Alpha's Moon

Chapter 13

Alex turned down the dimly lit corridor and pushed into the stairwell. She hadn't been able to sleep and it came as no surprise. There was the jet lag for one. Then the strangeness of being back in the States for the first time in over a decade and the foreign bed. Yes all of that had put her off kilter, but what was actually keeping her wide awake was excitement.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Alex was so excited that she couldn't sleep.

In truth, she wasn't used to experiencing any kind of extreme emotion anymore. Her time with the monks had taught her control and the value of balance. Living in a state of heightened emotions whether they be positive or negative, led to irrationality and bad decisions.

But even with thousands of hours of meditation under her belt, Alex could't control the fluttering of her heart that was now filling up with hope. Hope that she wouldn't have to hide anymore. Hope that she might be able to go out into a crowd without absorbing everyones pain. Hope that she would be able to see her brother without the fear of ruining his life.

Calm yourself, Alex!

Reaching the 24th floor, Alex stepped out into the corridor. Petrichor was dark, its doors firmly shut as were the doors of the bar on the opposite side of the hallway. She glanced at the clock above the elevator: 3:05am. Damn! If she had been thinking straight, Alex would have looked at the clock before coming here in the hopes of gaining access to the kitchen.

She was turning back towards the elevator when a voice stopped her.

"Hello madame, are you lost?" A male security guard appeared from the direction of the stairwell. She was impressed; they must have been watching the monitors closely in the security room to send someone so quickly .

"No." Alex considered going back to her room, but she knew she would just end up pacing the floors again. Only the kitchen could soothe her now. "You don't happen to have a key for the restaurant do you?"

The security guards small eyes popped open at the request. "A key?"

At least he hadn't told her to leave. Alex pressed her luck, "Yes, a key. I'm a chef here and need to do some prep work. Unfortunately I haven't been given a key."

The guard blinked for another moment before touching a button on his black watch. "What's your name, miss?"

He could well be calling back up, but at this point even being questioned was favourable to being left alone with the storm inside her head.

"Alex Turner."

Keeping his expression neutral, he spoke into his watch, "Ms Alex Turner wants into Petrichor."

The response came into his earpiece a moment later. Alex watched the security guard blink, nodd and blink again before he turned her way. "Someone's coming right up to let you in, Chef Turner."

Someone was coming to open the door? Alex wasn't over her surprise at how easy that had been when a female security guard came out of the elevator with a beaming smile and a set of keys.

"I apologise for making you wait Chef Turner. Mr Moncrief did leave instructions that we were to open the restaurant if you asked to be let in tonight, but we didn't expect you to be wanting in at this hour..."

Mr Moncrief. Just the mention of his name sent Alex's pulse racing. How had he done it? How was it possible that Alex had felt Gabriel Moncrief so acutely when he grabbed her hand? Felt the dull aching pain his his stomach, felt the sting of his fingers digging into the palm of his free hand, felt everything...and then suddenly: nothing. Nothing at all! As if she had been holding on to a marble statue rather than a breathing human being. It was like he had pushed a button and raised a wall, stopping her from feeling him. But, how? How!?