, what's happened between us?" Lionel asked. Seeing that Lionel would not let him, Boris answered.

- "I told her something I regret now."

- "It must be a terrible thing since she is not spiteful habitually." Noticed Lionel.

This discussion stopped here. Obviously, I did not want to see him since he had implied that the safety and the death of Mame Neni were not important. But when Mum told me to care of my friends I could not disobey. We sat at a corner in the yard. I was at the right of Lionel and Boris at his left.

- "She is dead now. Are you happy? Oh! I forgot. It's not important to you." I said on a sarcastic tone. Lionel opened eyes wide.

- "I told you I am sorry. You did not understand me." Answered Boris.

- "You know I don't regret I went yesterday. I'll never regret it." I murmured angry. "Lionel, why have you bought him here?"

- "He has his own legs." Lionel said to defend himself.

- "Anyway you are bold to be there after what you told me yesterday." I added.

- "I am sorry. Will you forgive me please?" He replied.

- "I think that I have nothing to do there." Said Lionel standing up. "I am going to help your mother." He went in.

We stayed a few minutes speechless. I was sad because of Mame Neni but because of him too. My head and my heart were fighting. Shall I forgive him?

- "I don't want to see you No more." I suddenly said.

- "Why? You go too far!" He barely yelled and people at us a little moment and stopped care of us.

- "Before she died my great-grandmother told me to be careful especially with my friends. The truth is that I have a strange feeling with us."

- "You love me." He said seriously. Wow! So direct! I regained myself.

- "It's not about this. You will find it strange but you have a negative energy that I could not support. So it cannot work between us." I admitted.

- "So you love me but you don't want to be with me because of a sensation?!" He exclaimed.

- "Yes. I am sorry." I replied.

He stood up without a word, went out the yard and got on a taxi. He had understood that even if I loved him I will never give him my power of guardian.