He winked and shrugged his shoulders. He looked so cute with his innocent smile that I couldn’t help but stare at him.
“I want to take you to another place. Let’s go, it’s not that far,” he said excitedly as he broke the stare. “I’ll race you.”
“Race me? That’s not fair.” He had already started running before I had the chance to tell him I preferred walking. “You’re too fast,” I said, running after him.
He ran in circles around me like a bullet train; he was so fast that it caused a cool breeze to toss my hair from side to side. It helped me cool off a bit. How I wished I could run with him. He was my Superman, whether he understood what that meant or not.
“Show off,” I said out loud, laughing.
Gradually he slowed his pace, and we were walking together. It didn’t matter where we went or what we did because I was with him. Every step, every touch, every minute was a gift, and I was thankful.
Chapter 15
“We’re almost there,” Michael said, smiling.
“I didn’t ask you if we were almost there,” I replied, knowing he was teasing me.
“I know, but I wanted to beat you to it.”
“Fine, you got me. I was just about to ask,” I said playfully.
He had offered many times to carry me, but I didn’t want to look helpless. I never wanted to be a “damsel in distress” kind of girl. But I was so glad to hear that we were close; I didn’t think I could take another step. A sudden burst of energy hit me as the sound of a waterfall came closer and closer. I could almost feel its cool mist.
He’s taking me to a waterfall, I thought to myself. When we reached our destination, he held my hand as we climbed some oversized rocks. Right in front of me was a single waterfall. It was not as big as I had imagined from the sound, but regardless, it was refreshing and spectacular. The roar of the water falling made me feel vulnerable to the power of its strength. As the water crashed to the bottom, the mighty waves lessened and trickled peacefully. There were many trees, rocks, and bushes that surrounded the waterfall; it would have been difficult to find this place, even for an experienced hiker.
“Sit here!” Michael waved at me.
He sat at a distance from where I was standing, dangling his feet into the water. As he kicked higher, I could see his jeans were rolled up neatly. I was so preoccupied with admiring my surroundings that I hadn’t noticed he left my side. Michael splashed some water with his feet; it looked just like the crystal-clear turquoise water you see in vacation magazines. The heat and the atmosphere brought on such temptation; I wanted to jump in, even though I was not a good swimmer. Wanting to feel the water, I kicked off my shoes and headed toward him. I didn’t realize how hot the path was. I looked like I was doing the chicken dance, jumping up and down as the heat shot through my bare feet. He laughed so hard watching me that it nearly threw him off balance.
“You think that’s funny?” I said, giggling. I plunked myself down at a distance and started kicking and splashing water at him.
“Okay, okay, you win!” he said, sounding defeated.
We sat there enjoying the peace, when curiosity kicked in, and I began to ask him more questions. I remembered Michael telling me that he had no memories of his life on Earth, but he also told me that he had glimpses of flashbacks that made no sense. I wanted to ask him again, just in case there was something he could remember, but didn’t want to share with me before. So I thought to rephrase my question.
“Do you remember your parents?” I asked, then instantly regretted asking that question for fear that I may be touching on a sore topic. He may even wonder if I had memory loss too.
He didn’t look at me, nor did he act surprised by the question. He paused for a few seconds. “No, I don’t at all,” he said blankly, staring out into the distance.
“Does that bother you? I mean, that you don’t remember much of your past?”
“It did, but I’ve learned to live with it and try to hold onto the memories that I have now. I’m making new memories with you.” He looked at me and gave me a warm smile. “Every memory and every day that you live should be cherished. It is a gift. We all take it for granted, until it’s too late. We don’t appreciate what we have and always want what others have. The grass is not always greener on the other side.”
“Do you know if your friends remember anything from their past?”
“Not at all.”
“Not even a little glimpse?”
The look in his eyes told me he was thinking about something.
“Perhaps, I’m assuming, but maybe they do. Davin had the urge to smoke. It must have come from somewhere. This is our first time being down here since we were taken; I guess time will tell if it will bring back our memories, but I doubt that it will. I don’t question the Royal Council. They know what they are doing. But who knows?”
I felt horrible. No memories of their parents, friends, or life on Earth. This wasn’t fair, but then I remembered Michael saying that life isn’t fair. You take it for what it is, and you make the best of it.
“If life is a gift for humans, what is it for alkins?” I asked.
He turned to me quickly and looked deeply into my eyes. As he gently caressed my hair, I closed my eyes to control my heart from racing, but it didn’t work. So I opened them slowly, only to see Michael’s eyes locked on mine.
“I don’t know about the others, but I found mine. You are my gift. I never dreamt that I would feel this way. You make me feel human again. You make me smile. You make me laugh. I’ve broken some Divine Commandments, but I don’t care because it doesn’t feel wrong to me. How could something that feels so right be so wrong? I will treasure every second we have together, even if it’s for a short period of time. These happy memories you are giving me are worth it all. I promise to protect you and even lose my soul if I have to. I will not lose you to Aden or anyone else. If that happens, I will have lost myself.”
