“If I can make you smile ten times today, you have to give me a kiss on the lips. Tongue or not is up to you.”
Helena’s body became rigid. Her first kiss… with him?! “And if I win, you’ll leave me alone?”
“Oh no, I’m not letting you go that easy, but no more collar. So do we have a deal?”
She sighed, knowing that she could not pass this chance up. “Fine, but no funny stuff.”
“Perfect, then follow me.”
He began walking down the street with Helena cautiously trailing behind him. What was he up to? What was this really about? After walking a hundred feet, Xavier turned back to her with a look of annoyance. “When I said “follow me”, I meant walk alongside me.”
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Helena approached him and stood at his side. As they continued walking, Xavier put his arm around her, making her stiffen up. She wanted to pull away, but she was afraid of what would happen if she angered him. Besides, she owed him for saving Father Hauser.
After a block, she worked up the nerve to speak. “So where are we going?”
“Right here.”
She looked around and her heart dropped into her stomach. The street was lined with red rental Vespas in front of a scooter shop.
“Oh no, no, no, no, no, no.”
“Come on, it’s just like the old saying. When in Rome, do as the Romans. This is tourist tradition. Don’t tell me you’re scared.”
“I prefer to be surrounded by steel and airbags.”
“Said the girl who wanted to become the Pope’s bodyguard…”
Xavier touched one of the scooters and it activated without needing a key.
“Oh God, you’re going to steal it?”
He gave her an annoyed look and sat down on the bike. “Helena, don’t you know who I am?” She covered her face with her hands, feeling this day spiraling out of control for the second time. “Ugh, fine, I’ll bring it back.”
She looked up, seeing the storeowner inside. He was getting to his feet, hearing the revving of the scooter and preparing to chase down the two teens.
“Well I’m not getting on that thing without a helmet.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake…”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bike. Sitting sideways across his lap, she yelped as he pulled out into the street with the storeowner running out after him. Speeding down the road, she held onto him for dear life, screaming into his chest. She was silenced when he placed his hand on the back of her head.
“Relax, I’M your helmet.”
At that moment, her heart calmed and she momentarily forgot she was on a scooter. She felt only the kiss of the wind on her skin, the warmth of the Italian sun, the roughness of Xavier’s coat in her hands, and the softness of his shirt against her face. She actually felt… safe.
‘That’s right. With Xavier’s powers, it’s impossible for us to get in an accident. As long as I ride with him, I’ll be ok.’
Helena worked to suppress her grin of amazement as she gazed at the Colosseum, Rome’s pride and joy. She had seen it before, but it still left her awestruck. With Xavier around, she couldn’t allow herself to smile. The walls of concrete curled around each other like a stone rose.
“You should have seen her in her prime.”
She turned to him. “Excuse me?”
“This is nothing. When she was first built, she was a masterpiece.”
“You… you were there back then?”
“I was born at the same time as Christ and I’ve been traveling ever since. I spent a lot of time here in Rome back in the golden ages. Those were good times. Come on, let’s head inside.”
This time, Helena didn’t tense up when he put his arm around her. She simply let him lead her to the ticket gate. Since they were “both” underage citizens of the European Union, they didn’t have to pay to get in. The corridors were roped off in certain areas to keep tourists from wandering or doing something they shouldn’t have. Helena didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt the weight of awkwardness on her chest. The sounds of their footsteps in the dark halls seemed to reinforce the lack of conversation between them. Should she say something? No, why would she do that? Why would she need to? But this tension…
“So… what was Rome like back then?”
“Oh, it was wonderful. If you wanted to do something, you did it, and if you knew what you were doing, you could get whatever you want. It was like Sodom and Gomorrah but much classier. Getting drunk on rich wine and having orgies with the social elite. What a time to be alive.
And that’s one.”
Helena’s body turned to ice as she realized that her lips had curled into a small smile when he talked. The way he described it invoked a tiny giggle in her, but he caught it.
He laughed at her embarrassment. “Relax, just enjoy yourself. Who knows? By the time the day is over, you might just end up looking forward to that kiss.”
She scoffed and turned away. “Yeah right, you can’t fool me that easily.”
“If you say so…”
They stepped out into the sun and gazed out across the labyrinth remains of the Colosseum basement.
“Yeah, not like the movie, Gladiator, is it? Come on, let’s get a higher view.”
They moved over to a nearby staircase leading up alongside the ancient seats. As they climbed the stares, Xavier removed his arm from around her, but surprised her by grasping her hand instead.
He saw her blushing and cracked a grin. “Is this your first time holding hands with a guy?”
“No, I’ve held hands with boys before!”
“Anything before puberty and adults holding your hand don’t count.”
“Considering your age, I guess this doesn’t count either!”
Again surprising her, he began to laugh. “Ah, that’s what I wanted to hear, that spiteful tone, arrogant almost. You’re doing your best not to smile, but I can tell your ego is purring from that witty comeback. To be honest, that sounded less like you were talking to the man you hate and more like you were bickering with a childhood friend. You’re finally relaxing. Like I said, you’ve become used to having me around.”
Helena’s face became red with embarrassment and anger, but she decided to just let him have the last word. Finally, they came to one of the upper levels, giving them a greater view of the great arena.
“Can you smell it? The culture in the air? The history? Not to mention the long-gone sweat and blood…”
“I’m surprised to hear you say something like that. I thought your goal was to destroy the world.”
“No, just to rule it.”
“And let me guess, you’d restore this place and start executing Christians like back in the good old days?”
“Ok, THAT tone is far from your best quality. But speaking about the good old days, how about I show you what they were like?”
Xavier placed his hand on the back of her head and sent a bolt of electricity through her body. All her muscles locked up and she felt something rush over her eyes like a liquid curtain. The world before her became pitch-black, but the darkness soon receded, and something new came. A tidal wave of sound washed over her, like the world beneath her feet was exploding. It was more than a choir; it was a terrestrial conglomerate of voices, cheering and screaming, with a secondary layer of clapping, and even beyond that, the strikes of metal on metal. The decrepit arena was gone, replaced with an amphitheater fit for an emperor. The Colosseum had returned to its former glory, with level upon level of howling spectators. Above Helena’s head, a net of flags and sails hung across the vast manmade crater, protecting the viewers from the heat of the sun. Down below, the battlefield had been flooded and a naval battle was taking place, with full-scale ships being hit with arrows and boarded over and over by the opposing forces.