I was completely speechless. All I could do was throw myself at him. He immediately responded, and we were locked in the sweetest embrace. Neither one of us moved as we sat there, listening to the sounds of the waterfall.
Slowly, I could feel him leaning in closer, his face pressing against my hair. “I love the way you smell,” he murmured as he dug his head deeper. I felt his sweet breath on my ear as his lips lightly caressed it. Then his lips moved up to my eyes. “I love the way you look at me. I love the way your eyes flirt with mine.” Slowly, his lips moved down to my lips. “I love the way your lips feel against mine. You are all that I need. And it’s extremely difficult to control myself around you. This feeling is too powerful. I’m under your spell,” he whispered. “Tell me…to stop.”
Feeling breathless from his words, I whispered, “I…I…can’t.” I lost all my sense of reason as he continued to press his face against mine. He wasn’t fighting it, like he did the last time, and I wasn’t about to stop him. I managed to mumble a few incoherent words. “If you can’t…I...”
Before I could finish my sentence, his lips had already conquered mine. Gently, softly, they moved in unison. He pressed deeper, and our tongues moved in ways I never knew possible. I didn’t realize we were standing until his wings enclosed us in complete darkness. I felt weak as his hands moved inside my shirt. Quivering from his touch, every part of me awakened. He glided his hand down my spine, to the small of my back and then stopped from going down any further. Tingling sensations ran through me wildly, and I was enraptured by his touch; I wanted even more of him. I couldn’t get enough.
My hands tenderly ran up the smooth, strong chest that I’d wanted to touch for so long, down to his muscular arms, and then met at the fingertips, where they intertwined perfectly. “Don’t stop,” I whispered as I guided his hand down a little lower. Our bodies were pressed intensely, and the only thing between us was my bra and my sweat shorts. I had no recollection of how my shirt was taken off. He pulled my right leg up to his hip and wrapped it around him. Slowly he lowere
d me and gave me tender kisses down my neck. Arching my back, moaning with intense pleasure, I forgot everything outside our cocoon. Nobody was around to stop us. How far would we go?
“Hello there, you two lovebirds! What are you doing in there?” The voice came from the direction of the waterfall.
Startled by Davin’s voice, our breaths still heavy, we stopped and calmly fixed ourselves to look presentable. Michael was in control this time and opened his wings slowly, so I wouldn’t lose my balance. “Impeccable timing as usual,” Michael muttered under his breath.
Flushed with embarrassment for getting caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing, he said loudly with slight irritation in his voice, “Hello there yourself, peeping Tom. How long were you there eavesdropping?”
Davin leaped from the top of the waterfall and landed right between us. “Don’t worry, not long, just long enough to be disgusted. Actually, it was more like rated G since I couldn’t see what was happening inside. I’m sure you were discussing something important and not doing things I would do with a beautiful woman.” Davin arched his brows and faced me. “Sorry, just having fun with Michael. I missed him too much.”
“I didn’t miss you,” Michael said jokingly to Davin.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t miss me either,” Davin said, chuckling.
Davin was about to reach for Michael and give him a hug when he stepped back, looked at my T-shirt, and looked at Michael. “Whoaaa! Claudia stole your shirt?”
I looked at what I was wearing and immediately blushed. I had forgotten I was wearing Michael’s T-shirt.
“You talk too much,” Michael said and pushed Davin playfully.
Then he was no longer shirtless. I blinked my eyes in surprise to witness a magical moment.
Davin pushed back. “Ready to leave? You’ve been here for quite some time. They were worried about you. I told everyone you were fine, but Alexa Rose begged me to come and get you.”
“There is one more thing I’d like to do with Claudia,” he said. He grabbed my tennis shoes, helping me slip them on.
I was extremely touched by his sweetness. Even though he told me that he cared for me, it was his actions that spoke louder than his words. It was the simple, caring things he did that made me crazy for him.
“We’ll be right back,” Michael said to Davin.
Before I even had a chance to ask him where we were going, his wings fanned open in a flash. Michael lifted me off the ground, and I started screaming at the top of my lungs. It was like riding a roller coaster, only faster.
“Hold on tight! You know I wouldn’t let you go!” he said as we continued to fly straight up to the sky. “Open your eyes, Claudia…fly with me,” he said.
I didn’t realize my eyes were closed and immediately opened them. That’s when I began loving every moment of this rush. What an amazing feeling it was to fly. I completely let myself go. I was one with him and one with the wind. We looked like two birds gliding across the sky. It was almost the same sense of freedom I felt when I first drove my car, but this was a million times better.
Words could not describe how I was feeling and what I was seeing. To see the splendor of nature from the sky was unbelievable. I completely forgot about everything, and a tranquil feeling rushed through me. Michael’s grin continued to hold the whole time as he never left my eyesight. I didn’t know how long we were flying, but knowing we had to come down saddened me deeply.
“Thank you,” I whispered. It was all I could say. There were no words to express how grateful I felt. He had already given me so much. I would never forget today.
As we spiraled down slowly, I could see the tired look in his eyes, and his body showed some fatigue. Although he tried to conceal that he was getting weaker, I couldn’t bear to see him that way. I knew he had to go back quickly, and I was afraid for his life. Without warning, he collapsed to his knees.
“Michael!” I yelled as I fell to my knees next to him.
“I’m alright,” he lied, trying to hide the worried look in his eyes.
“Davin!” I called, afraid that he had already left.
“Right here,” he said. With a blink of an eye, he appeared next to me. “We should leave now, Michael,” Davin spoke, looking very concerned. “I’ll take her back to the campsite. It’s getting late. She should have been back by now.”
I could tell Michael was not happy, but I knew he completely trusted Davin.
“I’m sorry, Claudia, I always have to leave you,” he said, struggling to stand up.
Davin tried to help, but Michael just pushed him away. Michael somehow managed to get up, but he moved in a pained way. When he finally stood up, he fixated on me with such intensity. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going with you. I can manage,” he said, sounding strong again.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Michael. Let me take you first, and then I’ll be back,” Davin replied.
“Don’t worry. I’m not that weak. I can manage to go on my own. If you take me first, Claudia will be left alone. And that’s all it will take for them to get her. I know my body. I’ll be fine,” Michael said.
“We’ll do it your way, but we need to hurry,” Davin replied.
Michael and Davin grabbed me, and we glided across the field. They brought me back to the same place I had entered. The soaring trees looked a lot friendlier than when they were seen at night. When we neared the campsite, all that was on my mind was Michael’s safety.
“Your campsite is in between those trees,” Davin said, pointing toward two trees that were in front of us. “We’ll wait until we know you are safe.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Michael said, still holding me.
“Don’t worry, Michael. You need to go. I’ll be fine.” I tried to sound strong.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Michael said. “I’ll think of something to say to Phillip. Nothing can keep me away from you.”
“I’ll be waiting as long as it takes. But…make it quick.”
I turned to Davin. “Thank you for being my friend, and thank you for understanding. I know we are asking a great deal of you to keep our secret, but—”
He interrupted, “It’s too late for me to intervene. He’s already lost to you. He’s already feeling human emotions that we have tried so hard to suppress all these years. I don’t blame him. I think I would too. How could you not? I know Michael far better than anyone else. As you already know, he doesn’t follow the Divine Commandments. He makes up his own, which can get him into trouble if he’s not careful, but who am I to judge? I think in some ways we all make up our own rules. As long as you are both aware of the consequences, then so be it.
“Regardless, human emotions or not, he is your guardian angel. He is the most qualified one. His powers are stronger than any alkin I know. Sometimes I envy him. I wish I knew what it is like to fall in love. Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. It’s not like you both planned this. This kind of love is something you cannot control. I understand that. It makes you a better human, or alkin. That’s what I see from Michael, and that is my opinion. I’ve never seen him happier and full of life. Evidently, love knows no boundaries. Anyway, no puff this time,” he laughed. “See, your friendship makes me care about my health even though I’m already dead.”
I didn’t know what to say. I quickly gave Davin a peck on the cheek, “Thank you.”
He was in slight shock. Immediately he placed his hand on the cheek I kissed and smiled.
As I turned to face Michael, Davin spoke again. “I almost forgot. Here’s your flashlight. Can’t get any brighter than this one.”
He wasn’t holding it before; it was as if it magically appeared in his hands. It seemed they could make things appear and disappear, like Michael with the picnic basket, their swords, and now with this flashlight. “Thank you!” I said excitedly and grabbed it out of his hands and hugged it. “I thought I lost it. I was sure it fell over the cliff.”
“It did, but Michael retrieved
it, thinking it was important to you. He just asked me to hold on to it. Michael was right. It is important to you,” Davin replied, giving me a funny look.
Then I thought how ridiculous I must look hugging this thing. “It belongs to my friend, and I would like to take it back to her.”
“Now I understand. Well, we better get going. See you when I see you,” Davin said.
I turned to Michael and placed my head on his chest. His hands ran through my hair and back to my face, as if trying to memorize every detail.
“See you soon. I promise,” he said. He pointed to the crystal. “I am with you.”
“I know,” I said, looking straight into Michael’s eyes. “I love you,” I said, shocked at myself for saying it. The words flowed out of my mouth so effortlessly. I immediately looked down after I said it, fearful of how he would respond.
He lifted my chin, and our eyes met again. His face lit with a broad grin as he said, “I love you more.”
Feeling relief that I hadn’t made a big fool of myself, I returned a heartfelt smile.
“You’re doing it again,” he said.
“Doing what?” I asked, wondering if I had done something wrong.
“Melting my heart with your smile,” he said.
“Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. Time to go, Michael. Now I’m getting really disgusted,” Davin said, laughing.
I looked at both of them, blew them a kiss, and said, “Go, I’ll be fine.”
“He loves me more” were the words I held on to, but he didn’t know it was me who loved him more. I took a deep breath and walked toward the campsite.
Chapter 16
I reached the campsite filled with anxiety. I needed an explanation. What was I going to tell Andrew, who had told us explicitly to stay away? Oh no, how would I tell Patty? From a distance, I could see Patty running toward me. Her smile was a good sign and I was able to slowly release a bit of my anxiety.